The "G" Shield

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Wakanda [May 2015]

–Jack Sullivan–

"Yes, he is in quite a rough patch. I don't think he will ever think of living in another place if he continues to live in that dungeon of a lab he has built for himself there." He told Betty who was surprisingly anxious about meeting Bruce, even though she was the one who initiated the entire thing.

Betty was very anxious to meet Bruce, and the urgency seemed to increase the more he narrated to her the current state of Bruce, both mental and physical.

He was sure that there were not even therapists on the planet who could even begin to understand the agony that Bruce had to go through while suffocating through space. It brought shudders in his body whenever he thought of himself going through something absolutely traumatic like that.

Since he was so much more powerful than anyone he had ever met, he never really thought of getting that helpless ever in his life. Sure, there were plenty of beings stronger than him but he always had some confidence in his powers, that he could atleast escape intact but to feel something that horrible?

He would, for his entire life, feel guilty of doing that to Bruce, and resentment towards the Ancient One who took more than a week to get him back to Earth.

Betty took a deep breath as they arrived at the edge of the mountain, the Wakandan squad greeting him, "Okay. So he is up there?"

"Yes."

"Does he know I am coming?"

"Yes, he has access to all the cameras surrounding the property and T'Challa probably already told him about all the measures they are going to have to take today"

"Measures?" She leveled a quizzical look at him and he found it hard to reply to that.

"..Um, well, you see, the King of Wakanda is taking security measures just in case something happens. You can't fault him for trying to protect his people."

"No, but I can fault him for trying to treat Bruce like he is a time bomb." Betty somehow gained some sort of inner fire as she almost shouted at him.

Well, this was nice.

"Keeping that aside, if there is anything you might need, just press this and I will be there in seconds, OK?" He handed her a small button and floated her to the top of the mountain, where Bruce was already waiting with dinner already ready, with Wine and everything. 

Well, atleast Bruce was trying to make it a romantic date.

"So, the Dungeon guy got a date, huh?" He looked to the side as Bucky, of all people, emerged from the security hut that the Wakandans stationed here used.

"What are you doing here?" He asked Bucky who stretched and threw a bottle of beer at him.

"Ah, I was just talking to the guys in there. YOu know, they have the really good stuff or atleast, can get me the really good stuff if I ask." Bucky chugged down his beer, which was better than the previous brew but not something that he would classify as good.

Then again, he must not like beer, at all, then.

"Yeah, she is his ex. I am sure all the information about her is in one of the computers that you no doubt have access to." He told Bucky as they both sat down on one of his barriers, with Bucky testing it with his trusty Wakanda built hand first.

"Yeah, I don't use them much. Actually, I don't use them at all. I threw them all out soon after I moved in here. For some reason, I really hate the sight of computers. I like books, plain and simple, with no murderous rage appearing in me." Bucky explained to him and that…actually made a ton of sense.

Most probably, the majority of the missions that Bucky received, would have involved a computer one way or the other. Now, hating a tool is an illogical thing, he knew that, but since Bucky didn't actually have all of his memories, the sight of the computers must invoke some feelings in him that he didn't like, and hence, getting rid of all computers then.

"I see. Are you getting enough books though?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I have a lot to catch up on. I just caught up with the Lord of the Rings. I really liked reading the Hobbit, it felt nostalgic to me, for some reason." Bucky grinned as he took another long swig of his beer.

He smiled as well, his mind going to the memory when in one of the TV shows in the MCU, Bucky mentioned reading the Hobbit, when it came out, in 1937.

Well, Bucky was ancient.

"You know, if the Dungeon Guy and his Lady, do…you know…where do you think I can sleep? Because I am not going up there while they do their business, it is not gentlemanly." Bucky's words almost made him choke as he laughed at the joke.

"Don't worry about that, we have plenty of places we can house you, Bucky Barnes." he turned around to see T'Challa walking straight towards them, with his traditional royal garbs which he was made to understand were the casual clothes that Royalty wore on an everyday basis.

"It is nice to meet you. Mr.Barnes. Mr.Sullivan. I assume that Ms.Ross has made positive contact with Dr.Banner?" T'Challa asked them even as he rolled his eyes as he saw both of the patients' shrinks walking behind T'Challa.

"Hello," Bucky raised his beer bottle in greeting to his shrink.

"Now, Mr.Barnes, your doctor has advised me to let you get out of this comfort zone so that you can make progress in recovering your memories. Now, I was assured that you would not be using your powers for evil but I can't take the risk of you going berserk so fair warning, the arm that we made for you, can also incapacitate you. Is that fine with you?"

Bucky raised his arm and shrugged, seemingly fine with the information.

"Hey, I always knew something was probably installed in it, I just didn't know what. Anyway, I'll see you around?"

"Yeah," He waved at Bucky who jumped at the chance of getting out of the mountain zone that had been carved for him. He did get equipment from outside but the chance to roam the city was apparently very convincing for him.

"What do you think? Will he recover his memories in time?" T'Challa asked him as they watched an entire contingent follow Bucky as he talked with his shrink about some book that he was currently reading.

It almost felt like a crime to let him remember his memories. Memoires that would only make him hate himself, depressed, and borderline suicidal.

Unless….

"Yup," He nodded at the question, "he will regain his memories but not like this. I suppose it is time that Captain Rogers met his long lost best friend. I just have to get ready to meet some really disappointed blue eyes."

T'Challa rolled his eyes at him and walked away.

"I wish you the best in your endeavour. When will that be? So that I can call Shuri and watch the Captain tear you a new one, with popcorn, caramel, and butter, ofcourse."

"Screw you, T'Challa. I am going on some work off planet but once I am back, that will be the first thing we will do."

