Chapter 25. Rockaway Beach
Remember: Jim = modern Bucky, Thomas = Sam, Andrew = returning older Merton
When Jim got back to the others he waited until the intermission to tell Will about the other man and who he resembled. Even Thomas perked up when he heard. Will thought about it for a moment.
"I would have to do some research to see if it is Pierce's father but the fact he was watching Ariel and Bucky makes that unlikely as he would have no idea who they were. It's more likely the man you saw is a descendant of Pierce from my time and has access to portal technology. It would be illegal access as well since only historians have clearance for their use. We'll have to tell Andrew when we get back and make an immediate report to Peri."
"How does that work?" asked Thomas. "Real time communication with the future?"
"I'm not a tech person but I guess the easiest explanation would be a type of narrow wormhole meant just for communication purposes, unlike the portal which is a wider wormhole meant for transport," said Will, keeping his voice low. "It's all preset to open to a specific time set by the chair of historians when a historian is assigned and sent through. It's all to do with quantum mechanics around a fixed point in time and to the quantum signature of the person going through. It's why there can be two Merton's in this timeline because they're just different enough at a quantum level from being sent at different times that they don't cancel each other out." He looked apologetically at them. "I know that doesn't begin to explain it. There are teams of people with multiple PhDs who figure all of this out which means this guy has people at a high level helping him."
They watched the rest of the concert once it started and like the rest of the crowd were stunned by the final number Sing, Sing, Sing. Even Thomas was impressed enough to comment.
"I will never make fun of your 40s music again," he said to his partner as they streamed out of the concert area with the rest of the people to line up for buses. "That was impressive, and your young self danced the whole song."
"I had the energy then," replied Jim. "I couldn't do it now as I haven't danced like that since the war."
"There was a resurgence of it in the 90s," commented Thomas. "I think there's still some swing dance clubs around but this, this was the real thing."
It was late when they got back to Will's place. Jim reported to Andrew about seeing the man watching Ariel and who he resembled. The historian was troubled by it and wondered if it was a descendant who was illegally in the past. The three of them who went to the concert wanted to stay up talking more about it until Andrew reminded them that they had to be at Rockaway Beach the following morning. Because of the possibility of him and Will being recognized, and Thomas being out of place at that section where the incident happened it would be Jim and Arnold Moffat who would be there to take the man into custody after.
"He was just a drunk," said Jim. "Ariel was a pretty girl by herself. Lots of guys would have hit on her."
"Drunk before noon? That was extreme even for those days. I'm not taking any chances. As far as I'm concerned it could have been a preliminary fact gathering effort, to determine how easy she would be to kidnap."
They would let young Bucky rescue her then Arnold would go in and help the man up. He and Bucky would take him to the car where Will would drive them all to the abandoned garage, where Andrew and Thomas were waiting. Together they would question him and determine what happened next. With the plan set Andrew told all of them to get some sleep while he reported to Peri. Will started to show him where the key was for the communications room.
"It's okay," he replied. "I know where it is."
"How do you know?" asked Will.
Andrew closed his eyes and swore silently, remembering he only knew from the night Will was hurt, still months away.
"You mentioned it when your assignment was over," he replied to the younger historian. "Said you've always associated the smell of hibiscus tea with keys since then."
Will shrugged then smiled and seemed to accept it. He handed Andrew the loose tea tin and the key was located. With a nod between each other Will returned to his room while Andrew went up to the communications room. He turned on the set and entered his own personal codes. Peri's face came up immediately.
"Something to report already?" she asked, looking at an offscreen readout. "You've only been there a few hours."
"Jim noticed someone," said Andrew. "Identified him as a man who was talking to an acquaintance at the boxing club on the morning of June 29, 1940. That's where his younger self heard about the Benny Goodman concert at Prospect Park. Didn't make the connection until he saw the man at the concert and recognized him. Said he looked like a much younger Alexander Pierce."
"Damn," she replied, her face betraying her dismay. "It has to be Lowell Pierce Mason. He's behind this?"
"Peri, he was watching Ariel," said Andrew. "When she ran from younger Bucky she ended up on a darkened path around the pond. Jim watched the couple from the shadows until they left. Just before he returned to his seat the man came out of the shadows on the other side of the path, watching Ariel and Bucky walk back to their seats. He knew they would be there, so he had to have read it from her diary or had an operative read it."
"So, he's there illegally, and he's watching our historian fall in love with the man who his great great grandfather kept enslaved as a weapon. You're right, he must have had access to Ariel's diary before we burned them to know they would be there. His politics are right wing, showing a preference for authoritarianism. As a professor of political science, he's in a position to influence younger people to his way of thinking." She looked directly at Andrew. "You were right to contact me. Let me do some snooping at this end, see if I can find out if he's influencing anyone in our organization."
