The bulky man known only as Wyre thinks to himself that there is blood on his hands, and as he leaps down upon one of the pale reflections of himself, he sees bodies, faces twisted into agonized masks of death. He sees his sins…and knows that they must be expunged. He blasts the reflection of himself, the Alphan known as Weapon Omega, formerly Wild Child, who is thrust across the forest floor. Wyre tells himself that for he to be finally at peace, all of his “children” must die, and grabs Weapon Omega by the head.
Weapon Omega struggles, to which Wyre asks him why he bothers, reminding him of the beast deep within his gut that cannot be tamed. ‘You must die before others around you die!’ Wyre exclaims. Weapon Omega feels that Wyre is trying to break his neck, and wonders if he should even try to stop him. As Wyre leans his heavy muscular body onto the struggling Wildchild, Kyle recalls that he was attacked without warning or provocation, by someone he doesn’t now, someone who wants him dead.
Kyle thinks that Wyre may have a good reason for wanting him dead, for even though he isn’t Wild Child anymore, he has recently felt his control slipping, the bloodlust rising, like it is now, with this fight, the pain…. With his teeth gritted, Wyre tells Weapon Omega (though calling him Wild Child) that he takes no pleasure in this, in fact the opposite, and claims that it is like killing a piece of himself.
Wyre declares that he must remain strong and resolute, when suddenly, Weapon Omega manages to wrest free from Wyre’s hold and he reaches around and scratches his claws into Wyre’s face. Wyre leaps off Kyle, clutching his face as Weapon Omega declares ‘You want the animal so much…have him!’ Kyle follows Wyre and scratches him across the back. Wyre mutters that he had forgotten how well he made Wild Child, how well he trained him - like a truly wild animal. He realizes that it was stupid of him and tells Kyle that he in turn should not forget who his elders and betters are, nor why he is called Wyre!
From Wyre’s large chest, hundreds of tendrils suddenly sprout and extend towards Kyle, where the latch onto him and enter his body. Kyle screams, before snarling ‘I’ll rip through these, then rip through your entrails…’ before quickly turning away, realizing that it is happening again, this battle is bringing out the animal in him. He breaks free of Wyre’s grasp and runs off back into the dense forest. Wyre readies his gun, exclaiming that the wounded beast turns and flees, though he knows that it changes nothing, for they all ran, all the others - ‘THEY ALL DIED’ he shouts, unleashing a mighty blast after Weapon Omega.
Meanwhile, some miles to the East, three of Weapon Omega’s teammates have just discovered his abandoned car. Alpha Flight’s leader Heather McNeil Hudson a.k.a. Guardian, Colin “Windshear” Hume and Aurora. Guardian uses the communication device attached to her ear to talk to Puck to inform her diminutive teammate of their findings, and gives him the location of the car.
Eugene “Puck” Judd, informs Heather that he, Walter “Sasquatch” Langkowski and Beta Flight’s Elizabeth Twoyoungmen a.k.a. Talisman, are heading in that direction, and while Talisman cannot pin point Weapon Omega’s location, she has them roughly on course. Judd suggests to Heather that her squad move in from the East, while his will try and get Weapon Omega from here.
Talisman apologizes that she cannot be more specific, explaining that her link with the forest spirits is hazy, and now she senses two Weapon Omega’s - one almost a shadow of the other. Judd tells Elizabeth that he wasn’t criticizing her, and points out that with all the stuff she has been through recently, it is no wonder she is struggling. He explains that he wouldn’t have asked her to come along on this mission, but that they need to find their missing teammate, and her father is currently unapproachable, so they didn’t want to ask for his help.
Talisman thinks to herself that her father being “unapproachable” is an understatement, for since he has returned from…wherever…he suddenly went distant, he has been so remote. Elizabeth recalls that when she went to see him, hoping that they could talk about whatever it was that was so evidently wrong, he was gone - his quarters were so cold, dankly oppressive…like the grave!
Back to the East, Aurora complains that this task could go on forever, and declares that if they must search for Weapon Omega, then they should just do it! With that, the super fast mutant speeds off into the forest, despite Heather’s protests. Heather exclaims that she wanted everyone to stick together, for if Puck is right, and Weapon Omega is really reverting to Wild Child, then Aurora is in terrible danger!
