Chapter 6. Truths

Author's note: I'm going to mess with established canon from here on in. (Canon? What canon?) It's going to become even more obvious to Steven Grant that his earlier arrival in the past is really changing things, some subtly, some more noticeably. He's also been forewarned about some of it as his files that he brought from the future will include some names of people which may be familiar to readers of this work, even though they weren't part of Avengers canon. Before someone brings up the Time Variance Authority, remember that this work is inspired by the final one-shot in From There to Here – Bucky Barnes One Shots. An elderly Steven Grant appears at Bucky's wedding and tells him something. You'll have to read it to find out what, if you haven't already. But sometimes, things happen because they were supposed to.

—

Italy

Grant and Rose went to another part of the base, seeking out a specific tent. When they got there it was empty and they stood outside of it for a moment determining their next move. A private walking by stopped when Grant nodded at him.

"Looking for someone?" he asked.

"Corporal Arthur Raines?" asked Rose.

"Yeah, he's at the showers," said the private. "Said he had to get the stench of that factory off of him."

Walking towards the showers both men waited outside, watching the men who left the shower tent. When a dark-haired man left, Rose nudged Grant and nodded towards the other man.

"Corporal Raines?" asked Grant, this time. "Do you have a moment?"

The man looked at both of them with suspicion. "Who's asking?" he asked.

"I'm Special Agent Steven Grant," was the reply. "This is Corporal Rose. We're looking for a few good men to form a special unit. We thought you might be interested."

"Army Intelligence, huh?" said Raines. "Nah, I've just spent a couple of weeks being treated like a slave. I would rather get on the battlefield again. At least there I won't feel so weak."

"We're going against HYDRA," said Grant. "One of two units being formed. You can get some payback and you'll get extra pay."

He looked at both men, trying to figure out if this was a joke. "Why me?"

Grant glanced at Rose before speaking. "According to your file, you travelled through Poland before they were taken over by Germany. You know the country intimately and you're fluent in Polish, German, and Russian. You fought in the defence of Poland when it was invaded, then made your way to England where you enlisted in the British Army before transferring to the American Army when they got involved. You were resourceful, effective, and I figure with what you saw in that factory you know there is an enemy who is just as dangerous as the Nazis."

Raines, a tall, lanky man, set his mouth in a grim line. "Four men in my unit were taken by that little doctor and I never saw them again. What did he do to them?" As Grant started to talk Raines shook his head. "I don't want the need-to-know bullshit. What was he trying to do with them?"

"Change their bodies into a weapon," said Grant, in a low voice. "Bigger, stronger, faster, ability to heal quicker, they're called super soldiers. The process is still experimental, and it doesn't always work. Those that go through it are subjected to great pain as they're basically tortured to force their bodies to accept it. Your friends didn't make it."

"That sergeant, the one that Captain America went after ... he had it, didn't he?" Grant nodded. "Why did he survive?"

"He was dying, and their serum seems to work better when it has to fix the body first before changing it." Grant shrugged. "That's my guess. He'll be part of the first unit with Captain America."

Raines rubbed his face with his hand then looked closely at Grant. "There's more to you as well but I'm guessing you need to trust me before you'll say anything else." Neither Grant nor Rose reacted. "Alright, I'm in. These two units are destroying everyone, and everything associated with those maniacs, right?"

"Not everyone," cautioned Grant. "There're several people who have been forced to work for them. We're getting them out, then we'll destroy their bases and eliminate the rest."

"How do you know who deserves to be rescued?" asked Raines.

Grant smiled slightly. "Need to know. I need to trust you first, Corporal, before I'm willing to share that."

"Fucking Army Intelligence," muttered the other man. "Alright, I'm still in."

"Be at the command post tomorrow morning, 08:00, with your bag packed," said Grant. "I'll get your transfer squared away."

