Fifteen minutes ago, Elizabeth Twoyoungmen was asleep. Her slumber was possessed by dreams and visions brought to her by the Goddess Narya. Narya was once a friend, a super hero known as Snowbird. But Snowbird is now dead, and she showed Elizabeth visions of a dark spirit. This dark spirit is a demon of great evil who was about to enter the Earth realm through a psychic link she had established through Alpha Flight.
Elizabeth gets into a car, and has trouble starting it, which gives her fellow archaeologists time to reach her and tell her to wait. But Elizabeth, formerly a member of Alpha Flight known as Talisman, feels there is only one way to stop the Dreamqueen, and she has to warn her friends. Unfortunately, for both Elizabeth and the heroes formerly collectively known as Alpha Flight, they are 3000 miles apart.
Elizabeth’s car screeches away, one of her colleagues calling to her, asking her where she is going. Elizabeth knows that if the Dreamqueen enters the Earth realm, then she will fill the world with evil destruction. She will fill eyes with visions of death, and hearts with dark despair…unless Elizabeth calls Alpha Flight in time.
Elizabeth leaps out of her car and rushes over to a payphone, where she dials a phone number.
In Ottawa, a phone rings and someone answers it. ‘Hello?’ she asks. ‘Heather! It’s Elizabeth! I’ve called to warn you, the Dreamqueen is - ‘ Elizabeth is interrupted, as the Dreamqueen screams down the phone, telling Elizabeth that she is too late, as she is already here! Lying unconscious around the room are those who were most recently part of Alpha Flight - Heather “Vindicator” McNeil Hudson, Madison “Box” Jeffries and Wanda “Sasquatch” Langkowski, as well as the three young Beta Flight girls, Kara Kilgrave the Purple Girl, and the Dean twins, Laura and Goblyn.
Elizabeth is shocked, and the Dreamqueen asks her what is the matter, is she not happy to hear her voice. ‘Just think of all the fun we’ll have’ the evil woman jokes. Elizabeth tells the Dreamqueen that her friends better be all right, and threatens to kill her, adding that she is coming over right now, and tells the Dreamqueen that if she is still there, she will kill her anyway. The Dreamqueen laughs, reminding Elizabeth that she is 3000 miles away, at a Zephyr gas station in the Yukon Territories, and laughs when she points out that it will take her hours to get here, and to see what she will find. Elizabeth is furious, and gets back into her car, thinking ‘That - that - I’ll kill her!’
The Dreamqueen looks around the room at the fallen Alphans, and wonders which of them shall be her pawn, and decides upon Sasquatch, and kissing Wanda on the forehead, the Dreamqueen casts a spell on her. The Dreamqueen laughs, telling Wanda that she is now ready for her part in this dark comedy, sure she will play it well. The Dreamqueen exit’s the house, laughing profusely.
Four hours later, it had taken Elizabeth that long, to reach the house her friends were in. Rushing up to the front door, she cannot remember the last time she ever worried so much, she can feel her heart racing. Entering the living room, Elizabeth sees her foster sister, former baby-sitter, friend and team leader, Heather, sprawled on the floor. Touching Heather, Elizabeth can tell that she is still alive, and tries to wake her. When Heather comes to, she is surprised to see Elizabeth and asks her what she is doing here, what is going on? Motioning around the room, Elizabeth declares that she will explain everything once they have woken the others.
Elsewhere, the Dreamqueen now appears in regular civilian clothing, a green dress, as she sits in a mans car. The man tells the Dreamqueen that she is the prettiest hitchhiker he has ever picked up, that he has never seen anyone wave down a car like she did. ‘I mean, you just pointed at me, then pointed at the curb! I guess you knew I’d pull over huh?’ ‘I usually get what I want from a man’ the Dreamqueen boasts in her scratchy voice. The man asks the Dreamqueen what it is that she wants from him.
