Chapter 18. Desperate Measures
It was a three-hour flight from the airfield where they stole the German aircraft outside Villach, Austria to Rome, where they had flown from five days before. As the Patrol flew towards their objective Raines immediately got on the radio trying to make contact with their people in Italy, unsure of the range of the radio unit on the Junkers aircraft. Worried about being attacked by their own fighters as they flew out of German held airspace, it was a tense time as he repeated the code over and over again, requesting a fighter escort. With less than an hour left before they expected to land, they hadn't heard anything, and began to wonder if their message had even been received.
"What do we do?" asked Costello, who stepped away from the cockpit to come back to the others. "We can't defend ourselves if they come after us, but we didn't do all this just to be shot out of the sky."
"Is it possible the codes have changed?" asked Grant.
"They wouldn't do that, not when they know our plan involved stealing a German aircraft," replied Raines. "The only way that would happen is if there was a security breach, and the codes were broken. I think it's more likely the transmitting wire on top was damaged when we took fire before taking off."
"We got company!" yelled Murphy, sending Costello back to the cockpit.
Grant stood in the passageway behind them. "Night fighters. We're basically sitting ducks. What machine guns we have are empty. They mustn't have loaded them with ammo before we left."
They watched as two fighters approached them then flew right past on either side without firing. Both turned around and came back, sidling up to fly on either side of them in formation.
"They're signalling to us," called out Howlett, who was looking out one of the gun ports. "Morse code. Verify identity, mission code."
Raines stepped forward, taking the flashlight from Howlett and flashed the Patrol's code name, then the code for their mission. He also sent the success codes and asked for landing instructions. It was a tense few moments as they watched the dark shadow of the fighter aircraft alongside them not respond for some time. Then a light appeared, illuminating the pilot in the cockpit. He gave them a thumbs up, then his cockpit light darkened, and his partner flashed them a message in Morse code that finally allowed them all to relax.
Welcome back, Phantom Patrol. More escorts to come. Follow us.
The mood inside the aircraft improved considerably and Grant went up to the cockpit, seeing one of the two fighter aircraft go in front of it, turning on red taillights that were visible in the dark. As they got closer to their destination, and the skies began to lighten, more escorts came out and guided them to the airfield, veering off to allow the Junkers to land by itself. An aircraft marshaller with large, oversized paddles signalled to the pilots to approach him and follow his instructions. He guided them towards a hangar where an ambulance waited. As they got closer, they noticed Dr. Waslewski was waiting, along with Steve Rogers and General Phillips. Grant turned away from the cockpit and kneeled down to Bucky as the others crowded around the various windows and openings to the outside.
"We're safe," he said. "Dr. Waslewski is already here. I'm guessing she's anticipated what you need. You're going to be alright, Buck. Just have faith, okay?"
The wounded man nodded then gave out a shaky breath. "I'll try. Steve? Thank you for finding me. Don't tell them I gave up."
"You had a moment, that's all," replied Grant. "You're alive and the serum will heal you. We'll see you back here in no time to finish what we started."
The aircraft came to a stop and the jump door was opened. The others left the aircraft, stopping to say some words to Bucky, who acknowledged them all while trying to keep it together. Dr. Waslewski and Steve Rogers boarded. She made eye contact with Grant, saying plenty in the look she gave him, then turned her attention to Bucky while Rogers stopped in front of his counterpart.
"What happened? We expected you before sunset last night."
"Got lost," replied Grant. "The compass stopped working and we ended up deeper in Austria instead of nearer the coast. Had to go to a different airfield. Zola?"
"He gave up the location of Schmidt's main base but it's different than where you said. I guess things changed. We'll have to send both teams in as it's a massive structure." Rogers looked over at his friend. "How bad?"
"Bad, he still lost his arm," said Grant. "I gave him the vial of serum and although it made a difference it didn't start mending his bones until he got warm. He's still in agony." Leaning close he whispered in Rogers' ear, hoping Bucky was preoccupied with answering Eva's questions to him. "He had to kill a wolf with his bare hands. That wasn't in my timeline either. I'll tell you more when we have a chance."
