Mary never thought she would be standing where she was again so soon. She never saw herself being made to watch someone who had quickly turned into one of her best friends fight for the throne of his country and the mantle that had been passed down to him from his father.

It was sunset when they arrived at the waterfalls where the challenge for king and warrior took place what seemed months ago really happened less than two weeks ago. Ramonda and Shuri were both standing on the rocks they stood previously; only the tone of this challenge hada much darker, more sinister tone. Mary was beside the royal family this time, they wanted her close by in case things turned for the worse. The advisor knew her history with usurpers in kingdoms in other countries across the world. Rome was known for this.

If the usurper won, the royal family would be killed and any known ally that was loyal to the previous king would fall with him. That was Mary's fate if N'Jadaka won this challenge. She wasn't terrified for her life, no, she was beyond terrified for her unborn child and husband who was still resting peacefully in Shuri's lab. Mary knew her time would come eventually, she had figured out through events in her life that she was not able to age due to the serum, but if she sustained an injury that was bad enough, it could kill her.

She had lived her life and if it was time for her to pass on then she was willing, but not at the cost of her child's life that grew within her.

Zuri was finishing his ritual with T'Challa for the challenge as N'Jadaka grew more and more impatient. He looked over the spear he was given and snapped it in half; matching the length of the weapon he had brought with him.

"He'll never beat T'Challa." Shuri says to her mother, "He should've just come to the first challenge and gotten it over with." She states, fully confident in her brother's ability to defeat N'Jadaka.

"I hope you're right, Shuri.." Mary whispers nervously as she feels the princess's hand tighten in reassurance around her own.

"The king will now have the strength of the Black Panther stripped away." Zuri narrates as he gives the crushed herb to T'Challa. Mary watches as her friend convulses as the strength is stripped from him once again. Her doctor instincts were still trying to get her to help but she knew not to step in.

As T'Challa's breaths even out and he stands straight, she looks over at where Nakia is beside Okoye. Once again, she doesn't understand how she's hearing their conversation but she can hear it as if she was beside them. "Where is Agent Ross?" Okoye asks.

"I locked him in the office. He's not going anywhere." Nakia responds, she notices Mary watching them and gives the advisor a nod in acknowledgement. Mary knows she also locked down Bucky's room in the lab. Shuri made that a priority when she talked with Bucky before he went under. If there was ever a situation that would hinder the progression of his mind then they needed a lock down procedure, one that only few people could access.

Mary watches T'Challa as he stares at N'Jadaka, "This is your last chance." He warns the usurper who only scoffs, "Throw down your weapons, and we can handle this another way." He tells his cousin.

N'Jadaka doesn't respond right away, instead he plants his two spear heads into the watery ground and stands back up. His eyes lock with T'Challa's as he finally responds, "I lived my entire life waitin' for this moment." He says, "I trained, I lied, I killed, just to get here." He says as he undresses the top half of his body, "I killed in America, Afghanistan, Iraq. I took life from my own brothers and sisters right here on this continent." He snaps as he grabs his spears after he throws his shirt into the water. "And all this death just so I could kill you." He snaps as his eyes narrow, raising his blade and pointing it at T'Challa.

The king only stares at his cousin, then barely looks at Zuri, giving the nod to begin the challenge. The Wakandan advisor turns to the small crowd consisting of the elders, royal family and council, and the Dora Milaje. "Let the challenge begin." He says with a slam of his spear onto the ground as he steps away.

N'Jadaka swings his spears down fast and hard onto T'Challa's shield, the two collide their spears swiftly. T'Challa stays on defense as N'Jadaka flips his spear head in mid air to hit his cousin's shield. The two fight with their spears faster than Mary can keep up, she clings onto Shuri as the two watch T'Challa brace himself against N'Jadaka's advancements. T'Challa manages to deflect and counter N'Jadaka's blades, sending him into the water. "Yield!" T'Challa shouts to his cousin with his shield raised his spear aimed at N'Jadaka.

N'Jadaka doesn't reply, he advances, slamming his spears down onto the shield. T'Challa shifts his shield, giving him an opening to his cousin. He sends his spear head just past N'Jadaka's cheek, but he turns his spear when he brings it back to him, slicing his cousin's cheek upon return. But Mary watches as that only pisses N'Jadaka off even more. He launches himself and breaks through T'Challa's shield, causing the king to be wide open and the usurper kicks his cousin violently in the chest, sending T'Challa into the water. But the king recovers quickly and is back on his feet deflecting blows from N'Jadaka until the cousin lowers himself, his spear beside T'Challa's thigh and slices him upon return.

