"Shit, shit, shit... SHIT!" Tony screamed. "MOTHER FUCKER!"
He ran his hands through his hair and pulled at it violently, leaving it sticking up in every direction.
"Ohhhh, fuck you Steve.." Tony said rubbing his face, "Just couldn't sign the damn thing could you, just had to make it difficult.. We could have fixed them together.."
He placed his hands over his eyes and just stood there for a moment. He took some deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He didn't yet know his limits with Extremis, but was 99.9 percent sure he had it fixed. He didn't want to take any risks right now.
Not with T'Challa lying there..
"Aaarghhhhh"
Fuck it, calming down was useless. He picked up the closest thing to him at the moment, his tablet, and threw it with all his force at the wall.
"Huh. How bout that.." he said a little stunned.
He never been that strong without the suit but he was definitely packing a little extra firepower now.
The tablet stared back at him, embedded halfway through the wall. Like a sword through a stone, he thought with a huff.
Well that was something new. Granted, he had only injected the virus 3 days ago but he was pretty sure he hadnt been able to do that before. That could come in handy pretty soon.
"Boss you're showing elevated levels of blood pressure."
"Yea, no shit Fri, how about telling me something a little more helpful. Like how the fuck to get an antidote here right now." Tony said snarkily
He turned around and walked to the bed, bending over to rest his hands on the mattress.
He stared sadly at the unconscious form of T'Challa. Sweat was dripping off of him. Tony placed a hand on his forehead but felt no heat, if anything he was icy. A thin ring of blood was present around his lips from the coughing fit he'd had not ten minutes ago.
God, that was a sign he was bleeding internally. Tony only had enough supplies here to deal with minor medical issue. He needed to get him out of here..He might not make it until Bruce got here with that antidote.
He already looked like death..
"Uuugghhh.. Alright Tony, think! You're supposed to be a genius. So, genius,dumbass! Come on!"
He wracked his brain for everything he had learned about T'Challa these past weeks. Anything that might help him. T'Challa had enhanced strength and stamina. Tony had thought that T'Challa also had a healing ability, but obviously it wasn't working. Whatever poison SHIELD had concocted that was flowing through his veins had to be tampering with it. He would have been able to fight it off the effects of it otherwise.. Right?
"Boss I must inform you that T'Challas body temp has been steadily dropping over the past hour. And his heart rate has slown down. It would be in his best interest to seek some form of medical assistance. If he keeps declining at his current pace I estimate he will be deceased within the next four to six hours."
"Shit.."
Fuck...That's not good. There was no way to get him transported to the tower that fast,and regular hospitals were in no way equipped to deal with supers..He was down a quinjet and by normal plane it would take at least three hours. The probably another hour or two just to get from the airport to the tower..
That wasn't fast enough... He needed fast..
A thought struck him.
At full speed the Iron Man armor could be across the country in less than an hour. But in his current condition Tony didn't know how safe it would be for T'Challa.. Carrying him that far at that speed would kill him.
Not if he's inside the suit, he thought.
"Alright, Friday call Bruce, tell him to stay there in the tower and keep working on the cure. Tell him not to leave. I'm bringing the patient to him. Get Pepper, tell her to have the staff prep the med wing for a trauma patient. Send any and every detail you can on his condition to the towers servers. I want every medical personal available in the tower in the wing within the hour."
" How are we planning on moving him Boss? Air travel will take at least 4 hours."
"Get me two suits from the Malibu house, doesn't matter which for me but I need one capable of keeping him alive til he gets to the tower. Set a flight plan for that one to the tower. He'll be inside it, and you're gonna pilot it. As soon as it gets here I want it in the air in less than two minutes."
" Go ahead without me and keep me updated on his condition. When you get there fly him straight to the med bay. I'll be coming right behind you"
"Done sir. Armor ETA is five and a half minutes. Estimated arrival at Stark Tower is forty-two minutes. Miss Potts has informed the staff, everything should be ready when you arrive."
