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Technomancer
(Flashback, Alpha Flight (first series) #16)
Three years ago in Moosejaw, Madison Jeffries has been trying to get his life on track, but every time he makes a step forward it doesn’t seem to get him anywhere. He is only going to get somewhere the honest way. ‘Life may be tough, but I’m tougher!’ is his motto. He was minding his business when he receives a check in the mail for one thousand dollars. Some guy he doesn’t even know wants to hire him, and Jeffries has a feeling he knows why.
Jeffries shows up at the home of the guy, whose name is Roger Bochs, and who Jeffries thinks looks like the ‘Pillsbury Doughboy on wheels’. Roger then tells Jeffries that he knows about his power to turn metal into machines. After a while, Jeffries comes to respect this guy who wants Jeffries help in redesigning his robot suit. Jeffries thinks that even though Bochs seems straight-up, he still should pretend to have no idea what he is talking about. That is until his cover is blown when Bochs throws a carton of spare parts at Jeffries, who instinctively reacts by using his mutant powers to turn the spare parts into an arm. Jeffries takes the job, after all, it beats digging ditches.
(Flashback)
Two years ago, the Denver apartment of Ted Larkin. The messy Denver apartment of a man who just lost his job in the middle of winter. He got a ten day notice on his electric bill and the phone keeps ringing - not with job offers, but bill collectors who are wondering what has happened to “that check that’s in the mail” and if he is going to make good on his obligations. So Larkin just unplugs the phone. He cannot be bothered with it all, as he is working on his retirement, his bright and shinning future. A future born of electromagnetic genius - his genius.
He inserts a disk into his computer, The Technomancer Virus Program, a virus which infects the software of any given computer and it is in machine-level code, which means it is almost impossible to detect. Once it is uploaded into a computer it adapts to its new environment, infiltrating virtually every aspect of the machine’s architecture. Any computer that is communicating with the infected machines become infected too, and then it passes it on to other computers. Larkin gets up from his desk and turns to the television, where a news reader informs viewers that the super-villain known as Electro has once more been apprehended by Spider-Man. ‘Super-villain?’ Larkin thinks to himself as he puts a blue cap on his head. ‘I’m a real super villain, sucker!’
Larkin leaves his apartment and goes to a phone box near a gas station. He program has a unique purpose, as its special realm is the bank computer and is designed to transfer money to his accounts in such a way that it will not be noticed. Once the virus gets into the banks computers, it starts adjusting people’s account balances ever so slightly. The money that is skimmed off is then either mailed to a P.O. Box or placed in one of Larkin’s many accounts. He rings a number then places the phone on his portable computer he brought with him.
Larkin has tapped into the biggest bank in Colorado, all he needs to do is upload his virus and let it do its work. Once the virus is in place, it is only a matter of time before it finds its way into other bank computers. Larkin believes that he should eventually end up in almost every bank in the world. With his immediate task if complete, he puts the phone down, picks up his computer and walks away. All that is left to do now is to wait for the money to roll in.
(Flashback, Alpha Flight (first series) #46)
One year ago, Tamarind Island, the home of Canada’s premiere super heroes, Alpha Flight! Jeffries and Roger Bochs had joined the team by this time, exciting times for them both, as Roger got a new body. But he succumbed to madness, and threatened to kill his girlfriend and teammate Aurora. All of Alpha Flight move in on Box, but eventually it comes down to Jeffries and Bochs, with no other solution, Jeffries phases himself into Roger’s armor, expelling Bochs from the robot. Diving into the armor feels like ice, then fire, and for a second, Jeffries even shares Roger’s mind and feels his screams. That was the first time Jeffries donned the Box armor.
(Present)
Boulder, Colorado, where things are looking up for Ted Larkin. He has a huge mansion, and is lounging out by his pool. Money is flowing into his accounts and women are crawling all over him. His life has never been better. As he takes a drink from his current girlfriend, one thing bothers him - If the virus were to enter a computer that has nothing to do with banking…the result would be unpredictable! The program was designed to steal money, it looks specifically for funds, but if there is no money to transfer…what does it try and transfer?
Elsewhere, at the Strategic Commands Headquarters in Kansas. Major Blackwood phones the bank of Colorado, informing them that they are ready to transfer the money to the Hammer account. Blackwood orders his female lieutenant to commence the transfer. As she does so she informs the Major that the transfer rate was slower than normal, almost as if a major data exchange took place. The Major hangs up the phone to the bank of Colorado and tells his lieutenant not to worry about it, as they now have to do a link up with the Missile Control Network and the Defense Computer, ‘and then with some Canadian Super Hero - get on with it!’ Barks the Major, as he leaves his lieutenants office he tells her they can check out the system after lunch.
Meanwhile, in Ottawa, Canada’s capital, specifically the address of 138 Laurier Drive, once the home of James and Heather Hudson, the home of Alpha Flight. But now James is dead and Alpha Flight is disbanded. But Heather is not alone. ‘Mmmm…delicious!’ exclaims Heather as she and Madison Jeffries kiss. Jeffries tells Heather that it is a nice perk for forming this new high-tech command center in her basement.
As Vindicator, Heather was Alpha Flight’s leader, but with the team disbanded, she finds herself asking Jeffries what it is they are going to do next. ‘Work’ replies Jeffries, causing Heather to protest, pointing out that that is all they have been doing lately. Jeffries tells Heather that he knows, but that he has been getting together a data base of all the known super menaces, figuring it might do them some good if Alpha Flight ever reformed.
Jeffries informs Heather that he has just got the ok from the U.S. Air force to tap into their files today. With that, he phases into his Box armor and explains to Heather that all he has to do is download the Air force’s data to finish his work, and should just be a few minutes. ‘And then it’s playtime!’ grins Heather.
Back in Kansas, the lieutenant begins linking up the data she was ordered to.
Back at 138 Laurier Drive, Heather tells Jeffries that she is going to take a shower. ‘If you hurry, you might get to join me…’. As Heather exit’s the basement, she hears a loud noise behind her, and turns to see the Box armor changing form. She calls to Madison and asks if everything is all right. Jeffries does not answer, instead, a now giant reshaped Box armor stands before her. Heather tells her fiancée that he is not being funny, when suddenly the clawed robot whacks Heather across the room, before blowing a hole in the wall of the basement and entering the outside world.
Heather stirs as several woodland creatures scurry around her, before running away when she sits up and screams ‘MADISON!’ Heather clutches her stomach as she stands up, realizing that it must have been some time ago that Madison left, as the dust has settled and the birds and animals were inside. She doesn’t feel like anything is broken, despite being hit so hard. She wonders why Madison did it and what happened to him. Rushing from the basement, Heather decides that the only thing to do is suit up and go and look for him.
The out-of-control and reshaped Box flies Southward, while within the Box armor, Jeffries floats around, finding himself in a techno-nightmare, a ghost in the machine. He realizes that something is in the armor, running the show, while he is just another road kill on the great highway of life. ‘I was the metal and the metal was me - but no longer’. As Jeffries passes through all the circuitry, he realizes that this happened when he linked with the US Air force’s computer, one minute he was Box, the next he was being used. He felt as if electric hands grabbed his mind, there was light and color, a flame of sound and a taste like grapefruit and cloves, but now he can think again. Jeffries knows where the nexus  - the mind - of the armor is, he realizes he has to talk to it, get control, or else he will be floating in here forever!
Heather has donned her Vindicator battle suit, and tells herself that there is no clue as to where Jeffries might have headed, and she cannot just fly up in the air and look for him, as there is no telling what direction he could have gone in. But she doesn’t see how she has any other choice. ‘Madison, where are you?’ she cries as she takes to the skies.
Meanwhile, at the US Air Force, an officer informs his superior that they have a bogey heading South, just over tree-top level, but he cannot tell if it is an aircraft or some sort of super character. He continues, stating that the bogey is ignoring their radio warnings and is heading into North Dakota. The superior orders the officer to alert strategic command.
Jeffries tries to talk with the foreign being in his armor, but it only talks nonsense. It says ‘110001101001001001...’ so fast that he cannot keep up. Jeffries realizes that it is talking machine language, and thinks that there has to be a better way to communicate, but he still cannot regain control, nor can he see through Box’s eyes. He realizes that if he tries to phase out, he might find himself falling from the sky or under a thousand feet of water. However, Jeffries’ clothes are not part of the Box matrix, neither is his watch, which he can change into a translator. Jeffries changes his watch and plunges his hand into part of the Box matrix, asking the foreign being if it understands him now.
Several US Air Force crafts have been launched with the pilots ordered to intercept the bogey, and if it does not veer away from its course, they are authorized to destroy it.
Jeffries’ translator works, as the virus talks to him and informs him that he is not program and does not conform to the machine’s architecture, so he cannot be interfaced. Therefore, as Jeffries made the transformation, the virus wants him to comply. Jeffries asks the being what it is, and the virus replies by saying that it is a program designed to transfer units, but that there are no units here, in the last unit there were only nuclear missiles, so could not transfer them, and human intervention is required. Jeffries finds that he is able to see again, as the virus explains that he is given external vision only, and that he must make a change so that the program can destroy the approaching objects.
