A full moon filtering through the dense beechwood forest of Buckinghamshire casts eerie nightshadows across an isolated shanty and the approaching figure of Captain Britain. He wonders why there is no sign of Professor Scott, even though he was expecting a visit from Brian Braddock. Suddenly, gripped by premonition, the young hero turns around and is barely able to fend off the attack by the mechanical hawk. “Kill him, my pretty!” shouts the clearly insane Professor Scott aka the selfstyled Lord Hawk.
The force of the collision makes Cap lose his quarterstaff and he frantically looks around for it before the mechanical monstrosity attacks again. As he makes a jump for his weapon, Hawk shouts a new order and tells his hawk to get the weapon. The mechanical pet proceeds to do so and snatches it away, moments before Cap reaches it. Without it, Cap doesn’t have his protective force field. So he can only run, hoping that the foliage of the forest is too thick for the hawk to fly through. Scott orders the hawk to open fire. Cap jumps up and swings up the tree to evade both the hawk and his missiles.
Scott finds this thrilling. He has always loved the hunt – and which game is more challenging than man himself? Cap hides in the foliage of a tree, but the Hawk’s missiles hit him and he falls.
Scott ties the unconscious hero up and brings him to his shack. From the newspapers, he learns that he has captured a genuine superhero, endowed with inhuman strength. Perfectly suited to his purposes, he muses. What better way to launch his war against modern society than to battle a champion of present-day Britain and destroy him in full view of the people he serves? He takes a homing device, which he got from Brian Braddock, and implants it under Captain Britain’s skin. Now the mechanic hawk will be electronically homed in to Captain Britain at all times, while Scott will remain within close range. He leaves, intending for Captain Britain to believe he is free. But once he has returned to the city he will learn that he is still hunted and doomed.
Hours later, Captain Britain awakes. He barely remembers Scott wearing an ancient costume and seeming insane. He recognizes Scott’s shanty. But where is the man? And why leave him alive? He takes his quarterstaff and intends to leave for London. To find Scott, he decides he has to work together with Scotland Yard. As long as he is able to steer clear of Inspector Dai Thomas… With the help of the staff, he jumps to the nearest station in long strides, unaware that the hawk is following him. At the station, he changes back into Brian Braddock.
Professor Scott, who had followed Cap in a car, is confused. According to the homing device, the hero is nearby, but all he sees is a harmless young man walking towards the station and, even with his coat on, he isn’t muscular enough to be Captain Britain.
A train arrives and Brian boards it. Believing that Cap will board the train as well, Scott follows.
Some time later, Brian rides a bus through the heart of Piccadilly Circus. It s followed by a taxi. The cab driver asks Scott to please make the iron bird stop beeping. The villain tells him to stop here. He has reached his destination. This sickening sea of modern society is perfect for a battle, he decides.
He has the hawk attack the bus and Brian has no choice but to change to Captain Britain. Quickly, he jumps out of the bus, protesting that Scott is endangering hundreds of innocents. Those self-seeking fools whose wanton greed endangers the nation aren’t innocent, the old man shouts. They’re villains who must be punished. So decrees Lord Hawk!
