Howard was beside himself with worry. Frantically he yelled into the mic, but there was only harsh static in return.

Hands-on hips, the Professor almost sounded as if he was scolding the panicking inventor, "Miss Carter and your man Jarvis are supposedly very resourceful. I'm sure they'll be alright. You'll just have to trust in their abilities."

Howard worriedly bit his knuckle, deep in thought, "I need to help them. There has to be something I can do."

Congenially, Spencer answered, "Yes, yes, we each have our roles to play. So, while you take care of that, I will do my job and try to decipher these odd hatch marks." He grabbed the latest images of the unknown symbols and headed up the stairs.

A distracted Howard waved him off. All he could think about was helping his friends. Margaret Carter and Edwin Jarvis meant the world to him. Honestly, they were the only true family he had left.

With the mantra of 'I cannot let them die' echoing through his mind, he began assembling a device to boost the radio signal. The inventor hoped that by the time he completed it, he would have a better idea of how he could get them out of there alive.

Below the ruins of the Pharos Lighthouse, the enormous creature once more awoke from its peaceful slumber. This time it was to the sound of its next meal conveniently arriving in its lair. Lazily, it waited for the right time to strike.

Her arms uselessly pinwheeling as she fell backward, Peggy dropped from the ceiling. With a breathless 'oof,' she landed in a pool of brackish muddy saltwater. Though not very deep, there was enough water to cushion her fall, so she did not hurt herself. Nor did it cause the specialized rubber suit she wore to activate inadvertently.

Seconds later, Jarvis landed face-first beside her. After a muddled groan, he rolled over. Adding her moan to his, they both sat upright in the water that came up to their waists.

Massaging the back of her neck, Peggy asked, "Are you alright?"

Jarvis stuttered a nod, "Yes, and other than my fear of drowning was that of falling from a great height, so I think I can now check both off my list."

She smiled. Grateful that they were alive, she patted Jarvis's bare shoulder.

Frowning, she realized that she no longer heard anything from the communication device. Tapping the side of her diving mask, she blurted worriedly, "Howard, Howard, can you hear me?" There wasn't even the noise of static, just silence.

Peggy looked above and saw that a stone cap now covered the hole they had tumbled from. Though she didn't think a signal could get through, one could never be sure when Howard's ingenuity was involved.

Tracking the distance of their fall, Peggy was grateful that their breathing masks hadn't cracked upon impact. But then, without replacement oxygen tanks, it hardly mattered. Speaking of which, how was it that they could still breathe?

Glancing at the gauge, she saw that the mini-tank was empty. Cautiously, she unscrewed it, and the valve to the mask did not close. She vaguely recalled Howard saying that it automatically opened when oxygen was present.

With nothing to lose, she slowly removed her mask and took in a slight pull of air. It tasted rank and old, but she wasn't suffocating on deadly CO2.

Though the agent did not know how oxygen could be present, she'd take it. Remembering Jim Morita's story, she knew not to rely on luck. Nor the passage of time for the oxygen to eventually replenish wherever it was coming in from. She did not relish trying to hold her breath for infinity. Regardless, since there was air, there was probably a way out.

Instead of discarding the mask, she tucked it into the backpack she had somehow managed to keep a hold of. Her movements caught Jarvis' attention, and he did the same. They still had an ocean above that they would need to swim through.

Ever resilient, Jarvis wondered aloud, "Now what?"

"Now, we find our way out of here," Peggy replied determinedly.

As she slowly got to her feet, the SSR Agent swung the bright beam of her wrist light around quickly.

They were in a huge subterranean cave.

Jarvis muttered, amazed, "Miss Carter, look at this."

Glancing to where his light was aimed, she gasped at what it was pinpointed on. The odd grass-like hay they had found in the Lighthouse supply room also grew from numerous patches throughout the cavern. Like weeds, the stuff tufted out from any available nook and cranny. The difference was that the 'weeds' were stark white. This characteristic made any light shined on them bounce off brilliantly.

Surprisingly, it helped to illuminate more of the expanse before them. For some reason, the plants held onto the light, almost making them mini lanterns.

An astonished Peggy now wondered if maybe these odd plants were the reason there was O2. But she always thought that plants needed sunlight and CO2 to grow. More mysteries added to the growing list, she mused to herself.

