The Tragedy of Living

10

Steve took over the plane's controls. On a screen he read 'Ziel New York City' and tried the radio which was picked up by the HYDRA control tower occupied by Peggy, Colonel Phillips and Morita.

(Target New York City)

"Come in," Steve said. "This is Captain Rogers. Do you read me? I have Agent Stark with me."

"Captain Rogers, Agent Stark, what are your..." Morita was cut off as Peggy took his place.

"Steve, is that you?" Peggy asked. "Are you and Elsie all right?"

"Peggy! Schmidt's dead."

"What about the plane?"

"That's a little bit tougher to explain," Elsie said with a sad smile.

"Give me your coordinates, I'll find you two a safe landing site."

"There's not going to be a safe landing," Steve said. "But I can try and force it down."

"I'll get Howard on the line, he'll know what to do."

"There's not enough time. This thing's moving too fast and it's headed for New York. I gotta put her in the water."

"Please, don't do this. We have time. We can work it out."

"Right now Elsie and I are in the middle of nowhere. If we wait any longer, a lot of people are gonna die. Peggy, this is my choice. Elsie okay with this choice." He forced the plane toward the water.

Elsie took the speaker back. "Peggy?"

"I'm here."

"Tell Howard I love him and this isn't his fault."

"I will. I wish it wasn't this way."

"I do too. Goodbye, Peggy." She hung up and turned to Steve.

Steve met her eyes with a sad smile. "I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance."

Elsie, with tears in her eyes, said, "All right. A week, next Saturday, at the Stork Club."

"You got it."

"Eight o'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?"

"You know, I still don't know how to dance."

"I'll show you how."

"We'll have the band play somethin' slow. I'd hate to step on your..." He suddenly cut off, the realization of what was about to happen to them both dawning on him.

"Steve?"

"It'll be okay, Elsie."

Steve put an arm around her shoulders, the two of them embracing what was to come, greeting death as an old friend.

As the two felt the chill of the icy water, Elsie closed her eyes for what she thought was the last time.

How wrong she was.

Shortly after the plane's nosedive, a woman was pulled from the water. The plane and the captain remained under.

"Herr. Ich habe sie gefunden."

(Sir. I found her. (German))

"Und er?"

(And him?)

"Unbekannt."

(Unknown.)

"Sehr gut. Bring sie zu mir."

(Very well. Bring her to me.)

"Jawohl."

(Yes, sir.)

May 8, 1945

The world celebrated the victory over Nazi Germany. The Howling Commandos were in a bar looking solemn.

Falsworth said, "To the Captain and Agent Stark." The group drank.

ARCTIC SEA - SHIP

Howard was on his search for the Valkyrie. They found the Tesseract.

"Sir?" Howard's engineer called. Howard stepped to him and watched on a screen as a submarine grabbed the cube.

Howard said to the captain, "Take us to the next grid point."

"But there's not a trace of the wreckage. And the energy signature stops here."

"Just keep looking."

He vowed he would do whatever it took to find his friend and his sister or he would die trying.

---

Peggy was handed a file about Steve and Elsie. She pulled out the photos of the man and woman she'd become friends with and looked at them sadly.