With no time to lose, Peggy hurried toward Dmitri. Though he barely acknowledged her approach, his icy stare stopped her cold in her tracks. A chill raced through her, and she momentarily shivered from the change in the surrounding temperature.
Taking in his hunched form and frigid exterior, the Russian projected his indifferent manner as a protective barrier. He was even a tad blue, and Peggy had to admit, the color actually suited his demeanor. Out of all of them, his had the least drastically changed appearance. Damn him!
Feeling a tightening to her face, Peggy did her best to relax. Somewhat back under control, the SSR Agent straightened her shoulders and strode toward him. Her no-nonsense attitude was a hammer that would break through whatever icy walls he put up. They either all left together, or none of them would ever escape this insane death trap.
As Peggy neared him, she challenged, "So Dmitri, why are you acting aloof? For a time, you were overly concerned for our safety, even risking your life multiple times to save mine. And now you don't care?"
He shrugged noncommittal.
Battling back the urge to box his ears, Peggy tried again, "Well, I'm not buying it, comrade. Tell me, was there something from your past that made you excessively protective of others?"
"I don't want to talk about it," he snapped, and Peggy's brows furrowed deeper in exaggerated disapproval as a push of cold shoved her back.
Quickly she counted to ten before she could explode in a fit of pique. "Right, well, that was the most emotion I have gotten from you yet, so I think I am on the correct path."
Nearby she overheard Jarvis talking to Zdenka. Quietly he asked the Russian Doctor, "Knowledge is your passion. I wonder why so. You mentioned your family a lot. Why don't you tell me about them?"
Though Zdenka concentrated, nothing came to her mind. The more she struggled to think, the worse she descended into confusion. It seemed that all her knowledge and memories were being erased faster and faster the more she tried to grasp onto them. And this was reflected in her face as her features had just about all disappeared.
Realization struck, and Jarvis snapped his fingers, "I know instead of that, we should try the simplest, most rudimentary and repetitive things that you memorized from childhood. Zdenka, repeat the Russian alphabet. That should be easy enough for you to recall. Then we will try more complex things."
Zdenka stared blankly at him, and Jarvis pondered to himself, "Maybe a push would help. Let's see. Your alphabet starts with…." Then, uncertain, he looked to Dmitri.
After seeing that he would not answer, Peggy called over, "It's А, Б, В, Г, Д, Е, Ё, Ж, З, И…."
Nodding absently, Zdenka started to rattle off the rest of it slowly.
As the Russian Doctor began repeating it more confidently, Peggy once more eyed Dmitri, "Tell me what happened to you." He ignored her, so she growled, "You must talk about it, or none of us can ever leave the labyrinth, except probably as Minotaur shat after it eats us all."
Dmitri started to shrug, but then he forced his shoulders back, making him slouch less. He seemed to be fighting some internalized conditioning of stuffing down one's emotions.
"I think you want to tell me. Now talk, soldier," she ordered. If being nice wouldn't work, she would use her most authoritative, commanding tone.
Dmitri would have snapped to attention if he had not been under the body-altering effects. It took a lot of effort as he fought for control, but he finally strained out, "Infiltrating the Nazi base in Alexandra Land years ago had been my first foray into the supernatural side of the War. I did not take it seriously, and my actions caused many of my teammates to get killed. Since then, I have been attempting to make amends for my mistakes, but why should I bother anymore? We are all going to die in here anyway."
After confessing this, he loosened up more, and his normal color started to return.
Sympathetic, Peggy stated, "I know that was hard to tell me, but you did not know any better back then. Being aloof towards others does not protect one from the past."
"But it makes life easier," he sighed, resigned.
"Yes, but less lived. You can only overcompensate for so long until it starts affecting your actions in negative ways. Or, in our case, manifesting outwards. To get out alive, we can no longer afford to ignore our past troubles or inner demons. Now is the chance to cleanse ourselves, to heal our minds and bodies."
The Russian nodded in understanding, "Yes, you are right. That horrible time has been eating me up inside for years."
After a quick exhale, Peggy murmured, "From all this, I am learning that I need to trust my friends. Maybe yours is that it is alright to let them in."
He smiled shyly, "I have never admitted that to anyone. But I am feeling better from telling you. Thank you, comrade Peggy."
She could see that it still hurt him, this past that he would forever be a part of, but Dmitri seemed less indifferent and more focused now.
Forcing a grin past her lips, Peggy held out her hand, "Come, let us get our last friend back up to speed."
Once he grasped it firmly, she turned to go. Peggy only had to tug a little for Dmitri to follow her.
