Every Little Thing,
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What's Been Happening: Betsy Braddock has found herself the target of an old enemy's wrath, forcing her to confront portions of her past that she had thought buried forever. The new Lady Mandarin, leader of the Emissaries of the Dark, has allied herself with the evil Bane and their allies, threatening to destroy everything that Betsy holds dear. But Captain Britain, aided by her longtime friend Alison Double, has decided to turn the tables on her erstwhile foe....
Dreslinski Hotel, London
Eddie Brock sipped his brandy, staring out the window into the darkened, fog-enshrouded streets of London. He hated it here, with its rainy weather and chilly evenings. He missed New York and wondered idly what the rest of the world thought of the Barrier that separated them from the great mass of Europe. Bet Spider-Man's thrilled to have me out of his hair, he mused. Not that there's anybody who'd miss me, anyway.
"Why so quiet, my friend?"
Brock turned to see Captain Englander standing in the doorway, his own drink resting in his right hand. Englander was in casual clothes now, showing off a massive, barrel-chested frame and broad shoulders. He had the look of a natural big man about him, one who didn't need to work out for hours to maintain an impressive physique. "Just thinkin'," Brock muttered. "Wondering if I haven't gotten in way over my head."
"Listen, mate... The Parliament are scary, I'll grant you that. But they're good to those who serve them."
"Like your teammates in the old Emissaries? They're still rotting away in prison. How come they weren't sprung for this?"
Englander said nothing in reply, but the American's words hit home with him. He, too, had wondered why his allies hadn't been chosen for this whole affair. They couldn't possibly have done worse than Hurricane or Jack O'Lantern....
Englander's reverie was interrupted by a subtle sensation in his brain... It felt a bit like the tiniest of caresses, tickling and insubstantial. He blinked several times and shook his head, but the feeling of cotton pressing down upon his brain increased. He felt his memories being rifled through and the sudden intrusion made him drop his glass, which shattered on the floor.
Venom stared in shock, but he reacted with the reflexes of one accustomed to battle. His 'other,' the symbiotic alien who shared his form, burst from under his flesh, its inkly-black flesh covering Eddie's own. He grinned wildly, showing off a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth and a long, dripping tongue. "Englander... What's wrong?"
"My... mind...!" The powerful villain fell to his knees, his fingers raking across his forehead and cheeks. He looked as if he wanted to rip open his own head and find the source of his pain. "She's here...! She's... aaaaagh!"
Venom narrowed his eyes. "Who's here?" he asked, never aware that a dramatic figure had come into view behind him. She floated beyond the open window, clad in the red-white-and blue costume that was a source of inspiration for all who beheld it. Her beautiful features were half-hidden by her helmet, but the lower part of her face was a mask of concentration. She smiled briefly, but with no affection, as her powerful psi-blade flared to life around her right fist.
"Turn around, Eddie. I'll be more than glad to introduce myself to you."
Venom whirled about, just in time to receive a swipe of Captain Britain's psi-blade. The psionically-generated weapon slashed deep into Eddie Brock's skull, overloading his synapses and driving his Other away from him. The black symbiote lay twitching at his feet, even as he himself screamed in agony.
Captain Britain lashed out with a kick, using her enhanced strength to send him flying across the room. He crashed into a wall-mounted mirror, shattering it.
Captain Englander felt his limbs shaking as the mental assault continued, but he managed to stagger up to his feet. He watched as Betsy Braddock entered the room, a sneer touching his features. "You're not usually so brutal," he whispered. "I'm impressed."
Betsy's only answer was to deliver a powerful chop to his throat. The pain from the blow was so intense that he would have returned to the floor had he not caught himself against the wall. He felt her psi-blade come to a resting point just behind his head, no more than a few inches away from him. "I'm only going to ask you once," she warned, "Where is she?"
Englander spat out a tooth, a spray of blood accompanying it. "She's got powerful friends, you dumb bird. I don't think you realize that."
"If they're anything like you, I shouldn't have reason to worry." Betsy pushed the tip of the psi-blade against him, receiving a howl of pain in reply. She pulled it back quickly, making sure he stayed conscious. "Answer me."
"She said she was going to a flat along Beeker street. 115B."
Betsy flinched as if struck. 115B... "Tom's flat," she whispered. "That bloody witch."
Englander turned his eyes towards her. "What are you going to do now?"
Betsy's grin was chilling to behold. "I'm going to finish you off."
Her psi-blade ended the conversation most effectively.
Outside the hotel, Alison Double waited patiently for her friend to return. She feared for Betsy's safety, being alone with those two madmen, but if anybody could handle the situation, it was her old friend. Betsy had survived Slaymaster's brutal attack... a trip through the Siege Perilous... and more failed romantic entanglements than any girl had a right to. She possessed a tough spirit that Alison found herself envious of.
"I'm done here."
Alison glanced up, sensing her friend's emotional turmoil. "What happened?"
"Nothing worth mentioning, luv. I've sent word to the police to come and pick them up... and I know where Zhang has gone."