With the chamber better lit, more was revealed. As Peggy looked around, she searched for a way out. The shallow pool of water they were in spanned nearly the entirety of the chamber's floor.

Turning, she saw that behind them was a craggy wall that had a ledge midway up. Beside it was a large pile of rocks that led to the top of that shelf and beyond. Though they could easily climb the rubble, even if they could somehow get through the capped ceiling, they would only end up trapped back in the puzzle room. And there was certainly no escape from there.

Shining her flashlight at the ceiling, she saw multiple cracks and fractures that crisscrossed the vast chamber's roof. She then aimed the bright beam at the sides of the cave and noted that various-sized rocks and debris lined many of the walls. Most of which had been deposited along the middle side of the cavern.

Judging the distance, Peggy figured that must be where the fissure they had circumvented in the beacon room was. Since their gear was located there, it made sense that that was their best option for escape. Though she disliked having to squeeze and dig her way upwards through the crevice, at least by taking this weakened route, they shouldn't have to excavate too much to get out.

Finishing her circuit, Peggy focused on the few skeletal remains scattered about the rocks. Unfortunately, it appeared that not all of the damage done to them had been from the fall. Some appeared to have been snapped in half. Grimacing at the thought of another deadly threat, she wondered what had attacked those treasure hunters.

She hoped that whatever killed them was already dead after so long without food, but she doubted it. It was probably hiding in wait somewhere in the chamber.

As Jarvis rose to his feet, she asked, "Do you see a quicker way out other than hiking in the direction of the beacon room and then digging our way out?"

He shook his head, "I am afraid not, Miss Carter."

"Well, then we better hurry. I do not wish to meet whatever left those bones," Peggy cautioned.

Jarvis glanced fearfully at the nearby remains and gulped.

Peggy quickly mapped out a path to take them under the beacon room. But unfortunately, they would have to trudge through part of the brackish water.

At least halfway to their destination, there was a large mound of debris. And once they scrambled across that pile, they could make their way via the lower rocks that skirted the foul-looking liquid.

Her main concern was what could be lurking in the murky depths, so the less time they had to stay in the disgusting water, the better.

Double-checking that her speargun had not been damaged in the fall, she was grateful to see that it was still in working order. Peggy grasped it firmly at the ready. She just wished that they had more than one spear.

Exhaling, she stated, "Right, follow me."

Jarvis stuttered his head quickly. Though he did not want to go further into the water, they had little choice in the matter. Hugging his arms to his torso, he followed close behind her.

Having no idea how deep the water was, they cautiously began to trudge through it. Right away, the ground angled downwards, and they quickly found themselves wading through waist-high brackish water.

Lower they went, and Peggy soon realized they would have to swim to reach the first pile of rocky debris. Thankfully, it was only a short span to get to the higher stack. Since she still had her specialized rubber suit on, Peggy nodded that she would go first.

"At least let me carry the bag," Jarvis insisted. She eyed him, wondering if this chivalrous behavior was his need to be helpful or if he just wanted something to hold onto. Regardless, it would help if the pack wasn't in the way should she suddenly have to use the speargun.

Nodding, she handed it to him. Then with a sneer of disgust, Peggy sank into the water and began to swim across.

There was no warning.

Suddenly a massive scaly monster rose up from the depths of the water. The immense pale creature loomed over its latest tasty morsel, her.

Peggy stared up in mute horror at something that should not exist at such a colossal size, let alone be here. But a giant crocodile, well over 30 feet in length, eclipsed her entire view.

From not being in the sun, the enormous reptile's wet whitish scales glistened under the beam of her wrist light. She was nearly blinded by the intense radiance as it bounced off the aquatic beast's wide exposed torso.

Automatically Peggy reached for her speargun and pulled it up to fire.

Too late, the massive creature lunged for her. It was so fast that Peggy could not fire her weapon in time.

Instantly the behemoth scooped her up into its mouth, and its huge teeth-riddled snout snapped shut on Peggy's torso.

Had it not been for her suit's safety feature automatically activating, the serrated teeth would have easily cleaved her in half. Instead, the adaptive suit immediately inflated into a large protective rubber ball.

Still, the impact from the trap-like jaws slamming into her caused Peggy to howl. Her back felt as if it was on fire.

Though every gasp of breath brought her searing pain, Peggy still fought to get free. Her hands flailed about as the creature continued to chomp down on her ballooned suit as if it was taffy.

