"We're here." He said gruffly.
The girl didn't say anything and hopped out of the truck.
"You said you'd take me as far as Laughlin City." She accused looking around.
"This is Laughlin City." He replied.
She shrugged and bent down to pick up her bag laying at her feet. As she did her black and silvery white hair slid off her neck to reveal a bar code.
The girl immediately straightened and shook her hair over her shoulders to cover her neck.
She glared at the truck driver halting any questions he had.
Slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder she walked away toward a dingy looking bar.
She opened the mud caked and scruffy door and walked through. Almost immediately her heightened senses were overwhelmed by the scent of beer, unwashed bodies, smoke and if she didn't miss her guess some blood. The bar was dimly lit, a large bar ran around the North side of the room surrounded by stools, chairs and tables. Two doors marked men and women lead off to the right and to the left was an unmarked hallway.
She settled her duffel bag down on the floor in front of her within sight and easy access to pick up as she sat down on one of the ripped and torn green leather cushioned stools.
"I'll have a scotch." She said to the bar tender. "You look a little too young, honey." He replied shaking his head.
"I wouldn't order if I wasn't over drinking age." She snapped her short temper even more short due to many sleepless nights.
"Whatever but if you get arrested for underage drinking don't get us in trouble." He replied sliding a glass full of scotch over to her.
Jinx snarled slightly and slid some money over to him to pay for the scotch.
Sure, you just don't want me to rat you out to the cops. She sneered mentally. She had a feeling they really wouldn't care anyway. She swung her legs back and forth looking around the bar. She could feel little pinpricks along her arms and legs that were people's emotions. She automatically catalogued them: drunk, lust, misery and denial.
She drained her scotch in a quick gulp and got off the stool. She could feel emotions coming like a wave from the left hallway. Drunk, anger, excitement and the ever apparent lust.
Jinx sighed do all men think about is sex? Shaking her head but her curiosity aroused she walked down the hallway.
At the end of it was a large room about the same size as the bar. A large cage took up the center of the room. Everybody else was clustered around it, standing up, sitting on bleachers or on seats surrounding it. Making her way through the crowds to get a closer look at what was in the cage Jinx stopped. A cold feeling swept over her it wasn't quite like an emotion it was something different.
:: "Daddy don't do this to me!" The girl yelled. She was strapped down on an operating table harsh bright lights glared down at her semi-naked form covered only by a bra and panties.
"Please Daddy. Please." The girl was sobbing now pain raced through every nerve in her body before her healing factor kicked in and dulled the pain. She felt the prick of a needle into her arm and began to thrash even as the effects of the drug began to dull her senses and send her into a dreamless sleep. ::
Jinx shuddered. Why was that memory coming back now? It had been almost five years since that had happened. She thought she had long ago exorcised the demons plaguing her.
Evidently she was wrong. She rubbed her hand over her knuckle slowly lost in thought.
She was brought back to the present with a shout from the ring. She could see two men in the ring one was a tall, bald, thick necked bulldog of a man. The other man was about two inches taller than the other man he had thick black hair that fell over hazel brown eyes and sideburns on either side of his head. It wasn't the man's size or appearance that made him unusual. He seemed to radiate a controlled energy that bounced off Jinx's mental shield like a sledgehammer off a brick wall.
Curious Jinx reached out a mental hand to read his emotions. He was calm but it was like a calm before a strong storm or hurricane. Jinx redrew her mental hand and contented herself to watch.
The bald man was swearing at the other man with enough obscenities to make a sailors ears turn green. The other man remained unconcerned atleast until the bald man tackled him to the ground. He was up off the other man before he could react and was kicking him viciously in the gut.
Jinx couldn't restrain a wince. No matter how tough that guy was it would have to hurt.
The second the bald man backed away to land another kick. But the black haired man was on his feet with the quickness of a cat. He easily parried a punch from the bald man. The ringing of metal came to Jinx's super acute ears as his fist hit the bald man's own. But that was driven out of her mind as the black haired man slammed the bald one into the metal chain cage wall. The man sank to the ground blood dripping from a cut on his forehead unconscious.
Gingerly Jinx reached out a mental hand once more this time to check the bald man. Other than being unconscious and bruised and bleeding he would be all right. All ready he was beginning to stir.
Jinx quickly withdrew her mental hand. She looked up at the black haired man who was now leaning against the cage drinking a glass of beer. For a second their eyes met than he looked away in response to something announcer had said to him.
Jinx feigned disinterest but watched him carefully. He was wearing a loose white shirt and over that an old dusty leather jacket. A pair of blue jeans hugged his lean form and on his feet were a pair of dusty and scruffed old leather boots.
Jinx watched as he ordered another beer from the bartender. She sipped her coffee which was now getting somewhat cold almost automatically as she watched him. She heard the bald man approach the black haired man followed closely by a friend of his. The bald man was limping slightly. He must have twisted his ankle during the fight. Jinx thought.
"You owe me money." He snarled at the black haired man.
"And your stone drunk." He responded coolly.
