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What fools these mortals be... (1st story)
Deathwatch (2nd story)
First story:
At a Fort Albany hospital, Ontario. Dr. Michael Twoyoungmen tells Eugene Milton Judd a.k.a. Puck of Alpha Flight that his condition is stable, but he is not entirely out of the woods yet. Twoyoungmen says that if Puck has nothing further he would like of him, he will leave. In his hospital bed, Puck tells his teammate, a.k.a. Shaman that he is flattered he even stuck around this long, and to get back to his own business. After all, he has a team of some of the best doctors in Canada watching over him, and a hospital full of nurses feeding and bathing him, and all falling victim to his irresistible charms, and asks the doctor what more could any man want?
The blond nurse in the room asks Michael Twoyoungmen if there is anything else he wants, as she is off duty in a few minutes, though she tells him she would be happy to stay if he requires her to. Twoyoungmen thanks nurse Cambridge for her time and assistance, but tells her that that will be all for now.
Walking out into the corridor, Margaret Cambridge turns a corner and walks up to three other nurses. One of the nurses says to the others that he, referring to Puck, is one of the most adorable things she has ever seen, but wonders who he is to get someone like Michael Twoyoungmen looking after him? Another nurse says she doesn’t know, but it was some “government types” that bought him in. As Margaret meets the other nurses, the young dark-haired one asks Margaret if she has figured out why Twoyoungmen is looking after Judd? An elderly nurse says she doesn’t really care, and just wants to take home with her a “six-pack of Judds”. The brunette nurse says that Judd is a charmer, and that while he talks like a bar room brawler, he reads Shakespeare! Margaret Cambridge tells the other three that all she knows is that if someone in Nursing School had told her she would be swapping bedpans with Dr. Twoyoungmen, well, she would have just about died on the spot!
Back in Judd‘s ward, Michael Twoyoungmen tells Judd that with the nurse gone, he wonders if perhaps there is anything else he can do, not as his doctor, but as Shaman? Puck tells Shaman that he is okay for now, the pain gets pretty bad sometimes, but he just focuses past it. Michael tells him he is on the maximum allowable dosage of painkillers and shouldn’t be experiencing any excessive pain at the moment. Shaman offers to stay in case there are any unexpected complications, but Puck tells his friend that he will be fine, and that pain and him are “old friends”, it comes with being built the way he is. Puck reminds Shaman that if he needs him he can use the Alpha Flight call signal. Shaman agrees, and tells him that he could also invoke the name of the Great Spirit, and Snowbird will communicate his need to him. Puck tells Twoyoungmen that just as long as Snowbird herself does not come to the hospital, as she scares the “bejeebers” out of him. Shaman tells Puck that while he is not alone in his feelings about the goddess, Snowbird is a vital member of Alpha Flight. As Shaman leaves he tells his diminutive friend to get some rest.
Judd looks up from his book, as the elderly nurse from the corridor comes into his room telling him it is time for his bath. “Another one!” grins Puck. He asks the nurse if they think he is the dirtiest patient in the hospital, and tells her this time he will tell her about the time he went tiger hunting in Nepal. Judds laughter is infectious.
(nine hours later)
At night however, Judd is not laughing because of the pain. Puck thinks to himself as he cringes that he has put up with a lot in his life, but never has he been disemboweled. Puck decides he cannot focus past it, and presses his beeper for a nurse and a shot. But as the painful minutes go by and no one comes, Puck, despite his terrible pain, gets out of bed, thinking he best go and see what is going on. Puck thinks that the Matterhorn was easier than climbing out of bed and that if Shaman saw him doing this he would “pitch a fit”. Puck opens his door and thinks that he has got to find out what happened to the nurses, and that he has been playing this game too long to let anything like this just slide by. It could be nothing, but Judds’ instincts tell him to check it out.
As he edges down the hallway Puck now thinks that he could just ignore his instincts for a change and go back to bed though! As he reaches the nurses station he discovers it unmanned, but decides they couldn’t all be on call. He looks in the nurse lounge, to no avail either until he spots someone in the storeroom. Puck listens outside the storeroom door, and decides that whoever is in there is wearing rubber soled shoes, and moving very quiet, as to not get heard perhaps. Opening the door, Puck is surprised to see Nurse Daly in there. Surrounded by containers of pills on a bench, also a siring, Nurse Daly is startled, and pulls down her sleeves with some sort of rope in her hand, she asks Puck what he is doing out of his bed.
As she ushers Judd out of the storeroom, he tells her to never mind what he is doing, and asks why she was sneaking around. The nurse hesitates, but finally tells Judd that she wasn’t sneaking, just being quiet, after all this is a hospital, and they are supposed to be as quiet as possible. Nurse Daly tells him to get back to his room. Back in his bed, Nurse Daly asks Judd how he thinks Dr. Twoyoungmen would react to this, Judd even pulled his intravenous out. As Nurse Daly prepares a shot of painkillers for Judd, he notices her trembling hands as the drug transfers from the bottle to the syringe. He thinks to himself, that by the way she is shaking he is glad that she is sticking it into his I.V. and not his arm.
When the nurse leaves, the painkiller works its way through Eugene Judds’ body, but he still cannot get to sleep. As he lays awake, Judd thinks that Nurse Daly has always been a bit on the hyper side, and nervous too. Eugene thinks she is exactly the type of person who is a candidate for what he thinks he saw going on earlier that night, but the charges are too serious unless he has real proof.
(the next day)
When morning returns, it brings with it another wave of frenetic activity to the house of the healing. As an orderly pushes a bed down the hallway, Puck, thinking to himself that he must be really sneaky this time, jumps onto it, and hides beneath the overhanging cloth, clinging to the metallic frame. Several minutes later, Puck darts off, without the orderly seeing him. He thinks to himself that the easy part is over, now the hard part is getting past the nurses station desk.
Soon, Puck slips into the storeroom, glad that the nurse finally left from her coffee break, and decides that if he ever has to do this again, he will need a less open access.
Puck begins to search through medicine cupboards, his skilled fingers were all it took to open the combination lock. Upon discovering the painkillers, Eugene decides that is what they are, and that if Nurse Daly were getting ready to shoot up, it would have been with these. He doesn’t think that any are missing – suddenly, holding two bottles up, Judd discovers that the contents of one bottle is slightly lighter in color than the other. While it is hardly noticeable, it looks as if it had been diluted. Puck reaches further into the cabinet for some more stock. He notices the same color dilution, and decides that the strength of the painkillers appears to have been cut in half. Judd doesn’t believe that Nurse Daly could be using that much herself, and decides he must have stumbled onto more than just one junkie nurse. Suddenly the opening of the back door startles Puck.
Puck reacts fast, and after locking the cabinet, and despite all of his pain cartwheels, he leaps up onto a set of shelves, overlooking the door. A bearded man enters the storeroom, though he is just the delivery man. Judd decides, that even so, best not to let anyone see him. As the man leaves, Judd climbs down from the shelves, and thinks that if there is a stolen drug traffic ring in this hospital he will need more evidence before he acts. Judd decides that he best alert the hospital authorities, as to who he is, and what he is doing. Puck is overcome by pain again, and while Shamans Indian magicks accelerated his healing, he could still rip him self open if he tried another stunt like the cartwheel and leap he just did.
A few minutes later, Puck is in the chief administrator’s office, Puck tells Dr. Craigborne that what he needs is for the security people to look the other way for a while, as he investigates. Dr. Craigborne tells Judd that while he appreciates the offer, that if this matter is as serious as Puck believes it to be, than he would like to inform the police. Eugene asks the doctor to give him forty-eight hours to do their job for them. Dr. Craigborne tells Judd that while it goes against his best instincts, his credentials as a member of Alpha Flight are enough to sway him this time. Craigborne tells Eugene that he is rather surprised as to him taking him into confidence about his secret identity. Eugene replies that there is nothing secret about it, and with Puck and Judd at the same hospital, it won’t take much to put two and two together. Dr. Craigborne wishes Judd good luck.
(at night)
Again Eugene Judd sneaks from his bed, though this time he ditches the bed gown he has been wearing, and dons his super hero costume, which Shaman mystically restructured. Judd decides that his costume is tight enough to hold his stomach together, in case the stitches should tear. He thinks that this shouldn’t be too strenuous though, after all, he is only playing detective, and will leave the rough stuff to the police. Walking through a service tunnel in the hospital Judd thinks that whoever the drug dealers are they are not very concerned with covering their tracks, and he can see the trail they have left in the tunnel.
As Judd leaves the hospital, he finds his first major clue, a beat up yellow van. At closer investigation, the driver passes Nurse Daly some of the drugs. Daly complains that he promised her a whole month’s supply, to which the dealer tells her that she is getting greedy, sneaking drugs on her own time. As the van drives off, Judd runs up and decides that if he is clever he may have the whole ring caught in one night. He jumps onto the back of the vehicle, holding onto the back door hand handles while standing on the bumper.
(30 minutes later)
Way beyond Fort Albany’s city limits, the van arrives at a boathouse, which Puck thinks is not as abandoned as it looks. As one of the dealers’ opens the shed door, Puck climbs onto the roof of the van as to not get seen, and just in time too, as a third man is in the boathouse. Judd decides to listen to them before he bashes them. The third man asks how everything went, to which the driver, who calls him Morrie, tells him it went fine, and that he shouldn’t worry so much. Morrie says that he has reason to worry that he has been in jail too many times already, and that if he takes the fall this time, he will be locked up and the key thrown away. Morrie says that tonight’s run was too rushed for him, and he likes warning.