He and Rose headed towards the command tent where he put in the request directly to General Phillips to transfer Raines to his new unit. The older soldier looked at the paper, then signed it and called in Corporal Mann, his clerk, to write up new orders for Corporal Arthur Raines to be transferred to the second new unit. The corporal waited as if he had a question to ask the General.

"Sir? What are the names of the new units? I can't assign anyone to something that doesn't exist."

The General looked at Grant, his eyebrows raised.

"Captain Rogers group was called the Howling Commandos," replied the younger man. "You could call them the First Attack Squad officially and keep them under the umbrella of the SSR. They should be the face of the fight against HYDRA. Give them as much press as you can. As for my team, I guess they're the Second Attack Squad. We're going after the smaller labs, the ones not on the official maps. We're pulling out their scientists that have been forced into the work and destroying those facilities. I don't want us to be publicized so call us whatever you want."

"Very well, Grant, I'll make those the official designations but will try to come up with something appropriate for your team, that fits your purpose," said Phillips. "You're going to need a sergeant. I can promote Corporal Rose."

"No, he's already said he doesn't want that responsibility," replied Grant. "There are three men in England that I'll be meeting to fill out the squad. One of them might be able to assume that rank. Will that be all, General?"

"Dismissed," said the General and watched impassively as Grant left the tent.

It had been quite an eye-opening experience for General Phillips when Rogers walked in with 163 PoWs rescued from that HYDRA factory. How a man who used to weigh only 100 lbs with barely a week's worth of basic training managed to infiltrate that facility and take out some of the most fearsome soldiers in existence was beyond him, but it was proof that Erskine was right. With the right man that serum could do wonders. He just wasn't sure that Sergeant Barnes was the right man but since he had already started the process it was only fair to let him finish it. Once Phillips was sure the man had what it took, that is.

"Sir, Stars and Stripes are here," said Corporal Mann, interrupting the General's thoughts. "They want to know what's going on."

"Of course they do," smiled the General. "Send them in."

When the reporter from the armed forces newspaper left an hour later with the exclusive story of how Captain America single handedly rescued almost 400 soldiers from behind enemy lines he couldn't believe his photographer's luck in capturing the photos of the hero walking in from the gates with the grateful men behind him. This was going to go over so well at home. A real-life superhero, better than Superman, because he wasn't something that existed only in a comic book. He was the real deal.

—-

Allied Headquarters, London, England, several days later

Watching as Steve marked the locations of the other HYDRA bases while Peggy watched, Grant smiled slightly. It was interesting seeing the chemistry between the pair and comparing it to his own memories of that moment. He had been so nervous around her but so captivated. Funny how he didn't seem to feel that way anymore, making him wonder why he ever thought coming back just for her was the right thing to do. The other officer took the map from Rogers and the couple went to the operations room while Grant followed, staying at the periphery of the large space. As Army Intelligence he was expected to be in the shadows and that was a good thing. It meant he could get more done than the soon to be very public face of the Howling Commandos. That part of it wouldn't be missed at all.

They already had most of the HYDRA factories marked on the large table map but he had a few more to add, ones that escaped their notice the first time around. Peggy left to coordinate with British Intelligence for overflights on the current locations. As the General spoke to Rogers about forming a team Grant grinned again as his younger self confidently told the General he was already on it. When the young captain left the General looked up at him.

"What are you grinning at?" he asked, frowning.

"Who were you thinking for his team? Guys like Hodges? He doesn't have what it takes. Trust me, the group that Rogers forms are the best people for the job. They won't let you down."

"I hope you're right, Grant," said Phillips. "I'm sticking my neck out for you and for Rogers, and I'm doing it blind as you haven't filled me in completely yet."

"I know," replied Grant. "It's just that I've been warned about how much of the future I can reveal at any one time. Too much is as dangerous as too little."

The General turned and waited for Grant to walk with him. "This Sergeant Barnes worries me," he said. "He doesn't seem to be all on board."

