DATES, PART 1.
2 weeks later
10:00
If the commander had been rigid and distant before, he was now a piece of ice. The day after the Justice League Dark left, the commander told them a bit about his history with magic, such as how he had met Boston when he used a meditation that astrally projected his body and met the ghost that haunted the planet, and how he had once helped prevent a demon child named Klarion from stealing another mystical object that would have brought mass chaos to the city. Afterward, he warned them that he only did this to prevent them from asking him about his dealings with the League. Afterward, he barely spoke to the Rangers, who found this much stranger than usual. The commander only spoke the occasional word, and at best, it was a single sentence, not even giving the advice he usually gave when training his Rangers.
The Rangers were worried. The commander went from being a very rigid and unsociable mentor to a movie director who only said one word to the entire team, which sometimes frustrated them. The fact that he never told them anything about his life bothered them because he didn't trust them. That, or there was something he didn't want to say.
For Diana and the commander, these two weeks had been tedious. He had thought about saying something to her about the kiss she had given him in the meeting room, but he couldn't find anything he could say that wouldn't raise suspicions among his Rangers or the base personnel. If it got out that, even if they weren't a couple, they had shared a romantic moment, this could upset the order he had imposed.
For Diana's part, seeing her commander's reaction to the kiss and these two weeks of estrangement, she was beginning to think that he didn't want anything from her and that maybe he shouldn't have done it, even doubting that Zatanna was right about him actually wanting her. However, she wasn't going to torment him or herself over this. In the end, he decided if he wanted a relationship with her, and if he decided not to, she couldn't force him to want her.
But it seemed the answer to his question had arrived that day. The commander had received a message from Supreme Commander Lane, who was assigning him a mission, since it was thought that Darkseid hadn't returned to Earth yet, but he could have started the invasion again with what he was being asked to do. Once he knew what he would have to do, he also knew what he had to do with Diana.
With that in mind, the commander called the Rangers and J'onn to the meeting room, and they arrived in less than a minute.
"Cadets, I have a special mission to complete, but I'll tell you what it is" With that said, the Rangers were intrigued, as it was the first time in almost two weeks that he had told them something more than just a word every two hours. That, and they could also help with a special mission. "By orders of Supreme Commander Lane, Commander Wayne is to go to the planetary headquarters to find a disguised criminal who is attacking the planet's commanders" The commander read, only looking at the sheet of paper in his hands.
"So we're going on a special mission with you?" Kal asked excitedly. The Kal who arrived in Zone C almost two years ago wouldn't have been excited about this.
"You misunderstood, Cadet El. I'll go, but with Cadet Prince" The commander replied. This made everyone, including J'onn, and except for Diana, open their mouths as if their jaws were going to drop to the floor. Meanwhile, Diana just stared at him with wide eyes, as if the gods were finally giving her an answer to her prayers about what decision her commander was making.
"Why can't we go?" Barry asked.
"Yes, this is not fair," Shayera said.
John wanted to say something, but he wasn't going to question the commander this time, especially when he wasn't being disrespectful.
"A special mission to Earth Headquarters is a dream" Kal said, but he also remembered something else that didn't make sense to him either. "And why isn't J'onn going either?" The commander took less time than Kal thought to answer.
"Because, if I remember correctly, the first time we left you two alone, an imposter pretending to be your girlfriend almost killed me, and almost did the same to Cadet Prince" He said, bringing his face closer to Kal's, scaring him a little, but his Red Ranger wasn't going to give up that easily.
"I know that was a mistake, but I'm not the same person I was before, and the security system is already in place to prevent something like that from happening again," Kal said.
"Even if that's true, it's something you owe us both, Cadet El. Cadet Prince and I put ourselves at risk because of that incident, and now we're going on a special mission. Besides, this mission has to be kept low-key. If I, or the other commanders, involve the entire team, we'll give away our position. And you're the Red Ranger, Cadet El. If Darkseid attacks again while we're gone, they'll need the leader. I hope this clears everything up" He said, bringing his face closer again.
Kal thought about arguing with him further, but the arguments he gave were too strong to contradict, and he hadn't insulted Lois, or him.
"Of course, she's your favorite" Shayera said in her mind. This thought hadn't crossed her mind for a long time with Diana and the commander, due to the distance between them, but seeing that he wanted to take her on a special mission, her frustration at being underestimated continued to grow.
"Okay, Commander" Kal said.
"Very well. J'onn, you're in charge. Cadet Prince, get ready, we leave at noon" The commander said, leaving the room to go to his room.
"Diana, Diana, Diana. Good luck. You're on a mission with the commander. I hope you don't want to hit him when you're alone with him" Barry said.