Alison looked away, searching for the right words. In the end, she veered on the side of complete honesty... because Betsy deserved nothing less. "You seem more driven than usual. Is it because Zhang stole your identity?"
Betsy sighed. "It's more than that... I mean, I can't stand the thought of someone wearing my face and doing all the things she's been doing... but what really bothers me is how the past never seems to stay buried."
"What do you mean?"
Betsy reached up and pulled her helmet away from her face. Her beautiful features had graced the covers of magazines the world over, but they now reflected pain and loss. "So many things that I thought I'd put to rest... Slaymaster. The horrible way the Mandarin used me. Tom. All my skeletons keep bursting up from their graves."
"Tom?" Alison asked, surprise evident in her voice. She remembered Tom Lennox very well -- had even fancied him a bit, in her way. But he, like so many others, had been swayed by Betsy's beauty and sensitivity. "What does all this have to do with him?"
Captain Britain lifted off into the air. "That's what I'm going to find out. Head home, Alison."
"But I want to help--" Alison felt her words die away in her throat, as Betsy flew out of earshot. She felt a twinge of anger in her heart, but dismissed it quickly. Betsy could not be faulted for leaving her behind... After all, one of them was the mighty Captain Britain.
And the other....
The other was nothing more than a lonely old bird, growing older by the day.
With a weary sigh, Alison Double began to trudge along the long path home.
115B Beeker Street
Zhang Xiaomei, the Lady Mandarin, crouched in the darkness of the flat, ignoring the sounds of sirens in the distance. The man who lived here now had resisted her request for him to vacate the premises and she'd flung him out his bedroom window. His corpse, splattered in the roadway below, had finally attracted the attention of passerby... but by the time the authorities arrived, it would be too late.
Zhang continued her chantings, her voice accompanied in song by the otherworldly whispers of the shadow-wraiths that oozed all around her. The spell she weaved was a complex one, of ancient vintage. It called upon the psychic energies left behind by a deceased person, weaving them together into a new whole. It was at its strongest when cast in a place of great importance to the deceased, be it a favorite relaxation spot... or a beloved restaurant... or a home.
Thomas Lennox, psychokinetic, was being summoned forth once more. A slight, unassuming man, he had won the heart of the most desired woman in England... through his charm and grace.
It was enough to make Zhang feel like vomiting.
"annos domini chang." she whispered, her chant coming to an end.
A silence descended on the flat, with a soft glow beginning to rise up from the floor. Zhang watched with mounting pleasure as a form began to shimmer into view... the form of Tom Lennox, though the expression on his face was never seen in his actual existence. This was the face of cruelty.
"Why are you doing this...?"
Zhang's expression of pleasure fell away in an instant and she cursed herself for not detecting the tell-tale mental signature of Betsy Braddock. She rose slowly, turning to face the woman who had destroyed all she held dear. "Captain Britain," she murmured, making the words drip with mockery. "How nice of you to come. I hope you're glad to see your old lover." With a gesture, she indicated Tom, who was slowly settling into solidity.
Captain Britain stepped forward, trying to keep her voice on an even keel. "Zhang... You have to know that the things I did back then weren't my choice. I was being controlled."
"A convenient excuse," Zhang replied. Her face shifted every few seconds, but seemed to mostly settle on Betsy's own features. "But we are all slaves to our fates. You made decisions that led you into the Mandarin's clutches. Thus, the things that happened were your own fault. You have to take responsibility for them."
Betsy held her body in a loose position, prepared for a fight. She could feel Zhang's mental shields in place, blocking her attempts at ending the conflict without physical assault. She tried, without much success, to avoid staring at the Tom-thing that hovered nearby. "I know about your father. I can sympathize... Let me help you break free of the Bane. They'll only discard you when they're done."
"Help me? You...?? The only way you could ever help me is by DYING!"
Lady Mandarin lunged for Captain Britain, her own version of the psi-blade flaring to life in mid-air. Betsy side-stepped the attack easily, realizing that -- despite the Bane's attempts at giving Zhang all of Betsy's powers, they could never have equaled the training that she'd received at the hands of the Hand and Wolverine.
Betsy let Zhang fly past her and then caught her with a hard kick to the kidneys. The blow sent Zhang scuttling across the floor, all the air driven from her lungs. Captain Britain activated her own psi-blade and brought it down hard, but Zhang parried the thrust at the last second, narrowly avoiding a slash to the chest.
Zhang shoved Betsy away, her madness giving her renewed strength. She sprang back to her feet, snarling like a rabid dog.
Betsy felt a sudden burst of mental agony and realized that Zhang had managed to assault her telepathically. The surprise she felt was mingled with fear -- Zhang's sheer hatred seemed to be increasing her own powers beyond what they should normally be.
The two women fell upon one another again, delivering one powerful blow after another. They were each driven by ghosts of the past, by failures and misfortunes. For Zhang, here lay the embodiment of all she desired to be and all that she could never have -- a woman, born to privilege, loved by her family... a woman accepted as strong and independent.
For Betsy Braddock, it was like staring into her own private shame, given physical form. Zhang wore the armor that Betsy herself had worn, when she'd been nothing more than a slave... and every time Zhang moved in a grotesque parody of Betsy's own fighting style, she was reminded of how much she'd had taken away from her.
