26
Louise Lincoln briskly strolled home from the bus stop. She'd moved on from lust to real love. And today was the three-month celebration of that romantic shift. Which marked the longest tangible relationship she or Ace of Blades had ever enjoyed. Ace of Blades' English was coming along at a breakneck speed. But she still struggled with many words and reverted back to her native German. Which Killer Frost was studying but she felt like an idiot compared to her linguistically gifted girlfriend.
Oddly, Ace of Blades still hadn't given Killer Frost her birth name. She cited safety concerns. And not her own safety but Frost's. Killer Frost was content to wait it out. But damn, Ace of Blades was a mouthful to scream during sex.
Ace of Blades had hinted at a shift in the nature of their relationship to occur this evening and Killer Frost eagerly wondered if the long withheld name would be on the table. Neither of them yet aware that it wasn't Ace of Blades' history colliding with them today but rather it would be Killer Frost's past coming to haunt them.
The neighbors in their apartment building in Queens accepted Killer Frost nearly instantly due to her celebrity status as a JLer. Ace of Blades earned local hero status when a toddler wandered out before a delivery truck and she was too small to spot in time to stop. Ace of Blades could fly but the speed at which she'd be moving would dangerously jar the girl's neck. So she wrapped herself around the little girl and took the hit herself. The driver profusely thanked Ace of Blades despite his own whiplash injuries.
The neighbors begged to throw the couple a celebratory block party. Their one request was to know Ace of Blades' name. Killer Frost had just smirked at her. She relented enough to request to be called Klingen or "Blades". But the people knew bullshit when the heard it. But they gave it to her.
Ace of Blades tried the German As for ace out on Killer Frost who warned her that the translation accents would skewer the name. Ace of Blades then offered an eloquent solution for this day. And she wouldn't budge on it being a surprise. So Killer Frost had over three months of pent curiosity bubbling to surface as she brought home take out. It was from a Ukrainian deli. Ace of Blades had served in Ukraine on the Eastern Front and had the misfortune of capturing the Soviet Commissar for Ukraine, Nikita Khrushchev. And apparently he already had a penchant for using his shoe as a gavel. Which Killer Frost found hilarious.
Ace of Blades was removed from the Ukrainian theater as Communist partisans began to plague the Wehrmacht. Baroness Blood was sent in instead leading a battalion of Waffen SS Death Squads. Ace of Blades, a Luftwaffe pilot, was recalled to Berlin to cross train with Waffen SS commandoes. She was dispatched to the Balkan campaigns. From there she was sent to France to coordinate the defense against the Allied invasion. She was directly subordinate to Field Marshal Rommel himself. And when Rommel was executed for treason, Ace of Blades travelled to Jordan and vanished from history until 2008.
Ace of Blades had only told Killer Frost intermittent stories of leaving East Germany in the Sixties and travelling the world after reuniting with Faye Morgana. They'd separated as Faye headed into Indochina and Ace of Blades set course for South America. Whereupon, the ageless Baron Blitzkrieg recognized her and blackmailed her into service with the Fourth Reich. Which was how they met during a conflict between the Justice League and the Fourth Reich. And eventually the reunited and moved together in a whirlwind that seemed surreal.
However, Killer Frost had no idea of what awaited her at home. Apartment 3-C was shared with Ace of Blades. She unlocked the door and entered in, setting her keys atop the table next to it.
"`Lo? I've got Ukrainian," Killer Frost announced.
Ace of Blades made her grand entrance from the bedroom. She wore such scanty lingerie that being nude would've been less revealing.
"Hallo Frost, meine liebste Liebe, willst du mich ficken? Faust mich? Meine Muschi essen?" Killer Frost hadn't followed much of it but knew Ace of Blades well enough to know she'd just been propositioned in spectacular fashion.
"You know I do," Killer Frost admitted, "And you have to know I love you, As."
"Katharina," Ace of Blades smiled, "I'm Katharina Steiner. And I love you with all my twisted heart."
"So you think they won't find us?" Killer Frost asked.
"They know. They just leave us alone," Katharina revised Killer Frost's statement.
"I know Faye is the only other person alive, `cept maybe Baron Blitzkrieg, that knows your real name. I'm honored to be one that knows," Killer Frost shared.
"I can't hide from you. I won't hide from you. Ask me and I will tell you," Katharina pledged, "But secrets carry great weight. "I'm accused of terrible war crimes. Some I committed and others I did not."
"You know my past. I've killed hundreds. Maybe more. How could I condemn you?" Killer Frost asked, "If hadn't been for Dorcas' last request, I'd still be a killing machine."
Katharina knew Dorcas Leigh had been Godiva. And had greatly impacted Frost's life to a degree that Katharina herself was just beginning to rival. It took great love to change one's life for them. But death seemed to galvanize some more than others.
"Yet I think your Justice League would find me less schmackhaft…less tasty?" Katharina struggled.
"Palatable," it was always good to give her the word she sought. Killer Frost frequently felt the same way, "So eff `em. If they aren't wise enough to see you the way I do then fick dich zu Tode."
"Could be fun, ja?" Katharina smirked, "And you're still learning. Nur wenn du mir dasselbe antust."
"And the food? Scheiß drauf. Oder noch besser, wir tragen es, während wir ficken." Killer Frost used up most of her available German.
"I happily agree," Katharina laughed.
That sound made Killer Frost happier than she'd ever been.
Libra gathered select senior members of the Secret Society of Super Villains, "President-elect Luthor has handed daily operations of the Legion of Doom over to the immortal Chinese warlord, Fu Manchu. Fu Manchu, of course, terrorized the world in the 19th through 20th Centuries. And it seems he and Luthor share common goals. But the Ultra-Humanite led an internal revolt resulting in the destruction of the much recognized Hall of Doom. But the Legion has a little known contingency. There are still twelve more Halls of Doom scattered across the globe. Sources within the Legion stipulate that Fu Manchu has activated one in the South Seas."
"Now we all realize everything the Legion of Doom does comes at a price. Activating one reserve Hall activates them all. But unless the unused portions are given a code clearance known only to Legion leadership, they cycle their locking codes to whatever Luthor or Fu Manchu inputs and they are rendered untouchable again," Libra described the situation, "The deadline is now at twenty-two hours and counting down. What does this mean for us?"
"You pilfer one and you pilfer all of them," Major Disaster realized, "And you wrest away control over eleven of them. But they set this system up after I left."
"No, it was before. But Luthor had Saturn Queen imbeded the information in select minds. She selected a few favorites as well," Libra informed them, "And some of them are now former Legionnaires."
