Roaddog 4:69

Roaddog 4:69

If I didn't create them, then I don't own them, please don't sue me. This seems to be getting a little redundant, doesn't it?

He returned a few minutes later with a case, and after better than half of it was gone, the light conversation of sports, drinking stories, and engines took a turn.

"Oh yeah," he said, "like you don't want me."

Araña raised one eyebrow before responding. "I don't."

"Sure," he said rolling his eyes, before another long pull on his beer.

"I'm serious," she answered.

After lowering his bottle, he leveled his eyes at her. "You're serious."

"Yeah."

He sat back in the chair then, still staring at her. "Really?"

"Yeah," she replied, getting a little sick of answering the same question.

"Well why the hell not?"

"What do you mean? You want reasons?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I want reasons."

Flabbergasted, Araña was speechless for a minute. "I don't know," she said, shrugging. "I guess I just don't go in for the whole little fur-ball thing."

"Fur-ball?!?"

"Yeah. I mean don't get me wrong, you're fine and all, but the idea of running my tongue down your body and getting all of that hair in the back of my throat. Bleah!"

"Lots of women find it attractive."

"Lots of women find ear hair attractive, but I'm not lining up to date guys with ear hair," she responded, taking a swig.

"More t' hold onto."

"So are love handles, another quality that I don't search for in a man." He stared down at his beer for a few seconds, silent. "Did I damage your fragile male ego?" she asked teasingly.

"Nope" he replied looking up. "I think I have this figured out."

"Good," she nodded emphatically before taking another swallow of her beer.

"So you play for your own team, right?"

She raised one eyebrow at him. "Excuse me?"

"You bat from the other side of th' plate, right?"

"Will you kill the baseball analogies? Are you asking me if I'm a lesbian?"

"Well, ain't you?"

"Let me get this straight. Just because I'm not fawning all over your every move or pissing my pants while simultaneously trying to get into yours then I must be gay?" He nodded calmly at her, as if he didn't understand why she was getting so uptight. "Is it all women you have a low opinion of or is it just me?" He opened his mouth to reply, but she raised a hand to silence him. "Never mind." She brought the bottle to her lips one last time, downing the remains of the sudsy brew. Then she looked at the clock. "Damn," she said, "look at the time. My train leaves in a couple of hours. We should get some sleep."

"Yeah," he agreed, "that twit at th' counter never sent th' cot did she?"

"No," she replied attempting to stand. "Probably got tied up with the Shriners."

"Damned Shriners," he growled. "Well you can have th' bed."

"You sure," she asked as she pulled back the covers.

"Yeah. Probably won't sleep much anyway."

"Bad dreams," she asked crawling under the covers.

"How'd you know?"

"You look like the type. 'Night, Logan."

"'Night, Araña." Within a few moments she was asleep and snoring softly, as Logan looked out the window, taking in the beauty of the night.

A few hours later, her soft snoring was interrupted by bouts of coughing. He had just lit up his first stogie in eight hours and though he felt bad for waking her he needed his fix. "Geaa," she groaned, "You do realize that this is a non-smoking room?"

"M-hmm," came his response.

"Damn, that thing stinks," she said, sitting up in bed trying to focus on him at the window. "Second hand smoke is carcinogenic, you know? I'm basically smoking half of that."

"Good," he replied, "then you can give half th' money for my next pack."

"Hardy-fucking-Har. What time is it?"

"Six," he replied never turning.

"And my train leaves at?"

"Eight-thirty."

"Good. Just enough time to get dressed and get some breakfast. My treat."

"Great. A steak sounds perfect."

"Do you ever eat a meal without consuming some member of the bovine family?"

"Nope."

"You're real talkative in the morning."

"M-hmm," he replied. Behind him, he could hear her get out of bed; he turned in time to see her stretch and to catch a glimpse of red underwear. He turned back around. He heard the bathroom door close, as the water began to run. She emerged a few minutes later, just in time for Logan to take the last drag on his stogie.

"Ready?" she asked.

"As ever." He grabbed his jacket and Stetson and she her sunglasses, and they headed out the door.

"So, where to?" she asked once in the parking lot.

