Disclaimer: This story takes place June 1997 in the established amalgam universe and deals with characters from the comics jointly owned by Marvel & DC Comics.  No copyright infringement is intended.  All other characters created by me, unless otherwise noted.  But I think, as amalgams of Marvel & DC characters, they still might own them.  
Whatever. 

 The Alpha Guardian recovers shortly after the team returns to DOME.  He is immediately beset with questions by a very angry Heather MacHudson.  
"Just what the hell was all that?  Who started shooting at us?  Why didn't the big guy know who you were?  And why are they after me?" 

 "How... do you.."  Still too week to finish, Alpha Guardian's expression conveys his query. 

 "That you're a fake?" Heather offers as her own completion.  "I had Madison whip up a transmitter that we concealed on your uniform.  That alien was shocked when he noticed that you weren't the one he was looking for.  I assume he saw the costume and thought you were me at first.  You laid into him pretty good, I'll give you that.  But you owe all of us a lot of explanations, and if you don't want to talk to me about this I'm sure the top brass would love to hear the tape I made of your conversation up there." 

 She walks out of the room, leaving Alpha Guardian to contemplate his next move.  Imp meets her outside.  "What tape?  Silverlord slagged all comm gear on the Spirit." 

 "Does biceps boy know that?  I need to find out what's going on.  I became the target up there, not him."  She pauses for a moment, then begins to turn her line of questioning on Imp.  Imp beats her to it. 

 "How did I know that woman was on board?  Or that she was watching us earlier in the warroom?  Or understand what she was saying?  No idea.  
Eh, I'm stumped here, no pun intended." 

 "Could you be one of them, a... Shi'karran?" 

 "It doesn't make sense.  Wild Shaman performed his ancient Teutonic ceremonies on me to bring any supernatural forces to light.  You'd think an alien presence might come up, right?" 

 "I don't know.  I've never put much purchase in hocus pocus."  

 Carstairs grabs them both, cutting off whatever was going to be said next, and takes them into a conference room.  Every Canadian official even remotely associated with DOME is packed tightly around the large table that fills the dimly-lit room, so the new arrivals are forced to stand against a wall.  "Good," says an older voice, face not distinguishable in the half-light, "Now we can begin." 

 A projector is activated, and slides of the recent combat are shown.  
Another voice takes over, which Heather recognizes as that of General Clarke St. Ives, former head of DOME after Adam was removed from that position.  "As we can see, these aliens seem to have superior weaponry and firepower at their disposal.  In light of the few resources available to us I've spoken to the PM and told him we intend to open negotiations with the Shi'karran." 

 Heather's eyes widen in disbelief at what she hears.  "Excuse me, but what exactly would we be trying to negotiate?" 

 Her fears are confirmed.  "We'll sue for peace, and agree to a properly represented trial for the Guardienne." 

 "First off, I am not 'Guardienne'!  I am not associated with Alpha Guardian despite our costume similarities.  Maybe if this was WALKER, TURBO RANGER we would all have the same names.  Besides, if I was affiliated with your Alpha male, you wouldn't be talking about handing me over to a hostile alien race for crimes I don't even know about." 

 Imp joins her protest.  "What happened to all that SHIELD back-up we were promised?  How can you even suggest turning ANYONE over to them, after that hoo-yah speech about going to bat for the team?  What a bunch of hypocrites!" 

 "Shut up and listen for a change you whiners!"  St. Ives stands up, the better to impress his importance in the room.  The retired general was in control of Canadian operatives in the O.S.S. during World War Two, and even though he no longer holds an official position within DOME or the Ministry of Defense, he never lets anyone forget that he is still in control.  Heather would very much like to know exactly what title he does hold these days.  "We intend to send a delegation from the Canadian government and a full entourage of Alpha Guardsmen.  They obviously have the wrong person; Heather has never been off the planet according to our records.  If this is about something Adam MacHudson did forty years ago we'll see to it they do not try to hold you accountable for his crimes.  
This should impress upon them that we are a civilized planet, even if we don't have their technology." 

 "I can appreciate your trying to get Canada some face-time in the intergalactic community, but it's my life on the line.  What if they don't recognize our quaint local custom of having fair trials with proper representation and such nuances.  They could summarily vaporize me and stamp it case closed before you get in word in either way." 

 "That isn't going to happen.  A full complement of government and military officials are going to..." 

 "Well, they're going to do it without me, whatever it is!  I never volunteered to be Canada's scapegoat to the universe." 

 "More like sacrificial lamb, eh Heather?"  Imp throws his lot in with his teammate, ignoring the scowls Carstairs and St. Ives send his way.  
"Sending an untrained unit like this new Alpha Guard into any battle is insane.  Against a space armada?  The only way for us to win is if the Omega Guard is a no show.  It's not like we live in a world without heroes.  The Challengers of the Fantastic just defeated Galactiac three months ago; this should be a piece of cake for them!"  Impala Judd quiets abruptly as the video monitor on the wall sparks to life. 

 The face they see is of one of the combatants who joined the battle late.  He looks human enough except for the red starburst encrusted in his forehead, pushing back his blonde hair; it appears to be an organic part of him.  "Leaders of DOME, you have proven yourselves adept at war.  Now make your case for peace."  He struggles with the words, like someone who learned English years ago and never used it.  And it's very likely he hasn't.  "I am ready to entertain your notions." 

 Despite his role as head of DOME, Herbert Carstairs hesitates to respond, yielding that honor to St. Ives.  "Thank you.  As a representative of the Canadian governing body I would first like to apologize for the attack our people staged against you." 