"I can think of one in particular," Angle Man spoke up, "She was one of both Luthor and Saturn Queen's favorites and she betrayed the previous Secret Society to their deaths.
"Don't leave us drooling," Killer Moth demanded.
"Killer Frost," Angle Man reminded them, "And she lives in Queens."
"You've thought about this," Major Disaster realized.
"Frosty!" Big Sir enthused in his childlike way.
"I've sought revenge ever since she sided with Luthor over Grodd and killed most of the Secret Society out in deep space," Angle Man admitted, "She lives with a gen active girlfriend. But she's former Fourth Reich. How much trouble can a poser be?"
"Rumor has it that 'poser' took down Satan Girl," Zebra-Man warned.
"Hell, I could take down Satan Girl," Angle Man protested.
"It would require a grand strategy," Teacher mused.
"And as our resident strategist, you look forward to that," Libra chuckled, "Scarlet Baroness, can you get us inside a Hall of Doom?"
"Of course," she felt insulted he would ask, "Inside, Double Dare can get you past the interior defenses."
Hliki and Margot Marceau grinned. Libra ignored them, "Funky, you'll make the inquiries narrowing down the targets' location?"
"Of course," Funky Flashman was just grateful to be back on Earth after touring the Dark Circle with Mr. Miracle.
"I may never eat at a table again," Killer Frost felt giddy after the edible lovemaking and the mutual shower where they'd shared each other's bodies to an extent that they ran out of hot water.
"It doesn't seem like mitnahme when du kommst, but I have other surprises for you," Katharina shared.
"Is it as good as the last few?" Killer Frost was giddy.
"I'm taking you flying," Katharina announced.
"You just did…nine times," Killer Frost had actually lost count at that point.
"Nein," Katharina shook her impossibly youthful head, "In a…flugzeug."
"What the eff is that?" Killer Frost was bewildered because she knew she should know that word. It was a basic.
Katharina spread her arms out as wings and made propellor noises, "Flugzeug."
"A plane," Killer frost got it, "You bought one, didn't you?"
"Jawohl," Katharina confirmed it, "Two and a privatjet. I have license again."
She fished her licenses out of her jean's pocket. Killer Frost chuckled, "Babe, you are too cute."
She examined the proffered material. It was true Katharina Steiner was endorsed for flying multi-platform aircraft, but the fourth license was far more mundane, "You need a driver's license? We don't have a car."
Katharina smirked. Killer Frost got the hint, "We have a car. We have an effin' car?"
"Come with me," Katharina headed for the door.
"I did. Nine times and counting. Today alone," Killer Frost thought that joke wasn't getting old anytime today.
Katharina grabbed her vintage US Army Air Corps A-2 flight jacket. Killer Frost had relegated the thrill it gave Katharina as part of her Indiana Jones obsession. Katharina denied being the inspiration for the character of Dr. Elsa Schneider in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusader but Killer Frost knew it wasn't a stretch.
Her contacts in the Birds of Prey included Spy Smasher and Dr. Cairo Jones. Katarina Armstrong's great-grandfather had chased Ace of Blades down across the globe. Cairo's great-grandmother had been the original Dr. Jones of the same name. Dr. Jones had been tasked by the War Dept. with using her archeological acumen to track down and deny mystical artifacts from Hitler. For over a year, Ace of Blades had provided operational security for Nazi teams seeking those same occultic artifacts.
Dr. Jones and Ace of Blades reached an understanding and the pilot/commando denied the Nazis from acquiring several pieces. In the aftermath of the betrayal, Ace of Blades was summoned to Berlin and vanished from all recorsds only to return 64 years later, unaged and secretly possessing Majestic-level powers.
Spy Smasher and Cairo had regaled Killer Frost with as many Ace of Blades stories as they could dredge up.
"Frost?" Louise loved Katharina's pronunciation of her adopted name.
"Just looking forward to flying high with you," Killer Frost refrained from the joke. She hoped Katharina knew what it cost her to do so.
"Then I will not disappoint," Katharina pledged.
"You never do, love," Killer Frost admitted.
"This is awfully domestic," Libra remarked, viewing the scene through one of Angle Man's portals.
"Who knew she had it in her?" Angle Man wondered.
Louise Lincoln had been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. She formed quick and, in fast, obsessive relationships that ended in death when her level of "commitment" wasn't fully reciprocated. Her longest lasting "healthy" relationship had been with Crystal Frost…after she'd died. Godiva was next on the list. But it looked to the observers like Killer Frost had met her one true love in Ace of Blades. From what government observers had recorded, they both suffered from the disorder and both were equally committed to the relationship. It was brutally codependent but they seemed to make it work.
"Major Disaster, they're leaving the nest. Are you a go?" Libra activated his comms.
"Affirmative," Major Disaster had been at the game longer than Libra.
"Then you're a go for follow," Libra informed him, "Killer Moth, is your team ready?"
"Give the word," Killer Moth promised readiness.
"The word is given," Libra confirmed, "Scarlet Baroness, we need entrance in said apartment with all due discretion."
"Puh-lease, darling," she winked out of existence and then reappeared momentarily, "The door is unlocked."
"Then get back to your prep work," Libra insisted.
"This had better be worth it," she complained before making teleport hops across the city.
"My team slowly converge on the target site," he instructed. And the Secret Society began to mobilize in every direction.
Killer Frost had missed that Katharina had a motorcycle endorsement on her driver's license. Knightfall had paid out huge sums of money to the defecting Fourth Reichers. But Ace of Blades had a storehouse of stolen Nazi gold bars. The Investor and the Banker specialized in super villain accounts the way the Auctioneer handled sales and Roulette handled the gambling entertainment. It was impossible for governments to seize assets they didn't know existed. And villainy didn't typically come with a 401K. Each client owned dummy corporations under assumed but legal names.
Katherina had invested in two vehicles besides her aircraft. One was a BMW R1200R street bike and the other was a BMW Z4 sports car. Killer Frost was beginning to see a pattern of brand loyalty. But Killer Frost knew Katharina's motives went beyond domestic bliss. Thanks to Frost wagging her tongue at Gen. Jack Latham at the MLJ Initiative, Homeland Security had tapped Ace of Blades for several international missions. Working with Spy Smasher, Cairo Jones, Katrina Moldoff, and Black Fury, Katharina had been involved in searches for Disco Mummy, Crimson Queen, and Scarlet Rose, all last seen in Coral City. Erishkigal Narayana, the mysterious majority owner of Ryder Conglomerates had been revealed to be Disco Mummy on dozens of wiki sites. The Crimson Queen had been outed as Amomodat Ashtad and her sister as Suri Ashtad. And after their multitude of terrorist acts and the dozens of murders, including that of LuthorCorps' Mercy Graves, in Coral City alone, the US government was sparing no effort to apprehend the three immortals. The lame-duck Jackson Mason was trying to make a case for popular opinion to sway the Supreme Court's deliberations on his electoral legal challenges as well as sway the electors themselves to disregard the popular vote and vote for him when the Electoral College met. Even the Senate was swayed towards potentially disregarding the electoral vote and certifying his election.