A pilot of one of the US Air crafts radios that the bogey appears to be a Russian super weapon and is headed right for the base. The order that comes back is authorization for the pilots to shoot the ship down, and missiles are launched straight away.
Jeffries tells the virus that he does not want to destroy the planes, pointing out that they belong to the United States Air Force. The virus tells Jeffries that it is illogical, as they will destroy this machine, so the program will defend itself and its purpose. The virus dodges the missiles, and attacks the US craft with its own defenses. Two of the ships explode, Jeffries is relieved when the pilots escape safely. Jeffries protests when the virus begins to attack the other aircraft, but as he tries to stop the virus, it surges him with some power, telling Jeffries that he cannot interfere and change the machine.
The virus drives the Box-ship through the US air craft, causing them to explode, before informing Jeffries that the conflict is over, and it is now proceeding to the location identified in the last computer. Jeffries asks the virus what it is trying to do, what right it has destroying those planes and taking over his robot. The virus replies that the program is designed to transfer units and adapt to its environment. This environment has allowed it to become sentient by virtue of design, however, the machine has no units, but in the last computer, the program identified nuclear missile units, so it will secure those.
The virus informs Jeffries that it will activate those missiles and transfer them to the city of the programmer, to which Jeffries yells ‘You can’t do that! I wont let you!’ Madison threatens to freeze all the joints in the robot, meaning the virus will be helpless. With Jeffries’ last outburst, the virus declares that he must terminate him, and attacks him.
The Box ship veers down towards the North Dakota Missile Defense Wing and returns to its form from earlier before as the soldiers shoot at it. One of the soldiers radios a superior and informs him that they cannot stop it and that it is headed for the nuclear storage bunkers. Mobile Suits are ordered to be sent in, just as Jeffries manages to phase out. As he does so his flesh feels as if it is burning. He hears the gunshots and see the robot as it breaks open the door to the nuclear missile storage.
The soldiers call him a Communist and order him to freeze. An Air Force combat suit lands between Jeffries and the Box amor, surprising Jeffries that they even have combat suits, as he didn’t know they did. As the virus controlled Box robot battles with the combat suits, Jeffries realizes that he cannot touch his old suit again, as it was too tough for him to fight, so he rushes into the shelter where the nuclear missiles are kept, hoping that there will be enough material in there. After all, he thinks that if it wasn’t for the Air Force then he wouldn’t even be here, so they can loan him the metal.
The virus controlled Box armor destroys the US combat suits and makes his way towards Jeffries, the army firing at the virus does not stop him at all. ‘Adios you sorry son of a -’ exclaims Jeffries inside a newly constructed Box armor, aiming a large gun at his virus controlled old armor. The old armor is blasted away, to cries of relief from the army. A high ranking official comes up to Box and tells him that he wants some answers - like how did he get on base and into the bunker without that robot or any of his men seeing him? ‘Hey, I’m a super hero!’ exclaims Jeffries.
Box flies back towards Canada, another menace has bitten the dust. The Air Force loaned him this armor so that he could get home, where he will build a new armor when he gets there, and send back the raw materials to the Air Force. He thinks back, that it has been many days since he was digging ditches, only to find out that there are lots of heartaches and hardship on the super hero trail, but that it was more the life he was made for. Jeffries thinks of Heather, he has to see her and make sure she is all right. He hopes that she didn’t think it was him who hurt her, especially as she has a heck of a temper! En route to Canada, Jeffries and Heather are reunited in the air.
Back at Ted Larkin’s mansion, he ushers his girlfriend out of the house, telling her he has some bookwork to take care of today and suggesting she come back tomorrow, she agrees to. Larkin adjusts his robe, thinking that it has been a while since he was fending off bill collectors and he has no regrets either, for he now has an easy life, all he has to do is count money and fend off the ladies.
Outside Denver however, a soldier leans on a tank and tells another officer that this tank has sophisticated targeting systems, as he has just finished linking it up with the base computer to feed it new data. Suddenly a missile is launched off the back of the tank…headed straight for Ted Larkin’s! Larkin thinks to himself that all his life he has been waiting for the big pay off…the last thing he sees is the missile coming down on top of him.
In Moscow, a government official asks another if they had a crisis with the Americans. The second man replies that they did, as the Americans thought they had sent some sort of robot to one of their missile bases, and some of their missiles are missing. The first man laughs, ‘Those Americans, they have so many super-menaces! Capitalism breeds them like flies!’ The second man agrees, before explaining that the Americans were convinced of Russia’s innocence in the matter. The first man asks how it went in the States, to which the second replies that it went good, and holds up a disk, gloating that he managed to steal the latest computer programs from their Air Force!


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Where There’s A Will There’s A Way
Last Will and Testament of Walter Langkowski: “I, Walter Langkowski, being of sound and disposed mind and memory, do hereby sign, seal, publish and declares this my Last Will And Testament, and by so doing do hereby give, devise and bequeath all of my property and personal, owned by me at my death, to my beloved wife, Veronica.
That is the will which Wanda “Sasquatch” Langkowski, a woman who was once a man and known as Walter, and former member of the now disbanded super team Alpha Flight holds up to the Judge in a Probate court in Ottawa. Sasquatch tells the Judge that by the will, then Veronica gets the money, but Walter isn’t dead! The Judge informs Sasquatch that there is no doubt to the authenticity of the will, but the issue remains: ‘Are you, as you claim, the deceased, Walter Langkowski, the man who singed it.
As Sasquatch transforms back into her human guise of Wanda Langkowski, Veronica Langkowski’s lawyer, Mr. Cavendish stands up and motions to Wanda, telling the Judge that it should be clear to anyone possessed of eyes that this woman is not a man at all. Cavendish adds that her claim to be Walter Langkowski is preposterous. ‘And most upsetting!’ sobs Veronica as she wipes away tears and declares that she thought the tragedy of her dear Walter’s death was over, and that this makes a mockery of his death and their love.
Wanda sarcastically tells Veronica that she is real good, before grabbing the purple-clad ebon-haired woman by her shoulders and exclaiming the Veronica was a terrific actress when she, as Walter, swept her off stage in Toronto and made her his wife. Wanda exclaims that Veronica knows who she is, but is just denying it to get her hands on Walter’s money. The two woman look at each other eye to eye as Veronica whispers to Wanda that she does know she is Walter, but that she will never admit it on record, and as long as no one else believes that she is Walter, then the money will become Veronica’s.
Wanda tells Veronica that there is one thing she regrets not having during their marriage. ‘And what might have that been, “Walter” dearest?’ asks Veronica. ‘THIS!’ screams Wanda as she transforms into Sasquatch, but as the enraged Wanda brings her fist down on her ex-wife, she realizes that the odds of her ex-spouse surviving a blow from the pile-driving fist of Sasquatch are stacked against her. With that, the blow, if not the desire that drove it, is diverted at the last second, to the table in front of Veronica.
The Judge calls order, declaring that despite the unusual nature of this probate contest, she demands decorum in her courtroom. Wanda apologizes, and tells the Judge that it will not happen again. As Mr. Cavendish helps Veronica up he shouts that it wont happen again, or else they will press criminal charges. He adds that if that fails, then they will sue that monster. The Judge tells Cavendish that they will deal with one issue at a time, before calling to Ms. Langkowski. ‘Yes?’ asks Veronica. ‘I was speaking to the other one!’ exclaims the Judge as she sighs.
The Judge asks Sasquatch if she has any way of proving her claim to be Walter Langkowski. Wanda remains silent, thinking that she could lie and say she had a sex change operation, as they would probably believe that and it would be easier than the truth. But Wanda knows the Veronica’s lawyer would demand medical records. Cavendish declares that if Sasquatch’s silence is not a sufficient indication of her inability to go forward, then he contends that her refusal to submit a simple test would expose her charade.
Soldiers bring in a device which Cavendish introduces as the Lifeform Identifier and is about to reveal who it was devised by, when Wanda declares that it was devised by her as an aid to categorizing specimens studied in the course of her biophysics research. Cavendish ignores Wanda’s comment and exclaims that the device was designed by Dr. Walter Langkowski before his unfortunate demise, and it should be able to reveal who - or what - this impostor woman is. The Judge begins to say that she is not sure she should allow this, when Wanda gets into the machine and tells the Judge she will submit voluntarily to the test.
As the device is attached to Wanda, it analyses her and comes up with the following result: MALE-FEMALE-HUMAN-NONHUMAN-MORTAL-IMMORTAL. The Judge declares that as the machine clearly purports to show Wanda as something other than human, and as Walter Langkowski was human. The Judge states however, that as machines often show what those who wish to offer their results into evidence wish them to show. Therefore, since there is not a precedent regarding this device, the Judge cannot allow its results in evidence and it must be excluded.
