𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐃| 𝐒. 𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 |

eighteen

As Milana steps out of the Quinjet and onto the soil of Wakanda, she is immediately struck by the breathtaking beauty and grandeur of the place. Wakanda is unlike any other place she has ever seen—a harmonious blend of advanced technology and vibrant natural landscapes.

Vibranium-infused technology is visible everywhere, from the floating transport vehicles that glide silently above the streets to the advanced communication devices worn by the people. The streets are bustling with activity, filled with Wakandans dressed in a blend of traditional garments and high-tech accessories, showcasing the unique cultural fusion that defines the nation

"Should we bow?" Bruce asks nervously, putting his jacket on. 

"Duh." Rhodey says. "He's a king."

When the group approach T'Challa, Bruce clears his throat and bows slightly, causing Rhodey to give him a weird look and nudge his arm. 

"Dude, what are you doing?" He asks, internally grinning. 

"Uh, we don't do that here." T'Challa tells Bruce, who blushes out of embarrassment and gives Rhodey a death stare. "So, how big of an assault should we expect?"

"Um, sir." Bruce pushes to the front once the group begins moving to the palace. "Sir, I think you should expect quite a big assault."

"How are we looking?" Natasha asks the king. 

"You will have my Kings guard, the Boarder Tribe, the Dora Milaje and..." T'Challa trails off when they approach a familiar figure. 

"A semi stable one hundred-year-old man." Bucky says jokingly, and he embraces Steve with his brand new Vibranium arm. 

"How you been, Buck?" Steve asks his old friend, patting his shoulder. 

The Winter Soldier shrugs. "Eh, not bad. For the end of the world."

T'Challa leads the group up into his younger sister's lab, where she apparently has the skill and equipment to remove the Mind Stone from Vision's head safely. Milana doubts this for a moment, but then she actually steps foot in the lab. She's amazed by the number of technological advancements they have, making Tony's lab back at the compound look like sticks and stones. 

The girl, named Shuri, scans Vision's body with a bracelet. "The structure is polymorphic." She says to herself.

"Right, we had to attach each neuron non sequentially." Bruce says, putting his glasses on. 

The teenage girl snorts. "Why didn't you just reprogramme the synapses to work collectively?"

Vision, along with everyone else in the room looks at Bruce expectantly, wondering why he didn't do exactly that. If a teenage girl could figure it out, Bruce has no excuse. 

Bruce, feeling all the judgement from everyone, clears his throat and avoids eye contact. "Because....we didn't think of it?"

"I'm sure you did your best." Shuri says patronisingly, making Milana giggle a little bit. 

"Can you do it?" Wanda asks anxiously, tapping her foot repeatedly on the ground. 

Shuri nods. "Yes, but there are more than two trillion neurons here. One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures. It'll take time, brother."

"How long?" Steve wonders.

"As long as you can give me."

Suddenly, an alert sounds on Okoye, the general's, Kimoyo beads. "Something has entered the atmosphere." She tells her king. 

Just then, bombs drop from the sky, some not being able to penetrate through the technological dome around the main city, but others exploding in the fields surrounding it, causing the group to look out of the window in horror.