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"Are you sure you haven't seen any kind of red haired girl in the water?" Shuri asked Riri who sat in the backseat, listening to Shuri's explanation about the mermaid girl Riri asked about. "I mean not exactly. I thought I saw some girl in the river the other day but I couldn't really tell. And I was kinda high so I assumed I was just trippin'," Riri shrugged.

"Wait what kind of girl? What color was her hair? Did she talk?" Shuri asked, glancing at Riri through the rear view mirror as she drove the black car. "Well I did hear a voice but it was in a different language. And it was too dark to tell what color her hair was." Riri responded, thinking back to the night.

"What language?" Okoye asked.

"Uhh I stayed up all night trying to figure it out, but I'm tied between Yucatec Mayan and Lakantun. I also saw a tail in the water but I think that was just the dolphin I saw," Riri said. Shuri furrowed her brows in confusion, "Dolphins don't usually reside in Rivers...do you know what color the tail looked like? Maybe, purple, a little bit of pink? Did it look very uhhh magical?"

"Yes! That's it, it was like a pinkish purple, with some green and it looked like something you'd see in like the real life version of the little mermaid." Riri nodded, sure of her answer.

"Yes but now this means she's been spying on you. She knows who you are which means we must hurry this up." Shuri said.

Shuri pulled up to a warehouse of some sort. "What exactly is this place?" Okoye questioned suspiciously.

"Uh, I fixed a few trucks for the head zenatation," Riri answered. Okoye stepped out and pulled the seat forward, letting Riri out. "I just have to grab my work laptop," Riri said as they walked towards the warehouse.

"Please, don't touch anything," Riri warned, walking in. "You don't have to worry about that," said Okoye.

"It may not look like much but it's my life's work in here," Riri said.

"So, the design for the machine is on that laptop?" Okoye asked Riri who was opening up her backpack. "Yeah."

"And you just leave it on a desk in a car garage?" Okoye deadpanned.

"I got 2065 byte encryption on that thing." Riri replied.

Shuri looked around, feeling a bit uneasy. "That's impressive. Ever locked yourself out?" Shuri asked, looking at the bulletin board, trying to brush off the uneasy feeling.

"It took me the whole semester to get back in. Had to build a functional quantum computer just to crack my own encryption." Riri said with a slight chuckle.

Shuri furrowed her brows looking closely at papers on the board. "What is it your building here? Is it Stark tech?" Shuri questioned.

"I said don't touch anything," Riri shot back. Shuri raised a brow, not liking how she just avoided the question.

"Princess, American law enforcement has arrived at your location." Griot spoke.

"Shit," Shuri cursed.

"Who was that?" Riri asked, referring to the AI.

"My AI," Shuri answered, walking over to the window, Riri following. Okoye pulled up a visual on her Kimoyo Beads. "They're surrounding us."

"I thought you said a merman with a mermaid daughter was after me. That's the Feds," Riri argued. Shuri ignored her, pulling off her Kimoyo Beads that turned into the wasp and lodge itself on one of swat cars as a man stuck a knife in their tires.

"Oh I do not need this shit right now! I was doin' good! I was doin' so well! Goin' to class on time, I was dumb as hell! Real dumb. Just for the Princess of Wakanda to show up at my dorm and now shits about to pop off! I think that I'm actually gone take my chances with this merman because at least he didn't bring the FBI to my garage!" Riri ranted, having pulled off all the papers on the board, smashing them up and tossing them in a trash can and burning them.

"Ay! Namor sank an entire ship of CIA operatives because of your little machine. So those po po out there, are the least of your worries," Okoye said, replying to what Riri was complaining about.

"We need to work together to get out of here," Shuri imput.

"General, they've got us surrounded. Maybe we should just split up," Shuri compromised.

Okoye laughed, "Out of question."

"Does this car work?" Okoye asked Riri, pointing to the car with a tarp on it. "No," Riri lied.

"Everything in this lab works. Including this bike," Shuri said. Okoye catching onto what Shuri was suggesting. "Don't even think about it. Besides, there are three of us," Okoye said.

"Two of y'all. I'm taking this," Riri said, gesturing to some kind of suit hidden on the ceiling.

"Ooh! I knew it! Don't tell me that you built this in two months," Shuri said excitedly, looking up at it.

"I spent years on this...on and off." Riri used some kind of controller to lower it down.

"Nice. Have you flown it yet?" Shuri asked.

"That thing can fly?" Okoye questioned.

"There's an entire YouTube channel dedicated to sightings of me," Riri laughed. "Awesome."

The lights suddenly turned off, causing them to glance around. "We have an arrest warrant for student, Riri Williams!" Shuri heard them say through a loud speaker thing.