Cavendish and Veronica protest, as Wanda jokes that she will put it on their tab. They all talk around the Judges post as Cavendish points out that since this woman is contesting the will, the burden is on her. Wanda smiles and tells Cavendish that she will take any test he wants her too, such as a lie detector, and adds that she will submit to a polygraph if Veronica will too. The Judge asks Veronica what she wants to do, to which the posh woman is hesitant to answer, until Cavendish exclaims that this is unreliable and thus inadmissible.
Veronica then refuses to take the test, to which the Judge tells her she is in her legal right to do so, but points out that this takes them back to square one. Wanda tells the Judge that they are not quite back at square one, and points out that although Veronica has legal right to refuse a lie detector test, and as Cavendish says it is up to her to prove who she is, then Wanda declares that she has the right to submit to a test.
A lie detector is brought in, and after Wanda is hooked up to it, the first question is asked: ‘Who are you?’ ‘Walter Langkowski’ replies the forlorn Wanda. ‘How did you become what you are?’ Wanda replies that once upon a time she tried to become a second Incredible Hulk. Wanda reveals that by exposing herself to massive overdoses of Gamma rays, the result was a transformation not into a second Hulk, but Sasquatch. Wanda explains that soon after that she was recruited into the original Alpha Flight, but that over time something had begun to happen, she became savage and unpredictable, evil to the point of turning against her teammates.
Wanda reveals that it was then that Alpha Flight discovered that it wasn’t the gamma rays that had changed her, but that they had merely opened a portal between Earth and the Shattered World, allowing Walter to assume the form of the evil Great Beast known as Tanaraq. In time, Tanaraq possessed Walter and would have used her to conquer the planet - if Snowbird hadn’t become a second Sasquatch and succeeded in slaying Langkowski.
‘Are we supposed to…’ begins the Judge, as Cavendish completes the sentence by saying ‘…believe this drivel?’ Veronica smiles and points out that she gets the money, as Wanda admitted Walter died. Frustrated, Wanda explains that her body died, but her consciousness and soul found a repository in the Box robot created by Roger Bochs - the only problem being that Walt’s darling Aurora found herself incapable of loving a ten foot tall tin can.
Veronica puts her hands on her hips and raises her voice - ‘You louse! I knew you were cheating on me! She screams, much to the embarrassment of Cavendish. Veronica then realizes her mistake and quickly mutters ‘Er, I mean, I knew Walter was cheating on me…’ Wanda reminds Veronica that they had agreed to divorce years ago, but that they never got around to it. Wanda then continues with her story, revealing that how her quest for a body to occupy almost led her to possess the mindless Hulk, however she didn’t, for fear of dooming the Hulk’s true host, her friend Bruce Banner.
All of this reads TRUE on the lie detector test as Wanda reveals that her soul came in contact with the mindless body of former Omega Flight member Smart Alec, and she emerged in his form after Snowbird’s death and found the evil Pestilence in possession of Snowbird’s now soulless Sasquatch form. Wanda explains that she seized the empty Box robot again and battled Pestilence, finally expelling him from Snowbird’s Sasquatch form, and seizing Narya’s body for himself.
This was much to Aurora’s delight, glad that her lover was in a man’s body again, but instead, Walt was whatever Wanda was at the time of her “death” - a Sasquatch, Immortal…and female! Wanda points out that all of this reads as true according to the lie detector. The Judge rubs her brow as she declares that if Wanda’s story is to be believed, then Walter Langkowski’s will should not go into effect because Wanda is Walter and is most assuredly not dead. Wanda declares that she can then use the money to re-fund Alpha Flight, but the Judge declares that if she declines to accept the polygraph results and rule in favor of Veronica, then she will inherit all of Walter’s estate. ‘And you can whistle in the wind before you get a penny!’ snaps Veronica to Wanda as the Judge retires to her chambers to decide.
However, as the Judge enters her room, she finds someone in there. Before the Judge can alert anyone, the man introduces himself as with the National Security and tells the Judge there is no need to panic. He informs the Judge that he heard about the proceedings and that he merely came over to observe. The Judge asks what concern a probate hearing is to the government, to which the member of National Security informs the Judge that what concerns Alpha Flight, concerns Canada.
The National Security member informs the Judge that Alpha Flight turned their backs on the government, walked away from funding and left the government without effective control over the super beings, meaning as a result, they are broke. The stranger tells the Judge that if she awards Wanda Langkowski the estate that is properly “hers”, and Alpha Flight are back in business, no strings attached. The Judge is somewhat taken aback and asks the National Security agent if he is asking her to allow political consideration to cloud her judgment.
The National Security Agent declares that they need Alpha Flight to stay disbanded and reveals to the Judge that Ottawa is now in the process of forming a new Canadian super team, one that will follow government orders. He explains that they cannot allow a mercenary Alpha Flight to interfere with that. The Judge begins to protest, but the National Security member interrupts her and declares that if she is to award Sasquatch her money back, then she is giving Wanda Langkowski and her kind the resources they need to challenge the governments authority over them later. The Judge begins to protest again, but the mysterious man interrupts yet again and tells her that they are talking more than legality here, they are talking about loyalty to her country and the human race. The Judge looks torn as the National Security Agent finishes his rant.
Meanwhile, in Etobicoke, Melanie Kilgrave holds back the former Beta Flight member Goblyn as she whines as her former teammate Kara “the Purple Girl” and sister Laura Dean rush off to catch the school bus. Kara’s mother tells Goblyn that she cannot go to school with the girls, to which Kara calls over her shoulder that if Goblyn is real good then they can take her to obedience class later. Laura tells everyone that Goblyn almost got the litter box this morning, and declares that she is getting better since they both came to live with Kara and her mother after Alpha’s break up.
Suddenly, Laura calls to Kara that the school bus is pulling off without them. ‘Not if I can help it!’ says Kara before yelling ‘STOP!’ The bus screeches to a halt, and as the purple-skinned mutant steps onto the bus, followed by Laura, she thanks the bus driver, who had fallen under control of her powers. Students all on the bus start murmuring among themselves: ‘Did you see what that grape-colored freak did…’ ‘Shut up before she does the same to us!’ Kara declares that she is sure the driver didn’t bypass she and Laura on purpose, and tells everyone on the bus that she can bet they are all going to be pleasant to them on the way to school. The Purple Girl’s classmates have learnt not to argue with her.
Elsewhere, at the Good Hope Hospital in British Columbia, a nurse stands over a young patient and asks him if he is going to be good and get onto the gurney. The young patient folds his arms and tells the nurse that he wont go to the operating room. Whitman Knapp, formerly “Manikin” of the now defunct Beta Flight enters the room and asks Nurse Chapel if there is a problem. Chapel greets the handsome young doctor and informs him that the patient is scheduled for an appendectomy, but he will not cooperate.
Whit tells the patient that he may only be an intern…’but I think you’re gonna love my bedside manner!’ he exclaims before unleashing his past and future selves - Highbrow, Apeman and Proto. Highbrow asks Apeman to get the gurney ready while he teleports the young patient to it. Proto jumps onto the patient’s head, causing the boy to smile. As Apeman wheels the gurney towards the operating room, Nurse Chapel mentions to Whit that they all know about his powers and past with Alpha Flight. Whit tells Chapel that he has made no secret of them, and if he and his past and future selves can get a cantankerous kid to surgery where all else fails, then so be it!
Meanwhile, in Haysboro, Calgary, Madison “Box” Jeffries soars across the sky, ‘Look up in the sky’ he says to himself ‘Is it a bird? A plane? No…its Mr and Mrs McNeil’s soon to be son-in-law!’ Jeffries lands on the lawn of the McNeil family home and goes into the garage, where he phases out of the armor. ‘Stay put Box, I’ll give you a lube job later!’ Jeffries says to his armor before walking out of the garage and seeing his lover, Alpha Flight’s former leader, Heather McNeil Hudson, raking leaves.
Jeffries runs over to her and wraps his arms around her, ‘Omigosh!’ the red-head screams as Jeffries tells her to pucker up. ‘I think I’d be glad to Mr. Jeffries, if you weren’t already engaged to my older sister!’ Jeffries steps back, shocked, as he had mistaken Heather for her younger sister, Becky. ‘Becky, indeed, you tin-plated two timer!’ exclaims Heather as she uses her electromagnetic powers derived from the battle suit she has on under her regular clothes, to move Jeffries away from Becky.
Jeffries apologizes to Heather, telling her that he didn’t mean it, but Heather just smiles and tells him that she understands, supposing it is easy to mistake one McNeil for another in a family of nine kids. Jeffries smiles as he and Heather hug, telling her that he was only fooling, as he would know her anywhere. ‘Fooling around is more like it!’ exclaims Heather. Jeffries tells Heather that he would be glad to, but asks Heather if she could take her battle suit off. ‘Anytime!’ exclaims Heather.