"You served in World War I, correct?" asked Grant. Phillips grunted. "You saw your share of men with shell shock. They call it battle fatigue or combat stress reaction now. In the future it is part of what they call post-traumatic stress disorder. The human body and mind can only take so much and everybody's point of breaking is different. It doesn't mean the soldier is a coward or is any less than the man next to him who seems to manage just fine. I experienced it myself in the future." Phillips looked at him steadily. "I dealt with it physically, continually working out until I was exhausted. Sergeant Barnes is dealing with it emotionally, but he's also dealing with the changes that his body has experienced from the serum treatment. It's probably increased his paranoia, and his feeling of isolation. He's terrified of being captured again and subjected to the same treatment, I can tell you that much."

"Should he be relieved from duty?" asked Phillips, his tone gentler. "I feel for the man, I do, but if he's going to be a detriment because of his emotions..."

Grant interrupted him. "No, doing that would only feed his paranoia and that would affect how the serum changes his body. He needs to feel normal and being with Steve and the Howling Commandos will help with that. He'll be able to control his fear and now that he's been open about the changes his body has experienced he won't feel so isolated. The others trust him and he needs that trust. I've already talked to Captain Rogers about PTSD and what he needs to do to help Sergeant Barnes through this."

"Tell me something," said the General, hesitant at first to complete his sentence. "Did HYDRA deliberately let him go?"

"Sir?"

Phillips swallowed and set his jaw for a moment as if he found the subject distasteful. "There are some rumours, even though it's been only a couple of days, that Sergeant Barnes is a plant. The rumours are that HYDRA changed him, made him theirs, and then allowed him to be rescued so that he would be their inside man."

"That's preposterous," declared Grant, indignant at the accusation. "It's propaganda. They probably have people who have infiltrated intelligence circles already who are the source of these rumours. I saw the Stars and Stripes issue that talked all about Rogers' and Barnes' background together. You don't think HYDRA aren't going to twist that to their advantage? Don't buy into that bullshit. I would trust Bucky Barnes with my life."

"But he doesn't trust you," stated Phillips. "I could see that on the flight back to England."

"He doesn't trust me completely, that's true. But it's only because I haven't told him the extent of what they did to him." He looked at the General. "I'm not ready to tell you yet, either. Even you're need to know on some things, General, no offence. I'll gain Bucky's trust. I have to but I'll do it at my own pace and not be forced into it, if I can help it."

The older man grunted and sat at his desk, effectively dismissing Grant. As he headed up to the first floor from the basement where headquarters was located he was surprised to see Corporal Rose waiting for him.

"I thought I told you to locate Howlett," said Grant.

"I did, and Raines is watching him," said Rose. "He's in the same pub as the motley crew."

Grant stopped and looked at Rose incredulously. How the hell did that happen? He searched his memory for the moment he walked into the pub as Steve Rogers trying to remember if the Canadian paratrooper had been there. There was no memory of it, and he wondered if this was another change brought about by his earlier presence in this timeline. No matter, as James Howlett, aka Logan, aka Wolverine, was on his list of people whose life had been affected by the Winter Soldier. His recruitment into the second unit was an attempt to change that man's future into something less tragic, although Dr. Strange had said it would be a long shot.

—

Whip & Fiddle Pub, London

It was his fourth straight double scotch that brought a comment out of the man sitting two seats down from Bucky in the snug.

"You're going to have a hell of a hangover if you keep drinking like that," said the soldier, a Canadian, as evidenced by the CANADA patch on the shoulder of his uniform.

"What's it to you, pal?" asked Bucky, already irritated that he wasn't feeling even a hint of a buzz from the scotch.

"Nothing," replied the bearded man. "Free country."

"Damn right," smirked Bucky. "Besides, you're hitting the drinks pretty hard yourself."

"Yeah, well I'm used to it kid," said the man.

"You know you're being followed, right?" Bucky gestured to a guy he recognized as Corporal Raines, sitting against the wall, trying to make it look like he wasn't watching the pair.

"He's been following me a while," replied the Canadian who was also wearing a paratrooper pin. "Why do you think he's following me?"

