Fan Fic: Alpha Zombies

Chapter 1


The afternoon sun cast a gentle light upon Parliament Hill this Tuesday afternoon. Tourists took pictures, office workers had lunch on the lawn and it was just another day. It was another day for the burgeoning leader of Alpha Flight as well. James MacDonald Hudson was eating his cream cheese and lox bagel and enjoying the beautiful day in Ottawa as he walked toward the Parliament buildings. Things couldn't’t have been going better for him. He was married to a beautiful and smart woman, Heather, who loved him unconditionally. He led Canada’s premiere super-hero team Alpha Flight, who recently stopped both The Great Beasts and the Master. Not bad for a team who’s first mission was to simply grab a stray mutant, and couldn't’t even do that.
But now people were noticing. Alpha Flight was fast becoming Canada’s sweethearts (with apologies to Sarah Polly). Eugene aka Puck appeared on The Hour last night. Jeanne-Marie aka Aurora was in the video for Chantal Kreviazuk’s new single. Walter’s paper on radiation exposure was being printed in a prestigious medical journal. Yes, things were looking up.
James passed by a café that had a television mounted on the terrace. On it was a news program with a late breaking report. It seemed to have gathered a small crowd. As Mac tried to hear what was happening he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning he came face to face with Alpha Flight’s headstrong speedster, Jean-Paul Beaubier aka Northstar.
“Hudson, are you going to the HQ?” Jean-Paul asked, wrinkling his nose at Mac’s lunch.
Mac looked the young mutant over, he had on one of his less expensive outfits; designer jeans and a polo shirt. Endorsement's were very good for Jean-Paul, his career as a professional skier has kept him in the dough.
"I was about to, yes. How goes it?"
Jean-Paul sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair. "The paparazzi are driving me crazy. It was bad enough when I used to ski, but this super-heroing thing. I thought it was just the British and American press that were bad." He looked around him as he was talking, then spotting something, he turned to Mac." One moment." He was gone before James could ask where he was going. A few seconds later he was back with a digital camera in his hand. "You see? I didn't know we had vultures this far north."
James smiled. "You can't just steal their equipment, we are in a public place."
"Merde, I don't care. That one has been following me all day. Next time I will shove-"
"Oh my God. What happened?" A woman gasped as she watched the television. James and Jean-Paul turned and also viewed the screen. The skyline of New york City was currently being shown. Smoke billowed out from the centre of the city. A few airborne figures could be seen, but the picture quality wasn't very good. A scrolling text along the bottom of the screen reported that what appeared to be a meteor had crashed into the city. The Avengers and local law officials were at the scene.
"Hmm, I don't like the looks of this." James murmured to himself.
Jean-Paul looked over at him. "I could zip over there, see if they require assistance."
"No, let's wait for a call first. I don't want to step on any more political toes involving unsanctioned trips to the States. I better get to HQ." Almost on cue both of their cellular phones began ringing.
"Looks like the Prime Minister had his cartoons interrupted." Jean-Paul smirked.

Chapter 2

In the hidden underground structure under Parliament Hill, where the HQ of Alpha Flight existed, sat Heather Hudson, wife and current system administrator/field operator of Alpha Flight. After funding was restored to the team (following the defeat of The Master and the otherworldly Great Beasts) Heather decided she wanted to do her part for the team. If she couldn’t go into the field then at least she could help in the background.
So Heather studied and watched Alpha Flight in its practice sessions. She needed to know the limits and abilities of the team backwards and forwards as well as possible super powered threats to Canada.
She would be the co-ordinator between the nations civil defences and Alpha Flight. Today her training would be put to the test.

Currently she was looking through a window into the training and exercise room. Puck was giving the newest member Roger Bochs aka Box, a scenario in his exo-skeleton. A strength test to determine the lifting capacity of his armoured form. The hrdraulic weight pressed down upon Box who was still well within safety range. Puck increased the weight using the remote he held.
“Just let me know when to lay off, eh?”
“Not until I break Walter’s record.” Came the tinny reply from the Box construct that Roger was phased into.
“Oh, so that’s the ticket? Well, then, game on.”

