The air was stiff in Logan's nose, very different from the fresh sharpness the air had held at the Institute that morning. It smelled stuffy, despite the fact that they were in the middle of nowhere and that there were several trees around them. Strong wafts of old chemical and waste filtered through his nose and it wrinkled a little. He scoffed a little to try and clear the smell away, but of course, that would not help. He raised his head a little higher and continued to sniff the air. Charles had been right; it was desolate here. The musty air, despite it being in the wilderness, suggested that perhaps there had once been activity here, but it was long since forgotten and leaving a rotten smell and grey appearance upon this place. 

"Logan?" Scott, or rather Cyclops when they were working, called from behind him. He and Jean had just excited the BlackBird, waiting for Wolverine to pick up the scent. The kid must have been getting impatient. 

"Don't get all ruffled with me," he snorted, glancing back and forth as he crouched down and sniffed the ground. "This place reeks with must, so excuse me if it's a little hard to pick up another scent."

Jean waved her hand in front of her face, her nose pinched. "He's right, Scott. I can even smell it." She tapped his arm in assurance, but he only crossed his arms bemusedly. 

Wolverine kept searching, crawling around a little to try and pick up anything. Finally, a faint scent, mixed in with the chemical smell, caught his nose and he perked up like and animal. He searched a little harder for that scent so he wouldn't lose it, until he had it stuck in his head. He stood to his full height quickly, smelling the air again. Now it was clearer, and he felt a little pleased with himself. He turned towards the others with a serious face and pointed east. 

"That way," he told them. "Scent's faint, but I can make it out."

The others nodded briskly and followed him as he took off. Their paces were not super fast, but they were quickened. The idea of a mutant being out here was strange to the younger two; Logan knew what it was like from experience, though he couldn't remember it all too well. Despite this, knowing someone else was out here unsettled him, making his hairs stand on end and his animal instincts go a little nuts. Without thinking, he sped up even more, following the scent as it got closer and closer, yet still far away. 

Cyclops waved a few bugs away from his face. "Why would anyone want to be out here?" he groaned as he frantically squashed a few. 

"To hide," Logan replied darkly, not glancing back at the two teenagers. He really wished he had gone alone; they were slowing him down, and complaining. Two things he didn't like. 

"Maybe they didn't have a choice," Jean suddenly said softly. She pointed up, to the upcoming slope of a large hill that was a little farther off. Sitting atop of it was a large warehouse, of which none of them had noticed up until now, slightly hidden by trees and hills. Even from here, they could see that the structure was older, and now crumbling, the windows broken and the levels a bit uneven. 

Wolverine narrowed his eyes and growled. The smell of the mutant was definitely closer now, but even stronger was the scent of old metal, chemicals, and medicines. His muscles stiff, he said nothing as he ushered for them to pick up the pace and took off. He did not like the feeling of this place, and certainly did not want to stay in it for much longer. It was eerie, even for him. 

It only took Logan a few more minutes to reach the building; the others were still much farther behind. He growled in a scoff before turning to examine the place closer. He circled it a little, taking in the horrible shape of the structure, like it recently had been pulled apart from the inside out. The warehouse was tilting to the right heavily, barely holding up, and the windows were all broken, even the ones up top. The harsh smell of medicines from before was so strong now that he actually coughed for a moment. His heartbeat began to pick up, his head pounding; he did not like this smell. Somehow, for whatever reason, it made him very anxious. 

The teens finally caught up, gasping for breath and bending over to catch. Wolverine scoffed at them once again, his hands on his hips. "Bout time, slowpokes," he huffed.

Scott frowned at him, still gasping for air. "We can't all be as quick as you, Logan."

Wolverine said nothing else, turning back to the warehouse they stood nearly thirty feet away from. His eyes narrowed again and he let out a brief snarl. "This is a lab. Meant for experiments." Something about it made him edgy, but he did not know why, and he certainly was not going to tell the other two. 

"Is the mutant in there?" the younger man asked, standing straight again and taking one last deep breath through his nose. 

Wolverine smelled the air again to check; sure enough, whoever it was was in there for sure. It smelled strange and new, so it could not be anyone they had met before. He nodded to them and began to circle the building again. There was something else he didn't like about it, another scent, another feeling, like his hairs were being pulled and his skin was tingling. Like the scent of something sharp but also burning. 

