The Alpha Complex

The woman, who is looking through the glass partition into the other woman's quarters, is called Heather Hudson. She has another name. That name is Vindicator. When she began her super-hero career she started out as Vindicator, since then changed it to Guardian, after the first Guardian's death, and then changed it back to Vindicator, when she re-entered the super heroine life nearly half a decade ago. Sometimes she is even confused by the name game she and her husband, plays from time to time.

At the current moment, she is co-leader of a team of Canadian mutants and freaks called Alpha Flight. With a steady roster pushing into the double digits, she now knows why there is a need for two leaders instead of the standard one.

The woman inside the room with her father and 'sister' has two names also. Her birth name is Elizabeth Twoyoungmen. But she prefers the nomenclature Talisman, a name she is more accustomed to than her birth name. She is half-Indian, half-Canadian, all super powered mystic. Talisman is sitting Indian-style, cross-legged on the floor of her quarters. On the floor, all around her, is a pentagram that only the other mystics in the room know its true meaning.

She seems to be drawing reserve energies from the pentagram, the drawing that seemed to be the engraving from a baby-child, as it spews forth into the air, surrounds the three figures, and stays there, waiting. Waiting for what? Heather does not know.

Heather needs to talk to Elizabeth, Talisman, quickly. But without the appearance of the others there. Talisman seems to be her traditional role of bossing the Alphans around and taking control of the team again. When they first faced the Dream Queen and Llan the Sorcerer, she fell immediately into that role. Heather thought they were beyond that. Apparently not, she thought.

And then, as soon as the fantastic display started, it was over. Whatever happened was done with and the three mystics were talking amongst themselves again calmly, sharply, as three friends or family members should.

Narya opened the door and Vindicator entered as they bade her. "The one called Talisman is ready to speak with you now."

"Thank you, Snowbird." Vindicator walked over to where Talisman was sitting, whose back was to her. "You mind telling me what is going on. You know, Gentry, the P.M., and I wasn't all too happy with your current actions, regarding the Pestilence-Shaman and your father who was brainwashed by the Dream Queen to attack you with Ranark, the Ravager."

"I'm sorry, Vindicator. It was necessary to summon help."

"Necessary? Necessary?? Girl, sometimes you are only as insufferable as Northstar, who is on an extended vacation with Aurora and Sasquatch."

Talisman brushed loose strands of hair out of her line of vision. For this argument to be effective, she wanted to look Vindicator directly in the eyes. "What would you have me do, Vindicator? Let a brainwashed Shaman, who I might remind you that only I knew was the real thing, kill me?!"

Vindicator sighed. "Granted. But you should have contacted me. I am co-leader of the team."

Shaman placed a reassuring hand on Vindicator's shoulder. "Calm down, Heather. Arguing amongst ourselves is not the way. But you have to admit that it was better to do it Talisman's way instead of having a long discussion about it with Mr. Gentry."

"Anyway, we will be out of your way for the time being," Snowbird said.

"What are you talking about, Narya?" Vindicator asked.

"Simply," Talisman said, "Shaman, Snowbird, and I are going on a vision quest to find the location of Llan's headquarters." Vindicator sighed again. "I guess I can't stop you."

"No, you can't."

After her talk with Talisman, Shaman, and Snowbird, Vindicator flew over the skylines to her apartment that she shared with her husband, Guardian, all the way in Ontario. It was a quiet day out but that was perfect because she could be alone with her thoughts. Lately, since the attack on Ranark, she had been in as much a brooding state as Kamikaze.

She entered through the open window and landed in the family room. James Macdonald Hudson, AKA Guardian was sitting on the sofa, watching the news on the tele. He was quiet, as quiet as the day outside, not even acknowledging her existence or her presence. She didn't know what to make of it or him. He was a strange husband, to say the least.

It all started years ago when she met Hudson while he worked for Am-Can Petroleum and she was just Mr. Jaxon's lowly secretary. It was love at first sight for her but James had other matters to occupy his time.

Jaxon was selling his new cybersuit to the government. Mac wouldn't hear of it so late at night, he broke into the lab and stole the cyberhelmet that controlled the suit. Without the helmet, the suit was useless.

