A Case of Mistaken Identity.... Chapter 2
 
Disclaimer: The X-Men belong to Marvel, the Coda to Wildstorm, and the
story to me.
 
She called herself Betsy Braddock... and as the telepath code-named Psylocke,
she has been their friend, their companion, their fellow warrior. She has
lived among them, fought beside them, and laughed and cried with them. In
short, she was a part of the whole.
 
Sixty seconds ago, the X-Forces discovered everything they thought they knew
about her was a lie. And one burning question gnaws at them, posed by a
gravelly, smoke-strained voice....
 
Logan had pinned the ninja to the wall, her throat lay exposed between the
outer two claws, which were firmly embedded in the holodeck wall, "So, Betsy
just who the heck *are* you, then??"
 
Tears welled up in her eyes, she'd never expected this... "I do not need to
answer that question, Logan. We've shared each other's deepest, darkest
thoughts and deeds... You _know_ who I am...."
 
The others watched her warily, not sure whether she was telling the truth.
Gambit's fiery dark eyes flashed in the dimmer light, "Sure we do, chere--
but you got t'understand why we'd be a more'n a lil' confused, eh?"
 
It was Ororo's turn, and her icy sky-blue eyes pierced Psylocke with more
anger than the rest of her serene face revealed. She was not in the mood
to fritter away time asking questions when her best friend lay so deathly
still on the floor. "You've just been accused of being an agent for a
Japanese criminal cartel served by the Hand and the Coda...as well as
being a traitor to the X-Forces...are you denying it, Psylocke?"
 
The Oriental woman's volatile eyes sparkled dangerously as she answered
the leader of her team, "I simply do not acknowledge the merit of these
accusations, Storm."
 
She stabbed a finger toward the elegant, composed Otherworlder who stood
behind the others. "If anyone should be questioned right now, it should
be _her_!" Psylocke spat.
 
The Otherworlder shook her head sadly, "I am Elisabeth Braddock, in soul--
and most obviously--in flesh. The X-Forces believe me, and appear to have
sufficient reason to doubt you..."
 
The armoured woman crossed her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow
at Ororo, who was prevailing as the cool head here. "Professor Xavier, could
not a simple telepathic scan disprove the claims of one or the other?" she
asked, looking to her mentor for answers that seemed to be disappearing as
more questions were revealed.
 
He closed his eyes for a few moments as he concentrated on both purple
haired women. When he opened his eyes, he was no closer to the truth than
he'd been a few minutes before, "Would that it were so simple, Ororo. There
are _no_ surface differences, or else I would have noticed them. To find
out the truth, we would have to dig far deeper into their minds--and I am
loath to do so, especially in a mind that has proven so psi-sensitive as
Psylocke's."
 
The Otherworlder flourished her cloak around herself as she turned to
the X-Forces mentor with a proper bow, "Though we've never met until today,
Sir Charles, I willingly submit myself to your probe..."
 
Psylocke shoved Wolverine away from her in a burst of anger, "Oh, masterfully
played... Well, Charles Xavier, I will _not_ allow you to violate me...
But not because her accusations have *any* validity to them! I have suffered
too many indignities--first Slaymaster, then Mojo...and after emerging from
the Siege Perilous, I was shredded in body and soul by Matsu'o Tsurayaba
of the Hand and then rebuilt by Andromache of the Coda! I won't allow any-
one to tear through the layers of my mind--my memories--my very self *ever*
again!!"
 
Beast, Rogue and Gambit watched over Ororo's shoulder, confusion and many
other emotions warring for supremacy on their faces. Though their inner most
thoughts remained their own, because the telepaths were occupied with
trying to guard their own, or second guess each others.
 
Storm twitched a tail of silver hair over her shoulders, commanding attention 
of everyone, "Is _that_ why you've adopted such an--aggressive--attitude
with the use of your telepathic powers?"
 
Psylocke turned away from her erstwhile friends, "Never a victim, Ororo,
always a victor--that's also why I chose to strike at Jean when she accused
me of having an affair with Scott.... You've all accepted that I am not the
woman I once was...."
 
The Otherworlder spun around, disgust and indignation fanning over her fine
featured face at Psylocke's attempts to gain sympathy. "Nor are you the
woman you claim to be now..."
 
She fired her psi-sword as a challenge, her violet eyes scanning the faces
of their unlikely audience for their reaction. She didn't wait long...as
Psylocke lunged at her, her psychic knife ready to plunge into *her* mind.
"Let's have it then--let's finish this the way we both want to see it done,"
Psylocke snarled at her.
 
The Otherworld telepath anticipated the ninja's moves, deftly defending her
self from the crude, rash attacks with all the grace of a matador sidestepping
an enraged bull... Did this 'ninja' so lack in subtlety that she could be
taken down so easily?? A rude telepathic shout interrupted her analysis, and
it came from the Professor, [STOP!! There will be none of that in my home,
is that understood?]
 
Both women ceased the duel, one surprised at such an outburst from the usually
reserved scholar. The suspicions of the other subtly confirmed by it.
Logan jabbed a thumb in the direction of the door to the holodeck.
"Chuck...let's  talk for a minute," he rasped as he lit another cigar.
 
He exited, the hatchway hissing open and locking with a dull clang. Xavier
floated behind him, "I trust that we can step outside the Holodeck, with
out the two of you engaging in a cliched soap opera tussle??" His sharp
tone both offended and admonished them.
 
As they strolled down the corridor, Logan revealed what he'd gleaned with
his super-sharp senses, "Neither of 'em is lyin', Chuck; an' one of 'em
may be tellin' the truth..."
 
Charles was surprised, considering that his psi senses had revealed nothing.
"How can you be certain, when my initial mindprobe reveals nothing so
conclusive??"
 
The diminutive Canadian shrugged, taking a long draw on his stogie, "Their
scents are the same _and_ different from Betsy Braddock's before she went
through the Siege Perilous... An' just now, when Psylocke set up an offensive
move, the other one set up a pretty smooth series of parries...standard
ninjitsu move on the former, excellent Coda technique from the latter...but 
there's similar elements I've seen only one other place....."
 
Xavier's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "The Betsy Braddock the X-Forces worked
with _before_ my return was no ninja disciple was she? And you did not teach
her such combat techniques? _Where_ could she have come by this knowledge,
I ask you Logan??"
 
Logan's eyes narrowed as he thought back to another time, another place: 
a tall silver haired woman with scarlet tattoos on her face who had shown
_him_ a thing or three about fighting, "Tell, me Chuck, y'ever hear of a 
sect called the Coda?"
 
Xavier shook his head as he stealthily slid in and out of the berserker's
mind, seeing the events of WWII that were unknown, not even to the annals
of history, and what he learned shook him, "I have not, but it would
appear that Ms. Braddock has raised sufficient suspicion on our comrade,
Psylocke... The others won't rest, and I can't have them haring off on
another wild goose chase so soon after...."
 
Logan raised an eyebrow, the expression on his face sinister, and dark with
worry, "I'm thinkin' there's only one way you're going t'find out the truth."
 
Logan's mentor sighed, weary of internal strife; "Indeed. We have to go back
to the source, we have to find this Andromache and the Coda...and in
order to do that, we have to journey to Greece...."