Jo had been introduced to those important enough to know as Howard's cousin and she was let on to the Super Soldier program rather easily. She was accepted by the scientists when she showed her knowledge in their fields of expertise by correcting things they missed. At first, there were a few frowns that a woman was correcting them but they got used to it - mostly by force because she wasn't going anywhere. It wouldn't have surprised her to find out if Howard put them there to test her intellect. She met Doctor Erskine only weeks after she had joined their cause and by then, it was mid-January.

Between the moments where she was helping out where she could, Jo did her best trying to figure out Jane's part in the creation of antimatter. She told Howard how Jane had been researching space travel via rainbow bridge - Einstein Rosen Bridge a.k.a. wormhole - which opened up another can of worms she didn't want to deal with. Howard didn't want to acknowledge the existence of real Norse gods and she could understand where he was coming from.

"So," Erskine said, "you know where to find the perfect candidate for my program?"

Jo nodded, brushing a small strand of brown hair out of her way. She'd finally gotten Howard to cut it, and it hadn't turned out that bad, but short strands would often fall into her face and obscure her vision. She finished tightening a screw and plugging in wires and then called out a 'go ahead' before the generator came to life.

"His name is Steve Rogers." She straightened herself and wiped the grease on her hand away with a hand towel. "He has a true heart of gold. If I remember correctly, he stands up to people when they're being rude."

"Why would this matter?"

Jo paused and stared at the doctor. Why would it matter? "Because the serum amplifies the traits the candidate has," Jo stated slowly, as it were obvious.

Erskine's eyes widened as if he'd had an epiphany. "Of course!" he shouted. "I don't know how I'd missed it!" He shook her hand quickly, ignoring the small amounts of oil still covering them. "You saw what I had been missing!"

"Well you can't exactly be at fault," Jo said, taking her hands back and wiping them on her pants to rid herself of the rest of the oil. Howard had been able to get her outfitted with pants and shirts so she didn't have to wear a dress and she was eternally grateful. "You've only tested the serum once."

"You said you knew where he was?"

"He lives in Brooklyn, but I don't know where." At the doctor's crestfallen look she placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort. "Hey, I know for a fact is that he and a friend are going to the Stark Expo in two months time."

"How is it you know this?"

"I can see the future," she deadpanned.

In all honesty, she found this information while sorting through some of Tony's things. Old stuff in one pile, new in another. Jo had asked him to clarify when Tony said old, he meant things before he was born. She had gotten to records of the War made by Howard before she had to go home for the day. The last one she had seen was the day Steve became enhanced. Jo wanted to continue the reading but the next day had a gigantic mishap, and then she was in the past.

Erskine stared at Jo and laughed, walking away. "You have a good sense of humor!" Erskine called.

Then Howard walked up, staring after the laughing scientist. "What'd you do to him?"

"I told him I could see the future."

"Funny."

"Erskine thought so too."

Time rolled by quickly and February came and went in a flash. March had arrived and the date of the Stark Expo was drawing near. As much as Jo loathed them, she had to wear a dress to the event. Howard couldn't be budged away from this and had Jo visit a seamstress.

In the end, she had settled on an ocean blue dress with a white flowery neckline. It reached just below her knees. There was nothing she could do with her hair as it was so short, and Jo gained many strange looks in response to it. Her hair wasn't the only thing that drew strange looks. There was her tendency to wear trousers instead of skirts and dresses. Jo glared at and stared down any person who said it wasn't ladylike, especially the older women and younger men. She had yet to find anyone to match her fierce, grey-eyed glare besides Howard who shook it off with a grin and humor.

While at the Expo, Jo was constantly on the lookout for any sign of Rogers and was doing her best to keep track of Howard before he got into trouble. It seemed like her Scientist Wrangling days weren't over yet. At least Howard knew when to eat and sleep whereas Tony barely did either, and while Bruce wasn't nearly as bad as the other two, Jane was the worst of the three.

