REUNITED ~ STEVE ROGERS [4]

Chapter Thirteen

Shuri drove like a maniac and I was slammed against the backseat as she accelerated.

"Khethiwe, don't tell me you got in that car." Okoye sounded more disappointed than angry, and Shuri and I snickered.

"Sorry, but I'm not missing any of the action." Up ahead I saw T'Challa sprinting on all fours. I leant forward and looked at Shuri. "Doesn't he look ridiculous?"

"Absolutely ridiculous." Shuri agreed, grinning as she changed lanes abruptly.

"Focus." T'Challa sounded strained as we pulled up beside him. He flipped up into the roof of the car as we sped down the highway, following Okoye and Nakia up ahead.

"Woo! Lets go!" Shuri yelled as she pushed the engine even harder, going dangerously fast.

"What exactly is the plan here?" I asked, not to anyone in particular.

"Catch Klaue." T'Challa said gruffly as Shuri had a hard right at the intersection, and I managed to catch myself before I hit the side. With one hand I strapped my seat belt on and hoped for the best.

"Thank you, for such a detailed answer." I sighed. My new suit was so lightweight and flexible, it almost felt like I wasn't wearing anything at all. My mind went somewhere else as I wondered if Steve would like the look of me in it. Or if he would like the look of me without it. The tips of my ears burned and I knew they were red so I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. I couldn't get distracted.

Taking a right at the T section we found ourselves in a less busy two-lane road in the dark of Busan. Up ahead is a split in the road, and the four SUVs were heading straight for it.

"They're trying to lose us." Okoye said through gritted teeth, just as two of the SUVs split down the right road, and the other two to the left.

"We'll take the right." Nakia said as their car swerved sharply down the right road.

"We'll take the other two, I see a shortcut!" Shuri, who to be quite honest was a better driver than I am, chased after the two SUVs as they turned left and plummeted down a steep hill road. As we got closer I could feel my hands shake, my nerves making me crave a nicotine fix. Steve was gonna be so mad at me for doing this.

Suddenly, Shuri ran one of the SUVs off the hill and into another car in oncoming traffic. This was great news, except we were going very fast, and heading straight for the wreckage.

"We're not gonna make it!" Shuri exclaimed. I knew Shuri wasn't actually in the car, so if we crashed she wouldn't get hurt, but my heart still pounded with fear.

Or maybe it was fear, for the first time, for my own safety.

"Keep going!" At the back of the car, T'Challa used his claws to divert the car away from the wreckage just in time.

"Woo brother!" Shuri said with a grin, speeding up and gaining on the second SUV.

"Couldn't have left it any sooner, brother?" I said, gripping my seatbelt with my good hand to stop it from shaking.

We approached the remaining SUV and as we got close, I felt T'Challa leap from the top of the car and saw him land on the roof of the other one. Bullets flew everywhere, stray ones hitting the bullet proof exterior of our car. I flinched, but Shuri stood her ground. T'Challa ripped the roof of the SUV off as the driver's side door opened and a man flung himself out. Too late to change course, our car ran him over and the car bounced, like we were going over a speed bump.

"Hey what was that?" Shuri was so focused on driving she didn't notice the driver she just ran over.

"I think you just ran someone over Shuri," I piped from the backseat.

"Don't listen to your sister, you're doing great." T'Challa said, jumping back to the roof of our car. Within seconds, we emerged onto a wider street, and I spotted Okoye and Nakia's car as they chased down more SUVs. Shuri followed, pulling into the Busan Diamond Bridge at top speed. The traffic was heavy and T'Challa rode the roof as he took gunfire to his suit.

"Hey look at your suit! You've been taking bullets, charging it up with kinetic energy!" Shuri reminded T'Challa from the driver's seat. He paused for a moment.

"Pull around the truck." He ordered. Shuri obliged, but as she pulled the car around the side a large truck-trailer blocked our view. Without hesitation, T'Challa leapt from our roof to the rig of the truck-trailer, disappearing from both our view and theirs. Shuri sped up, trying to pass the truck and get back to the SUV.

"Remind me to never let you drive me again," I said as the car lurched to the side as Shuri pulled some tricky manoeuvres to get past the truck. Cutting right in front of the SUV, I spotted the driver's look of surprise as he realized T'Challa was no longer on the roof of us.

T'Challa landed hard on the roof of the SUV, and seeing no Klaue inside, dispersed a wave of kinetic energy that caused the truck to swerve off and over the bridge in flames.

Shuri quickly whipped to the side and T'Challa landed gracefully back on our roof.

"Show off," Shuri muttered. I was feeling almost sick with all the turns, and my arm hurt. I felt strangely panicked, a feeling I associated with New York, 2012. I felt inexperienced, a new born to this life and its consequences. I wished the suit allowed room for a hip flask, so at least I could calm this newfound anxiety.

I spotted Klaue's SUV up ahead, heading across Centum City Bridge and onto the adjoining road.

"Shuri, there!"

She revved the engine and followed, cutting dangerously in and out of traffic.

"Faster Shuri!" T'Challa was desperate and forgot civility in the heat of the moment.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Shuri fired back, and I believed her. The steady tremble of the vehicle was that of one pushed to its limit. Speeding through traffic, Shuri crossed lanes until we reached the same road, trailing the SUV and gaining on them. A sharp left turn sent us booking down a small narrow road and a right onto a brightly lit two lane street.

A figure climbed precariously out the window of the SUV and perched on the windowsill, aiming something at us.

It was Klaue.

Before anything happened, his driver made a turn right into a wider avenue, and we kept chase. Shuri followed, brow furrowed as she focused on making the turn at 115mph.

It was too late by the time I realize what was happening. I heard Shuri shout as Klaue aimed his mechanic arm at us, the last thing that was clear in my mind before the blast hit the car were my hands glowing green and a sharp pain in my chest. 

Authors Note

Hello again lovelies, hope you are all doing well. This week is a fun little car chase scene, always a thrill to write. Notice Keight's saucy thought about Steve? Comment your thoughts and stay safe xx

~JJ