Shuri peered down into her microscope. It was a simple quality control check. Nanotech, it turned out, was a bitch to develop. The possibilities were monumental, but progress had been slow. As if the challenge of designing things at the molecular level wasn't enough, she had to ensure that they were durable enough to survive wear and tear, strong enough to act structurally, flexible enough to adapt to the needs of the user.
Vibranium was amazing, and made solving a lot of those problems easier, but there was only so much mileage she could get out of that. The rest was hard work, tradeoffs, and many days where she'd been forced t go back to the drawing board.
It didn't help that recently, her focus had been taken up more using runes, leaving nanotech to go on the back-burner. This was just a check in on a long running experiment, looking at how vibranium nanostructures held up to long term stress.
It looked… promising. Though she'd need to do some functional tests to be sure. She was partway through mentally drawing up a list of such tests when she was interrupted quite unexpectedly. It wasn't common security entered her lab unannounced. Her lab was still a new project, and at the moment she only had a few technicians assisting her, none of whom were required to work weekends, as she was voluntarily doing. This was something she'd had to beg her father to give her a chance with, but once she'd convinced him, he'd put his full trust in her and had never looked back. He was… immovable like that. Once he made up his mind that something was the best course, little would sway him
The fact that a trio of Border Tribe were standing at the threshold of the room was unusual, it couldn't mean anything good. "Your highness." One bowed shortly. "Your father has requested your presence in the throne room."
Alarm bells were going off in her head. Why would the Border Tribe be fetching her for her father? Wouldn't it be simpler to just call her? Something wasn't right…
She had a hunch, and she didn't like it. Shuri forced a grin and snapped a finger to the man who had addressed her. "My father is so clingy." She said, discretely reaching for a thin slip of metal and a vibranium ring on her bench "Tell him I'll be up in a minute, I just need to-"
"I'm afraid it can't wait." He pressed stepping towards her. "He told me it was important, something about the Avengers."
"Just a minute." She did her best to not show that she was intimidated, hoping that none of the visitors could tell that something was amiss.
"Your highness…" The guard reached for her, a complete breach of etiquette that banish all thoughts that this was a misunderstanding. No one sworn to Wakanda would treat a member of the royal family with such disrespect. So Shuri didn't hesitate to slap the metal band against the wrist of the man's outstretched arm. It snapped around his wrist, and immediately he collapsed, clutching his head.
The other two guards were already in motion, reaching for weapons that the Border Tribe traditionally didn't wield- vibranium spears. They'd already taken out at least some of the Dora Milaje, or else raided an armory. Either way, this was far from the beginning of this invasion. If whoever was attacking them could take control of their people... this was bad, very bad. Shuri lunged, wincing as the desk blew up behind her. She whirled around, latching the ring onto her finger and holding her palm up… hoping that this worked.
The follow-up blast ricochet off away from her and struck the floor. Her new shield, projected off of her ring, started glowing faintly in the air. She could just make out the shape of a rune in the barrier, almost a reflection of the brilliantly glowing symbol inscribed onto the face of the ring. But while she could protect herself, the man she had freed wasn't so lucky. Without mercy, he was stabbed from above, the spear piercing his chest. A scream turned to gurgles, which then died away.
Shuri scrambled to another bench, just in time to block another bolt that would have annihilated it. She tapped her computer and typed with one hand, the other outstretched in front of her to project the shield. She activated an alarm. Anyone still in their right minds would know something was wrong, for all the good it did her. Then she called T'Challa. "Brother!" She shouted. "We're under attack!"
The two remain guards fanned out, soon, they would be able to out flank her shield, though she was able to parry their next two shots as they were out of synch with each other. Her brother's labored breathing came in over the line, and she knew that he wouldn't be able to help her. "I can see that! Are you safe?"
She was forced to dive out of the way of another bolt, which destroyed the bench. Thankfully her wrist computer was still perfectly functional and would have to do in a pinch. "Not exactly! Can you get down here?" She scanned the room for anything she could use to fend her attackers off. Runic jewelry, EMP grenades, vibranium gauntlets, nano-armor, all half-finished prototypes, as likely to blow herself up as work properly.
"I'll be there as soon as I can." He told her. She didn't think he'd be there in time. She was rapidly being backed into a corner, and the shield, she knew from testing, could only hold up for so long against advanced weaponry. No, there was only one person who could get there in time to help her, and ironically he was half a world away right now.
