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[Assistant]
Night of the Hawk!
Night-time, and a slumbering Brian Braddock dreams of recent events.
(Brian’s dream / memories)He recalls how recently he constructed a mechanical toy-sized hawk – swifter and more maneuverable than the real thing – and presented it as a gift to Professor Scott, an old friend of the Braddocks.
(Reality)Unknown to Brian, Robert Scott was more than pleased. He was also mad – mad enough to transform a token of kindness into an armed monstrosity, a winged weapon of terror, which even now, while Brian sleeps, is sent to attack a factory, meant to destroy this source of pollution.
The hawk sweeps into the complex, unaware that it is being detected and film-recorded. Finally, it finds its target – a room full of inflammable materials – and attacks. Little missiles are fired at the room and the hawk files away as the conflagrations starts, back to its happy master, who announces that the next day they will eliminate another threat to mankind, until they have finally purified the land.
Brian awakes relaxed from his sleep and is happy that he has a day off - it is Sunday after all. He recalls Professor Scott’s letter and remembers the man: he always found him kind and gentle, though others thought him an eccentric.
(Brian’s memories)He still recalls how his students ridiculed him when he claimed that that without a return to its chivalrous past, the country would be doomed. Finally, he could no longer endure the derision. One evening while visiting the Braddocks, he announced that he was through teaching. Chucking away his career, mistrustful of the modern world, the professor lost interest in everything except his lifelong hobby of hunting with hawks. But even that pleasure ended tragically as the professor found that pollution killed his pets. He had nothing left, he told Brian. Taking pity on him, the young man spent two months constructing an artificial hawk. As Captain Britain, he tested it and found that the bird was faster and more agile than he was. For a moment, he was almost fearful and stated that he was glad the hawk would be entrusted to a kind and trustworthy old gentleman In the wrong hands it could be a menace.
(Reality)Enough daydreaming, Brian decides and calls the professor to thank him for his note. Seemingly delighted, the old man asks him to come over for the afternoon, stressing that he gets few visitors. Madly, he thinks that the sooner Braddock arrives, the sooner he will die.
Running to his pet, he announces that they have to destroy Brian. Even though he has treated him most kindly, he will become a bitter foe, once he learns to what purpose Scott has turned his gift. Young Braddock is too much a part of this time to oppose it, he continues. He doesn’t rage with indignation at a society whose polluted air destroyed his birds.
Originally, Scott considered Brian’s gift thoughtful, but it did not lessen his feeling of loss, until he chanced upon his scheme for revenge. He set out for the docks, where he found a man to carry out his plane. And so, he watched as the harmless toy was transformed into a weapon of destruction. But the other man expected them to commit crimes for profit with the hawk. Instead, Scott shot him, telling him he was beneath contempt. He intends to improve mankind, not ravage it. And so he will, he vows angrily.
Meanwhile, as Brian prepares for his visit with Scott, he hears a noise outside the window to find his charwoman Mrs. Anderson being attacked by three thugs. He touches his amulet and, the next moment, Captain Britain swings down to attack the thugs. The men run and Cap stays behind to look after the shocked woman. As she comes to, the woman angrily rants that he attacked the men so he could steal her purse himself. If he isn’t a thief, why is he wearing a mask? She shouts for the police and Cap quickly leaves.
A moment later in a back alley, he changes back to Brian Braddock, who wryly hopes that her screams won’t reach chief inspector Dai Thomas.
Suddenly, he runs into Courtney Ross. Happy to see him, she asks where he was for so long. They started to think he’d dropped out of school. She urges him to join her for tea. Brian stalls, telling her he wants to buy a newspaper. He exclaims ‘no’ when he sees the headline: Factory sabotaged!, along with a picture of the hawk the security cameras took. Naturally, he recognizes it.
Telling Courtney he has an appointment he ‘s late for, he leaves, knowing he has to see the professor at once. His host already impatiently waits for him.


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[Assistant]
<BR>In the Shadow of the Hawk!
Piccadilly Circus resembles a warzone and chief inspector Dai Thomas angrily exclaims that he warned his superiors about superheroes being a menace. But the top brass didn’t believe him. And this the price. He won’t rest until he has captured Captain Britain, he vows.
Walking by, Brian Braddock thinks to himself that Thomas is daft for blaming him. As Captain Britain, he did his best to stop Lord Hawk. But Thomas is too bitter and vengeful to be convinced as his wife was killed during a superhero battle in America.
Meanwhile, in the posh flat of Jamie Braddock, Brian’s siblings watch the battle on the news, fearing for their brother’s life. They witness an interview with Dai Thomas, who blames Captain Britain for this catastrophe. When the interviewer mentions Lord Hawk, Thomas explains that superheroes attract madmen. If there were no Captain Britain, there wouldn’t be a Lord Hawk. Having heard of enough of this rubbish, Jamie switches off the TV set. Now they know Brian’s alive and facing a foe who’s more than his match. So he intends to lend him a hand.
Hours later, as night envelops the campus of Thames University … Lord Hawk arrives, led there by the homing device implanted in Captain Britain. He finds the house he lives in and Hawk decides to draw him into the open at daylight by attacking the university – thus destroying two symbols of this unholy age.
Meanwhile above, Brian is studying the hawk’s blueprints when there’s a knock at the door. Jamie has arrived. Jamie announces that he knows Brian is in trouble and he wants to help fight Lord Hawk. Brian sees only one way to put paid to Jamie’s well-intentioned meddling. He changes to Captain Britain and socks his brother. He has no intention of watching him risk his life against that madman. From the next room, Dr. MacKenzie, Brian’s landlord, calls out having heard a noise. Some dropped books, Brian quickly explains, as he ties his unconscious brother to a chair, while MacKenzie calls out that he shouldn’t study too late.
Speaking of unwanted visits, Dai Thomas receives one from one of his superiors, who reprimands him for chasing his personal agenda on duty and in front of television cameras. They need Captain Britain’s help and, since Thomas can’t swallow that fact, he’s off the Picadilly disaster case. Alone, Thomas angrily slams his desk. First he lost his wife, now perhaps his career. All because of those freaks who flout the law – superheroes! Well, he isn’t backing down. He’ll get Captain Britain – with or without the Yard’s blessing!
The morning in Brian’s apartment. As Captain Britain, he slouches over his desk, while Jamie angrily shouts at him to awake up! Why did he tie him up!? He only wanted to help, Jamie angrily states. But his enthusiasm has waned. Brian’s on his own now. So he needn’t keep Jamie bound.
At that moment on the street down below, Lord Hawk has his creature strike at the university. Hearing the explosion, Captain Britain rushes down – without freeing Jamie.
Students run away in panic, as Captain Britain confronts the madman, asking him to stop slaughtering the innocents. There are no innocents in this modern world, Hawk shoots back.
Among the students are Jacko Tanner and his friends and Jacko announces that Britain is an overrated creep. Courtney doesn’t think so, his friend reminds him. She sure fancies him. Well, maybe he can change her mind, Jacko decides, by knocking her idol off his pedestal. He jumps at Cap, whose back is turned towards him and tackles him. With Cap distracted, Lord Hawk changes his hawk’s trajectory, having it attack Captain Britain from behind. It grabs the hero with its claws and carries him off.


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[Assistant]
<BR>Only the Strong Survive!
High up in the air, Captain Britain grapples with the mechanical bird, whose talons are digging into his shoulders. Meanwhile, on the startled campus below, Lord Hawk urges his creature to fly higher still. They must not allow the chance for Captain Britain to survive the fall. And, when the symbol of modern Britain falls to his death, it will be an eloquent warning to the greedy and corrupt of this society that their days are numbered.
Three blocks away drives an unsuspecting Chief Inspector Dai Thomas, who, like all squad cars, is alerted to come to Thames University. He reasons that this is Lord Hawk, meaning Captain Britain will be close as well.
At S.T.R.I.K.E. headquarters, Commander Lance Hunter receives a code red alert from Scotland Yard, regarding the emergency at Thames University. Hunter promises help and orders his people to switch on their view-monitor for the area. They see Captain Britain being carried off by the hawk. That clinches it. Hunter reminds the others that Captain Britain helped them. Now it’s time to repay the debt.
They are high above even the London skyscrapers now and Cap is very much aware that soon he is to be dropped. He braces himself for the pain, grabs the bird’s legs and moves his legs upward until they are positioned above the bird’s neck. His shoulders are free now, he completes the flip and now holds onto the bird’s tail without any intention of letting go until they land.
Lord Hawk can’t believe that sight. Jacko Tanner in the meantime has figured out that Hawk is controlling the bird via the mechanical box he is holding. Roughly, he takes it away, informing the old man that he is going to catch Captain Britain. He’ll finally prove he’s the better man. Hawk helplessly shouts that he has no right. The hawk is his. Jacko brutally shoves him away, already dreaming of the headline Jacko Tanner! The man who caught Captain Britain!
The hawk, in the meantime, is in a crash-dive. Cap holds on for his life, praying that Lord Hawk isn’t intent on sacrificing the bird to kill him. But, as the bird plummets, Cap recognizes it’s Jacko Tanner who’s holding the box. Now, he’s a goner for sure, he thinks bleakly. A moment later, he remembers that, according to the diagrams, he may be able to control the bird manually by prying open the tail section. But, suddenly, Tanner changes the bird’s flight direction. Now they are soaring again and Cap can barely hang on. Grimly, he swears to tear Tanner limb from limb if he gets out of this alive.
Suddenly, the hawk changes direction again, diving straight into a football stadium. Cap again tries to pry open the tail section and tries to manipulate the control wires. At the last moment, the bird stops the dive. Nevertheless, they are too fast. Cap lets go, landing hard while the bird crashes into the stadium.
Minutes pass, as consciousness slowly returns to the fallen figure and gradually brings into sight his nemesis from Scotland Yard. This time I’ve got you Sonny, Thomas announces triumphantly. Jacko Tanner joins them, announcing that Thomas didn’t capture him, he did. Training his gun on Britain, Thomas tells Tanner to get lost. Another voice announces that this arrest must wait. Captain Britain will be coming with him.