Darcy and Jo often had to double team and drag the woman away from a desk to get a proper meal into her. Jane always told them that 'Poptarts and coffee is always a meal so I'll be fine', to which both Darcy and Jo glared at her. Jo once put sleeping pills into Jane's late-night - practically early, it was six in the morning - coffee. Darcy didn't object to this and helped Jo drag Jane out of the lab and onto a couch. Tony walked in on them doing so and stopped, staring at the two. Darcy and Jo waved at him, Darcy mouthing a 'you're next'. Tony abruptly turned around and walked back into his science lab, locking it just to be sure.

Jo smiled at the memory and turned her attention to the crowd before her. At the moment, Erskine was walking by her side on the way to the recruitment building. Jo'd given up with Howard the moment he started flirting with every woman walking by, including her when they were secluded but it was all in good fun. Jo and Erskine stepped inside the building and browsed the hallways.

"And you are sure he is here?" Erskine asked, for the twenty-seventh time, Jo counted.

She sighed heavily and nodded. "Yes, Doctor. He is here, I just can't seem to -" Jo cut herself off a voice coming within hearing range. "Follow me."

Jo walked through the halls, following the familiar voice. It was Steve alright, no one could forget such a patriotic voice when they'd been exposed to his speeches. And apparently he was talking to someone. Jo paused next to an advert for sign-ups, her back to the men, and Erskine stood in front of her so he could see the pair. Both listened in on the conversation.

"I know it's a war. You don't have to tell me," Steve defended.

"Why are you so keen to fight? There are so many important jobs," said the other man.

"What am I gonna do? Collect scrap metal -"

"Yes!"

" - in my little red wagon."

"Why not?"

"I'm not gonna sit in a factory, Bucky."

Jo startled at the name and quickly glanced behind her. That was Bucky Barnes? She hadn't seen his face in months, not since that thing at the Smithsonian and even then, he had long hair and a ballcap. Her senses weren't going off, or rather they were, but it was like a vague warning. As if past experiences and common sense told her to stay away, but instincts said that he was harmless. Whatever happened to Barnes, must have happened after he was supposedly pronounced dead.

"I don't..."

"Bucky, come on! There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That's what you don't understand. This isn't about me."

"Right. Cause you got nothing to prove." Steve was silent and Jo saw Erskine glance between her and the two men. Then he sighed, "I've got to go find the girls. Don't do anything stupid until I get back."

"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you."

"You're a punk."

Jo turned around fully and stared at the men. Steve and Bucky gave each other a small hug. "Jerk," Steve said. "Be careful. Don't win the war till I get there!"

Bucky turned around, saluted Steve, and went back to the girls waiting for him. Steve in turn walked away to get an information slip filled out. The moment he was around the corner Jo grinned at Erskine.

"I'll give you three guesses as to who it is."

"One second please."

And then Erskine was around the corner as well. Jo held in her mad cackle and followed the scientist. She paused and shook her head, she spent too much time around them. Jo stood outside the examination room, flipping through a magazine. There were voices inside and she didn't bother listening in. Suddenly the curtain opened and out stepped the doctor and Steve Rogers.

"Only a chance," Erskine was saying.

"I'll take it," Steve agreed. He shot Jo a curious look and she waved.

"Hi," she said. Steve gave a small wave in greeting. Erskine looked between Jo and Steve.

"This is my colleague, Joanna Beth Merlyn. She works with me. Mister Rogers, care to share what you just said to me when I asked if you wanted to kill Nazis?" Erskine asked.

"I said I didn't wanna kill anyone. I didn't like bullies, and I don't care where they're from," Steve repeated.

Jo nodded. "That right there is why you're getting in Steve. Never lose that."

"Good," Erskine nodded. "So where is the little guy from, actually?"

"Brooklyn."

Erskine stamped Steve's form and handed him back his file. "Congratulations, soldier."

