Peggy began cautiously approaching Zemo Junior's crouching form when he stated adamantly, "I warn you, stay back. I assure you that the signal from this damaged gauntlet is still strong enough to reach the last Man-droid. You either let us go, or I will detonate it now and obliterate most of Atlantis."
She saw the determined look in his anxious eyes. Worried that he might startle easily, Peggy softened her voice, "It is not too late for you to give up. I promise you will not be held accountable for your father's deplorable actions."
Junior shook his head belligerently, "No, not if it meant that he would be incarcerated. Being badly scarred is enough punishment for him. Now tell Mr. Stark to abandon that sub, or more innocents will perish."
She heard Howard's plea from the speaker of the sub, "But Peg, we need this vessel to get home."
Though being stranded in Atlantis was not her preference, she recognized the desperation in Helmut's eyes. After nodding begrudgingly to him, she called over her shoulder, "Sorry, Howard, you best let them have it."
Noticing that the humans were still squabbling, the royal family swam over just as Howard reluctantly left the sub. The Emperor demanded, "What is going on here? Answer me, surface-dwellers."
Peggy almost snapped out something but remembered they were still guests stuck in this most dangerous world. Instead, she stated calmly, "There is a bomb back at Prince Namor's chambers. We need to let these two go, or he will detonate it."
The royals gasped surprised, and nearly shouted at Zemo Junior in outrage. But they must have seen the fear and anger in the young man's gaze. Displeased, the Empress muttered, "This is what happens when you let outsiders in."
Having overheard all this, Namor joined the growing group. His cousins stood by his side, awaiting his orders.
Taking in the threat, the Prince growled menacingly at Junior, "You dare threaten us in our own home? You best leave while you are still able."
Keeping true to his father's parentage, a sullen Junior sneered at Namor, "It is not me that should be worried, Atlantean. We shall return. This I vow."
Howard floated over to Peggy and glared at the young man, "What's to prevent you from detonating that robot once you're gone."
Helmut promised solemnly, "You have my word that I won't." He then stared at Peggy, "But consider us even for saving my life back in the Labyrinth."
Nodding in understanding, Peggy watched as Junior grabbed his semi-coherent father. Together, they swam to the last remaining sub.
As Helmut shoved his dazed father on board, Peggy tried one last time to get him to see reason, "He will never see you as his ideal son. His perfect robots will fill that void for him instead."
The young man suddenly straightened and declared with pride, "But he is still my father. Blood is thicker than water."
Namor warned, "Shall we test that, mortal?"
Alarmed, Junior nearly pressed the button, and Peggy quickly motioned for Namor to back down, "No, you best let them go."
The Atlantean Prince almost countered Peggy's order, but he reluctantly deferred to her command.
After shutting the hatch, Junior piloted the underwater craft out of the damaged portion of the dome. Quickly it headed for the Antarctic Seas' surface. Above in the water, Peggy saw a massive dirigible waiting for his arrival. The sunken portion of its gondola had a trapdoor open on the bottom, and the lone sub entered it.
After the doorway had closed shut, Peggy huffed a mirthless breath.
As they watched the gondola slowly rise out of the water, Howard exhaled in awe, "Zemo must have a whole platoon of those airships at his beck and call. I tell yah, Peg, we gotta make a flying craft of our own."
Ignoring his insistence, Peggy instead sniffed, offended that the villain had gotten away. She really wanted to send Zemo to prison. Unfortunately, once he recovered, he would be back and causing trouble. She hoped that would take a long time.
At least he now had scars from their battle as a memento. The thought cheered her up somewhat.
When the zeppelin was gone, all looked worriedly at one another. There was the possibility that Junior would go back on his word.
Thankfully nothing happened.
Howard assured those present, "Don't worry. Eventually, the radio signal will be too far out of range to detonate the bomb. But if you are still worried, I know I could defuse it for you."
The Emperor eyed the confident Howard suspiciously and then nodded to two loyal guards, who then dashed off.
Answering for her husband, the Empress stated arrogantly, "Don't be insulted if we take care of it ourselves."
The brilliant inventor shrugged good-naturedly.
While waiting for word from the guards, Peggy turned to face the monarchs. She truly hoped they did not blame her group for what had transpired. Frankly, she just wanted to go back to the Prince's regal chambers so she could take a bath. Everything itched.
