Americana raised her hands to a defensive position as she slowly turned in a circle.

From each corner of the Douglass Community Center's unfinished main room stepped a woman clad in black and red spandex. The costumes appeared to be one piece, from high necks to the tips of their feet, each of a different playing card suit.

And each of the smirking women wore a crown upon her head.

"The Queens of Steel," Americana breathed.

Her first thoughts were that these were new women, same costumes and weapons.

But almost immeditely, she realized that these were the originals.

"Aren't you... didn't you... go to prison?"

"Looks like duckie's a bit confused," the Queen of Diamonds chuckled sinisterly.

Diamonds. British, the heroine thought. Diamond throwing blades.

"An' we haven't even pounded her yet," grinned the Queen of Clubs, rapping a metal Club in her hand.

Clubs. Big. Strong. Stupid.

How did they just appear? She could see in the dark.

Hearts. Hearts could enter your mind, make you see what she wanted to.

Hearts was the one to trash first.

"She is absolutamente inteligente," the Queen of Spades said with indifference, drawing a rapier from its scabbard.

The Spanish woman made little swirls in the air with the blade. "Not so much so, that she avoids this trap."

Americana slowly turned, trying to keep at least two of them in view at all times.

But they stood... well, she wouldn't say casually, but certainly non-threateningly. They seemed content to talk - even Clubs.

What gives?

"You broke out of prison... "

"'Broke' is such a harsh word," said Queen of Hearts cruelly. "A combination of the King's planning, my powers, and the guards' laxity at Christmas... well, they won't discover we're gone until tomorrow morning at the earliest."

"Gone through a lot of trouble to kill me," Americana muttered.

"No. No killing."

The heroine whirled!

The TV. The King was on the TV - talking to her?

"What do you mean, 'no killing'?" Americana demanded. "You've been killing off Nighthawks left and right!"

"True," the dark-skinned man answered, "to a point.

"I eliminated those whose demise would not cause that much of a public outcry.

"The tools I used were rivals for the crown. I used their own lust for power and their total lack of subtlety to insure that you would, eventually, fight them."

The King shrugged.

"And, likely, win."

Americana kept her eye on the villainesses, who came no closer.

"Then what did you mean - ?"

"Simply put," the King said, his features darkening, "It's one thing to beat you senseless. It's quite another to kill you.

"That would inflame the citizenry into baying for our blood in return. We would never know a moment's peace, be hunted constantly...

"But," he continued, leaning forward into the camera, "If you get beaten within inches of your life, rendered deeply unconscious, dumped on the Capitol steps... especially on such a joyous holiday... well... "

His lips turned upward in a malicious smile.

"That would induce fear."

Lurid chuckles came from all four corners of the room.

Americana steamed. She remembered all too well how the last time the Queens of Steel had discarded her beaten body in a trash pile, humiliating -

"Holy - "

The heroine blinked as the realization hit her.

"You've been working at this since last summer!?" (Americana #51 - KC)

"Oh, I do believe lovie's catching on," Diamonds droned.

"Once you proved to be tougher than we thought (Americana #52 - KC)," the King replied calmly, "I bid my time while making alliances, shoring up deals. Thinking.

"When I at last chose to eliminate those who would not join me, I used the murderous Silverback, then fiery Skullfire. Both were planning their own ascent to rule the Nighthawks, and that made them expendable.

"Quite simply, there is no one left to oppose me.

"Save you."

Oh. My. God, Americana breathed.

Roswell had warned her there would be a war for control of the city. Just instead of open warfare, this King had slowly and methodically eliminated all opposition...

So straightforward a plan.

Simple, even.

It only needed someone with the nerve to pull it off.

All right, Americana breathed, she had beaten them before. And they were now spread out across the room, one near each corner - that meant she had a chance to take them down, individually, without the others interfering.

But first, she thought, leaping backwards into a series of somersaults, she had to get rid of the mind-bending Queen of Hearts.

She landed right in front of Hearts, and threw a devastating right hook into her jaw!

At least, she... thought she did.

Missed? How could she have - ?

"Aaaaahhh!"

Americana pitched forward as a flight of diamond-shaped throwing stars slammed into her back! They didn't penetrate, not exactly, but did they hurt!

Okay, the heroine thought angrily, get the gal who can hit you from range.