Jo followed Erskine from the examination rooms. The Expo was still lively, and many were dancing to the music being played. They were walking around when Jo began her questions.

"So," she said, "how'd it go?"

"You were right. He is the perfect candidate, but we still have to convince others of that."

"It's going to be difficult, yet I think they'll see him as the best option in the end."

"Yes," Erskine nodded. "I must excuse myself, I have something I need to do."

Jo waved a small goodbye to the man and promised to find him later, before going her own way. Howard could find her in seconds within a crowd, and he did promise her a ride home so she wasn't all that worried about being left behind. She went through the center of the pavilion and stood on the outskirts, watching the couples dance and mingle.

"What's a girl like you doing just standing around and not dancing?" Bucky asked.

Jo yelped and turned and before she knew it she punched the man. Bucky reeled back clutching his jaw in pain.

One hand covered her mouth in shock and the other reached out to the man. "Jesus! Sorry!"

"Ow," he said dumbly.

"Sorry!" she said again.

Bucky waved a hand. "It's fine, I shouldn't have snuck up on you."

The fact that he could sneak up on her in the first place threw her off. She must've been too complacent sitting in the open.

Her face reddened as she began stuttering in her defense. "It was - you - I mean -"

"Tell you what, pay me back with a dance?"

Jo's mouth snapped shut and she considered the offer before nodding. It was the least she could do after he punched him, though he should count himself lucky that she hadn't screamed bloody murder and attracted attention.

Jo looked between Bucky's outstretched hand and his face. He looked confident and normally Jo would have turned down an overconfident man, but there was an undercurrent of nervousness. And she did owe him. So she took his hand and let herself be led into the dancing crowd.

She placed her arms around his neck and Bucky placed his hand on her hips, not too low to be suggestive or rude. They swayed to the music and Jo found herself smiling, forgetting her problems and just enjoying herself.

"So what's your name?" Bucky asked, lowering her into a short dip.

"Joanna. And who have I punched and ended up dancing with tonight?"

Last names were a no-no. Her official name was Joanna Merlyn Stark but if she introduced herself as such and a tabloid heard the news then it would be bad for her. So last names were to go unmentioned.

"James Barnes, but my friends call me Bucky."

Jo already knew this, of course she did. She wouldn't forget it easily. But Bucky didn't know she knew him, so she asked his name. They continued dancing and sharing stories. Jo found out that Bucky would be shipped out with the 107th, which she had read at the Smithsonian. She also learned that his favorite color was green and that Bucky wasn't allergic to anything. In turn she told him she had a cousin working in the science division of the army, her favorite color was red, and she was allergic to chocolate. Or rather, she couldn't stomach much of it.

They had been resting on a bench when Howard came over. He wrapped her in a hug and grinned.

"Jo! It's been forever!" Howard cheered.

Jo groaned and steadied herself when he put her down. "I've been gone three hours Howard."

Howard laughed and ruffled her hair. Jo rolled her eyes in annoyance and tried to do the same to him, only for Howard to dodge and take a step back. He glanced over at Bucky who was staring at the two.

"Who's your friend?" Howard asked.

"This is Bucky," Jo introduced, shifting her weight.

Howard gave Bucky a once-over and nodded approvingly. "It's about time you found someone! I'll be in the car waiting."

Jo cast a mortifying glance at Howard as he walked away. Her face met her hand and she groaned loudly.

"Was that Howard Stark?" Bucky asked, staring at Jo. She nodded. "How do you know him?"

"Remember that cousin?" she asked.

Bucky stared at her in silence for a moment and then he laughed. "Well I can't say you don't surprise me, doll."

"And now that I am sure I have died of embarrassment, may I kill my cousin out of revenge?"

Bucky laughed again and shook his head. "I think that's a little illegal. You are one of a kind, doll, you know that?"

Jo shrugged and looked away from where Howard was waiting. She met Bucky's gaze and quickly looked down. Howard just had to embarrass her. They both stood up, knowing their time was coming to an end.

