//------------------------------// // Chapter 49 – I Know Somewhere // Story: Infinity Era // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// 49 Earth Approaching the Mountain The Nation of Wakanda 4:08 p.m. Phil Coulson felt the gloved-palm of Steve Rogers resting on his shoulder. Prompting his worrisome expression away from the approaching mountainside, he instead let his eyes fall into the comforting and strong embrace that Captain America was capable of. Despite ripping the star off his chest, despite having no shield in sight, despite abandoning the mantle as the Sentinel of Liberty, the true Steve Rogers—the man born to be that hero—still smiled to him. Phil let his childlike wonder almost slip through, finding ease in Steve’s smile. Gripping the man’s shoulder tightly, Steve Rogers said, “Trust me on this.” And for some reason Phil already knew, he did. He trusted Steve Rogers. He trusted the man to lead the Zephyr One straight into the quickly approaching mountain. With his hands pressed on the seats behind the pilots—Piper and Davis—Phil could tell they were growing uneasy the longer they kept the Zephyr flying straight ahead. On any other given occasion, they would have turned the ship away. But considering Captain America himself was telling them to fly forward, then there must have been something to it. “Keep going,” Phil said behind them. That, and their director told them to. With much reluctance lingering, Piper and Davis kept the Zephyr centered forward, straight ahead, right into the face of the mountain growing larger by the second. Piper looked back, spotting Steve Rogers’ strong smile holding on. She looked to Coulson, seeing that same smile, albeit still holding some forms of worry for what lied ahead. When she faced forward, that’s when the Zephyr impacted the mountain. She flinched and closed her eyes, expecting death to come with resounding force. Other than the unusual sounds filling her ears, there was nothing. The Zephyr kept flying. Davis elbowed her to get her eyes back open, saying she definitely needed to see this. Piper opened her eyes. Her jaw fell, a tiny squeak of a gasp escaped her, she and Davis completely awestruck on what they witnessed. Phil Coulson seemed impressed by what he saw lying within the mountain camouflage. He seemed impressed. A part of him—a part of him a long time ago—always knew there was something special about that lone, African nation. Steve smiled, his elbow pressed against the wall of the pilot’s cabin, his palm against the glass windshield. The afternoon sunlight spilled inside, almost blinding them. But none of it could hide the capital city of the nation of Wakanda. The occupants within the Zephyr One crowded around windows, stared with eye-boggling shock at the maps materializing in holograms in the main bridge, and just couldn’t get enough of the approaching city in the distance. Fitz and Simmons stared at the images appearing on the maps, Mack, Yo-Yo, and Deathlok right behind them. Others—and mostly every agent—surrounded the walls of the Zephyr, peeking out of windows to witness the city with their own eyes. Daisy Johnson was one of them, alongside Bobbi Morse and Lance Hunter, Deke Shaw, and Robbie Reyes. Some were awed by the scope and scale of the African city. Others—mainly Reyes—just looked bored. Melinda May’s Quinjet flew by, Daisy staring at it for a moment before returning to the sprawling city. The closer they got, the more the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. realized that the buildings weren’t any ordinary buildings. The skyscrapers appeared more like something one would see rising in Dubai, but even more futuristic. Once they flew past the towers, the shadows fell across the Zephyr, Daisy and her fellow agents gazing at each for a prolonged period of time. They were all gaping in awe, unable to fully process the type of utopia they had entered. Natasha Romanoff, Sam Wilson, and Wanda Maximoff came up behind Steve Rogers and Phil Coulson. Wanda, with a slight limp to her step, met Steve’s welcoming grin with one of her own. The afternoon sunlight felt nice after being cramped up in a medical room all night and day. Natasha’s white bangs bounced and swayed to her movements, the Black Widow resting her elbow on Phil’s shoulder as the two of them smiled warmly to the oncoming Wakandan capital city. Sam rested his hands on his belt, his goggles still covering his eyes, but not hiding his smile. A safe refuge at last after all the madness they had been through was enough to cheer him up. “Phil…” Everyone—not just Coulson—turned to Steve when he called to him. His beard seemed to glow in the sunlight, his eyes narrowed as the light shone bright through the Zephyr’s windshield. They seemed to approach the center of the city, a massive palace awaiting them. Steve slowly turned his warming gaze away from it all… and just seemed to focus on his allies. His friends. The only people in the world he could truly call his family. And Phil Coulson was a welcome member