The Dreamqueen puts her hand on the man’s thigh and tells him to take her where she wants to go and she will make it worth his while. ‘You got it babe!’ the excited man exclaims. Gazing out the window of the car, the Dreamqueen realizes that the matter of this world is different than that of her own. She thinks the physical laws are too restraining, and is annoyed she cannot warp reality here, only the perceptions of it’s inhabitants. The Dreamqueen’s jagged teeth glisten as she smiles wickedly, thinking that if her unwitting pawn plays her part, then nothing shall be safe from her.
Meanwhile, Heather and Elizabeth have woken everyone up and Elizabeth informs them all that the Dreamqueen has come into their world, that the six of them were the link and they did not know it. Heather mentions that they were just sitting here talking about some problems they were having which they had guessed were caused by the Dreamqueen, and that the last thing she remembers is a pain in her head that got worse and worse. Elizabeth declares that the Dreamqueen is here now, and that they have to stop her, so she is calling in her father on this one, as he has the power of the Talisman that she once had, explaining that they need that power to defeat the Dreamqueen.
Sasquatch asks Elizabeth if she knows where her father is, and Elizabeth replies, that oddly she does, that she feels the pull of the Talisman he wears, its power calls to her, telling her she has to take it back, that one way or another, she has to reach her father. Jeffries smiles and declares that he can turn his Box armor into a plane that can take them wherever Elizabeth is, as all the metal he needs is in the back yard. Beginning to transmutate his armor, Jeffries asks Elizabeth where she wants to go. Elizabeth replies ‘North’ and that they better hurry, as there is no telling what horrible things the Dreamqueen is doing as they speak.
Meanwhile, in Edmonton, the Dreamqueen gazes up at a very tall building, asking her “companion” if this is where the richest mortal of this land dwells. The man replies that the top two floors belong to one guy that he read about in a magazine. The Dreamqueen calls the man ‘Darling’ and asks him if he would mind walking down the path and picking her some flowers. The man replies ‘sure’ and begins walking down a path which is actually an illusion created by the Dreamqueen, in fact, he walks out onto a busy street, right in front of a car, and smashes through the windscreen. The Dreamqueen thrusts her head back in amusement, laughing as the cruel act takes place.
Vindicator, Elizabeth, Sasquatch and the girls are all inside Jeffries’ Boxship as he heads North, and en route, Jeffries asks Elizabeth to give him a more specific destination. Kara complains that they have been travelling for over an hour, to which Elizabeth informs her that they are almost there, and tells Jeffries to start taking them down. Box exclaims that he knows this place, and Elizabeth declares that it is the Eye of the World, reminding everyone they tried to save Walter’s soul there.
‘And you failed!’ Snaps Wanda, reminding everyone that Walter’s body was destroyed, so he eventually ended up taking over Snowbird’s body when she died, but look at him now - he is a man trapped in a woman’s body! When Wanda has finished her rant, Vindicator points out that Shaman is below.
Michael Twoyoungmen a.k.a. Shaman, a.k.a. the third Talisman leaves his small tent in the Eye of the World, and his long-estranged daughter runs to him after leaving the Boxship, followed by everyone else. Shaman is unmoved by his daughter’s presence, stating that a vision foretold her arrival…and her mission. Elizabeth asks her father if he will help them, but he bluntly replies ‘No’.
Vindicator steps forward and tells her old friend and teammate that he must help them, especially as he knows what kind of menace is running around out there. Arms folded across his chest, Twoyoungmen confirms that he does know, but that as Talisman he can do nothing, however, he will accompany them back to Ottawa. Rain begins to pour down at the Eye of the World as Elizabeth asks her father why he won’t help them, and asks if he cannot see the enormity of this problem.
Cryptically, Twoyoungmen tells his daughter that he sees everything as clearly as she will before the day is out. Vindicator hustles her former teammates, telling them that they better get back and start and looking for the Dreamqueen, as they are running out of time. ‘Ugh! We just got here! Now we’re going back again!’ complains the Purple Girl, asking what kind of super hero team this is, as Wanda comes up behind her and motioning to the rain and dankness of the Eye of the World, asks her if she would rather hang around here all day.
