It’s nighttime in London and a police squad is searching the back alleys. They find several sleeping vagrants and finally their quarries: Captain Britain and Jackdaw. The policemen shoot after the two fleeing heroes, causing Captain Britain to wonder why they have firearms. One moment after, they find they are in a dead end. No problem, though, thanks to Captain Britain’s new flying power. He takes up the elf and flies over the fence.
The policemen find nothing and decide the costumed character must have special powers. This is a job for the Status Crew.
Elsewhere, Cap lands in the only place he has seen life that night, a rubbish tip full of vagrants, who are gathering around a fire and regard at the two newcomers with suspicion.
Cap addresses two elderly vagrants, asking what year it is. The man just stutters and the woman besides him explains that his brain is addled. How come the stranger is asking such a fool question? Everyone know it’s 1981. And who’s the prime minister? Cap continues. Impatiently, the woman proceeds to answer, though she is unsure herself. Scott, she finally decides, settling on a name that’s unfamiliar to Captain Britain.
Jackdaw suddenly points that the other fellows which have gathered around them don’t look friendly. Calling them’ weirdos,’ the other vagrants throw stones, but it is a simple matter for Captain Britain to produce a forcefield around all four of them as he guides them to the seclusion of a railway arch.
He still mulls about the name Scott and the British National Party that appears to be the ruling party here. Has so much changed while he was away? Or is this not his Earth? He asks the vagrants who the monarch of England is. That’s easy, the man replies. It’s Margaret I. The woman adds if he can’t use his strange powers to help them.
But Cap is still musing loudly as he states that there can be no other explanation. They are from another place, far or near? Who knows? He thought he was coming home, but now they are outcasts just like them in a country like his own, but subtly different. Jackdaw warns him to be careful what he says and the makes excuses to the vagrants, explaining Cap has had a little knock on his had. Helpfully, the man offers a swing from his bottle to set him right. Cap declines but the curious elf grabs the bottle, willing to try anything. A moment later, after having emptied half the bottle in one gulp, he complains that this is not a patch on Mercian mead.
Cap grabs Jackdaw by the front of his shirt, reminding him they are in deep trouble. This may not mean much to Jackdaw but they are not on his Earth. Something has gone terribly wrong. The alcohol already seems to do its job on Jackdaw and he suggests Cap relax and have a drink. Angrily, Cap slaps the bottle away and orders his drunken midget-sized excuse for a sidekick’ to go back and find Merlyn. Well, maybe Merlyn wanted them to come here, the elf offers tentatively. Cap orders him to find out. The tipsy elf teleports away, only to appear again a moment later as he forgot his hat.
As the elf disappears again, he leaves behind three astonished onlookers, one of whom is distinctly more worried. What kind of assistant has Merlyn given him, anyway, Cap wonders. The male vagrant decides to stay away from alcohol after what he has just witnessed, while the woman again asks Cap to help them.
He’d like to, Cap offers, aware of the fact that there are some injustices which his powers are incapable of solving… then again there are some such powers can . For, while they were talking, something grotesque was emerging from the rubbish, a misshapen strangely animated conglomeration of domestic appliances that begins to attack the vagrants.
Cap tears away one of its arms to free a man. The creature states, destroy humanity , and hits Cap with what appear to be a sonar scream. Even as it does so, it changes, while it announces that humanity is obsolete. What is this thing, Cap wonders aloud, and it explains that they were cast away on the rubbish tips even though their parts were still functional.
It develops and changes into sophisticated weaponry and, moments later, Cap has to evade particle beams. It walks away, announcing that it will destroy and make way for the new age, while Cap decides to fly after it and stop it before it does any more damage.