Suddenly the second man spots Puck on top of the van. With his cover blown Puck introduces himself to the druggies, and quickly after kicking Morrie and the driver in the face, he cartwheels over to the second man showing everyone why he is called Puck. Morrie regains consciousness and asks what a “midget in a monkey suit” is doing here, before trying to whack Judd with a fishing pole. Puck tells him that firstly they are called “little People”, and secondly he is a dwarf, not a midget, and the condition he has is called achondroplasty, which involves lack of growth in the long bones. Bouncing off the van, and kicking at Morrie he tells him that he probably knew that though.
Cringing, Puck thinks that Morrie will stay down for now, but he thinks that the move he pulled may have also ripped some of his stitches out. As blood starts to leak from Pucks’ costume, he spies a telephone, and crawls over to it, but, as he reaches for the phone, he doesn’t think he will be able to make it. Puck blackens out.
(hours later)
Puck awakes to find himself back in his hospital bed, with Dr. Craigborne and inspector McNamara at his side. The inspector tells Judd he is glad that he is okay after the big favor he did for them, busting up that dope ring. McNamara tells Judd that they have been trying for months to find out where that supply was originating, and now thanks to Judd, they have the dealers in custody. Puck tells him that it was his pleasure, and asks how they managed to find him though.
Sergeant McNamara tells Puck that de did manage to call the police, and that he was lucky the officer who took his call believed he was with Alpha Flight. Judd supposes Fort Albany does not see too many super heroes.
Dr. Craigborne tells Puck that will be likely to see one less if he does not get any rest. Walking into the corridor, the sergeant tells Dr. Craigborne that Judd is quite a guy, and that he knows six-footers who would have folded before Judd did, and compliments Craigborne on the way he stitched Judd back up. Dr. Craigborne says that he might not have done enough, with the extent of his injuries being so serious. The doctor tells McNamara that he didn’t want to say anything in front of Puck, but there is a high probability that he will not live through the night. The inspector is surprised as he says Judd looks so healthy. The doctor says that as he is on painkillers at the moment, it makes him look better than he actually is.
Craigborne re-enters Judds hospital room, and asks him if he knows just how lucky he is to still be with them. Judd says that he is. Judd tells the doctor that he wished inspector McNamara would have stayed longer, as he is not entirely convinced the drug ring is closed. Craigborne asks how so. Judd tells him that there has to be a top man behind the goons that someone is still out there. The doctor tells Judd he should get some more rest and not worry about it. Judd tells him he has an awful lot to think about, and he doesn’t believe poor nurse Daly was the mastermind of the ring. Craigborne tells Judd that she claimed to be a pawn of the thugs, and pulls out some painkiller and a syringe, telling Judd he needs a long rest.
Suddenly Judd leaps up from his resting position and punches the doctor saying “But not as long as you’re planning, eh?” Judd tells Craigborne that he was a little too clever in getting his goons to beat him up like that, Puck continues saying it was a little too convenient that he would catch the thugs first night. The doctor protests, telling Eugene that he doesn’t know what he is talking about. Judd tells him to stop acting, and picking up the medicine bottle, Puck confirms his suspicions that there were two labels, and as he rips the top one labeled painkiller off, it reveals the one beneath, labeled insulin. Puck knows that an overdose of insulin is enough to kill, and it won’t show up in the autopsy unless specifically looked for. Puck asks Craigborne what happened? Did he get nurse Daly hooked, or did he catch her in the act and use her as a front? Before the doctor can answer, Judd tells him not to answer, as he has no sympathy for a druggie like Nurse Daly, but he has even less sympathy for someone like him, the kind of people that create junkies. Puck says he better call the desk and have them send sergeant McNamara back, as he didn’t collect all of the rubbish.
Second story:
(Set fifteen years in the past)
At a secret place, near the Sarcee Reservation outside Calgary, Alberta. Dr. Michael Twoyoungmen stands before his frail grandfather, who tells him that he cannot deny his heritage, and that his path is pre-ordained. Michael tells his grandfather that while his father may have believed in him and his ancient “mumbo-jumbos” he does not. He says that this is the age of science and everyday great men, great minds peel back another layer of the universe, and solve another mystery. Michael continues, telling his grandfather that he is a scientist, a doctor, and that he has been called the best surgeon in all of Canada. That he has a wife and a daughter and a thriving medical practice. The man who would become known as Shaman asks his grandfather if he would have him sacrifice all of that for something only he alone believes in?
Twoyoungmen’s grandfather tells his grandson that he must, for his time is at an end, and the old knowledge must be passed from blood to blood. Walking out of his grandfathers cave, Twoyoungmen tells the frail old man that his father is dead. He apologizes to his grandfather, and tells him that his father’s death set him free of his final bond to his grandfather and the old ways. Inside the cave, the old man‘s female companion tells the old Indian that she is surprised he refused, and asks if Michael does not know the power he refuses? Michael’s grandfather replies that he knows, but the white man‘s teachings have put clouds upon his wisdom, and so there is much he must forget, in order for him to remember. The old man tells the woman that there is a great test ahead, and Michael will come back. Back to his ways, and his teachings, only Michael doesn’t know it yet.
Back in the suburbs of Calgary, as Michael Twoyoungmen pulls up at his home, a red-headed girl in her early teens tells the younger Native American, Elizabeth, that her father is home. Picking his daughter up, Michael asks Elizabeth how she is? The young girl replies that she is fine, and that she and her baby-sitter have been playing “Barbie”, and that Barbie and Ken are going to get married and have a baby – maybe three! Michael laughs, and says he detects the McNeil influence. Turning to the redheaded girl, Heather McNeil, Michael asks her how she and that ever-expanding family of hers are? Heather replies that she is fine, as her brothers, and that her mother is going to have another baby, even though she said the same thing last time! Heather tells Dr. Twoyoungmen that Doctor Bassaraba called also, and he would like to be called back.
Inside his home, Michael begins to talk to Doctor Bassaraba, only Michael’s words can be made out, but it is obviously something important being told to him, as Michael’s words become rather urgent, and he tells the doctor that he will come right away. Twenty minutes later, at the Chinook Centre Medical Building, Katheryn Twoyoungmen sits anxiously on an examination bed as Dr. Bassaraba tells her that he would like to have her admitted to hospital for a few days tests and observation. Katheryn agrees if he really thinks it is necessary. A nurse interrupts, and tells Dr. Bassaraba that there is someone here to see him.
In his office, Dr. Bassaraba tells Michael that he is glad he could make it, the situation may have been more serious than he thought. Michael tells Max not to play “doctor talk” with him, and asks what is wrong with his wife. Dr. Bassaraba does just that, using precise terms that few laymen could understand, and he does not skirt the issue, or attempt to soften the blow, as he has too much respect for the younger doctor. Whatever words, however spoken, the results are still the same. Dr. Bassaraba tells Michael he is sorry, and that if there was anything he could do. Twoyoungmen tells him there is nothing anyone can do though.
Suddenly Michael goes from solemn to angry, and says that he is Michael Twoyoungmen, and he is supposed to be the best doctor in the country, and that it is time he proved it. Dr. Bassaraba tells Michael that even he knows it is madness for a doctor to treat his own family, and that he can honestly do no more than anyone else. Max tells Michael that if he involves himself, then Katheryn will immediately know how serious her condition is. Michael tells the other doctor that he knows, and they are supposed to spare the patient any unnecessary anguish, but she is the woman he loves. Entering the examination room, Michael says he is going to do everything in his power to save Katheryn.
During the long months that follow, Twoyoungmen becomes a man driven by the great black cloud that is hopelessness. It crowds around him, closer and closer blocking away all the light.
He becomes almost a ghost, haunting the halls and labs of Foothills hospital at every hour, never far from his wife or instruments of his profession. Even those rare moments Michael Twoyoungmen is home, he is in his small office, buried in textbooks, searching. Until one night. As Michael scours another textbook, his daughter Elizabeth enters his office, asking her father when her mother is coming home. Heather McNeil follows, apologizing to Michael for being disturbed. Michael says it is all right, and beckons his daughter in.
Sitting on her fathers’ knees, Elizabeth tells him that she wants to go to the hospital, as she hasn’t seen her mother in such a long time. The young girl‘s father tells her that it was only a few days since their last visit, and that she needs to understand that her mother is very sick and only doctors can see her at the moment. Elizabeth reminds her father that he is a doctor, and asks him if he is going to make her mother all better. Hugging her, Michael says he will, he promises he will. Standing at the door of the office, young Heather McNeil thinks to herself that she hopes he can, because her mother says Katheryn is dying!
One day not long after, Dr. Bassaraba pulls a sheet over Katheryn’s face. For while dying can be long and hard, for some it brings release from pain at last. Michael puts his hand on Elizabeth and tells her that he should better get her home. ‘Don’t touch me! Liar! Liar!’ Elizabeth shouts to her father. Heather McNeil tries to console her, but as Elizabeth runs out of the room, the young girl is clearly upset as she says that he would have made her mother all better, and that she hates him. Michael calls after, but Elizabeth chooses not to listen.
As Heather and her mother Claire McNeil console Elizabeth, Ramsey McNeil, who had been waiting outside the room with his wife, goes up to Twoyoungmen, and tells him that Claire and he will look after Elizabeth until she cries it out, as he has enough to worry about. Michael protests that Ramsey and Claire have seven kids already and another on the way to worry about. A storm flashes outside, as lightening strikes and the rain pours down. Ramsey tells him that he has more than enough grief to deal with, and that Heather will love taking care of Elizabeth. Ramsey hesitates before telling Michael that he thought he read that his grandfather died today as well...


