Leaving a trail of dead accomplices from New York and across the border, the Punisher tracks a drug runner to Quebec, waiting for the right time to make the hit. One of his prior hits alerts Canadian authorities to the Punisher’s operations on Canadian soil. As he is a costume, Alpha Flight is summoned.

The true benefit of placing this tale circa #107 is the relationships between the characters. The Alpha mainstays are just about the entirety of the team. Alpha Flight had been pared down by Scott Lobdell, so this time frame allows a Byrne approach of not having the entire team in every issue without having to explain why each and every multitude of Alpha does not go on the mission. The thrust of the tale could be set during Byrne’s run, or Mantlo’s era up until around issue 50, or almost anytime after the Building Blocks arc through the beginning of Volume 2. Let’s be realistic here: Frank Castle is not a character fraught with development, so the tale can be set at almost any point of his career. At AF #107, however, the team is not only stable, but they’re pretty much getting along, allowing exploration of the one-on-one relationship between Puck and Aurora.

Puck takes the call and leaves to confront the Punisher on his own. Aurora catches him leaving and wants to go. Puck argues: he can certainly handle a man with guns on his own. Aurora whole heartily agrees with Puck’s self assessment, but reasonably argues that she knows the city and the language more intimately than Puck ever could. And can it ever hurt to have a friend covering your back? The latter character is in full Aurora persona, so of course she hits on Puck on the ride to Quebec. We can have Puck wallow in his pining for Heather, but their relationship was stable at this point. Puck flirts back without intent. Any tryst between them could sunder the team dynamics–Sasquatch, Northstar and Heather would all certainly have their individual reactions. Puck ensures nothing comes of the flirtation despite his legitimate temptation.

Canadian authorities have identified the Punisher’s potential target, so our two Alphas track the Punisher by tracking his likely victim. They arrive just in time. They spot the ready-to-distribute victim on the street, and the Punisher across it, raising his semi-automatic pistol.

The bullet explodes from the muzzle. Our Alphas explode into action, Puck for the gunman, Aurora for the target. Puck lands feet first into the Punisher’s shoulder, knocking the gun from his hand. Aurora, of course, gets the more spectacular page time. She began reacting when she saw the gun being raised, so by the time the Punisher pulled the trigger, Aurora was at top speed. Circling, she outruns the bullets, snatches the victim out of harm’s way, tosses him to the side, then circles back and catches the bullet before it can hit bystanders. Aurora is fast enough to catch bullets, but she must do so from behind or the side. Aurora’s first reaction, as she looks at the bullet she is holding, is that “I CAN do it!”

The Punisher has rolled with Puck’s impact and a scuffle has ensued. His hit failed, the Punisher’s only motivation now is to retreat. Puck, of course, means to prevent that. Puck and Punisher alike scramble for the fallen gun.

Aurora looks to Puck; seeing he has the situation seemingly in hand, so she turned to the target. She’d thrown him a little harder and faster than she’d thought. He’d rolled over a few sidewalk café tables and chairs. That action had loosened the bags of cocain from his coat. Aurora sees them sprawled across the sidewalk. This puts things in perspective. As a matter of course, prescription drug treatment for her MPD has been suggested. Aurora is not only a strong personality, but she has had to fight, against Jean-Marie and others, for her personality. The end result of those personality struggles has given her a seething hatred for drug use as a means of changing one’s personality or perception of reality. She launches an attack against the Punisher’s victim that beats him near senseless, then she grabs him and the packets at high speed.

After a tussle, Puck seizes the Punisher’s fallen gun by the first grasp he could make, by the barrel. The Punisher had dived for the gun as a ruse. While Puck holds the fallen gun awkwardly, the Punisher pulls another one, fires several rounds at Puck’s feet and then runs. When Puck begins to pursue, the Punisher fires into the gas tank of a parked car. The resultant explosion and seeing to the potential civilian casualties should keep Puck busy enough for the Punisher to escape in the confusion.

Aurora has dragged the victim to the café’s mens room. She holds his face above the toilet as she flushes the bag. At high speed, she searches him, finds two more and flushes them. Then, in clear demonstration of her feelings for drugs and their dealers, she scrubs the bowl with his face and keeps on flushing.

The Punisher is making his escape. Puck realizes that the Punisher’s distraction was perfect from the Punisher’s standpoint. There are minor injuries of people hit with fiery debris, but no fatalities or serious injuries. Belatedly, he attempts to pursue. Aurora catches up. Puck realizes he cannot catch the Punisher, who has turned a distant corner.

Aurora leaves Puck to tend to any wounded and pursues.

The Punisher has arrived at his van. Aurora hits him full speed, knocking him away from the van.

The Punisher pulls a gun. Aurora zips around, takes it from him, and stands triumphant. The Punisher pulls another gun. Aurora realizes that this scenario might fo on forever, so she bolts forward again and strips the Punisher to his shorts. In another display of superspeed beyond the Punisher’s comprehension, Aurora opens the van, collects all the guns and ammunition from the van, collects them in his trenchcoat and flies skyward with the entire bundle. The Punisher is just getting his pants back on when Aurora returns from having dumped his collection in the Atlantic. He doesn’t have time to zip before she grabs him and pulls him into the van. There, she pins him to the rear floor and vibrates his body at high speed. This proves an effective way for a lean woman like Aurora to keep a stronger man pinned down. Aurora applauds his campaign against people who would poison the minds and souls of others, but is clear that the Punisher will not be allowed to operate on Canadian soil: “We have more guns and more proficient users of guns, mon ami, but we Canadians do not randomly shoot each other to the epidemic of you Americans. You will not return to Canada.”

“I go where the criminals lead!”

At superspeed, she releases him, writes down her phone number and tucks it into the waistband of his shorts and returns to pinning and vibrating him. She is straddling him and holds his wrists held sprawled in the car deck over his head. “You want to get out of Canada to continue your war in the states, you will listen to me. You WILL call ME if the American degenerates spread their poison here. I will deal with them, Punisher. I am a Catholic schoolteacher. We know how to punish bad boys like them.” She draws her face closer to his. Their mutual angry stares gain intensity “And big bad boys like you. Do you understand me?”

He grumbles agreement, still staring in her intense eyes.

“Good,” Aurora says, “I’d hate to leave you bruised.” She draws closer. With Aurora instigating, they kiss...

Jeff Kozzi is a Providence writer and property manager. He maintains a website www.kozzi.us