Haunts

Title: Thou Shall Not
Rating: PG-13, language, violence
Authors: Arterybreak and Xanadu (Xmucksous)
Disclaimer: All X-men characters are property of Marvel. The
original character(s) being introduced belong to Xanadu Mucksous.

Thou Shall Not...

Remy had been on the road for a little less than two weeks
straight. Cities stretched into towns which faded into an endless
horizon cut by two lanes. Any hope for a resting pattern had proved
futile the first night out. The ghosted image of Logan being only a
few days ahead of him had seared itself into his every thought until
he pursued it with a devil's fervor. Sleep was a triviality, when
such a greater prize awaited somewhere on a lone highway; or in a
bar in the next town. Remy sought this treasure like a crazed
beast; tearing up blacktop, pushing his precious motorcycle almost
to a breaking point. His seemingly endless patience was now at an
end and any neccesary stops caused him considerable irritation. Any
bystanders unlucky enough to cross his path in this state were met
with the crazed demon eyes of a desperate man. The teenage clerk at
his last stop had looked almost certain Remy was there to kill him
when the disheveled man had burst into the store and all but thrown
his gas money on the counter. The kid didn't dare touch the wadded
up bills until the man was back on his bike and screeching down the
road.

It was a humid, moonless night when Remy came across a tell
tale Harley Davidson parked in front of a shit hole bar. He was
almost certain his heart was going to fall out of his feet as he
eased his bike in next to Logan's. A loud country wail carried out
of the heavy wooden door and Remy winced as a harsh throbbing flared
behind his eyes. He swung his leg over the seat and dismounted.
Almost instantly a wave washed over his mind and his knees
threatened to drop him onto the gravel below. He stumbled slightly
before he was able to correct himself. He had been too many miles
on too little sleep but it no longer mattered. Everything he sought
lay inside this shabby tavern and he wasn't going to be denied what
was his any longer. With hands trembling and a slightly rancid
taste in his mouth he walked the short distance to the entrance and
slipped inside.
It was dusty, or maybe it was just all the fetid cigarette
smoke choking the air. The door slammed shut behind him, drawing
attention from the few patrons scattered about the room. Remy
suddenly felt extremely out of place and judging from the looks he
was getting, everyone else had the same idea. He did a quick scan
of the room but found no Logan. That was impossible, maybe he had
gone to the bathroom.

"Can ah help ya?"

Remy turned at the sound of a large, booming voice asking a
question from the direction of the bar. The bartender was a barrel
chested, stocky, man with fine red hair who looked as if he had been
born and bred to stand behind the bar.

"'M lookin' for someone."

The man cocked an eyebrow at Remy as he continued to wipe
out a tumbler.

"Try lookin' out back. Big fight night at the pit. Might
be lookin' t' score some quick cash. Just knock."

The man jerked his head in the direction of a rear exit
hidden amongst broken chairs and boxes. Remy nodded to the
bartender, silently thanking him for his help and made his way to
the door. He could hear muffled shouts and jeers coming from the
other side. He pushed aside a few boxes and a stool and gave the
peeling ply wood door a quick rap. It swung open harshly and Remy
found himself staring into the chest of a stern-faced bouncer. He
glanced down at Remy and snorted.

"Yeah?"

Remy opened his mouth to say something when he heard the bartender
shout.

"It's alright, Cody. Let the kid go."

The man merely grunted and stepped aside to let Remy through.


The room which he had just stepped into was so immense Remy
wondered how he hadn't noticed it when he drove up. Make shift, tri-
level bleachers which were packed with people lined every wall.
People were also clustered around a low concrete circular enclosure
which Remy assumed made up "the pit". There was a man walking just
on the outskirts of the crowd, announcing in a deep bass.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is it. The blessed event
will begin soon, a brand new challenger will face off against our
reigning champion. Please get your bets in now!"

A swell of voices broke out as Remy slipped through the throngs of
people to make his way to the pit. He looked down into the concrete
coliseum and his heart skipped a beat when he saw a battered Logan
making a round. He was shirtless and what was left of his pants
were caked with blood and dirt. He must have made his way through
quite a few guys to look the way he did. The voice of the announcer
was back again.

"Alright, what's say we get this show on the road. For your
viewing pleasure. I introduce tonight's challenger, a man who has
fought his way through thirteen other men to be standing before you
now. The WOLVERINE!!"

The crowd let forth a few bursts of noise.

"And now, it is my pleasure to introduce our champion.
Hoping to take on another win and extend their 2 month reign. Let's
let 'em hear it boys and girls!!"

The crowd erupted into cheers and whistles, whipping itself
into an absolute frenzy. Remy watched as a hooded figure was
escorted into the ring by two burly guards. Heavy chains which were
wrapped around the person's wrists and ankles jangled with each step
they took. The two men quickly unlocked the bonds before
disappearing back into an access tunnel.


Logan studied his opponent, who remained stock still. He
was slightly taller than Logan, although that would hardly make any
difference. Everything else was obscured by the long cloak he was
wearing so Logan waited. One of them would remove it eventually.
The announcer cleared his throat before diving into the rules of
combat.

