‘WHAT?’ gasps Elizabeth Twoyoungmen a.k.a. the phenomenal Talisman as Canadian Secrete Intelligence Services official, Agent Brown informs her that Sasquatch took on the Wrecking Crew by himself, as there was no one else on active duty. ‘He didn’t stand a chance’. Shocked and clearly upset, Talisman remarks that Walter asked her to join the new Flight, to help Canada, but she turned him down! Agent Brown quickly informs Talisman that the new Flight program, Omega Flight, is assembling as they speak, adding that they tried to get their own Canadian people, but couldn’t pull them together in time.
‘Omega Flight?’ Elizabeth remarks, before informing Agent Brown that she will help find Sasquatch, as he is family, but that she is not going to be joining a group of watchdogs. ‘Once we’ve got Walter, I’m back out’. Agent Brown informs Talisman that she is the only person Walter asked them to contact if anything happened to him. He then asks Talisman to come with him to CSIS headquarters and he can fill her in on the way. As they approach the chopper, Brown tells Talisman that he understands she has some sort of magic powers. ‘You can call them that’ Talisman replies.
Agent Brown replies that he doesn’t understand that “sort of stuff”, but that Sasquatch seems to think she does it well. Once inside the helicopter and airborne, Talisman replies ’Let’s hope so’ before telling Agent Brown that if it is all the same to him, he can keep his briefing to himself, as she has other sources, and launches into an astral search:
(Astral plane / reality)
Talisman’s form floats down upon the site of Walter’s recent battle with the Wrecking Crew, and she calls out to her friend, asking him where he is. Talisman approaches an elderly man and shows him an image of Sasquatch as she asks him if he has seen her friend. The man replies that he has not, and that if he had, he is certain that he would have fled in quite a hurry. ‘You’re lying!’ Talisman exclaims, before warning the man to tell her all he knows, or else she will tear him apart. ‘No! What are you?’ the man asks as a furious Talisman approaches him. ‘Speak to me!’ Talisman orders the old man, who replies that he can’t, ‘They will come for me!’ he exclaims.
Suddenly, there is a mighty roar, and Talisman is swarmed by hundreds of grotesque demon-like creatures. She surrounds herself in a bubble of protection, but it is shattered - however, a giant white owl swoops down and picks the Binder of Spirits up. Flying into the night sky, there is suddenly an explosion and Talisman and the snow owl are separated. Elizabeth lands in a war zone, bodies are littered everywhere. One however is of particular interest to her, and she reads his tags, learning his name is….
(Present / Reality)
‘Simon Walters!’ Talisman exclaims as she hovers in the chopper. She informs Agent Brown that Simon Walters is an American soldier, that is all she knows, but they have to find him. Agent Brown replies that he will get right on that, and announces that the computer is searching. He soon remarks that Talisman is right, Simon Walters is an American soldier, before announcing that he is dead. ‘Talisman…how’s that going to help again?’ Elizabeth doesn’t reply, so Agent Brown asks her if she got a lead on Sasquatch. ‘Nothing…just metaphors and symbols’ Talisman replies, to which Agent Brown suggests they stick with concrete data for now. ‘You do what you do, Agent Brown, and I’ll do what I do’ Talisman replies, while some kind of image of her father, Michael Twoyoungmen a.k.a. Shaman appears in the clouds.
Elsewhere…in a wooden cabin in a secluded part of a deep forest, somewhere in Canada. The Wrecking Crew have trashed the place while Bulldozer emerges from the ground where he has been digging a large pit. He tells Thunderball, who is holding an unconscious Sasquatch that he thinks this is deep enough. ‘He won’t be climbing anywhere…especially when I’m done with him!’ Thunderball declares as he drops the founding member of Alpha Flight into the deep pit, with his ball and chain tied around him. Bulldozer announces that he, the Wrecker and Piledriver are off to “raise some cash”, and the Wrecker warns Thunderball to keep the noise down, as they do not want to draw any attention. Blood streaming down his face from the wounds Sasquatch gave him, Thunderball replies that he will be dead quiet.
Meanwhile, in Toronto, a busty golden-skinned woman lunges out of a high-rise window as she forces the star-spangled USAgent down towards the street below - but they both land, hard, in a water tanker, shattering it, they cause water to spill out onto the street. The scantily-clad woman picks the handsome John Walker up and holds him above her head, remarking that she came to Toronto to escape idiots like the USAgent, she tosses him away, shouting ‘Go back to the States!’.