It turned out that they did not have to do anything at all. Jarvis had helped Zdenka fight her phobia of ignorance by using anything that was root memorization. This breakthrough caused the Russian Doctor to become less befuddled and more attentive. And thankfully, most of her face had reappeared, as did the twinkle in her eye.
By the time they reached them, Zdenka was telling Jarvis about her family. "Since they were poor farmers, my getting an education meant a lot to them." She grinned wryly, "Overly so at times."
Lost in thought, she rubbed the locket and explained, "This had been my grandmother's, and I wear it to remember what they all sacrificed for me." Carefully she opened it and revealed the picture of her parents inside. "I always thought I was nothing without my knowledge."
After closing it, she smiled gratefully at Jarvis and hugged Dmitri. He was only reluctant at first to reciprocate the gesture, and then it was a tight embrace back.
Exhaling, Peggy realized that by helping her friends, much of her anger and guilt inside had abated. And by judging how the others were reacting, it looked like they were ready to move on both physically and emotionally as well.
Peggy replied softly, "Right, now I know we can do this. It will take all of us helping one another to not stray, but I promise we will all get out of this alive. Together we are strong."
She held out her hand to Jarvis, who took it after a curt nod of his head. He then offered his to Zdenka, and as she grasped his hand, she extended hers to Dmitri.
Thus with each one tethered to the other, Peggy led them onward.
But the labyrinth would not let them get away that easily. The strength of its power pushed harder against them.
Anytime they hesitated or slowed from their inner demons rearing up, they were reassured by their friends and then were pulled upon to continue. By being joined this way, peace was settling over them, and they all grinned at each other in relief. They would make it through this final test together as one.
After many turns back and forth, Peggy figured they must be near the end of the labyrinth by now. Surprisingly they did not see or hear the Minotaur, so she took it as a sign that their plan was working.
Suddenly, they came upon a huddled human form. Cautiously, they approached this small and unassuming shivering mass as a group.
Hearing them approach, the individual glanced up. Shame was etched deep into the boy's features.
Peggy gasped. Even with the heavy, morose creases on his face, she recognized what must have been Zemo's son. He was the spitting image of what his dad must have looked like when he was a kid. Back on the blimp, the boy had sounded like a young man through the intercom. But now, he looked like he had regressed into a child again.
"What are you doing here?" Peggy snapped, anger once more taking hold. Jarvis shook her hand, reminding her that such strong negative emotions had no business here.
Begrudgingly nodding her thanks to her friend, Peggy asked much calmer, "Where is your father?"
"He left me. He could not stand the sight of his weak son," and Helmut Zemo started to sob.
Peggy's residual outrage washed away instantly when she took in his regretful, shamed features. It almost looked as if he was perpetually crying. His face reminded her of one of those exaggerated theatrical masks. If she remembered the names from her brief stint as a drama student, it was the Melpomene Tragedy Mask.
Jarvis' soothing voice broke through her musings, "Well, that wasn't right of him."
They suddenly heard the unearthly braying noise of the Minotaur, and Peggy wished the damn thing would shut up already.
"How far ahead is your father?" Peggy asked, trying to keep the venom out of her tone. Luckily the boy was too upset to hear the threat in it. But the creature did, and they listened to its stomping hooves from down the corridor. Her friends hissed at her to get under control.
As Peggy once more counted to ten, Helmut replied sadly, "He left me some time ago. He must be through by now."
Peggy growled at the news that her enemy had already escaped.
Zdenka admonished, "Comrade, you need to relax, or the Minotaur will eat you."
"Yes, I promise," Peggy grumbled from frustration, and as if to answer, they heard the beast clomp closer toward them from around the bend. Taking some calming breaths, Peggy began to relax and the monster's thudding stomps retreated.
Jarvis frowned, "I thought if you enter as a group, you must leave as one."
"In my father's eyes, I do not exist, so I am not a part of his group. Thus the rule does not affect him. He knew I would never be strong enough to escape the Labyrinth and did not want me to drag him down."
After exhaling, Peggy finished calming down and then focused on the boy again, "Alright, well, I don't care who your father is. You can't stay here and get eaten. So you are coming with us."
"But what is the use? I am a failure to him and at everything I do," he sniveled and wiped his runny nose on his shirt sleeve.
Forcing her anger into determination, Peggy suggested, "Then be a winner unto yourself. Listen, I know what it is like to have other's expectations and demands hoisted upon you, but you must be your own person and not what they think you should be."
"Yes, you are being judged here, not your father," Dmitri said.
"I am only a boy when compared to the greatness of my father."
