"What the hell...?", Peggy muttered before she opened the tent to see that Milo wasn't pranking anyone. Fire was roaring through the camp and being swarmed with what looked like fireflies. "Steve, get yourself dressed, now!", she told him as she quickly fumbled to get her clothes as best as she could.
Steve nodded, snapping his trousers back on, getting his shirt back on as he grabbed his bags, running out to see the fire at last after hearing the roar of the flames, and he was briefly relieved for if she hadn't come to him tonight, her tent...Gods...He would have lost her before he knew it.
He grabbed her hand, "Come on, Peggy, it's too late to grab your bags! Let's go!", as Rourke shouted in response to Helga's shouts of command for dousing the fire, "No time! Let's move it, go for the caves!", as everyone scrambled to get into trucks and all.
"Move it! Move it!", Helga shouted as everyone grabbed what they could salvage and got their stuff on board the vehicles.
"Looks like Erskine got in front of us!", Steve shouted as Milo was running next to their truck as he was trying to jump into the passenger seat. Erskine and Thaddeus were much further ahead of all the other vehicles, practically almost across the bridge.
Peggy shouted, "Milo, come on, jump!", holding out a hand as she is in the middle front, and Milo jumped with a shout, grabbing into Peggy's hand in a rough landing just as a truck behind them caught on fire by the fireflies.
Thaddeus shouted, "Faster, Abraham!", clenching into the seat, as Erskine drove, ramming the lever into high speed, praying to every god possible that his equipment is secure as it is.
"What the hell just blew up!?", Rourke shouted as Helga looked out from their vehicle. "Most of our remaining supplies...", Helga bit her lip.
All hell now truly broke loose as the explosion started a chain reaction of things. Erskine and Thaddeus's vehicle reached the other side of the bridge... but that was when the stone chandelier dropped and pretty much caused much of the bridge to start collapsing.
Mole shouted as he tried to rev his lever, "No, no!", as he can feel his Digger starting to slide down the collapsing bridge, but the strain was too much as the bridge fell further, causing the Digger to fall back, causing the other trucks behind into a huddle, trapped to go up past the Digger or anything.
Dr. Sweet tried to drive the wheel, "Whoa, whoa!", in his truck as Vinny hugged Jacques, "Papa Jack! I'm scared!", tears falling in fear and confusion.
Jacques shouted, "Hold on, Vinny! This is going to be a bumpy ride!", as he clutched his arms around Vinny, hiding him against his chest, with his gifted Coney Jr. in Vinny's shirt.
Erskine and Thaddeus ran out of their truck to run at the edge, screaming in horror and worry, "MILO!", as one, looking down to see the lights of the Digger and the trucks flying about, hearing faint screams and such, and then nothing.
Thaddeus panted heavily, "No...Please, no...", tears falling across his disguise skin mask, having forgotten his gas mask in the chaos of the fire and all. Erskine held him as he nearly collapsed into his arms, "Thaddeus...He isn't alone. He got Steven and Miss Carter and the others. They will find a way up and out to Atlantis...Speaking of which, we got to go in the Atlantean cave. You heard our boy. If we take it, we can reunite with the others.".
"What...what if he's hurt?...Or...", Thaddeus choked up, and Erskine sighed deeply, "He has Dr. Sweet to help him if he got hurt...And don't think that...Milo may be scrawny, but he is a fighter in heart like you.".
Thaddeus took a deep breath, "You're right...You're right...", hoping that everybody made it, pardoning the lost souls caught by the tents on fire, the fireflies and such, and went back to the truck.
In the darkness, groans of pain and muttering was heard as Rourke lit a match, "Alright, who's not dead? Sound off!", looking around, as Helga's voice replied, "Sinclair reporting.".
Audrey's voice groaned out loud, speaking in Spanish, cursing before replying, "Ramirez reporting! And there's an emergency switch on all trucks if not damaged, folks!".
"Roger...", one of the troops called out as several vehicles came back to life. "How bad?", Rourke asked as Audrey looked over things.
"Last legs for a lot of things; with the explosion and all...", Audrey sighed. "Lost most of the remaining men in the crash and explosion. We're down to just second squad, sir.", one of the corporals said.
"Down to barely just over a dozen people...", Rourke pinched his nose. "We're honestly lucky there's any of us left alive.", Audrey added. "Lucky for us we landed in something soft.".
"Pumice ash.", Mole called out as he ran his fingers through it. "We are standing in the base of a dormant volcano.". Helga pulled out a flare gun and fired it, giving a bit of light in the darkness.
"Tall and wide, you honestly could get a pretty big dirigible in here with a wide enough hole at the top.", Helga said as the flare shot up.
"Maybe that's our best chance to the surface.", Rourke said. "Maybe... maybe not...", Helga groaned, just as the flare hit the ceiling.
"The magma has solidified in the bowels of the volcano, effectively blocking the exit.", Mole explained. "Sounds like me when I eat sauerkraut.", Packard grumbled as she lit up another cigarette of hers.
"Hold on, back it up. Are you saying this whole volcano can blow at any time?", Sweet asked as he was starting to worry about their position. "No, no, no, no.", Mole dismissed. "That would take an explosive force of great magnitude.".