He left their reunion to them and exited the aircraft where the General was waiting. The man gave him a grim look, which wasn't quite different from his happy one, but he seemed extra irritated.
"Special Agent Grant," he intoned. "I'm glad to see you're in one piece. You got lost, huh?"
"My compass malfunctioned," replied Grant, taking the blame for the delay. "The serum didn't work the way we thought. It gave him extra energy and healed the internal injuries, but his bones are still likely broken or not mending properly and he's in a lot of pain. His left arm is gone. I want to talk to Zola."
The General shook his head. "Your people in Army CIC came for him." Grant raised his eyebrows. "My reaction as well but they had orders from Eisenhower that I couldn't ignore. It seems that Operation Paperclip is in full force."
"Damn, you know that he'll make contact with HYDRA supporters already embedded in our military," said Grant. "I made it clear to my superiors that he wasn't to be trusted."
"He played his cards well and convinced them he was, I guess," said Phillips. "Regardless, you and Cap will be preparing to attack that base." He looked at the Junkers aircraft. "We'll be able to use this for some missions once we repair the bullet holes and upgrade the radio system. Good thing we were expecting a stolen German airplane and realized that your signal wasn't getting through. Had no shortage of volunteers wanting to go up and protect you."
Rogers appeared at the jump door opening and waved the ambulance attendants in to bring Bucky out. The doctor exited before him and stood with Grant and Phillips as they carefully moved the injured man through the narrow opening and into the waiting ambulance.
"He's asked to be frozen in one of the cylinders for transport to England," she said, "but I don't want to wait for it to be delivered here. The bones not setting properly has me concerned and I think we should get him to the base as soon as possible. General, do we have a bigger, faster aircraft to transport him in?"
"Yes, that can be arranged," said Phillips. "Do you think there's a problem with your serum?"
"No, I think the problem is with the serum he was given originally," she said. "It was a copy of Erskine's original formula, as made from Schmidt's blood, and modified by Dr. Zola. Whatever that man's body transformed it into has affected Sergeant Barnes' own body chemistry. Even though this most recent version was developed with the intent of working with Dr. Zola's serum I believe the two formulas are incompatible and it has made his body slower to respond as his body is fighting itself. Until I get him back to England and Dr. Erskine's lab we won't know for sure." She looked at Grant. "He said he killed a wolf and drank its blood to stay warm. Did you happen to bring anything from the carcass? It's possible it may have been diseased, and his body is fighting that as well."
"Sorry, wasn't exactly in a position to think of that," he replied. "We took fire and wanted to get him out of there as soon as possible. Eva, he will get better, right?"
She smiled, trying to reassure him. "Neither I nor Abraham will give up," she said. "With Barnes in a hospital setting and not having to fight for survival it may be enough for his body to start regenerating on its own." She noticed the bullet hole in the shoulder of Grant's combat gear. "I want to have a look at that."
"It's fine," he replied but she gave him a look that he recognized. "I'll be there soon."
Leaving the three men there she got into the ambulance with Barnes as it headed for the base hospital. She would at least start him on IV fluids and try to get some pain relief into him that way. He would also be X-rayed to determine the full extent of his skeletal injuries and properly set the bones. The other members of the patrol were already en route to the base for much needed showers, rest, and good food. They would receive medical attention as well, if they required it but Sergeant Barnes was her priority.
A staff car was waiting for the General and he invited Rogers and Grant into it with him. The latter took the opportunity to give a more detailed verbal report of all they encountered, receiving updates from them as well on Zola's interrogation. Since the Howling Commandos were also in Italy it was decided that both teams would train there for the mission to destroy the main HYDRA facility there. As they drove to the base General Phillips cleared his throat.
"My counterpart accompanied you on this mission in your time, didn't he, Grant?"
"Yes, sir, he did," replied the Special Agent. "Are you pulling rank to get in on it as well? Peggy Carter was also on it and was part of its success. If you go, she goes."
"I agree," said the General. "Now, what about Captain Rogers, here? You never did come right out to say what happened to you on that mission, but I gather something did, because of how long you said you were missing in the ice. In fact, you've said precious little about anything that happens after you attack Schmidt in his fortress."
