Even the mansion's alarm resounding throughout the house was not enough to put a damper on Rogue's excitement as she left her newly shielded room, followed closely by Anne. It had only taken a few seconds for the woman to create the shield, and with some firm weaving, she made it a permanent structure of the house. She could not explain how she did it, only that it worked. Rogue felt her powers drain away and Anne let her perform the final test, the southern belle removing a glove and gingerly touching Anne's hand. Nothing happened.

Anne followed Rogue down the long corridors of the mansion, not thinking about whether she should be following until the other woman pushed open a wide steel door. All talk ceased as they entered, and a dozen pair of eyes fell on her.

The entire team, plus a few mutants that Anne had never seen before, were seated at a large round table, flickering computer screens and lighted buttons embedded in the walls around them. A few curious glances were thrown Rogue's way, the woman struggling to control her smile. She took a seat next to Gambit, the Cajun glancing at her with a quizzical expression on his face.

Anne had the unpleasant feeling that she was not supposed to be there, but she could not bring herself to leave. That would be an open omission that she was in the wrong, a sign of weakness. Stubborn pride carried her into the silent room. Anne's eyes found Logan, and the man did not hesitate to pat the empty chair beside him. She quickly took the seat, feeling a small sense of relief as the Professor nodded at her politely.

"Professor, what has happened?" Storm asked in a strong voice.

"I have just received word that three of Emma's students have been kidnapped."

The response was a collective out rushing of gasps and shouts of anger.

"Which ones?" Logan rasped.

Xavier sighed, and for a moment Anne could see the tired shadows lurking in his eyes, the pain of responsibility etched into his body so that it was a part of his soul. This was a man, she realized, who had known little peace in his life.

"Angelo, Everett...and Jubilee." He was looking at Logan when he said the girl's name. Anne felt her stomach drop and her eyes sought out Logan. She remembered the affection they had shown each other, much like a father and a daughter.

Logan's face looked like death's mask itself, and he clenched the arms of his chair, simmering while the Professor continued to speak.

"It was a quick strike—the three were in Boston for a concert. Monet was also with the group, but she had gone to the bathroom and when she returned they were gone. There was blood on the ground, and when she could not find them she contacted Emma. What's more, their minds have been shielded so that I cannot find their location."

Any of the X-Men's questions were stopped by the voice that broke into the brief moment of silence.

"They're about a hundred miles south of here," Anne spoke quietly. "They were brought to a large concrete building," she furrowed her brows and cocked her head as though listening to someone. "Metal fences, many people...patrolling." She swallowed heavily. "I'm sorry, I can't see any more from this room."

Anne had cast her thoughts out to the trees as soon as Xavier said the children were missing. The trees quickly latched on to her memories of Jubilee, goaded by her need and worry. Yes, they had seen the girl, and they showed her where. But the images were faint, and she would need to directly meld with a tree before she could know exactly what they had seen.

Anne realized everyone was staring and she narrowed her eyes, prepared to defend herself. The Professor surprised her.

"Hank, are there any facilities that would match Anne's description?"

The scientist nodded after a long moment. "There are a number of private research compounds where they could have been taken." He turned to Anne. "Do you think you could pin point the exact building, if you saw it?"

"Yes." Anne responded immediately, relieved that they were going to let her help.

Or so she thought.

"Professor! How can you possible expect us to stage a rescue mission on that information? She's given us next to nothing, and there is no guarantee that anything she's told us is accurate." Scott burst out.

Anne's face darkened at the implied accusation in the team leader's voice. Her eyes flickered to Bishop as he stared at her suspiciously. "We know next to nothing about Anne." He gritted his teeth. "I don't trust her. She's not one of the X-Men and should not even be here for this meeting."

Anne clenched her jaw, and placed a hand on Logan's shoulder, the man standing to defend her. She also threw a sharp glance at Gambit, who had begun to speak, presumably in her defense. She stared back at Bishop, matching his hard gaze with one of her own. Her dark eyes flickered dangerously.

"I don't give a damn whether you believe me or not." Anne spoke slowly, her voice terribly soft and controlled. "If my help is not needed in this matter, say so. I will leave finding those children in your 'capable' hands. In fact," and here she paused to look at the Professor, and then Gambit and Logan, "I will leave permanently if that is what you wish."

"Chere, non." Gambit protested softly.

"We don't have time for this crap," Logan hissed angrily, glaring at Scott, Bishop, and all of the other gathered X-Men. "Anne is staying with us. Period. I for one trust her information, and I'm leaving right now ta' get Jubilee, with or without the rest o' you ninnies."

