The Liberty War || Infinity War & Endgame

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Fearful Odds

Music is "Empires" by Ruelle.

Picture is the Battle of Wakanda.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: Fearful Odds

Steve's shields unsheathe. Bucky's finger hovers over the trigger. My bowstaff is gripped tightly in my hands. The Border Tribe drops their Basotho blanket shields. T'Challa steps forward. His arms cross over his chest, the Wakandan salute, and his claws and mask emerge.

"Wakanda forever!"

The battle cry sounds throughout the armies, and the Black Panther charges forward. Everyone else follows suit. I keep pace with Bucky and Natasha as Steve and T'Challa race ahead, outrunning everyone else on the battlefield.

"Now!"

T'Challa's signal tells the palace to open the barrier in front of us. The blue-tinted dome splits down the middle, allowing a meter's length portion to remain unguarded. The creatures crawl over each other as they escape through. The plan works; they're no longer trying to go around us, but now we have an equally big problem. The monsters have knocked down our door, and we're all that stands between them and a city of almost fifteen million people.

We meet them at the riverbanks. Wakandans and Avengers clashing against alien creatures. Each of us are fighting for our lives and the lives of those in the city behind us. The once peaceful and beautiful pasture has turned into a battlefield. A chaotic frenzy ensues. I feel my heart racing in my chest and blood pulsing in my ears.

"How much longer, Shuri?" T'Challa shouts over the com link in desperation.

"I've barely begun, brother!"

"You might want to pick up the pace."

Natasha has her back to mine, and Bucky engages a creature a meter or so away. He uses his metal arm to take it down as Natasha leaps forward and plunges her electric batons into the skull of another. I jump over one of them, hitting one of the buttons in the middle of the staff as I strike the blunt end into its neck. A blade shoots from the end of the staff, and it cuts down the middle of the creature as I land on the other side.

Natasha glances at my new weapon and nods her approval. "Nice work."

I hit the button again, and another blade extends from the opposite end. "That is incredibly useful."

Okoye leaps behind Natasha and stabs a creature in the chest as it leaps for them both. As the Dora Milaje general thrust the creature's corpse to the side, she turns to scowl at us.

"Less talking, more fighting."

I hear Bucky grunt behind me. As I turn, I see a creature crush him to the ground, knocking his weapon to the side. He draws a knife and fights back, but there's only so much a six-inch blade can do against an alien monster.

I run for him, pressing another switch along the side of my new weapon. This time, the bowstaff glows with bound kinetic energy, just like the Black Panther suit does. I've seen what T'Challa can do with that, and a smile forms on my face when an idea comes to mind.

With the bowstaff pulled back like a baseball bat, I swing it with everything I have as I get to Bucky and his assailant. When I get close enough to land a hit, I let the metal rob fly. As it hits the creature, all the kinetic energy compiled over the last few minutes rushes to the end and blows the creature off Bucky. It flies into a pile of other creatures.

I offer Bucky a hand. He takes it, pulling himself up and snatching his assault riffle along the way. "Are you okay?" I ask worriedly.

He nods, breathing heavily. "Swell."