of it. He said, “Welcome to Wakanda.” The Royal Palace of Wakanda awaited patiently for the arrival of the Zephyr One. From the pilot’s cabin, Phil and Steve could see as the large landing pad rested below, the ramp leading straight ahead towards the palace and the numerous Wakandan guards standing at the ready. Between them all, three figures stood proud and ready, wearing what appeared to be proper royal attire. Phil and his agents couldn’t fairly tell. They only way they could was if they got closer. Piper and Davis settled Zephyr One down on the landing pad, Phil watching from the pilot’s cabin as May set the Quinjet down on the landing pad to their right, where the Wakandan guards directed her to land. Once the Zephyr fully settled down and Piper and Davis killed the engines, that’s when the remaining agents and Avengers within the ship took the next steps forward, continuing onward in their journey to sanctuary. The ramp of the Zephyr One fell down, and aside from a few agents remaining inside to tend to the Zephyr, practically everyone stepped out and approached the Royal Palace. The long bridge ahead of them led only to the large group of Dora Milaje alongside their king and princess. There were a few uncertain glances shared between the agents and the Wakandan royal guard, but those tensions didn’t last long. Steve Rogers and his Avengers led them onward, alongside Phil Coulson, Melinda May—who had just caught up with the rest of her team—Daisy Johnson, Fitz, Simmons, Deke, Mack and Yo-Yo, Morse and Hunter, Deathlok, and Robbie Reyes. The massive group nearly walked side by side, most of the agents walking behind Steve and the Avengers. Aside from all of the shocked expressions Steve managed to catch from the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents staring upon the Golden City, there was one in particular that he found to be the most interesting. Robbie Reyes walked on Steve’s left side, by Coulson’s left, his eyes shooting across building to building, his brow heavy and continuously furrowing in thought. Calling to him, Steve saw as Robbie shot his eyes his way. Smirking, Steve asked, “Was it a bit difficult for the ‘Spirit’ to see Wakanda?” To his mild surprise, however, Robbie just shook his head. “Nah,” Reyes answered, facing forward once more. He held out his finger, waving it a little as he said, “But K’un-Lun… now that’s a bit tougher.” Although mildly confused by that response, Steve chose instead to focus ahead to the approaching royalty of Wakanda standing just mere yards ahead of them. There was T’Challa, the Black Panther himself, standing in the center between the Dora Milaje. He wore a black and purple royal attire and a short black beard on his cheeks and chin. He smiled warmly to Steve and his allies, managing to ease Phil and the agents’ tensions. On T’Challa’s right stood Okoye, the leader of the Dora Milaje. She stood with her vibranium spear planted in the ground alongside the other elite, warrior women. She held a distrustful look in her eyes, staring only at Phil Coulson during their approach. On T’Challa’s left stood his beloved Nakia, the young woman wearing a golden dress with numerous bracelets decorating her forearms. She smiled to the group, to everyone standing alongside Steve Rogers. Phil found more comfort in her stare than he did with Okoye and the Dora Milaje. Then there was the princess standing on Nakia’s left. The Princess of Wakanda, Shuri, smiled big and bright to the approaching group led by Steve Rogers and his fellow Avengers. Her hair was stylized into two individual buns, her orange outfit nearly as bright and welcoming as her grin. Once they were close enough for Shuri’s standards, she broke the barrier between them and ran ahead. “Hello again, Captain!” Shuri exclaimed, running forward and practically tackling Steve with a hug. Rogers chuckled at that, returning the hug just as strong as her. Natasha, Sam, and Wanda smiled slightly at that, Phil and his agents standing awkwardly once Steve stopped in his tracks. They could only watch as the distance between the Wakandan royalty and themselves broke apart, King T’Challa and his guards slowly approaching them. “It’s nice to see you again, Shuri,” Steve said, patting her back. She held on longer, but the forced coughs from her older brother behind her prompted her to break it. Smiling to both her and her brother, something seemed to click the moment he met Shuri’s eyes. Using that thought, he asked, “How’s… uh… Buck doin’?” To his relief, he saw her nod, that same warm smile gracing her lips. “He has recovered fully.” Steve still held his, nodding to that statement. “Thank you,” he told her. As Shuri backed away to stand by Nakia’s side, so then did approach the King of Wakanda. Steve met his eyes the second he stepped forward, already shooting out his gloved-palm to meet T’Challa’s hand. “T’Challa,” Steve said, gripping his hand and shaking it firmly. “Looks like I’m always thanking you for something.” The Black Panther smiled mysteriously, gripping