Deep in the woods, Wyre emerges from a thicket, claw marks running down his face, he holds his gun high and sniffs the air, realizing that Weapon Omega’s trail ends here, he thinks that there is no way Kyle could have covered his tracks, not from him! Wyre backs up against a tree and fires his weapon up into it, causing a small explosion as he shouts ‘Thought I taught you better, kid. If you’re gonna ambush someone…never do the obvious!’ But at that moment, Kyle leaps out at Wyre from the shrubs below, shouting that he has had enough, he runs his claws along Wyre’ stomach, and Wyre falls to the ground, surprised that Kyle came from below, and regretting that he had no time to get out of the way.
Blood dripping from his claws, Weapon Omega points out that it was only his gun and some surface skin that he got, but that he could have easily opened his guts. Kyle exclaims that he just wants to talk, that Wyre seems to know him, but he is a stranger to him. ‘You speak of a past…and I have no recollection of any!’ Wyre tells himself not to listen, and decides that even though this beast has found a tongue, it changes nothing, it is still a monster and it must be destroyed.
The tendrils once again sprout from Wyre’s muscular body, moving so fast that the surprised Weapon Omega doesn’t have time to move out of the way, and as remains bound in the tendrils, he exclaims that perhaps his double from the Infinity War was right, that he was only fooling himself with the notions of miracle cures, drugs that would take the beast away…forever. Kyle wonders that if he cannot trust himself in a fight, then what use is he to his fellow Alphans…to anyone? He asks Wyre why he hesitates in killing him…’Do it!’ he shouts, but Wyre just stares at him.
Meanwhile, in Sudbury, at the site of the Houghton Chemical Research Facility, and perhaps more significantly, Beta Flight’s first…and quite possibly last…outing as a team. Inside a copter, the fiery redhead known as Witchfire is trying to communicate back to Department H, but after ten minutes, she has no reply. She thinks to herself that there is always supposed to be someone on monitor duty, if not Windshear, then one of the others. ‘Situation is critical! Repeat, critical!’ she shouts into the radio.
Exiting the copter, Witchfire decides that she cannot wait on Alpha Flight any longer, for even though Beta Flight got the hostage situation under control…at what cost was it to Manikin? Witchfire goes over to where her teammate Whitman Knapp a.k.a. Manikin lies motionless on a stretcher, with Kara “Persuasion” Kilgrave and Laura “Pathway” Dean at his side. Witchfire asks the girls if there is any change, but a teary-eyed Kara replies that there is nothing, and she cannot even tell if Whit, who is her former boyfriend, is alive. With an accusatory tone, Laura reminds Witchfire that with the Jackal’s brains fried to a crisp, they cannot even get him to tell them exactly what poison his claws her laced with.
A paramedic comes up to the girls and tells them that he may not be a big-brain scientist like they want, but he does know that the longer they stand around here, the less chance they have of saving their friend’s life. Tears pouring down her face, Kara pleads with Witchfire to look at Whitman - and Witchfire sees that indeed, something terrible is happening to him, his body is somehow changing.
Witchfire turns away from everyone, remembering how she practically begged Guardian to let Beta Flight handle this mission, for she was so sure that she could deal with whatever comes up…yeah right she realizes, for she stuck Manikin, powerless without his otherselves, right in the firing line, then she loses control of her own powers and cannot even get them back home, for Manikin was their pilot. She turns back to the paramedic and tells him to take Manikin, ‘And the Devil take whoever was supposed to be on monitor duty’ she thinks to herself.
Back at Department H, in the monitoring room, Witchfire’s image appears on the monitors, ‘Critical…urgent request…need Langkowski…Manikin down…does anyone…’
Elsewhere, Jean-Paul Beaubier a.k.a. Northstar has left his post at the monitoring station, he is running - just because. A stern look on his face, he recalls that it began with the mail, sack loads of it, ever since he announced that he is gay, some of the mail was praise and thanks, other mail was condemnation. He shouldn’t care - the Northstar of old would have laughed at the criticism, told them what to do with their opinions, perhaps even reveled in the attention. Btu as Jean-Paul is rapidly discovering, he is not the Northstar of old…and he cares!
Deep in the woods, Wyre holds Weapon Omega high up in the air by his tendrils, telling himself that he must not care, must not feel remorse or pity. Weapon Omega tells him to let there be and end to all of it, to take the pain away. He exclaims that he has fought all his life, struggled against a monster he does not know or understand, and now he is tired. Wyre glares at Weapon Omega, realizing that this is not how he remembers him.
