Ride
Written by Darkstorm5000
Disclaimer: X-Men Evolution, the X-Men, and other related characters in their various incarnations are the property of Marvel Entertainment Group and Film Roman Productions, are used without permission and not for profit.
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Chapter 2- Get It On (Bang A Gong), pt I
Location: The Sovereign Principality of Madripoor
It is on this tiny Pacific island nation that visitors', both near and from a far, have gathered to serve as spectators' to the infamous martial arts tournament held here on a biennial basis. And in spite of the unofficial sanctioning of this event, with those in government posts tasked with prosecuting such illegal activities having preferred instead to turn a blind-eye to its existence (as seems to be the norm with many things in this sovereign nation), it is still a spectacle that manages to draw a wealthy and very select crowd. And in doing so, has inadvertently helped in providing the perfect cover for two of the recent arrivals to Madripoor.
"Fury must've been the one who picked this outfit out for me personally, as his own little way of getting back at me." Were the opinionated words now being spoken by Laura, as she re-entered these main living quarters from her bedroom, all located within the ambassador suite at the prestigious Sovereign Hotel. These were very expensive accommodations, which had been secretly provided courtesy of SHIELD and that she was obviously sharing with another person as evidenced by the reply made to her remark.
"I don't know, I don't think it looks so bad." Her traveling companion responded, with Logan offering up his own unfettered observations of Laura and her attire.
Which, were of this young lady now standing before him wearing a little black cocktail dress. A knee-length, strapless number with minimal sequining to offer an informally elegant look that was meant to intentionally draw eyes to all of the right places, for all of the right reasons.
"You're just saying that so I won't go off and start ripping this dress, and everything else around here, to shreds." A still unassured Laura replied, as she fidgeted a bit while checking that this dress, her hair, makeup, and every other detail regarding her appearance was in place, with her enhanced eyesight allowing her to easily look at her own faint reflection in a large window that sat over on the far side of their suite.
"Kid...Laura, you know I ain't ever tried to be anything but straight with you." Logan said, as he now stood up from the standard tan and maroon-striped hotel armchair that he had been seated in while waiting for Laura and then started over towards her, dressed himself in a customary black and white tuxedo suit, "Besides, you really do look nice, ya oughta wear one of those more often. Plus, I figured you'd love it since it gives you a better excuse to wear open shoes like that, so those talons' of yours can breathe more easily. If need be."
While Logan pointed down to the black open-toe heels that she had on, referring of course to the single claws that had been surgically grafted into each of her feet, Laura took a moment to look up at this man now standing right in front of her. Who had apparently gone through a lot of trouble, including consulting with more expert advice from the fashion arena over on Jasmine Row, before being the one who had ultimately selected this outfit for her.
"Thanks." Laura paused and then appreciatively told Logan, while nervously pushing the jet-black tresses that had been specially styled for this evening back from in front of her face.
Her reason for so quickly changing her tune had to do with her belief that Logan had been the only person who had ever been honest with her, even to the point of brutal honesty when necessary, and seemed to genuinely care about her in a way that no one else had. It was why she tended to trust him and what he said generally without question. Even, when it came to the fatherl...to the advice that he so often tried to impart upon her.
"You look nice too. For a guy in a monkey-suit, that is." Laura now told Logan, while tossing in a slight verbal jab at him along with it.
"Tell me about it!" Logan exhaled in full agreement with her assertion regarding his formal attire, as he promptly straightened his tuxedo coat and bow-tie in another window reflection, and then shot her a small smirking glance. Which was an expression equally reciprocated, as Laura returned an almost mischievous smile in his direction.
It was something else that Logan also wished he could see more of from her, since it was such a rarity to see Laura smile or be happy about anything. Especially, since she had hardly been given much of an opportunity or reason to do so in her short life.
xxx
As Logan and Laura went over any last minute details before preparing to head out and put their game-plan into action, Logan's thoughts also drifted back to the circumstances that had recently led to setting this current chain of events into motion.
(Flashback, nearly twenty-four hours ago...)