Besides, she feared that the longer they were in this salty brine, the more she became a giant pickle.
Just then, the guard's voices echoed throughout the chamber, "Your majesty's, upon our arrival, the machine had been making a peculiar noise, but now it has ceased."
"Very good," the relief in the Emperor's tone was palpable. He addressed Howard, "Can it be moved?"
"It should be safe—"
Not waiting for him to finish, the Emperor declared loudly, "You guards in the Prince's chambers. I want you to move that machine as far away from Atlantis as possible."
Dutiful to the point of boredom, they answered dully, "Yes, your highness."
"Then I want a contingency of guards to patrol the exterior of the dome to protect us in case those surface dwellers come back."
Now the guards sounded enthused, "Yes, Emperor!"
With a lull in activity, Peggy felt the freezing seawater coming in from the cracked opening all the more.
Quickly, the rulers began to order their people around, and the lower ranks got to work.
Surveying all the damage, Peggy supposed that the Atlanteans would be busy for quite some time. The once majestic throne room was in complete shambles and would need major repair work. Looking up, she saw workers had already begun resealing the glass dome with a temporary patch that made the Antarctic Sea above appear almost milky.
Howard was impressed, "It's amazing how that seal works so well in water. I wonder if they would give me some to take back with us."
"Down boy," Peggy admonished, amused. Leave it to Howard to try to get a free sample. She had a feeling that if the Atlanteans were at all welcoming, he would have stayed down here for months gleaning everything he could from them.
Then more workers arrived, and they scurried around the chamber. They quickly began cleaning up and carting away any debris that could not be salvaged.
Once their toppled thrones had been hastily righted and swept clear, the monarchs sat down and focused on all those present.
The injured Counselor Vivia, was now on her feet and was standing by the dais. Someone had pressed a cloth to her head wound to stop the blue blood from leaking out.
The Atlantean rulers looked to their woozy confidant, and the Empress asked concerned, "Are you alright?"
The Counselor dressed in green, nodded and then indicated to her anxious faction that she was fine. Vivia stated proudly, "I would not be here alive if not for my courageous brethren."
She then bowed her thanks to them, and they returned the identical gesture in solidarity back to her.
The monarchs exhaled, relieved. The Emperor then motioned the guards surrounding the disloyal troops and the treacherous wealthy citizens to bring them forward.
"Forgive us, your majesty," pleaded those in red who had willingly joined General Kadar's uprising.
Lord Talon had fallen to his knees and joined his people's cries for mercy. Begging, he asked, "Please spare me."
The Emperor bellowed, "Silence! All of you will be judged for your traitorous actions against us."
All but the General cowed timidly in front of their sovereigns. Sneering, Kadar glared at all present but remained silent.
Ignoring his once trusted military advisors glower, the Emperor called over to his grandson, "You did well, Princeling. You have certainly proven that you would make a worthy successor."
Namor preened at his grandfather's praise and bowed deeply to him.
As he accepted his accolades, it was not difficult for Peggy to appraise Namor's muscular physique once more. Leaning over, she whispered to Howard, "He is as strong as Steve, maybe stronger."
Howard nodded, also fascinated.
Overhearing them, Namor smirked and seemed to puff up more from pride. Seeing his reaction, Peggy added for his benefit, "Too bad he is so arrogant."
Grinning, Howard snorted when the Prince scowled over his shoulder at her.
As Peggy continued to watch the proceedings, she had always wondered if she would meet anyone of the same caliber as Steve, let alone surpass him in strength.
Smiling, she recalled an old daydream of someday forming a special ops team to help the SSR. Though similar to the Howling Commandos, it would instead be made up of super-powerful beings. This small group would vanquish any nefarious individuals hell-bent on destroying the world.
Studying Namor, she thought he would certainly be an asset to their ranks.
Interrupting her musings, the Emperor was far from done. Continuing, he admonished his grandson, "I do though, question your hesitation to attack after we had been captured."
Namor quickly tempered his anger and replied, "I could not chance that the human would murder either of you."
The Emperor shook his head sadly, "At the risk of the realm, you would have us spared only to be used as hostages. I am sorry, Princeling, but you must learn that sacrifices are to be made if you are ever to rule."
