Lands End, Scotland:
A group of policemen weathers the storm at the coast in search of nineteen-year old David Xavier, who ran away from his mother’s – Dr. Moira MacTaggert – hospital on Muir Island. The Policemen are nervous: they are aware that David is a mutant, who can jump into other peoples bodies, but also pity him, as he’s been sick, since he was 13.
They enter the boat that came from Muir Island and find the crew dead. One horribly withered man is still alive. David is within him. The police try to talk reason into David: he will not last another day away from his mother’s hospital. David replies that he still has one day more than they do and making eye contact with the sergeant jumps into his body and shoots everybody else. Then he makes an impossible far jump from the boat to land.
Searching the contents of his host body’s wallet, he happily goes in search of the next fast-food restaurant.
London, two days earlier:
Marvel Girl and Storm are rollerblading at a breakneck speed through London. They pass a bookshop, where Prof. Xavier´s new book on mutant affairs is shown in the shop window.
Storm says that she didn’t read Xavier´s book, yet – it was too highbrow for her taste, even though thanks to the book they are now on an eight week long promotional world tour.
The girls chat about London: to Jean the city embodies everything she loves about pop culture, whereas Ororo is happy just doing the “touristy stuff”. Changing the subject, Storm asks whether Jean is still interested in Wolverine. Jean denies this vehemently and hopes that Cyclops is finally going to show the nerve to ask her out. Storm doesn’t buy her disinterest in Wolverine.
Jean shoots back, that Storm is a fine one to talk about love triangles, considering Iceman has a crush on her. The two break off the subject, as they notice a shady looking woman with a gun ahead of them.
Colossus, Iceman and Wolverine share a table in a Soho nightclub. Iceman is having a discussion with his mother on his cellphone; she is not in the least happy, about this world tour. Wolverine butts in, taking the phone, intending to sweet talk Mrs. Drake and claims that he and Colossus are taking care of her son.
Considering that he is a known killer and Colossus a former member of the Russian mafia, Mrs. Drake is less than pleased and lets Wolverine know that.
Wolverine tells Bobby to cheer up, by the time they are back in the USA, his mother will have relaxed. Besides Bobby shouldn’t have brought along a cellphone in the middle of the narcotics sting, the three x-men have been preparing, as this one is finally going to get them better grades than Beast and Cyclops, or so they hope.
On Leicester Square Cyclops and Beast are looking for someone to help for their project. Beast chooses very carefully and finally decides on several youths, who are about to mug them.
Two days later, during breakfast at the Ritz plaza, Xavier wants to know, how the British press reported his student’s heroics.
Jean proudly points out that her and Storm’s actions against a terrorist cell made the first three pages of the Sun.
Iceman and his team busted an international drug ring, as reported in the Daily mirror, pages three to five.
A completely self-assured beast happily announces that they showed a group of muggers the error of their ways, which never actually made the papers.
To the surprise of the others, Scott and Hank get the best grade, while the others flunk.
Xavier explains that they were supposed to save lives, not act like thugs. Phase three of Xavier´s grand plan is to promote pacifist alternatives to traditional human problems. The X-Men are supposed to gain the humans´ confidence and maiming and mutilating criminals does not help.
Later Xavier and the X-Men attend a press conference, but first -protected by Marvel Girl’s forcefield- they have to pass a huge group of anti-mutant protesters. Colossus takes a long angry look at the hate filled faces.
At the conference Xavier explains that his school is funded through his inheritance, that you don’t have to be a mutant to be an X-Man and he denies the rumor, that there is a second school in Europe, where less socially acceptable mutants are trained. When asked, whether scenes as the one that greeted him make him resentful of humans, Xavier replies that one can never get used to hate.
The next morning the X-Men find out that Colossus checked out during the night. Jean wonders, whether he has gone to the other side. Logan doesn’t believe this, claiming Piotr isn’t the type to betray his friends with a pointed look at Cyclops, who reacts angrily. The Professor isn’t paying attention to them, as he is receiving a phone call from Muir Island- from his ex-wife Moira Mac Taggert! She anxiously explains that half her staff are dead, the hospital is trashed, that she’s under House arrest and all of this, because their son David has escaped.
