Snarky ColdWinter #2

[fist_of_hydra]

The team had been arguing for a while now, and getting nowhere. They'd narrowed Savage's location down to Italy in September of 1944, but couldn't get any farther than that. James thought he had a pretty good guess what Savage wanted - this was where HYDRA had most of their facilities, and the Red Skull would be the perfect ally to Savage.

The only people who would have any further intelligence about Savage's possible movements were the Allied or Axis forces. Neither were going to hand the information over to a bunch of strangers. Ray wanted to play dress up and march in, pretend to be an officer and demand the information. Sara wanted to go in at night and steal it. There were half a dozen other ideas floating around, and all of them were bad. Quite a few of them were likely to get them shot at.

Ray might be onto something, though. At least, if you turned your head and looked at the idea sideways. Trying to march in and claim to be an officer nobody in the camp had ever seen was asking for a swift visit from the MPs.

Marching in and claiming to be an officer everyone in the camp had seen was another matter.

James had been lurking by the doorway, as was his habit, rather than sitting around the table with the others. He hadn't been contributing, so he was able to slip out without inciting comment. Once in the hall, he strode toward the fabrication room. "Gideon. Do you have any footage or photos of me in uniform in this time period?"

"Of course, Mr. Barnes."

"Good. I need a copy made, and make sure it looks worn and used. Can you do that?"

"Certainly."

"Then do it." James strode into the fabrication area, where a uniform was already synthesizing. He paused, looking at it, and rubbed a hand over the scruff on his chin.

Five minutes later he strode back toward the main room. It felt odd to be back in this uniform. Gideon had even managed to make it smell right - which was to say, like blood and gunpowder and harsh lye soap. Even stranger was not feeling his hair brushing against his cheeks and neck. He hadn't had short hair since HYDRA took him, and he found he already missed it long.

This wasn't him, anymore. It felt like the ghost of Bucky Barnes was riding his shoulders, and the weight was pressing him down.

"...are we supposed to do, walk in and ask them nicely?" Sara was saying, her tone full of exasperation as she threw her hands up at Ray.

"That's exactly what we're gonna do." James rose his voice enough to cut through the babble. Everyone turned to look at him, and most of them did a wide-eyed double-take. He raised an eyebrow at them. "It's just a matter of the right person doing the asking."

Comments

[fist_of_hydra]

James growled at the push, but didn't object beyond that. As much as he hated it, he knew Rory was doing it on purpose and he did actually need the help.

The comment made him snort. "You do realize I'm aware you're not anywhere near as stupid as you pretend to be, right?" He settled into a hidden spot in the bushes, scanning the security of the base. "They've let the trees grow too close in the back, we may be able to climb them and get over the fence that way. But there will be patrols."

[coldlenny]

Mick scowled and glared at the guards. Climbing trees? That was all sneaky like Len. James was even worse than Snart was for that kind of thing.

"You sneak in the back," he growled. "I'm going in the front. They've got my partner. They're gonna fucking burn."

[fist_of_hydra]

James gave him a Look. "There's only two out here, but there could be two hundred inside. If they figure out we're here for Len and Barnes, they'll grab them and hold them hostage. You wanna risk getting them hurt worse than they already have been?"

Not that the idea of seeing a HYDRA base go up in flames was unappealing, mind. "The moment we've got Len and Barnes out, I'll damn well help you set the fires. I suggest starting with the ammo storage, just for best effect."

[coldlenny]

"Yeah, okay," Mick said, though he wasn't dissuaded in the least. "But see, that's why it's such a good plan. They all come runnin' out to me, and you sneak in the back and get Snart and you out. I'll be a diversion."

[fist_of_hydra]

Despite himself, James snorted in amusement. "You just wanna light things up that much sooner. It's got nothing to do with a plan."

He didn't dismiss the idea out of hand, however. Mick did have a point. "If they're hurt, though, I'll need help getting them out. I can't carry them both, couldn't even if I still had the arm."

