THE FAMILY THAT PREYS

Part IV: Morning Glory

By Stuart Fairchild

Northwest Territories

Twelve lonesome figures trudged along the cold, barren lands of Northern Canada. Each proceeding through the endless white road as the wind howled vigorously, the chill of the air biting at their faces without mercy. It had not snowed for some time but the northern currents caught the collected snow banks just enough to create the illusion of a winter snow storm.

“Boss, this is getting tiresome,” the mammoth-horned Taurus shouted as chunks of snow collected on his broad, gray shoulders. “How come we couldn’t have just ‘ported where we had to go?”

A voice responded, snapping with an uncaring tone as he kept ahead of the pack. “Because the Ecliptic said this was the only way. Stop sniveling and just keep walking.”

“What exactly are we looking for, Scorpio?” Sagittarius asked.

Scorpio barely broke stride, answering the centaur member of their group. “The Ecliptic said we would know when it found us. The rest doesn’t matter.”

“That doesn’t sound very reassuring,” Sagittarius replied as he reached for his bow. He had never questioned their leader, Scorpio, but the comment made him feel uneasy; as if they were the ones being hunted.

“Balance!” the blindfolded Libra unexpectedly called out as the scales she gripped tightly in her hands began to chime loudly.

The other members of the Zodiac turned in the direction of their inauspicious colleague. She had diverted her attention into an alternate direction, concerning the rest of the Zodiac as she gazed into the snowy updraft. She remained firm as her cloak flapped harshly in the wind; her posture signaling something was near to be feared.

Scorpio moved next to Libra, his Zodiac Key glowing brightly in his hand as the rest of the Zodiac readied themselves. In the distance a figured appeared, the snow caught northern winds masking the appearance of their guest until he stood on top of a snow dune close to their position.

The man looked down upon them, analyzing each of them with his arrival. His face remained emotionless as his eyes revealed a bitter edge to his gaze. There was a brief standstill, the Zodiac waiting for the other to act until the man spoke.

“I am Daken,” he said, the markings on his body giving an impression of a savage. “My master awaits your services.”

The Zodiac said nothing as Daken turned, revealing nothing as he expected them to simply follow. Each member waited for Scorpio’s command as the broad Taurus remarked.

“Boss, I think it found us.”

Montreal, Quebec

Guardian and Sasquatch remained still on the black leather couch that centered the plush décor of the room. The room was eloquently designed, each piece of furniture and exotic art specifically placed, expressing the designer’s inner direction. A giant-sized clock hung alone in its existence as it filled the entire east wall, bluntly reminding them of their stay as they waited…and waited…and waited.

The exterior double panel door adjacent to the clock opened, revealing a well groomed man in an ivory suit, his lavender accessories making his ensemble more dashing. “Mr. Beaubier will see you now.”

Guardian and Sasquatch followed the guide onto the balcony, quickly noticing the man they had requested entrenched with others in business.

“James,” Northstar said as he shooed away what was left of his entourage. “How are you this lovely day?”

“How are we?” Sasquatch snarled. “We’ve been waiting over three hours after our scheduled appointment, Jean-Paul. However it started, it became a lot worse no thanks to you.”

“And yet you stayed to see me, Walter,” Northstar replied as he took a seat at a prepared table, encouraging his fellow Alphans to do the same. “Obviously you have something of some importance for me or you would not have waited this long. Is there something I can do for you two or are you running lackey for Department H yet again?”

Guardian and Sasquatch both followed into the chairs, the aide which guided them to the balcony filling each of their glasses with tea. Guardian knew he had to ease into Northstar’s ego as he sat next to him, legs crossed with a devilish smirk revealing his serene disposition as he waited for a reply.

“We came here to warn an old colleague, Jean-Paul.”

Northstar inhaled the aroma of his tea, slowly sipping his cup before responding. “A simple phone call would have sufficed, James.”

“Would you have answered?” Sasquatch asked, knowing how the former Alphan thought.

Northstar shrugged callously, finding humor in the unsaid understanding the three shared.

Guardian noticed Northstar’s evident displeasure with the organization he helped create; figuring being more direct would ease conversation. “Department H’s database has been hacked.”

“How would that affect me, James?” Northstar asked as his steaming cup was held on the cusp of his mouth as he spoke. “My identity is public knowledge to the world. If they wanted to kill me then all they had to do was surf the web to locate me. I’m the gay Olympic skier who also masqueraded as a hero. Did I leave anything out?”

“You’re also the team’s resident hot-head,” Sasquatch declared.

“Every team seems to have one these days. It must be a quota.”

“Did you write that in your book too?”

“I might in the sequel.” Northstar smiled as he took another sip from his cup.

“We just wanted to see for ourselves if everything was okay, Jean-Paul,” Guardian asked.

