(Two)

Logan stood on the porch with his arms folded across his chest as an armored car pulled up in the driveway and up to the Mansion. He was just on his way out with Gambit and Fallen when the Professor nabbed him for this quick job. The truck had the letters S.H.I.E.L.D. written on the side. This was a prisoner transfer. All Logan had to do was see the guy down to the holding cells. No big deal.

Scott stood on the other side of him, just as annoyed at the interruption to the daily routine. These things were mostly routine, but you never knew when things would go sideways. On more than one occasion, a certain amount of manhandling was involved. He didn't think the guards would give them any trouble, he had seen these two before.

The Professor had a long and confidential relationship with SHIELD. SHIELD, or Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistic Directorate was a government agency that handled all kinds of Homeland Security issues, including hazardous mutants and their militant underground groups. They were aware of the X-men and their peace keeping efforts. Sometimes they worked together, sometimes not. Either way, SHIELD was more than happy to incarcerate the violent offenders the X-men might collect in their efforts. In appreciation, sometimes SHIELD would cover up for the X-men if there was collateral damage during an X-men skirmish or if the occasional infiltration of other mutant groups was discovered. More than one X-man had been arrested by accident and had to be negotiated over. Favors were owed on both sides and used for mutual advantage. In this case, this prisoner had been considered dangerous, but not a criminal. He was brought here for safe keeping and rehabilitation, not incarceration.

Scott walked up to the truck and spoke with the driver, exchanging polite greetings and the usual paperwork. A second guard in a navy colored uniform came out of the truck and walked around to the back, loosening up his billy club as he moved. He opened the back doors and got ready for trouble.

A small blond person of questionable gender shuffled out into the light. He had long blond hair, impossibly tangled, and wore a pair of ridiculously pink, ripped up prisoner cover-alls. His arms were bare, revealing a soft covering of light blond hair, thick around his elbows. His hands were cuffed to a set of chains around his waist that led to a set of hobble chains around his ankles. A clear, plastic face muzzle was fastened neatly in place around his mouth.

The guard stood by as he descended and didn't assist the prisoner out of the truck. The prisoner shuffled to the edge and jumped down to the pavement, landing neatly in spite of the chains. He tossed his head and looked around him in wonder at the huge house, not quite sure what to make of it. The morning sun was bright and he blinked and was stooped over as if he hadn't been outside in days. The guard jerked on his arm, making sure the prisoner knew he was there and had best be on his good behavior.

Logan sighed, not really wanting to deal with this shit today. All those chains and the muzzle only spelled trouble. He looked up as Jean came out of the house. She was as beautiful as ever, dressed in red to match her hair. Logan smiled at her, always warmed by her presence. "Mornin', Jeannie."

"To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?" she asked, jerking a thumb in the prisoner's direction.

"Friend of Charlie's named Mason said this guy pulled him out of a burnin' buildin'. Saved his life. He took the little fella in and I guess he was stayin' in the basement like some kinda pet or somethin'. Now Charlie's friend croaked and left this gem fer Charlie ta take care of. Said maybe Charlie can straighten him out. 'S gonna be a real trip. Karen Richards has been working with 'im. She's supposed to come by tomorrow and help us out."

"Mason leave this guy any money?"

"Yeah. The guy left him ten million dollars. Go figure. Looks like Charlie's gonna earn every penny of it."

"What's his name?"

"Carver or something like that."

Jean looked at the restraints. "More like Hannibal."

Logan grinned. "Can ya get anything off of him?"

Jean concentrated and sent out a mental probe into the prisoner. The prisoner was instantly aware of it and froze, growling, or at least as well as he could with the muzzle on. Jean chuckled.

"What?"

"Carver's having some fun with us. Her mental shields are as formidable as yours."

" 'Her'?"

"Yes. Carver's a girl," she replied, amused.

The driver and Scott met the guard at the rear of the truck. The driver turned to Cyclops and said, "Some of these restraints have to come back with us. Sorry, it's the rules."

The guard began to remove her hobbling ankle chains. Carver stood still as she was fussed over, but kept glancing up at Logan, assessing him with her eyes and sniffing in his direction.

"No problem," Scott replied. He was signing some papers and was unaware of the prisoner taking everything in. He handed the clipboard back to the driver and got moving. He only wanted the men to leave, he didn't think the prisoner was anything he and Logan couldn't handle.

Logan stepped down from the porch and walked up to Carver. He had seen her checking him out, oh, yes. "You gonna give us a hard time, darlin'?"

She just grinned, showing him her sharp looking teeth and said nothing. Her canine teeth were long and pointed and Logan saw that she had good sized claws on her fingers, too. Another feral mutant champing at the bit and spoiling for a fight. This was going to be fun.

"She's a biter," one of the guards said as he took off her muzzle. "Be careful."

"She ain't gonna be no trouble are ya, girl?" He fixed her with his eyes.

Carver hawked and spat right in his face.

Logan grinned, showing her his own teeth in a dominating gesture as he wiped his cheek. "That one ya get fer free. The rest yer gonna pay for...dearly."

Carver growled at him and hissed at him like a cat. Her voice was filled with gravel and hate and was oh, so familiar.

Logan sniffed at her loudly and groaned. "Oh, don't even tell me!"

