DISCLAIMER: All the fan-fic I produce is the intellectual property of Crazy Ivan, but the characters used are for the most part combinations of trademarked characters owned by Marvel Comics and/or DC Comics. Therefore a case could be made that they own the copyrights to all these characters, even the ones I created. Use of these figures does not constitute copyright infringement, as they are for non-profit entertainment purposes only, and at the worst can be accused of being parodies. And if the Legal Eagles handling the logistics of Amalgam Comics decide they want to target me; hey, I could use the publicity. 

 Imp, Canadian Devil, and Alpha Guardian enjoy the celebrity status they receive upon arriving at The Provincial Museum of Alberta in Edmonton as security assigned to Louis Roman.  Heather MacHudson is still trying to explain to the press that the "Greatest Canadian Hero" thing was a joke, and she just wants to be called Heather MacHudson.  Madison Wakefield also abandoned his code-name, realizing that "Transmutara" was too unwieldy.  Flexmaster, Olympius, Sunstorm, and Rising Sun round off the team, but they all attend in civilian clothes intermingled with the crowd, to act as a back-up force should things become ugly.  Only Silverlord is not present; having quickly grown tired of D.O.M.E.'s micro-management techniques after the mission on the Moon, he returned home to China. 

 Louis Roman, a native of Regina Saskatchewan, only months ago discovered that his grandmother was Anastasia Nikolaievna Romanov, Czarina of the Romanov dynasty in imperial Russia.  He was informed of this by a delegation of Russian and Canadian officials who were interested in making him a figurehead for the new Russia.  No true political power would be given, but he would serve as royalty for the purpose of giving a symbol to a people burned by socialism, crushed by communism, and too eager to give capitalism a foothold in their ruined economy.  So far as Louis Roman (Louie to his friends) was concerned, all this would mean he would have to become fluent in Russian in addition to speaking French and English.  And the lifestyle promised would be considerably more impressive than the he currently held working the Night Shift at Hardee King.  So he agreed to be the new mascot. 
After a college semester of Russian language (the cyrillic alphabet was a bear, no pun intended), history (where he learned that the Grand Duchess escaped the Bolsheviks by coming to Alaska, then moved to Canada after giving birth to a son), culture (in the former Soviet Republics, poverty IS their culture), and economy (easily the worst of the four classes to understand), the twenty-seven year old night manager of a fast food franchise was ready for his coronation as Prince Louis Romanov of Russia.  Not King or Czar, as Politburo would never have gone agreed to reinstatement of a monarchy. 

 The ceremony at the museum goes off without a hitch, culminating in the presentation of the Treasures of the Czars display.  This exhibit, containing the crown jewels of Nikolas Romanov II, last Czar of Russia, is protected, not only by the presence of Alpha Guard, but by numerous audio and visual alarm systems.  All of which sound off or light up when the Omega Beast comes crashing through the ceiling.  The many Russian, Canadian, and American dignitaries present panic in the disorienting flashing red lights and klaxon sirens, but the Omega Beast heads steadily for the exhibit.  Omega Beast was one of Adam MacHudson's first successful attempts at creating a metamutant by means of a genetic encoding procedure he called the Weapon Omega Effect.  Typical of most of D.O.M.E.'s early failures, Omega Beast murdered the staff members assigned to watch him and fled to Russia, where he became [glb1]one of the greatest assassins of the Cold War.  He worked freelance for all the Communist intelligence community agencies until the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic fell in 1989, lifting the iron curtain veil surrounding the KGB, GRU, and NKVD.  Without steady employment he moved on to Eastern Europe and eventually returned to North America, bent on revenging himself against Dark Claw for past infractions. 

 Now he's back in Canada, apparently on a more political agenda.  At his side is the NKVDynamo, a high-tech Soviet agent once was assigned to study under the Beast but turned rogue and tried to "reform" the floundering Soviet Union by kidnapping Premier Gorbachev.  When the coup attempt failed he disappeared from Russia and began hiring himself out to the highest bidder. 

 That they are working together again can only mean that factions within Russia have taken an interest in the display at hand.  Alpha Guard launches into an attack, but is skillfully deflected by a martial maneuver executed with one of Omega Beast's four steel-hard tentacles. 
Canadian Devil, Imp, and Heather rush to assist him. 