‘A whole world of real people to play with’ the Dreamqueen thinks to herself as she gazes out the window of the high-story building she has taken residence in. She calls this world a world of ‘Free-floating neurosis, of dark dreams born of bad chemicals’. She knows the fear and hate are palatable, that greed runs like pus through the open wounds of their minds. Just like the fool in the car, and the simpering old man who opened this penthouse, all the people of this planet are her toys.
She thought watching the old man fall was amusing, especially the way he splattered when he hit the cement. The Dreamqueen begins to stretch her thoughts out over the concrete mound, penetrating the mortals’ minds and twisting their perceptions.
Inside the Boxship, the Purple Girl looks at Shaman, thinking about how everyone is so upset with him because he wont help them. She wonders if she could get him to help them all if she used her powers to control people on him, but decides against it, as then her former allies would be even more mad at her. Vindicator asks Shaman why then, if he isn’t going to help them, he is coming along. Shaman replies that he did not say he wouldn’t help them, but that as the Talisman, he could not. Vindicator points out that Twoyoungmen keeps saying “as Talisman” and asks him if that is supposed to mean anything. Shaman replies that as Talisman he can only observe this conflict.
Bluntly, Elizabeth tells her father that she thinks it is time he gave the Talisman back to her. Shaman asks ‘Why is that?’, to which Elizabeth exclaims that it is her destiny to be Talisman, not his, and reminds him he was a shaman before he took the Talisman, and Shaman is who he really is. Twoyoungmen reminds Elizabeth that she was resentful of her responsibilities, and became cold, distant and cruel. Elizabeth claims that she was being immature, after all, she is a human being, and that having super powers doesn’t make a person any wiser, she has had to learn from her mistakes.
Vindicator asks Elizabeth if she realizes what it is she is saying, and reminds her that she hated being Talisman, so why would she want to become that again? ‘Because…I have to’ replies Elizabeth, declaring that everyone has responsibilities in life, some people having greater responsibilities than others. She admits that she was not willing to accept hers because they were so overwhelming. Elizabeth declares that being Talisman was like carrying the world on her shoulders, she was aware of all the mystic forces at play in the world, it was such a burden.
Elizabeth declares that it is not easy being a super hero, having to be there whenever trouble starts, knowing you had to win no matter what - knowing that failure can mean the end of everything. Elizabeth looks around at everyone as she exclaims someone has to do it, that the world is in chaos, and it takes good people to turn things around. She proclaims that if she was born to be something, she shouldn’t hide from it, it is time for her to take charge of her life and do something good.
Shaman asks Elizabeth if she really believes she is ready to assume the responsibilities once more, to which Elizabeth quickly replies that she does, and reminds her father that the Talisman was not meant for him, that it was meant for her, and she has to have it back. Elizabeth suggests to her father that he returns to just being Shaman, as Twoyoungmen asks her why she has had a sudden change of heart, and why he should relinquish the power to her.
Elizabeth declares that she now knows her place in the scheme of things, that she was born to wear the Talisman, and tells her father that he knows that already. Elizabeth declares that she has got over her misgivings, that she was wrong to be upset about it, for now she can see the good that she can do.
Box announces that they are over Calgary now, so he is making a turn for Ottawa. Wanda transforms into Sasquatch as Shaman begins to take the Talisman off his brow, and telling Elizabeth that he hopes she knows what she is asking for. Elizabeth replies that she does, and as the coronet comes off Twoyoungmen’s brow he exclaims that the pain is great, and only be transferring the tiara to its rightful owner will the pain go away. Handing the Talisman to Elizabeth, Shaman tells her that he is proud of her for doing the right thing. But just as Shaman places the tiara in Elizabeth’s hand - Sasquatch snatches it from him!
Sasquatch screams uncontrollably as Heather asks her what she is doing. But the consequences for Shaman are more serious, as he is under immense pain because the tiara has not been returned to Elizabeth. Sasquatch knocks Shaman out as she rushes around the Boxship, beginning to rip up Jeffries, who also cries out in pain. Vindicator tells Sasquatch to stop, that she doesn’t want to have to hurt her, but Sasquatch just cries ‘traitors’ and rips up the floor of the Boxship, hurting Jeffries further.
