Shuri worked furiously, typing into her computer and then rushing over to the haphazard collection of reagent bottles. She measured out a quantity of white powder onto a scale and coughed horribly when a small amount of it was kicked into the air.
"You okay?" Nat asked.
"No time for PPE." Shuri rasped, wiping her watery eyes as she continued to work.
"If you screw up, it'll waste even more time." Natasha advised.
"I won't screw up." Shuri said tensely as she dumped the powder into a basin. She flipped a switch, and the basin began to hum, the solution within churning as it was stirred by the sonic energy. "That'll take two minutes. Normally would give it fifteen, but…"
"Wait, it'll be ready in two minutes?" Natasha asked hopefully.
"No, just that step." Shuri shook her head. "I'm nowhere close to-"
They were interrupted by a flash of blue light, as five Hydra goons were deposited into the lab. "Don't stop working!" Natasha barked as she charged into the middle of their formation.
There had been a time in her first life, before the arrival of wizards, aliens, and gods, where the thought of her feeling insecure in her abilities would have been laughable. She'd never felt like she couldn't contribute to the Avengers, on missions that required a bit of stealth and finesse, she was invaluable. However, there were times where she felt like a liability. When shit truly hit the fan she was never the one standing side by side with Harry, Thor, Strange, and Wanda. In the fight against Thanos she'd been useless, taken out early only to awaken with the fight already done. In this life, she'd taken to the Mystic Arts with a fervor, and she wondered if in part this was because of an unconscious desire to change that.
She summoned toa mandalas from her hands. One of the soldiers fired at her point blank, and his gun was blown apart as the blue beam of energy clashed against her shield. "We've got contact!" A soldier bellowed. "They're working on some- hrrk!" She bashed him with her other mandala, opening a portal behind him that he tipped partway through. It opened in front of soldier number four, who aimed at her through the portal. Just as he fired, she closed the portal, bisecting the man she had struck. The beam shot across the room, forcing soldier number five to dive to the ground to avoid it. She took the fourth soldier out with a flying kick, flipping in the air to land next to the downed fifth soldier, who she efficiently eliminated with a blow to the head.
Shuri blinked at her in shock for a moment. "The magic's new."
"I told you to keep working." Natasha said. The fight had taken perhaps five seconds, but every second counted right now. Her words stirred Shuri to action, and she began to prepare for the next step of her process. Harry had placed a high priority on this, and for good reason. It was why she was here, to make sure nothing could disrupt Shuri. Perhaps, it could be argued, she might be better used evacuating people from Wakanda, or even its technology, Vibranium, or the precious Heart-Shaped Herb. All of those things, other Sorcerers and Wakandans could manage. Because this was about more than some battlefield advantage- though it certainly was that as well- this was about saving a friend.
Shuri worked for several more minutes, while Natasha took a breather, listening to the chatter over the comms. They should, theoretically, be safe. While not all of the buildings in Wakanda were constructed with Vibranium, the Royal Palace certainly was. If anywhere in Wakanda was secure, they were.
Yet… it was certainly odd that Hydra had teleported directly into Shuri's lab. Had they been targeting the royal palace specifically? It would make sense. If the original goal of this attack was to lure Harry out, hostages would be useful. And if the evacuation was going as well as they'd hoped, they may well be the only life signs in the building. She'd worked for Hydra, and she knew how they operated, they might as well have placed a target on their backs. The safety of the Vibranium was also illusory. If there was a barrier Hydra couldn't break through, they'd just go around it. She'd been ported in and out of supposedly impenetrable fortresses many times.
An explosion sounded out above them.
It also probably meant they wouldn't stop trying, and perhaps, send in bigger guns.
Another explosion, and then a bang. She and Shuri shared an alarmed glance. The noises were getting closer, and fast. There was a loud thump as something impacted heavily on the door to the lab. Being made of Vibranium, the door didn't budge, but she could hear the carnage wreaked behind it.
"Looks like she found us." Natasha said. They both knew exactly who was on the other side of that door. They'd been hoping to lure her out, but not yet. Natasha glanced nervously at Shuri as she worked. It was too soon. "They're going to port her in." She said, opening a portal as another deafening explosion collided with the door. "Get out!"
Shuri shook her head "This is our only chance."
"Damn it, get out!" Natasha shouted- too late. A flash of blue light heralded Carol Danvers' arrival.