Still too proud to admit otherwise, Namor would not back down, "I stand by my actions, grandfather. Besides, it all worked out. And as a bonus, we no longer have to worry about future possible insurrections." There was a twinkle in his eyes, and knowing his grandson well, the Emperor raised a questioning eyebrow at him.
Seeing this as permission to continue, Namor declared, "I decided to use this situation to find out who was loyal to the crown and who was not. Lately, I have heard rumblings from our people of being unhappy with our sovereigns."
His gaze swept across all in the royal chamber, "As I had explained earlier to these surface-dwellers, having lived so long in peace, many have taken for granted our utopian lifestyle. Bored and complacent with our mild existence, the need for more had wormed its way into their minds. If Kadar had succeeded, those citizens would have embraced this violent overthrow happily."
The monarchs sighed wearily at this admission.
Peeved, Peggy crossed her arms and stated, "So you used us to find all this out?" Luckily only a few of the Atlanteans had died, but her friends could have perished from this man's loyalty test.
Not realizing that he was on thin ice, the Prince grinned cockily. She nearly boxed his ears then and there.
With a shrug, Namor explained, "When I heard the dreaded machine of that human beeping back in my chambers earlier, I knew that something was amiss." His steely gaze fixed onto Peggy's glare, "So I wanted to see if you were genuine in your wish not to hurt us or were just as treacherous as that fiend who had just escaped."
Barely assuaged, she demanded, "Well, did we pass?"
His arrogant sneer became softer, "Yes, you proved that you are worthy of our interest, Peggy Carter."
"But are you worthy of ours," Peggy snapped back. She hated being used. But then she had to give it to him for adapting whatever was available to uncover the traitors to the crown.
Namor quirked his smile and replied to everyone in her party, "We are in debt to all of you for risking your lives to save my grandparents and our society. Regardless of what a few among us think, it is better to live in peace than be enslaved by the tyranny of those demanding a pure lineage."
Peggy was relieved that at least someone in this court had some sense of how dangerous the Nazi eugenics beliefs had been. But then Namor would know all too well about those who did not want a human Atlantean hybrid in their midst.
The Prince looked expectantly at his grandparents.
Now understanding Namor's game, Peggy stared at the Atlantean rulers and prayed that they would reply in kind.
Sighing, the monarchs had no choice but to nod their gratitude to the humans. As the court reluctantly mirrored their sovereigns, Peggy hid her grin. What a crafty young Prince indeed, she thought, pleased.
Not only had Namor ferreted out the Atlantean traitors, but he had also tested Peggy's group to ensure they were on the up and up. And as a more beneficial bonus, he manipulated his royal family into openly accepting that some humans could be trusted. She hoped this meant that he cared for his father's people more than what he had initially let on.
If that were the case, he would be perfect for making her one-time dream into a reality.
General Kadar sneered, "The surface-dwellers can never be trusted." He rounded on Namor, "Your mother should never have lain with such a lowly species."
Enraged, Namor took a threatening step toward the General.
The Emperor's strong voice rang out, stopping Namor's advancement. The monarch rumbled disapprovingly at the General, "She would never have married you, Kadar. She never loved you and never would. And seeing your traitorous actions, I believe she had chosen wisely in her mate after all."
Namor looked sharply at his grandfather, an expression of childlike wonderment on his face. The emotion disappeared so fast that Peggy questioned if he had even looked so vulnerable. Instead, an acquiescing Prince bowed in appreciation to his illustrious grandfather. Peggy pondered what sort of damaged goods she would soon be asking for.
Desperate, the General tried to plead his case to the Atlantean rulers, "If the surface-dwellers are intelligent enough to find us, they will eventually destroy our people. You heard that arrogant buffoon's son. They will return."
He pivoted and glared at Peggy, "And no hu-mans will ever trust those who are superior to them. Once they are home, they will blow us to vapor. So heed my warnings and send these lesser beings crawling back into the caves before it is too late."
The Prince shook his head and said, "Some are certainly not the lesser." He stared hard at Peggy's amazed face and explained hastily, "What I mean is, if they can find us, then maybe they are worthy of being our equals, and we should not fear all of them."