But Luthor had taken 67% of the popular vote. Something nearly unheard of since the invention of mass telecommunication. Mason's gambit had first been employed by Al Gore when he won the popular vote but lost the electoral count. John McCain had done likewise, despite promises to avoid such chicanery, when he lost both votes to Olivia McKay. But the situation was now unique. Both major parties were united in outcry over the results. Luthor was the first independent candidate since the creation of American political parties by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson to win the presidency. And Hamilton's Whig party had faded into oblivion even as the Republican party arose. The Democrats being the only major party remaining created by a Founding Father.
Jefferson had been badly misquoted in recent history. His oft referenced statement of "a little anarchy once in a while is good thing" had been written in missive to a colleague. It referred to the then unprecedented direct election of US Representatives every 2 years. The same couldn't be said of the US Senators, who were elected every 6 years by the state legislatures. But those same state governments were elected directly by the citizens, despite severe restrictions applying to who could even vote. But such means were unheralded in that contemporary day.
Complete anarchy terrified the Founding Fathers which is why the restricted the vote to wealthy, white landowners that had a vested interest in stabilizing the country. They created a republic because democracy was dangerously unstable, as befell Athens. 21st Century America would have terrified them. The inherently corruptive influence of judicial legislation, executive branch inflation, and legislative paralysis would've cause them to sell out and leave the country. And the surrender of Congressional powers would have outright dismayed them. The House was Constitutionally mandated to propose and legislate a budget to be endorsed by the Senate and ratified by the President. The fact that the budget proposals had derived from the White House for 77 years to be rubberstamped by Congress would have brought charges of corruption against the President.
The citizenry of the United States generally wasn't aware of the particulars which stretched far, far beyond the abuses listed but they knew enough to recognize the system had failed. And so, a known super villain and chief of the Legion of Doom, was elected Unites States President by virtue of his not being affiliated with any of the known players. And a great many of them wanted to see the country burn to the ground. Because in typical American hubris, the "other" guy would suffer but "not" the individual having the thought.
Because the breakdown and collapse of society was inevitable. Whether completely rotted from within or just rotten enough to cave under external pressure, the dream of anarchy would be realized. And the predators would survive. Even the supposedly prepared wouldn't withstand the lethal onslaught of the unrestrained victimizers. With nothing to hold them back, the criminal elements and the average citizens gone over the societal brink, would satisfy every lust, craving, urge, impulse, and carnal wet dream until they'd burned themselves out and so few remained that even they sought order from the chaos. And so the inevitable "strongman" would arise and dominate. History was replete with such dictators. And the survivors loved them, feared them, and hated them all at once. And that ruler's wrath would be absolute so he/she would earn obedience.
Killer Frost had witnessed Ace of Blades flying under her own power. But she'd never seen her behind the stick of an aircraft. Katarina, Cairo, Kitrina, anjd Marla Drake had shared anecdotal stories of Katharina's prowess, after all she'd flown the very earliest models of jet aircraft, but it had to be experienced to be properly appreciated. And so far, Frost had nearly pissed her pants several times.
"Jee-zus! You are shit hot effin' good at this," Killer Frost exclaimed.
"You like?" Katharina glowed.
"I like it but I'm also terrified outta my effin' mind," Frost confessed.
Katharina took note that Frost's usually pale blue complexion was white and she was white knuckling the arm rest of her seat, "Ja, I think it is time to give you begnadigung."
Killer Frost wasn't certain of the last word but Katharina leveled out and turned the airplane around, "This was still amazing."
"And you didn't…erbrechen," Katharina lifted a barf bag.
"Yeah. I kinda blow frozen chunks," Killer Frost confessed.
"I erbrechen through walls," Katharina shared.
"Good to know in flu season," at thought occurred, "Can you even catch the flu?"
Katharina chuckled, "Nein."
"Lucky you," Frost grumbled. But she wrapped her hand around Ace of Blade's. Katharina released that hand from the yoke and returned the embrace. Then she realized Killer Frost was gazing at her adoringly and she blushed.
They flew back to Islip and landed at the Long Island MacArthur Airport. Katharina taxied her Cessna Skylane back to the hangar she now owned. Inside it were a Cessna Skycourier and a Bombardier Learjet 8000. Which, Killer Frost found odd since Cessna also built private jets. But when she discovered it was the longest ranged private aircraft, she knew it was capable of direct connection transatlantic flights without refueling. And that Katharina intended on visiting modern Germany with Frost at her side. Louise suddenly felt like bawling.
The last time Ace of Blades had been in Germany, it had been East Germany, primarily in Berlin and Dresden. So it would be a voyage of discovery and not remembrance. Katharina wanted to forge new memories in her ancestral homeland. Memories revolving around her relationship with Frost.
As they cleared the outer fences to reach the new Beemer, Killer Frost extoled its virtues again, "This a seriously sweet ride."
"You drive," Katharina lobbed a set of keys at Frost. She caught them to discover it was a single key with a fob, "Mine?"
"Ja," Katharina was delighted to confirm.
"Touching ladies, but I suggest you walk away from the car and come with us rather quietly," Major Disaster was flanked by two dozen super villains and Big Sir was at his back.
"Scheisse," Katharina complained.
Killer Frost would've recognized the meaning even without taking German for last eighty days, "You've got to be shittin' me, Disaster."
"Look, you and the honey snatch don't need to get hurt. Just come with us and answer some basic questions only you're qualified to complete," Major Disaster offered.
"Honey snatch?" Ace of Blades asked Killer Frost.
"Fick Muffin," Killer Frost explained.
Ace of Blades scowled which meant Major Disaster was about to be broken in half. She launched herself faster than his eye could see and shoulder checked him into Big Sir. Having multiple broken bones, Major Disaster passed out and slumped to the blacktop.
"Major Man!" Big Sir sobbed, "I'd sorry."
Ace of Blades gave her girlfriend a bewildered look. Frost shrugged, "Idiot man child."
"She's got powers," Weather Witch warned the others.
"No shit," the Owl retorted.
"But not against this," Weather Witch's staff created a vortex around them. Planes had to divert to seek refuge and take offs were aborted.
"We can't stand it either," Owl lectured her.