But she learned years later that Mac was not always the innocent scientist that he purported to be. He may have been responsible for designing the admanatium skeleton that was forged on Logan's bones. He also created a super soldier out of the remains of a criminal, whom he christened Bedlam, the Brain Blast. It seemed that the government was forcing him to produce super heroes for Department H, in its more shady days.

Point of fact: James Macdonald Hudson just couldn't be trusted.

"Mac, we have to talk."

Hudson looked up from his position on the sofa. He was clad in his usual red and black plaid shirt and jeans and he was sipping a Coke.

"What about, Heather?"

"Frankly, Mac, what were you thinking when you decided to tackle that Ranark guy without consulting the team, without telling me about it? We're married and as a married couple, we are supposed to consult one another about things that we should do together."

Mac sighed. "She didn't leave me any choice. I told Shaman that Talisman still has to work on her summons."

"Yeh, yeh, I know. It was more of a compulsion. We all heard that line before. But couldn't you fight it? Didn't she leave you with any choice in the matter?"

"No, she didn't. And you know that people who have powers based in science don't have much protection against those based in magic." He paused. "What would you have me do? Just leave her there helpless while Shaman, our Shaman, cut her to ribbons."

"People are really giving me that self-same argument today. But something about the whole scenario seems wrong somehow."

"I know it does, honey. But you have to know that I had to do what I felt was best for the team. And Talisman."

James reached over to where Vindicator was sitting with him on the sofa and dragged her onto his lap. They hugged for brief moments.

"I know, Mac," she said. "But I guess it doesn't matter now what I feel about her brash act."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"It seems that Talisman, her father, and Narya have all gone on a quest to find out where Llan's HQ is."

"So what's wrong with that?"

"I just hope they don't run into Llan and his army without backup. If they can't face him, then what hope have we?"

"I see your point. There may be something I can do about it."

"And that is?"

Mac smiled as he changed into Guardian. "I'm going to have a little talk with Ranark."

The Omnijet dropped Sasquatch off at his apartment, feet away, and he changed back into his human form. He slung his backpack over his shoulders, which had his change of clothing neatly tucked in it.

The battle was a good one. It had been months since he last fought Ranark, the Ravager and before that, it had been years, since the early eighties. He was a formidable opponent, one that could really challenge his strengths as a his other identity as the Alphan, Sasquatch. This one was rather easy, though. He suspected it was mostly because Ranark depended too much on the brainwashed Shaman to do his dirty work for him.

Ranark's mistake would be his eventual undoing. Now, Ranark was in a Department H security prison for the rest of his natural life. But, Langkowski knew that there was nothing natural about the shaman named Ranark, the Ravager. His past life was shrouded in mystery to the general public. After his imprisonment by Shaman into a silver ball, Llan the Sorcerer freed him recently and recruited him into his army to bring about the total destruction of Alpha Flight. Walter thought that that was the scheme concocted by every one of their enemies, from Jerry Jaxon, the leader of the original Omega Flight, to Bedlam, the Brain Blast, the leader of the defunct Derangers.

Walter entered his apartment, locking the door behind him. The place looked near empty. He wanted to know where his fiancée Jeanne-Marie Beaubier was, the Alphan called Aurora. There were two sides to her personality; one was free spirited, the other more prim and proper. He loved them both but preferred the Aurora personality. Even her brother, Northstar, wanted an end to the side of herself that wanted nothing less than being a nun. The question was how could they destroy that side, without sacrificing the Aurora side?

Only a mental doctor, a truly trained psychiatrist, could answer that question that haunted them both.

He walked inside the bedroom that they shared and hoped to wait for her there. He only got a very astounding surprise, instead. He saw Northstar, the aforementioned brother, trying his best to cheer up a depressed Aurora. "What's going on here?" Walter asked, awestruck. "Aurora, what's wrong?"

"No, do not call me by zhat name," she screamed. "Eet ees always Aurora, Aurora, Aurora. I am Jeanne-Marie Beaubier!!"

"Great scott," Walter whispered, as he walked over to the bed to embrace her but Northstar prevented him from doing that task.

"Don't touch her, Langkowksi," Jean-Paul said, through his thick French Canadian accent. "You are every much the pig she tells me that you are."

"And what exactly did she tell you?" he asked.

