Author’s Note: Please read Marvel Fanfare #13, for the first ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ story. Also, some plot ideas were suggested by Kristi Manchester.

---

Guardian, the man called James Macdonald Hudson, flies through the air of the Canadian skyline, deep in thought. This is his chance to relax, to wind down from the adventures of late. His reverie is suddenly cut short as he sees a monster smashing things up downtown. He recognizes the creature as the Frankenmonster. Last time Alpha Flight saw him was a couple of days ago when the new Beta Flight fought him in a forest.

But Hudson was sure, as per Beta’s report, that Highbrow had teleported the monster to deep space. How could the monster survive space, much less return to Canada on his own recourse?

No time to dally now. Time to fight him. This creature is dangerous and could cause loss of life and property damage, too.

The Frankenmonster has so far smashed in a jewelry store. He doesn’t seem to want the valuables inside but just to smash things, to destroy it. What is his purpose? What is his motive? Why is he in Canada? Why is he doing such things?

‘Okay, monster, your reign of terror stops here, mister!’ Guardian shouts at the top of his lungs, so that the monster can hear him fully. He then release a blast of EM energy at the creature’s chest. It doesn’t seem to stop him, just singe his shirt. And like other creatures of mass destruction, he just gets madder.

Guardian knows that only brute strength can stop Victor Frankenstein’s creation. He surrounds his force field around him and punches the creature in the face and stomach.

This the creature feels. No, not just feels, he responds to it.

“That hurt, little man,” the monster says. “Now, I shall punish you. A lot.”

Guardian is taken aback. “I didn’t know you can talk. When you fought Beta Flight you didn’t talk.”

The monster grimaces. “Yes, o man, I can talk. I am more intelligent than people think. But if you are referring to those young upstarts who flung him into deepest recesses of outer space, I had a benefactor in that.”

“What? Who brought you here?”

“He prefers to remain anonymous.”

A new threat to plague Alpha Flight. If only Sasquatch was here… ore Snowbird could transform into White Sasquatch?

‘You don’t have to follow masters who want nothing to use you and control you. You can be a free agent.”

The Frankenmonster harrumphs. “Don’t you follow a master? Isn’t the Canadian government controlling you, as well as the man called Gentry?”

 

---

Alpha Complex, Dr. Langkowski’s Lab

Guardian had returned minutes later after his fight with the Frankenmonster, his sensors in his cyberhelmet unable to track down the creature in Canada or even earth. Dr. Hudson wondered if the monster’s mysterious boss and savior had an orbiting space station where he could beam him from any place on the planet.

Walter Langkowski had contacted Dr. Bruce Banner who took his break from his recent battles in the Defenders. In recent months, Banner seemed to have had gotten control over his battle with the Hulk. The green behemoth was more intelligent months since his last bout with its pure, primal ferocity. Even though Banner was able to wrest his intellect over the creature, Bruce still feared that one day the Hulk’s monstrous nature would take over. But until that day came, he was willing to help Alpha Flight in their quandary.

“I don’t know how or why I should help you, Walter,” Bruce said, still in his civvies. Walter had outfitted him with a white lab coat. Bruce was still reluctant as ever. “Frankenstein’s Monster is not conjured by gamma radiation, so I don’t know how I could help you.”

“I don’t need you, Banner,” Walter said, flatly. “Just your alter-ego. The Hulk can overpower the Frankenmonster. With Sasquatch’s help, of course.” 

“This is crazy, Walter. Brute strength is not going to win this battle. Our intellect will.” Bruce was sweating now, like the slightest shift in emotions could change him into the Hulk.

“I was afraid of this,’ Walter said, transforming into Sasquatch. Orange fur sprouted from his pores. And he towered over Banner. “You may not forgive me for this, Banner, but the Hulk will.”

Banner backed into a corner. “Wait. What are you doing?!”

“Nighty-night, Banner. The Hulk needs to come out and play!” Sasquatch swatted Banner like a flea and the scientist in the white lab coat crashed against the wall.

Banner’s pupils turned a greenish hue. “You shouldn’t have done that, ‘Squatch. Now, you’ve made me angry, you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”

Banner’s clothes began to rip and tear and shred and all that was left of the clothes that Sasquatch provided for him was his purple pants. His skin turned a green hue and the Hulk was reborn.
The Hulk punched Sasquatch in ther stomach hurling him against some computer banks.  ‘Now, you’ve really pissed me off, Langkowski. Bad enough that you bombarded yourself with gamma rays so that you could turn yourself into an ersatz me, but now you think that you can push me around, like yesterday’s trash. Now, Hulk is really gonna smash puny Langkowski!” 

