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The transition from medical lab to garden took longer than necessary. Xavier insisted Betsy needed fresh air and natural light. Something to ground her after the trauma.
So now they sat in the mansion's garden, surrounded by carefully maintained flowerbeds and ancient oak trees. The afternoon sun was warm on Jay's skin, almost uncomfortable after the cool lab. Birds sang in the branches overhead. The peaceful setting contrasted sharply with the tension around the table.
Scott had arranged chairs in a loose circle. Storm had brought out tea service, the delicate china looking absurdly formal given the circumstances.
Tea sat untouched by most. The cups cooling slowly, steam no longer rising.
Except for Jay, who lifted his cup and took a proper sip. The bergamot was subtle, well-balanced. Earl Grey, if he wasn't mistaken. Good quality too. He'd grown up with chai, thick and sweet and spiced, but he'd learned to appreciate the British approach during his travels. The ritual of it. The way the warmth spread through your chest.
He took another sip, letting the familiar comfort settle his nerves. This was going to be a long conversation.
Betsy gripped her cup like a lifeline. Her hands trembled slightly. She took a breath and began her story.
"We were having breakfast, you know. Just a normal morning. Well, as normal as it can be for my family." She managed a weak smile. "Jamie was being his usual antagonizing self. Pushing Brian's buttons about some political thing. Brian was trying to keep the peace between us like he always does."
Her expression grew distant and lost in memory.
"He used to be so sweet, Jamie. Before all this. Before the powers." She paused. "Both Brian and I developed our abilities around the same time. His through magical means, the Amulet of Right. Mine through mutation and an accident, telepathy and telekinesis. Jamie remained normal for years. Powerless while his siblings became extraordinary."
Xavier made a small sound of understanding. The family dynamics were already clear. He'd seen this pattern before. The resentment that built when one sibling manifested and another didn't. It reminded him of Cain. Of how his stepbrother had looked at him with such hatred.
"It changed him," Betsy continued. "Jamie became bitter and jealous. After an assassination attempt with Kwanon left my form like this, and him nearly dead, when we used mystic powers to heal him, it pushed him into madness, but finally manifested his own powers; turns out he had the most potential of us all after all his power turned out to be Reality Warping; it was like a dam breaking. All that pent-up inadequacy transformed into something else. He became desperate to prove himself. To show he was just as powerful, just as important as us."
She looked down at her tea. The reflection of her face stared back, distorted.
"I think that's why..." She hesitated. "During the Battle of New York. When we saw the footage of the Power Broker using reality warping. Trapping those gods and bringing Heroes across the world to New York, not to mention resurrecting more than a thousand people." She glanced at Jay. "Jamie watched every video. Over and over. He became obsessed. Someone else had his powers. Someone getting all the glory, all the recognition. Everything Jamie's been craving his entire life."
Jay's cup paused halfway to his lips. He set it down carefully. 'That... that was going to be a problem. An unstable reality warper with a grudge and an inferiority complex. Great!'
"Miss Braddock," Xavier's voice was gentle but firm. "I understand the context is important, but please. What happened this morning?"
Betsy blinked. Pulled herself back to the present. "Right. Sorry. I get distracted talking about Jamie. Our relationship is... complicated."
She set down her teacup. The china clinked against the saucer. Loud in the quiet garden. Her hands clenched on the table.
"So we were having breakfast, but suddenly the front door exploded without a warning. The sound was deafening. Like thunder indoors. Splinters flew everywhere, some even embedding in the walls. Splinters and smoke filled the entrance hall." Her voice steadied as she fell into the familiar rhythm of mission reporting.
"A woman walked through the debris. Tall and pale skin that seemed to glow in the dim light. Dark hair falling past her shoulders. She radiated psychic energy so powerful it made my teeth ache just being near her. Like standing next to a reactor. That much raw power just... existing."
"Brian moved first. He always does. Called forth the Sword of Might from thin air, the blade materializing in a flash of golden light. He channeled his mystical connection to the land itself, the power of Britain flowing through him. He's Captain Britain after all. He's supposed to be invincible on British soil." She laughed bitterly. "She threw him across the room with her mind. Like he was nothing. Like swatting a fly. All his power, all his magic, all that mystical might... it meant absolutely nothing to her."
Scott leaned forward, visor gleaming. "So you engaged?"
"Of course, I engaged. He's my brother." Betsy's eyes flashed. "I hit her with everything I had. Telepathic assault, straight at her mental shields. Then telekinetic strikes when that didn't work, throwing furniture, trying to crush her against the walls." Nothing worked. Her mental shields were absolute. Like trying to punch through a mountain."
Her voice dropped, trembling now.
"That's when Jamie finally acted. He'd been just standing there, smiling. Enjoying watching us fail. Then something in him snapped. As he used his powers. Properly used them for the first time since he manifested."
She gestured with her hands, trying to illustrate. "Red strings materialized from nowhere. Reality itself started unraveling at his command. I watched him reach out and touch her psychic barriers, those impenetrable shields, and he just... changed them. Turned them into butterflies."
