Trying his best to mask his fear, Howard warned through clenched teeth, "If you got any ideas, Peg, you best use em now."
Hanging on tightly as the plane dipped drastically again, Peggy asked, "Can you safely land us?"
Once more pulling them up from certain doom, Howard shook his head and admitted, "Between this severe storm and the damage they did to the plane, I can't guarantee we'd survive in one piece. Those bots certainly knew how to cripple our chances."
Peggy pursed her lips. For the boastful Howard to confess such a thing meant that things were direr than she had first imagined. A thought occurred to her, "Do we have parachutes?"
Howard nodded, "Yeah, there should be some in the back. I wish we were closer to our destination to make the trek easier for you guys. I programmed the scanner to act as a compass, and it will direct you to the exact center of the North Pole's axis. Unfortunately, from the constant punishment, that's about all it is good for."
Peggy became suspicious, "What do you mean, you guys? Can't you put this thing on autopilot?"
As the plane began to slowly angle downwards from the robot's destructive actions, Howard shook his head, "This plane is too old to be equipped with the latest technology."
Understanding the implications, Peggy snapped at him, "Well, I am not leaving you to die. We will just have to find another way." Desperate, she quickly glanced around the plane's cockpit. Looking into the aft compartment, her gaze focused on the clear half-bubbled astrodome above.
Howard saw what she had honed in on and mocked, "What, you gonna chart our way out of this, pal?"
Ignoring his sarcasm, Peggy rooted under her seat and came upon the emergency pack. Opening it, she was relieved that the contents had not been gutted. Pulling free the flare gun, she loaded it quickly. Unfortunately, they only had two flares, so she knew she had to make them count.
Peggy grimaced when her sore body protested as she unlatched her seat belt. Glancing at Howard and then to the turret, he nodded quickly at her silent resolve. He yelled over his shoulder, "Jarvis, help her!"
As the dutiful butler stumbled forward, he flinched when he saw the flare gun in Peggy's hand and the determined look in her eyes.
Gulping, he then assisted her from her chair and up into the small glass dome. It afforded Peggy a 360-degree view, and she sneered at the three mechanical Baron Zemo's who continued to merrily try to crash them.
Seeing how stiffly Peggy moved as she positioned herself, Jarvis suggested, "Perhaps I should do this."
Looking down at him from the cramped confines of the dome, Peggy replied, "Oh, you are a trained marksman as well as an exemplary butler?"
He sniffed, "No, I am sorry to admit that I am not a 'pistol-packing mama' as the Americans would say."
She chuckled at his quip and then used the butt of the flare gun to break open one of the small window panes. Thankfully they were now low enough that the cabin pressure normalized right away. It still did not stop the icy blast of wind from nearly freezing off her extremities in those few short moments.
Teeth chattering, Peggy aimed the loaded flare gun at the Zemo on the right wing. The damaged engine was causing the propeller to stutter more and more.
When the highly advanced Man-droid grinned arrogantly at her, she fired. The flare instantly struck the robotic machine square in the chest.
Peggy gave a cheer of triumph when the flare suddenly lit the robot completely on fire. The automaton must have gotten doused with the plane's fuel when it had damaged the wing. Unfortunately, it also meant that the wing was now engulfed in flames as well.
The bot danced about as if to extinguish the fires that consumed it. In moments, the Zemo Man-droid lost that battle when its specialized footwear shorted out. The robot toppled off the plane.
Though victorious, they now had another issue to contend with. Howard cursed when the flames threatened to burn off the wing. He growled up at Peggy, "Are you trying to kill us, Peg?"
Ignoring his angry bluster, she hollered down to them, "Glad to see that fire still does the trick."
She saw Jarvis motioning for the bulky gun and dropped it to him. Expertly he reloaded it with the last flare. After it was handed back to her, she decided to shoot at the one that wasn't near any flammable liquids. Aiming at the automaton destroying the tail section, she fired.
The sparkling flare slammed into the unsuspecting robot. The impact was hard enough to knock the Man-droid out of its magnetic boots and from the plane.
