Chapter 54: The First Swing
Mika didn't know exactly what one wore to train with the King's Guard (she couldn't remember their official name), but all of the clothing stored in the closet of the lab apartment looked much too nice to sweat in. She dug through all the drawers, finally finding something that resembled leggings and a sports bra, and a very soft shirt that didn't seem as fancy as the others. They weren't the same as the ratty tights and tshirt she used to work out in at home, but they were all she had. The only shoes she had were the plain slip on sneakers they'd given them on the Raft, so she pulled them on and hoped for the best.
She didn't know exactly where she was going, but figured that Shuri would, and started down the stairs towards the lab. Her nerves were starting to build; would she be able to keep up with these women? Or would it be just a complete disaster? She was distracted at the first turn in the stairs as she nearly ran into Steve, who seemed to be making his way towards her little spot at the top. She nearly lost her footing in surprise, but regained it just as his hands shot out to take hold of her shoulders. She let out the breath she'd held during the exchange, clutching her heart as he sheepishly looked down at the ground.
"Uh, sorry about that." he said, his hands leaving her and going to rub the back of his neck. Another similarity he shared with Bucky. She smiled, trying to cover the way her heart was pounding still from the surprise.
"No, not to worry." she said, waving him off. "Is, um, everything okay?"
"Yea, yes." he said, though the way he said it made her believe that everything was not okay. She sat and waited for him to continue, worried that he was about to deliver bad news about Bucky or her family or something. "Sam and I have to leave, for a little while. I just wanted to say goodbye, both to Bucky and to you."
"That was very nice of you." she said. She was glad he was stopping to let her know, because even if they didn't know each other very well yet, she would still miss him. He was someone she could depend on, if she needed. She tried not to think of how she was now going to be even more alone; he was going to come back eventually. And maybe, by then, Shuri would have worked her magic and the three of them could spend time together like three old friends. "Where are you going?"
"You know better than that." he said with a grin, his tone teasing. She rolled her eyes, groaning dramatically before she could stop herself.
"Right, right. 'Plausible deniability.'" she quoted. Even if it made sense, it was still annoying. Her response made Steve laugh, shaking his head.
"Exactly." he agreed. "If we happen to go through Germany, do you want me to check in with your sister?"
It was then that Steve became the brother she never had, her heart nearly overflowing with her affection for him. "I would love that. Thank you."
"I'm sure Sam won't mind the pit stop either." he couldn't help but add that little tidbit in, and even if Mika and Sam had resolved their issues, she couldn't help but feel a flare of protectiveness.
"You just had to say that. You're nothing but a...a…" she snapped her fingers, trying to remember the word in English. "...You make a lot of trouble." she said, making him laugh again. She spoke over him, "Tell Sam that while we're friends now, he's still on thin ice when it comes to my sister."
"I'll pass the message along." he said, voice still shaking with his mirth. He held his arms out to her, and she willingly sunk into his embrace. "Take care of him while I'm gone, okay?"
"I've already been doing that for the past two years." she said. He gave her an extra squeeze before pulling away, turning so they could both walk down the stairs.
"Where are you off to?" he asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. His demeanor was so different now compared to when he was in his Captain America mode; it made Mika forget that he was a superhero. Right now, he was just Steve. And she rather liked Steve.
"I stupidly invited myself to a training session with the King's Guard." she said, the nerves from earlier springing back up again. He made an impressed noise, and she shook her head. "I'm not completely convinced I can keep up, but I've been working with Bucky for a while now so I'm hoping I can at least get a few good shots in."
"If you've been training with Bucky, I'm sure you'll do better than you think you will." he said. "Just don't get hurt."
"Oh, I'll be fine." she said, trying to play confident and hoping that would allow some actual confidence to seep in.
"I'm sure you will." His words said that he agreed with her, but he said it with the same teasing tone that made her believe otherwise. She shot him a glare out of the corner of her eye, sending her elbow into his ribs. He made an exaggerated noise. "Perhaps I underestimated you."
"Perhaps you did." she said, the compliment serving to bolster her courage a bit. This was a good idea, she told herself. Best case scenario, she had some new training partners, maybe even a friend or two. Worst case scenario, she returned to the apartment to make herself a cake and lick her wounds. They hit the landing where the lab was stationed, and she looked at Steve again. "This is my stop. Be safe, alright?"
"Yes ma'am." he said, putting his arm around her one last time before continuing down the stairs. She thought to pause and check in on Bucky, but she had the feeling she was running out of time, and the last thing she wanted to be today was late.
