"I can do it, but it's going to take time." Shuri's voice was low, you had not spoke of the threat you were facing aloud; you didn't want Steve to get involved. Instead, you had decided to transfer her memories of your past, highlighting the weapons they had and what they can do whilst continuing a normal conversation for Steve to listen in on, Shuri caught on remarkably quick, you could see a plan in her mind already, and it was much better than you had ever imagined.

You check on your people once more before answering. "I can give you 48 hours, any more and we could risk-" You catch yourself, remembering Steve was still present, 'Them coming to Wakanda.' ultimately translated to "-the Avengers finding me."

Not a good save, really.

"Why would that be a risk?" Steve seemed on the defensive, you scrunch your nose up at your obvious mess-up, trying to tear the tension away from a grinning Shuri.

"Well, I didn't really leave on good terms with Sam, the more they sit and think about it the angrier they'll get too." You feel your heart slump a little, followed by your whole body. "Maybe it's for the best that I never see any of the Avengers again."

You didn't want to accept the truth that never going back was a part of your plan, but it always was, and it always had to be.

"If that's what you think is best." Steve seemed to regain his composure quicker than you did, "Bucky and I will have to leave soon, or else they will come and find you."

"Let them try." Shuri scoffed, only Steve and Bucky were aware of Wakanda's true location.

"You're right, Steve." As you had learned from earlier that day, you were terrible at goodbyes. "Uh- I guess, this is it then. Thank you for trusting in me."

Your tone made it obvious enough that it was then his time to leave, but he just stood there instead. Was it rude to usher someone out? You didn't really know what else to say, your brain was working overtime and still your words failed you. Luckily, Steve didn't leave you panicking for too long.

"Don't you think someone else deserves a goodbye too?" His face was soft, but as soon as those words left his mouth the room felt tense.
"But I only just met Shuri." You tried to joke, but you didn't cut the tension in the slightest.
"You know who I'm talking about, and I think you need to say goodbye."
"Fine." You sigh, you knew you had to, but you were beyond nervous. Again, you thought you may have overstepped the 'easy-goodbye' line with Bucky too, you were worried that this one was going to be harder than listening to Sam. You make you way towards the door, tracking Bucky in your mind as you did so, "But for the record, I hate this."


You looked over the outstretch of field, seeing a small outline of a man near the bottom of a hill, this was it.

Naturally, you teleported, you're usually against unnecessary uses of your talents but that walk was just tedious to say the least. It frightened Bucky, his head snapped round to face you as soon as he heard your feet hit the floor; he relaxed once he saw it was you.

"Steve thinks you'll have to head back out soon." You start, wishing you had pre-planned these goodbye speeches as the growing silence kills you. "And this is my stop so-" You really wished you had planned these stupid speeches. Bucky turned his whole body to face you, which made the whole situation worse. "-I guess this is it." All you could see was the outline of him, and all you wanted to do was hug him and apologise. "Thank you for taking care of me, and-" Every single break you took made it harder for you to breathe, you didn't really know why, "-and I'm sorry for doing this to you-", and as you shake off the weird symptoms you were facing, you focus back on the task at hand, "but now I have to go, and I'm probably never coming back."

With a quick heel turn, you turn to leave, your plan was to walk back, so you could get your plan together as you walked. You didn't get as far as a few steps before you were stopped. Willingly stopped, obviously, if you really wanted to leave, it wouldn't have been difficult. Bucky had only tapped your hand slightly to get your attention.

"Can I say something?" He seemed a little frantic, his hair was mostly pushed back into a bun but several pieces had been missed out, he was looking around the field, willing himself to keep talking. "Is this all real?" His confusion was masking his hurt. "I mean, Steve didn't tell me much and- I just don't understand. I thought I- I thought we meant something to you, and you meant something to us and-" He forced himself to look at you, which was when you could tell this was more difficult for him than it was you. "Is this how it ends?"

You wanted to stay optimistic- maybe your plan will work, maybe you won't die or be captured by your people, maybe the Avengers will understand, maybe you could live back in the compound, maybe Sam would accept an apology, maybe you could see Bucky again- but you knew it wouldn't be fair to let someone hold onto false hope, just like you were doing. The staring only becomes more intense as you will yourself to answer his question; trying not to show how much it hurts you to have to do this to Bucky. You were aware that time was running out, so with one deep breath in, you stifle out a "Goodbye, Bucky."

