Time After Time - First Jump

[foster_j]

Jane looked up from where she perched on a ladder at the top of the Gate, her gaze finding Bucky where he lounged on the sofa at the other side of her lab. He had on the wireless headset so he could listen at any volume he wanted without disturbing her, and Jane could see he was watching a history show of some kind.

He’d been living with her for six mostly blissful months. They seldom argued. Life was better than she’d ever imagined it could be and finally, she was putting the finishing touches on the Gate system. Next month, the first Gate she’d built would open a portal to Proxima Centauri b when it passed within range on its orbit. They would have a four month window in which to set up the second relay gate and a surrounding environmental shelter and then onto Kepler 438b.

Around her wrist was a thick bracelet of appeared to be huge rubies, but was in fact hollow, synthetic diamonds that served as a home for the majority of the Aether. She’d made her peace with sharing her body with a small portion of the sentient ancient being and it was aware of her mortal frailty now. It no longer drew energy from her life, but from the latent energy in the air around them. She had a sense that the Aether had done something more - to her to be able to change that frailty, but frankly, Jane was afraid to clarify that so she left it be. As long as she felt like herself, she was content with the Bond as long as it didn’t hurt him.

Her new assistant had input the data for the initial start up sequence yesterday and Jane wanted to see the power up sequence to ensure a successful launch. It was the same thing she’d done for the first Gate and there was absolutely nothing that had changed so she climbed down the ladder and set it to the side before going to the console. Tapping her password in quickly, she pulled up the starting sequence program and put it into test only mode, watching the lights as they began flickering across the relays of the Gate. Picking up her control tablet, Jane walked slowly around the Gate, checking each relay and making an adjustment here and there to the sensor output emitters. The Gate powered up perfectly, as the first one had, and she stopped in front of it, tapping through the separate controls.

Outside, the summer monsoon season was in full swing, but the hurricane shutters had been closed earlier in the day and neither Jane nor Bucky were concerned, half the island didn’t even bother shutting down anymore. Jane was deeply engrossed in reading the output data from the Gate when a jolt of lightening hit the roof, surging directly down into the Gate and the portal opened in front of her, the drag of intense gravity pulling her towards it as she screamed for James. She caught the stabilizing pole and held on for dear life, her legs off the ground already and Jane could see James whipping off the headset and vaulting over the back of the sofa in one motion, racing towards her, but her fingers were slowly sliding off the pole as he clamped his metal hand around it, grabbing her by the hand as her fingers came free and for a moment, Jane felt a surge of relief. He had her.

But the pull was too great and the pain her hand was insane. She knew it was only a matter of seconds before her hand would rip from her wrist and Jane was terrified, terrified that he would die with her. She mouthed ‘I love you’ before letting go of his hand, the horror and fear reflecting in his expression as the portal swallowed her. Just before her hand passed the Gate, she hit it out, striking the Alpha relay to shut it down, but it was too late for her. Jane was certain she was dead. The atmosphere on Proxima Centauri b was toxic without an environment suit. She felt a tug in the pit of her stomach and then she was falling a foot to a hard surface.

Almost immediately, Jane realized two things. One. She wasn’t on Proxima Centauri b. Two. She wasn’t in Hawaii. The air was cooler and she heard many voices. Rolling to her feet, she saw that she was behind a tent.

What happened? she asked the Aether

Causality loop.

A loop to where?

When. Paradoxical causality loop.

I’m fucking time traveling?

Time does not exist in a straight line…

I meant I’m not in my present, right? How do I get back? Can you do that?

I can not. To do so would violate your first command.

Protect Bucky? How would me getting back to him violate that?

Interrupting a paradoxical causality loop before the conclusion would rewrite your reality.

And that would harm him?

Your champion would no longer exist.

A spike of terror chased through her heart. Okay, we’re not doing that. What can I do?

Wait.

For how long?

The when you would understand is incalculable.

That’s just fucking great. So, until then, I what? Hide? Can I affect anything?

I will prevent you from creating a paradox in keeping with your first command.

Great.

Dusting herself off, Jane hugged her arms around her. The t-shirt, jeans and sneakers she was wearing were just enough to keep her from being overly cold and she edged around the tent to see two figures talking, one man dressed in an old Army uniform, the other, shorter man a few feet from the first. She was only 5 feet from the shorter man when the other came forward to hug the short man and Jane stifled a gasp. James! The shorter man spoke and Jane recognized his voice - it was Steve! She wanted to go to him, but held back, not knowing what to say.

Hi, I’m your fiance in the future? Jane thought bitterly as the banter between the two men continued and she watched, seeing the same ease between them and marveling at it. Steve was saying goodbye and James was turning to leave and Jane ducked back around the tent, breathing hard. God, he looked so good in that uniform, clean cut and devilishly charming. When she heard nothing, she looked out and Steve was gone, but James was only a few feet away, walking towards a crowd and she hurried after him.

Can I talk to him?

You cannot reveal his future.

I won’t.

In her thought ‘talk’ with the Aether, Jane hadn’t realized that James had stopped in front of her and she barreled right into him, almost falling, but he had turned quickly and caught her with a charming smile. “Careful there, Angel,” he told her, his Brooklyn accent so much deeper and Jane smiled back. His gaze raked down her body and back up again, a frown creasing his forehead. “Aren’t you cold? Here,” Bucky asked her, already unbuttoning in his Army jacket and before she knew it, he was putting it over her shoulders.

His scent rose up and hot tears pricked her eyes. “Th… thank you,” she told him, clutching the jacket closer as he stepped closer. “Don’t you need this?”

“Nah, I’ve got more,” Bucky shot back cheerfully, rocking back on his heels with a devil-may-care grin. “So what’s a beautiful dame like you doing here? Are you in town for the World’s Fair?” he asked, gesturing to the lighted platform in the distance.

“Yes, yes. I am. I left my jacket back at the hotel,” she told him, taking his offered arm. He was walking them towards the Fair and the Aether wasn’t stopping her so Jane just enjoyed seeing him like this. So confident, so charming.

“So where’ya from?” he asked cheekily, looking down at her. Those blue eyes were twinkling with interest.

Oh babe. she thought sadly, though Jane forced a smile as she answered. “Montana. Are you shipping out soon?”

“In the morning. Montana, huh? I’m Bucky Barnes, sweetheart, and I’d like to buy you a coffee,” Bucky told her.

Jane’s smile widened. God, he had game, this one. “I’m Jane… Selvik,” she told him, using her friend’s surname when a surge of the Aether warned her. “And that would be lovely, thank you.”

“I’ll be right back, don’t go anywhere without me, gorgeous,” Bucky told her, giving her elbow a small squeeze and Jane’s heart was racing as he disappeared into the crowd. A moment later, she felt an odd tug in her stomach and, clutching his Army jacket, Jane felt the world swallow her up.