Viper

Chapter 3: A Night to Remember

Three Days Later

"Howard, I'm so glad you could be a witness for us."

"Well, of course, Lady. It's not every day you get to watch your best friend marry the love of her life, even if it is a bit rushed."

"With as long as it took us to get here, and you're saying it's rushed. Come on, Howie. Let's go get me married."

So on June 11, 1943, Bucky Barnes and Adelaide Rogers got married in the presence of three witnesses (not including the minister): Howard Stark, Rebecca Barnes, and Steve Rogers. The next day, Bucky was deployed and Adelaide went to the underground SSR base in New Jersey.

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Two Days Later @ NJ-SSRHQ

"Dr. Erskine!"

"Ah, Dr. Barnes. Ready to proceed?"

"Howard's finally here?"

"Yes. He just arrived."

"Let's do this."

Dr. Erskine, along with all of the nurses, finish preparing the injections.

"Since we aren't expecting too much of a change, you will not be encapsulated."

"Understood."

"Lie down, please. This will hurt a bit at first."

I wake up about six hours later, but I feel very different and almost—empty—somehow.

"Lady! You're awake!"

"Howie? Is everything—o-okay?" I stutter out barely above a whisper.

"Well, um. There's something I need to tell you, Adelaide."

"That sounds serious. You never call me Adelaide. It's always Lady or Ads. So what happened?"

"Well, um—you were pregnant."

"What!?"

"Adelaide! Sis, are you okay? What's going on?"

"Sweetie, you really shouldn't be here."

"Like hell I wasn't going to come. Ady, have you seen her yet?"

"Seen whom?"

"Well, that's what I was trying to tell you, Lady," Howard begins once again using the affectionate nickname. "So, like I was saying—you were pregnant."

"Okay, and?"

"Now, you're not. You went into labor during the procedure, but there's more—"

"What is it? I can take it, Howard. What happened?"

Suddenly, a little girl bursts into the room.

"Mommy?" she says quietly.

"Uh Howard? You're telling me that the serum made me go into labor, got into my baby's bloodstream, and now she's five years old!?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"That's amazing!"

"Wha—really?"

"Yes, that's an absolute breakthrough! Wait a minute... I'm a mother? Of a five-year-old?"

"Y-yup-yeah-yes, y-y-you are, Lady."

"Shit," I curse under my breath.

"Mommy?" the little girl says again even softer this time. "Mommy, are you okay?"

"Yes, baby. I'm okay, promise. Howie, Stevie, I'd like you to officially meet little Miss Ana Elizabeth Barnes. Ana, this is your Uncle Howie who is my best friend, and Uncle Steve is my baby brother. Can you boys watch her? I need to find Erskine," and I walk out before either of them can answer.

"Adelaide."

"Dr. Erskine, you want to tell me something?"

"Whatever could you mean, my dear?"

"Oh, don't play dumb with me. I could hear your thoughts a mile away. Wait, what? Did I just—Hold up. Are you telling me that this whole time MY equations were right as well?!"

"It would appear so."

"Do you think it had something to do with the sun juice I added or whatever the hell you want to call that?"

"That would be the likely case."

"I wonder what all I can do now. Let me try a few things, yeah? Why don't you go to the observation deck? Just as a precaution."

"Of course."

"Okay. So we know I can hear people's thoughts, and get into their minds, and some other stuff like that. I think I can—" I stop talking as I levitate some of Howard's tools just by thinking about it. "Woah! Now, let me try—Oh!" I laugh as I begin to fly around the room. "This feels amazing, doc!" I quickly land back in the center of the room, "Hey, doc? We got any targets around?"  Erskine simply chuckles as he pushes the button that I definitely did not install myself. Targets pop up from underneath their trapdoors. "Perfect." I say as I smirk. I draw my hands close together making some sort of energy ball. I continue to manipulate it, and I let my anger build up until I scream while letting out as much energy as I can. I come to a few moments later and see that all the targets have a giant gaping hole near their core. "Woah," I breathe out. "Okay, Doc! One last thing, and this one will take a little while. Here, if I'm not back by 16:00 ring this bell," I say as I make a golden glowing bell appear out of thin air. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Ady. Go to him."

"How did you—"

"It's in your eyes. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"Of course, sir," and with that I suddenly appear just behind my favorite soldier, but he is completely unaware of my presence as he lies sleeping. "Bucky?" I whisper quietly as I tap his shoulder.

"What—what is—Doll!? How are you here? God, I must be dreaming."

I reach out to touch him, "No, dear. This is the best kind of dream because it's actually real. I honestly can't explain how I'm here, but I just had to see you. The serum worked marvelously, but I was pregnant. Don't worry she's fine, but she's um—she'sfiveyearsoldnow!"

"Can you repeat that last bit?"

"She's five-years-old now," I whisper.

"I'm sorry—did you just say..."

"Yes, Bucky. Ana Elizabeth Barnes is five years old physically, but to be honest I think her brain is already fully developed. I don't know that she's quite as smart as me, but she's definitely getting there."

"Doll, I love you, but you really shouldn't be here. We could get in a lot of trouble if anyone sees you but take care of our little girl and make sure she knows that I love her, our little Angel."

"Of course, Bucky. I love you! Here, if you ever need me for any reason just whisper my name and touch your dog tags, or if you can't touch them yell my name, and I'll be there as fast as possible, okay?"

"Okay, and Ady?"

"Yes, James?"

"I love you, too. Bye, Doll."

"Bye, Buck."

"Lady, how? What—where were you?"

"It doesn't matter. Ana?"

"Lady, before you completely freak out, let me warn you."

"Let me guess. By now, she should be twenty-one, yeah?"

"Um, yeah. H-how did you know that?"

"All of my equations. Is Steve ready?"

"Yes, ma'am. I am ready."

"All right. Let's get you to the training base."