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[Assistant]
<BR>Even Heroes Bleed!
Captain Britain awakes to find himself lying in a high-tech laboratory restrained and examined by several gadgets. He is dressed only in his underwear, his medallion and his mask. Understandably confused, he wonders what’s happened to him. Was he captured by an enemy? Is he a prisoner? He cannot remember. As a hand touches his shoulder, he cries out, demanding to know where he is. A friendly voice tells him to calm down. He is somewhat delirious, as he has lost a lot of blood. It belongs to Commander Lance Hunter, director of S.T.R.I.K.E.
Hunter tells Cap to lie back and listen. He’ll try to help him remember. Hunter reminds him how they met during the recent battle with the Red Skull, before he continues.
(flashback: Hunter’s narration)
A few hours ago, Captain Britain fought and destroyed a bird-shaped weapon that was menacing London, while Hunter collared its psycho owner – the self-styled Lord Hawk. With “Lord Loony” on his way to a padded cell, Hunter traced Captain Britain to the soccer stadium and Chief Inspector Dai Thomas, who meant to place the unconscious hero under arrest. Hunter coolly showed him his credentials and insisted that he had priority. Captain Britain was his.
At that point, Jacko Tanner butted in, pointing out that he brought him down and he wanted the whole flaming country to know that. Calling him ‘Jerko,’ Hunter suggested he go to the church of his choice and pray that Captain Britain recovers. For if he didn’t, Hunter might just take it into his head to bring Tanner down – for injuring a man who is on their side of the law. With that, he shoved Tanner away and told him to scram, while Captain Britain was loaded into a helicopter by S.T.R.I.K.E personnel. Then, they whisked him to their headquarters.
(the present)
Is any of that coming back to him, Hunters asks. Most to when he blacked out, the young hero replies. How badly is he hurt? He lost a lot of blood, Hunter informs him but, according to their physi-scanner, he’ll pull through. They didn’t remove his mask, Captain Britain notes. Wasn’t Hunter curious to learn his identity? He had the chance while he was out… Or maybe he did unmask him and then replaced the mask. Agitated, he tries to get up. Hunter puts a hand on his shoulder and tells him to simmer down. He doesn’t care a hang who he is. It’s his services he needs. He wants Cap to join S.T.R.I.K.E. He asked that before, Cap reminds him and he told him he was a loner and… He moans in pain and is forced to lie back down. Worried, Hunter calls for a doctor.
Seconds later, a medical team rushes in to find the hero unconscious. They don’t understand. He seemed to be recovering. Hunter wonders if he was injured more seriously than the tests showed when he fell. If only they knew more about him and about his powers…
As if on cue, Captain Britain’s amulet begins to glow. Then, as the medical experts watch in stunned silence, the patient’s eyes flash open revealing a dazzling display of deliriously dancing light and color. Then, suddenly, with the shattering swiftness of a lightning bolt, Captain Britain feels himself being drawn away. Away from his bed… away from his body… away from all reality … hurtling helplessly through some timeless void toward the unknown.
And yet, impossibly, the figure of Captain Britain remains motionless in a hospital bed. The medics observe that Cap’s E.E.G. indicates all brain functions have ceased – that he’s dead. Yet his heart continues to beat strong and steady. But it’s medically impossible for a man whose brain has stopped to register a heartbeat. A dead brain in a live body? Hunter can’t believe it. And he would be even more unbelieving could he witness the scene the patient sees at the same moment.
(another plane of reality)
Dressed in his Captain Britain costume and armed with his quarterstaff, a confused Cap finds himself elsewhere. A moment later, he faces a huge fire-breathing monster. It charges at him. Cap is frightened but refuses to panic. He dodges the beast’s fireblast but, as the monster shakes the ground, he lands off-balance. Trying to dodge the next attack, he loses his staff and, thanks to the monster, his leg is caught among the rocks. Nightmare or not, he fears that now he’s had it.
(Earth)
The doctors note that Captain Britain’s heart is speeding up, beating more rapidly. It’s almost as though he’s been running or were in fearful danger. Suddenly, the doctor notes a gaping wound on his leg – appearing out of nowhere. There’s no rational explanation for what is happening. Hunter shouts that they can’t just sit and watch. They are to stay on this until they find some answers. They can’t allow Captain Britain to die! He’s too valuable. It’s out of their hands, the medic replies.
(Otherworld):
The two mysterious beings who gave Captain Britain his powers watch the battle on a screen. Their charge does not fare well, the man observes. Mayhap they erred when they granted him the magic medallion. The woman is more confident and asks him not to judge too soon. The final test has not yet ended. And though time grows short for the mortal, Merlyn’s magic is yet his to command… and either live or die by it.


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[Assistant]
<BR>An Odyssey of the Mind!
(S.T.R.I.K.E. headquarters, London)
A medical team finds itself astonished, for the brain of their patient, Captain Britain, seems to be dead, yet his pulse is strong and rapid. Commander Hunter tells them to hang the medical report. Just keep him alive.
(Another dimension)
Captain Britain’s soul finds itself in deadly danger, for he is threatened by a monster and his leg is trapped.
(Otherworld)
The two godlike beings who once granted Brian Braddock his powers anxiously watch the young hero’s plight. The young woman is moved, begging the man, Merlyn, to spare him. He has done all that can be asked – and more. Surely his Earthly deeds have proven him worthy of Merlyn’s protection.
No, Merlyn deciides coldly. He must first survive the final test… which seems most unlikely.
(Another dimension)
Flames scorch the young hero, but he refuses to give in to the pain, looking for a way to escape. He finds that, while his clothes are burning, his body remains unharmed. Though he feels on fire, he is not burning.
(Earth)
Hunter demands to know what the medical team has been doing. The patient isn’t treatable at that point, one of the doctors reveals. He’s obviously at the mercy of forces beyond human understanding.
(Otherworld)
The young woman begs Merlyn to end Captain Britain’s torments. He has endured ten times the mortal threshold of pain. What more must he prove? His worth, Merlyn replies. The savior of Britain must never accept defeat. If need be, he must battle onto death. But death most noble, not death without purpose, reason or benefit to the common wealth, the young goddess pleads. He seeks not death, but fortitude, Merlyn amends, and such he has witnessed. Thus shall he return to the human his weapon.
(another dimension)
Just as Captain Britain is about to give up, he sees his quarterstaff hovering above him. He grabs it and activates the forcefield, which pushes back the flames. But he is still trapped in this nightmare, he realizes as the monster attacks again.
(Otherworld)
The test is finished, Merlyn, decides. As he gestures, Captain Britain is drawn through time and space to arrive on Otherworld, where his two benefactors welcome him. The young goddess wishes to greet him but Merlyn bids her to hold her tongue. He has much to tell Captain Britain and he has little time to hear.
(Earth)
In Jamie Braddock’s Chelsea flat, Brian and Jamie’s sister, Betsy, awakes startled, calling out her twin’s name. Jamie runs to her side and she discloses that she had a nightmare about Brian bleeding and looking almost dead. Jamie tries to comfort her, while he wonders whether it only was a dream. He last saw Brian when he was doing his Captain Britain thing. He had tied Jamie up so his brother wouldn’t get the idea to endanger himself by helping him. When Brian didn’t return to free him, Jamie knew he was in trouble. He worked himself free and headed back to his flat, hoping to hear news of him on the car radio. But the radio was on the blink, so all he could do was wait and worry. He doesn’t want to turn the news on now. If Brian’s had it, he doesn’t want Betsy to know, so he assures her that he’s sure Brian is all right.
(Otherworld)
Captain Britain recognizes the two mystic figures from Darkmoor. Angrily, he accuses them of choreographing this nightmare he’s just been though. Merlyn orders him to curb his temper. For, if he has the power to summon him, he surely can restrain him. An energy hand appears, threatening Cap, who complies.
Merlyn tells him he regrets the agony Captain Britain had to endure. But it was not for naught. It had purpose most noble. He tells Cap to seat himself and listen. Even while he speaks, Captain Britain’s physical body lies gravely wounded on Earth and he must return to it soon if his flesh and blood are to survive. He shows Cap an image of the lab, where his body lies. He is here only mentally, Merlyn explains.
That means the battle he fought minutes before, the fire that engulfed him, they weren’t real? As real as the human mind, Merlyn replies. Had he been beaten, his mind would have been destroyed, leaving his earthbound body a lifeless shell to wither in the wind.
Merlyn conjures another image of a Medieval castle and asks him to pay heed, as he shows him he past when he walked the Earth, disguised as a mortal magician in the court of King Arthur. Time grows short, he announces, and his physical body cannot survive without his mind much longer. And should his body perish, he would be trapped here for eternity.