[coldlenny]

"Don't worry," Mick said with deep assurance. "They won't know what hit 'em. You'll come through behind them and I'll come through the front. It'll be great. Besides, we can't do your plan - I don't climb trees"

He clapped Bucky on the back and then jerked his head. "Stop pussy-footing around and go. I'll give you ten minutes before I start shooting."

[fist_of_hydra]

Didn't climb trees. James rolled his eyes, but gave in. "I still say you're just looking for the excuse." Which was almost certainly true - Mick Rory would take any excuse he could get to burn things.

However, that didn't mean it wouldn't work. He pushed up and jogged for the back of the compound, ghosting silently through the underbrush. At least he was finally starting to figure out how to compensate for the loss of his metal arm.

Hopefully, just in time to have to relearn how to deal with the weight, once he got his past self out of this damn HYDRA prison.

---

The first indication Len and Bucky had that something was up was shouting out in the corridor. Bucky jerked away from a half doze, still draped over Snart's lap to keep his feet off the floor.

The German cursing grew fainter and louder by turns as men raced along the hallways. More importantly, it went from angry to frantic. A strange whine overlaid the sound of rifle fire, and a whistling sound accompanying by the whoosh of flames.

"Sounds like the cavalry has arrived," Bucky commented, grinning and trying to hide his immense relief.

[coldlenny]

Len was also dozing, but his head came up at the sound of shooting. He grinned fiercely at the sound of Mick's heat gun, and disentangled himself from Bucky to get to his feet. "Just stay there," he said, positioning himself just beside the door. "If anyone comes through who isn't one of us, just try to keep out of the way while I take them down."

[fist_of_hydra]

So it was Snart's people - no surprise there, none of the Commandos' weapons made noises like that. The fire sounded a bit like some of the flamethrowers HYDRA used, but not quite the same.

The other unidentifiable noise sounded again, and Bucky saw ice creep across the wall across from the slits in their door. Snart's ice weapon, then - the one he'd dropped when they fell. One of his friends must have picked it up.

Bucky wasn't entirely surprised when it was the masked James who appeared at the door a moment later. "Back up," he ordered them. "I'll freeze the door off."

[coldlenny]

Len breathed out. "My hero," he purred, and took a few steps back. He was frustrated that they'd had to just sit here like ducks, waiting to be rescued. But at least he didn't have to wait longer or risk Bucky getting hurt more.

[fist_of_hydra]

"Hey, you saved me from HYDRA first, I'm just returning the favour," James reminded him, and aimed the cold gun at the metal door.

Without the extra power granted by his metal arm, he had to freeze it far more than he normally would have needed. By the time it was fragile enough for him to punch through it, ice had crept along the walls of the cell and nearly reached the two men inside.

James tossed the gun to its rightful owner and stepped aside so they could crawl out. He frowned as the sharp scent of blood reached him, and scanned them both anxiously. "Are you hurt? How bad?"

[coldlenny]

Len was surprised that the door was so thick that it took that much freezing for James to get through. He picked Bucky up off the floor and did his best to keep most of the other man's off his feet as they huddled against the back wall.

Then they crawled awkwardly out of the room. Len stood up, watching Bucky with concern until he was out, but he didn't miss a change in his boyfriend.

"Sergeant Barnes got the soles of his feet ripped off. But more importantly, what the hell happened to you?" he growled, glaring at the bare arm sticking out of James' jacket.

[fist_of_hydra]

"What do you think?" James snarled, jerking his head at Barnes. "Things are changing. We need to get both of you the hell out of here."

He was still pissed off about losing the arm, and hoping it wasn't going to be a permanent change. Maybe that made no sense, but it was a part of him, and he'd reclaimed it as part of his new identity as James.

The strange thing was, he could understand why getting captured early would mean that he wouldn't lose the arm - he'd never fall from the train, because HYDRA already had him. But shouldn't rescuing himself change things back?

