A Panther's Purpose

Outed

It had been over three hours since the search started. The three had stuffed up on a bunch of fancy mini meals and snacks and had passed out lying against one another against the wall on one of the operating tables. Shuri had brought a bit of cushion and some blankets had it have been the case.

In the middle of their peaceful nap, Erik's kimoyo beads began to light up in a fading on and off manner and made a strange whirring sound.

Being the lightest sleeper, T'Challa woke up to the sound, eyebrows furrowed and eyes squinted as he looked around. He looked down and noticed the beads, tilting his head as he'd never seen such phenomenon from said beads before.

He tapped on Shuri's, his eyes staying on the beads. "Shuri." He called, his sister waking up groggy as she groaned and opened her eyes. "What is it..?"

"Look."

He pointed to them in which she directed her attention to them.

"Is that a normal sequence..?" T'Challa asked, hoping for a clear answer and that it had always been a thing. Shuri, however, shook her head. "I do not remember programming it to do such a thing.."

Almost immediately after, she reached over and started to quickly remove it. "We need to destroy it." She said, pulling it off and standing up. She threw it to the ground, picking up her arm blaster and not hesitating to shoot directly at it and blow it to pieces.

"Oh shit-!" Erik was startled out of his sleep, convinced he had just woken up to an attack as he blocked every part of him and sat up hurriedly.

"It's alright, it's alright. Your Kimoyo beads were doing something strange and Shuri destroyed it."

When Erik had taken a few moments to process the information and that everything and everyone was fine, he let out a heavy relieved breath and closed his eyes. "God damn I might've just died from a heart attack if anything." He said, placing his hand over his heart.

T'Challa couldn't help but laugh a bit, bringing his arm around him. "You are fine, I assure you." He said, kissing Erik's forehead which once again, his charm immediately began to soothe him.

However, the feeling didn't last long before he remembered about the beads and looked down at the singed spot on the floor.

"You said they was actin strange? How?"

"They were lighting up in a way Shuri hadn't programmed. Making a humming sound."

Erik furrowed his eyebrows. "Damn they got to my beads too?? How long was it on?"

"I'm not sure. I heard it as I was waking up out of my sleep. Could have been a built in explosive, gps, anything."

"Which is why I destroyed it. No time to waste finding out. All possibilities are bad." Shuri said, setting her blaster down.

Erik sighed, rubbing his eyes. "These bastards determined as hell-"

Before he could continue, there was a knock on the lab door. The three of them froze, looking at each other cautiously and quietly.

"Bad guys don't usually knock right..?" Erik asked quietly.

"Not usually. But we are talking about my general here.." He said, starting to slowly make his way to the door. 'T-"

T'Challa looked back at Erik with a finger to his lips, shushing him silently.

Erik stayed quietly, swallowing thickly as he watched anxiously.

Shuri placed her hand onto Erik's shoulder, the other on her blaster as she watched alongside him.

T'Challa went up to the door, standing to the side of it. "Who is it?" He asked first, expecting something to go completely wrong.