 "You were provoked by a very aggressive member of my detail.  I respect that.  My position as Praetor of the Shi'karran Omega Guard forces me to hunt down enemies of the throne.  Bullying lesser planets is not part of the assignment." 

 St. Ives lets the 'lesser planet' comment slide.  "I'm glad you've agreed to hear us out.  We believe we have identified the person you are looking for, although we have no reason to suspect her of any wrongdoings, especially of an extraterrestrial nature.  We would be happy to have the opportunity to prove this to you within your judicial system as allowable." 

 "Your loyalty is noted, but I have witnessed firsthand her crimes.  As Nova Primus of Ranndar I have personally had to defend outer..." 

 "Nova Primus!?!  THE Nova Primus?"  Heather's reaction betrays her surprise and excitement, overriding rational judgment.  "She steps into the focal point of the visi-phone camera, momentarily stealing St. Ives' spotlight.  "You are the one who gave my father this... honorific!  
Surely you remember the name Adam MacHudson!" 

 Nova Primus looks shocked by her presence.  "I was not expecting the traitor to be allowed to participate in this discussion!  I will not deviate from my mission!  And where did she get that suit?" 

 "As the armored security agents remove her from the room Imp has to ask, "Uh, Heather; is there something about you I don't know?" 

 "You and me both, little man.  This isn't over, Clarke!  You know I haven't done anything!"  But despite her protest she puts up no struggle, and upon entering her detention cell she surrenders her father's suit to the Royal Canadian Mounted Gestapo.  Once that is done, what she allows is no longer an issue.  Heather can do nothing more than sit back and allow the forces that be to determine her fate. 

 Imp, Canadian Devil, Rising Star, and Wakefield all try to get visitation for her, and file petitions for her release into their custody.  Carstairs actually supports turning her over to the Alpha Guard, but St. Ives sites a need to keep her under surveillance, lest the aliens become enraged by her very presence again and attack.  
Heather of course knows none of this.  She doesn't find any of it out until hours later, when somebody does come to see her; a fully healed Alpha Guardian.  "Heather!  This is all a terrible mistake!" 

 "Now there's a news flash."  She doesn't even have it in her to make the sarcasm sound witty anymore. 

 "No, you don't understand.  No one does.  I'm not really from Alpha Centuri."  He removes his helmet which conceals much of his face, and Heather is even more convinced that he looks like pictures of her father as a teen.  "I was created using DNA from a being who was capable of wielding a form of cosmic energy called Astro Force.  Created to give DOME the incentive to initiate a new Guard." 

 "Created?  Then that means... Daddy?  How?" 

 "Adam is alive.  He abandoned DOME when it abandoned him and faked his own death.  Faked it so well even you couldn't find him.  But he is alive.  And he created one last Weapon Omega Effect; me." 

 "So he finally got it right.  But why stay in hiding?  With you as evidence, he could show the world..." 

 "The world isn't ready for this.  people think genetic research is only good for replicating livestock and generating killer DNAliens."  He stops, and forces the conversation back to his point.  "Heather, I wasn't suppose to reveal this to anyone, especially you.  But with the situation at hand you would have learned it sooner or later.  Mac doesn't know I'm talking to you about this.  In fact, no one knows we're having this conversation at all, thanks to a scrambler built into my suit.  My point is, I can get you out of here.  I know damn well you aren't involved in any alien conspiracy.  Mac won't like it, but if I take you to a safehouse in Thunder Bay you can join up with him later and remain in seclusion, away from even the most advanced detection devices." 

 "Trading prisons isn't my style.  If this is ever going to be done with, I want it done now so I can get on with life.  Or death, as the case may be.  But one thing I do want to know is how you got my dad's face?  Weren't you a little ticked at giving up your entire identity to him?" 

 "That's just it.  I never had an identity.  I was genetically manipulated from inception to resemble Adam.  It wasn't hard, I'm his clone." 
 
 
 

 Heather MacHudson has been subjected to many seeming impossibilities in the last five days, but even so the numbness just isn't setting in like she expects it to.  This latest piece of news shocks her more than she felt possible.  You...you're my ... brother?  She wishes she could feint just to relieve the tension.   

 "Half-brother, really.  'Mom' was Mac's old space-buddy Zeta-Beam Bill.  Not that I ever met him.  Adam started on me four years ago, as soon as he secured as much of his Omega Effects equipment from DOME as he could get away with." 

 "But you look nineteen!  The Cadmus Projects haven't been this successful at accelerated growth.  I've read some of the files marked SPIDER-BOY: THE EARLY YEARS." 

 "He has been working on cloning for over twenty years.  Little Merrina is his first metamutant clone, although she's a bit unstable, biologically speaking." 

 "Don't you mean 'was'?  Merrina was killed by the Mariner some time ago, on their wedding day I think." 

 "Is.  Enhanced healing factors were some of the first accomplishments he made.  Once it was feasible I removed Merrina from her 'life support' machines Mac devised to keep her body dormant for DOME's ease of mind.  
He's been treating her every day, and with any luck he'll get those anomalies recessed completely." 

 "You said Merrina was his first metamutant.  Were there any before that?" 

 If Alpha Guardian intends to answer, Heather will never know, as the abrupt collapse of the ceiling onto Alpha Guardian closes the window of opportunity.  Heather takes the opportunity to scream.  Not so much as a sign of terror as an effort to draw the attention of security, which probably has no idea any of this is transpiring if Adam's gizmos are doing their job. 