"What about Bruce, how's he doing?"
"Dr Banner. wishes to inform you that he has made some headway. His estimated time to complete the antidote is two hours and twelve minutes. With no he said "emphasis on estimated"
"Damn, thats still pushing it a bit..Ok Fri, It's what, about 10am in Wakanda? Shoot Shuri a quick text. Tell her to find somewhere secure, away from any prying eyes. I want to do a video call and I can't risk the leeches seeing me yet."
"She needs to know whats happened to her brother."
He looked at T'Challa.. "Just hang on.. I've got you.."
I am going to kill T'Challa, Shuri thought angrily, I can't believe he just left me here with these clowns.
I could make them "disappear" before T'Challa returns, she thought. I would be the only one who knew, it's not like they would be missed by many.
But no, she had told T'Challa she wanted no part in this. That if something should happen she did not want to be connected with these monsters. To be honest, she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle the little witch by herself. She'd rather not have her mind played with.
And then he up and leaves.. Making her angry and frustrated. Giving her no choice in the matter now. She was involved whether she wanted or not.
Underneath her anger, though, Shuri was worried for T'Challa. Lately her brother had not made the best decisions. He hadn't even bothered to take Nakia and Okoye with him on this trip. The King was never to be left without his guards, yet T'Challa had ordered them to stay behind.
Clearly, something was off with him..
After T'Chaka's death he had seemed a bit more detached from the things happening around him. She understood how he felt, she loved her father dearly. He was a rock for both of them, he was the foundation on which they stood. Now, he was gone, leaving a very large crack in their life no one else would ever fill..
But if T'Challa couldn't pull himself out of this mood he had fallen into soon, Shuri would have to step in and take action. Wakanda couldn't be allowed to suffer because it's King was being careless..
Letting Steve Rogers and the rest live within these walls was by far the most careless thing her brother had ever done.
Rogers was not one to be trusted.. A man who viewed the world as Rogers did, believing that he knew what was best for it, completely disregarding any force that may tell him otherwise. No.. A man like that should never be trusted. Too shortsighted to see the bigger picture in front of him.
And now that man was here. With his loyal band of miscreants by his side. Her home, her heart..They were both at risk.
Shuri made her way through the halls. There was a meeting with a local women's group she would be attending later, but for now she had some free time to do as she pleased.
Planning to treat herself to a manicure she bagan making her way to her chambers. A vibration from her pocket stopped her.
It was a text from Stark.
Shuri had been suprised when she received a call from the man yesterday. Apparently her brother had planned a little side trip without having the courtesy to inform her. Although it was possible he may have been worried about his new houseguests would react to that. Their disgust for Stark was not something they tried to hide, and if they knew T'Challa had contact with the man she could only imagine what they might try..
The call yesterday was a bit troubling, Tony had informed her that her brother had shown up at his home and that he appeared to be quite ill. That he had basically fainted as soon as he came through the door.
It was perplexing to her. She and T'Challa were able to fight off most any virus or illness he came into contact with. There was always a possibility they could have a few symptoms from one but it was usually never more than a sniffle or a cough.
Mr. Stark told her at the time he called T'Challa had been unconscious and very feverish for about 12 hours. He had him on an IV drip trying to keep him hydrated and that they were doing some tests on his blood to see if they could find the source. He assured her that he had it under control and if anything would change he would call her.
They had also had a discussion about the current whereabouts of his former team. In which she had the pleasure to meet most of the current Avengers roster, via video. She had to say, Pepper Potts was her new hero. That woman knew how to make things happen. Hopefully, in less than a weeks time, the rogues would be locked up where they belonged.
When Stark had informed her he knew their current location she was a bit shocked. The man had managed to figure it out before Shuri had found them in her own kitchen. He truly was a genius.
She opened the message, frowning when she read its contents.