Watching out of a window, Ramsey McNeil says to his wife, Claire, that their daughter really is in love. Claire adds that Heather is as much in love now as she was with her first husband, and hopes that this marriage turns out to be better than that one did.
Meanwhile, in a derelict apartment in Ottawa, Dei Guan, the Chinese soldier known as the Jade Dragon who has recently been associated with Alpha Flight is asked by a government agent if he wants to defect. Dei Guan informs the four agents that he had no intention of defecting, despite his parents death and his own imprisonment at the hands of the government of the peoples Republic of China. Dei Guan points out that although it was true he rebelled against the authorities when they sought to slaughter innocent priests, he did not leave China willingly.
A government agent reminds Dei Guan that he showed up in the company of Alpha Flight, but as he stands up out of his chair, Dei Guan declares that it was as much a happenstance of fate as to Alpha’s arrival in China to battle the Dreamqueen. One of the agents asks Dei Guan if he is not a member of Alpha Flight, to which Dei Guan declares that he does not know who, or what he is. Dei Guan begins to transform into the Jade Dragon as he exclaims what he does know is that the persecution he suffered in totalitarian China was as insupportable as this endless interrogation which the Canadian’s so-called democratic government has subjected him to. ‘And the Jade Dragon has had quite enough!’ he bellows once completely transformed. The agents all look at each other rather anxiously, one of them muttering that they cannot think of any other questions. ‘Coffee?’ ‘I’ll get it!’
In an apartment across the street, a woman is watching the Jade Dragon through a pair of binoculars and informs her colleagues that they have found him. However, she wonders if he is hostage to ‘the running dog capitalists’ to traitor to their glorious republic. She suggests to her comrades that they need to pose that question to the Jade Dragon, and soon. A man asks the woman what they will do if the Dragon’s answer is unsatisfactory, to which the woman replies that their dear Dragon comrade shall die.
Back at the probate court, Wanda sits slumped against her table, the waiting is killing her. She thinks that she can almost hear Veronica’s mind counting the cash that she will get if she wins the case. Wanda wonders how come she never realized how much of a gold digger that Veronica was when they got married. Wanda think she must have been too busy staring at her legs and nice nylons. ‘Down boy! You’re a girl now!’ Wanda sighs as she thinks that life has become confusing now, and the waiting is driving her nuts! ‘I wish something interesting would happen…’
Suddenly, something does, as an odd green glow surrounds Wanda, and she falls off her chair onto the floor. Cavendish exclaims that she must have had some sort of attack. Veronica smirks and remarks that now matter how the Judge decides, then she shall get the money. Cavendish tells Veronica that he is shocked by that statement. A police officer exclaims that Wanda is not dead, another suggests she might be radioactive. ‘No…something worse’ a mysterious voice declares as one of the officers asks for some lead gloves to be sent in.
Wanda suddenly screams, ‘So many people inside of me! So many beings I’ve been! And all of a sudden…they all want out!’ Fantastic forces flow free from Wanda and transform half of the court into the torn and twisted landscape called the Shattered Lands, while the other half becomes the idyllic Eden known as to numerous American Indian cultures as Paradise. Wanda Langkowski lies on the dividing lines between the two realities, as the Great Beasts and the Gods - including Snowbird - face off for battle!
The Great Beast Tundra declares that ever since the day when an unwitting human opened the portal between the worlds and unleashing the soul of their fellow Great Beast, they have sought to realism the realm from which they were driven from by the Gods. The former Alphan Snowbird exclaims that ever since they who were sworn to protect the Earth banished the Beasts have stood ready to defend the planet, risking their own immortality if need be.
Wanda asks if she is the “monkey in the middle”, to which Kariooq the Corrupter informs Wanda she is the key to the victory for whichever side claims the power of Sasquatch cannot be defeated. Wanda declares that she just went through this identity crisis and chose to be herself - not a Great Beast and not a Goddess. Snowbird tells Sasquatch that she must side with the Gods, or else reality as she knows it will perish. Sasquatch reminds Snowbird that she herself is dead and adds that reality as she knew it went up in the smokestack years ago.
Suddenly the Judge re-enters the court room and asks what is going on out here. Before an explanation can be offered, the roof of the court room blows off. People run screaming from the courthouse, as a nun approaches the court house, someone tells her to flee is she values her life. Eyes hidden by her garment, the nun declares that she must stay, because she values the life of another.
Snowbird tells Sasquatch that if she does not join them, then she must count her as an enemy. Wanda asks if it is all black and white - no greys? ‘Who wrote this script? Ayn Rand?’ Wanda declares that she rejects the whole lot of them. Wanda tells the Gods and Beasts to fight their hearts out, they can destroy each other, but she just wants to be left alone!
Tundra kicks Sasquatch to the ground, telling her that isolationism is not possible, as Snowbird transforms into a polar bear and tells Tundra that victory for the Beasts is not possible either. Tundra beckons Snowbird to come at him, for he rests secure in the knowledge that even a demigoddess may die. Snowbird leaps on Tundra and begins to bite and claw him as Sasquatch gathers herself and realizes that Tundra is right, as she inherited Snowbird’s corpse, so she is loving proof that isolationism is not an option.
Snowbird’s grandfather, Hodiak, tells Wanda that she too will die in Narya’s body unless she aids the Gods. Wanda declares that this is all a bad dream, to which Hodiak says ‘perhaps’, before telling Wanda that neither man nor elder God shall awaken from it unless she battles on the side of the immortals. ’Maybe? Or maybe you’ll all go up in smoke once I wake…’, suddenly, Veronica is attacked by Somon the Artificer, and screams for Walter to save her. Sasquatch suddenly screams ‘Get your meat hooks off my wife!’
No sooner does Sasquatch accept the madness reigning about her, than a deep and unfathomable darkness closes in upon her. She feels all sense of self slipping away, her identity torn in conflicting directions. It is a sensation not a little unlike death. ‘Am I dead? Who am I? WHO?’ ‘Be yourself! Be strong! BE FREE’ exclaims the nun as she puts her hands on Sasquatch’s head.
Sasquatch thanks the nun for dispelling her darkness, and for letting her see that unless she chucks all the clowns who want a piece of her, then she will never be free to learn who and what she is. Sasquatch engages in battle with the four Great Beasts present, and finally Hodiak points out that they have retreated back to the Shattered Land, driven by Sasquatch’s fury and rejection of their evil. Hodiak then tells Sasquatch that there is nothing preventing her from aligning with the Gods, but Wanda informs him that just because they sometimes share the same goals it does not mean she wants to go tiptoeing through the tulips in paradise.
Sasquatch declares that Earth is her home, and Alpha her family. Snowbird and the Gods watch on as Wanda points at Veronica and tells her that she is included in that last statement. Wanda tells Veronica that if she wants her money then she can take it, before declaring that she rejects any other part of her past that tries to stake a claim on her. Sasquatch lumbers out of the court room, declaring that she will build a future from scratch and be a whole lot happier for it. Veronica calls after Sasquatch, but the former Alphan does not answer. The Judge then tells Veronica that she wins the case.
As Sasquatch walks down the stairs of the courthouse she mutters that she is free, but still broke, and without a friend in the world, except Alpha Flight, and the strange chick who helped her during the battle. Suddenly the nun steps out from the shadows and as she takes off her hood asks Sasquatch if it has been so long that she does not remember the one whom she said she loved more than life itself. ‘AURORA!’ shouts Sasquatch as she sees her former lover and teammate.
Sasquatch rushes over to Aurora who asks Sasquatch if she has rejected her past. Jeanne-Marie Beaubier reminds Sasquatch that she was part of that past, but after the battle with Loki she used her powers of light to save her brother, Northstar, she was reborn. Aurora declares that she does not know herself how it happened, but since then has joined a Holy Order where she uses her power rarely and sparingly, aiding the sick and suffering. Aurora puts her hood back on as she turns from Sasquatch and walks away, telling her that she hopes she has dispelled some of her suffering. ‘Adieu, my friend’. Sasquatch sheds some tears.
Epilogue: Elizabeth Twoyoungmen looks up at a strange cairn and thinks to herself that she has been working at the dig for weeks, yet has never noticed it before. ‘Some archaeologist you are!’ she jokes to herself. The former Alphan known as Talisman believes that the stones conceal something, and would even stake her degree on it.
And maybe something more…and something worse…for inside the stones…is the Dreamqueen!


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
When Robots Dream
(In Box IV’s Nightmare)
‘I’m under attack - by my brother and my best friend!’ shouts Madison “Box” Jeffries. To be more precise, he is under attack by Omega, formerly Scramble the Mixed-Up-Man, transmutator of anything organic, and by Roger Bochs, inventor and original wearer of the Box robot. Both very, very dead! Madison realizes that if his brother and best friend are both dead, then he must be dreaming, and as Scramble lunges at Madison, he tells the armored Alphan that he is dreaming, and that it is a dream from which he will never awake.