“I know that you can’t really remember what I just did to you, that your memory is probably one big fog, but I can explain. There’s this monster out there that needs you to fight it and—“

”No, Walter, I remember perfectly. And yer the one’s gonna be in pain, baby!!”

The Hulk takes a computer terminal and hurls it at Sasquatch who just bats it away with one hand. Sasquatch knows now that he made by provoking Banner, thus provoking the Hulk. And the madder the Hulk gets, the stronger he becomes.

They are both evenly matched, because they are both gamma-spawned powerhouses and they both have their intellects to guide them.

The Hulk hurls a left jab at Sasquatch’s jaw, then a right.

The Hulk breaks out laughing. “Now that felt good. And you were sayin’ about the Frankenmonster…”

Sasquatch spit out blood on the floor. “He usually hangs out in the forest. I was thinking we could track him there and see what he’s up to. I may not be much of a team leader, but then you never were much of a team player, Banner.”

The Hulk smiled again. “Banner’s not home, Walter baby.” He then went dead-pan. “Okay, you convinced me. Let’s go trash the Frankenmonster.” 

“Right, Hulk. I always knew you had a few screws loose…” 

“Shut up. This from a guy who is married to a woman who has multiple personalities.”

---

Guardian put out an APB for the Frankenmonster with the RCMP, even Sasquatch and the Hulk wanted to hunt for him themselves. Snowbird said that she would look into it. She was glad that Walter was feeling himself lately and that he and Aurora were back together again.

“So, this is where the monster was lurking last time Beta Flight fought him?” the Hulk asked, as they came to a clearing. They were surrounded on all sides by trees in this forestry area.

“Yeh,’ Sasquatch retorted. “But that was before Highbrow teleported him to outer space and when the monster’s mysterious benefactor brought him back to Canada to the diamond district. I’m wondering what is his proximity to Canada?”

“So am I. Usually, the Frankenmonster is in eastern Europe. How did he travel across the seas?”

‘I had help,” a voice says, as the Frankenmonster pushes some trees aside and walks towards the two heroes. “My leader always helps me.”

“’Leader’? No, it can’t be—“ the Hulk shouted. Before Sasquatch can move, the Hulk launches forward and pushes the Frankenmonster against some rocks. “What is he doing here? Where is he?”

“What are you talking about, Hulk?” Walter asks. “There is no one here but us three.”

“No, he’s here, I can almost feel him.” The Hulk punches the monster in the jaw, trying to loosen his tongue.

The Frankenmonster spat blood in the Hulk’s face. “Oh, he’s here all right. He’s been here all along. He told me to get Sasquatch for him. He needs an army and now he’s built it, even though I failed him. This is the same forest where Sas fought the Wendigo. He used his previous mindless army against you and the Fantastic Four and now he’s targeted Alpha Flight. Getting you, Hulk, is an added bonus.”

“This makes no sense,” the Hulk said. “I thought that you were an innocent monster, like I used to be. How could you be working for him?”

“Working for who?” Sasquatch asked. Walter was not up on the Hulk’s rogue’s gallery.

“Man, are you stupid, Walter!!” The Hulk briefly turned his attention from the Frankenmonster to Sasquatch. “The Leader! Sam Sterns, who was a lowly custodian, until he was bombarded by gamma radiation transforming him into the super intellectual Leader! He’s back and now somehow he’s brainwashed the Frankenmonster, forcing him to deliver us to his little green hands.”    

“The Leader has his ways to force people to do his bidding,” the monster struggled to say.

On the back of the Frankenstein’s Monster neck was a hypno disc. Upon seeing it, the Hulk crushed it in his bare hands.

But that was not the end of it. A silver space ship appeared above them and suddenly, they were caught in a tracker beam. With the disc off, the Frankenmonster was nothing but a mostly brainless brute. When they arrived on the ship, a beam of gamma radiation pulsated around them. They reversed to their civilian identities.

”As long as you stay in that tracker beam, you will remain human,” the Leader said, sitting on his throne chair.

Glass tubes propelled from the ceiling and encased the two helpless scientists. Then, knockout gas exuded from the ventilation shafts, causing them to fall unconscious.  

“Finally, the Leader has won!”