Turns out, she did get to check on Bucky, as he was on the platform in Shuri's lab. He was still asleep in the cryo chamber, but Shuri had hooked the pod up to something, a wide holographic screen in front of her. If she noticed Mika entering, she didn't let on, her eyes completely focused on the image in front of her. Mika moved to see the screen, finding Bucky's brain on display. Once again, the bright red thread running through it had changed it's path, trying to prolong its life. Your days are numbered, she wanted to say to it, her anger once again bubbling beneath the surface. How dare they do this to him, hurt him like this. She wanted to fight every single one of them.
"You've come just in time for the first test." Shuri said. Ah, so she did notice Mika's arrival. "I assume that's what you're here for?"
"I was actually coming to ask if you knew where Okoye would be training tonight, but this is much more important to me." she admitted, coming to stand next to her. "Did you find a way to make it automatic?"
"No." she said sourly, very nearly pouting at the admission. Her fingers moved a little faster on the controls, as if that would change things. "I have to do it all manually. It's quite insulting."
"It's not insulting. You still figured out a way to undo years of torture." Mika pointed out. Shuri's hands slowed for a moment, as if the statement surprised her. She then nodded, returning to her original speed. She pulled up a separate screen, her finger running through the numbers until she settled on a specific one. She seemed to commit it to memory, so Mika did too.
"You're completely right. Now, let's just see if everything works the way I want it to." she said, pressing a button to zoom in and deploy her little instrument, the small purple dot blinking its way through Bucky's brain. It moved slowly, dodging its way through the healthy brain tissues in order to find the places where Hydra had put their malicious programming. She eventually found the little red thread, even smaller and more winding than initially presented, and went to work. There was a light humming as the device started working, moving forward like a little train on the track. The humming stopped if Shuri strayed too far from it, telling them that it could definitely tell the difference between his brain and the diseased portion inside it. She pulled it to a stop and zoomed back out, and they watched the thread eagerly to see how it responded. They could see the spot where the device had eaten the thread away, and while the rest of it continued to steadily snake its way through, that one spot remained empty. Shuri pressed a few more spots, pulling up the numbers again. Though she didn't understand the language, Mika did understand when Shuri followed a line with her finger, going to a number that was decidedly less than it was before the test.
"You did it." Mika said, her heart in her throat. She put her arms around Shuri's shoulders, careful to mind where her hands were on the screen as she squeezed her. "You did it!"
"I haven't done it yet. There's still a long way to go." she said, but instead of sounding annoyed at the manual nature like she had earlier, now she just sounded determined.
"But you still figured out how to do it. You're amazing." Mika breathed, letting go of her. "Show me how the controls work, I would be more than happy to help. I obviously won't be as good as you, but I can at least give you a few minutes to rest."
"We'll see. I still may modify it a bit. Just because it works doesn't mean it can't be improved." she said, making Mika smile. Of course.
"But at least we have a starting point." she said, going to take another look at Bucky. She rested her hand on the pod, the glass cool under her hand. "Do you mind if I stay here for a little while? While you work?"
"What? No, you've got to get to training!" Shuri said, taking her hands away from the controls and grabbing Mika by the shoulders, turning and pushing her towards the door. She dug in her heels, trying to stop the girl from pushing her further.
"I'm sure they will understand, I can always ask to come another time...even if Okoye was already kind enough to allow me to join tonight." she said, sounding hesitant even to her own ears. Bucky was obviously the priority, but if they ended up staying here in Wakanda, could she afford to start their life here by burning bridges?
"I'm not going to do anything more tonight. That was just the test. Once I modify everything, then we'll start tomorrow." she said, making Mika stop fighting her so hard. "You need to do something fun. You can't just stay cooped up in my lab the whole time."
"But you stay cooped up in the lab the whole time." she pointed out, even though she already knew she was going to relent and leave.
"Yes, but this is my fun." she said, taking Mika by the hand and pulling a bead from her bracelet, the other ones easily sliding together to fill the space. She tapped her own bracelet, pulling up a map. She expertly moved around the map before selecting a point, touching Mika's bead to her bead before putting it back on her bracelet. "There, it'll lead you right to it."
"You're an angel, I hope you know that." she said, fighting the urge to hug her again. Shuri gave her a brilliant smile, the look reminding Mika exactly how young she was.
"I know, but it's always nice to hear." she said, giving her one last push towards the door. "Now, go on. Have fun. You know I'll take good care of your man here."
"That I do. Thank you again, Shuri." she said softly, this time giving in to her desire to hug the girl. Since she wasn't working on her device now, she eagerly returned the embrace.
"Of course. Anything for my new best friend." she said, her voice muffled by how tightly Mika was squeezing her to her chest. Between her and Steve, Mika was getting her fill for affection, which definitely helped with the anxiety. "Now go. And tell Okoye that I said she needs to be nice."