the super soldier’s hand with his own. “No worries, Captain, anything for a friend,” he told him. Once the two broke away, he then turned his attention to the remaining Avengers, nodding to them, then finally resting his ever-watching eyes on the ones who he didn’t recognize. “And these must be your other friends you mentioned.” “Yeah,” Steve said, stepping aside to allow Phil and the others the spotlight. “Phil Coulson and the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” T’Challa observed them. They were certainly a… unique bunch. Most of them still seemed quite impressed with Wakanda’s technology to give the king their full attention. Others, like Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Daisy Johnson, Robbie Reyes, and a couple others focused only on the royalty. It was their leader, the one called “Phil Coulson”, who stepped forward and offered the king his hand. “Your Majesty,” Phil said after properly shaking T’Challa’s hand, bowing his head as he did so. “Thank you for your kindness in offering us sanctuary.” “Oh, we don’t do that here.” Breaking his hand away, rising and meeting T’Challa’s eyes, Phil furrowed his brow. “What?” he asked. “Sanctuary? Kindness?” “No, the… bowing,” T’Challa responded, chuckling a tad alongside Shuri and Nakia. Okoye still kept her stone-faced expression hard on the agents, the rest of the Dora Milaje following her. “You don’t need to do that. We can offer the others if you like.” Phil instead smiled to that. “That would be greatly appreciated.” “Considering S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Nakia said, heads swiveling her way, “we were a tad hesitant to let you into our nation. If you hadn’t known, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been trying to understand the secrets of Wakanda for many years.” That was no secret to Phil Coulson. For as long as he could remember, Nick Fury was always so obsessed with understanding Wakanda, mostly their rich source of vibranium and what they intended to do with that much power. But unlike Fury, Coulson wasn’t so obsessed. He simply smiled to Nakia, the sun in his eyes making him squint. “I know, but you won’t have to worry about a thing. Wakanda’s secret is safe with us,” he told her. Told them. T’Challa sighed, looking elsewhere for a moment. Memories of the outreach mission, of revealing to the world what Wakanda truly was still lingered on. Still, for some reason, haunted him. “We shall see.” Upon that, the remainder of the Avengers alongside the agents stepped forward and introduced themselves with T’Challa, Shuri, and Nakia. Not much was accomplished when Okoye and her Dora Milaje grew even more tense with how many people started crowding around her king. That tension quickly died when T’Challa focused back to her, holding out his hand to reassure her. “Calm yourself, Okoye,” he said with a smile, eyes lingering to the spears they all seemed to wish to point at the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. T’Challa shook his head, offering his hand over to said agents. “They are friends.” She turned back to T’Challa, and practically repeating him, spoke in a malice and distrustful tone. “We shall see.” Following that, T’Challa returned to the Avengers and agents, smiling to them all. He shook Natasha Romanoff’s hand, the bad blood between them almost instantly washing clean when their smiles met one another. He shook Sam Wilson and Wanda Maximoff’s hand, then moved on to the others. To Daisy Johnson, Leopold Fitz, Jemma Simmons, Melinda May, Robbie Reyes, and many, many more. After introducing themselves to the King of Wakanda, the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were still awestruck on the flying trains zooming about the skies, followed by the futuristic ships seeming almost alien. They turned those observations and question to Shuri, who was more than welcome to answer them all. She especially found interest in the ones called Fitz and Simmons, their curiosity of Wakandan technology stronger than anyone else’s she had ever seen. Daisy and May stood with Coulson, gazing to the city with awe-stricken smiles alongside their director. Peterson, Morse, Hunter, Mack, Yo-Yo, Deke, and many others felt almost exactly the same. And, like the agents, the Avengers were nearly the same. Minus Steve Rogers, who had seen almost all of it before. Almost. “I hope you do not plan to simply stay here for a visit, Captain,” T’Challa asked. Intending to do something similar to that, Steve almost frowned his way. “Why is that?” He noticed the sudden shift in T’Challa’s expression. From what once held a welcoming brightness and positivity was replaced with a grim coolness, unease resting in his irises and refusing to leave. Even his voice dropped to near-freezing temperatures. Especially when he said, “We have a problem.” Royal Palace of Wakanda, War Room 4:16 p.m. King T’Challa led them all throughout the Royal Palace, eventually finding sanctuary within the towering walls of the War Room. Stepping past