Chapter 31: “Wings Above Madness”
Written by: Sue Wong

The snowy owl that had been the demi-goddess Snowbird only moments before, circled above the corpse-strewn airport. Her concern was divided between trying to find her friends and keeping track of her small gyrfalcon son.
“This is no way to train my son in the fine art of battle,” she thought. “We should be in a more controlled situation: a battle room or an assault course such as we once had in Department H. It would be far better for him to learn gradually, to make his mistakes in a safer environment, that to thrown into battle with no preparation. Mother Nelvanna, he is still but a babe himself....”
The gyrfalcon, sensing his mother's thoughts, swerved closer to her, and suddenly spoke. “Don't worry, Mother. I have you and Uncle Judd and Aunt Heather and everybody to help me. And...I think Grandma Nelvanna is helping me, too.”
“Mother Goddess!” the Snowbird-owl exclaimed. “You have power enough to sense this? That is quite wonderful! And with your power added to that of the gods and our earthly friends, how can we fail now?”
  Suddenly, the voice of Retribution rent the air below them. “The Children of the Great Beasts would be delighted to show you how to fail!” 
That was all he could say before Heather zapped him with an electromagnetic burst. Which didn't seem to work.

  Judd clambered over wreckage. “Narya! Richard! Where are you?” There was Heather to look for, too, his soul reminded him, but Snowbird and her son had been in his immediate charge. And Judd was nothing if not conscientious. 
“Here, Friend Judd!” called a majestic woman's voice. “And see who is with me!”
Judd looked up and was rewarded to see Heather glowing above. “Good to see you, eh?”
“Yes,” the red-haired woman called. “Tell me, have you seen Mac anywhere?”
  She would have to ask that, Judd thought sadly, before telling himself, _Stop it, he's still her husband _. “No, can't say I ha--- Whoa!”
He cart wheeled out of the way just in time to miss being punched by Retribution. “Can't catch me, you ugly slime ball!”
But where _was_  Mac? And Shaman? And Talisman? And Walter? And St. Elmo? Had the Children of the Beasts succeeded in dividing Alpha Flight's forces?

Chapter 32: “Spiders And Flies”
Written by: Adam-X (Adam-X@juno.com)

 “I tell you, it feels like I downed a whole bottle of Judd’s secret sauce… My head is pounding like you wouldn’t believe,” were the first words out of Walter’s mouth. He was rubbing his head, gazing through a fuzzy vision, not even sure if there was anyone around him to hear his words.
 “If it were only that,” came a soft, soothing voice.
 “What happened Michael?” Walter began to stand up - his knees buckled and he fell back, his arms sprawling to catch something.
 “You’re not going to like what I’m going to tell you…”
 For the first time since the explosion, Walter’s eyes were finally beginning to see clearly - or so he thought. The world - or whatever surrounded him - was a kaleidoscope of rainbow colors, constantly swirling. “Michael…” There was a hesitant sound in Walter’s voice. “Michael… just what is going on?”
 “As I said, you’re not going to like my answer…”
 “Will you just tell me?” Walter screamed. He was growing impatient. He tried to shift into Sasquatch form, but his head rang too loudly, destroying the little concentration it took to change forms.
 “We’ve been eaten.”
 “We’ve been what?”
 “Eaten.”
 “I don’t like this…”
 “I didn’t think you would…”

 “It’s no use,” her voice said plainly.
 He landed next to her - his face clearly marked with stress and frustration. “So what do you suggest? We just give up here and now?”
 “I didn’t say that,” Elizabeth cut back to Mac.
 “You said it’s no use.” Mac sneered. His frustration was clearly showing now, and he was in no mood for riddles.
 “No use using your electro-magnetic blasts,” Elizabeth smiled.
 “What do you suggest? I don’t even know where we are.”
 “In essence,” Elizabeth, better known as Talisman began to explain. “We’ve been eaten.”
 “What?” Mac screamed. He was better known as Vindicator - husband of Heather Hudson, also known as Guardian. Mac is normally a calm man. Alpha Flight’s main leader by default and experience. Right now, Mac was anything but calm. “And what do you mean ‘in essence’?”
 “We’re in a … holding type of cell… they’re feeding off our magic…”
 “Our what?”
 “Magic.”
 “That doesn’t make sense. What magic do I have?”
 Elizabeth turned to Mac, her eyes deep with a hidden sorrow. She was just about to explain when the entire ‘holding cell’ jolted violently… sending her and Mac tumbling to the ground… or what passed for ‘the ground’… screaming.