"I won't do it, Barry. I don't want another punishment like the one he gave me now" Diana said, sighing, annoyed by her past punishment. But if he says something terrible, then I think I will, she thought. In the end, Barry was right. She could do it, but she'd have to wait and see what he'd say.
"Okay, but watch out for him. You know how he can be" Kal said.
"We all know that, Kal" Diana said.
"Yes, but it's good to remind you, Diana" Shayera said, trying not to show the jealousy she felt now.
"Well, remember your training, and stay alert. If a killer is disguised, then you'll have to pay attention to everything and everyone to identify him" John recommended.
"I will, thanks for the recommendation, and now, if you'll excuse me, I have to pack my bags" She said before leaving.
"Do you think they'll end up in a fistfight?" Barry asked Kal.
"Absolutely. Sometimes they work, but together, they're so dysfunctional" Kal replied.
"Though I doubt the commander will win" Shayera said.
"If you've stopped predicting a fight between your Blue Ranger and your commander, follow me. It's time for your morning training" J'onn said.
"Oh, can't we have fun?" Barry asked.
"The commander is still here, and if he sees that you're not keeping up with your training, you'll have to meet a quota" J'onn said, smiling broadly.
"We're coming" Barry said, his head down.
Two hours later, the commander and Diana went to the hangar with their light suitcases, as the mission would last, at most, three days, and boarded a jet. The others went to see them off, and the jet was soon ready to take off for the planet's supreme base. However, in Kal's mind, he wanted to take advantage of his absence, not to repeat what he had done before. This time, he would leave the base. But he knew he had to wait a bit, or he would look like a child who always waits for the authorities to leave to get into mischief. He would go to the bathroom to call that person.
"Lois, good news. Wayne left on a special mission, now I think I can get out for a while to go to your apartment" Kal said, very anxious, but hoping not to speak too quickly because of his excitement.
"Are you sure he went on a mission?" Lois asked. She had been a hostage in the incident when the commander left the base the first time, and while she would like to return to the base, she wanted something calmer this time. That, and she knew the commander, and she didn't want to cause another problem with a mission.
"Lois, Wayne never goes on a fake mission, so is it possible I could visit you?" He asked, more anxious this time.
"You're lucky it's my day off," Lois said, giggling.
"Then I'll be there in half an hour," Kal said before hanging up and jumping in the air with joy. He hadn't realized this was Lois's day off, let alone his, which was truly a lucky day.
XXX
In the air, Bruce and Diana sat, he in the pilot's seat while she sat in one of the passenger seats, both happy and distressed. She was the Blue Ranger, being taken to Earth's High Command, but she knew her commander had something up his sleeve when he chose her, though he was smart to give Kal that excuse about what happened the first time they were left alone.
A few minutes later, the commander left his seat and sat in one of the passenger seats. Diana looked at him but didn't say anything, nor did he. This went on for several minutes, making it all very awkward for her, but annoying for him. He wanted to resolve this, but he didn't know what to say to her, and she wasn't sure how to proceed.
"Are you going to tell me something or are you trying to kiss me again?" The commander asked, with an annoyed look.
"I wouldn't try to kiss you again, especially when I already did it once and you pushed me away" Diana responded, somewhat annoyed by the tone he was using.
"Well, that was unexpected and shouldn't have happened, Princess" The commander said, keeping his gaze hard.
"Why not? I was unsure how to act, and we'd had moments like that in the past. I think the kiss was a great way to do it" Diana said, moving a little closer to him, but not leaving her seat.
"And Ranger Zatara must have told you to do that"Tthe commander said. At first, he didn't understand why she had acted that way, but soon after, he was able to complete the equation that gave him the answer, and if his magical friend had told him she knew he liked Diana, it was pretty obvious she had told her that too. Zatanna might think she was good at making plans, but they were very easy to decipher.
Diana considered not telling him it was true, but it was pointless, at least that much. However, she would never have committed such an act if it weren't for something the commander seemed to ignore. She might be obedient and a Power Ranger, but she wouldn't back down from anything, not without a fight.
"She had something to do with it, but I did it because I wanted to. We almost did it in the training room when I had to stop Killer Croc" She reminded him of that moment when they both almost lost control after so much training.
"That was just a slip, a mistake, nothing else" He said, refusing to admit it.
"It wasn't a slip of the tongue. I saw you bring your face close to mine, and you can't deny that" She said, getting angrier. She didn't like the way he denied what had happened.
"It was a slip of the tongue, which J'onn thankfully interrupted, and I would appreciate it if you didn't mention it again" He said, and stood up, hoping to return to the pilot's chair.
