Alpha Flight #5: “Reborn.”
By: Tawmis

In a time of darkness, heroes stood up and fought for their country
that they loved so much. Hated by their own government, questioned by
the people of Canada – Alpha Flight never stops to ask why they do
what they do. They are heroes. It is their duty. Welcome – Vindicator!
Guardian! Sasquatch! Northstar! Aurora! Shaman! Puck! Snowbird! Welcome to –
Alpha Flight!


The pinging on the monitor grew, as did the smile on Master’s face. “We’re
approaching my goal,” he whispered. “At last, she will once more be mine!”
Wildchild looked around, as he heard the high advanced sub whine and bend under
the sea’s depth pressure. He looked at Master. “How far are we beneath the
ocean surface?”
“We are about 32,000 feet below the ocean surface,” Master replied, as he
turned to Wildchild. “Amazing to think that anything could survive down here,
under such harsh conditions and pressures. But you,” he smiled, “or anyone with
adamantium lacing would be crushed in a second, like a steam roller going over
a block of butter.”
He paused, and thought not asked, continued to explain, “And this isn’t even
the deepest portion. The Pacific Ocean has the deepest ocean depths, on
average, as well as the deepest recorded depth. The average depth of the
Pacific Ocean is 13, 740 feet… the deepest portion of it being Mariana Trench,
which is about 36, 200 feet beneath the ocean surface. The Atlantic Ocean
average is only 12, 254 feet, while the Indian Ocean is 12, 740 feet. However,
the Atlantic’s deepest portion is deeper than the Indian Ocean, going down as
far as 28, 374 feet in the Puerto Rico Trench. The deepest portion of the
Indian Ocean is merely 25, 344 feet and is known as the Java Trench.” He
smiled. “The Artic Ocean’s average depth is 3, 407 feet. Hardly anything
compared to the others. Its deepest portion is 17, 881 feet and called Eurasia
Basin.” He gestured at the sonar map before him. “Isn’t it incredible how deep
the Pacific is? How far we have ventured down? If you could see the marine
life
outside, you would probably be startled, and believe in ‘sea monsters’ for the
creatures at this depth are indeed an incredible sight to behold in this
area.”
Wildchild nodded, “Right. I will take your word for it.”
Master looked over his shoulder as Wildchild began to leave. “You don’t want to
hear the rest? About how the ocean contains every known naturally occurring
element plus various gases, chemical compounds, and minerals? For example, the
element chloride has 18, 980 parts per million. And the element sodium has…”
Wildchild shut the door behind him and blinked his eyes. “Some people,” he
shook his head, “know entirely too much information for their own good.”
“And some people,” Bile stood up. “Don’t know where they’re not welcomed.”
“Yeah well,” Wildchild shrugged, hardly giving it much thought. “It’s not like
I can go anywhere else.”
“We could shove you through a torpedo shaft,” Brain Drain suggested, stepping
up from the table. “I think we could make you fit.”
Wildchild extended his hands, revealing his adamantium tipped claws. “If you’d
like to give it a try, I more than welcome you!”
Bile was the first to lunge forward. “One touch is all I need!”
Wildchild jumped up, using the strength in his arm to leap frog over Bile and
lung at Brain Drain. “One touch is something you won’t get!” As he flew towards
Brain Drain, claws ready, he added, “Adamantium cuts nicely through glass!”
Brain Drain screeched in horror. It was Ms. Mass that stood suddenly between
Wildchild and Brain Drain. Wildchild used his claws to strike at Ms. Mass,
however her rubbery exterior prevented the claws from ripping into her.
Wildchild sneered. “I can’t scratch your flesh,” he placed his middle fingers
on each of her eyes. “But I can bet I can rake out your eyes!”
Now it was Ms. Mass that was screaming.
Sinew growled and leaped at Wildchild, however he sprung off Ms. Mass living a
diving board, leaving Sinew to fly and have nothing to attack. Wildchild jumped
on Sinew. “You’re in every way inferior to me! And don’t think for a moment, I
don’t recognize you! Wyre thought he killed all of his children, but you were
there! You were one of them, injected with Wyre’s DNA!” (1)
Sinew growled, and swung at Wildchild – but each swing, Wildchild blocked with
ease. “You were one of the first,” Wildchild continued. “Before Wyre knew what
exactly they were doing.” Wildchild jumped off Sinew and let Sinew lunge.
Wildchild dodged, sliding his foot against Sinew’s ankles, forcing Sinew to
fall. “But by the time they got to me, they had perfected it. You’re weak,
inferior. Master may have moved Wyre’s DNA from me, so I am not a monster
anymore – but that doesn’t mean I have forgotten how to fight.”
“That will be enough, Kyle,” Master said, as he stood in the doorway.
Wildchild looked over at Master. “I didn’t want this, they did.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Master looked over his original gathering of Omega Flight. “
But be the better person and walk away from it now. These will be your
teammates when we strike at Alpha Flight.”
Wildchild looked. “Why are we going after Alpha Flight?”
“Because,” Master explained again, “for once I want revenge. Normally I am
against such petty feelings. But they’ve stood in my way too many times. And I
know when I recover my daughter, that Alpha Flight will somehow be in the
middle of it, trying to stop me once more.”
“Right,” Wildchild sneered, and released his hold on Sinew’s neck.
“This is never going to work,” Murmure replied, shaking her head. “Wildchild
alone nearly defeated Omega Flight.”
Mesmero, who sat next to Murmure, had also watched it all unfold. “Indeed, it
doesn’t bode well. However, Master seems to think that we are mostly a
distraction and that his daughter will be the one that truly defeats Alpha
Flight.”