 The gizmos hold up, Heather's voice does not.  With all the dust in the air she can barely hack, much less scream.  So when the bluish beam of energy shoots through the mountainside into her cell, all she can do is continue gasping for breath.  But after it moves from the unconscious Alpha Guardian and strikes her, searing pain in her eyes, it takes only a moment to come to the realization that she isn't in Canada anymore. 

 The first thing Alpha Guardian notices are the numerous imprints into his skin being made by multiple firearms.  The next thing is the sound of Clarke St. Ives ordering Carstairs to find a way to neutralize the alien.  He realizes they're talking about him.  "Uh... Hello?" 

 Herb turns his attention to him for the moment.  "You dumb oaf, you had to fall for the damsel in distress, didn't you?  She's nearly twice your age you know." 

 "Drop it Carstairs.  If you credit his chivalry with this I still question his integrity.  From what you told me about him he should be incapable of committing treachery like this!" 

 "Well obviously he is capable!  Now let's try to work on fixing the damages." 

 Alpha Guardian sees that he is still in the detention cell block Heather was in.  He also sees a dozen or so guards with their weapons trained on him.  And of course he sees the gaping hole in the ceiling that follows a tunnel leading clear through the side of the mountain.  
That he doesn't see Carstairs or St. Ives means only they don't think him worth including in their discussion.  "I didn't do it." 

 Carstairs again focuses on him.  "Right, you just came down here to check on the prisoner, saw this huge exit way burroughed through miles of rock, and decided to take a nap under it.  I went to bat every step of the way, Guardian.  I pushed your ideals and nobility and even got DOME to reorganize the Guard for you.  I put up with your self-righteous attitude whenever you tried talking down to me like some child.  Maybe you aren't the one the Omegas are after, but you just made Public Enemy #1 in my book.  St. Ives has been drooling over the chance to witness an alien autopsy since you arrived.  I hope she was worth it."   

 "Is this the wrong time to ask for a raise?" 

 "That's it.  He's mine."  General Clark St. Ives calmly strolls over to the sprawled-out hero and bends over him.  "I don't know if this will work on an alien, but I know it works on smart-asses."  St. Ives removes his gloves and reaches down, as if he believes he can choke the life out of Alpha Guardian with his bare hands. 

 He stands up, to the protest of the many guards pressing down on him, and grabs St. Ives' forearm.  The temptation to snap it off lasts only a moment.  Instead he flings the general against a wall.  "I am NOT some creature for your amusement.  I tell you,  I came down here to talk to Ms. MacHudson, and I was taken by surprise by whatever did this and was completely unconscious before she disappeared.  Like it or not, that's what happened."   

 "Then explain why our surveillance systems show no sign of you or this attack you speak of.  And why would the Omegas take her by Force only moments after Nova Primus guaranteed us the opportunity to conduct our own investigation.  Your story's getting thinner every second!" Carstairs shows no fear in light of the obvious physical threat Alpha Guardian poses.  

 "Have it your way. I had hoped to have DOME's support on this, but I guess I'll have to find MacHudson on my own.  Don't bother coming after me.  We all know you don't have anything that can stop me."  Alpha Guardian departs through the recently-created opening, lending credence to the theory that it was he who created it.  Alpha's thoughts are no longer on government busy-bodies.  Heather MacHudson has just been exposed to secrets that he was sworn to keep from her by the man who gave him life.  Adam MacHudson never claimed the title of father in the case of his lab experiments; that honor was reserved for Heather.  When he was still in the developmental stage he was referred to by Adam as Alpha Guardian the Ultimate Metamutant.  Alpha would have been introduced into the world sooner, had it not been for DOME's restructuring as a paramilitary organization shortly before Alpha Guard was disbanded.  Controlled by representatives of the Defense Ministry, the replacement team Prime Guard was very much the Mounted Gestapo Heather joked about.  Consisting of Extryke, Glosspree, the Fungoid, KByte, & Twin-Jet (Mayhem & Mayday), this group was known for performing a number of offensives, mostly against former Alpha Guard members.  Adam suspected they were being used for Black Op missions as well, and he didn't want Alpha Guardian being associated with their image.  Only after he felt DOME had sufficient time to learn from this mistake was Adam willing to send Alpha into the lion's den.  And until this very moment, it seemed the gambit had paid off. 

 Carstairs and St. Ives watch Alpha Guardian leave.  "So now what do we do?" 

 St. Ives ignores this inane question and speaks only to his cell-phone.  "Prepare Alpha Guard.  Send them after the Guardian.  I don't care; tell them he kidnapped MacHudson, and we're worried about her safety." 

 Nova Primus seems troubled by the report Oracalista relays to him.  
Yes, he did know a man named Adam MacHudson from Earth.  He taught Nova English, all those years ago, shortly before he was awarded a Ranndarian battlesuit by virtue of services performed in defense of Ranndar and the Imperial Throne.  But despite the suspect's apparent physical resemblance to her alleged father, Nova Primus knows that if he were to replace her red hair with a plume of lilac feathers she would be unmistakable as... 

 "Commander A'manda Deathbird!"  The alien security officer stares in astonishment at the woman standing before him.  Despite replacing her luxurious head of lavender feathers with a wad of orange fibers, she is unmistakably the high commander. 

 "You are mistaken, Fool!"  a voice coming from behind Heather bellows.  
"This is our special guest of honor, Heather MacHudson."  Her crew acknowledges their Commander's words, but show no signs of recognition.  
"Daughter of Adam MacHudson?"  Heather can't help but wonder as the crew "oh"s and "ah"s if she hasn't maybe landed on the set of SPACEBALLS: MEN IN TIGHTS PART DEUX, THE FINAL INSULT.   

