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was lighter than the previous jet ride, but stress levels were still high. Alex had never seen Wakanda, but she had heard amazing things. She was excited to say the very least.

As they flew over the hidden city, Alex took in the sight. It was a mixture of developed but also urban. She was impressed with how well they'd kept their home hidden, and even more impressed that they had technology that far surpassed America's.

They finally landed, and there was a line of Wakandan soldiers standing behind their king. The team stepped out in unison, walking toward them on the tarmac.

"Should we bow?" Bruce asked, not having a single clue who T'Challa was.

"Yeah, he's a king." Rhodey responded.

Steve was the first to shake T'Challa's hand. "Seems like I'm always thanking you for something."

Bruce awkwardly bowed, making Alex giggle.

"Uh, we don't do that here." T'Challa waved him off. "So, how big of an assault can we expect?"

"Uh, sir, I think you can expect quite a big assault."

Once T'Challa reached Alex to shake her hand, she grinned. "We got off on the wrong foot, Cat Woman. Or should I say, paw?"

Steve's eyes almost bulged out of his head, but T'Challa spared her a smirk.

"How we looking?" Steve asked.

"You will have my King's Guard, the Border Tribe, the Dora Milaje, and I was told Miss Clark needed a bodyguard, so you have--"

"--A semi-stable, 100-year-old man." They heard.

All parties turned to see Bucky waltzing over with a shiny new addition to his torso. Alex rose an eyebrow, ignoring his smug grin.

"Bodyguards are supposed to be capable of fighting." She jabbed.

"Guess we can arm-wrestle over it." Bucky responded. "How've you been, Clark?"

"Been better."

Steve then embraced his old friend, a grin evident on his face.

"How you been, Buck?"

"Uh, not bad, for the end of the world."

"Let's get you all situated inside," The woman next to T'Challa spoke.

She introduced herself as Okoye, showing them into the building. Alex was in awe of the place--something about it just seemed so mysterious. Maybe it was the fact that it was hidden from the world, but nonetheless, it was beautiful.

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

They all collectively went to a lab, where they met T'Challa's younger sister, Shuri.

Vision laid on a metal table, while Bruce and Shuri stood over him. Alex was in awe of the mind on the young girl, who seemed to take the matter into her own hands.

"The structure is polymorphic." She spoke.

"Right, we had to attach each neuron non-sequentially." Bruce agreed.

"Why didn't you just reprogram the synapses to work collectively?"

Bruce was dumbstruck. "Because, we didn't think of it."

"I'm sure you did your best."

Alex smiled. She loved when women showed up men.

"Can you do it?" Wanda nervously asked.

"Yes, but there are more than two trillion neurons here. One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures." Shuri turned to T'Challa. "It will take time, brother."

"How long?" Steve asked.

"As long as you can give me."

They all looked around at each other, nodding. The clock was ticking until Thanos came to earth in pursuit of the stones, but at least they could take a breath.

"In the mean time, we've got no time to waste. I'm assuming you've got training facilities," Steve spoke to the King.

"Of course. You have access to all the facilities of my palace. Okoye will show you to your rooms, as well as give you a tour,"

Okoye didn't look pleased to be a tour guide, which made T'Challa smirk. However, she was glad to serve him.

"Alex, your stone," Steve reminded.

She looked down at her neck, then back at Steve. She wouldn't admit it, but she didn't want to hand it over. Something kept her tied to it, and she knew it was because it was all she had left of Loki.

"My brother told me about you." Shuri spoke up excitedly.

"Shuri." T'Challa scolded.

"I've heard what you can do. Rearrange energy, manipulate it. I think if anyone is capable of protecting the stone--it's her."

"Well, then it's settled. But, while you're watching the stone, Bucky will watch your back." Steve smiled at Alex's frown.

"Once you settle into your room, T'Challa can show you some things in the weapon room." Shuri grinned.

Alex looked over to T'Challa, who rose his eyebrows. "I suppose I can show you."

She simply nodded. Okoye brought the team to a long hallway of rooms, of which they all got their own. They had a futuristic feel, with the interior having mostly monochrome designs. Steve chose the room next to Alex's in order to keep an eye on her, and Bucky decided to stay with him. He would've stayed with Alex to ensure her safety, but Steve rejected the idea.