Killer Frost grabbed hold of the fence and held on. Ace of Blades flew through the winds to grab hold of Weather Witch's staff and snap it in half. Weather Witch shrieked and ran away.
"How gallant," Carapax the Indestructible Man quipped. His armor's weapons array blew Ace of Blades back through the fences. Killer Frost froze his armor and flicked a finger against it to shatter it. Even insulated, the man inside was suffering. So she iced her fist and belted him.
"Muschi," Ace of Blades returned to spit on him.
Gridlock maneuvered his Konstrucker 3000 hoverbike in to apply his kinetic absorption gloves against Ace of Blades. During which the Body Doubles confronted Killer Frost.
"Jesus, Carmen, Bonny, put some goddamned clothes on," Killer Frost complained.
"Not when we look this hot," Carmen Leto said for both her and Bonny Hoffman.
"`Cause less is always better," Bonny bragged.
Killer Frost shrugged and lowered the temperature around them by eighty degrees. They were in a rictus of frozen pain as the frost formed around their precious bodies, "And then there's just plain stupid."
She saw Ace of Blades was barely moving against Gridlock. Technically she shouldn't have been moving at all. Killer Frost froze his gauntlets up to the point they cracked. Liberated, Ace of Blades smashed them in her hands. Gridlock's soft tissues broke off as well leaving exposed bones and tendons.
It would've been in the past that she would've killed him. What had happened to Killer Frost? She didn't recognize herself anymore.
Ace of Blades saw it too. Louise was buying into the Justice League's mandate. And she could hardly believe it.
"Why are you smirking at me?" Frost demanded of Ace of Blades.
"You. You're cute. Adorable," she said with admiration.
"Oh, just shoot me now," Killer Frost groaned.
"Prepare to feel no fear!" Madame Crow announced pompously.
"Say what?" Killer Frost asked.
"When I dose you with my toxin, you'll longer feel fear of any kind," Madame Crow felt self-important.
"Look, lady delusional. My girlfriend already doesn't feel fear. She can crush tanks with her bare hands. You really want to rob her of impulse control?"
They let Madame Crow run away, "God, I hate the new me."
An insect sized man applied electrostatic blasts to Ace of Blades. Killer Frost cold snapped him and he fell to the pavement. Killer Frost thought about stepping on him but she wouldn't.
Ace of Blades was smirking at her again. Frost snapped, "Will you stop doing that?"
Ants began swarming around them. Ace of Blades floated above them. Killer Frost froze them but more were on their way to her.
"What the eff?" she had to wonder.
"Her," Ace of Blades pointed out Ant Queen in the near distance. Killer Frost dropped ice blocks on her head. The ants scattered.
"Just when you need goddamn bug spray," she kicked and swatted away the last of them.
"You will come with us," Mr. Terrible announced, redundantly.
Summer Day stripped naked and transformed into the Hyena. Killer Frost sighed, "The show was nice while it lasted."
Ragamuffin and Baroness Talkuckak the Spider Woman joined in the effort. Killer Frost was perturbed, "Okay, I'm a freak so I know freakiness when I see it. And it's supposed to be an effin' gang bang or what?"
Ragamuffin braved facing Killer Frost while Spider Woman and Hyena chose to confront the obvious muscle. Baroness Talkucklak tried to impale Ace of Blades' wrist with her claws. Her venom sacs pulsated but the fluid oozed down off of Ace of Blades' arm. A single headbutt knocked the Spider Woman as well breaking her nose. Hyena cackled as she pounced but a single downward blow knocked her out with a yelp. She reverted back into the very naked Summer.
"Nice," Ace of Blades agreed with Killer Frost's earlier assessment.
Killer Frost created as ice slick beneath Ragamuffin and she slipped and cracked her head on the pavement. Mr. Terrible pontificated, "We've only begun."
"And you're the prize winning dipshit," Killer Frost regaled him.
Conqueror hit Ace of Blades out onto the distant tarmac. Then he ripped the fences out to pursue her. Killer Frost shook head ruefully.
"He's gonna regret that," she predicted.
Commando Ranger, Copy Boy, and the Owl presented themselves in opposition to her.
"Gang rape? Prison shower sex?" Killer Frost belittled them.
All three were failed former superheroes recruited by Libra to start a second costumed career. So they were each deeply offended by her caustic remarks. Which would've been even worse had she known their histories.
Copy Boy was at the greatest disadvantage. His power was to duplicate inanimate objects with a touch. And he was exposed out in the middle of nearly empty parking lot. It was that kind of foresight that caused his catastrophic failure as a hero. Killer Frost was kind and merely froze his boots together. With an outside intervention, he might only lose a few toes to frostbite.
The Owl wore a Nth metal belt and glider wings. So he soared above Killer Frost. And he would drop next to her. He was a skilled fighter and she wasn't. But when she tried to freeze him, he went airborne, so she encased his body in ice and he crashed to the ground. She tried the same on Commando Ranger but his body adapted after sixty seconds and it superheated to melt the ice.
"Fick mich," Killer Frost quoted Ace of Blades.
The Conqueror had been the result of an early attempt to reengineer Bronski's meta-gene to create a series of Majestics. In his case it had resulted in a partial success. He had a good portion of Kryptonian strength and durability but half the speed and none of the flight capacity. Making him nearly an equal to some of Ace of Blades' own gifts.
When "Majestros" successfully replicated the artificial meta-gene spliced into his DNA, Majestic had been reborn and efforts continued to harness the ability to reproduce it in any chosen candidate. Conqueror had been abandoned and discarded by Sam Lane in his quest to control or kill every gen active being on the planet. The assumption being that Majestic would terminate him after Lane assumed the role of Dictator-for-Life over the United States and disbanded the Congress and the Supreme Court.
At first, Conqueror believed he was winning the battle. But he duly recognized that Ace of Blades wasn't bleeding or bruising in response to his mightiest blows. And she finally fought back in earnest. It wasn't her strength that defeated him. It was superior speed and fighting skills. Conqueror had been an Airborne Ranger and was proficient in several different fighting styles most notably akido. But Ace of Blades had been drilled in a dozen martial arts and become highly proficient in nine of them. The remaining three she had mastered.
So while Conqueror held a black belt in akido, she held several degrees of black belts. And the poor man simply was outmatched. She pitied him after he fell. Which was as much an oddity to her as mercy was to Killer Frost. Still, she broke one kneecap and broke the opposite femur. Conqueror had been defeated but otherwise he was still far too dangerous to leave unchecked.
