This is War

VIII

QUINJET

Sam was piloting Rhodey, Steve, Natasha, Wanda, Vision and Michaela, who tried to keep her cool. One would think she'd be used to flying, yet it still terrified her.

Steve walked up to the pilot's seat and said, "Drop to 2600, heading 0-3-0."

"I hope you and Mick are right about this Cap," Sam stated. "Or we're gonna land a lot faster than you want to."

The Quinjet passed through a camoflauge force field into Wakanda's Golden City's valley and landed at the airfield outside the palace. King T'Challa and the Dora Milaje approached to greet the arrivals.

Okoye, walking with T'Challa and a band of the Kingsguard to the landing pad, said, "When you said we were going to open Wakanda to the rest of the world... this is not what I imagined."

"And what did you imagine?" T'Challa asked.

"The Olympics. Maybe even a Starbucks."

The occupants of the Quinjet disembarked, Steve, Natasha and Michaela leading, followed by Bruce and Rhodey, with Vision and Wanda slowly taking up the rear.

"Should we bow?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah, he's a king," Rhodey replied seriously.

"Seems like Mick and I are always thanking you for something," Steve said as he and Michaela shook hands with King T'Challa.

Bruce bowed awkwardly to T'Challa before Rhodey asked in a mock shocked tone, "What are you doing?"

"Uh, we don't do that here," T'Challa told him. He dissuaded Bruce with a motion of his hand; Bruce shot Rhodey a look and was answered with a big grin. "So how big of an assault can we expect?"

The group began walking back into the administrative building.

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

"How we looking?" Natasha asked.

"You will have my Kingsguard, the Border Tribe, the Dora Milaje, and..." T'Challa was cut off.

Bucky smiled as he walked towards Steve and Michaela, passing some of the Kingsguard taking Vision and Wanda to another facility before saying, "A semi-stable, 100-year-old-man."

The three friends shared a hug.

"How you been, Buck?" Steve asked.

"Uh, not bad, for the end of the world," Bucky replied, turning to the blonde. "Hey, Mick."

Michaela grinned, throwing her arms around Bucky for a second hug. "You're awake!"

Bucky brushed her hair back. "Yeah, I am. I missed you, Mick."

"I missed you too, Buck," Michaela replied softly.

Bucky took her hand and squeezed it gently.

SHURI'S LAB

Shuri scanned the Stone with her kimoyo beads while Vision laid on the examination table. She flipped her hand over and studied the hologram projected over her palm before saying, "Whoa. The structure is polymorphic."

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

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

Vision looked at Bruce as if to ask the same thing before Bruce said uncertainly, "Because, we didn't think of it."

Shuri, reassuringly with a smile, replied, "I'm sure you did your best."