"This is a no holds barred pit fight. There is no time
limit. If an opponent taps or admits defeat, the fight is over, no
exceptions! If you continue, you automatically lose the fight! The
only weapons will be your own two hands. Smoke 'em if ya got 'em,
gentlemen!"

With that, the fight was begun. The champion raised his
hands and in one swift motion, whipped off the cloak. Logan's eyes
grew wide. Standing before him was a woman, dressed in tight
leather pants and a metal mesh jacket with a small shirt
underneath. Her thick jet-black hair hung in front of her face but
he could still see her eyes; which seemed to glow the brightest
shade of green he had ever seen. This was the champion?

This was their champion? A girl who looked to be barely out
of her teens? Not that she looked in any way like a push over. On
the contrary, this girl was built like a brick shit house. Smooth,
dark skin was stretched tightly over lean, battle honed muscles.
Remy couldn't help but feel a shock of attraction. Everything about
her screamed discipline. Control. Power. Sex.
To say that Logan looked shocked was an understatement.
Remy was nothing short of surprised himself. Logan quickly shook
off his astonishment, however and his face became a mask of intense
concentration. The girl rolled her shoulders and neck, loosening
the muscles. She then began to bounce, shaking out her limbs and
limbering up her body. Remy was familiar with the technique, as too
was Logan, most likely. This girl knew what she was doing. This
would prove to be quite interesting.

Logan watched the girl prepare herself for the fight. She
regarded Logan with nothing more than a twisted snarl on her lips.
The kid was gonna be a spit fire, eh? A grin tugged at Logan's
mouth but he was careful not to let it show. He couldn't afford to
be cocky. He had gotten his ass thoroughly handed to him more times
than was necessary by opponents of the female persuasion throughout
his life. He no longer made the mistake of underestimating their
power.
Instead, Logan squared his shoulders and advanced slowly in
her direction. Without preamble or warning, he lunged at the kid
and slammed her back into the wall. She let out a small grunt on
impact and shoved him backward. He came right back with a jab to
the face. Her head snapped back and hit the wall with tremendous
force. Logan backed off slightly, preparing for a counter attack.
The girl shook her head and reached around to touch the spot with
her hand; when she drew it back, her fingers were covered in blood.
She glared at Logan, breathing harshly. She then turned and look
above the crowd to a small balcony. Logan followed her gaze and saw
an elegantly dressed woman, flanked by the two men who had
accompanied the girl to the arena. She held a small pomeranian dog
in her lap. The girl narrowed her eyes, as if asking for permission
to fight. A slight smile appeared on the woman's face and she
dreamily drew a long finger across her throat.
Logan snapped his attention back to the kid. Something had
suddenly come over her eyes, turning them into pitch black orbs.
She bared her teeth in a snarl and launched herself at Logan. He
dived to the side, only to catch a boot directly to the face. Logan
had no time to recover before she was on top of him, grabbing a
handful of hair and slamming his head into the dirt. She jumped up
and brought her foot down full force onto the back of Logan's
skull.. A collective gasp sounded from the crowd. Logan quickly
rolled away and leapt to his feet, spitting the dirt and blood from
his mouth. She made another lunge but this time Logan was able to
roll sideways and catch her foot as she flew past. He used the
momentum to spin and send her flying toward the wall. She twisted
in mid-air and hit the wall feet first, tumbling gracefully to the
ground. She quickly rebounded and charged toward Logan. When the
kid got close enough Logan made to take another jab but she sprung
into a flip; catching Logan in the throat with the toe of her boot.
She balanced on her hands and spun her legs, whirling them around
and kicking the side of Logan's head. The impact twirled Logan
around and sent him crashing to the ground. He lashed out with a
kick of his own and hooked her arm. Her elbow buckled and she
collapsed face first into the dirt.
Logan heard a loud pop which he knew could only be one
thing. His eyes darted over to the girl who was scrambling to her
feet. Her right arm hung limply at her side. Then, without so much
as the twitch of an eyelid, she grabbed her own elbow and forced the
arm upward, snapping the shoulder back into place. Mixed cries of
shock and disgust made their way through the crowd. The girl simply
rolled her shoulder and stretched her neck. The glare she directed
at Logan raised the hair on the back of his neck. The kid was gonna
be out for blood now.

Remy now knew why she was the champion. The fight had raged
for nearly three hours. The girl had suffered a cracked skull, a
dislocated shoulder, a broken nose and possible broken jaw but
showed absolutely no signs of stopping, or even slowing down. Logan
was getting progressively worse as well. His movements were slowed
and he was beginning to stumble. Remy knew he must be exhausted but
Logan had always been stubborn and was never one to give up easily.
He just hoped Logan would quit when the time was right. None of the
spectators were too suspicous at the moment but he knew that
wouldn't last much longer. It only took one person to throw a crowd
like this into hysteria. Remy had seen it happen before.