Vindicator fires a plasma blast at Sasquatch, but Wanda jumps through the recently created hole, and plummets to the busy city below, clutching the Talisman as she falls. Sasquatch lands on top of a high-rise restaurant, and bursts through the roof, frightening the patrons as she lands.
Back in the Boxship, Jeffries announces that he is making a landing while Vindicator flies through the hole, towards the restaurant Sasquatch entered.
Sasquatch returns to her human form as she runs through the busy restaurant, ‘Somebody call the cops!’ yells a patron. ‘Move it!’ snaps Wanda as she pushes someone aside so she can enter the elevator. Seeing Vindicator approaching, Wanda pushes the “down” button furiously, but even as the doors close and she begins to move downwards, she knows they will all be waiting for her, and thinks that there has to be another way out. She wonders why they made her like this, knowing she can be herself again, she is going to fight them…but can she win?
Vindicator flies towards her allies after Box has landed, and informs everyone that Wanda is coming down in the elevator and that they have to cut off her escape. Everyone rushes towards the building they expect Wanda to exit from, Goblyn rushing ahead, despite the Purple Girl calling out to her, warning her that it is too dangerous. Elizabeth asks her father if he knows what is going on, why Sasquatch is doing this, and Shaman reveals that it is the Dreamqueen, that she has placed a mind spell into Wanda’s brain and that Wanda does not know she is doing this.
Shaman explains that the Dreamqueen wants the Talisman, as she thinks it will make her more powerful. Elizabeth asks her father how he knows this, to which Shaman replies he knew this when he wore the Talisman. Goblyn rushes through some doors which slide closed behind, but Vindicator can see that Sasquatch has resumed her human form - before she can finish what she was saying though, Goblyn is hurled through the glass doors, and flung right past them all.
Wanda emerges through the doors, the Talisman placed on her brow, her body glowing with power, to which Elizabeth, shocked, asks how Wanda could be wearing the Talisman. Shaman reminds Elizabeth that Wanda has taken the body of Snowbird, who is a goddess, therefore she can wear the Talisman and channel some of the mystic force, but Twoyoungmen knows that the Gods of the North will take note of this, and tells Elizabeth to ‘watch and learn’.
Vindicator approaches Wanda and tells her that she doesn’t know what she is playing at, but whatever it is, she wants her to give herself up right now. ‘My name isn’t Wanda, its Walter!’ shouts Wanda, reminding Heather that she deserted her when the team broke up, that she had no money, nowhere to live, and no one even offered her any help. Wanda / Walter tells Heather that it is her fault she / he looks this way, that it is her fault she / he is changed. ‘Now suffer!’ exclaims Wanda / Walter firing a blast of energy at Heather, knocking her out.
The Purple Girl approaches Wanda and tells her to stop attacking them and hand over the Talisman. Kara uses her mutant powers on Wanda, and orders her to give back the Talisman - but when Wanda doesn’t turn purple, Kara wonders why Wanda doesn’t do as she is ordered. Wanda replies by punching Kara hard in the jaw, knocking her to the ground also as Wanda reminds Kara that her power doesn’t work on this body, as it is not human, ‘And my name is Walter!’
‘Your name is Mud!’ declares Box as he increases his mass and declares that he has had enough of this nonsense. With a modified hand, he tries to scoop Wanda up, but she manages to dodge his hand as it comes to the ground. Jeffries calls to Wanda, telling her to come back, as she makes a getaway. Wanda turns to Box and screams ‘Shut-up!’ and blasts him with the magic of the Talisman, causing him to fall to the ground. Using so much energy weakens Wanda, who is not used to such power, and she becomes weakened.
As Wanda stumbles slowly down the street, Elizabeth points out that she is getting away, but Shaman tells his daughter not to worry, as she will not get far, and they begin to follow her at a safe distance.
Wanda runs, thinking she has to run North, to give her the…’Give who? What am I doing?’ she suddenly thinks. Wanda wishes that she understood things, she wants to be a man again, but what does that have to do with the Talisman?
