Isprinsessan
Character Information
History
Early years
Bridgit Sundstrom was born on Praetorian Earth, in Stockholm, Sweden, on June 10th, 1998, the only child of Clarence and Henrietta Sundstrom. Her parents emigrated to the United States when she was five years old following the Hamidon attacks on Europe.
Her mother died in childbirth, and her father tried his best to raise her while working for the P.P.D. (Praetoria Police Department) until he was killed during the first few months of the Praetorian/Primal War.
Trying to make ends meet after her father's passing, she turned to a life of crime as a small-time burglar, targeting mostly industrial and research facilities. One night, she dared to break into one of Anti-Matter's research facilities, called the "Pandora Project," and look for some 'stuff' she could steal and resell. In one of the Project's labs, she was accidentally subjected to massive doses of an experimental cryogenic agent that radically altered her body chemistry. Stumbling out of the lab, she was caught by the Project's security forces before she could master her newfound powers. She later agreed to be studied by the Project instead of being sent for 'rehabilitation.'
Paragon City
Bridgit escaped Neuron's lab during one of the attacks on Praetoria by Primal Earth forces and was soon forced to join the thousands of refugees who sought shelter in Paragon City. There, she met and befriended another Praetorian refugee, Herder 867-5309 (aka Jenny Herder). Shortly after that, they both joined W.A.T.C.H. after being personally invited by its former Director, Hana Yamada (aka Nonohana). While with W.A.T.C.H., she kept the codename she used in Praetoria: "Chillltouch".
She contacted Jenny after her friend left W.A.T.C.H. to join the newly reorganized Axiom Guard. Jenny's high praise for the methods and values of the Guard and the assistance the Guard provided Bridgit during the "Project Hoder affair" convinced her to petition for Axiom Guard membership. Since there was already a "Chillltouch" in the rank of the Guard (her male Primal Earth counterpart, Soren Sundstrom), she decided to change her codename to "Isprinsessan" (Swedish for 'the Ice Princess') - a childhood nickname her father had given her.
Back to Praetoria
After working with the Axiom Guard for about a year, she questioned herself and her place within the group. She made her way back to Praetoria via means unknown to "find answers about her father's death" and about her condition. When asked, she said she found those answers (but without clarifying what they were). She also contracted a rare, mutated form of the deadly Tellurian plague. Her endothermic powers were significantly slowing down the progress of the disease, but a permanent cure was still out of reach.
Return to Paragon City and the Axiom Guard
She returned to Paragon City, sick and homeless. Her friend Jenny found her in a shabby apartment in King's Row and brought her to Axiom-One to receive medical attention. She later led a group of Axiom Guard members into Praetoria to find samples of the mutated disease. They ended up rescuing researchers Bridgit had previously befriended, along with the data they had gathered. Bridgit collapsed upon her return, suffering a nearly fatal cardiac arrest.
Studying the retrieved data gave the doctors treating Bridgit a clue to a possible cure for her condition: the spores infesting her are susceptible to intense cold, boosting her powers beyond their established limits, and should hopefully eradicate them.
An attempt was made using the "Fluid Zero" experiment that gave Soren Sundstrom his ice powers. In exchange for leniency for his past crimes, Dr. Gustav Heller (who had worked on the experiment while with the Primal Earth's version of the Pandora Project) agreed to help set up the experiment, which took place in a reinforced section of Zigursky Penitentiary's "Wing K" Ultra-Security Wing. The plague spores were successfully destroyed, and her body adjusted to her enhanced abilities.
As a favour to her friend Jenny Herder, Bridgit agreed to share her room at the Axiom Building with Beatriz da Fontaine while the young Brazilian waited for the results of the trial involving her father. Jenny secretly hoped that daily contact with the energetic Brazilian would help bolster Bridgit's self-confidence.
When another one of Praetor Berry's former lab experiments, Kathy Koslowski, was found living on the streets of Talos Island, Bridgit, and Bea offered to share their place with her. Still, accommodations got too cramped in the Axiom Building's 3-room, 1-bedroom living quarters, so they decided to find their own apartment. They settled on a 5-room, 3-bedroom, 2-story apartment in Steel Canyon.
The Guardians of Tomorrow and after
A few months later, Bridgit resigned from the Axiom Guard to join Bea's team, the Guardians of Tomorrow.
She was with the GoT for about a year until she turned 21. She then resigned and accepted a job offer to work at an art gallery in Steel Canyon.
Coaxed by her friend Bea, she recently accepted a position teaching art classes at the Young Warriors Youth Center.
Personality
Bridgit is outwardly very shy and self-conscious, with a tendency to stutter when nervous. However, she can also be extremely stubborn when she sets herself a goal to attain.
She has a keen sense of right and wrong. Before obtaining her powers, she was not proud of her actions in Praetoria, and she has been striving to do good deeds to redeem herself.
Abilities
Bridgit's powers are linked to her ability to generate intense cold waves. This ability is always active, but Bridgit can normally regulate its intensity at will, making it more or less cold in her vicinity. As a result of the treatment she received to cure her of the Tellurian Plague, her powers have been greatly amplified and are even more subject to fluctuations due to her emotional state.
During her brief criminal career, Bridgit gained minor skills in bypassing security systems and disabling locks. While with the Guardians of Tomorrow, she helped the GoT's security expert, Lisbet Stedmann, manage the "Warehouse of Tomorrow"'s security and communication systems.
She has developed an interest in fashion and the Arts. She took some evening classes at Paragon University and then enrolled as a full-time student. She graduated with high honors and became an assistant manager at a local art gallery, where she sometimes exhibits her paintings.