Her success was short-lived when she noticed that the last robot had ambled across to the left wing's directional flaps. With the machine's intent still on crashing them, the automaton began to use its indomitable strength in an attempt to force the flaps downwards. That action would take some doing, but knowing these tenacious robots, it would eventually succeed.
Looking out his window at what would soon occur, Howard looked beseechingly up at Peggy. But there was nothing more she could do from where she was. Dropping the empty flare gun back to Jarvis, the SSR Agent thought of one last drastic measure she could try.
"Right," decision made, Peggy motioned for Jarvis to help her back down.
Leaning against the cockpit's door jam, Peggy tried not to hunch over from the painful ache that the freezing cold had suddenly exacerbated. Instead, she stuck her chin out and declared dogmatically, "Get me a rope, Jarvis."
Howard looked from an anxious Jarvis to the stubborn Peggy. He became just as worried as his manservant, "And what do you hope to accomplish?"
Peggy explained her risky plan, "Typically, this sort of RAF transport has a glider tow or a hoist attachment at the rear of the plane. We can use that to keep me tethered while I am out there. I blew the robot by the tail section out of those specialized boots of theirs, so I will wear them to reach the last Man-droid and stop it." She quirked a grin, "Hopefully, they are in my size."
The butler's sputter matched the plane's failing propellers, "I hardly think—"
Interrupting him, Howard almost sounded calm, "That's madness, Margaret. You'll die."
Peggy shook her head, "What choice do we have? That last robot is not going to cease until we crash. At least while up here, I have gravity on my side to stop it. So far, that seems to work well in destroying them."
"The end results of gravity work just as good against you too, pal," Howard nearly leaped out of his seat, he was so agitated.
"I am not going to let you sacrifice yourself to save us, Howard. None of you are going to die, not on my watch."
Having overheard them, Dmitri yelled, "Let me do it, comrade!"
Talking over Zdenka's objections, Peggy replied, "You can't grasp anything with your injured hands, Dmitri. I can do this."
As Dmitri glowered, an incredulous Howard stated adamantly, "Your crazy scheme won't work. First of all, you're not a glider. Second, how do you hope to climb up to the tail in time, crawl?"
Peggy snapped at him, "If I have to." She registered their incredulous looks and exhaled, "You said that you could not land the plane safely." Once more adamant, she stated, "So then it is either have that damn robot crash us or I go out there and destroy it."
Jarvis looked to Howard, and it was the millionaire who shook his head no. "Peggy, it is too dangerous. You nearly died on Zemo's blimp, and by the look of you now, I'd say you hardly survived the Hanging Gardens. You couldn't even fight that thing in a bake-off."
With a tired sigh, she asked, "Then what do you suggest?"
An unwavering Howard stated, "Use the parachutes, Peg. We should only be a few miles to the exact location by now."
Peggy began to protest vehemently when Howard's pragmatic voice chilled her to the very core, "Pal, there's no other way."
She paled at his implications and demanded, "No, there's got to be another answer. We still have time—"
"Yes," Jarvis interjected, "Let me try it."
Peggy began to argue with him when Howard calmly replied, "No, we don't have any more time left." His eyes looked heavenwards, "Besides, I plan on finding the Baron's plane and taking that bastard down with me. If I don't, we will never be free of him. And that madman cannot be allowed near anything that would help him achieve the extinction of the human race."
Angry, Peggy crossed her arms, "Fine, then we will all go up with you."
Howard exhaled, "I am afraid that it is a one-way trip, and I will not have all of you on my conscience."
Hands-on hips, Peggy challenged, "No, you don't, Howard. If we cannot join you, then you will be coming with us."
"No, the plane's barely holding together with me at the controls as it is." He sighed sadly, "Let me be the hero for once, Peg."
She always knew that Howard had a death wish. It had only seemed to have gotten worse since Steve Rogers had died. She had thought they had taken care of such self-indulgences after he had been hypnotized by Dr. Ivchenko and nearly died. But now, he wanted to once more foolishly sacrifice himself.
She had already lost a loved one in an icy plane wreck. Peggy was not about to let it happen again.
Bracing for a fight, she declared, "You are impossible, Howard Stark, and I won't let you die over some misguided belief of chivalry. We will take our chances with landing the plane, and then we will confront Zemo together."