Logan leaned heavily against the wall while he tried
desperately to will the room into remaining still. Damn, the kid
was good. Almost too good. The techniques she was using didn't
come without some extensive training from a highly trained
professional. This was no playground wrestler, she had done some
serious homework. Now what had gotten Logan wondering was what the
kid was doing here and more importantly why? Why squander talent,
not to mention someone's effort and, probably, money on a few back
wood locals in a shit hole town? Unless, she was here for a
specific reason.
Logan tightened his jaw and rolled the thought around in his
mind. It made some sort of sense. She was brought out specifically
to fight him. Waited for confirmation from the mystery skirt
sitting up top before retaliating. The woman was most likely the
higher power behind all this. Logan growled fiercely as the
realization struck, they were here for him.

The girl gave an impatient snort and jumped at Logan. He
thrust out his hand and grabbed her by the throat and slammed her on
the ground. He knelt down next to her and placed his head next to
hers in the dirt. He hissed into her ear in a menacing tone.

"What the hell do you want with me?"

The girl narrowed her eyes and jerked her hand up to make contact
with his groin. She dug her fingers into the sensitive flesh and
gave her wrist a violent twist. Logan howled in pain and leapt to
his feet. The girl sneered up at him and slowly rose to her feet.
Logan groaned and rubbed his stomach.

"Answer the question."

He had said it out loud and the whole crowd fell deathly silent.
The girl snapped her eyes up at the crowd and then to the booth.

"Look at me! Not her!"

The woman in the booth was on her feet in an instant. She was
shouting something at the two men and they were scurrying to do her
bidding. Logan grabbed the girl by her shoulders and gave her a
shake. Her eyes were clouded with absolute terror. Logan could
almost hear her heart pounding. She looked directly at him and
uttered one word in a voice watered down with fear.

"Why?"

At that instant the two men rushed into the pit and grabbed
the girl, throwing her to the ground. She automatically put up her
hands and curled into a defensive ball. One man threw the chains on
her while the other one stood in front of Logan and blocked him
from making an approach.

"Hey, what the hell ya doin'?"

Logan tried to move around the man but was kept at bay. The muscle
put a hand on Logan's shoulder and turned him to face away from the
other two.

"This doesn't concern you, just leave it be. The mistress
is willing to pay any compensation needed if you would just leave
now and not turn back."

Logan turned to the man with a look of utter disgust and knocked his
hand away. The other man stiffened and a muscle in his jaw
twitched.

"I don't think you want to do this, boy."

Logan curled his lip in disdain and grabbed the front of the much
taller man's shirt, bringing their faces within inches of each other.

"Who ya callin' 'boy', sonny?"

Then Logan shoved him backward to land harshly on the ground. The
man who had been shackling the girl was now on his feet and running
at Logan. Logan snarled and...*snikt*.

Remy felt his heart drop to the floor. The astonished
murmers around him quickly dissolved to cries of hate. People began
booing and throwing bottles into the pit. A few of the drunker ones
began crawling onto the concrete ledge and jumping down into the
ring. Remy felt a wave of panic and he leapt into the enclosure.

Logan quickly dispersed the other guy and walked over to the
curled form of the young girl, drawing his claws back into his hands
with a smooth click. He put a gentle hand on her arm and felt her
skin tremble. She jolted into a seated position and looked at him
with wild eyes. Her voice was thick with distress and a slight
spanish accent.

"Please, no. She will be angry. You'll make her angry--"

Logan 's heart went sick. The poor kid was terrified of the very
person she seemed to rely on. A ruckus drew his attention away from
the girl for a split second. There were bodies pouring into the
ring and headed in his direction. He postioned his body between the
mob and the girl and released his claws. A flash of color flew past
him and he heard a small explosion go off behind him. Logan turned
in the direction of the explosion and caught sight of the girl,
fleeing down the darkened hallway access tunnel. He growled in
frustration and turned to face the oncoming hoard.
Then he saw a familiar sight, a flash of auburn hair and a
fluttering trenchcoat. Remy, what the hell was the kid doing here?
Were the rest of the X-Men here too? Logan's surprise quickly
turned to irritation and he called out to the thief.

"What the hell do ya think yer doin' here Gumbo?"

Gambit looked back at Logan with one of his trademark grins.

"From de looks 'o t'ings, Remy savin' ya ass."

"Bullshit! I don't need savin'. If ya wanna help, go find
the girl." Logan snarled.

Remy twirled his bo staff, cracking a few guys in the jaw as he
backstepped toward Logan.

"W'ere she go?"

Logan delivered a kick to some guy's midsection. He jerked his head
in the direction of the access tunnel.

"She's that way. Hurry and find her, I'll hold 'em off."

"Don' be stupid, y' go. Y' can find her fas'ter."

Logan knew he had a point. He worked his way through a few guys and
made it to the tunnel. He caught her scent immediately. He chanced
a glance back at Remy; kid was holding his own pretty good. Logan
watched a second longer before he turned and raced down the darkened
tunnel.