 “You’ve got to be mad if you think we will help you after all you’ve done!”
 “Now, now, Jean-Paul,” came the retort, softly. “That was all in the past, my friend. Like I said, it would benefit us both.”
 “You’re a madman,” Aurora cut in. “You did terrible things to me!”
 “No Aurora, I brought you back together,” Flashback smirked. “Your mind was still fragmented. I found out a lot of things… my… other selves… from my past, future… they have seen wondrous things… but there is one thing they have not seen… One thing that was taken from me… so I could not see it… and that is the outcome of this battle…”
 “We will not help you,” Northstar growled. “I should pelt you to the ground where you stand!”
 “Jean-Paul, always thinking with your heart, rather than your mind. Right now, the last thing you need is more enemies… You saw what they did to this airport… to all those innocent people… right now, what you need are allies… and I could be that.”
 “I have no reason to even trust you,” Northstar spat. “Your previous history shows me no reason to trust you!”
 “But it’s my future I am trying to change…” Flashback smiled. “For the better.”

 He was gasping for breath. Amazing. He was actually grasping for breath. Did this mortal realize who he was tampering with? Traction turned his eyes up to Donovan Walker and grinned. “Yeah, yeah, so I have seen this goldie locks? What about it?”
 “Where have you seen her?”
 Traction smiled. “In a grave… a fresh grave… with her son…”
 Donovan sneered and with a heavy fist laid a hard punch across the grinning face of Traction…
 As he slipped into unconsciousness, Traction’s drifting thoughts were, “Cursed mortal shells… they’re so weak…”

 Dr. Whitman opened the door, and paused for a long moment - staring at those that had rung his doorbell.
 “Whit?” came a soft voice.
 “Kara,” Dr. Whitman returned.
 The title of “Dr. Whitman” is misleading. Mr. Whitman is in his teens, and was once a member of Beta Flight. Now he was here at his door staring at his past. And staring at his past love. “So they’re right.”
 “Who?” Wyre asked. “We all got an e-mail from Alex. What’s this all about?”
 “I’m not too sure myself,” Dr. Whitman began. “But I am sure they’re ready to tell us…”
 “What?”
 Dr. Whitman opened the door further, and moved out of the way, revealing several people in his living room. “It’s the government,” Whitman explained. “They’ve got some questions for us.”
 “How did they know?” Alex whispered.
 “Our e-mail addresses must be tagged,” Wyre growled. “When I was with the government, I know they tag certain e-mail addresses, phone lines, whatever - and when a group of individuals are contacted, it red flags at the Department. All of us, once a part of Alpha Flight - probably red flagged when Alex e-mailed all of us.”
 Whitman didn’t have to say a word. His face showed that he had asked the same question when the government officials showed up at his door. Growling, Wyre entered, followed by Kara and the rest of them…

 It was so dark.
 St. Elmo screamed.
 It echoed back.
 He pulled against the chains.
 They grew tighter.
 He tried to see through the darkness.
 He saw nothing.
 He listened.
 He could hear the cold water wrapping around his legs.
 Death.
 The water was rising… but never going past his knees… always rushing in, but never filling…

 “… so what magic do I have?” Mac asked.
 “Did you not return from the grave?”
 “I suppose. That entire thing is a mess. I am no more certain of what happened than the next person.”
 “Mac, something, or someone brought you back…”
 “So that gives me magical powers?”
 “No, but whatever brought you back used magic.”
 “I am not sure I understand.”
 “Neither do I. Neither do I…”

Chapter 33: Deus Ex Machina
From: sengmah@iinet.net.au (Seng Mah)

"Hit him with all you've got!"