Surprisingly, T'Challa didn't ask him anything about his off-planet activities, and simply nodded.

Maybe he was already full with the ship and the alien city project? 

He kept his observatory barriers on top of the mountain, away enough that he would not be able to read their lips but close enough that he could intervene in less than a second, just in case the worst case scenario happened.

So, he stood ready, right at the base of the mountain, playing UNO with the people stationed here. One thing he had learned was that while the average Wakandan was xenophobic and racist, they didn't apply those distinctions once someone had risen above their level, in their own words.

Case in point, the Green Guardian and the Hulk, along with Bucky who threw around boulders thrice their body weight without much effort. That was why they were so nice and approachable for them.

That was how he realised that they too played UNO in Wakanda and that was how he found himself doing the same to pass the time while Bruce and Betty talked and talked….and talked.

Yeah, they just talked. No kiss, nothing.

Way to go, Bruce Banner.

A certified Rizzler, he was not. No, sir.

But still, there was progress as they continued to talk while they sat and watched the sun set long into the evening.

"Well, this has gone on long enough. I assume the next shift will be here soon?" He asked the Wakandans who nodded and began packing their stuff, while he headed to the top where Bruce and Betty were now sitting on a swing that Bucky had built in his spare time, on the nearest tree to the cabin.

"...Um, Hey, guys?"

Both of them turned around but didn't say anything, even though he could feel their annoyance at being interrupted.

Wow.

"Hi, so, I have somewhere to be and I still haven't gotten an answer from Betty if you want to stay here for longer or not because getting out of the country will be much more difficult without me," he asked them with an awkward smile on his face.

If possible, he too didn't want to interrupt some personal time of a couple but he had constraints and who knows just what in the hell the Guardians of the Galaxy were up to. He was not going to tempt Murphy again so he was just going to get this done and leave the planet.

Bruce and Betty both looked at each other for a moment before Betty smiled and turned to him, "You can leave. I think I want to stay." 

Bruce's smile could have lit up entire nations as he nodded and gave the love birds their privacy.

He turned around and went through another portal that opened on top of Kathmandu. Welp, since he did not have his spaceship this time around, he would have to employ different methods to reach Xandar.

He seemed to recall the Ancient One mentioning Kamar Taj maintaining contact with some alien Mystics organisation and he would bet his entire life savings that the Ancient ONe had been to other civilisations before and would have a way to send him as well.

"Hello, Master Hameed."

"Master Wu."

"Master Sullivan."

"Master Wong."

He greeted all the Masters he met on his way to meet the Ancient One who was overlooking a training session, filled with new initiates.

"Konichiwa," He greeted her.

"What can I do for you, Master Sullivan?"

"So, yeah, I need a ride to Xandar and I figured that you must have a way of reaching there,"

"You assumed correctly. A direct portal to Xandar is ill advised because of the way that standard sling rings interact with dimensional energies once distances of that magnitude are involved." She said and then snapped her fingers, and this time, he caught the way space around them warped violently before smoothing out just as quickly, with no sign of tampering evident.

She really was extremely skilled in the art of spatial manipulation. Perks of being attuned with Dark Energies from Dormammu, allowing her to manipulate dark matter that made most of the empty space in the universe.

"So, that is how you do it. I wonder how long it would take me to manipulate space like that. Nothing short of the space stone will compare to your finesse though, so congratulations on that." He ended up running his mouth as the Ancient One opened up another box and took an unmarked silver ring and put it on her thumb.

"I assure you, Master Sullivan, that had I been given the luxury of choice, I would have given up my powers in a heartbeat if my conscience allowed for it." The Ancient One somberly said and he had to reassess his words as he realised that he was speaking to a millenia old entity, if not in body then atleast in the mind.

She must have seen thousands of years of futures, and most probably lived most of them, as she used the Time Stone in her quest to safeguard Earth from the threats that wanted to gobble it up.

She then spun her hands, both the rings on her hand creating a strangely white and orange glow before a white outlined portal opened up, before the outline slowly turned to orange as well, revealing a familiar planet.

"Thank you for that." he saluted her and floated near the portal, after making sure that an appropriate amount of air was compressed in the barrier because the journey to the planet was not small.

"Safe Travels, Master Sullivan. May your journey be…electric."

With those ominous words, the portal closed shut behind him, exposing him to the harshness of space.

"Well, time to find Quill, the SpaceMan," He grinned as he rocketed towards Xandar, his barriers heating up on re-entry. His grin widened even further as he saw the veritable tsunami of star shaped ships of the Nova Force heading straight towards him, with his eyesight spotting multiple large cannons popping out of the ground, aiming straight at him.

Good. They had upgraded their defences.

Still, it will be nowhere near enough to match Thanos.

Time to skedaddle with the Power Stone, out of Xandar.

But before that, time to have some fun.

"Woohoo!" He shouted as he did somersaults, evasive manoeuvres whenever possible, and tanked some of the undodgeable blasts as he continued to lead the Nova Force on a fool's chase.

Alas, all good things must come to an end so he stopped the hit and run, and just floated in a single spot before a huge Gundam appeared around him, dwarfing everything around him, casting a huge shadow on their capital.

"Hi! Remember Me?" The Gundam waved, creating gusts of wind that knocked back the nearest star shaped ship even as he saw the cannons recede back into the ground.

The majority of star shaped ships broke formation and flew away while a few began approaching him, or rather, the core of the Gundam where he was clearly visible.

Time to see if Irani Rael is agreeable to handing over one of the six singularities of the universe to a complete unknown who had just proven himself juvenile enough to create a huge security incident and lead her elite forces on a wild goose chase.

Ah, a man could only hope.

Word Count - 2514

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