He then addressed those present, "Frankly, we have become too secluded and complacent. We need to accept that others exist outside our isolated lives and work with them, not against them."
The Emperor studied Namor, "Then what do you suggest, Princeling? They seem more troublesome now that they have such a devastating, powerful bomb."
Peggy grew frustrated. Calming herself as best as possible, she suggested, "There seems to be only one way we can convince you that we are not a threat. I believe you need to send an emissary to witness that a great majority of humanity means you no harm."
Shaking his head, the Emperor admitted, "My people cannot survive long breathing your air."
"But I can. And I am also the best suited to be on land," Namor stated dogmatically.
Peggy nodded in agreement.
The lead female council member shook her head worriedly, "That is dangerous thinking, my Prince. I am loathed to agree with General Kadar, but after what we have just been through, how can we be sure the hu-mans will not turn on us? It is difficult to trust this lesser species that—"
Namor growled, offended, "Remember, I am half human too."
Visibly swallowing his anger, he addressed the monarchs, "How else am I to be a great leader if I am never allowed to experience all that is out there? There is no longer any need for us to be alone, cut off from the world. Here we have a chance to make new friends and allies. And perhaps when our people have something new in their lives, they can focus on the positives around them."
His grandparents shared a look of unease.
With a hint of pleading in his voice, Namor said, "Please, grandfather." Obviously, this trip meant a lot to him.
Then reluctantly, the Atlantean rulers silently agreed. The Emperor replied, "You are right, Princeling. Fine, you will be our ambassador to the surface. But you must be wary. The hu-mans present might have proven themselves somewhat honorable, but I assure you that many out there are dangerous and will seek your destruction, as well as our own."
After formally bowing, Namor stated boldly, "Yes, my liege, and I promise to be careful."
The Emperor dipped his head in acknowledgment, and the Empress dabbed tears from her eyes.
Peggy was beyond thrilled and nodded her thanks to the sovereigns, "And I assure you that the Prince will be under my people's protection."
"If anything happens to my grandson, it will be your head, Peggy Carter," the Empress solemnly vowed, and the Emperor glared vehemently at the SSR Agent as well.
Swallowing the lump of concern nestled in her throat, Peggy replied determinedly, "Understood."
The General cautioned the Emperor, "You are an old fool. Mark my words, just as their ancestors did, they will turn on our kind once again."
The Emperor waved off Kadar's concerns, "Remove the General and those who sided with him to prison where they will await trial for treason."
As he was dragged away, the General spat at those in charge and promised, "This is not over."
After they had been removed from the chambers, Peggy could finally exhale and relax.
The few remaining influential Atlanteans congregated around the dais. As the din of a discussion began, Peggy motioned her small group closer to her.
As they surrounded her, Peggy nodded to the Russians, "So how are we going to split Ambassador Namor's time between our two nations?"
"What like divorced parents?" Howard asked half in jest.
Peggy's intense gaze stayed focused on Dmitri and Zdenka to gauge their reaction. When they stared back noncommittedly, the SSR Agent suggested, "Well, because of his temperament, I guess we should let Namor decide who he wishes to work with first."
The Russians nodded in agreement, and Dmitri replied, "It is only fair."
Peggy hoped that by having the royal Atlantean topside, the closed channels between Russia and America would finally reopen. Regardless, this situation would force both sides to work together in figuring out how Namor should be handled.
She smirked at the thought of the Colonel's reaction when she told him to expect the arrival of the Prince of Atlantis soon.
They spied Namor's arrogant preening as his people lavished more accolades at his feet. Finally, Zdenka made a face and muttered, "Though you might be welcome to him when this whole trial basis is over."
All chuckled. Looking back at the Prince, Peggy wondered how Namor would feel about additional duties than just his Ambassadorial ones. She hoped he would accept her invitation to work among a small group of special individuals who took care of dangerous situations. Alas, there were problems when ordering someone around who thought they were superior to one's species.
With Namor's placement somewhat settled between them, Howard looked at Peggy and smirked, "So are you going to hunt Zemo down now?"
She laughed, "Forget that. I need a vacation."
"You aren't the only one, comrade," Dmitri said, and Zdenka nodded heartily in agreement.
Jarvis deadpanned, "Mr. Stark, I would like a pay raise."