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Snowblind (1st story)
The Old Ways (2nd story)
First Story:
In Chief Inspector Hamilton’s office, at a remote Royal Canadian Mounted Police post, in the district of MacKenzie, NWT, Hamilton asks Anne McKenzie to explain her unauthorized absences from her post. Anne reminds Hamilton that her absences were authorized by his predecessor, Chief Inspector Cranmer. Silent through all of this argument, Corporal Doug Thompson thinks to himself that Anne said the wrong thing, and as Hamilton is after her pretty blond head, she is only going to aggravate him further. Pointing his finger at Anne, he tells her that as well-remembered as Cranmer is, he is dead, and now that Hamilton is in charge, he reminds Anne that he has told her things are going to be run differently around here. The woman who is actually a goddess begins to protest, before Hamilton tells her to be quiet. Hamilton tells corporal Doug Thompson that he wants a full investigation of Anne’s actions since she has been on this post, and that until that is completed to his satisfaction, she is to be confined. Doug understands, but thinks to himself, that Hamilton can play the power games now, until one day when he goes too far.
Leading Anne out of Hamilton’s office, Doug tells her he is sorry it came to this. Anne, who unbeknownst to Doug is actually the powerful Alpha Flight member known as Snowbird, tells him not to apologize as she is sure he did everything he could to help her. Doug tells her it doesn’t amount to much, as he became assigned to this post even after her, and does not know what the arrangement was that she had with the deceased Chief, and just went along with it because everyone else did. Thompson asks her if she can just tell him something that he could use to keep Hamilton calmed down for a while. Narya tells him that she would if she could, but she can’t. And even if she could she doubts he would believe it. They enter a room filled with cells, and Thompson tells her not to say he never tried. He tells Anne that he will get her some blankets so they can hang them up over the bars giving her privacy. Narya thanks him, and tells him he has been very kind, and that she wishes she could be more open with him.
Thompson tells her it is nothing that any red-blooded Canadian boy wouldn’t do for such a beautiful damsel in distress. He asks her if there is anyone he can call for her. Anne says there is, but withdraws it quickly before sitting on the bed by a window. When Doug leaves the cells, and the door slams shut, Narya is at last alone with her thoughts. She wonders if she should have asked Doug to call the Ministry of Defense, as even though Alpha Flight are no longer attached to the government, Gary Cody is still their unofficial liaison. Gary might have been able to contact Guardian, but Narya doubts that even Canada’s premiere super hero would have been able to help her.
Meanwhile, some forty miles North. At a drill site, Thom, a worker at the site tells his foreman, Ed Barrow, that he must stop the drilling, as this is a bad place, and that his people fear it, with good reason. Ed tells Thom that he is a good worker, and he respects him, but he tells him that their seismology tells them there that must be oil here, and they need it. Another worker suddenly alerts Barrow to one of the drills, Barrow is stunned, as strange energies dance around it.
Fifteen seconds later all who work at the drill site become witness to something never seen before, and as the strange eerie green mists flows up from the drill, it seems as if the destructive forces of the land have been released. Though the power does not strike from the earth, but rather against it, and as the large drill is torn from its grounding, destruction gives birth to creation, and a energy sphere grows and draws the broken rock of the land into itself, until suddenly, a large creature is released from it. It calls itself Kolomaq, and says that after one thousand years, it is finally free!
Back in her cell at, Narya contemplates her situation more. She thinks that while Guardian created her “Anne McKenzie” identity so that if Alpha Flight needed her she would be easier to find, the cover identity is fast becoming a liability. Suddenly the goddess’ senses detect that a mystic field has been breached, and another of the Beasts is loose. The human looking woman transforms, into the exotic looking Snowbird. Minutes later Doug Thompson returns, with the blankets he promised Anne. After calling to her and getting no response, Thompson is shocked to see a large gapping hole in the cell wall. Already two-dozen miles away, the goddess Narya flies through the skies towards her destination, not knowing which if the Great Beast’s she may find.
At the same time, only thousands of miles to the South and East, a more familiar figure cuts through the skies of Ottawa, Canada’s Capital City. James MacDonald Hudson, a.k.a. Guardian thinks to himself that it is a lot easier to enjoy being a super hero if he lets himself cut loose every now and then. And after spending the past few months a little gloomy, he welcomes the change. He thinks that maybe he is finally getting used to the idea of Alpha Flight as an independent body, no longer affiliated with the government. Mac thinks that while he has never really been able to accept the idea of Alpha on its own, the removal of government funding actually takes some weight off his shoulders. He is still out of a job of course, but he and Heather seem to manage on her salary. He thinks that there is also something of an ego stroke in being Canada’s Captain America.
As Mac’s outlook suddenly brightens, he approaches one house over a quiet residential neighborhood, fast enough so that no one will be able to recognize him. As Guardian flies through an open window, James MacDonald Hudson is home. He thinks to himself that there is no point in calling out a T.V.-type greeting as Heather is still at work, even executive secretaries have the open hours of unemployed petro-chem engineers. Mac takes out from the refrigerator some iced tea and pours himself a glass. He notices that Heather must have gotten the mail in already, but is shocked when it is addressed from Roxxon. Mac wonders why America’s biggest oil company would be writing to him, and even more importantly how did they get his address? As he reads the letter, he says ‘Great Scott !’
Snowbird arrives on the scene of devastation, and orders the Beast to end its attack on the land. Kolomaq is surprised to see a flying human, and realizes that much has changed since he last walked the Earth. Not understanding whom she actually is, the Beast bids Narya away, telling her that his fight is with his ancient enemies. Snowbird tells him that his foe is the land Beast, Tundra, and that his power is long since fallen, but reminds him that he has other, older enemies. Snowbird tells him to look past her mortal guise upon her True Fires, and see whom it is that he now faces. Kolomaq is astonished. He sees within Narya the spirit of Hodiak and the power of Nelvanna, though in a mortal form. He tells the goddess that if she truly is a daughter of the gods, then she will know his power, and he tells her to ‘Feel it now’. Snowbird cries out as the Great Beast unleashes a pure white blanket of snow around the drill site.
The snow whips around Snowbird, like a living thing, thicker and colder than any blizzard in memory. Even the child of the gods is taken by surprise. Snowbird scolds herself, saying she should have remembered that Kolomaq is the living embodiment of Winter. But he is vulnerable, like any living creature he can be attacked directly. Narya’s human form melts into that of a polar bear. The goddess tells herself she must be careful, as Kolomaq is one of the most savage of the Beasts. She also prays that she does not loose control of the animal, and gives into its lust. When all conscious thought has floated away, the being that growls and attacks Kolomaq is truly a bear. The ancient Beast manages to let out a feeble cry before a thousand pounds of tooth and claw slam into him.
As the beast faces the Beast, they tumble through the tress and boulders, until suddenly beneath them there is nothing but empty air. In a terrible and horrible instant, raw panic seizes the bear, its animal instincts overpowering all human reason. Until suddenly a shriek can be heard through the snowstorm, and only one thud onto ground below. The transformation was unbearable, as never before has Snowbird attempted to morph from one animal to another, without assuming her human form in between. In her blind panic she seems to have forgotten that her human form could fly too. Now, as the arctic owl struggles, Narya tries to gain control over it. Dizzy, the snow owl tries to climb the clifftop, stumbling in the snow, Narya begins to regain control as feathers give way to limbs, and finally it is Snowbird who collapses at the cliff edge.
Soon, Snowbird realizes that Kolomaq is still alive, as without his power to guide the snowstorm, it would have vanished. Snowbirds ultra keen eyes peer into the swirling snow, only to find nothing. Snowbird thinks that as she is as good as blind, she needs the senses of a bat, but unfortunately for her, that creature is not one of her domain, and she cannot take its form. Suddenly, the Great Beast’s voice looms nearby. He asks Narya if she grows afraid, as he still lives, and still hates. He mocks the goddess, asking her if she will use her “small” powers against him again. His voice is colder than the ice itself. Snowbird manages to gain some altitude and hovers above the Beast. She reminds herself that there were seven Great Beasts involved in Last Battle, one thousand years ago. And had her elder gods not sacrificed everything, then the Earth would have been destroyed. Tundra was awoken, and though all of Alpha Flight was on hand to battle him, they certainly had a hard time. Snowbird wonders if she alone can stop the viscous Kolomaq, as though her power is mighty, it is diluted some by her human blood.
Kolomaq calls to her, telling her he is waiting for her. Narya decides the only option now is a direct one, and by following the sound of his voice must strike at him, in her human form. Snowbirds’ cape spreads like wings, she swoops, and her strength is great, she strikes the Beast, catching him off guard, which causes him to loose balance, and he falls again from the cliffside. Snowbirds’ angelic body circles back, knowing that even though the Beast is silent, the storm still rages, meaning he is alive. Suddenly, the Beast cries ‘Die God-child’! And throws daggers made of ice at her, which strike like knives of steel. Snowbird is horrified, she bleeds! Never before has such a thing happened, and she feels her life draining away. Narya calls to her mother, Nelvanna, asking for her help, telling her that her daughter is afraid.
Snowbirds’ cries go in vain, as her mother is beyond the power to help. Snowbird, weakened, she acknowledges that if her kinship with the gods is not enough, she is still a member of Alpha Flight, and knows that there is a way to defeat the Beast, even if it is dangerous, and she must use it. Narya calls the Beast, and she slices through the storm, circling above him, and it is now she who taunts him. She tells him his powers have faded with his imprisonment, and there is nothing he can do but threaten without the force to back his threats up. Enraged Kolomaq asks her if she dare speak to him like that, and tells her to learn the folly of her words. The goddess thinks to herself that her plan is working.
Kolomaq has now unleashed the full force of his power against Snowbird, and the tearing, wrenching night of a million winters rips out, smashing into Snowbird and the cliff-face alike.
Snowbird calls to her grandfather, Hodiak, to grant her the strength she needs to beat this, until suddenly there is a great rumble, like a legion of dinosaurs, moaning in mutual agony. Towering above, the cliff-face slips away, as Kolomaq’s storm rips across the base. The Beast cries out in pain and defeat as the cliff collapses into his storm, and himself, burying him beneath mountains of rubble.
