The moment the jet had landed in Wakanda, the medical pod containing Y/N was immediately transport to Shuri's lab, where she was ready and waiting for the arrival. They all went with her, nobody wanting to risk taking their eyes of Y/N for a moment, there had been too many mistakes and nobody wanted another one to happen.
"Nice lab you've got here" Tony said, slightly in awe of all the tech, not knowing what to look at first as they entered.
"I'll give you the grand tour later Stark. For now let's focus on helping your friend" Shuri replied as she showed the Wakandan guards where to put Y/N.
Wanda and Nat stood to the side, both of them nervous to hear what the plan was that Shuri had to help Y/N. There hadn't been much conversation on the flight, everyone was on edge, they wanted so badly for this to work and it was also hard to block out the fact that the rest of the team were on a mission to detain Sharon Carter.
"Okay so I've worked on this for awhile now, it's still in a trial phase but I believe this may work in bringing Y/N back. The machine connects to the mind, it will show us exactly what is going on but that's not the cool part" Shuri started explaining, clearly excited to show her work, "What it allows is for us to connect two minds and create a pathway between them, so one person can enter the mind of another. If someone can go in and help Y/N out of where she's locked in then that may be the key to her being able to control her own thoughts and memories again."
Tony was nodding, he understood some of the science behind it but had assumed something like this was years away from being ready. He knew he shouldn't have doubted that Shuri wouldn't have already solved it, the Wakandan technology was sophisticated far beyond its time.
"What's the catch?" Wanda spoke now her eyes locked on Y/N, who was still unconscious in the medical pod.
"Depending on just how fragile Y/N's mind is there is a chance that someone else entering it could shatter it to a point of no return. It is going to be a delicate process and I have only ever done it with two strong healthy minds connecting" Shuri said honestly, sensing how protective Wanda was of Y/N.
They all glanced at each other knowing that if they decided to go ahead with this they were risking never getting Y/N back. There didn't seem to be another option though, this was the best chance they had and it meant gambling everything.
"So whose mind do we connect with Y/N's?" Tony asked as he took a closer look at the machine that Shuri had built.
"Someone she has a deep connection with, it will make it easier for them to enter her mind if they are familiar to her" Shuri answered as she began to get things online.
Everyone glanced over at Wanda, who shook her head immediately.
"No. The last memory that Y/N has of me was me nearly killing her, I don't think it should be me. I don't want to risk my magic hurting her again" Wanda moved back her hands trembling as she looked between Y/N and the others.
Nat gently wrapped an arm around Wanda and held her.
"Hey it's okay Wanda, you don't have to do it. Y/N is my best friend, I've known her a long time, I can do this" Nat said softly reassuring Wanda.
Shuri with the assistance of Tony and Vision moved Y/N from the medical pod and onto one of the tables in the centre of the lab. She began connecting the wires and monitors to Y/N, bringing the screens to life as they started to scan Y/N's mind, mapping the situation going on inside her mind.
"Wow..." Shuri muttered to herself as she stepped up to her interactive screens and started interpreting the data coming back.
Tony came to stand beside Shuri, taking in what was on the screens, he could understand why Shuri was so shocked. The screen was showing an intricate map of Y/N's mind, physically showing them all for the first time just how broken and fractured it was. They'd spoken about it many times, but to actually have it laid out in front of them, it was shocking to see.
"Is the process still viable? That is a rather complex web to navigate" Vision asked, tilting his head to study the screen.
"I never said this would be easy, but I am a genius and I stand by my work and this is the best chance you have of getting Y/N to want to put all off this back together" Shuri responded, gesturing to the screen.
Wanda and Nat walked over to join the others, after having spoke privately for a few moments about the situation in front of them. They had agreed Nat would be the best person to do this, she was Y/N's best friend and helped her through a number of things before so knew how to get through to her in bad situations.
"Alright I think that's enough talking, shall we get started?" Nat said as she hopped up onto the bed opposite Y/N.
"Good to see you've been working on patience Natasha, since I last saw you" Shuri teased with a smile as she came over and attached the same wires and monitors to Nat.