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[Assistant]
<BR>…That Camelot might live!
Otherworld, where Merlyn informs Captain Britain about his past.
(Merlyn’s tale)
In that bygone age Merlyn dwelled on Earth as a wizard. Merlyn shows Captain Britain the glory of King Arthur’s court, a citadel of honor where might served right and dreams noble were born. The king and the knights marvelled at the tricks Merlyn shows them such as his display of levitation.
(Otherworld)
So he did parlor tricks for the Round Table, Cap interrupts impatiently. Now tell him something new before his time runs out and he is stuck here forever.
He is a starborn traveller, Merlyn reveals He journeyed through out galaxies, studying and aiding their countless lifeforms. On this world, he served Arthur. His powers and counsel made Camelot the brightest of shining jewels.
(Merlyn’s narration)
But jewels eventually lose their luster and dreams die. Eventually, peace and brotherhood fell victim to greed and lust - then war and destruction. Merlyn could not witness so glorious an era to end. Thus he fled, intending to return to his star-home where his daughter, Roma, waited. But, before he departed, he left behind a sword and an amulet, hoping that someday a worthy mortal would discover them and choose the symbol of life over the symbol of death, the amulet over the sword.
(Otherworld)
He knows the rest, Cap states. He stumbled onto them and chose the amulet. And the responsibility to restore the glory that was Camelot, Merlyn adds. Impossible, Cap scoffs. Not even an army could achieve that. He asks Merlyn to return him to Earth before it’s too late.
(S.T.R.I.K.E. headquarters)
Captain Britain’s body still does not move. An agent informs Commander Hunter that there’s call from Scotland Yard. Hunter takes the call from Chief Inspector Thomas, coldly stating that his timing is deplorable. Thomas replies that he wants a report on his prisoner’s condition. After all, he captured him. And the instant he’s up and about he expects Hunter to turn Captain Britain over to him. An agent tells Hunter he has the latest report on Captain Britain. Hunter tells Thomas rudely off and turns back to the crisis at hand.
The doctors inform him that the patient’s brain continues to remain inactive for no known reason. Soon, the cell damage will be irreversible. Hunter swears. There must be a reason and a remedy. If there are, they are beyond medical science, the doctor states.
(Otherworld)
Merlyn assures Cap that the noble task is not impossible for him. He conjures up images of the sword and the amulet, stating that they remained in place until Brian Braddock came upon them, but he was not the first to discover them.
(the past)
Years before, a tyrant, pursued by those he had cruelly oppressed, discovered Merlyn’s mystic offerings. He tried to pry free the weapon and, by choosing the sword, he sealed his fate as he lost precious time and his pursuers caught up with him. Through the years, there were others in desperate need, but always they chose the symbol of violence rather than the jewel of life. But when Brian Braddock, in gravest peril, discovered the mystic offerings, he shunned death’s instrument and chose life’s symbol. Thus he passed the first test. He proved himself worthy to become Captain Britain.
Then, he went forth to battle villainy. He fought most nobly against the Reaver, Lord Hawk, the Red Skull and vanquished all of them, but still one fateful, final challenge remained. To test his mettle one more time, Meryln brought him to his own dominion, where he faced a foe more fearsome than his mind could conceive.
(Otherworld)
Again he prevailed. Therefore, he is worthy to be the people’s champion – Unexpectedly, Cap throws down his quarterstaff. He is tired of being tested! He resents being judged! He won’t accept the burden. Merlyn orders him to stop. The Nation needs him. His time cries out for him. And if he turns from responsibility, if he allows his countrymen to suffer evil, which he has the power to prevent, can he walk again with his head held high? Will he ever be able to sleep peacefully? No, he has come to far to turn back, and in his aching heart he knows Merlyn speaks the truth.
He is right, Captain Britain admits. It is too late for Brian Braddock to deny Captain Britain. Like it or not, his fate has been sealed. Well, said, Merlyn tells him, then mystically levitating his staff and transforming it into a more complicated device. A symbol of his noble purpose. A weapon mystic and mighty, Merlyn announces… the Star Sceptre.


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[Assistant]
<BR>And the Highwayman came riding, riding…
(Otherworld)
Captain Britain seems to be trapped on Otherworld until he learns that returning home lies in his own power. He has to force his body to touch his mystical amulet. Captain Britain focuses holding on to his new Star Sceptre.
(Earth: S.T.R.I.K.E. headquarters)
S.T.R.I.K.E. has given up on Captain Britain’s lifeless form, believing there is nothing more they can do for him. But, even as Cmmr. Lance Hunter and his frustrated associate turn sorrowfully away, the indomitable spirit of Captain Britain reaches out across the cosmos and, with one last massive effort of will, succeeds in getting his hand to grasp the amulet. The energy abruptly fills his soul and with this new-found strength he begins the journey home.
On Otherworld, Merlyn and Roma see his form fade out. Merlyn announces that, by finding the strength in himself, he has passed the final test. Today, they have witnessed the birth of a hero and the final fulfillment of a dream.
Back on Earth, Captain Britain awakes and reaches for his clothes and weapon. As Commander Hunter and the medic return, they find the hospital bed empty, not understanding how Captain Britain (who is actually clinging to the ceiling above them) could have disappeared.
Elsewhere in London, her Majesty’s silver Jubilee is being celebrated. As the crowd cheers the parade, one lone figure scoffs at the sycophantic fools. Ultimately, they are all sheep and his master plan depends on that, he thinks to himself. Soon the moment will come to strike and then not even God can save our gracious Queen from the power of the Manipulator!
Elsewhere, a pensive Brian Braddock strolls the campus of Thames University, his mind seeking answers. What happened to Captain Britain that day was real, as he still has the Star Sceptre. But how can a mind separate from its body and journey to another dimension? be there. He’s been busy, Brian states apologetically. Nobody could be that busy, Jacko exclaims, before walking away, disgusted. Brian asks him if he can come along. Jacko isn’t happy at the thought, but finally agrees.
On a lonely, foggy country road, two lorry drivers are looking forward to the end of their trip. It just isn’t worth the money, one of them, Alf, complains. His colleague points out in good humor that he’s been saying this for twenty years. Suddenly, he points at some lights on the road ahead. It’s coming right at them and there’s no way they can stop the lorry in time. The headlights come ever closer, until they pierce the fog to reveal a budding nightmare.
Like a stallion borne brigand of old, the oddly-garbed cyclist charges straight at the oncoming vehicle, until, at the last moment, he touches a special stud set into his motorcycle’s handlebar and twin beams of lasers erupt from the cycle’s headlights, cleaving the massive truck in twain. Violently, the two halves of the ruined vehicle swerve to opposite sides of the road and the laughing cyclist hurtles unharmed through them.
Moments later, Jacko’s car comes racing along the road. The two young men wonder what happened. Seeing the cyclist before them, Jacko announces that he suspects him. Not a copper in sight, he states, so it’s up to them to catch him, as he accelerates. Brian suggests caution, to which Jacko tells him to stop whining and act like a man. Brian wishes he could get away from Jacko and somehow to change into Captain Britain. But, until then, he can do nothing.
The car pulls up to the cycle and Brian tells the Highwayman he’d better pull over. He’s got some questions to answer about the wreck he left behind. Not blinkin’ likely, the man replies with a thick accent. Not so long as the studs on me leatherjacket can still do this.. He tosses a grenade and the explosion causes the car’s front tire to blow up.
Jacko Tanner struggles desperately to keep his car on the road and fails. The two young men lie unconscious as the Highwayman drives on laughing.


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[Assistant]
<BR>When Hero turns Villain!
While Brian Braddock lies bruised and unconscious near Jacko Tanner’s bomb-wrecked car, their swaggering attacker, the Highwayman, roars off triumphantly into the night. So much for fun and games, the villain cackles. Now that he’s had his sport, it’s time to keep his date with the Manipulator.
Presently, Brian’s eyes open and he remembers how they got clobbered by that insane motorcyclist. He pulls the unconscious Jacko Tanner from the wreckage, hoping he’s suffered no internal injuries. Touching his amulet, Brian turns to Captain Britain and, using his star scepter, he gives chase to the villain and lands right in his path.
Unimpressed, the Highwayman switches on the cycle laser beam, which Captain Britain manages to stave off with his sceptre’s forcefield. Angrily, he swings his sceptre and hits the villain in the face.
In London, the population is celebrating the Queen’s Silver Jubilee and the Manipulator silently scoffs, wondering what’s keeping the Highwayman. Does he think that, just because the Manipulator no longer rules Umbazi, means he will wait on any cheap mercenary? He is ten minutes late. Were he still in Africa, he’d have his head on a pole for that insolence. He decides to return to his underground laboratory.
Appointments are the least of the Highwayman’s concerns, as he takes a barrage of blows from Captain Britain. Yet the relentless punches lack their usual impact and the effects of the car crash have even thrown off the superhero’s timing, leaving him open to the Highwayman’s hammering counter attack. The tide of battle surges back and forth. Seeing an opening, the Highwayman throws three of his stud-bombs at the hero. With his reflexes rocky from the road crash, Captain Britain can barely direct the star sceptre’s energy to shield himself from the blasts. The Highwayman follows this attack up with a stunray blast from his monocle and by hitting Cap with his chain.
Cars collide wildly on the motorway, as bug-eyed drivers gape at the epic donnybrook. Cap tries to fly away until his head clears but the Highwayman catches him with his chain and throws him against a tree. Cap is knocked out. Laughing, the Highwayman leaves, the unconscious Captain Britain in tow.
Miles back, Jacko Tanner awakes, finding that neither the cyclist nor Brian are around. He decides that Brian left like the coward he is without even giving Jacko a hand.
Some time later, Captain Britain slowly regains consciousness and finds himself bound to a high tech chair in an underground laboratory. The Manipulator is in a better mood: now he can use the nation’s superhero to enslave its monarch. The Highwayman doesn’t understand. The Manipulator shows him a gem, explaining that both Captain Britain’s fate and that of the Queen lie in this mystic stone. A gem unearthed in his onetime African serfdom of Umbazi. He will clamp the stone in a holding device, and switch on a powerful beam of coherent light, aimed through the jeweled lens so that the stone’s ray fall on the third eye area of the prisoner’s brain… thus beginning operation “Target Royal.”
Later. her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, is speaking to the crowd of wellwishers gathered, including one Chief Inspector Dai Thomas. Thomas looks up to the Captain Britain crouching among the treetops. Cap jumps at the queen, announcing, “down with the royal family! Death to the Queen!”
He warned theYard about Britain! He told them he was no good, Thomas swears. Now the costumed creep is attacking the Queen herself. But this time he will have his guts for garters!