"How is it that you deny what is there?" She asked, rising from her chair and approaching him.
"Because there is nothing" The commander said without looking at her.
"You didn't like kissing me then?" Diana asked, almost feeling hurt by what he was saying, and scared of what he was going to say, but something gave her hope when he stopped after she asked that question.
"That's not the point" The commander said, still refusing to look at her.
"So you did like it" Diana said, moving closer to him.
"That doesn't matter. What matters is that it's best not to speak of it again" The commander said, heading for the cockpit, but Diana stopped him by grabbing his arm.
"Why doesn't it matter? If you liked it and I liked it, why not talk about it?" Diana asked, almost shouting.
"You've never studied the rules, Diana, and you haven't seen the results before. Relationships between Rangers are already problematic. That's why Dick left, but a relationship between a Ranger and a commander would be catastrophic. Relationships between commanders and Rangers never go beyond professionalism, and if they do, it will affect everything. And if we're discovered, it will be the end of me, it will be the end of you, and it will be the end of the system I've built for everything" He explained, leading her to a wall, staring into her eyes.
At this, Diana began to feel discouraged. It seemed as if he was telling her he'd rather follow the rules than try anything with her. Maybe she could try something else.
"Bruce, Dick and Kory are in a relationship and they're doing well, the same with Zatanna and Constantine. How can you say it's leading to disaster?" Diana asked calmly, hoping this would change his mind. The commander just took his hands off her and turned away. She was pushing him out of his shell again, and he couldn't let her win again.
"You don't know then. Power Rangers work well when relationships are only friendly, because when you're in romantic relationships, you can only last so long. Inevitably, you'll have to decide between being a hero or someone's love. There's no middle ground, and facing Darkseid's invasion, we need complete focus without distractions" He said, just looking at her from a distance. He didn't want to get close to her and lose control.
With this, Diana was becoming discouraged. She saw him struggling to say no, but at the same time, she saw that she could also tell him something that she probably didn't want to tell him what he already knew about her.
"I decided to become a Power Ranger when I left my home and my sisters to rescue Minerva and she took me into the Justice League. I have no problem with that. I don't understand what you mean by causing trouble, but if you want me to, I'll do it on this mission" She threatened without hesitation.
"Justice League Headquarters, Planet Earth. Identify yourselves so we can land" The operator said.
"Now, I'll tell you this once. You have no choice. Either you act like a Ranger to solve this mission, or you act like a child, and that could very well cost you your life. We're on an important mission, so don't be acting like a little girl" He explained before leaving to answer the call and tell her he was Commander Wayne of Zone C.
Diana just lowered her head and sighed. Maybe I should have left Kal come instead of me, she thought to herself, but then changed her mind. Who am I kidding, he would have done anything to get me here with him, she said again to herself.
XXX
C Zone Base
12:30
While the commander and Diana were on the plane arguing about their relationship, Kal was heading for the base's exit, trying to avoid being seen. He'd already asked J'onn if he could go with Lois after training, adding that even if he was with Lois, he'd go to combat any threat to Zone C, even if he was with Lois, although he hoped no one would attack today to disrupt them. He had just left the base when he heard John.
"You're more obvious than you think, Kal" John said with a serious look.
"Really? What gave me away?" Kal asked, quite annoyed to see his escape discovered.
"I don't know. Maybe because you ran off when the commander left, or when you came back from the bathroom with a giant smile on your face, and that smile only happens every time you go see Lois" John said, half-annoyed.
"Don't tell Wayne. I haven't seen Lois directly in a long time, and now's my chance. If he finds out, it'll be the end of me" Kal said, shaking John by the shoulders.
"I'm not going to tell him because my wife is coming here." He said this last bit in a low voice, almost a whisper, leaving Kal speechless for a few seconds, and then he laughed.
"Is your wife coming here? Didn't you were responsible?" He asked, laughing.
"I didn't make an appointment with her. I called her today like I usually do to ask how she and Rex were doing, and she told me she'd arrived yesterday, so she was going to ask Commander Wayne if I could hang out for a while, but I told her he wasn't home" John explained, his face stiff. He didn't like being honest about these marital matters.
"Well, now I see who's the boss in the house" Kal said, still amused.
"I told her she was lucky Commander Wayne wasn't here today, because no one beats him, but she told me that even if he was here, she would have beaten him anyway, and even though my commander is formidable, you don't want to see my wife angry" John warned him.
"It seems you should never make women angry. But anyway, I wish you luck on your date, and wish me luck on mine" Kal said, already wanting to run. He didn't want to waste any more time with John.