Shuri walked over to Riri and put a com behind her ear. "Wireless transmitter. So we can communicate." Shuri explained before walking over towards the car. "Don't try to scurry off," Okoye warned.

"General Okoye, Princess Shuri, come out with your hands up!"

Okoye pulled off the car cover and looked at it with judgment. "What a hunk of junk."

"Hey, please be careful. Keys are on the seat." Riri said anxiously. "Once we get to the other side of the bridge we can lose them in Boston traffic."

"General, we really need to split up," Shuri argued.

"Listen to me, we are not in your lab, we are in the field! Now get in the car!" Okoye replied frustratingly, not wanting to let Shuri out of her sight.

"You're always shouting at me." Shuri frowned. Walking around the car she placed a device on the hood so Griot could take control of the car.

"The tactical until will reach the exit in three, two...one."

"FBI! Don't move!" They barged into the door.

"What the hell is that?!" One exclaimed.

"Oh shit, she got an Iron Man suit! Fall back!"

"Stay where you are!"

Riri used one of the blasters to hit the cops but they ducked and she flew out through the open spot in the ceiling. "I think she can fly," Okoye mumbled.

"Griot!" Shuri rushed out of the car and hit the back.

"Yes, Princess?"

"Now!"

"Remote piloting, activated," Griot said. The car started and Okoye objected but it took off before she could get the princess back in.

"No Shuri!"

Shuri hopped onto the bike as the car took off, breaking down the warehouse door. And Shuri went the opposite way, driving the bike and going through the double doors.

Soulina squint her eyes, watching as Riri was flying, "Let's go!" Riri cheered. Soulina huffed and drove her motorcycle down the shortcut to the river to meet up with Namora and Atumma.

"Okoye, I'm on my way to you." Shuri spoke, one of the police cars stopping in front of her and she drifted to the right, driving up the sidewalk. Shuri drove down stairs, and right in between to police cars. She caught up with Okoye,

"We need to find the next route checkpoint!" Okoye said.

"There's one across this river," Shuri said.

"Ay, they cuttin' off the bridge!" Riri warned.

"Princess, there is a surveillance drone locked onto you," Griot warned.

"How high?!" Shuri asked, seeing if Riri could fly up and destroy it.

"One thousand feet," Griot said.

"Hang on, I got it," Riri said before Shuri could object.

"Riri, I'm not sure you can reach that drone without an oxygen mask!" Shuri warned.

Riri shot down the drone but immediately ran out of oxygen. "Oxygen, zero percent," Griot informed.

"The drone is no longer tracking you," Griot informed Shuri.

"Riri! Are you okay?!" Shuri asked in worry.

Soulina peeked her head from the water, ready to go and get Riri but she caught herself last minute. "You alright?"

"Yeah. I'm good," Riri reassured them.

Okoye raised a brow at all the police trying to block off the bridge. "Aye, don't worry. I got a special delivery for y'all in three, two."

Shuri pursed her lips, impressed when the drone landed in front of the cops, blowing everything up. "Nice one, Riri!"

They drove down the bridge but suddenly something hooked onto Riri's suit, causing her to crash down, and fall unconscious. "Riri!" Shuri exclaimed.

Okoye's eyes widened noticing some kind of circle ball of sort roll under the car. It exploded and instead of a fire explosion like she expected, it was water. Shuri used her Kimoyo Beads to pull up some sort of shield and landed onto the road, still getting most of the impact.

The shield went back into a Kimoyo bead as Shuri fell unconscious. The car flipped over her, landing upside down

"What just happened? Shuri?! Shuri!" Okoye unbuckled her seatbelt and crawled out of the car. Okoye ran over to Shuri, gently turning her over but she was unconscious, having hit her head when they landed. Luckily she wore a helmet.

Okoye immediately used Shuri's Kimoyo Beads to check her vitals. "The Princess's vitals are stable, General." Griot informed. "She will regain consciousness momentarily." Okoye sighed in relief at the news.

Okoye suddenly looked back hearing metal scrap against the concrete. The same thing attached to Riri was now dragged her body. Okoye pulled out her spear, breaking the wire so it stopped pulling Riri.

Okoye watched in shocked as a literal whale launched from the water and four people who appeared to be blue jumped off and landed on the bridge. Another whale did the same and this time it was a much bigger man, who was blue as well.

Namora and Attuma shared unfazed looks. It was moment before Okoye had glanced to her right, seeing a woman being pulled up to the bridge by the water itself. Soulina used the water to her control and it set her down onto the bridge, landing gently in front of Attuma and Namora.

Okoye stabbed spear into the ground and pulled off her blazer. "Take another step closer. And I will kill you all." Okoye threatened.