"I think I saw a…" Logan trailed off as he sniffed at the air.

"What?"

A crisp * snikt * was his reply as his claws sprung from his knuckles. "Back up, darlin'."

"What is it?" She asked looking around frantically.

Logan knew what it was, he just didn't know how. Sure enough out of the corner of his eye he watched as a mass of hair, talons and black eyes exploded from hiding. Sabretooth.

Logan reached back and pushed Araña to the ground as he prepared to square off against Sabretooth. Neither of them very big on talking, they got right to action. A low sweep by Logan's right hand scathed Sabretooth's leg. Sabretooth responded by swinging one massive hand and connecting with Logan's face. The power behind the blow forced Logan down onto one knee. When he looked up, three small lines drawn in blood streaked down Logan's face.

Growling, Logan narrowed his eyes as he glared up at Sabretooth. Araña watched in amazement as the wounds closed up in front of her eyes. Logan had had enough of this however. Upper lip pulled back and snarling, Logan stood as he brought his left hand up the length on Sabretooth's torso. Araña could see the blood seep through the material he wore almost instantaneously. Sabretooth roared in pain. Calling on all the strength he had left, the wounded Sabretooth reached for Logan's throat. Latching on, he raised the much shorter Logan off the ground.

Finally, Araña stood and ripped off the T-shirt she had been wearing. Logan, noticing the motion to the side of him, stared awestruck at the extra appendages that sprouted from her ribs. The kid had spider legs. Four of them. Two on each side of her ribcage about eight inches long, jointed and covered with short, spiky, black hair. He watched as she closed her eyes and the legs wrapped around her stomach, just to the point of touching. They began to move in what appeared to be a weaving motion. Once they were in a frenzy, Araña thrust her right hand into the fray. The hourglass on her wrist pulsed as the silk that she had used the night before became entangled in the extra legs, making what appeared to be a giant web. A web big enough for a man to fit in. Good girl, Logan thought to himself. She slowly opened her eyes and focused on Logan and Sabretooth. She smiled.

At that moment, Sabretooth tossed Logan about four feet onto the hood of a car. The fuzzy darkness started to pull at the edges of his consciousness. Barely coherent he thought, that doesn't make sense for him to toss me. It would have made more sense to use me as a shield. That thought had no more finished its trip through his mind when the felt the silk envelope him. He opened his eyes in time to see Sabretooth's fist smash into his eye…then everything went black.

"I think he's coming to." Logan responded by flicking out claws from his knuckles. "Yup," Araña continued calmly. "He's awake." Logan attempted to pull his arms up, only to find that he was cuffed to a metal chair.

A very plain chair save the little extras. At the feet of the chair were small cuffs holding his ankles. His arms were held fast by cuffs soldered directly to the arm rests. He raised his eyes to meet the sunglasses of Araña, who squatted in front of him, completely unrestrained. "Good to see you back among the living, Logan. I though Sabes had put you out permanently. Must say that I'm glad he didn't, although you don't look very pleased to see me."

He glared a hole through her. He couldn't believe that he hadn't seen this one coming. Guessed cause she was a kid, who would have expected it? He was still pissed. He wrenched one wrist down in an attempt to slice through the arm of the chair. He heard a cling but felt no give in the metal. Again he tried to slice through the arm, and was met again by the same resistance. She stared coldly at him from behind the sunglasses. "Having a little trouble there?" she asked calmly. He looked up at her again, to see her smiling. "Let me ask you something, Logan? Ever have the occasion to slam one of your claws into another? My guess is no, or else you wouldn't have that puzzled look on your face now.

"Adamantium. Remarkable metal. I mean if you took one of your claws now and crashed it into another neither would even sustain a scratch. Feel free to test it if you want…oh," she said half-laughing while drumming her fingers on the cuffs that held him, "whoops you can't. Oh well, take my word for it. Anyway, when I figured I was gonna have to snatch you I took it upon myself to have a chair constructed that could withstand your…unique extremities. You wouldn't believe the shit I had to go through to get this made. But I'm sure you appreciate the craftsmanship."

"I will get outta this," Logan replied, snarling, and retracting his claws "an' I will kill you when I do."