"You don't need it. Lois is very fond of you" John said, smiling slightly. "But thank you."
"You're so kind, Kal" A female voice said. Kal gasped again and looked at the woman affectionately holding John's arm. She was black, rather thin but athletic; her eyes were brown, she had a somewhat long neck, and short hair. What caught Kal's attention most was that she was dressed in orange pants, boots, and a jacket, but with a white blouse.
"Are you Mari?" Kal asked.
"Yes, I'm Mari. John's wife. I'm glad to finally meet the Red Ranger who leads my husband's team" She said, extending her hand, to which Kal responded by shaking it.
"Hey, I'm not here to talk about that, Mari" John said.
"Calm down, John. I just wanted to interact with him a little, I've never done that before" Mari said, grabbing John's arm again.
"You should go out with me instead of your husband then, Mari" Shayera said, accompanied by Barry.
"Hi, so you're the Pink Ranger and you're the Yellow Ranger" Mari said, extending her hand first to Shayera and then to Barry, who responded with a handshake and a kiss on the hand respectively.
"Shayera Hol" She said.
"Barry Allen" He said.
"I'm glad to finally meet you," Mari said.
"How did you realize what I was going to do?" John asked, almost shouting.
"If Kal is very obvious about his plans for Lois, you're a little more subtle, John" Shayera replied. "Besides, you rarely go to J'onn to ask him for a favor" She added.
"Wow, this is so satisfying. John the responsible one with his wife here, taking advantage of their commander's absence" Barry said.
"Even if your commander had been here, I would have beaten him to the punch to let my husband out, Ranger Allen" Mari said, staring at him.
"I don't think so. No woman can change his mind, not even our Blue Ranger" Barry said, quite confidently. Despite all the fights there had been, he couldn't remember a single one where Diana had gotten away with it without any punishment.
"You don't want to find out what I would do for that" Mari said, showing angry eyes.
"Okay, okay, don't do anything to me, please" Barry said, stepping back.
"And where is that Blue Ranger? On a solo mission?" Mari asked.
"No, Diana is on a special mission with our commander, they left half an hour ago," Kal replied.
"Oh, that's a shame. I would have liked to meet my husband's entire team" Mari said, a little disappointed.
"I think you two would get along. Seeing how combative she is with the commander, we'd make a good trio of Rangers, considering you used to be one" Shayera said.
"If that Ranger named Diana stands up to the commander like you say, then she has my respect" Mari said.
"I don't want to be rude, but my girlfriend is waiting for me at her apartment, and I'm already late. May I leave, Mari?" Kal asked.
"Oh, sorry. You better go, Kal. Women like punctuality, and I don't want to cause you any problems with your girlfriend. But I hope to see you later" Mari said.
"Sure, then I'm leaving" Kal said before running off.
"And, just like Kal said, I'd like to start the walk with my wife now, friends. Could we go now, Mari?" John asked.
"Of course, but I would also like to say goodbye to them when our walk is over," Mari said.
"Of course, but first the walk" He said, starting to walk.
"Well, see you later, Barry and Shayera" Mari said, waving goodbye.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mari" Shayera said.
"Me too" Barry said.
The two remaining Rangers were about to enter the base, preparing for a fairly calm day. Yes, they loved their Ranger friends, but for the first time in a long time, the commander wasn't watching them to make sure they weren't wasting time, and they could be away from their teammates. They were friends, but every now and then they needed time apart so they wouldn't start getting fed up with each other. However, their plans fell apart when J'onn called them by their Morphers.
"What happened, J'onn?" Barry asked.
"I don't know. There's been some curious seismic activity at the City Hall fountain. There's been seismic activity there the past few days, so this is worrying. Go investigate the sewers in that area. I'm sending the map to your Morphers now" J'onn said. The seismic activity hadn't gone unnoticed by the commander, but since he couldn't worry about that right now, the scientist was the one who had to figure it out.
"Can't you send Kal or John?" Barry asked. He didn't want someone to take away his day of relaxation.
"No, Barry, don't say that" Shayera said.
"You know they're both busy right now. But don't worry, if it turns out to be something dangerous, I'll let them know so you can go help. And if you don't go, you know the commander will punish you" J'onn said, smiling to himself. He knew Barry was the one who would least like punishment from the commander or to see that annoyed look.
"Understood, J'onn. We'll let you know when we get there" Barry said, sighing before hanging up.
"Believe me, I didn't mean for this to happen. I wanted to relax without Wayne here too, Barry, but we can't run away from work now. Remember, we agreed to stay here" Shayera said, also somewhat discouraged at losing her plan to relax.