She leapt over the charging Queen of Clubs and twisted around once, twice, three times, before plowing into her British foe -

Wh-what? She hit her, she was sure of it - !

"Ahhhh!" Americana cried out as Spades' rapier slashed across her back. She winced as she rolled to her feet, only to have a flurry of diamonds crash into her chest.

The heroine lashed out with her leg, hoping to at least hit Spades - but once again, she missed.

Clubs drew back her fist, a heavy metal Club emblem in her hands. Americana saw it coming, she tried to dodge!

"Uuuggghhh!"

She tumbled a good thirty feet before landing face-down, sprawled out on the floor.

"Oh-h-h-h," she moaned as she struggled back to her feet.

"Look sharp, dearie," sang the Queen of Spades, drawing her blade across the heroine's chest.

"A-h-h-h-o-w-w-w!'

She had tried to deflect it - Spades wasn't that fast - !

How could she be missing them?

Were they really there?

Kapow!

Clubs unleashed an uppercut that Americana was helpless to block!

She went flying across the room and landed in a crumpled heap.

N-neither is Clubs... that fast, she thought, her head spinning. Why can't I touch -

Touch them. She couldn't touch them.

But she felt their attacks, even the movement of the air.

Wind wouldn't be faked - ahk! Her back!

Ohh, that pain wasn't fake... d-damn... diamonds...

She struggled to her feet.

Which... meant they were near enough -

Looking about quickly, she tore one of the support posts from between the floor and ceiling.

"Aw, cute," Clubs sneered, charging. "You can't hurt me with that pole!"

"Don't intend to," Americana said tersely.

She suddenly whirled and flung the pole so it rotated, more or less on the horizontal - right toward the Queen of Hearts!

At first the pole apparently swung through the startled Queen, but then it struck something about five feet to her left.

"Whugg!" she grunted as the Queen vanished from where she had been standing and reappeared where the pole had struck - and fell unconscious.

Americana whirled around as the other ladies were performing a similar jump.

A thin smile momentarily crossed her face.

No wonder she couldn't hit them - she was fighting five feet to the right of where they actually were.

Cute.

"So you got Hearts," Clubs growled, her fists clutching her namesake as she charged. "I'm gonna knock your head so far up your ass - "

"Do," Americana grunted as she buried her fist in Clubs' stomach, "tell."

The big woman made a noise that sounded like Donald Duck in a blender, then moaned as the patriotic powerhouse unleashed a terrific uppercut of her own.

"Shit! Shit shit shit!" Diamonds howled in her British accent, which to Americana sounded pretty funny - but she wasn't about to let herself get stung by those missiles again!

As Diamond threw a handful of blades, Americana leapt aside, letting them slam into Clubs' stunned body.

"Oh-h-h-h-h - !" the big woman moaned, lowly, as she sank to the floor, the diamonds sticking out of her.

"Oh! Oh my God! I didn't mean - "

Americana took advantage of Diamonds' distress - by hopping over to where Queen of Hearts had made it to her knees.

"Sorry, Queenie," the heroine said, bopping her on the head. "I'm not giving you the chance to mess with me again."

"She... she can see us!" Diamonds cried frantically, whipping handfuls of darts. "Where we really are!"

"You'd think you'd remember the last time," Americana said as she gracefully leapt over the razor-sharp red diamonds. "Oh, you're pretty tough - "

She slammed into the Queen of Diamonds, knocking her back twelve feet into the wall.

"But you know it takes more than you have - "

A left, followed by a right!

"To beat... me! Especially - "

The heroine walloped her across the jaw!

"When I'm... ticked off!" she panted.

She glanced up in time to see Queen of Spades exiting through a side door.

Didn't matter, she grimaced as she turned to pursue the Spaniard - she was fast enough to catch her.

Oww. Jeez, if she hadn't creamed Hearts when she did...

She shook her head, took a deep breath, and dashed after the woman with the sword.

Honestly - had the King been paying attention, he would know that he'd need more than the Queens of -

Oh.

He had.

Americana skid to a halt outside. The walls and roof of one of the construction trailers had fallen away, leaving just the base - and mounted to that base was a sixteen-tube rocket launcher.

And standing behind that launcher was the Queen of Spades.

A wicked smile spread across her face.

"Pays to have backup, no?"

Americana hesitated - then threw herself forward as Spades fired! Bvowbvowbvowbvow!