"Tomorrow is the incident with the drunk at Rockaway Beach," he stated. "Do you want to send a member of the psych team to the garage to question the man?"
She gave out a sigh. "See what you can find out on your own, first. Do a DNA sample if you have to. I trust you to determine if he's just a paid agitator or a true believer. If he's a paid agitator, you'll need to remove the memory of you questioning him. If he's a true believer, he gets sent back here."
Andrew nodded his head. "If Mason is behind all of this, shouldn't we be considering implementing Operation Chrysalis?"
"Not yet," replied Peri. "Once we do, they'll show up in that timeline anyways, the future chair made that clear. I would still like to root out all the players, just for my own sake."
He accepted her reasoning, even though he didn't quite agree with it. Peri was chair and he was loyal to her. Both of them were emotionally involved because of Ariel and it was important for them to remain as objective as possible. Finishing the session with Peri he shut the console down and returned the key to the tea tin. Sleep didn't come easily to him, but it eventually did.
After breakfast the following morning Will drove Andrew and Thomas to the abandoned garage. They would get set up there to question the man who accosted Ariel. Next, he dropped off Jim and Arnold at the beach. He parked some distance away, then walked to where he could see the ladies' room where Ariel would take Bucky's younger sister. Arnold and Jim walked the boardwalk next to the beach, stopping every so often to look at the ocean, as they approached the ladies' room. They hadn't seen anyone yet who looked like the man. Then they heard a commotion from the direction they had walked from.
"That's him," said Jim, pointing out a stocky, dark-haired man with blue jeans and a red gingham shirt who was deliberately getting in the way of a woman on the boardwalk. "He was drunk."
"Could still be an act," replied Arnold. "In case he was arrested. See how he's not quite pushing it to the limit? As soon as her guy shows up, he backs off."
"Yeah, you're right. He's checking out other potential victims."
Both men turned before the dark-haired man looked their way. As he passed behind him Arnold turned around, leaning back on the boardwalk wall.
"He's leaning against the wall beside the ladies' room," said Arnold. "Lighting up a cigarette. This guy is no drunk."
"Surveillance," replied Jim. "He's an operative."
Both men saw Ariel and Rebecca come out of the ladies' room. Jim tensed slightly as he watched his younger sister recoil from the man's advance on Ariel. He could hear Ariel tell her to get Bucky, then saw his younger self returning alone, with his hands clenching in anger as his younger version struggled to keep his temper.
"Come on, honey," said the man to an irritated Ariel. "One little kiss for ole Harold. Pretty thing like you needs a man to look after you."
"He's got something in his hand," said Jim watching closely from their spot. "I never noticed before. Can you tell what it is?"
"Yeah, it's a knockout injector," replied the historian. "Medics in the field use it to disable an out-of-control patient in our time. Works instantly. This was a snatch job, which means there's someone nearby waiting to take them both."
At that moment younger Bucky punched the man, knocking him down. Without hesitation the historian rushed in and looked sharply at young Bucky, then looked at the moaning man, while Jim looked around trying to find the man's partner. Arnold looked back up at the young couple.
"Take your girl. I'll take care of him. He's had too much. Don't worry about the cops. He's been bothering women for the last half hour."
Young Bucky put his arm around Ariel and led her away. Neither of them seemed to pay any attention to Jim. He kneeled down to see Arnold removing the injector from the other man's hand. Together they raised him up and half dragged him off the boardwalk to where Will waited with the car. Jim got in back with the still moaning man while Arnold got in the front seat. As Will sat behind the wheel he saw what Arnold had in his hand.
"He was carrying that?" he asked. "This was no drunk. This was a kidnapping."
"Likely has a partner but I couldn't make out anyone," said Jim, from the back seat. "You need to go now and keep an eye out for anyone following you."
Arnold turned around and stared at Jim. "It really is you," he said. "Damn. What the hell is going on?"
Will looked at Jim in the rear-view mirror then at Arnold. "Mostly need-to-know but Ariel Black is in danger in this timeline. He's here to keep her safe because all security has been pulled to the future. That might be why they tried it, thinking they would have no opposition here."
He shook his head at the audacity of trying a kidnapping in broad daylight with so many witnesses. As Will drove he kept looking behind but was unable to determine if they were being tailed. As they drove the dark-haired man came around and tried to get out. Jim grasped him hard and growled at him.
"You're not going anywhere until you answer some questions," Jim said menacingly.
"I don't have to answer anything," said the dark-haired man. "I did nothing."
"Because we stopped you," replied Arnold, holding up the injector. "These aren't invented for almost 100 years and yet you had one in your hand, ready to use on that young woman. You might want to rethink your position, traitor."