"I will do no such thing, but I still appreciate it." Mika said, pulling back and giving her a smile. With that, she gave Shuri a final goodbye before exiting the lab, her bracelet subtly pulling her in the direction she was supposed to go. It wasn't blinking or buzzing or actually even lifting her arm, but it somehow conveyed which way she needed to turn. She never left the actual palace, just going to an area of it that she hadn't seen before (not that she had visited many areas of it at all). She got the distinct feeling that she was not supposed to be here, but no one that passed her did anything more than give her a cursory glance and a vaguely confused look. She finally found a hallway that felt right, and could see a large open room at the end of it. Two women, dressed much more casually than they were earlier, were already warming up in the middle of it, this time with two batons each. Mika slowed as she made it to the door, hesitant to just walk in and unsure of where to go.
"Ah, so you decided to come?" came a voice from across the room. Okoye jumped off of a short ledge of some sort, a smirk on her face as she strode over to her.
"I may get my ass handed to me, but I thought I should at least try." Mika replied. She was determined not to be intimidated like she was earlier; meekness would not go over well here. If anything, she did not want these women to think of her as fragile. She may not be a good fighter, and she may not completely belong here, but she was not going to roll over and give up. That would be disappointing to her and Bucky, whether or not he was conscious.
"And try you will." Okoye said. She looked to one of the other women, who was leaning against the wall chatting with her fellow guard. At just her look, the other woman's attention shifted to Okoye, who gestured for her to come over to them. She was younger than Okoye or Mika, but certainly older than Shuri. Mika wondered if she was the newest member, and that was why she was singled out. "Kanoni, this is Mika. She's a friend of the Princess, and wanted to give our training a try."
"Really?" Kanoni asked, grinning at them. Whereas Okoye always looked like she had a plan that Mika knew nothing about, Kanoni's smile actually looked rather joyful. This was something that was going to be fun for her. "Very well. What's your weapon of choice?"
"I've, uh, actually never worked with a weapon before." Mika admitted. Kanoni's smile grew wider, and she held up her fists in a faux ready position.
"Just the ones Bast blessed you with, yes?" she asked, and Mika nodded. Okoye made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a scoff.
"That remains to be seen." she said. She whistled sharply, and the two women in the middle of the room stopped their sparring and moved to the side, saying something in unison to each other accompanied by a brief bow of their heads. "Now is your time to prove yourself."
Mika tried not to look scared as they walked to the center of the circle, shaking her arms out and moving her legs. Her body was buzzing with adrenaline, making her muscles already feel warm and tight. They circled each other for a moment, sizing each other up. Kanoni was smaller than her, but she looked strong, and was likely very quick. And she had been training a lot longer than Mika. If she was honest, she didn't expect to win. But damn if she was going to try.
"Any rules?" she asked, trying to make sure she didn't accidentally break any laws of engagement. Kanoni shook her head.
"Play fair. First to yield loses." she said with a shrug. Mika stopped, shifting her stance into the defensive one that Bucky taught her so many Saturdays ago and nodding her head.
"Sounds good." she agreed. Now that she appeared ready, the smirk returned to Kanoni's face, and she leapt into action.
Mika assumed she would be quick, but she was even quicker than she anticipated. Her only saving grace was that, while Kanoni was very fast, she wasn't faster than Bucky. She was used to his subtle movements, his ability to hide which direction he was going to go. Kanoni was more obvious in her strokes, her actions bolder. Mika couldn't keep up with her enough to go on the offensive, but she was able to successfully defend attack after attack. The problem with being in this position, however, was that it was incredibly exhausting, and she knew unless she did something, she would be losing soon.
The match lasted a lot longer than either of them probably anticipated, and Mika could hear her heart rapidly pounding in her ears as she waited for an opening. She could feel herself fatiguing, her hands moving slower and her balance starting to shift. Sure enough, after one wrong move, Kanoni pulled and spun her, locking her arm around her neck with Mika's back to her chest. Mika was barely able to get her fingers underneath the woman's rock hard biceps to give her some leeway.
"Do you yield?" Kanoni asked, and Mika was proud that the other woman was short of breath too. Even if she was going to lose, she wanted to put up a good fight. Mika took a few quick breaths, trying to get as much oxygen into her body as possible.
"Not yet." Mika said, shifting her hips and pulling Kanoni over her shoulder, just like she'd done to Bucky. She was easier to throw than the super soldier, but unlike Bucky, she didn't let go. Mika felt the world spin as Kanoni brought her down with her; she took the hit of Mika landing on top of her, and while Mika thought that would hurt her, she felt like she landed on a human shaped rock. Kanoni quickly wrapped up her legs and her dominant arm, and Mika knew she'd been beat.
