Peggy awoke to gentle shaking and yawned. She suddenly stopped in mid-gape when she felt fur tickling her nose. It seemed that a large cat had decided to lie on top of her chest. Wrinkling her itchy nose, she wondered when they had picked up a pet on this journey.
She cracked open an eye and went to brush the furry body from her face. Just this slight movement had her hissing from pain. As her injured ribs and back painfully flared up, the angry staccato coming from them soon matched her rapid heartbeat. Frankly, her whole body felt wretched, almost as if an assortment of thick hams had pummeled her.
Moaning, she settled further into the co-pilot's seat, resigned to let the animal stay put for a while.
"Sorry, I had wanted you to sleep a bit longer, but the weather is not cooperating," she recognized Howard's apologetic voice and nodded mutely in response.
Peggy then realized that it was not a pet tucked under her nose that kept her warm but that a fur-lined parka was draped over her exhausted body. She noticed that Howard wore a similar one.
Catching her stare, he stated cheekily, "Trust me. It's all the rage in winter fashion."
Snorting in mirth, she then looked out the cockpit's front window. From the air to the land, there was no discernable color other than the different monochromes of white. Squinting, she noticed they were approaching a massive jutting ice cap that stretched on for miles well past the horizon.
Peggy figured they must be somewhere far up north, and she grimaced. It looked bleak, dangerous, and cold.
There was another minor shake. The jolting was coming from a darkening cloud forming on her side of the plane. Surprisingly it seemed to be angling toward the same location they were headed to. Peggy shivered at the thought that they would soon be entering something so ominous.
As she stared at the expanding storm, she carefully pulled on the warm coat. She sincerely hoped that the cargo plane could withstand the upcoming onslaught. The agent had no wish to be stranded anywhere around here. Concerned, she glanced below and saw the constantly shifting icy sea.
Noticing her troubled gaze, Howard stated, "Don't worry, pal, we'll be fine. Oh, and as you could guess by your new coat, we stopped earlier to refuel. Sorry, you slept through breakfast."
Peggy frowned at that tidbit but nodded. She fleetingly recalled that they were supposed to stop in Greenland to pick up supplies.
Clocking her silence, he pressed, "How do you feel?"
"Like I could sleep for 11 more days," Peggy rumbled out and then cleared her throat. She sounded as if she had swallowed a frog in her sleep. Distracted, she slowly massaged her tight neck and shoulder muscles.
Noticing her wince of discomfort, Howard smirked and indicated with the jut of his chin, "I can help you with that."
She chuckled and then stated good-naturedly, "Dream on, flyboy. Now, how about you? How are you holding up?" She studied him closely and registered his drooping features and tired eyes, "I thought you were going to let Jarvis fly some of this?"
His grin was a little too pronounced, "I did for a bit, but you know me, flying is my element."
She shook her head at his stubbornness. Thankfully they would be done with this adventure soon, and then they could all get some much-deserved rest. Even though she knew Howard would deny it, this quest had been a strain on him as well. And though he was loathed to accept it, she still felt responsible for his wellbeing. She smiled at him fondly, and he grinned back at her in return.
Alerted by her voice, Jarvis was instantly by her side. This time the steaming ceramic cup was filled with her favorite tea blend. She smiled in gratitude. She needed a cuppa, and Earl Grey always hit the spot.
After passing her a foreign-looking pastry, Jarvis leaned against the door jam. "Feeling better, Miss Carter?" He inquired, and she grunted reassuringly around the mouthful of flakey nut-covered bread.
Finishing off the pastry, she found it a bit dry, but the tea helped to wash it down. She then once more reclined and winced when her sore body bumped against the back of the chair.
Knowing his friend's obstinacy too well, Howard smirked at Peggy's non-reply. Anyone could tell by her curt movements that she was not in good shape.
Instead of answering that question, Peggy asked, "So, are we almost to the Arctic Circle? I hope you have enough petrol for the journey, Howard."