"I hope it's nothing to get us to relax again," Barry said, before remembering something that made him smile. "Well, if I get there first, you buy me a hot dog" He said, before running full speed to the hangar for his bike.
"I should have known he was going to get his motorcycle. I'm going to get the car" She said, his head down, as he walked toward the hangar for the patrol car.
XXX
1:00 PM
Supreme headquarters of the Justice League on planet Earth.
When they arrived, Diana saw what she never thought she'd see: the headquarters was located on a space station in the middle of outer space, but somewhat far from Earth, to avoid being an easy target for alien invasions, something she learned the hard way during Darkseid's first attack. It was like a large satellite, black in color and resembled a tube with sections of different sizes and a circle on the back.
The ship they were traveling in entered the landing bay. Once the ship landed, the two were ready to leave, but the commander wasn't going to let things get out of hand so quickly, so he spoke.
"Don't you dare mention this while we're here. Being such a secret location, and where commanders' councils from all over the planet meet, everything is being monitored and recorded. So, if you don't want to expose yourself prematurely, don't" He said, not looking at her the whole time, just staring straight ahead.
Diana didn't know how to respond, but given the situation she was in, it was better to follow orders, but not so submissively. At some point, she would try to stand up to the commander if he did something she didn't like, and that was likely to happen.
When they exited the ship, they were greeted by the base's guards, both humans and aliens of various races dressed in light blue uniforms and all with holstered weapons. Diana's surprise was that, leading them, was Supreme Commander Lane, which made it even more ironic and difficult than it already was. Ironic because she hadn't thought it was Commander Lane himself who had summoned Wayne, and difficult because she didn't have a good relationship with him and now, she even had to avoid mentioning Kal and Lane's daughter or else she would ruin Kal and the commander.
"I'm surprised you came with your Blue Ranger and not your trusty scientist, Wayne" The Supreme Commander said with his trademark rigid expression. From the tone of his voice, Diana knew he didn't want to see her again for a while either.
"Cadet Prince is on this special mission due to a previous incident caused by Cadet El, Commander Lane. And while she can be intense in many circumstances, she is trustworthy, sir" Commander Wayne said, maintaining his stoic gaze.
"Well, as long as you follow orders and don't say a word, you can follow us" Supreme Commander Lane said. "Follow me" He said before turning and walking toward the briefing room.
As they walked, Diana debated whether to start an argument with the commander or remain silent. At least Wayne had told her she was trustworthy, but he'd also said she was intense. Fight or not fight, the two men were difficult.
When they arrived at the meeting room, it was empty, not even Supreme Commander Lane's guards were inside.
"What I'm about to say is confidential, and it cannot leave this space station" Said the Supreme Commander, now in his traditional chair at the edge of the table. "So I hope that's clear to you, Ranger Prince" He said, looking at Diana suspiciously. He trusted Commander Wayne more now, but he wasn't about to reveal this to the impulsive Blue Ranger.
"I swear that nothing you tell me will leave here, Supreme Commander Lane" Diana said, her voice a mixture of anger and obedience.
"I insist that she is loyal, sir" Commander Wayne said.
"Very well. Take a seat" He said, sitting down. Wayne and Diana followed suit. "We've brought an enemy to the base, who is attacking us and most likely plans to destroy us all and then destroy this station" Supreme Commander Lane explained.
"Do you know who it could be?" Diana asked, stepping forward to the commander.
"Don't speak unless I order it, Ranger Prince" Supreme Commander Lane said, giving her another angry look. Diana was angry, but she kept quiet. She didn't want a fight knowing this information could help her on this mission. "As for who it is, it could be Killer Frost" He replied, now looking at the commander.
"Caitlin Snow? Wasn't she locked up?" Commander Wayne asked, not looking at Diana for those seconds. He was annoyed that she had spoken earlier without permission, but he couldn't defend her.
"She was indeed trapped, but she escaped, or someone helped her escape. When we saw that someone had killed the commander of Zone A in Canada, we examined the body and saw that she had died of exposure, which is strange given that there was no thermal failure in the system. We ordered a check of the cells on the planet Mercury and saw that her thermally controlled cell was empty. It was obvious that they had helped her escape, because if she had made a noise, we would have arrested her quickly" Said Supreme Commander Lane.
"Darkseid has returned?" Commander Wayne asked. He was already beginning to feel that the period of calm that had existed in Zone C was about to end.