Fighting the controls, Howard gritted out, "Face it, Peg, mine is the only way some of us live. Besides, you are the best one to lead the others to victory." The millionaire glanced over his shoulder at Jarvis, who surreptitiously nodded.
Resolute, she painfully began to edge her way toward the co-pilot's seat, "Well, I'm not leaving you alone to die—"
And that was as far as she got before Jarvis cracked her over the head with the butt of the flare gun. He caught her before she crashed to the floor and gently lowered her onto it.
"Thanks, Jarvis," Howard mumbled softly.
"I am tempted to stay behind with you rather than face her wrath when she awakens," Jarvis said in a serious tone.
"There is no reason for all of us to die. Besides, you are married while I am a bachelor. Though I have had women throwing themselves at me for years, I will forever be alone," he lamented sadly.
A resigned Jarvis reiterated, "But you will not be forgotten, sir." There was a mournful acceptance in his tone.
After a quick grin at his friend, Howard stated, "You best go now. I won't be able to keep us in the air for much longer."
Reluctantly, Jarvis abided by his master's commands. He stated formally with a hint of kindness, "It has been an honor and pleasure serving you, Mr. Stark."
Howard smiled genuinely, "Even with all those embarrassing peccadillos over the years, Jarvis?"
Jarvis sighed, "Yes, those had been some trying times, sir," he then beamed at his benefactor, "But I would not have changed any of it for the world."
"The honor is all mine… pal." Howard's grin became one of resolved sorrow, "Now look after her."
Jarvis promised, "I will." He then glanced over his shoulder at the Russians, who stood nearby.
There were tears in Zdenka's eyes, and she husked to the millionaire, "You do not have to do this."
But Dmitri had seen the determination in Howard's steadfast gaze and took her arm, "Come, let us assist Mr. Jarvis, and then I will help you put on your chute."
Jarvis squeezed Howard on the shoulder and joined the Russians in the back. With time the essence, the butler donned a parachute quickly. Once it was on, Jarvis pulled the unconscious Peggy close, and the Russians tied her to him.
Dmitri made sure that Zdenka was properly fastened into her harness. He then suited up and secured the scanner over his shoulder.
Once the Russians were ready, they bid their goodbyes to Howard. Dmitri called over, "Thank you, Mr. Stark, for your sacrifice. Even if you are a capitalist pig, you are a good man."
Howard barked out a laugh and risked taking his eyes off the horizon, "Enjoy accepting the proletariat's conformity, comrades." He then opened the rear cargo bay from the control panel, and they all leaped out.
After making sure that they had cleared the jump, Howard shut the cargo bay door. Then, with a resigned exhale, he vowed to finish this once and for all. Like Steve Rogers, his death would not be in vain.
Clutching the shimmying controls tighter, his resolve fueled his strength, and he slowly began to pull up the wheel. He would find that Hydra bastard and remind him that the world was against tyrants such as him.
Surprisingly, the Baron's smaller plane had dropped down from the clouds and was coming to him. Good, Howard thought, that just saves me the trouble. Then with his teeth barred in a sneer, he flew in for the kill.
Jarvis had little trouble deploying the parachute after they had jumped from the plane. That changed drastically once they neared the compacted ice banks below. Suddenly, the turbulent air currents picked up, causing them to land hard. The whipping wind pulled on their open parachute, dragging them a few feet before Jarvis could yank the harness free.
After touching down, the Russians dashed over to assist them.
Due to the cold, Zdenka's lips were already turning blue. The thick parkas they wore gave them some protection from the elements, but the wind was still freezing. To make matters worse, a violent snowstorm was rushing across the desolate land toward them.
At least with it being the equinox, the sun continuously peeked out along the horizon behind them, so they were not lost in total darkness yet.
The movement of untying Peggy had her groaning awake. She was in a lot of pain from the jarring landing. She did not know what to grab first, her throbbing ribs or her aching head.
Slowly they helped the injured Peggy to her feet, and she nearly screamed when she comprehended Howard's sacrifice. She swung her fist at Jarvis, but still off-balance from pain, she missed completely.
Peggy crumpled to her knees and glared up at the morose butler, "How could you, Jarvis! He was your friend, too!"