USAgent climbs up the side of another building, and turns as he sees his feisty opponent leap high into the air and drop down towards him, he flips his body up, ‘But then…I wouldn’t get to do this!’ USAgent exclaims as he kicks the woman hard. They are both in free-fall now and USAgent grabs his variable energy truncheon and remarks that he doesn’t usually hit girls, ‘But with shoulders like that, you got me wondering…’ Walker exclaims as he and his foe punch each other , before they both land, again, hard, into a parked vehicle. The vehicle falls onto its side and USAgent smacks his opponent in the face with his energy baton. A nearby civilian points to USAgent and exclaims to another civilian ‘Captain America is beating the crap out of a chick!’ USAgent looks at the civilian, and after spitting out a tooth, replies ‘Shut it, Canuck! The only thing excessive here is the size of her - ‘ Agent doesn’t get to finish his sentence, as distracted, his opponent smashes him high into the air.
The woman composes herself as she stands up, and poses in front of the men, thanking them, though they quickly both run away. ‘All I was doing was wiping out a few databases to clear my credit!’ she exclaims as she drags the large vehicle over to where Walker is lying motionless on the road. Lifting the vehicle high above her head, the busty woman asks ’Wasn’t I helping others too? Wiping credit records? I’m like a female Robin Hood over here!’ Suddenly, some psychic webbing latches on to her hands before she can slam the vehicle down on USAgent, instead it is forced down upon her. USAgent sits up as his friend and former teammate Julia Carpenter a.k.a. Spider-Woman a.k.a. Arachne appears on top of the vehicle. ‘Omega Flight calls, flyboy. Time to serve the red and white!’ Julia exclaims.
Meanwhile, Thunderball is down in the pit with Sasquatch and is beating him with a crowbar. ‘Want more? I got more!’ Thunderball exclaims. Walter Langkowski just remains silent, which angers Thunderball, who shouts at him, ‘Scream mutt! Cry out! Say something!’ But Sasquatch, covered in blood, remains silent. Thunderball looks Sasquatch in the eyes as he tells him not to worry, that he will not let him bleed out, before proceeding to smack him with the crowbar some more.
The rest of the Wrecking Crew return, and inform Thunderball that it is time to pack up, as they are done here. Piledriver drinks beer from a large barrel, while the Wrecker remarks that this town is all dried up, and he has a lead on a museum which is worth rolling. ‘You’re the boss, Wrecker, just let me get my mutt!’ Thunderball exclaims, and Sasquatch suddenly screams, before being dragged up out of the pit as Thunderball asks where they are going. ‘Toronto, my boy, Toronto!’ Wrecker replies.
Elsewhere, a man with dread-locked hair sits on a bus and has drawn a picture of a Great Beast attacking a city, and a white owl watching. He wonders how the owl fits into this, and writes on his drawing that his dreams are calling him to the city museum. ‘Why do I always have to sit next to the nuts?’ a man mutters as he gets up out of his seat next the first man and goes and sits somewhere else. ‘Freak’ he calls out. ‘Man, you don’t know the half of it’ the first man mutters as he looks out the window and sees a large sign that says Welcome to Toronto.
In Ottawa, Talisman has arrived at CSIS headquarters, and asks ‘So what, no more Department H?’ Agent Brown replies that it has shut down, that it died with Alpha Flight, and that the new Flight program is being run out of the Canadian Secret Intelligence Service. Entering the building, a woman informs Agent Brown that Tony Stark is online, and Agent Brown calls the woman Mrs Gruenwald as he thanks her and asks her to patch Stark through to the conference room.
Entering the conference room Agent Brown sees Iron Man and Ms. Marvel up on the monitor, and apologizes for the delay, before motioning to Elizabeth and remarking that he has Talisman with him. Iron Man greets Talisman, addressing her by her real name, his gives his condolences about her father. ‘Call me Talisman’ Elizabeth replies, ignoring the condolences. Agent Brown motions to Carol Danvers and introduces her as Ms. Marvel. Talisman informs Agent Brown that she knows them both, and asks why they are here.
‘Why so hostile, Talisman?’ Ms. Marvel asks, ‘We’d like to help’. Talisman frowns, ‘No, you’d like to cover up your mess!’ she exclaims, surprising Ms. Marvel. Talisman asks why is it that when America has a problem, Canada has to pay for it? ‘Pollution, gun crime and now the Registration Act. Talisman informs the American heroes that Canada has had a Registration Act for years and casting an illusion of Captain America battling Spider-Man, she exclaims that Alpha Flight never turned the Registration Act against themselves, against the heroes of Canada. Talisman casts another illusion of an American villain fleeing into Canada, only to get shot and remarks ‘So you’ve screwed up again, and now you’re here to cover your tracks. Tell me I’m wrong!’