"I spent a while as a PoW in Austria with him until we were rescued," answered the younger man. "Then we flew here on the same aircraft from Italy, an aircraft filled with hand picked soldiers for a new special forces squad. I'm sure he's part of the second squad and you might be on their radar."

He glanced back to where Dugan and the others were sitting then saw the door to the pub open and both Steve Rogers and Steven Grant entered, along with the other Corporal who had been working with the Army Intelligence agent. His Steve sat with Dugan and the others while Grant came into the snug, glancing first at Raines who nodded towards the Canadian. Bucky smirked.

"Here comes the pitch," he said, drinking his scotch and ordering another. He looked at intelligence officer. "Grant. Tell Corporal Raines he needs to work on his observation skills."

"He wasn't trying to remain hidden," said Grant. "I think Captain Rogers wants to talk to you."

"I'll wait here for him. I'm not going anywhere."

"Suit yourself." Grant turned to the Canadian while signalling the bartender. "Sergeant James Howlett? What are you drinking?"

"Rye whiskey," replied the paratrooper. "Who the hell are you?"

"Special Agent Steven Grant." Bucky made a noise like a grunt receiving an exasperated glance from Grant. "Sergeant Barnes here doesn't trust me yet which is strange because we've been friends since I was 12 and he was 13." Bucky scowled noticeably. "There's a reason I look considerably older than him but I'd rather not discuss it in public. You heard of the rescue of a significant number of soldiers from a HYDRA factory in Austria, right?"

"Yeah, heard something about it," replied Howlett, staring straight ahead. "What's that got to do with me? I'm in the Canadian Army, not the American."

"The group out there with Captain America, Steve Rogers, has an English officer and a member of the French resistance on it," answered Grant. "We're looking for the right people to make up a second squad and I think you fit the bill."

"Not interested," said Howlett, grinning at Bucky who grinned back.

Grant sighed and looked at Rose who got up and went around to the civilian guests, asking if they would step out for a moment. To those who put up a fuss he offered to buy them another drink. It took a few moments then he asked the bartender in the snug to work on the rowdier side for the next while. By then Steve Rogers had arrived to talk to Bucky.

"Captain, would you take Sergeant Barnes with you to the other side, please?" asked Grant. "I need a private word with Sergeant Howlett."

"Bucky, please," said Steve, taking his friend's arm.

"No, I want to know what Howlett gets to know that I don't," said Bucky, shaking off Steve's overtures.

Grant could feel a sense of utter disbelief at the stubbornness of Bucky. It was frustrating, irritating, and making him angry that this man who he came back in time for was putting up such a fuss. He turned to Bucky.

"Do you remember when my mother died and I left the graveside service because I was just so damned numb from losing her? You found me as I arrived at our flat, that tiny pathetic flat that had no food in the icebox, no hot water and I barely had enough from what odd jobs I could scrounge to pay the rent and electricity bill." Bucky looked at him without any sign of emotion. "I couldn't find my fucking door key and you picked up the brick that covered the spare, placing it in my hand. Told me I should come and live with you, that we could pull the cushions off the sofa and put them on the floor like when we were kids. All I had to do was shine your shoes every once in a while or take out the trash. I tried to tell you that I could handle living on my own and you said I didn't have to because you were with me until the end of the line." He faced his friend full on. "I came back for you, Bucky, to stop something terrible from happening to you and all I get from you is pushback and anger. I knew you were stubborn but this is taking it to a whole new level. Maybe you aren't worth it and I just made the biggest mistake of my life coming back in time 80 years to stop what HYDRA did to you. The worst of it, is that it isn't entirely about you. I'm hoping to change Howlett's life as well because he has a lot in common with you and Steve and me. I didn't even know about him until just before I left in 2023, because he was busy dealing with his own shit."

"How can he be alive in 2023?" Bucky spoke cynically, looking at the Canadian, who was suddenly interested in what Grant was saying.