Jarvis's sorrowful voice was so low it was difficult to hear over the howling wind, "I know, but it is what he had wished."
She spat angrily, "And what of my wishes?" Granted, her plan had been suicidal, but it had been her choice. "What right did you or Howard have to take that away from me? You are supposed to be deferring to my command, not his!"
Only one other time, Jarvis had gone against her orders, and that had been after Whitney Frost, aka Madame Masque, had nearly killed his wife. Though that time had been understandable, this felt like a personal betrayal.
She then growled under her breath at the Russians, "And thank you, comrades, for your help as well. At least now I know where I stand with all of you." She made sure that her glare now included Jarvis.
An outraged Peggy felt that she certainly could never trust her back to any of them again. What would stop them from knocking her out should they once more disagree with her orders? Well, good luck trying that, she thought while making sure to face them.
None could meet her gaze, and she sneered, "Cowards."
Suddenly, the sharp sound of revving propellers above alerted them that Howard's journey had not yet ended. Looking up, they watched as Zemo's plane buzzed the larger cargo transport, intent on getting as close as possible.
It seemed that Zemo had wanted to pick up his last bot, but it was a fool's errand. Determined to make his sacrifice mean something, Howard rammed the larger plane into the smaller one. Size won out, and blackened smoke trailed behind Zemo's aircraft as it fell out of the sky. Seconds later, it crashed some miles ahead of Peggy's small group.
Surprisingly, there was still hope for the cargo plane as Howard valiantly kept it in the air. But it did not stay up much longer. All watched horrified as pieces began to break off of it.
In moments it was all over.
With smoke billowing from the cargo plane's single working engine, it suddenly dived straight down. Seconds later, it smashed into the icy ground further north of the first crash. The small group cried out when a huge fireball rose into the air.
Zdenka buried her head against Dmitri's shoulder while Jarvis tried to keep a stiff upper lip.
Though it was difficult to see that far ahead through the approaching storm, Peggy swore that she had seen four chutes open just before Zemo's plane had angled downwards. She prayed that Howard had somehow also made it out alive, but she did not know how it was possible.
With the Baron possibly surviving, it nearly killed her that Howard had sacrificed himself for nothing.
Peggy's lip trembled, and she murmured, "Howard Stark, you selfish, arrogant, foolish, brilliant, caring man." She bowed her head in mourning.
Jarvis moved to go to her side, but Dmitri placed a cautionary hand on his arm. Jarvis stilled and let the usually stalwart woman have her privacy.
Forcing her brittle emotions into a tiny ball, Peggy stowed it away for another time. She would use her British perseverance to get through this. With or without her friend's help, she still had a job to finish, and she would do so in Howard's memory.
It was either that or curse his very existence. Americans and their damn entitled sense of nobility! She stifled a sob. Fleetingly, she was reminded of another close friend's personal sacrifice to save others. She had never missed Steve more so than she did now.
Glancing to the heavens, Peggy vowed that Howard's death would also not be meaningless. But when she caught up with the millionaire in the afterlife, she would have a few choice words to say to him. Until then, she would save the histrionics for another time.
Dmitri was aiming the scanner at the crash sites and stated, "This says that is the direction we need to go."
Nodding determined, Peggy forced herself to her feet and then trudged toward the plane crash. Her teeth clenched tight as she tried to ignore the sharp ache from both her emotional and physical injuries that seemed to be heightened by the bitter cold.
The deep snow brushed over her damaged combat boots, and some fell inside, settling against her toes. The biting chill temporarily took her mind off the pain.
Then the Gods once more toyed with them. For the moment Peggy had taken two steps toward the site of the wreckage, the sharp icy wind suddenly became an all-encompassing snowstorm. Blasting sheets of thick white snow buffeted against the small party. All gasped at its fury as visibility ceased entirely around them.
With no choice, the Russians and Jarvis hovered near one another, forming a human chain to avoid getting lost.
Peggy shrugged off someone's insistent grip. Turning, she glared accusatorily at Jarvis and snarled, "What? Are you going to bash my head again if I don't do what you want?"