Watching the proceedings from her new “home” the Dreamqueen cries ‘Bring it to me!’ and telepathically tells Wanda to find an automobile and bring the Talisman to Edmonton.
Wanda sees a lady getting into a car and thinks that she has to steal that car…before wondering why. Nevertheless, Wanda pulls the woman aside and declares that she needs the car.
Suddenly, a voice exclaims ‘You will not take the sacred Talisman any further!’ and in a blinding light, the sprit of Snowbird appears! Snowbird announces that Walter Langkowski has worn her Earth-born form and yearned for his lost manhood, before revealing that she can see the dark spells that have driven Walter / Wanda to these acts. The beautiful Narya declares that by the powers of her lost flesh, she grants Sasquatch his / her dream, adding that the Dreamqueen will rule him / her no more!
Power flows from Snowbird and Sasquatch is bathed in it, breaking the spell of enchantment, and completing Walter’s / Wanda’s shift back to manhood. Walter looks at his body…astonished, he sees that he is back…he is Walter again! Wearing nothing but his jocks, Walter looks up to the sky, and thanks Narya, wherever she is. ‘Thank you…’ he exclaims deeply sincere.
Furious, the Dreamqueen screams ‘Where did she go? I can’t see her! Where is she?’
Elizabeth and Shaman walk over to Walter, Elizabeth telling him that she wants the Talisman back. Walter apologizes to Elizabeth, claiming that he doesn’t know what came over him, but Elizabeth tells him not to worry, that it is over now, before placing the tiara on her forehead, and being bathed in golden light. Shaman turns to the woman who was shoved out of her car by the possessed Wanda and apologizes to her, telling her that it everything is under control now. The woman asks ‘what…who are you? What happened here?’
Shaman tells the woman that they are super heroes, and says that he is sorry if they frightened her, they just had to take care of a little emergency. Elizabeth, now back in her flowing red and gold costume as the Talisman walks over to her father, followed by Walter. Talisman reveals that she can see the Dreamqueen and feel her thoughts, like black tar pouring out and engulfing peoples minds.
Talisman declares that the Dreamqueen is angry, for she wanted the Talisman to boost her powers, and now she is filling the minds of people with bad dreams, her influence is stretching out further and further.
Suddenly, Box, now transformed into a large car, pulls up beside Talisman, Sasquatch and Shaman, with Vindicator and the former Betans inside. Heather looks around and asks what happened, and where is Wanda. Talisman smiles and exclaims that there is no more Wanda anymore, ‘say hello to Walter!’ Vindicator sees Walter and asks him if he is all right, to which Walt replies ‘Never better’.
Talisman explains that Snowbird used shape shifting powers to make Sasquatch a man again, thus breaking the spell the Dreamqueen had placed on him, for as a God of the North, Snowbird could not let Sasquatch take the Talisman to the evil Dreamqueen. Talisman exclaims that she knows where the Dreamqueen is, and that they have to stop her. Heather asks where she is, to which Elizabeth reveals the Dreamqueen is in Edmonton, and has already taken over the city.
In Edmonton…carnage, tragedy and hatred fill the city. In a jewellery store, Arnold Wilcox fills a sack with diamonds, thinking they have been brought. After it is full he will deliver it to the woman in the penthouse…the Dreamqueen. He doesn’t question his actions. Meanwhile, Ed Jones smiles as he examines the three deers he has shot. He doesn’t know he will wake up soon, holding his rifle, he doesn’t knot he will be screaming - because he just shot and killed his family.
Elsewhere in the city, Annie Turner loves the bumper cars at the fair, she can hear the carnival music and smell the corn from the nearby concession stands. As she plows along the side walk, running straight into people, she thinks that she will ride the tilt-o-wheel next. Meanwhile, in her dark tower, the architect of this madness laughs. Her malevolent will goes out and touches the dark corners of people’s minds…playing with them. She can feels the thoughts of Alpha Flight, so far away. They grow closer by the second. The Dreamqueen thinks that it is time for the game to begin…the killing game….