Logan rose from his chair, Anne close behind him. Gambit stood, and after a brief moment, Rogue followed suit.

"Please, wait." Xavier held up his hand. "There is no need for any of this. You are right, Logan. Now is not the time to argue this out. Anne has done what we could not, and I refuse to ignore her information. Scott, I want you to take Gambit, Rogue, Logan, Jean, and Beast in the Blackbird." He hesitated. "Anne, you have only had one training session with us, and despite your skills, you have no real combat experience. I don't want to ask—"

Anne interrupted him with a curt wave of her hand. "You need me, and I can certainly take care of myself."

Xavier nodded, his face set in resignation. "Fine."

Dismissed, the team quickly left the War Room. Anne found herself sandwiched between Logan and Gambit as the three of them hurried down a long corridor. Sliding doors opened before them and the entire team stepped into a shuttle. Logan, Gambit and Anne found seats away from the others.

The three of them remained silent during the short ride to the hanger. Logan shuddered with rage while Gambit slouched in his chair. His arms were crossed across his chest while his eyes stared intently at the floor. Anne glanced at the two of them and kept her mouth shut. She had been prepared for them to try to talk her out of coming, but that apparently was not going to happen.

She almost smiled. They trusted her. Their silence was testament to that.

Yet, even if they had confidence in her abilities, Anne was dead sure she had gotten herself in over her head. Still, she regretted nothing. Ever since her parents had died, she had not used her powers for anyone but herself. Not that she had ever thought there was much to them in the first place.

But, I'm needed here. If I can help, I have to. I can't hide anymore.

Anne felt her body sway as the shuttle slowed. Logan and Gambit stirred, their eyes falling on her for a brief, measuring moment. She calmly met the gazes of her friends.

The doors to the shuttle opened, and the three left the shuttle at a run. Anne tried to suppress the dismay she felt when she saw the air craft. She wondered if even the government had technology that surpassed what she saw before her eyes. Scott reached the plane first, waiting for them at the top of the gang plank. A faintly disapproving look was on his face as he stared at the threesome. Anne ignored him as she brushed past, following Gambit and Logan into the interior of the plane. Jean met her, surprising Anne by pressing a bundle of blue cloth into her hands.

"What's this?"

Jean's smile was enigmatic. "After the session in the Danger Room, I took the liberty of having an uniform made for you. It may not be official yet, but you're part of the team, Anne."

Anne blinked, speechless. She looked down at the cloth in her hands for a long moment. When her face rose, she was grinning fiercely. Jean smiled back, and directed her towards a compartment at the back of the jet.

The material was thicker than her work out uniform, but just as supple with a metallic sheen that cast a blue-green tint to the cloth under direct light. There were also boots and gloves to match, protective gear that clamped snugly around her limbs. A yellow X had been emblazoned in the material above her heart.

When she looked at herself in the full length mirror of the tiny room, she could almost imagine that she looked like a super hero. Almost, but not quite. Anne smiled wryly at herself as she exited the compartment.

No matter how I look, I'm still Anne O'Hanrahan—nothing more and nothing less.

Anne took a flight seat between Gambit and Logan, the two men examining her approvingly.

The atmosphere in the cabin was tense as the plane took off. Rogue and Jean spoke quietly to one another, while Scott was occupied at a computer terminal.

"Can't ya fly this plane any faster, Hank?" Logan rasped, after they had been in the air for ten minutes.

Beast threw him a long suffering glance from his seat at the controls. "Seeing as how we do not yet know exactly where the children are being held, flying at an increased velocity would not be conducive to our situation."

Logan looked as though he wanted to argue, but he clamped his lips tightly together.

"Anne, could you join me for a moment?" Beast shifted his attention from the irate man.

Wordlessly, Anne rose and moved to the front of the plane.

"I'm going to show you some pictures of the facilities that are in the area you suggested. Please tell me if any of them look familiar." His fingers danced across the controls and he brought up several photographs of research compounds. None of them matched what she had been shown.

Anne shook her head. "The kids aren't in any of those places."

"What's wrong?" Scott asked, approaching the two. Anne grimaced. This was not what she needed right now.

"None of the facilities Beast showed me are what I saw." She explained tersely.

By now, the rest of the team was gathered around them.

"Anne, I thought you told the Professor that you knew where the kids were being held."

"I said that it was around a hundred miles to the south and that I knew what it looked like. Don't blame me if your computer isn't updated with the latest top secret bases."

