Black Panther: Rise of the Princess (COMPLETE)

Chapter 48: Steve

1 month later...

"So let me get this straight," Sam stopped me mid-sentence, trying to understand. "They're going to take your brain out of the cyborg body, and put it in a cloned body they made for you."

Bucky shrugged. "That's the dumbed down version of what Shuri told me."

He looked at me. "And if I come, I don't have to do any of this surgery stuff, right?"

I shook my head. "T'Challa just wanted to invite you, along with a few other friends. Nat is going to pick up Peter, Tony, and Bruce, and we have a ride that will take us to the airport and fly us over to Wakanda. Fury and Hill will meet us there."

"Sounds like the whole gang is getting back together, then," he remarked, zipping up his bag.

"This is a scientific breakthrough, Sam," Bucky argued. "At least sound excited."

"I'm too confused to be excited," he complained, which sparked an argument about Sam's enthusiasm in science. I would have stayed to watch, but a knock came at the door, so I went to answer it. It was probably our ride.

It was. Raven was standing outside the door, with a set of keys in her hand. "Morning, Captain. Is everyone ready?"

I looked over my shoulder. "I think so. Guys! Time to go!" Turning back to the SHIELD agent, I grinned. "Good to see you, Shots."

"You as well," she answered. "Make sure you have everything, I'm not turning back around once we leave."

Bucky, Sam, and I dragged our bags to the trunk of her car, where hers was already sitting. After loading his bag, Sam looked Raven up and down. "You must be the SHIELD agent I've heard about. Sam Wilson."

She shook his hand. "Agent Raven. Pleasure to meet you. I'm a big fan of your movie."

"Movie? What movie?"

Raven pulled out her phone, and after a few seconds, showed it to Sam. Bucky and I crowded over Sam's shoulder, and saw Sam fall into the water from when I scared him last month. Bucky and I lost it as he screamed and tripped into the water, while Sam went red and swiped the phone. "Give me that," he demanded, powering it off.

I slid into the passenger seat, and Sam crawled into the backseat with a bit of grumbling. Bucky sat behind me while Raven got behind the wheel.

"So where are we headed?" I asked, while the teenager started the car.

"JFK Airport," she answered. "We have a jet waiting for us, fueled and ready to go."

Sam leaned around her seat. "Is there also a pilot waiting for us?"

Bucky facepalmed. "Sam, she is the pilot."

"She's a kid! How can she fly a jet?"

"She's a SHIELD agent!"

"She is driving the vehicle," Raven put in, "and is in charge of the music. You might want to be nice to me."

I laughed as she turned on the radio, some soft rock station that was popular at the time. Leaning back, I rolled down the window, watching the buildings pass by. Nothing extraordinary to look at, but better than nothing.

"You gotta roll the window down?" Bucky complained. "I'm eating my own hair."

Sam snickered. "Well maybe if your hair wasn't so long-"

"My hair is just fine, thank you."

"I'm just saying, if it was shorter, it wouldn't get in your mouth."

"And maybe if you were taller, you wouldn't need to fly to feel tall."

"You are BARELY an inch taller, that doesn't even count-"

"Yes it does!"

"No, it doesn't!"

"Guys..."

"The only reason you're even that tall is 'cause you got jacked up on steroids, how is that fair?"

"Oh, do you want to take a turn?"

"I never said that-"

"Let's go back to Germany, I bet they'll hook you right up."

"Bucky, calm down-"

"You're afraid of heights!"

"Shut the hell up!"

"Do you guys just wanna go back?" I yelled back at them, turning to face them. "Raven and I can go by ourselves, that's totally fine!"

She started laughing so hard I thought she might lose control of the car. None of this stopped Bucky or Sam, though, who continued to argue.

I groaned and leaned back in my seat. "How much longer until JFK?"

In response, Raven pulled up the ETA on the GPS. It was only fifteen miles or so, but with New York traffic, it was going to be a long time before I got a break from the two in the backseat.

Hopefully we would get separate rooms in Wakanda.