Storm ≛ Tony Stark ≛

77.

T'Challa oversaw the examination of the Mind Stone. Vision was laying down on the table, while Shuri, the princess of Wakanda, analysed the hologram of the Stone. Wanda was stood by his side, her arms crossed, and her lips pressed together in a thin line. Sue stayed next to her, giving the emotional support that she knew the Maximoff needed. Natasha was on the otherside of the room next to Steve, and Bruce looked at the scan with Shuri and T'Challa. Rhodey was somewhere in the compoud suiting up in his War Machine suit. Johnny was outside with Sam and Bucky, the three catching up and keeping an eye on the sky.

'Why didn't you just reprogram the synapses to work collectively?' Shuri questioned. Everyone in the room blinked, while Bruce turned to the woman with an open mouth.

'Because we didn't think of it...'

'Can you do it?' Wanda pushed, glancing down at Vision on the table.

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

'How long?' Steve asked.

'As long as you can give me.'

The science talk was beyond Sue, but from what she could gather, the Stone's removal was possible. She could see Wanda's tense shoulders deflate from the relief. Wanda's lips parted to let out a sigh and Sue put a hand on her shoulder. The scarlet trench coat crinkled under her touch, and Wanda looked to her with eyes filled with hope. Sue was glad to see that Wanda wouldn't have to lose Vision. The Maximoff had gone through enough with losing Pietro.

Sue stretched out her fingers as she lifted them off Wanda's shoulder. The glove that was once sleek in black leather had loosened from its years of use. The creases of Sue's palm and fingers were aged, showing where her digits would bend from underneath. Her right glove was the same, and Sue thought back to when she put on her red suit earlier in the day.

When the Avengers exited the quinjet, T'Challa showed them to some rooms where they could refresh and prepare. Sue had only brought the clothes she currently wore and her red suit in a duffle bag. When she went to pull it on, she noticed the scruffs and marks that covered the unstable moleculed-crimson. The last time she had worn it was when SHIELD captured the silver surfer. Then her and Tony officially said no more, as she was pregnant with Morgan and Tony was amid building the house in Maine. Since then, the suit had sat in the duffle bag to fester. Usually, Sue would have asked Tony to make some alterations to fix up the damages. But he wasn't around to do so.

Pulling the suit on felt strange. It fit like it used to and Sue was satisfied with the exercise she underwent to lose her pregnancy weight. But without Tony to suit up next to her, it felt wrong. As she zipped up the collar, her finger grazed over the button that sat in the middle of her collarbones. She remembered the adjustments Tony had made at Johnny's request. So much had happened since then that it felt like a lifetime ago.

'Something's entered the atmosphere,' Okoye's voice broke through Sue's trance. She jumped, her thoughts so enticing that she hadn't realised she was daydreaming.

'Cap,' Sam Wilson's voice came through the earpieces. 'We got a situation here.'

Everyone rushed to the window that displayed the city. The forcefield that encased Wakanda destroyed an alien ship that lowered from outerspace. But it wouldn't hold for long, as the ships that descended from the sky were equipped with technology beyond Earth. The vessels disappeared amongst the treeline where they would soon emerge with their occupants. The forcefield would allow the city time to prepare and evacuate its citizens, but the battle was inevitable.

'It's too late,' Vision said. 'We need to destroy the Stone now.'

'Vision, get your ass back on the table,' Natasha ordered, before running to head out of the room.