Kingdom of Time

He bolts upright in bed – wait, a bed? Hadn’t he been in D.C?- feeling a soft blanket draped across his legs. He looks around, desperately trying to make sense of his surroundings. Large concrete walls loom around him, and he felt panic course through his veins.

No. This can’t be happening, not again. Not when he’d just broken free of Khione.

He tries to swing his legs over the bed but soon meets resistance. Thick leather straps padded with a soft white foam encircle his arms and legs.

He looks towards the doors and notices they’re not the doors of the Hydra facility Khione had confined him to. He struggles against the bindings but gives up when a soft voice filters into the room.

“Buck, it’s alright, they’re only trying to help you.” Steve says and Bucky’s head spins.

Who were they?

He blinks in confusion before the large door slides open. Steve walks in now, accompanied by a very short, kind-looking doctor. Her red hair is effortlessly tied back in a neat bun.

“Well, Mr. Barnes, you’ve had quite the ordeal these past seven decades,” She says, casting him a sympathetic smile. “If it’s alright with you, we’d like to get you back to your old self.”

He moves to speak but finds his voice thick with disuse. “W-Who are you?” He asks, chastising himself for sounding rude.

The doctor doesn’t seem to mind, offering him a warm smile. “Doctor Janet Fraiser. I work for Stargate Command, it’s where we are right now. We’re a top-secret branch of the United States Air Force. Don’t worry, you’ve been cleared to be here.” She says and his mind races.

“I know that word.”

Janet nods. “I’m sure you do, though you probably know it a different way. The goold call them something else.” She says, gesturing up towards the observation room Bucky hadn’t noticed.

Six figures loom above, but the largest one catches his attention. It was the man who’d shot him earlier. “Your symbiote would have referred to it as a Chappa’ai.” He explains effortlessly.

“You’re a Jaffa, right?” Bucky questions, noticing in more detail the golden emblem on his forehead. He didn’t see it earlier, but now he sees a serpent insignia in place of the snowflake Khione’s Jaffa had on their heads.

The man nods. “Indeed. I was once the First Prime of the System Lord Amaunet. I am Teal’c.”

“Was?” Bucky questions.

A new voice joins them, belonging to a woman with olive skin and dark curly hair. “Amaunet perished when Colonel Carter blew up the sun of a large star system.” She explains.

“Holy cow.” Bucky whispers. People could really do that now?

“It was a little more complicated than that, but yes. We’ve killed a lot of System Lords over the years.” A blond woman says with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Steve speaks up now, turning to Bucky once more. “How you been, Buck? Last time I saw you, you saved me from the river in D.C.” He says and Bucky notes an air of nerves in his voice.

“She’s still inside my head, but I think I’ve gotten control of myself again.” He says absentmindedly. “Why am I chained up like a dog, Stevie?”

“They’re gonna take that thing out of you, soon.”

“W-what?” He feels breathless all of a sudden.

“That’s right, Mr. Barnes. We’re just waiting on a Tok’ra associate of ours to return through the gate, but in a short while, you won’t have to worry about her anymore.” Janet says, tapping his chest. He looks perplexed until he looks down at himself.

There, in the centre of his chest is an enormous device that extends across the majority of his shoulders. A large set of pipes connect back to a frame encompassing his neck. At its centre is what looks like an enormous sapphire.

“What is this thing?” He asks incredulously.

“It’s a device we borrowed from some of our off-world allies. Oh. Sorry. I’m Sam-Colonel Carter.” The blond woman explains.

“It allows for dual control between host and symbiote. It is currently set to award you control. I am Sha’re Jackson. We are currently waiting on my husband, Dan’iel.” The curly haired woman explains.

“Yeah, if he’d ever get his ass organised.” Another man with short dark hair mumbles. “Lt. Colonel Mitchell, but you can call me Cam.” He says, nodding at Bucky.

“How long does it take for the Tok’ra to get the extraction procedure ready, anyway? It’s not like they need to bring much with them.” Another woman questions, her black hair is pulled into pig tails that bob as she speaks. Bucky smiles. She kinda reminds him of his sister.