Torn and bruised, Snowbird crawls by, thinking that her plan worked, and once again the unbreakable embrace of Kolomaq’s ancient foe, the tundra itself, holds him. A voice shouts over to Narya. It is Ed Barrow. He introduces himself as foreman of the drillsite, and apologizes for letting the Beast loose. Recognizing her from pictures, he asks her if she is Snowbird. The goddess tells Ed he is correct, and tells him he has witnessed the latest chapter in an old and bitter conflict. Barrow says that they didn’t actually witness all that much, as the storm clouded their sight. He asks if there is anything left to be done?  Narya tells him there is much, and that the Beast must be imprisoned more securely, and suggests he arrange the whole area to be sealed in concrete. Narya says that for herself, there are other matters she must contend to, and the goddess begins to glow, as a mystical healing power falls over her, restoring her ripped costume, and healing her wounds and bruises.
With that, Snowbird takes flight, and thinks that there is much to consider from that battle, that this was the second Beast to rise in the matter of months. Narya realizes that the barriers must grow weaker everyday and wonders whether her family will be free from imprisonment too. If so, then Snowbird‘s time on Earth will be done!
Second Story:
(set five years in the past / ten years after the backstory of Alpha Flight #5)
Near the townsite of Banff, Alberta, alone upon a barren, untouched cliff overlooking a lake, Michael Twoyoungmen has escaped civilization seeking peace, but even in the silent winter, he finds none. Twoyoungmen’s eyes gaze out to the land, and he sees the same thing he has seen for the past ten years. But he no longer sees the beauty of the land. His eyes are filled with pain, but he has run out of tears to cry. He is looking for secrets that he does not know if they even exist. Michael lumbers back to his small cabin, which has been his home for the past years. A far cry from his luxurious suburban home in Calgary. That was the home of Doctor Michael Twoyoungmen and his family however. Michael closes the door, trapped in the stale air of the cabin, and realizes that something far greater than time and space separates him from the man the he once was.
(flashback, 10 years ago)
Michael and his daughter Elizabeth watched as wife and mother Katheryn, who just passed away, was covered with a blanket. Michael was supposed to be the best physician in Canada, but he could not save the woman he loved. That death also cost him the love of his daughter, to whom he promised he would save Katheryn. She hated him as any child can. Even more grief was laid upon Michael when he learned that his grandfather died that same day. Two days later, a companion of Michael’s grandfather brought him a gift, and she told him that he must not open it until he would know he was ready.
(present)
Michael thinks that he had always laughed at his grandfather’s old ways, he supposed it was the magic that made him an outcast as the Sarcee world marched into the twentieth century. When Michael’s father died in the war, it made things worse as his grandfather expected Michael to follow in the old ways. Even as a child Michael could feel the strange call that beckoned him to the white man’s science, and he rejected his grandfather over and over again. Now ten years later, he hears another call. Twoyoungmen begins to open the package, and as the dry hide wrappings fall away, a miracle explodes into the hut.
It is the spirit of Michael’s grandfather. His grandfather calls to him, telling him not to be afraid, and he has waited a long time upon the mortal plane for Michael to hear his call. He tells Michael that his time now is short, and yet Michael has much to learn. Michael has no ears for the soothing voice of the dead man, and thinks that he has gone mad, as he cowers on the floor he knew it would eventually happen. The spirit of Michael’s grandfather tells him he is not mad, and to look at the gift for him on the table. Michael looks and is stunned. Even though the skull sitting before him is stripped of flesh, the line of the cheek and jaw are unmistakable. Twoyoungmen looks upon the skull of his grandfather, and feels the world grow suddenly smaller and further away.
Michael asks his grandfather what kind of savagery this is? He knows that the flesh had been boiled from the skull, he knows the signs. Yet Michael thinks that the woman bought him this only two days after his grandfather’s death. He asks the spirit that if he truly is his grandfather, how could he condone such a thing? The spirit replies it was necessary, that because of his stubborn refusal to accept the old ways, the spirit tells Michael, he conceived this means to delay his passage into the Great Home. Michael’s grandfather tells him to place his skull to one side, to pick up the medicine bag underneath it, to open it up and take out a handful of pine needles. Michael hesitates, and his grandfather tells him he must hurry, as every moment wasted is one they can never reclaim, and it may cost him dearly. Still doubting his own mental stability, Michael obeys, and as he puts his hand in the bag he notices how strangely dry and cool it feels, and empty. Michael says that this has gone on long enough, and though he doesn’t know if it is madness of some cruel joke…. The spirit tells his grandson to not look into the medicine pouch, he must never look into the pouch. He asks him to place aside his doubts, and to let the lesson begin.
(over the next weeks)
The lesson that follows the next few weeks is more than just that of words passed on, it is that of discipline. As a doctor Michael kept himself in good physical condition, but now he enters a regimen designed to keep his body in near perfect condition. At the same time he learns other skills too, and soon enough he can run through the forest without disturbing any bird or animal in his passing. Michael baths in the mountain streams, which until not long ago had been snow, and he grows stronger. He grows wiser too, as he learns to look upon the world with new eyes. His mind no longer lonely reaches levels, as he tries to climb to new heights.
One day thereafter, the spirit of his grandfather tells him that his time is done, that he has taught him all he can, and what follows must come not from him, but from Michael himself. Michael asks if it is time again for another handful of pine needles? The spirit tells Michael that only if he truly believes, as there is still within him much of his old self who doubts, and in times to come the doubts may cost him dearly. The spirit says it is time for the testing, and for Michael to concentrate, turning his mind away from the path of the world beyond the room. Michael must look inwards, extending not his thoughts, but his feelings into the bag. He must not think of pine needles, but know them, by smell, touch…everything about them. They must feel as real to Michael as the fabric of the medicine bag against his skin. As the spirit says ‘Let them be real’ Michael opens up his hand, revealing a handful of pine needles.
At that moment, nearly three thousand miles away, in Greenwich Village, Dr. Strange witnesses the scene as he looks into his viewing globe at Michael Twoyoungmen. He says that it is good, to which the Ancient One replies the old ways have finally passed to Michael at last. Dr. Strange tells the Ancient One that Michael is a wise and powerful man, and he will make a great Shaman to his people, perhaps the greatest they have ever known...


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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The Importance of being Deadly (1st story)
Let a child be born (2nd story)
First story :
In the waiting room of a psychologist’s office in Montreal, Quebec, Jean-Paul Beaubier rises from his seat as his twin sister, Jeanne-Marie is led from the office proper. Jeanne-Marie thanks the doctor for being so kind, and the doctor tells her that it has been a pleasure to speak with her. With a copy of National Geographic in his hand, Jean-Paul asks the doctor if he has determined what is wrong with Jeanne-Marie. Crossly, Jeanne-Marie tells her brother that, like she has told him before, there is nothing wrong with her, and that Doctor Bosson has confirmed it. The Doctor interrupts, and suggests to Jean-Paul that they discuss the matter further, in his office.
Bosson asks Jean-Paul if he may call him Jean-Paul, and offers him a seat. Jean-Paul tells the doctor that it is his name, but he did not come here to discuss polite etiquette, and reminds the doctor that his sister is a very sick woman. Dr. Bosson interrupts and asks Jean-Paul why he thinks Jeanne-Marie is sick. The doctor tells Jean-Paul that he has found no hints at Jeanne-Marie being “psychologically unbalanced”. Jean-Paul tells the doctor that he may then seek out a more competent doctor, and that he knows his sister is unwell, for he sees it every time they are together. Doctor Bosson suggests to Jean-Paul that that may be the cause of the problem. After all, they were separated at birth, and grew up under the most extreme different social situations, oblivious to the other’s existence. Bosson tells Jean-Paul that he thinks he may be imagining a fault in his sister simply because of this difference, and tells Jean-Paul it is not a problem for a doctor to resolve.
Scowling, Jean-Paul thinks to himself that he should have expected this. Considering the split between Jeanne-Marie’s personalities is so far apart, and therefor the doctor could not have detected the presence of another, after meeting only one. Jean-Paul wonders what he can do. After all, it is not like he can simply tell the doctor that the reason he knows his sister is psychically unbalanced is because they are secretly two of Canada’s premiere super heroes! He wonders if he can tell the doctor that he is in fact Northstar and Jeanne-Marie Aurora…though only when she is not in the state she is in currently?
(partially flashbacks)
Still thinking to himself, Jean-Paul recalls how wonderful it was for him to discover a sister, only some weeks after he discovered whom he was. And can he tell the doctor about the year of training, honing in on their mutant powers, and discovering that Aurora was a free spirit that rivaled even he? And what of the horror he saw when he visited her at the school she grew up at – and discovering that Jeanne-Marie was a completely different person to the one he had spent the past year with?
(present)
If Jean-Paul were to speak of those things, it would surely jeopardize his, and Jeanne-Marie’s place in Alpha Flight, without which Aurora has no life. Jean-Paul had been ignoring what doctor Bosson has been saying, but he listens again when the doctor tells Jean-Paul that he can continue to see Jeanne-Marie if he insists, but he suspects it will be a wasted effort for all involved. As the two men walk out of the office, Bosson gives Jean-Paul a warning  - that if Jeanne-Marie does have a split-personality like he believes, that he as a doctor cannot simply turn Jeanne-Marie into the person Jean-Paul wishes her to be. If so, she would more likely to develop a third personality unlike either of the original two. Jean-Paul tells the doctor that he understands, and says that he has much to think about.