After disembarking from the S.P.M. Sovereign Lady, Logan made his way from the shipping docks into this section of Madripoor referred to as Lowtown. Despite being the half of the city Where poverty and heavy criminal influences had managed to deeply entrench itself, Logan nonetheless welcomed and allowed the aura of his surroundings to permeate through him. From the scent of ripened produce on the curbside food carts, to the aroma of various cuisines wafting out of the stalls of nearby hawkers that ranged widely from rendang, to sushi and sashimi and other delicacies that hit his enhanced senses like a brick wall, he was instantly taken back to days long since passed. Walking down these once familiar streets, now lined with the down-trodden faces of other passersby's who were equally as unfamiliar to him, Logan continued on until he spotted a place that within his personal frame of reference fell into that first category of being very much recognizable to him.
The Princess Bar.
Having managed to survive through world wars and other earth-shattering events, both natural and man-made, the establishment currently known as the Princess Bar had carried on in one form or another as something of an institution here in Lowtown. For Logan, it was a place that held a lot of memories for him, both good and bad. Which in his case, was something that didn't come at a premium for him in either instance.
Upon Logan's entering of this domain, whose interior-design radiated an air of elegance harkening back to a bygone era that one would only expect to find now in the realm of classic cinema, its patronage all seemed to simultaneously turn away from their various activities within to briefly glimpse at this stranger wearing a faded gray windbreaker, bucket hat, and blue jeans, before going back about their rambunctious business. All the while keeping a peripheral view out of the corner of their eye on this unfamiliar face to them, in the event that he was there to start some kind of trouble.
Remaining fairly oblivious to these casual stares upon his entry, or rather pretty much ignoring them, Logan without hesitation made his way over to the bar and promptly ordered a double-shot of their strongest Canadian whiskey.
"Is Rose in?" Logan asked the bartender once he returned with his order, who was wearing a white dress-shirt, bow-tie, and red tuxedo-vest with black formal pants, all part of the decidedly upscale reputation that the Princess Bar had strove and was known for. Which, was something nowhere to be found elsewhere in the other ramshackle buildings that surrounded it.
But with regards to Logan's second request as to the whereabouts of 'Rose', the bartender simply shot Logan an unsure look. Almost, as if he wanted to answer this stranger's question with a question of his own, and find out who this guy thought he was to come in here off of the streets asking about Rose like this? However, before things could escalate into a heated confrontation, a voice interceded and interjected itself at precisely the right moment, coming from a table over in one of the bar's shadowed corners.
"Who are you? And why would you be looking for Rose?" This very feminine voice now asked Logan through a peculiarly distinct French-accent, borne of a dialect combination that he hadn't heard in a good many years.
"Name's Logan. Rose 'n me are old friends and go back, WAY back. Since before she took over runnin' this dump." Logan replied, his heightened vision now focusing in on the shadowy female-form speaking to him from the other side of the bar, "I was hopin' to dig up a little info from her on a woman around here, goes by the name of Viper."
"That…is very interesting." She replied, with a slight smile.
Deciding to fully satisfy his curiosity, Logan then took the bottle that had been so graciously left on the bar's counter with him over to this woman's table, along with a requisite pair of glasses. All, so that he could share a drink with this intriguing mystery woman dressed in a vintage royal blue and white qipao dress.
"So tell me, who might you be?" Logan spun the conversation around and asked, as he sat down and poured a drink into each of the empty glasses sitting on the table in between them, all while the bar's resident piano player began keying a new soft and melodic tune.
"From what you have said, it appears that we may be friends as well. Rose isn't here at the moment, but perhaps I could be of assistance?" She replied, "Why would you be in need of information about this woman Viper?"
"Let's just say we've got some...unfinished business that I was lookin' to tie up with her." Logan answered, before gulping down the entire contents of his shotglass, "And I was hopin' to find out where I might be able to find her."
"I assume, then, that you are planning to attend the Penumbra, the fighting tournament that is being held here?" This mystery woman inquired, although it came across as more of a suggestion, while taking the bottle to pour another drink for Logan, "Viper, as well as all of the other local and regional crime-lords, will be there in attendance."
She then went on to further explain how the political, social, and economic spheres in Madripoor were so delicately and intricately linked with one another, that rivalries and alliances could shift almost literally at the drop of a hat depending on whatever the issue of contention at the moment happened to be.
She then went into painstaking detail on how the country's two top crime-bosses, a retired and highly decorated military officer named General Nguyen Ngoc Coy, and his chief rival the business mastermind known only as Roche, both unofficially controlled Madripoor. With Roche having laid claim to Hightown and its wealth of financial resources and other capital, while Coy had carved out and consolidated a powerbase of his own from Lowtown's plethora of illegal and illicit operations, and how each had a chain of criminal underbosses beneath them. With Viper having recently inserted herself into that pecking-order rather seamlessly.