"I never did ask, but where did you come from? You sure are a strange one. And I can't place your accent."

Well yeah, she was from 21st Century Colorado. Not 1940s Brooklyn. "Me? Oh I'm from the future." Bucky laughed and Jo laughed with him. If only for an entirely different reason.

"Well," Bucky chuckled, "maybe I'll see you around."

"Maybe so, Sarge," Jo teased.

Bucky took her right hand and placed a kiss before smiling at her and walking away. Jo felt a blush flame her cheeks and she quickly started off to the car. As she approached she slowed, thinking of how nice it felt. Jo ignored the smarter part of herself telling her not to get attached.

**********

The camp was total bullshit. The soldiers flirted with every woman walking by, including her. Jo got the privilege to meet Peggy Carter after she'd punched a man.

"I did that too," Peggy said, watching the soldier scamper away. Jo knew this, she'd been there to witness it. "What was this one's excuse?"

"Told me I'd look much better underneath him," Jo shrugged. "I was working underneath the truck." Jo pointed at the car behind her and Peggy nodded in understanding.

"We haven't officially met, I'm Peggy Carter."

"Joanna Merlyn." Well shit. So much for no last names. It just slipped out. Though she had to commend herself for going months without a whisper of her last name, most assuming she shared the Stark name.

"You're Stark's cousin, correct? Why is your last name Merlyn?"

"My mother's name." Peggy accepted the short response. Jo stretched and felt a few bones pop. "Well I'm done here, care to join me in destroying all self-worth our program recruits have?"

"I'd love to," Peggy grinned.

Howard would look back on this day and shudder. Two equally fearsome women just met and were getting along. Colonel Phillips found this day to be the beginning of a large nuisance. Erskine, Peggy, and Jo found their reactions funny enough to talk about them at dinner.

Jo followed Peggy to where the recruits were beginning push-ups. A man walking by dropped a box and Jo watched in horror as grenades tumbled out. The soldier sighed and began picking them up, taking notice of Jo's expression.

"Er, they're fake," he said, holding one out to her.

Jo took the dummy, "Why on earth would you have fake grenades?"

"To practice throwing them. You can be a good shot all you want, but when you're out of ammo and want to cause some damage, you'd better know how to aim and throw far."

Jo nodded, "Can I keep this?"

The soldier shrugged and went back to picking up the fallen grenades. Jo made her way over to Peggy, noticing the Colonel and Erskine approaching.

"Faster, ladies!" Peggy called to the men. "Come on. My grandmother has more life in her, God rest her soul. Move it!"

Jo snorted. She prodded Peggy in her side and nodded to the two men closing in. Peggy called to the men.

"Up! Jumping jacks."

And the men obeyed. Jo walked over to the Colonel and Erskine. She folded her arms and leaned against the back of the truck. She watched the men in interest, Steve especially. He wasn't doing so good, but on the other hand... if Jo wasn't like she was, she'd look like him in gym class too.

"You stick a needle in that kid's arm and it's gonna go right through him," the Colonel said, staring at Steve. "Look at that. He's making me cry."

"I for one find him hilarious," Jo spoke up. "And at least he's trying. I don't see why he can't be chosen."

"We are looking for qualities beyond the physical," Erskine nodded.

"Do you know how long it took to set up this project? All the groveling I had to do in front of Senator What's-His-Name's committees?"

"Brandt," Jo stated. "And yes, we know. We know how hard you've been working."

"Then throw me a bone. Hodge passed every test we gave him. He's big, he's fast, he obeys orders. He's a soldier."

"He's a bully," Erskine said.

"You don't win wars with niceness, doctor. You win a war with guts."

An idea sparked in her mind and she grinned. It was an awful idea but it'd get their point through. "You want to see guts Colonel? Watch this," Jo held up the fake grenade. She pulled the pin and tossed it to the men.

"Grenade!" Phillips shouted.