Suddenly, Alpha Flight arrive on scene, Guardian calls to Aurora who flies into Wyre, knocking him out of the way and freeing Weapon Omega from his thrall. But it is not Aurora who answers, instead it is Jeanne-Marie, who tells Heather that she will do nothing rash. ‘Whereas I…just might!’ shouts Sasquatch as he leaps out of the forest into the clearing, surprising Wyre. As Sasquatch punches Wyre with his super strong fists, he tells the mysterious assailant that when you threaten one Alphan, you get a whole bunch. Wyre decides that they are too strong for him and there are too many of them. He scolds himself for weakening, that he should not have let indecision cloud his judgement. ‘The beast will die…later’ he decides as he rushes off back into the forest.
‘No!’ shouts Weapon Omega, exclaiming that Wyre knew about his past, that he had answers which could help him cage the beast within! Heather tells Kyle that it is time they talked about Wild Child.
But back at Department H, that talk is put on the back-burner, as Heather is communicating with Witchfire, telling her they can apportion blame later, but that right now they need to concentrate on getting Manikin back to Department H where Walter and Shaman (if they can find him, she thinks), can help Whit. Standing next to Heather, Windshear exclaims that they have to move fast on this, for Whitman’s injuries aside, if the press gets a hold of this they will have a field day, ‘And they just love us, don’t they?’ mutters Heather. Suddenly, Northstar enters the room, exclaiming that he heard alarms, he asks what is going on. ‘You…are in BIG trouble!’ Heather exclaims sternly.
Soon, at the Bethune Memorial Hospital in Toronto, several reporters and camera men gather outside Manikin’s ward, all asking questions. A nurse closes the curtain on them, ‘Gentlemen, please! This is a hospital!’ she exclaims. Kara, Witchfire and Pathway sit next to the bed, where Manikin lies, only he is now encased in some sort of cocoon. A balding doctor explains that until they analyze it, they cannot risk removing it, and suggests that it might even be what is keeping Manikin alive. He offers some comfort to the girls by revealing that he has managed to draw some blood though.
Kara Kilgrave, the former Purple Girl, thinks to herself that the doctors and nurse hide it well, but knows that their words cannot hide their revulsion and their fear…’Of us’. Mutant! Paranormal! Freak! they come pre-tagged and judged - always a race apart. Kara thinks that sometimes she just wants to cry out ‘We are just like you! If you cut us, we bleed. If you strike us…we feel pain’. And that is what Kara is feeling at this very moment, watching her former boyfriend fighting for his life…if he is even alive at all.
Back at Department H, Judd is trying to get access into a secret computer file, but isn’t having a lot of luck. Northstar exclaims that he doesn’t understand why everyone is so upset, for he just needed a breather, some fresh air - how was he to know that there would be an emergency? Judd tells the handsome Alphan to go and gripe elsewhere, while thinking to himself that the Beta Flight situation has distracted everyone from the matter at hand, but he suspects not Weapon Omega, and certainly not him. He thinks that there has gotta be something somewhere that explains who this Wyre is and what his connection is to Weapon Omega. ‘And I am going to find it!’ but once again, the computer screen flashes Access Denied at him.
Elsewhere in Department H, Kyle realizes that he was prepared to die rather than to face himself. ‘Some hero you turned out to be. Some champion of the Canadian people’ he tells himself, thinking that it was a nice dream while it lasted, but it is time to face it - if you cannot fight your own demons, what right do you have to challenge those of other people? He wonders who he is - was he born this way? ‘Am I even human?’
These are questions which he has never sought the answers, preferring the soft womb of ignorance, the uncaring soul of the beast…or a bullet between the eyes. He decides that that must change if he is ever to be whole, to be his own man…he must first know himself. He decides that it is time to stop running, to start seeking answers - he must know the past of Wild Child, and the only place he can think of to start…is with his old Gamma Flight teammate - Nemesis!
But the mysterious woman known as Nemesis is currently being held captive beneath the streets of Montreal, in a hidden place, chained to the walls of the sewer, prodded with her own sword by a large Albino man in a black cape, who tells her that it is really good to have her back - a touching reunion, one which he intends to stretch out for as long as possible. He informs Nemesis that he doesn’t want her dead, in agony, yes, but not dead - not until their gathering is complete…’Not until we are joined…by your little Wild Child!’
Darkness has spread over Toronto, and standing on the grounds of Department H, staring up at the mighty building, a man thinks to himself that Wild Child and Wyre are names the conjure restless ghosts from his own past…strands of history that pull together, a reckoning long overdue approaches. ‘Wild Child, Wyre…and me - Weapon X!’