The woman in the red and white battle-suit dove dangerously close to the
seething mass of evil that was Retribution, discharging bolts of burning
plasma even as she shouted her orders. Below her, Puck flung himself into
the fray, using his powerful, compact body as a veritable weapon against the
Beastling.
Retribution roared; black lightning crackled around him and he grew larger,
more monstrous. Gone was the gaunt, ghastly frame; in its stead was a morass
of darkness, a cloak of night bound to the frame of a skeletal man twice the
height of a full grown human.
His thrall, the man who was once Brian Coltrane, prison guard, also burned
with black otherworldly energy, growing in size and breadth, bursting
through the black bodysuit that he wore. His face changed, broadened, his
brows deepened; he took on more mass, his muscles bulging until he had
become a gross caricature of some ogrish abomination.
"Kill them!" Retribution shrieked, his voice piercing the night, sending the
snowy owl and the smaller gyrfalcon reeling in the wind. "There can be no
survivors tonight!"
 

"What the hell's going on?!" Walter Langkowski growled, flailing about
violently in a vain attempt to steady himself. In this place where there was
no up, or down, no sense of space, time, or depth, Langkowski found himself
alternately falling and being flung off his feet.
"Whatever is holding us is in pain," Michael Twoyoungmen explained
matter-of-factly.
"Thanks, Mike!" Langkowski sneered, then yelled again as the 'holding cell'
jolted violently. He tried again to shift into Sasquatch, but without
success. He turned again to Twoyoungmen. "Hey? Why don't you just magick us
outta here?"
Twoyoungmen shook his head. "Not while we're held here. My magic doesn't
work. This being that has us held within it is feeding off my magic. And yours."
"Mine?" Langkowski growled, lurching again on his feet. How can Michael
remain so calm in this storm, he thought to himself.
"Don't forget: you wear the physical body of a demi-god, and before that,
you were a Great Beast yourself."
"Oh, right," Walt rolled his eyes. Then stopped. "Hey, you're right!" he
said, and brightened considerably.
 

The cold drew goosepimples from his skin, froze his muscles. His legs had
gone numb. His throat was sore from screaming.
Elmo sagged in his chains, feeling helpless, useless. Somewhere, outside of
this place, he knew that his companions in arms faced the biggest battle of
their lives. And he was unable to aid them.
Suddenly, he sensed a presence rising out of the cold liquid that surrounded
him. He tried again to summon light, but somehow, this place seemed to have
dampened his powers. He tensed, feeling the presence grow close.
A voice, chill as the heart of a winter storm, hissed out of the darkness,
mocking. "So, the mighty champion has been laid low."
Elmo tugged again at his chains, but they held tight despite his massive
strength.
"Who are you who hides in darkness?" he bawled out.
"You know me."
And realization struck him suddenly. Realization, and despair. Without his
powers, without his strength, how was he to triumph against this being: the
ultimate evil?
"Afraid?" the voice purred.
Elmo's face grew grim. He prepared to confront his fate. "Yes, but I will
still fight you."
"Then you are a fool!"
Icy fingers touched him, pulled clothing away, bared his chest. Elmo
struggled against the chains, but they held.
Laughter, soft, mocking.
And the fingers plunged into his chest, closing around his heart.
Elmo shrieked.