Grant breathed out audibly, knowing the question would come up. He had no intention of letting Steve freeze in the ice if he could help it but also knew that he was messing with another man's destiny and sooner or later, his luck would run out.
"With all due respect, sir, I would rather discuss that with Captain Rogers and only with him," said Grant. "I think it important that he be in charge of his own destiny with as little interference as possible from you, me, or anyone else."
If General Phillips was capable of growling, the sound that came out of his throat would likely qualify as one. He wasn't a man that accepted being kept in the dark. The ride to the base continued under the watchful glare of the commanding officer but Grant kept his resolve firm. He would share the details of what could happen but only to Steve, as he wasn't going to broadcast it. Part of him still wondered if sharing Bucky's details with too many people had made what happened inevitable. If Steve went down with the Valkyrie, then Grant would find him and dig him out by hand if he had to. When they arrived at the base, an aide was waiting for General Phillips with an intelligence communique. With another grunt directed at Grant, the General went into his office, leaving Rogers and Grant to walk to their quarters alone.
"You were quick to shut him down," observed Rogers.
"Yeah, I know, but it was necessary," replied Grant. "This mission to destroy Schmidt's base? It's the one that you'll go missing on. You're going to have to handle him on your own and ditch the aircraft, but I'll know where you should be, and I'll find you."
The younger man stopped in his tracks, making Grant stop and turn back to him.
"So, I have to die," said Rogers.
"No, you don't die," answered the older man. "You'll freeze, as if you were in a cryostasis cylinder then we'll thaw you out after, as the serum will keep you alive. The biggest difference from my time is that you'll only be frozen a short time and the doctor who knows how to thaw you out safely is Dr. Waslewski, who will be there for you."
"But she's looking after Bucky," said Rogers. "I don't want to take her away from looking after him."
"You won't." Grant looked his younger counterpart in the eye. "Look, I want us to talk about this very soon as this mission will take place within a few weeks. I'll tell you everything I remember from it and, to be honest, it could go different for you than it did for me. You could defeat Schmidt before he takes off in his aircraft. But if he does get airborne, you have to be the one to fight him. It's part of Captain America's timeline and we have to keep the timeline the same as much as possible."
"Even though we've already changed it with Bucky?"
"Yeah, I know it sounds crazy and contradictory, but we have to at least attempt to maintain it. I shouldn't have ordered Bucky to stay off the train. Maybe I should have locked him up in a cell and not let him go on the mission. Maybe I should have been the third man on the train instead of Gabe and sent Bucky to the front of the train in his place." Rogers looked at him with some alarm to which Grant reacted with a shrug. "It was pointed out to me that the universe doesn't like it when someone tries to change how it is supposed to evolve. You are meant to fight Red Skull at that base, and in the aircraft. You are meant to crash the aircraft in the Arctic. But I am meant to find you within days and bring you back instead of you being missing for 66 years like I was. Can we come back to this soon, over some food and a good stiff drink? Or do you want to keep poking holes in my plan?"
"You're a stubborn son of a bitch, aren't you?" asked Rogers, grinning.
"So are you," replied Grant, also grinning. "We'll get this done, Steve. I know we will, because I've done it already. Now, I really want to go see if they've got Bucky set up right. Then I want to see Eva and let her check out my shoulder, so she knows that I'll be okay."
"I'll come with you to make sure about Bucky," said Rogers.
The two men stopped at the hospital, finding most of the Patrol there, getting checked out mainly for frostbite. Howlett had already been dismissed. Bradley, Murphy and Costello were dismissed shortly after Rogers and Grant arrived, while Rose, Raines and Rumlow were still being examined by the medics, supervised by Lt. Hay. Eva was in X-ray with Major Lambert and Bucky, as they were imaging his limbs before removing the cardboard splints. She looked back at the two super soldiers as they entered the room where she and the Major were already looking at the developed X-rays of his arm and back.
"How does it look?" asked Grant.
"His spine is starting to heal," she said. "So, we're going to get him into traction as soon as we can to make sure everything is where it should be. The ribs were mostly cracked, rather than broken, so they'll heal properly. The arm started to knit together but will have to be re-broken, and I suspect the legs will have to be as well. Understandable considering how far you had to walk with him on a stretcher. I want to do that under anaesthetic. We'll use what we have available until his body begins to metabolize it then switch to another. Hopefully, by the time we run out of options we'll have everything reset and casted."