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Jean asked, slightly impatient. Her breathing normal again, she began to head towards the building, her eyes locked on a doorframe that had no door attached to it's hinges. She did not realize the danger she was in, but, just then, Logan did.

"Red, WAIT!" he roared, running forward and snatching her shoulder. He pulled her back roughly and she gasped sharply at the sudden movement. She stumbled backwards and bumped into Scott, blinking a few times in surprise. 

Cyclops did not get it. "What was that for?" he asked, a slight accusing tone in his voice. 

Wolverine cautiously took a step forward, growling a little. "Somethin's not right. Wait there," he ordered, not caring if he sounded bossy or gruff. He unsheathed his claws cautiously, ever so slowly taking steps toward the building. Every time he moved closer, he could feel his skin prickling more and more, and he grew even more wary. 

Suddenly, there was agonizing pain. Wolverine yowled in severe pain, like he was burning and freezing at the same time. Bright lights danced all over him, his vision now impaired, and a loud crackling noise deafened him. He could ever so faintly hear the sound of the others shouting his name, and his survival instincts kicked in. Still roaring in agony, but now also in fury, he slashed his claws left and right. He could feel some of the burning pressure being released, his body convulsing with jolts as he realized he was being electrocuted. His claws tore apart wires that he had not even noticed around him, and just as quickly as the shock had come, it was gone. 

Logan groaned and fell to his knees, using every ounce of strength he had left not to completely fall forward. His body felt like it was tearing itself apart; the normal feeling of pain mixed with his healing factor. He could smell burning and knew that it was from him, though through his blurred vision he could see that his suit had not taken too much damage, gratefully. The armor had held fast. He was breathing heavily as he shuddered a few more times in after shocks, shaking his head. He realized maybe a second later that there were hands on his shoulders and chest and when he shook his head again, he saw that the two teenagers were helping him up. 

"Can you stand?" Cyclops asked in concern. He held Logan's right shoulder while Jean held his chest to keep him steady. 

Logan allowed himself one more groan of pain before pushing himself up. The feeling of healing was beginning to fade away, and the ache in his body was now there. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he told them, letting them help him stand for a little longer before pulling away. He still hurt like fire, but he could manage. That was what his healing factor was for. 

"What was that?" Jean finally questioned, looking at the wires laying sprawled and dead of charge across the ground. 

"A trap," Logan growled. "Most likely for mutants, too. So whoever's in there.."

"Can't get out," Scott finished, a darker tone in his voice as he crossed his arms again. 

Jean shook her head, whether in disbelief or sympathetic towards the trapped mutant. They all waited a few more moments to let Logan heal more before they each nodded to each other and headed towards the building again. The shorter man pushed past the younger two and took the lead, finding the scent again, much easier this time. He took cautious steps, his muscles tense and ready to pounce in case there were any more traps. Luckily, what had happened outside seemed to be the extent of it. 

Cyclops seemed slightly in awe as he glanced around the huge building. The halls, despite how wrecked they were, were long, tall, and wide. The door were also huge, and everything here just seemed impressively large. Maybe it was their imaginations, taking it all in as something much bigger than themselves. A secret lab could seem like something of the sort. 

Logan sniffed the air again and pointed to the left. "Whoever it is is in there," he said in a low voice. 

Jean nodded, her fingers brushing her head. The two men knew instantly that she was searching for a mind, but they were a little surprised when she found it. She cried out a little in shock, reeling back and pressing her hand against her forehead in slight pain. Scott took her shoulders to steady her while Logan just watched with a grimace. 

"Hostile?" he snarled, turning his gaze to the door and unsheathing his claws again. 

"No, no!" Jean gasped, shaking her head and blinking a few tears out of her eyes. "Not hostile, just.. terribly frightened. Her mind.. it's a mess of horrible images and fears.." She stopped and rubbed her temple again. "It was just a little too much all at once."

Logan sniffed and put away his claws again, turning towards the still closed door. He walked towards it cautiously, motioning for the others to stay where they were. They made no argument as the shorter man approached it. He did not go in right away; he instead sniffed at the door, touching it with his fingers. He rubbed away soot and looked at the door handle. He was a little confused to see that it was broken, hanging off of it's hinges. He looked up and lightly pushed the door, entering slowly as it creaked open. His heartbeat was quick and he tried to will it to stop as he searched the room. 

