While Rachel and Martinique took a walk through the mind of Mikhail Rasputin, a man who could unwillingly cause the destruction of two worlds, their remaining team-mates, Captain Britain, Joseph, Sunfire and Forge, were left to guard their now defenceless bodies.

"Whoa, felt weird there for a second," Captain Britain momentarily lost his balance but quickly corrected himself. He noticed that while Forge and Sunfire had both suffered the same loss of balance, Joseph had been unaffected.

"I apologise for any discomfort I may have caused you but I felt it was prudent to raise a protective barrier around us and the ladies," Joseph spoke as to pre-empt any questions "and the lack of natural magnetic fields in this place forced me to amplify the ones in our own bodies."

"I fail to see why," Sunfire spoke with distaste "we are quite alone in this place."

"I have to agree with Sunfire," Forge spoke has he checked one of his scanning devices that he had shielded against electro-magnetic interference "we are the only ones in the area."

"No offence to your technology Forge but my power is a lot more sensitive. I felt something so faint that it almost wasn't there, I'm not surprised that I was the only one to sense it."

"I'm not one to complain about added protection but in the future, a little warning would be appreciated," Captain Britain spoke as the hairs on his arms stood up from the now excess of static electricity in the air "anything more you can tell us about this thing you've detected?" he asked Joseph.

"Only that is coming closer and gaining in strength every moment that passes," Joseph noted the slight looks of disbelief that was in his comrades eyes.

"Well I hope the ladies get the job done before whatever it is, gets here," Captain Britain commented as he looked at Rachel, his former Excalibur team-mate.

***

"There is a near overwhelming feeling of peace in this place," Rachel Summers said as she touched two fingers of each hand to her temples "it's not hard to see why Mikhail wouldn't want to leave."

Rachel Summers and Martinique Jason, better known to the world as the new Mastermind, had stepped into the mind of Mikhail Rasputin, the brother of the X-Man Colossus, who was being used to hold an artificial rift between dimensions open. If the rift could not be closed, it would eventually consume both worlds.

"Yes indeed," Mastermind responded, her nose wrinkled up at the smells around her "where did you say we were again?"

"This is the Rasputin family farm in the Ust-Ordynski Collective, near Lake Baikal in Siberia, if I recall correctly," Rachel smiled as a small look of surprise came over Mastermind's face "I'm surprised that wasn't in your files," Rachel would never let on to her that she had skimmed the information from Mikhail's mind.

"Well surprisingly I didn't spend my every waking hour hunched over a computer screen," Mastermind leant up against the side of the two story wooden house and examined the brown substance that was stuck to the bottom of her shoes "this illusion is certainly realistic."

"?????? ????, ? ???? ????? ?????? ????"

Rachel and Martinique turned to the voice that came from behind them to come face to face with the imposing form of Piotr Rasputin.

"I'm sorry but I don't speak Russian," Rachel spoke in return.

"He asked us if he could help us," Martinique interrupted "with the nature of my powers, it pays to learn some more languages; you should really try and broaden your language set."

"I don't need to when I can just read the information from your mind," Rachel shot back. Usually she wouldn't invade a persons mind without asking but Martinique grated on her a little too much.

"??, ????? ?? ????????? ??," Rachel's voice sounded Russian to her for just a moment before both women began to hear her words in English "-ke us to your brother Mikhail. We have something urgent to discuss with him."

Piotr looked the two women up and down, clearly surprised by their manner of dress, it was cold this time of year and they certainly weren't dressed for the weather.

"We are KGB; take us to your brother now," Martinique snapped at the large Russian."

"Of course, follow me please," he stammered in reply. He had heard stories about people vanishing after they had argued with the KGB.

A few minutes later the two women found themselves sitting around the Rasputin family dining table, sitting opposite them was the man they were after, Mikhail Rasputin.

"Please you must believe us," Rachel pleaded "all this around you is not real. It's a nightmare that is going to kill a lot of people."

"How can you say this is a nightmare," Mikhail laughed as his young sister Illyana came and wrapped her arms around him "this place is a blessing to me."

"This blessing you call your family, is going to kill many other families," Rachel pleaded.

Little Illyana giggled and ran off through the front door of the small Rasputin farmhouse "how can a little girl's joy be the cause all this death you describe. I am sorry but in this case the KGB is mistaken."

"The KGB is never mistaken," Martinique's voice was as cold as stone, as she drew her gun and fired three quick shots into Mikhail's family, the first bullet into the head of his brother Piotr to prevent his change into the armoured form of Colossus, his mother and father were the victims of the next two bullets.