"I hate to say it, but I think it's possible. However, thanks to the Ranger Stone helping us maintain control of the boom tubes, Darkseid can't invade Earth like he tried the first time, so I gather his first step now is to disable the League's defenses before hitting us with everything he's got" The Supreme Commander said.
"That's clever, I'll grant you that, but Snow clearly isn't very subtle. She probably thought she could attack us all first by destroying the base, but a commander is harder to deal with than she thinks, which I suppose is why she took him out before he ratted her out" Commander Wayne said, rolling his eyes slightly.
"Yes. The overconfidence of criminals has always been a valuable ally" Said the Supreme Commander.
Diana raised her hand, she was tired of not saying anything.
"Yes, Ranger Prince" The supreme commander asked.
"I ask permission to speak" She asked, almost gritting his teeth.
"Go ahead" Replied the supreme commander.
"Can you explain Killer Frost to me?" She asked.
"Caitlin Snow was a scientist at one of the cryogenic research labs, but she suffered an accident in which she was fused with ice emitted by an ultraconducting thermodynamic drive, gaining freezing powers. She can even freeze people with the touch of her finger, or with her breath. Does that answer your question, Ranger Prince?" the Supreme Commander asked, tilting his head.
"Yes, but now I would like to know why we haven't been able to find her" She said, also bowing her head.
"Because Darkseid's shape-shifting technology surely makes her undetectable, even to our technology. And now, I've called you to stop her. As the commander of Zone C and the Blue Ranger, you'd be the perfect target for Snow, especially if it was Darkseid who sent her to eliminate the commanders" The Supreme Commander explained.
"And I assume you haven't let anyone who entered the station leave to prevent her from escaping" Commander Wayne said.
"Well done, Wayne. Obviously, I haven't been sitting idly by. I've been trying to find her, but since I'm always accompanied, she can't attack me alone, so I think you'll be perfect for finding her" The Supreme Commander said.
"And obviously, we can't change the temperature, because that could cause problems for us, so you doubled the security in the control room, sir" Commander Wayne said.
"You catch on quickly. Now, if there are no further doubts, then we'll head out and go in separate directions, waiting for Snow to attack someone or execute one of her moves. Even with the surveillance I've put in place, I fear it could be too late and she'll be about to attack" Supreme Commander Lane said.
"Understood, Supreme Commander Lane," Commander Wayne said, standing up.
"Understood, Supreme Commander Lane," Diana said, also standing up.
"I'm going first" Supreme Commander Lane said before leaving.
"Understood" They both said in unison.
When he left, the door closed, and the commander took Diana by the arm and spoke.
"It's best to go separately at the base" He said, already letting go of her, knowing he already had her attention.
"Why? Don't you want me to be with you?" Diana asked, not to reveal anything about them, but because she felt left out, and she didn't want him to take care of an assassin with freezing powers while she was left out again.
"Don't be a temper tantrum. If we both go together, she won't attack and will remain hidden, but if we go separately, we might surprise her. So, if she attacks you or she attacks me, then we'll have to call the morpher for help. Don't underestimate Snow. You may be from Themyscira, but her powers can be as strong as your strength. Do you understand, Cadet Prince?" He asked.
"Understood, Commander Wayne" She said, calmer now with that explanation. She wasn't going to let it go this time.
"You go out first, maybe if you go out, he'll think you're my bodyguard and come after me soon" He ordered.
"Why is it better for you to face her than me?" Diana asked, refusing to move.
"It doesn't matter, and it's better that we continue with this mission when this entire base could be destroyed soon" He replied.
Diana obeyed and left the room. She would fulfill her mission without further complaint. The commander left just a minute later and headed in the opposite direction.
XXX
13:10
Zone C
Barry and Shayera had been in the sewers for quite some time, because when they got to the section, they didn't find much, nothing was out of place, but when they called J'onn to inform him that there was nothing new, he told them that the earthquake was occurring in another fountain in the city, so they had to go to the next location, but again nothing happened, and right after they had to go to another location, and this repeated itself over and over again. Every time they got to the fountain, the earthquake went away too. It was becoming an annoying game of hide-and-seek that they couldn't solve, even with Barry's speed who tried to do it once. It seemed like nothing was going to happen, but just as they were heading back to base on J'onn's orders to examine the frequency, there was a much larger earthquake in Coventry, so they had to go there, and they saw that there was a large machine with different blue sections. What made it more interesting was that, on top of the machine, was a man with normal skin, but with a completely transparent astronaut-like helmet, and a rather ridiculous suit that was mainly yellow with certain pink sections.
"We are the Justice League, identify yourself or we will have to arrest you" Shayera said.