"Only that you abandoned her in the heat of passion to fight for some battle with Alpha Flight. One of Talisman's infernal spirits summoned you, she said. She told me everything, Langkowski. Obviously your marriage proposal wasn't a very serious one. And I thought you two decided to take a break from Alpha Flight to work on your eventual marriage, which you know I despise from the get-go."

"Don't you ever shut up, Jean-Paul," Walter said, dropping his backpack to the side of him. "Jeanne-Marie tried to explain what you have against me but I just don't get it. Why don't you take a hike, you French frog."

"That's it, Langkowski," Jean-paul said, as he travelled at super speed next to Walter and slugged him in the jaw. "I don't know what my sister sees in you but I forbid this marriage!"

"You're making a big mistake, Jean-Paul," Walter said, shedding his clothing and transforming into his furry form of Sasquatch. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to knock some sense into you."

Sasquatch returned Jean-Paul's slug, knocking him to the floor by the bed.

"You are a big man, Langkowski," Jean-Paul said, gripping his hurt jaw, as blood spilled out of his mouth. "Fighting me as you are as a yeti. A real man would face me on equal terms."

Before they could continue their fight, Jeanne-Marie stood between them, separating the two from facing each other. "Stop it, you two. I won't have the two men I love in my life have a fist fight with one another. Jean-Paul, thank you for coming over but I think it would be best if you leave now. You caused enough trouble as it is. Walter, thank you for coming home so quickly but you really shouldn't have gone off without me. I could have helped you against Ranark."

"I know, babe," he said, embracing his future wife, Jean-Paul not trying to prevent him this time. "But that summons was hard to ignore. I couldn't think straight."

Sasqautch lifted Aurora in the air and caught her in his powerful orange arms. It seemed that the transfer of personality from outgoing to timid and shy reverted itself back again.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Northstar said, as he saw their loving display.

Department H Security Prison

As the morning progressed further into the afternoon, Guardian walked down the security floor to Ranark's cell. When he reached it, he saw that the Indian shaman was doing nothing more than meditating, contemplating his next move. Whether he was planning to escape any time soon was a mystery to him, very unclear.

But it didn't matter to him because if he did escape, Guardian was sure that he and his team of Canadian heroes haul his sorry butt back here. All he wanted to know, what he wanted to procure from Ranark's brain, was what exactly was Llan's plan and the location of his skyscraper headquarters. Sure, Talisman, Snowbird, and Shaman were attempting to do the same thing at this very moment but he didn't hold much stock in the mystical side of Alpha Flight.

"I don't know what you're doing in there, Ranark," Guardian said, harshly, coldly, "But whatever it is, it will do you no good."

"And why is that?" he asked, his eyes opening a bit.

"Because whatever escape plan you have is destined for failure. The moment that you escape we will do everything in our power to bring you back here."

"Llan and his power will free me in time."

"I'm sure he can. Which brings me to my next question; how does he do that little thing? And where is his headquarters?"

"You will never get that information out of me."

"It doesn't seem likely that someone like you who revels in seeing other people bow before you would follow someone like Llan. The first time that we met you, you didn't seem like the type to follow anyone of any sort. But we beat you and we will beat you again. Think again, we have beaten you. You never seemed to be much of a team-player but here you are, following Llan's orders and teaming up with a brainwashed Shaman, while your other ally, Pestilence, fights by our side. It doesn't take a genius to see the irony in that."

"For your information, I serve only those I wish to serve. Llan already knows that the day will come when he will serve me."

"How pretentious of you!"

"Don't mock me, Guardian!" This time Ranark raised his voice to a shout. He didn't like to be made fun of in this fashion. "You will bow down to me, soon, and all your vaunted members of Alpha Flight. And then, you shall know a slow, gruelling death at my fingertips." Guardian and Ranark stared at each other for long moments until a new voice echoed through the Complex, saying, "You will only die at a place and time of my choosing, Hudson."

They both recognized the voice as-

"Llan the Sorcerer!!" Guardian yelled.

"And Ranark is mine to do with as I please. Goodbye, Hudson!!"

With that, the ghost of Llan and Ranark disappeared. Guardian knew that if Llan possessed this much power, Alpha Flight would surely be in deep trouble.