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
<BR>A Throne Threatened!
In a mindless trance produced by the rays of a mysterious gemstone, Captain Britain turns up at the Silver Jubilee ceremony and launches an attack on the queen herself before a horrified crowd. “Down with the female tyrant!” Captain Britain shouts, as he lunges at the monarch. The prince consort bravely tells his wife to get behind him and, among the awestruck onlookers, Chief Inspector Dai Thomas is unsure what to do. He can’t shoot at Cap in this crowd. And the Manipulator smiles.
Cap swats a security guard aside, as he lands before the queen. The despot is doomed, he announces. What befell the house of Kennedy will now befall the house of Windsor. Suddenly, the Highwayman, on his cycle, is driving up the stairs to the balcony, announcing that will save their “noble monarch.”
Cap recognizes him as one of the men from the underground lab. Why is he coming after him? He’s only fulfilling his mission. The Highwayman drives nearby him and hits him with his chain, but misses. He comes at Cap again and Captain Britain tries to concentrate to create a wall of energy with his scepter but his thoughts are too blurred. It doesn’t work.
He pries up a plank for a makeshift weapon and throws the board at his foe. A laser blasts from the Highwayman’s cycle and blasts the timber to bits.
Finally, with no way left to fight off his relentless attacker, Captain Britain dives to safety.
Highwayman drives after him, intending to finish him off. Cap pulls out one of the tent poles and swats the Highwayman off his cycle. Cap rushes at him angrily, trying to explain that he’s only carrying out the master’s orders. The Highwayman tells him to save his breath and a stunray comes his monocle, flattening Captain Britain. Silently he congratulates himself – the Manipulator’s scheme worked better than even he hoped.
Chief Inspector Tomas gruffly thanks him but tells him not to push his luck. If he takes the law into his own hands again, he’ll nick him so fast it’ll make his head spin.
Meanwhile, Captain Britain awakes to find himself helplessly chained, while the queen herself thanks the Highwayman, who asks if he could have a private tour round Buckingham Palace. As Captain Britain is led off in chains, the Manipulator smiles, for soon Elizabeth herself will be under his control much as that musclebound fool.
Soon, as microphones and TV cameras record Captain Britain’s defeat, tiny alarm bells suddenly ring in the chained crusader’s brain. The brightness washes away the fog in his mind and he realizes what he has done. Desperately, he tears at his steel chains, as he is being led inside the police car, where Thomas triumphantly announces that he’s flouted the law for the last time.
However, Thomas has laid the Star-Sceptre between them, close enough for Britain to reach. As his fingers touch the mystic weapon, he wills a concentration of force field energy within a steel link, which, under the mounting pressure, snaps.  Willing his sceptre into flight, the young hero zooms through the car’s roof, away to freedom.
Later, at his brother’s Chelsea flat, Brian discusses his dilemma with his siblings, Betsy and Jamie, who are horrified at his actions. He was under some kind of hypnosis, he explains. But how, Betsy asks. Brian is unsure. He just has a fuzzy memory of being in a kind of underground lab, strapped to a strange machine, with a dazzling light shining in his face and a voice telling him exactly what to do. And he could swear that the Highwayman is somehow in on the plot. And if that is true, the queen is still in terrible danger.
The next day, the Highwayman arrives at Buckingham Palace for his promised tour. As he is being led around, he sees that one of the exhibitions is the queen’s favorite diamond ring, which he quickly exchanges with an imitation that has the Manipulator’s stone.
Some time later, Bran Braddock reaches Portmouth, the next stop in the queen’s Silver Jubilee celebration. He sees her Majesty on the Royal Yacht. Unknown to Brian, the Manipulator also watches until, it’s time to press a fateful button, which beams a signal to the gemstone in her Majesty’s ring. Queen Elizabeth hears the Manipulator’s orders and complies.
As the gem’s rays beam out, hypnotizing the entire fleet, her Majesty’s words are broadcast about the harbour. She will lead them to Africa, she announces, to reconquer Umbazi for its rightful ruler. Brian can’t believe he’s hearing this. Now the queen is brainwashed and not even Captain Britain can stop the Royal Navy.


[User]
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[Assistant]
Flotsam & Jetsam
A man carries his heavy load through a secret entrance to a secret destination. As he enters, he is engulfed by light, and a voice addressing him as Slaymaster asks what brings him down, sniffing at her backdoor. Has he come to wish her a happy birthday? This is a most auspicious day, he replies, and asks the crimeboss Vixen to accept his humble offering. In front of the elderly woman dressed an Indian squaw, he lays down the unconscious Captain Britain.
As the Vixen’s men square the Captain away, Vixen remarks dismissively that she is most impressed… and flattered that he brought him to her. She asks him to tell her about it and orders her henchman, Jose, to bring the Captain’s costume to the lab. As she takes a glass of champagne, she jibes that Slaymaster’s religion forbids alcohol, doesn’t it? Another kind of stimulant then? No? How boring. So, she asks him to entertain her with the story of how he came by her gorgeous pressie.
Slaymaster’s story:
Slaymaster relates how he escaped from the authorities in the chaos of the Jaspers Warp. He concealed himself and planned the move that would give him his revenge. The Crazy Gang was stranded out of their dimension, running wild like headless chickens, so he took them under his wing. They were drawing attention and he made them draw it his way. He aimed them at institutions. At the tattered remnants of the traditional fabric of the nation. He knew it was an insult the Captain would take to heart. Chaos gnawing at the sacred bastions of patriotic pride.
He came like a righteous arrow from on high, but Slaymaster was waiting. He fought bravely as one would expect, but blindly. His rage was fearsome to behold. But it was all in vain, for he was outmatched by the Crazy Gang.
Present:
The Vixen mockingly praises Slaymaster before asking where the Crazy Gang is now.  They left, insulted by the fact that their “genius leader” was not truly one of them. Not very clever, letting them go like that, Vixen muses, while seeing Braddock’s furious contorted face on a monitor. Looks like her gift has woken up in something of a paddy. Perhaps she’d better go down and calm him down.
What is she going to do with him? Slaymaster demands. Where is his costume? She can have the man, but he wants the costume. What makes him think he is in a position to want anything? she asks slyly. Slaymaster points out that he brought the prisoner to collaborate. He isn’t one of her serving boys. He is exactly what she says he is, Vixen snaps back, before calling two of her men. Did he really think she’d let him have the costume… how sweet. No, he is far too dangerous already. She’ll let her eggheads find out how it works. Then perhaps she’ll have one like it. She likes dressing up. She’ll leave him now to have a closer look at her new toy. Her boys will look after Slaymaster.
Brian finds himself awake, naked and chained in a compromising position. Seeing the Vixen, he shouts that he will kill her for this. Not fazed, she observes that such helpless power is entertaining. She’ll even confess to a slight flutter of the heart… but fear? No, he doesn’t frighten her. He’s pathetic. She slaps him and orders him to never threaten her again. He is hers now, to do with as she pleases.
What does she want with him? he demands. Touching his face seductively, she orders him to come down and she’ll whisper it to him…
Watching this on camera, Slaymaster is filled with disgust and a cold, hard anger. This is not an honorable way to treat a worthy foe… and anyway, he wants the costume. He takes out the two henchmen next to him very, very fast. He should have known better than to trust her. The Vixen does not share his code of ethics. She is shrewd and vicious, but he is a match for her. He will find the laboratory and recover the costume. Then he will redress the balance.
Elsewhere, a huge alien blue-skinned female, very much looking like a hippopotamus, addressed he odd group, informing them they have a job. Young Bone-Bag, referring to the creature on her shoulder, has fixed his nasty little brain onto the target. They have the contract; they are ready to roll…
The creature on her shoulder interrupts her. He has lost the fix. Angrily, she tells him they need the coordinates and to stop calling her mother. He apologizes. It just twinkled out. He’s trying to relocate.
Back in the Vixen’s lair Slaymaster makes his way to her lab, killing her henchmen where he finds them. While he tries on Captain Britain’s uniform, a scientist nearby informs the Vixen of his examination of the uniform.
The initial examination of the garment shows that it is more properly a machine, but the microcircuitry is incredibly complex. He doesn’t know if the computer can completely analyze it. Much of it is beyond his range of understanding but perhaps it is best described as a lens, or amplifier for the wearer’s innate power. It seems to magnify the electromagnetic impulses and energy fields of the human body.
Slaymaster tests his new strength. It creates a personal forcefield and can negate or direct gravity, giving the power of flight…
Slaymaster finds that he is immensely strong, but not invulnerable. There is still pain, He is iron, but he should be diamond. He sneaks into Captain Britain’s prison cell, telling him it was never his intention to see him thus humiliated. They have long been enemies and he would have preferred his final victory over him to carry more honour. But defeated Captain Britain is. Utterly. And Slaymaster must know the secrets of this suit. So he wants the answer. Brian tells him he must wear the helmet.
Meanwhile the Vixen’s people have discovered that the suit went AOL. Vixen asks her top scientist what Slaymaster can do with the costume. He begins that the key is the helmet…
Agitated, Slaymaster hits Cap, feeling no difference.
In the meantime, the scientist explains that, without the helmet, the suit acts in a purely mechanical fashion. It amplifies the user’s strength considerably, but that’s all. The helmet is the fine tune mechanism. It seems to incorporate the brain patterns of an individual in its circuitry. However, because it is matched so perfectly to one specific brain, he would imagine that for a user with a different brain pattern there would be little advantage, maybe even actual harm.
Slaymaster hits Brian again and again until he suddenly finds he no longer has control over his fist. Instead of hitting Brian, he uses his strength to shatter Brian’s shackles. He realizes that Brian is controlling the suit with his mind. Brian agrees. What was it Slaymaster was saying about defeat and humiliation? He smirks evilly. He can fly in that suit… so fly! He steers Slaymaster into the wall at full speed.
With the villain unconscious, he takes off his costume and dresses himself. He doesn’t like people wearing his clothes, he announces. He doesn’t like being kept prisoner and he doesn’t like being watched while he’s dressing, he says, addressing a surveillance camera. He begins to threaten what he will do to Vixen.
He is rather cross, isn’t he, Vixen observes and orders her men to flush the cells.
A flood flushes Cap out. He takes one last gulp of water. There is a breathless eternity of sound and movement. Then mercifully an anchor. He is in the sewers an climbs up a ladder towards the light. Only to shout “what in God’s name” a moment later. Exhausted and half-drowned for a second, he considers ducking back down and closing the lid above him. But he is a hero. And the amorphous monstrosity killing people outside is hero’s business.