All of this, in spite of the fact that Madripoor had an internationally-recognized Head of State, its grand monarch and absolute ruler Prince Baran. Who, generally presented himself to the world-stage behind the image of an autocratic leader that oversaw and ran the affairs of his homeland with a cold iron fist, while the truth of the matter was far less clear-cut.
That, because of Roche's skilled expertise in exploiting the laws and its accompanying loop-holes within every foreign economic market on the planet for his own criminal ventures, and Coy's extensive military background, ties to the global black-market, and other dirty-dealings that had perhaps gained him a greater degree of influence over Madripoor's police and military forces than even its own commander-in-chief could claim, Prince Baran had come to rely heavily on these two men mainly as a matter of practicality. Both, because of the financial sustention and overall stability in general that each was able to foster within his regime, and because of the way that Roche and Coy acted as a power check on one another, so that neither would turn an overly ambitious eye to the throne on which he currently sat.
Knowing how tenuous a situation existed here within his kingdom, it was one reason that Prince Baran continued to uphold Madripoor's age-old tradition of refusing to extradite anyone to foreign powers, regardless of the crimes that they were accused to have committed. And, was why uninvited outside interference into any of its internal matters was resoundingly discouraged by all of Madripoor's officials.
The reason for such a lengthy dissertation on Madripoor's socio-political structure being given to Logan was to clearly illustrate to him the importance of being cautious in his desire to seek out Viper and finish whatever 'business' that he had with her. That, even though Viper had managed to make numerous enemies during her fairly short time here in Madripoor, that even they could conceivably come to her defense if they felt that the balance of power, and their mutual prosperity, was being threatened by some outside entity.
"So, all of that was to basically say that the bad guys usually stick together around here when push comes to shove." Logan sarcastically commented, as he downed what was by now his fifth drink in about as many minutes while listening to her explanation.
"A rather simplistic way of stating it, but I suppose that would be a correct summarization." She replied, having yet to touch the first drink that had been offered to her.
"Well, I appreciate the lowdown and the warnin'." Logan said, as he stood up and reached into his front-pocket, "For your troubles."
Knowing from his own personal experience how the exchange of good information in potentially hostile territory could more often than not be as valuable as gold, and that in a place like Lowtown currency of any kind could literally mean the difference between life and death, Logan wanted to show a sign of his gratitude to this woman for her taking such a risk by so openly talking to him.
But, when Logan went to retrieve a few bills from his billfold to offer to her, he was caught a bit by surprise at her response.
"That is not necessary, M'sieur." She replied, taking the money that Logan had tried to give to her and placed it back into his palm, closing his rough and weathered hand back around it with her own relatively delicate fingers.
"Then why're you bein' so generous with the info?" Logan asked, now feeling confused about what this woman's true motivations were.
"Let's just say that I could sense from the moment when you first came in here that you were on a righteous quest. And I believe that it is my responsibility to aid you in fulfilling your part towards what will be a greater good. Some might refer to such a simple notion as--" She was saying, but received a little help from her new acquaintance in finishing her sentence.
"Karma. Yeah, I get it." Logan added with a smirk, as he took in the features of this young, early 20's-ish woman seated there for one last time, and then turned to make his departure from the Princess Bar. So, that he could make it over to his rendezvous with Laura at the luxurious Sovereign Hotel...
xxx
(Back in the present...)
"So'd you forget to bring your eyepatch with you?" Was the blunt question now posed by Laura, as she and Logan stood side-by-side on an elevator that was currently transporting them down to the Sovereign Hotel's first-floor lobby.
"Gonna beat that horse to death, are we?" Logan glibly asked in response, as his gaze remained fixed on the elevator's closed doors in front of them.
"No. Just wondering if you might be worried about us standing out in a crowd?" Laura used his own words to remind him.
"A wealthy western businessman here with an underage-girl? Trust me, ain't nobody around here gonna think anything's outta the ordinary!" Logan looked over and told Laura, referencing their cover identities just as the elevator doors opened up before them to signal their arrival.
Briskly making their way through the lobby to the hotel's outside, Logan and Laura next headed in the direction where the Penumbra tournament was being held only a few blocks away.