She projected a holographic screen into the air from her wrist, her fingers flickering between inputs. The vibranium sensors in the device could detect the vibrations the motion her fingers created. It was a neat trick, and allowed her to select a number that had quickly risen to near the top of her contacts.
'Calling Harry Potter.'
-----
The call came while Harry was brushing his teeth. He was only half dressed and still a little groggy, but he answered anyway on a whim. Talking to Shuri was always fun, and she usually had some new, interesting application for his magic to pitch to him.
"Oh, thank god." Shuri breathed over the line. "Harry, we're under attack." Shuri had without fail sounded unflappable and upbeat through every conversation he'd had with her, so hearing the panic in her voice instantly set him on alert. Already, he was going to his closet, where his suit was hung neatly.
"What do you need, what's happening." He said, his tone steady and pure business.
"Someone is taking over the minds of our guards. They're attacking me right now, I'm using a runic shield, but I don't know how long it will last. I'm trapped, and…"
He could hear her edging herself into panic, and his interceded to stop the spiral. "Alright. That… that sounds like Madame Hydra." Internally he cursed, but didn't want to derail Shuri any further. "I've… I've apparated this far before, but I'll need a good visual of your lab."
He wasn't looking forward to putting himself through that again. It was an experience akin to the cruciatus, except it also left him feeling nauseous. He didn't want to make a habit out of apparating across continents, but what else could he do?
"Okay, I'm linking you into our system. Its… the quickest way." Harry almost did a double take at that. Whether it was a sign of trust, or desperation, the fact that Shuri was letting him access Wakanda's network was a contradiction of everything he'd heard from Wakanda, officially or unofficially.
"You're in." She told him.
"Just a sec." He said, tugging the bottom half of his uniform on while hopping to his computer. His phone just wouldn't have a large enough screen for this. The saving grace was that Stark tech was fast, and it took almost no time to load up the desktop and link his phone. Finding the feed of Shuri's lab, he appraised the situation and memorized the details of the room. Meanwhile, he shot messages to Natasha, Wanda, and Skye. They probably wouldn't be able to get to his room in time to stop him, unless Wanda recruited her brother.
His instincts told him this wouldn't be enough. "Shuri, I'm sorry, but I'm going to need… more. This isn't enough context. I can visualize the room but I don't know where I'm going."
Shuri spat out a set of coordinates, the coordinates to Wakanda, and began to unload information onto him, about the building she was in, the floor, the city... "Okay, okay, you can stop." He bit his lip, there was nothing else to it. "I'm going in."
And with that, Harry apparated. That classic 'getting sucked through a straw' sensation that came with wizarding teleportation was far worse when it lasted a whole minute. When his magic dumped him onto the floor, his vision was swimming, and he was only vaguely aware of the figures around him.
No, this was way worse than the aftereffects of the cruciatus, maybe add in a hangover, a migraine, and a stomach flu and you got whatever this was. No way was it healthy, but when did that ever stop him? The blurry figures reared back, and Harry lashed out instinctively with stunners. Merlin, he hoped those were the bad guys and he hadn't just dropped into an innocent couple's home and attacked them both.
The world continued to whirl beneath him. Someone came up behind him and touched his forehead, she was saying something…"Harry!"
So he was in the right place after all… that was nice. The spinning began to slow, and the room slowly took form. "Harry! Are you there? I have some ideas on how to wake you up, but you wouldn't like them."
He groaned, as the room suddenly snapped into focus. Three bodies were on the ground- he had stunned two of them, but the third… Madam Hydra did not show mercy. "Nope. Not necessary. Just… give me a moment. I need to bemoan my condition."
Shuri sniggered "Bemoan away. But seriously, are you alright?"
"No clue." All he knew was that his magic would fix him up over time. Until then, he just had to get back onto his feet and push through it. "What's the situation now?"
"Brother, are you still with us?" Shuri called, and the volume of her voice so close to his ear made him wince.
"They are heading to the throne room. Everything's in chaos, I'm trying to put together some of the Dora Milaje with Okoye, they've been given your wrist bands, so they should be safe. If they try to get in... we'll have to put up a stand whether we're ready or not."