"Because he was born somewhere between 1830 and 1900, depending on who you talk to," said Grant, "in Cold Lake, Alberta. Adopted at birth by the Howlett's his real father was Thomas Logan, a real bastard of a man that he ended up killing. He has super soldier strength and regenerative abilities but he's not a super soldier like us. He's a mutant, has claws that come out of his hands when he's enraged, and he can come back to life after he's been killed but it comes at a cost, as he loses his memory for some time after. Eventually, he gets it back but it's caused him a lot of grief. How am I doing for accuracy, Howlett?"

"Pretty good, actually," said the man, barely hiding his surprise at Grant's knowledge. "How the hell did you know all of that?"

"Because I brought files with me of people to find that could help defeat HYDRA in the here and now. You were right up there because if there's one thing you like, it's a good fight, and this will be some fight. In exchange for your help I would give you all of the information I have on you so that you would know who to trust and who not to trust in the future. You are a good man, Howlett, even with all of your anger issues. You're capable of a lot of tenderness towards the people you care for. I need a sergeant that I can trust and I hoped that it would be you."

The Canadian paratrooper sipped his whiskey again, looking at Grant for some time before speaking.

"What's your problem with Special Agent Grant?" Howlett looked at Bucky. "He's obviously an older version of your younger captain here. Has he lied to you?"

"No, he just won't tell me the real reason why he came back," said the dark-haired super soldier. "He's told me some of it but he hasn't told me all of it and I need to know before I'm willing to trust him. What did I become that would make him come back in time?"

Steve Rogers looked intently at Grant, showing that he also wanted to know. The intelligence agent felt many conflicting emotions at that moment. He really didn't want to have this conversation with any of them so soon, fearing it was too much to reveal all at once.

"You want me and Raines to leave for a moment?" asked Rose, seeing the dilemma on Grant's face. "We don't mind."

Grant nodded and waited until it was just the four of them left in the snug before he began talking. "HYDRA got you back after we thought we lost you," he said solemnly. "Remember what I said about you not being truthful about what they did to you in the factory during my timeline? We didn't know you were already a super soldier and that it would take a lot to kill you. When we lost you we honestly thought you were dead. We were in enemy territory and your body was hundreds of feet down a ravine. We didn't look for you because we thought there would be nothing left of you. Except someone was down there, found you, and took you to HYDRA, who recognized you as Prisoner 56898. You survived the fall, Bucky, and they continued what they started in that factory in Austria. They took your mind away from you, your free will, your memories, gave you an artificial arm because you lost your left one, and they turned you into the Fist of HYDRA, their super soldier, completely under their control."

He walked behind the counter, grabbed a whiskey bottle and two glasses, pouring out one for himself and Steve, then filled up the glasses of the other two men. He drank his down right away then poured himself another. None of the other three said a thing so he kept on talking.

"One of their scientists, a woman forced to work for them, developed a way to keep you frozen between assignments and it extended your lifespan. From about 1951 until 2014 you performed dozens of assassinations that we know about, probably dozens more that were never recorded, and in all that time you were only defeated once by an American super soldier, another man who we're looking to add to my unit, if I can find him. As their Fist you helped HYDRA shape history by killing people who would fight against them. They hurt you, Bucky. They did unspeakable things to you, not even thinking of you as a person, only their asset. When you finally broke away from them in 2014 it helped to bring HYDRA down but it almost broke you, taking you years to recover. I don't know if you ever recovered from the guilt you felt for your actions, even though you weren't responsible for them, because I left you there when the opportunity to return to this time came up. I had to make a decision to stay and live with how I failed you or to come back and try again. Although I couldn't do much for you then, I promised you that when I went back this time I would find you and keep them from implementing their plans for you. I was just trying to protect my best friend, the man I admired since I was 12 years old. Maybe by doing that it would help those who HYDRA affected either directly or indirectly."

He leaned on the counter, staring at the drink in his hand while Bucky looked at his before drinking it. Howlett drank his while watching the other three. Rogers ran his hand over his face.