Smiling at her perseverance, Howard grinned, "Yup, Peg. We can easily make it there and then back to the base in Teterboro, Greenland."
"Good, good," she commented and sipped the musty-flavored caffeinated drink. With a nod of thanks to Jarvis, she then took the three aspirin he offered and washed them down with more of the hot brew.
Howard nodded, "Yeah, that gathering storm is where the coordinates said to go. We should be there in about thirty minutes."
Peggy sighed that the oncoming dangerous tempest was right where they needed to land. This whole adventure had been about how close they could get to being killed daily. Deciding not to dwell on the obvious, she asked instead, "Any trouble?"
After wiping away the condensation, Peggy glanced out the small side window as if expecting a problem to just fly right at them. She only saw a light drift of snow billowing against the right wing, the single engine's propeller spinning merrily.
An exhausted Howard blinked his eyes rapidly as he forcibly widened them. He murmured, "No, so far, we are in the clear."
Suddenly, both Dmitri and Zdenka poked their heads in next to Jarvis. They looked like a comical three-headed monster as they all tried to jam themselves into the small entryway.
A bit too merrily, Howard called over his shoulders to the Russians, "Hey Dr. Z, tell Sleeping Beauty here what you told us earlier."
Peggy quirked a frown at the hesitant Russian and asked, "So what is it, Doctor? Some lost tomb or something else that we will soon encounter?"
Zdenka focused on her and stated, "Actually, after we figured out that it was the North Pole, pieces began to fall into place. This destination sounded familiar, and in looking over my notes and conferring with Dmitri, I now remember why. We might have figured out what Zemo hopes to find."
Peggy held up her empty teacup to stop any comments until it had been refilled.
After Jarvis dutifully did so, she nodded her thanks to him and then raised an eyebrow signifying for Zdenka to continue.
Surprisingly, Zdenka did not start but instead deferred to Dmitri. The handsome Russian man cleared his throat and began, "Sorry, first you need some background information. Before working with Zdenka, I had been part of the Russian team that had invaded the secret Nazi base in Alexandra Land, Greenland."
After a sip of tea, Peggy pursed her lips. "Hum, I remember hearing a little about that." She vaguely recalled something about the Russian allies destroying a secret base located far up north in 1944. She peered at him shrewdly.
The Russian nodded, "It turned out that not only was Hitler using that base to plan military movements, he also had them tracking down possible ancient relics in that region." As if suddenly assailed by a bad memory, he paled.
After taking a moment to collect himself, he continued, "The files we uncovered there were what got our government interested in finding dangerous artifacts. That was when Zdenka and I started working together."
Thinking about the possibilities, Peggy nodded. She wondered out loud, "Any idea how the Nazis and Hydra even knew to look in that area to begin with?"
Zdenka cleared her throat and appeared a bit apprehensive to reveal her answer. Finally, she stated, "As you might already know, the Nazis believed in esoteric occultism. They figured that arcane mysticism would lead them to a means to conquer us all."
"You'll love this, Peg." Howard chimed.
Sighing, Peggy felt a headache coming on, and she rubbed her temples. She said tiredly, "Go ahead, Doctor."
Zdenka grimaced and began, "Please bear with me on this, but I think this theory connects to why the Nazis had a base near the North Pole. In the late 1800s, the Russian philosopher Helena Blavatsky incorporated religious cosmology with ancient historical texts to explain our origins. Blavatsky's writing started a movement called Theosophy. It is the belief that human evolution stemmed from what was called the Root Races."
It all sounded somewhat familiar to Peggy. Frowning, she verbalized her thoughts, "Didn't that have something to do with the first race being Gods? And then each subsequent evolutionary stage had them lessening in power until we eventually came about."
Smiling, Zdenka nodded. "Yes, and Blavatsky took a lot of her theory regarding the giant Gods from the Babylon's and other ancient cultural beliefs. Then over the course of decades, her philosophy was used by many to support their ideologies. Alas, as usual, when it came to the Nazis, they perverted it to suit their own prejudices. See, according to Theosophy, the only way a new and pure human stage of evolution can begin is if a major catastrophe or cataclysm occurs."