Shuri ducked behind a Vibranium bench, firing ineffectively with a sonic weapon. Carol shot in the air in pursuit, and Natasha spotted her chance. She opened a portal directly in Carol's path. The ring shrunk down around her, nearly collapsing, but then Natasha faced a sudden resistance she'd never felt from her magic before. Carol was literally prying the portal back open with her hands. With a roar, she broke through, shredding the portal and casting off a shockwave of golden energy. It collided with Natasha's hastily constructed mandala shield, sending her flying back into the wall. "Fuck!" She grunted, forcing herself back to her feet.
The lab had been destroyed, all of Shuri's reagents burnt away and her complex machinery fried. There was nothing left for them here. She cast a quick glance at their means of escape. If they even tried to go for the portal, Carol would stop them and use it to find the sanctum. Natasha let it flicker closed, looking Carol in the eyes as best she could with her mask. "Carol, this isn't you." She said.
"That's not my name." Came the cold reply. With a quick jab, she sent another bolt of plasma at her. Before Natasha could even flinch, a wall assembled itself in front of her. Shuri leapt to her side, having discarded her gun and donned a metal headband. It was their plan B- Vibranium nanobots. Shuri had programmed them so they could be directed with her mind. She'd been working on nanotech for a new Black Panther suit, similar to the models she'd created in their original timeline, when Harry had crashed into her life.
"Think you can get us out?" She asked, holding the wall firm as Carol torched it, plasma shooting off in gouts on either side of them. It'd hold. While nanobots weren't as strong as solid Vibranium, it was the next best thing.
"Think you can give us a little space?"
"Think you can help?" They flashed each other a quick grin.
The incoming fire stalled as Carol propelled herself towards them. It was scary, how fast she could move, far too fast for them to evade her. Thankfully, that wasn't their plan. Natasha opened a portal in Carol's path. She was prepared for the trick this time, rolling to avoid it. But she wasn't prepared for what was on the other side of the portal. Shuri's nanobots surged through the opening, latching onto Carol's ankle as she passed. With a grunt, Carol crashed into the floor as nanobots crawled up her legs and pinned her arms. With a burst of effort, she broke from the tendrils binding her wrists, only for another wave of silvery goop to take their place. Slowly, despite Shuri's attempts to keep her down, Carol stood up.
"Any moment now." Shuri said. Natasha tuned her out, she just needed time to focus, this was a lot easier when you didn't need to worry about who you were bringing with you…
Carol pulsed brighter, explosively scattering the nanobots with a burst of energy that thoroughly scorched the room. She lunged at Natasha and Shuri, only to pass through empty air. The two women looked on, statue still, not quite believing they were out of the woods yet. Around them, the room shifted into fractals. "Where are we?" Shuri whispered.
"Mirror dimension." Natasha whispered back.
"They got away." Carol said robotically. "Orders?" There was a pause. "Potter?" Suddenly her voice wasn't so robotic, if only for a moment. "Understood." Then she was gone in a flash of blue light.
-----
T'Chone ducked through the doorway, peering into the half-collapsed house. "Is anyone there?" He called, clutching the Vibranium spear that still felt odd in his hands. For all the sparring he'd done with his uncle, he'd never handled a real weapon before, never seen a real battle, never really fought.
His experiences with real battle were nothing like he'd imagined. It was a chaotic sprint as explosions rocked the buildings next to him. It was ducking low as Hydra flew overhead- both the less imposing drones and the more dangerous Iron Men. It was dodging to the side whenever he saw the flash of blue light that heralded the arrival of more soldiers. Hydra's tactics were cowardly, T'Chone thought, but it'd almost worked. They wouldn't attack them head on, and instead tried to terrorize civilians. How lucky Wakanda was, that his father had come prepared, that almost everyone had been evacuated already.
He hadn't actually fought anyone himself, but he had saved some people, and that was enough. "Please, help!" Someone called back. T'Chone ventured deeper into the structure, finding a family huddled in the kitchen. A man was pinned to the floor by a collapsing beam, his wife and three children trying and failing to lift it off him.
He couldn't help them, but he knew who could. He tapped the communicator in his ear. "T'Chone. I've got five at my location." He said.
"One moment." Came the response. Perhaps a minute later a portal opened, and a sorcerer strode through. With a quick nod, T'Chone was off. His job there was done.
"Kid, you should get out." The sorcerer called. "We've got it from here!" He ignored him.