Puck squirmed against the force of the giant hand holding him hard against
the tarmac. He was effectively pinned to the ground. He cursed his lack of
caution: caught in the heat of battle, he had allowed Retribution to strike.
That one error had been enough. He struggled for breath, feeling darkness
encroach on the edge of his vision.
Above him, he could see the glow of Heather's suit dim. Her power reserves
were running low. Nearby, Narya and young Richard, circled anxiously,
knowing that they could do little against the Beast. Somehow, through some
inexplicable means, Retribution had transformed from Beastling to Great
Beast itself. At its side hunkered the ogrish thrall, slavering for blood.
"And so it ends." Retribution's voice was loud as the night. "Sad, pathetic
fools, to think that you could stop us." The hand squeezed and Puck groaned.
"No!" Heather's voice rang out. "Not as long as one of us still stands!" She
unleashed another blast, striking Retribution on the shoulder. The Beast
grunted, more out of irritation than in pain. He reached out his other hand,
struck, and swatted Guardian away, as if she had been nothing more than a
pestilent fly.
"Heather..." Puck moaned weakly, helplessly.
"Heather!" the snowy owl swooped close to Guardian. "You cannot defeat the
Beast this way."
"Then you tell me a way, Narya! Right now, I'm prepared to try anything!"
The snowy owl's eyes looked directly into hers, and they were at once sad
and triumphant.
"There is a way. But you will need to be brave. Of us all, only you and Puck
have not the magic that feeds a being such as Retribution. Judd cannot help
now. You can. Do you remember what happened to your husband after his first
battle with Omega Flight those years ago?"
How could I forget? Heather thought. "He died, or at least, that's what I
thought then. His suit overheated, exploded, caused a rift in space, flung
him to one of the moons of Uranus."
And then she knew.
"You mean...?"
The snowy owl nodded.
"But-"
"Yes."
Heather rose. "Alright. If that's what it takes." She dismantled the systems
that regulated the flow of power through the suit, and began charging up.
"You are a brave woman, Heather MacNeil Hudson."
"Bravery has nothing to do with this. Tell Mac... tell Judd.. tell everyone
that I love them." Without another word, she flew off, streaking towards the
Great Beast.
"Retribution!" she cried. "You want me? You've got me!"
She could feel the energy and heat build around her. Only a few moments more...
The Great Beast turned, its face delighted at the sight of the lone woman
charging straight towards it. It laughed. And Heather plunged directly into
its maw.
Below, Puck gave one last despairing cry. He had seen the look on his love's
face, noted the build up of energy around her suit. He knew.
And then, from within the Great Beast, an explosion blossomed, so vast, so
powerful, that it ripped Retribution's head apart, sending his massive body
crashing, smoldering to the ground, burying the thrall beneath it. The hand
released its hold; Puck rolled free and ran towards the burning remains of
the Beast called Retribution.
"Heaathherrr!"
His one lone plaintive cry, the only sound in the darkness.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Chapter 34: In Light There Is Hope
From: Wells@isn.net

Love some say, is the most powerful force known to man.  Others may look at it the other way around praising the power of hate, or evil.  In the chill air that evening both forces came head to head.  When such cataclysmic events transpire there are always fatalities

Kneeling on the frozen ground was a man.  Many thought him small, or freakish, but in fact he was one of the largest men on earth.  A recognized hero, loved by most and hated by few.  This night his entire world was shattered.  His love was ripped from him so cruelly that would change him only for the worst.

Beside the grief stricken man a heap of darkness burnt.  This was the true form of the being know as Retribution.  As the son of evil, his true form was that of darkness, and solid hate.  Great tongues of flame liked up from the fallen form of Retribution.  Though the flames crackled and burnt they did not consume the mighty form.

Lifting his head the man called Judd rose to his feet.  His eyes opened wide, he saw something that made his stomach sick.  From the great, fallen from of Retribution there was a breath.  No, not the breath of Heather Hudson, it was Retribution himself!

A shaky voice emerged from the titanic form "Stupid, Stupid mortal woman, you think that I am so easily defeated?" 

Slowly the burning form of darkness rose to his knees.  Every hero present loosed a horrid gasp of despair.  Their leader Guardian sacrificed her self to destroy the son of evil.......and failed.
 

The icy fingers of Somon the Artifice sank deep in to the heart of Elmo. There in the great man's heart Somon struck fear.  Only one before in his existence had Elmo experience this emotion, now there it was again.  Slowly he could feel Somon absorbing his great life force, and Slowly the fear grew.  Clenching his fists Elmo began to sob.  

