Chapter 27: Decisions
SUBORBITAL BOMBER COCKPIT
Steve kicks open the door to find stillness. He steps warily toward the control platform. He sees the pilot's chair empty.
Suddenly, he hears the whine of a Hydra assault rifle powering up. His eyes dart to the window, where he sees a reflection of the Red Skull aiming at his back.
Steve whips around, shield raised, deflecting the shot. The blast ricochets, blowing out a pane of the cockpit glass. Wind roars.
"You don't give up, do you?" Schmidt shouted, irritated.
"Nope." Steve charges at the Res Skull, who fires again.
Blue bolts ricochet around the cabin. Steve swings, bashing the rifle from Red Skull's hands. Schmidt swings. Steve puts him in a headlock. Schmidt throws Steve into a bulkhead.
Steve swings his shield, but Schmidt grabs it with both hands. The two super soldiers strain, eye to eye.
"You wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations? I have seen the future, Captain. There are no flags but Hydra's." Schmidt smirked.
"Keep the future. I'm looking for a little here and now." Steve slams the Red Skull in the jaw with the shield. Schmidt staggers. Steve cocks back and hits him with an uppercut. The impact drives Schmidt up and into the auto pilot controls. The autopilot disengages. The plane lurches violently.
The massive plane spins into a barrel roll. Inside the cockpit, Steve and the Red Skull tumble to the ceiling.
As Steve and the Red Skull crash across the whirling cockpit, Steve grasps for a handhold. The plane jerks again, throwing them together. They battle in chaotic zero gravity.
Steve powers the Red Skull into the ceiling. Schmidt elbows Steve into the wall and tries to reach the autopilot. But Steve uses his momentum to swing around a strut and slams his shield into Red Skull's head. Schmidt bashes against the wall, but adeptly bounces back. He grabs a strut and kicks Steve toward the back bulkhead. The Red Skull flies at the autopilot controls.
Steve slams hard into the steel wall while the Red skull finds a handhold and hits the autopilot button. The giant plane pulls out of its dive. Gravity returns with sudden violence. Steve smashes to the floor, his shield rolling away. Steve lies momentarily dazed. His eyes flutter.
"You could have the power of the gods..." Steve looks up to see Red Skull advancing, luger drawn. "And you will not admit you want it?" Standing in front of the cube housing, he takes dead aim at the star on Steve's chest.
"I want what every soldier on every battlefield wants..." Steve eyes the shield at his feet. "I want this war to end." Steve slams his heel onto the shield, flipping it into the air.
The Red Skull fires. Steve jumps to his feet, grabbing the shield, blocking the blast. He whirls and hurls his shield.The spinning disc hits the Red Skull in the ribs with a sickening crunch, knocking him off his feet and smashing him into the cube console. Blue energy arcs and crackles from the damaged machinery. The energy gauge pins at overload. Schmidt pulls himself to his feet, staring in alarm as the cube rises from the machine, glowing with a violent intensity.
Red Skull stares. He reaches out and extracts the cube. Steve gapes as the cube burns the glove off Schmidt's hand, exposing the scarred flesh. The Red Skull just stares, overcome and amazed. Blinded by the light, Steve staggers toward the controls.
Meanwhile, for Schmidt, the plane seems to vanish around him and the visions of the nine realms dance in the light. A rainbow portal stretches past an observatory and into space.
"I was right..." Schmidt said, breathless. The visions speed up until they blur. Suddenly, the cube vibrates violently. Schmidt looks worried. Something's wrong. "No."
Steve whips up his shield as energy shoots from the cube.
"NO!" Schmidt desperately shouted.
Energy bolts ricochet off the ceiling and strike the Red Skull, vaporizing him as the cube goes Nova. A massive column of energy shoots toward space, growing in intensity until it explodes outwards, evaporating the clouds. Light glares through the cockpit windows. Then fades. The plane whips past.
Steve stands, woozy. When his vision returns, he sees the inert cube. He takes a step toward it. Suddenly, the plane banks violently, its engines roaring. Steve races for the controls. The forgotten cube tumbles across the flight deck and flies out a hole in the fuselage.
Steve climbs into the chair. The control stick steers automatically. Steve wrestles it, trying to override the plane but it will not alter course. Steve stares at the monitor and the green map of Manhattan.
He knows what he needs to do but he hasn't found his family yet. He wasn't even able to hold nor see his son.
With time running out and no other way to save both himself and the people of Manhattan, Steve decided to sacrifice his own happiness and life for them. But not until he makes sure that his family will be alright even without him there at their side. It's a heartbreaking decision but as a soldier, it is his duty to protect his country and it's people including his precious family. At least now he can be sure that they would live in a world without fearing the Hydra organization and the Red Skull. With that, he finally contacted the cotrol tower to ask a favor to Colonel Phillips.
HYDRA HEADQUARTERS - CONTROL TOWER
The radio squawks in the empty control room.
"Colonel Phillips, Agent Carter, anyone...come in..." Agent Carter runs in and grabs the radio, frantic and relieved. "Steve, is that you? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Steve replied and Agent Carter released a sigh.
Outside, the Howling Commandos are rounding up the surrendered Hydra men.
"Where's Schmidt?" Agent Carter asked.
"Schmidt's dead." Steve replied.
"What about the plane?" Agent Carter asked another question.
"That's a little bit harder to explain." Steve nervously answered.
SUBORBITAL BOMBER COCKPIT
Steve stares at the New York map, radio in hand. His compass lies open on the control board.
"Give me your coordinates. I'll find a landing site—" Agent Carter started saying but she was cut offed by Steve.
"There isn't going to be a landing. Schmidt's locked the navigation system." Steve eyes the relined engine gauges in front of him. "And there's more than enough power to reach the East Coast."
Agent Carter looks grave. She waves Colonel Phillips down. "I'll get Howard on the line. He'll know what to do."
"I'm sitting on a hundred tons of explosives. Hotwiring this thing's not an option." Steve looks out the window at the vast, blue expanse of ocean. "I've got to put her in the water."
Agent Carter spreads her fingers on the wall, her knuckles white. "But you said you couldn't steer it."
Steve scans the control panel. He spots a thick cable running from the ignition to the engines. "I can't. But I think I can crash it." He yanks the cable out. Blue sparks flare. Then all the lights die. The engines stop. The plane goes quiet.
"Steve, don't do this. We've got time. We can figure this out." Agent Carter desperately pleaded.
Steve eyes the navigation charts. "I already did. Right now, I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer, a lot of people are going to get hurt...Peggy, this is my choice."
Agent Carter and Colonel Phillips look at each other, slowly accepting what's happening.
"We'll send out rescue ships. We'll find you." Agent Carter still didn't want to accept it.
"I don't think there's going to be much left to find." Steve leans on the stick with all his might. The plane begins a screaming dive. "Colonel Phillips?"
"I'm here." Colonel Phillips immediately answered.
Steve's compass spins wildly. He just stares at Yumhee's picture. "Did you find her and our son?"
"I'm sorry...they're not here." Colonel Phillips answered honestly.
Tears started to fall silently on Steve's face. "Please...save them."
"I will, no matter what." Colonel Phillips promised.
"I'll entrust them to you Colonel." Steve's voice started to shake.
"I understand. I'll do my best." Colonel Phillips reassured Steve.
Clouds whip past the windows as the plane plummets. Steve pockets the compass and slides his mask over his face. Arctic ice rushes up at the cockpit window. "Thank y—" HISS.
The radio in Agent Carter's hand goes silent. Colonel Phillips puts a hand on her shoulder. She just stares out the hanger at the blue sky beyond.