Since the giant crocodile's snout was so huge, it could easily hold her as it attempted to chew through the reinforced gear. Finally realizing it could not bite past the bloated suit, the frustrated creature dove underwater, hoping to drown its meal.

Fully submerged, saltwater inundated a wheezing Peggy. Every hacking cough from inhaling the brackish water was burning torture to her injured body. Thankfully due to the suit's added buoyancy, the massive creature could not dive under for very long. Soon they were once more bobbing on the surface of the murky pool. Another bonus to being fully inflated, Peggy supposed weakly.

Desperate to wound the creature, she feebly groped for her speargun. The weapon was supposed to be looped over her shoulder, but it was no longer there. That was when Peggy realized that she must have dropped it when the creature attacked her.

The anger at her clumsiness helped fuel her determination to live. With only her fists left free, she franticly punched the roof of the creature's mouth repeatedly. But the monster was as obstinate as she was, and it shook its head violently from side to side. The crocodile's tactic worked, and now Peggy was too dizzy to focus on anything to hit.

Hazily she felt the massive beast rise further out of the water and onto its back haunches. No doubt with the intent to plunge back in again to drown her well and good.

Before it could dive, she heard Jarvis yelling something about a "ripcord" at the back of her puffed-up rubber suit.

Though it hurt like hell to reach, Peggy found the cable that would release her. Yanking on it multiple times, the suit finally opened up in the back. Suddenly free, she dropped and nearly screamed when she hit the water.

Everything hurt. Through tears of agony, Peggy did not know how she would get away before the crocodile struck again. And this time, she would have no protection.

Somehow, she found her speargun floating close by on the watery surface and clenched it tight in her shaking hands. She tried to raise the weapon, but her muscles were cramping from the pain.

As dirty saltwater dripped into her eyes, she gasped when the massive crocodile glared down at its freed prey. The immense creature towered over her, and she swore it was as wide as a truck.

She shrieked when its long open jaws suddenly descended on her once again. But just before the crocodile could snatch Peggy up into its mouth, Jarvis jerked her away to safety. Unaware of her escape, the enormous aquatic beast crashed into the water where she had once been.

Pleased, the creature now mistakenly chewed on the empty rubber suit instead of her.

While it was occupied, a distressed Jarvis half carried, half dragged the injured Peggy toward the nearby tall pile of rocks stacked along the cavern's side. Thankfully, this placed them nearly at the halfway point to their final destination.

As the crocodile watched them get away, the creature finally realized it was not chomping on its prey. Roaring, the aquatic monster began to pursue them.

Suddenly the massive beast stopped when it realized that there was still something stuck annoyingly between its teeth. Frustrated, the behemoth shook its head, trying to dislodge Peggy's rubber suit, but like stubborn gristle, it refused to work its way free willingly.

While the crocodile dealt with that, Peggy and Jarvis had enough time to reach the mound of rocky debris. With Jarvis practically lifting the suffering agent along the way, they finally climbed high enough to be out of the creature's reach.

In moments, they sat huddled together on the uppermost ledge.

Peggy was in a lot of pain and, after nearly drowning, was slow to collect her wits. Blurrily, she realized that though there was hardly any blood from her wounds, her back throbbed magnificently.

Soon the staccato from her aching injuries became a less torturous tempo. Unfortunately, this made her more aware, and Peggy wished she was still in a daze. Everything hurt so bad that she worried something had been broken.

Wincing, she tenderly poked her wounded ribs. Relieved, Peggy exhaled a stuttered breath. They were not broken, but they would be sore for some time.

Grimacing, she saw that large black and blue bite marks were forming around her torso. The bruises clashed nicely with the cobalt color of her two-piece swimwear.

Peggy grumbled through clenched teeth, "At least I won't have to wear these ridiculous bikinis anymore."

"And the world will mourn the loss," Jarvis deadpanned, which earned him a small smile.

"Thank God for Howard's specialized rubber suit," she muttered gratefully. Surely she would have been snapped in two like all the other poor souls if not for it. Plus, the fortified metal mesh he had lined it with had prevented the giant crocodile's sharp teeth from piercing through to her flesh. She owed him big time.

Shivering, they both surveyed their predicament. The outcropping they were resting on could have just as well been an island. Even with the many various-sized rock piles nearby, the route to reach the beacon room was still too close to the watery surface where the crocodile could easily catch them.

