Nemesis sat amid the rafters of the huge warehouse, with her knees propped against her belly firmly. She held her sword in her lap. Below her were unnamed men unloading some cardboard boxes marked 'Fragile' from a packaging truck onto an assembly line. Her eyes peered with penetrating vision at the contents of the boxes as they were unlocked. She knew what the contents were.

 

She had to wait for the right moment to attack. But for now, she would just have to be patient and listen to what was going on below her.

The men wore starched shirts, nicely pressed blue jeans and workboots. They were conversing with each others, with their male bonding rituals. Talking about the action they got last night. Going to topless bars, spending their work's pay on the girls there.

 

These men disgusted her. They were scum. Any little girl who took her clothes off for pay was nothing but a worthless whore and her blood boiled with seething fury.

 

But she had to wait further.

 

One man, with long black hair to his shoulders, removed a crowbar from his toolkit, opening one of the boxes. There was excelsior at the top portion of the contents of the box and once that was removed, Nemesis saw it.

 

Bags of cocaine.

 

Now, she knew it was her turn. She raised her sword high above her head and vaulted down onto the hard wooden floor between the group of men. Her first action was to use her sword to slice the crowbar in half, knocking it to the ground in one swift motion.

 

"Watch it, bitch," the man who opened the box said. "I was gonna snort that."

 

"Not anymore, scumbag," Nemesis snarled beneath her mask. "Now, I can tell that you little boys want to have fun with me. What d'ya say? Do you want me or not?"

 

Before she knew what was happening, the remainder of the men removed their Glocks, cocked them at the ready, aiming them at the lithe but muscular female.

 

"Yeh, baby, we're not gonna let you get out of here alive, 'cos that nose candy is fer us." 

 

"Think you can make me," Nemesis responded, swinging her sword a second time. This time it sliced the gun's barrels clean off. She raised her sword high above her head again, ready to murder these men.

 

Chinese Throwing Stars seemingly flung from nowhere embedded themselves into the chests of the drug dealers, as they fell to the ground, dead.

 

A man dressed in a ninja's tunic landed on the floor in front of Nemesis.

"Who the hell are you?!" Nemesis retorted.

"My name is Kamikaze. And I have a proposition for you…"

 

---

Being married for months seemed to suit Kara Killgrave and her husband Whitman Knapp. They were comfortable in their new apartment in Manitoba, Canada. They decided long ago before they got hitched that they wouldn't have children for at least a little while. They wanted to enjoy their life together first.

 

Whitman and Kara were in the TV room where they turned on the set. A news program was already in the process of being finished.

 

Kara was wearing a white tank top and blue jeans, with her belly and navel exposed. Whitman was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. He had his arm around Kara's body, while she snuggled closer to his warm body. Her legs were brought up to her chest.

 

A female reporter with long blonde hair read the latest news report from America. "Zebediah Killgrave, the criminal who is known as the Purple Man, has escaped from the Vault. Apparently, in between his doses of sedatives, he used his powers of persuasion to mentally alter the mind state of one of the security guards and cause a one-man prison break. The last time he was seen he was swimming to shore. His current whereabouts are unknown. And now, onto local news…"

 

"That doesn't look good, Kara," Whitman offered his wife a comment. "What d'ya think we should do?"

 

"Let the Avengers handle it," Kara said, "I don't want anything to upset our happiness."

 

They both heard a rustling of the breeze, like the wind rushing against their windowsill, and then, footsteps. Kara was the first one to see him. A man dressed all in black.

 

"Hello, Manikin and Persuasion. I have a proposition for you…"
 

---

Colin Hume sat at his computer terminal within the Research and Development division of Caxxon, Inc., a new startup company which was a Canadian subsidiary of Roxxon. His shift was almost over and the day was long. He scratched his bald pate.

 

There was a knock at his office door.

 

"Come in," he said, as he temporarily tore himself from his work. "It's open."

 

An African-American young woman with long curly black hair wearing a similar white lab coat to his opened the door and entered the cramped office. "It's me, Colin. Angela. Just wanted to check with you to see if you're still taking me out to dinner tonight. I know a great Italian place down the street. The pasta is divine."

 

"Yeah," he said, as he half stared at her and at the computer screen. "I'm almost done. Give me another few minutes. Anyway, I have to clock out first."

"So do I, big guy. Don't let me wait too long."

 

"I won't and that's a promise."

 

She smiled, showing him her white teeth, and then, turned to leave. She left the door ajar, as she walked back to her office. 

 

Colin immersed himself in the remainder of his work, trying to find a good spot to stop.

 

The ventilation shaft above his head seemed to move of its own volition, to be removed, dropping to the floor, and a figure dressed all in black landed next to Colin. The man carried a gym bag and he threw it at Colin.

 

'What's this?" he asked.

 

"Open it and find out."

 

Colin Hume did as he was told and saw a startling sight. It was the green and white metallic armor that he wore when he was an Alphan. "My old Windshear costume. But why are you handing this to me? I retired from the super hero biz a long time ago."