Need to talk ASAP
Emergency
Find somewhere secured
Text me when you're ready
Well that definitely could not be good, she thought. The most secure plcae in the palace was her fathers office. He had outfitted it years ago with a hidden panic room. The only ones who knew were the Royal family.
She began making her way to the office, but was immediately waylaid by none other than Steve Rogers himself..
Dammit. She really wasn't in the mood to see his face.
"Mr there something I can help you with? Like reminding you that you do not have free reign in the palace. My brother may let you have your way but you will not have that courtesy with me.."
His face took on a rather pinched look, Shuri thought it made him look constipated. He must have not been expecting her to be such a bitch. The thought made her very happy.
"Sorry to bother you..? Princess? I'm not sure what I should call you."
"Well, Captain, for you I will answer to Your Majesty, Your Highness.. You can even address me as Empress. After all we can't have a commoner not knowing his place here." Shuri stated proudly.
Normally she would never talk down to anyone, she was raised far better. But there was a hatred here she just couldn't ignore.
"Umm, ok, majesty. I was just wondering when T'Challa would be back from his trip?"
"He'll return home after his business is concluded Captain. He is a very busy man right now." Shuri replied haughtily.
"It's just that, I need to speak with him, on where we stand on us being able to return home. He mentioned there was a possibility that there could be some loopholes in the Accords that we may be able to use to our advantage. He said he would have a lawyer look into it for us."
"Hmmm, well that is interesting." Shuri tapped her finger against her lips, "May I ask Captain, how you plan on paying for this lawyer. I wasn't aware you were currently drawing an income. I was under the impression that what assets you had were frozen. All of them."
She couldn't resist the small indirect stab at Barnes. If Rogers caught on to it he didn't let on.
"I just thought since T'Challa offered it was his way of apoligizing." Rogers said.
" Hmph.. From where I stand, Captain, He isn't the one who needs to apoligize. Now, excuse me but I've wasted enought of my time here. There is business I must attend to. Goodday, Captain. Oh, and I need not remind you to stay in your wing, your freedom does depend on it.."
She walked past, leaving a Steve sputtering behind her.
Walking into her fathers office, she entered the passcode and fingerprint to lock the door behind her. In the far corner of the room on the heavily lined bookcase, set a family photo in a glass frame. Walking to it she placed her thumb on the corner. The case slid outward, behind it was a large vibranium door.
Stepping up to the access panel she placed her hand to scan, bright blue light flashed over her and she felt a small prick in her finger on the panel. Her DNA was needed to open the door as was a retina scan. She stepped inside, everything sliding back into place behind her.
The room was impenetrable, it was completely lined with vibranium. There was an emergency phone, enough supplies to sustain their family for a year and an untraceable internet connection.
It was a fortress within a fortress.
She pulled out her phone, texting Stark she was ready.
His response was immediate. The face that came on the screen looked tired and worn.
"Mr. Stark." she greeted with a smile. "I know I'm irresistable but I wasn't expecting you to call so soon." She couldn't resist a little flirting, the man was utterly charming.
To her suprise he didn't return the smile. Dread churned in her stomach.
"What's wrong?" she asked
"Ok first I need you to stay calm."
"...Alright.."
"Ok, I'll get right to it, your brother is very, very sick.. Like on the verge of death sick."
"What!?" she brought her hand up to her mouth in shock. That couldn't be possible.
"That can't be, he doesn't get sick Mr. Stark."
"Are you sitting down, you need to sit down. You need to know this and it's gonna be hard to deal with, please sit."
"I'm sitting. Now what's wrong with my brother?"
"You know how he was sick and passed out and we were doing blood tests. Well we found something. A drug that use to be used by SHIELD to completely knock out their enemies, basically a massive tranquilizer. SHIELD stopped its use because the drug had some nasty side effects, death included. As it breaks down in the body it starts shutting down the organs with it. T'Challa had extreme levels of it in his system."
"...But..He.. He should be able to fight it off... His body rejects almost every drug he's tried, the only thing he has that works on him is a sleeping pill that he created himself."