As they did, Laura's mind went over their plan for this evening with the two of them posing as foreign spectators at tonight's martial-arts tournament, while waiting for the right time to strike and take down Viper without having to fight their way through half of Madripoor to do so. Logan had kept mentioning something to her about wanting them to avoid winding up like Butch and Sundance here, although Laura had no earthly idea what he was talking about. In her mind, it would be well worth it to have to kick a little ass in order to get her hands on Viper.
On the woman responsible for so much of the suffering that she'd endured in her life, unspeakable things done to her that she still continued to grapple with to this day and relived on a constant basis in her nightmares.
On the woman who excelled at, and seemed to revel in, breaking any semblance of self-esteem that she might have developed, and so psychologically damaged Laura that she for years believed with all of her heart Viper's assertion that she truly wasn't a real person. Which, was thanks to the constant reminders from Viper that she was nothing but an overly-expensive carbon copy of the original Weapon X, that she was something far less than human or mutant and was to be treated accordingly.
On the woman who stripped any shred of dignity from her by turning her into a walking science experiment, by turning her body into a 'thing' that didn't belong to her and was instead the sole domain of HYDRA's scientists to use to satisfy whatever curiosities that they may have had about human genetic-mutation. Regardless of whether it pertained to Laura specifically, or just their overall fascination for the field in general.
Such as, what would happen if one of the bone claws (which had recently begun taking full-form as a result of Laura reaching the early stages of adolescence) were to be removed from each of her arms and placed into her corresponding feet, would her body with its newly-emerged healing capabilities learn to adapt? So intrigued by this proposition was Viper, that she ordered them to immediately find out.
To this day Laura can vividly remember the horrific sensations of having one of her claws and its surrounding bone housing ripped out of each arm, of having her arms surgically cut open and repeatedly re-opened because of her persistent healing-factor attempting to repair the damage and close the wound. The indescribable pain of having parts of her skeletal structure violently sawed through without the luxury of any kind of anesthetic being administered, per the explicit orders of the then-Madam Hydra herself.
In her nightmares, the sickening echoes from howls of agony reverberating off of the examination room's cold steel-walls is one of the things that still often wakes Laura at night, on those rare occasions where she's actually able to fall asleep. A dream-time scenario that's second in her mind, both in terms of frequency and the sheer terror that it generated from within her, only to waking up soon after her 'surgery' to find herself sealed inside of a huge glass float-tank with molten-hot metal being slowly and excruciatingly infused into her body, feeling as though she were being burned head to toe from the inside out.
The lone constant being in all of Laura's nightmares, regardless of whatever their disturbing circumstances may include, was the almost smiling visage of the woman responsible for doing this to her. As if Viper had taken some form of perverse pleasure in administering these countless acts of such extreme cruelty upon her.
With all of these things from her past still weighing so indelibly on her, Laura wondered how she was going to react to seeing Viper again? Whether she would stick to the plan, or simply lose all control and give into that blinding berserker rage that she had worked so hard at controlling since coming to live at the Xavier Institute, reverting her back to that efficient and uncaring killer that HYDRA had programmed her to be?
At any rate, Laura was about to learn the answer to that particular question, now that she and Logan had arrived at the site where the Penumbra was being held, which was also the home of the crimelord named Roche. An avid enthusiast of this type of bloodsport, Roche had gone so far as to commission the construction of an extravagant indoor arena that he had built into his own home and that was capable of seating several hundred when hosting these martial arts exhibitions.
It was an opulent compound located in the exclusive Monied Heights palisades that sat high above overlooking all of Lowtown below, Roche's private stronghold was in essence a chateau-like design whose lavishness was second only to the Prince's own palatial residence. Which, quickly became quite apparent to Logan and Laura as they took in this birds-eye view granted to them from the steep cliffside that encompassed part of Roche's estate, looking out across the harbor at the veritable fleet of junk sail-boats slowly bobbing along with the gentle waves of the sea's current. All the while, they stood outside of its huge front gates and patiently waited as one of Roche's guards finished with his scrutiny of the forged invitations that they were attempting to use to gain entry to the tournament.
Once they were finally admitted inside, Logan and Laura got an even more up close and personal introduction to this grand hall of combat. Keeping their eyes peeled as they were guided through the luxurious corridors of this extravagant domicile that were all lined with numerous paintings, busts, and other accessorial pieces meant to compliment its mix of French and Chinese-influenced design, which in and of itself seemed to be a reflection of its owner. Logan and Laura were then shown to their seats in this interior private arena by one of Roche's people.