Meanwhile, at Department M, in Canada.
General Birost slammed his fist on the ground. “Do you realize what you have
done?”
Vindicator removed his helmet, his features stern. “We’ve stopped you from
making a big mistake and creating a super powered army in some foreign country
to be used for the sake of war.”
“You have also ruined our last chance,” General Birost shook his head. “Why did
you even get involved? It did not concern you!”
“It concerned Wyre,” Vindicator began, “and it concerned Narya’s DNA, which
should have never been sold, let alone taken from her.”
“It was government business,” General Birost screamed, his face growing as
crimson as the Canadian flag.
“And you made it Alpha Flight’s business by using our people, the way you have
always used us,” Vindicator replied. He placed his helmet back on. “Next time
stay away from us.”
“Because of your ‘bust’,” General Birost explained, loudly, “The Departments
have to shut down. We’ve run out of money.”
“A shame,” Vindicator replied as he turned towards the door. “Really, my heart
is broken.”
“Then consider this,” General Birost replied. “Department H is going under, but
so are the ones like Department M. Do you know about Department M?”
“I do,” Vindicator paused, standing in the doorway, his back towards General
Birost.
“Good,” Birost replied. “So then you know you have ruined the future for young
mutants here in Canada. We had a place to train them to use their powers, to
learn to control them, so that they would be socially accepted. So that
people – normal, every day people! – would have no reason to fear them
anymore.”
Vindicator turned around. “I am sorry for the children. But I know you,
General. I know how the Department works. You try to put an innocent spin on
it, but I know your intentions for training them has little to do with them
being ‘socially accepted.’ It has more to do with becoming the next super
powered beings to be used by the Department. I came here only as a curiosity
when I received the message. Now, I part with a smile on my face, General, and
with no regrets.”
Vindicator shut the door behind, and walked away.

“There!” Master pointed at the sonar. “Llan was right. She is here, sleeping a
false death.” He turned to the controls, for the first time in a very long
time, his hands trembling nervously. Mechanical arms, made of the same alien
alloy that the sub had been made of, reached out and pulled a glowing white
sack into a small compartment.
A push of the button, ejected the water back into the ocean, and drained the
compartment of its water. Another button and air violently bubbled outward, as
the compartment slowly pressurized itself to the same pressure within the sub,
doing it ever so gently.
The Master then walked downstairs and peered at the white cocoon before him. “
It’s her. It’s really her.”
He leaned down and placed his hand upon the cocoon. Beneath his sensitive
fingertips, he confirmed what the sensors did.
She was alive.
Master turned to the others. “Now it’s time to awaken her.”

