"Pvt.Cousland, stay with me. Do you hear me? Tell me where we are.” General Calvin’s teeth chattered in the freezing temperature. His hand was cradling the shoulders of a soldier growing week from the merciless blizzard.
“Pvt.Cousland, do you copy? Tell me where we are.” The young man’s lips were blue. His black army suit was caked with ice, sticking to his chest.
“Rocky mountains… Canada,” He said feebly.
“Good man,” Calvin said. “Don’t you worry, we’ll find shelter soon enough. When were out of the wind, we can contact the remaining choppers.”
It had been at precisely 1200 hours when the general’s chopper went down. Whether it was blinding snow, the raging wind or simply when the chopper smacked against the side of the mountain. It was still unknown what actually caused the malfunction. One thing they both knew is that they crashed. Calvin and his soldier were the only survivors of the wreckage. If it hadn’t been for Pvt.Cousland’s quick thinking to aim the helicopter at some soft brush, they might have perished. Calvin’s foot had been caught under a flank of metal. He had ordered the man to abandon him, but he wouldn’t do that. The chopper exploded only moments after they escaped. Shards of the wreckage managed to damage their skin.
A deep cut covered with frozen blood was on the young man’s left cheek. His ability to walk had failed. General Calvin was carrying him on his back above his bag of medical supplies.
“You risked your life to save me,Pvt.Cousland. I won’t give up on you.”
The general breathed deeply with every step. His throat was parched from the icy, cold air. Somehow he ended up inside a cave, sitting around a well lit fire. The events of earlier were just a blur now. Somehow, someway, he was sitting in that cave. His faithful foot soldier was resting on a mat next to him. Calvin’s thin lips parted in a warm smile. His thick mustache widened.
“You’re foolish, young man,” he muttered quietly. He reached out and touched the man’s shoulder. “If you were my son, I’d be proud.”
When he looked into the mouth of the cave, he saw something strange. Through the flickering light he could see a large, black rectangular structure. He stood up and began to scratch his chin. He muttered aloud.
“This looks like a vault of some sorts. Why would a vault be in the middle of nowhere?”
The sound of helicopters roaring outside broke his concentration. The glorious noise of their salvation woke up the sleeping soldier. He faintly lifted his head.
“General, what’s that noise?”
Calvin bellowed a laugh. “What’s that noise? That’s the reinforcements, my boy.”
Moments later, a company of soldiers marched into the cave. They were wearing shining, black armor with the British flag stamped onto their chests. Two of the soldiers in the front were proudly holding up the flag in the form of a banner. The captain of the company was wearing a silver pin of honor. He stood out in front. He saluted the general.
“General Calvin, my name is Captain Tauris Wilson. It is by luck we’ve found you. Your fleets couldn’t continue in the storm. They had to turn back.”
“How did you manage to find us,” Calvin asked.
The captain smiled. “We saw smoke coming from the cave. The king and queen of England want to know how much is left of the North America.”
A grieved look was in Calvin’s eyes. “You can tell your majesties you’d be wasting your time going all that way. My armies abandoned North America three weeks ago. The virus has spread too far. If I were you, I’d concentrate on protecting your own civilizations.”
The captain nodded. “My orders are to take you to England. The king wishes for you to deliver the report in person.”
Calvin chuckled with delight. “I’ll gladly do it. It will mean a warm bed and solid food for me and my comrade here.” Pvt.Cousland was standing up, and the general rubbed his back with pride. The young man had been looking at the vault the whole time. “General Calvin, what should we do about the vault?”
Tauris eyed it with eagerness. “As his majesty ordered, everything must be investigated. Let’s open this thing up.”
He started towards the vault. Calvin pulled him back.
“Captain Tauris, it’s not wise. We’re dealing with something unknown.” Tauris moved away from the general’s grasp.
“Everything must be investigated… those are my orders.”
Calvin nodded in defeat. “Alright… do what you wish. I only hope you don’t make our living hell worse than it has to be.”
Tauris marched up to the vault. “There must be some way to open this.”
He began to feel all around the vault, touching it on both sides. The heel of his thumb found the button. Without hesitation, he pushed it. The button began to glow red, and a loud beeping sounded. General Calvin pushed him aside.
“Look what you’ve done!”
