Alpha Flight #28

Title: “Cross-over”

Writer: John Byrne

Penciller: John Byrne

Inker: Keith Williams

Colors: Andy Yanchus

Editor: Dennis O’Neal

In the parking lot of the West Edmonton Mall, members of Omega Flight, Courtney, Diamond Lil, Flashback, and Wild Child, run from Alpha Flight. Wild Child tells Courtney to run through the plan again and sarcastically says that he thought that it was fool proof. Courtney asks Wild Child if he could do any better. He asks if Wild Child could have figured out that the “One From Beyond” was going to show up. Wild Child says that he doesn’t pretend to know all the answers, but that Courtney did. He says that they managed to get Alpha Flight on the ropes, but that they are running away again. Lil starts to tell Courtney about how he broke them out of jail with his plan to impersonate Guardian. Flashback says that none of that matters. He says that all that matters is that their leader screwed up and that they all almost died because of it. Courtney tells Flashback that he has had enough of his whining for a hundred lifetimes. Suddenly a car in the parking lot starts to crunch up and change shape. Diamond Lil asks what is happening. Courtney gets a scared look on his face and says, “Oh, no… he’s here!” Courtney tells Lil and Flashback to make a defensive line. Flashback and Lil do what they are told, but Flashback tells Courtney that he sounds scared and says that he thought nothing scared Courtney. Mr. Jefferies steps forward and says that one thing scares Courtney… him. Jefferies says hello to Lil. Lil says that she thought Jefferies was dead. Jefferies says that lots of people did, and that he wanted it that way. Lil asks what happened. She says that when Courtney didn’t recruit him for Omega Flight that she figured the rumors were true. Jefferies says that “Court” didn’t even try to recruit him. Courtney tells them to be careful and that if he isn’t with them that he is against them. He says that Jefferies must have gone over the Alpha Flight, and that is the only reason he would be there. Jefferies says that he was pretty miffed when he heard Courtney killed the real Guardian, and that he was one of the few people that gave him a fair shake. He says that he figured if Alpha Flight was going to kick their butt for what he did that he wanted in. Jefferies tells the car, now a giant robot, to “sic’im”. Flashback tells Lil to do something and that thing is out of his league. Lil tells Flashback that everything is out of his league. She says that all he is good for is making an instant crowd. Lil punches the thing, but it just swats her aside. Jefferies calls out to Lil. Jefferies tells Lil that she should have stayed out of it. He says that she is invulnerable, but can still feel pain when she gets hit hard enough. Lil asks Jefferies what he is doing there and that he never cared about Alpha Flight. He says that is true, but when Bochs told him what was happening that he smelled a rat. He says that she was never a bad broad, and that he figured whoever was behind all this probably messed with her head. He says that the two of them and Wild Child were in Gamma Flight together, and that he figured that he would come get them out of this mess. The machine grabs Wild Child by the throat. Courtney tries to fire, but the glop from last issue still has his circuitry jammed. The robot tosses Wild Child aside. Courtney grabs Flashback and pushes him in between him and the robot. The robot, reaching for Courtney, puts its hand through Flashback’s chest. Flashback says that the future him is dead… he says that his future is murdered.

Jefferies walks up to Courtney and says that he doesn’t know why he thought Courtney would take this like a man. Courtney tells Jefferies that he doesn’t have to do this and that he can make him a rich man. Jefferies says that he wouldn’t be digging ditches for a living if he wanted to be rich. Jefferies tells Courtney to rip off his Guardian disguise. He tells him not to bother resisting him and that no machine can do that. Courtney rips off his human face revealing that it is a robot. Jefferies tells Courtney that he killed a man he respected, and that for that he will pay. Courtney’s insides come out of its mouth. Wild Child says that he turned it inside out. Jefferies says that that same thing will happen to any robot that thinks that it is one up on humans. Lil asks what about them. Jefferies says that Flashback is going to be crazy for a while now. He says that the rest of them are accomplices to murder and that for that they have to take the fall. Flashback says that it might take a day or a week, but that he is dead. Jefferies says that Roger will remain behind to make sure they don’t leave before the cops arrive. He tells Lil that he will see her later… like in twenty years.

Jefferies walks into the mall looking for Alpha Flight. He spots Alpha Flight standing before the Beyonder. Beyonder is holding Talisman’s unconscious body. Beyonder says that he doesn’t get being a human. He says that they have battled him and sensed a fraction of his power, but that all but one of them is ready to go against him again. Shaman says that he will not fight Beyonder now that he senses his true nature. Shaman says that he is more than human. He says that he has saved his daughter is proof enough of this. Beyonder says that this woman is flesh of Shaman’s flesh, but that within her frame dwells great power, but that her humanity is a barrier for that power… it stymies her. Shaman says that it is less her humanity than her youth. He says that in years will come the fullness of her power. Northstar says that he doesn’t believe this. He says that this guy attacked them, and now they are standing around talking. Puck tells him to take it easy and that things aren’t so clear and simple. Heather says that Puck is right and that they could have been at fault. Aurora tells Northstar to listen to Heather. Talisman wakes up and asks why everyone is talking so loud. She says that she feels like she has been smoking the wrong pipe. Beyonder tells Talisman that her comrades can tell her what has occurred. He disappears. Talisman says that she still doesn’t remember. Snowbird tells Talisman that it is her human side that clouds her memories… to protect her sanity from the void. Talisman says that it is coming back to her. She says that the false Guardian took Shaman’s medicine pouch and turned it inside out. Shaman says that unleashed the void… the universe from which all his power flows. He says that it was only because of her power that the void was forced back. Talisman says that she remembers now. She punches Shaman. Shaman tells his daughter that he is sorry. Talisman tells him to save it and that she doesn’t want to hear any more of his lies. She says that all she ever gets from his is lies. She says that he promised to save her mother, but he didn’t. She says that he told her to put on the head band, but that he never told her that it would never come off. She says that he promised to pull her out of the void, but that he let her down again. Heather tells Talisman that there were extenuating circumstances. Talisman says that she thought Heather was her friend. She asks how she can take his side, and if she doesn’t see how he has lied to her… over and over. She says that this time it almost cost her, her sanity. Heather says that it wasn’t deliberate. She says that he had to save both Snowbird and her, and that he thought he could do both. Talisman says that he didn’t and that they are trying to make it all better again. She tells them all to go away. Talisman teleports them all to Vancouver.