For the first time Logan noticed that they were not alone in this abandoned warehouse, as Sabretooth stormed towards him. Araña raised a hand over her shoulder, which halted him in his tracks. "I'm sensing some hostility, here, Logan. There's really no need for animosity. I'm only trying to provide for the welfare of every mutant. A war is coming. And if we don't do something to preserve ourselves we'll get wiped out. Of that I have no doubt. Now the only question is what to do?

"Well let me start by saying that Magneto was right; Rogue is the key. Only Magneto was sloppy. I've found that to be a recurring flaw in you XY boys. Impulsiveness. Being impetuous isn't a bad thing in a boxing ring, but when you're talking about world domination, you can't afford to think with anything other than your head. Your big head, to clarify. I tried to tell Magneto this but he wouldn't listen. Big surprise although probably not as big a surprise as it was when he got arrested. So now with 'Metal Head' behind bars or plastic curtains, anyway, someone had to step up and take control."

"So you're planning what? A world take over an' then free Magneto so he can run it?"

"What are you insane?" Araña asked, laughing. "That son of a bitch had his chance. If he gets out of prison it's gonna be on his own and he's gonna have to kill me to gain control."

"No loyalty among thieves, huh?"

"Loyalty for what exactly?" she asked, standing. "Do you honestly think that if he had succeeded at the world summit that he would have kept any of us around a minute longer than he had to? He was out for himself, he always has been, and he always will be. We were just low-rent mercenaries he hired along the way cause he was getting too old to do his own dirty work. Besides he always treated Sabes like an idiot anyway. I can honestly say that the world of mutants would be much better off without him."

"So you're just gonna kill a few hundred thousand people, so you can live peacefully. Sounds like you're out fer yourself."

Heaving a deep breath she grabbed a chair and straddled it in front of him, before pulling off her sunglasses. Red eyes exposed, she responded, "You're missing the big picture, Logan. Imagine, a world with the ruling class comprised of mutants. Laws being passed by mutants. No need to hide in dark alleyways or schools for the gifted. No more hiding who you are and what you are capable of. No more being a freak. You've been out in the world, Logan. You've got to appreciate what that could mean. I'm just asking you to have the slightest bit of vision. Join us, Logan. Help us fight for the liberation of mutants."

"So what's your plan?" he asked, feigning interest to keep her talking long enough to figure out how to escape.

"Well, I know this guy in East Mississippi. A telepath. One of the most powerful in the world. His specialty? Mass genocide or suicide. Ruby Ridge and Waco. Those were his. So was Jonestown. Not to mention about a hundred other small, non-newsworthy cult suicides that you've probably never heard of. Anyway, I figured we needed to kill the leader of these anti-mutant groups, but we can't have any blame cast on the mutant community. So if we could get the leaders to commit suicide there would be no one to keep people stirred up, and most of the anti-mutant sentiment would die and we could easily slip into power."

"You've lost your flamin' mind."

"I'm not crazy, Logan. I'm just ambitious."

"What d'ya need Rogue fer then?"

"Well, unfortunately my telepath's powers have diminished with his age. Rogue is young and there is a fairly slim chance that she'll survive."

"Fairly slim?"

"Oh come on, Logan how can you even sit there and pretend like it's not worth it. The life of one girl versus the continuance of the entire race of mutants. Not just in the US," smiling she added, "and Canada, but all over the world."

"What if it was you?"

"If I had Rogue's power I'd be more than happy to sacrifice myself for the world. Unfortunately, there is no need to cover the entire world in a huge spider web."

"How convenient."

"I sense you drifting away from cooperation, Logan. Come on, there are two ways to do this. The easy way or the hard way. Don't make us do it the hard way. Please."

From the look on her face, she did look genuinely concerned. "Gonna have t' go hard way, Araña."

She nodded slowly before replacing her sunglasses, "I more or less figured. Sabes," she called over her shoulder, as she stood. "Looks like we're gonna need the helmet after all."

"Told 'ya," Sabretooth stated flatly.

"I know, baby, but I figured it was worth a shot anyway. He would have been a hell of an addition." Sabretooth grunted in response, "Not that anyone could replace you," she said running her hand up his barrel chest into the thick hair surrounding his face.

