Epilogue:

Rodney the cameraman sat quietly in the editing booth with David the reporter and Eric the editor. "The last time we did this we changed the world." He commented off handedly.

David nodded. "And we're still changing the world." He smiled. "One montage at a time."

"This footage is funny." Rodney said. "The brother and sister are great together. Here … look at this."

Eric keyed a section of the footage to rewind and he pressed 'play'.

"So, what can you tell the people of Britain about your brother?" David had asked. "I'm sure our viewers will be interested. After all, with the exception of Alistaire the two of you are the first British members of the team."

She smiled. "Oh, Brian's great. He's got a real sense of honor and decency. He was always standing up for me when we were little, so I can only imagine he'll do a great job for the rest of Britain as well."

"Does he have a code-name?" The reporter smiled at her. "After all, almost everyone else has a code-name, don't they?"

Betsy's mind recoiled slightly. Oh, I shouldn't… She grinned. But I'm going to anyway. "Yes. He has a code name." She began, her mind wrapped in thoughts from her childhood. I shouldn't

But the image was too much for her. She could see the six year old Brian in her mind, using the flag from off their fathers pole as a cape as he jumped from couch to couch in their living room.

It took him forever to ditch that nickname. I shouldn't

"We call him Captain Britain." She finished with a smirk. He's gonna kill me. I just know it.

David nodded. "Makes sense, there's a Captain America, isn't there?"

Hunh... I hadn't thought about that. "Yes, actually, there is." She smiled.

The editor stopped the tape. "Did you see that?" He asked. "She hesitated on saying his code-name. I think she just made it up."

Rodney laughed. "Maybe she did. But if she did then so did he… Cut ahead to his interview… about two minutes and … twenty seconds."

The editor keyed up the scene.

"Your sister told us that your code-name is Captain Britain." David began. "Aren't you at all nervous about taking such a prominent role… I mean, you'll be a cultural symbol with a name like that, wont you?"

Brian's mind recoiled. She didn't… Scenes of his childhood swirled around him. I knew I'd never really live that down…

"No, I'm not nervous at all. It's a code-name, and they can always change, but of course, it's something I'd strive to live up to as well. An incentive to do my best at all times." Damn you Betsy!

A small puzzled smile fell over Brian. His mind retreated to another childhood incident. They had traveled to Mexico with their father and were being watched by a nanny that spoke no English.

"Did she tell you her code name?" Brian smiled ruefully.

Betsy was always a disobedient child. Always her own person first and foremost. And when that nanny had taken her over her knee to be spanked…

Betsy sank her teeth in to the woman's knee and refused to let go.

The woman had screamed and finally had to simply beat Betsy off her leg.

And when their father returned, all the woman could say was "Psycho! Loco!"

Of course, Brian was quite young and couldn't speak well, but for years he had chanted a corruption of that decree "Psycho! Loco!" in order to taunt her.

David checked his notes. "Actually… no, she didn't. I don't know how we missed that."

"Psylocke." Brian volunteered happily. "Would you like me to spell it?"

"That's not even a word, let alone a name." Rodney said with a head shake.

David shrugged. "I don't pretend to understand the ways of heroes." He shrugged. "But what I liked was the Russian. Illyana. Can we see her interview again… maybe from one minute and three seconds? After we started over…"

The editor nodded. "Here we go."

The image burst on to the screen. She looked timid and reserved.

"Hello." She said. "I'm Illyana Rasputin."

"Hello Illyana." David proceeded carefully. "Would you like to tell our viewers how you joined the team?"

She nodded and hugged herself closely. "I… was a part of creating the conspiracy to seize authority over Britain by creating the Mutant Advisor position."

"And now you've changed sides?" David asked. "Was that a moral decision or a necessary one?"

"Both." She admitted. "I didn't really want to live like that. I did a lot of pretty ... evil ... things." She swallowed. "I was coerced… but still… it bothers me."

"So now you're trying to make up for it by signing on with someone you once viewed as an enemy?"

She nodded. "Pretty much. I was on the inside of The Club… That's what we called ourselves... The Hellfire Club. And I know just about every dirty little secret they've tried to hide for the last few years."

"It sounds like you were privy to a lot of information. Were you a high ranking member of this group?"

She nodded. "I was… almost at the top of the pyramid. I was preparing to make a move that would have put me at the top of the group."

"But you didn't."

She shrugged. "I didn't really get the chance… And I'm glad."

"You are?"

She nodded. "If I had done it, and moved up that last rung of the ladder… There would have been no where left to go. No way to be 'better' at what I did… And a whole lot of younger, tougher people would have been looking to take me out and make my position theirs."