 Despite the cliche, Heather finds herself slowly turning around, and stares directly into the face of... herself.  "Okay, how did you get my face?  Where am I, and why does it look like a peacock died on your head?" 

 "Heather, relax.  I'll explain everything.  I am A'manda, labeled the Deathbird, commander of the Imperial Suicide Squadron, and scourge of the Shi'karran Empire." 
 
 

 The Maple Spirit roars into the sky overlooking Mount Logan.  Now trying to serve as communications expert as well as navigator, Rising Star hails DOME on the nearly-repaired radio system.  "DOME, this is the Spirit; Do you copy, over?" 

 The voice responding is Carstairs'.  "Go ahead Star.  We have good comms." 

 "Just making sure.  The mission is underway, but it sure would be nice if we knew where to look." 

 "Based on the angle of trajectory Guardian carved through the mountain, and the energy burst witnessed in the battle with the Omega Guard, we believe he may have been headed for the Moon." 

 "I see.  Canadian Devil wants to know if the Maple Spirit is designed for space travel." 

 "It is now.  Contact us when you find something." 

 Rising Star signs off and wonders seriously how much of this DOME expects them to take before this team falls apart too. 
 

 "Deathbird!" Heather gasps, "You must be the one the Omegas mistook me for.  This does explain a lot.  Take me back to Canada, and I can prove I'm not the one they're looking for!" 

 "It's not that easy, Red." 

 "Sure it is.  You're the criminal they want.  Once they have you, I'm off Scott Free." 

 "That would take a miracle neither of us is capable of.  I would be executed and you would still stand trial." 

 "Why?  It's obvious you're the alien!  I haven't done anything worse than returning a rental tape two days late!" 

 "Adam MacHudson never told you what happened to your mother." 

 "He told me enough!  He told me you killed her!"  Hasn't she heard this somewhere before? 

 "No Heather, I am your mother." 

 Heather steps back, away from this insane bird-woman's ranting.  
"That's impossible!"  She takes another step, and is held firm in a gripping bear-hug by a large blue-skinned alien. 

 "Isn't it obvious?  Just look at us!"  Deathbird signals to the massive being holding Heather, "Earthbuster, bring her to my chambers.  I want to be alone with Heather.  You know, a sort of mother-daughter... 
thing." 

 The brute complies and takes her to A'manda's cabin.  If the rest of the ship is dirty, damp, depressing, cold, and run-down, this room is anything but.  In fact it reeks of prosperity, with brightly colored gems adorning every piece of furniture and fabric.  And there is a LOT of furniture and fabric.  "Well, Heather," A'manda says upon entering after her and dismissing Earthbuster, "We finally meet at last for the first time for the last time." 

 "Now I know THAT was from a movie.  What is going on here?" 

 "When I decided it was time to contact you, my crew had no knowledge of Earth language or society.  So I forced them to monitor satellite signals, all of your communication bands.  They learned fast, especially from a series of programs featuring the Bowery Stooges."  

 "Ah, Ralph Abbot and Ed Costello.  They're classics all right... of vaudeville comedy.  I should have known that when my life is at stake I could always rely on a pirate spaceship full of slapstick junkies." 

 "Forgive our ignorance, but if your planet could get past the first baby steps of space travel, we wouldn't have to base our study on pop culture. 

 "Right mom.  Sorry I blew up at you.  So what do you want to talk about?  Is you love affair with Chad on the rocks because Monica is back in his life?  Or did you want to play tennis while we discuss feminine hygiene products?" 

 "I'm not positive, but I think you're mocking me.  Don't.  I didn't hide out on your moon for four months to be ridiculed by my own daughter.  That reminds me, did you know there's a big blue region on the surface of the Moon that supports an oxygenated-atmosphere?  Curious that the Earthlings haven't exploited it yet." 

 "Maybe we will, when we get past those first baby steps.  Why did you come here?  You really messed up my life showing up like this.  I don't believe you're my mother, I'm thirty-four years old, and dad hasn't been involved in space travel in thirty-seven years.  I think he would have told me if my mother was an intergalactic criminal." 

 "Just like he told you he's still alive and living on Prince Edward?" 

 "He is?  Wait how do you know?" 

 "Listen up.  Don't interrupt and we can get on to more important things, like getting rid of the Omegas once and for all." 

 "I already told you, give yourself up.  Then they WILL leave, once and for all." 

 "Do you really believe the universe is so back and white?  I'm no more a criminal than you are.  I just happen to be the Empire's scapegoat for a problem they don't want to admit to." 

 Heather can relate to that, but everything that's happened lately has been so... coincidental, she's hesitant to accept it all on face value.  
"Okay, explain.  But this better be good." 

 "It's really very simple, now what happened was just this.  When Adam MacHudson and Zeta-Beam Bill began roaming the galaxy looking for adventure, they hooked up with me and my band of freedom fighters, the Jammers.  We were a courageous, somewhat motley, lot. 

 "We had a cause, you see; protecting the outer worlds from the tyranny of the Shi'karran Empire.  Adam used to compare us to D'Artagnon Hood and his Merry Musketeers.  The emperor at that time was an insane despot.  The royal family had tried to have him removed, and he responded by banishing them to a rim-world planet, then went about his business with megalomaniac glee.  Most of the royal house was killed by savage natives, hostile to all off-worlders.  The only survivor was Princess A'manda Blackfire.  I vowed to depose my uncle and his reign of terror no matter what the cost. 