Out on the streets, the sounds of blaster fire and explosions could be heard, and more distantly- the booming of thunder. He pulled up his scanner and pivoted, squinting at the screen until a blip appeared- a life sign. He ran, skidding into an alley and vaulting over rubble. He turned a corner, and immediately realized his mistake.
The life signs he'd picked up were in fact a squad of Hydra soldiers. They'd been milling around aimlessly, seeming to be uncertain to do without an obvious target. Now, an obvious target had presented itself. T'Chone lurched back as a blue beam whizzed by, striking the wall and vaporizing it. Something clattered on the ground beside him, and it took him a moment to realize it was a grenade. With all his might, he focused on pushing the thing back from where it came, and the grenade skidded along the ground back to the soldiers. He heard shouts of surprise, then an explosion and screams.
Had he done it? T'Chone wondered, feeling delirious with relief. It was almost too easy. A soldier rounded the corner, gun raised. T'Chone cursed himself. He should have run, run as far as he could and called for help. He backed up, his palms sweating as he tightened his grip on the spear. Should he close the distance and fight, or get as far away as possible to dodge? He didn't know! He tripped on a piece of rubble and fell back onto the ground. The soldier chuckled darkly. "You're lucky." He said. "Your death will be far less painful than my comrades'." He pulled the trigger.
"PROTEGO!" A translucent shield appeared in front of him, absorbing the beam. Both T'Chone and the soldier blinked in astonishment as a girl who couldn't be much older than him held her wand aloft.
"Witch!" The man shouted, before she took him out with a 'stupefy'.
Then she offered him her hand. "Hi!" She said.
"Hi." T'Chone returned shakily, taking her hand and letting her pull him up. "Thank you!" He had no idea who this girl was, but she'd saved his life. He had no idea what to say to her. He'd never really interacted with anyone his age, let alone a girl.
She smiled brightly, awkwardly turning her helping hand into a handshake. "You're welcome! Uhm, I'm Lily."
"T'Chone." He managed. Perhaps they would have tripped around each other a while longer, but they were interrupted. One of the Iron Men suits streaked overhead, pulling to a surprisingly quick stop and landing on the ground with a bone shaking thud. "Looks like we've got a little witch." The man snarled.
"Stupefy!" The girl said confidently, sending a red spell at the armored man. It pinged uselessly off his armor. "Hehe!" She chuckled sheepishly.
"My turn!" He raised his gauntlets, charging them up. T'Chone, who had already been backing up, yanked the girl around the corner as the repulsor blast went off. He retched when he saw the carnage the grenade had wrought- a horrible mess of body parts, gore, and blood, a lot of blood.
"Did you do this?" She asked as they ran.
"I just pushed their grenade back at them!" He said desperately, not wanting her to think he was some sort of butcher. "Like this!" The Iron Man had taken off in pursuit. He couldn't shove him that hard with his magic, but the little push he gave him was enough to send him off course and careening into a building.
"Wicked!" She said.
"You two won't get away that easily!" Their pursuer shouted. Lily sent a 'lacerus' spell at him, which only partially cut through the armor.
"Can someone get us out of here!" T'Chone said into his headset. "We're under attack!" He should have called for help a lot sooner, just like he should have run away sooner, and done anything against that last soldier other than freeze. But the girl was looking at him like he was brilliant.
"You can do magic!" She gasped.
"Yeah, my dad is a wizard." He said. "Though I didn't know it until... today." They ducked as blue beams whizzed from behind them. It conveniently carving a path into the building in front of them. They ran in and made a hard left, hoping to lose the man in the maze of what seemed to be an apartment complex.
"Really? Mine is too!" The girl said. "I just met him too. It's a long story." The wall exploded, leaving them on either side of the gap.
"Come on out, little abominations." The man called, sending a shiver down T'Chone's spine. Lily met his eyes, and then pointed silently at his spear, clumsily miming a throwing motion.
Oh, that might work.
He backed up as quietly as he could, shifting his stance in preparation. Lily crept backwards as well, holding her wand at the ready. As their attacker stepped into the hallway, they leapt into action. T'Chone hurled his spear with his whole body, giving it an additional boost with his magic while Lily said "Accio spear!"
With their combined power, the spear streaked through the air, lodging solidly in the man's shoulder. He cried out in pain and stumbled, but wasn't completely down. T'Chone had learned his lesson on inaction, and rushed up to their fallen foe, wrenching the spear in deeper, while Lily peppered his armor with cutting spells. Finally, it seemed they hit something vital, as the armor sparked and the light in its chest blinked out.
