Venus | James B. Barnes✔️

lxiii. 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎

T'Challa was talking to Steve as they began to walk back to the lab. Wanda and Vision were taken to the lab immediately while the others walked at a slower pace. "You will have my Kingsguard, the Border Tribe, the Dora Milaje, and..."

T'Challa turned toward Bucky and Evelyn, both grinning wider than possible at the moment at the sight of Steve for Bucky while Evelyn was smiling at all of her friends.

"A semi-stable, 100-year-old man," Bucky stated.

"And, his 100-year-old wife," Evelyn added with a smirk as Steve pulled Bucky into a hug right away.

"How you been, Buck?" Steve asked him, his eyes holding many emotions.

Bucky shrugged as he backed away. "Uh, not bad, for the end of the world," he said softly as Steve hugged Evelyn next.

"It's good to see you again so soon," Evelyn told him, breathing in the scent of Steve Rogers. "God, I missed you."

Steve chuckled breathlessly. "I missed you, too, Eve."

Evelyn hugged Natasha tightly. Natasha grinned into Evelyn's shoulder. "Wakanda did you good, Stark," the woman said, calling her the name she had always known her as. It was a habit. "I've never seen a smile that bright for the end of the world."

"You know, the end of the world sounds pretty dramatic," Evelyn teased as they backed away. "I think we'll be done by four, maybe a nice dinner at that Schwarma joint in New York? Buck's never been."

Natasha looked at Bucky. "You'll love it."

Bucky smirked a bit, nodding once.

Evelyn was in Sam's embrace next. "Is that a new arm I'm seeing, Mr. Stare-A-Lot?"

Bucky glowered at him as Evelyn laughed. "It is. Shuri put it on this morning."

Sam furrowed his eyebrows. "So, what? He just didn't have an arm all this time?"

Bucky rolled his eyes. "No, Bird-brain. I didn't. Problem?"

"Wow," Evelyn said as she stared between them. "I missed that."

"I didn't," both Sam and Bucky replied. Evelyn grinned when the pair glared at each other.

She then hugged Bruce and Rhodey, Rhodey holding her tightly. "We should head to the lab," Steve finally said. "Buck, you and Sam stay down here with Colonel Rhodes. Keep watch, let us know what's happening."

Both nodded, not going to disobey their best friend. Evelyn followed the others into the lab where Shuri was already looking at the Mind Stone in Vision's head. She smiled fondly at how easy life was back then despite her complaining about it. She would rather go back to that day over this.

"Whoa," Shuri began as she studied the stone. "The structure is polymorphic."

Bruce nodded, standing close to Evelyn since he felt most comfortable around her. "Right, we had to attach each neuron non-sequentially."

Shuri gave him a look. "Why didn't you just reprogram the synapses to work collectively?"

Vision turned his head accusingly causing Bruce to stammer and splutter, "B-Because, we didn't think of it."

"I'm sure you did your best," Shuri said with a smile.

Wanda, the witch who was on edge and also standing close to Evelyn, snapped out, "Can you do it?"

"Yes," Shuri said, "but there are more than two trillion neurons here. One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures." She looked at T'Challa as Wanda grabbed Evelyn's hand. "It will take time, brother."

Steve noticed Wanda's expression of worry. "How long?" he asked.

"As long as you can give me."

Okoye noticed an alarm going off, so she opened a hologram with a worried look. "Something's entered the atmosphere."

"Hey, Cap, we got a situation here," Sam said in the communication device.

Evelyn let go of Wanda, moving to the window to find Bucky's figure next to Sam. She looked up, seeing the dome around Wakanda holding well as it destroyed one of the alien vessels.

"God, I love this place," Bucky murmured in the comms.

Rhodey was in his suit as he replied, "Yeah, don't start celebrating yet, guys. We got more incoming outside the dome."

Vision tried to get off the exam table as he said, "It's too late. We need to destroy the stone now."

"Vision, get your ass back on the table," Natasha snapped.

"We will hold them off," T'Challa told Shuri.

Steve glanced at Wanda. "Wanda, as soon as the stone's out of his head... you blow it to hell."

"I will."

"Evacuate the city. Engage all defense procedures," T'Challa began giving orders before he glanced at Steve. "And get this man a shield."