He watched anxiously, closing the Journal gently, placing it in his satchel without even looking down, as Kida made it below the Heart, and the trio watched with shocked eyes as the stone carvings moved into horizontally floating, revealing the Heart easier to see as the blue beams circled around Kida, and combined into the beam upon Kida, and as soon as it did, Kida breathed deeply when there was a flash of blue of her crystal by the beam.

Right after that happened, Kida's hair, clothes, accessories began to float as she was lifted up, and Milo widened his eyes as it was like how it similarly happened to Kida's mother! Kida was unconscious, dangling as she twirled in her floating motions, going up and up until she was absorbed into the Heart of Atlantis, as the stone carvings became vertical, tightening around the Heart, as the great crystal-blue rumbled and roared, changing with the stone carvings moving faster and faster, almost like a horizontal spinning Ferris wheel on super high speed.

After a few moments, everything seemed to have calmed down as the stones slowly rotated once more, but the Heart of energy was now replaced by Kida who was now glowing as a crystalline figurine.

She slowly floated back down to the water's surface before Milo tried to rush forward, only for Rourke to grab him by the shoulder. "Hold your horses, lover boy.", he told him.

Milo called out, "Kida!", and Kida's eyes opened to reveal glowing orbs, as he whispered in concern, "Kida...", half wondering if she is actually hearing him as she started to walk on, the rumbling of the stones falling one by one, yet not even hurting her as she was somehow protected by an invisible force shield, with the stones dark now.

She approached the earth, walking normally now, and Helga was about to reach out when Milo warned, "Don't touch her! No, just don't...", as Kida just kept walking on, as Rourke replied, "Well, not what I had in mind, but better than nothing.", as they followed her to the stone elevator, with Milo trying to talk to Kida, "Kida, please talk to me.", but nothing as she was silent, her hair, clothes and accessories floating here and there.

Helga brushed a few strands of her hair back, looking at Rourke, "Triple for sure.", and Rourke smirked as the stone elevator rumbled, heading back up to the palace.

"Either way, I'm sure Schmidt will probably figure out something to do with her.", Rourke said. The group once more returned to the throne room before the rest of the group saw what had happened down below.

"Kidagakash!", Sia cried out as she tried to run to her, only to take a rifle butt to her stomach from a Stormtrooper. Helga replied, "Whoa, I said keep a tight leash, not harm the other princess in case for rebellion, not that they are strong enough for it.", with a snort.

Jacques helped Sia up, "Sia!", looking over her, and Sia breathed deeply, "I will be alright, Jacques...What did you do to her?", looking at them.

Rourke chuckled, "We didn't do anything to her. She did it herself, right, Thatch?", and Milo glared at him before looking at Kida with concern, and then glanced back at Sia, "I think she's in a trance or something...She got absorbed with the Heart of Atlantis...It was truly more than a giant crystal or a power source...", before Kida started walking onwards.

Helga called out, "Right. Hydra, let's go. No touching her as we don't know what would happen.", and the several Stormtroopers let go of everyone, having stripped everyone of weapons, and Sia was conflicted between wanting to know if her father's alright in the care of the doctors who has been looking after him all this time, or following the others to watch Kida of what she's planning to do.

Rourke replies, "Ah, not exactly done.", with a smirk as he glances at Erskine who has been working with Dr. Sweet over the King, and Helga nods before they head down as Kida was still walking out of the palace, and as soon as they reached the center of the city, people had crowded around to see in awe, confusion, shock, as Hydra had drove the trucks and such from the expedition, with a group crating Kida up.

Milo cried out, "Kida!", moving forward, but Stormtroopers pushed him back with force, "Back off, American, unless you want to get killed by our guns!".

Milo seethed, glaring at Rourke and Helga, "Congratulations, you've brought death to the city, and you're taking the hope of this city, and we cannot stop you, you must be happy for that...You are going to hell for this, for taking my mate, for hurting all those people, and for what? Money and a position on top of the mountain!", as Erskine went to pat his shoulder, feeling terrible for Milo, seeing the worry, horror, anxiety, love, and passionate fury in Milo's eyes, having been assured by Sweet that he will look after the King.

"They don't care, Milo... they know exactly what they're doing.", Erskine said as Rourke chuckled, "Indeed. You said taking the Heart will kill the city? Good, less ammunition to waste. Can wipe them all out cleanly.".

"Can't let them live and prove that the Aryans weren't responsible for all this, right?", Erskine countered. "The whole lynchpin of Nazi ideology is the superiority of the Aryans, the Übermensch over the Untermensch. Doesn't look good when it turned out darker skinned people had beaten you all to every advancement known to man!". Helga stopped and aimed her gun with a look of fury on her face as Rourke yanked it out of her hands.

"Control yourself, Helga... he'll get what's coming...". There was a pause for a moment before Rourke pulled it up and fired. Once more shock hit everyone as Erskine dropped to the ground. "I actually have been wanting to put a bullet in him since he pulled rank when we arrived.".

"Opa!", Milo shouted, tears falling in horror, falling to his knees, his hands frozen in hesitation, wanting to comfort Erskine yet afraid to touch him to feel his life fading, barely hearing the crew's cries of horrified shock including Steve's cry of terror, "Erskine!", as Peggy held him.