"Come on Shuri you know Nat and patience don't go in the same sentence" Tony grinned as she sat down on one of the stools by the screens.
Wanda came to stand beside Nat and smiled at her.
"No pressure, but I'd really appreciate it if you could bring the love of my life back in one piece, okay?" Wanda said as she looked over at Y/N on the other table.
"I promise I will do everything that I can, now go and sit beside her" Nat smiled back at Wanda.
Wanda nodded and she went over, taking one of the other stools and putting it beside the table Y/N was on. She sat down and took Y/N's hand gently in her own, hoping that the next time Y/n opened their eyes they would remember who they were and who she was to them.
"Okay, you'll feel a slight shock Nat and then you'll be in Y/N's mind. I'm not sure where you'll land but it should be wherever she's hiding" Shuri explained as she readied the sequence and then initiated it to start.
"Now we wait" Tony sighed watching the screens adjust and show Nat and Y/N's minds linking.
**
Steve hesitated as he moved into position with Lexa, they'd scoped out the entire building and had figured out that there were at least eight guards inside for them to deal with before they'd get to Sharon.
"Why can't we just blow the place up? It would be a lot more efficient than lurking in dark alleys" Yelena said sarcastically over the comms pieces they all had in.
"Yelena we are not here to kill Sharon, please remember that" Steve replied as he glanced over the alley opposite to where he and Lexa were.
"So boring" Yelena mumbled.
"Yelena I can still hear you" Steve laughed slightly shaking his head.
Lexa smiled slightly at the interaction between Yelena and Steve, she was glad she wasn't the only one that Yelena enjoyed winding up. She noticed as a few guys exited the building, getting into one of the SUV's that were parked up outside.
"Looks like now would be a good time to make a move, looks like the building is lighter a few guards now" Lexa said stepping round Steve and making toward the fire exit they'd established as the entry point.
Steve covered Lexa as she broke the door open, checking to make sure they hadn't drawn any attention to themselves. The plan was for him and Lexa to enter the building and get to Sharon whilst Clint and Yelena held back to monitor any new arrivals or to block any escape Sharon might try to make.
"Try not to steal all the fun, I mean if you want to let a couple of people get out of the building we'd appreciate it" Yelena piped up as she lent against the wall, unimpressed that her and Clint were on guard duty outside.
"Don't worry little widow, I'm sure you can survive without beating someone black and blue on one mission" Lexa teased her girlfriend before closing the comms channel so her and Steve could concentrate on making their way through the building.
Yelena huffed as the comms line when silent, she peered round the corner of the alley only for Clint to pull her back again.
"Come on, this isn't the kind of place that you want to start trouble in" Clint warned as he kept a close eye on the people walking past.
"Fine, but you have to promise me that later on you'll let me use your bow one time" Yelena said as she hopped up and sat on one of the containers in the alleyway.
"You think I'm going to trust you with my bow? I think not" Clint chuckled as he looked at the monitor on his wrist, it showed two blue dots moving through the building.
**
Steve and Lexa made their way up through the stairwell, they checked each floor they passed and were confused when they found there wasn't anyone there anymore. They'd been sure that they would have run into someone by now.
"This is weird right?" Lexa frowned as they cleared another floor, there were only two more before they would reach the penthouse apartment.
"Definitely weird, but maybe they've bunkered down in the apartment. Sharon could be paranoid about us coming for her" Steve reasoned as he took the last flight of stairs two at a time, his body tensing in anticipation of a fight.
They both pushed through the door, covering one another as they entered the penthouse apartment. They braced themselves for the flurry of attacks that would come but as they looked around they found that it was deserted just like everywhere else had been.
"Okay I'm calling it, this Sharon chick is crazy good at getting away from us. It's kind of embarrassing" Lexa sighed as she made her way over to a desk by the floor to ceiling windows in the lounge area.
There was a briefcase on the desk and Lexa holstered her gun as she unclipped the locks on it. As she lifted the top of the briefcase a wire inside tripped and an explosion shook the entire floor, sending Lexa flying backwards and through the windows, hurtling toward the ground hundreds of feet below.