the two Dora Milaje with a Wakandan salute, T’Challa stepped first through the sliding doors alongside his little sister Shuri and love Nakia by his sides. Okoye and Ayo were the first behind him, each step of their path met with the vibranium spears impacting the marble floor. Following right after were Steve Rogers and Phil Coulson, the respective leaders of both the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. Behind them, cluttered together but moving as one, large unit were Daisy Johnson, Natasha Romanoff, Melinda May, Sam Wilson, Leo Fitz, Wanda Maximoff, Jemma Simmons, Deke Shaw, Mack, Elena Rodriguez, Bobbi Morse, Lance Hunter, Michael Peterson, Robbie Reyes, and many other faceless agents. They were led to a room with towering windows lining the wall to the right of the room, dipping, afternoon sunlight spilling inside and giving the War Room a cozy, orange glow. Several Wakandan higher authority were scattered about, many leaders from many different tribes speaking to one another of the current events and threats soon to befall their glorious nation. M’Baku, the leader of the Jabari Tribe, was present, speaking privately with the Queen. Lying in the center of the War Room, where most of the tribal leaders surrounded, laid the great war map of Wakanda, showcasing the entire nation in an easily accessible bird’s-eye view. There was a constant flow of new and old information hovering over the map, equipped alongside with live video footage of the borders of Wakanda… Where the alien warships hung dangerously over… and were slowly approaching. Once the doors slid to a close, all heads in the room swiveled over to their rightful king… and his many, many guests. M’Baku broke away from the Queen, reeling his nose back to see so many outsiders in their nation, within the Royal Palace no less. As for the Queen Mother of Wakanda, Ramonda, she gave off a hearty sigh of relief, traveling over and wrapping her arms around her son and daughter. “Mama… you do not need to worry much longer,” T’Challa whispered, rubbing his mother’s back for comfort, mostly for her. When she backed away, T’Challa gripped her shoulder, saying, “We may have found the answer to our problems.” “Is that so?” Ramonda asked, eyeing the large group behind her son. She sent an uncertain glance to the agents, a somewhat hesitant one on the Avengers, then settled on the Captain himself. Exhaling a great gust of relief, Ramonda approached him, saying, “Captain…” “Your Majesty,” Steve said, offering his hand, to which the Queen Mother replied by grasping it with both of her palms. Once she released him, Steve settled his hands to rest on his belt. “Tell us what’s happened here.” Queen Mother Ramonda beckoned everyone—not just Steve Rogers—forward deeper into the War Room. Through the glass windows, Daisy Johnson and the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. could see the bustling Golden City of Wakanda alive and well, unbeknownst to the chaos unfolding within the War Room. They were met with more tense stares from the likes of M’Baku, the large tribal leader backing aside as Daisy and Coulson slipped by him. They were all stopped only when Ramonda centered their attention to the war map, letting them find their place around it. The Queen Mother waved her hands over the hologram, the large group of agents and Avengers surrounding it and watching her work. They saw as the map of Wakanda zoomed outwards, showcasing all of Africa, even the entire Earth in one large, shimmering blue hologram. “As you can plainly see from this map, the alien armies invading Earth have halted for the time being,” T’Challa explained, pointing to the Earth and showing where the images of the alien ships began retreating from the cities. “Instead,” Ramonda picked up for him, “many of these alien ships loom ever so closer to Wakanda, just inside our borders, and drawing nearer to our capital city every day.” “It is like they know the Golden City is there,” Nakia added, earning several huffs from nearby tribal leaders, a few grim nods to go with that. “We fear once they attack our city, then the invasion will resume on Earth,” T’Challa said, rubbing his beard. He focused solely on the blue image of an alien Command Center, his eyes hard as vibranium rock. “These… aliens… they are smart. They will attack the most powerful nation in the world with their strongest forces, hoping to cripple us, and deliver the final blow to our world.” “We will see to it…” M’Baku growled, Phil, Reyes, and several others turning his way. He gripped his club even tighter, huffing loudly, “… that they fail.” Many more resounding huffs followed the leader of the Jabari Tribe, soft chants that didn’t grow any louder than that. Phil watched the comradery amongst the Jabari Tribe continue on for several moments, his eyes finally returning back to the map of Earth hovering in front of him. He seemed to notice a notice a large selection of Chitauri Command Centers zeroing in on the lone nation of Wakanda, practically circling