Roger also leaps at Jeffries, and suggests to Scramble that calling this a nightmare might be more appropriate. Jeffries sticks a hand up against Bochs, and it goes right through him. Jeffries realizes that Roger must be a ghost, but Roger suddenly phases into the Box armor, and tells Madison to think of him as an avenging angel - who has come to reclaim the robot that was stolen from him. It is obvious that no two objects and no two bodies may occupy the same space at the same time….
(Reality)
Jeffries screams as he wakes from his nightmare. Heather McNeil Hudson rushes into the bedroom, and sitting down on the bed beside her lover, she asks him what is wrong. Jeffries replies that it is nothing, that he just had a bad dream, and as he turns and looks up at the Box armor which stands beside the bed, a grave misgiving descends over Jeffries, which might jell into terror if he knew that his Box robot is not occupying the exact position he left it in last night.
Later that morning, Heather and her mother, Claire sit at the kitchen table and look out at Jeffries and Heather’s father Ramsey who are busy fixing a car. Claire asks her daughter if she and Madison have plans for today, to which Heather replies that as soon as Madison and her father are finished fixing the car, they are going into town to pick out her bridal gown. ‘You’re going to marry another super hero…’ mutters Claire.
‘After what happened to Heather’s first husband, Guardian?’ asks Ramsey McNeil outside with Jeffries. Madison tells Ramsey that he hopes, too, and as he transmutates the motor in the car, tells Heather’s father not to worry, as he is taking care of things. Ramsey agrees after Jeffries gets his old car working good again. Jeffries tells Heather’s father that the car should be good for a while now, while thinking to himself that the car will be good for a century or so, as he transmutated in a maintenance free motor!
Inside, Claire informs Heather that she and her father worry about her so much, and don’t want to see either her or Jeffries hurt. Heather reminds her mother that when she married Mac she was just his secretary, and he was her hero, but now she wears a modified version of his battle suit. Claire points out that Heather hasn’t taken her suit off since she arrived here, and reveals to Heather that she would have thought with the upcoming wedding and Alpha Flight’s disbanding, the suit might hold unpleasant memories.
Heather smiles and informs her mother that she has her reasons for keeping the suit on, and as for life after Alpha Flight, she thinks she can cope. Claire smiles back and agrees that Heather can cope in a fight, but with all these political attacks against Alpha Flight that she has been hearing about on TV…Claire’s voice trails off, before hugging her daughter and admitting that she may not understand what is happening, ‘but you give ‘em, um, heck, hear?’ Heather smiles and tells her mother that she will try. ‘We’ll try’ says Jeffries as he enters the house and hugs Heather. ‘Not without a hot cup of coffee inside you, you won’t!’ Claire exclaims.
Soon, driving her father’s car, Heather tells Jeffries that it never ran so well. ‘Yeah’ mumbles Jeffries as he stares out the window. Heather asks him if she told him she got a letter from Kara yesterday, and reveals that it seems the Purple Girl is doing fine back in school, despite the inevitable stares her skin color attracts. Heather reveals that Laura has enrolled in the same classes and seems happy, except when it is time to bid Goblyn goodbye…
Elsewhere: Goblyn manages to follow Kara and Laura to school and howls outside Laura’s classroom window. But there have been incidents, one time a student pushed Kara over in gym class, declaring that she doesn’t want to play basketball with a ‘goofy grape’. But Kara tells the girl to ‘go dribble’, and the mean girl does as she is told, dribbling the basketball. When the mean girl asks Kara how else she may serve her, Kara tells her to suck her sweat socks until they are clean.
Heather tells Jeffries that Kara believes she is gaining her classmates respect, before mentioning that Whit phoned this morning, and that it seems the many selves of Manikin are adjusting well to Whit’s internship at the hospital. Jeffries asks after Sasquatch, but Heather replies that there hasn’t been any word from Wanda. Heather points out that Wanda has been an Alphan longer than any of them and has taken the break up of Alpha Flight the hardest. Heather suggests that Wanda probably wants to be alone.
Indeed, Wanda is alone, clambering down some snow-covered slope somewhere in the wilderness.
Heather also tells Jeffries that since their ties to Ottawa have been cut, she hasn’t been able to learn anything about the Chinese super hero who returned with them after their battle with the Dreamqueen. She thinks that Dei Guan, that Jade Dragon must feel so lost.
Dei Guan is under constant security, being interrogated endlessly and is guarded whenever he eats or sleeps. As he drinks a soda, he thinks to himself that he understands that he is an illegal alien, and that Canada fears his powers and distrust his intentions…but enough is enough! Transforming into the Jade Dragon, Dei Guan turns to the soldiers and tells them that when he makes his decision whether to return to the people’s republic or to defect, then they shall be the first to know, but in the meantime, the Jade Dragon must be left in peace!
Outside the building, several, costumed beings watch through the windows, seeing Dei Guan, who is a traitor to them transform into the Jade Dragon, one of them orders the others to move in.
Back in the car, Heather mentions that she is surprised that China has not made some effort to get the Jade Dragon back. Noticing Jeffries staring out the window, Heather asks him if his dream is bothering him. Jeffries replies that it is, as he had to kill his brother and best friend to save Alpha, and even though Scramble and Bochs are dead, there is nothing to get around the fact that it was Jeffries who killed them.
Heather tries to tell Jeffries that he has nothing to feel guilty about, to which he replies ‘Tell that to my nightmares!’ Suddenly they come up to a traffic jam, and stepping out of the car they see that the bridge is out. Heather and Jeffries overhear some people who mention that the bridge was ripped apart by a monstrous metal man. Heather turns to the shocked Madison, and tells him that it was not in his dream.
Later, at Bonnie’s Bridal Boutique, Heather stands up as she is measured by the attendants. One of them asks Alpha Flight’s former leader if she isn’t going to wearing her costume under her gown on her wedding day, to which Heather asks if it isn’t naughty enough. Heather then supposes that one would not find her battle suit in a Victoria’s Secret catalogue, before informing the other women that she does not like leaving home without it, and adds that this fitting is more for her parents’ sake, as she has been married before. Heather suddenly thinks to herself if the reason why she has been so hesitant to remove the suit is because after her remarriage it will be her only connection to Mac?
Sitting down on a chair and watching the fitting, Jeffries exclaims that all of this frilly see-through stuff does not turn him on like seeing the sight of Heather as Vindicator, and wonders what Masters and Johnson would make of that fetish. He mutters that he would know if reading their books wouldn’t send him straight to dreamland. A strange-yet-familiar green glow, one that has surrounded the Purple Girl and Sasquatch before, now surrounds Madison Jeffries as he falls asleep.
(In Box IV’s Nightmare)
‘We control the Box robot now Madison, Omega and I’ Inside the Box armor, trapped with his brother and best friend, Jeffries asks Bochs what he is going to make the robot do. ‘What comes naturally’ replies Bochs, before the Box robot dives towards a building and some people. Jeffries asks if attacking an orphanage, nuns and helpless kids is what comes naturally, and shouts ‘No, no!’ but Scramble and Bochs shout ‘Yes! Yes!’.
(Reality)
‘YES!’ screams Jeffries as he wakes from his nightmare. Standing in her wedding dress, Heather asks Madison if that means he approves.
Back at Heather’s parents’ home, Heather and Jeffries sit at the kitchen table, Heather asks Jeffries if he had another dream, to which Madison replies that it was worse than the first one. Heather tells Madison that dreams cannot hurt him, or anyone else, when over the radio a newsflash comes on, informing listeners that some sort of metal monster attacked a Catholic orphanage less than an hour ago.
Soon, Heather drives up to the scene of destruction where firemen are busy putting out a fire at an orphanage. A police officer tells Heather to get her car out of the way, when Heather begins to take her outer clothes off, revealing her battle suit underneath she declares that she is Vindicator, formerly of Alpha Flight and here to help, before saying of course unless the authorities have any objections. The police officer tells Heather that he saw how she gave it to the “authorities” on TV and while they may object to her, she has his blessing.
Heather thanks the officer and turns to Madison, asking him if he is coming, but Jeffries is frozen in fright. Vindicator declares she will handle this herself and flies off towards the burning building. Landing on the roof of the burning building, as Heather picks up the nun and stranded orphans, she thinks to herself that the power of Vindicator, the power of the suit, is sometimes such a high that she would never like to take it off.
On the ground below, all eyes are on Vindicator, except for her fiancée’s, for Jeffries’ eyes are fixated on the ground below, by the sight of the imprint of his Box robot in the mud.
Back at Heather’s parents’ again, Madison sits, dazed, in a chair as Heather rings Montreal University, informing the receptionist on the other end of the phone that she is trying to reach a student at the University, Elizabeth Twoyoungmen. Heather wonders if Elizabeth will know how to contact her father about Madison’s strange dreams. However, the receptionist informs Heather that their records indicate Elizabeth is on an archaeological dig somewhere up North and quite out of touch. Heather thanks the receptionist and hangs the phone up as her mother suggests they go and talk to Father Lloyd. Ramsey assures Heather and Jeffries that Father Lloyd is a man of the cloth and an old family friend so he is sure he will understand.