Maybe it took time for the changes to happen. To cement in place, like Hunter was always talking about. Right now, the only thing he truly cared about was that Len was safe, and unharmed. The thought of HYDRA hurting his lover, taking away the one good thing they'd hadn't already ripped out of James' life, had been unbearable.

Forgetting for a moment just who was watching, he caught Len by the arm, yanked his mask off with the other hand, and kissed the other man fiercely. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, asshole," he growled when he finally broke for air.

[coldlenny]

"Hey now, cool it," Len began, when he saw James getting more and more riled up. It wasn't okay to just start spilling the beans on what was going on, right?

But then James really screwed the pooch by pulling off his mask and kissing Len right there in front of his past self. Len slipped his arms around James' waist and leaned into the kiss, trying to turn to hide James' face as best he could, but he doubted it would matter. Bucky had to have gotten a good look at him.

"Hey, how about we just get out of here before you yell at me," he murmured affectionately, giving James a squeeze. "You're being an idiot, and my partner is fighting HYDRA single-handedly."

[fist_of_hydra]

"He's having so much fun he'll probably be pissed at us for interrupting," James snorted, tension relaxing marginally. He'd needed the feel and taste of his lover, to reassure him the other man was safe. That HYDRA hadn't taken this from him, too.

Even when he remembered Barnes was watching, he couldn't bring himself to regret it. He did slide the mask back on before he turned to his past self, but sure enough, Barnes was staring at them in wide-eyed shock.

"What the fuck?" Barnes demanded.

"Escape now, talk later," James replied, cold and flat. He eyed Barnes, who was still kneeling on the floor for the obvious reason that the soles of his feet were bloody ribbons. Give his past self this much, that had to be agony but he wasn't so much as whimpering. "I'll have to carry you out."

Barnes snorted. "You ain't gonna get far unless you're as strong as Steve..."

"Yes," James interrupted him, and leaned down to scoop him up.

[coldlenny]

"You're right," Len agreed, shrugging. He understood and appreciated that James was worried, and he agreed that Mick was probably having the time of his life - but he still didn't intend to waste time getting back to Mick. He might have been having fun, but that didn't mean he couldn't get hurt.

Len sighed when he saw the look on Bucky's face. "Let's get going and talk later."

He didn't miss the fact, though, that James struggled more than usual picking Bucky up. "You all right?" he asked. "And where's my gun?"

[fist_of_hydra]

"Strapped to my back," James told him, turning enough for Len to grab it and unsnap it from the harness he'd stowed it on. "Losing my arm is throwing me off, but I'll manage. Let's go, I don't want to spend one more second in a fucking HYDRA lab than I absolutely have to."

"You know, I'm starting to think everything after the concussion has been a hallucination," Barnes muttered as they jogged down the hall. His younger self was staring up at him with narrowed eyes, and from this close, having caught the glimpse without the mask, the similarities of their features were probably undeniable.

"Good. That's a perfect explanation," James replied, biting the words off in frustrated anger. "Keep believing that. You'll be a lot happier."

[coldlenny]

Len grabbed his cold gun with a noise of pleasure and excitement, and hit the button to charge it up with a distinctive whine. He got out in front, prepared to defend both versions of his boyfriend, as James would be hampered by both the lack of his metal arm and the precious burden.

"Shut up, James," Len snarled, though he sounded more excited than angry. "You're not helping."

Then they rounded a corner to see a group of HYDRA goons, clearly singed and running for their lives, and Len opened up with a laugh, turning them all into popsicles.

[fist_of_hydra]

The noise Len made when he got his hands on his weapon made James snort with amusement. It also made him wish they were already back on the Waverider where they shared a private room, because it was pretty much the same noise Len made when James got his metal hand wrapped around the other man's cock.

He had every intention of re-staking his claim with far more than just a kiss, first chance he got. Unfortunately, with Barnes along for the ride, that was likely to take a while.

"There's a full-auto submachine gun clipped to my spine holster," he told Barnes. "You might as well be using it, since I can't."