Below, they heard the hungry creature spit out the offending rubber suit, and it glared up at the humans.

Peggy and Jarvis leaned back in concern when it started to scramble up the loose rocks to reach them. Thankfully, the rubble they had successfully climbed skittered away whenever the heavier creature tried to gain purchase.

Once more, the frustrated beast slid back down. As it glowered at them, Peggy attempted to target her speargun at it, but her hands shook too hard to aim properly.

Lowering the weapon, a trembling Peggy stuttered, "There must be some way for it to have gotten in here. Maybe there is an easier way than having to squeeze through that crevice." With how poorly she felt, she did not know if she could climb up anything now.

Hearing the quiver in her voice had Jarvis looking at his friend in concern. Fearing that she might be worse off than she was letting on, he said hopefully, "From up here, we should be able to see another way out."

Then seeing none, he sighed, "Perhaps the means that it had gotten in was now blocked by a pile of rubble."

"Or, maybe there is an opening under that water where it can get in and out."

Jarvis shook his head, "I think we would have read a story in the local newspaper about any crocodile the size of a double-decker bus killing the populace. I think that it is as trapped in here as we are."

Frowning, Peggy wondered aloud, "Frankly, I didn't think crocodiles could get that large." The immense pale creature hissed at them and tried to clamber up the slippery slope again.

Stating matter-of-factly, Jarvis replied, "From what I have read about the local fauna, I believe this creature is a Nile Crocodile or a Saltwater one. Both are the first and second-largest crocodile's in the world. But I've never heard of one so large."

Through grimacing teeth, Peggy asked, "Is there a difference between those two animals?"

His shrewd gaze studied the glaring scaly beast, "I believe just basically in size. Due to its girth and pale nature, perhaps we have discovered a new species." He suddenly brightened, "Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Just divine," Peggy muttered. Then with a faint smile, she reasoned, "Well, since we discovered a new species of crocodile, we should have first right to name it."

After a chuckle, Jarvis smirked, "Yes, we better before Mr. Stark does. It is only fair, after all. How about Crocodylus Porosus Maximus?"

Getting into it, Peggy proposed, "More like Pain in the Maximus."

Both laughed, which caused Peggy to wince and grasp her middle tighter from pain.

Though Jarvis wished he could do something to help his ailing friend, all he could do was offer his shoulder to lean on. A grimacing Peggy gladly took it.

While she recovered, Jarvis suggested, "How about we just name it Max?"

All Peggy could muster was a stuttered nod. Soon her gasping lessened, and it finally hurt less to breathe. While she continued to recuperate, they sat in silence, mulling over their situation.

Below, the crocodile submerged itself back into the deeper water, and now only its eyes were seen. Never once did its gaze falter from its perched meal. The creature was patient. It would just wait them out as it had done to all the others who had found their way into its sunken lair.

"Poor thing must have been forced to eat those weeds to survive," Jarvis shook his head in sympathy.

"Yes, until the next meal drops down through the hole," Peggy stated wryly.

Thoughtful, Jarvis stroked his chin, "I heard that if you tickle a crocodile's belly—"

Chuckling weakly at the image, Peggy offered, "Be my guest." She was rather happy that her friend had taken up zoology. It certainly livened up the conversation.

Jarvis tugged at the neck of his swimsuit, "I say, is it me, or is the air getting thinner?"

"I imagine there is only a certain amount to begin with." Then, feeling a tad better, Peggy slowly raised the speargun.

Once more targeting the creature, she tried to locate a weak spot to fire the sharp point into. Scanning its body, she figured the crocodile's armored hide would be too thick to pierce. Instead, she aimed for the eyes, but the aquatic beast moved anytime she got a bead on it.

Unfortunately, the SSR Agent could not compensate long before her arms began to shake. Besides her battered back, she assumed this could be due to the natural fatigue associated with diminishing oxygen.

Jarvis noticed what she was trying to do, and he peered over the edge, "Do you want me to give it a go?"

Reluctantly, she lowered the weapon, "Well, only if you see a weak spot to hit."

The crocodile greedily snapped its jaws at the leaning over Jarvis, and the butler gulped, "Perhaps another time. Now, if only it were like the dragons of the bygone age. Supposedly a Knight could kill one by striking his lance in a vulnerable spot located on its underbelly."

"I never fancied you as a Saint George type romantic, Mr. Jarvis."