"We keep this between ourselves," said the young captain. "Not even the General learns about this, not yet anyway."

"Yeah, no shit," said Grant. "There's already rumours, probably started by HYDRA that Bucky is a plant. Deliberately allowed to be rescued so that he's their inside man."

Bucky looked at him in horror. "You're serious?" Grant nodded. "How did they get that out so quickly?"

"Because they've infiltrated a lot of different intelligence agencies already," said Grant. "Hell, one of them got into the lab during the procedure on Steve to kill Dr. Erskine, pretending to represent the State Department. That's what we're up against, Bucky. Hitler wants to take over Europe, but HYDRA wants to take over the world. We thought we stopped them in my time, but they just went underground and wormed their way back into key positions in many different governments. We were that close to losing the world to them. They sent you to kill me and my friends. You almost succeeded."

"How did you stop me?" asked Bucky.

Grant didn't answer for the longest time and kept looking in his glass until he decided to hell with it. "I stopped fighting and you beat me down to the point where you were ready to kill me. I told you to finish it because I wouldn't fight you any more. I said I was with you until the end of the line. It was like a light went on in your mind. I could see it in your eyes as you hesitated to give the final blow. Later you said it was the flicker of memories of coming to my rescue when I was getting beaten up as a kid. My face was all bloody and I was helpless; somehow it resonated with you. We were fighting in an aircraft that was going down and I fell from it into the Potomac. Next thing I know I woke up in a hospital, hurting something fierce. They said you pulled me out of the river, called for an ambulance then you left. You even stood guard over me, from a rooftop across from the hospital until I put a sign in the window telling you to leave because the CIA, police, and even what was left of HYDRA was looking for you. The CIA were originally OSS during the war and they were complicit in your treatment over the years as well." He wiped his face. "It was all supposed to be simple, at first, to come back and stop what happened to you. Then it just grew and grew into this ambitious plan that I have no idea if I can do any of it. I didn't even know about some of the files that I brought back with me until they were printed out so obviously someone from the future made sure they made it back with me so I could change things in this timeline."

"Which is why you need the right people," said Howlett, finishing his drink. "I'm guess I'm in. I take it you'll arrange for my transfer to this squad?"

Grant nodded then he looked at Bucky, who smirked. "I thought I told you not to do anything stupid," he said looking at Grant then at Rogers. "Face it, you both need me, you punks."

"Are we good?" asked Grant. Bucky nodded, putting his hand out to shake the other's who muttered at the dark-haired man. "Jerk."

Steve echoed that sentiment. Grant came out from behind the counter, leaving money on top of it for the bartender. They all headed back out to where Rose and Raines had sat themselves at the same table as the future Howling Commandos. As they were standing near the men the door opened and Peggy Carter walked in, wearing a red dress that seemed to light up the whole room. The music stopped as she walked up to the group, her eyes on Steve Rogers. Grant saw how Bucky was checking her out and leaned close to the dark-haired man.

"Forget it," he said. "She's not interested in you. Steve's always been her guy. Besides, he's had to watch you so many times it's about time you found out if he picked up anything from the master."

Bucky smirked but said nothing, still watching, then acknowledged the truth of it, as he heard her tell Steve to be at HQ at 08:00 the following morning to meet with Howard Stark. She looked at all of them before she left but just as she opened the door she turned once more and looked directly at the young captain. There was no doubt her smile was for him as evidenced by his blush and shy smile. It was obvious Bucky was going to have to make sure his friend knew how to proceed from there. As he watched the others and smiled at some of the bullshit stories that were being traded once Peggy left he glanced back at Grant, leaning against the bar while talking to Steve. He hadn't been ready to trust the man but when Grant told the three of them what Bucky became and how he had fought that version of him it was like an epiphany. There were still things he hadn't given them the details of but it was obvious he was there to keep Bucky out of HYDRA's hands. That meant a lot. It also meant Bucky was in.