T'Challa yells in pain briefly as he lowers himself onto his knee but N'Jadaka is already advancing again and the king quickly raises his shield to block. N'Jadaka slams his spears onto the shield repeatedly while T'Challa is still on his knee in the water. "Snap out of it, T'Challa!" Shuri shouts to her brother to try and encourage him. The king stands and blocks a blow from one of N'Jadaka's spears but the other spear comes across T'Challa's abdomen deeply. He grunts in pain but doesn't let it affect him too much until he blocks another blow of the spear but N'Jadaka has his spear against the inside of T'Challa's arm and slices him once again.

The king yells out in pain and all Mary can do is watch as T'Challa drops his weapons into the water and begins to try and use hand to hand combat. But N'Jadaka still has his own spears and when he notices T'Challa is open, he plunges one of his spears into his stomach deeply. Ramonda gasps in terror as Mary holds onto the mother figure she's come to love. The Queen Mother might be younger than Mary in age, but that didn't matter to the two of them, Ramonda saw Mary as a second daughter and Mary welcomed the mother figure with open arms.

T'Challa stares at N'Jadaka in shock as he pushes himself away from the spear head, kneeling into the watery ground. The usurper tries to slam his fist and spear down onto the king but T'Challa manages to block him only to receive a punch from N'Jadaka's other fist and then again, sending the king into the water even more.

T'Challa is struggling to regain his breath as N'Jadaka slams another fist down onto his cousin. "This is for my father." He snaps as he raises his weapon into the air with full intent of beheading T'Challa. He slams it down only to come into contact with Zuri's spear.

"Zuri, no." T'Challa pleads with his advisor and friend.

"Stop!" Zuri shouts to N'Jadaka, disarming the usurper in a matter of seconds.

"Zuri, don't!" Ramonda shouts to the shaman in fear of repercussions.

"I am the cause of your father's death. Not him. Take me." Zuri pleads with N'Jadaka and Mary's hazel eyes widen in fear as she pieces together what happened in the past.

Her hand covers her mouth as N'Jadaka moves swiftly, taking Zuri's spear from him, "I'll take you both, Uncle James!" He shouts as he stabs Zuri in the chest. Mary grips onto Ramonda as the women cry out at Zuri's death. T'Challa screams in agony as he watches his shaman and friend fall to the ground.

"Zuri, no!" T'Challa screams in agony as he tries to come to the rescue of his mentor, he crawls in the water over to him as best he could, "No! No! Zuri! Zuri!" He screams, Mary could hear her friend nearly call her name, wanting her to come and save him but Mary knew she couldn't. The Wakandan advisor to the king was dead. The advisor she had hoped to work alongside to help Wakanda was gone.

T'Challa, wracked with guilt for letting Zuri die and overcome with agony and grief, picks up a spear and swings at N'Jadaka, missing as the usurper simply steps backwards to miss the swing, "Is this your king? Huh?" He snaps to the small audience as T'Challa stands once more and lunges at N'Jadaka who only braces himself against the attack. "Is this your king?" He questions as he punches T'Challa in the gut, sending the man back into the water on his knees. N'Jadaka lines his knee up with T'Challa's face and slams the king's head down onto his knee violently, "The Black Panther, who's supposed to lead you into the future?" He snaps.

"Come on, brother!" Shuri's voice cracks as she screams for her brother to recover and win, she clings onto her mother and Mary as the three women both know the outcome of this fight. And there will be no yielding unlike last time with M'Baku.

"Is there nothing that can be done?" Ayo asks her General who stands behind the royal family and last remaining advisor to the king, but she receives no answer from Okoye.

"Him?" N'Jadaka snaps as T'Challa tries to prop himself up out of the water, "He's supposed to protect you?" He questions as T'Challa weakly throws a punch and his cousin deflects, bending down to miss it and lifts T'Challa over his shoulders.

"No." She hears Shuri and Nakia brace in fear for what's about to happen. Her mind reels back to Steve telling her that Bucky fell into a ravine on the day of their last mission.

"No!" Mary and Ramonda scream in agony as N'Jadaka throws T'Challa off his shoulders into the ravine below them. The women clutching onto each other as their king, their friend, and their son is gone. Tears stream down Mary's face as her fate has been sealed along with T'Challa's.

N'Jadaka turns back around to face the small crowd, "Nah, I'm your king." He snaps in victory, then looks directly at Mary, "She's next." He snaps and Mary instantly pales as the eyes of the elders turn to her.