Vehement, Peggy blurted, "Bullshit!" Relaxing somewhat, she added, "Realize your value, and nothing else will matter."
"You think so?" Junior asked, his features beginning to smooth out as he became heartened by her words of encouragement.
Nodding in solidarity, Jarvis patted Helmut on the shoulder, and Zdenka smiled comfortingly.
As Zemo's son accepted their earnest support, the boy began to grow up right before their eyes. In moments, he was no longer a child but a young man in his early twenties.
Agog, they had literally witnessed their reassuring words bolster him into becoming an adult. It had been an amazing sight to behold.
Peggy smirked at his rampant change. Then wondering how it was possible that Baron Zemo had gotten through, she asked, "How did your father finish the test and get past the Minotaur?"
Junior smiled in wistful pride, and Peggy almost screamed from irritation. The young man explained, "Upon arriving at the center of this labyrinth, he saw that his reflection was altering. That was when he figured out that this place magnifies one's inner turmoil. He liked who he already was and told me that he should not have to change his attitude."
"Wow," Peggy murmured, actually impressed that Zemo had deduced what this was all about so fast. She thought perhaps he had listened to Abaris's warning, but she knew he was too arrogant to bother. It was probably due more to him having years of figuring out what this entire journey entailed.
Jarvis coaxed Junior, "Go on."
Quickly nodding, the young man replied, "He knew that one of us must enter the water to begin the metamorphosis. Worrying that it would be the catalyst to bring about drastic change, he had me go in for him instead. I did not understand how he wouldn't be unaffected until just before I was fully submerged. When I looked back, I saw him being knocked out by his last robot. That way, this flip side's reality could not affect his unconscious form."
Zdenka muttered, "Yes, how can you be forced to work on your inner demons if you are not awake to do so."
Dmitri grinned, "Well, that is one way to get out of here alive."
"And he just left you behind?" Peggy could barely contain the outrage she felt toward the abhorrent Hydra leader.
"Yes," Junior's lips trembled, "for when I reemerged, father was already out cold and was being carried away by the Zem-droid, as he calls it now." He sniffed as new tears started to flow, "I will never forget the look of disappointment I saw in my father's eyes just before I was dragged under by my double."
"The Baron was wrong to do that to you," Zdenka hissed, incensed.
Junior was insistent in defending his father, "But I deserved it. I have never been good enough for him."
Before Peggy could reply, Dmitri snapped, "Forget what he thinks. He shouldn't have left you behind to fend for yourself. People like him will never be happy with anyone because they are not happy with themselves."
There was so much honesty in Dmitri's response that Peggy wondered what sort of upbringing he had when dealing with his own parents.
Helmut looked upon Dmitri as if a new light had dawned, "Truly?"
Zdenka smiled comfortingly to Junior, "I think you are a good man. I know you can do better when you are on your own and away from your father's influence." She held out her hand to him, "Come, it is time we leave this place."
With most of the sadness lifted from the young man's face, Peggy felt heartened at this positive change. Junior was ready to move on, and with Dmitri taking the rear, Peggy led the group forward.
As they continued down the corridor, Junior warned, "We must be cautious. Father said that the Minotaur would not let anyone pass that is not clear of mind and body. I am sure that was another reason why he left me behind."
"Trust me. You will be reunited with your father. And then I will have a little chat with him about family responsibilities." The sneer Peggy wore was more enunciated, but it was smoothed over once her thoughts had relaxed enough.
Quelling his anxiety, Jarvis asked, "How is it the beast can go from this horrifying world into our reality so easily?"
"Father explained that being a creature of both, it can go to either realm when it senses heightened emotions."
Rounding the corner, they saw the Minotaur ahead. It was a fearsomely tall, half-man, half-beast creature with broad, massive shoulders. Most disconcerting was that its snout was covered in a rust-brown color of dried blood. Its patchy course-haired body looked like it had been rolling around in death. Peggy briefly wondered when it had last fed.
Thankfully, their sanctuary was nearby. The plain door they had seen at the beginning of all this was just behind this terrifying beast. Finally, they reached the exit that would lead them out of this crazy world.
The ungodly monster snorted loudly at the sight of them, and Peggy heard a low moan of despair from Jarvis. Suddenly, the Minotaur's attention triangulated on her friend beside her.
The horrific creature pawed and stomped its hooved legs as it prepared to charge. Peggy quickly got in Jarvis's face and swore, "I promise I will not let it hurt you."
Jarvis shook his head, "I am sorry, Miss Carter, I do not know if I can do this."