A scream of anguished heartbreak echoed, "Abraham!", coming from the gathered crew, revealing a man running to Erskine, the scarred man who suddenly removed a disguise mask of scars from his face, revealing pale, flawless skin, adjusting his glasses without much care, his dyed gray hair now fading back into natural white as it has been a week and some since he had dyed it last time, along with his smaller mustache doing the same as well.

He gently held Erskine's head in his lap, sobbing, "No, no, you can't leave me, Abram!", tears in his eyes, a very familiar set of eyes Milo knew by memory, a very rare look of anguished heartbreak that Milo knew when his grandfather grieved for his son and wife occasionally, glaring at Rourke, not caring about the rest of the adults in the crew who was beyond shellshocked besides Audrey and Vinny who was more confused than shocked, "Damn you, Lyle!".

Rourke was stunned for a moment before he huffed, "Well, how's death been treating you, Thaddeus? I must admit, you had even me convinced that you didn't make it.".

Milo was stunned speechless as Thaddeus spat back at Rourke, "Let me guess, they asked you right after the Iceland expedition, didn't they?".

Rourke smirked, "More or less. Either way, you're going to die for real as you are now part of this exhibit, Thaddeus.", and Thaddeus glared at him, "Better to die with the man I love, along with my grandson than joining you, Rourke. And if you want to kill me when I won't tell you the whereabouts of the equipment, go ahead.".

"Nah, I won't waste another bullet, and besides, the Heart of Atlantis is a way better prize than the stuff Erskine has, not that you'd know what to do with the serum without his help considering that he's dead.", Rourke smirked, and Thaddeus froze, tears falling once more as he then held Erskine lovingly, sobbing.

Rourke then called out to Helga, "Let's move out!", handing her pistol back to her, and Helga nodded, "Right! Hydra, file up!", as Rourke got into the truck holding many Stormtroopers including the crate of Kida, revving off.

Milo's heart jumped as he got up to his feet, "No, no, Kida!", noticing that the flames of Atlantis became weaker, the waterfalls losing water, and he looked back to see the crowds of Atlanteans having their crystal necklaces becoming dim.

"We can't let them do this!", Milo shouted, running before Jacques grabbed him, "No, Milo, he rigged the bridge!", having seen that the bridge looked funny before realizing it, feeling bad for Milo, yet knowing somehow that Kida wouldn't want him to get killed in a rigged bridge explosion, and indeed, a few minutes later, the bridge exploded right after the last Hydra truck made it to the mountainside.

"So... now what?", Audrey asked. "Come on, we can't simply let those bastards get away with everything!", with a fire in her eyes.

"Audrey... open your eyes; they got a whole bunch of troops armed to the teeth while we have nothing; plus, our only way to follow them has been blown.", Jacques sighed in defeat. "She's right though... we can't let them just get away with this without at least a fight...", Peggy said.

Milo was trying to think of something when he looked back, suddenly remembering Thaddeus, and he took a deep breath as he went back to Thaddeus who is holding Erskine still in his arms, tears falling, "Abram...Please don't leave me...".

Suddenly, a hand cradled Thaddeus's cheek, and Thaddeus opened his eyes to see Erskine looking at him with a soft smile, wheezing lightly, "I am not going anywhere, Tad...".

Thaddeus sobbed, "Abram!", kissing him passionately on the lips for a moment before Erskine exhaled, "That makes me feel better for a moment...But it hurts...", groaning softly as he moved his jacket, revealing his shirt, with a hole in his breast pocket, gingerly taking out a largely dented familiar pocket watch, the very one Thaddeus gifted to Erskine, almost creating a crease through the edge of the watch.

Thaddeus's eyes widened in shock and relief with worry as he removed Erskine's shirt, revealing a large bruise along with a crooked gunshot wound, not at the heart, but Erskine hissed as Thaddeus moved him, "Don't, Tad...That hurts...Feels like it's wrecked in a rib...It hurts to breathe.".

"Crap...It's not fair! I can't lose you if you're...", Thaddeus looked both torn yet relieved to know that Erskine's alive, yet he's in pain. Milo's voice replied, "There's a way. Sia, your crystal's still glowing bright. Can you help him?", and Thaddeus looked up to see Milo kneeling by them, and he breathed, looking at Milo, whispering, "Milo...".

"I have so many questions right now, but I know why you did this... Rourke and Helga proved that for sure...", Milo said as he looked back to Sia, "Sia, please!". Sia hurried over as she started to apply her crystal, "I don't know how well it will be without the heart right now, but anything's better than nothing.".

"That still remains the problem of how the hell we get out of here and stop Rourke and his HYDRA friends before they return to the Fatherland.", Steve crossed his arms. "Sia, is there another way out?".

She took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes... but Kida might be long gone by the time we reach where they're going.", with a frown. "The volcano...", Cookie spoke up. "Got to be the only place they got in.".

"Rourke mentioned a zeppelin...", Milo said. "You got to be kidding me, they parked a whole dern zepler in the 'cano?", Packard snorted.