Iron Man declares that the Registration Act protects citizens, to which Talisman sarcastically replies ‘Sure, you’ve stirred up the bees nest and now they’re coming to Canada. Your mess. Our problem’. Iron Man informs Talisman that they realize American criminals are running into Canada and wreaking havoc, and that as the newly appointed director of SHIELD, he has resources that can help her. ‘Resources? Like what?’ Talisman replies, when a voice behind her exclaims ‘That would be me!’
Talisman spins around and sees a woman clinging to the ceiling, and a girl standing on the ground beneath her. ‘They call me Arachne!’ Julia Carpenter exclaims, introducing herself. ‘Mom. I told you: Spider-Woman is a way cooler name!’ Julia’s daughter, Rachel exclaims. ‘It’s Arachne, Rachel’ Julia reminds her daughter, who mutters that she likes Spider-Woman better. Julia jumps from the ceiling as Rachel goes over to Elizabeth and asks her if she is Talisman. Talisman kneels down so she is the same height as Rachel and shakes her hand, smiling, she replies ‘Yes, I am, little one’.
Talisman and Julia shake hands and Julia apologizes that they had to meet like this, and states that, for the record, she agrees with her about the Registration Act, which is kind of why she is here. ‘Understatement of the year’ Iron Man mutters, to which Ms. Marvel informs Talisman that Arachne was arrested for her opposition to the Registration Act, but as she is a proven hero, deserves a second chance. ‘So Ms. Marvel convinced me’ Iron Man explains. Julia assures Talisman that she is here because she wants to be, not because she has to be, when suddenly a new voice is heard, ‘No, she’s here because she’s a traitor!’
It’s USAgent, who announces that he is here to make sure that Talisman doesn’t screw things up. Iron Man sighs, before remarking that Talisman surely knows USAgent, and adds that he has dealt with the Wrecking Crew a few times. Talisman turns to Agent Brown, ‘What is this? A Captain America clone leading a Canadian team?’ she asks. Agent Brown begins to reply ‘Of course not, Elizabeth -’ ‘Talisman’ Elizabeth corrects him. ‘Talisman. Right. He’s on loan from SHIELD, Walter was supposed to lead -’ Brown is interrupted by USAgent, who declares that since Sasquatch is MIA, he is in charge, and warns Talisman to keep her “hocus pocus” out of the way, before calling her “Pocahontas” and suggesting she brace herself, as she hasn’t seen nothing yet. ‘Right behind me is…’ Walker’s voice trails off, and a wide-eyed Talisman sees who is behind Walker, ‘Gods…’ she whispers.
Meanwhile, at the Royal Ontario Museum, the unknown man with the dreadlocks is sitting between two large boulders, and continues to draw, again the snow owl appears, alongside some kind of totem, or gateway. He wonders what he is doing here, ‘These dreams are driving me nuts!’ he exclaims.
Outside, the handsome Piledriver asks Wrecker if he is hearing voices now. The Wrecker replies that it isn’t voices, but something is pulling him, calling him, like the kind he had when Karnilla first gave them the power. Thunderball is still dragging Sasquatch around, and wrapped in chains, Sasquatch is held up in front of some civilians as the Wrecking Crew march down the street. ‘What do you think of your big, hair hero now?’ Thunderball shouts. Bulldozer exclaims ‘I give up…where the *%%*# is that museum?’ Suddenly, several police officers come up behind the Wrecking Crew and one of them orders the Wrecking Crew to lower their weapons - and the hostage - and put their hands in the air. The Wrecking Crew all turn without complying, and the officers begin to open fire, though the bullets don’t phase them. ‘Let’s just ask these guys for directions!’ the Wrecker suggests.
Back at CSIS headquarters, ‘How could you!’ Talisman asks as she stares at the newcomer in the room. Iron Man asks her to let him explain, but Talisman turns and fires a bolt of magical energy at the monitor, shattering it and severing the connection. Julia holds on to Rachel and Agent Brown covers his ears as powerful magicks swirl around the seriously mad Talisman, ‘He’s a murderer! You killed my father!’ she screams. The newcomer is dressed in the recognizable red and white Guardian costume, and is strapped in to some kind of restraining device and introduces himself as Michael Pointer, before explaining that he was the instrument used to kill Talisman’s father and Alpha Flight, but that he is no murderer….