"You can." She reassured him, but then she saw that he could not. Without hesitation, she removed his tie and wrapped it around his head, covering his eyes. She asked, overly cheerful, "Better?"
Jarvis stuttered his head.
Exhaling to clear her mind, Peggy said, "Right, then let us take this slowly." Peggy feared that any quick movements might aggravate the beast as much as strong emotions would. "Think happy thoughts, people," she chimed merrily.
Checking on the others, they nodded back in wary affirmation. This time they linked arms and began walking toward the frightening beast.
As they approached the Minotaur, it loudly exhaled. A sudden burst of putrid decaying stench wafted at them. Jarvis moaned from worry, but Peggy shook his arm to remind him not to think about it.
The menacing beast sniffed loudly at Peggy as she edged past it. When Jarvis came next, the butler visibly flinched from the awful smell that blew onto his face. He began to whimper in fear. Behind his makeshift blindfold, Peggy saw his eyes were becoming impossibly huge.
The Minotaur's horrific, inhuman whining intensified. It towered over Jarvis and began to open its enormous mouth.
Peggy became angry that her friend was being threatened. This bullying behavior would never do, and she instantly allowed the rage she had tapered to rise to the surface.
The creature instantly glared its watering bloodshot eyes at her.
She sneered at the beast and attempted to get her outrage under control. Quickly she thought of better times and happier memories. Of being with Daniel as they had a picnic in the beautiful Los Angeles sunshine. Of the joy, she felt when she closed a case or fighting side by side with Steve. Though she tried to do this, the underlying anger she had quelled seemed to somehow intensify in this creature's presence.
And her anger continued to grow.
As it sensed her rising fury, the Minotaur loomed menacingly over her. Its massive jaws creaked open above her head, expanding wider than what was humanly possible.
The beast was going to swallow her whole!
Just before the massive Minotaur could chomp its extended mouth closed and eat Peggy, Jarvis muttered, "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."
It was a clever and most profound refrain that broke through Peggy's overwhelming anger. That strong emotion was further reduced the more she focused on this repetitive phrase. Soon she was joining Jarvis in saying it loudly.
Then Zdenka, Dmitri, and Helmut started chanting this same unifying chorus. By only concentrating on that saying instead of this horrific beast that wanted to devour their flesh, they would get by it.
Their plan worked, for the beast pulled its enormous maw away from Peggy. It then snorted in derision, most likely from being denied a meal. In moments it moved on to the others, leaving Peggy and Jarvis alone.
Finally, finding that they had all passed this last test, the Minotaur continued onwards. Its eternal burden to hunt throughout the labyrinth for participants continued.
The group, in turn, hurried to the exit. As they approached, the large wooden door opened on its own. A bright light awaited them on the other side as if it was a beacon of salvation. Without a thought, they plunged across the threshold.
Suddenly, they were caught up in a swirl of energy, and they began to fall.
Peggy felt as if her body was being taken apart and then put back together again in those moments. It was so unnerving and frankly painful that she could not stop screaming. The other's shrieks of agony followed her own, and just as quickly, they found themselves deposited on sand.
Everything felt wrong, but at least the ache throughout her body was dissipating. Slowly she turned her head and saw that her friends were groaning awake as well.
Sitting up, Peggy noticed that the light surrounding them was incredibly bright and warm. She laughed at the folly of going from the snow to the beach.
Strangely, her clothing, hair, and body had been cleansed from traveling through the portal. It seemed that everything had to be pure to enter wherever the hell they were in now, she mused.
Before she could call over to the others to check on how they were doing, she heard the crunch of boots on the sand. Looking up, she frowned at the absurdity of what was towering over her.
Six heavily armed giant blue lobsters surrounded her party.
After doing a double-take, Peggy realized that these massive crustaceans were actually tall beings encased in odd blue spiked armor. A helmet obscured their heads, so she could not make out their features. Surprisingly she heard gurgling coming from the tanks that were strapped to their backs. It almost sounded like flowing water within an aquarium.
Noticing the odd weapon pointed at her head, Peggy thought it resembled Poseidon's trident. Confused, she wondered just where in the world they had ended up now. Had they finally made it through the test?
The lead guard spat out a hostile order. Though she could not understand them, their intimidating posture and aimed weapons probably meant they were being commanded to give up.
Slowly, she and her friends rose to their feet, arms raised in surrender. Peggy replied calmly, "We mean you no harm."
Suddenly, the lead guard's trident fired. Caught unawares, Peggy watched surprised as some sort of electric bolt shot out of the trident. The stinging blast slammed into her chest, and she gasped out a shocked breath of pain.