Killer Frost decided to do her own adaptation. She tripled the amount of cold she streamed Commando Ranger's way. His body temperature increased all the more. The blacktop beneath him turned molten and he sank into it. She ceased hostilities and witnessed as his body cooled in response. Then she flash froze the blacktop he was ankle deep in. As she'd guessed, he couldn't adapt to an indirect attack. He was mired in solid asphalt.
Ace of Blades rejoined her and Killer Frost made a suggestion, "Uh…babe? You might wanna grab your jacket."
Ace of Blades finally noted her blouse had been shredded in the various conflicts. So she ripped off the remainder and donned her flight jacket. But she only zipped the first two inches of it. Killer Frost admired her styling.
"Lovin' the look," Killer Frost confessed.
"For you alone," Ace of Blades kissed her. Louise was grateful once more for Katharina's enhanced physique. She didn't have to hold everything back not to freeze her lover during even the mildest of intimacies.
"You have defeated some, but not all," Mr. Terrible intoned, "Prepare to face the Secret Society's full and total wrath."
"Who the hell are you anyway, numb nuts?" Killer Frost demanded to know.
"I am the great and powerful Mr. Terrible. Prepare to meet your end by my T-Squares," he announced.
Killer Frost burst out laughing, "Are we in effin' Oz?"
"No," he was disturbed by her hilarity, "Now die already."
Missiles streaked inbound. Ace of Blades shielded Killer Frost. Frost panicked.
"Not the car!" she shrieked.
Jetgirl streaked by. Ace of Blades turned to Frost, "I'll be back."
"And I'll be Mozart," Killer Frost teased her over her accent.
Ace of Blades vectored Jetgirl back at Killer Frost. She froze the flight apparatus keeping Jetgirl in the air and she crashed and skidded across the parking lot. Ace of Blades alighted next to Frost.
"You like?" she asked.
"I love. And I love you," Killer Frost shared.
Flames erupted all around Killer Frost as electricity streamed into Ace of Blades. Frost had never seen Ace of Blades go down before…at least not in combat. But her girlfriend was seriously staggered.
Blood Rose leapt through the flames to receive an icy fist in the face. Flamegirl made her presence known, "I told her that wouldn't work."
"But my knack seems to have," Lightning Girl boasted as she unleashed hell on Ace of Blades again.
"Can you roast, Icy Pop?" Flamegirl tramped up the heat as she stoked the fires around Killer Frost.
Frost had seen the MLJ's files on these two. They were bush league heroines that had vanished under mysterious circumstances. The MLJ and the WEB Agency were treating it as a pair of missing persons cases with foul play suspected. Killer Frost intended on amending that theory.
"I don't know. Can you freeze to death, Pop Tart?" Killer Frost retorted.
"Bring it, Honeysuckle," Flamegirl directly challenged her. Then she found herself encased in ice.
"I guess you can at that," Killer Frost was indignant. She heard Ace of Blades guttural groan as she endured another electrical barrage. A conventional human being would been electrocuted in the first wave of voltage and amps. But Lightning Girl was ramping up the load with every attack. Smoke was rising off of Ace of Blades as she struggled to rise off of her knees. She'd at least gotten one foot beneath her.
"Hey, pisser!" Killer Frost coated Lightning Girl in the same. She conducted her next attack into herself. And it seemed she wasn't immune to her own power as she screamed. Poor baby.
Killer Frost tried aiding Ace of Blades to her feet. But the metal bits in her clothing were red hot. Her skin wasn't much cooler. Killer Frost assisted with that.
"Easy, I've got you," Killer Frost tried to be consoling and encouraging all at once. Not her usual forte.
"Immer und für immer, so wie ich dich habe," now Killer Frost knew how rattled Ace of Blades was. She wasn't even trying to struggle with her limited English.
"Aw, give her some tongue," Faceless Phantom urged.
"Especially now that we know how to hurt her lezzie ass," Blitz laughed.
"Now really isn't the time," Killer Frost growled.
Faceless Phantom grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off of the ground, "It's always time."
Ace of Blades sucker punched his groin. He went down with a scream. The allosun he'd stolen from Tom Strong gave him boundless strength but only very limited enhanced durability. Killer Frost saw the unnaturally shaped bulged in his pants where his testicles belonged and she winced.
"That's gonna linger," she predicted.
Blitz had strength and speed to match the fading Ace of Blades. And he could discharge electrical jolts as well. Killer Frost knew she had to intervene. But herself blocked by the gynoid woman called Meschinenmensch.
"Du darfst nicht passiren," the human-like construct warned her.
"What the eff? Does everyone in the effin' town speak German but me?" Killer Frost ranted.
"Pardon. Assumption made due to intimacy with Maj. Katharina Steiner. Please excuse," Meschinenmensch replied.
"Hold the effin' phone. You know Ace of Blades?" Killer Frost was amazed.
"Maj. Katharina Steiner. Enlisted as Luftwaffe pilot. Cross trained with Waffen SS Elitekommando. Enhanced augmentation successful March 1944. Betrayed Third Reich Nov. 1944. Consigned to Dachau concentration camp some six days after court martial. Escaped January 1945. Detained fourteen days later in Warsaw. Consigned Auschwitz two days later. Survived gas chamber three consecutive attempts at execution. Survived body removal ovens for two consecutive days. Remanded penal work until recalled to Berlin May 1, 1945 to undergo further enhancement as principle ghost subject for perfecting additional augmentation. Deceased May 2, 1945 in corresponding with surface defenders' surrender to Soviet forces. Deceased May 3, 1945. Deceased May 4, 1945. Deceased May 5, 1945. Escaped custody May 6, 1945. Irrelevant. Augmentation process perfected."
Meschinenmensch paused to access further records, "Subject Steiner located Sept. 1945 in Soviet occupied Dresden. Kill orders issued and verified. Termination unsuccessful. Second attempt undergone Oct. 1945 and subsequently at every discovery of target's whereabouts 1945-1962. East German assistance conscripted with Joseph Stalin's compliance. Target resurfaced after flight from East German in Belgrade. Protracted effort made to terminate target. Yugoslav army enlisted in effort to eliminate further threat posed by target."
Meschinenmesnch did her odd records retrieval again, "Target sporadically identified and engaged 1962-1989. Considered terminated or deceased by secondary forces until July 4, 2008. Reevaluation of target's worth undertaken. Compliance in joining Fourth Reich revival under Baron Blitzkrieg's supervision accomplished. Subject Steiner assigned direct supervision of agent Capt. Nazi. Capt. Nazi proven threat to supervisory interests. Subject neutralized."
"Wait, how can someone die that many times?" Killer Frost needed to understand.