Rachel telekinetically wrenched the gun out of Martinique's hand as Mikhail could only look on in horror "just what the hell do you think you just did, don't you know the danger of messing with a persons psyche like that."

"He won't let go of this place because he thinks it is heaven, so I'm going to tear it all down and make it a hell," just at that moment Illyana ran into the house and gave an all too human scream "you know I am right," she extended her hand out to Rachel "go outside, let me take care of this."

"I wont let you do this to my sister," Mikhail's eyes had changed, they no longer had the happiness the two women had seen when they arrived in his mind, now they bore the sadness of a past life newly remembered "it is up to me to finish this."

Rachel wanted to say something to comfort Mikhail but she could tell that no words would ever do.

Rachel walked out of the Rasputin family farmhouse, passing the gun back to Martinique as she left. The wall inside which were once coloured so vibrantly and with photographs of family, became a pale shade of grey, with only a solitary picture of the family together on the wall.

Martinique walked up to Mikhail, holding out the gun she had created "you don't have to do this you know."

"Yes I do," he replied meekly "now get out of my house, give me a last moment alone with my sister."

She nodded, looked at Illyana and let a smile cross her lips "of course, sometimes the only one who can hurt family is family."

***

"How much longer are those girls going to take," Forge shouted as he dodged the huge translucent club that was being aimed at his head, a small high powered laser popping out from the back of his artificial hand. The beam which came out of it splashed harmlessly off the body of his attacker.

"I don't know but I hope they hurry up," Captain Britain shouted in reply as he slammed into the attackers back "it's hard enough to dodge this guy as it is, without having to shield them as well."

"However hard the task, I will not fail again," Sunfire loosed several bursts of his flame at the thing attacking them but it had no more effect than Forge's laser.

"Who is this guy again," Joseph asked. He gritted his teeth as the huge club smashed against the force-field he had erected to protect Rachel, Martinique and Mikhail's bodies.

"Goes by the name of Tempus," Forge said as he popped a small explosive package from his back pack, ran quickly past Tempus and slapping it against his body "works for both Kang and Immortus according to the Avengers files, supposedly made out of the temporal stuff of Limbo itself," the charge Forge planted exploded as soon as he was a safe distance away, a huge hole was blown in the giant's side.

"I am the immortal Tempus," he boomed "it is my curse that I may never die," the shards of his body that had been blown from him by the explosive, flew back into him, merging back as if he had never been damaged in the first place "I am in eternal service to my master."

Captain Britain stared at Tempus, the beings body made out of the same translucent crystal as his club, there was a strange sadness in the creature's voice that.

Tempus smashed his club into Captain Britain, hammering him into whatever passed for the ground in this dimension between worlds, only his newly returned super strength prevented him from being crushed to death by the blow.

Tempus raised his club high above his head, readying to slam it down on Captain Britain's skull.

But mere moments before the blow struck, Joseph used his magnetic powers to pull Captain Britain to him.

"Thanks for that," Captain Britain said as he struggled up from what passed as the ground, his whole body aching from Tempus' single blow.

"Do not be so ready to thank me," Joseph spoke with worry in his voice "to pull you to safety, I had to drop the shield around."

"Rachel!" Captain Britain cried as he saw Tempus advancing on the women.

"Oh this isn't good," Forge muttered as he pulled components from his backpack trying to put together the temporal disruptor device he had worked on for a short while years before. Of course he had never gotten that device to work correctly but as Tempus advanced on Rachel and Martinique, he had little option but to try and make it work.

Sunfire poured on the heat, his body now completely engulfed in flame as he pushed himself beyond his normal limits "you shall not pass me creature," he growled through gritted teeth, the power he was pumping out was actually managing to slow Tempus' advance but it seemed as if nothing could stop the nigh-immortal being.

***

Sunfire collapsed to his knees, his power completely spent, and he was barely aware of Tempus standing over him.

It would surprise most people who encountered him to discover that Tempus didn't actually enjoy killing but as he wanted to one day be allowed the sweet embrace of death, he would have to obey his master.

Forge clicked the last component into place, whispering a prayer to his gods as he did so. Forge fired his newly created weapon at Tempus, banking that the temporal waves it generated would shatter the fragments of time that he was created from.

Unfortunately for all there, the weapon had exactly the opposite effect.

As the beam from Forge's weapon struck him, Tempus seemed to swell with power, growing larger before their very eyes.

"Well that was a lot of use," Forge muttered as he slipped the device back into his pack "I don't suppose anyone else has an idea?" he quizzed to the others. He glanced about at them and upon seeing their exhausted condition "I guess not."