“Any luck on tracking down Kyle?” Shaman asked as he entered the room.
Walter shook his head. “None,” he answered, his frustration clearly present. “
It’s as if he has suddenly vanished. Or was dead.”
“Or someone or something has done an incredibly job hiding him,” Shaman
replied, sitting down. “Have you contacted Xavier, see if their machine Cerebro
is able to locate him?”
“Done that,” Sasquatch replied. “Apparently during Onslaught, X-Mansion took a
lot of damage. Most of the machinery within is Shi’ar Technology, which most of
them don’t know how to repair. And Professor Xavier apparently suffered a
terrible head wound that’s left him in a coma.” (2)
“My mystical search has also availed me naught,” Shaman nodded.
“Has James returned from the Department yet?”
The door slid open and Vindicator entered the room, removing his helmet. “The
Department is going under,” he said flatly. “Apparently the reason for selling
Snowbird’s DNA was a last ditch effort to gather some money to keep the
Department afloat.”
“Well that’s a good thing right?” Sasquatch asked, turning his head slightly. “
I mean, they were a very bad representation of the Canadian government after
all. They were entirely too ‘X-Files’ like.”
Shaman smiled at Sasquatch and turned his head. “All of the Department is
closing?”
“Yes,” Vindicator set his helmet down on the table. “Including Department M.”
“I wonder how Madison will take that? He’s the one who is basically leading the
kids in Department M,” Sasquatch turned.
“If he doesn’t understand,” Vindicator replied, “then we will have to work it
out with him. It is for the best. I think even he will understand.” He took a
deep breath. “Has there been any sign of Wildchild?”
“None,” Sasquatch replied.
Vindicator was silent for a moment. “Someone’s going through a great deal to
hide him.”
“Or he’s dead,” Sasquatch added flatly.
“I don’t think so,” Vindicator replied. “Something tells me he’s alive and out
there… and may be in over his head.”

“Closing us down?” Madison looked at the soldier. “Why?”
“I’m not privledge to that kind of information, sir,” the soldier reported
back.
“I understand,” Madison nodded. “Thanks.”
Diamond Lil came up behind him. “I heard what he said.”
Madison nodded. “Not sure how I am going to tell the others.” He turned to
Diamond Lil, his fiancé. “Can you go gather them for me?”
“Sure,” she whispered, and softly walked away.
Only a few moments later, Madison had Goblyn, Pathway, Highbrow, Persuasion,
Talisman, Windshear, Box, Feedback and Witchfire gathered around him.
He took a deep breath. “I just got word from a Department official that
Department M has been shut down.”
“Shut down?” Pathway asked. “Why’s that?”
“I am not sure,” Madison answered. “But from what I have seen, it looks like
Department M isn’t the only one. I took a brief walk around and talked to a few
people, and it seems like everyone has gotten their termination notices.”
“I can’t believe they’re closing the Department down,” Highbrow answered. “It
must be from the economical standpoint.”
“It could be,” Madison nodded. “And that seems to be what everyone else thinks
as well. These are tough times. And the Department finally just ran out of
money.”
“So what happens to us now?” Persuasion asked. “Where do we go?”
“I don’t know,” Madison answered truthfully. “Lil and I have a home, and there’
s a basement there. But it doesn’t have anything else. We could convert it to a
training center. But it won’t have anything that they have here.”
Talisman shook her head. “The two of you are getting married. (3) We are not
about to make your home our new base for training.” Talisman smiled, “I thank
you for everything, Madison. You have always been here for us through these
last few months, taking the time to take care of us all. Help us all improve.
Perhaps it’s time I look up my father again, and see if we can spend some time
together once more, as father and daughter, not as Shaman and Talisman.”
Windshear nodded. “I guess I can go back to my business I had before.”
Madison turned towards Box. “I want you to keep the armor,” he said, “if you
wish, Sean.”
Inside the armor Sean smiled. “I’d be honored, Madison. Beta Flight may be
disassembled, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep fighting for what’s right.”
Feedback looked around. “I don’t have anywhere to go. This was all I really
had.”
“We’d be glad to take anyone with us,” Lil suddenly spoke up. “You have all
been like family to me.”
Feedback smiled. “Thank you, Lil. Thank you very much.”
“Anyone else?” Madison smiled.
“I,” Witchfire paused. “I…” She turned away then bolted out the door.
“What with her?” Box asked.
“Her past,” Madison answered. “She still hasn’t dealt with it.”
“I know she recovered her memory once, and attacked Alpha Flight,” Talisman
replied. “But I thought that her memory was lost once again, when she rejected
Belasco’s plans?”
“We’ve been working hard to restore her memory completely,” Madison admitted. “
Including using Deep Trance.”
“You mean sleep hypnosis therapy?” Talisman asked.
“Yes,” Madison replied. “Until she realizes and accepts who and what she is,
she remains a threat. She needs to accept who she is and learn to control that
power within her. If she goes on living obliviously, and suddenly ‘awakens’
with the knowledge of who she really is and no ability to control it… well, you
saw what has already happened once.” (4)
“Should we go after her?” Talisman looked at the now vacant doorway.
“She needs time,” Madison replied. “With Department M shutting down, she’s
afraid of what she can become… she’s afraid now she won’t get the training she
needs.”
“Will she?”
“If she wants it,” Madison replied. “Only if she wants it…”
At that very moment, there was a thunderous sound…