The heroine flattened herself att he base of the trailer, as rockets zoomed over her head! Boomboomboomboomboomboom!

For several seconds there was a cacaphony of explosions. Americana covered her head with her arms as bricks, wood and other debris showered down upon her!

When the last boom faded away, Americana rose confidently and casually brushed the dust from her sleeve.

"Nice try, Spades, I'll give you th -

"What?"

Spades stood there, her jaw hanging loose, her eyes wide.

Americana turned -

And her eyes widened as she saw the burning wreckage of the Douglass Community Center behind her.

"Ohh-h-h, heavens."

Flames erupted from the pile of bricks that had once been the Center's second story. Huge holes had been blown in the near wall, remnants of which now leaned inward at crazy angles. Thick black smoke rolled from freshly-painted drywall.

The building was now a blazing ruin.

"Wow," Americana whispered.

She turned back to Spades.

"Ohh, nice shooting," the heroine crossly. "Got any other - "

"Thrnthr."

"What?"

"They're in there!"

Americana froze. Holy cow! The other Queens!

She broke into a run. Taking a deep breath, she raced into the flames, cognizant that, though the flames couldn't actually harm her directly, they could burn away her oxygen - or suffocate her with smoke.

If she was lucky she'd be out of here before - oh, good grief, the fire! The smoke! Everything was blown to bits in here! How was she ever going to -

You're Americana, she thought, steeling herself. You can do this.

Striding through the flames, she went to the far corner, which was still pretty much intact. Hearts was lying sprawled on the floor, coated with dust but otherwise all right.

Scooping up her helpless foe, Americana strained to see through the flames and smoke. Fully half of the ballroom was on fire, and the other half had been blown to bits.

She practically stumbled over Clubs - lying amidst a pile of bricks. Geez, Americana thought as she picked her up - she must have been blown halfway across the room!

It was only when she had both women across her shoulders that she thought that maybe she was making their injuries worse.

Better than getting roasted, Americana thought tersely.

Diamonds - where was Diamonds?

Come on, the place wasn't that big!

Finally, through the smoke and flames, she spotted a white and red sleeve, buried beneath a wall.

With Clubs and Hearts flung over her shoulders, she carried Diamonds outside in her arms.

The other two looked okay, but Diamonds - she must have been hit directly by one of the explosions. Her armored bodysuit seemed to absorb a lot of the damage, but her head was unprotected - and bleeding!

So intent was Americana on stopping the bleeding that she didn't notice Spades approaching, blade in hand!

The heroine looked up slightly, to see the red and black clad legs standing over her.

Then -

Spades' hand laying the sword on the ground.

The Spaniard took a few steps backward and knelt on the snowy ground.

"Gracias... Americana."

Firefighters continued to pour water on the remnants of the Community Center as perhaps one hundred nearby residents watched, awakened by the explosions or attracted by the flames.

Norman Roswell stared out over the ruins. To think this all started with a simple kidnapping.

So to speak.

"Sure you're okay?"

Americana nodded and took a sip of coffee.

Nuts. Black.

"Yeah," she said, flexing her arms. "Pain's pretty much gone."

"Don't know how you're not freezing in that outfit," he muttered.

"Insulated," she smiled. "Including the tights.

"Think she'll be all right?"

"Who? Diamonds? Touch and go, I think. Clubs has probably got internal injuries, Hearts took some smoke."

For a moment, neither spoke.

"Funny... when she was sticking me with those diamond throwing knives... I really wanted to paste her. But seeing her so... hurt...

"And Spades - one minute she's trying to blast me with rockets... I mean, she could have stuck me with that sword, or run away - easily. But she didn't. She has some... funny kind of honor, you know?"

Silence again.

"You're seeing them as people."

"As opposed to - ?"

Roswell sighed.

"Look, 'Mericana. I'm not in the mood for arguing or lecturing... not tonight.

"What I am in the mood for... is breakfast.

"Come on. I'm buying."

"Umm...

"Can I take a raincheck on that? I... got called away... from Christmas. and... "

"You got family. Of course."

"Say hi to Robert for me? Oh - and tell his mom I really enjoyed the Jell-o salad."

"I'll do that," Roswell smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Roswell," she said as she lifted into the dark December skies.

"Merry Christmas, Americana."