She felt some satisfaction when the dutiful butler flinched at her piercing words. Then using her pain and anger to feed her stubborn resolve, Peggy began to slog forward through the snow alone.
With his offer rebuffed, a saddened Jarvis took the scanner from Dmitri. The young Russian still had difficulty holding onto things with his heavily bandaged hands.
Zdenka saw Peggy reacting hard to Howard's death and shook her head in sorrow. In her native tongue, she mumbled to Dmitri, "Poor thing."
A silent Dmitri nodded and maneuvered the freezing Zdenka between Jarvis and himself.
Jarvis tried to get the obstinate Peggy to let him take the lead, but she would not allow it. Thankfully, the direction she was headed matched the scanner's exact coordinates.
Hugging herself from the cold, Peggy pressed on as the snow and freezing wind pelted her party. She would not stop. She'd be damned if Zemo won and they lost Howard for nothing. With such single-minded purpose, the SSR Agent forced herself to march onward. It was only due to her military training that she could stay on her feet at all.
Music for the march - Hybrid In God We Trust
watch?v=8bzOy2LzD0Y&list=PLD4ZwDeQz9JARiJWqZtrcInSi-HicI-F4&index=39
After a few miles, they came across what little was left of Zemo's plane. Most of it was burned and twisted metal.
Shuffling forward, they continued on this difficult and freezing trek. Along the way, there was no sign of Zemo, and Peggy briefly wondered if she had imagined seeing those parachutes.
Nearing their destination, much of the storm had finally passed. And though the wind was still sharp, at least they could see more than two feet in front of them.
Unfortunately, there were no signs of anything other than ice caps and the smoldering cargo plane's wreckage ahead of them.
Though weakening, the smoke was like a beacon that urged Peggy to keep going. With each step she took, she began to wonder if Howard had, in fact, somehow survived. It was a foolish wish, but this growing hope fed her conviction to carry on.
Finally, the scanner indicated they were exactly where they were supposed to be. When they stopped to investigate the area, Peggy stubbornly continued staggering toward the crash site. Her gaze solely focused on the nearby fiery debris.
The others frowned at what was in front of them. Though this was the center of the Arctic Circle, there were no buildings or structures of any kind. There was only a sizeable ice cap that the scanner specified as their final stop. After walking around it, they found no entrance. Desperate, they once more circled it, but still, there was nothing but icy walls.
Jarvis then tried the scanner to hunt for a hidden image. But true to his boss's word, it had been damaged to the point of only being a useful compass.
"This can't be it," Jarvis lamented. He could not believe that their arduous and deadly journey had been only a futile effort.
Zdenka stuttered, "I-I don't know what to say. Did I mistake what the clue said? Should we have gone to the South Pole instead?"
Adamant, Dmitri insisted, "No, you must be right."
After exchanging a worrisome glance with one another, Jarvis looked over at Peggy, who was circling the smoldering wreckage, "I better go check on her."
"We'll come too," Dmitri said, and both he and Zdenka joined Jarvis in hurrying over to their broken friend.
Peggy fruitlessly limped around the mess of ruined metal. The remnants of the plane were so entwined that it was difficult to figure out what parts of the wreckage were what. Peggy continued to pray that Howard had somehow survived the crash.
Though beyond exhausted from the pain and the grueling journey, that one thought helped her take another step. Lurching around the wreckage, she kept hope alive.
Peggy reasoned that there should at least be a body, something left of the man. She remembered the morbid habit of soldiers bringing their dead friends home after the war so there could be a proper burial.
The heat still coming off the burned fuselage was so intense that she wondered if all she would find were her friend's ashes instead. Soon the blistering temperature from the wreckage lessened as the force of the freezing winds battered solidly against it.
As Peggy finished circumventing the debris, what little hope she had died when she saw no life within or around it. Then some slight movement under the twisted metal husk caught her attention.
"Miss Carter, you must stop!" Jarvis yelled as he jogged up to her.
Ignoring him, Peggy squinted and then blinked numerously. It looked as if someone was pinned under the tangled metal skeleton of the wing. "There!" she shouted, and all of her pain and fatigue were instantly forgotten.
Jarvis saw it too, and both rushed to that section of wreckage, each praying that their friend had somehow survived after all. The Russians dashed over to help also.