Placing his cup on the table, Northstar gestured their attention throughout the room “As you can see—everything is just fine. I have established myself quite a life with no help needed from Department H. Why is it that Department H seems to think that they always need me?”

“You’re right,” Sasquatch said, pushing up his glasses as he became annoyed at Northstar’s jaded attitude. “Why would you come running to us when you can sprint to Warren Worthington?”

Sasquatch’s words struck something within Northstar as he remained still, searching for the right words to say, trying not to involve himself publicly with Mr. Worthington’s defunct mutant militia. His eyes diverted to the city skyline which dressed his balcony as he hoped not to be directly connected with X-Corps. “What I do on my free time is my decision, Walter. Off the record though…if Department H wants to send a strike team to come get me when I’m not on payroll then I am more than ready for the challenge. I won’t take anything personal if you two were on that team.”

“Those were different days, Jean–Paul.” Guardian stated, noticing the uneasiness in Northstar’s words as he referred to Alpha Flight’s first sanctioned mission of retrieving Wolverine from the X-Men. Though they had no actual evidence connecting Northstar with X-Corps, his shift in expression confirmed their suspicions.

“It’s never different with Department H. When will you realize that?” Northstar asked as he turned towards Guardian. “Do you have anything else to share?”

“No,” Guardian replied seeing the hurt within the speedster’s eyes, respectfully rising from the table with Sasquatch doing the same.

The two began to exit the same way they entered as a softer, more humbled Northstar called out. “James…Have you seen my sister yet?”

For all the stuff that could be said about Northstar, the one admirable trait he always admired about the man was his endless devotion to the sister he did not know until he had introduced the two.

“I will tell her you said hello.”

“Merci.”

Thunder Bay, Ontario

“You guys mind telling us where we are going?” an impatient Jared Corbo asked, poking his head well with in the cockpit of the aircraft.

“You Radius?” the pilot asked.

“Yeah,” he answered firmly.

A humored grin stretched across everyone in the frontward cabin. “It’s classified.”

“Classified? This is supposed to be the new Department H. There are supposed to be no secrets from us. We are the guys defending the country.”

“We know,” confirmed the pilot. “It’s just that we were told not to tell you.”

It was an answer Radius did not expect to hear as his face began to redden. “Not to tell me? Who the hell told you that?”

“Heather Hudson,” the pilot replied clearly. “She said that only one guy would cause a commotion on the way over and if he were to ask, just say it was classified.”

“That just isn’t right,” grunted Radius as his breath mumbled his displeasure.

“I’m sure Mrs. Hudson had her reasons, Jared,” Radius’ brother, Flex, stated from a few seats back.

“I’m sure Mrs. Hudson had her reasons,” Radius mimicked in a squeaky, mumbled manner. “Stop brown-noising and grow a pair Adrian.”

“What you need to do is shut up, sit down and just wait till we get where we need to be,” said an annoyed Zuzha Yu.

“This is a family matter, Zuzha.” Radius snapped. “Stay out of it.”

Zuzha glared at the boisterous Radius, quickly leaping to her feet until her body felt the pressure of Radius’ force field against hers. “Just tell me what matters and I will make sure your family knows, eh. Other then that, shut up!”

“I feel a lot of tension between you two,” Major Mapleleaf said, contemplating a way to separate the two fiery recruits.

“Everyone simmer down,” the pilot hollered as the lighting in the passenger compartment shifted from a green tint toward a reddish hue. “We have touchdown in thirty seconds.”

The pull of momentum could easily be felt from under each of the Alpha trainee recruits, some grabbing hold of something as the crafts engines rotated vertically, hovering the craft softly onto a grassy strip as it landed. The rear loading door opened as a gush of air came racing into the passenger compartment, the harsh sound of grinding gears welcoming each member as they wondered were they where.

“What is that smell?” Murmur asked as her nose wrinkled as she, along with other trainees, exited the craft.

“That is the fresh country air you and your fellow trainees will be breathing in over the next few days Murmur,” answered a waiting Vindicator, who along with the massive mechanical construct known as Manbot, greeted the passengers as they disembarked the craft.

“It is disgusting,” Murmur remarked.

Vindicator found Murmur’s reaction quite humorous, trying to restrain the smile which tried to stretch across her face. “Whatever your tastes are, you better get used to it. This is where it all changes from here on out. Welcome to the Ranch.”

“You got to be kidding me,” Radius scoffed as he looked at the farming barn and silo which Vindicator so graciously introduced. “Is this some sort of reality show?”

“It’s as real as it gets, Jared. This is where the government first trained the first batch of recruits Canada ever assembled. This is where First Flight happened. With a few gracious modifications by Mr. Jeffries, this place will more then push your abilities while hopefully increasing your familiarity with each other.”