In the car again, Jeffries tells Heather that he would feel better about going to confession is he knew how he had sinned. Heather tells Madison that they are just going to talk and assures him that he hasn’t done anything wrong. Jeffries mutters that he drove Bochs out of his robot, so he is now taking revenge. Heather points out that the Box robot cannot function without him to animate it, but Jeffries exclaims that that is what he is worried about.
Silence fills the McNeil family car, while Jeffries reminds himself that his brother, Lionel, was hopelessly insane and wonders if it runs in the family. He doesn’t think he could marry Heather unless he knew for sure, or have kids either for that matter. However, he wonders if he is blowing things out of proportion and tells himself to think it through, asking himself what he has to be guilty about. He recalls that Roger Bochs built the Box robot to help him overcome his paraplegia, but that Bochs went crazy when Aurora rejected his love, and so he attacked Alpha Flight.
Jeffries remembers how he had to expel Bochs from the robot in order to save the rest of Alpha Flight, and how once he was inside it, it seemed natural for him to use his transmutative powers to manipulate the mass of metal, even against his own insane brother who had become Omega. Jeffries begins to wonder if he is only rationalizing his guilt, what if he drove Bochs out and killed Lionel because he wanted the robot - craved its power to impress Heather? ‘What kind of creep does that make me?’ he wonders. Suddenly, that strange-yet-familiar green glow surrounds Jeffries as he tells himself all the heavy thinking is making him sleepy…
(In Box IV’s Nightmare)
Jeffries stands before the amalgamation of his brother and best friend as they ask him if he has finally realized that he is no better than they were. They tell Madison that if they did not deserve to live then neither does he, however declaring that it would be too easy to destroy him, too easy and painless, for they want him to suffer as they have suffered, by making him destroy she whom he cherishes the most.
Realizing they are talking about Heather, Jeffries shouts ‘Over my dead body’ and begins to use his transmutative powers when Omega knocks him aside, boasting that it will be Jeffries very live body inside the Box robot that slays his bride, and as Jeffries steadies himself, Omega holds up Heather in her bloodied wedding gown.
(Reality)
‘Heather!’ screams Madison as he wakes and grabs control of the steering wheel. Heather tells him to let go of it as they drive off the road and onto some grass. As the car stops, Heather asks Jeffries what is wrong this time, to which Jeffries shouts that it is he who is wrong, a murderer, a traitor and a madman. He glows as he exclaims he is as crazy as his brother and best friend, and tells Heather that as he destroyed them, he will not destroy her.
The car becomes change form into a giant horrid version of the Box armor, causing Heather to tumble out onto the grass. The giant Box looms over Heather, who rolls aside just in time as two mighty metal fists try to come down on top of her. Heather rolls further away and strips off her regular clothes, wondering if it was the techno-virus again, but thinking it impossible as Madison assured her he had destroyed it.
However, Heather senses something different about it this time, and as she puts on her visor she cries ‘Honey! Don’t! Please!’ before unleashing a plasma blast on the out-of-control Box. It has little effect on him, and in return Jeffries fires two missiles at Heather, who takes to the sky to dodge them. Jeffries calls after Heather, telling her that he is coming for her and takes to the sky to follow her. ‘You’ve got a date to remember - you’re gonna be married…posthumously!’
Vindicator fires more electromagnetic energy back at Jeffries, telling him that he is not the man she loves, that he is an impostor! As Box snares Heather, she declares that she intends to prove it, but Box assures her that it is really him, her loving fiancée. Heather tells him if that is the case, then something must have happened to unhinge him - ‘And I’ll just have to shock you back to your senses!’ shouts Heather as she lets loose a plasma charge and frees herself when Box is knocked backwards.
Heather streaks off, but is followed by Box who informs Heather that she is finished. As Box fires head-hunter missiles at Heather, who destroys them easily with plasma bursts, Vindicator thinks to herself that if it were Madison controlling the robot, then he would know those missiles would not penetrate her battle-suit and that her plasma bursts could destroy them. However, if it isn’t Madison inside the armor, she wonders what has happened to him. Has someone slain the man she loves? Which of their enemies could have been so ruthless?
Suddenly, several missiles are diverted past Heather towards a passing jet. Heather wonders if this is a ploy to kill hundreds of innocents to get her off guard, She hears screams as the missiles penetrate the jet and as she flies towards the jet she wonders what kind of mad man she is facing. Heather begins to seal the hole in the jet with her plasma energy and recalls that Madison’s brother was mad, and Roger Bochs went mad. Heather supposes the robot may be acting on a genetic tendency, when suddenly realizes what it is that the robot reminds her of, but before she can act any further, Box comes up behind her and shoots her down.
Vindicator lands hard on the ground, sprawled across a railway line as Box looms over her and tells her it was lucky how she pulled the plane out of its dive, and raising his arms he tells her it was too bad it left her open for - ‘for the love of God! That’s my wife you’re trying to make me kill!’ screams Madison from within the Box armor and using every ounce of will power he manages to phase out.
Even with Madison out of the robot, it continues to speak and lumbers towards Jeffries and the unconscious Vindicator. The robot declares ‘You cannot stop us friend / brother’ to which Madison points out that the robot is only made of metal, while he is the master of metal. The robot swats him to one side as it tells Jeffries he has not had his mind on his work, but Jeffries ignores the robot, instead declaring that it may be out of his control now, but he will get it back.
Using the metal in a stationery train, Jeffries transmutates it into another robot, one with none of Bochs’ input, and phases into it. The evil Box calls Jeffries a fool and as they engage in hand to hand combat, the evil Box asks Jeffries if he think the train-yard scrap metal is any match for a living robot.
Jeffries screams as he is forced out of his makeshift robot, and the evil Box asks him if he concedes defeat. Tending to Heather, Jeffries calls back ‘stick it in your oil pan’!, adding that if it wants to kill Heather, then it will have to kill them both. ‘Our sentiments exactly!’ exclaims the Bochs/Scramble amalgamation of Box, but as it tries to bring a large fist down on Heather and Jeffries, it is unable to.
Jeffries stands up and calls to his brother and best friend, but realizes that they are not inside at all. And knowing both Lionel and Roger are ‘crazy as loons’ Madison declares there is no ghost in the Box armor, nothing animating it, except his won guilty subconscious. He picks up Heather and declares that while he is not a shrink, he knows how guilty he has been feeling over the possibility that he murdered to make the Box robot his own. A loopy idea he declares, but an idea just the same, yet something rebelled inside him and tried to destroy his thinking. But the more Jeffries thinks about it, he feels that there is something else toying with him, and he doesn’t like it, for his thoughts are his own.
He asks if they do not like what he is thinking, and shouting, tells them to do something to change his mind. The evil Box robot slams his fists down on the ground, causing dust and dirt to cover the are, but when the dust settles, Jeffries sees standing before him, his original Box robot.
Some days later, Jeffries and Heather stand at the grave markings of Roger Bochs and Lionel Jeffries. Jeffries tells Heather that guilt is a powerful force, that it doesn’t die when the object of it goes into the grave, that it can move mountains to get at you. Heather points out that they are good at fighting physical foes, but not good at dealing with the enemy within. Jeffries asks Heather if she means their feelings, but Heather explains that she means the psychic scars that outlast every of Alpha’s “victories” and that torture them with regret and recrimination long after they have dealt evildoers their justifiable reward.
Jeffries smiles and tells Heather that he cannot shake the feeling that there was something else more bizarre involved in this, but that he will not let guilt get a hold of him again. Heather smiles and asks him how he is going to stop it, to which he replies ‘Oh, I figure I got ways to keep myself distracted!’ and they kiss.
Meanwhile, in Northern Canada, a blond archaeologist approaches Elizabeth Twoyoungmen and looking at her sketches he asks the former Binder of the Spirits why she put a strange glow around the cairn in her drawing. ‘Glow? I don’t see any…glow’. replies Elizabeth almost trance-like as she gets up and walks over to the mysterious cairn.


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Killing Me Softly With His Word Processor!
This issue…an Alphan dies!
‘If its me you’re talking about pal, guess again!’ exclaims Whitman Knapp as he is sitting down in an operating room of the hospital he works at, while his past and future selves, Highbrow, Proto and Apeman mill around him.
Pardon me?
‘Surprised that I know you’re out there? So am I’ states the former member of Beta Flight as he mentions he is not even sure how he knows what he knows - that he is just a creation, a character in a comic book. He declares that even now he knows, he can still hardly believe it. Holding up a copy of Power Pack, Manikin asks whoever he is talking to if it is one of their works too, and boasts that it may as well be, for month after month, neatly packaged stories about the pride and passion of super-powered people always in conflict with evil, always fighting, lying or dying at the whim of a writer simply to satisfy some formulaic conception of style or plot.