[User]
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[Assistant]
Sid’s story
Itchy skin, inflamed and peeling. Moldering scabs, decaying, dribbling. That was how it started.
Then bouquets of angry boils swelled tender, red and ripe. And bilious slime, dimly amber curdled in jaundiced wounds. Rovers of putrid phlegm cascaded from scarlet sores as fractured bone ruptured rotten flesh. Crimson agony soaked into tattered clothing. Sullied body and soiled garment twisted and merged… a swirling mosaic of fused flesh and fabric. That was how it continued. Sidney Crumb is ill.
Through a haze of pain and alcohol, he notices movement in the rain, some playing youngsters. Look at them kids – blighters oughter be at school. Ain’t no discipline… all of ‘em , to cheeky.
Time alters. Memories and reality bleed into each other. He recalls being hit brutally by his drunk father. Mebbe ‘em kids can help, if’n they ain’t sniffers that is.
Sid stands up and shuffles towards them. The boys stare at him in horror when they realize he isn’t just some tramp.
flashback:
And for Sid time alters again, as he sees himself beaten up by some punks. School days in the war – the war which stole away a sodden father and left him with a mother who couldn’t provide him enough. The richer boys kicked him in the dirt, announcing he belonged there.
present:
Oblivious of reality, he kills the boys and shambles on.
Elsewhere, a hippopotamus-like blue alien female orders a reptile like creature to try harder and get a fix. The being apologizes, calling the woman “mother, then states something flashed. He’s underground, moving fast. The hippopotamus orders the reptile to track him and stop calling her mother!
In London, there is a panic as all the people run from the monster Sid has become. He doesn’t comprehend. He only sees that no one will stop and talk to him. He gets no respect. Get a bit down on your luck and you are treated like dirt, Sid complains to himself. When he touches someone said person burns.
Police officers call in a major disturbance and require assistance. One police officer turns to Sid, telling him to calm down. Getting close enough, he sees Sid’s face, which consists only of green slime and shudders.
flashback:
For Sid time alters again. He recalls his wife, Mavis, leaving him because of his drinking. See you at your funeral, Sid, were her last hate-filled words to him.
present:
He recalls how he lost his job. Mavis took his respect with her. He’s ill… he doesn’t need the hassle. He needs… medicine!
Another cop shouts they can’t control the situation. Get the bloody army in!
On Otherworld, Roma, sitting on her throne, is anxious. She inherited the reins of the multiverse when her father, Merlyn, died. A complex knowledge for an immortal so young. Now, just one existence holds her overseeing eye. Anxiously, she wonders if Captain Britain can survive it. He has borne much more than his share.
She admits to herself that the guilt is hers. She brought the Captains together at her father’s dying. She should have foreseen it. She watched the rogue studying him and plotting. She did not want to meddle. That was her father’s way. The onslaught began and still she only watched, leaving it to Betsy’s fledgling powers to save her brother. Roma did not stretch out her hand.
With the wave of a hand, she banishes the pictures. Despite her instinct to help him, she refuses to do as her father did and intervene. The Captain must struggle alone!
Outside, a chemist’s trained soldiers wait, ready to go inside. But the captain doesn’t give the order, as the creature has civilians trapped inside there with him.
Sid is looking for medicine, hoping pills will make him better. Suddenly, he realizes he no longer has a mouth and panics. Flailing around, he wildly kills people, until finally, Captain Britain smashes into him.
Cap orders everyone out. Stepping back and getting a good look at his foe, Cap recognizes the smell. Panicked, he thinks: No… it’s dead! It’s got to be dead!
Sid’s fevered mind recognizes him as well. It’s that big ponce. The one who thinks he’s a hero. He’ll help him. He’s got to!
flashback:
And time alters. Reality shifts and bleeds one final time, to the rubbish tip where his last friend vanished.
Mrs. McGeary? Was that you saying “shizik” just now?
The faces of the past shift and gel, and the anomaly returns, no longer at the edge of his vision, but at its centre. It is the Fury. It is the supreme killing machine. It has crossed parallel realities to hunt down its prey, Captain Britain. It killed Mrs. McGeary. The Fury paid heavily for its violation of realities. Stunted and damaged by its flight, it needed matter to rebuild itself. With Mrs. McGeary it was deadly accurate. Such food fortune could never be Sid’s.
Wounded by its hook, Sid got infected and the infection spread. The Fury’s power of mutation has become Sidney Crumb’s curse.
present:
He’s sick! Sid thinks, sick and nobody cares! Enraged, he lashes out at the Captain while inwardly begging for help. Cap decides he has to pull himself together and kill it. It’s too dangerous!
While Sid inwardly cries and begs and suffers Captain Britain begins to pound him. Sid bleeds corrosive slime and Cap warns the soldiers to stay back and leave it to him.
He hits the creature wildly and Sid inwardly just begs him to stop hurting him.
Finally, he is so loud that Cap stops, sensing his pain, realizing it isn’t malevolent, it is pain. Dying! And Sid literally melts to some goo.
That’s sorted that out then, one of the soldiers remarks happily. Captain Britain did it. He smeared it into the pavement. They won! Did they? Cap wonders disgusted and flies off.
A little later, he is hit by an energy blast and brought down. He lands at the feet of some strange creatures some of whom he recognizes as Fascination and Legion. What does the Special Executive want with him now?
“Legion” corrects him that he isn’t Legion. That’s another brother. And Fascination is with them now. There is no Special Executive. Not yet. Wardog won’t even be whelped for another hundred years. And Cobweb is elsewhere. They are a far more senior elite. Gatecrasher’s Technet.
Gatecrasher, a large female hippopotamus-like being, addresses Brian as Kaptain Briton and tells him he has the honour to be their prisoner.


[User]
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[Assistant]
Childhood’s End
Three people walk through what appears to be a fiery, demon-filled hell. In the middle is Captain UK, blindfolded, led by the other two, Agents Michael and Gabriel of the RCX. Onward Christian soldiers, Gabriel suggests somewhat nervously at the sight of the demons. Spectacular stuff, eh? Michael replies. It’s the real thing Gabriel adds, looking at his scanner. A totally malleable holographic field, concealing Braddock Manor.
They stop in front of a threatening space alien. Shall I? Gabriel asks. Feel free, Michael replies. Gabriel reaches up into its fanged maw and presses the tongue. The next moment, the hologram disappears and what he is holding is actually the knocker.
Jeeves opens the door. May they see the master of the house? Michael asks. Unsurprised, Jeeves asks them to follow. Party from the government Jeeves tells Brian (by now in civilian clothes) er… Resources Control Executive.
Michael shakes Brian’s hand, addressing him as Captain, and asking him to forgive the lateness of the hour, but time is short. It’s always later than you think, Gabriel mutters.
Michael introduces the two of them. Brian greets them politely but immediately points out he has no rank. It’s plain Mr., he’s afraid. He is too modest, Michael retorts. He has already met their similarly shy colleague, Captain UK.
Linda steps in, greeting Brian. It’s good to see her again, he tells her. But he thought she was going to retire. Why is she with this bunch now? It seems she has no choice, she begins.
Having heard Linda’s voice, Betsy comes rushing in. Gabriel greets her, asking if she remembers. Matthew? she asks surprised. What on earth is he doing here? Not Matthew anymore, he corrects her. It’s Gabriel now, still biblical though.
Well, this seems to be quite a reunion, Brian remarks while he pours himself a drink. Perhaps a toast? he suggests. To auld acquaintance…?
He’ll drink to that, Michael agrees, and to their future association. Gabriel refuses though. He’d rather smoke if they don’t mind. She sees he hasn’t changed, Betsy remarks. She explains to her brother that she used to work with… Gabriel. He was with STRIKE – sci-tech division. Gadgets are a foible of his, he explains.
So what brings them to his home in the middle of the night? Brian asks. Simply, at the risk of sounding trite, the nation is in peril and they need his help, Gabriel replies succinctly. Dire straits, man, Michael adds. Perhaps they should put their cards on the table, Gabriel continues.
The RCX is the phoenix that arose out of the ashes of STRIKE. They have their origins in troubled times. They were all touched by the Jaspers Warp, he continues, the very words bringing back painful memories to Brian, Betsy and Linda, some harder than others. Fortunately, most people remember nothing. Nevertheless, the warp kinked the entire population’s subconscious, building nests of fear and confusion. Couple this with the historic cycle of the rise and fall of empires… and you have trouble big trouble.
Meggan sits outside on the window sill, her thoughts wandering into the night. Something fierce and frightened finds her. It calls with an irresistible siren sound and she soars upward. A wild link of infant rage fills her mind, sending her spilling back down the short slope of years to the pain of childhood.
Flashback:
Her parents were travelers, an old race. When it started getting cold, they found that their newborn daughter had grown fur. Her father asked his wife what she had born. A changeling? A wolfchild! She asked him please not turn her out. They can hide her!
But others listened in and soon others of their community knew, as rumors started and got worse from wolfchild to stating she had bulging eyes, ears like batwings, fur, fangs, talons. And Meggan became what they expected.
In the daytime when the men went trading and the women and children took things to sell, she lived for the glitter of the television world, dreading the night which brought the silver dreams that flared her nostrils and pricked her ears.
But her worst nightmares were realized that terrible time when Jaspers’ men took her away and locked her up.
Present:
Her horror of confinement is instinctive. It numbs and engulfs her. She lands next to the RCX’s van.
Child minds clamor for succor in silent pandemonium. The blind need of their minds is irresistible, uncontainable, unquenchable. She opens the van. And five children, looking like infants with beaks and bug eyes and wings fly out.
Inside the house, Brian summarizes what the two agents told him. According to them, although Captain UK and he defeated the Fury and contained the Jaspers’ Warp, the continuum was sufficiently damaged to allow the problems which the nation faces to arise, eventually resulting in an attempted overthrow of the democratic system?
It’s already started! Gabriel claims. But gentlemen, this is England! Brian replies disgusted. Betsy admonishes him not to be so bloody-shortsighted. Things have changed. He hasn’t kept in touch. Linda states that she is right. She’s been living among ordinary people. The hatred is growing.
Even so, Brian continues, why should he join with them? Why should the RCX have his facilities and his name behind their faction?
If he doesn’t know, it’s no good telling him, Gabriel replies. Michael adds that they are the revolution. They are the salvation of the land. They will give him a place of honor and purpose in the future. The people will unite behind him as a symbol of freedom and strength. Together they can breed a new era. What does he say? Gabriel asks. All freaks together, eh? They are the good guys, Michael urges him. He has no choice!
Brian refuses. He will not be manipulated, nor will he manipulate others. The free will of man is the only basic truth. They always have a choice!
Captain UK disagrees. Sometimes fire must be fought with fire. They have a chance to prevent persecution and suffering. Principles must be sacrificed. Betsy agrees.
While a very interested Jeeves eavesdrops, Michael calls Brian a pompous fool. In a pinch, they can do without him, but they must have his computer and fortifications. If he must, Michael threatens, he will use force to get them.
Force? Brian scoffs. With what? Michael orders Linda to tell him. Linda explains they got powerful mutant children in a van outside. They’d use children against him? Brian asks angrily.
That moment, there is an alert and they are informed by another agitated agent that somebody let the Cherubim out.
Gabriel explains they are a secret weapon they never meant to use. There is a storm wind outside. Gabriel looks outside, suggesting the Captain better take a look.
Brian orders Meggan and Jeeves to come inside the room. Jeeves explains Meggan left a short time ago, via the window. Getting into uniform, Brian tells him to take Emma and Alison into the basement.
The wind is courtesy of a tornado created by a group of the Cherubim. All the strange mutant children are about to attack. Brian admits to Betsy and Linda he might need some help with this.
Momentarily unconscious, Meggan wakes with her senses scorched by the memory of chaos unbound. What has she unleashed upon her friends… her family? She flies upward toward the tornado. With a final desperate deathwish, she hurls herself at the heart of the hurricane. It is as if the wind touches her… peels her skin from her as she sees the five strange children at the heart of the storm. She recalls a conversation with Alison.
Flashback:
Alison assures Meggan she is beautiful, like an iridescent butterfly. Meggan can’t believe that. Alison explains it’s her aura, her potential. She doesn’t need to appear as she does.
But she was born like this, Meggan protests. She’ll always look like this. Alison tries to explain that Meggan was like soft clay, molded by the fear and superstition of her people. They misunderstood her powers, her instinct to protect herself from the cold.
Meggan doesn’t understand. Perhaps not now, but when she does the caterpillar will become a butterfly, Alison promises.
present:
Light energy dances through her, she is rainbow of colors. At last she understands, as she flies through and above the hurricane, she changes, becoming a breathtakingly beautiful young woman with pointed hair and hair like energy.