Nakia comes behind the royal family and Mary as they clutch to each other, "We have to go. Queen Mother we must leave!" Nakia pleads with them to move before N'Jadaka follows through on his threat. Shuri clings tightly to Mary as they make their way to the cave entrance, Nakia still trying to persuade Ramonda to move.

The wails of the Queen Mother can be heard through the cave as the four women make their escape as quickly as they can. Mary stumbles over her feet as she clings to Shuri tightly. So much is going through her mind at once. Her safe haven for her family has turned into yet another place that isn't safe for them. Her husband, asleep in his Cryochamber, knows not of what's transpired above him as he rests his weary soul and mind. His wife and unborn child in danger, the new king of Wakanda wants her dead. He does not care about an infant within her. He wants her dead.

When the four reach the palace, Mary's mind goes to several places. The labs, her husband and apprentice are down in Shuri's labs. Her bedroom, which has all her belongings and the precious baby clothes that Shuri and Ramonda had bought and had made for the baby, as well as the few belongings Mary had taken with her from America that were from her childhood. And then her mind goes to Ross, he was locked in the office that was supposed to be Mary's when everything was squared away with her advisor duties and T'Challa could spare a moment to show her where she would be working.

"The labs-"

"There is no time." Ramonda says, cutting Mary off as they race through the palace to gather what they can in the short time they have.

"My husband and apprentice are there!" The wife and mentor quietly shouts in a panic, tears haven't ceased from streaming down her face.

Shuri turns to Mary, her heart is broken from witnessing her brother's death but she knows Mary will suffer incredible loss even more than she already has if Bucky and Evelyn are harmed in any way. "I've notified Evelyn. She knows what to do and where to hide." She states in reassurance, "Sergeant Barnes's room in the labs is locked down, no one but you or I can get in there now." She states, "They will be okay."

Mary tries to breathe but it feels as if she's suffocating from the inside out. Her hands are shaky and she can't stop them from shaking even more as she thinks about the danger her and her family are in now. Her best friend is dead, he was thrown off a ravine just like her husband was. Everything was replaying in her mind in slow motion but also playing in her mind at hyper speed.

Ramonda looks at the daughter figure, rubbing her arms as they remove valuable jewelry from themselves. "Breathe, child." The Queen Mother says softly to Mary as she holds onto her tightly.

Her hazel eyes snap open as she slowly recovers from the panic attack she was having after watching her best friend die and reliving some of her most traumatic memories. "Ross." Mary breathes out, her eyes were darting to where she knew Ross was hiding.

"Go to him, Nakia will wait for you." Ramonda says and Mary nods as she takes a spare blanket that they had gathered. She wraps one around her arms and then rushes to her former office.

When she pushes the door open she sees Ross standing by the window. The agent can clearly see the distress on Mary's face and the tears still falling from her eyes, "What's wrong?" He asks, wanting to help as best he could.

"T'Challa is dead." Mary states, her voice wavering as she admits it outloud for the first time since it happened. She tosses the spare blanket to Ross as she motions to the door, "Follow me. I don't think I can lose anyone else today." She whimpers and Ross nods, wrapping the blanket around himself as the two rush out to meet with Nakia, Ramonda and Shuri to make their escape.

As they make their way down to where they're meeting the others, Mary knows what she needs to do. She pulls out her phone, ignoring the look Ross gives her when they stop in a corner of the palace, she dials her brother's number on the burner phone. Tears continue to stream down her face as her hand covers her mouth to prevent her from making any loud noises out of her grief, when her brother's voicemail picks up she breathes slightly easier. For if he had picked up she wasn't sure if she could handle hearing his voice.

"Stevie.." She mumbles and Ross's eyes go wide in realization, "I- I won't be able to talk to you for some time. Things have happened here, bad things." She mumbles, her voice cracking, "I can't explain it fast enough, but please, continue your mission. Don't come here. Do not. Come here. It's not safe for us anymore. James is safe, his section of Shuri's lab is lockdown, Evelyn is safe as well, i don't know where she is but Shuri promised me she would be safe." She tells her brother in the voicemail as fast as she can. "I love you, Stevie. And remember, no matter what happens, I will always be with you." She says as she hangs up, she leans against the wall of the hallway.

"You don't know if you're coming out of this alive, do you." Ross asks.

"No, I don't. But my brother deserved to know." She mumbles in reply as she pries herself off the wall and starts walking to where Ramonda, Shuri and Nakia are waiting, but not before she drops her phone onto the ground and brings her heel down onto it, shattering her phone. Effectively disconnecting herself from her brother and family.