"Drop your weapons!" The blue people turned and noticed two cop cars pull up. "Kill the scientist, Soulina. I take care of the witnesses," Namora spoke in Mayan.

"Understood." The man replied. Okoye could tell he was the strongest of all of them.

"Kill that woman first." Attuma ordered to the Talokan warriors. Soulina tilted her head, and crossed her arms over her chest as the warriors ran forward. Okoye took on the three Talokans, beating them which made Soulina look at them in disappointment.

Attuma went to stab his weapon into Riri but Soulina grabbed his spear and stopped him. "This is my job, I kill the girl. Not you. You, kill the woman." Soulina ordered Attuma, not liking how he and Namora were trying to take control of her mission.

Soulina hesitated but pulled out her knife and walked forward, going to grab Riri but Okoye stood in front of her, tossing Soulina's weapon to the side with her own, and cut Soulina across the cheek. Soulina looked up in shock, touching her cheek and looking at her fingers that now showed the blood. Soulina clenched her jaw and glared at Okoye.

But she backed up and looked at Attuma. "Go to Namora," Soulina ordered the three Talokan's who surprisingly weren't dead to Okoye. "Kill her right now. Or I will." Soulina directed Attuma, "Yes princess." He nodded and she moved out of the way, crossing her arms over her chest.

Okoye and Atumma went head to head, him winning at first. He kicked her spear to her and they fought more. He stuck his weapon into the ground, and it sent Okoye down with some vibration. Okoye used her beads to send a shock to Attuma through the spear.

Okoye glanced to Shuri, seeing her still unconscious so she knew she needed to keep fighting. Okoye stood up, and picked up her spear. He sent his into her, making her being forced back but she stabbed the spear into the ground, stopping her from falling off the bridge by the impact.

"What is the reason for the delay? It's not the right time to have fun." Namora scolded as she walked over. Soulina chuckled, "I think he just wants to antagonize her. He feels threatened by the woman." Soulina teased and Attuma scoffed at her.

Namora rolled her eyes, tired of their games she threw a water bomb at Attuma who sent it towards Okoye. She used her spear, slicing it in half only it still exploded, sending her off the bridge and into the river.

The water from the bomb washed over Shuri, causing her to awake. "Okoye!" Shuri ran over to edge, not seeing Okoye in the dark water. The Talokan people looked at her and she looked at them, more specifically at Soulina, immediately putting Attuma and Namoa on guard.

Soulina stepped forward but Shuri ran in front of Riri. Griot activated a translator so the Talokans would understand her. But Soulina understood either way. "I am Shuri...the Princess of Wakanda. I demand that you take me to Namor. Do not bring harm to this girl." Shuri said, covering her worry for Okoye.

"You are demanding something from me?" Soulina tilted her head with a smirk. Shuri furrowed her brows, not aware Soulina understood a lot English but she was proven wrong. "Not necessarily demanding, more or so a request." Shuri spoke, a bit uneasy as Soulina walked towards her. She raised her hands, signaling Attuma and Namora to keep back.

"What's your deal with the girl? She's just a girl, nothing special about her. It's one life for thousands of them. I think that's a pretty fair deal," Soulina spoke, glancing up at the taller girl. There was something so enchanting about the way she spoke, it felt like Shuri was under a spell almost.

Shuri blinked, snapping out her daze and Soulina held a smile, knowing exactly what she was doing. "I could ask you the same thing. Aren't you the one who comes to spy on her every night?" Shuri shot back. She was playing a dangerous game but she knew she wasn't gonna kill her. Soulina actually had a heart, unlike the many other Talokans behind her.

Soulina raised a brow, and scoffed. "You're playing a dangerous game, princesa. You're lucky I like games." Soulina smiled and turned around, looking at Namora and Attuma who gave her an "are you serious right now?" look.

Soulina shrugged carelessly, "Shall we take them both alive?" Attuma asked Soulina in Mayan as Griot translated it to Shuri.

"Yes, Atumma." Soulina said.

Namora took Attuma's weapon and he stepped forward, pulling off his mask. He placed it onto Shuri's face. "Breathe." He spoke, Griot translated and Shuri did as told.

Okoye rised back to the surface and let out a gasp of air. Okoye turned and noticed a whale with people on it, go underwater. "Shuri!" Soulina jumped off the bridge and smiled as her tail replaced her legs, and she dived into the water. Okoye's eyes widened and she trying to swim to catch up but it was no use.

But then Soulina came back to the surface of the water and looked at Okoye, "Tell your Queen, I said hi," Soulina spoke in Xhosa. She chuckled and swam back under, catching up after the rest of them.

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a.n: love how flirty she is with shuri tbh but it also means she doesn't trust her and just wants to manipulate her <3

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