"Butterflies?" Storm spoke for the first time, her voice carrying that slight accent
"Real living butterflies," Betsy confirmed. "Beautiful ones. Monarchs, I think. They scattered everywhere, flying around the room, and then they just... died. Fell to the floor. And suddenly her defenses were gone."
"Then the fight really began. She revealed herself as Selene. The Black Queen of the Hellfire Club, she said. Like it was a title we should fear. Said she had use for the Braddock bloodline. That our power would serve her purposes." Betsy's voice trembled. "She's a witch too. Not just a mutant. She used magic alongside her telepathy. Spells in languages I didn't recognize. Latin, maybe or older. Her spells tasted like copper and rot." Jamie fought back, but she was too strong. Too experienced. After a long fight, she opened portals. Ripped reality apart like tearing paper. The sound was horrible. Like the world itself screaming as she sent both my brothers to another dimension."
Her fist hit the table hard. The teacups jumped as liquid sloshed over the rims. "They were fighting so hard. Brian was channeling every ounce of his mystical might. The Sword of Might was blazing, brighter than I'd ever seen it. Jamie was rewriting her spells as fast as she cast them. I saw him turn a death curse into rose petals. Turn a binding spell into soap bubbles. But she kept going. Kept overwhelming them. And I couldn't help. I couldn't do anything but watch."
Tears ran down her face now. She didn't bother wiping them away.
"Before they disappeared completely, Jamie created one last red string. Wrapped it around my finger so tight it hurt. Then the world folded around me as colors bled together. And then I was here. Crashing through your roof. And my brothers are still there. Trapped and helpless. And it's my fault because I wasn't strong enough to stop her."
The garden was silent except for birdsong.
The X-Men exchanged glances. Storm's expression was troubled, and her hair swayed unnaturally. Scott's jaw was tight, his hand forming a fist. Xavier's face was grave, his fingers steepled in front of him.
They'd just heard about a family with each having powers so majestic in all mystic, psychic and reality categories being defeated by Selene. The implications were staggering.
Domino's heart twisted watching Betsy break down. She pulled the younger woman into another hug. "We'll get them back. I promise. Jay and I will help you."
Jay's head snapped toward Domino. His expression was complicated and resigned. Because of course, she'd committed them without asking.
Domino met his eyes over Betsy's shoulder. Her expression was fierce. Challenging him to argue.
Jay sighed. Long and heavy. "Yeah. Of course we're helping."
Betsy pulled back from Domino, hope flickering in her eyes. "You will? Truly?"
"We will," Jay confirmed. "But before we go charging in blind, we need information. Why would Selene attack your family specifically? What does she want with you?"
Betsy wiped her eyes. Tried to compose herself. "We're royals. The Braddock line has a long history with magic and mysticism. Our family tree goes back centuries, intertwined with every major magical event in Britain's history. Brian is part of the Captain Britain Corps. An interdimensional organization that maintains the multiverse's stability. There are Captain Britains from thousands of realities, all connected through Otherworld, the nexus between dimensions." He was personally selected by Merlyn himself to wield the Amulet of Right and defend the realm."
She paused. Thinking. "Selene mentioned needing our bloodline. Our power. Maybe she needs access to Otherworld? Or some kind of magical artifact that only a Braddock can touch? The Amulet of Right is one option, or the Sword of Might. Both are artifacts of immense power, connected to the land itself and to Otherworld's magic." I can't be certain. She wasn't exactly forthcoming with her plans while she was trying to kill us."
Jay stood. His tactical mind was already working. "Well, only one thing we can do then. Go and find out."
Blue energy rippled around him as Space folded.
When the energy dissipated with a soft pop of displaced air, Jay stood there holding two gear packs. His and Domino's. Well-worn tactical bags, always kept ready in the Savage Land base for exactly this kind of situation. Learning from their travels, they were always ready for any unexpected trip.
He tossed Domino's pack to her. She caught it one-handed. "You knew we were doing this."
"The second you made that promise, yeah." Jay's smile was wry. "You have a savior complex almost as bad as mine."
"It's one of my more endearing qualities."
"It's going to get us killed one day."
"Probably."
Xavier cleared his throat. "I appreciate your willingness to help, but this is extremely dangerous. Selene is not like other opponents you've faced. She's an External, one of a handful of immortal mutants who have survived for thousands of years by consuming the life force of others. She's seen empires rise and fall. She's forgotten more about magic and mutation than most people will ever learn."
"Which is why we're going," Jay said simply. "I've been holding back from visiting the UK for a while now. What better opportunity than now?"
Storm stood. Her voice carried command, the tone of someone who'd ruled a nation. "Then you'll have our support. The X-Men don't abandon those in need."
"No." Jay's voice was firm. "This is reconnaissance first. Domino and I go in, figure out what Selene wants and locate the brothers. Then you guys come to rescue with everyone. Not to mention you already have other priorities"
Scott nodded, remembering the Cabal members still out there planning as his tactical mind agreed with the logic. "Sounds reasonable enough. Just try to keep it under control, please."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Jay said as he held both Domino and Betsy in each hand and teleported.
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