 As soon as the fight begins, Russian security agents hustle Louis Roman out of the banquet hall and into a waiting black Cadills Royce stretch Limousine behind the museum.  Flexmaster, Olympius, and Rising Star lose them in the confusion, only Sunstorm manages to stay with Roman and gets in the car with him when it drives off for the Edmonton Ramada Hilton. 

 When they are safely gone, Omega Beast and NKVDymano abandon the Treasures of the Czar and make their escape.  Although the Alpha Guard members out-number and out-power the Russian dissidents, their black ops training makes it easy for the duo to slip out and disappear quickly. 
Heather curses herself for falling for an obvious diversion and radios Rising Star to make sure they were able to maintain control over Roman. 

 Herbert Carstairs runs over to Heather MacHudson as soon as he hears her frustrated scream.  "You lost him, didn't you."  It is not said as a question.  Reporters from SRCBC International, CNNBC, and every other news agency hear his charge and flock to the heroes for exclusives on what just happened. 

 Heather is about to admit to failure when Madison Wakefield interrupts to explain how he planted untraceable transmitters on both Louis Roman and the NKVDynamo.  He then pulls out a hand-held device resembling a Nintega Game Boy Gear, turns it on, and shows Carstairs a digitized map of Alberta with a bright blip glowing over Edmonton.  He sets it on 100% magnification, and the dot separates into two blinking lights, one headed north and the other west away from the museum.  "See, Herb?  We can recover the Prince before midnight and still go after Omega Beast before he gets too far.  Everything's under control."  Carstair's doesn't look very convinces, but the evidence at hand seems to support Madison's claim.  "And we even have a man inside.  Sunstorm is with Roman right now.  I doubt any kidnapping plans were made to handle a nuclear man." 

 "You better, Wakefield.  This is just the kind of excuse St. Ives needs to step in and take a more direct control of Alpha Guard."  They all know how General Clark St. Ives would handle things; the term Royal Canadian Mounted Gestapo comes to mind.  "So if Sunstorm is out there, why hasn't he freed Roman from the kidnappers yet?" 

 "Maybe he wasn't kidnapped," offers Imp.  "Could be these Russian guys are on the level and just wanted to get him out of the city before he got hurt, eh?" 

 In the car Louis Roman, only living member of the historic Romanov royal family, is indeed quite safe.  So is Raymond Stein, one-half of the Canadian-Japanese hero Sunstorm.  Of course, both men have been bound and gagged, and Stein is desperately trying to activated the radio in his wrist-watch, all the while frantically wondering, "Why can't I transform?" 
 
 

 D.O.M.E. director Herbert Carstairs returns to the wardroom where the members of Alpha Guard have been waiting for over three hours.  "It doesn't look good." 

 "What doesn't look good?"  Madison Wakefield stands up, personally insulted.  "We can track both parties indefinitely!  What's not to look good?"  Wakefield's homing devices, planted on both the monstrous Omega Beast and the Russian heir Louis Roman, are fully capable of emitting signals that can be followed across the globe.  Madison pointed this out the moment Roman disappeared during Omega Beast's raid on the Provincial Museum of Alberta. 

 "It's more political than that.  The Russians don't want a bunch of Canadian super heroes running amuck over Siberia." 

 "Like anyone would notice," comments Rising Star. 

 "Why not tell the truth, Herb.  That the various factions involved can't agree on a particular course of action.  Some aren't even sure they WANT Roman found!"  Heather MacHudson looks very smug in her announcement, and enjoys letting  someone else get dumb-founded for a change.  "This improved costume Nova Primus gave me has some great surveillance features." 

 "Okay, for starters, the hard-line Communists are worried that a prince could easily become a monarch if the people become restless enough, they don't want to give any revolutionaries a cause to fight for.  Yeltsin's supporters are afraid that the recent death of the British princess will bring bad publicity to any attempt to establish a "Royal Class" to Russia.  Proponents for capitalistic democracy fear that Roman may try to reclaim his family's holdings and return Russia to a feudal system. 
The reformists want to bring him in under his great-grandfather's title of arch-duke and have him be nobility instead of royalty.  And a Russian Orthodox synod refuses to acknowledge that Anastasia escaped execution at all, because they recently canonized her for staying in Russia in defiance of the Bolsheviks." 