{I wouldn't worry Forge} Forge felt a mind brushing his own {I guess this just proves you shouldn't send a man to do a woman's job.}

Tempus found his club held in a telekinetic grip and he twisted his now bloated head down enough to see the smiling face of Rachel Summers looking back up at him "now didn't your mother teach you that if you can't play nice," the club shattered as Rachel crushed it with her TK "not to play at all."

Temps bellowed with rage, any semblance of rationality he had once possessed had been stripped away by the massive power influx he had gained from Forge's device.

"I guess not," Martinique muttered as she dived aside to avoid two massive crystalline fists "care to try that trick again on him would you?"

Concentration was etched on Rachel's face "I can't get a hold of him; my power just seems to slide off."

"Allow me," Mikhail's voice was full of rage and he stood before Tempus without a shred of fear in his heart "this thing is at least partially responsible for trapping me in that dream." his voice trailed off as he remembered what he had to do to escape the dream world.

Mikhail's eyes flashed for a moment and then Tempus began to scream with pain.

"What have you done to him," Captain Britain asked as he was supported upright by Joseph.

"I simply shifted the portal I was being used to generate;" Mikhail turned to Captain Britain and smiled "shifted it so it is now inside him."

It started slowly at first, Tempus seemed to freeze and grow smaller, but the process rapidly gained pace. In moments Tempus was collapsed into himself, leaving nothing behind but the shattered remnants of his club.

"I don't know what it is about your little part of the time-stream that causes me so much trouble," a commanding voice suddenly came from the blackness of the void "and if any of you are worrying about Tempus, he'll be back soon enough."

Kang appeared in the middle of the group, pausing his gaze for a moment on each of them "I would probably destroy you all now if I didn't know what was to come in your futures."

"Whatever you try Kang, we'll all be here to stop you," Captain Britain said defiantly as he shook off Joseph's aid and stood under his own strength.

"Oh I do hope you'll always try," Kang smiled in return "but in the end, no matter how long it takes.KANG CONQUERS."

The temporal despot faded from view and was almost instantly replaced by a portal of the same type that had brought them to this void.

"Looks like Roma is giving us our ride home," Rachel said as she approached the portal "let's get back to Otherworld."

***

Brian, Forge, Sunfire, Rachel, Joseph and Martinique once again stood in the grand meeting hall they had all been in before departing on their mission.

"I thank you all for your aid in this matter and I am glad to see you have all recovered well," Roma smiled sweetly at them all and Brian couldn't help but remember that Merlyn had often had the exact same expression when he was manipulating events "the gifts I offered some of you for your participation have already been set in motion. Mikhail has for the time being elected to remain here in Otherworld, to rest and recuperate, but as promised I will now return you all to the exact moment in time you were taken from."

A portal opened up behind each of the heroes "you all need just to step through to be returned him but be warned that some of you will remember this as just a vague dream until.the right time is reached."

The others nodded at Roma and stepped through their individual portals but Brian remained behind "I take it this isn't the last time you're going to call us up when you need something taken care of that the Corps can't or shouldn't handle?"

"Insightful as always," Roma replied "as Kang said in the void, there are events coming in the future that will bring you all together again."

"You're always playing games Roma, you're more like your father than you'd care to admit," Brian turned and stepped into the portal "wait, I thought you said you couldn't see into the void, how'd you know what Kan."

Brian's last question was never completed as the portal enveloped him, leaving Roma alone "I am sorry my champion but there are things that a goddess must keep close to her chest, even from those she trusts with her life."

***

"Brian! Are you in the bathroom?" Meggan asked as she shrugged the covers off her shoulders and brushed her hair from her eyes

"Yes I am," her husband's voice replied "but there is something we need to talk about."

"Well I can't talk to a door," she said as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

Meggan reached to open the bathroom door but it opened before she could reach it.

She gasped and clutched her arms across her chest when she saw Brian standing before her in his Captain Britain uniform.

"Promise you're not going to throw anything sweetheart," Brian asked as he met Meggan's gaze.

She rested her hands on her hips and said in a stern tone "I promise nothing."

Writers Notes: Well here is the long time coming third issue of Excalibur, I hope you all enjoy it despite the length of time it's taken to arrive. It's been a blast working from Doug Bookey's plots and I know whoever follows me on this title is going to feel the exact same way.

**Gary has decided to stay on the title with me so look for more great Excalibur action coming your way. We are hoping to make this a different Excalibur book. With a mix of the old and some new things coming your way -Doug