Reaching down, he put his hands around her waist and lifted, bringing her face level with his. She wrapped both arms around his neck and they kissed. Long and hard. Pressing her against him to balance her weight he freed one hand to openly grope at whatever he could find. She wrapped one leg around his waist, and Logan could hear him growling in arousal even from four feet away. Logan looked away, until he heard her feet hit the cement floor again.

When he looked up, Araña was smiling and Sabretooth was the closest to it that Logan had ever seen him. He walked out of the room slowly, as Araña straightened her shirt, and made her way back to the chair sitting in front of Logan. Responding to the look she was receiving from Logan, "I like a man with a little broader chest, nothing personal," she finished as she straddled the back of the chair again.

"Thought you didn't like th' hairy thing."

"If you'll recall my exact wording, I said that I didn't go in for the 'little' fur ball thing. And speaking purely size wise, Logan," she snickered and smiled, before continuing. "Not that I've seen every part of your anatomy that warrants comparison, but I'm betting he's got you beat there too." Logan stared at her in silence for a few seconds. "Did I damage your ego again?" Again, silence. "Well, if it will make you feel any better, know that there was not a minute on this mission that I didn't consider, ripping off all of our clothes, and getting it on with you. I almost gave up world domination for you, Logan. That should count for something."

"Humph," he huffed in response. "So, this helmet that fuzzy has gone t' fetch, it ain't gonna blow my head up or anything."

"Oh no," she replied. "It's just kind of a compact form of brainwashing. Also makes you very susceptible to telepathic commands. We've already had a successful subject."

"Who?"

"Well, Jean if you must know. See we figured that if we could brainwash her then once she got back to the school, we could call her when we were ready. She could bring Rogue here without raising too much suspicion, then we could use Rogue to brainwash the world leaders. Unfortunately, trying to get Jean to respond to the psychic prompting once back at the school proved to be harder than we had anticipated. I personally think it's because she's such a ditz, but maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, eventually we got her to respond but every time that she tried to leave the school with Rogue, Scott had to tag along. Doesn't that man have a life?" Logan chuckled despite himself. "Anyway, we figured we had to find someone else. Someone that Rogue would unquestioningly go with, and someone who could leave the School without a tagalong. Naturally you were our first choice.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and change into something that doesn't smell like it could blind small children." With that she turned and left, leaving Logan sitting in the middle of the warehouse, alone.

Figuring this was his best shot, Logan once again produced the claws on his left hand. Pointing his fingers as far down as they would go, the tips of one claw found the soldered joint where the cuff met the arm of the chair. Forcing the claw into it, he noticed that there was some give there. Slowly the claw slipped further and further into the soft spot until the cuff separated from the arm of the chair and his left hand was free. He reached down and split the cuffs around his ankles in the same way. The cuff on the right side however wasn't cooperating. No matter how he sliced at it, the cuff wouldn't give. Thinking quickly, he reached over and separated the entire armrest from the rest of the chair.

Hearing Araña returning, he retracted his claws and returned his arms and legs back into their previous positions, hoping that she wouldn't notice that the cuffs were missing. She sauntered up to him, swaying her hips to and fro. He dropped his eyes. " I really wish we could do this another way, Logan. I hate to take away your free will."

"I hate t' lose it."

"Do me a favor before Sabes gets back and we get on with this," she said, trailing her fingers up his arm and over his shoulders to his hair, as she walked around behind him.

"Don't know much I can do, tied down t' this chair an' all."

She leaned over the top of the chair, and brushed his ear with her lips as she whispered to him, "I can do it all. Just let me kiss you." He didn't say anything, and she took his silence as compliance. She made her way around to the front of the chair and put one knee on either side of his thighs, resting her hands on the armrests. He prayed that she wouldn't notice that one was no longer connected to the chair. Her breasts pressed against his face until she settled onto his lap, her face inches from his. Red lips inched their way towards his. She brushed them softly at first, then firmer, more insistent. Her tongue probed his bottom lip as she tried to gain entry. He parted his lips slightly, and she took full advantage, grabbing either side of his face she inhaled deeply, as her tongue explored his mouth.