"Yeah! We did it!" Lily crowed. T'Chone offered his fist up to her. "Right, fist bump!" She said excitedly, smacking her fist clumsily against his.
"We did it." He agreed, smiling in relief.
That relief would be rather short-lived. A series of crashes rang out above them, and they grew closer and louder with alarming speed. Something was plowing through the levels of the building like it was made of paper. They'd taken a few steps down the hall when they were both suddenly blown back by an unseen force. Another armored man plunged through the ceiling, and though his landing cast out a force that shoved them both back, he barely made a sound as he touched down. "Targets located." He said in a calm, professional tone.
T'Chone scrabbled around the corner, dragging a bleary Lily along with him. Something about this suit was different from the others in a way he couldn't put his finger on. It moved both heavily and lightly, and it seemed to hum with a sort of power.
The man extended his arm, and a beam passed over them, looking more like a distortion in the air than a laser or blaster. Though it missed them, it ate through the walls of the building with ease, sending the entire structure collapsing around them. T'Chone thrust his spear into the floor, using the blunt end as a support beam as the ceiling crashed down on them, giving them a tiny pocket of space to breathe in.
Then, as quickly as the onslaught had begun, it stopped. "Immediately?" The man asked, then a pause. "Understood. For the goddess!" Then he was gone in a flash of blue light.
As if on cue, a portal opened up in front of them. Neither teen hesitated to launch themselves through. Waiting for them on the other side were two women- Natasha Romanoff and his mother, and neither looked particularly happy with them. He and Lily gave them nearly identical sheepish grins.
They were in so much trouble.
-----
Hela flashed a wicked grin. Twin streaks of green light erupted from her palms as she spun in place, putting the entire encircling army in the curse's path. However, even as Hela made her move, the Ancient One countered. Around them, the world shifted and distorted, as if he was watching it through a moving crystal lattice.
Along with Hela, only he, the Ancient One, and Thor remained. Thor batted away the curse almost casually with Stormbreaker. He looked every inch a Viking god, with a long braided beard and an eye-patch fitted over his right eye. Harry slid under the curse, he knew that the rest of his allies were safe for the time being. They were in the mirror dimension, and nothing they did in here could affect the real world.
Thor threw Stormbreaker at Hela once more, lightning arcing with his swing. Hela lunged forward, straight at Harry, but the ground shifted beneath her suddenly, manipulated by the Ancient One's mastery of this world. She wasn't prepared for this and went sprawling to the ground as Stormbreaker struck her. For the first time she was both prone and visible, and Harry took his shot, quickly charging up a beam of energy. It seared through the air, burning almost blindingly bright, and hit like a firecracker. Though Hela managed to raise her arms to block it, the impact still drew a hiss from her as it burned into the armor of her forearm and seared the skin beneath.
For the first time this fight, they'd hurt her.
Hela lunged again, casting out a hail of blades at Harry. He vanished the incoming fire while the Ancient One wrapped her in thick ropes of magic. Thor, plucking his axe from the air, cast lightning down on her. Harry readied his next attack. For a moment, it looked like they had her.
Then, with a flash of blue from Hela, the mirror dimension shattered around them. Hela broke free from the Ancient One's binding and went into motion. Dimensional shards, the nearly invisible remnants of their time in the mirror dimension, rained down along Hela's path but never hit her. She landed in the ranks of the Dora Milaje, a ring of blades appearing around her and shooting out to skewer those closest to her. Ginny shot a blasting curse at her feet, and Harry winced, knowing this wouldn't end well. Hela used the space stone to halt the shrapnel in its tracks and return it to sender. Ron tackled Ginny to the ground, the rubble ricocheting off his shield charm. Several of the sorcerers were too slow with their mandala shields and fell.
Hela had foregone stealth in favor of all out attack, and she was going to tear through all of their allies if they didn't stop her. That was probably her plan- force their hand, put them in an impossible position until they made a mistake. Perhaps, though, he could still surprise her. Even with the cloak, she was so active that it was obvious where she was. She constantly rolled, lunged, and leapt, revealing parts of her body as she did so, and the nearly constant hail of blades made her location quite obvious. Gritting his teeth, he transfigured the air around Hela into steel. For a moment she was completely still, as if fully transformed into a chrome statue. The magic resistance of Asgardians made that impossible, but this might be the next best thing.