Doctor Bosson tells Jean-Paul to consider something else. That Jeanne-Marie has the potential to be a very beautiful woman, and tells Jean-Paul that it is a great pity that she chooses to leave that potential unrealized. Jean-Paul frowns and quickly, Bosson tells Jean-Paul that that was a completely objective, value judgment, not anything else, psychological or otherwise. He says that everyone must learn to accept each other for who they are…not what they could become… Jean-Paul puts an arm around his sister as they begin to leave the office, and tells the doctor that he is sure he is right, and Jean-Paul thinks to himself just as he is sure that his concern for Jeanne-Marie has genuine grounds. He tells Jeanne-Marie that it is time for them to get some lunch.
After a few minutes walk through one of the pleasant side streets of Montreal, Canada’s largest city, Jeanne-Marie tells her twin brother that she is having a lovely time, and admits to being surprised that her brother even knows of such a place. Jean-Paul replies: ‘I have…depth you do not even suspect sister. An old friend lives on this street’. Jean-Paul tells Jeanne-Marie that he may have spoken of him before – Raymonde Belmonde. Jean-Paul’s voice becomes quite hesitant and just says that Raymonde helped him through some difficult times. Jeanne-Marie says that she remembers that name, and that it would be nice to meet some of her brother‘s friends.
Suddenly, a thief, one who is well skilled in his “art” runs past the twins, and snatches Jeanne-Marie’s handbag out of her grasp. The thief is fast, but not as fast as…Aurora. For when Jeanne-Marie, who possess mutant abilities, but prefers not to use them, reacted to the thief snatching her bag, she reacted as Aurora! In the course of those split seconds, Aurora no longer even resembles her other self- for where Jeanne-Marie had her hair tied back, blouse buttoned to her neck and glasses (which she does not even need) resting properly, Aurora now has her hair coming loose from its tie, blouse unbuttoned and glassed resting on the tip of her nose. Aurora tells the thief that this is such a naughty way to spend an afternoon! And the voice, no longer Jeanne-Marie’s timid whispers, but the rich, smooth and confident voice that is Aurora! As the assailant tries to turn around, he finds that Aurora is already blocking his path. She asks him kindly to give her bag back, or says that she may have to ‘borrow a page or two’ out of Wolverine’s book – and get very nasty! Aurora begins to punch her assailant, and while her individual blows are no harder than any woman of normal strength may use, Aurora punches a hundred times in less than a second. Northstar rushes over and asks his sister if she is all right, to which she tells him to save his concern for the would-be purse-snatcher. Aurora adjusts her clothing and hair to suit her, and Northstar is amazed at how suddenly she became her other self, and wonders how long it will last this time. Jean-Paul suggests to his sister that they keep moving, to which Aurora tells him that she has captured this felon, and intends to see him incarcerated.
At a nearby police station, half an hour later, a police officer tells the twins that even with their testimony, he can not hold the thief because his bail was posted, even before they arrived! Jean-Paul wonders who would put up bail for such a low life, and Aurora asks the police officer if he has someone looking out for him. The officer tells Jeanne-Marie that that is exactly the case, as he is employed for a man called Earnest St. Ives, a man people around the police station call “Deadly Earnest”.  Northstar asks the officer why St. Ives would have such a person on his payroll, and his reply from the police officer is that St. Ives has a lot of cheap thugs working for him, and it is rumored that St. Ives has connections with the American Maggia. Leaving the police station, the officer tells the twins that St. Ives has previously been taken in for more than a dozen times, but on charges that they cannot prove. Jean-Paul shakes the officer’s hand and wishes him luck, and tells him that if St. Ives is foolish enough to employ the sort of ‘rabble’ that tried to snatch Jeanne-Marie’s purse, then St. Ives himself is likely to slip up one day. The officer says he hopes so.
Aurora’s attention however been turned elsewhere – most noticeably the person calling out to Jean-Paul. Jean-Paul is extremely happy to see who it is – for it is his old friend, Raymonde Belmonde. Jean-Paul asks him what he is doing here, and Raymonde tells Jean-Paul that he heard what happened earlier with the thief and came over as soon as he could. Aurora clears her throat with an “A-hem”. Jean-Paul introduces his sister to Raymonde, and Aurora says that she is “Enchanted“, and tells Raymonde that Jean-Paul has told her all about him. Raymonde seems a little surprised at this, and remarks it to the twins. Raymonde continues, saying how delighted he is to see that Mother Nature has so “graciously imparted Jean-Paul’s features to a woman, where handsome may become beautiful“.
Raymonde suggests they leave the street, and soon they are sitting at a table in the small restaurant he owns. It seems that Jean-Paul and Raymonde are in the middle of a discussion, and Raymonde tells Jean-Paul that he has not told his sister everything about him after all, and if he did he thought it would have been quite odd. Changing the subject, Jean-Paul tells Raymonde that it is not as odd as the restaurant being empty at the lunch hour. Raymonde asks Jean-Paul who it was that said “Time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly so…” Aurora returns from the ladies rest room, and tells the men it was an alien who called himself “Ford Fairmont”, and remarks on how widely read Raymonde Belmonde is. Noticing Aurora’s sudden change in appearance – gone is the dowdy skirt Jeanne-Marie was wearing, and now, Aurora, is dressed only in the black tights and yellow blouse, which she has tied around her waist, and hangs at her thighs.
Sitting at the table with the two men, Aurora tells Raymonde he is too kind, and that she does the best considering the “poor scraps” Jeanne-Marie gives her to work with. “Jeanne-Marie?” Raymonde asks, and tells Aurora she speaks of her as another woman, and one whom she doesn’t like at that. Quickly trying to close the topic of discussion yet again, Jean-Paul tells Raymonde that his sister teaches at a very prim and proper school, and that she tends to speak of it as it were someone else. He asks Aurora to confirm this, and all she says is ‘Whatever you say dear brother’, before telling Raymonde that she is interested about his empty café too.
Raymonde tells Aurora to call him Raymonde, as opposed to the way she has been calling him “Mister Belmonde”, as he tells her they are all like family here. Raymonde says that he does not like to burden his friends with his troubles, though thinks that perhaps he should, especially as these two may be able to help. He tells Aurora that if she and Jean-Paul are who he thinks they are, especially because he knows of Jean-Paul’s abilities. Raymonde decides that it is time he confides in someone about his problems. He tells them that, as they observed, it is odd that on a busy street such as this, it is only his business that is on the edge of a financial bankruptcy. He tells the twins that it is completely due to the actions of a man named St. Ives…suddenly, he is interrupted. A trampy looking woman, calling Raymonde “father”, tells him that things are bad enough without involving strangers.
Raymonde is taken by surprise, and tells the woman, Danielle, that he did not know she was home. Jean-Paul is extremely taken aback, and asks Raymonde “how” and that he never told him of a daughter. Raymonde tells Jean-Paul and Aurora that Danielle has only recently entered his life, and that she is a “treasured reminder” of the very different man he once was, and that since the death of her mother, she had been living with him. Raymonde introduces the Beaubier twins to his daughter, and Danielle realizes that Jean-Paul is the Olympic ski champion. Jean-Paul confirms this, and asks Danielle how long she had been with her father. Danielle answers that she had been with him for about two months, and that she is studying Classics at McGill University. Hands-on-hips, impatiently Aurora says that she is sure this is all very interesting, but tells Raymonde she still wants to know what his involvement with St. Ives is, after all, it was one of his henchmen that assaulted her. Raymonde tells Aurora that he must apologize, for in a way he feels it was his fault she was assaulted, as the henchman must have over heard Aurora or her brother mention Raymonde’s name, and that all of St. Ives’ men have orders to hassle any possible customers of his…
Meanwhile, in a car parked across the street from Raymonde Belmonde’s café, someone is given orders to go in and bring Belmonde out. One minute later, two men in suits enter the restaurant, telling the four inside that they will have no trouble, and have simply come for Belmonde. Danielle steps in and asks why it takes two “hulking brutes” to kidnap one old man. Jean-Paul tells Danielle to be careful, and that he will handle it. One of the henchmen calls Jean-Paul a “pretty boy”, and tells him to save the heroics, as they don’t have time to waste on him, and shove him into Danielle, knocking the two to the floor. On the ground Northstar thinks that he could easily use his powers to stop the henchmen, but that would mean revealing his powers before Danielle.
Outside the café, Aurora has been taken by one of the men in suits, and thinks that she will play along with them for a while, at least until they met St. Ives Across the street in the car, a passenger window rolls down, and a strange silent chill seems to flood the street. One of the henchmen holds Raymonde up to the vehicle, so St. Ives, who is in the car, can see him. Raymonde puts up a fight, telling Earnest St. Ives that his business must be doing extremely well, if he has time to waste on him. He tells St. Ives that his business is not for sale, something that Raymonde has told St. Ives many times before. Half hidden in the shadows inside his car, Earnest St. Ives tells Raymond that he is a foolish man, and as he takes off his glove, tells Raymonde he offers him the perfect opportunity to retire and spend his last few years with his grandchildren. He tells Raymonde that most men his age have spent all their lives dreaming of such peace.
Raymonde tells Earnest to spare him his philosophizing – and as St. Ives raises one of his large hands, and puts it across Raymonde’s face, he tells him that he left him no choice. At first Raymonde is puzzled at what St. Ives is doing, but as St. Ives’ hot and dry hand which is coarse against the older man’s flesh, the shock Raymonde experienced, quickly turns to amazement, and then a brief moment of panic…until there is nothing, and Raymonde Belmonde drops to the street below. On the pavement, Danielle screams out at the sight of her dead father. And Jean-Paul, Raymonde’s surrogate son, and someone who knows the older man far better than his own natural daughter, cries out too.