The * snikt * that she heard didn't even register until it was too late. Not until Logan had run his claws into the soft flesh of her abdomen. She coughed blood into his mouth before she managed to pull back. She was shocked, that was obvious by the expression on her face. Her body tensed as her spirit began to leave and her nails drug down the side of his face left shallow trails down his cheeks. They healed over almost as soon as she made them.

As he stood she fell backwards off his lap, her head hitting the concrete with a thud. Her blood immediately began to pool around her corpse, soaking into her clothes and marring Logan's boots. He slowly stepped back. Looking down at her he felt a twinge of guilt. She was just a kid, only a year or so older than Rogue. His guilt was interrupted however by a metallic clunk from the door as Sabretooth, who had just stepped in, dropped the helmet he had been sent to retrieve. He stood at the door, stunned.

At this moment, he wasn't Sabretooth, mercenary/killer; he was Victor Creed, a man whose woman had just been killed. He stared at her dead body lying on the floor in a pool of blood for so long that Logan thought maybe he had forgotten that he was there, but Sabretooth remembered soon enough. Looking up from the body, he stared Logan down, rage burning in his features.

He stomped toward Logan, never pausing, not even when he lowered his hand in order to get enough power into it to send Logan flying. Logan crash-landed about eight feet away, with Sabretooth bearing down on him. Logan managed to get to his feet before Sabretooth reached him again, and he got in one good swipe with his left hand, slicing a gash into Sabretooth's right arm, however the rampaging beast barely noticed. Once again he smacked Logan in the side of the face, sending him toppling. As Logan hit the ground this time, he heard the metal clink as the armrest still attached to his wrist hit the ground. Behind him he could hear Sabretooth getting closer. Sabretooth paused directly behind Logan and brought down a double-handed blow into the small of his back. Logan arched his back in pain, but before he could react, Sabretooth was on his left hand side kicking him in the ribs.

Before Sabretooth could land another kick, Logan rolled over onto his back, putting the Adamantium armrest between his ribs and Sabretooth's boot. When his toe connected with the metal, Sabretooth howled in pain, giving Logan time to get the advantage. He jumped to his feet and started swinging his left hand claws and right hand with armrest. A right with the armrest to Sabretooth's head, a left with a slash to his chest. A right to the already open cut on his arm and a left slice to the face. Smaller and faster, Logan spun around to Sabretooth's back, kidney shot with the armrest and a gash down the length of his back.

Cocky, from his landed blows, Logan didn't see the big hand coming, until it was in front of his nose. Blam! And down Logan went. Suddenly Logan found himself at his adversary's feet. Achilles' heel suddenly popped into Logan's head, as he slashed across the back of Sabretooth's heel. Through the boot leather, through the skin, straight to the Achilles' tendon. No longer able to support his massive weight, Sabretooth's foot buckled and sent him to the floor. The pain from his foot had shocked Sabretooth frozen. Logan was on his feet in a second. His vision was still a little fuzzy from Sabretooth's punch, but he could see well enough to find the chest of the bigger man. With surgical precision he jammed his claws home, directly into the life-giving organ…the heart. Sabretooth howled in pain as he felt his life-force slipping away, and for a few brief seconds, Sabretooth's pulse vibrated through Logan's claws causing his hand to shake, until the heart stopped beating. Sabretooth was dead.

Logan stood, slowly, breaths coming harsh and ragged, and stared down at his victim. Slowly he turned away. He walked unsteadily to where Araña lie. He stared down at the young face encircled in red; he retracted his claws, and wiped the blood from his hands on his jeans. Then he turned his back on her and started towards the door.

Stepping outside the warehouse, he inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of everything. He looked around. He didn't recognize his surroundings, but he couldn't be far from the hotel where he had spent the previous night, it smelled too familiar to be too far away. Realizing that he might draw some attention, walking back with an armrest attached to him, he made his way to the closest gas station. "Hey," he yelled as he approached, "A little help?"

"Beat it, Freak!" the old man yelled, as he went back inside.

Sighing, Logan began to think to himself…maybe Araña had a point after all.