The metal shredded around her, as if she'd merely been encased in tissue paper. Harry's ploy had bought them time though. Time enough for the Wakandans to pull away from her, and time for Thor to close the distance and swing Stormbreaker down on her. Hela brought Mjolnir up to meet him, parrying his blow and sending the hammer into his chest. Thor grunted as the hammer pushed him back, plowing him through the ranks of his own people. A portal opened beside her, courtesy of the Ancient One, and a jet of water collided with her. The water carved into the ground with such force that Harry suspected its source was quite deep. Hela was dragged by the jet into a muddy mire, which Harry promptly froze around her. Her imprisonment only lasted a few moments. She quickly shattered the ice around her and used the Space Stone to accelerate it in all directions. Between the shields of the wizards and sorcerers, most were protected, but a few were not so fortunate. She was picking them off.
"We need to pull back!" Peggy shouted.
"She'll slaughter us off if we try." Ron said. "It'll be a disaster either way."
Harry sighed wearily, trying to figure out another strategy that could beat her. Nothing came to mind other than wearing her down, and the human cost to that wasn't acceptable. Hela charged into the crowd again, and Harry vanished the ground in front of her. It tripped her up and sent her skidding. With the opening, the Ancient One opened another portal, drowning her once again. When she reappeared, Harry couldn't help but be amused. She was dripping wet and covered head to toe in mud, and she looked absolutely furious.
Any good humor disappeared in two flashes of light. Hela had called for reinforcements, and…
He didn't know what had happened to Shuri, if she was still working on the cure or if she was even alive. Either way, Harry had been silently hoping that they'd be able to bring Carol into the battle on their side, and now he knew that was impossible. At Hela's other side was clearly an Iron Man model, though something about it was different. Thor leaped at the trio, and the suited man intercepted him. Stormbreaker clanged resonantly against the armor, with no effect. The man shoved Thor back with a godly strength and landed nimbly on the ground.
"Eliminate them, soldier." Hela commanded, and Carol nodded. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but Harry swore she glanced at him and hesitated, for just a moment.
Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, we've got a plan." Harry stiffened at the surprisingly familiar voice.
-----
Hela tore viciously through the ranks of the Kronans and was gratified to hear an enraged shout. Harry Potter had finally had enough and was done playing games. She knew he had a soft heart, and he wouldn't be able to bear to see his friends killed for long. He'd offer up his life for theirs, in the end, as long as he could tell himself he was going down fighting honorably.
She ignored his spellfire and sent a few blades at him in return. She wasn't surprised that they vanished before they struck him. If that would have been enough to kill him, she wouldn't have needed to draw him out like this. For a few seconds they danced around each other, until he made a crucial mistake. He sent a plume of fire at her. It wasn't nearly enough to hurt her, and it gave her cover. He wouldn't see that she'd leapt through the flames, wouldn't see how close she was, not until it was far too late. He had just enough time for the fear to register in his eyes, before a flash of green light ensured that those eyes would never see again.
Harry Potter's body fell to the ground. It had been touch and go, and she'd loathed that she needed help in this battle, but she'd won. Summoning a sword to her hand, she sliced through Potter's neck, gripped his head by the hair, and lifted it up for all to see.
A redheaded witch screamed, charging her with a death wish. Hela obliged her with a spear through her throat. "Harry Potter is dead!" She crowed triumphantly. "If you bow to me now, I may yet spare you." She wouldn't, of course.
Then, disturbingly, she heard laughter. After a moment, she realized it was coming from Potter's severed head. She turned the head around so she could see its face. He laughed harder. Unnatural, abomination, this was why she was going to kill every one of them. Hela didn't know how Potter had done this, but it only strengthened her resolve to cleanse this world of each and every one of his kind.
"You think you've won, don't you?" Potter asked, and his voice shifted. Around her, the armies of her enemies disappeared into thin air, as did most of the corpses. The last corpse to disappear was Potter's, though the head remained, taunting. She dropped it, but it remained in place, floating. "Congratulations, Hela of Asgard. You've successfully united your greatest enemies against you." The head disappeared, and in its place was Loki, the trickster prince of Jotunheim. She launched her sword through his head, but of course it merely phased through him. Loki was far away now and was merely taunting her.
She'd been played. They'd escaped while she'd been distracted by an illusion. She'd conquered Wakanda and won the battle, but for what? Her true goal, Harry Potter, had escaped, and was left all the stronger for it. Loki smirked, and Hela wanted to wring the princeling's neck. "Enjoy your victory, Goddess."