Rebekah

I'm shivering in the library, trying to get through the next chapter of Dune. No luck. Sore head and panic about Isaac means I can't think of anything.

Kurt suddenly rushes in, looking worried.

"Inducer on! FBI rolled up!"

I blink.

"Huh?"

"They suspect what we are, that this is the home of the X-Men but SHIELD tend to make them keep it quiet and we haven't actually confirmed anything. But they think we have something to do with the kidnapping in London."

I leap up.

"They moved fast!"

He nods and then we both switch on our image inducers. I stuff my nose back into Dune, hoping against hope that they won't ask me any difficult questions about it. Right now its going in my eyes and out the back of my head. Can't think straight and Dune is the sort of book that requires you to think straight.

Kurt is crouching by the window, reading a worn out old first edition copy of the complete Lord of the Rings that I'm pretty sure is Logan's. At least, I've seen him trying to read it on the sly and the Professor assures me it's not his, so it's probably Logan's.

Then Scott comes in, leading two men in suits.

"And this is the last two, Kurt and Rebekah."

I look up, wide-eyed, as if startled. One of the men makes an odd noise.

"You start this young?"

I blink, as if confused.

"I've been reading since I was about three and a half. It's pretty natural for me to be in the library."

I watch Kurt bite his lip as he tries not to laugh. At least someone appriciates it. Scott just glares and the FBI agents look blank. I withhold my own desire to giggle.

"Mr Summers, who are these people?"

"They think we have something to do with the kidnapping in London."

I frown.

"What, the girl? I mean, sure I've been following the story, the BBC's been covered with it, but us?"

"Not that kidnapping. Her suspected kidnapper was taken from outside... Old Bailey?"

"Big building with statue of Justice on the top? Yeah, that's Old Bailey."

The FBI agents seem to be getting impatient and butt in.

"A mutant kidnapped the accused from under the noses of over twenty reporters. We thought we'd question you..."

I frown. Ah, for being small and innocent looking.

"But... Why? None of us have left the house and the trial was only meant to start about an hour ago. I was on the BBC website when I found it. None of us could have got there and back so quickly..."

I blink and smile sweetly.

"Are you sure you have the right house? Our neighbour keeps going on about cheetahs in the street."

The agents exchange glances and walk out without a word, not even bothering to question Kurt. Re-sult.

And then my thoughts turn to Isaac. What has he gotten himself into this time?

Isaac

BLAM, BLAM! I continue running as the two dummy heads explode. Another dummy pop up in front of me. I flip over the dummy shooting it in the top of the head while simultaneously using my optic blasts to take out a wall with enemy targets behind it.

"That's enough!" Frank shouted. I stopped to catch my breath. A gun appeared out of the wall and shot a paintball at me, staining my shirt red.

"Ow!"

"If that had been a real gun you'd have been dead," the Punisher remarked dryly.

"I thought it was over!" I protested.

"It's never over. A surprise attack can happen at any time. You must always be prepared. As you can see, this may not be as expensive as your fancy tech in Xavier's school but it does the job."

I was in the Punisher's training camp. This was where he prepared for war. It was a glorified hall but the arsenal of weapons stacked against each wall was astounding. He had allowed me to run the training gauntlet he reserved for himself. I hadn't seen the entrance to the place since Castle had tied a blindfold around my eyes in the last seven or eight miles of the journey. Not that I'd know where we were even if I could see.

I held out my hand to return Frank's AMT Hardballer. It was a beautiful weapon. Perfectly crafted, it had a solid weight to it. Slightly longer than the colt, it had a great combination of accuracy and power.

"Keep it. I have others," Frank said.

I grinned like any boy would but then frowned. "I don't think I can take this back to the mansion."

"I'll give you a concealed holster. No one will be able to find it unless they're searching for it."

"Tell me. Why me? I don't think the Punisher trains young mutants like me just for kicks."

"Because you have the potential to be something great or incredibly dangerous. Just make sure you never turn your abilities on friends. It's hard to mend bridges once they're broken."

"It's a bit late for that," I mumbled. "Let the X-men know I'm safe Mr Castle. I'd prefer they didn't send a mutant search party after me."

"I'll do that."

I prepared for the next training exercise.