Meanwhile back at Alpha Flight’s base.
Sasquatch suddenly jumped up, “Holy hooligans!”
Shaman, startled, turned towards Sasquatch. “What is it?”
“Wildchild just popped up on our scanner,” Sasquatch pointed. “And you will
never guess where!”

The wall collapsed around them, Madison looked around, seeing that Windshear
was blasting the fragments as they fell.
Just as the dust settled, a familiar voice called out, “Where is Alpha Flight?”
“You knocked on the wrong door,” Madison growled, as Master came into view. “
Alpha Flight doesn’t train here. Beta Flight trains here.”
“I am well aware of that,” Master replied. “But where Beta Flight is, Alpha
Flight is not far behind.”
“They cut their ties with the Department,” Madison answered.
“Yes,” Master replied back, snidely. “But this should bring them running right
back. Omega Flight, destroy Beta Flight.”
Suddenly around Master, several figures appeared: Bile, Brain Drain, Ms. Mass,
Sinew, Strongarm, Tech-Noir, Murmure, Wildchild, Stitch, and Mesmero.
Madison looked, “Beta Flight,” he shouted. “This is it. They’re not going to
hold back. This time we can’t afford to hold back.”
The members of Omega Flight rushed past Master, shouting and screaming as they
pressed forward to the attack.
“Do not attempt to attack your counterparts,” Brain Drain shouted, while across
from him Highbrow shouted commands.
“Diamond Lil, go for Strongarm. Persuasion, go for Mesmero and the other girl
next to him. Goblyn, go for Wildchild and Sinew if you can. Pathway, keep an
eye on everyone and try to teleport them should they get in trouble. Talisman,
go after Tech-Noir. Box go for Ms. Mass and Bile. I will go for…”
His words fell short, and suddenly he tried to scream but couldn’t. A thin
needle was weaving its way between his lips, physically sealing them! He stared
in horror as the red headed girl known as Stitch telekentically sealed his
mouth!

Diamond Lil and Strongarm wrestled one another. “You’re tough,” Strongarm
laughed. “But hardly worthy of a match against me!”
“You?” Diamond Lil laughed as he punched her, throwing her across the room.
Diamond Lil dusted herself off. “All you got is super strength. I will give you
that. But I’ve beaten Spider-Man before.” (5)
Strongarm threw another punch, which Diamond Lil dodged under, coming up
quickly on the other side of his arm. “I have done more in my life, than you
ever could, Strongarm,” she sneered, grabbing his arm at the elbow and placing
it under her armpit. “And I don’t rely on cybernetics.”
She tried to snap it, but found she could not.
“Made from the alien metal from the Master,” Strongarm laughed and punched her
once more. “Stronger he claims, then adamantium.”