 "I eventually would up with a cutter-class craft we called the Jammer.  
Bill and Adam found in us a noble crew, if a little rough around the edges, and stayed on to aid the efforts against the Shi'karran Empire.  
Adam insisted we call him Corsair, apparently a term for a buccaneer on your world.  Besides us three there was Lady Binary, a woman who could draw upon the energy of a star, the cat-like Felicibah, and a handful of warriors, most of whom had been victims of my uncle's style of governing. 

 "We started out small, and with no support.  But we after a while we started gaining support from some of the more autonomous planets.  Nova Primus even joined our efforts for a time, leading his planet's forces along side us in the climactic battles ahead.  Three of the five council homeworlds gave us their allegiance, and we managed to secure a total victory.  I personally atomized my uncle's escape pod when he tried to flee rather than face punishment for the crimes he committed.  I wasn't going to let him off that easy, not after he caused the deaths of everyone I held dear.  That's how I earned the title of Deathbird, replacing the traditional royal sur-name Blackfire.   

 "The Jammers were acknowledged as heroes throughout the Empire, which is how Adam earned his battlesuit you like so much.  And I was crowned empress, as the only surviving member of the royal blood." 

 "Yeah, Now I can see why the Omegas hunt you down like a dog.." 

 "I speak the truth!"  Deathbird looks quite upset at Heather's snide remark.  "The Empire prospered then as never before in remembered history.  In reality, little changed at first except official policy and population morale.  I had seen other governing bodies attempt to implement sweeping reforms, only to collapse in the destabilization of their economy and alienation of their citizens. 

 "So I took a gradual approach.  Once people started realizing that their special interests wouldn't be receiving immediate attention the winds of change began blowing the other way.  I tried reminding people of the many changes I had already achieved over my uncle's regime, but it couldn't satisfy their appetite for total reform in every direction at once.  So many planets had been slighted for so long, without even having the ear of the throne, that when I did give it to them I used it to cry injustice. 

 "Since I held the throne at the time, that made me the easiest target.  
Even so, I never realized we were teetering on the edge of civil war again.  My forces were divided, but when the Omega Guard turned on me the tides of fate were forever cast.  Even my most staunch political allies knew when to abandon a sinking ship, so I gathered my most loyal supporters and left.  The new government dubbed us the Imperial Suicide Squadron, mostly to instill a sense fear in worlds that might have allowed us sanctuary as they had in years past.  Bill used the Astro Force to get Adam to safety, then went back to New Asgard, robbing me of my best allies.  I made sure your father got to keep enough of the bio-engineering equipment he'd been learning on to make leaps in genetics back on Earth." 

 "That sounds a lot like an episode of TREK WARS: DEATH STAR-9.  Even if you didn't make it all up, it doesn't explain me.  Unless you took some time off from your busy schedule to visit Earth in 1963, have a baby, then return to being a fugitive outlaw." 

 "Your father never saw me again, but a little piece of me went with him in the form of tissue samples.  He got material from all the Jammers, which we were hoping he might use to lift Earth out of the Dark Image." 

 "You mean Dark Age." 

 "Hey, it's your culture."  A'manda gets up from her reclined position on the oversized bed to retrieve drinks for her and Heather.  "Another thing you might want to know; Adam didn't make you in 1963.  You're only nineteen years old, real-time, but he didn't think he could handle an infant so he accelerated your development fifteen years."   

 "You're telling me I'm a clone and my biological mother is a deposed empress from a far away government that wants to kill us both.  And you've been spying on me for, what... five months?" 

 "Pretty much.  You act like you would have preferred I let the Omega Guard capture you in that fight yesterday." 

 "Okay, is there anything else you want to reveal, so I can get all my breakdowns out of the way?" 

 "Well, I WAS going to tell you about your friend Imp, but I really don't know if you can handle it." 

 Heather tries to brace herself for another shock.  "What about Imp?" 

 Unfortunately the jolt she gets is more from the ship rocking violently, not from revealed news.  Heather is tossed about while A'manda makes her way over to a communications terminal and starts shouting orders to her crew in Shi'karran.  After a few moments she faces Heather to say, "It's for you." 
 
 

 Heather MacHudson crosses Deathbird's stateroom and approaches the communications terminal.  The Imperial Suicide Squadron member called Killer Flame blips off screen, replaced by the image of Imp, Sunstorm, and Silverlord crowded next to each other in the cockpit of the Maple Spirit.  She picks up the microphone and says, "How did you get this number?" 

 Imp speaks up, or at least it sounds like Imp; the reception is so staticky she can't tell if his face is moving or not.  "It wasn't easy.  
First Transmutara had to remodulate all our tracking systems to hone in on you." 

 "Transmutara?"  Last Heather had known, there was no Transmutara in Alpha Guard. 

 Madison Wakefield steps into view.  "That would be me, Heather.  I figure if you can wear a costume, so can I."  Sounds more like a Herbert Carstairs PR move, but Heather lets it slide.  "I had a little trouble scanning the dark side of the Moon until I used this."  He holds up what looks like a copy of THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO IBMAC COMPUTERS FOR DUMMIES.  "Amazing what you can make out of a Nintega Super PlaySaturn.  
Of course, Olympius won't be able to play Deluxe Street Kombat III till we get back, but..." 

 "Enough!  You found me, now what?" 

 Sunstorm answers her, "Well, we were hoping you could come back to Earth with us so we could get you off the Canada's Most Wanted list.   

 Heather is considering her response when she is taken by surprise (again).  Alpha Guardian bursts through an interior wall to A'manda's quarters.  She decides on one now.  "Nice distraction, but did anyone ask if I wanted to leave?" 