The bodyguard holding Aurora asks St. Ives what they should do with her, as she was with Raymonde. She peers in at St. Ives, and wonders what happened, as all he did was touch Raymonde…. St. Ives asks if it is the daughter, and tells his henchman that she will be negotiating the sale of the restaurant now that Raymonde is gone, he orders the guard to bring her, and he shoves her into the car. St. Ives calls over to Jean-Paul and Danielle, who remain by Raymonde’s body, and tells them to stay back, as he and “Miss Belmonde” have things to discuss, and warns them that if either of them try to follow, she will share her father’s fate.
While Jean-Paul worries about his sister, Aurora tells him to do as St. Ives says. With that, the vehicle holding Aurora prisoner drives off.
Crouched at her father’s body, Danielle tells Jean-Paul she cannot find a pulse, and that he isn’t breathing, so she thinks he is dead. The words seem to reverberate along the suddenly silent streets and Jean-Paul feels a great, black emptiness open in his heart. A gapping hole which threatens to swallow his whole world. Until Jean-Paul was united with Aurora, Raymonde Belmonde had been the most important person in his life. Raymonde was more than a father and much more than a friend. The older man had found Jean-Paul when he was barely older than a boy, and he was alone and scared. Jean-Paul was frightened of what he thought he was, and of what he feared he would become. Raymonde had led Jean-Paul out of the dark fear, into the bright, clear light of self-acceptance, and teaching him not to fear his mutant powers, or anything else either.
Now, with those four short, sharp words spoken, an iron door has closed upon a chapter of Jean-Paul’s life, and he is once again alone. Jean-Paul’s hands form fists, and in his mind tells St. Ives that he has made a grievous error, taking from him his sister, and his friend, and for that Jean-Paul will kill him….
Meanwhile, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, at the Southbrook Mall, the newly constructed bustling new center of activity for the capitol of Canada’s most eastern prairie province. The mall is huge, and shoppers bustle about, even though the stores and shops all carry the same familiar items, but in their new surroundings, they have strangeness about them. On one of the upper levels, an all-corners chess match is underway, all against one man. Alexander Thorne sits up from one of the chess matches he is in and tells his opponents that it is time for his lunch break. He tells them that they will complete the games when he returns. One of the opponents protests, telling Thorne that he doesn’t want to be sitting there all day. Thorne tells the other man that he will be gone no longer than forty minutes, and suggests to the man he spend that time contemplating the ridiculous position in which Thorne has his King cornered in.
Several minutes later, Alec Thorne receives his coffee and hot dog from a take-away outlet. He thanks Meg, the woman behind the counter and compliments her cookery skills. Leaving the hustle of the crowded mall behind, Thorne walks through a seldom-used corridor. He calls the people he is against in chess idiots and wonders why he even bothers with them. After all, his IQ is higher than everyone in the malls combined yet the best he can do…. Suddenly, Thorne chokes on his lunch when someone shouts over ‘Alec Thorne? Or should I call you Smart Alec of Gamma Flight?’. Thorne turns around to see a striking woman dressed all in black walking over to him. He asks her why she calls him that name, and asks who she is.
The woman tells Thorne not to be alarmed, and introduces herself as Delphine Courtney. She explains that she and her employer are involved in a project that may interest him. Delphine speaks five more words…and Thorne finds himself immediately intrigued. And as the two unique people leave the mall together, Thorne’s chess opponents will have to wait more than forty minutes this day.
Second Story:
(fifteen years ago)
For many months, patient hands have worked to strip away the frozen layers of tundra, the soil is as hard as rock, here at an archeological dig, North of the Arctic Circle. For the first time since this dig started, many long months ago, a scientific discovery will be made…
An archeologist shouts out to Professor Camperton, and Doctor Ruth Efford, the people in charge of this expedition, telling them he has found something. Efford asks Camperton who it is, and Camperton tells his associate that it is Richard Easton. Ecstatic, Easton runs over to the senior site coordinators and shows them an artifact he has found. Camperton notices that it is a headband, and it is very unusual to find a metal one this far North. He doesn’t recognize the culture, and asks Easton where he found it. Still very excited by his discovery, Richard Easton tells the professor that he found it in the northeastern quadrant, about seven layers down. Easton guesses that it had been there for thousands of years. Slightly unimpressed, Camperton passes the headband to Efford. The doctor tells Easton that he must not let his enthusiasm overcome his objectivity, especially as one mistaken identification could ruin the results of this entire project. Camperton agrees with Ruth and tells Easton to log and file the headband with the proper notations. Slightly deflated, Richard returns to work.
Later that night however, as everyone else at the camp sleeps, Richard Easton wakes up. Slightly confused he hears tiny voices beckon to him, they are stuck in his mind and he cannot get them out, they call again and again… Compelled, Easton leaves his tent and follows the voices. They lead him to the storage tent, and picking up the glowing headband, he discovers his destiny… In the strange instant, he feels the touch of the metal headband as he places it upon his head – it feels cold, strange, and alien.
(elsewhere and elsewhen)
Suddenly, the world around him seems to blur, strange colors cloud his sight, until three strangely clothed beings, who definitely show their age, appear in front of Richard Easton, who is shocked to say the least. The one called the Shaper tells Easton not to fear them, as they mean him no harm. He tells Easton that they ‘beg a boon’ of him. The woman present begins to speak now. She introduces herself as Nelvanna, goddess of the northern lights, and she requires the “precious seed of humanity” he carries in himself. Aghast, Easton stutters out some words, which too convey his horror. The final god present, Hodiak tells his daughter that the concept appalls the mortal man, as he is bound by prejudices of youth and beauty. Nelvanna reminds her father that their time is so short, and asks how their end can be gained.
The Shaper tells his cousins to set their minds at ease, reminds them that his power is to mask all things they would not wish seen or known…and with that Nelvanna, once a withered old woman appears as a beautiful and naked young woman, and adding to the Shapers words, says her power is to grant the wildest fantasy of a small mind…. Nelvanna asks Easton if he will grant himself one night of pleasure, as the price for saving a world. Easton stares in awe at the naked woman, and asks what she means by saving a world. Reaching out to him, Nelvanna tells the mortal man that the forces of ancient evil are abroad, and that the headband he wears is a symbol of great and terrible power. Nelvanna continues, telling him that if the evil is to be held in check, then the world must have a champion, but they are trapped. Easton asks the goddess what she means by “trapped”. Nelvanna tells him that there will be explanations later, and as they touch hands she asks him to draw her into his world, to give her his seed, his love, to give her power! With that the lights around Easton blur again, swirl around in a sight that no mortal mind could comprehend.
(six years ago)
Later, Richard Easton walks the cold hard land of above the Arctic Circle again – and finds much has changed. Very puzzled, Easton stands where the archeological dig is – or at least was. No longer is it there, only flat land once again… Someone yells over to Easton, telling him this is government property, and that he better have a good reason – his companion tells the man called Lars to hold, as he recognizes the intruder. He is very shocked to see Easton, as everyone thought he was dead. Easton recognizes the dark-haired man as Carmichael, and asks him what is going on – where Professor Camperton is, and why the dig is buried.
Carmichael asks Easton where he had been, as Professor Camperton had been dead for nine years! Still wearing the headband, Easton panics and tells the other men that it must be some kind of trick, as he was only in the realm of the gods for one night. Easton thinks it must be the evil ones, and tells the other men that they are not who they say they are, but agents of the Beasts! Looking rather deranged, Easton tells the other two men that Nelvanna told him the barriers were becoming weak, and the Beast’s could break through. They also said that small-minded men would act as their agents…Easton thinks that Carmichael and Lars must have murdered everyone else. He thinks that they want the headband he wears – the headband that can raise the Beast known as Tundra… Lars tells Easton he doesn’t know what he is talking about, and grabbing onto his arms tells him that they should get him some help, as he seems pretty sick. Easton throws his arms up, and pushes Lars into Carmichael, running away, he tells them that they won’t catch him…and Richard Easton runs from the lands of men, into the lands of madness.
(five years ago)
Richard Easton has now become a “whatever happened to…” topic of conversation as old friends and colleagues gather and talk of the past. At the frozen tundra of the Arctic Circle again, only a different person walks the land this time – someone most unlike Richard Easton. This man is called Michael Twoyoungmen, doctor by trade, Sarcee medicine man by nature. He thinks to himself that ‘It is near now’, and levitates above the land which houses the mystical energies that drew him to this place, and he lets the conjuring begin. Reaching out with soul and mind, he taps the hidden powers that swirl across the north, and a tiny portal opens…
It is the goddess Nelvanna who steps through, very pregnant, she tells Michael Twoyoungmen that her time is near, and she has need of his skills. Michael tells the goddess that the Great Spirit spoke to him in his dreams, and told him of her needs. He tells the goddess that while his powers have yet to face such a great task, he understands what is required of him, and he charges up with power.
What happens next is an event without precedence in human history, as Michael Twoyoungmen finds himself midwife to the birth of a goddess…an event that cannot be described takes place, as Nelvanna gives birth, in a way totally alien to mortal experiences. Twoyoungmen realizes that the embryo is very unstable, and must be a transmorph, able to assume any shape at will. Michael decides that if he does not act quickly to bind the being to this reality, it may never posses a human form. Words that the medicine man has never heard spoken aloud fall easily from his lips, and the binding spell wraps the godling in a cocoon of humanity. A child, half-human, half-god, and with the appearance of a one year old infant rests in Twoyoungmen’s arms.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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Cold Hands, Cold Heart (1st story)
Genesis (2nd story)
First story :
Northstar streaks across the Montreal skies, with one goal on his mind. The time for tears is past, but that is not to say Jean-Paul Beaubier is all right. In fact, Jean-Paul has cried long and hard this day, as an important chapter of his life has just ended. Raymonde Belmonde, an old and dear friend had just been murdered, by means as yet inexplicable. Adding to this pain, Jean-Paul’s mentally unstable sister, and fellow Alphan, Aurora was kidnapped by the same man who murdered Raymonde, and Jean-Paul could only stand by, helpless and defeated. Yet the battle is not over, and Jean-Paul will be helpless no more. There might be a pair of eyes in all of Montreal that could see Jean-Paul as the mutant speeds across the city, but those eyes would have to be very keen, as vengeance helps to drive Jean-Paul’s flight across the darkening skies, and he is not inclined to slow his flight for sightseers. He thinks back to what happened this day.