It was a smaller room, but it was just as crumbling as the halls. He could hear the frames creaking under the weight of the floor above it, and could easily see the cracks that grew heavily along the wall. There were two shelves in there, one still standing against the wall, the other laying sideways on the ground. Both shelves had lost all of their accessories that would normally decorate them, glass vials and liquids littered and spilled all over the grey, hard floor. In the far right corner, there was a medical table, torn straps hanging off the sides. Laid carelessly on top of it was an empty syringe. The whole sight of the room made even Wolverine shudder. He could heavily smell what this place was for, the blood of the mutant and the sting of those vile medicines. He could also smell the mutant, but it was obvious that she was hiding. 

His eyes locked onto the table once more, catching movement. Something... white darted behind it, nearly backing itself into the wall. Sniffing once, he figured that it was the mutant female. He took his hand away from the door and walked into the room ever so slowly, still tense. This thing was hiding, so it was afraid. He knew that all too well. 

"Alright, bub," he called out in a lower, gentler voice. "We're not here to hurt ya, got that? We're here to help ya get out of here." He kept his posture low as he approached the table. He could now see that the mutant was definitely hiding there, trying her best to remain hidden as he got closer. "Come out where we can see ya, and we'll work this out." He paused where he was, waving his hand to try and get her to reveal herself. 

There was slight movement behind the table, but the mutant did not come out. Logan huffed lightly, moving forward again, this time a little quicker. He wanted out of this place, but he knew he could not leave without the mutant. He finally reached the table, going to its left corner to look what was behind it, keeping his body as relaxed as possible so not to frighten her more. 

A young woman, hardly two or three years older than Jean, gasped and scuffled backward in alarm. Her body was short and thin, her hands small and her legs skinny. She had a thinner heart shaped face, with perfect cheekbones, that was heavily hidden by her long mane of white hair that flew over her shoulders and past her waist. The hair almost hid her dazzling wide eyes, like white flowers painted with the juice of a sakura colored ruby. Her skin was pale and getting paler as she stared at him wide eyed, her every movement radiating fear. She whimpered once as she cowered in the corner, shivering under the thin white hospital gown she wore. 

Wolverine raised an eyebrow, not because he was surprised, but because he was curious. She had good reason to be afraid, for whatever had happened here could not have been good. He also knew that he could be a little intimidating, but he still was not sure why she could be that terror stricken. He sighed softly and lowered himself, crouching to the floor and resting his elbows on his knees. 

"Aren't you a just a little snowflake," he scoffed silently. If there were light in here he wondered if he would have been nearly blinded by her appearance. "Come on now, I know I ain't that pretty to look at, but I already said I'm not here to harm ya."

The young woman shuddered once more, looking at him with those strange eyes. He suddenly felt slightly uncomfortable, like she was searching his very soul. He wondered if that was just what she was doing; they did not really know what her mutant power was yet. He swallowed nervously and narrowed his eyes at her. She continued to watch him, shaking and up against the wall, for a few moments more, her gaze still frightened but now distant. 

"Are ya even listening to me?" he asked finally with a little sigh, shaking his head. He felt slightly worried about the young woman, not sure just what she was going through. 

She seemed to snap out of it, shaking his head slightly and blinking a few times. Swallowing, the frightened mutant brushed some hair away from her face and let her shoulders relax. Her lips parting a little, she leaned forward, still afraid but now with curiousity in her eyes. Her hand lifted from her side and she reached forward slowly, but paused for a moment, as if unsure what to grasp.

Wolverine let his muscles relax, glad to see was coming around. He lifted his hand as well, holding it out for her. "Atta girl. It's gonna be fine, I promise." He waved his hand, ushering her forward gently. 

She watched him, fear seeming to subside. She cautiously stretched out her hand again and took his gently. She shivered slightly at the touch, her eyes widening, but he gripped her hand tightly. Her face consorted with an emotion that he could not read, but she closed her eyes and swallowed, her expresssion returning to normal. Logan began to stand back up, pulling her along with him. She was shaky on her legs, her knees buckling and thus making her fall forward. He grunted as he caught her, his arm holding her arm. 

"Careful," he muttered. 

She looked up at him with a slight hint of fear in her eyes, and he wondered if he had done something wrong. She sighed and straightened herself, clutching his arm to keep steady. When she was standing upright, Logan realized that she was shorter than him, maybe Kitty's height or less. He snorted in slight amusement, to which she glanced up at him, curiousity in her eyes again. 