"Right." Barnes reached around James' shoulder and grabbed the gun, then whistled when he got a good look at it. "Never seen one of these before. What..."

"It works the same as the guns you're used to," James interrupted him, not wanting to get into a discussion about who made it. "Point and shoot. Simple."

[coldlenny]

Len stepped over the fallen body of a HYDRA soldier and threaded his way through the rest of them, marching forward. He could hear Mick's heat gun in the distance and fired off another shot, alerting his partner - hopefully - that he was coming.

Assuming Mick was paying any attention.

"Just don't shoot my partner," he shouted to Bucky, as another group of HYDRA agents appeared and he started shooting again.

[fist_of_hydra]

They made it through the base to join up with Mick, who did indeed seem to be having the time of his life. For once, James didn't mind the man's more psychotic tendencies at all. He was perfectly happy to see HYDRA goons on fire and rolling around in agony.

Barnes seemed to be getting heavier the further James carried him, and that made no sense at all. Even without the metal arm, he was far stronger than a normal person. Not Captain America strong, but not far off, either.

Then the hit the perimeter of the base, and a wave of weakness swept over him. James staggered a few more steps, then lost his balance and hit his knees hard. Barnes cried out as James dropped him in the dirt, but it was all James could do to stay on his hands and knees as he fought the urge to be sick.

[coldlenny]

Len and Mick were definitely glad to be reunited. Mick raised his gun in the air. "Snart! War is the greatest! I can burn whoever I want!" he yelled, before firing on another group of fleeing HYDRA agents.

"You can't burn everyone, Mick. Just the bad guys!" Len laughed and clapped his friend on the shoulder, before they all legged it out of there.

When James collapsed, Len shouted his name and ran to his side, grabbing him by the shoulder. "What the hell, James? What's wrong?"

[fist_of_hydra]

"Serum," James gritted out between clenched teeth. "I can't... it's not..." It felt like he was gasping for air, weak and dizzy and completely lost in his own body. Nothing felt like it should, he was suddenly freezing and aching with pain.

The serum was gone, the effects vanishing like they'd never been. Just like his arm had. "It's gone."

Bucky had scrambled up to his knees, hissing as his bloody feet scraped the ground, training the gun back in the direction they'd come. He didn't want any HYDRA sneaking up on them with only Rory paying attention. The mention of the serum drew his attention, however. "What d'ya mean, it's gone? It can wear off?"

In the middle of a battle? The thought was terrifying. If Steve ever reverted to his former self like this... God, he wouldn't survive five minutes.

[coldlenny]

Len stared at James, and then at Bucky, calculating. Bucky was alive, but the serum hadn't just worn off any more than the metal arm wore off. Something was happening that prevented Bucky from winding up with HYDRA. Somehow, even though they had rescued Bucky from HYDRA, he wasn't going to get his arm ripped off, and subsequently captured.

He glanced back at the HYDRA base. That made sense. If they had left Bucky there, he'd have been experimented on, but he never would have had his arm injured. That explained why James' arm had reverted first.

But now it was all going away.

Len grabbed James by the shoulder. "How long before it happens?" he asked urgently. "From today, how much time do we have to fix it - and this is probably your last chance to tell me if you don't want to fix it."

[fist_of_hydra]

"Less than a month," James told him, drawing a deep breath and using Len's grip to steady himself. He scrambled back up to his feet, looking down at Barnes with grim resignation in his eyes.

"It's his feet," he realized. "They're going to get infected or something, and he won't be able to go on the mission because he'll still be benched."

"What mission?" Bucky demanded, growing more and more frustrated with the cryptic statements. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Ignoring him, James turned to Len, despair showing beneath the resignation. "You still don't get it, do you. If he doesn't go, I die. I'm fucking ninety-eight years old, Len. Even assuming he survives this war, even if he lives a long life, and that's a huge fucking if... I'm gone."

They already knew that while most changes they made to their earlier lives wouldn't affect them while they remained outside of time - thereby avoiding the issue of a possible paradox - changes that killed them would result in their death as well.