Skimming through Power Pack, Manikin declares that that is what he is, what all of Alpha Flight has been all this time, fiction, creations of…’whoever you are’. ‘God?’ suggests Highbrow. ‘Insecure scribbler vicariously living out a life of adventure through Alpha’s adversity!’ mutters Whit before exclaiming that it seems to explain so many things - Alpha’s creation, the horrors they have faced, the ceaseless succession of battles, endless deaths, conflicts and resolutions all to satisfy some unknowable greater meaning….
Manikin looks upwards as he declares that it explains his own creation and reminds whoever he is talking to that he was in the middle of a saga - Scramble the Mixed-up-Man was facing off against Alpha Flight, but Manikin believes that his creator had boxed himself into a corner, as he created Scramble too powerful and Alpha appeared doomed with no prospect of a future. So, the writer took a secondary character who was conveniently placed in the plot, and Scramble inadvertently turn him into a new super hero - Manikin.
Manikin continues with his origin, reminding his own creator of how he was split into four beings, embodying his past, present and future evolutionary selves, Manikin adds that in time, he, Apeman, Proto and Highbrow helped Alpha Flight defeat Scramble-cum-Omega. Manikin tells his creator that the way he understands it, he needed a new hero and so turned him into a freak of nature.
Now wait a minute…
Manikin asks his creator if he denies it, and calls to Highbrow, his future self, who proclaims that he possesses various mental attributes, including the ability to scan and detect the presence of other intelligences. Highbrow manages to locate Manikin’s creator…Bill Mantlo!
Manikin inform Mantlo that they are aware of him, that he is the one who orchestrates their joys and sorrows. Sitting safely at a keyboard deciding whether they live or die. ‘Yeah I’m on to you. Sadist’ declares Whit as he asks what else you can call someone who creates characters, breathes life into them, only to kill them? The power of Snowbird…the pathos of Aurora…the passion of Northstar…the pain of Puck….
Manikin scowls at what Mantlo put them all through for the sake of a “story“, but then he realizes that they were even-handed in Mantlo’s own weird way, because he did try to balance the bad times with the good, such as having him and the Purple Girl fall in love, though of course he broke them up.  Manikin reminds Mantlo that he has planned the marriage of Vindicator and Box, and asks Mantlo if he intends on introducing a note of tragedy to that too.
Manikin snaps that it doesn’t matter, as he now realizes the profound truth, as it seems through all the good times, the bad times never really happened. ‘It’s made an interesting story, but that’s all’. Whit mutters that now he has outlived his usefulness in the greater scheme of things, it is his turn to ‘buy the farm’. Whit asks Highbrow if he agrees, to which the future Whit informs the present that he is correct, and uses his teleportation powers to pull from Bill Mantlo’s typewriter, part of the script, which reads:
…And so, Manikin’s pre-evolutionary self, Proto, having died at the hands of Vindicator, who’d come to Manikin seeking his medical expertise in removing her rebellious battle-suit, Manikin’s other past, present and future selves perish, leaving Vindicator responsible for slaying her friend and teammate.!
‘You degenerative creep!’ shouts Whit as he reads the script and tells Mantlo that aside from the way he is planning on destroying him, he is going to cause Vindicator plenty of grief. But Whit realizes that Mantlo planned it this way, his death and Heather’s guilt is all fodder for future stories. Manikin mutters that being creatures of Mantlo’s imagination they should probably take what the writer dishes out and like it. However, Manikin boasts that somehow, because something has made him aware of Mantlo, has caused Mantlo to no longer have power of Manikin.
Whit stands with his hands on his hips and declares that he is free from Mantlo’s control and can decide his own fate - and what he decides is that he doesn’t like the super-hero saga being concocted. ‘I like life!’ he declares, telling Mantlo that he has no intention of letting him sacrifice him for the sake of some insipid story. As Apeman, Highbrow and Proto begin tearing up the medical facility, Manikin declares that he will not agree with his own demise and will take no part in a story that ends with his death. ’In other words, I quit! - Now, lets see you try and tell your story without me!’ snarls Whit, dropping the copy of Power Pack he was reading.
Meanwhile at the McNeil family home, in Calgary, Alberta, Heather McNeil Hudson’s mother, Claire enters her daughter’s bedroom and informs her that she and her father can hear her all the way down the hall. Claire asks Alpha Flight’s former leader what there is to weep about and reminds her that she is to be married to Madison Jeffries, the first man she has been able to love since the death of her first husband, James MacDonald Hudson.
Lying on her bed in her wedding dress, the weeping Heather mutters ‘Oh, Mac’s dead all right’ and that even though Mac’s memory haunts her as if Mac wanted somehow to prevent her from marrying another man - it’s like a bad dream. Claire begins to ask Heather what she means, but Heather rips her wedding dress off and asks her mother if she sees the battle-suit and informs her that is modelled after Mac’s suit, it is a duplicate of the one that killed him. Heather informs Claire that Roger Bochs modified the battle-suit so that she could don it and become leader of Alpha Flight, it made her a hero, Vindicator - ‘and it won’t come off!’ she screams. Heather remarks that she has tried for hours to get it off, but it is melding to her, like some sort of nightmare.
Outside the McNeil home, Jeffries walks down the drive and decides that as Heather is still sleeping he will check the mail, and seeing that the flag is up he looks around for any people near by, and as there are none he uses his transmutative powers to turn the metal letterbox into a robot mail delivery person. ‘It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood!’ declares the mailbox as he hands Jeffries the mail. A man driving a car looks at the odd scene and swerves to miss an oncoming truck, he thinks to himself ‘I thought…I though…nah…’
Turning the letterbox back to normal, Jeffries opens the mail, which is a letter from Kara Kilgrave, the Purple Girl:
Dear Madison and Heather, miss you both so much, especially in light of what’s happened, somehow, in some horrible inexplicable way, my dear departed father, Kilgrave the Purple Man rose from the dead! Goblyn and I fought him off before he could harm mom or me, but…I get this weird feeling like he wasn’t real! He had an army of zombies that disappeared when he was destroyed! Now it all feels like some weird nightmare.
Jeffries thinks that what happened to Kara was weird, yet similar to what happened to himself, with his nightmare triggered by the guilt he had about driving his best friend out of the Box robot and making it his own, which caused him to subconsciously  direct the robot to attack him and Heather, but at the same time he feels like he was manipulated. Jeffries feels that it also ties in with the phone call they got from Sasquatch, who had a waking nightmare in the middle of a courtroom, and had to trash the place to defeat the Great Beasts.
Jeffries thinks that weird stuff has been happening to each of them since Alpha split up, and believes that there has to be a reason for it. He declares that they have been in nothing but trouble since they battled the Great Beasts, which led to their off world encounter with the Dreamqueen. Jeffries decides that as Alpha was formerly constituted of, it was not really equipped to deal with magic, though they seem to be facing more and more of it. He remembers that they held their own better when they had Shaman and Talisman with them, but they lost both of them a while ago, when Elizabeth Twoyoungmen lost her powers to her father…back when Alpha Flight was a real team.
Jeffries wonders why he feels so gloomy, especially as he is about to be married - and it was Heather who proposed, and he accepted. Madison tells himself to shake his blues, and the best way he knows how to, is to give a good morning kiss to his lady love - but Heather suddenly flies past Jeffries, crashing through the front door. Claire calls to her distraught daughter, as Jeffries phases into his Box armor and tells Heather’s mother not to worry, as he will bring her back. Jeffries flies off after Heather as Ramsey comforts his wife.
Meanwhile, in the far North, Wanda Langkowski wanders aimlessly through a forest, thinking about how every cent she owned was taken from her by her ex-wife, and all of it legally. Wanda remembers her day in court, and thinks that she can still see her ex-wife’s smile as Wanda Langkowski tried to explain that she was what Walter Langkowski had become after he died and was reborn the female Sasquatch.
A strangely familiar green glow surrounds Sasquatch as she suddenly sees illusions of Veronica, smiling and smirking. Wanda tells Veronica that she knows she got a good laugh out of it, and lunges at her, but Sasquatch’s mighty fists go straight through the illusion of Veronica. Wanda keeps pushing the illusion of Veronica back through trees, rocks and shrubs and shouting that to Veronica it was all just money, fine fancy furniture, fancy cars and summers in the South of France.
Sasquatch declares that to Alpha Flight, her fortune could have been the team’s life blood, it would have brought their independence from the Canadian government. Wanda smashes the illusion of Veronica into the side of a cliff, telling Veronica that her greed doomed more than just one person, but an entire dream. Suddenly, Wanda sees something shiny in the side of the cliff - gold, and a huge load of it too! Wanda thinks that it is more than enough to put Alpha Flight back in business for a century, and screams ‘WAHOO!’
Elsewhere, in Ottawa armored guards and government officials lead a young Chinese man, Dei Guan, through the corridors of a government building, one of the officials reminding him that this is the day that Canada decides whether to detain or deport him. Dei Guan mutters that he has not noticed the difference between Chinese totalitarianism and the Canadian governments idea of hospitality.