it. A constant flow of information zoomed across the globe, but Phil ignored that due to language barrier, focusing only on the African nation. “How did they find your city?” Phil asked. T’Challa, Shuri, Ramonda, Nakia, and Okoye shifted their attention over to the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. The remaining members of the Dora Milaje stood stagnant, standing behind the rulers of Wakanda with their spears in hand. Steve Rogers and his Avengers looked over to Phil Coulson. The remaining agents, even those who stood by his side, looked to Coulson, as well. He didn’t mind all the attention. It was practically the norm for him. He pointed to the Earth. To Wakanda. “If it’s cloaked in a camouflage looking like a mountain, how else would the Chitauri know where to look? I mean… S.H.I.E.L.D. may have been snooping on Wakanda’s secrets over the years, but we never came close to finding anything like… this.” He addressed his surroundings, to the advanced technological achievements made by the Wakandan people and their nearly limitless supply of vibranium. When he dropped his hands to his sides, that’s when he looked back to the rulers of the nation. And he saw something… but it was hidden. Through willpower, through whatever they tried to bring up to shield the truth, that’s what they held. T’Challa raised a hand to cover his mouth, his eyes to the floor. Ramonda’s palms intertwined with one another, her lips pursed. Nakia and Shuri did the same. Okoye just glared at Phil. The Dora Milaje all did. “You all know…” May said, keeping her arms crossed, “… don’t you?” “You will speak to the royalty of Wakanda with respect,” Okoye snarled, quickly breaking whatever silence filled the Wakandan royalty. “Do not forget you are guests here… who can easily become enemies.” “Easy, Okoye,” T’Challa said to her in their native tongue, holding his hand out to the leader of the Dora Milaje. Lowering his hand, T’Challa looked over to Phil Coulson and Melinda May. He nodded only once. “And yes… we do. Shuri.” His little sister instantly went to work, her hands bringing the Earth in closer and zooming in on Wakanda once more. She brought up several pieces of video surveillance, either live or filmed in the past. She waved them aside in linear formation, pausing on a specific video too dark to see. “This footage was captured a couple weeks prior,” Shuri explained, tapping twice on the black box and expanding it for all to see. “It shows from our Border Tribe that they have captured sight of a strange creature seeming to… retreat from the border.” She let the rest speak for itself, playing the shaky footage for all to see. Steve Rogers, hands still on his belt, stared with narrowed eyes. Natasha was by his side, her lips slightly parted as she struggled to make what strange creature Shuri spoke of. Phil and his fellow agents did the same, some tilting their heads, Robbie Reyes glaring every second. The only sound in the War Room came from the video, voices crying out to capture the retreating creature. It was practically night in the footage, very few lights offering any detail. Then, they saw it. They tried to. It was so fast, the shaking footage barely offering anything. But they still caught it. Dipping between the trees as it ran across the partially-lit road, the alien ran on all fours. Or should they say… all sixes. It—whatever the hell it was—had an extra pair of arms, running across the road like a dog would. And then it vanished out of sight. Not in the bushes. Not in the trees. In the road. Just… vanished into thin air. As the video ended, Shuri spoke and explained, “The most unusual of this footage… is that the creature seemed to vanish before they could catch it.” She froze the footage on the clearest picture of the creature, the clearest they could manage. The Avengers took a step forward. The agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. did the same. T’Challa stared with his hand still resting beneath his chin, stroking it in thought. Both Steve and Phil had seen their fair share of aliens in the past, as well as creatures that Earth housed. Whatever was in the footage… wasn’t any kind of animal from Earth. It was simply the strangest alien either had seen. It was even stranger to see the alien vanish like a cloaking mechanism. That meant it could go unseen. That meant it could have been in Wakanda for days, maybe even weeks, and no one would have known. They just didn’t know. None of them did. “We believe this to be an alien scouting the perimeter… running away once it was caught,” Shuri explained, eyeing the alien with growing unease, with a pinch of interest to add to it. “But… it didn’t seem to just be scouting. It seemed to be… searching for something.” “How far did it get?” Steve asked. “No clear idea,” T’Challa answered. “With its vanishing abilities, it could have been under our noses for Bast knows how long.” As Shuri waved the video footage away and brought back the map of Wakanda, Phil was busy pacing across the war map. He