(flashbacks to last issue, several hours ago)
The day is only half over, and already it has been one of emotional turmoil. Jean-Paul was reunited with his old friend Raymonde Belmonde after a long separation, adding to this, Northstar was also introduced to Raymonde’s grown daughter Danielle, shocked at this especially as Northstar had never been told of her before, however Belmonde’s paternal pride was very easily seen. The happy reunion was overshadowed by the troubles that Raymonde had been having, troubles caused by a mysterious man known as “Deadly Earnest” who is intent on taking over Raymonde’s café business. As Earnest killed Raymonde by touching him, the Beaubier twins would soon learn how he came by this nom du crime. During the attack, St. Ives’ henchmen grabbed Aurora, mistaking her for Raymonde’s daughter Danielle. Jean-Paul fearing Jeanne-Marie may meet the same fate as Raymonde, was unable to act and save her.
(a few hours ago)
A doctor emerges from a morgue to the waiting room, and tells Jean-Paul and Danielle Belmonde that he can cast no light on what happened to Raymonde. Jean-Paul asks the doctor if he performed an autopsy, to which the doctor tells the grief stricken mutant he has and that if he had to list the cause of death that he would almost be inclined to say he had killed Raymonde! The doctor continues, saying that even considering Raymonde’s age, and general health, there was nothing wrong with him post-mortem. Danielle begins to protest, telling the doctor that her father was dead when she got to him. Jean-Paul tries to calm the woman who is in theory like a sister, and asks the doctor to explain. The doctor tells Jean-Paul he wishes he could, but what happened to Raymonde was quite beyond his experience, and that it is as if Raymonde simply stopped, like a light being switched off. Danielle looks worried, and asks the doctor if what he is saying is that he cannot prove her father was murdered. Jean-Paul tells Danielle that it is exactly what the doctor is saying, but not to worry as Jean-Paul proclaims that it will not end here.
(present)
Jean-Paul managed to obtain the public address of Earnest St. Ives, and as he nears the large mansion, Northstar thinks to himself that St. Ives lives well off his ill-gotten gains, and that he should enjoy it while he can. Northstar flies through a window, smashing the glass as he enters.
Lucky for Jean-Paul there are no alarms and the mutant decides that judging by the state of the room, which is quite run down and shabby, this floor must not be used much. Jean-Paul thinks St. Ives must prefer smaller quarters. Jean-Paul exits the room through the over-sized door, and as he enters the hallway, notices the strange smell, something musty and old, like ancient death.
He descends the stairs and wonders how his sister would react if she were bought to this dirty place, especially as with her split-personality, times of stress causes her to regress, retreating into her dowdy school mistress personae. Jean-Paul prays that it has not happened this time, especially as Northstar may have need of Aurora if St. Ives is to get what is coming to him.
Jean-Paul hears a sound beyond a door, and is as he opens it is shocked as to what it reveals.
In the center of Montreal, as daylight begins to give way to the darkness of night, a mysterious costumed figure, a guest of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, whose rooftop she stands on, engages in activities not usually connected with the hotel. Holding out a sword, the mysterious woman says a prayer to Mother Night, asking her to sanctify her blade so that she may seek out evil in dark places. To grant her wisdom and strength necessary to her calling, to guide her hand and eye so that retribution may prevail. The woman leaps of the building, telling Earnest St. Ives to count the precious minutes of his life on his fingers, as his reign of death and terror is over…for so speaks Nemesis!
Just at that moment, back at St. Ives’ mansion. Northstar walks in upon his sister, sitting on St. Ives’ desk, with St. Ives in his chair. Northstar asks what is going on, and Aurora quickly finds the words, calling her brother “Jacques” she proclaims that he has found her. Northstar begins to question Aurora’s sudden statement, before he is knocked out from behind by one of St. Ives’ henchmen. St. Ives’ asks Aurora if she knows this man, and as she kneels beside her brother, concerned for his well being, she tells her captor that he is “Jacques” her cousin, and tells St. Ives that his thugs could have killed him! St. Ives’ apologizes to Aurora, and tells her that he pays his men quite a substantial stipend to protect his existence, and his henchmen are disinclined to investigate the family tree of potential attackers. As the henchmen lift “Jacques” from the floor, St. Ives comments on his physical resemblance to Aurora. Aurora quickly tells St. Ives that their mothers were identical twins, and asks where he is being taken. St. Ives tells Aurora not to worry herself, as her “cousin” will be put somewhere safe until he recovers. He reminds her that for now, they have other matters to discuss.
After the henchmen place Jean-Paul on a bed, and begin to leave they decide to leave him here until he recovers, as afterwards, St. Ives will want to know how he got past the guards, and why he is wearing such a funny suit. As Northstar is left alone, the outside world grows darker still. Eventually he begins to come around and touching his sore head wonders where his is. Without warning, a sword is thrust at Jean-Paul’s throat, and he is given a word of caution – that if he moves, he may loose more blood than he can afford to. Northstar turns to the direction of the words, where the woman known as Nemesis stands before him. Jean-Paul tells her that she has him at a clear disadvantage, and asks who she is, and how she got in. Nemesis tells Northstar that the questions are for her to ask, and she asks him who he is, and if he works for St. Ives.
Northstar tells her that he certainly does not and quickly and simply gives her his story. Nemesis withdraws her sword from Jean-Paul’s throat and tells him that Alpha Flight was, in part, her inspiration. She tells Northstar that she believes him, and that he can assist her in her mission for retribution. Assist? Northstar says he will come with her. Just as Northstar feared, the windows are barred, and the door locked. Nemesis tells him it is no matter, and as her sword slices the door handle from its position on the door, tells Jean-Paul that her sword is scarcely an atoms width thick, and it can slice through almost anything, by cleaving between the molecules. As they leave the room, Jean-Paul tells Nemesis he is impressed, and that he thought such things only existed in the province of Science Fiction. Nemesis asks him just like mutant super heroes and men who kill with a touch. “Touché Mam’selle” Northstar replies, and asks Nemesis to lead on.
Not far away, in the dinning room, Aurora and Deadly Earnest sit at opposite ends of a very long table. Oddly enough, the food only rests at Aurora’s end. The French-Canadian mutant has her captor wrapped around her finger, or so she thinks, and tells Earnest that he has done very well for himself, but reminds him that he has not told her the secret of his death touch. Earnest tells Aurora that he promised her he would when business was complete, and with business apparently out of the way, St. Ives begins to tell the young woman his story, though he asks Aurora to not look to disbelieving of it.
(flashback to World War I, France)
St. Ives tells Aurora that it is a strange tale that begins with a lone soldier, the sole survivor of a shattered company in France during the First World War. The soldier walks across what appears to be a mine, and broken and bleeding, he falls into a putrid mire, deep underground, no one can say what the noxious ooze he lay in might have been. The soldier did not lay there long before the dreaded mustard gas began seeping into the hole. No matter everything he had survived thus far, it would now seem like he would die, die like a dog in the wet, foul darkness. The soldier felt the terrible corruption fill his lungs, he felt it burn his flesh and sting his eyes. The soldier looked upon Death saw her smile her Death’s-head smile – and he rejected her. Death reached out to the soldier with one of her bony hands, but the soldier rejected her touch, spurned her embrace and cursed Death with every fiber of his sick being.
And suddenly, he found himself all alone. Death was gone. So was the noxious gas and his wounds and pains. He had done what no mortal had ever done. He had fought Death. He had vanquished Death. Another soldier calls down from the top of the hole, asking the trapped man if he was all right. The arrived soldier helps the one who just fought Death up out of the hole, but the soldier quickly discovered there was a price to pay for his victory, as the other man pulls him up, he realizes that his very touch had become as lethal as Death’s own.
(present)
Aurora sits, mouth agape staring at St. Ives whom she believes thinks this tale to be true, as he tells the tale with enough conviction to make her think he does so. Aurora tells St. Ives that the First World War was a very long time ago, and smirking, St. Ives tells her that the very long years have only made him stronger. He begins to gloat and tells Aurora that he believes that he will never die. A voice from behinds him asks him if he would care to put that to the test? St. Ives turns around quickly, and stares at Northstar, the man he believes to be Aurora’s cousin “Jacques” and the mysterious woman dressed in black and red. He calls for the guards, and Nemesis tells him his guards are “indisposed”. She tells him that he must now face her alone. Thinking to himself Northstar decides Nemesis has an interesting way of describing the carnage she has left throughout this house.
Nemesis tells St. Ives that he has had a good, long run, one far longer than he deserved. The mysterious woman continues, telling Deadly Earnest the time has come for him to face the blade of retribution, as only his death will bring peace to her soul, and the soul of her father. “Father?” Northstar thinks. Aurora flies up from her chair, and is happy to see her brother, and the reinforcements he has found. She proclaims that there is no need for her to hide her true self from St. Ives no more. St. Ives is shocked to see the woman he believed to be Danielle Belmonde reveal her true nature. Nemesis applauds Aurora for distracting St. Ives, and Aurora asks her brother who the mysterious woman is.
