Northstar #4

Synopsis

Northstar battles the rejects, and is able to hold his own, despite being so weak. However, help arrives in the form of Heather Hudson, and the two reconcile their long-standing differences.

Heather also reveals that it was she who aided Northstar in Russia against Weapon P.R.I.M.E. However things aren’t quite over for Northstar as there is still the murder charge hanging over his name, which he must clear.

Arcade appears before them on a television monitor revealing the location he needs to go to in order for the game to be complete.

While Northstar wearily makes his way, Guardian intercepts Tigerstryke who had been tracking Northstar, and after Tigerstryke reveals that he doesn’t want to fight her as Northstar helped him in Russia, he still has his orders.

Heather suggests to Tigerstryke that if he intends to replace Alpha Flight, he has to learn to bend the rules, as Alpha Flight did it constantly. So exhausted, Jean-Paul has to hire a car to drive himself the rest of the way to Vancouver, and upon arriving at the location, is introduced to Carl Kerridge, the man who wants Jean-Paul dead because he is a “stain on humanity”.

A battle follows in which Kerridge appears to be winning due to Jean-Paul wounds and exhaustion. Kerridge shows Northstar a tape from Arcade, which he assumed to be blank, but is horrified when it shows him paying Arcade money, then one of Arcade’s robots killing Ritchie Ward. Kerridge is about to destroy the tape, when Northstar stops him, then thinks back to where this all began, years ago at a Quebec city bus terminal, which he was supposed to blow up, but when a bus load of people came along, instead he turned from terrorism to heroism and helped the innocents, although he was still blamed for what happened.

Jean-Paul finally gets the upper hand on Kerridge, and after doing a pressure-point move on Kerridge which he learned from Wolverine, Kerridge is finally stopped. Jean-Paul now has the tape, the evidence he needs to clear his name, and is looking forward to a future where he everyone can be proud of him.