brushed past Steve and Natasha, both Avengers staring at his backside curiously. Finally pausing next to Fitz and Simmons, Phil placed his palm on the war map. He sighed. “Other than vibranium and your superior weapons in military… what would the Chitauri want with Wakanda that would require scouting parties to be searching for something?” He looked to his left, noticing the stares that T’Challa, Shuri, Nakia, Ramonda, and Okoye sent his way. No glares from the Dora Milaje. They, like him, appeared just as lost. “The aliens that attacked me…” Everyone turned towards the Scarlet Witch. Standing right by Daisy Johnson’s side, Wanda looked up, an unknown pain in her eyes as she said, “They wanted Vision. They wanted the Mind Stone that was bound to his forehead. They destroyed all of Edinburgh… just to find it.” “The Mind Stone?” Fitz asked. Wanda turned his way, knowing him as the one who healed her wounds. A familiar and welcome face. Fitz waved his hand in front of him in small, circular motions. “I’m sorry, c-could you elaborate?” “Your Highnesses…” All silence fell in the room. Nothing came from M’Baku. Nothing came from the other tribal leaders. Nothing from the royalty or the agents or the remaining Avengers. Just Steve Rogers. He had the spotlight now, turning his eyes over to T’Challa, his sister, his mother, his lover, and his guards. His eyes held a certain wisdom, if not a piece of grief still lingering and refusing to let go. Something he wanted to but couldn’t, knowing its knowledge and keeping it for future use. Now was that use. Now was the time. When he spoke, his voice was devoid of any form of ease. The dark, near-frozen seriousness of his tone almost sent shivers down Shuri’s spine. It sent shivers across Ramonda’s skin. “Would any of you ever happened to have heard of… an Infinity Stone?” All eyes suddenly shifted to the royalty, some not even knowing what Steve was referring to, and others who knew plenty of what he meant, dreading it all the same to hear the response. For a while, there was none. T’Challa looked to Ramonda, his mother back to him, both knowing not—even deep down—what he meant. Nakia looked to Okoye, the woman just as confused as her. “No,” T’Challa responded. “I have not,” Ramonda added. Shuri was silent. Steve didn’t catch it, slowly nodding and looking aside. He started off at a slow walk, back to T’Challa. “There are six Infinity Stones in existence,” Steve began, pacing around the war map with his hands on his belt. “My friend, Thor, told me all he could about them. Space, Power, Reality, Time, Mind, and Soul. They were birthed during the creation of the universe, scattered about throughout the cosmos. Our friend… the Vision… was gifted with the Mind Stone during his creation three years ago. With it, he was granted unnatural strength and abilities… none of which Earth had ever seen.” Steve paused, his eyes gazing out the large window to the sprawling and spiraling city below. He looked beyond that, to the borders of Wakanda. He stared for so long, almost trying to see how close the Chitauri were. “These aliens, the ones who attacked Wanda, wanted the Mind Stone for a reason. They said that their father was going to rip apart our world… presumably for the same reason they were hunting the Stone.” “We think, that is,” Natasha added. “So why…” Steve said, spinning back around and approaching the war map once again, “… would a worldwide invasion be put on hold and their focus diverted to Wakanda… unless they were trying to find something very, very important?” He laid his cards on the table. All of it. Leaving nothing. Once more, heads shot over to the royalty. A few mumbles shared between the King of Wakanda and the Queen Mother, between T’Challa and Nakia, and finally returning to his mother. Shuri remained quiet through it all, shifting her uneasy glances back to her brother, her eyes diverting back to the map again and again. Not just on the city… but on Mount Bashenga. T’Challa and Ramonda nodded to one another, turning back to Steve Rogers. T’Challa said, “Captain, we swear to you we do not know of any ‘Infinity Stones’ of which you speak so dangerously of. The reasoning for which these aliens have focused on our nation is clearly for our superior military strength and weaponry, mainly our supply of vibranium—” “Actually…” The silence in the room was deafening when someone had interrupted King T’Challa, that someone being none other than the Princess of Wakanda herself. Shuri looked about nervously to the many eyes diverted her way, breathing steadily, almost silently to those who turned to her. Steve Rogers’ jaw fell barely. Phil Coulson took a step her way, his brow furrowing to the young princess. Many others shared their expressions. Especially her mother. Especially T’Challa. Slowly raising her hand, Shuri tapped away on the map, zooming onto Mount Bashenga, the area that held the Great Mound directly beneath it. She looked back to them, a sparkle of hidden knowledge flashing in her eyes. “I might have something.”