"Let's face it Anne, you didn't really know where those kids were, and we've just wasted time that could have been spent back at base, using real telepaths to find them." Scott grated.

Anne drew back like she had been slapped.

"Mon ami, Gambit suddenly hate y'r guts."

Logan moved forward with a growl, but Anne placed a hand on his chest. Silence filled the cabin of the plane, broken finally by a loud beeping sound.

"The sensors have just located a previously undocumented facility only twenty miles to the west. We did not pick it up earlier because a mountain was blocking the sweep." Beast's quiet voice announced. Not taking her eyes from Cyclop's face, Anne spoke, her voice firm.

"When will we be able to see it?"

"Any moment now."

Beast's fingers fidgeted with the key board. An image of a cement building appeared. One wall was constructed at a slant, with dark paned windows placed in neat rows along the side of the facility.

"That's it." Anne spoke, her voice quiet.

"Are you sure?" Scott asked, his voice challenging.

Anne chose not to answer, continuing to stare at the screen as though she did not hear him.

Scott did not press her for an answer. Instead, he ordered Beast to land the plane.

"All right, Jean, Rogue and I will create a diversion on the east side of the compound. Gambit, Logan and Anne will enter the building to find Jubilee and the others. Everyone clear? All right, let's go."

The group quickly left the plane and entered the forest surrounding the compound. They soon split up, and Logan, Gambit and Anne were on their own.

Anne walked easily through the forest despite the fact that very little light from the moon could pierce the canopy. Logan moved just as effortlessly, though Gambit stumbled a few times, branches breaking beneath his feet.

"Just tell them we're coming, Gumbo." Logan hissed. His claws were extended, his muscles quivering.

Gambit shrugged, though he managed to move more stealthily after that.

They reached the glinting steel of the chain linked fence, the building clearly in view.

"Well boys, here we are." Anne whispered, crouching amongst some ferns.

"Will you be all right darlin''?"

Anne's fierce glance startled Logan. "Don't you dare doubt me too, Logan." She hissed.

He gently touched her cheek and felt her muscles slowly relax beneath his fingers.

"I don't doubt ya', Annie. I'm only afraid for myself and Gambit here. What would we do without ya'?"

Anne smiled. Yet her eyes still looked pained, and Logan swore that he would force an apology from Scott's lips, even if it killed him. However, he could tell that her good humor was back. She looked at Gambit and Logan.

"Don't worry boys. I'm not going anywhere, any time soon. Besides, I still need to keep you two to your promise of helping me find the creep who set off that volcano."

Gambit smiled, and after a long moment held out a hand towards her. She took it soundlessly. Logan grunted, reaching out and placing his callused palm on top of their clasped hands.

"Together?" Anne reaffirmed in a whisper.

"Together."

Scott's voice abruptly crackled over their receivers.

"Ready....now!"

There were a series of explosions on the other side of the compound. Guards that had been walking within their view took off running in that direction.

Logan immediately slashed through the chain link fence and darted through, Anne hot on his heels. Gambit took up the rear, and the three made a wild dash across the grounds.

The sound of explosions continued from the far side of the grounds, but there were very few shouts or cries. They reached the building and began looking for a way in.

"Seems too quiet." Logan observed.

They could not find a door quickly enough, so Gambit and Anne stepped back as Logan smashed a window with his claws. They clambered into what appeared to be a typical office. A file cabinet, a desk and a computer were the main fixtures of the tiny room.

"They've got a psi-buffer over this entire building," she gasped, as the constant influx of energy she received from the earth was suddenly cut off. Her shields, dependent on that outside source of strength, crumbled apart. Thoughts and voices flooded her mind and she reeled from the sudden onslaught of other consciousness'.

She was barely aware of strong hands supporting her body as she fought to stay conscious. Slowly, in painstaking steps, she built another shield around her mind. It was no where near as strong as what she was used to, but it would do.

"No wonder the Professor couldn't find the kids." Anne whispered unsteadily, standing on her own. Panic fought to gain purchase in her mind and she fought down the irrational sense of fear and helplessness that filled her. She had lived in constant contact with the earth for too long, and being suddenly cut off from it was a shock to her system.

Ignoring the concerned looks of Gambit and Logan, she forced back her fears. Logan peered out the door of the office, staring at an empty corridor. He could hear the sounds of running feet in the distance.

"We gotta go!" he hissed urgently.

Anne nodded, clenching her jaw.

"Let's find those kids and get the hell out of here."