Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia, stars shine in the night sky, while down below, a large mass of tentacle-vines lumbers towards Alpha Flight's jet which is stationary in a field.
'All right, who went and woke up ugly?' James MacDonald Hudson a.k.a. Guardian calls out. The alien creature reaches out for Guardian, who flies away, dodging the vines, which strike the jet. 'This thing is active and it's mad' Guardian reports to his teammates over their comm-link. Guardian fires energy blasts at the creature, butb they have zero impact against it, and don't even slow it down. 'Anyone out there have any ideas on how we fight this thing?' Guardian asks.
From inside a building, Old Man Logan looks out the window alongside Narya a.k.a. Snowbird, Eugene Milton Judd a.k.a. Puck and Dr Michael Twoyoungmen a.k.a. Shaman. 'You were the one poking at it in the lab, Mac. You didn't find anything?' Logan asks. 'Nothing' Guardian replies as he fires another blast towards the alien creature. Guardian reports that the sample had an exoskeleton that seemed to grow to protect the splice, and that it took him a while to cut through it. Mac adds that he only just managed to cut through before this creature appeared, and suggests that it probably has the same exoskeleton all over its body, protecting its inner gooey-goodness. 'We're on our way' Logan replies, while one of the civilians in the building asks what it wants, and why the creature is doing this thing.
'No idea' Logan replies, adding that sometimes there is no explaining why bad stuff happens. 'Sometimes its a moustache-twirling villain who'll talk your ear off about why he's doing what he's doing. And sometimes, you just win the bad-luck lottery' Logan remarks, and tells everyone that he has won it more times than he can count. 'Today just happens to be your day'. Logan then asks one of the men if they have more plant killer somewhere in town, hoping that they can start turning this luck around.
Logan and Alpha Flight leave the building, rushing across the ground, Puck radios Guardian, reporting that they have a plan, that it isn't a great one, but that it is all they got. 'You always inspire confidence, Puck' Guardian radios back. 'I do my best' Puck jokes, before informing Guardian that Shaman and Snowbird are on their way to help him, while he and Logan need to hit up the local gardening shop. 'The WHAT?' Mac shouts as he fires another electromagnetic blast at the creature. 'See if you can hold it off until we get back' Puck tells guardian.
'We're nearly to you, Guardian' Shaman calls out as he and Snowbird arrive at the base of one of the alien creature's legs, which slams down alongside him. 'Please stay safe, my friend' Snowbird tells Guardian. 'Will do, Snow-' Guardian begins, interrupted when the creature slams a tentacle against him, knocking him through the air, where he crashes down onto a nearby car. 'Guardian? Guardian, are you still there?' Snowbird asks, but gets no response. The vines start to slither over the car, and over Guardian, engulfing him. 'GUARDIAN?' Snowbird screams over the comm-link.
Meanwhile, Puck and Logan rush towards the local hardware store, dodging the alien vines littered across the ground. Puck asks Logan if he is sure this is going to work, adding that the old-timer back in the safehouse didn't seem confident that weed kller would have any real effect on it, beyond slowing it down a bit. 'Unless you got any other brilliant ideas, this is all we -' Logan begins, only for one of the large tentacles acting as legs to the creature stands on the hardware store, destroying it. 'I'm sure the weed killer's still -' Puck begins, before Logan sniffs the air, 'It has a gas line. Get down!' Logan exclaims, before he and Puck are knocked through the air by a large explosion.
Snowbird sees guardian's body hanging from the creature and calls out to him, but gets no response. Shaman sees flames in the distance and radios Logan, asking him what is going on. Logan's voice tells Shaman that they are fine, it is just a setback, and asks how Guardian is. Shaman reports that he can still feel Guardian's spirit, so he is not beyond their reach. Snowbird flies up to the creature, and mid-flight, transforms into a polar bear, dropping down on the creature, she tears at the vines, while Guardian places a levitation spell around Guardian, keeping him safe, he reports to Logan that he and Snowbird almost have Guardian free. 'We're on our way' Logan replies, as Snowbird cuts one more vine, which snaps Guardian free of the creature. Shaman lowers Guardian towards him, when suddenly, 'Shaman!' Snowbird screams as a vine slams against Shaman's face.
in Shaman's vision:
Shaman sees smaller versions of the tentacle creature on their homeworld, as spaceships arrive above, and open fire at the aliens, killing many – however, two manage to attach themselves to the spaceships, and head out into deep space with then, one of which crashes off the coast of Canada.