"Come on, snowflake, let's getcha outta here," he told her, turning and heading towards the door slowly. He was slightly uncomfortable with the fact that she was still gripping his arm, mostly becuase he knew the other two would would possibly make fun of him when they returned to the institute. However, she walked like she was going to fall over, so there was no way he could pull away. 

Jean's face lit up a little when she saw them exiting the room, stepping forward with a smile on her face. "Hello there!" she greeted happily, relieved to see that the mutant had come along.

Logan felt the young woman cringe and take a step backwards as Jean grew closer. "Easy, Red," he said softly. "Whatever happened to her has her all messed up. You were right when you said she's scared out of her mind." He turned to the white-haired woman. "These are friends, got it?"

She looked up at him again, then back to Jean and Cyclops. She stared at them for a few moments, her eyes glazing over for a moment. Jean made a face at Logan while Cyclops just shrugged, not really sure what was going on. The young woman snapped out of it again and nodded her head shyly.

Jean offered her a smile again. "I'm glad to meet you. My name is Jean, and this is Scott." She held out her hand for her to shake, but the young woman just stared at it with a strange, skeptical look. Jean chuckled awkwardly and pulled her hand back to her side, brushing it off quickly. 

The woman glanced back up to Wolverine, questioning in her eyes. He wondered what she wanted, or what she was silently asking, or why she was not just asking it aloud. Her hand flew up suddenly and her finger tapped his chest a few times. He stared at her in bewilderment for a moment before an idea of what she meant clicked in his head. 

"Me?" he asked skeptically, feeling a little better when she nodded. "Name's Logan."

Seeming satisfied, she just nodded and looked back to the other two. An awkward moment of silence filled the air before Scott sighed. "Alright, let's head back to the BlackBird now. Professor Xavier is probably waiting for us to get back."

The other two nodded and began to follow the young man out of the building. The new mutant picked up her pace as Logan walked after them, her eyes nervously glancing everywhere. The shorter man could tell she was scared of something, and it made him wary, too. Was there something they needed to be worried about? He had been smelling the air several times for any signs of danger, but there was not anything else there, as far as he could tell. He kept his eyes out, just in case, even as they left the warehouse and walked out into the open again. 

Wolverine felt his arm being tugged back before he heard her scream. Started, he jumped, looking around with a growl. The young woman tumbled back and fell into a sitting position on the ground, breathing heavily with her eyes wide. He turned left and right, sniffing the air some more as the other two ran back over in a startled frenzy, and at first there was no sign of danger. Then he felt the familiar tingle of his fur and skin being pulled in an electric current, and realized why she in such a panic. 

With a sigh, he bent over again in front of her, both of the teenagers at her side. "No need to worry, snowflake, I already took care of the electric fence. As long as we're careful, we can walk through the little exit I made," he told her, hoping she got his drift. 

Scott and Jean relaxed, both of them heaving a sigh of relief. "You really could just tell us these things," Scott said, mostly to himself. Jean glared at him and hissed something at him quietly, which promptly shut him up. 

She did not reply, shaking violently as she curled up a little where she sat, hugging her knees and hiding her face behind it. For a moment, it looked like she was glowing with a light red color, but Logan supposed that was just the lighting. He sighed again, slightly frustrated, and walked over to her. She let out a slight yelp of surprise when he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up into a standing position again, staring at her firmly. 

"I said that it's alright to go through!" he told her again, his voice a little firmer.

Her eyes were still wide as she stared at him again, still slightly afraid. She swallowed and calmed down a little, nodding her head once sheepishly. Her eyes fell downcast, as if she were ashamed. He decided not to say anything about it and led her forward, keeping hold of her shoulder. He gently pushed her through the clear area of the wiring, keeping a close eye on the rest of the fence, now that he knew where the wires were. She slumped in relief when they made it through, Scott and Jean following. 

The young man sighed in slight relief, too, pausing to look back at the warehouse one last time before turning to everyone else with a light smile. "Now, can we head back to the BlackBird without any more surprises?"

~

Second chapter!! I feel so accomplished for getting more in a different fanfic done XD

I hope you guys are enjoying this story thus far! I'm really enjoying writing it. Who knows, this could be a longer story, considering how early in the show this book started. I'm excited for the next chapters, however many there may be!

Again, please comment what you think!