Where they were immediately treated to a match that was just about to start down on the slightly-elevated exhibition platform before them.
On one side was a man dressed in a common pair of steel-blue wrestling tights with matching boots and a matching luchadore mask, who more unconventionally had a pair of long, razor-like blades mounted onto the ends of each one his fists. He had entered himself in this no-holds barred combat tournament, appropriately enough, under the name of Razorfist. Across the ring from him though was his opponent, whose name had been introduced before Logan and Laura had taken their seats and whose appearance was far more modest, consisting mainly of a simple white gi with the sleeves ripped off of it. And, who appeared to be standing there studying the larger and more lethally-appendaged man across from him with a scrutiny that went several levels beyond intense.
Once the signal had been given from the judges for the match to begin, the spectators watched on as Razorfist rushed over at his opponent with a flurry of slashing attacks. Which, was meant to intimidate and to inflict a tremendous amount of damage in a short amount of time, and bring this contest to a swift conclusion. But, his opponent seemed undaunted and agilely dodged each of these deadly swipes coming at him from every direction, all the while carefully biding his time in anticipation of his own counter-attack.
Which came, along with the match's end, at such an unbelievably blinding speed that those in attendance who had made the unfortunate mistake of blinking at that precise moment missed it all. With an uppercut blow delivered squarely into Razorfist's central sternum, the next and last thing that this self-proclaimed master of death saw from his double-overed vantage point was a fierce flash of light going off right in front of his face.
What the audience saw next was Razorfist flying through the air, back across all of the way to the other side of the ring after being hit by an energy discharge of some kind. Which led to immediate speculation amongst those who had just witnessed this feat about whether or not the obvious winner of this bout was himself a mutant? But, the two individuals who would've probably been the most qualified in this crowd to make an educated guess as to the nature of the victor's extraordinary abilities were at the moment otherwise occupied.
Principally, because Logan and Laura had just caught a glimpse of Viper as she made her entrance in one of the balcony booths above them, having arrived in the arena right before the spectacular display that had just taken place in the ring down below.
As Razorfist was carried off after his hard landing onto the concrete floor outside of the ring, the next two competitors were introduced and then proceeded to make their way towards the ring. Not that Laura would've noticed or even cared about it, since her gaze remained fixated up on one balcony box in particular where Viper was calmly sitting with her companion and body-guard Keniuchio Harada.
While Harada was wearing a tuxedo much like his counterpart seated beside Laura, Viper had opted for something a bit less conservative in the form of a slinky metallic-green dress, which had a low v-cut opening down the front and left little to the imagination. Upon noticing that she had caught the undivided attention of a curious onlooker from down-below, Viper adhered to the spirit of propriety and responded by flashing a toothy, slightly-fanged grin back in Laura's direction.
Which had the effect, albeit one that was both desired and intended by the sender, of driving the younger girl up the wall.
"How dare she!"
Laura fumingly thought to herself, as she used every ounce of self-restraint that she possessed to contain her seething anger for this woman, and to keep from tearing a pathway right through the dozens of other spectators that were sitting between Viper and herself.
"Just play it cool and stick to our plan. You'll get your chance when the time is right." Logan now said as he looked over and placed a hand up on one of Laura's shoulders, having sensed a tensing through her body language that indicated the level of rage within this young lady seated beside him was rising exponentially.
"I know! You're not dealing with some rookie here, you know?" Laura replied to Logan with an indignant huff, as she turned back around in her seat to face forward towards the ring and threw her arms across her body in a folded fashion, all the while managing to keep a trained eye locked on Viper thanks to her own exceptional peripheral vision.
Laura's point to Logan was one that the older man took to heart, having acknowledged to himself immediately his mistake in attempting to chide her. That, while he knew logically that Laura was more than up to the task of handling herself on a caper like this with the utmost professionalism, Logan still found himself looking at her as he would any of the other kids from the Institute and fell back into his habitual role as mission guidance instructor.
Which surprisingly, Laura knew and was very much able to understand why he acted that way. A part of her even liked and appreciated the idea of being looked at as 'just another one of the kids', especially since she had been so concerned when first coming to live at the Institute that she would never fit in or be accepted as one of them. But, another part of her took tremendous pride in her ability to carry her own weight in these kinds of situations, and in the notion that Logan had a partner in her who was fully capable of backing him up when worse came to worst.