Reality:
Logan arrives and slices the vine from Shaman's head. 'You all right?' Logan calls out, rushing over to where Snowbird and Puck are helping Shaman to his feet. 'I... I was connected to... with the... with the creature' Shaman explains. 'Please tell me it told you how we can kick its ass... because I'm getting tired of it kicking ours' Logan remarks as he helps Shaman to walk, while Shaman reveals that he doesn't think so, and reveals that the alien was attacked, that the creature attacked itself to one of its aggressors, a ship he doesn't recognize. Snowbird and Puck help Guardian along behind Logan and Shaman, as Shaman points to the harbour and announces that the alien crashed there, that it was trying to protect itself. 'It's just trying to survive' Shaman adds, hanging his head.
Logan tells Shaman that he can sympathize, that this thing has ended up in a world it doesn't know and is lashing out – he can sympathize. 'I've been there, Bub' Logan reminds Shaman, before pointing to the safehouse and telling his friend that it is their job to protect those people, and as they can't talk this alien down, they need to know how to beat it. 'Fire. When I saw inside its mind... saw what happened to the creatures back on its planet... they died by fire. I could feel its pain' Shaman replies, looking over to the large tentacled alien that lumbers over the town. Logan realizes that this makes sense, as the creature recoiled from the gas explosion, too. Logan asks Puck if he has anything on the jet that can shoot fire. 'We've got missiles that could -' Puck begins, but Guardian interrupts, announcing that the ship is out of commission, that the creature did some serious damage to it and it will take some time to get her operational again.
Logan looks over to a gas station, while Snowbird suddenly alerts the others to the alien creature who is on the move again, this time towards the safe house. 'We need to get the people out of there!' she exclaims. Logan tells Snowbird and Shaman to get the people out of there and take them as far away from town as possible, while instructing guardian to bug the creature and draw it towards him. 'Puck, follow me' Logan adds. Shaman and Snowbird run off towards the safe house, while Guardian takes flight, and Logan and Puck rush towards the gas station. Logan crashes his way through the window and starts searching the shelves for something. 'Hey, Rambo...the door was unlocked' Puck calls out as he opens the door and enters the gas station. Logan tells Judd to stop being a wiseass and to help him find jerry cans – as many as he can.
Snowbird and Shaman run into the safehouse, with Snowbird telling the civilians that they must come with them, as it is no longer safe for them to hide in here. 'We've been doing fine in here until you came along. I thought you guys had super-powers. Why don't you go out there and stop that thing?' one of the men asks. Shaman assures the manthat they are doing the best they can, but that for now, they must move, as it will be here any moment, and they do not want anyone else to get hurt. The alien suddenly slams into the roof of the safehouse. 'This way!' Shaman shouts to the civilians, leading them out of the building. Snowbird shifts into her polar bear form and leaps at one of the vines, while another vine grabs the man who voiced his concern about the arrival of the heroes.
Back at the gas station, Logan and Puck and begin to siphon fuel from the station tanks into the jerry cans. 'You think this is gonna be enough?' Puck asks, but Logan tells him that he has no idea. Up above, 'Come on, you overgrown wart. Come and get me' Guardian calls out as he blasts the alien creature with another electromagnetic pulse. He looks to the ground and sees that Shaman, Snowbird and the remaining civilians have all been captured, trapped in the vines. 'No' Guardian utters, before informing Logan that the creature has Snowbird, Shaman and the others trapped. 'I have to go help them!' Guardian calls out as he fires more EM-blasts at the creature. But Logan tells Mac not to, as they have been fighting this thing and it keeps coming, keeps getting them – they only way to save them is to kill it. 'Now give me a lift!' he asks, holding two of the jerry cans.