The Russian's normally calm demeanor quickly changed to anger, "The Nazis believed that once we were extinct, man will once more be reborn, but this time even better, purer."
Peggy cursed. So that was what that bastard Zemo was going on about back on the blimp. She felt sickened at the thought of his twisted need for eugenics and was more determined than ever to keep that bastard from finishing his plans. Peggy murmured, "Though I appreciate the theological discussion, Doctor, how does all this connect?"
After a sigh, Zdenka replied, "Well, supposedly, these older Root Races had many powerful artifacts. The Nazis believed that when they found these deadly objects, they could use them in their quest to bring about the next stage of evolution. The sixth sub-race of the untainted Aryan people."
Scowling, Peggy bitterly recalled how the Red Skull had used an ancient relic, the Tesseract, in an attempt at world annihilation. Shaking her head in disbelief, she knew Hitler and the Red Skull had been insane, but Zemo's plan was pure madness.
Zdenka added, "According to Theosophy, the second God-like Root Race was the Hyperboreans, and they resided in the Arctic Circle."
Groaning, Peggy asked, "Do you have any idea what these deadly devices could be?"
Exhaling, Zdenka replied, "Earlier, you said that Zemo had gloated about finding the ultimate weapon of destruction. Perhaps he meant the Helmet of Power. It was linked to the Root Race called the Lemurians."
Jarvis piped in, "Helmet of Power seems a bit too on the nose if you ask me."
Grinning, the Russian Doctor added, "Yes, and it was said that this ancient device led to the Lemuria civilization's downfall. Allegedly their ruin was due to this omnipotent object being able to do whatever the wearer wished. In this case, it was their megalomaniac King."
Howard sneered, "Yeah, that sounds like the sort of ego trip Zemo would revel in."
Digging her fingertips into her temple, Peggy said, "I am afraid to ask, but the Lemurians?"
Off-handed, Zdenka said, "They were the third Root Race right after the Hyperboreans. Then after the Lemurians, there were the Atlanteans. But, though they were very similar to humans, they were not pure. Thus that brings us to our present epoch of the fifth race, known as Aryans, which we are all currently a lesser sub root of."
Nodding grimly, Peggy muttered, "And once we are wiped out, a more superior human race will be born."
"Yes, the "higher race" will ascend into the sixth subrace of the Aryan root race and will be in its purest form."
Exhaling, Peggy stated, "Alright, so we are possibly looking for this Lemurian object up North."
Zdenka confirmed softly, "Or any ancient relic that could destroy us all. If not the Helmet of Power, it could be a device that is strong enough to cause earthquakes or worse."
Peggy sighed, "Much like what had mysteriously toppled many of the Wonders."
Zdenka confirmed, "Yes, I am afraid so. For all we know, whatever is up here could weaponize the world against us."
"It just all seems so fantastic," Jarvis murmured.
Howard nodded stoutly in agreement.
Zdenka shrugged, "Well, part of Theosophy ideologies are based on ancient historical texts and hearsay. And like all stories, there is the combination of truth as well as fiction involved."
Peggy rubbed her neck in frustration. There were still too many unknowns involved for her liking.
Dmitri smirked, "Comrade, Peggy. You seem to be taking all of this rather well."
"After all craziness we have been through, I have learned to accept it."
"See, I knew your old spontaneous self would eventually rear itself up because of this trip," Howard said with a grin.
If Peggy had the energy, she would have wiped that smile right off his face. Instead, she just huffed.
Alas, any further comments were cut off when the plane suddenly banked sharply. Howard cursed as he steadied the controls. He sounded almost accusatory, "Damn, that snowstorm is coming at us fast."
Ahead, Peggy noticed that a part of the storm was leaking away from the larger turbulent section. It was now coming straight for their plane, almost as if it had been purposely sent their way. Shuddering, she hoped that the earth was not being weaponized against them all now.
