Ultimate Alpha Flight
Note that this work takes place within the Ultimate Universe and at least in some part is dependant in some already established facts and circumstances from those titles.
Chapter 1: Birth of the Flight
Eugene Milton Judd watched anxiously as the technicians finalized their work. All of his hopes and dreams hinged on this single piece of equipment, the fruition of a year’s worth of work. After too many years of grunt work in service of his country, he had been given this assignment to prove himself worthy. His task was certainly not an easy one, and he had spent many long hours preparing each piece to serve him. He had at his fingertips the extensive resources of S.H.I.E.L.D., and would soon have the perfect team assembled to achieve his goals. Once this final tool was assembled, he would be prepared to destroy the Hulk.
He glanced to his right, nothing the tense frown on the face of his superior, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury. This was the first time in nearly three months that Judd had even spoken with Fury, but this final stage was important enough to warrant the director’s attention. A long time ago he had served with Fury in combat, and they had become close companions, even friends, or so Judd had thought. Recently, the director had been distant and harsh, preoccupied with new priorities on a scale that made Judd seem even more diminished than he already was.
Judd, or Puck, as he had affectionately codenamed himself, was indeed small, both in the grand scale of the world and stature. Puck suffered from the condition of dwarfism, or so most people thought. Rather, he found it to be quite a blessing, as he had learned to challenge himself and had risen to unexpected heights in life. He had followed his path to the military, where he had broken barriers and surpassed all expectations. Beyond becoming a challenging hand-to-hand combatant, he had also become a weapons expert and had gained an extensive knowledge of combat strategy. With the assistance of the Weapon X project, he had been altered to become a formidable weapon of death.
A tired sigh drew his attention to the left, where his companion and teammate Water Langowski waited patiently. Langowski had originally only been involved in the research element of the program, having extensively studied the Hulk during his captivity. As Judd had learned by studying Langowski’s confidential file provided by Fury, Langowski had taken certain liberties during the research. After modifying certain DNA samples from the Hulk, Walter managed to fashion a serum of his own, which he promptly tested on himself. Although significantly weaker than the Hulk, Langowski’s formula allowed Walter to maintain his own personality during the transformation, and allowed him to revert at will. As a result of this unique ability and the doctor’s extensive knowledge of the Hulk, Judd knew he was a valuable asset to the project.
The circumstances of the third member of the project were even more peculiar. Another doctor, Michael Twoyoungmen, had at one point been the most talented surgeon in all of Canada. After treating several high profile mutant cases, he had been recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. to assist in monitoring the status of the Weapon X patients and to act as a combat medic in certain scenarios. During this period, Twoyoungmen had received a mysterious package from his estranged father, declaring that he was to become the Shaman, a mystical guardian of the Earth. S.H.I.E.L.D. capitalized on this development and quickly attached him to the program, hoping that his newfound magical abilities would be able to strike at the Hulk where the physical could not. The package contained a simple leather bag that came with a simple message of instruction from his father: The Shaman’s tool is belief, but to question is to lose all sanity. This simple, enigmatic warning had not slowed Michael’s progress and he had soon gained a mastery of the magical arts and rightfully earned the title of Shaman.
And so Puck’s gaze came to rest upon the fourth and final member of his team, the subject lying helplessly on the operating table. His name was James MacDonald Hudson. He had spent most of his life working in Canadian law enforcement. Two months before, he had been wounded in the line of duty by a common criminal. While he had survived the initial encounter, the damage was severe and his health began to fail. His wife, Heather, had been supportive throughout the process, but he had known from the start that he was going to die. And then one day he had been approached by a S.H.I.E.L.D. official who had offered to save his life in exchange for service to the government. After seeing the desperate, pleading look on his wife’s face the next day, he had agreed. And so the Weapon X program had sustained him and they had gathered to watch the final stage as the suit was grafted onto his body. The technicians stepped back, giving the thumbs up of approval.
They waited in breathless anticipation until finally he sat up, scanning across the room. With a sudden movement, he pushed off of the table. His body swung around with extraordinary grace and he hung poised in the air, hovering several feet off the ground. “Congratulations, Judd,” said Fury quietly. “The Vindicator is a success.” He turned to face Puck. “The Alpha Program is officially complete. Alpha Flight is active.”
Next: Alpha Flight vs. Hulk!
Additional Notes: I welcome any feedback, positive or negative and hope that you will enjoy these stories. I plan to write several more chapters and hope to introduce several new characters, among them Snowbird, Wild Child, Marinna and Guardian, all in ways you've never imagined them before!
Disclaimer: Alpha Flight and the Ultimate titles are all owned by Marvel comics. Although the plot may be mine, the characters and the world are not.
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