As the life force of St' Elmo leaked into Somon the was a strange bonding of minds, and all at once Elmo realized the true extent of The Beast's plans of domination.  It was horrid!  At the same instant the great man saw that if he did not defeat Somon  now, he would never be defeated.  Tapping into his heart, Elmo drew on his own fear, not fear for himself, but for Mankind. 

There was a flash.

In the blink of an Eye Elmo's restraints were transformed to light.  In the flash Somon recoiled, allowing the link to be broken.  Elmo Stood tall now, bare chested, and prepared himself for was to come.

"I didn't think you had it in you, oh champion of Nelvanna" The Beast sneered.  His frail appearing from lunged at Elmo, arms stretch out, bent to kill.  It took all the speed and power within the great form of Elmo to dodge the attack of his enemy.  Falling into the solid liquid darkness around him Elmo rolled to his feet.  Somon drew near once mor, but Elmo was the one to strike now.  He threw himself onto the ancient beast wrapping his thick hand around the cold neck of Somon.  Summoning his power he began to do what he had sworn never to even consider.  In the same instant Somon sank his icy fingers once more into the chest of Elmo.  The two Godling spun in the endless liquid Darkness around them, each struggling to destroy the other.
 

Swirling in direction less darkness ware more heroes.  Upon discovering that their magical forces were being slowly devoured bu some unknown foe, they desperately sought to escape.  Walter Langkowsky felt dreadfully helpless. They all  had some means to fight for their escape, All but him that was. He had always relied on the great strength of his other form to save himself, but know he could not draw upon that shell of protection.  Slowly Walter began to feel a strange tingle come over his entire body.  Gradually it became mor and more pronounced as Walt began to feel light headed.

"Dad," Elizabeth Twoyoungmen gasped to her father "what the heck going on with Walt?!"
 
As Shaman turned to look at his old friend he saw that Walter's eye's were rolled back, and his whole body carries a nimbus glow of pure light.
 

From above the Godling snowbird and her young child saw a truly unique scene.  On frozen turf knelt the form of Retribution, not dead, but dazed. Beside him was the wreckage of the plane that had brought Alpha to this place.  On his other side was the emotionally crush form of Eugene Jud, who had just witnesses the death of the woman he had love for so many years. Off about two hundred yards in the background was the airport the plan was heading towards.  There was something stage about the complex that Narya had noticed earlier, but had not allowed it to register.  Emanating for the
building was pure evil, and darkness.  Now glancing once more at the structure she saw something new, and even more strange.  All about the structure there was a faint light, as if it were beginning to glow.   As she watched, the goddess couldn't take her eyes from the building.  

Suddenly there was an explosion of light.  Narya was blinded by the light that ensued, as the building dissolved before her eyes into the purest of light.  There was no Sound.

The light spread, and intensified.  In the blink of an eye they were all enveloped in it's power. It was with such intensity that none within it's embrace could see any thing but light.  There was a sound.

"NO!" it was the voice of Retribution  "It can't be!  You said that we would win!  Why did you lie to me? Why Father" The voice was not that of the mighty son of darkness, but that of a sniveling child, a spoiled child who did not get his way.  Over and over, all those in the envelope of light could hear one word echoing over and over "why" gradually at first, then more quickly the voice began to fade into the light.

Time passed.  How much time is still unknown up to this date, for none within the light knew.  It might have been seconds or minutes, it might have been days.  After this uncounted time passed the light abut them faded.  The scenery began to take form once again.   The fearful form of Retribution was gone.  The Airport was gone, and in it's place stood Vindicator Talisman, Shaman,  Walter Langkowski, and the powerful form of St. Elmo .  On the charred ground where Retribution stood was a small piece of light that would not fade, as if it possessed a stubbornness of it's own.
 
