Anna Marie had never thought much about traveling before she left home.
Only after she ran away did she realize she liked it. Maybe she was just making the best of a bad situation, but seeing and exploring new places just felt right.
When she was homeless, she had sworn that one day she would see the whole world.
Though she doubted her past self would have imagined it happening like this.
All around her stretched a field of tall yellow grass, broken here and there by the occasional tree. In the distance, she could faintly make out a pack of wild rhinoceros. Dozens of different birds chirped overhead, and the sunset spilled across the plains until the whole landscape looked like a sea of gold.
It was utterly beautiful, the kind of sight she never could have imagined seeing just a few weeks ago. It was just the edge of Kenya, but… maybe after all this was over, she'd consider coming back for a real tour.
But any joy the view might have brought was smothered by worry.
She held herself back from tapping her foot in impatience.
Shuri had said Jack was fine. But… could she be lying?
No. She couldn't let her fears take control.
As the Ancient One had taught her, emotions were only as strong as the power she gave them.
"How? This doesn't make any sense!" Shuri stared slack-jawed at the small floating pentagram Illyana had conjured.
The blonde girl merely smirked, then snapped her fingers and turned it into a small flame. Illyana was definitely having fun showing off.
Anna found herself smiling a little as Shuri continued to be utterly baffled by Illyana's magic. The so-called princess had become borderline obsessed with it once it was clear they weren't about to die.
She hoped she hadn't made a mistake by showing off magic, but they didn't have many options when they were on the run.
Even so, she found it a little funny that Shuri was this flummoxed by magic after being kidnapped by literal aliens.
It was like something in Shuri's brain simply refused to acknowledge it.
Still, despite all that, Anna kept her guard up. She liked Shuri, now that she'd relaxed once it was clear they were on her side.
Despite being a princess, Anna thought she was a good person.
Unfortunately… Anna wasn't. If Wakanda did something to Jack…
She would make them pay.
A beep came from the jury-rigged phone Shuri had salvaged from the plane. She glanced at it and smiled. "Finally." Turning toward the open plains, she lifted the phone and spoke into it.
A strange vibration filled the air.
Across the golden light of the setting sun, several more jets appeared.
Anna's stomach tightened.
It made her sick even thinking about doing something so horrendous with her power, but Jack came first in her heart.
The Wakandan planes moved in slowly, hovering for a moment before descending toward the grassland. Wind from their engines rippled through the tall grass in broad waves.
Anna's eyes narrowed as the crafts settled.
The ramps opened, and armed women carrying spears stepped out first in clean formation.
Her hand twitched at her side before she forced it still. For one ugly second, she imagined what it would look like if she didn't hold back.
She pushed the thought down before it could stick.
Then another figure stepped out, dressed in a black costume that made it obvious he was important even before the others subtly shifted around him.
But Anna barely spared him a glance.
Jack was walking beside him.
The breath she had been holding left her in a rush so sharp it almost hurt. Relief hit hard enough to make her knees feel weak for half a second.
He was alive.
Thank God.
She really hadn't wanted to find out what she was really capable of.
Anna shoved that thought aside and fixed her eyes on him instead, relief quickly burning into irritation now that she had room to feel it.
That meant she could properly scold him for scaring her like this.
—
"We have a deal then?" I asked, unable to keep the grin off my face.
T'Challa frowned as he leaned back in his seat. "You ask much."
"I've given plenty and offered much more." I could not help myself and slipped into the Gendo pose.
No longer wearing the helmet of his Panther habit, T'Challa rubbed his chin and let out a quiet sigh.
"Very well. I agree to your terms."
Okay… I owed every supervillain ever an apology. Who knew playing the mysterious figure was so fucking awesome? I could absolutely understand why they pulled shit like this all the time. The thrill of victory was something I could get addicted to.
"Glad to do business with you." I stuck out my hand, and T'Challa took it, shaking it firmly.
I schooled my face into something as placid as possible, though I guessed it was not nearly good enough.
"You seem quite pleased," Okoye scoffed. The Dora Milaje general still looked tense around me, but I didn't really care.
"Just happy with a deal well done." I shrugged.
Okoye scowled, but T'Challa placed a hand on her shoulder. "Enough. I have given my word."
She gave a terse nod and left deeper into the jet.
"My apologies," T'Challa said. "It has been a trying time, and my friend is not the most trusting of women. Of course… you will prove her wrong, yes?"
T'Challa held my gaze with a hard stare.
I raised my hands. "You'll get everything as promised the moment I see my friends safe and sound."