"Do you yield?" she asked again, her voice strained as she braced against the weight of Mika on top of her. Mika tried to catch her breath again, her mind racing as she tried to think of some way - any way - to get out of this.
"Yes, I yield." she finally relented, and Kanoni released her. She rolled over, taking a moment on her hands and knees to catch her breath. The other woman sat for a brief moment before easily hopping to her feet, holding her hand out. Mika took it gratefully, trying not to lean too hard on her as she got up. She tried to control her breathing, though there was no way to hide how much she was sweating. She looked over to Okoye, who had on an expression that she couldn't quite decipher. Kanoni got her attention, saying something in Wakandan and bowing her head towards Mika. Mika could feel the deer-in-the-headlights look on her face, and awkwardly bowed her head and said, "Same to you."
That made Kanoni laugh. "It's an agreement of respect and sisterhood. Here, it will be the first phrase you learn in our language." she said, proceeding to slowly walk Mika through the phrase. The words were very foreign in her mouth, and her accent was horrible, but the women seemed to appreciate her valiant effort.
"I'll have to practice that a bit more." she admitted, and Kanoni patted her shoulder encouragingly.
"There's a lot of things you need to practice more." she said, the bite of her words offset by the happy smile. "Don't worry, we have open sparring every night."
"Oh, I couldn't - I mean, I don't want to intrude-" she started to give excuses, trying to prove to the eavesdropping leader that she knew tonight was a privilege, that she in no way expected to be allowed here again.
"Bast knows you could use the work." Okoye cut in, her gaze steady and sharp on Mika. Mika tried to hold on to whatever internal strength she had left, looking straight back at her. "But that wasn't bad. Better than I thought you would do."
"Thank you?" Mika replied, feeling that the comment was as close to a compliment as she was going to get from her. She nodded once, that smirk back on her face, before calling the names of two other guards for their sparring session. Mika leaned against the wall, pretending to be casual while really just needing the support. Kanoni didn't let her stay there for long though, nodding her head at one of the ledges overlooking the tiny arena. Mika pretended her muscles weren't screaming, joining her and happily accepting a cup of water as they sat.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?" she asked, lazily swinging her legs. Mika paused, trying to figure out how to answer.
"My boyfriend." she said, deciding to tell the truth, just not the whole truth. "I asked him to teach me some self defense, and it just kind of went from there."
"And how long have you been training?" she followed up, taking a sip of water.
"About a year and a half or so. Not every day though. You're right, I definitely need to practice more." she said. "How about you?"
"Oh, I've been training since I came of age at thirteen. And then, when I was eighteen, I was chosen to serve my King as Dora Milaje for my tribe." she said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Mika couldn't fathom training from that age, though if she thought about it, she started playing sports even younger than that. Of course, she was not good enough to make a career out of it, and certainly wasn't serving any king with her rugby skills. "The man you trained with...he is the fallen soldier that the King brought back?"
"Yes, he is." she said sadly. Fallen soldier was probably the most accurate way to describe Bucky, especially his past. She found herself wanting to tell about everything else though - the way he picked himself up and put himself back together, the way he tried so hard to do good and be good and help those around him. He was a fallen soldier, yes; but he was also so much more than that.
"Hmmmm." Kanoni hummed, a mischievous grin on her face. Mika looked at her out of the corner of her eye, waiting for her to continue. "It nice, seeing how much you care about him."
"I'm not good at hiding my feelings." Mika admitted, chuckling even though it wasn't quite humorous. The spar that was going finished, and the two women bowed their heads and were replaced by two more, jumping in with wooden swords and shields.
"Me neither. Okoye says my heart would leap right out of my chest if my ribs weren't there to stop it." she said, making Mika smile. This girl was certainly open, which she appreciated. It helped her feel a little less alienated.
"Do you know how to use all those weapons?" she asked, changing the subject and gesturing to the wall across from them. Swords, spears, batons, and other weapons that she couldn't name all hung proudly, meticulously organized on their holders.
"Of course. The spear is the traditional weapon, but we are trained in all areas of combat." she explained. "I can teach you how to use them, if you like."
"I couldn't ask that, I don't want to take up your time." Mika said, shaking her head. Kanoni was already being nice enough, she didn't want to take advantage of her kindness. But the woman just rolled her eyes.
"It would be fun. Come on, how many friends do you have here?" she pointed out, making her laugh. She liked Kanoni; she loosely reminded her of Elena. Perhaps a bit more disciplined, but just as strong willed.