 "Eh, Heather, I know DOME is out for blood; yours and mine right now.  
But this can't help either one of us.  Alpha Guardian moves toward her but is grabbed from behind by an alien who is clearly a half-meter taller than he is. 

 The alien wrestles Alpha Guardian into immobility and says, "Can't we all just get along?" 

 Heather turns to her 'mother' and exclaims, "You let them watch AMERICAN television?  No wonder they're so screwed up!" 

 Big Shot realizes Heather is talking about him, and corrects his mistake.  "Can't we all just get along, eh?"  He struggles to keep hold of Alpha Guardian, who manages to get his arms free and bring them over the alien's head.  The targeting computers in Big Shot's head gear analyze this martial maneuver and instruct him to break his grip on Alpha Guardian, using one hand to hold him steady while the other drives into his vertebrae.  Alpha Guardian topples over but quickly rights himself, facing his opponent... and his arm-mounted ion cannon. 

 A'manda stops the fight, only (Heather notices) after her man has put Alpha Guardian at a clear disadvantage.  What is she trying to prove?  
"That will be enough!  Big Shot, you will treat Heather's friends with the same respect you treat me." 

 Heather goes over to Alpha Guardian and kicks him in the knee to no effect.  "You jerk!  I was about to find out how Imp got his powers!" 

 "Has it occurred to, dear sister, that your life may be in danger here?  These people are wanted criminals for a reason." 

 A'manda Deathbird ignores the bickering siblings and goes back to her console.  "Alpha Guard ship, this is Commander A'manda.  I'm taking my vessel down into the blue region, where an artificial atmosphere has been set up.  You are welcome to join us on the Moon's surface.  I prefer to keep transmissions to a minimum to avoid detection." 

 Both ships land, and after a few tests of the oxygen content the Alpha Guard depart the Maple Spirit and meet with the Imperial Suicide Squadron.  Introductions are brief.  Commander A'manda presents Heather MacHudson and Alpha Guardian, both relatively undamaged, and brings out her crew; Big Shot, Earthbuster, Lashibyl, Killer Flame, Night Orchid, Privatron, and her first officer Commander Boomerang (loose translation, he assures them).  The greet Canadian Devil, Flexmaster, Imp, Olympius, Rising Star, Sunstorm, Silverlord, and Transmutara like two hockey teams about to meet in the rink.  Most of the aliens make an effort to speak English, but constantly fall back into Shi'karran Common when talking amongst themselves.  Imp practically goes nuts trying to figure out why he can understand everything they're saying. 

 After Heather prompts her, Deathbird approaches Imp.  Ah yes, the pygmy.  You were a fluke.  Nothing we've tried has ever produced anything like you." 

 "What, they don't have midgets in space?" 

 "What I mean is that long ago, I think it was 1959 by your calendars, we tried to contact your planet via Zeta-Beam.  We knew the wrecked Omega Guard battleship in the Northwest Territory had operational communications equipment, and Adam thought there was an off-chance that someone else might have found the ship since he had left Earth.  The Zeta beam was imprinted on a tachyon carrier wave that could traverse the great distance from the Throne World to yours with minimal signal degradation.  Unfortunately something was amiss in our calculations, and we hit the southern hemisphere of Earth rather than the Great White North.  Instead of being decoded by advanced alien technology, it struck an aboriginal child and integrated with his physiology.  Your physiology, Impala Judd.  The tachyon pulse is what gave you incredible speed, and the encoded communication signal is what allows you to comprehend our language, even "see" objects phased with tachyon frequencies.  Our early reports led us to believe it was the tracking beacon in the Omega Guard battleship interacting with the zeta-beam signal within you that led you to move to Canada at such an early age." 

 "That sure beats my mongoose theory.  But what was that part about being unable to recreate the effect?"  Imp becomes very oppositional, and seems ready to attack something.  "Did you and Adam experiment on human infants?" 

 "Adam had nothing to with this.  We didn't find out about you until long after Adam returned to Earth.  My experiments were performed under strict conditions in laboratories using only non-sentient species.  
Nothing we did with tachyons produced any kind of enhanced-senses or movement.  You are unique among the Universe, and if we were meeting under better circumstances, I would very much like to run some tests on you to see if there were any other side effects." 

 "Lady, if we were meeting under better circumstances, I would very much like to tell you to take tour tests and ram them up..." 

 "While I appreciate a good verbal tete-a-tete," interrupts Mentoplex, "I thought you would be better prepared for the assault if I notified you in advance." 

 "What assault?"  asks nearly everybody there. 

 "I was getting to that.  It seems the Omega Guard are... here!" 
 
 

 All eyes turn toward a twinkling star that seems to be bearing down on them.  Heather scrambles to put on the battlesuit which Canadian Devil managed to smuggle out of DOME headquarters for her.  Alpha Guardian braces for impact when it becomes apparent to him that the shooting star is really Gladiauron, who looks hell-bent on annihilating the entire moon just to get them.  Big Shot targets his incoming adversary and squeezes off a couple rounds.  Gladiauron dodges both shots and finds Big Shot an easy target.  Due to the low gravity Gladiauron's sweeping move-through plucks Big Shot right off the surface and they both disappear into space. 

 The rest of Omega Guard arrive moments later.  All but Min-Tar depart the battleship and set down in the blue spot region.  An uneasy silence settles in, broken when Greenbolt demands, "Release the criminal to us!" 