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Winds of Change
Captain Britain, Betsy and Captain UK find themselves beset by the Cherubim, young mutant children sent by the RCX and inadvertently freed by Meggan.
Giggles leads the offensive by manipulating light energy patterns while the others attack in the confusion. The feral Quill attacks Captain Britain with razor sharp talons.
Fern, a creature consisting only of a cape and a helmet, traps Captain UK in a viscous sticky mass.
Then there are AC-DC, shocking Siamese twins. One positively polarized, the other negatively. They got for Betsy. But Captain UK stops them by tossing Fern at them.
Then there is Lump, who looks the part. He can confront you with your most feared nightmares. For Cap and his allies, that would be Mad Jim Jaspers and the Fury. Which in turn makes them fight even angrier and more furiously, and then take out the Cherubim all the more quickly.
Well, they soon polished them off, Captain Britain announces satisfied. How can he gloat? Betsy demands angrily. They are children!
Yeah, and here come their playmates! Captain UK announces, looking around. The next moment, they are swept up by the psionic whirlwind caused by the Cherub quintet. The RCX agents in the meantime look for cover. What now, tough guy? Betsy asks angrily. Brian is about to give a rude reply.
Jeeves leads the agents, Alison and a confused Emma, who thinks she is reliving World War 2 down the stairs and into the computer cavern. The agents are impressed as Jeeves explains that he is a solid light construct and is actually the computer surrounding them.
High above the clouds, Meggan bathes in silver moonlight, then drops, her new body howling with sheer joy. She heads straight for the quintuplets at the heart of the hurricane.
In the cavern, Michael asks Jeeves how he would feel about the RCX locating here at Braddock Manor? He does not feel anything, Jeeves informs him, but he computes a great many advantages in such a situation.
A grumbling noise interrupts their chat, as Meggan has broken the Cherubim apart. The hurricane disperses and the heroes fall.
Suddenly, there is no more wind. Everything is still. Alison, the RCX agents and the rest head outside again. C’est formidable, Gabriel remarks. It looks like pick-up-the-pieces-time, Michael adds. They find the five cherubim dead. She wiped them out, Michael finds. Yeah a proverbial fallen angel, Gabriel remarks as they all stare at her. Who is she?
Meggan! Alison calls happily. You did it! You changed! “Meggan?” everybody shouts in disbelief. She’s grown up, realized her potential, Alison continues happily. Potential? Brian mutters. Yes, as she tried to tell him between alien visitations and drunken sulks, Alison snaps. Meggan’s appearance as a werebeast was a state forced upon her by the superstitious fears of her people because she didn’t understand the true scale of her powers. Er, comes the reply.
How does she feel? Alison asks Meggan. Still dreamy, Meggan replies she’s not sure. At first it hurt… the children tried to possess her with their anger. But now she feels… warm… tingling… wonderful. She breaks out of her reverie when she realizes the kids are dead. Did she do that?
Gabriel tries to scan her while Michael draws a gun. This mutant’s power is incredible, Gabriel announces. She must be restrained… or eliminated, Michael adds. They can’t risk another Jaspers.
Cap steps between them and Meggan and warns them to stay away from her. They are the cause for all this.
Meggan tries to explain. She knows she did wrong but she couldn’t help herself. She’s never been so strong before. He understands, Brian assures her. Heknows how she feels. He leads her away as she complains that they all hate her, she can feel it. It’s not that they hate her, he explains. But they are afraid of her powers. He won’t let them take her away, will he? she asks agitated. He won’t let them hurt her? No one can hurt her now, he promises with a smile. She’s a match for them all!
Gabriel informs Michael that the body count on the assault group shows they are missing six. The big chap’s effective, but he gets the impression he’s rather fed up with them. Yeah, Michael agrees, he thinks they might have pushed him completely beyond the pale, but they do have other allies.
With a sheepish, apologetic smile, Gabriel asks Betsy what can he say. Annoyed, she suggests he can say he’ll go away and stay away. That’s a shame he continues smoothly. He had hoped that despite her brother’s prejudices, she might be more perceptive. What does he…?
That moment, small buses stop in front of the mansion. My God, not more! Betsy exclaims, as several RCX agents, male and female, and all dressed in cutting edge clothes, reveal their passengers, more young Warpie children with the strangest mutations. Raphael’s refugee army, Michael calls them. Despite herself, Betsy can’t help but be charmed by the kids.
Poor things, bombed out weren’t they? the still confused Emma asks. You could say that, Michael agrees. Never mind, Miss Elizabeth will look after them, Emma promises. Lifting one of the smaller children, Betsy decides to get the kids inside. Maybe Alison can calm them down...
Raphael remarks to his colleagues that it’s strange how the women go for these Warpies in such a big way, isn’t it? Touchingly maternal, Gabriel agrees. Yes, and if  they work quickly enough they should be able to cut the Captain right out of the picture, Michael announces, unaware that Jeeves has just manifested behind them. Short of destroying the Captain, which would be both difficult and wasteful, he announces, he doesn’t think he could be forced to leave the manor, although h might be persuaded. Uh, he’s all ears, a surprised Michael replies.
Inside the house, the agents try to make things habitable for the kids, carrying blankets. Betsy still carries a particularly small Warpie. Brian looks on sourly, a drink in his hands.
They certainly seem to trust Betsy, Gabriel observes. The rest will be arriving soon. They’ve been gathering them for months… from all over the country. Part of the RCX’s function is to give them sanctuary and learn about them. They got a place in the city, but funds are short and other factions are pressing them hard. They need their help.
Betsy shoots Brian a beseeching look. Please, she asks. No!  he replies forcefully. He doesn’t trust them, they are dangerous! But they are children, Betsy protests. Warp children, he stresses. They’re destructive. And in their hands, he points at Gabriel, corrupt. He won’t have these children or the RCX in his house. Betsy puts her foot down. It’s her house too, and she says they stay! They’re living beings. They need protection… education… love. They can give them that. It’s their duty. Here, here, Michael applauds.
He is forced to bow to the rule of democracy.  But heroes are not by nature patient men. He finds for example that the bathroom is occupied when he needs it. A hero’s sense of humor is not his greatest attribute (A warpie kid sneaks up on him waiting and scares him with a huge bellow). They are private people (He shoos a group of Warpies out of the bathroom). They need their dignity (He is about to step into the tub, when he  finds an amphibic warpie in there, giving him a scare).
Wearing only par of trousers, he walks into the den, where Meggan sits in front of the TV set. It’s too much! he complains. The house has been turned into an asylum. They’ve only been here two days and already he’s nearly insane.
Meggan tells him to shush. Ignoring that, he pours himself a drink. He’s serious, he announces. He feels like he’s being squeezed out of his own house. Either they go or he does!
Meggan asks him to be quiet a minute. There’s something on there about his brother Jamie!
Elsewhere in the building, Jeeves serves Michael and Gabriel drinks as he asks if they did as he suggested. Yes, Michael, replies. Their contacts were extremely helpful. With the Captain’s somewhat intractable presence removed they will be able to develop their influence much quicker, Jeeves explains. With a female Captain Britain as a national figurehead.  Gabriel and Michael toast with their glasses. To Elizabeth. Long may she reign!
In the living room, Brian and Meggan follow the news: The authorities of the state of  Mbangawi, in whose territory Jamie Braddock was last seen during the trans-African rally, have promised full cooperation in the search for the missing playboy racing driver…
That moment, the phone rings. Brian takes it. It’s Jamie, desperate the elder Braddock brother asks Brian to just listen.
Chained to a chair, surrounded by an armed guard, a witchwoman and a strangely reptilian looking man with cyborg parts, a frightened Jamie tells him his captors say if Captain Britain isn’t there by Wednesday they are going to do something savage and unpleasant to Jamie...
Brian promises he will be there.
The cavern under Braddock Manor. Mastermind: So simple to guide them. To align them. Such basic intellect. Their desire for treachery is innate.


