Chapter Four

Vixen barely had time to brace herself before Rahne barrelled into her. She accepted the young teen's terrified hug, lending her strength in every way she knew how. Wolfsbane reeked of fear – her eyes had been wide as saucers when Vixen had been able to see them, she trembled with it, and Vixen could smell and taste the girl's terror in the air about them. Vixen held the girl close, forcing down her normal dislike for public displays of affection. She looked over the girl's head at Diego, smiling her gratitude. Diego simply nodded, too concerned to return the smile with his usual grin.

"Rahne, listen to me." Vixen spoke softly after a minute or two, gripping the tops of Wolfsbane's arms and pushing her to arm's length. She met the young mutants eyes steadily, holding her gaze until Wolfsbane glanced away. It was a wolf thing, marking Vixen as higher in the pack than Rahne. "Rahne, I need to know exactly what you saw at home. It will be quicker and easier for me to look at your memories. May I do that?"

Vixen had a distaste for searching people's minds. Her father had always been the more subtle telepath – a lock-pick where she was more like a battering ram. They both opened the door, but he did it with much greater finesse. And since her powers had begun to grow, Vixen's discomfort with the procedure had grown too. She was happy enough conversing telepathically, but actually invading someone's mind and rifling through their memories… Vixen took a deep breath and sighed. It couldn't be helped, and needed to be done. She looked at Rahne as the girl nodded.

"Okay. This may be uncomfortable. Let me know if you want me to stop."

"Get it done, Vixen." Rahne told her, bravely, sensing her mentor's reluctance. "We need to help them."

Vixen nodded, biting the inside of her lip in an attempt to hide her nerves. She gently but firmly placed her index and middle fingers of each hand on Rahne's temples. It wasn't strictly necessary, but it helped relax Rahne and gave Vixen a point of contact to focus on, helped steady their connection. Slowly, as slowly as she knew how, Vixen tried to sidle into Wolfsbane's mind. The two of them shared a close connection, a bond of Pack, and so Vixen was more used to the workings of Rahne's mind than almost anyone else in the X-Men team. Perhaps only Logan would have been easier for her to connect with. The two mutants gasped simultaneously as Vixen bridged the gap between them and began to steer Rahne's memories back to when she had entered the mansion.

Vixen-Rahne was a wolf – eyes sharp, ears twitching, the gentle rhythmic thudding of paws loping across the grounds. She'd been for a run, her breath heavier than normal and heart beating a little fast. Vixen-Rahne felt the glory of it, running just for the sake of running, not because it was necessary, not for the hunt, just because she could. Vixen-Rahne Changed back into her human self, perspiration suddenly exuding from pores that did not exist in wolf-form. Vixen-Rahne sniffed unhappily, she needed a shower. She sniffed again as she opened the main doors. The stench of sulphur and fire stung her nose, made her eyes water.

"Scott!" The word escaped Vixen-Rahne even as she clamped a hand over her mouth. Cyclops was stood deathly still, his fingers keeping his shades on his face, the other hand looking as if it was trying to fight something off. Vixen-Rahne took hold of Scott's arms and shook him…

Back in the bar, Vixen gasped as a telepathic shock stung her when Rahne's hands made contact with Scott. She saw Scott's vision – his mother, father, and his little brother Alex landing safely in the plane that in reality had crashed, leaving Scott and his brother to parachute to safety. Her heart broke for her adopted brother, the only mutant that Charles Xavier had brought to the mansion that Vixen had been able to completely accept.

Jean Grey was in full telepath mode, not far behind Scott. Her fingers rested on her temples, she was actually hovering in the air, as still as Scott, a floating statue. Vixen-Rahne didn't dare call out; she could see other people-statues down the hallway. Instead, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and found the only contact she knew wasn't in the mansion…

Vixen broke the contact too suddenly; Rahne lurched forward, bereft of her mentor guiding her thoughts. Vixen caught her, pulled her to a booth were she sat her down. Knelt on one knee in front of Rahne in concern, Vixen glanced up as Diego placed a glass of sugary cola on the table next to the teen. Rahne sipped the drink carefully, grimacing at the sweetness. Like Vixen, Wolfsbane didn't have much of a sweet tooth, preferring steaks and bacon to desserts.

"You didn't see Logan, or my father?"

"No. I didn't dare go any further Vixen…"

"It's okay, Rahne, you did the right thing." Vixen tried, and failed, not to express her worry for the men she cared about most.

"Logan wasn't there." Rahne remembered suddenly. "He smelt Sabretooth near the mansion when we were playing Dodgeball at lunch. Set off after him pretty sharp."

Vixen breathed a slow breath. She tried to reach out to Logan telepathically, but couldn't find him. What had happened to him? Why hadn't he answered his cell? She patted Rahne's knee and rose to try to call Logan again. No answer. When she tried again, and his voicemail kicked in, she left an anxious message.

"Logan, something's going on. I need you here, yesterday. Call me when you get this. No, wait, call Rahne or Diego, they'll fill you in. I'm going up to the Institute." She hit the 'End Call' button and slid the phone back into her jacket.

"I want to come too." Rahne stood up defiantly.

"No, Rahne. I need to know who or what has done this to our friends, and what they want. Whoever they are, they're too powerful. If you can help, I'll call. I promise." Rahne sat back down, defeated.

"I'll send Logan to you when he calls." Diego promised. The two adults shared a look, both worried for Wolverine.

"Tell him not to get too close. I'll know he's there." Vixen removed her biker's leathers, revealing her X-Men uniform. Her design was reminiscent of Wolverine's, designed that way when she'd felt their friendship deepening into something more. She had capped sleeves, and four jagged claw marks on each shoulder. No high collar for her, the v neck gave her room to breathe so she wasn't constantly tugging uncomfortably at the collar as she had with her old uniform. A black X on a red circle sat over her heart, and one on her belt buckle completed the look. Vixen gave Rahne one last, brave smile and left the bar through the back. As soon as it was safe, she Changed into a cheetah, using the natural speed to make her way quickly to the Institute.

Up at the Institute, sat in Vixen's usual armchair, her boots lolling over one arm, Chimera had felt the sharp tug of a telepath touching one of her illusions. She smiled, her eyes flashing with green fire. She knew Vixen was near, was aware of the telepathic illusions Chimera had so carefully created and was coming straight into her trap, like a fly blundering into a spider's web.