They expectedly looked around before Audrey widened her eyes, "Shit! Where's Jacques and his kid?!", as Rourke replied, "Damn it. We better find them as we would need his expertise to blow a hole out of this volcano so we can have a way back to the surface. What do you think, Mr. Thatch?".
He looked around, hearing nothing, "Thatch?", as Cookie called out, "I don't see Rogers and Carter either!", and Rourke frowned, "People, spread out! Mole, you get checking on your Digger!".
Elsewhere, Jacques heard muffled pleas, "Pa! Papa Jack! Wake up, Papa! Please, wake up! You promised not to leave me!", as he felt hands shaking his shoulders before hearing a gasp, and hearing his boy proclaim bravely, "I ain't letting you hurt him!", and then another gasp, "You...You ain't a monster...Are you going to help him? If you are, please help! He's bleeding bad!".
He then felt an unfamiliar set of hands on his head, not even realizing that he had a bleeding concussion, and then a cool touch of something to his head, feeling peaceful surprise, and then his head cleared up, and he opened his eyes, his breath catching as right there is the most beautiful sight he has ever seen.
Smiling brightly, is a woman of dark skin, with bright blue eyes and a long mane of pure snow-white hair, and there, is the tattoo on her right cheek, the very same woman he had glimpsed in that strange vision back in the air pocket, wearing armor and blue clothes of exotic design and comfort, with a mask up over her head.
She then motioned a finger to her lips as she then placed her crystal on a severe cut on his chest, and he watched in awe as he felt her hand touch, and after a moment, he felt he can breathe a bit better now as he somehow felt a rib move back in place as the severe cut became nothing, leaving flawless, slightly scarred skin, and he looked up to her, and then Vinny came to him, "Papa! You're okay!", as the woman smiled tenderly.
Jacques looked over him as he hugged him, "Vinny! You're hurt!", noticing that Vinny came out mostly unscathed, with a cut on his cheek, for Jacques had protected him upon the severe impact of the throw from the truck in the chaos.
"Speak for yourself, Papa! You were bleeding, very more hurt than me! That was amazing, pretty lady!", Vinny glared at Jacques, and then looked at the woman gratefully as she showed the teddy bear to him, gasping, "Coney Jr.! Thank you, pretty lady!", grabbing the teddy bear with a wide smile, not caring about the cut on his cheek.
Jacques obviously was keeping an eye on their guest; considering she was still carrying a weapon with her. She may have helped but Jacques knew one couldn't be too careful.
After all, several Maquis cells had been exposed by those whom they thought they could trust who sold them out to the Gestapo or the Vichy Milice. He gently placed a hand on Vinny's shoulder to try and nudge him back a bit away from her.
She can see the cautious look on Jacques's face, straying to her weapon, his hand on Vinny's shoulder as a gesture of protection. She gave a warm smile as it reminded her of the adult lava dogs protecting their pups from danger, and she lowered her curved weapon, laying it down, giving up her hands in surrender.
Vinny looked at Jacques, "She ain't going to hurt us, Papa! She saved you!", and the woman nodded softly, and then gestured to her cheek with a hand, and Vinny smiled, "Oh, I suppose so...I really wanted a scar like you, Papa, but it's kinda annoying when I talk with this cut...", as she slowly, carefully crept onwards, and gently placed her crystal on his cheek, turning him slightly to show Jacques, as she placed two fingers on the cheek, as a blue glow appeared and vanished just like the severe cut, and the concussion Jacques presumed, and as she moved her hand back, the cut was gone.
Vinny spoke, testing his tongue by touching the inside of his cheek and all, "Jeepers, that's strong stuff!", with a wide smile, and the woman gave a laugh, a bell-like laugh as she smiled brightly.
There was suddenly another sound, something like footsteps approaching before she quickly turned her head, with worry on her face before she put back on her mask and started to flee, picking up her spear.
"Wait!", Vinny called out as Jacques held him back once more. "No... let... let her go...", he said.
"Hey, anyone over here!?", Helga's voice called out as Jacques looked at Vinny, "Don't say anything, alright? Not yet at least until we better know who that was, okay?".
Vinny whispered, "Including the healing thing?", and Jacques nodded, "Especially that.", before standing up as Vinny helped him up as Jacques called out, "Helga!".
Helga's flashlight landed on them, and she called out, "Jacques, Vinny! You alright?", and Jacques nodded, "Bruises that will heal soon enough, but we're alright.", as more voices got closer.
Lights and such surrounded Vinny and Jacques as Audrey gave them canteens to drink some water, "We were worried, Jacques! Vinny, you alright, kid?", and Vinny nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Papa cushioned our fall, but luckily, we landed on the floor instead of those nasty rocks.", easily lying, even if he knew that his papa got hit by a rock on the way down before getting saved by the pretty lady.
Jacques looked around, and frowned, "Where's Steve, Milo, and Miss Carter?", and Rourke replied, "Still looking. They must have got thrown somewhere else in the chaos of trucks and all back there like you and your boy did.".
