The driver dropped them off at the bottom of a vast staircase that led up to the entrance of a building with a long word in Wakandan written across the front façade, next to it, its English counterpart read 'Faculty of History'.
A tall man met them; he had dark brown, short and spiky hair that was greying at the temples, he wore a pair of black rimmed, square glasses, a burgundy cardigan over a light blue button-up shirt and dark blue pressed pants with dark brown shoes.
"Hello, hello," he greeted them with a smile, kissing Shuri on both cheeks.
"Hendrik!" crooned Shuri, "how have you been my friend?"
"I have been well my dear, how is life treating you at the palace?" he asked with a faint German accent.
"Oh, you know, the more things change..." she smiled at him flirtatiously.
"I do have someone very special I would like you to meet." She addressed him as one would a child who was about to get ice cream.
"This is Jane, the one that I was telling you about."
"Ah..." he said, looking Jane up and down while opening his arms in welcome.
"Jane! How quaint." He said to Shuri while eagerly taking Jane's hand while she was still extending it for the introduction, pulling her slightly off balance.
Steve did not like this guy, right off the bat.
He extended his hand, interjecting. "Steve." He said flatly.
Hendrik reluctantly let go of Jane's hand. He was still staring at her eyes when he took Steve's. Steve squeezed it a bit harder than he usually would, and it drew the man's attention.
"Dr Schnell, nice to meet you."
"Likewise." Replied Steve, letting go of his hand.
"Come," said Hendrik, "let's walk and talk to my office." His eyes were back on Jane who shot Steve an awkward glance; it was thick with how creepy she thought Hendrik was. Steve let out a breathy chuckle which no one but Jane noticed. It made her work to try and hide the smile spreading on her face by biting her cheek.
Shuri and Hendrik walked a few feet in front of Steve and Jane, chatting away about the days that Shuri spent at the University and how fondly he remembered her.
"Why are we speaking with this man?" asked Jane quietly so just Steve could hear her.
"He's the guy who's going to be catching you up on everything you've missed." Replied Steve, just as quietly.
She looked at him in a way that said 'you have got to be kidding me.'
"Come on you two; this is my office." Called Hendrik, louder than was necessary.
There was a small lounge area in the corner with two brown leather couches and a solid wood coffee table between them.
Hendrik ushered them in, and Steve sat down on the couch, opposite Shuri and Jane.
Hendrik offered them something to drink, but only Shuri accepted.
"So," said Hendrik as he sat down next to Steve. "How are we going to do this?"
"Well, it will be best if you could come to the Design Institute." Began Shuri. "I think five days a week for a few hours would be ideal if you could."
"You've come at a good time. My last class for the year will be in three weeks – that's the first week of November - then I will be grading exams and papers, but I am free from tomorrow from seven in the morning until lunchtime."
Steve looked from Hendrik to Shuri, who seemed very pleased with what he'd said.
"That's perfect Hendrik; I think we need to start at the very beginning and give her a good general overview. We don't need to delve into anything in too much detail," Shuri quickly looked from Hendrik to Steve "unless of course, she wants to."
"Very well." Replied Hendrik, trying to hide his eagerness.
"In anticipation of your education, Jane," he began as he opened a leather folder on the coffee table and extracted a sheet of paper, "I've emailed the palace with this list of materials you will require."
He handed it to Jane, who was a little unsure what to do with it. She held the edges of the paper delicately between her fingers as she looked at the words typed on it. She didn't know what any of it meant.
Shuri took the paper from her. "I will be sure to check that everything has arrived. I know Malinge placed the order a few days ago." She handed the paper to Steve.
It listed a thirteen-inch MacBook, an iPhone, unlimited access to the Internet and a list of programs to be loaded on the MacBook, along with a list of stationary and a few books.
"I will be bringing along any additional reading material that she may need," said Hendrik.
He turned his gaze to Jane. "How are you finding it at the Design Institute, Jane?"
"I am treated very well." She said. She felt lost and alone, with a dull ache in her chest, but her words made it sound like she was just fine.
"Oh," giggled Hendrik. "That's wonderful!"
Jane gave him a weak smile.
"That settles it," smiled Shuri "we will see you tomorrow morning."
"I can't wait." Replied Hendrik.
"Tell me, Steve, what is your role in all of this?" he asked turning to Steve.
"I am overseeing her introduction to the world and making sure she stays out of harm's way."
Jane was looking intently at Steve as he spoke and it drew Steve's gaze.
Hendrik looked from Steve to Jane.
There was an awkward silence.
"Well, we best be off." Quipped Shuri, as she stood up, Steve and Jane followed her lead.
Hendrik ushered them out of his office and walked them back to the car, where his goodbyes were in much the same fashion as his hellos.
Jane turned to look down at the car while Steve made his way down the stairs and Shuri kissed Hendrik goodbye.