Goblyn clawed violently at Sinew, her talons tearing deep. Sinew backed off a
moment and sized Goblyn. Sinew growled once more and lunged. The two entangled
with one another, arms and legs, locking as they tumbled and slammed against
the wall.
Each made a howling and hissing sound, equivalent to that of two ferocious
mountain lions engaged in final combat.
Sinew’s claws raked deep into Goblyn’s shoulder, who in turn, retaliated with
claws raking down Sinew’s eyes.
Sinew fell backwards, holding his eyes.

Box flew down and struck Bile. Bile’s hands feverishly reached for Box,
realizing too late that his metallic armor made it impossible to infect him. “
Someone help me!” Bile screamed.
Then, from nowhere, Wildchild jumped on Box’s armor. “Tough metal, but not as
tough as adamantium!” Wildchild growled. He brought his claws upward and then
struck down, rendering Bile’s hand off from the rest of his body. Bile screamed
in horror and pain. “I missed?” Wildchild seemed puzzled.
“You did,” Box boomed, and threw Wildchild from his back. Box turned to Bile,
who was now unconscious from the shock, and knew that he would no longer be a
threat.

Persuasion approached Mesmero and shouted, “Obey me!”
Mesmero turned. “Child, you think you could control me? I am Mesmero! I have
warped the greatest minds in the world!”
“Perhaps not you,” Persuasion replied. “But her.”
Two blasts struck Mesmero in the shoulder. In horror, he looked up to see Tech-
Noir, save for her flesh was purple in color – a side effect of being
manipulated by Persuasion.
“There,” Persuasion smiled.
Suddenly, she felt her mind blank as Murmure stepped passed her, after gently
touching her shoulder.

Stitch smiled down at Bile who stared at his hand in shock. “You – you sewed it
and the nerves back?”
He blinked. “And you never had to touch me,” he added. He smiled, and re-
entered the fray, his first victim standing before him like a statue. “Welcome
to the dying lands,” he whispered as his hand clasped over Persuasion’s face.
Highbrow tried to scream in protest, but his mouth has still been sealed.

At that moment, Alpha Flight entered the scene with Vindicator carrying Puck.
“Master,” Vindicator boomed, “Stand down, before this gets any worse.”
Highbrow ran towards Aurora and pointed at Persuasion, who was on the ground
flopping about like a fish out of water. Aurora quickly flew to her side. “Mon
Dieu!” she looked up at Highbrow. “She is burning up!”
Highbrow gestured towards Bile who was already making his way into the battle
once more.
“I shall take her to zee hospital,” Aurora picked up Persuasion, with little
regard of whether or not whatever affliction had over come her was the least
bit contangous, and in a gust of wind and light, Aurora and Persuasion were
gone from the battle.

Strongarm pulled back to land another punch on Diamond Lil, gloating all the
while, “Sure, your skin is ‘diamond’ hard! Just makes it so much more
pleasurable beating on you, knowing you won’t be dying anytime soon! Really
lets me cut loose with this new cybernetic arm!”
Suddenly his arm was caught.
He turned around to see Sasquatch smiling at him. “Mind if I have this dance?”
Sasquatch’s massive fist slammed into Strongarm sending him across the room. “
Not the way to be treating ladies,” he chuckled as he kneeled down to help
Diamond Lil to her feet. “Especially one who is about to get married. Good
thing your skin is diamond hard,” Sasquatch chuckled, once he saw that she was
all right. “There’s no bruises to be found.”