"Was that the standard procedure in this... Hellfire Club?"

She nodded. "Yes. It was very much… Survival of the fittest." She dropped her eyes.

"What is it?" David ducked his head and made eye contact again.

"Well… The woman I would have replaced… she's still there… can... can I say something to her?"

"Sure." David indicated to the camera. "Go ahead."

Illyana smiled almost cruelly. "Hello my ex-queen."

She nodded and her eyes blazed with an inner fire. "You know… That I could have done it, don't you? You know that you were just one day away from being a memory to all of them… And yet… you're still there… knowing that it's just a matter of time until someone else who is younger, stronger and … prettier… comes along and takes your place… And that no one in the club is going to give a damn when it happens…"

Illyana shook her head. "Once you're at the top of your game… there's nowhere to go but down…" She took a deep breath. "And that's where you're going now… down."

She laughed. "And won't it be funny … if I'm the one who gets to do it?"

The editor paused the tape.

"It's good, no question. A beautiful penitent woman seeking redemption by defending Britain against a threat she knows all too well…" David pulled out his pen and pad. "That was good. I should use that as a voice over…"

"What about the last one…" Rodney thought for a moment "Rachael?"

"Another character. I don't think this piece is the best place to get in to her whole 'time-travel' story... although after seeing a woman who can walk through walls, a demonic diplomat and Alistaire Stuart a success… I'm ready to believe just about everything." David shrugged. "What do you think?"

"I like the last bit." Eric told them. "Here… this one." He cued it up on the machine.

"So now you're here, welcomed on to the team of Excalibur… What do you hope to accomplish?" David had asked.

She smiled slightly. "Honestly… I'm hoping to make a difference… A big difference."

"Why?" David prodded.

She smiled. "Every event in my life has lead me here… So I'm hoping that here… is where I can make all the pain and anguish of a lifetime pay off. My life was never easy… But if I can make a real difference, and make the world a better place… Then it'll all be worth it. The sacrifices and losses won't matter as much if I can give something back… Or make a difference when it counts." She seemed to consider something internally for a moment. "And… Maybe I'd like to… meet my parents."

The editor paused the image. "See what I mean? She comes off real well there… I'd just use that piece if it were up to me."

Rodney looked at David. There was a soft light in the reporter's eyes. He looked at Rodney and nodded with a smile.

"Guess what Eric?" Rodney laughed. "Today… it was up to you."

And Eric smiled appreciatively. "Really?" Well I'll be jiggered! Close to twenty years editing and… finally … someone takes my word for it.

He turned away slightly and began cueing up some background images to hide his enthusiasm.

"What was that?" Rodney jumped in and pointed at the screen. "There, rewind some… did you see it?"

Eric and David leaned in to look as the tape rewound and played forward in slow motion.

"WOW!" David exclaimed, unable to help himself.

"Did I just see what I thought I just saw?" Eric asked, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

"You sure did." Rodney shook his head, staring at the frozen image. "That's a dragon swooping through my shot!"

David looked considerate. "Maybe…" He swallowed. "Maybe we save that little revelation for later too… it's just… a little far fetched, don't you think?"

Both Eric and Rodney nodded reluctantly.

"But… make me a copy of that, will ya?" David asked. "And print me a still shot of it too."

"Me too." Rodney smiled. Excalibur, dragons… Who would believe it?

"Oh, here." Eric handed David a manila folder. "It's that group shot from the second night of filming. I thought you'd like to frame it and give it to that Mister Wagner fella…"

David nodded. "Yeah… it's great. Thanks Eric, really… and … good call on the Rachael edit. I wouldn't have done it like that... And your way was better."

Eric turned and looked David in the eye. Well… Will wonders never cease! "Thank you." He said, turning back around, almost totally overcome … with pride.

Authors Note:

Many thanks to everyone who reviewed and commented on the fic. I probably wouldn't have completed it without you. Thanks for hanging in there and reading along. I enjoy writing, but it wouldn't be worth half as much to me if I couldn't share what I've written with you. Thank you, thank you and thank you again.

And, as much as I would like for this story to go on forever, I did what I set out to do: To assemble my version of an Evo Excalibur.

But before you go thinking that the end is actually the end, let it be known that I already have a sequel in the works! (I just can't give up this great little group without a fight!) And it will feature a truly nasty and all original mutant villain unlike any other you've seen yet. Check my profile page on occasion and you'll see when the fic gets posted (No title yet, sorry!). But it will be a direct sequel from this story that picks up after only the briefest of gaps in the X-history.

And finally, my loyal readers… May you live as long as you want but never want so long as you live. Blessings to you. Until we meet again,

Lucas