Peggy replied, "Hydra would do anything they want to, without care of people or the environment.", as Sia glanced at Thaddeus, "Help prop him up, I might need Dr. Sweet's help to get...what's inside the rib?".

Jacques replied, "A bullet. If it's really in the rib, Sweet got stuff in his bag to pull it out.", and Sia nodded, commanding to some guards in Atlantean, using some kind of slab for Erskine as Thaddeus gently propped him, "Breathe, Abram, I'm right here...", holding into his hand.

Milo, Steve, and Peggy followed alongside, as the rest of the crew waited back, as the guards carried Erskine up to the palace, and Milo looked at Sweet who was staring at Thaddeus in shock as they came in, "Questions later, Sweet. Do you have forceps or something to pull out a crushed bullet?".

Sweet nodded, searching through his bag, and got some narrow forceps, and glanced at Sia who is holding her crystal to Erskine's wound, nodding at him, as he replied, "This is going to hurt, I wish I had some chloroform for this...Hold him steady, Thaddeus.".

Thaddeus stroked Erskine's hair, holding his hand, "This is going to be over, Abram...I got you...", kissing him on the forehead, and Erskine smiled softly as he held still, before crying out in pain as the forceps dug into him, even with the crystal's healing power helping it along, gritting his teeth.

Milo bit his lip, hating to see both of his grandfathers looking torn yet they are remarkably in love with each other, as Peggy kissed Steve on the cheek, rubbing his arm as he watched with anguished hope on his face.

Then after a few minutes of careful focus, Sweet successfully pulled out the crushed bullet as Sia murmured in Atlantean, kissing the crystal as it regrew the cracked part of the rib, healing the slightly bruised part of the lung behind the rib, and erased the entire wound away into flawless skin as if it was stitched back without use of stitches, as the bruise became yellow, on the way to healing naturally without the crystal.

Sia then smiled in relief as Erskine took deep breaths, looking at her, "Oh, thank you, Sia...", as Thaddeus held him happily, and he then shakily stood up as Thaddeus replied, "Abram, you just got healed! Rest, please!".

"I will rest after I find a way to help somehow...", Erskine replied as Sweet returned to the King's side, explaining what just happened as he was asking quietly in a wheezing way, and the King shook his head, loudly proclaiming, "No, I cannot let my youngest daughter heal me...You've done so much, Dr. Sweet.".

Sia ran over, tears in her eyes, "Father, no! Please!", and Kashekim looked at Sia straight in the eyes, despite his blindness, "I can feel it, Thalassia...But I do have enough strength to tell you the truth...You and Kida...Where is she?".

Milo approached him, "It's my fault, your majesty...I shouldn't have brought them here...She...she..", with a sigh, and Kashekim replied, "She became the Heart of Atlantis, just like her mother before her...She has been chosen...".

Sia blinked, "Father? What do you mean?", and Kashekim replies, "In times of danger, the Heart of Atlantis takes a host, one of royal blood, to protect all its people and the city...It cannot take no other.".

"Wait, it takes? You mean the Heart is actually alive?", Milo asked. "In a way...", Kashekim groaned from the pain, "The crystal thrives on the collective emotions of all who came before us. In return, it provides power, longevity, protection. As it grew, it developed a consciousness of its own.".

He then coughed; clearly from the sounds of it, only moments away from death claiming him, "In my arrogance, I sought to use it as a weapon of war, but its power proved too great to control.".

"Won't stop Schmidt...", Erskine chimed in. "Won't stop the Nazis; they'll destroy everything in an attempt to control it.", as Kashekim replies wisely yet morbidly, "Then it will overwhelm them... as it did us... and lead to the destruction of all...".

"So that's why you hid it beneath the city...", Milo said. "To try to prevent it from happening again...". Kashekim nodded softly, "And to prevent Kida from suffering the same fate as my beloved wife.", and Milo looked at him, "What? What's going to happen to Kida?".

"If she remains bonded to the crystal, she and your child could be lost to it forever.", Kashekim replies softly. A moment passes before Milo chokes, "S-she's pregnant?".

Kashekim looked at him, "My crystal, the Kings' Crystal is the strongest crystal to understand and feel what the Heart knows, next to healing, a stronger one than my daughters' crystals. My grandchild is growing within the Crystal's aid while protecting Kida, faster than I expected, but the power within the Crystal is stronger than the natural length of a pregnancy.".

Milo's heart skipped a beat...He's a father...Kashekim then sighs deeply, "All the love of my daughters is all I have left...The burden of ruling a kingdom would pass over to Kida when the time's right, but now it falls to you, Milo Thatch.", taking off his crystal necklace, holding it to Milo whose breath catches.

"Your majesty...", Milo whispers in shock, and Kashekim whispers, "You are Kidagakash's mate, Milo Thatch...You must return the Crystal home. Save my daughter, my grandchild. Save Atlantis. You are now and forever thus the Acting King of Atlantis. Use any help you can within your friends and family...", putting his crystal necklace into Milo's hand, and then he murmurs, "Thalassia, my wonderful young daughter...You are free to choose whatever you want to do. Never forget who you are...".