The man closed down and refused to speak. Soon Will pulled up to the garage and Arnold got out to open the doors. As soon as the car was inside, he closed them and bolted them on the inside. Jim pulled the dark-haired man out of the back seat and dragged him over to a chair, shoving him into it. Arnold approached Andrew and showed him the injector.
"A field injector for a tranquilizer," said Andrew, then he narrowed his eyes at the man sitting in the chair. "Who do you work for?" There was no answer. "Why were you to kidnap the young woman?" Still no answer so Andrew picked a device up from the table and gestured to Thomas and Jim. "Hold him. I'm taking a bio-sample to identify him."
The man tried to get up but with both Jim and Thomas holding him down he was immobilized. Holding a device to his arm Andrew pressed a button and took a small sample, running it through whatever programming was on it. After a couple of minutes, he looked up.
"Terence Whitfield," he said. "Born 2110, graduate student in political science at NYU, your advisor is Lowell Pierce Mason. Tell me, did you volunteer for this, or did Mason talk you into it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," insisted the man. "My name is Harold Trent, and I was born in 1915 in Long Island. I'm a bricklayer and I just had too much to drink already."
Jim grabbed the man's hands, noting how smooth they were. "You're no bricklayer," he sneered. "You've probably never worked a manual job in your life. You better start talking."
Will pulled Andrew back. "We have to wrap this up. I have to attend the meeting of supervisors. I'm already late. Should I mention this?"
"No, say nothing unless Peri mentions it," said Andrew. "This bio-sample is enough to convict him of illegal use of a time portal. I'll call for him to be taken back for psych interrogation and his trial. You go ahead to your meeting. We'll make our own way back to the apartment."
Will left and Andrew opened a portal with his portable unit, sending a signal into it. A few minutes later two security agents came through and were given the results of the bio-sample scan. They were also given the field injector and the circumstances of its confiscation. The dark-haired man, Whitfield, glowered at all of them as he sat there. Suddenly, he bolted, trying to get to the doors. Jim was too fast for him and picked him up with his prosthetic hand, carrying him one-handed to the security crew.
"You're Barnes," stated Whitfield. "How are you here?" He spun towards Andrew. "You brought him here to this time? It won't make a difference. We'll take her no matter what time she's in and replace her with our version."
"You just incriminated yourself," said Andrew, "in front of witnesses. It's all admissible when you have your trial."
"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place," muttered Whitfield and Andrew waved him away.
He was taken into the portal by the security agents, and it closed down. The four men stood there for a moment. Andrew took a breath and shook his head.
"That man you just saw was a HYDRA agent," he said to the other three. "A 22nd century one. They don't go by that name anymore as it is still considered a threat to humanity. So, they go by names such as the Group, the Reapers, the Believers, and other similar collective type names. Each cell is different but there is one man trying to unite them, Lowell Pierce Mason, great great grandson of Alexander Pierce. Mason is a political science professor at NYU. He uses his position to defend the concept of an authoritarian society. This attempt to take Ariel Black was to replace her with a doppelgänger, a woman who went through the persona process to resemble Ariel. Their goal is to impregnate her with young Bucky's child, a child they can begin the Winter Soldier process on then indoctrinate it to be their first soldier, the founder of their army." He looked at Jim and Thomas. "These two already know this part but you don't, Arnold. I'm only telling you in case we need you again. They took Ariel in 2142, testing out their doppelgänger against Jim. Although she barely spoke, she passed Jim's notice. If they were attempting to take Ariel in this time, it means their version of Ariel may be ready to assume her place in this timeline. We can't allow that to happen."
"You said they took Ariel," answered Arnold. "How long have they had her?"
"We left there the day after," replied Andrew. "So, it's still just one day but you know they could insert their Ariel at any time. It could be days in 2142 but years here. They've managed to travel through time, illegally, to set this up."
Andrew closed the portal up and put the portable device in a small case that he could carry. The four men exited the garage, making sure it was locked after. On the walk back to Will's place Jim touched Andrew's arm.
"Were you at the supervisor's meeting with Will?" he asked.
Andrew nodded. "That's where we were first told that something wasn't right about your relationship with Ariel." He noticed Jim's look of alarm. "Not in that way, but that it happened too quickly. You're aware of the Supreme Sorcerer and the Time Stone, right? Peri keeps in touch with the keeper of the Time Stone to make sure that any deviations formed from our efforts don't affect the timeline. If it did you, Ariel or any one of us could be remanded to another entity which holds precedence over the historians. There were issues with your relationship, but also with things happening to Dum Dum Dugan and Gabe Jones."
"They had historians watching them as well?" asked Jim. "What was different?"
"Being influenced in a way that could have kept them from enlisting at the same time as you, keeping them from being in the 107th, even keeping them out of the war," said Andrew. "They both had a major influence on the Howling Commandos, especially after Rogers disappeared."