"Is he in pain?" asked Rogers.
"Yes," replied Major Lambert. "He's in agony but even morphine has no effect on him anymore. How many syrettes did you give him?"
"4 or 5, at least," said Grant. "They only lasted a few minutes. He asked to be frozen for the flight back to England."
"We didn't bring a cylinder, but we will cool him down almost to the point of hypothermia to numb his nervous system," said Lambert. "He's already suffered extensive frostbite damage and we have to give that every opportunity to heal or he could lose his fingers." The man looked frustrated. "We just don't know how his body will react. We're also just going to clean up the wound on the severed arm but not do anything further to it as Dr. Erskine was of the opinion that the serum should regenerate the limb from the site of the damage."
A yell of agony drew their attention to Bucky as they positioned his legs for X-rays. As soon as the exposure was done, he was moved back to a treatment room while the two doctors waited to see the X-rays. Both of them made sounds of disappointment, realizing they would have to break the legs again then reset them and cast them.
"I'll get the OR set up," said Lambert. "I'll break the news to Barnes, as well."
Rogers went with Lambert, wanting to be there for Bucky, leaving Grant and the doctor alone in the X-ray room. At first, Eva tried to look stoic, then she shook her head and stepped close to Grant, as he wrapped his arms around her. Allowing herself a few sobs, she quickly got herself back under control.
"He's suffered so much," she said in a low voice. "The low temperatures definitely slowed down the healing factor and those cardboard splints didn't keep his legs or arm immobile enough."
"In my original timeline it took weeks, even longer, for all of his injuries to heal according to the files I read," said Grant. "They were already experimenting on him, injecting him with all sorts of toxins in between serum injections. It's hard to believe he survived at all."
She placed her hand on his shoulder, pulling the jacket away to look underneath at his injury.
"You didn't wear your bulletproof uniform," she noticed. "Why not?"
"I don't know." She gave him a look that said she didn't believe him. "It gives me an advantage that the others didn't have. Maybe, for this mission, I wanted to face the same dangers they did. This injury didn't happen until the final day, when we stole the airplane."
They walked together towards the treatment room, where she prepared as he took his jacket and shirts off, exposing the bandaged-up shoulder. While he undressed, she filled a basin with warm water and antiseptic soap, then brought several gauze pads over and a towel. As he sat on the bed, she pulled on rubber gloves and removed the soiled bandage, discarding it in the waste bin. Dipping the gauze into the water she began to clean it, as he watched her. It was mostly healed, with the scab coming off after several swipes of the gauze, revealing the pink skin underneath. Discarding the soiled portion, she wet a new piece and finished cleaning the front and back of his shoulder. Then she took her gloves off and touched the area around his shoulder with her fingertips, trying to determine if there was any heat under the skin that indicated the possibility of infection. With a small smile, she patted it, satisfied he had healed. Before she pulled it away, Grant took her hand in his and kissed the palm. The sound of the swinging door opening interrupted them, and he let it go.
"Major Lambert said the OR is ready for Sergeant Barnes," said Lt. Hay. "The aides are prepping him first while you and I get scrubbed up."
"Thank you, Lieutenant," said Eva. "I'll be right there." She waited until the nurse left then looked at Grant. "I have to go. Then I'll likely stay up after and monitor Barnes overnight. If his vitals are stable, I want to fly him out tomorrow morning."
He nodded, understanding that meant they wouldn't have any private time together. Slipping off the bed, he towered over her, then bent down and kissed her. With a nod and a smile, he gathered his clothing and headed towards the door, opening it to allow her out first. Rogers was waiting in the hallway outside the OR preparation room. As Eva walked inside, he looked at Grant, raising his eyebrows at his state of undress.
"She wanted to make sure my bullet wound healed," the older man explained. "Come on. I need a shower, some decent food, and a drink. We'll have that talk."