Every person within fifty feet hit the ground or scrambled. All but one, that is. Jo watched in amazement as Steve jumped on the dummy and covered it with his body in an effort to stop shrapnel from spraying everywhere.

"Get away!" Steve shouted. "Get back!" When nothing happened Steve slowly sat up and stared at Erskine and Jo. "Is this a test?"

Jo and Erskine were staring at Colonel Phillips, a smug look on both of them. He looked at Erskine who shrugged.

"He's still skinny," he said and walked away.

Both Erskine and Jo beamed at Steve. Guess he'd proven what he needed to. And on a good day too, they were choosing the soldier that night.

After the choosing and the rehousing of the other candidates, Jo found doctor Erskine walking toward Steve's bunker house. Jo laughed, he was probably giving Steve a talk about what this program was for. An arm was slung around her shoulders. She was about to punch the man touching her but stopped at the voice.

"Hey there science cousin!" Howard greeted cheerfully. "I have something to discuss with you!"

Howard pulled Jo to the nearest bunkhouse, which just so happened to be hers. He sat her down on the bed, pulled up a chair and sat on that, and then he folded his arms. Jo shifted and looked around.

"Something came up in your blood work," he frowned.

Jo grimaced. Yeah, she thought this would come up. Honestly, she was surprised it hadn't earlier. Every person working in the army had their blood recorded in case they were injured and needed a transfusion or were marked down if they couldn't give blood.

Mutated blood is slightly different. There isn't anything noticeable at a first glance, but if one would look at it long and hard, and knew enough about biology, differences would pop up like a red flag.

"What about it?" Jo asked stiffly.

"At first nothing was wrong and then I took a closer look. I don't know why, I just did. Guess what I found."

"Chromosomes that don't exactly match normal human chromosomes?"

"Exactly! Care to explain why?"

"Not particularly, no."

Howard huffed, "Yeah, I figured. So what, you're a mutant then?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

Jo startled. He wasn't going to do anything to her? Mutants weren't exactly cared for in this time period, in fact when discovered they were treated like outlaws and were abused. If she were honest, Jo was glad Howard hadn't started with the insults. Howard saw right through her thoughts and frowned.

"Oh give me some credit!" he cried. "I don't care if my cousin is a mutant! I care that she didn't trust me enough to say so!"

Jo sighed loudly in relief and flopped back on her bed. At least two people here knew she was a mutant. Howard and Logan wouldn't expose her, Logan especially. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

A weight settled on the bed next to her, signaling Howard's body laying on the mattress. He breathed deeply and Jo copied him.

"I understand why you didn't say anything," he said. "The constant ridicule of your kind wouldn't exactly make a person eager to say who they were. And, given your past, it's not that surprising."

Jo hummed in agreement. It would be nice for another person to know who she was.

"What can you do?" he asked.

"I can hear great distances, although this has been going away as of late, and my eyesight is far better than 20/20. A person I know compared it to a hawk's eye," Jo chuckled at the one-sided joke. "Basically I'm a super soldier, but to a lesser degree."

"Do you know why your hearing is going away?"

"It's just returning to what it used to be."

"Do you know why it had been enhanced? Or why it's going bad now?"

Jo was silent for a moment. "No," she lied. If Howard knew she was lying then he didn't call her out on it. "I can turn into a wolf."

Howard nodded. "Can I see?"

"Are you telling me you want to see me change? And here I thought I was your fake cousin." Jo cackled over Howard's sputtering. She'd finally gotten Howard to trip up on words! Oh how the tables have turned. "Tell you what, Howard, if you can surprise me, I'll show you my wolf form. Deal?"

Howard and Jo shook hands, Howard grumbling something and Jo laughing lightly. This wouldn't be so bad.

**********

Erskine meets Steve! And now he is chosen! Howard has confronted Jo about her mutant abilities. Chaos ensues. No news on Jo going home yet...

See ya later guys!

Edited 11/22/19