- Ming the Merciless develops a weather control device and plots to freeze the world solid!
- After Rick impulsively uses a nova grenade during a battle simulation, temporarily blinding himself, the other kids, Kisa and Zuffy, Flash calls him out on his foolhardy actions, telling him he should learn to think things through. The Phantom then reports that an emergency has arisen; the tropical island of Kata has been blanketed with snow. This is the latest in a series of freak weather events around the world and the Defenders decide they have to investigate. Flash and the Phantom will head to Kata, while Rick tries to trace the source of the weather disturbances, and LJ and Jedda (with Kisa in tow) try to locate Mandrake and Lothar.
The unusual weather patterns are being caused by Ming, who has invented a weather machine with which he plans to freeze the world. However, he needs a special circuit found in Rick's communicator ring in order for this plan to work, so he sends his Ice Robots to capture Flash in order to lure Rick into a trap. On Kata, Flash and the Phantom are having an audience with the island's king when Ming's forces attack. During the ensuing chaos, Garax uses a tractor beam to pull Flash into Ming's flagship, then orders the Phantom destroyed, but Ming tells Garax they have what they came for and orders his forces to return to base.
The Phantom reports Flash's capture to Rick, who is with Kshin and Zuffy, warning him not to take any action until the rest of the Defenders get back. Moments later, Dynak manages to make contact with Ice Station Earth, revealing Flash, who is encased in ice with only his head free. Faced with this, Rick decides he has to rescue his father regardless of the Phantom's orders and sets off for Ice Station Earth, with Kshin and Zuffy stowing away on his helicopter. Meanwhile, with the Phantom still on Kata, Ming arranges a diversion to keep the other Defenders busy and make sure Rick doesn't have any back-up when he tries to rescue Flash.
Mandrake and Lothar are about to spend the evening at the opera when they find themselves running from Ming's Frost People, who corner them in a side street moments before LJ, Jedda and Kisa appear on the scene. After a brief skirmish, which ends with the Frost People fleeing after Jedda sets Kisa on them, the four Defenders return to Monitor to learn that Rick has left for Ice Station Earth. Jedda demands to know why Dynak didn't stop Rick, to which Dynak says she tried and LJ tells Jedda Dynak isn't responsible for Rick's actions. Jedda apologises, saying she is just worried about Rick, then asks Dynak to contact the Phantom and tell him where Rick has gone. Dynak says she has already done so and the Phantom is now on his way to Ice Station Earth.
Rick arrives at Ice Station Earth to find that the base's defences are down. Unaware that Ming has deliberately lowered the defences, he enters Ice Station Earth with Kshin and Zuffy following and uses his sensat device to pick up the homing signal from Flash's communicator. Presently, he finds Flash, who tries to warn him about Ming's trap, but is unable to prevent Rick from being imprisoned in a force-field. Moments later, Kshin and Zuffy are chased into the room by Mongor, who coils his body around them. The Phantom, disguised as a Frost Person, tells Garax he has orders from Ming to move the prisoners, but Garax says he has received no such orders and Ming reveals that he can see through the Phantom's disguise. Removing his disguise, the Phantom tells the captive Defenders to cover their eyes, then throws a nova grenade, blinding Garax, two Ice Robots and Mongor long enough for him to free Flash and Rick, Mongor having uncoiled from around Kshin and Zuffy when the Phantom threw the grenade.
Escaping, Flash and the others soon come across a corridor which branches off into two passages. While Rick heads down one passage, the rest of the group head down the other, with Garax and the Ice Robots in pursuit. Presently, Flash, the Phantom, Kshin and Zuffy are captured, but Ming berates Garax for letting Rick get away. Meanwhile, Rick becomes lost in the maze of corridors, but refuses to give up and eventually comes across Mandrake, Lothar, LJ and Jedda, who have come to rescue their fellow Defenders. Shortly after, while the five Defenders are fleeing from Ice Robots, a roof-fall cuts Rick off from the rest of the group. He continues on, only to find Mongor lying in wait for him. As Mongor captures Rick, Ming gives orders for the youth to be brought to the Hall of Inquisition so that his mind can be probed for any useful information.
Meanwhile, Lothar notices that the Ice Robots have stopped chasing him and the rest of his group. Moments later, Jedda calls out to Mandrake, Lothar and LJ to stop, saying she senses the way they are going is dangerous. Lothar throws a ball of ice which at first doesn't appear to do anything, but a barrier then slams down, revealing that the corridor they are in is booby-trapped. As the four of them continue making their way through the maze of corridors, more of these barriers appear, eventually leaving them with no way back and no way forward except along a narrow ledge with a laser gun in the wall shooting at them. After getting past this obstacle, they find Flash, the Phantom, Kshin and Zuffy imprisoned in a force-field and, after Lothar and LJ use their combat skills to take out two Ice Robots, free their fellow Defenders.
In the Hall of Inquisition, Ming is about to use the Inquisitor on Rick when the other Defenders appear on the scene. Mandrake shoots flames from his hands, or at least creates the illusion of this, putting two Ice Robots out of commission, then as Ming prepares to insert Rick's ring into his weather machine makes the ring appear to multiply. As the Phantom snatches the ring out of Ming's hand, Ming sets Mongor on the Defenders, but Jedda uses her powers to make Mongor start thrashing around, causing him to destroy the weather machine with a swipe of his tail. The Defenders make their escape and Rick later apologises for all the trouble he caused, to which Flash says Rick was only doing what he thought was right. Jedda adds that everyone makes mistakes, then jokingly gets Rick in a headlock, telling him not to do anything so foolish again. Rick promises he won't and Jedda kisses him on the cheek.
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