Author Notes: Argh! No! Not the cheese, anything but that! My plotbunny was very upset by the prospect of no cheese, and so helped this chapter come faster:) Thank you for the lovely feedback guys, it keeps me writing.

Chapter 9

A murmur of voices penetrated Imogen's befuddled mind, and she opened her eyes to see four strangers standing in the corner of her room, with no Toad in sight. She shot out of bed, only to have her legs turn to jelly and end up on the floor. In instinct, she switched to her wolf power, the one with the most chance of helping her to get away from these people. The eldest, a man in his early thirties, with a shock of blue hair, stepped forwards a few feet, before crouching on his haunches to meet her at eye level. He spoke with a light lilt, of someone who had picked up a local accent, "You have no need to be afraid, sister. You are with mutants who mean you no harm. I am Reflux, an old acquaintance of Toad's."

"We're in Edinburgh?" He nodded. "Where's Mort?"

A strange shadow passed across Reflux's face, but it was gone in a moment, "He is gone."

"Gone?" Strength enough had returned to her limbs, enough to stand. Her amber wolf eyes narrowed, "Where is he?" A low growl resonated in her throat.

Reflux sighed, gesturing for the other three mutants to leave as he rose, "I am sorry, Chaos. He told me to tell you that he was sorry, but this was the only way to keep you safe. There are so many mutants here that you can be anonymous, and without Toad, you cannot be found by other means. You are invisible, and safe. No one will ever know that this is where you came for refuge."

"So they'll follow him?" He nodded, "They'll catch him!"

"Toad can take care of himself."

"No he can't!" Tears were collecting in Imy's eyes. So much had happened, so much she couldn't cope with. Mort had been a constant, and now he was gone too. "He thinks he can, but he's wrong! The stupid arse, doesn't he get it? He can be used to get to me. Magneto knows that I care for him now; he knows Mort isn't loyal to him, and will use him to get me to cooperate."

"Then I am truly sorry, Chaos, that you believe that." Reflux shook his head, "We are still serving breakfast, if you want to join us." He left.

Imogen blinked, confused at the statement. Still feeling woozy from whatever had happened on the motorway, she stretched, making the decision to stay in her wolf form, as she was in a home of mutants. What had Reflux meant? And how the hell did he know Toad? She had been under the impression that Mort hadn't ever had any real friends before her.

As Imy made for the door, her eyes fell on the dishevelled bed covers, where a dark item of clothing had been laid on top of her while she had slept. It was Toad's hoodie, worn and splattered with dark stains that Imogen didn't need to guess the origin of. Silently, she picked it up and slipped it on. It was ridiculously large on her, practically swallowing her whole, but it was warm, and the only part of her friend that she had left. Tears welled in her eyes, which she brushed away violently. Whether she could do this or not wasn't the issue. Whether she could cope as her body and mind grew and changed out of her control was a matter she could ignore. The point of fact was that she wasn't staying. She would find Toad whether he wanted her to or not, whatever it took.

There was only so long you could run for. Only so long you could hide, and for Mort, that was not long at all. A blur, and then a sharp blow to the head as a mutant marked with an Omega symbol knocked Toad to the ground. The last thing he saw before his eyes slipped shut was an old face, burnt strangely down one side where it had been unmarred before, and an eloquent English accent ordering, "Pick him up, and let's get going. I want that girl found."
Imogen was silent for most of the day, various scenarios and ideas flitting through her head like dragonflies. The world seemed to exist at an angle; at a different degree from her, as if she was invisible. The more she thought, the more she focused on the one possibility that she did not want to accept. The only way she could get the last of her family back. Sighing, she rose, and then wandered off to find Reflux, and hopefully answers.

The electric blue hair was hard to miss, even in a sea of mutants. She had discovered that the base was not underground, as the name might suggest, but actually a manor of a rich benefactor; belonging to the father of a mutant, from what she understood. While like Xavier's in that respect, it was more of an anonymous rest house, where anyone could come and go as they pleased, talking to everyone or no one as they so desired. "Reflux, can I talk to you?"

"Sure." They began to walk back towards the room Imogen had woken up in that morning, where they might get more privacy. "How can I help?"

"You're Mort's friend." There it was again, that dark shadow, "How would you find him?"

"You're assuming others have not done so already."

"Reflux, please."

"He was always good at hiding, and I never really knew him that well, not enough to tell you where he would go. He has no family to speak of, no home. I honestly couldn't tell you."

Imogen sighed, "Thanks anyway." She turned to leave, when her skin prickled. Her wolf senses were picking up a touch of something; guilt. Growling, she whirled, and slammed Reflux against a wall. He reacted in instinct, and Imogen suddenly had the same force slamming into her chest, sending her flying. She landed on her feet, breathing hard, "Who are you?"

"Why did you do that?"

"You're lying, I can smell it on you."

"I am not lying."

There was truth in that statement, making Imogen straighten and regard him closely. She slipped into her Night form in the darkened room to gain more clarity on the situation, "How did you do that?"

"It's my mutation. When I am attacked by another mutant, I catch their power and send it right back at them. Doesn't work on humans, so it took me a long time to realise I was a mutant." He grimaced.

Imogen blinked, "What did you mean, this morning? When you apologised for my beliefs?"

"You are a good person, Chaos. From what Toad told me, you don't like using your mutation. I'm sorry you trusted him, because he is not coming back. He left under the lie that it was for you, when it was for him. He got scared, as pathetic as he is, so he ran."

"You're wrong."

"Why do you hold so much conviction in him?"

"Why do you hold so little?" She retorted.

"Because he is Toad." Reflux shrugged, as if that explained everything.

Imogen's eyes narrowed, "How do you know him? You knew him before Magneto, how?"

Reflux shrugged, "I know him better than you. I grew up with the freak."

Imogen bristled at the terminology, "Mort grew up in an orphanage; he was the only mutant."

"He was the only obvious mutant. I didn't know I was a mutant till he finally grew the balls to kick me back." A sickened grimace spread across Reflux's face, "He was found unconscious against the wall. As I'm ten years older than him, his power shot back was considerably more damaging."

"You bastard."

"You don't think that I regret it? I'm not fifteen years old anymore. We came to a grudging truce, I guess, but he was always creepy, never stood up for himself, and definitely never others. He snapped up the opportunity to join Magneto, to be protected. He's never looked out for anyone."

"Maybe because no one looked out for him?"

"Look, trust me; you are better off without him."

"Reflux, please…"

The man looked up, into her eyes, "Please what?"

"You knew him, I know him, there's a difference. Trust me. Help me."

To Be Continued…

Author Notes: I'll try and get the next chapter up soon! Please review!