The plane once more dipped dangerously, nearly sending the three in the doorway crashing into the cockpit's controls.
As Howard wrestled with the wheel, he yelled, "Everyone better strap in. I'll head us up over the clouds and out of its way."
The Russians and Jarvis rushed to the seats nearest the front of the plane and did as he ordered. Peggy stayed where she was but locked the belt tight across her lap.
Finally getting the plane above the threatening clouds, Howard sat straight in his seat, relieved. Though the strong winds still buffeted against them, it was manageable. He grinned cockily to Peggy as if to say, 'I got this.'
Then multiple distinctive loud thuds landed on the roof of the cargo plane. Peggy and Howard looked at one another in surprise.
"Think we hit some birds?" Peggy asked, unsure.
Howard glanced over to her and murmured, "I don't think penguins can fly this high up."
"Nor this far North," Peggy countered cheekily.
Before Howard could chuckle, a loud bang reverberated from Peggy's side of the plane. It sounded as if it came from the wing where the single-engine propeller was located.
Suddenly the warning indicator on the control panel began blinking for that engine. Howard flicked his fingertips against those gauges hoping to clear it, mumbling, "The cold could be affecting them."
His actions had the opposite effect, for the red flashing light became solid. "Whatever we hit is causing us to leak fuel and fast." He frowned and then looked at Peggy.
Grimly understanding what he wanted, she turned to peek out her window to view the wing.
After rubbing the condensation from the small window pane beside her once more, she glanced out and did a double-take. What she saw couldn't be right.
It appeared that a cowled Baron Zemo was somehow on the wing, stomping on the curved panel that covered the propeller's engine. The metal was being effortlessly bent with each kick, and the plane shuddered from every hit. Behind the villain, petrol was spraying from a boot size hole in the wing.
She gasped when the hooded man looked up at her and waved merrily. Even with his face covered, Peggy knew he was grinning madly at her.
"That's not possible," she muttered. She gaped when Zemo stooped over the dented cover and yanked it off. As he ripped out wires, a puff of smoke erupted from the mechanism, and the propeller began to lose its rhythmic spinning.
Her mind tried to comprehend this insane situation. Then a sick thought crept into her muddled brain. It seemed that Zemo had perfected his next generation of robots after all. But this time, he had used himself as the template! Peggy glared at the one on her side of the plane and growled, "That egotistical bastard."
There was a slight panic in his voice when Howard yelled, "What the hell is going on?" He now fought the controls as that right engine continued to seize intermittently.
Peggy shook her head and murmured, "We have gremlins. Check your side of the plane."
"What?" Not believing her, he then looked out his window. His eyes bugged out when he saw another Baron Zemo strolling on the wing, headed toward the left propeller. In moments, he was over the covered engine. Then the purpled cowled villain started to punch it, easily crumpling the protective metal barrier around the motor.
Resigned, a sighing Howard stated, "I got one on my side too."
As if they had overheard them, the masked fiends ripped off their hoods, revealing a youthful Baron Zemo underneath. They both chortled merrily at the human's plight.
Howard scoffed, irritated, "Damn, just how many of those robots did he make?"
Their unexpected arrival was instantly forgotten when all the robots' damage caused the plane to dip again. Howard wrestled the wheel and hollered to Peggy, "They must have been trailing us to find the final location."
She spat back, "And we led them right to it!"
Straining forward to peer out the front window, Peggy tried to spot any planes around them. Instead, all she saw were the darkening clouds. Due to all the damage being done, they had to once more dip under the turbulent storm. Between the nasty weather and the robotic Baron's destruction, things did not look good for them now.
Snarling, Peggy asked, "Where do you think papa Zemo and son are?" She wondered if they threatened the Baron's plane, it would force the robots to retreat.