"What?" Scott asked. He knew Logan well enough to trust his instincts.

"Who's her parents?" Logan gruffly asked the guards.

"How would we know? We just make deliveries."

"Great," Logan complained. "C'mon, kid. Let's go."

Wolverine grabbed Carver's arm roughly and started towing her towards the house. Her only restraint now was the cuffs on her wrists so she stumbled along, startled by his speed. Logan had smelled from her that her defiant actions were a false bravado covering her intense fear. She was terrified of the guards, the house and himself. He also got a whiff of her possible heritage and that concerned him more than her emotional state. He wanted only to get her to a holding cell as soon as possible.

"What?" Scott repeated perplexed, following. He could see Logan was agitated over something.

"Not here," Logan grumbled and kept moving. When they got to the steps, Carver dug her heels in suddenly and twisted, throwing Logan over her shoulder. She handled his unexpected weight easily in spite of her small size. Apparently she had more than just claws and fangs, she was quite strong. She backed up to flee, but he was already on his feet. She spun quickly to run and he gave chase, catching her easily. He slammed her roughly against the back of the truck. She slashed at him with her claws, but he caught her wrists by the cuffs and pinned her back, using his extra weight to his fullest advantage. The SHIELD guys just stood by and waited with smiles of amusement, doing nothing to interfere as they watched the show.

Logan scrutinized their newest guest and knew what she was all about. She was here in a new place and all alone. She had no idea what was in store for her and felt only the need to run. He wasn't the least bit angry at her, knowing what her situation was. This wasn't the first time he'd had to negotiate with a terrified newcomer here. He held her down without releasing her and locked her with his eyes. "Now you just give ol' Logan a listen here, darlin'. Nuthin' bad is gonna happen to ya just so long as ya calm down and relax, okay?"

She said nothing, but trembled in his grip, the smell of her fear intense as it flooded Wolverine's nose. He looked at her more closely and saw a deep, jagged scar across her neck. It was very old. At some point her throat had been slashed, it was probably the only reason she wasn't here spitting insults at him like most other prisoners did. Clearly she had suffered some kind of abuse at the hand of another.

He reached out and touched her face in an uncharacteristically tender gesture and she responded by calming down a little. He could smell her and read her moods, using all of his senses, and was trying to put her at ease. Logan always had a way with wild, frightened animals and this feral child was no different.

"This is yer home now and we're gonna take care of ya. Karen Richards, that nice lady that works with ya, is comin' tomorrow. You just gotta sit tight until then. Can ya handle it?" he asked gently.

Carver nodded almost imperceptibly and he eased her away from the truck, gripping her tightly. He still didn't trust her not to try and take off again. He nodded at the guards and they finished packing up the truck as he tugged her up the steps. He paused on the porch and let Jean have a look at her.

Don't be afraid, Jean sent out as a gentle reassurance.

I want Karen. It was Carver's only thought.

"She'll be here tomorrow. I promise. Now come with us and we'll get you settled in."

Jean took Carver's other arm gently and they went into the house. They walked past Gambit who lounged lazily in the hallway, Kimble's drawings stuffed under his arm. He looked relaxed but he was impatient to get going, they weren't going to find Kimble just standing around here. His eyes met Carver's as she passed and he nodded at her just slightly in greeting, but he didn't think much of her. People came and went around here and this was nothing new. Besides, he had a lot more on his mind.

Fallen was sitting at his feet, her back to the wall with her ankles crossed and her head down. Wolverine could smell her despair, but held a small grudge. If she had paid attention to Kimble like she should have, he wouldn't have taken off.

"I'll just be another minute," Wolverine grumbled and Remy nodded. They would wait.

Logan brought his young charge down to the holding cells and he led her inside one of the small cubicles. The holding cells here would be much more generous than those at SHIELD. Each one had its own private bathroom with a shower and a large comfortable bed. He had taken her to one that was for those of lower risk, there was a small television and a radio in here as well. He removed her cuffs and held his hand out. "It ain't much, but it'll do fer now. Someone'll come along and bring ya some food in a bit. Are ya hungry?"

She nodded and made a quick gesture with her hands. Wolverine cocked his head at her, not understanding. She sighed impatiently, frustrated by her inability to communicate, and sat down on the bed, her back to the wall and her head down. He grabbed a pad of paper and a pen from the security desk and waved it at her. She just shook her head and turned away. He didn't know what else to do for her. Henry was coming down to take a look at her, he would know what to do. He stepped out of the cell and activated the shield, locking her inside.

As he backed away, he glanced over at Joseph, the last surviving Clansman. He had completely withdrawn into himself since the death of his Master. He lay rumpled and curled up on his bunk, his hands over his face. He had been miserable like this for days. He hadn't eaten and was terribly thin and drawn, not even fully recovered from Jael's illness. Henry said he would give him another couple of days before moving him to the infirmary to be force fed if necessary. It made Wolverine sick to see him, the man had been strong, a fierce fighter. Now he lay like a dead thing, his spirit gone. It might have been better if he had died like the others, Wolverine couldn't help but think.

Logan had better things to do than dwell on Joseph, though, and he turned and left, heading back up the stairs to where Remy and Fallen were waiting.