Heather smiled. The two of them had gotten along well, but then they were friends in the Beta Flight program. Likely, it was also the fact that both of them had surpassed the sum of their physical limitations so a natural bond had formed. Heather flicked the interior comm on. “You can do it, Roger. Your not going to let Sasquatch get the better of you, are you?”
“No way Mrs. Hudson. The day that happens is the day I comb out the knots in his hairy…”
“ROGER!”
Aurora swooped into the room and stood in front of Box. "Curb your rude tongue, you shouldn’t speak about another teammate like that.”
Puck could barely suppress his laughter. “Take it easy Jeanne-Marie. We were just encouraging Box’s workout. No harm done, eh?”
Aurora shifted her stance. “Well, if that’s all it was…” She bent over and feigned stretching out her leg. Roger was given a full view of her derrier to which her suit clung to, most affectionately.
Puck caught the overt flirtation and was about to give Roger a ribbing, but when he looked over to him, Box had become unbalanced. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there.” He quickly dialed the mass down.
Heather’s voice spoke through the comm again. “Aurora.” She admonished.
“Oh, Heather. No harm done.” Aurora winked at the pair then walked over to the weights.
“You okay Roger?” Asked his friend.
“Yeah, sure, if that was the last sight I’d have seen, I could think of worse ways to go.”

I like it so far.

Chapter 3

Madison Jeffries wiped the grease from his hands with a damp cloth. Of course, it would not completely clean his hands but it will have to do until he could properly wash them. Now he had an engine to test. The Avengers donated the new Alpha Jet (a modified Quinjet) two months ago. It took that long to get it up to Madison’s specs. He stood in front of the craft that now sported a sleeker design and the Canadian colours.
“Well, Mac will like it, but couldn’t you add some native designs?”
Madison swung around and came face-to-face with Elizabeth Twoyoungmen, daughter to Alpha Flight’s Shaman.
“Hello Liz, what brings you here?”
Elizabeth was dressed in a deerskin jacket with frills and blue jeans ending in a pair of leather boots. The young, pretty girl was just out of University, and the bearer of the Talisman, a powerful magical artifact. She had joined Alpha Flight a month ago in order to be with her father and help heal past emotional wounds.
“Are you kidding? Haven’t you been watching T.V.?”
“Nope, been working on the Alpha Jet. Trouble?”
“Something is happening in New York City.”
Madison crossed his arms, a look of concern on his face. “Oh?”
“It’s all over the news, some sort of plague…”
“Plague?”
“Well that’s what the reporters said. I don’t know.”
“You, uh…y’know?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “Detecting anything mystical? No, I’m not.”
“I guess the New York heroes are present. The Avengers, the FF…”
A worried look crossed her features. “The Avengers were the first on the scene.”
Madison cocked his head. “And?”
“And they were the first to be infected.”

The hanger’s speaker crackled to life, Heather’s voice echoed out into the vast chamber. “All members of Alpha and Beta Flight report to the briefing room. I repeat, Alpha and Beta to the briefing room.”
Elizabeth flashed a concerned look to Madison. “Two guesses what this is about.”
“With both teams being called, none needed.”
The two hurried to their destination.


In the briefing room, two sets of teams were assembling. Most of Alpha was already there. Jeanne-Marie sat beside Walter, her usual playful smile was absent and she held the Doctor’s hand. Roger (in his wheelchair) sat close to the front of the room. Eugene entered with Narya and Gardner Monroe, better known as Snowbird and Flashback.
Lastly, Madison, Elizabeth and Jean-Paul (now in costume) entered. Mac stood at the front of the room.
“Elizabeth, I heard you were here.” Mac said. “Your Father is in his meditation room, trying to determine if this threat is magical.”
“It’s not. I already know.”
“I see.” He replied, he noticed the frightened look in her eyes. “Well, maybe he can find out what it is anyways.”
“What are we dealing with here, Mac?” Walter asked, still holding the hand of Jeanne-Marie.
Heather walked into the room at that moment with her laptop. “No one knows yet,” she started right in.” “But I have some satellite footage now of Ground Zero.”
“Good, plug it into the monitor, Heather.” Mac said.

Soon, the entire room was witnessing the beginning of the end.