 "Which one?" both Heather and A'manda ask in unison.  A'manda, who doesn't look a day over thirty by Earth standards, continues, "It looks like the mighty Omega Guard finally made a mistake they can't deny." 

 "If so," says Oracalista, "It's only because you purposely led us here, probably to make yourself look like some kind of savior.  Did you tell these people how you earned the title of Deathbird, by slaughtering an entire colony when one representative dared compare you to the late emperor?  Your way of showing them how it COULD be, as I recall." 

 "Take her," commands Nova Primus.  Broosar and Nimpulse do their best to comply, but Silverlord intervenes, followed by Rising Star and Flexmaster.   

 Transmutara takes the lead for the Alphas.  "Nobody takes anyone till this gets straightened out.  You can't just put a whole planet through the ringer like this, and then walk away without so much as an apology."  While Wakefield talks, Sunstorm prepares a nuclear burst of energy, which generates a halo-effect that shines very impressively in the artificial environment.  Broosar takes this as a personal challenge and charges him.  Canadian Devil intercepts the rock-like alien.  
Commander Boomerang launches his razor-sharp explosives at them both, which ticks off Flexmaster enough to deflect the projectiles with his extended metallic spines and attack the blue-hued marksman.  Lashibyl comes to Boomerang's defense with her psionic whip, which Transmutara neutralizes with a psychic dampening helmet he cobbled together while he was speaking earlier.   

 Within seconds the entire lunarscape is a live with a three-way clash of the celestials.  However, with Gladiauron and Big Shot lost in the void of space stalemated against each other, Alpha Guardian has access to the most raw power in the melee.  He takes out Greenbolt and Killer Flame at the same time, then works over Ryan'star and Privatron.  While everyone else is trying to hold their own, Alpha Guardian seems capable of turning the battle entirely, especially when Sunstorm is freed up from his conflict with Demagica by Alpha's timely intervention. 

 Victory for the Earth seems assured until a mysterious nebulous figure comes out of the Omega Guard battleship, to stand directly in Alpha Guardian's path.  "Stand back!" Alpha tries to warn him.  "I have no quarrel with you so far, so don't make yourself part of this." 

 "Sorry, I'm already a bigger part than you can know."  And in that moment Nova Primus and Heather MacHudson stop fighting, bearing witness to the most spectacular battle either one has ever seen.   

 Alpha Guardian screams as his fist literally explodes upon impact with the newcomer.  He is only dimly aware that the Astro Force, from which he draws his power, is being siphoned out of him.  He has developed no small mastery over this energy himself though, and strains to reverse the flow of cosmic life-blood back into his own body, using it first and foremost to reconstruct his hand.  A light show flares up around them as they each simultaneously drain the other of Astro Force, direct it into an attack, and then try to counter the same strategy coming from the other.  The resultant bright and frenzied explosions of color are so strong that astronomers and astrologists will be discussing for years to come the day when the Northern Lights appeared on the Moon. 

 A'manda also witnesses the titanic struggle and acknowledges that forces beyond her control are at work, potentially threatening to destroy the entire moon.  Not waiting to find out who will win, she orders her crew to retreat and they depart unnoticed to look for Big Shot.  Various members of the Alpha and Omega try to influence the outcome by joining in the fray with his or her own energy projections.  
The effects, if any, are lost in the unnatural hue emanating from the two.  It soon becomes evident that the growing radius of their constant output of cosmic energy could escalate to a point at which nothing will survive.  Over the roar of this battle nothing can be heard, so Nova motions his people and Heather's to weather out the cosmic storm on board the battleship, at a safe distance.  When everyone is safely aboard a tractor beam lifts the Maple Spirit out of harm's way.   

 The sensors on the Omega Guard battleship indicate quantum levels of energy surging from one participant to the other, with each release bestowing great bodily damage, which is immediately repaired in the next reciprocal surge of Astro Force.  As Min-Tar reveals this to the rest of the crew, Heather asks Nova Primus, "What's going on down there?" 

 "We knew Alpha Guardian was powered by cosmic energy, we just never considered the possibility of an Earthling manipulating the Astro Force." 

 "What difference does that make?  Who's that, fighting him.  They're so evenly matched..." 

 On the surface of Earth's only natural satellite, inside the eye of the raging storm, Alpha Guardian is asking his opponent much the same thing.  "Who... WHAT are you?" 

 "I was sent merely to observe the Omega Guard on this mission.  It was your cavalier abuse of the Astro Force that forced me to intercede.  
Release to me the power you do not deserve, and this can all be over." 

 "Sorry, but it's the only thing keeping me alive right now, and I'm not about to give that up.  Besides, it's as much a part of me as this body is, interwoven in every cell.  I'm what my maker called the Ultimate Metamutant." 

 "Well, Alpha Guardian the Ultimate Metamutant, I have been wielding the Astro Force since the time of the Secret Crisis of the Infinite Hour, safeguarding it for the slain Orion the Thunderman until his resurrection as Thorion the Hunter.  I was called the Forgotten Loner then, but today you face Omega the Unknown Soldier!" 

 Aboard the Shi'karran vessel Heather is hearing the story from Nova Primus.  "When Thorion became the Celestial, he became near-omniscient, and appointed several New Asgods to serve as the Asguardians of the Universe.  One of his concerns was that Gladiauron may have the potential to become a galactic menace once again.  The Asguardians assigned one of their own to monitor us for a time, and if it becomes necessary, eliminate us.  He holds no allegiance to the Shi'karran Throne, but neither is he an enemy.  We submitted voluntarily to his judgment, and until now he has done nothing but maintain his role as observer." 