After they pulled away the cleaved scorched wing, the struggling form was freed, and it began to crawl out.
Horrified, all stepped back as the mangled Zemo automaton pulled itself toward them. The stumps of its ruined metal legs were dragging uselessly behind it. Most of the robot's clothing and flesh had been burned away, leaving only sharp metal limbs and melted protrusions.
The robot was only focused on Peggy. Seeing its intent, she stumbled backward and tripped over a piece of wreckage. The landing was jarring, knocking her breath away.
Gasping for air, Peggy turned over and started crawling away from it, but the robot suddenly leaped onto her back. Its solid weight bored her face-first into the freezing snow. She felt it drag itself upwards and knew that once it reached her neck, those strong mechanical hands would choke the very life from her.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw the half-charred face of a youthful Zemo grinning savagely up at her. The disturbing vision chilled her to her bones.
Between this, the pain, and the shock of losing such a close friend, everything became surreal. Numb, she watched in horrid fascination as her friends tried pulling the bulky machine off her. But the obstinate robot dug its metal claws into the fabric of her parka and continued to inch itself higher.
Suddenly, Peggy's survival instincts snapped her back to reality. Growling, she fought to shrug out of her coat, but the robot was too heavy for her to prop herself up enough to do so. Finally, she could lever herself partly onto her side, enabling her friends to yank her coat and the robot off.
Peggy groaned from the unbearable pain as their actions wrenched her aching body severely. Whimpering, she curled into a protective ball.
When the relentless robot once more started to creep toward Peggy, an enraged Jarvis roared. Tightly grasping the scanner, he crashed the device onto the Man-droid's head.
Blurrily, Peggy heard the yells of fury from Jarvis, who repeatedly beat the scanner onto the deadly robot that refused to stop. He bellowed the entire time in anger, demanding that the automaton pay for killing Mr. Stark. Finally, there was not much left of the scanner, and the mechanized menace would never move again.
Panting, Jarvis stood straighter and dropped the handle of the scanner onto the snow. He then glanced down at Peggy, and she saw the wrath in his eyes. It cooled when he assessed that she was without a coat. Hers was now too damaged from leaking fluids and torn from the sharp claw-like hands of the once determined robot.
Always dutiful, Jarvis removed his warm parka and draped it over her shivering body. Extending his hand to her, she still obstinately refused his help. If the cold didn't make her teeth chatter and bones ache so horribly, she would have stubbornly brushed off his coat as well.
Instead, the defiant Peggy slowly got to her feet and staggered past the Russians. She headed back to where the scanner had said they should stop. Jarvis exchanged a concerned glance with the others, and they bitterly nodded in return. Without a word, they followed her stumbling, slow form.
The wind and snow once more whipped fiercely around them as they neared the tall ice cap. In moments they were lurching around it, looking for any place to shield them from the deadly weather. Visibility was getting worse and things direr as all shivered from the increasing cold. They had to find shelter and fast before they all froze to death.
"I suppose we could hunker down near the warmer wreckage," Dmitri suggested, and all he got back was numbed looks. Silently they separated as they searched the ice cap again.
Suddenly, Zdenka stopped and studied a section of the frozen wall. Frowning at the icy facade that jutted out, she stepped forward. In moments she was within an ice cave that shielded her from the wind. Realizing that it had been a well-camouflaged false front, she grinned in relief. Even better, a descending ice staircase was in front of her. Hopefully, this would lead to their salvation.
Walking back outside, she stared, amazed, at the entrance. The icy wall was perfectly matched with the one behind it, thus obscuring the opening.
Elated, she yelled to the others, "Here!"
Jarvis and Dmitri rushed over, with Peggy stumbling behind them.
They marveled at how well it all blended together. It was amazing that even being this close, it was near impossible to see this hidden entrance.
Dmitri laughed and gave Zdenka a quick kiss. Hands clasped together, they then both rushed inside. Resolute, Jarvis silently followed them.
Pain and anguish finally won their battle over Peggy's battered body. Barely able to focus, let alone stand, she staggered forward. Just when she entered the safety of the ice cave, she collapsed unconscious onto the frozen floor.
