DaVeO
05-23-2007, 04:22 PM
Chapter 1
The afternoon sun cast a gentle light upon Parliament Hill this Tuesday afternoon. Tourists took pictures, office workers had lunch on the lawn and it was just another day. It was another day for the burgeoning leader of Alpha Flight as well. James MacDonald Hudson was eating his cream cheese and lox bagel and enjoying the beautiful day in Ottawa as he walked toward the Parliament buildings. Things couldn't’t have been going better for him. He was married to a beautiful and smart woman, Heather, who loved him unconditionally. He led Canada’s premiere super-hero team Alpha Flight, who recently stopped both The Great Beasts and the Master. Not bad for a team who’s first mission was to simply grab a stray mutant, and couldn't’t even do that.
But now people were noticing. Alpha Flight was fast becoming Canada’s sweethearts (with apologies to Sarah Polly). Eugene aka Puck appeared on The Hour last night. Jeanne-Marie aka Aurora was in the video for Chantal Kreviazuk’s new single. Walter’s paper on radiation exposure was being printed in a prestigious medical journal. Yes, things were looking up.
James passed by a café that had a television mounted on the terrace. On it was a news program with a late breaking report. It seemed to have gathered a small crowd. As Mac tried to hear what was happening he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning he came face to face with Alpha Flight’s headstrong speedster, Jean-Paul Beaubier aka Northstar.
“Hudson, are you going to the HQ?” Jean-Paul asked, wrinkling his nose at Mac’s lunch.
Mac looked the young mutant over, he had on one of his less expensive outfits; designer jeans and a polo shirt. Endorsement's were very good for Jean-Paul, his career as a professional skier has kept him in the dough.
"I was about to, yes. How goes it?"
Jean-Paul sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair. "The paparazzi are driving me crazy. It was bad enough when I used to ski, but this super-heroing thing. I thought it was just the British and American press that were bad." He looked around him as he was talking, then spotting something, he turned to Mac." One moment." He was gone before James could ask where he was going. A few seconds later he was back with a digital camera in his hand. "You see? I didn't know we had vultures this far north."
James smiled. "You can't just steal their equipment, we are in a public place."
"Merde, I don't care. That one has been following me all day. Next time I will shove-"
"Oh my God. What happened?" A woman gasped as she watched the television. James and Jean-Paul turned and also viewed the screen. The skyline of New york City was currently being shown. Smoke billowed out from the centre of the city. A few airborne figures could be seen, but the picture quality wasn't very good. A scrolling text along the bottom of the screen reported that what appeared to be a meteor had crashed into the city. The Avengers and local law officials were at the scene.
"Hmm, I don't like the looks of this." James murmured to himself.
Jean-Paul looked over at him. "I could zip over there, see if they require assistance."
"No, let's wait for a call first. I don't want to step on any more political toes involving unsanctioned trips to the States. I better get to HQ." Almost on cue both of their cellular phones began ringing.
"Looks like the Prime Minister had his cartoons interrupted." Jean-Paul smirked.
The afternoon sun cast a gentle light upon Parliament Hill this Tuesday afternoon. Tourists took pictures, office workers had lunch on the lawn and it was just another day. It was another day for the burgeoning leader of Alpha Flight as well. James MacDonald Hudson was eating his cream cheese and lox bagel and enjoying the beautiful day in Ottawa as he walked toward the Parliament buildings. Things couldn't’t have been going better for him. He was married to a beautiful and smart woman, Heather, who loved him unconditionally. He led Canada’s premiere super-hero team Alpha Flight, who recently stopped both The Great Beasts and the Master. Not bad for a team who’s first mission was to simply grab a stray mutant, and couldn't’t even do that.
But now people were noticing. Alpha Flight was fast becoming Canada’s sweethearts (with apologies to Sarah Polly). Eugene aka Puck appeared on The Hour last night. Jeanne-Marie aka Aurora was in the video for Chantal Kreviazuk’s new single. Walter’s paper on radiation exposure was being printed in a prestigious medical journal. Yes, things were looking up.
James passed by a café that had a television mounted on the terrace. On it was a news program with a late breaking report. It seemed to have gathered a small crowd. As Mac tried to hear what was happening he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning he came face to face with Alpha Flight’s headstrong speedster, Jean-Paul Beaubier aka Northstar.
“Hudson, are you going to the HQ?” Jean-Paul asked, wrinkling his nose at Mac’s lunch.
Mac looked the young mutant over, he had on one of his less expensive outfits; designer jeans and a polo shirt. Endorsement's were very good for Jean-Paul, his career as a professional skier has kept him in the dough.
"I was about to, yes. How goes it?"
Jean-Paul sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair. "The paparazzi are driving me crazy. It was bad enough when I used to ski, but this super-heroing thing. I thought it was just the British and American press that were bad." He looked around him as he was talking, then spotting something, he turned to Mac." One moment." He was gone before James could ask where he was going. A few seconds later he was back with a digital camera in his hand. "You see? I didn't know we had vultures this far north."
James smiled. "You can't just steal their equipment, we are in a public place."
"Merde, I don't care. That one has been following me all day. Next time I will shove-"
"Oh my God. What happened?" A woman gasped as she watched the television. James and Jean-Paul turned and also viewed the screen. The skyline of New york City was currently being shown. Smoke billowed out from the centre of the city. A few airborne figures could be seen, but the picture quality wasn't very good. A scrolling text along the bottom of the screen reported that what appeared to be a meteor had crashed into the city. The Avengers and local law officials were at the scene.
"Hmm, I don't like the looks of this." James murmured to himself.
Jean-Paul looked over at him. "I could zip over there, see if they require assistance."
"No, let's wait for a call first. I don't want to step on any more political toes involving unsanctioned trips to the States. I better get to HQ." Almost on cue both of their cellular phones began ringing.
"Looks like the Prime Minister had his cartoons interrupted." Jean-Paul smirked.