"That's why you kicked me out, isn't it?" asked Jim. "You came home early, caught us in the act. I thought for sure you were going to beat me."
Andrew smiled. "The thought crossed my mind," he said, earning a pointed look from both Jim and Thomas, who was listening in to the conversation. "That reminds me, we should have a look at the apartment. Someone was there and bugged the place. They also interfered with our messaging system as Peri sent me a message to allow you back into Ariel's life on the Monday, tomorrow. But by Wednesday dinner time neither Ariel nor I heard anything, and we called Peri. That's why Ariel invited you to the apartment on Wednesday night to hear my terms for you two to begin dating again."
"How do you keep it straight?" asked Thomas. "I mean, I wasn't around for the original but all this back and forth already has me confused."
Andrew grinned. "I was a professional historian for almost 40 years by this timeline, 23 as a supervisor. I watched Bucky and Steve grow up from boys into men." He looked at Jim. "It's not a job for everyone as the attention to details is paramount. You also have to give up a lot of your personal life to it, but you do it because you believe in the truth and facts. We knew Bucky was a ladies' man but there was a gap of three years where there was no documentation of your usual activities. It was theorized you were in a serious relationship but if you were then what happened to the woman?"
"You got your answer," said Jim, stopping as they were in view of the antique store. "Did you know it would be Ariel?"
"That she was your great love?" clarified Andrew. "No, but it became obvious she could be when you asked her out right away and showed up at the library the following day to walk her home. She interested you, enough that you pursued her which wasn't common for you. She felt the same, found you hard to resist."
"Someone's in the window," said Jim, looking at the building. "Second floor, on the right. That's the parlour. Arnold and Sam, if you go over to the side street there, you'll have a view of the back of the apartment. There's a one-story addition to the main floor that can be climbed for access to the second floor."
Andrew said nothing about Jim using Thomas's real name. He nodded at the two men to go to the other position and watch to see if the person came out that way. For several more minutes the two men watched the windows of the apartment. Then suddenly Jim looked at Andrew.
"A portal just opened inside the apartment," he said. "They didn't use the door or the window."
"You're sure?" asked Andrew.
"Yeah, I heard it just now," replied Jim. "I'm going to check it out."
"Wait, do you want a weapon?"
Jim smirked which made the older man shrug. Calmly the super soldier walked across the street and entered the stairwell. Quietly he took the steps, listening for any sounds inside the apartment. Not hearing any he stopped at the top of the stairs and felt along the top of the door for the key, unlocking the door. Slowly, he opened the door and listened for the sound of breathing. Hearing nothing, he went to the window and waved Andrew inside. As the man entered Andrew used sign language.
"Can you hear if there are any bugs?"
Jim frowned slightly. "Yes, there are several. How did you know I know sign language?"
"We've done this before. My past, your future. You'll see when it happens. Do you know where they are?"
Jim walked around and began pointing at various spots, including Ariel's bedroom. "Do you want them disabled?"
"No, don't want to tip them off that we know. I'll let Peri know. For now, we let it play. I want to check the settings on our communications console. Stay here while I go up to the third floor. Use a broom stick, three taps on the ceiling to warn me if anyone comes."
Jim nodded and watched as Andrew went into the bathroom then came out with a key. He went to a pull down stair set in the ceiling and pulled it down quietly then went up into the attic. Suppressing his desire to see the third floor Jim stayed put, watching out the front window for signs of anyone arriving. After several minutes Andrew came back down and returned the stairs to their right position, then returned the key to its spot in the bathroom. He reached into his pocket and took out a small device, going over to the phone and running the device over the entire unit then signing to Jim.
"I've neutralized the bug in it, but it will continue to broadcast a signal to whoever is monitoring it. They'll just hear static and figure it is defective. We can go now. I'll tell you more outside."
Both men left the apartment and Jim relocked the door, putting the key back where he found it. Neither said anything until they got outside and called Thomas and Arnold back so they could continue walking back to Will's apartment.
"What did you find out?" asked Jim.
"That one of Mason's suspected followers was in the portal room, supposedly running tests on the electronics. For a minute the surveillance cameras went down, and someone was transported to the apartment to bug it then returned within the minute of the surveillance blackout. The only other person seen entering or exiting that room was a historian in training. The two are being taken into custody as we speak."
"Will you tell Merton?" asked Jim.
"It's need to know," replied Andrew. "That's all I can say. We're to return to our normal duties, which means work for you three. I have other duties that I'll see to."
No amount of questioning brought anymore answers from Andrew, which was frustrating for Jim, especially. All of this cloak and dagger stuff was wearing thin. At least working would keep him occupied, as long as he could keep his mind on the times. Until he and Sam were needed, Bucky (he rebelled against thinking of himself as Jim) could only wait and hope that this timeline he was now in didn't deviate from the one he remembered.