The ordeal that Bucky Barnes endured while he laid broken in the snow in that Austrian mountain chasm was always going to be seared in his memories. Not only did he have unimaginable pain that only lessened as his body froze in the frigid conditions; he also had to deal with a wild wolf, that may or may not have had rabies, according to the whispers he heard around him in that base hospital. Until Steven Grant and the Phantom Patrol found him buried under the snow, he only had his own demons to keep him company; demons that included memories of hurting Vera, and the certainty that he was unworthy of living, because why else would the universe have subjected him to that much pain and suffering. There were other whispers he heard while on that base, supposedly spoken out of earshot, but as audible to him as if the speakers were standing right beside him.
"I heard he fought Captain America on that train," said one of those gossipers, repeating what had been said to him. "Tried to kill him when HYDRA ordered him to. That's why the Commandos didn't go back for him. The Phantoms only went looking so he can stand trial."
Almost as bad were the other whispers that spoke of his injuries. "Poor SOB. He'll never be the same again. No left arm, just about every bone in his body broken. I heard he went crazy out there. Killed a wolf with his bare hands and drank its blood. Who knows what that will do to a man?"
He tried to ignore it, figuring out that there were likely HYDRA plants on the base, just like Hoffman, feeding these rumours to people only too willing to pass them on. Almost worse were the looks of pity, first from the X-ray technicians who tried so hard not to jostle him when they were positioning him on the hard table. Each move they made left him gritting his teeth at the pain, before he would lose it and cry out in agony. Then they would fall over themselves apologizing for subjecting him to the ordeal.
After the procedure to re-break his legs and arm to reset them in their proper position, thankfully done through general anaesthetic that lasted long enough for him to get through that, he was placed in a cubicle on the ward, the cloth partitions separating him from the view of others, except for those people who walked by the foot of his bed, slowing down to see the spectacle of a man who fell several hundred feet from a speeding train, and lived. Nurses, doctors, orderlies, cleaners ... they all wanted a look at him, and he was sick of it. When Lt. Hay came to check on him a short time after his arrival he looked into her eyes, fearing to see the look of pity there.
"What can I do for you, Sarge?" she asked, while she checked the tension of the traction supports for his spine. "Cigarette? Whiskey?"
Her eyes were warm as she gazed at him, making him feel better. "How about a kiss?" he joked.
She grinned sadly, then unbuttoned the top of her nurse's uniform, showing a flash of skin, and pulled out her dog tags from inside, showing the engagement ring on it.
"Still engaged, sorry," she replied, tucking it back in, then re-buttoning the uniform and bending close to him. "If I wasn't I would be first in line to kiss you." She noticed how tired and sad he was and leaned closer. "I wish I could take some of this pain for you, Bucky."
"Can you put a partition at the end of the bed?" he asked. "I feel like a circus freak."
"Sure," she smiled. "I can do that for you. Once we get back to England you'll be in our unit's infirmary. No more lookie-loos. Anything else?"
"I can hear them gossiping about me," he murmured. "They think I fought Cap on the train; that I tried to kill him."
"We're aware of it," she admitted. "Trying to find who's spreading that garbage. Once we do, they'll be undergoing interrogation. Those of us who know you know the truth."
She placed her hand on his cheek and smiled kindly at him. It wasn't until later, when she took her break and went outside into the night, away from the hospital that she cried for what had happened to Bucky, worried that he might never get over this. It had been obvious to her that what happened to Vera had affected him; this setback could destroy one of the best men she knew. Until he got physically better, SSR nurse, Lieutenant Joanna Hay, would continue to treat Sergeant Bucky Barnes exactly the same she always did, with a mixture of plain speaking, understanding, and a firm boundary that her love was meant for someone else. Just because desperate measures had been taken to rescue him, then to treat his horrific injuries, didn't mean that the man inside needed to be treated with kid gloves. In her opinion he needed to believe that he was still the same man he was before, and she would do all she could to help him feel that way.
Author notes: lookie-loos – a person who deliberately looks at something horrific or someone in trouble just for the sake of looking. Dog tags for nurses - army nurses (and the SSR was a division of the United States Army) wore the same dog tags as the regular soldiers with the exception that the letter N preceded their serial number, and their serial number started with a 7.