“Shouldn’t you know? You’re like the only one of us to have actually been through this, Vala.” Cam says snidely. Vala simply frowns.

“Well, it’s not like they briefed me on it beforehand, Mitchell!  All I know is what they actually do to the poor host, not how they prepare.” She says in a huff. Bucky laughs at her. She glares down at him.  

“Sorry doll, you kinda remind me of my kid sister.” He explains and he sees her face soften. “What’d Cam mean when he said you knew ‘bout this?”

Vala grimaces at his question, composing herself after a moment. “I was once the host of a Goa’uld named Qetesh. I’ve been where you are, and believe me, it’s not going to be pretty when you’ve got a symbiote clawing its way out of your throat.” She explains.

Bucky shudders at the thought.

“It will be alright, Bucky. Oh, may I call you that?” Sha’re asks softly. He nods. “I was present for the extraction of my brother’s symbiote. Dan’iel will take great care of you.”

A greying General looks sternly at Bucky from above him. He looks kind, despite his sour expression. Sorta like Bucky’s dad used to be. “What can you tell us about your snake?” He asks. “Jack O’Neill.” He says with a wave.

“Well, uh, she called herself Khione.” He says, and his spectators grow silent. “What? You know her?”

“We have heard many stories of the cruelty Khione spread. She disappeared after a battle with Ra approximately 90 years ago and had been presumed dead. Until now.” Teal’c explains.

“Well, she got herself tangled up with the Nazis during the war. Spent the next seventy years murderin’ anyone who got in her way. Though it’s a little odd. She’d use me to do all the killin’. She had all those Jaffa, but she always had to do it herself.” He says.

“Among the stories of the Jaffa, it is widely known Khione grew to love the thrill that came with dispatching enemies by her own hand.” Teal’c says.

“Lovely.” Bucky frowns. “How’d you find me, anyway?” he asks, thinking back to his encounter with Teal’c.

“I think that was Nat,” Steve says quietly. “She knew what you were, because she’d spent all that time with you. I don’t know how, but she managed to contact these people.”

“Captain Rogers is correct. Natasha Romanoff informed her superior, Nick Fury, who in turn notified us of your situation.” Teal’c explains.

“Natasha? You mean Natalia righ-?” The door slides open once again and two more people enter the room. Natalia smiles at him as she walks over to his bed.

“Sometimes, I go by Natasha, too. I’m glad to see you’re going to be okay, James.” He smiles at that, he’d always enjoyed her company when she was a child.

“When did you get so big, huh? Seems like only yesterday I was teaching you the safest way to hold a gun, now you’re big enough to save the world and me along with it.” He says wistfully.

“I had a great teacher.” She says punching his arm.

He turns to Sam now, who’d followed Natalia in without hesitation. “Sorry ‘bout your car. I really couldn’t stop her from doing all that. I do appreciate how you put your neck out for me, despite all the things I’ve done.”

Sam nods. “Nah, man. If there’s anyone you need to thank, it's Steve. He’s the one that convinced me you were still in there.”

Bucky opens his mouth to reply as a dishevelled man with floppy hair runs into the room, clinging onto a large black jar as if his life depended on it.

“Dan’iel! What has taken you so long?” Sha’re says as she watches from the observation room.

“Sorry I’m late, Apophis had other dutie-OH MY GOD. YOU’RE BUCKY BARNES.” He says in a single breath. Bucky looks curiously at the man. He looks to be in his early thirties, but his floppy brown hair makes Bucky think he’s younger. The man-Daniel- blinks ocean blue eyes back at him in sheer amazement.

“Um, hi?” Bucky says with a hint of confusion.

“Sha’re! You never said I’d be taking a symbiote out of someone so famous!” He calls up to his wife. She giggles at him.

“I am sorry, husband. I was not aware of his fame.”

“I’m famous?” Bucky asks.

“Yeah, Buck. We’ve got a whole exhibit in the Smithsonian.” Steve explains.