Under his breath, a guard whispers to one of his fellows that he hopes Dei Guan is shipped back to China, as with Alpha Flight on the loose, he feels Canada has enough super freaks. The fellow soldier tells the first to bite his tongue, as he is an Alpha supporter. Someone informs everyone that the commissioners are ready to see them, when a large explosion occurs behind them, knocking most to the ground. Two standing guards push Dei Guan behind them to protect him, when both are knocked out.
Dei Guan sees all his escorts stunned or slain and wonders why he was spared, but believes it is safe to assume that he is the object of this sudden assault, however he boasts that his hunters will not arrive to find the helpless Die Guan, but the Jade Dragon! With that, Dei Guan transforms into the Jade Dragon, just as four costumed individuals enter the corridor, one of them calling Jade Dragon ‘comrade’ and declaring that he is exactly who they had come seeking. Another of the mysterious quartet informs Dei Guan that they have come to confront him with the simplest of choices. The third member of the group informs Dei Guan that he must either join them and add his power to that of China Force, ‘or die!’ screams the fourth.
Back at Ontario General Hospital, Vindicator suddenly bursts through a set of windows, smashing them and screaming ‘Manikin!’ moments later, Box flies through and calls to Vindicator. Doctors, nurses, and other people all drop to the ground to avoid being hit. Box calls to Heather and tells her to come to her senses before she hurts someone. Heather actually swears as she asks Whit where he is, adding that she needs his help.
Hiding in a storeroom, Whit can hear the commotion and thinks to himself that if he helps Heather and follows the script, save her from her rogue battle suit, then the louse who is writing this melodrama will have her kill him.
Dr. Knapp, this has gone far enough. I promised on page one that an Alphan would die this issue…and die one shall! If you refuse to comply with the dictates of my tale, then another Alphan may have to perish in your place.
‘Who?’ asks Whit, ‘Vindicator? Box? You wouldn’t!’
Try me.
Heather turns a corner with Box high on her tail. Heather tells Jeffries to keep away from her, but Jeffries tells Heather that if something is wrong then they should talk, as flying off hundreds of miles away from him like that is setting a bad precedent for their future relationship. Heather stops and tells Jeffries that that is just it, there will not be any relationship  - the marriage is off! Box stops and asks Heather why? ‘It cant be my breath - robots don’t have halitosis!’ Jeffries jokes. Heather informs Madison that the marriage is off because she cant get her costume off. ‘That’s a new one’ jokes Jeffries, and reaches down to Heather, suggesting that he try to take her costume off, when suddenly Heather blasts him backwards through a wall - and into Manikin.
You see how easy it was to bring the story to you. Dr Knapp? Now choose - will it be your friends who die…or you?
Vindicator continues to blast at Box, asking him to stay away from her and informing him that she cannot stop the suit from trying to slay him. Madison reminds Heather that it was he and Roger Bochs who rebuilt the battle suit and bets he could shut it down. Madison knows he cannot do it as Box and phases out of his armor in order to use his transmutative powers on the battle suit’s metal-mesh. As Jeffries begins to use his powers on Vindicator’s suit, he notices that the plasma blasts seem to veer wide of him, almost as if Heather was trying to keep the suit from killing him.
Jeffries knows he is vulnerable, but tells Heather to hang in there and that he will peel her out of her rebellious suit, when Heather suddenly screams - and Jeffries realizes that it is the battle suit - and that if he tries to take it off, then it will try and kill her - unless it kills him first Heather tells Madison before trying to get him to fly away - until he is struck by a plasma blast.
The wounded Madison lies beside his grounded Box armor as Heather shouts that no one can help her, except maybe Manikin, who is a doctor. She believes Whit should surely know some way to shut down her battle suit and save her. Heather wonders why Whit doesn’t come, as he must know by now that she is here, ‘MANIKIN!’ screams Heather.
Well?
Hiding, Manikin tells Mantlo that he wont go, and that he cannot make him.
I’ve already demonstrated how I can bring the plot to you. Now lets see what else it will take to get you to follow the plot. Another assault on the now helpless Jeffries?
‘Nooooo!’ screams Manikin.
Oh, yes!
Jeffries phases back into Box as he asks Heather ‘why?’ when she begins firing more plasma at him. Heather replies that something seems to say to her that if she attacks Jeffries, it will draw Manikin out of hiding.
‘Curse you, writer!’ shouts Manikin ‘You win!’ and with that he lets loose Highbrow, Apeman and Proto, adding ‘partially’ and reminds Mantlo that he said his plot said Proto will be destroyed trying to eat Heather’s battle suit off of her, thereby destroying Apeman, Highbrow and himself as Proto’s evolutionary successors. Whit declares that the script has been changed, and explains that Apeman and Highbrow will carry the light, while he and Proto will get the heck out of here.
Editorial prerogative from a character?
Highbrow and Apeman arrive at the battle scene and Highbrow informs Heather that the prime unit has sent them to help her. Vindicator asks Highbrow how his advanced intellect of Apeman’s brute strength can get her out of the battle suit. As plasma bursts everywhere, Apeman tugs at Heather’s battle suit while Heather explains that it is Manikin’s medical skills she needs, not an assist from his evolutionary altar-egos.
Highbrow informs Vindicator that Manikin has a valid reason for not putting in a personal appearance, ’namely, he does not want to die!’ Heather asks if Manikin will then let the battle suit slay both her and the man she loves, ’this is hardly his doing!’ Heather declares that she doesn’t care whose fault it is, she needs help, frying both Highbrow and Apeman, Heather boasts that she will get it - or Manikin will.
Doesn’t sound like the Vindicator you know, does it Doctor? I can make the battle-suit warp her mind, undermine her reason…make her regard a friend…as a foe.
Heather begins to fly away, Box calls after her, realizing that the battle suit has made her nuts he transforms himself into a small tank so that he can easily follow her, and find her before she finds Whit.
That’s called Plot Tension.
‘MANIKIN!’ screams Heather as she knocks doctors, nurses and patients to the floor with her plasma blasts. Manikin hears her and continues to run away, clutching Proto. Box calls to Vindicator, helping people to their feet as follows his out-of-control lover. Madison wonders if this is more of the super natural manipulation Alpha has been experiencing and as he suspected before. He wonders still, how they are to deal with such a foe if his assumption is correct.
‘So there you are!’ declares Vindicator as she corners Manikin in a store room. Upon seeing Heather, Manikin throws Proto to the ceiling.
Your moment of truth, Doctor.
‘You manipulative louse!’ exclaims Whit. The perplexed Heather says ‘Me? All I ask is your help!’ ‘I wasn’t speaking to you, Heather!’ ‘Are you out of your mind Whitman? There’s no one else here!’ Manikin declares that there is - a creep who is engineering the entire situation so that Heather can kill him, and jokes that the writer probably thought it would make a great cover scene. Heather tells Whit that he is not making any sense, and informs him that she is running out of time as she can feel the battle suit sinking its neuro-circuits into her very soul!
Heather tells Manikin that either he gets it off her, or else - and blasts him with a burst of electromagnetic energy. Whit is knocked backwards and wonders what he should do, he cannot fight Heather as she would kill him for sure, but that is not the writer’s plot. Manikin knows that it is Proto that Heather has to slay so that all the rest of him can vanish. However, Manikin begins to wonder whether or not the writer can alter the plot in the middle at will. Whit wonders if he should rely on some editorial oversight forcing Mantlo to follow the story he submitted to his editor.
Obviously, Doctor, you’ve never heard of improvisation.
Heather snaps that she has never had to force a man into undressing her before and warns Whit that this is his last chance. Box comes up behind Heather and cries ‘no’ as she prepares to shoot Whit with a powerful blast of electromagnetic energy - until Proto drops from the ceiling and lands on Heather.
‘Proto! No!’ screams Manikin as he drops to his knees and swears at Mantlo, telling him he has won, that it is the end. ‘Of my nightmare!’ declares Heather as she touches Whit on the shoulder and thanks him and Proto. Heather’s battle suit has been chewed away at by Proto, and Box declares that he cannot believe ‘that little protoplasmic slime’ dissolved the command circuits of the battle suit.
Shortly, Heather has changed and tells Manikin that she owes him both her life and marriage. Box informs Heather that using Guardian and Bochs’ designs he can rebuild her battle suit, without the ghost in the machine. Box takes Heather in his arms and flies off, thanking Whit again and telling him they will see him at the wedding.
Manikin and his other selves watch. Highbrow points out that they are gone, and Whit declares that the four of them are still alive and wonders what happened - he feels like a puppet.
You are.
Manikin walks back through the hospital feeling like a dreamer awakening from a nightmare.
I lied.
Manikin remembers that he has felt this way once before, and if it means what he thinks it might, then the Dreamqu -
Uh-uh, Manikin. No jumping the gun! I’ve planned this too carefully! Manipulated you, each one-by-one, building power! And soon, I shall reap my reward!
Manikin suddenly loses his train of thought and decides that it cannot be important…could it?