In the meantime, while Viper and Laura had been busy exchanging glances between one another that ranged from artificially cordial to downright hostile (to say the least), another match had begun and was currently taking place down in the ring at that very moment. This contest had two fairly evenly-matched competitors facing off with one another, pitting a seasoned sumo wrestler against a former judo world champion. And while one would assume that it would be the latter of these two using his expert skills in grappling and throwing to toss his opponent around to his advantage, it wound up being the sumo who utilized his own considerable weight and corresponding leverage to send the other man sailing far out into the sea of spectators that surrounded the ring. Far enough out in fact, that the ex-judo champ ended up making an abrupt landing in the row right in front of where Logan and Laura were seated.
Which, was spectacular enough in and of itself. But, when the commotion that was caused by their fellow attendees having to dive out of the way of this incoming human missile escalated into a more general state of pandemonium in their seating section, alarms went off immediately with Logan and Laura thinking that something about all of this wasn't right. Like the kind of feeling one gets when they realize that what seems to be a mere coincidence, is actually just the first step in triggering a more elaborate orchestration now being carried out.
Such as, a career criminal-extraordinaire using her growing local influence to manipulate a fight and it's ultimate outcome.
These gut suspicions were quickly confirmed for Logan and Laura when they looked up towards the balcony area to see that Viper and Harada were making a hasty retreat, amidst all of the confusion, shoving, and small scuffles that had broken out down below them. But remaining calm and collected about all of this, as they shot each other a look of mutual understanding about what their next move would be, Logan and Laura got up and expeditiously made their way through this crowd of panicked spectators with high efficiency, heading over towards one of the small arena's exits.
Once they were finally out in an empty and adjoining corridor, they then made use of their acute mutant senses to begin tracking where their quarry had gotten off to? But after following said trail down to a sub-level parking garage, the two individuals that they were seeking out were nowhere to be found. Although, they did unexpectedly wind up running into another familiar face, at least one who was now very much known to Logan.
"Long time, no see, Karma." Logan semi-humorously remarked, as the young woman whom he had met at The Princess Bar little more than twenty-four hours ago, was now once again standing across from him in a shadowy area of this underground parking garage.
"Karma?" This young woman replied with a raised eyebrow to the informal cognomen Logan had used to refer to her by.
"Seein' as you never told me your name last time we met, it was either that or 'shadow-girl'. And, that second one's pretty much already been taken." Logan said with a noticeable smirk, alluding to the fact that she seemed to continually keep appearing to him from darkened corners.
"Well, I must say, you look none the worse for wear yourself, M'sieur!" Karma now happily replied to Logan, having taken notice of the 180 degree change in his attire tonight from the modest windbreaker and jeans that she had seen him in last night, to this evening's formal tuxedo suit.
Karma then took notice of another change with this man with whom she had recently become acquainted.
"I see that you have brought a guest along with you this time as well?" Karma said as she looked over at Laura, who was standing right beside Logan.
"Yeah, she--" Logan said as he was about to start into his explanation of their cover-story, when he was suddenly interrupted.
"--doesn't have time for this! They're getting away!" Laura, who was feeling less than sociable at the moment, looked over at this woman and then back up at Logan and vocally pointed out for the both of them.
"I sensed that something was afoul before the last match began. And, I saw Viper and the Silver Samurai get into an awaiting car to depart just as I arrived down here." Karma replied, while reaching into her purse and fishing around for something seemingly of importance.
And, having apparently found what she was searching for in rather short-order, she once again spoke to Logan and Laura.
"I believe that you will know how to make use of these." Karma said, as she tossed a set of keys to Logan. And then with a sizable grin, she pointed over towards a custom motorcycle parked several feet away from them. One, which was of a strikingly familiar model.
"How'd you manage to..." Logan was starting to ask as he gave this Harley, which was uncannily similar in its design to the one that he had left back home in Bayville, and his benefactor both a quick visual once-over.
"Let us just say that that I have my ways." Karma smiled and said in a singular response to all of the questions that she sensed Logan had, as her eyes began to mysteriously glow a soft-incandescence.
Which was further proof that, like him, there was more to her than she had initially let on.