“OH, WOW YOU’RE CAPTAIN AMERICA!” Daniel babbles. Bucky chuckles. Daniel was clearly a fan of them both. And unlike some of the ‘fans’ Steve had accumulated during the war, Daniel genuinely seemed like a nice guy, especially if he was going to remove the snake from his head.

“Daniel! Focus, for cryin’ out loud.” Jack yells down from the booth.

“Right, right. Sorry about that. It’s not every day you meet your heroes.” He says with a sheepish smile. “Anyway. Sorry. We’ve got work to do. I take it you know what I’m here for?” He asks Bucky.

“Somethin’ about getting the snake outta my head?”

Daniel nods. “Yes, Sir. Oh-uh…” He mumbles.

“You can call me Bucky.” He says, his fear having turned to amusement at the younger man’s awkwardness.

“Right. Bucky. I’m here to take the symbiote out of you. I’m a Tok’ra. Do you know what that is?”

He shakes his head. Daniel’s face lights up and he babbles a lot before Bucky actually understands what he’s saying.

“---Basically we’re a faction of the Goa’uld who rebelled. We only take partial control of a host, allowing them to live their lives with us, not for us.”

They all look at the man in shock.

“You have one of those things, too?” Sam asks hesitantly.

“Y-yes. Though I can understand if you’d not like to speak to him.”

“What’s it like?” Bucky asks after a moment. If that was true, then Daniel was like him, only with a nicer passenger.

“Uh well, there was a bit of deception in the old days, but now we really have a good relationship. Are you ready, Bucky?” He nods.  

“You’re going to feel an excruciating pain when I inject this serum into you,” He says, holding up a syringe with a purple fluid inside. “It’s going to force the symbiote to unfurl itself from your brainstem. That’s here,” He says, pointing to the back of his own neck. “It’ll be quick, but from what I understand, it’s probably going to feel like you’re choking?” Bucky looks at him in confusion.

“What? Why?” Steve asks.

“Well, the symbiote’s going to burrow out from the back of your throat.” Daniel says and Bucky feels sick.

That’s how they were going to get it out of him? Well, it was probably a small price to pay for his freedom.

“That’s nasty, man.” Sam says in disgust.

Daniel sighs. “I know. Unfortunately, it’s the only method the Tok’ra have to get the symbiote out without killing the host. Should we begin?”

Bucky looks over at Steve and sees terror in his eyes. Captain America wasn’t afraid of anything, he had to portray himself to be fearless to inspire others, but Bucky knew the truth. Steve Rogers was terrified of losing the people he cared about.

“I’ll be okay, Stevie.” He says softly. “I’m ready.”

Daniel nods as he moves to begin the procedure. Bucky doesn’t feel pain as the syringe enters his neck, but Steve grabs his human hand and squeezes it tightly in support.  

He doesn’t feel anything, at least at first. Daniel had said it might take more time for him given the length of time he’d been subjected to a symbiote, but he wasn’t going to give up.

This had to work.  

He feels something free itself from within and something tingly erupts at the back of his throat. A burning sensation rips through his mouth, and he tastes blood on his tongue. The sensation moves across his entire body now and he bucks against his restraints, rising above his bed in agony.

He sees Steve wince in the corner of his eye as he screams against the pain. His throat is raw as he feels the creature move and squelch around inside him. He feels a jolt of pain before the coughing starts. Blood dribbles down his chin as the process begins to wind down.

After what feels like an age, he feels the symbiote on his tongue and the bile rises in his throat. Daniel moves and in a flash, he’s pulled the slimy creature out of Bucky’s mouth and thrown it into the black jar he’d brought with him.  

Bucky blinks in shock. It was finally over.

He opens his mouth to speak but Daniel places a calming hand on his chest.

“Save your voice, Bucky. There will be time to converse with your friends when you have healed. I am sorry you had to endure such cruelty at the hands of such a vile creature.” Daniel’s symbiote – Apophis- says to him. He produces a large golden device with a ruby centre and waves it over Bucky’s throat. In seconds Bucky feels his throat knitting itself back together.

Man, alien tech was cool.

“You can let him go now, if you like.” Daniel says as he nods towards the restraints.