Tech-Noir, freed from Persuasion’s control looked around the room. She saw that
the rest of Alpha Flight had indeed shown up. She took to the air, and loaded
her highly advanced gun. It hummed as it came alive. She peered through the
scope, centered it on the back of Vindicator’s head. It had the sheer power and
force to go right through his armor and once and for all, end the life of James
Hudson.
Guardian saw that Tech-Noir was in position, and just as the trigger was
pulled, flew in front of the path.
The red beam struck Heather directly in the chest, sending her crashing into
Vindicator, who then proceeded to slam into Master.
Master shouted, “You missed, Tech-Noir! You hit Heather!”
“Heather!” Puck shouted. “You worthless, motherless…” He turned, “Sasquatch!
Now, fast ball!”
“Coming up, runt,” Sasquatch leaped over the fray to land next to Puck, quickly
picking him up and throwing him at Tech-Noir. Puck, with his dense body,
smashed into Tech-Noir, shorting her armor. As the two of them spiraled back
towards the Earth at an incredibly velocity, Puck shouted over the howling
wind, “You will have to forgive me, eh, for hitting you! But you have crossed
the line!” And in a flurry of blinding speed, Puck’s fist landed time after
time after time on Tech-Noir’s unprotected face, with a speed that might have
made Northstar proud.
Sasquatch turned to Northstar, “Northstar, down here. Heather needs immediate
medical attention!”
“Of course,” Northstar did not even pause. Heather was simply suddenly gone
from in front of Sasquatch with only a strong gust of wind to suggest that he
had flown by at a blinding speed and picked her up.
“Shouldn’t turn your back on an enemy,” Strongarm laughed, as his cybernetic
fist crashed against the back of Sasquatch’s skull. The impact alone would have
shattered a steel door, six feet thick.
Sasquatch did not even flinch.
Instead, he turned slowly and stood up, towering well over seven feet tall.
“I’m tired of this,” Sasquatch growled. “I was having fun. But now people are
getting hurt. This isn’t a game anymore.”
Strongarm tried to punch again, but this time Sasquatch caught his fist within
his own orange palm. “And I’m sick of you boasting. Maybe the metal can’t be
broke or bent. But it can be ripped from the portion of flesh it connects
to.”
Strongarm’s eyes widened with fear. “What? You wouldn’t!”
The next sound was Strongarm screaming, as he fell to his knees. His cybernetic
arm clumped to the floor next to him.
“I would,” Sasquatch muttered. “And I did.”

Puck looked as he and Tech-Noir continued to fall. They were getting closer and
closer to the ground. Even his own dense body would not survive this fall. And
if he did, he wouldn’t be walking away from it.
Just seconds before impact, he felt a gust of wind, and felt the wind against
his face.
“Puck,” Northstar’s voice spoke softly. Puck turned to see that Jean-Paul had
been carrying him now. “You always fall for the wrong women.”
“As opposed to the wrong men, eh?” Puck chuckled.
Northstar only smiled in response.
“And Tech-Noir?” Puck asked against the howling wind.
“I could only save one of you,” Northstar answered. “And you know me, I will
save the men before the women.”
Puck looked behind him, but could hardly keep his eyes open against the
pressure of the wind. “Do you think she survived?”
“The armor undoubtedly allowed her to survive,” Northstar replied, as he turned
around, heading back into the battle. “What her condition is, I can hardly
begin to guess.”

“Kyle!” Wyre shouted.
Wildchild paused. “Wyre…”
“We found you,” Wyre ran towards Wildchild. “We’ve been hunting everywhere for
you. What happened?”
Wildchild paused. “You… you were looking for me?”
“Of course,” Wyre nodded. “We all were. You disappeared…”
“Sentinels,” Wildchild explained. (6) He shook his head. “Too complicated to
tell. Then the Master…” (7)
“Kyle, your face…” Wyre noticed. “You look…”
“Cured,” Wildchild answered.
“That’s great,” Wyre smiled. “You’re finally your own man once more.”
“No,” Wildchild looked down. “I owe it to the Master.” Wildchild looked into
Wyre’s eyes. “And I strike for him…”
Wildchild raised his claws and paused.
It had been no mistake when he struck Bile earlier. He had intentionally done
so. As he had intentionally made “mistakes” during the battle that favored the
heroes.
He knew he could not strike down Wyre.
Despite their history – Wyre had been the one who had tried to hunt down
Wildchild and kill him. (
But in the end, Wyre had been his only true friend.
“Weakling!” boomed a voice. “I should have known you would never be reliable!”
A blast flew from Master’s gauntlet, aimed directly at Wildchild. Wyre quickly
shoved him aside and let the blast strike him full force. The sheer amount of
energy and impact of the blast threw Wyre across the room and against the far
wall, where he slid down the wall, and remained motionless.
“Wyre!” Wildchild snapped. He turned towards Master. “You didn’t have to do
that! This doesn’t even need to happen! All of this,” he gestured around him, “
is because of your petty need for revenge!”
“Do not speak to me of petty,” Master shouted back. “You, who are no more than
an animal! What do you know? How dare you of all people speak to me in such a
manner? I am in so many ways your superior!”
Wildchild growled. “Superior you may be,” he shouted as he sprung into a
lunge. “But that doesn’t mean you have what it takes to win this!”
Master blasted Wildchild from the air, and watched as he slammed against the
ceiling, then down to the floor, like a discarded toy.
“Yes, it does,” Master replied. “My armor is equipped to counter every known
power on this backwards mud-ball called Earth.”