Mac flies over to the gas station and lifts Logan into the air. Logan instructs Mac to drop him off and then keep leading the creature as far away from this town as possible, as the creature has done enough damage already. Mac drops Logan towards the creature, and Logan tells him that when he gives the signal, he needs to grab the jerry cans from Puck. 'Ten-four' Mac responds, while down below, Shaman and Snowbird struggle to free themselves, as Puck watches, eating a Coffee Crunch bar. 'C'mon. Just a little farther. Keep on me!' Mac calls out to the creature, drawing it away from the town. 'All right, big fella. Let's get to work' Logan snarls, popping his claws on top of the alien mass. Logan starts hacking away at the creature, vine cuttings begin falling everywhere – he continues, on and on, until eventually: 'Gotcha' Logan exclaims as he finds what appears to be the creature's brain.
Logan looks up to the sky and sees Guardian hovering over him, carrying two of the jerry cans. Logan tells Mac to drop the gasoline, to which Mac points out that logan needs to get out of there first. Vines have started to wrap around Logan as he tells Mac not to worry about him, and to just do it. 'No, I -' Mac begins. 'Now!' Logan snaps. Mac complies, and flies above Logan, dropping the two cannisters towards him, they land on the brain. Logan pops his claws into one of the cannisters, then lights a match. 'Sorry, pal' Logan mutters, and the creature screams as the explosion is detonated in horrorfic blaze. Burning, Logan tries to cut himself free of the vines. 'Logan!' Mac calls out from above.
Down below, Snowbird, Shaman and the civilians emerge from the tangle of vines, 'Everyone okay?' Puck calls out, while Snowbird asks what happened. Puck tells her that he thinks Logan killed it. They all look up as the creature screams again, now completely engulfed in flames. Guardian suddenly dives towards the flaming mass, he disappears, covered by the flames – then emerges moments later with Logan.
Shortly, emergency crews have arrived, and start to assist the local civilians. Alpha Flight watch from near their jet. 'I feel for them' Snowbird remarks. Guardian tells her that Department H will be in to help with the rebuild, adding that it could have been so much worse. 'We have to remember that'. Everyone heads up the ramp into the jet, as Logan, his body burned, but slowly healing, tells the others that the creature found itself on a strange world and did what any of them would have done to survive – it fought. 'There were lives at stake' Guardian reminds Logan, who tells him that he knows, and that he is not saying he would have done anything different. 'Guess it's just my old age, making me soft' he suggests, adding that he is projecting some of himself onto that damn creature, which isn't hard to do. 'We did what we had to do. No shame in it' Judd tells Logan. 'Yeah' Loghan agrees. Guardian takes the controls and suggests they see if the jet will get them home after the beating it took. 'Everyone cross your fingers' Mac tells his friends, and an instant later, the jet rises into the night.
Logan is recuperating in the jet's lab when Judd enters, carring a bottle of alcohol, Judd asks Logan how he is feeling. 'Like a piece of bacon' Logan replies. Judd passes the alcohol to him, suggesting it might help. 'You keep a bottle of whisky on the ship?' Logan enquires. 'No. I keep several bottles of whisky on the ship' Judd admits. Logan tells Judd that, despite him feeling bad for that blob out there, it was good to get back to some classic Alpha Flight action. 'I missed it' Logan confesses. 'I'll drink to that' Judd agrees, as Logan knocks back some of the whisky. Judd sits on a chair opposite Logan, and expains that this is not the reason that he called him out to meet with them. 'I've been keeping an eye out, like you asked me to' Judd reveals. 'You found something?' Logan asks.
Judd takes the whisky bottle and announces that he has been monitoring satellite images across the territories, looking for any unusual movements, seismic activity, whatever – nothing but migrating caribou and rutting grizzlies. 'Let me tell you, Alpha Flight satellite imagery gets far too close for my comfort. I'll never be able to unsee some of -' Judd begins, before Logan interrupts him. 'I finally found him. You were right, he's still out there' Judd reveals, narrowing his eyes. Logan hangs his head, and Judd admits that after Logan told him about his condition – that he is dying – he wasn't sure he was going to tell him, but decided he had a right to know. 'If you're going to go after him, I'm coming with you' Judd adds. 'No...I've got to do this one on my own' Logan replies.
Shortly, Logan is returned to the gas station where Alpha Flight picked him up from earlier that night, and as the jet flies away, Logan waves goodbye to his friends.
