Black Panther: Rise of the Princess (COMPLETE)

Chapter 12: Shuri

I disconnected from the call still laughing. I loved to tease my brother, even if he was the King. It's nice to see him get flustered.

I returned my attention to screens that I was watching Peter through. "Has anything happened yet?"

His lenses shook left to right. "No, not yet. Are we sure this is who we're after?"

"It is he only lead we have so far. Just keep waiting, we have time."

A cheer rose up in his microphone. "Everyone just started moving, do I go with them?"

"If T'Lila, P'Joba, and N'Kako are going, then don't lose them!"

He stood up and made to follow the crowd, but it had thickened, and the three suspects had spaced out more than was convenient. Peter tried to stay within eyesight of all theee, but they turned down different streets.

"Princess, they're separating. I'm following this one," he said, turning to follow N'Kako.

I hadn't wanted to do this, but I opened the street cameras. I had been trying to avoid doing so, because I didn't like spying on our own people, but we needed to know if they were helping HYDRA. "I can see the other two. See where he is going, I'll keep you updated."

Peter stayed about five meters behind N'Kako, close enough that he could keep an eye on him, but far enough away that he seemed to be going with the crowd. T'Lila and P'Joba split off from the others, going down a separate street to the parade. Again, they were in the thick of a crowd, so it was difficult to know if they were traitors. Unless they showed up preparing for another transaction with HYDRA, it was going to be a fire in the dark.

That's not what happened, though. All three of their suspects went to watch the start of the parade, just like everyone else. They mingled, and conversed with others around them, and when the parade started, they cheered just as loud as the person next to them.

"Anything on the other two?" Peter asked, and I shook my head, even though he couldn't see me.

"Nothing. T'Lila and P'Joba seem to be enjoying the parade, but so is the rest of the crowd."

"Where I'm standing, it's already been going on for several minutes, and N'Kako hasn't moved from the side of the street. Do we want to stay for the rest of the parade, or should w-"

At that moment, a large explosion came from the front of the parade. It wasn't close to the three we were watching, but it was loud enough that I heard it through Peter's earpiece.

"Peter!" I yelled, switching frantically to the cameras that were showing the explosion.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm on it!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his camera rise into the air above the parade, which had come to a stop. Civilians were flooding away from the floats, into buildings and back into their homes. Peter was the only one moving towards the explosion, from what I could tell.

My kimoyo beads beeped again, and I knew my brother was calling. I answered it as I pulled up the monitors from the explosion. "Shuri!"

"I know, brother, Peter is already on his way." I said, right as the screen changed. I felt my jaw drop as I saw the aftermath of the explosion. "Bast have mercy on us," I whispered.

The bomb must have been lodged in the first float, and it was right in front of the palace. Shrapnel covered the street, and several guards and civilians alike were lying unconscious on the ground. At least, I hoped they were unconscious.

"T'Challa, how close were you to the bomb?"

"I was right next to it, with Nakia and Mother."

Oh no. No, no, not them too. "Are they all right?" He did not answer right away. "T'Challa!"

"They were hurt badly," he finally answered, "but they are still alive. Shuri, I need you to get your lab ready for them, and anyone else who needs healing!"

"I will, brother," I said, fighting back tears. I disconnected from the call and turned to prepare my lab. I had as many tables as were available ready when Peter's voice rang through the room.

"Hey, Shuri, I'm assuming you can already see this?"

I did not stop working, but I answered him in as steady of a voice as I could. "Yes, I am getting ready for the injured."

"I've already moved a lot of people out of the way, Shuri. I'm going to help the guard pull people out of the wreckage, then I'll see if I can find anything."

"Just stay safe," I told him. "And forget about the suspects for now. This is more important."

"Got it," he responded, and he did not speak to me again.

I tried to even out my breath as I began to assemble doses of painkillers. I tried not to think about how Father had also died from a bomb, and about how Mother and Nakia were now in danger of the same thing. I tried not to worry about the hundreds of others that were now in critical condition, and I tried not to fear that one of our own people would commit such a crime against their own. I tried, but I could not.

Nakia might be worried about protecting our civilians, but if we did not stop whoever was doing this, then there would not be many civilians left to protect. I vowed, silently, to myself, that if I found whoever, or whatever, that did this, that they would be put somewhere where they could no longer hurt so many people. It did not matter if they were Wakandan, or with HYDRA, or anything else. No one attacks my family and gets away with it.

No one.