 "I care less about their internal feuds.  So what if the Russkies give up on him," Imp says aloud.  "He's Canadian, he needs help, and that's what we're here for, eh?" 

 "Not quite," Walter Dawkins, a.k.a. the Canadian Devil, reminds them. 
"Last night's ceremony at the museum made him an official Russian citizen.  Makes me think the kidnappers waited for it to finish on purpose, just to tie our hands." 

 "You may have a point there, "Heather says, "but that doesn't change the fact that Sunstorm was taken, too.  Raymond Stein is still Canadian, even if he is from Quebec, and there's no reason we shouldn't be able to get him back." 

 Herbert Carstairs tries to regain control of the assembly.  "I already brought that up.  Moscow says they would be happy to look for him, if we could provide them with a duplicate of the tracking device." 

 "Like that's going to happen." Wakefield says.  "I don't even trust D.O.M.E. with this.  It's future technology based on my psychic visions.  They can forget it." 

 "I know.  The KGB isn't taking us seriously.  To them we're still the Unites State's little brother." 

 "And we're going to use that ignorance to our advantage," Clark St. 
Ives adds as he enters the room.  "All this means is the official channels are closed.  I've already got the green light for a covert mission to recover both Roman and Sunstorm.  Get ready for flight, Alphas.  Your passports will be ready within the hour." 

 One hour and twenty-eight minutes later Heather MacHudson, Donald MacHudson (Alpha Guardian), Madison Wakefield, Rojas Corbo (Flexmaster), Aristides Corbo (Olympius), Walter Dawkins (Canadian Devil), Impala Judd (Imp), Jean-Paul Lavon (Rising Star), and Shiro Saburo (the Japanese half of Sunstorm) are boarding a TUA (Trans-United Air) commercial flight to Moscow. 

 Alpha Guardian, who still has trouble thinking of himself as "Donald," takes Heather aside and talks to her.  "I know Madison's gadget has already pin-pointed our destinations to St. Petersburg and Yaroslavl, but do we really have to pursue the Omega Beast?" 

 "What's wrong?  Don't tell me you're hung up on the whole "Alpha vs Omega" theme we ran last time." 

 "Don't be absurd.  I just don't like the idea of fighting one of Adam's first Weapon Omegas.  Omega Beast was made from several different DNA patterns.  He's practically an amalgam of all the aliens in the JAMMERS." 

 "And you think he may have access to the Astro Force?" 

 "What I read on him doesn't look like he can draw on it himself.  But maybe he could manipulate it if a source was in his proximity; a source like me." 

 "That is a scary postulation.  Once we hook up with our CID (Criminal Investigations Department) contact at the embassy I'll recommend you go with the primary group looking for Louis.  I know Carstairs' profile has you on the Beast Hunt, but hopefully we can work around that without revealing that you're a clone." 
 
 When everyone is seated, Flexmaster has some questions of his own, which he asks Imp, sitting next to him.  "What's the story on Clark St. 
Ives?  I heard he got canned years ago, but he's still calling the shots." 

 "There's very little going on in Canada that the general doesn't have a hand in.  He  gave up his position as director of D.O.M.E. for public relations purposes; and that only freed him up to get more involved in his other activities.  If he has a boss, I sure don't know who it is.  I doubt the P.M. does either.  All anyone knows for sure is that he's the Control, anything else you hear is hearsay." 

 "Like what?  What rumors do people say about him?" 

 "According to his service record he was the C.O. of a Canadian O.S.S. 
unit during World War Two." 

 "How is that a rumor?" 

 "Kid, he would have had to have been at least twenty to hold that position back then.  He doesn't look seventy-five years old to me, eh? 
Military files can be altered, especially by someone with his ties." Corbo nods in agreement, despite being bald St. Ives doesn't look like he could be older than fifty.  "I also heard he killed his wife, gave her a heart-attack or something, just by touching her.  That sounds far-fetched, too, but it does make me wonder why he's always wearing those black gloves." 