"Subject revived through alternative augmentation process. Process remained incomplete until final experimentation May 5, 1945. Process developed for and applied to principal at such time. Subject reclassified as target due to her knowledge of principal's identity and continued survival post-war effort. Target status remained in full effect for all agents until Baron Blitzkrieg reported survival and whereabouts of target. Requested immediate reevaluation of status in order to further Fuhrer's goals. Fourth Reich established in compliance with those goals," Meschinenmensch reported.
"Waitasec! What Fuhrer? Who's the effin' Fuhrer?" Killer Frost felt a wave of panic.
"Information unavailable," Meschinenmensch replied.
"You're really not gonna tell me?" she rasked.
"Correct," the gynoid replied.
"Then why are you here, Nazi rustbucket?" Killer Frost inquired.
"Fulfilling secondary role as infiltrator to secure compliance with the Fuhrer's agenda," the artificial construct answered.
"Which is?" Frost wondered.
"The betterment of all mankind," Meschinenmensch answered.
"Right," Killer Frost didn't buy it for a second, "What do you want with me?"
"Locations secondary Halls of Doom," the construct informed her.
"I don't know any locations," Killer Frost protested.
"Not on conscious level. Data implanted via hypnosis by subject: Saturn Queen. Effort to be made to extract said data," the gynoid was utterly emotionless in her delivery.
"You're planning on effing with my brain," it wasn't a question but a certainty.
"Correct," Meschinenmensch needlessly confirmed it.
"I'm so outta here," Killer Frost announced.
"Negative. Target will remain for collection," Meschinenmensch grabbed hold of Killer Frost's arm.
"I'd let go if I were you," Frost warned.
Blitz wasn't Speed Force fast but he was markedly faster than Ace of Blades. She was stronger but that was worthless if she couldn't properly connect. And he jolted her with electricity every time he landed a blow. Killer Frost's scream of pain distracted him for a split second even as it enraged Ace of Blades. Her first real punch shattered his jaw and knocked him unconscious.
She confronted Meschinenmensch, who held onto a limp Killer Frost, "You!"
"Willkommen auf der Party, Major Steiner. Es sollte interessant sein. You have become weak, Maj. Steiner. You cavort with sexual deviants," the gynoid announced.
"You should know about that," Ace of Blades grated, "You forget, I know your primary function. And I haven't revealed his existence to anyone."
"That doesn't negate your impurity. Or you related termination status," Menschinenmensch warned Ace of Blades, "The Fuhrer demands compliance. Compliance and reinsertment into a revived Fourth Reich. You were selected as a champion of the sacred Volk. It is time to honor that commitment."
"Was zum Teufel redest du? Ich habe verdammt noch mal niemandem gesagt, dass er lebt. Der Handel war, ich wache über Captain Nazi. Er ist neutralisiert. Der Deal ist vorbei," Ace of Blades set the terms.
"Inappropriate response. You owe your life to the Fuhrer," the gynoid scolded, "You will fulfill your selected function."
"Fick dich. Or will you send me to a death camp again? They're closed," Ace of Blades dismissed the nature of the threat.
"Are they? Or are they just the ones that were known?" Meschinenmensch asked.
Menschinenmensch jostled Killer Frost to emphasize her point. Ace of Blades' went very still and cold, "Wenn du ihr Schaden zufügst, werde ich den Anführer verdammt noch mal töten. You have been warned and so has he. Und dann werde ich dich verdammt noch mal töten."
"Maj. Steiner, you have endless years of service left to you. Do not make the mistake…" Menschinenmensch's voice whirred to a halt as she froze over.
Killer Frost liberated her arm, "Care to do the honors?"
Ace of Blades' fist shattered the gynoid, "You heard?"
"Most of it. We'll discuss it later. We still have Mr. Limp Dick to deal with," Killer Frost offered.
"Danke," Ace of Blades truly was grateful for her understanding.
"Just…one thing. There's an effin' Fuhrer running around?" Frost asked.
She saw Ace of Blade's baleful look and shrugged, "She mentioned it. And what the hell was she?"
"Designed to replace Ava Braun," Ace of Blades sighed.
"Um…okay?" Killer Frost didn't know where to go with that.
Mr. Terrible encroached with the final two members of the Secret Society team sent to the airport. Dr. Ava Hyde looked harmless enough as did Vapo-Man. Killer Frost sized Dr. Hyde up.
"And you are?" she inquired.
"Dr. Ava Hyde, mad scientist," she appreciated her own humor.
"I'm Vapo-Man," he bragged.
"Nobody's asking, Vapo-Rub," Frost retorted, "What're you up to, Mr. Foul Breath?"
"Deploying my T-Squares, of course," he chuckled in what was supposed to be a malevolent way. It just sounded like he was clearing his throat.
"But he isn't the best party trick," Hyde fished an ampule injector from her jacket pocket and jabbed her leg with it. It emptied its contents into her.
Her muscles swelled, her pixie cut flowed until her hair reached her waist in a disheveled, wild mane of unkempt hair. And her eyes flashed with insanity and carnal desires.
"Let me guess, Jekyl," Killer Frost sounded tired.
"That's Jillian Jekyl to you. Hyde's voice had dropped two octaves, "And I'm every repressed fantasy poor Ava ever had."
"Your turn, Vapo-Rub," Killer Frost granted him.
"Vapo-Man," he grated.
"Whatever. You have permission to show off now," she rolled her eyes.
His left arm swelled to enormous proportions and he slammed his fist down. Ace of Blades caught and threw it and him over her shoulder out beyond the ruined fences. And thereby saved their BMW.
"That was just plain weird," Killer Frost decided.
"It gets weirder!" Jekyl snarled as she attacked Ace of Blades with enhanced strength and claw-like fingernails.
T-Squares engaged Killer Frost. They had to near to fire at her. So she just picked them off one by one. He was ranting in frustration as his narration had gone off the rails. She froze him in place.
Ace of Blades had been slobbered on by the feral Ms. Jekyl. Even Hyena hadn't done that. But even unconscious, she was restless.
A giant slammed down next to her. Vapo-Man retrieved his shrinking arm and expanded a leg to step over the strung out fencing. Killer Frost snapped her fingers.
"I get it! He can only do one body part at a time," she congratulated her deductive reasoning.
"Und deshath liebe ich dich," Ace of Blades promised Frost. She concluded it was nice to be loved more for her brains than her body. But she also knew, Katharina loooved Frost's booty.
"I can also do this," Vapo-Mann touched an as of yet unruined car. It shrank to molecular portions.
"Omigod! Guard the car! I've got Blue Balls," Killer Frost yelled. She adopted a fighting stance. A blur struck Vapo-Man's head and he went down. Killer Frost turned to face the Z4. Ace of Blades leaned against it and waved.