Howard slapped his loyal friend on the back with the promise, "You got it, pal. Now I wonder if there is someplace I could get a good stiff drink. What would one even ferment around here anyway?"
Peggy shook her head and chuckled, "Oh, Howard, never change."
Frowning, Howard tilted his head at her askew. "I'm serious, Peg."
Smiling, she replied, "I know you are."
Then pursing her lips, Peggy looked around and thought she would not miss this odd place where the breathable air came from a mutated Cephalopod. Besides that, she knew the Colonel would want a status report in person ASAP. This had her pondering a larger issue.
Just how in the world were they ever going to get home?
After the Atlantean court had taken a break, Namor approached the humans. By all the gestures aimed solely at her group, Peggy figured they had finally finished talking about them.
In no uncertain terms, the Prince said to her, "I will visit your people first, Peggy Carter."
She noticed that he never once looked over at the Russians. The SSR Agent wondered if he would ignore them now since Zdenka's availability was no longer on the table.
"Thank you, Prince Namor. I promise that it will be a most enlightening visit." She glanced around, "Now my concern is, how do we get home?"
Arms across his chest, Namor replied haughtily, "Do not worry, human. They want you gone as much as you want to leave."
Frowning, Peggy went to ask him for some details, but he had already scuttled back to his people. In moments they once more began to debate additional matters adamantly. Exasperated, Peggy nearly let out a curse.
Grinning, Howard reassured her, "I got it covered, pal. I am sure I could get us back to New York even if I only had a paperclip."
She was not amused, and they impatiently waited for what felt like hours. Grumblingly to herself, Peggy wondered why they could not head back to the Prince's chamber during all this deliberation. Besides a bath, she could use a nap.
Jarvis verbalized his own wishes, "Oh, it will be nice to get into a fresh suit."
The Russians grinned, and Dmitri stated, "And have a nice meal."
Howard chuckled, "So you already miss the lavish lifestyle on my yacht, comrades?"
Zdenka admitted, "Well, it did have its perks."
Before Howard could tease them incessantly, Namor indicated it was time for them to leave.
There was no fanfare when Namor quickly led the humans out of the throne room. But instead of heading outside and back to his residence, he took them further into the castle. Seeing their concerned looks, the Prince stated, "I promise it is not somewhere to be executed."
But by the scornful glares that the elderly monarchs had aimed her way, Peggy would just have to take his word for it.
As they were led past carved statues of bygone powerful Atlantean sovereigns, Howard mentioned, "Hey, all this looks vaguely familiar."
Namor nodded, "Yes, we are going back to the chamber that you first arrived in."
Grimacing, Peggy truly hoped they would not be deposited back in the snow.
Dmitri must have been thinking along the same lines because he asked, "I've been wondering, back at the North Pole, why did we have to do that purification test of the Labyrinth?"
Namor shook his head, "It was not for purification but for the ultimate test of oneself. If you could pass that, then you were certainly advanced enough to be a threat to our people."
"Oh," the Russian male meekly replied.
The Prince continued to take them deeper into the royal palace. Soon they were headed down into lower sections. The further they went, the more it looked like this part of the castle hadn't been used in a very long time. There was a thin layer of silt coating various head busts and effigies of other previous Atlantean sovereigns.
It seemed that the architectural style was also getting older the further they went. Perhaps Zdenka had been right about the subsequent rulers building right on top of the past foundations, Peggy thought, amazed. Regardless, it was a fascinating historical journey.
As they progressed along the neglected corridors, Zdenka would comment about the ancient designs now and then, trying to garner some information about the Atlantean's past. Namor would only nod politely. It seemed that the sweetheart stage between them was truly over.
Peggy shared a look with the frustrated Russian Doctor. Unsaid was how they would get the recalcitrant Prince to cooperate with their national leaders when he would barely tolerate a simple query.
Sighing, Peggy decided to focus on how she was going to present this situation to the Colonel. Hopefully, adding such a royal ambassador with superior strength into the SSR ranks would help remove the threat against the agency's continued existence.
Then Namor turned the corner and steered them toward more stairs. Peggy wondered just how deep they were going to go. Perhaps through the earth's core and back to the Arctic, she thought with a smirk.