Nemesis, with sword outstretched, lunges towards St. Ives, but her sword only slices through the table. St. Ives tells her she is quick, but he is quicker, and that he has had many long years to hone his skills and the privilege does not go to her. Deadly Earnest’s large left hand covers Nemesis’ masked face, and she feels her insides turn, as if a corkscrew of ice had suddenly pierced her. St. Ives tells her that she can now learn why he is called “Deadly Earnest”. Pulling her face away from his hand, Nemesis tells him that not this time and that he cannot steal the life from one who has none. It is now St. Ives turn to feel his stomach churn, for his grip of death has never failed before – and this failure carries with it a terrible price.
Northstar cries out “Danielle! No“ and moves into flight to get across the room, while Aurora seems surprised at Northstar thinking the cloaked woman to be Danielle Belmonde. But before the super fast Northstar can reach Nemesis, her blade, which glimmers ghost-like, and invisible when seen on edge, slices through St. Ives, cutting the large man into bits. In less than a second, it is all over. Northstar grabs Nemesis by the wrist holding her sword and calling her “Danielle” asks her what she has done. She tells him that she is not Danielle, but Nemesis! And that she has bought retribution! Northstar thinks that she has gone mad, what with the death of her father, and the trauma of committing a murder. He decides he must bring her to her senses, and he reaches for her black and red mask. The mask is not secured, and it comes off easily.
Jean-Paul suddenly feels the world turn inside out, yet again in the same day. For while she has the same striking red hair as Danielle, it is not a mullet, and much longer. This woman, is not Danielle, and her face is that of one who carries upon her shoulders the anguish of the world. And her terrible, lifeless eyes burn into Northstar’s very soul. Not one to miss an opportunity, Nemesis frees herself of Northstar’s grip, and uses the flat of her sword to send Northstar sprawling. Now, Nemesis turns to Aurora. She asks the Alphan if it is her intent to try and stay her from her Holy cause? Holding her hands up so not to aggravate Nemesis further, Aurora tells her that it has always been her habit to leave Holy causes to those better suited to them. Aurora tells Nemesis that the police may think other wise about her Holy cause and suggests to Nemesis that she depart before she summons them.
Minutes later, Aurora is now costumed and with her brother as they soar the night sky. Northstar tells his sister that he wishes they had waited for the police to arrive. Aurora tells her brother that no one in the house was going anywhere, that they will all be there for the police to collect them, and remaining would have only jeopardized their secret identities. It is all well and good not wearing masks, as long as no one gets up and close with them. As she arches towards the illuminated city below, she tells her brother that they have another matter to discuss. Northstar does not know what Aurora is talking about.
Within seconds, the twins have changed into civilian clothes, and are standing in the doorway of the restaurant belonging to the late Raymonde Belmonde. About to make a phone call, Danielle seems shocked to see them, and asks Jeanne-Marie how she escaped. Aurora tells the other woman that she did not have to escape, especially not as he thought she was Danielle! And Earnest would not harm his partner.
Northstar and Danielle look equally shocked. In her usual dry tone, Aurora tells her brother that his surprise is predictable, but asks Danielle to spare then the performance. Aurora says how she thought it very odd that Danielle returned to her fathers’ life at the time when St. Ives started to pressure Raymonde Belmonde to sell his restaurant. Aurora goes on that by simply going along with St. Ives’ mistaken assumption to her identity, she soon discovered Danielle’s deal with St. Ives. Making a run for the door, Danielle tells the twins that they may have found her out, but they will not take her to the cops, especially as Earnest will hide her and help her to get away. Aurora sticks her leg out in front of Danielle, tripping the fleeing woman up. Aurora tells Danielle that St. Ives is dead, and if this country had a “nice civilized death penalty”, that she would join him. But as it is, Aurora continues, Danielle will be put away until her hair turns a more natural color – like gray!
About one hour later, at the local police station, Aurora has just finished telling the police inspector the entire story, though of course leaving out the fact she and her brother are also known as Aurora and Northstar. The police inspector thinks the story is incredible, especially as Raymonde was so thrilled when Danielle came into his life – only for her to betray him like that! Another officer leads a silent Danielle away.
Later still, flying through the skies again, Northstar asks Aurora if St. Ives had ever met Danielle face to face. Aurora tells her brother that they had never met, as all of their plotting had been done from public phones or by using go betweens. Aurora tells Northstar that she is still confused over how he could have thought Nemesis was Danielle, even though he knew St. Ives thought she was Danielle – and he hadn’t harmed her. Northstar tells his sister that given the strange tastes of her current “Aurora” personae, he had assumed she…romanced herself to safety.
Aurora stops in mid flight, and screams ‘WHAT?!?’ at her brother. Aghast, she asks Jean-Paul if he actually thought she…with St. Ives? Also stopped in mid flight, Northstar says ‘Why not’, especially after her fling with Sasquatch, and Jean-Paul says he believes his sister capable of anything.
Outraged, Aurora tells Jean-Paul that he of all people should dare not pass judgment of her love life. She begins to swear at Jean-Paul, but having a touch of class, Aurora turns the other way, and as she speeds away from him tells Jean-Paul not to follow her, as their partnership has ended. She tells Northstar that if she ever sees him again, it will be too soon. Northstar cries out after her, and looking sad, pleads with her not to leave him, as he will be all alone…but his words go unheeded.
Second story :
(several years ago)
A dirty red vehicle drives down a rugged back-woods trail in the Baniff National Park, Canada. As the vehicle approaches a desolate cabin, one of the car occupants spots the cabin.
Stepping out of the car, Heather McNeil Hudson calls out for her old neighbor, Doctor Michael Twoyoungmen. As she is joined by her husband, James MacDonald Hudson, Twoyoungmen approaches them. He wonders who is calling for him, and is almost in disbelief when he recognizes Heather, albeit barely, as it has been many years since he last saw her when she was only a teenager. The two look equally pleased to see each other, and Heather tells Michael that she is glad they found him, and also that it is not “Heather McNeil” anymore, introducing the doctor to her husband, James Hudson. Twoyoungmen asks her to call him Michael, not “Doctor” and tells James it is a pleasure to meet him. Mac tells Michael it is an honor to meet him, and that he could hardly believe it when Heather casually mentioned that she knew him.
Mac is startled when a fourth person calls over to Michael. A slightly in-human, yet strikingly beautiful young woman walks over to the group, and asks Michael who the others are, as she has not seen them before. Calls the long-blond-haired woman Narya, Michael tells her that Heather is an old family friend, and that the man is her husband, James Hudson. Sticking out his hand, James tells Narya he is pleased to meet her, though seems lost for words when he says “Miss…Narya, was it…er…?“ The blond woman smiles and tells James Narya is the name Michael gave her, but asks James why she gets the feeling he will call her something else…
Later that night, in the back of the vehicle, Heather and Mac lay awake, and Heather tells her husband that this was one of the strangest evenings she has ever had. She wonders what the real story on Narya is, as some of what Michael said doesn’t fit. Mac tells his wife that he never realized she had such a suspicious nature, and asks her what seems odd about Michael raising Narya after her mother died, he did deliver her after all. Heather says that, firstly Michael used a euphemism by saying, “her mother was no longer with us”, and Heather tells James that Michael is not known for his euphemisms. Secondly, Heather adds, Narya looks about twenty, which would mean she was born when Michael lived next door to Heather and her family. Mac starts to agree with Heather, saying that surely she would have heard about the birth of such an unusual baby. Sitting up, Heather agrees, and tells Mac that Narya’s eyes are very “spooky”, and that she was quite surprised Narya isn’t blind. Heather wonders why Narya only served the meal, and didn’t eat it with them. Trying to get his wife’s attention on to something else James tells her that there is probably a perfectly good explanation for it all, and that she can ask Twoyoungmen all her questions in the morning. Mac leans into his wife...
A few hours later however, Heather gets dressed, being careful not to wake Mac who is asleep. She cannot get the strangeness to do with Narya out of her mind, and decides to do some snooping. Standing by a tree near the cabin, Heather sees someone coming out of the cabin. It is Narya – and she is naked! Heather wonders even more as to what is going on. She suppresses a shudder and begins to follow the strange young woman through the woods. Heather figures out that Narya has not noticed she is being followed yet, but has a suspicion that it is because she is down wind from Narya. Suddenly, the mysterious girl reaches an open ground, and right before Heather’s eyes, her lithe form leaps into the sky, flowing like smoke on the wind. Her muscles and bones change, and as an arctic owl flies where Narya once stood, Heather McNeil Hudson feels very very strange. For several moments, the transformed Narya circles the small clearing, until she swoops down on what appears to be a vole or mouse…and goes in for the kill. What happens next however, sends Heather, hand over mouth, racing back through the tangled woods, back towards the camper vehicle, and praying that she will find herself asleep in the arms of her husband.
The next morning, inside Twoyoungmen’s barren cabin, the doctor stands before Heather and Mac, and tells the couple that there would be no purpose in trying to hide the truth from them, especially as they would learn for themselves sooner or later anyway. Mac, leaning against a table, asks Michael if he is saying what Heather saw is real! And that Narya is some kind of…Michael tells Mac the term is “Metamorph”, a shape-changer, and last night Narya chose to become the arctic owl, even though she is capable of transforming into all creatures of the North.
Heather tells Michael that it is incredible, and asks him how he found her.
Once Michael relays his meeting with Nelvanna to the husband and wife, James almost in disbelief asks Michael if Narya is some kind of goddess, and he some sort of magician. Michael tells Mac that in the white mans words he is correct, but he feels that the world is not ready to learn of Narya’s secret, and asks Mac if he can be discreet about it. Grinning, Mac tells the doctor that he will be more than that, and tells Michael he works for a government office called “Department H”, and that he has a proposition for him, one he hopes the doctor will find to his liking….
And with that, Narya’s precognition is fulfilled, as indeed she, and Twoyoungmen, will become known by other names – Snowbird and Shaman, respectively.