"Can you take me there?" Harry asked Shuri. "I'll stun everyone, none of your people will get hurt, but we can't let them get to him." Shuri nodded. "We'll be there, T'Challa. I'll do everything I can." He promised, rising unsteadily to his feet. Shuri grabbed his arm while he braced himself against a bench.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" She asked.
He grit his teeth. "I have to be." While this was doubtful even to his own ears, Shuri didn't have much of an option other than take him at his word.
The made their way through the corridors, Shuri directing them to an elevator where another pair of guards were stationed. Thankfully, they weren't much of a fight, even with Harry still feeling sore and a bit unsteady on his feet. He and Tony had just upgraded his suit with a runic shield array. Projecting a shield, he was easily able to focus on taking the pair out with body-binding hexes while their bolts ricocheted harmlessly away from them. If Wanda were here, she could have dispelled the staff's effects with ease, her powers were somehow linked to the artifact. Harry had no such luck with the captured soldiers, he imagined he could wrench their minds from her control, but it would take effort, and time they didn't have.
"Shit. The elevators are down." Shuri cursed. "That doesn't even make sense, why would they take out the elevators, don't they need to escape?"
Harry grimaced "Only one person needs to escape. And unfortunately, she can teleport."
Their next option was a back entrance, secret, she said, to all but their inner circle. They found no resistance along the stairwell, other than Harry's exhaustion.
"They're at the throne room, sister." T'Challa said. "We're going to defend it."
"We're still a few minutes way." Shuri hissed, while Harry braced himself and picked up his pace. He was half tempted to apparate there, but he would probably be useless if he managed it, and more likely he'd just splinch himself.
"We don't have a choice. I'm sorry."
Shuri looked stricken. Harry pushed through the discomfort, and they made better time. Bursting out of the stairwell, they were immediately beset. The guards fell from stunners easily, and the two of them rushed forward. Shuri aggressively parrying bolts with her own shield. Harry had no clue where they were going, just following Shuri's lead. They were finally stopped at an archway. The door had been blown in, and within was a large, circular room. It would have been striking under other circumstances, the floor was a matrix of thick plate glass, giving him the sense of being suspended over a precipice, and didn't that just describe their position.
There were only three people left standing in the room. When T'Challa had said he was engaging the enemy, Harry hadn't imagined how, but a vibranium panther tech-suit was far from the weirdest thing Harry had seen in his years. It was clearly effective- he had obviously done most of the work taking out the raiding party, leaving non-lethal injuries on those he had incapacitated. The Dora Milaje had been less lucky, and Harry just hoped they could save them all in time.
"Madam Hydra." Harry said evenly. The woman stood at the center of the destruction, glorifying herself in it, and in her arms acting as her human shield was the King. The point of her staff was pressed against his neck, a clear signal of her intentions. The threat was keeping T'Challa at bay, and the two appeared to be in a standoff of sorts. He weighed his options. If she chose to, she could kill the king and then leave in the blink of an eye. "What hole did you crawl out of?"
She scoffed, and honestly, he didn't blame her. He'd have loved to say that she looked gaunt, disheveled, like someone on the run, living on the edge. But she didn't. She looked confident, radiant. "You know, for once I'm not even interested in you." She said dismissively. "The herb, T'challa. Your family and your bodyguard may be protected from my telepathy, but that's only until I get to cutting off hands. I'd recommend you give it up voluntarily, before someone gets hurt."
"Shame. I teleported halfway across the world to see you; this is the welcome I get?" He made a show of swaying just slightly on his feet. Shuri was quick to steady him, unaware that this was a show. He was bad off, but not that bad off. Madam Hydra's eyes narrowed predatorily. Hook, line, sinker.
She was so easy to bait, but that impulsiveness had also caused this mess. Who could have guessed that she'd attack Wakanda of all places? "How inconsiderate of me." She said with faux sweetness "Jet lag is a real killer isn't it?" Merlin, spare him. She thought she could quip like Tony Stark, but she just couldn't and it was painful.
Harry was prepared for her attack. He suddenly pushed Shuri out of the way and slid under the bolt from her staff. Simultaneously, T'Challa leapt at her. A barrage of stunners flew from Harry's hands. Some of them might hit T'Chaka, but they were coming too quickly for Madame Hydra to avoid them.