“Well, lookie here,” Ms. Mass growled, as she grabbed Snowbird by the hair. “
You’re very pretty, aren’t you? You know what? I hate pretty girls. Because I
ain’t very pretty, wouldn’t you agree?”
Snowbird looked up, “The only thing I can agree on is that you have made a
terrible mistake.”
“What’s a thin, little, frail girl like yourself going to do against me?”
“Make a change,” Snowbird replied, as she suddenly took the form of a polar
bear. She reared up and struck Ms. Mass, though doing no damage, it toppled her
over on Sinew, who let out an animal’s cry.
“Nice!” Ms. Mass laughed, “but that didn’t hurt. And once I get up, you can bet
little girl, that I am going to show you a lesson or two!”
However, before Ms. Mass could get up, Snowbird changed forms once again, this
time into a giant sized artic owl, whose claws went straight for the only
vulnerable portion of her body!
Her eyes!
Ms. Mass screamed, as she placed her hands over her bleeding eyes. Snowbird
took form next to Ms. Mass. “Never underestimate me again. I had once torn out
the heart of Walter, a fellow teammate, simply to assure victory.” (9)

Vindicator landed next to Shaman. “How’s everything holding up, Michael?”
“Strainging,” Shaman replied, beads of sweat pouring down his head rapidly. “I
have erected a magical field to contain the battle within here, but there’s
something outside, trying to get in.”
“Any idea what it is?” Vindicator asked.
“None,” Shaman replied, grunting. “But whatever it is, it’s strong.”
“Is it a magical attack?” Vindicator asked.
“No,” Shaman replied. “Something with a strong will… and sheer power.”

Wildchild, who despite the battle heard this, looked upward.
Would they be ready for what was coming?
Wildchild turned to Aurora who had been fighting with Murmure, simply taunting
her by flying around her at a blinding speed – so fast that Murmure could not
touch her, not even when flailing her arms around wildly.
“Aurora!” Wildchild shouted. “You have got to listen to me. Before Master
brings in…”

Shaman flew backwards, the magical barrier shattered.

Water crashed throughout the Department, nearly an impossible feat, since the
nearest lake was miles away.
From the water, in a surging spout, a female figure appeared.
Vindicator, who had gone to Shaman’s side, stared in wide eyed wonder.
“Marinna…?”

YOU CAN BET IT WILL BE CONTINUED IN ISSUE #6 of 6…!


1. For more about Wyre’s DNA being passed around like free candy, check out
Marvel’s Alpha Flight #117 (Volume One)
2. See Alternate Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men #360 for that tale!
3. Madison proposed to Diamond Lil in Marvel’s Alpha Flight #103 (Volume One)
4. See Marvel’s Alpha Flight #122-124 (Volume One)
5. Indeed she did, in Marvel’s Alpha Flight #74. Not only did she defeat Spider-
Man, she killed him in an alternate reality.
6. See Alternate Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men #342, for his capture. Then see
Alternate Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men #347, 352-353 for more details on the
Sentinels.
7. See Alternate Marvel’s Alpha Flight #3
8. See Marvel’s Alpha Flight #114 and #117 for more on Wyre and Wildchild, and
their connection.
9. Indeed she did, check out Marvel’s Alpha Flight #23 for that gory tale!