REUNITED ~ STEVE ROGERS [4]

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sneaking around the corner with blankets wrapped around our faces (because apparently that was the best disguise we could come up with) Shuri, Nakia, Ross and I circled around to the lab. Pressed up against the wall, a group of Border Tribers running past to attend to Killmonger. We ducked into the doorway and Shuri opened the lab door. Running down the ramp and throwing blankets to the floor, I rubbed my arm once, twice, three times and pressed my choker and felt the strange silky feeling as the nanotech suit spread across my skin. I saw Ross looking with a mixture of amazement and confusion. I winked at him and got to the bottom of the ramp.

Shuri motioned with one hand and the Sand Table rose, ready for use. Grabbing new communication devices, she tossed one to me and another to Ross.

"Nakia and I will get control of the Royal Talon with this." Shuri grabbed something large and round from the table.

"Ok, so what do I do?" Ross asked. Shuri slipped a Kimoyo bead bracelet on his wrist while I fixed the new comms device to my ear.

"You will have to fly it."

"What?" Ross' expression of shock made me smile.

"You were a great pilot. Don't worry, I'll guide you through it. Its just like riding a hoverbike."

"You guys have hoverbikes?" Ross' jaw dropped to the floor. I waltzed last him and slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"They're very fun. You'll enjoy it." I brushed down my suit and looked to Shuri. "What do you want me doing, Princess?"

Shuri paused for a moment, then grinned widely, eyes sparkling.

"Do you what do best. Blow things up."

***

I raced up the ramp and back out where we came in, trying to remember the route back up to the vibranium deck. Turning left, I sprinted down the corner, feeling my hip bone grind just slightly with the movement. The muscles between my ribs stretched taut and my lungs burned. Man, I was out of shape.

I skidded to a stop when I spotted two Border Tribe warriors rounding the corner. I stepped back and waved.

"Hey, guys how you going?" I grinned awkwardly.

"Princess you need to come with us." The taller one was aggressive and took two steps towards me, and the smaller, bug eyed one followed behind. Both had their spears outstretched, ready for attack.

"Uh, well, you see I really don't have time. I'm going to speak with the King. And before you ask, yes, I do have an appointment." I felt the familiar tingling in my hands as they started to glow, the right one trembling and not so bright. I ignored it.

"Put your hands away and come with us." Another step closer with furrowed brows. I cocked my head to the side and smirked.

"Unfortunately, I don't take well to being told what to do."

The taller one struck first, swinging his spear towards my abdomen. He was strong, but slow, so I dodged him in a sidestep and kicked down on the back of his knees. He crumpled, and the other one had a go at my head this time. He was faster and he almost got me.

Almost.

Instead blocked him and shoved him backwards, where he tripped over his fallen warrior friend and fell, smacking the back of his head on the floor.

"Sorry boys." I didn't stick around for them to get up, instead sprinted down the hall towards the deck entrance. But halfway towards the hydraulic doorway, I felt a tremor in the earth under my feet. No one else would have felt it, but I did.

Shit. The rhinos.

I ran out into the landing pad at the same time Nakia and Shuri came up from another entrance on the opposite. With one glance Nakia had her pretty face screwed up and her fists bared.

"For Wakanda!" She screamed and leapt out at Killmonger. The tremors continued up my spine and I looked out to the far field. T'Challa was fighting but the combination of humans and animal were proving just a little too much. Heart pumping harder than it should I raced down the landing pad and took a flying leap from the metal to the grass, ground shock shooting up my shins. I winced but carried on, the suit taking most of the impact.

A great rumbling came from my left and when I turned I saw the rhino, a beast of rough skin with a horn so big it could go in one end and come out the other, if you get my drift.

I barely had time to react so I jumped straight up in the air, and when I landed it was on its back. Its back was laced with vibranium armour which I couldn't penetrate. It skidded and tried to buck me off, but I grabbed its ears and held on for dear life. I didn't really want to kill the poor thing, but I might not have a choice.

T'Challa was thrown backwards by something and from the peripheral vision he flew into a rock. Meh, he'd be fine. I was more worried about what I was going to do about the live action bucking bronco I was trying to control.

A spear flew over my head, I assume it was meant to actually hit me but riding a rhino made for a hard target. I managed to sit with my legs around its neck, so I started to squeeze, pressing against its airways, not enough to kill it but enough to stop the oxygen to the brain long enough it would pass out. As I hoped, the rhino stopped running and swayed, trying to breathe but unable to. And when its beady eyes rolled back in its head I scrambled off before it fell to the ground, unconscious.

I sighed with relief but it was short lived, because I was promptly bombarded with things and fists being thrown at me. The Border Tribe warriors were plentiful and they were fierce, and even knowing their vibranium armour would protect them from my energy blasts I didn't want to risk accidentally putting a ginormous hole in someone.

So old school it was.

Outside of Wakanda my fighting technique was skilful, unique and very clearly the best.

In Wakanda, however, I was fighting ten people who all learnt the same things I did, and that made it infinitely harder.

Someone jabbed me in the kidneys, they got an elbow to the jaw. The back of my knees were knocked in and someone yelled so hard I was 90% sure they weren't going to have any more children. It was a whirlwind, almost like New York all over again except this time I couldn't just kill them, I had to be careful.

After knocking some poor man to the ground with my foot, I heard a bang and spun around to see a whole heap of warriors thrown into the air by a kinetic blast. My right arm was throbbing but the compression of the suit helped me to ignore the pain. I didn't think it would ever be the same.

"Shuri!" I heard T'Challa yell and I whipped my head around and looked at the landing pad.

There she was, staring him right in the face as Killmonger gripped his broken spear, grinning manically.

Ready for the kill. 

Authors Note

Hello friends! Sorry for the short chapter but finally! Writing action scenes again, they're my fav.

I had a thought and I would like your opinion on it, if you want. I was thinking after this book is complete I might do a chapter were I do a sort of author reveal; some photos, some info about myself and what I'm up to, stuff like that. If you guys would like that please comment some questions I could answer about my life!

Until next time my pretties, stay safe, stay groovy,

~JJ