Steve’s eyes widen for a moment before he and Nat work to free Bucky.

Steve opens his mouth to speak but Bucky pulls him into a fierce hug. Steve jumps a little under his grip but Bucky just holds on tighter.

“Thanks for believing in me, Punk.” He hoarsely whispers into the blond’s ear.  

“I’m with you till the end of the line, pal. I can’t let you forget that.” Steve says into his shoulder.

★

Doctor Fraiser had kept him for observation, despite his insistence that he was a super soldier too, and that he didn’t need to be taking her time away from patients that really needed it.

“You are just as important as all of my other patients, Mr. Barnes. I want to make sure you are fully capable of feeling like yourself before we can let you go.”

Bucky liked her. She was so warm and kind that he wished all doctors were like her. So approachable and understanding. The doctors he’d been subjected to as a child could learn a lot from her.

His observers had come down from their room now, introducing themselves with such kindness Bucky thought he might cry. They were so understanding of the fact that he hadn’t been in control of his actions these past seventy years, it was so refreshing after all the violence to be met with such a sweet gesture.

He’d learnt more about each of them as they became his bedside companions.

Teal’c was a stoic warrior with a heart of gold. He reminded Bucky of a few of the Howlies from the good old days.

Jack was a seasoned veteran like himself, stern but kind and always willing to put himself on the line for someone in need. Just like someone else he knew in stars and stripes.

Sam was to his astonishment, a scientist as well as a decorated officer. He knew he’d found a kindred spirit when the topic of the Stark Expo of ’43 had arisen.

Daniel was just as enthusiastic about him as he was any other topic. He asked so many questions, Bucky had to wonder how he kept all of it in his head! He didn’t mind though, Daniel was kind as well as nerdy. He was similar to Bucky, in a way.

Cam and Vala had always come to see him together. He wasn’t totally sure why, but he figured it was so someone could keep Vala in check. He’d learned that she was a former smuggler of alien goods, in addition to being a host like himself. She spoke about so many dangerous capers, Bucky felt like he was listening to an old radio play from times long past.  

Despite her wild stories, Bucky came to know a softer side of her. She’d whisper quietly about how she’d be there for him if he wanted to talk, and Bucky was especially grateful to her for that.

Cam was a different story, he generally stuck to safe topics like sports or books, no doubt trying to keep from bringing up something difficult. Bucky could see guilt in his eyes but never pushed to find out why.

It came with the territory, he supposed. Military service changed people.

Sha’re had become his most frequent visitor, telling tales of her adventures throughout the galaxy like she was reading him an old sci-fi novel. She told him more about where they were. Stargate Command was a branch of the Air Force that used an ancient device (the Stargate) to travel to other planets through wormholes.

He’d learned that Sha’re had come from the very first planet the team had gone to, a desert world named Abydos. Every time she spoke he was amazed by all the wonderful things she’d seen through such a marvellous device. Sha’re was definitely more like his sister now, constantly urging him to take better care of himself as he waited for his release and showering him with kindness as he recovered from his ordeal.

It took several weeks, but eventually, Janet signed off on his release. He’d come to care for the people who’d helped him and felt his heart tighten at the thought of leaving them behind. Steve stayed by his side the whole time and he was eternally grateful to have someone so wonderful around.

As he began to dress in the clothes Steve had brought him, a new person entered his room. A stoic general, though not the one he knew, looked at him as he pulled his jacket over his arms.

“Sergeant Barnes?” The man asked in a southern accent.

“Uh, Yes Sir?”  Bucky questioned, having no idea why this new general had come to see him. The man was a lot more formal than Jack, opting for the regular blue uniform over Jack’s green attire. He was also of a higher standing than Jack, having four stars on his lapel compared to Jack’s three.

“General George Hammond.” He nodded. “I’m here to ask you to consider a proposal.”

“A proposal?”

“We’d like you to join the SGC. You’re a valuable asset and truth be told we don’t want to see you go. Your knowledge of the goold passed on by your symbiote could help us learn how to defend ourselves against any threat that comes our way. Not to mention your training that could benefit our cadets.”