"Oh, the Justice League Rangers are coming to stop me now. They won't succeed. In no time, this city will become my frozen paradise, where none of you will be able to do whatever you want without talking to me about it, that is if you are adaptable enough to sub-zero temperatures" He said this, pulling out a gun and firing at them.
The two dodged the lightning, but now they had to fight.
"Ready?" Shayera asked.
"Ready!" Barry replied.
"Justice League, activate" They both said at the same time and transformed.
"Barry Allen. Justice League yellow" He said.
"Shayera Hol, Justice League Pink" She said.
"Rangers from Zone C" They both said at the same time.
"Or rather, the first freezes in Zone C, because the process has already begun" Mister Freeze said, pressing a button, which caused several explosions in all the city's public fountains, causing tremors throughout the city. After the explosions, there was quite a bit of ice in certain parts of the city, which also made the cold even colder.
"This guy is crazy" Barry said.
"I don't know what gave you that impression," Shayera said.
XXX
13:45
Lois' apartment
Kal and Lois were watching a movie on Lois's couch, with nothing bothering them. Kal had arrived five minutes late, to which Kal apologized, saying that John had held him up a bit, so Lois just pouted a little, but then calmed down. Like him, she had missed him after not seeing him for so long because of Commander Wayne's demands. She wanted to talk him into allowing her to see Kal sometimes, but she knew he could get back at her because he didn't act unless provoked, and she couldn't go to her father because that would mean telling him about Kal, and her father would kill her and him.
Kal was relieved that Lois hadn't been mad at him for too long for being unintentionally late, as he'd wanted a date with her, and was now having one without any problems, before the bombs exploded, causing a slight tremor in the apartment. He got up and quickly ran to the window and saw the ice beginning to form over the city. Before he could look at Lois to tell her she had to leave, his morpher beeped.
"Kal, Barry, and Shayera need your help. Mister Freeze is freezing the city, and several people are frozen" J'onn said.
"I'm coming" He said, almost shouting. His date with Lois was now ruined, and he had to go fight a criminal who wanted to freeze the city. He was about to tell Lois he was leaving in all his pain, but when he turned around, he saw that Lois was dressed in coats, gloves, and earmuffs. "What are you doing, Lois?" He asked, quite surprised.
"I'm going with you on the mission, Kal, and don't complain" She replied.
"What? I'm not going to let you do it. It's too dangerous," Kal protested.
"Kal, the criminal you're going to fight ruined our date, but I can go with you to continue it, and even if I don't, I can use it to cover the story for the paper" She explained. "And even if you say no, the bottom line is, I'll follow you wherever you go, and for every second we spend here, the criminal continues to cause chaos" She added, her expression serious.
Kal sighed and gave up. Lois was just as intimidating as Diana and Shayera, if not more so, but he wasn't going to let her do whatever she wanted. After all, she wasn't a Power Ranger, and she had no protection.
"Fine, but you're not going to expose yourself to danger" He said, approaching her.
"I know, Kal" Lois said, smiling at her victory.
"Let's go" He said, running out of his apartment, breaking down the door again. "I have to stop breaking down doors" He said, quite annoyed at having repeated last year's mistake.
"Then fix it again" Lois said, also upset about what he had done.
XXX
13:15
Amusement mile
John and Mari had gone out for ice cream, having a good time before the bombs went off. In that time, John had told her a lot about his teammates' recent behavior, his recent collaboration with the Justice League Dark, and especially the fights they had caused between the Blue Ranger and her Commander, to which Mari reacted quite amused, knowing that possibly, the Blue Ranger had something inside her related to the Commander, but if her husband didn't know yet, then he would find out sometime later, or she would tell him if too much time passed. Mari spoke afterward, telling her how Area A was rebuilt and fortified, but she still trusted them quite a bit to keep her and Rex safe, though from time to time, her son would ask for his father, but he couldn't see him. She also mentioned that although she wanted to bring Rex to see her husband, she decided to leave him in Zone A, in the care of one of the Zone A Rangers with whom she had befriended before her retirement, but she had to come back the next day because an emergency could occur and she wouldn't be able to take care of him much, but it was better for him to be in the safest area of the country than in the most dangerous one.
"As much as I would have loved to see Rex, I don't blame you, Mari. I agreed to stay in this area, staying to fight a long war against someone we barely defeated. I'm sorry if it was the wrong decision. I don't know if Rex feels bad knowing his father would rather be in a war than with him" John said, somewhat dejected, but Mari comforted him by placing her hand on his cheek.