It was too late, the door had opened. Inside was nothing but pitch darkness. Tauris barked his orders.
“Soldiers, activate your lights!”
All of them activated a white light stationed on their wrists. Half of the troops held theirs out in front, while the other half scanned on either side. Through their blurred vision they could see everything was made of metal. The walls, the floor, everything was made of same the black metal. The floor was Ice impacted, making the ground slippery. That didn’t stop Tauris; he continued. General Calvin urged him to give up.
“Captain Tauris, this is clearly a deserted place. This whole structure is encased in ice. Whoever dwelled in this ancient artifact is obviously extinct by now.”
Tauris ignored him, refusing to comply.
“Soldiers, grab a shoulder.”
Everyone held onto each other with one hand, keeping their wrist that contained the light free.
Pvt.Cousland happened to glance at his temperature gage. The outside air had been eight degrees below zero. He realized the cold atmosphere added by the cold metal dropped it by five. He urgently tapped Calvin on the shoulder.
“General, my temperature readings say we’re -14 below zero. If Tauris and his company stay much longer, we’ll freeze.”
They heard the voice of the engineer soldier.
“General Calvin, I found electric wiring. This place had light. I can fix it.”
Several off the troops held their lights over the box of wires, while the engineer worked.
“That should do it,” he said.
A few orange sparks flew up out of the box. The lights on the ceiling turned on. Their illuminating heat soon began to bring warmth.
Pvt.Cousland looked again at his temperature gage. “General, we’re rising.”
Calvin smiled with relief. “Now at least we won’t freeze.” They continued further into the vault. The humming sounds of the lights overhead sounded like bees while they passed under them. Sharp, jagged icicles were stuck to the ground.
“Watch your step, soldiers,” Captain Tauris said.
Calvin kept a firm hand on Pvt.Cousland’s shoulder. “There’s no turning back now. Captain Tauris is too bull headed. Keep that gun on your thigh ready. Any suspicious movements you fire. Don’t forget the virus can spread. Anyone of these bastards could be infected… got it.”
Pvt.Cousland nodded his head. He kept his hand around the shaft of his gun. The long path they head been on had shifted. The main path was breaking off into two separate areas. One was on the left, and one on the right.
Tauris called out ahead of the fleet. “Everyone must separate. Count fifty paces, and go no further. Head back once you hit fifty paces.”
They broke up into groups of three. General Calvin, Pvt.Cousland, and the engineer ended up leading their half of the Company down the middle chasm. The engineer decided to be hospitable, engaging in conversation.
“My name is Edward Ryan.” He re-adjusted his helmet over his blond hair. He rubbed his shoulders to warm himself. He took a good long look at Pvt.Cousland. “You look a lot like the prince of England. You know that, don’t you?”
Calvin chuckled under his breath. “You think this guy’s the prince of England? He’s far from it. I’m sure the prince doesn’t care about the citizens.”
“You don’t even know the prince of England,” snapped Edward. “His name is Arthur Beals, and I’ll tell you that guy walking beside you looks exactly like him.”
Pvt.Cousland grew nervous while holding out his hands in protest. “Look, I can honestly tell you I have never met Arthur Beals in person. But he might not be as selfish as you think. I mean you don’t actually, personally know him, do you?”
Edward flashed a delightful smile. “No, I don’t know him directly. But I’ve heard a lot about him from Robert D.”
Pvt.Cousland gritted his teeth. “Robert D, you say? I wouldn’t listen to him. He rarely gets stories right.”
Edward gave him a triumphant smirk. “Ah ha… and how do you know who Robert D is?”
Pvt.Cousland chuckled. “Maybe it’s because he’s the chief paramedic in General Calvin’s army? I would think you’d know that if you’re such good friends with him.” He marveled at Edward's defeated scowl.
“Okay, so I just happened to over hear the name of the chief paramedic. I don’t actually know him personally.”
Pvt.Cousland nodded with satisfaction. “That’s what I thought.”
Edward smiled. “But you still look exactly like prince Arthur of England. That I know for sure.”