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
The House of Baba Yaga
A snowy wilderness… Captain Britain watches as Meggan courses the ancient snow-sheathed land of her ancestors in the company of wolves, intoxicated with the wild magic that has grown within her. As he sits at the fire, the lonely wind plucks her name from his lips. He calls the food is ready and suggests she tell her friends to go home.
Feral Meggan tells him not to worry. They won’t bite him. She turns to her normal self. She apologizes for looking so fierce. It’s the power. Don’t let it make him scared of her. He assures her he isn’t scared. It fascinates him.
He knows she’d just as soon curl up with the wolves… and he doesn’t want to stop her rediscovering her roots. But he wishes they could find some shelters. His forcefield protects him from the cold, but he misses having a roof over his head. She has an idea and grabs his hand, leading him on until they reach an old house she found earlier.
Brian hesitates. Something feels wrong about it. It’s just because it’s an old empty house, she tells him. He’ll be all right when he gets a fire going.
They state a fire inside the hearth. What does she think of Russia then? he asks. It’s wonderful, she assures him. So big and cold and empty. She thanks him for bringing her, for taking her to all those places. It’s been quite a grand tour so far, he agrees. What did she like best? Bali? The Himalayas? Egypt? It’s all been amazing, she admits. Much better than watching it on TV. She feels alive now.
Yes, it’s a wonderful world, all right, he agrees suddenly bitterly. He thinks of his brother, dead in Africa. He thinks of his sister, lost to him in the bitterness of Britain. She shushes him and they kiss.
A moment later, he draws back disgusted and horrified when she has shifted shape to become a snake like being. With a cry of horror, he withdraws and flees into the night.
The power leaves Meggan limp, as if abandoned by some ghastly tide. Scoured by the force which swept her, she weakly lets the house comb her into the depth of its dangerous geometry. But slowly a reckless anger lights a fire against the still cold. Something had entered her and tried to make her hurt the Captain… something old and dry and hungry and this is where it lives.
She finds a small hut constructed of human bones. Who’s there? Meggan calls out. A skeletal crone with snake hair exits the hut, asking if she has forgotten the name of Baba Yaga. No, she smells the blood of the snake in her veins. She calls Meggan “daughter” and bids her come forward and greet her sisters.
Corpselike women rise from the ground and surround Meggan. Baba Yaga urges Meggan to embrace her family. She is home. Did she not bring the offering of flesh? Meggan turns away disgusted. They are not her sisters. She brought them nothing.
Why does she lie? Baba Yaga asks. Even now the offering is thrust struggling into the earth. Just as once her sisters were thrust, still breathing, into the graves of their husbands. The food comes. Eat with them!
Outside, Captain Britain still runs in panic. Then he stops, thinking of Meggan. Suddenly, vines from the ground grab him and drag him downward.
Elsewhere, Baba Yaga tells Meggan that once they were many. They feasted nightly as new daughters brought their offerings of dead flesh. But as the centuries passed the snake blood ran thin in the veins of women, the Earth is less bountiful now.
The zombie women press closer to Meggan. Disgusted, she hits one of them, her blow destroying its body. Baba Yaga tells her to be still. The food is here.
Bound by vines, Captain Britain hangs tied from the cave’s ceiling. He asks Meggan for help.
Baba Yaga takes out her dagger. The food calls her name. Is her appetite not stirred?
Deep inside Meggan ancient legends of darkness and bloated fear struggle for recognition. Fighting nausea with anger, she wrestles forgotten words to her lips and spits them like sparks. She begins to glow. With of wood and witch of water… Fire will save us from the slaughter.
Calling her traitor, Baba Yaga panics. Cap begins to free himself. Meggan glows ever brighter.
 Fire to scorch you… fire to torch you. Fire to send you screaming back to hell!
She tosses flames at Baba Yaga. The whole place begins burning brightly. She is not their sister! Meggan shouts. Burn!
Brian drags her out of the burning house. And they watch. Afterwards, she calms down. She did it again, didn’t she? He’s afraid, she did, Brian replies wryly. She just got so angry, so scared. She doesn’t know what got into her.
If this was the area that her ancestors came from, he is not surprised they left, he muses. He’d sooner be a gypsy wandering forever than live with roots like that.
If she promises not to do it again, will he hold her hand? she asks. This power frightens her. She needs something solid to hold. Hugging her, he assures her she will be able to control it better in time. Things won’t take her by surprise.
A hand touches them from behind. They disappear and then reappear, surrounded by Inca pyramids.


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Alarms and Excursions
A moment ago, Captain Britain and Meggan were in a Russian icy wilderness; now they are somewhere in the South American past. Where are they? Meggan demands, confused. From the architecture, the angle of the sun and the rarity of the air, Cap supposes they are in the Peru of the Incas… pre-Spanish… say fourteenth century.
They turn to the inanely smiling green-haired woman who brought them here. Meggan recalls she was at Braddock Manor with that horrible Gatecrasher. She’s called Fascination, Brian replies and points out she can be a bit unpredictable. As if to agree, Fascination shoves the two of them back. They fall down an opening within the pyramid and land in the water. Standing under a waterfall before them and greeting them cheerfully are Gatecrasher and her perennial sidekick, Yap.
Addressing her as “Hippopotamus,” Meggan asks Gatecasher why they are sitting in a waterfall. Gatecasher replies that, if she doesn’t keep the bulk of her body chilled to the marrow, ten-thousand parasite eggs which she has foolishly ingested are going to hatch and devour her from the inside.
Certainly sounds unpleasant, Cap remarks but he doesn’t see what they can do about it, nor why they should. Gatecrasher reminds him he owes her. How can he owe her? he shoots back-. She kidnapped him from his home in error, then claimed a fee for returning him! True, she replies, but now he is 700 years before his time and only she holds the means of retuning him. Furious, he calls her an extortionist and asks where the rest of her motley crew is. Sadly, due to artistic differences, the Technet are pursuing other careers, comes the evasive reply. She’ll tell them the sorry tale. They’ve got time just before the earthquake.
Gatecrasher’s story:
The first disaster was on the Wereworld, where they went to deal in Dragonscales. Due to an unfortunate miscalculation, they arrived at the worst possible time – full moon – when all the natives turned into Werewolves – which quickly attacked the Technet. In the ensuing battle, one of the Technet was killed.
Later, they held the wake in a bar. Pirates arrived and one of them hit on Gatecrasher. Her enraged reprimand was over-vigorous and so the Technet had to give the pirates all their money. Fed up, the rest of the team – save for Yap and Fascination – left and took up with a young organization that read of the Technet’s misfortune in the history books and now took advantage of that – namely the Special Executive.
present:
Only Fascination resisted their persistent offers, Gatecrasher complains. Err, mother? Yap reminds her carefully, only to be told to shut up. Gatecrasher continues her sad tale.
Gatecrasher’s story:
Gatecrasher attended a party held by the despot of Kandahar, a small blue being who seemed fascinated by her. They had a nice chat about his favourite hobby. It turned out he was a collecting nut… mathematical ephemera, Pythagoras’ compasses, Newton’s apple, Gorgon’s photon-counter, that sort of thing. What he wanted above all others is a perfect mathematical model of the universe formed out of rock crystal, revered by some primitives in a city which all records showed was doomed to extinction by an earthquake, an object on Captain Britain’s Earth.
Gatecrasher’s plan was for the Lizard to establish the exact location of the model and then for Fascination to reach in and remove it… from the jaws of the earthquake, as it were. In this way, since the model was doomed to destruction, removing it would not interrupt any causal continuum.
Unfortunately, though Fascination is a loyal creature, her intelligence is barely equal to a domestic pet’s. After numerous attempts resulting in the appropriation of assorted trinkets, they realized that Fascination could not identify the model without its scent. Which incidentally is how she located the Captain so easily.
So, Gatecrasher decided to try the gods-from-the-sky approach toward the Incas, who at first seemed suitably impressed, offering amounts of gold and slaves. Gatecrasher asked for the crystal model and was told that a banquet was a necessary part of the acceptance ceremony. The first tremors struck at the same time as the poison in the fruit. As she and Yap passed out, Gatecrasher managed to instruct Fascination to bring the Captain here, before she passed into unconsciousness.
They regained consciousness under the waterfall with the cackling priest gloating over them. Mockingly calling them gods, he told them that, if they remained in the cool water, the many parasite eggs which they had eaten might not hatch.
Present:
Cap interrupts her impatiently. Basically what she is saying is that through arrogance and ineptitude she blundered into disasters and turned all her friends against her, yes?
“Not me, mother,” the lizard replies fearfully. What does she expect him to do? He could show sympathy, she suggests. If not for her, then for her companion. Meggan calls her a fat hypocrite at that. He could also fetch the remedy, Gatecrasher continues. The lizard got the secret from the high priest’s mind. The raw materials are as one would suspect both rare and inaccessible. This makes them even, right? Brian asks. Fearfully, Meggan asks him to hurry. She can feel the earthquake building…
Captain Britain takes to the air… Soon he finds it. A mystic herb growing in the ruins of a temple garden, high on the slopes of a distant mountain and in the silence of the filtered light tugs it from the sheltering earth. As it squirms and wriggles in his hand, a thin high whistle is heard. Wings beat and talons gleam. Giant birds attack him.
He wonders if they are some sort of mutation as he takes care of them with some kick and blows. When he has finished with the bird, he notices the earthquakes are intensifying. He flies back quickly unaware that he is being watched… by the Special Executive.
All that dressing up, the parasite eggs, the giant birds… all wasted, Cobweb sighs. He had not foreseen any possibility of this Captain’s involvement, their leader admits.  His impersonation of the despot of Kandahar was flawless. Gatecrasher was completely fooled. And Yap never suspected that he was the primitives’ High priest. Even when he allowed him to pick the location of the root from his mind. His plan was that Gatecrasher would have sent Fascination for the root and the city would have been destroyed by the time she had subdued the bird. Then she would have joined them.
It was not meant to be, Cobweb replies. You cannot alter history. Yes, yes, he admits. Fascination won’t join the squad for another three centuries, by which time he will be long- dead and replaced by a hairy cyborg. But it would have made the future easier to accept if it didn’t include Gatecrasher. She’s going to give them a lot of trouble.
Meanwhile, as Gatecrasher and Yap are still under the waterfall, Meggan leaves passing Cap on his way in. Gatecrasher orders him to bring them that plant. They only have seconds. As they chew it, she asks Cap to leave. She would like to maintain her dignity and the effects are going to be somewhat… drastic.
He waits atop a pyramid and is joined soon by Meggan, who claims she was having a look around. As the earthquake begins to build, Gatecrasher calls Yap “child” and tells him it’s now or never. They leave alongside Fascination. While Yap is still marvelling that she called him child she orders him to teleport them all away.
A little later, they are all on Gatecrasher’s ship. Meggan asks Brian if you take something valuable that would have been lost forever otherwise, it’s not theft, is it? She shows him some valuables she took from the Inca city. Very thoughtful, he remarks, but fears she’s been mixing with the wrong sort of people, while Gatecrasher praises her resourcefulness and offers her a job, which Meggan, of course, declines.
Gatecrasher teleports them away without waiting for them to announce the destination they want.
So, they find themselves outside Braddock Manor. Brian suggests they get out of there as it isn’t home anymore. A moment later, they see two female Captain Britain flying through the sky without noticing them, one of them Captain UK and the other, Brian realizes, is his sister Betsy. It wasn’t enough to help the RCX take over the manor. Now she’s turned against him, forced him out! Angrily, he crushes his helmet. If she thinks she can replace him, let her try! He quits!


