Jax left work early that day and drove to his mother's house. They had arranged to spend the afternoon with the Steins. As she walked down the path towards her son's car, Mrs Jackson had mixed feelings about the association between the two families. On one hand, she always looked forward to seeing Clarissa, who was something of a kin spirit, and Lily was nice too. On the other hand, she doubted she ever get used to seeing her son's eyes turn white and fire shoot out of his head and hands. She knew that the weekly bonding sessions were a necessary part of being FIRESTORM but preferred them to take place out of her sight.

As the Jackson's car pulled up at the Stein house, neither mother nor son were aware of being watched from another vehicle parked on the other side of the road. Rip and Eve had wrestled with the problem of there being three women in the house as well as the two men they were after. Then Rip had devised a plan - which could have come from the Legends' 'How to Kidnap People' handbook - as he put it. Eve gripped her lower lip in her teeth and looked as if she was beginning to understand the Legends' methods. There was a certain amount of trepidation in her eyes.

The five occupants of the house were settling down for coffee and chat when the doorbell rang.

''I'll get it.'' Clarissa said, thinking it was probably Mrs Larner, wanting to borrow something or other. She got up and went out int the hallway, closing the door behind her.

When she didn't return, Martin called out ''Clarissa?'' and went to have a look. Going into the hall, he saw his wife lying on the floor, apparently unconscious. A strange man and woman were standing in the open doorway.

''Jax!'' Martin shouted and started towards this strange pair. That was the last thing he remembered for some time.

Jax came racing into the hall and got the same treatment, ending up lying half on top of his FIRESTORM partner. Fortunately for all concerned, their hands were not in contact.

Unfortunately for the two kidnappers, Lily had stuck her head out into the hall and seen what was happening. Rip had to race after her and Mrs Jackson, who were now escaping through the rear patio door. He managed to stun both women, before they had a chance to escape from the back garden. He carried Mrs Jackson and then Lily back into thru livingroom, putting them in adjacent chairs. Eve had already moved Clarissa onto the sofa.

The two of them went out into the hall and looked down at the two unconscious men. How to get them into the car without the neighbours seeing was the next problem. They started by bringing the car as close to the door was they could. Between the two of them, they were able to half-walk, half-drag Martin to the back seat of the car, as if he'd been taken ill. The more muscular Jax was a bigger problem, which they solved by wrapping him in a carpet from the patio and carrying that to the car.

As they drove away, Rip remarked' 'That's pretty much what the Legends would have done.''

The look Eve gave him was indescribable.