Time After Time - Second Jump

[foster_j]

She didn’t fall this time, stumbling onto cold ground outside a large concrete bunker. The air was frigid and Jane was grateful for Bucky’s jacket, slipping her arms into the jacket. It was huge on her, but she fastened the buttons and folded the ends of the sleeves into her hands as she looked around. It was nighttime and there was a moving spotlight behind her. She could see a perimeter fence and there were corner towers. Some kind of encampment. Tanks and jeeps were parked all around her and Jane could see a cargo truck next to the bunker door.

The sound of the German language got louder and Jane pressed herself back into the shadows, holding her breath as two Nazi soldiers with guns walked past. The first time, she’d arrived close to Bucky, but now she was clearly in a German Army encampment. The uniforms, the vehicles, all screamed World War II. Was Bucky here?

The champion is close, the Aether whispered

I’m anchored to his timeline, aren’t I?

Yes, companion.

Because he was touching me before I went through?

The imprint is on the cellular level.

Was his Army unit going to attack this compound? Or was he inside? Jane wished she knew more about when she was, but the fact was, she was in the center of the complex and she had a choice. Try to slip out of the compound into deeper snow and the forest beyond, or see if he was inside the bunker. A quick realization was that she wouldn’t survive long in the forest, not dressed how she was. She was going to have to seek out warmer clothes. Jane found a door and slipped inside, holding the door as it closed to keep it from slamming. She wasn’t a spy, just a frightened scientist who happened to be fluent in German.

Lighting was low inside and Jane could see a small reception area, empty for the time being. It was night, they might just have guards awake, if she was lucky. Jane wasn’t holding out hope for luck. She pulled her hair from the back of Bucky’s jacket and arranged it as much as she could without a mirror before stepping out into the pool of light, walking slowly through the halls, checking into empty rooms and after the second closet, she came upon uniform lockers. Locking the door, she pulled on some small sized black cargo style pants and found a pair of boots that fit her. Jane was completely unwilling to wear any clothes with the swastika on it, so she kept her t-shirt and, of course, Bucky’s jacket. Taking a folding pocket knife, Jane put it in her pocket and slipped out the door.

She found a clipboard in one of the offices and held it to her chest, hoping to blend in and when she turned the corner to find two soldiers walking towards her, Jane nodded to them, greeting them softly in German and they replied in kind, continuing on their way. She resisted the urge to panic though she’d covered the top floor without finding Bucky. Jane went down a set of metal stairs and it was then that she saw the medical boards hanging outside individual rooms. She checked each until she found his name, peeking into the small door window to see him laying on a medical bed.

Jane’s heart leapt when she closed the door behind her, taking in Bucky, he looked weak and disoriented, his uniform torn and bloody, his hands and face dirty and cut up. She went to him, slipping her hand in his and reaching out to touch his cheek with the other. “James,” Jane whispered urgently. “James, can you hear me?”

“Who’s there?” he mumbled thickly, and Jane could hear the effect of drugs in his system. His eyes blinked open and she could see he was having a hard time focusing. “Angel? No, no, you can’t be here. They’ll…” She could see he was malnourished, his cheeks lean and gaunt. Jane glanced around, leaving him for a moment to rifle through the desk that occupied one corner. On top, she could see several folders but one had his name on it and she opened it, quickly rifling through the pages. Her blood chilled. They were experimenting on him. Experimenting. She felt sick to her stomach. Serum. This was where he’d gotten it. They had given him and others different versions of the serum and were seeing what he could withstand. The other ‘patients’ had not survived.

Jane found a roll of bread and a glass which she filled with water before bringing them over to the table. Sliding her arm under his shoulders, she managed to sit him up enough to let him sip at the water, then she broke off pieces of the bread, feeding them to him slowly. She could feel the bones of his shoulder blades against his arm and Jane didn’t think she could possibly hate another person as much as she did the people who were doing this to him. “Slowly, slowly, or you’ll make yourself sick,” Jane whispered, ripping off another piece of bread and he took it from her.

“You’re an ally nurse? I shoulda known. Ta hell with coffee, can I get a dance, angel?” he murmured weakly, his words slurring. They’d pumped him up with heavy sedatives, but she’d shut off the IV feed and had changed out the bag for saline before coming back to him. He would die of dehydration if she didn’t get more water in him. Jesus.

Outside there was a loud banging noise and Jane tensed as the thundering of boots rattled down the hallway outside the room. They were under attack. Of course. Steve had rescued the surviving 107th and Bucky from behind enemy lines. Jane suddenly had a timeframe. Pressing a kiss to his forehead, she felt a surge of happiness. Not affecting his timeline had been easy in NYC. Now it was completely different. The noises outside were getting closer and wiping a tear from her cheek, she pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Don’t you dare give up on me, Bucky Barnes. You owe me a dance.”

“Not. Not gonna… angel,” he whispered, his eyes fluttering closed as she eased him back down and checked the saline bag again. Jane had never noticed how long his eyelashes were until just then.

You cannot remain, the Aether warned.

With a soft touch to his cheek, she put the glass back and stole another kiss before slipping out of the room. Someone was coming down the hall loudly and there were shouts and the sound of gunfire and Jane let herself into a utility closet, keeping the door open just enough to see a thin strip of the hallway. Moments later, Steve came running down the hallway, looking more or less how she remembered him and then another long, long minute passed and he burst out of the room with Bucky under his arm. The saline must have helped, he looked more coherent.

Her relief was short lived. A bullet pierced the door just inches from her head and Jane ducked to the side, her heart thundering as a tickle started in her belly. Oh God, not again, she thought as the world went dark once more.