Edward had been walking behind Pvt.Cousland, when suddenly, he smacked into his back. The soldier was frozen in his tracks. General Calvin was standing beside him just as stiff. Edward rolled His eyes with an irritated sigh, as he walked between them. His mouth opened wide when he saw what they were looking at. They saw several skeletons. They were all frozen in ice. They were sitting in chairs. They were all cleverly arranged so that they were in a perfect circle around a large, ship like capsule. The skeletons were clothed in black army suits, and black helmets were on their heads. Their guns were laid upon their laps, and perfectly preserved. No one knew what to think of the strange sight. General Calvin stepped forward. He stood in front of one sitting skeleton. He reached out is gloved hand, and stroked the cheek. Shards of powdered ice fell from the deceased cheek.
“Well I’ll be damned,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. I’ve encountered frozen bodies preserved in ice, but never this.” He tried to pry the gun from the dead soldier, but it was useless. The fire arm was too caked with ice. General Calvin scratched his head in wonder. “This vessel must be very important. These soldiers gave their lives to protect it.”
Pvt.Cousland was already examining the vessel. He noticed it had a computer screen attached to the front. ”Edward, do you think you could fix this?”
The engineer winked with a smile. “Does a male donkey have balls? That will be no problem! The computer’s just over 2000 years old is all. Let me see if I can get old momma up and running.” He took out his tools that were strapped onto his leather belt. He went up to the monitor and ripped off the back. He set his tools on the ground as he disappeared behind the monitor.
“Alright, hand me the tools as I call for them.”
Pvt.Cousland sat down on the ground.
Edward dramatically held out his hand every few seconds. “Wrench… screwdriver… wire cutters… plyers… I think that’ll do it.”
He picked up his tools and stuffed them back neatly into their empty slots on his belt. In a matter of moments the monitor lit up. Green lettering automatically formed onto the screen. Pvt.Cousland read it carefully.
“This vessel has been commanded by the inquisition. Inside lays the hope for mankind.” His eyes opened wide. A hint of blush was painted on his cheeks. “Captain America… General Calvin, Captain America is in this vessel!”
Edward teased him as he elbowed his arm with a wide smile. “Wow, your cheeks are really red.”
The general couldn’t believe his ears. “Are you sure you read that correctly?”
Pvt.Cousland eagerly motioned to him. “Come see for yourself.”
The general read it and he gasped in disbelief. “We need to get this vessel open.”
"Do you think the blue frozen popsical's still alive?" Edward asked.
Pvt.Cousland gave a hopeful smile. “There’s only one way to find out. Look around and see if you can find what opens this vessel.”
Edward pondered for a moment. “If I was the inquisition, and I wanted to keep the password concealed, I would trust it to my most loyal subject. Look at all the skeletons, and we’ll see if we can find the highest rank among them.”
General Calvin smiled with admiration. “Edward, that’s good thinking. Something this important the most trusted of the inquisition would surely be among them.”
Edward winked with a slight blush. “I know, right? That’s like a super cool idea!”
They began to search each soldier. They carefully went around the circle. They diligently checked all the clothing. Pvt.Cousland was losing hope until he came to the last soldier. He noticed something stuck to the skeleton's chest. He bent down and looked closer. He noticed is a purple badge of honor.
“General, I’ve found the captain.”
“That would be the most trusted,” the general said eagerly.
Pvt.Cousland took out a large knife strapped to his side. He vigorously jabbed at the ice. It was a rough task, but he was determined. He didn’t give up until the last of the ice had cleared, and the badge fell onto the ground. He picked it up and turned it over. There were several numbers written in black ink. His eyes lit up.
“General, I found something on the back of the captain’s badge. I’m going to try these numbers and see if they work.” He went over to the computer monitor and pressed the screen. A touch pad appeared, and a female voice sounded.
“Type the password.”
He carefully typed the code… 1, 5, 6, 42, 55, B, C, D, 77, 4, 3, 2… and a green light came on that was on top of the vessel.
“Access granted,” the voice said.
Slowly, the door opened. In an instant, a tall man fell out. Pvt.Cousland caught him just before he hit the ground. He was speechless as he gazed at the superhero in his arms. The blue armored suit he was wearing was soft yet held tremendous power. The soldier looked at the soft, blond hair. He ran his hands through it. A bright smile spread across his face. He was touching the legendary Captain America. The hero’s eyelids began to flutter, and they slowly opened. Pvt.Cousland blushed at the sight of his deep blue orbs. A feeble tone came from the hero’s cold lips.