 

"Your retirement is over, Mr. Hume. Beta Flight needs you back in action. A crisis is afoot and your country needs your help."

 

"I assume I have no choice in the matter."

 

"None at all."

 

Colin donned his armour for the first time in years. It felt good to be back in the saddle again. As he was about to leave with Kamikaze, his office door opened and Angela raced inside.

 

"Hey, who are you guys and where is Colin?" she asked, frantically.

 

Windshear approached her and explained the situation. "Colin Hume had to step out for a little while. I'm afraid he won't be back for a long while. Don't worry, he's fine."

 

With that, Windshear, carrying the ninja, flew out of the offices of Caxxon, Inc. They left a very distraught Angela.
 

---

"So, what are we doing here?' Persuasion asked, as she and the rest of the newly formed Beta Flight surveyed the scene before them. They were in a park, not that akin to Central Park in NYC, but what made this park different was that the trees in the forestry background had been cleaved by hands not quite human.

 

Kamikaze stood at the point. "What caused that is our mission." He pointed at the cleaved trees.

 

"Dr. Langkowski told us that the Wendigo is no more. So the mystical creature of lore could not have caused this," Manikin said. "But whatever caused this must have been had some superhuman muscle, so it looks like you are going to need some muscle on this team. Muscle I will be willing to provide." Whitman Knapp started to flex what little muscles he had, grunting as he did so, as the transformation began. His natural Caucasian skin color started to change into a grayish hue. His costume ripped and Apeman was borne. And Alpha Flight thought that Sasquatch was the one hirsute member on the team. "Ungrawa!!" Manikin switched to his ape speech.

 

Apeman launched into attack mode and disappeared into what remained of the forest.

 

"Manikin-I mean, Apeman-wait-" Kamikaze started to say, meaning that they should have had a plan first.

 

"Don't worry, Kam," Persuasion said. "I'll get him. He usually responds to my commands." And then, she disappeared into the forest.

 

When you use your power, Kara, anyone responds to your commands, Kamikaze thought. The ninja put a gloved hand over his temple and shook his head. "Guardian is going to kill me for this one."

 

Windshear gestured with his armored hands and used his wind powers to knock down the remainder of the trees in the forest. "This should help things along." Then, using the air currents as a ride, he flew over the racing bodies of Apeman and Persuasion.

 

Kamikaze stared at Nemesis.

 

"What are your orders, leader?' Nemesis said, as kindly as she could.

"Oh, I give up." Kamikaze said. "Just go, Nemesis."

 

---

When Kamikaze arrived in the destroyed forest, he saw a monster singlehandedly beating Beta Flight to a bloody pulp. He knew that the first thing he would have to do is incapacitate the creature. He removed a handful of Chinese Throwing Stars from his belt buckle and hurled them at the creature's stomach.

 

But before the stars could connect, the creature grabbed and hurled Apeman who landed on top of Kamikaze.

 

Harry Harada took off his mask, which had become too cumbersome, and addressed Apeman. "It looks like brute strength is not going to make it against this one. We need your brains, Knapp, so change into Highbrow, if you can."

 

"Oooga ungrawa!!"

 

Somewhere deep inside the recesses of his primitive brain, Apeman understood. And just as soon as Manikin transformed into Apeman so did Apeman transform into Highbrow. The past gave way to the future.

 

"Highbrow, before I send you in, can you analyze the creature and tell me what we are facing here?' Kamikaze asked.

 

"Index: this creature is over two centuries old. Has no formal nonemclature. Was manufactured by scientist Victor Frankenstein. Akin to the storybook legend, but apparently existed in realtime.  Strength level off any known scanners."

 

"Do you know what to do?' Kamikaze further asked.

 

"Affirmative. Lead the way, fearless leader."

 

From the time that Kamikaze and Highbrow were making plans, Nemesis used her soul sword to slash and tear the trenchcoat that the Frankenmonster was wearing. Its pieces fell to the grassy plain. He then flew a fist at her general direction, hurling her backwards, ever backwards.

 

Windshear caught her, flying through the air currents. "Got ya, Nemesis baby. Can't tell what you look like under that mask but I'm betting that you're beautiful."

 

'You can stop the witty pick up lines, stud. It looks like Persuasion is either stupid or she may have come up with a plan."

 

Below them both, Persuasion stood in front of the Frankenmonster, letting her purple pheremones seep out of her skin.

 

The monster stood still, frozen, when she spoke the word, 'Stop.'

 

"Now what, guys?" she asked the rest of the approaching Beta Flight.  

'Do it, Highbrow,' Kamikaze said.

 

Highbrow gestured and eldritch energy lanced out of his fingertips, making the monster vanish into thin air. Highbrow turned to Kamikaze with a smile on his face.

 

"Where did you drop him, Highbrow?" Kamikaze asked.

"High above the earth, deep in outer space."

 

Windshear took off his helmet, revealing the handsome features of Colin Hume. "What was that thing anyway?'

 

"A storybook legend," Kamikaze started to say. "But the question remains; what was it doing in Canada?'

That selfsame question was on the lips of every member of Beta Flight as they traveled back home.