 Imp stops when he sees that his flying companion is no longer listening, too engrossed in the in-flight movie MIB: MEN IN BAT-SUITS. 
Rojas doesn't need to be concerning himself with problems like St. Ives anyway.  He and his brother Aristides have enough to worry about just being superheroes. 

 They arrive at Moscow International Airport eight hours later. The air here is just as brisk as early autumn in Canada, but somehow there is a palpable sense of emptiness, hopelessness, that brings goosebumps to Heather's skin.  She looks around the terminal, and sees that people here can definitely be divided into rich and poor.  And the sad part is that almost all the ones classified as rich look to be foreigners. 

 A slender black woman, also obviously not a Muscovite, approaches them and asks in French if they are the MacHudson party.  Heather answers in English, and introduces herself and the Guard as a team of Canadian researchers from the University of Sir Brooke Williams studying the destruction of the taiga in Eastern Europe. 

 "I know, I'm Vivian Truffault, from the embassy.  Please come with me and I'll take you to your hotel." 

 "If it's all the same with you, miss," Rising Star says, "we'd like to go straight to the Canadian Embassy.  We can freshen up later." 

 Vivian flashes a polite smile and says, "Actually, you would rather go to zee hotel." 

 Jean-Paul corrects himself.  "Actually, we WOULD rather go to the hotel.  And I find myself adoring you for no reason." 

 "Zat's better," Ms Truffault adds, making a condescending kissy-face. 
Heather and the rest look at each other trying to figure out what just happened, but opt to hold off any questions until they have more privacy. 

 Vivian escorts them to a waiting taxi van.  Little is said on the ride to the hotel, everyone simply stares out the windows at the city around them.  Most of the original Alpha Guardsmen have been to Moscow before, during the Global Flight publicity campaign just before they were disbanded by D.O.M.E.  At that time Alpha Guard was authorized by the Russian government to assist in preventing a terrorist strike on Red Square.  This time they have no such authorization, a fact they must all keep in mind during their stay here. 

 They reach the Hotel Kiev and unload their luggage, checking into the three suites reserved for the MacHudson research party.  Inside the hotel looks nothing like the gray office building which the outside design portrays.  The colorful atmosphere brightens everything and almost makes them forget they are in the capital city of a nation no longer able to pay its own military.  The red, white, and blue Russian flag hangs over a spot on the wall where Heather remembers seeing portraits of Stalin and Lenin last time she was here.  And as with the airport the clientele is primarily foreigners.  Heather exchanges the team's Canadian dollars for rubles at the duty-free store in the lobby (Russian, not the de-valued Soviet currency) and goes upstairs with Madison to examine their rooms. 

 Heather and Madison perform a security sweep, finding several KGB bugs in the adjoining suites and the single room across the hall, but Wakefield determines they are no longer actively monitored, and decides to leave them in place rather than draw attention to their discovery. 
When she is certain they can speak privately, Heather addresses their guide.  "Now that we're checked in, will you kindly take us to the embassy like we asked in the first place?" 

 "Zat would be pointless, since ze embassy has more bugs zan a collective ant farm.  I brought you here so we could talk freely.  We have to split up and slip out as soon as you have your team's gear ready." 

 "YOU'RE the agent?  Sorry, I thought you were just here to be a liaison between us and Canada.  CIDs don't normally get involved in international affairs, do they?" 

 "Not normally, but I used to work for Interpol, and I have extensive knowledge of ze paranormal community in Russia.  Canada keeps me here under ze cover of being vice-president of a French cosmetics firm looking to open a factory in ze outer Moscow oblast.  My real name is Arlette Constance, but my professional name is Chuchotement Renard." 

 "The Whispering Fox," Imp says, clearly in awe.  "I've heard rumors about you." 

 "Zat's why I left Interpol.  It doesn't do a spy any good to gain a reputation." 

 Heather smiles.  "I'm sorry your career fell through, but I have to tell you it will be nice not to be the only woman on this team, even if it is only temporary." 

 "Well zen Miss MacHudson, we best be on our way.  I have some friends zat you will enjoy meeting as well."