 "He's sure as hell doing something now, eh?  Is there any way for us to separate them?  From the Astro Force or each other." 

 "The only one among our ranks who might survive an attempt is Gladiauron, and he has yet to return.  But what of Earth?  Is there a way to contact Super-Soldier?" 

 "Blooper-Boy wouldn't do much good right now.  Doctor Strangefate might be helpful, but the last time he tried to stop something this big he amalgamated with Uatu the Guardian and they became the Sun-Eating Stranger.  It's hard to put much faith in someone who causes the FINAL ONSLAUGHT when he makes a mistake." 

 Imp, who has been quietly eaves-dropping on everybody's conversations, suddenly gets an idea.  "Did you say 'Amalgam?'  We have an amalgam right here; Sunstorm!" 

 Sunstorm perks up at the sound of his name, but quickly crushes any notion that he could separate the two with the same power that he uses on himself.  "I already analyzed their energy signatures, and it's way beyond the nuclear spectrum I operate in." 

 "I'm not talking about splitting them, I mean amalgamate them!  Forget the energy, we already know they draw from the same power supply.  But what if you could bind them together on a physical level?" 

 "They each have total control of their molecular make-up," interrupts Huspar.  "They would recreate themselves within a nanosecond, if it even worked at all." 

 "Not if we could combine them mentally as well.  If we could boost Oracalista and Demagica's telepathic abilities I believe it's possible.  
Maybe just for a moment, but that should be enough to break their concentration from the fight and let them see what they're doing." 

 Transmutara, who just minutes ago converted his psychic inhibitor into a universal translator, concurs with Imp's plan.  "I think Min-Tar and I could put something together, probably by cannibalizing both our ships.  
We need to start feeding energy into Sunstorm now, though; it'll take more than he normally outputs to penetrate the energy field around them." 

 The others comply, and soon Greenbolt, Silverlord, Nimpulse, Rising Star, and Zirrith are channeling their own juice into Sunstorm, who can only bear so much power by wearing Broosar's energy harness.  
Transmutara, Min-Tar, Canadian Devil, Ryan'star, Imp, and Heather are hard at work stripping down the Maple Spirit for useful components that get put together with parts fro  the battleship to create a makeshift mental amplifier.  Oracalista, Demagica, and Yntra can feel it increase their psychic powers a thousand-fold when they enter the device, which is only made spaceworthy thanks to Olympius' shield around it. 

 The others can only sit anxiously and watch, not knowing if this gambit will we successful, or cause an explosion that destroys all the inner planets in this solar system. 

 Sunstorm leaves the safety of the ship, followed by the four-person crew of the mental amplifier.  On Nova Primus' cue they simultaneously interrupt the moon-side contest of champions with a two-front attack.  
With their wills temporarily shut down, Alpha Guardian the Ultimate Metamutant and Omega the Unknown Soldier are physically drawn together in a melding made easier by the ever-present Astro Force they share.  
With their bodies merged Yntra, Oracalista, and Demagica release their hold on the composite being's mind, allowing a complete mental transfer between all memories and knowledge that once was held by separate entities.   

 In that instant a new life is created, one that does not try to communicate, but knows that would be Weapon Omega the Ultimate Soldier, were it to name itself.  Rather, it attempts to reconcile its own internal conflicts and becomes aware of its dilemma.  Realizing it's own amalgam state, Weapon Omega the Ultimate Soldier at once ceases all Astro Force activity within its domain, and deals with its philosophical and ideological differences.  As soon as Sunstorm sees the single being standing where two stood before, he draws back any excess nuclear forces, to be sure the new being is not damaged by them.  Momentarily blinded by this act, Sunstorm and the others nearly miss the amalgamated man split apart, not into two, but EIGHT distinct forms.  These separate individuals exist only for a second, as the swirling crackle of Astro Force surrounding this event quickly rectifies this situation, recreating from these Weapon Omega Men the Alpha and Omega as they previously were. 

 The Omega Guard land in the blue spot and all rush out to make sure both combatants are safe.  It is obvious neither side wants to resume aggressions, and with the Imperial Suicide Squad in hiding again there is nothing left to fight about.  The Omegas make what repairs they can to the Spirit as well as their own ship, and escort the Alpha back to Earth.  Herbert Carstairs and Clarke St. Ives greet them at the landing with enough armored soldiers to give Doctor Doomsday something to think about.  Before they leave to search for Gladioauron though, the Omega Guard arrange a pseudo-formal affair which attracts government officials as well as the press.  Nova Guardian makes a show of honoring Alpha Guardian and Heather MacHudson for their brave efforts in averting an intergalactic catastrophe, and even awards them each their own Ranndarian honorific battlesuits.   

 It's hard to arrest someone after that, especially with the media present, so the DOME officials grudgingly offer their own congratulations.  Heather accepts their 'heartfelt praise,' and announces to the growing crowd that she can now reveal that she is the Greatest Canadian Hero.   

 Ignoring the many reporters' questions, she steps down and leaves the podium to Herbert Carstairs, who frantically tries to make a speech to explain all that just happened.  Alpha Guardian tries to get her attention through the teeming throng of people.  "Uh... Greatest Can..." 

 "Call me Heather," she tells him.  "Everybody does."  They go off to discuss Adam, but Heather can't help but to bring up one of her own gripes.  "You need a name yourself, something a little less stuffy than Alpha Guardian the Ultimate Metamutant."  After giving it a little thought she asks him, "How about Don?  You kind of look like a Don." 

 "Donald MacHudson, eh?  Yeah, I think I like that."