Flex hesitantly raised his hand as he asked, “When do we start?”

“You actually have twenty minutes. Find a room and settle in. We have a long day ahead of us.”

Northwest Territories

The Zodiac had followed Daken, Scorpio keeping a good pace with him as the others remained distant, still leery of their journey and the man. Daken stopped, reason enough for the other members of the Zodiac to worry as a thick shroud of snow blew over there position. The stranger had disappeared in the mist as a strong gust of wind split the layered snow, revealing an opening.

The Zodiac followed, Scorpio’s Zodiac Key lighting their path as they descended into the dark caverns of the mountain. The Zodiac remained quiet, some wondering what waited for them at the end of the corridor while the others questioned even being there in the first place. What ever fueled their questioning minds left them quickly as their thoughts shifted quickly over the site that awaited them.

An architectural master piece stood before them, hundreds of aqueduct like bridges encompassing the hidden city as they crossed in symmetry, each path leading to the tower like arena in the center. The silence of the city was broken only by their footsteps, giving the impression that they were alone, yet many of the Zodiac couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. The hundreds of red specks that soon greeted them confirmed their intuition.

The red specks moved like a swarm of bees in the distance, finally revealing to be the eyes of the cities inhabitants upon close examination, each camouflaged in entire white as they easily blended with the white backdrop of their environment. No words were said. No movement unnecessary. The rising of their chest wall to breathe not even witnessed as some questioned if they were even alive.

“Boss,” Taurus called out. “This place is straight from the Outer Limits.”

Leo agreed, carefully passing the militia which occupied the area as they followed the winding path toward the center structure. “This is too freaky.”

“I welcome you.”

A lone booming voice resonated from the shadows of the building, its origin revealing itself slowly to the twelve as the man known as Daken stood by his side.

“I am Romulus and I have summoned you.”

Scorpio acknowledged the tall, iron masked man as the questions he wondered when the mission started resurfaced with stronger conviction as they stood in the center of unknown army. “Why are we here?”

Romulus smiled under his mask as the roar in his laughter shook the loose snow off the building. He could sense the impatience in the man’s words the other eleven followed, the fire in Scorpio’s eyes very commendable as he could feel the aura of a warrior. Knowing their part in his scheme, Romulus received a goblet from Daken, slowly pouring its contents onto the floor before them.

The liquid swirled franticly, taking form as miniature ice sculptures, each shape morphing into another with every word which Romulus spoke.

“I wish to acquire a device from Department H. It does not exist within its walls or any containment facility associated with it. With my instructions, you will help me acquire it.”

“What is it?” asked Scorpio as its purpose was unmistakably clear as the ice sculpture morphed into planet Earth, rippling in destruction from some kind of explosion.

“It is the finest idea ever thought of by the man known as James Hudson. Bring him to me for only he knows how to initiate the Spear’s protocols.”

“The Spear?” Scorpio asked.

“The Spear of Destiny,” he said with eyes Scorpio had never witnessed in a man. “It was the project’s designation as it birthed the Lance of Longinus, and with it, the power of God at a press of a button.”

Montreal, Quebec

“Sometimes I wonder how we ever put up with him,” a disgusted Sasquatch exclaimed as he waited for Guardian to enter, pressing the lobby button to leave.

“That’s Jean-Paul for you.”

“He’s the most stubborn person I have ever met.”

Guardian quickly chuckled. “Obviously you have not gone into deep conversation with Radius.”

Walter gave Guardian a questionable glare. “…You have to be kidding.”

“At least Jean-Paul has a soft spot for his sister,” affirmed Guardian. “Radius just isolates himself from his brother and everyone else.”

“Radius is the kid with the ever-present forcefield?”

“Yes.”

“Then he has a reason,” Walter replied, factoring the psychological effects of his powers. “Not being able to touch anyone would piss me off too.”

“To each his own…Walter…” Guardian said heavily, as the room itself began to spin as he fell to his knees, his eyes vision leaving him until he passed out on the elevator floor.

“M…Mac…” Sasquatch said as he too feel victim.

“Are you okay, Walter?”

“I’m fine, Mac,” Sasquatch replied, grabbing his throbbing head as his vision focused. “Just pass me some Tylenol and I will be ready to go.”

“Uhm…Walter,” another voice uttered, garnering the attention of Sasquatch as it too belonged to James Hudson. “I think that is the least of our worries”

Sasquatch shook his head as his eyes focused, witnessing five different men all resembling the man he knew as James Hudson, each at different stages in life cycle. An older, bearded version of James Hudson stepped forward toward the two Alphans.

“Greetings Walter Langkowski. We are the Hudson and we need your help.”