It only took a split second for Harry to realize he had miscalculated, badly. His spells pinged off a shield. It had been invisible, but when his spells struck it began to glow, along with a very familiar rune inscribed onto her chest. T'Challa's claws too raked over the shield harmlessly.
Oh.
Oh no.
Her reaction was immediate, and brutal. A powerful blast aimed straight at the King's torso. It exploded, not just with blood, but with bits of flesh, bone, and other unidentified parts. The moment seemed to drag out into eternity. The king fell to the ground- with the cavity of his body nearly hollowed out, his eyes wide, mouth open in a soundless gasp. Madam Hydra teleported away, with none of the occupants of the room even paying her mind. The horror on Shuri and T'Challa's faces.
T'Challa's and Shuri's father was dying. Harry was no stranger to death, but in hindsight the killing curse seemed almost merciful. Quick, clean, perhaps even painless. Nothing could have prepared him for this.
But there was one other difference with the killing curse. Avada Kedavra was irreversible. Once it hit you your soul was gone, and no normal means of magic could save you. Not so with physical injuries. T'Chaka was dying, but he wasn't dead and he wasn't going to die. Harry refused.
The world returned to motion, and Harry knew exactly what he had to do. In blink, he was at T'Chaka, and pushing as much of his magic into the King's mangled body as he could. All of it, every last reserve flowed from his heart, through his arms, and left his hands as a visible glow that weaved through the King's torn flesh, tissue and bone. He exhaled, and magic left his body in his breath like condensation in the air and gathered around T'Chaka as an aura.
Organs grew out of nothing, tissue and flesh knit together, veins spread like vines and pulsed with new blood, and still Harry pushed. He needs more, just a little bit more. Keep going. And Harry did, until the cavity was sealed up, bare, unmarred skin in its place.
It was only then that Harry realized just how much pain he was in. It hit him suddenly, like a train. A pain every match of Voldemort's cruciatus, torturing every nerve of his body.
Something was wrong, very very wrong.
Harry collapsed to the floor, vision clouding, thoughts scattering from the pain. The room faded out, and he knew no more.
-----
Shuri stood in shock at what had just happened. For one horrible moment her brain had tried and failed to process what had just been done to her father. That he was dead, that she had just seen him explode into bits of blood and gore. Then Harry had leapt into action, and she hated herself for convulsively clinging to hope when she knew it could so easily just lead to bitter disappointment.
But then, miraculously, it had worked. Harry didn't flinch, didn't take his eyes of her father for even a moment as the magic collected in the air around them. When the wound closed, Shuri let out a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. "Thank Bast." T'challa breathed beside her "He actually did it."
Her relief, as profound as it was, was just as short lived, because no sooner had her father been healed had Harry collapsed. At first she thought it might just be simple exhaustion, but her heart froze when she noticed the bruising. It was forming on every exposed piece of skin- hands face, neck. A trickle of blood ran from his nose.
Internal bleeding. Her mind registered, and a dozen pieces came together all at once. His teleportation, it had hurt him somehow. It must have caused internal damage, and his magic had been actively compensating for it and healing him. Until he used all his magic to save her father, then with nothing left for himself. She reeled, grasping at thoughts, ideas. There had to be something she could do, something in all of Wakanda's technology and resources that could help him, something like his magic…
Oh, of course.
"Brother!" she shouted "He needs the herb!" She skidded to his side, tentatively touching his cheek and wincing at how hot it felt.
"Shuri…" He was taken aback by the suddenness of the request, but she had faith that once he understood he would agree.
"He's dying, brother. He saved aba and he's dying for it. We can't just let him-" She choked on her words, only now just realizing just how horrible the thought of losing Harry Potter, letting him die like this would be. She owed him, they all owed him. He had selflessly come to help them, risked his own life to save her father. She refused to let him die like this. The herb was sacred, and for a good reason, but she knew that giving it to him was right.
And she could see in T'Challa's eyes that he agreed. "Stay with him, I'll be back. We won't let anyone else die today."
-----
When Harry opened his eyes he was somewhere very familiar... King's Cross.
Was he dead, for real this time?
"Harry." A voice said warmly, something about it sparked an answering warmth deep in his chest. It was deeply familiar, even if he couldn't quite place it. Harry turned, and his vision blurred, but this time from tears.
"Mum? Dad?"