It didn't take long for King T'Challa's announcement to distribute Wakandan technology through allied countries to get a lot of attention; some positive and the rest not so much. As a result T'Challa's newly formed friendship with C.I.A. agent Everett Ross had become quite valuable and at times necessary. Everett had been assigned as a liaison between T'Challa and United States government officials, which meant he spent numerous days in the wonderful borders of Wakanda.
"Agent Ross." The Queen Mother, Ramonda, greeted as Everett exited the truly impressive Wakandan transport to enter the palace. "It is most pleasant to see you again."
"Hello Your Majesty." Everett greeted politely with a slight bow. "I was told by King T'Challa that Princess Shuri had some new technology she wanted to share with me."
"Yes. My daughter has been thoroughly enjoying her work in California, but she is still working on advancing our own technology here in Wakanda. She should be down in her lab, if not you can contact her with the Kimoyo beads you have been given."
"Thank you." Everett smiled warmly as he set off to find Shuri and speak with her.
It didn't take long for Everett to become acclimated to the layout of the palace or the countryside within Wakandan borders. Marching confidently through the palace he made his way to Shuri's lab but was a little surprised to see that it was empty.
"Shuri?" He called her name despite not seeing her, hoping that maybe she was simply standing behind a large piece of equipment or just around the corner. "Shuri, are you here?"
No response.
"Odd." Everett pulled back the sleeve on his dark gray suit jacket and the sleeve of the white shirt beneath to reveal the string of Kimoyo beads wrapped around his wrist. In a very short amount of time Shuri had shown him how to use the device and most of its functions, but he still didn't know everything that the incredible device was capable of. "Shuri?" He pressed down on a bead to try and open a line of communication but she didn't answer.
In his gut Everett knew something strange was happening. Shuri would never be too far away from any of her devices, let alone keep her communicator turned off.
"Wonder if I can track her with this thing?" Everett asked himself as he wandered out of the lab and fussed the beads between his fingertips. As he walked through the palace corridors, his focus on the beads and not on the environment around him, he accidentally bumped into someone and apologized profusely. "Oh, excuse me! I wasn't watching-"
"Everett!" Nakia, King T'Challa's beloved and good friend was happy to see the agent. "Good to see you again. Are you lost?"
"Me? No. But I am trying to find Shuri." He admitted somewhat sheepishly.
"She is not in her lab?"
"No. I was just down there and I can't make contact with her."
"That is strange." Nakia looked almost as perplexed as Everett felt. "Perhaps she is still walking the fields. She often takes her work out to the borders of the city to ensure that the range on her newest device is not hindered by obstruction or distance."
"T'Challa said she was working on something and wanted me to see it," Everett crossed his arms over his his chest as a logical thought popped into his head. "maybe she wants me to meet her out at the border."
"It is possible."
"Okay, thanks Nakia. I'll check out at the border for Shuri."
Everett left the palace at a quick pace to try and meet Shuri outside of the city before she reprimanded him for being late. Walking through the open markets and navigating easily through the crowd of Wakandans simply going about their usual routines Everett soon found himself at the edge of the city and setting foot on the less populated and far more open fields of the city border.
It was nearing evening and the sun was beginning to set in the sky. The land was basked in the warm amber hue of a low sun and left the land it touched warm and full of life. Hundreds, possibly thousands of birds adorned in vibrantly colored feathers sang as they hopped about the shrubs and tree branches of the flora that lined the fields and the grunts of 'war' rhinos grazing in their paddocks had become a familiar ambience to the agent.
"So peaceful out here." Everett observed as he walked along the border, stepping further and further away from the city. "Kind of wish T'Challa wanted to keep this place hidden. Personally I'd like to keep Wakanda from becoming overrun or corrupted by people who can't appreciate or respect it."
The brush began to thicken as Everett walked deeper into the fields. The city was so small in the distance while the natural expanse of green and yellow grass before him seemed to stretch out to eternity.
"Shuri?" Everett attempted to reach her again with his Kimoyo beads, but there was no response. "Wonder where she is."