"Grr," Killer Frost decided super girlfriends could be a pain in the ass.
"What? You worked it," Ace of Blades said innocently. Frost didn't buy it for one damn minute.
Killer Frost took a moment to call it in to the MLJ. Then she excitedly drove them home. In a speedy way but nowhere near as bullet-like as Katharina's driving.
She'd parked the Beemer next to Katharina's covered motorcycle at their assigned parking spaces and they'd crossed most of the parking area to reach the stairs leading their third-floor apartment when a musical note knocked them both off of their feet.
Mad Maestro revealed himself with his hand organ. Killer Frost shook her head, "Where the eff do they find these losers?"
But she noticed Ace of Blades had been struck hard. Mad Maestro unleashed his furious notes exclusively at Ace of Blades. The sounds were visible in the air. The parked car behind Ace of Blades experienced a crumpled fender from the force of them.
Killer Frost scrambled to her feet but before she could intervene, Poker Face and Yellow Wasp threatened her. They came from the stairwell. Yellow Wasp went airborne.
"You really want to do this, slick?" Killer Frost asked the rushing Poker Face. He didn't slow so she shrugged, "Yup. You do."
She ice slicked him and he set off a pick truck's car alarm as his head bounced off the bumper, "Oops."
An uppercut knocked her back as Tom Thumb grew to challenge her. But even at his full stature, he was still shorter than she was. He'd stolen Palmer Tech's white dwarf material and attempted to recreate the Atom's size altering ability. What he achieved was permanently reducing his natural height and miserably failing at being a wannabe superhero. So he'd been a prime target of Libra's recruitment scheme.
He attempted to out shrink Killer Frost's wrath but failed, "Hope somebody doesn't step on you, shorty."
Yellow Wasp lit out and she didn't understand why. A flying bean bag dented the pickup. She heard the Trickster's maniacal laughter before she even turned to see James Jesse approaching with a modified M-49 grenade launcher.
"Oh eff, he's off his meds again," he groaned.
He unlocked the M-49's breech and kicked back the launcher to lob the spent casing over his shoulder before reloading with a fresh one. Killer Frost scolded, "Jesse! Stop it!"
He fired a second time repeating damage to the pickup. Killer Frost lamented, "The neighbor is gonna hate me forever."
She froze the tip of the launcher as he aimed a reloaded M-49, "Don't do it."
He fired. The bean bag shattered the ice but stayed within the barrel. The blowback from the gunpowder detonation broke the breech open, smashed the casing into Trickster's face and ignited his hair and eyebrows. He went running down the street shrieking as he went.
Yellow Wasp returned with Killer Moth at his side. Killer Frost lost all patience, "What the eff is this shit, Drury?"
"Tell us what we need to know and we'll walk," Killer Moth told her.
"I don't know anything," she vainly protested.
"We can make you remember," he promised.
"Eff with your own head, Walker," Killer Frost snarled.
"We have your girlfriend hostage," Killer Frost warned her.
A loud discordant wail erupted from Mad Maestro's organ as Ace of Blades, bleeding profusely from her ears and nose, crushed it with her hands, "Ich werde dich dazu bringen, Scheiße zu essen, bis du daran stirbst!"
She took hold his head and smashed it into the nearby wall. Blood streaked as he slumped to the ground. The fury in her eyes should've alerted Killer Moth and Yellow Wasp of the jeopardy they were now in.
"Hostage, huh?" Killer Frost taunted them both, "You two are in such deep shit."
"We need to leave," Killer Moth urgently told Yellow Wasp, "Now!"
They both took flight. But so did Ace of Blades. She caught them by their flight harnesses and shook them until the harnesses broke and they free fell. But she'd ascended while giving them the treatment.
"Oh, effing hell!" Killer Moth managed to shout as he plummeted. Neither of them got back up.
Ace of Blades landed next to Killer Frost and wiped away more blood. Killer Frost enthused, "Happy to see your okay, babe."
"Vas?" Ace of Blades shook her head in an attempt to diminish the ringing, "Verdammte Glocken."
Killer Frost didn't even want to wonder how bad the ringing in Katharina's ears was at that moment.
After a new phone call, the couple retired to their apartment. Only to find Libra and yet another squad from the Secret Society inside waiting for them. Killer Frost was just weary.
"How long is this shit gonna go on?" she wondered.
"Until you give us what we want," Libra advised her.
"Take my clothes off you little bimbo," Killer Frost yelled at Sweet Sixteen for raiding their closet.
"I'm betting this is yours," Lady Zina tossed Ace of Blades' saber to her.
"We don't have time for that," Libra growled.
"It won't take long," Lady Zina promised as she drew her own sword.
"I already called this in. The MLJ picked up your first team. They're coming for the idiots outside. And if you walk away now, you won't get pinched. Deal?" Killer Frost tried to sound reasonable.
"Tell us what you know," Libra insisted.
"I don't know anything," Killer Frost insisted right back.
"That's debatable," he retorted, "But we'll dredge your brain for whatever can be found in it."
"You call me a walking vacuum tube and want me to cooperate?" Killer Frost was incensed.
"Probably not," Libra sighed, "Do it."
Lady Zina been correct. It only took Ace of Blades six seconds to disarm her. Lady Zina stepped back and began throwing knives into Ace of Blades. Who merely brushed the barely imbedded weapons off of her.
"What the eff?" Lady Zina turned to Sweet Sixteen, "Use your powers already."
"I can only control horny men," the twentysomething warned.
"Gah! You're useless," Lady Zina cried out. Ace of Blades cracked their skulls together, knocking them out.
Velvet Tiger and Red Ann were considered to be living weapons. So they engaged Ace of Blades knowing they could use her prodigious strength and speed against her. But she was equally confident in the outcome of their struggle.
Crazy Quilt was aptly named as she threw herself into what would have been a suicide mission before Killer Frost joined the JLU. Instead, she found herself bound hand and foot in ice. Lady Fairplay was more circumspect. Raised with Veronica Sinclair, Lady Fairplay remained Roulette's closest friend. A former protégé of the original Mr. Terrific, Lady Fairplay had thrown away his teaching to accumulate wealth and criminal prestige and street cred. But her hesitation cost her the battle.
Ace of Blades twisted Velvet Tiger into a human pretzel and knocked Red Ann out with a tremendous backhand before stunning Velvet Tiger and ending the struggle.
Gas Chamber flooded the room with tear gas. Ace of Blades gathered Killer Frost and sped her out the front into the open air. Libra and Gas Chamber pursued but a second gas attack was stymied by the arrival of the final Secret Society squad in the parking lot.