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
It’s hard to be a hero
The first blow hits her in the face.
flashback:
Betsy Braddock remembers her brother Captain Britain and Meggan flying away; her brother telling her she has made her choice. She is with the RCX now.
present:
Another blow.
flashback:
 She remembers angrily telling agent Gabriel of the RCX that they got what they wanted. Brian’s gone and the RCX have taken over the manor, so why can’t they leave her to build a life on her own? As a fashion model, he mocks. How fulfilling.
present:
 The next blow fells her. Lying on the ground in a Captain Britain costume, Betsy’s memories jump into focus as faltering consciousness fails.
Flashback:
Betsy is still in angry discussion with agents Gabriel and Michael, silently watched by Captain UK and Jeeves aka Mastermind. She tells Gabriel to spare her his preaching and high moral virtue: That’s how he got her to join STRIKE’s Psi division. She won’t fall for it again. She doesn’t want to be Captain Britain!
Gabriel explains urgently that as a fringe group they are not very popular in certain influential circles. But their association with a national hero would ensure favour with the prime minister. Without the protection that would afford all they have done so far, including the safety of the Warpies, will be in jeopardy. They need Betsy! She shares the power!
Helplessly, Betsy turns to Captain UK. Can’t she do it? She did it on her own Earth. Apologetically, Linda replies that she never meant for her involvement to be more than short-term. She has her own life to get back to. But she could be a partner for a few months. Show Betsy the ropes. And with a bit of luck Brian may have come to his senses by then, Michael suggests, and Betsy finally relents.
Jeeves offers a Captain Britain uniform, explaining he adapted it to her own psi-rhythms. Linda immediately asks if he could alter her standard uniform as well. The hood pushes her beads into her skull… Betsy is horrified though. The uniform belonged to Kaptain Briton, the impostor who tried to rape her and whom she killed… So? Michael asks with a grin. He’s dead meat. She killed him. The suit’s spoils of war. She won it fair and square. He’s totally sick! Betsy  snarls at him. Has anyone ever told him that? All the time, he gloats, but at least he’s not afraid of wearing dead men’s clothes!
present:
Reality tries to assert itself with more painful blows.
Flashback:
Betsy wears her Captain Britain uniform (and Linda her improved one). Happily, she tries it out, feeling so powerful… and she can fly! And so the two Captains work together, foiling bank robberies and the like. The RCX are happy as the media love them. Finally though Captain UK packs her things, getting ready to leave. She can deal with anything now, she promises Betsy.
present:
Consciousness fades again as violent reality fails to stem the raging tide of memories.
flashback:
Soon a big case follows, as Gabriel and Michael tell her that the Vixen has called her out. High Noon, Michael announces. She kidnapped two RCX agents and a truckload of Warpies. Threatens to kill them if Captain Britain doesn’t turn up at the South Bank building site on the Thames. He should have expected this, Gabriel adds. It was the Vixen who hired Slaymaster to eliminate the PSI-division Betsy belonged to, so they couldn’t alert STRIKE to the infiltration that eventually led to the organization’s demise. The Vixen has an insane scheme to rule the country as a self-appointed monarch. They’ve apparently become important enough to be considered an obstacle…
She’ll be walking into a trap! Betsy exclaims. Yeah, Michael agrees, but if she doesn’t go, it’ll look like they can’t cope and hurt their credibility….
So Betsy flies off. Gabriel waves after her while Michaels fears this High Noon might turn out like the St. Valentine’s Day massacre…
Betsy lands at the abandoned building site and calls out the Vixen. Patience, someone advises her from the shadows. She should savour those last few seconds while she is still alive.
“No!” she mutters horrified, as she recognizes the villain, recalling how he killed her fellow telepaths and how she experienced death alongside them. Slaymaster, now wearing a black costume and a strange green helmet. Behind him sits the Vixen, nursing a glass of champagne, clearly planning to enjoy the show.
Slaymaster advises Betsy to be calm and her death will be swift and painless. Angrily, she shouts that she is not just a telepath now. She has real power and for once she is not afraid to use it! She’s going to enjoy it! She psychoblasts him. But Slaymaster gets up again. He commends her power, but explains he now also possesses an amplifier costume, created by the Vixen’s technicians to enhance his own unique abilities. Stop messing about and use it! Vixen orders.
Calling her a hag, Betsy threatens she’s next. Nobody calls the Vixen a hag! Vixen snarls and orders Slaymaster to rip her apart. He flies at Betsy and begins to beat her, informing her that now she will suffer and feel pain.
present:
As the coup de grace, Slaymaster blinds her with his fingers.
Elsewhere, everything is beautiful. Brian and Meggan have purchased a lighthouse with their Inca gold and moved there. Brian is fishing when Meggan comes diving out of the water and splashes him. Laughing she flies away, betting the last one home will make lunch. Brian follows her up into the air (despite him not wearing his Captain Britain costume) and they kiss.
Later, on the tower’s balcony, Meggan remarks she is still not used to how well he can fly without his costume. And he’d never have known if he hadn’t put it in mothballs, he agrees, almost five months ago. He’s beginning to think that the uniform wasn’t so much an amplifier as a crutch that stopped him from developing his full abilities and… he veers off. Suddenly, he perceives Betsy’s pain, the moment she is blinded. He calls out his twin’s name. Betsy needs him, he tells Meggan and tells her to stay here as he flies off. But she wants to be with him, she states sadly, which he doesn’t hear anymore.
In London, Slaymaster is holding Betsy by the throat, asking where the original Captain Britain is. He has a debt to pay as he tricked Slaymaster when last they met. Vixen orders him to give it a rest. He doesn’t want to talk her to death. “C’mon duckie,” she tells Betsy to make it easy on herself. “Go’t hell, you hag!” Betsy mutters bravely. Slaymaster strikes her as Vixen angrily shouts at him to make her beg to die.
Suddenly, they hear a whistling noise and moments later Captain Britain arrives and hits Slaymaster with full strength. Turning around, he sees his sister and her ruined eyes. He hugs her, tears flowing down his face.
Getting up, Slaymaster remarks, the real Captain Britain at last, he recognizes the lumbering hulk… in truth it could be no other. Why has he done this? Cap demands. She was not a worthy foe, he is told. She deserved no better.
Animal! Cap shouts as he wildly flies towards Slaymaster. Slaymaster strikes him back, boasting how dare he face him without his amplifier costume. Just growling, Brian again hits him with all his strength.
The Vixen, in the meantime, realizes things are not going their way and evacuates. They have a lorry full of hostages to dispose of.
Brian has beaten his foe to the ground. He takes up a rock, about to smash his foe’s head in. He hesitates. With a self-assured grin, Slaymaster claims he hasn’t the strength to kill. And Brian brings the rock down on his head with all his strength.
A little later, Brian returns Betsy to Braddock Manor, calling the RCX agents gutless wonders. They sent Betsy out there to die while they hid here! They had no choice, Michael begins. Brian warns him not to dare try and justify that. Just get out or he’ll do something they’ll regret!
He hands Betsy to Jeeves, asking him to do what he can. Gabriel wants to help. Brian orders him not to touch her and reminds him to leave. Betsy pipes up, she wants him to stay. But he sent her out like a lamb to the slaughter, Brian points out. Betsy explains that she went because she wanted to shame Brian into returning and supporting them. Gabriel tried to talk her out of it.
Hearing that, Michael angrily accosts Gabriel for going behind his back and letting his silly little romance get in the way. She was expendable. They are all expen—Brian violently pushes him back and grabs Gabriel by the jacket. Betsy asks him not to, if he isn’t going to help, just leave. He will, he promises but tells Gabriel to remember this. He doesn’t like him. He doesn’t like the RCX or its freakshow so don’t give him any reason to come back or he’ll shut them down. Permanently.
Later, back at the lighthouse, Brian has put on his uniform again. Meggan asks him not leave her again. She wants to be with him always. Brain apologizes. The violence and emotions caught him off guard. He though he’d left them behind. He was wrong. He has to get involved again.
Do they have to leave? she pleads. It’s so beautiful here. No, but what happened to Betsy has taught him that he cannot hide from his responsibilities. He is Captain Britain…