"Yes, and what I wouldn't give for a little Dragon fire about now."

Peggy halfheartedly joked, "Yes, too bad we don't have any of the Lighthouse's specialized fuel that could burn down ships."

"Well, we still have that animal shat from the beacon room." Jarvis rummaged in their bag and pulled out the dried clump. He knocked it against the wall behind them, and it made a loud clinking sound. Discouraged, he was about to toss it back inside when Peggy indicated to hand it over.

As she studied it, Jarvis groused, "It is too petrified. What we need is a fresh source. If only we knew what animal could do this?"

Peggy stared intently at the bits of semi-digested animal bones in it and then snorted when the answer struck her.

Frowning, Jarvis glanced at it and then realized the implications. Stuttering, he asked, "Wait, you don't think? But that's impossible…right?"

They both looked down at the creature, who roared back up at them.

Jarvis continued, half aghast, half in wonder, "Could that crocodile really have been what was up in those animal pens?" He thought a moment, "Actually, that could explain where it came from. It probably fell down that filled pit we found up there."

Peggy nodded, "Maybe, or more likely, one of its ancestors had been up there. Remember that statue we found regarding the Crocodile God Sobek in the Eastern Harbor? Perhaps that was in homage to the ancient creatures who had produced that miracle fuel for the Lighthouse's incendiary beacon."

Jarvis rubbed his chin and added, "Yes, and there was that tail-eating creature on the mosaic that we could not identify. Supposedly Ouroboros also means the cycle of life or renewal. A continuous source, if you will. Maybe that is why the crocodile was present in that artwork?"

Through pain-clenched teeth, Peggy muttered, "We can figure out the symbolism later, but right now, we need to find more of that fuel."

Looking around, Jarvis then spied the creature's lair. It was situated on the ledge near where they had first landed. At this height, he easily saw the stark white weeds that poked out of its large nest.

Staring at it, he speculated, "You don't suppose a fresh supply would be in there, do you?"

Following his gaze, Peggy sighed, "Well, I didn't see any of it strewn nearby on any rocks. Hopefully, some are there or at least around it. Then we could make a torch to threaten Max with."

Jarvis nodded determinedly, pleased they had a plan, "Then checking the nest it is. So how do we reach it?"

Peggy tracked the dangerous path that led back to the crocodile's lair. Though the way up to the nest had various piled rocks that one could jump and scramble on, they would first need to swim over to reach them.

Unfortunately, there was no way she could make that hazardous trek in her current condition. Though she was loathed to admit it, she said firmly, "Right, well I can't do it, Mr. Jarvis. So, while I distract our scaly friend, you will have to go in my stead."

Jarvis loudly gulped and whispered, "Of course, Miss Carter. I will do my best." Wanting to tell her 'no' was not an option. They needed to be able to keep the crocodile away if they had any hope of escape.

Slowly he rose to his feet, his gaze intent on his goal.

Peggy reached up and offered him her hand. As carefully as possible, he helped her get to her feet. His chivalry demanded that he address her hiss of discomfort, but he knew she would not appreciate it being acknowledged.

Bobbing his head curtly, he stated stoically, "Well, then off I go." He sounded calmer than his shaking knees let on.

"Good luck," Peggy smiled back to him encouragingly. She then exhaled and tried to ignore the throbbing ache that flared with every breath.

Before Jarvis could make his treacherous trek toward the water, Peggy groaned exaggeratingly in agony. She was so convincing that Jarvis quickly looked at her in concern. To assuage his worry, she winked at him and then moaned even louder.

Like most predatory animals, Peggy assumed that this creature would hone in on the injured and, thus more vulnerable prey. Her ploy worked, and the crocodile focused solely on her. Unfortunately, its location was still too close to where Jarvis needed to swim across.

Quickly, Peggy gauged the best route to take that would still keep her just out of the beast's snapping-jawed reach. Then using the wall for support, Peggy began to slide loudly along in the opposite direction of her friend.

When Jarvis slowly moved toward the other end of the shelf, Peggy noisily made her way down to the lower level. Wanting to keep her right hand free to fire the speargun if an opportunity arose, she slapped her left palm hard against the wall numerous times. The sharp noise kept the massive beast's beady gaze solely on her, and she was pleased when it swam closer her way.

