SURVIVE ➤ BUCKY BARNES

Chapter Twenty Four - Family Reunion

"You're missing half of your team here. Where's Tony? Or is he still so mad about getting whooped in an airport terminal, that he's going to let the world end over his pride?"

"Tony is off-world," Steve rubbed his beard. "Caught a ride on the ship that invaded New York. Along with Peter Parker and Riley Hearst."

"Peter-" August blinked. "He's 16! Dear God, and how the hell did Riley Hearst end up on a spaceship?! Last I checked, she was a run-of-the-mill kinda human."

"She's been studying with some wizard guy, I don't know-"

"Steve, ah, I think you broke your robot." Next to them, Bucky tilted his head, gesturing towards Vision, where the wounded red alien was currently being held up by Wanda. Steve followed his gaze, opening his mouth to respond.

"Do not worry," T'Challa stepped in. "I know how we can fix that."

The group followed the King into the palace, taking an elevator to the top floor. Once inside, they were greeted by princess Shuri. She helped Vision onto a vibranium table, beginning to scan him down.

"You're telling me that this lil' girl can match up to Tony Stark?" Sam, who had taken the spot on her right opposite Bucky, asked. August shot him a look.

"Not really a fair comparison," She mused. "As if Tony Stark could ever match up to Shuri."

"She's, like, fifteen."

"Okay?" August chuckled quietly. "When I was fifteen I was making tornadoes and and could cause earthquakes just by thinking about them. Don't go assuming that every teenager is an underachiever just because you were."

"Ah-" Sam's jaw dropped open. "Woah, firecracker, hey. Marrying that guy made you mean."

He looked over Augusts head at Bucky.

"Way to go, you ruined my best friend."

"No." Bucky stared at him with a poker-face. "She's just funny now."

"You wanna take this outside? Cause I'll drop-kick you right out of Wakanda, rude-ass motherfu-"

"Woah, hey!" August hissed with wide eyes, looking from her husband to her best friend. "Girls, girls, you're both pretty, okay? Now shut up, the super-geniuses are talking."

And they were. Up front, Shuri had finished her scan of Vision.

"The structure is polymorphic?" The princess mused, examining the diagram on the screen.

"Right," The man, who August had learned was named Banner, nodded. "We had to attach each neuron non-sequentially."

"Why didn't you just reprogram the synapses to work collectively?" Shuri cocked an eyebrow.

Every eye in the room, including Visions, looked to Banner. He pursed his lips awkwardly.

"Because..." He clicked his tongue. "We didn't think of it?"

Shuri gave him a cocky smile.

"I'm sure you did your best."

"Can you do it?" Wanda asked, shutting down Shuri's boasting. The princesses face fell solemn as she examined the red-haired woman.

"Yes, but there are more than two trillion neurons here. One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures." She looked to T'Challa. "It will take time, brother."

"How long?" Steve asked. August looked to her friend, noting the concern on his face.

"As long as you can give me." Shuri nodded.

Overhead, an alarm began to beep. August nervously looked to Bucky, who was holding her hand even tighter. Okoye held her hand out, a holographic image appearing above her wrist.

"Something has entered the atmosphere."

Steve nodded at August, Sam, and Bucky, who obediently ran out of the palace. They skidded to a halt near the quinjet, and August raised a finger to her earpiece.

"Steve, we have a situation here." Her eyes were cast upwards towards the sky, watching as meteors rained down towards them.

No, not meteors, she realized. Spaceships. They smashed into the barricade that covered Wakanda, bursting into fiery pieces.

"God, honey." Bucky released her hand, hoisting his gun in his arms. "I love this place."

"Don't start celebrating yet, guys." Rhodes' voice crackled on over the earpiece. "We got more incoming outside the dome."

The ships began making landfall just outside the Wakandan border, sending a ripple throughout the barricade. She watched in horror as waves of creatures began throwing themselves out of the ships, sprinting towards the border.

"Where we headed, Steve?" She asked nervously over the earpiece. "These guys are heading our way. Fast."

"A ship is coming to round you guys up now. We're headed to the front lines." He answered. August looked to Bucky, who met her gaze.

"You ready to kick some alien ass?" He asked, mustering a bemused but nervous smile. She reciprocated his smile.

"As long as I'm doing it with you."