The Last Shifter (a Loki romance)

Chapter 130

When I came to, my head was pounding. And I was moving. My stomach was roiling too, like I'd eaten something bad. When I tried to stretch, I found that I was bound to the metal seat by cuffs. Prince T'Challa was seated to my right. I tried to turn my head, but that only resulted in stabbing pain in my neck.

"Peggy, you awake?"

"Yea." My voice was rough and my throat sore.

"How are you feeling?"

"Horrible." My senses were dulled. I couldn't tell if it was just the three of us in the vehicle. When I reached out to try and Shift, I felt nothing. It wasn't like after I'd been forced to Shift and felt pain, I felt nothing. For the first time in my life, there was no sign of my powers. And it scared me.

"What did they do to me?" My query was met with silence.

"They implanted a device that prevents you from changing form." T'Challa answered, "It was the only way we have of keeping you here." I growled, trying to catch my reflection in the glass, a passing building, something so I could see how bad the damage was, if there was anything I could see that would give me a clue on how to take it out.

"Once we have assurances that you will stay, it will be deactivated and you will be permitted to use them once more."

"Permitted? No. The device will be removed entirely. I have a right to my abilities."

"That is not the way Secretary Ross sees it."

"This is barbaric. This is like implanting something that takes away control of your legs, and only being allowed to use them when someone else wants you to! It's unethical!"

"It was not my decision. But you have my sympathy."

"If I had your sympathy, you would be advocating for me to get it removed. Not reciting cheap words." I got no response from him, and Steve had remained surprisingly silent.

"Steve? Where's Bucky?"

"In the truck in front of us."

"And Sam?"

"I'm here."

"Where are we?"

"Berlin." It seemed Steve wasn't in the mood to chat. After a few minutes of awkward road silence, Sam spoke up.

"So you like cats."

"Sam."

"What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat and you don't want to know more?" There was a second of hesitation.

"Your suit. Vibranium?"

"The Black Panther has been a protector of Wakanda for generations." The soon-to-be-crowned king said after a moment, "A mantle passed from warrior to warrior. Now because your friend murdered my father, I also wear the mantle of King. So I ask you, as both warrior and king, how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?" The convoy we were a part of turned to a down-sloping road in front of a large, modern building. It seemed we had reached our destination.

The road led to a massive underground complex below the building. As soon as we stopped, the doors to the vehicle we were in opened. Sam, Steve, and the Wakandan prince were all permitted to exit free men, but not me. My cuffs were unchained from the truck and hooked together behind my back.

"Hey!" Steve shoved the agent aside, "Haven't you inhibited her enough?" He broke the links, getting me my hands back, and then snapped the metal bonds one after the other. A couple of the agents looked like they wanted to fight back, but at this point, even Prince T'Challa put himself between them and me. Meanwhile, Bucky was in even worse shape than I was. They had him completely immobilized in a mostly-glass container. He looked rather resigned to his fate.