As the "lost" heroes walked towards the battle ground, Elmo moved to there fore.  Coming to the place where Heather Hudson had laid down her own life as sacrifice, Elmo knelt.  No true believer he was kneeling in mourning, or with fatigue.  Elmo knelt down and picked up that stubborn bit of light that would not fade.

"It pleases me to have found you, Oh brave soldier. Your sense of love for your fellow man puts mine to shame.  This day I have destroyed one life, that of my enemy.  It is required of me to restore the life of an other to bring back proper balance to the world.  I see no other more deserving of this gift that you."  

Holding the bit of light  in his outstretched hands St' Elmo bowed his head. As he stood there, motionless in the chill wind, the bit of light grew, and intensified.  As he raised his head all about the great man hard him exclaim in joy  "Ah, it happens!"
 
 

Chapter 35: "She's Back"
by Sue Wong

     What happened next took everyone's breath away, even though it probably shouldn't have."After all," Elizabeth said later, "we shouldn't be surprised by this kind of thing.  Haven't we already seen Snowbird, her son, and St. Elmo come back to life? I mean, we _ought_ to be used to people coming back from the dead.... or something."

      "Or something" was more accurate a description of what transpired next.

     The light, the stubborn light before them, grew into a portal. A woman's hand emerged from the brilliance, groping the air, seeking....
seeking....

     Both Eugene Judd and James MacDonald Hudson started forward.
"Heather!" It was unclear which of them said it first. Or who tried to get there sooner.  But St. Elmo was the nearest, and it was he who grasped the seeking hand.

     "I have you, brave mortal! Draw upon the strength of my light power, and pull yourself back into your world. _Our_ world! Because _you_ have helped to turn the tide in our favor!"

     Slowly, the form of an exhausted young woman wearing a tattered battle-suit emerged from the portal, and collapsed into St. Elmo's arms.
("From the look on Judd's face," Elizabeth confided to her father later, "you'd think he wished Heather had fallen into _his_ arms instead.") Heather looked around, dazedly at first, but with growing consciousness of her surroundings.

     "What's... happened? The...airport? What happened to...Retribution?" Heather's words came slowly, but with increasing strength. Mac reached his wife's side, and took her into his arms. Judd stood just behind, a disappointed look flickering over his face before it hardened into a stoic expression.

      "Dear lady!" St. Elmo boomed. "Do ask one question at a time! The airport has vanished as a result of our battle with Retribution.
Fortunately, it had been evacuated, so there were no living people wiped off the face of the earth.

     [Author's note: If I'm wrong about this, you can change it. But this is what I like to believe happened. Back to the story.]

    "And as to Retribution," the beaming giant continued, "did you not hear what I said as I pulled you back into the world? We have defeated him. He is finished! And it was your bravery that accomplished this. You provided the spark that engulfed the evil son of the Beasts, and helped to send him into oblivion."

    "I...am glad. So very...glad," Heather slumped against her husband. Her friends came to surround her. Snowbird and her son swooped down from the sky, and joined the happy group. 

   "I almost envy you, dear friend," Narya said. "You have accomplished what _I_ have been set upon the earth to do. You have defeated the offspring of a Beast!"

   "But where were you when you disappeared, Heather?" Elizabeth asked.
"Though," looking at Mac, "I think I might have an idea where you got blasted into.... and back."

   "I think I know, too," Mac said.

   "I'm not into telepathy," Heather said beamingly, " but I understood a little of what they meant. And I think the Quwrlln want me to say hi from them!"

   "Well," Judd said, "one junior Beast down, and... _how_ many left to go?
Let's go get 'em all, eh?" Seeing Heather restored to this world was all the incentive he needed.
 
 

    The Great Beasts' offspring weren't the only concern of the restored Alpha Flight. At the RCMP headquarters in Regina, Saskatchewan, a certain man came seeking information.

     "Maybe here's where I can find a clue as to where to find the elusive Anne McKenzie," Donovan Walker said as he approached the building. "Come out, come out, wherever you are...."