Seeing that Jarvis was ready to enter the brackish liquid, Peggy knew she would have to get as close to the behemoth as possible if she was going to keep its attention on her. Wincing, she lowered herself down the rocks further. This time, she did not need to pantomime the pain she was in.

Now, as near as she dared go, Peggy swore she could feel the creature's rancid breath caress her face as it glowered irritated at her. Shakily she repositioned the speargun. It didn't help that its eyes were angry slits that were too small of a target for her to hit. Her usual expert aim was messed up enough, so she did not want to waste the only shot they had.

As Jarvis silently sank into the water, Peggy yelled in frustration, "Come on, open up for me. Roar, you bloody bastard!"

Hearing her friend finally reach the pile of debris, the SSR Agent grinned. Tempting as it was to look his way, she dared not take her gaze off the dangerous creature. But from her periphery, she saw Jarvis bounding and scampering up to where the crocodile's lair was.

Peggy watched from the fringe of her vision as he plucked something near the creature's humongous nest. By the offended shake of his head, she had a feeling he had found what they needed.

After rolling the clumps of animal waste into some dried weeds, Jarvis carried an armload of the flammable nesting material back toward the water. He kept it as far from his nose as possible but still grimaced at its stench.

Hastily nearing the brackish liquid, he stepped on a slippery patch of rocks and then stumbled partially into the disgusting liquid. Thankfully he kept most of the fuel from getting wet. The problem was that his loud splash had attracted the monster's attention.

With a meal so readily handy, no matter how loudly Peggy yelled, the creature still swam toward Jarvis.

Jarvis naturally freaked out and tried to climb back in the direction of the nest. Alas, panicking was not helping his footing.

The enormous crocodile was nearly upon him.

Trying to ignore her injuries, Peggy scrambled across the rocks toward her friend. But she would never make it in time.

"Jarvis, here!" Peggy's commanding tone snapped him out of his frenzy, and suddenly the speargun was thrown his way. It wasn't the best toss, but it was close enough for him to snatch it out of mid-air one-handed. Then, just as the creature opened its jaws to eat him, Jarvis fired the spear point-blank into its massive mouth.

The crocodile stopped in mid roar and appeared flummoxed for a moment. Then the pain registered, and it cried out in agony. With the spear partially poking from its mouth, the creature began to paw the projectile free.

Holding the shat covered hay overhead, Jarvis quickly swam around the outraged creature. Making it to the tall pile of rocks, he began to climb back toward their safe perch. But in his rush, he had somehow taken the wrong path and was soon stuck just below the ledge.

After tossing the flammable material onto the higher shelf, he tried leaping up to grasp the edge. But it was too high overhead. Frantically looking around, he could not find any means to pull himself up.

Before he could try another route, the crocodile had finally knocked the spear out, and it turned on this now terrified prey. The beast's eyes gleamed when it saw that Jarvis was trapped at a level it could reach.

Jarvis flinched when the angry creature roared as it closed in. The sound of the rushing behemoth had him praying for help.

Suddenly a feminine hand reached down. Peggy laid face first on the upper ledge above him. Her arm stretched out for him to grab. Grateful, he quickly used her arm like a lifeline to climb. Though not pleasant for the wounded SSR Agent, all that mattered was that her friend was soon safely next to her.

"Thanks," he breathed out.

Her response was to painfully roll over onto her back and puff out a breath of stuttered air. Below, they heard the aggravated beast hiss its displeasure.

Peggy eyed the smelly pile of crocodile shat beside her, and Jarvis shrugged, "I tried to find the largest pieces, so I might have overdone it."

As the odor wafted off the poop-covered odd straw-like grass, Peggy grinned, "Never a problem, Mr. Jarvis. Alas, we don't have anything to smear it on."

With a sickening grimace, Jarvis pulled a greasy, broken femur from the back of his swimsuit, "I found more bones in the nest."

Peggy's smile was the biggest she had since starting this adventure, "You are amazing, Mr. Jarvis."

While he smeared copious amounts of the odorous encrusted weeds onto the head of the femur, he huffed, "Now, the next quandary, how do we light it?"

After sitting upright, Peggy rummaged through their pack. Pulling out the small scanner, she then disconnected the battery. With a resolute sneer, she slammed the scanner onto the ledge. Jarvis watched, intrigued when she pulled two wires out from the mess of broken circuits.