Elsewhere, Steve groaned as he can feel bruises everywhere on his body, waking up, hissing in pain as his back ached badly, probably grinded against the rough ground on the way down as he can feel blood sticking to his shirt...It's a good thing that he's alive, and Peggy would be so relieved. Wait, Peggy!
His mind spun in anxiety as he called out, "Peggy!", looking around, gingerly getting up before widening his eyes in horror as they got used to the dim darkness, barely noticing the slivers of light in the distance with fresh air blowing through.
Right there, several feet away from Milo who's breathing shallowly, unconscious with slightly cracked, lopsided glasses and a few cuts on his arms and upper chest, is Peggy laying on her side, her knee wrenched out of place, with a glass piece piercing in her side, just under her armpit and shoulder, and a bleeding cut on her forehead.
Steve's heart both dropped and raced at the same time as he shouted, "Peggy!", running over to her, picking up her head gently as he dropped down to his knees, "Please, Peggy, I can't lose you! Wake up! Why is this happening to me?!", tears falling, "I lost Mom, and Bucky left me to fight in that damn war, and now I'm losing you! Please, Peggy, I love you! Damn it, I love you so much!", kissing her lips desperately, caressing her hair, unknowing that Peggy clearly heard him as she was trying to wake up despite the concussion of that cut on her forehead, and then felt Steve embrace her protectively when there came a sound.
He suddenly turned before he found three strange beings with large masks confronting him. Steve said nothing for a moment before the others chattered with each other for a moment before one of them got closer. "Stay back...", Steve said as the leader stopped for a moment.
The leader tilted the head of the mask, and then raised the mask upwards, revealing a woman of exotic skin and hair, and Steve blinked in surprise before the woman got closer, and he protectively embraced Peggy, glaring at her, "If you are going to kill me, do it fast, because I ain't going anywhere without Peggy.".
The woman glanced at her weapon, and then smiled respectfully as she laid it downwards, showing her hands up in surrender, and she slowly creped like approaching a caged animal, looking at Peggy, and gestured to her forehead, and then did a gesture saying, 'Trust me'.
Steve bit his lip before nodding, "Okay...Don't make quick movements or I will make sure you get a wound if you hurt Peggy.", and the woman smiled, nodding in understanding as she then knelt by Peggy, carefully placing her crystal on the bleeding cut on Peggy's forehead and then her hand, as Peggy exhaled in relief from the cool sensation, and after the woman pulled her hand back, the cut was instantly gone, with no bleeding in sight.
Peggy opened her eyes weakly, blinking to get used to the dim darkness and subtle light, murmuring, "Steve...", and Steve sobbed, "Peggy!", as Peggy smiled, raising her hand to caress his cheek, "I love you too, so much...", before grimacing in pain, "That hurts...", before widening her eyes to see the woman in her side view.
The woman looked at Steve, gesturing to the side of the chest with the glass piece and knee, asking for permission, looking between him and Peggy, and Steve, shocked to hear those three words from Peggy yet capable to speak, "There's a glass piece in your side, and your knee is out of place, Peggy. She healed your concussion...", awed to see the healing power the woman has.
"Oh, is that why I feel so itchy on my side, and I can't feel my knee?", Peggy groaned as Steve nodded, "Yeah, listen, this is gonna hurt but I think they might be able to save you... strange as it sounds.".
The woman nodded, smiling, and then gestured to Steve with a hug, holding hands, and Steve replied, "Okay. Peggy, it might feel weird, but wrap your arm around my waist while I hold your hand.".
Peggy stretched carefully, wrapping her arm around Steve's waist, with her hand on Steve's cheek of her other arm, holding his hand tightly as she laid back into his lap, showing the glass piece wound in its entirely, and the woman moved her crystal, touching both sides of the wound between the glass shard, and then with her hand pressing gently on the wound, her other hand grasping carefully of the glass shard, and looked at Steve, who spoke, "Ready, Peggy?".
She nodded before the other woman quickly removed it. Peggy winced in pain, not really as painful as it probably would've been so that crystal must have done some wonders. She took a deep breath before she could feel hands on her leg and then a loud crack as Peggy suddenly had feeling in her knee again.
"Ah!", Peggy gave out a low cry. "That stings like hell...", she said as the crystal was being rubbed on her leg. "At least it seems fixed... same with your glass wound.", Steve said.
Peggy then exhaled in relief as she can feel blood rushing again through her leg, and replied, "Help me up, Steve...", and Steve helped her stand up as Peggy put weight on her leg, smiling, "Whoa...That is remarkable...Thank you...", looking at the exotic woman who smiled, nodding before Peggy then felt blood sticking through Steve's shirt, and looked back, "Steve, your back!".
Steve replied, "Oh...I didn't even notice it again when I saw you laying, Peggy...It's just really aching badly, probably scrapes than cuts.", taking off his shirt, and the woman looked at the bleeding scrapes, and put her crystal on Steve's shirt, looking at Peggy, "Oh, I get it. You're using the shirt as a connecting bandage.", as Peggy took the shirt from Steve's hands, placing it on the back, and then a glow came and went through the shirt into the bleeding scrapes.
