Black Panther: Rise of the Princess (COMPLETE)

Chapter 51: Bucky

"You nervous?" I asked Steve, not expecting any particular answer.

He looked over at his new body, on the next table over. "The last time I went through something like this, it wasn't exactly pleasant."

I nodded, before clarifying, "And the last time was..."

"1945," he finished, and I smirked. "How long ago was that nowadays?"

Shuri walked over, donning full lab dress and goggles over her forehead. "Seventy-eight years ago," she answered, joining the conversation. "This time, however, should be much more pleasant. You won't feel a thing until you wake up in a few hours, and by that time, the surgery will have finished long ago."

I chuckled. "I wish they had stuff like this when we went under. Not that HYDRA would have used it anyways."

"They still don't," Steve added, staring off into space. "From what I remember."

"Everything looks good, Your Highness," Tony called from the corner of the room, having finished his inspection of whatever Shuri had told him to inspect. "Should go off without a hitch. "

Bruce walked over to the exit, to rejoin the others who were watching from the window. "We'll be out here waiting for you when you wake up," he assured me. "Good luck, Steve."

I nodded at him. "Thanks, Bruce. I don't think I'll need it, though."

He chuckled and walked out, muttering something about wanting something like this in his lab. Tony followed him, giving Steve one last confident nod before the door sealed behind him. He probably needed it, at this point.

It was time for me to leave, too. I put on a smile, for his sake. "Don't worry," I told him. "If she can help me, there's nothing she can't do for you."

"I know, Buck," he replied, laying down for the last time in his HYDRA body. "I know."

I took one last breath before looking up at the Princess. "He's all yours," I told her, following the others to the waiting area, secretly glad I wasn't the one going under this time.

Everyone was standing at the window as Shuri's team geared up and began the procedure. Once they started, they would tint the windows, so we couldn't observe, and they wouldn't get distracted. If it meant this went smoother, I wasn't about to complain.

Shuri connected her system to Steve's outlet in his neck and started talking him through what she was doing. It was part of their system, meant to help comfort the patient. Steve nodded at something she said, and she turned to give instructions to her team.

"Here we go," Rhodey sighed, and we all saw Steve's body freeze. He was no longer controlling the cyborg.

We couldn't watch anything else, so the windows went opaque and everyone made to sit down. T'Challa, though, waved us all to the next room over. "Until they finish the surgery, we have a more comfortable room in here. Feel free to move about the lab, as long as your wristband allows you access."

"What, is this like our quest badge?" Tony asked, clearly not expecting T'Challa to say yes. When he nodded, his face blanked. "Oh. Nice."

I sat on a couch next to Sam and Natasha, who were doing about as well as I was. We all knew that Steve was going to be fine, but that didn't mean it wasn't stressful. We just wanted him to be okay.

"You must be pretty used to this," Sam commented, looking behind him. "I can't imagine how many surgeries you've gone through."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure none of those were brain transplants," Natasha retorted, reclining on the couch. I could tell she was still tense, but only because I had trained her. She was controlling her body language, for our sake. "That's a little bit bigger than an arm."

"No it isn't," Sam teased, before getting pushed away from her.

I smiled, looking down at my left hand. "I'm not worried for him. I'm just glad he doesn't have to live like this anymore."

Sam glanced at my arm. After five years of keeping an eye on me, he knew me better than he would ever admit. "You know, I bet we could convince her to make a new arm for you. If she can clone a body, I don't think an arm is going to be much of an issue."

I didn't answer right away, mostly because he was right. The royal family had a bit of a soft spot for me, as I was the only American citizen of Wakanda. Shuri would absolutely be willing, as well, but I was finally able to stop seeing it as just a weapon anymore. My metal arm could protect people, too, not just hurt them. It was tempting, it really was, but for now, I was okay.

"Maybe when she's not as busy," I finally replied, looking up at them. "One thing at a time."

"That's a no, by the way," Nat translated. I kicked her leg, but both of us were smirking.