Alex retreated into her room with hopes of taking a breather. She turned on the shower, which was nicer than any hotel she'd ever stayed in. She tapped the tablet on the wall to dim the lights in the shower, turning on the overhead water stream. She stripped of her clothes, discarding them in the hamper. She stepped into the shower, feeling the warm water fall on her skin.

She ran her fingers through her hair, closing her eyes. In the darkness, her mind began to wander to places she'd been reluctant to think of. She thought back to when she'd bathe in the luxe castle of Asgard, and what it felt like to not have a care in the world. Despite all she'd had to fight, when she went to Asgard with Loki, she felt careless. Maybe it was because she was in a completely different realm, or maybe it was because she was with him.

Her eyes snapped open, and she rubbed them. She hated being by herself now, forced to face the intrusive feelings. She began to despise the voice in her head that wouldn't relent. The things it told her made her feel weak.

Alex quickly cleaned herself before she stepped out of the shower. She dressed herself in black leggings and a long-sleeved tight cotton shirt provided by Okoye. She slipped on her sneakers before leaving the room.

"Where do you think you're going?" She heard.

She sighed, turning. "Steve, I don't need a babysitter. I'm only going to see what T'Challa wants to show me in the weapon room."

"Bucky can go with you."

"That's really not necessary--"

"No worries, I don't mind." Bucky came out of his room, a smirk painted on his face.

Alex rolled her eyes, turning to walk. Bucky rose his eyebrows to Steve before jogging to catch up with her.

"So, I take it you've had a rough couple of days?" Bucky asked.

"You seem worse off. Who told you the long hair looked good?" Alex jabbed.

"Many Wakandan ladies."

She scoffed.

"Do you know what T'Challa wants to show you?"

"No clue."

They approached the weapon room, where they had to gain access from guards to get in. Inside, they were both in awe. Bucky was in awe of the various guns that were displayed, but Alex was in awe of the suits.

"You've come," A young female voice spoke.

Alex turned to see Shuri grinning.

"I thought you said T'Challa was going to show me."

"I'm quite smarter than him," Shuri marveled. "And he's got things to attend to. I've got a machine working on Vision while I do this."

"Alright, so what's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about your power. The energy manipulation--that is an extremely powerful ability to have. Energy powers everything. But, it can't be created or destroyed."

"So, what does that mean?"

"You can only absorb energy. When you take it from someone, it absorbs into you,"

"Then why did I always grow tired when I did it?"

"Energy may be limited to the amount of energy a person can hold in themselves." Shuri explained. "But, since you've had a development, this doesn't occur anymore."

"How'd you know I was immortal?"

"You hear things." Shuri shrugged. "Especially something of that level. But I have some technology you could use--"

"Shuri, what would happen if I completely drained someone of their energy?"

"Completely draining someone of their energy, at your power level, could result in their death."

Alex's eyes widened.

"How would I prevent myself from doing that?"

"With restraint. Once you begin to drain someone, you can control how much you absorb."

Bucky sat silent in the corner of the room as the two women had their conversation. He marveled at how powerful Alex was, as she didn't carry herself to her true power. She was humble, which was remarkable.

"I can show you some tech if you'd like. You can use them in training tomorrow." Shuri offered.

Alex smiled. This was how she'd get her mind to stop wandering. She'd throw herself into improving her skills, and ultimately, defeating what lied ahead. Maybe if she focused on her work, the thoughts would cease.

"Sure, I'd love that."

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𝚑𝚒 𝚋𝚋𝚢𝚜!

𝚜𝚘 𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚗 𝚆𝚊𝚔𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚊 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚌 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚗

𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚘 𝚢'𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔? 𝚍𝚘 𝚢'𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝙰𝚕𝚎𝚡 𝚒𝚜? 𝚍𝚘 𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜?

𝚈𝙰𝙻𝙻 𝙰𝚁𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝙴𝚂𝚃 𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙴𝚁𝚂 𝙴𝚅𝙴𝚁 𝙸 𝙻𝚄𝚅 𝚈𝙰𝙻𝙻