Hooking them up to the battery, she motioned for Jarvis to hold the makeshift torch close to it. Brushing one live wire over the other exposed one caused a spark. Suddenly, the top of the skeletal remains flared up in flames.

Jarvis quickly pulled the incredibly bright incendiary away from them, and they marveled at the intensity of the fire.

He breathed out, amazed, "I do believe we just confirmed what that mysterious fuel was."

"That and we discovered a new species of crocodile. What a day," Peggy grinned weakly.

Frowning, Jarvis then brightened nearly as much as the makeshift torch he held. "Mr. Stark would love to see this." After ensuring that the repellant fuel was still wrapped up in some of the dried weeds, he shoved the makeshift package into the backpack. Peggy chuckled at his grimace of disgust as he tried to wipe the smattering of brown remains off his hands.

She nodded in the direction of the beacon room, "Well, shall we?"

Once more assisting her up, Jarvis helped her along, always on the lookout for the crafty crocodile. The creature swam over when they reached the lower rocky path that skirted the water.

Jarvis quickly waved the bright torch at it, "Stay away, Max!"

Glaring at its food, the monster backed off. The beast smartly kept just far enough away so it could still pounce on them should the fire suddenly go out.

As the pair cautiously made their way along the water's edge, the torch began to lessen in intensity, and Jarvis mumbled, "It does not seem to last very long."

"Burning bright and all that." Then the SSR Agent risked a glance behind her, and she saw that the crocodile was silently closing in on them. Peggy gasped.

Instantly, Jarvis swung the hot torch in the creature's way, and it stayed put.

In moments they made it to the base of the tallest pile of rocks in the chamber. Jarvis pointed up at the drops of water that dripped from the fractured and cracked ceiling above them. Thankfully there was so much fallen debris that there was enough for them to reach the opening.

Peggy's voice held forced cheer when she stated, "This has to be where the beacon room is." With her pain amplifying her concern, she husked worriedly, "But I hope I had not miscalculated, and the supply room is above us instead."

Resolute, Jarvis stated, "Regardless, we will still make it our means of escape." Unsaid was that there would not be enough oxygen to make the distance to reach their gear further away in the other chamber.

As the torches flame dimmed, Peggy found that her stamina was also waning. Noticing this, Jarvis helped her climb toward the area where the water leaked. Soon, they were as close to the cavern's ceiling as possible.

Propping Peggy up against the wall nearest the opening, Jarvis handed her the torch. Glancing overhead, he studied the narrow crawlspace. It was slick from the saltwater that seeped downwards. Judging by the size of the opening, it could fit one person at a time. The problem was, it was still clogged with stones and other debris.

Leaving his friend to guard his back, Jarvis began to pull free the blockage. When enough had been removed, he cautiously climbed up the tight crevice to knock more away. Finally, he had yanked and dug enough out that he knew he had to be close to the exit.

Sliding back out, Jarvis took the dwindling torch from Peggy and waved it into the hole to see better. Through the tiny opening at the top, he saw a pinprick of light bounce blindly back at him, and he grinned.

Nodding pleased, he confirmed her earlier deduction, "Yes, Miss Carter, you were right about the beacon room being above us." Jauntily he added, "Not only that, I nearly singed my hair when the torch's bright light was reflected at me from that mounted mirror."

Beyond exhausted from the lack of air and her painful injuries, Peggy could only stutter a minute nod in response.

Surprised by the lack of his friend's usual quick rejoinder, he anxiously looked her over. He could tell that she was stubbornly fighting to stay upright. Concerned, he handed her the torch, and she weakly held it aloft for him.

Knowing that time was of the essence, Jarvis quickly clambered back into the crevice again. In moments he began to dislodge more earthen material. Squeezing his way further in, he called down, "Don't worry, I'll have us out of here in a jiffy."

Instead of answering, a disorientated Peggy leaned against the wall. She could hardly focus on anything other than each torturous gasp of thinning air she took.

Jarvis frowned when she did not answer. Troubled, he called down, "Didn't you hear me, Miss Carter? We are nearly free."

Still, Peggy did not respond. Too busy trying to breathe, she did not notice that the torches flame was nearly out.

With the threatening heat from the fire dimming, the deadly reptile would not let his wounded meal escape this time. The crocodile made one last determined effort. Quickly it began to scramble up the rocks towards the unaware Peggy.

NOTE:

The largest saltwater crocodile recorded was 20 feet long. It was named Lolong