Grimacing, Howard glanced upwards as if he could see through the thick angry clouds that buffeted against them, "Probably on a faster ride. I bet after he dropped off this 'cargo' onto our plane, he is staying safely above this storm."
Yes, she thought angrily, as she spied the tempest that seemed to be targeting them only.
The cargo plane was now violently shimming, and Peggy had no idea how Howard was keeping them from crashing. Every now and then, they would dive downwards, further losing altitude and getting closer to the icy surface of the Arctic land below.
Somehow Howard was able to pull the plane upwards again, but it took quite an effort.
Howard snapped, "We have to knock those bots off now." He asked Peggy through gritted teeth, "Everyone strapped in?"
After a quick check, she nodded, "Yes."
"All right, we do this my way. Everyone, hold on!" Taking a breath to steel himself, he proceeded to do some dangerous evasive maneuvers. The large cargo plane could barely perform these aerial acrobatics that Howard was putting it through. Still, he could not shake these mechanized gremlins off.
Howard grumbled, "They must be using those damn magnetic boots again."
After he righted the plane, a green Peggy asked, "Are there any armaments on board?"
"Sorry, no." Clocking her eye roll, Howard shrugged, "Hey, this plane had been decommissioned after the war and stripped of all weaponry." He smirked when he heard her exasperated sigh, "Well, I certainly did not expect this to happen when I borrowed it."
As the plane began to shake more, Peggy wished she still had her shotgun. Hell, next time, she was packing her bazooka.
They then heard a third set of heavy boot steps retreating toward the rear of the plane. There was a high-pitched squeal as if the plane's tail was being ripped apart. Howard groaned in unison with the vibrating plane, "There are three of them? Crap!"
Dmitri called from the back, "Ty che, blyad is going on?" [What the fuck]
Peggy shouted over her shoulder, "We seemed to have picked up a few extra passengers."
Jarvis piped worriedly, "Oh heavens!"
Confident, Dmitri declared, "Well, they dare not kill us. They do not have the exact coordinates for the last location."
Another alarm went off on the control panel, and Howard cursed. He was having a hell of a time keeping the plane in the air.
All screamed when they suddenly dropped. After a major effort, Howard was able to level them out. He sneered over his shoulder, "You shouldn't tempt fate like that, comrade. They want us dead."
Looking back to the fuselage, Peggy yelled to her friends, "They must already know where to go, but how?" She glanced over at Howard, "Could they have put a tracking chip on the plane."
He shook his head, "I never lost sight of this baby. Besides, they wouldn't be confident enough to crash us unless they knew the exact coordinates to land at. My guess is that one of us has some sort of listening device on 'em. We probably got it while we were on Zemo's blimp."
Peggy frowned. She recalled that the first 'bug' used was by the Soviets when they hid one in the Great Seal for the US Ambassador's office in 1945. But they were large and cumbersome. She patted herself down and said, "Well, I have nothing in my pockets, so—"
She glanced at the others, and they shrugged. As they began to look about their persons, the smug, muffled voice of the Baron came from inside Zdenka's prized locket, "You five are clever, but you can never outsmart me."
All were shocked, and they looked at Zdenka in surprise.
With trembling hands, Zdenka carefully opened her locket. Inside was a small flat beeping device.
Peggy was amazed that Zemo could miniaturize something that was usually so much bigger.
Zemo's voice gloated at them from the tiny device, "I am glad that I let you finish the Wonders for me, but now I will take over. Auf Wiedersehen, comrades."
As he chuckled merrily, Zdenka quickly pried the minuscule listening device out of her locket and then stomped on it.
Instantly, they felt the plane shimmy as these new and improved Man-droids went back to destroying their transport. The propeller on Howard's side began to seize.
Once more, the plane angled dangerously downwards, the snowy ground looming up toward them.
Howard barely straightened the plane again and pulled up on the wheel. His eyes were the size of saucers, and he looked anxiously at Peggy. Panic was setting in. The plane couldn't take much more damage, and even his formidable skills would not prevent them from crashing.
