Another Tale

Inside CSIS HQ, we find Julia Carpenter heading down a quiet hall with few doors. She is approached from behind by Walter Langkowski, in street clothes too. As he catches her we see that they are near a large atrium, obviously the front entrance.

Langkowski: Have you been kept up on the news? Pointer's gone.

Arachne: Huh?

Langkowski: He's gone. H.A.M.M.E.R. claimed him to join some mutant team of theirs, that's all I know. The details weren't offered to me and I didn't ask.

Arachne: So he's not joining their Avengers Initiative?

Langkowski: Nope, seems Osborne wants an in with the X-Men, or some level of control over their activities, or both. Given the state of mutant affairs and how they've closed ranks I can see his reasoning. I think he's going to keep his Weapon Omega code, at any rate. No big loss, really, given his instability and potential failings.

Arachne: So that leaves us two to defend 32 million people from people like Norman Osborne? This'll give H.A.M.M.E.R. all the evidence they need to extend their reach. I can see the recruitment posters now, just like the ones the Nazis put up in their occupied countries.

Langkowski: Don't get ahead of yourself. I wouldn't even have joined CSIS or Omega Flight without some guarantees. It was obvious from the start that Omega Flight was an enterprise intended to fail. Like Walker ever would've taken orders from a 'foreigner', or Beta Ray Bill could stay away from Asgardian affairs. Pointer was a walking atom bomb, you know as well as I why he was here, and it wasn't to make amends. No offence, but your background and family life would lead anyone to believe this was a temporary position for you too.

Arachne: No offence taken. What am I missing? We've got no team in waiting or training program, just us, the military, and a few agents like Brown. Given the circumstances I'd say we're pooched.

Langkowski: We need to talk outside. Walk with me.

Off they go together, out of CSIS and down into a nearby park. Langkowski produces a sandwich

Arachne: Egg salad? OK, so you do plan ahead. Once in a while.

Langkowski: When SHIELD stepped into the Canadian government to shut down Department H and Alpha Flight, then help CSIS start up Omega Flight, of all names, too many people saw the writing on the wall. Sovereignty shouldn't be lost so easily.

Arachne: I'm guessing moves were made away from prying eyes in SHIELD and CSIS.

Langkowski: Bingo. A lot of bureaucrats didn't want to see Department H run into the ground, so they did something about it. The building is demolished, assets moved, but the charter and a handful of employees still exist. And that was enough.

Arachne: So what's been going on?

Langkowski: The first night I engaged the Wrecking Crew I was already evaluating recruits for Alpha Flight. I was interrupted but after we got organized in Ottawa I got back to work.

Arachne: What recruits? Last I heard the cupboard was bare.

Langkowski: Not everyone is on the radar and circumstances do change. I knew we had our work cut out for us. Aurora, Northstar, Persuasion and Diamond Lil have joined the X group in San Francisco. All other old allies lost their powers on M-Day, some tragically so. Box is off with another group of X-Men. Wild Child is as bad as I've ever seen him, getting him straightened out could be impossible.

Arachne: So what's left, a cadre of super-powered teenagers? I hear Department H tried that once.

Langkowski: First off, all of Department H's old contingency plans are washed out. We had a clean slate. But we didn't go looking for recruits. They applied to us.

Arachne: You've got a few x-villains looking to make amends or something?

Langkowski: No. We've got experienced people looking to get back in the game.

Arachne: You'll have to fill me in.

Langkowski: We need to be discrete. CSIS doesn't know they're being replaced so soon in the super-powers area.

My first applicant was an ex-Alphan, one of those teens. Most were glad to lose their powers and get away from this life, but one realized she wasn't part of that group. She wanted to join Alpha Flight even before her powers manifested, and she still wants to. She's gung-ho, let me tell you. We told her what she had to do, become a physics and engineering major, and she jumped in with both feet. Ambition and motivation work wonders. You'll love working with this one, she's on the fast track to lead us in fact.

Arachne: Who, I'm lost?

Langkowski: Our former Ghost Girl, Lilli Stephens. No powers but her head and heart are working fine. She was offered a version of the Vindicator suit but she wanted something better.

Arachne: Guardian.

Langkowski: Guardian. To be fair she needs more experience but with how she handles that weapon would amaze Mac Hudson, rest his soul.

And she's not all. Three more people popped up on our radar, and are ready for action.

Arachne: Towyoungmen?

Langkowski: I wish, but mystics are notorious loners. She will help us, as will Snowbird, but neither is close to signing up, their lives are going in different directions right now.

Arachne: Too bad, we could use powerhouses like them.

Langkowski: We're not looking shabby. Guardian, you, and myself aren't all. After all, I'm one of three survivors of Pointer's massacre.

Arachne: What? How is that possible??

Langkowski: Eugene Judd had Razaar in him for so long that some of that magic had to rub off. Puck isn't immortal but he's back with us.

Arachne: In one piece?

Langkowski: As advertised. And we still have Nemesis with us too.

Arachne: I thought she passed on?

Langkowski: Bodies die, spirits not so much. I don't think Miss St. Ives realized what she had done when she became Nemesis. Her death just called on another spirit to take her place. The new Mistress of Fate was once Heather Hudson.

Arachne: Is she still the same person?

Langkowski: She died. She still knows her history but being Nemesis matters now, that's who she is now.

Arachne: I'm thinking her family and daughter are unaware.

Langkowski: Makes no sense to tell her family that their Heather is walking around but not alive, not as they know it. Heather can't be Maria's mother anyway, if she finds out about who Nemesis is when she's older then we;ll deal with it. But Heather died at Pointer's hand and Nemesis is not really Heather. Maria needs her home life as it is, anyway.

Arachne: So you, me, Guardian, Puck, and Nemesis. Not a bad lineup.

Langkowski: I'm not done. Before your time, Department H had an even more secret cousin, one that was truly aligned with SHIELD's wishes. Department K, headquartered in Newfoundland. But it was destroyed completely a few years back, all dead. Or so we thought.

Seems one agent was on leave, being tested off-site. His replacement, Killspree, didn't fare too well but they never changed their decision. Since everyone who knew of his existence was dead, he went off the board. But his skills are well-suited to our lifestyle, so he made contact and we picked him up.

Arachne: Who is he, what does he do?

Langkowski: He was called Killjoy. A tremendous athlete, fighter, and a tactician at Judd's level. He was armed with a series of blades but, even though he's not an x-mutant, he has the ability to see what you will do before you do it. It's uncanny. According to what I could piece together he was always thinking on a different level than his teammates so he didn't fit in. They thought he was an ingrate, a rebel, and it saved his life. We're giving him basically the same uniform but fewer blades, he can do better than just cut things in half. He has other weapons to access that suit him better.

Arachne: A spider, a goliath, an acrobatic midget, a power suit, a near zombie, and a killer. Some team.

Langkowski: Just what I always wanted.

Arachne: Excuse me?

Langkowski: A unique skill set, people committed to the job, strength, durability, smarts, flyers, energy projection. I like what we've got. For once, I feel like I'm going on the offensive against our enemies instead of taking hits and reacting. It'll be nice.

Arachne: You're sure?

Langkowski: Trust me. We'll be a lot better in the field than on paper. If we're lucky, Osborne will get a nasty surprise first-hand, if he doesn't like that HAMMER isn't going to be controlling Canada. I can't wait.

And so it begins. Alpha Flight. Not a dark team for a dark world, even with Nemesis and Killjoy. Guardian and Puck, Sasquatch and Arachne. A new team to do what needs to be done. So be it.