Stunned, she started to collapse. As Peggy began to lose consciousness, she heard Jarvis yell, "No, we are not hostiles!"
But more static charges were fired by the shelled guards. These lightning strikes lashed out, and Peggy heard the echoing thuds as her group dropped onto the sand, unconscious.
The last image she saw was Baron Zemo's gloating face as he stood behind the guards. He had a sneer that she easily recognized as a triumph.
Her last thought was that she really wished they had gotten here before that bastard. She was getting tired of being knocked out.
As she faded to oblivion, everything was drowned out by what sounded like the cresting waves of the sea.
Peggy came to with the feeling of peace, both of body and mind. She hadn't woken up feeling like that in a long time.
Stretching out with her fists clenched, she instantly heard a familiar male voice drawl, "Watch out where you swing those, pal. You might take out an eye."
Her eyes flared open.
Howard leaned over her reclining body, all smiles.
So, she was dead and with her deceased friends. She grinned, wondering where her lost love was.
"Is Steve close by?" She asked after a satisfying yawn.
Howard looked over his shoulder at Jarvis and frowned. "Did she hit her head after they shot her?"
The usually affable butler answered through a grin, "With you here, Mr. Stark, Miss Carter might think she is in the great beyond."
Howard laughed, "Heaven? Yeah, I don't know if I would ever be allowed up there. No, Peg, we are alive."
No longer sleepy, she sat up with a start, "I'm not dead? You're not dead?"
And without waiting for his smug reply, she punched him in the nose. "How dare you play the noble hero? You arrogant asshole!"
Rubbing his sore nose, Howard was at first indignant. But then, hearing his usual unflappable friend use profanity, he could not help but chuckle. Amused, he declared, "It's a miracle!"
Peggy's lips began to tremble. Suddenly, she fiercely hugged him tightly, tears leaking from her eyes. Her voice was muffled by his shoulder when she threatened, "Don't you ever do that again, Howard Stark."
He patted her back, "Hey, hey, it's alright, Peg. Everything is going to be fine."
Awkwardly, she released her death grip on his shirt. Falling back, she propped her elbows on the bed.
Glaring at the chortling man, she demanded, "How is that possible? Did you bale out in time from the plane?"
"No," he shook his head, "I tried but could not reach the exit in time." He shrugged, "Abaris, the Healer found my broken and burned body and healed me as best he could before sending me through. I guess if they could bring Alexander the Great back from the brink, they certainly could me. And once I got here, I have been convalescing and am nearly back to one hundred percent."
Peggy thought a moment and nearly cursed, "Abaris said that you had moved on. I just assumed…So you must have bypassed the labyrinth."
Howard grinned cockily, "Yeah, Jarvis told me about that doozy of a good time. Since I usually believe in self-perseverance, maybe I passed the labyrinth's test because I sacrificed myself for you guys?" He shrugged, "Well, that or I was too unconscious for the entire escapade. I tried asking our host, but he has been rather tight-lipped about the whole thing."
She frowned, "Any reason as to why they shot me? I had raised my hands in surrender."
Smirking, Howard replied drily, "They must have still seen you as a threat, Peg."
Peeved, Peggy bemoaned, "There could have been another way of handling things since we were unarmed. It almost seemed rather deliberate. I saw Zemo lurking behind them. He must have said something to those in charge."
Howard shook his head 'no' and added, "As far as I know, they aren't talking to him either."
Sensing he was holding something back, Peggy demanded, "Spill it, Howard. What is going on?"
Embarrassed, he replied, "Pal, I tried explaining everything to them, but I guess they were waiting for everyone to get here before they made their decree."
"Decree?" She asked but heard a loud clearing of a throat from the doorway before Howard could explain.
She glanced over to it and saw a tall Asian-looking man with pointy ears and wings on his ankles. He wore the most ridiculous tiny green-scaled speedo that would even put Howard to shame, but at least he had an attractive muscular physique to do it justice.
"Yes." Though it was a single word, his voice held a proud arrogance that Peggy had come to dread over her years in the governmental sector. It usually meant there was going to be a tough hill to climb.
With hands on his hips, the man declared haughtily, "I am Namor, Prince of Atlantis."
"Yes, of course, you are," a resigned Peggy murmured. It seemed that she was no longer surprised about anything anymore.
Notes:
Just like Baron Zemo, I wrote this when Namor was a comic book character and not in a major motion picture, hence why most of this will not match with the movie. I also pulled from the comic books all I could about Namor's land. Unfortunately, there was not much at the time, thus a lot of this is made up.