Almost choking on your own words, you really did have to leave the situation before you made it worse. Luckily, Captain America is always on time.

"You both said what needs to be said?" He broke the bubble you and Bucky constantly find yourselves in, continuing before Bucky can object. "We really need to go, Buck."

He left without making a sound, and without looking back. You guess you could count Bucky as being mad at you too. Teleporting back to Shuri seemed preferable after that blow, which left you feeling winded for the rest of the night.

"Damn. Rough Day?" Shuri asks as you teleport back into the room. "I thought people only use magic like that when required."

She was right, you hated it, but what did it matter anymore. You slumped onto one of the chairs, feeling wildly overdramatic, you never showed any physical modification in movement or facial expression when faced with emotions. Until now.

"We can talk about something else. I saw this hilarious video you might like." Shuri rolled one of her beads into her palm, showing you a small hologram of a short video. The video starts with Captain America, in what you believed to be his original suit, walking in and sitting on a chair and proceeding to start with 'So your body's changing..."

Shuri was right, pretty hilarious. You wondered why she had not shown you this whilst Steve was here, surely that would have been much more entertaining.

And that was it, the worst day of your life on Earth was over, and it ended with a meme.


After 24 hours, Shuri already had prototypes of the defences you needed. A productive start meant that you had time to practice with them once they were completed, and you needed all the practice you could get. Constant surveillance on your people was set up, you conveyed your view of it into a hologram for others to watch over when you were busy trying to convince yourself your plan would actually work.

"It is unusual that you were once held as a slave for these people, Y/N." You hear a calming, yet authoritative voice fill the room. King T'Challa, standing by the hologram, had gotten word of the project and had wanted to help, Shuri said it was in his nature to help people, that or he wanted to impress his girlfriend. "You are much stronger than them, surely your abilities are unmatchable."

"By the time I understood my abilities, they had created technology that allowed them to become immune to me entering their mind. They couldn't stop me from creating illusions, using telekinesis or teleporting, but their technology was too powerful for my mind to manoeuvre around. I was 7 when they first put those chains on me. I was 315 years old when I escaped." It was all new to you, being so open about your past, after not telling anybody for so many years. Given the circumstances, you had to come clean.

"And now you are... how many years old?" Shuri enquired from across the room, with her ever-present playful tone, it was refreshing to be around someone who constantly lightened the mood.

"Classified information." You chuckle as she groans louder than she did the previous time she had asked.

"Do you not think that you have evolved? Maybe you could do it this time." T'Challa made a fair point, but you needed to take every precaution necessary. You hadn't seen your people in so long that you were unsure whether you were prepared for a family reunion.

"Maybe." You whisper, ultimately pulling you into a sea of more and more outcomes of the coming conflict.

You take a walk over to the hologram, to get the feeling as if you were facing them again for the first time. It felt right. It felt like everything you had done since leaving was all meant to circle you back to this moment. You felt empowered, and you were going to defeat them. Too much was at stake for you to lose.

This was it.

"Shuri how long until completion?" Your voice was completely deadpan, you were to focussed on what was before you, and what you had to do next.
"3 hours."
"Fantastic, there's something I need to do."

You close your eyes for a second, just to compose yourself, shaking off any suppressed nerves you had. You take a step closer to the hologram, locating the person you needed to find, looking him dead in the eye before continuing. Picturing their mind, you travel across space to find his inner thoughts floating across this universe, still far away enough for them to not be equipped with their technology.

"Remember me?"
"Who's there?"
"Shhh- Inside voices, we don't want to alert the whole ship now do we?"
"Y/N. How nice of you to join us."
"The displeasure is all mine."
"Good, because when we get out hands on you I swear to you-"
"That's enough smalltalk for today. Now listen carefully, I know where you are, and I know you're here for me."
You had to continue stalling, allowing them to track your co-ordinates on Earth. You may have altered their view of your co-ordinates though, leading them to an area of open field with no civilians in the way, well away from Wakanda. "You're not going to get me though. You'll never be able to find me. My powers have grown too strong for you to uncover my whereabouts, all your ships screens are blank, finding nothing but your pilots asses being handed back to them. I've escaped you for this long, why did you think this time would be any different?"
"Oh naïve child, you were always an arrogant one. Constantly showing another act of rebellion, even when stripped and chained to a rock, even when I took my favourite spear, and I watched your hope drain from you. Overconfidence will get you killed. Or even better, overconfidence will being you back home."
"Try me."

Now you were on the clock.