Unnoticed by the two women, the spectral figure bearing the face of Tom Lennox finished his arrival. He stared down at his nude flesh, turning his and arms about in wonder. He was possessed of a dark intelligence, composed of the most basic portions of Tom's old self... but the rest of his soul had been filled in by something far more sinister.
Captain Britain ducked beneath a backhand blow, her sides aching with exertion. She drove her psi-blade upwards, catching Zhang in the stomach and sending the woman flying away from her. As Lady Mandarin crashed to the floor on her back, Betsy jumped atop her, raising the psi-blade high. Her knees pinned Zhang to the floor, trapping her. "Stop trying to attack my mind," Betsy hissed. "You're not getting through any more. Never again. And stop using my FACE!"
Zhang's eyes flew open at the savage mental force that accompanied Betsy's words. She fell limp, her eyes going dark. "No... The Parliament of the Dark... the Bane... I can't lose...."
Captain Britain glanced around quickly, watching the gathering darkness. The shadow forms kept their places, however, and showed no signs of interfering. "It looks to me like they've decided you're not worth the effort."
Zhang turned her head to the side, a single tear falling from her eye to the floor. "Then kill me. I cannot return home like this. Not in shame, once more."
Betsy shook her head in disgust. "I'm not going to kill you. You need help, not death."
Zhang looked at her with hate in her eyes. "Coward."
Betsy smiled softly. "You can hate me for the rest of your life if you want. But I'm not Lady Mandarin... I'm not a killer. Not anymore."
Zhang let out a gasp as Betsy stabbed her quickly with her psi-blade. The blow was only hard enough to render Lady Mandarin unconscious for a few hours, but it was enough to satisfy the Betsy's desire for vengeance. She sagged forward atop the other woman for a moment, forgetting all about the shadow things about her... until she felt the cold touch upon her knee.
Captain Britain whipped out with her blade quickly, cutting the thing in half. She braced for more attacks, but there were none....
The servants of the Bane were gone, leaving nothing in their wake.
And Tom was gone, as well. Had he disappeared, with the spell unsuccessful? Or was a wraith of him out there wandering free? Betsy didn't know... And she was too tired to care right now. Whatever the truth was, it changed nothing about Tom... He was dead and buried, God rest his soul.
Captain Britain stood up, stared down at her ripped and torn uniform. She'd first donned this suit during a period in which Brian had retired... and very soon after she'd been blinded by Slaymaster. When the opportunity had come for her to once again claim the Captain Britain identity as her own, she'd chosen to wear the old costume again as a sign of strength. She'd wanted to show that she was not afraid of the past.
But maybe it'd just been another sign that she hadn't been ready to move on, either.
And so it had gone from there, through her failed attempt to rekindle a romance with "Warren Worthington*", to her clashes with Slaymaster**.
(*Warren turned out to be the Mimic in disguise, circa Pendragons # 23. **In Pendragons # 15-18)
"But all that's going to change," she whispered. "From now on... I'm looking forward, not back."
Otherworld
"You know... It won't break my heart if you decide to go back to the Psylocke name. Or choose something new entirely." King Brian stood outside his sister's changing room, his arms crossed. He had listened to her story with mounting concern, knowing how much Tom had meant to her. And how much her period as the Mandarin's plaything hurt her....
"You're a sweet man, Brian, but I'm going to do no such thing. Captain Britain is a legacy that goes beyond you or me. It's an identity that's become famous throughout the multiverse. I would never shirk that duty."
"It's just... I assumed you'd want a different identity. To commemorate your new beginning."
"You know so little about women, brother dear. When a woman wants to feel fresh and new, nothing suits her better than a change of clothes."
Brian chuckled softly as his sister stepped into view. His laughter died away quickly, however, to replaced by something akin to awe. "Betsy. You're beautiful."
A warm flush touched his sister's cheeks. Indeed, she was the very vision of class and beauty... though there was a hard, dangerous cast to her features that warned of hard lessons learned. "Thank you, Brian. So I take it that you approve of the new Captain Britain?"
"I do indeed," he said with a smile. "I do indeed."
Next Issue: It begins: The Otherworld War! A story that will shake up House Braddock forever! Mandragon, Slaymaster and the alternate Brian Braddock launch their final gambit against King Brian, who must turn to allies both old and new to survive.
Author's Notes
Some words from Bob Gansler:
Finally, we know who Lady Mandarin is, even though I had never heard of her alter ego before. You certainly made her a complete character with the details you provided about her past.
Glad to know that you enjoyed Lady M's origin story, Bob. I like mixing in "new" foes alongside the classic Captain Britain villains, so I'm always pleased when folks respond well to them. :-)
The excellent depiction of the new Captain Britain costume comes courtesy of Alex, who runs the excellent Betsy Braddock... Le Site. I'm proud to say that this gorgeous piece of art was created especially for the Pendragons site! Our hats are off to Alex for the outstanding work!
Keep in touch,
Barry Reese