"Not this drug, apparently SHIELD had engineered it to work on enhanced humans. With the correct dosage it could take down Thor. According to SHIELDS calculations a normal human only needs to be pricked by a needle laced with it to subsue them. But the numbers in your brothers blood are almost quaddruple the dose an enhanced should recieve. Most likely he was injected with a syringe full. Basically, it's an overdose and it's overtaking his ability to heal."
"That's absurd! T"Challa does not take drugs!" she yelled
"He didn't take it..He was shot with it.."
"WHAT?"
"The best explanation we came up with before he went comatose, is that someone, and I'm gonna guess Romanoff, shot him with a dart full of the stuff while he was sleeping. Probably from a vent or an open window. We think she wanted him out of the way for some reason. He didn't even know he'd been hit til we found the mark on his back."
"She did something, but I have no idea what it was. She didn't arrive with Rogers, she showed up on her own. We need to find out what that was." Tony said
Shuri stood, her chair clattering to the floor behind her. "ROMANOFF! She did this? WHY!? T'Challa has done nothing to her, even though she deserves it!"
"Listen to me, I don't have a lot of time here. I need to tell you what I know and get going. Friday estimates he's got about five hours unless he gets an antidote. T'Challas in route to the tower in my Iron Man armor as we speak, where Bruce is working on the antidote for this."
Tears began to form in her eyes.
Five hours...It was like a knife to the heart.
"Nooo.. I want..Please let me see my brother...Please.." Shuri cried. Tears flowing down her face.
This could not be happening to her. She could not lose her brother too..
"As soon as I get to the tower I will call you, I promise. But right now I need your help. You know how when we talked last we had worked out a plan? To get them out of your home? To try and find a way to keep T'Challa from going to prison."
"...Yes..Next week.." Shuri started.
" We're gonna have to move that back just a little bit." Tony said, "I know you want to bring them in but right now your brothers health is the most important thing. I know right now you probably want to go out there and take them all down by yourself, but please don't. We need more manpower. If you try to take them on they may kill you, and I can't live with that. So please wait for us. Peppers working on it, she's has a meeting planned with Everett on Monday. The ARMY will have our back should something go wrong. But right now I need them to stay there. If they leave Wakanda, I may not be able to find them again."
"I need you to make sure they stay there!" Tony said
Shuri sobbed openly in front of the screen, her composure completely gone. "Please.. my brother..."
"Hey look at me..I promise you he will be fine. I swear on my life I am doing everything in my power to make sure he comes home to you.."
Shuri could only shake her head, to distraught to do much else.
"I have to go, but as soon as I get to New York I will call you. By then Bruce should have the antidote ready. I promise you, he will be OK!"
They disconnected the call. Shuri sat on the floor a few moments more, sobbing openly, before her tears began to turn to rage.
How dare they come into her home a do this..To a man who's heart was as big as the sky..
Demons..
They would pay, Shuri would see to that. One way or another..
They. Would. Pay.
Saying a small prayer for Bast to watch over her brother, she tried to regain some composure.
Exiting the panic room, she returned to the office.
She sat down at the big desk in a daze. Reaching underneath, her hand pressed a small button. A few moments later the Dora Milaje entered, the door locking behind them.
"Princess Shuri, are you alright?" Nakia asked
"No.. No I am far from alright, Nakia.." she said, an edge to her voice that made the two warriors glance at each other.
"We have some...Unwanted pests in the southwing. I need you to shadow them. They have brought grevious harm to my family. The King is near death in America because of them.."
"Miss, what..?"
"Do NOT interupt me! Shadow them, these arrogant little monsters, deep shadow, make sure they never see you. I want daily reports from both of you. I want to know their every move, their every breath. Every word they speak I want to know."
"Leave them be for now, by this time in a week they should be no more..But if you see any, and I mean anything that even looks strange to you..."
"Kill them.."