"Do I get to include you in the count?" she asked, not wanting to admit that the number was, in fact, startlingly low. Especially since one friend was on ice, one left to do who knows what, and the other two were royalty. She didn't know what happened to the others that were in the Raft with her, but she had the feeling that they left with Steve. She was alone. "Alright, you make a good point."
"My next rest day is three days from now. We'll start then." she said. The spar in front of them came to a close, and the mat was empty once again. Kanoni smacked the side of her leg. "Come on. It's our turn again. This time, try and win, eh?"
Training lasted considerably longer than Mika anticipated, but she enjoyed every minute of it. And afterwards, Kanoni made sure to mention that she liked having Mika as a training partner - she moved differently, fought differently, than her sisters in the Dora Milaje. She was happy to have the insight. Mika was just glad to have a friend. She could already feel the soreness settling into her muscles as she made it up the stairs to the lab apartment, each step a little more difficult than the last. She was exhausted, and was convinced that as soon as she ate something and hit the bed, she would be out like a light.
How wrong she was. When she was younger, Raisa used to say that she was too tired to sleep, and Mika thought that was the dumbest thing she'd ever heard. Now, laying here in this weirdly soft bed with the sound of a different city drifting through her window and her very bones aching from exercise, she understood. She tossed and turned, her hand periodically reaching out to the empty side of the bed, her fingers lightly tapping against the cool sheets. She was so used to telling Bucky everything about her day, and hearing about his, and now all she had was the silence. She watched as the minutes ticked by, sleep continuing to elude her. When the clock hand passed three, she finally gave up, rolling out of bed and pulling a robe on over her pajamas. Perhaps Bucky couldn't talk to her, but at least she could see him. Maybe that's all she needed to get to sleep.
She made sure to grab her bracelet before padding her way down the stairs, her steps soft and careful in the dim light of the hallway. No one else was up, which she was grateful for, that way no one would see the way she was limping. For the first time, she was almost glad that Bucky was asleep, because the teasing she would have to endure would be relentless. She made her way to the room outside the lab, scanning into it. The two stations with the empty pods were still there, but the third, where Bucky was supposed to be, was vacant. She forgot her pain then, panic steadily rising in her chest. Where was he? Was something wrong?
She quickly let herself out, running to the door of the lab. Most of it was dark, but the platform in the middle was still lit, with Bucky laying there peacefully, just as he'd been earlier. At his head was Shuri. She'd given up standing at her screen, and had procured a chair at some point in the past few hours. Her movements, while still consistent, were much slower than earlier, and she kept blinking her eyes as she tried to track the red thread. Mika let herself in to the lab, the noise startling her. She took her hands away from the screen to clutch her chest, letting out a long breath to calm herself.
"You're up late." Mika commented, coming to look at her progress. So much for starting the next day; there was still a lot of red in the brain, but she'd managed to eat away a solid chunk of it.
"I didn't mean to, but I just started going and...it's like a video game. I just wanted to get a little further." Shuri explained, rubbing her hands over her eyes. When she finally looked at the screen again, it almost looked like she was going to start up again.
"Come on, love. It's time to give that big brain of yours a rest." she said, rubbing her back. Shuri wanted to fight, she could tell, but she eventually just closed the screen with a pinch of her fingers.
"You're right." she said, standing up and pressing a few buttons on the pod so that it followed her off the platform. "What are you doing up so late?"
"Couldn't sleep. I thought I would just come check on him one more time." she admitted, walking with her hand on the glass. Bucky still slept peacefully, his face soft and unbothered. Did he somehow look even younger than the last time she saw him? It seemed like it. Lord knows if anyone deserved a long, peaceful sleep, it was him. Her heart swelled as she watched Shuri slide him back into his place; they were close, so close to his freedom, and it was all thanks to the Princess. Mika couldn't help but hug her again, one last time before they parted ways for the night. The second trek up the stairs was even more difficult than the first, everything screaming at her until she finally made it to the landing. She collapsed onto the bed, and this time it was much more comfortable.
And finally, she could go to sleep.
Poor lonely Mika! At least she has a friend or two now. And we're (relatively) close to getting our sweet Bucky boy back!
Ok I seriously love hearing who y'all would cast if this lil story was a show, cause there's def so many options that I never thought of! I always saw Mika as Gal Gadot and Nicoletta as Dominique Provost-Chalkley! What other casts do y'all have in mind? Elena? Hans?
Thank you so much for the reviews! It makes my day to hear what y'all think. I know I'm bad at answering them (I get nervous for some reason) but I promise I read and cherish every single one of them. They make my day.
Thank you for taking the time to read this update. I hope you enjoyed it, please let me know what you thought!
-XM