Rebekah

I walk into the house as a cat. Sure, I did just walk through the garden naked, but I think that it's politer to go around the house in four-legged form when I haven't exactly got clothes to hand. That's when I pause. I can't smell Isaac anywhere in the house. Has he gone home already? I wind once around Kurt's legs then sprint up to my room to get changed. Then to put some clothes on.

When I come down, everyone is crowded round the TV with worried looks on their faces.

"Shortly after the kidnapping, an anonymous phonecall was made, which allowed police to rescue the kidnapped girl. The man has still not been found but police say..."

I look up.

"He... He wouldn't be that stupid, would he?"

The only answer I get are awkward glances.

"Sorry, stupid question."

I look back. How on earth did Isaac get to London in the time I was stargazing? Wait. Super-speed. Quicksilver can go halfway round the world in 92 seconds (I noted he didn't say what latitude, it can make a big difference.) Duh.

And as the others talk, I slip out. I have a sneaking suspiscion I know where Isaac is hiding.

And boy, I am going to give him a piece of my mind.

Isaac

Moving at around six hundred miles per hour and teleporting huge distances at a time, I had made good time. I was speeding over the Antlantic Ocean and I had almost reached New York. I was always going to be slightly slower than Quicksilver but I was finding it really hard to break the sound barrier. I had gotten much faster since I had first stolen Quicksilver's power coming into this reality but I felt as if I hadn't reached my full potential. Even my thinking had increased in speed. I could now work at equations in my head in mere seconds whereas it would have taken me ages to figure out on paper.

I had also stolen the ability to enhance, weaken or completely destroy the powers of other mutants from two mutant thugs in the city. I had researched it and it was called power augmentation. It was one of my more sketchier powers and I didn't dare practise it for fear of killing someone. When you tear someone's mutation from them with the force I did, especially with feral mutants, you could easily kill them. But if I could learn to control it, why couldn't I use it on myself. I could be normal again or I could be more powerful than even the mutants I stole the powers from. It was an interesting idea. I would definitely think it over.

I reached out with my mind to see if there was any mutants. The nearest mutant was Dr McCoy. He was in the garden back at the mansion. No doubt doing some sort of experiment. I could detect the rest of X-men in the mansion. Probably gathered around the TV. As far as I was concerned, I had been out for a run. I hadn't been anywhere near London. I didn't know who the masked kidnapper was. The man had probably got what he deserved. I'd also better prepare the old mental shields for Charles and Jean as well. My conscience was clear. I had helped rescue a girl in trouble and taken a murderer off the face of the earth. I had done the right thing.