As Everett peaked the crest of a grassy hill. The hill wasn't massive yet its opposite side and edge was rocky and unstable from wind erosion. As Everett took in the magnificent natural sight around him he noticed something odd tucked into the grass near his feet. Bending down he pick the odd item up and held it in his hands to visually inspect it. A bracelet of Kimoyo beads.
"Aren't these Shuri's beads?" Everett recognized the patterns on the beads as the very ones that Shuri always wore around her wrist.
A low growl from the thick mass of brush below the hill drew Everett's attention. Keeping low he peered down the hill toward the brush and caught a glimpse of a massive lion stalking back and forth between the rows of weeds.
"Whoa... Hey big guy..." Everett whispered to himself. As he continued to look around he caught sight of something else at the bottom of the hill, it was actually someone else. "Shuri?
Shuri remained completely silent and absolutely still as she watched the pacing lion from where she sat at the bottom of the rocky hill. She was resting with her legs curled up beneath herself, but her left ankle was extended outward with a hand pressed down firmly against it.
Realizing that Shuri had slipped on the unstable hill and injuring her ankle in the fall Everett began a slow climb down the hill to get to her side. As he descended he pulled his gun from its concealed holster under his jacket and held it firmly in his left hand, while he slipped Shuri's dropped beads into his right pocket of the same jacket.
Unable to move and unwilling to make any noise that might upset the lion Shuri remained where she sat with wide eyes and bated breath. As the large predator seemed to you with her as his potential prey the brave princess kept her mind calm and her movements still.
"Shuri." Everett whispered as he reached the bottom of the hill and crouched down beside her. "Can you move?"
"Everett!" Shuri whispered back though her whisper was filled with much more enthusiasm than Everett. "How did you find me?"
"Nakia said you like to walk the borders. I also found your beads at the top of the hill."
"My beads?" Shuri's eyes lit up. "Do you have them?"
"In my pocket." Everett stated as he kept low and put himself between Shuri and the lion. Slowly he raised his gun to take aim, but only as a defensive manner if the lion attacked. "Right side."
As Everett raised his gun Shuri took immediate notice and pleaded for the animal's life. "Please! Do not kill him!"
"I won't. As long as he doesn't make a move toward you."
"Hold still." Shuri reached into Everett's jacket pocket very slowly and retrieved her beads. As she wrapped the invaluable device back around her wrist she smiled and isolated one of the beads. "Watch closely, this is the new device I wanted to show you!"
By adding a little bit of pressure to the bead it lit up with bright green light and a wave of high pitched sound escaped the bead in a single, massive pulse. As the soundwave spread over the field the lion in the brush let out a growl of discomfort before turning around entirely and slipping back into the brush and away from the two humans.
"Glad you found my beads." Shuri stated proudly as the beast was repelled without any harm being caused to either predator or prey in the process. The beast vanished into the brush leaving the two would-be meals in peace.
"Glad it works!" Everett quipped sharply as he lowered his gun and secured it back into its holster beneath his jacket. "That seemed like a pretty risky way to test your new equipment."
"Risky but efficient." Shuri defended with a righteous grin. "And it's not like I intended to get this close to the lion! I slipped and I lost my bracelet when I tried to catch myself."
"Of course you did." Everett grinned as he looked down at Shuri's bruised and swollen ankle. He was tempted to reach out and check her ankle but decided against it. "Can you walk?"
"I think so." Shuri shifted her weight onto one leg as Everett offered her a hand. Using Everett to stand up Shuri tested putting her full weight down on her damaged appendage only to immediately flinch and yelp in pain. She leaned heavily against Everett, who had expected such a reaction, and pressed her hand back to her evidently broken ankle. "Maybe not at the moment, but I can walk."
"Right." Pulling Shuri's arm around his shoulders he bent down next to her. "Let's get you back to your lab." Everett insisted as he scooped the princess up into his arms. "Wrap your arm around my neck and I'll carry you."
"You cannot carry me that far! You'll tire out!"
"Hey, come on." Everett laughed a little as he began to awkwardly climb up the hill with Shuri in his arms. "I may not be a Wakandan warrior or an Avenger, but I can certainly walk up a hill! No problem!"
"You are sure?"
"Sure, I'm sure." Everett declared as he began to ascend the hill at an impressive speed. "After all, you're the one who healed my spine!"
-The End