The man looked so earnestly at Bucky, he just didn’t know what to say.

“I-uh. I really don’t know if that’s a good idea, Sir. I’ve done a lot of bad things over the years.”

“We all have, son.” Bucky laughs at this.

“You do realise I’m older than you, right? I’m 96.”

George smiles. “Well, you’re in the same boat as Daniel then. He’s young on the outside, but his symbiote’s closer to several thousand years old. Doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be a good fit for the job.”

“Why me? Surely there’s someone better suited?”

“You come highly recommended. How can I refuse when you have Captain America to vouch for you?”

“He’s right. I think you’d be good at this Buck.” Steve says from behind him.

Where’d he come from?

“Besides,” Steve smiles slyly. “There’s gotta be a planet out there that can handle your stupid.”

Bucky chuckles. Of course, Steve would have such a lame reason to convince him to go.

“What about you, then?” He asks.

“I’ve got my commitments to the Avengers, but I can pop by now and again to visit.”

★

Bucky surprises himself when he accepts George’s proposal, but less than a month later, he finds himself sitting in a mission briefing. Steve’s recommendation had come with a full pardon of his crimes, too. He’d even received a spot on the best team in the whole complex. SG-1 themselves.

They’d been tasked with checking in on one of the other outposts of the program, in a whole different galaxy.

Bucky couldn’t believe it when Carter had explained they could travel that far. He’d thought Sha’re was pulling his leg when she’d told him where they were going.

Atlantis. James Buchanan Barnes was going to the lost city of Atlantis. He was ecstatic! He’d devoured Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea as a boy and couldn’t wait to visit.

Daniel quietly put a damper on his fun, telling him that “It’s nothing like what Plato or Verne theorised, Bucky. It’s actually a futuristic city that’s also a spaceship.”  He couldn’t believe his ears! He’d actually get to visit the real thing.

Was he the luckiest guy on the planet or what?

They weren’t due to leave for another week, though, which Bucky was a little disappointed at. When the briefing ended, he made his way back towards his quarters. They’d given him a small room with a bed to stay in. He’d worry about finding a better place later. All he wanted right now was to do absolutely nothing.

Mission briefings, while important, were thoroughly draining.

He sighed as he trudged back to his room. He was pulled out of his thoughts when a friendly face passed him in the corridor.

“Bucky! Hey, Marks said there’s someone here to see you?” Jonas says. He was another member of SG-1 who worked closely with Daniel and Sha’re in the cultural department. Bucky had grown particularly interested in the man, perhaps because he was an alien who’s planet had been closest in development to what Bucky had grown up with.

“Did they say who?” He asks the brunette.

 “They could barely stop gaping at the poor guy, I think they said his name was Captain America? That’s a bit of a weird name if you ask me.”

“Steve,” He says to the alien. “That’s my- uh we grew up together. I gotta go, thanks, Jonas.” He says before taking off at full speed through the corridor.

“You’re welcome!” He hears Jonas yell after him.

It doesn’t take long, but he soon finds Steve, engaged in an argument with the guardsmen at the front gate.

“Woah, fellas. It’s all right. He can come in.” Bucky says to the men. They look at him in shock before awkwardly moving to grant Steve access. They walk back to his quarters in silence.

“Listen I-” “I love you.”

Steve’s eyes grow wider at Bucky’s admission. He knew he needed to talk to Steve about this before he left for another galaxy, and he hoped Steve could tell him he felt the same. From what he’d learned about the 21^st Century, people like him wouldn’t face nearly as much hatred as they would’ve back in their day.

“I needed you to know that. All my time stuck playing host to that thing gave me a little perspective. It gave me the time to work out what I was feeling and how I cared about you as more than just a friend.”

Steve smiles. “I’ve loved you since we were 16, Buck.”

Bucky laughs. “No, I think I was 17.”

“Shut up.”

“Listen, I- uh have a mission next week, but when we get back in about a month, I’d love to take you out on a proper date.”

“I’ve waited 70 years for this, Buck. Another month won’t kill me.” Steve says with a smile.

★