"Come on Harry let's go." His friend said tugging on his arm.
Harry didn't seem to notice. He bent forward, "I know what you are." He hissed at the black haired man.
"And as I said before your drunk." He repeated and took a swig of his beer ignoring Harry.
Jinx could feel rage vibrating off Harry like the beat of a drum. He turned as if to go then suddenly grabbed something from his friend's pocket and whirled around: It was a knife.
"Look out!" She screamed.
Faster than a striking snake the black haired man whirled around and grabbed Harry by the throat and pinned him against the wall. Nine inch claws appeared out of his knuckles just millimeters from Harry's throat.
Jinx felt as if time had frozen around her.
He has claws like me! The realization was like a slap in the face.
"What do you think you're doing kid? Get out!" He growled.
"I thought you might give me a ride." She said softly.
Logan snorted," you thought wrong kid." He turned around and started walking toward the truck.
"I saved your life!" She yelled.
"No, you didn't." He replied.
She took a deep breath, "you're just like me. The claws. You probably don't know how you got them. You probably remember very little of your life before now. And what you do remember is all a blur and full of pain." She said her voice shaking.
Logan turned around he face was set like stone. But Jinx could read the emotions he was struggling with: anger, bewilderment and some curiosity.
"Get in," his voice was a growl.
Jinx bent down and picked up her duffel bag she ran to the other side of the truck and got in slamming the door quickly.
Logan was already inside the truck, he ignored her completely and started up the truck.
"I'm Jinx," she said softly.
Logan didn't say anything his emotions were a bit calmer. Calmer as in they didn't give her a headache radiating from him anymore.
Jinx sighed and looked out the door.
"What kind of a name is Jinx?" He asked.
Jinx shrugged still looking out the window, "what kind of a name is Wolverine?"
"Logan."
Jinx nodded to show she understood, "They probably gave it to you, Huh?"
Logan grunted. Jinx didn't mind she was quickly getting used to him.
" Did they give you that name, Jinx?" He asked.
She shook her head," they didn't give me any name. I've forgotten what my name was so when I got out I named myself Jinx. It seems to suit me my entire life is one big jinx."
"When'd ya get out kid?"
"Several years now I'm not quite sure."
Silence followed for several minutes.
"Do you have anything to eat?" Jinx asked softly.
Logan grunted he reached down to a plastic bag laying on the floor and pulled a package out, he tossed it to Jinx.
"Thanks."
Jinx pulled her hood out of her face and began to eat. Logan finally got a good look at her face.
She was moderately tanned with high cheekbones. Her eyes were large and expressive a pretty amber almost the color of molten gold. Her eyes had a subtle downward tilt so it looked as if she was always sad. Her hair was dark inky black with silvery white stripes going through it like tiger stripes almost. Logan wasn't sure if it was natural or she had done it herself.
"You know you should wear your seat belt." Jinx told him.
"Look kid I don't need to you to tell me.."
Suddenly a tree dropped down in front of them. The truck hit it and Logan was pitched through the window. He landed on the snow and slid several feet then stopped and lay boneless and broken on the ground.
Jinx's breath caught in her throat," oh god Logan."
But even as she watched Logan began to stir. He got up brushing snow out of his hair and clothes. A large cut on the his forehead was healing up as she watched. It was then Jinx caught the smell of smoke. Turning around in her seat she saw a pile of sheets catch fire.
She began to tug at her seat belt. It was stuck.
She looked up at Logan for some help but he was stock still like a statue. His claws were out.
Damn this. Jinx thought angrily. She threw her claws out ignoring the quick flash of pain in her knuckles. She cut through the seat belt in one quick swipe and opened the door. As soon as her feet touched ground she began to run.
The truck and trailer exploded. She hit the ground.
When she looked up she saw a man if he could be called a man. He was clearly a mutant he was wearing what looked to be animal skins. He jerked her to her feet and hit her.
Jinx went flying as she hit the ground she felt something snap. That jerk probably gave me a concussion and a broken arm with that little love tap. She thought.
She felt the bones knit together and leapt to her feet. If animal boy wants to play rough he's out of his league. She reached out for his emotions with her mental hands. She got them, rage, anger, contempt and bloodlust.
What a happy little camper.
She gathered them in her mind and then threw them back at him. He roared worse than a bear. Guess he can't handle his emotions. She gathered them again and fashioned them into a whip with her mind. She lashed at him all his emotions.
That was too much for the mutant he turned and ran. Yep animal boy can't handle his emotions. She affirmed.
She looked around. Where the heck is Logan? Then she spotted him.
He was out cold laying flat on the ground. Guess animal boy got him. Ugh he's not going to be happy. She walked over to him. "Logan wake up." She murmured shaking him gently.
He didn't wake up. " Somehow I know I'm going to regret this." She grumbled.
She placed her hands on either side of his head. She pressed her head against his.
Logan wake up!
She saw his eyes open quickly then felt pain like she had never felt pain before as his claws went through her chest and into her heart and lungs.
Jinx's eyes widened and she felt limply to the ground. unmoving, unbreathing.