Tiger Lady had two pet tigers under her telepathic control. Spotted Girl was a were-leopard. Flame wielded the same power as her rival, Flamegirl. Zebra-Man was a speedster as well as a hypnotist. Speed McGee was a speedster as well as Tina McGee's husband. She was dating Wally West and was unaware of her husband's return to the United States. Superman's powers had been created by an alchemiac formula developed by Dr. Ernest Smalley and intended to by mass produced to create Majestic-level powers in nonmeta-humans. And finally, the Telepathist would the one to extract Killer Frost's dormant memories.
Angle Man joined Libra and Gas Chamber. Libra continued to posture, "You're outmanned and outclassed. Surrender while you can."
Killer Frost glanced at Ace of Blades. She shook her head, "Fick ihn."
"But not literally," Killer Frost chuckled.
"Er wäre wahrscheinlich gut im Bett, wenn er kein Idiot wäre." And despite not fully understanding the statement, Killer Frost was reminded that Katharina was bisexual and not a lesbian. Sexual encounters with men didn't repulse her. But she'd never stepped out on Frost and had been completely faithful despite long hours apart.
"We'll turn down that ever so presumptuous offer to surrender," Killer Frost informed Libra.
Ace of Blades gave him the finger to avoid language issues. Killer Frost smirked, "Way to be diplomatic about it."
"You're making a serious mistake here, Frost," Libra warned her. Innumerable vehicles with flashing lights turned their sirens as WEB Agents deployed beside MLJ agents.
"Did I mention before about speed dialing the MLJ?" Killer Frost's smirk only intensified.
"You idiot! Do know what you're costing us?" Libra shrieked as agents arrested him.
"Probably no more than I cost Grodd's original Secret Society when Luthor revolted," Killer Frost shrugged, indifferent to his supposed plight.
As the Secret Society was apprehended or collected, depending on their state of consciousness, Senior MLJ Agent Jack Strand approached the couple, "We picked up everyone you dealt with. We estimate we have arrested half of the Secret Society based on numbers given us by Undercover Man, our mole inside the Society. From what he told us, they would have made major headlines had they succeeded in extracting the data from you. I think we can all agree that would've been a bad thig."
"Nutzlose Scheiße," Ace of Blades remarked.
"Um…right," Strand continued, "Major Disaster and Big Sir weren't at the airfield. So the Secret Society's leadership wasn't completely kneecapped today."
"Well, if we're evicted over today then they won't know where to find us," Killer Frost groused.
"We'll deal with the apartment's management," Strand promised, "And I'm sorry about the crappy timing. Happy belated anniversary."
Ace of Blades moved behind Killer Frost and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's waist. Killer Frost was alarmed by his knowledge, "I never told anyone about our day."
"She did. The MLJ makes it a point to isolate personal days from calls into action," Strand explained, "As a Homeland operative, Ace of Blades was made aware of the policy. Sue Dibney tried to inform you but you kept dodging her."
"Did I now?" Killer Frost grinned. She turned inside Ace of Blades' arms and wrapped her own around Katharina's neck and kissed her, "Thank you for that."
"Any other plans for tonight?" Strand hoped they could salvage the evening.
"No," Frost answered.
"Ja," Ace of Blades contradicted her.
"We do?" Killer Frost had been taken unawares.
"Rock of Ages. Tonight. Private showing," Ace of Blades explained.
"Omigod! That's a sold out performance," Killer Frost exclaimed excitedly. She'd been trying to get tickets for tonight's performance and failed.
"Wasn't easy," Ace of Blades nebulously stated. In truth, she'd bought every ticket the house had when the show first opened on Broadway. The performance to only be attended by the two of them. And she'd made arrangements to meet the cast afterwards.
"We'll guarantee your evening will be flawlessly uninterrupted for the rest of the day," Strand promised.
"Thank you so much," Killer Frost enthused.
"Danke," Ace of Blades agreed.
After the show, and a nightcap, the couple had dressed down to be as comfortable as possible as they discussed certain matters that Meschinenmesch had brought to light. Katharina began her explanation while trying to be precise with her still stunted command of English, "I was test subject to make a new Capt. Nazi. Test successful. But I was a hidden weapon. After Cairo denied the Fuhrer the Holy Grain, I returned to Berlin to stand trial."
Katharina neglected to mention Sir Ystin and Maid Maleen's role in that, "I was sent to Dachau. I escaped. They sent me to Auschwitz to kill me. They failed. I was brought to secret bunker where the Fuhrer really was. Phony and Ava Braun killed themselves to make him secret from world. I was tested again and again trying to perfect new process. My life was worthless. They meant to kill me afterwards."
"But I escaped and they hunted me until now," Katharina detailed the events but not the motive.
"What was this process? A new augmentation?" Killer Frost asked.
"Of sort," Katharina confirmed it, "Was to make unsterblichkeit. You say, live forever?"
"Jesus. They were doing that for Hitler. To make him immortal," Killer Frost suddenly felt paradoxically cold. Suddenly all the secrets and lies built around Ace of Blades could be understood.
"He has survived as long as I have. He controls the Fourth Reich from within. His goal is the same as always," Katharina unhappily admitted.
"So we kill him," Killer Frost determined.
"He cannot die. He wants me dead if I do not serve," she was glum.
"Babe, you're not invulnerable. It's just a bitch trying to kill you. And if you keep killing someone, eventually they stay dead," Killer Frost had encountered the Immortal Man on his last quest, "Nothing survives absolute zero. I know from experience that immortality ends when the temperature reaches absolute bottom."
"You give me hope and yet I cry," Katharina was ashamed.
Killer Frost nestled into her body, "Nothing to be ashamed about. I think this was a long time coming. You've earned it."
"I have never loved someone like I love you," Katharina was still crying as she kissed Killer Frost, "Does that make me a bad person?"
"I think it makes you a human being," Killer Frost shared, "Despite having godlike powers and abilities. I'm the same way with the same regrets."
They retired to the bedroom and intertwined around one another. Basking in the embrace, Killer Frost cried tears long withheld. After a lifetime of searching for her happy ever after, Killer Frost had it. And Katharina Steiner, the Ace of Blades, was a primary reason. A reason she wouldn't let go of for any imaginable reason. Tomorrow would be a brand new, dawning day full of new opportunities and possibilities. Possibilities that had been impossible before that day.
And now Frost understood Katharina's night terrors. And she was unexpectedly relieved when Ace of Blades slept soundly through the night for the first time in 64 years. It was the fulfillment of the one wish that she'd made that day.