Five years into rising global tension, enlistment posters spread across American cities as the world edges toward what will become World War II.
James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes
Bucky enlists first.
Not out of desperation.
Not out of poverty.
But because:
He hates bullies.
He believes fascism must be confronted early.
And he refuses to let other boys from Brooklyn ship out alone.
His physical exam is routine.
Strong heart.
Excellent reflexes.
Above-average endurance.
He passes without issue.
When asked why he wants to serve, he doesn't give a speech.
"Somebody's got to stand up."
He is assigned infantry training almost immediately.
Steve Rogers
Steve tries to enlist three days later.
And is rejected.
Underweight.
Chronic asthma.
Scarlet fever history.
Low body mass.
Rejected again at a different recruitment office.
And again.
He falsifies details.
Changes districts.
Uses a different middle initial.
The result remains the same.
Physically unfit for service.
But what stands out isn't his frailty.
It's the anger.
Not rage.
Conviction.
When the officer says, "There are other ways to serve," Steve responds:
"Not when the fight comes to your door."
He isn't chasing glory.
He just refuses to watch.
Because Valmythra's existence has subtly reinforced global stability, recruitment offices operate with tighter scrutiny.
Occult infiltration concerns.
Sabotage paranoia.
Heightened psychological evaluation.
Steve fails not just medically—
But statistically.
He doesn't meet the wartime efficiency model.
And that hurts more.
Bucky ships out before Steve can fix another falsified form.
The night before departure:
No speeches.
No dramatic vows.
Just two boys on a Brooklyn rooftop.
Bucky tries to joke.
Steve doesn't laugh.
Steve says something that matters:
"Don't do anything stupid."
Bucky smirks.
"How can I? You're not there."
It's the last night either of them are civilians.
At this point:
There is no Super Soldier Program activation yet.
No Project Rebirth.
No Erskine recruitment.
Abraham Erskine exists in the background of global scientific displacement, but he has not yet intersected with Steve.
Right now:
Bucky becomes a trained soldier.
Steve becomes increasingly desperate.
And desperation, in this timeline, is being observed.
Kamar-Taj monitors wartime energy escalation.
Not individuals.
Patterns.
But something curious registers:
Every time Steve is rejected, his intent sharpens.
Not bitterness.
Resolve.
Not resentment.
Responsibility.
Intent with no power behind it.
That combination is rare.
Valdaryn does not stir.
Not yet.
Because Steve does not seek to carry a weapon.
He seeks to stand beside one.
That difference is crucial
He forges paperwork again.
Fails again.
But this time, a recruiter pauses.
Not because Steve is fit.
But because he doesn't flinch.
When told he will never qualify, Steve says calmly:
"I don't need to win. I just need to try."
That line travels.
Recruitment officers talk.
Someone notes his file.
Not for combat.
For study.
Because in a world increasingly shaped by science and ideology—
The rarest resource isn't strength.
It's incorruptible intent.
Bucky is enlisted and in training.
Steve is rejected repeatedly.
The war machine turns.
No serum has been introduced.
No transformation has begun.
But threads are aligning.
The war will escalate.
Hydra will move.
Science will accelerate.
And somewhere—
A displaced German scientist named Erskine will begin looking for something very specific.
Not the strongest man.
The right one.
And in Brooklyn, a frail young man refuses to stop knocking on doors.