“Who… who are you? Where… where am I?”
Edward stole Pvt.Cousland’s moment, and answered for him. “You’re in Canada, sir. You’re in a cave in the Rocky Mountains. This dude here just set you free.”
Captain America gazed into Pvt.Cousland’s eyes. He turned the speechless soldier’s face a new shade of red. “You’re eyes are so brown,” he said softly. “They’re like caramel. My friends… do you know where they are? Are they safe?”
The soldier took a deep breath before he spoke. “I’m not sure what you mean. You’re all we found.”
“I had two friends with me. There was a woman and a man.”
Captain Tauris’s voice echoed from Edward’s talk device latched over his ear. “Edward, do you copy?”
Edward smirked. “Roger, I hear you loud and clear.”
“Edward, I told you my names not Roger. This is the year 4000. We don’t say that anymore.”
“Roger that,” Edward replied.
“Edward, tell General Calvin to bring his company to my area. We’ve found two vessels. We can’t get them open.”
Pvt.Cousland was still holding the hero in his arms. It was clear he wasn’t going to leave the man’s side. “You all go on. I’ll stay with him. I don’t think Captain America can walk.”
“We can’t just leave you here,” Calvin said. “You didn’t leave me behind when the helicopter crashed.”
Pvt.Cousland humbly smiled. “Your life is more important than mine. And now I need to do what I must to protect Captain America.”
Edward scoffed as he smacked his tongue in protest. “Look, how about this? I’m sure America can walk if we helped. I’ll grab and arm, you grab and arm. But I’m not leaving you here. If you get infected we all get infected… got it.”
Pvt.Cousland frowned in defeat. Edward propped his shoulder under the hero’s left arm, and Pvt.Cousland steadied the other one. Slowly they walked while Captain America drug his feet against the frozen ground. Pvt.Cousland looked at his temperature gauge just as they reached a dark portion of the vault. The temperature was decreasing again. He was growing worried. Captain America needed warmth. The hero’s arm felt ice cold on his shoulder. Edward had resorted to moving America’s arm from one side of his shoulder to the other. Just so he could relieve the cold, aching feeling.
Finally they made it to the other end of the vault, where Captain Tauris was impatiently waiting. He had been contacting them every ten minutes, getting more agitated each time. Edward diligently scanned the room. He noticed there were no skeletons. There was just an empty area with the two vessels. He seemed disappointed.
“Oh, dammit… no skeletons… that’s a bummer.”
Tauris's face was tense as he paced in front of two vessels. He leered at the general as their half of the fleet approached. “Calvin, I’ve been waiting for almost an hour.” His eyes brightened when he saw America. “Captain America… I guess the legends are true after all! Well don’t just stand there,” he said frantically. "You opened his vessel, so now you’ll open these.”
America softly muttered in Pvt.Cousland’s ear. “General, he said he can open the vault.”
The soldier and the engineer helped Him over to the two vessels. Captain America muttered faintly. “Bring my face close to the door.”
Both soldiers lifted him as close as they could. America’s left eye began to glow red, and a laser beam streamed out from his pupil and burned through the metal around the door latches. One by one they each fell off. The first door of the vessel opened. A red haired woman dressed in black was standing up. Her body was stiff, and her eyes were closed. Pvt.Cousland felt her neck, searching for the pupils. He breathed a sigh of relief. He felt a faint but definite pulse.
“Captain America, she’s alive.”
America’s eyes twitched as he smiled. “Her name is Natasha Romanova. She’s known as Black Widow. And you can call me Steve… Steve Rogers is my real name.”
Natasha’s eyes fluttered nimbly, but she didn’t yet have the strength to open them. Two of the soldiers shot at the chains around her arms and legs, and they caught her before she could hit the ground. Inside the other vault was a tall, dark skinned man wearing strong, black armor. He was also chained.
Steve studied the man for a moment. “That’s James Rhodes. He’s called War Machine.”
Steve began to lose consciousness. His head landed on Pvt.Cousland’s shoulder.
“General, we need to get them out of this vault so they can recover. They’ll die out here.”
Calvin confirmed. “Agreed, my boy.” He turned his attention to the captain. “Tauris, get us to your choppers. I’m sure the undead are close by now. They were trailing us before we found the cave.”