Not far from them a skinny, stray dog trotted across the campus, keeping a safe distance between him and the passing students. His head and tail were low, with his ears flattened against his neck. He had short, light golden brown fur, four white socks and a white chest. His eyes caught Jane's as she watched him go and he stopped for a moment, sniffing the air, his ears pricked, a front paw lifting before trotting on, giving her a backward glance as he disappeared behind some bushes.
"Jane?" came Shuri's voice from the bottom of the stairs, looking at her with mild concern.
Jane's attention snapped to Shuri, and she made her way down the stairs quickly.
Steve held the door open for her as she climbed in behind Shuri. His eyes were scanning the perimeter in the direction Jane had been staring.
They drove back on a different route, and Jane bombarded Shuri with questions about all the things she saw from her window, which Shuri answered as quickly as Jane asked them.
All too soon, for Jane at least, they were back in the courtyard of the Design Institute.
That evening, at dinner, Steve decided to talk to her about the fact that he may have to leave soon.
"Jane," began Steve as he watched her scratching at her vegetables with her fork, "I may have to go away for a while soon."
Jane looked up at him; concern etched on her features. "Why? For how long?"
"It's hard to explain, and I don't know how long I'll be gone." He offered.
"That's not an answer to either question." She said.
"I know, and I'm sorry."
Jane sat back in her chair, putting the fork down on the plate. "Can you tell me anything about you?"
The burning around his heart intensified. He wanted to tell her everything, but he didn't want to be Captain America to her. Here was a person who only knew him as Steve and she was going through the same thing he went through a few years ago. He was torn between sharing his story with her, to comfort her and being able to just be Steve Rogers. He knew it would come out at some point, but he wanted to hang on to her innocence of him for as long as he could.
He looked at his hands in his lap. "Jane, all I can say is that I understand what you're going through and that I am here to help you."
Jane sighed. "Okay, Steve." She resigned herself to his answer even though she hated that he wouldn't share anything about himself with her. She still felt that she could trust him and whatever his reasons were, that they must somehow be justified.
He searched her face. He could sense she was unhappy about his not sharing, but she didn't show him.
"Can you tell me about the night you found me?" She asked after a pause, her voice softer.
"I can do more than that." He felt his spirits lift.
Jane's eyes lit up at his words.
"Meet me in the Lab lounge after your check-in with Shuri."
Steve sat on the long couch in the Lab lounge. A tablet lay next to him as he watched a news channel, resting his head on his thumb, his index finger supporting his cheek and his middle finger resting on his upper lip. He could hear Jane approaching down the hall. Her footsteps were light and hurried. As the sound her shoes made on the floor changed from tile to carpet, he stood up and turned to see her striding across the room towards him, a look of excitement playing up her features.
"Hi." He greeted her, resisting the grin threatening to break the surface.
"Hi." She returned, stopping abruptly, unsure of how to handle this greeting and he couldn't fight it anymore. A grin crinkled the corners of his eyes and moved his cheeks under his beard. He glanced at his shoes for a moment before saying:
"Come on, let's get started." He made a motion with his head for her to come his way around the couch and waited for her to sit down before he picked up the tablet and seated himself next to her. There was an aura of warmth around him, and Jane subconsciously shifted a little closer as she settled.
"Has Shuri told you anything about the night we found you?" he asked.
"No, when she's doing her tests she's quite unresponsive to conversation. Today, while we were getting the clothes, was the first time we spoke about anything." Answered Jane.
Steve glanced into Janes' eyes as she spoke and quickly back to the tablet, he was growing more aware of his desire to become and stay lost there.
Jane didn't miss that he was avoiding her gaze.
He cleared his throat before he began tapping the tablet screen. "Let's start at the beginning when T'Challa called me out for help."
Steve began recounting the night they found Jane while showing her every video they had of the event. She moved closer to see the tablet screen a bit better as the videos played.
Steve felt like his body was radiating heat. Her knee was just an inch from his leg. He was sure she could feel him practically burning beside her, but she looked entirely enrapt in what was playing on the tablet and completely unaffected by him. His heart raced in his chest and jumped into his throat when her fingers grazed his as she took the tablet from him when the video of her being unwrapped from the shroud began to play.
She watched as Shuri pulled the rune out of her throat. She seemed horrified at her skeletal appearance at that time.
"Where is this stone?" She asked, pointing at the screen.
"Shuri's lab," answered Steve.
Once they'd finished watching all the videos, Jane absentmindedly handed Steve the tablet while staring into the distance. Her face marred with a strange expression.
"You okay?" asked Steve tentatively.
She swallowed, and her eyes dropped to her lap.
"What could I have done to deserve this?" She whispered.
"Hey," Steve's voice was soft and low, "you can't assume anything at this point. Until you remember something, you can't fill in the gaps with what you're feeling. It will drag you into a very dark place."
She looked up at him. "You know this place?"
He didn't answer.
She looked away as her jaw clenched. "Goodnight Steve." She whispered as she got up and left the room, leaving him staring after her.