Malen'kaya Zemlya [2] [P. Parker]

2.18 Exhaustion

Barnes made us work.

In fact, he told us, "You've got to work for a living, guys."

That was what prompted the music.

Music, aka me singing very off key and loud.

"Workin' for a livin', workin!" I sang as I swept the floor. "Workin' for a livin', livin' and workin', I'm takin' what they're givin' cos I'm workin' for a livin'!"

"Shut up!" Barnes shouted from outside.

I sang louder. "Work, work, work, work, work, work. You see me I be work, work, work, work, work, work!"

"If you don't shut up I'm going to strangle you!"

Something about a death threat coming from an ex-assassin for HYDRA really sobered me up.

So I stopped.

It had been a week and I was exhausted.

Shuri had made it her personal mission to see us every day with updates from the outside world and to check up on our health.

However, instead of doing that, she would sit on one of the stairs of the small hut and talk to me about anything under the sun.

At first, the Dora Milaje, the royal guard, would come too, but the last few days, they hadn't. I had a strange feeling they didn't like me. Maybe it was the way they glared at me all the time or the way one of them put a spear to my throat when I jokingly glared at Shuri for making a joke at my expense? I don't know, it was a funny feeling.

After about another two weeks of working with goats, Shuri came to see me and Ryker.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked.

"We got a call from Tony Stark. Said Spider-Man needed a babysitter? Anyway, how did he know where you are?" she asked in reply.

"I don't know," I said with a frown. "I didn't tell him if that's what you're thinking. Neither did Ryker."

"I didn't think that, calm down." She laughed and started to walk away. "Come on. I finished updating your suit."

"Updating?" I asked as I scurried along behind her, jerking my head for Ryker to follow.

"Yes, updating. They're in my lab."

Two Dora Milaje followed us into the lab.

"It's okay," Shuri said to them. "They're superheroes, they won't hurt me."

The pair gave Ryker and I a stony glare and marched out to stand by the door.

"Anyway," Shuri said turning to us. "Here they are."

The suits were now veined with bright silver metal, shining in the light.

"What's that?" Ryker asked. "Is that vibranium?"

"Yes, it is!" Shuri exclaimed excitedly. "It will make your suits ten times stronger and it's light too. The veins you see on the surface spread out inside the carbon fibre, creating another layer of protection. The vibranium will shield you from bullets but the first layer will rip, so if it does, it may weaken the metal and you'll need to come back here."

Ryker and I nodded in understanding.

"Well? Try them on!" she waved at us.

We picked up our suits and pressed the buttons to make them necklaces.