He gave me a slight nod before leaving as well. It took everything in my power not to jump up and do a little dance over how badly I'd fleeced him. Oh, I was absolutely going to follow through, but the information I sold him was basically useless to me.
Erik Killmonger's burning revenge, Talokan's existence, and T'Challa's eventual fate were all technically huge pieces of information, but they were absolutely worthless to me right now and for the foreseeable future.
But now? A cache of vibranium, limited access to Wakandan technology, and full amnesty from the prince himself for the whole Wakanda secrecy mess. There was still a chance he might try to fuck me over, but…
T'Challa was too honorable for that. More importantly, I had leaned hard into the mysterious figure act, enough that they would think twice before betraying me. A few hints about future threats ought to keep him on his toes, too.
Honestly, it was more than I could have hoped for.
[Feat Achieved! Skilled Negotiation]
[+1 Bronze Gacha Ticket]
Just the cherry on top.
"We're landing now!" the pilot shouted.
The jet began to descend, and I leaned just enough to look out as the ground rushed closer. My eyes immediately locked onto the Quinjet sitting out on the open field.
Illyana and Anna were both fine, from the looks of it.
The second we touched down, T'Challa was already moving. The hatch had barely finished opening before he stepped out and headed straight for Shuri.
I followed at a more normal pace, stepping down onto the grass and lifting a hand in a casual wave.
"Hey!"
That was apparently the wrong move.
Anna started toward me at a brisk walk, and something about the look on her face made me pause.
"Uh…"
Then she broke into a run.
A second later, she slammed into me hard enough to nearly knock me back a step, her arms locking around me in a crushing hug that drove an involuntary noise out of my chest.
For a moment, I just stood there, confused, before I felt it.
She was shaking.
And against my shoulder, I could feel tears.
My arms came up around her almost automatically, the confusion draining out of me all at once.
"Hey… hey, what's wrong?"
Anna didn't answer. She just held on tighter.
I swallowed and awkwardly patted her back at first, then tried for something a little more comforting. "I'm okay. See? I'm fine. Nothing happened. We're all good."
That did not help.
If anything, her grip tightened even more.
"Anna," I said carefully, because my ribs were beginning to file a complaint, "Anna, I'm starting to need oxygen here."
She still didn't let go.
Now I was getting a little panicky.
"Urgh. Anna, I'm—"
"You're not going to do that next time, right?" she asked, her voice low and tight.
I blinked. "Uh…"
Her arms squeezed just a little harder.
"Right?"
The intensity in that single word was enough to make every survival instinct in my body sit up straight.
I turned my head and shot Illyana a desperate look for help.
She was standing a short distance away, watching the whole thing with her hands behind her back and a bright, utterly traitorous grin on her face.
Damn it.
"I promise," I croaked out quickly. "Promise."
Anna stayed there for another second, like she was deciding whether that answer was acceptable, before she finally let go.
"Idiot." She pressed a small kiss to my cheek.
Oh.
Oh, I really was an idiot.
Anna turned and hurried away, red-faced.
T'Challa, who had returned from checking on Shuri, glanced between the two of us and allowed the faintest hint of amusement to touch his face. "It seems your reunion was… spirited."
I cleared my throat and did my best to act natural, although I'm pretty sure my face was red. "Yeah, well. Everyone's got their own way of saying hello."
The almost-smile on his face faded as he shifted back to business. "Then, if you are able, I would like the information you promised."
"Sure." I nodded. "You got something I can write with?"
One of the Dora Milaje handed over a small pad and pen after a glance from T'Challa. I took them and quickly started jotting everything down. Killmonger. Talokan. T'Challa's potential disease. I put every important detail I knew onto the page.
When I finished, I passed the notes back to him.
T'Challa frowned as he read them over, his eyes narrowing slightly at more than one point. For a few seconds, he said nothing, and I could practically see the wheels in his brain turning.
Still, after a moment, he folded the paper neatly and looked back up at me.
"I acknowledge this," he said. "And I will uphold my half of our agreement."
"Glad to hear it." I pointed past him toward the gathered equipment and prisoners. One of the vibranium crates sat off to the side under guard, and not far from it, the Winter Soldier lay among the various captives the Dora Milaje were rounding up.
"I'm taking that crate," I said, then shifted my finger slightly. "And him."
T'Challa sighed but nodded his head. "We will, of course, offer assistance in helping you move them."
Before I could answer, several shouts rose from the Wakandan forces.
In the center of the clearing, an orange portal split open out of thin air.
T'Challa's eyes widened as he stared at it.
"No, thank you," I smiled as I turned toward the portal. "It seems my ride is here."
***
Sorry for the slight delay folks
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