Beyond

Truths

"You claim this man did not kill my father?" T'challa asked tilting his head as he looked at Bucky.

Blue growled at Bucky's side.

They were hovering idly over New York while they tried to settle this dispute.

Pidge kept examining her bayard as if another fight might be necessary. Lance really hoped one wouldn't.

"Yes." Lance nodded steadily, he wasn't scared of the panther but he was slightly on edge he didn't know what the man might do. "I trust him."

T'challa frowned. "Then who is responsible for the death of my father?"

A valid question.

"That's what we're now trying to figure out." Natasha answered without turning around. "If it wasn't Bucky then someone went to an awful lot of trouble to make it look like it was."

"Not Bucky, the Winter Soldier." Steve corrected with his own frown, he looked more on edge than anyone else.

Lance could understand that. Bucky had been thought a lot, none of which he deserved.

"Have you got any footage of what happened?" Pidge asked rising to her feet.

"Yeah, it's here." Natasha nodded gesturing to the screen.

When Pidge passed T'challa he stepped to one side as if he didn't want to be anywhere near her.

She tapped at the screen a few times her eyes analyzing the information provided to her.

"Nice suit by the way." Lance said offering T'challa a smile. He was hoping to diffuse the highly strung atmosphere, even just a little bit.

"Thank you, my sister Shuri made it." T'challa smiled. "She is a very clever person."

"Yeah, I don't even want to know how long it took her to sort it all." Lance shrugged. "I forget sometimes how much effort goes into making the suits."

"Who made yours?"

"A good friend." Lance smiled. "He's an alien so this is all alien technology."

"Fascinating." T'challa nodded. "My sister talked about you, she said she would like to meet you."

"It would be cool to meet her too." Lance admitted.

"Aren't you meant to be taking it easy?" Steve asked raising an eyebrow at him. It was the kind of face that usually Lance would rise to.

But he was tired and feeling a little out of sorts.

"I know I should be but it's hard to do that when everything seems so up in the air." Lance admitted looking at his hands. "I am trying though."

"You are unwell?" T'challa sounded uncertain.

"He's dying." Pidge stated bluntly, then turned to meet his gaze. "I know you Lance, you would play it off like it's fine."

"That's the point." He grumbled. "I'm trying to be positive."

"What are you dying of at such a young age?" T'challa asked. "Are you seeing a doctor?"

"Here's the funny thing," Lance beamed at him, for some reason this conversation was always amusing to him, "no one's got a clue what's wrong with me."

T'challa frowned. "Surely someone must know something."

"No one can work it out yet." Natasha sighed. "We've tried everything we know."

The jet was silent for several moments, Lance was almost tempted to laugh.

Then T'challa stepped a little closer to him making Steve and Buck go tense.

But Lance could tell the panther wasn't going to hurt him.

Instead he asked him a question.

"How are you at keeping secrets?"

~~~

The mildly humid air was pleasant enough to enjoy instead of being swamped by humidity.

Bucky was being fixed, the words that controlled him removed letter by letter from his mind.

It was a bit of peace and mind for them to know that soon Bucky would be free from HYDRA's control entirely.

Steve and Tony had argued about something and Lance had been anxious about the two. And although Tony was clearly still upset he had still come to Wakanda with the rest of the group.

So things weren't too bad.

Then there was Lance.

"Any ideas?" Lance asked glancing up at Shuri who was tapping away on the screen in front of her.

Shuri was a bundle of energy and sunshine wrapped into a very beautiful, strong and clever young woman.

Her mind rivaled that of Pidge's and the two seemed to have a whole debate about Pidge's Bayard while Lance was attempting to not pass out with Natasha holding him up.

He ft his energy slipping and dulling at times then surging again. It was a strange feeling that he wasn't used to.

Shuri shook her head. "No, not really." She turned to him. "It is strange."

Lance sighed. "I just don't want to die." It came from nowhere, admitting it made his chest ache.

"I'm sure we will find the answer." Shuri smiled, confident with no limit. She made it seem almost believable.

Lance couldn't help the smile that came to his face. "If you're sure then... I know I'll be okay."

"Lance!"

Hunk's voice came through and he appeared running toward him.

The hug they shared lasted probably longer than necessary but it made something within Lance uncoil and relax.

"You okay? Steve said you almost passed out."

"I'm alright." Lance smiled weakly. "Shuri's gonna figure it out."

Hunk glanced toward Shuri and offered a wave which was reciprocated. Then Hunk was asking questions that were far deeper than Lance had the attention span for.