Alpha Flight appears before Roger Bochs. Aurora asks if Talisman has such power. Shaman says that she does, and that though she didn’t realize it that she could have sent them any time and any place. Heather asks where Snowbird is. Shaman says that Narya isn’t so easy to transport against her will. He says that she is back in Edmonton or traveled to a place of her own choosing. Heather tells Shaman that he sounds terrible. Shaman asks why he wouldn’t. He says that all the things Elizabeth said about him were true. He says that he has lied to her and used and manipulated her. He says that his intention were good, but that he has treated her like nothing more than one of his mystic tools. Walter, inside Box, says that he feels bad, but asks what about Omega Flight. Jefferies says that he has taken care of Omega for them. Bochs asks Jefferies what he is doing there. Jefferies says to tell him. He says that the last thing he remembers he was watching Alpha Flight have a family squabble. Northstar says that Talisman’s spell must have teleported Jefferies too. Heather says that this is all ten steps beyond crazy. She tells everyone to go take some time and they will debrief in two hours.

Heather takes a bath listening to her taped thoughts. She says that she sees Mac’s resurrection was a plot from the start. She talks about how she is worried about Shaman and how this business with Talisman reminds her of the time after Shaman’s wife died. She talks about how Shaman is basically co-team leader and how she depends on him. As she dresses, she says that she has dealt with Guardian and Sasquatch’s deaths, the brief resignation of Northstar, and multiple personalities of Aurora, but that Shaman could prove a devastating blow as he is the inner strength of the team. Suddenly the lights go out. She says that a power outage is impossible and that they have their own generators. Heather walks and asks Roger what is up.

Roger apologizes to Heather and says that he didn’t expect the sudden surge in power. Box sits in a chair “fishing” into a dimensional portal. Heather asks what is going on. Aurora says that they are trying to find a new body for Walter. Heather says that Walter’s body was destroyed when Snowbird killed the monster that possessed him. She says that is why his soul is inside Box. Puck says that as crazy as it sounds that they have a sound plan. He says that since Walter’s Sasquatch body was actually from another dimension that they figured that they might be able to find another… more suitable body. He says that they have been planning it for some time. Heather asks why no one thought to tell him about it. She asks what they know about interdimensional stuff. She says that they may be on the verge of loosing the Great Beasts again… or worse. She asks where Shaman is, and that since they didn’t tell her that she figured they would at least tell him. Bochs says that Shaman knows what they are doing, but that he’s feeling poorly right now. Heather says that she knew it. She says that Shaman is the only one of them with knowledge in this field and that they go ahead with it anyway. She says that she is team leader and that she says that this is too dangerous. She says that she wants this stopped. Walter, inside Box, tells her that it is too late. He says that they have already hooked their target. She says that the gadget isn’t designed to let go once its latched on. He says that whatever the beastie is that he isn’t cooperating. Heather says that does it. She tells Puck to go get Shaman. She tells Walter to stop and to let go of the rod if he has to. Walter says that he can’t. He says that he has been cooped up in this tin can for too long. Walter tells Box that he is going to have to go for trans-interface fusion. He tells him to prepare to re-merge with Box. Heather tells Walter not to, but Bochs merges with Box and Walter is sent down the line. Bochs, in Box, says that Walter was right and that their prize is fighting like Hercules. Bochs tells Jefferies to boost the power to the rod. Heather asks if Jefferies is in on this too, and that he has only been with them for half a second. Jefferies says that he and Bochs go back a bit. He says that he helped build Box and so Bochs filled him in while Heather was having her bath. He tells her that the fishing rod projects cohesive stream of epsilon particles. He says that they penetrate living matter without damaging it. He says that they lock on to a genetic pattern and the line plays out until the catch can be reeled in. Heather asks what trans-facial infusion is and what it is they have hooked. Jefferies says that Walter sent himself down the line and into whatever is on the other end. He says that what it is, is a tad vague. He shows her an image and says that it is big, humanoid, and that it has almost no brainwave. He says that it is perfect for what Langowski needs. Box says that their catch is coming through. Shaman enters and asks if they stabilized the warp. Box says that there is no time. He says that something happened on the other end of the line and that their catch stopped fighting for a moment. Suddenly a large green being is on the floor. Box says, “W-Walter…? No! It’s the Hulk!” Hulk leaps into the air and smashes his fist through Box’s chest.

THIS STORY TAKES PLACE AT THE SAME TIME AS INCREDIBLE HULK VOL. 2 #313

AND CONTINUES IN ALPHA FLIGHT #29

And with that John Byrne leaves the team he created. Byrne is on to the Incredible Hulk. As a fan of the Hulk I'm grateful to Byrne for brining the Hulk back to Earth, but for not much else. Byrne had a much better feel for his own creation Alpha Flight, but sadly it seems still lacked a direction to go with them. I like that Walter Langowski is looking for a way to be human again, but I have to say that Mantlo's portion of this story (in Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #313) is much more entertaining. Byrne leaves Bill Mantlo with a heck of a mess to clean up and not much of a team to speak of. Byrne's art is very nice. Big, clear, and done with good storytelling. 4.5 out of 5 for the art.

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