"John, even if you had resigned to take care of Rex, Darkseid would have come and the Zone C Rangers wouldn't have had you to defeat him. I also miss my husband since he was recruited to be in Zone C of the country, and I wish that hadn't happened, but I also know that it's best for you to continue with this so that the world can be saved from that tyrant. And don't worry, I'll tell Rex that you miss him and would like to see him, but you're busy ensuring our future" Mari told him, looking into his eyes very affectionately.
Before they could kiss, the bombs exploded, and the sky began to fill with snow after the slight tremors. John's morpher quickly beeped, to which he responded.
"Mister Freeze is attacking the city, John. I just sent you the coordinates so you can assist Rangers Allen and Hol. Ranger El is on his way" J'onn said.
"Understood" John said before hanging up and turning to his wife. "Mari…" He was about to say something until she interrupted him.
"No, John. I'm going with you, and don't complain" She said, raising her hand to stop him from saying anything.
"I'm stalling, and you'd better get yourself under cover" John said. "Rex needs you" He reminded her.
"Rex needs both of us, but I'm not going to stand idly by if you're going to fight without me. I may not be a Power Ranger anymore, but I was one, and I can take care of myself. Now, let's stop wasting time and get going" Mari said, almost gritting her teeth.
John responded by grabbing her by the waist with a rope he created in his mind and flying her away with him on a jetpack he'd created. Against his will, he would take his wife to the location of a criminal who was freezing the city.
XXX
21:15
Supreme headquarters of the Justice League on planet Earth.
Commander Wayne had been walking around the station, checking out its various locations, hoping Killer Frost would try to attack him soon, but he hadn't been successful. The place was calmer than usual when he made his rounds with J'onn. He had also examined the hands, faces, and demeanors of the other station guards for anything suspicious. He had spotted four possible candidates, but nothing came of it, so he decided to continue his walk, hoping Frost would attack. He could have retreated to his room, but Diana would surely be there, and he knew that, inside a room, it would be almost impossible for her not to want to talk to him. Nevertheless, he decided to call her to tell her not to sleep in a normal position.
"Are you in the room they assigned us?" He asked.
"Yes, and apparently, you're not coming here" Diana said, showing her anger.
"This mission is important, and that's why I'm calling you, Cadet Prince. If you're going to sleep, then sleep facing the door. In these kinds of situations, criminals even use blind spots to ambush you" He explained, trying to remain calm despite her insistence. Diana was angry, not because she had to remain professional with her commander, but because she couldn't be near him. She wasn't going to try to kiss him; she just wanted him near her, even if no one said anything.
"I don't need to fall asleep staring at the door. We Amazons have sharp ears, not like Kal's, but they're ready for any emergency" She said, somewhat annoyed that he underestimated her.
"Better safe than sorry, cadet. And you'd better tone it down if you don't want to be digging ditches again when we get back" He threatened.
"Typical. But I'm committed to the mission, so you can come see for yourself" She said, wanting to see it, as her walk around the station was over and she was bored.
"If you put it that way, even though I don't like your tone, I believe you, cadet" He said, relaxing at her response. "Well, rest. You know how we work; it's the same as back at the base" The commander said before hanging up.
When he hung up, Diana placed her Morpher on its shelf and lay down. She hated this environment. She was flattered to have gone on this mission in the first place to resolve the kiss issue with him, but now he was acting cold and now she had to act professionally almost all the time. She was missing the base, where the commander was more compliant and her friends were. She lay down and closed her eyes, hoping this would serve as bait for the criminal they were chasing, so she waited for the door to open and try to attack her.
A few seconds later, she was frozen by a freeze ray, leaving her lying down with her eyes closed. Then, from the ventilation system, a woman emerged wearing a blue dress that covered her from shoulders to knees, with white accents. Her skin was white, as were her eyes, though her hair had some navy blue and white streaks. Finally, she wore navy blue boots.
"It's a good thing I caught you first. When I'm done with your commander, I can take you to Darkseid so he can do whatever he wants to you. He asked me to tell you that no one cuts out an eye and lives for it" The woman said, staring straight at Diana through the ice, seeing how her eyes were closed. "Now, for the commander" She said before turning back into snow and returning to the ventilation system.
Surely many will complain about returning Mister Freeze to his original state, where he was an absurd villain, but this chapter is already too long for me to introduce him and his tragic origin story that he had in the DCAU, so it was best to put it this way.
Well, as you can see, the Rangers now have to face two ice villains to prevent them from doing something terrible and interrupting their dates. Now, let's wait for the next episode to see how it ends.
I also know that many weren't happy that Killer Frost trapped Diana so easily, but that will be resolved in the next one. Diana is too strong to be trapped for too long.
NEXT: DATES, PART 2.