With Steve and Bucky successfully coaxed away from your bedside with the lure of lunch, Shuri had made her way into your room, her hands filled with tablets and instruments that looked as if they didn't find their way here for fun. She hummed quietly as she gently set each item down on the windowsill, allowing the sun to warm her since she was trapped in this sterile, cold environment until she found a way to help you. It was by choice, but it didn't mean she had to like it.

"Shuri," you nodded in greeting, "any news?"

"I've been up all night," she yawned softly, "but once I started to put things together I couldn't stop. Only now am I realizing just how tired my body and mind are."

Your own realization of what you were asking of her made you sit up straight in your bed, no mind to the stretching pain in your back from your wound. You swung your legs over the edge of the mattress and rested your bare feet to the cool floor, shivering slightly at the touch. She heard you begin to stand and turned to stop you, but she should have known better after all this time; you were next to her in seconds. "Shuri, I didn't mean for this to take a toll on you, too. Please, go to the compound and rest. I can bring this back when they discharge me in a few hours."

"Don't you even want to hear what I've found?"

"Not if it's costing you the rest you need."

"It will only take a moment," she urged excitedly, "just sit and listen." You followed her orders readily, if for nothing else but to speed up her presentation so that she could leave. "Have you ever heard of Iridium?"

"Yeah, it's really rare. It's the second densest metal on earth, believed by some to be the remnants of an asteroid. It's also a stabilizing agent. Haven't heard it used in action since the Tesseract in New York."

"Yes, and I've found a significant amount of it in Steve and Bucky's bloodstreams," she nodded, turning a tablet for you to see. "I took samples from them when I arrived, to use as comparison to yours. The three of you have very similar components, but the serum that was used on each of you has its own signature. You have no Iridium in your blood, (Y/N)."

"Okay?" you shrugged. "What does that mean? You can't replicate it from me if it's different, right?"

"I can replicate it, yes. I was going to extract the serum from your blood and test the new formula on you, but it would appear that you aren't showing any ill effects at all so it wouldn't make sense to try to monitor for changes."

"Then wouldn't it be better for them to take from me? If my blood isn't reacting to whatever is happening, let's give it to them."

"I'm not sure if the difference will be significant enough to cause a negative reaction. It could make their condition worse. The new serum would have to destroy what is in them now before it can take its place and maintain them. If the Iridium is the key to what's happening, it will still be in their blood. This won't take that away. I'm not sure if I even have a way to remove it."

You furrowed your brow and mindlessly chewed on your lower lip, your mind being the one now racing with questions and ideas that were a jumbled mess in your haze of pain medication. You knew that both Steve and Buck would take that chance, because it couldn't really get any worse, but you also knew that they wouldn't think it through, because it was them. "Well, let's try it on me anyway. I'm stronger than them right now, so I'm more likely to survive, right? If the new serum works and takes over for the old, then we take it to them. If it doesn't and I'm left with nothing, then I guess it'll be time for Steve and me to pick matching coffins."

"For Bast's sake, you are so morbid!"

"Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood."

"With matching coffins?" she scoffed. "I don't think you get what lightening the mood means."

Your laughter slowly quieted and silence once again filled the room around you, returning it to the bleak appearance and feeling you had before Shuri had come to visit. "How long before you're ready?"

"I can be ready..." she stopped, surveying her work, "hmmm...give me an hour?"

"My friend, it's a date," you stood to return to your bed. A random thought thankfully crossed your mind at just the right time, turning you back towards her. "Don't tell anyone, okay? The last thing that you or I need is the guys breathing down our necks about this. Dad would lose his mind."

Shuri turned back to her work almost too quickly, and it set off alarms in your head. "Yes...of course," she muttered, "I won't tell any of those three."

"Shuri? What did you do?"

"Would it be so terrible if I let it slip to my brother?"

~~~

After a breakfast that was wrought with panic and had completely fallen apart, Becca had locked herself in her room. Her parents were still at the hospital, not actually sure if she wanted to talk to them anyway. If this really was something that she was doing, then she was a threat to her family. If this was a part of what was happening to her dad and uncle, then there was no one who could convince her to stay; she couldn't hurt the two people she loved the most in the entire world.

The young girl sat on her bed, quietly contemplating her next move. She was only ten, and her resources were scarce to say the least. She would never just run away; that would hurt everyone too much and not an option. Without conscious thought, she picked away at the black nail polish on her fingers that Wanda had shared with her, each nail quickly being cleared before moving on to the next. She had a terrible habit of nail biting and the polish helped keep the urge at bay.

With the nerves raging inside now, the polish needed to get out of the way so the habit could rage right along with them.

"Becs, come on, let me in," William urged gently, knocking lightly on her door. "You know you can talk to me."

"I want to be alone."

"Might not be the best idea."

Her mind rolled that sentence around for a moment, considering its potential. Becca looked around her room, seeing the bright sun of the day shining off everything, giving it a joyous and hopeful appearance when she felt nothing of the like. She may not ever feel that way again, and her heart began to hurt. "I..." she began, having to stop and wipe her tears and a sniffle, "I want my Dads. But...b-but what if this is me? My Dad is dying...b-because of me."

"Becca, please, let me in. Don't do that to yourself, alright? We don't know what's happening to your dad, so you can't take that blame. Whatever is happening, we'll figure it out together." Will stood silently at her door, resting his palm against it and fighting the urge to just push himself through. He wouldn't transgress her privacy that way unless he thought she was in danger of hurting herself, and as of this moment he believed that she was still of the right mind. When the door slowly opened just enough for his hand to slip away and just enough to see a bit of her face, he finally took a sigh of relief.

"Will," she whispered, her voice cracking, "I think it would be safer...for Dad and Uncle Steve...if I move to Xavier's full time, if the Professor will let me. Would you think about coming with me?"

~~~

With you and Bucky successfully checked out of the hospital, you sent him and Sam back home to update everyone. After careful reconsideration, you had decided that maybe bringing the others into the plan would be best just in case it went awry. You, Steve, Tony, Bruce, and Helen stayed behind to watch Shuri work, and to support you and Steve if this didn't have a positive end. As expected, Banner was taking in every single detail, taking extensive notes and pictures to compile for later. He had a personal history with experimenting with the serum, and he was completely enthralled with how easy she was making this look.

That was, until her hands started shaking as she turned around to you with a needle and syringe in hand.

"(Y/N), are you sure?" she whispered. She didn't want the others to sense her apprehension, not realizing that she looked nearly terrified now.

"Shuri, this is my choice," you answered with a nod, "and I take full responsibility for how this goes."

She took a long, steadying breath, her chest shaking with the heavy exhalation, but her hands seemed to steady just as the needle pierced your skin. She slowly pushed the blue viscosity into your vein, her eyes trained on the spot until every last ounce was in. "Do you feel anything? Are you okay?"

Steve was at your side, holding your hand as he watched, his gaze steadily on you for the first sign of trouble. "I'm sure she'll tell you, don't worry."

Tony couldn't bring himself to stand any closer than the doorway; he knew what this could do to you, and he needed the fast escape should he not be able to hold in the panic that churned in his gut any longer. He stood only a step away when his door of choice opened without so much as a knock first, and Tony could tell who had arrived without the need to look.

"What the fuck, (Y/N)?" Wade snapped, stopping with his hands on his hips and the entire room now giving him their full attention. "Chocolate Bear just gave me the good news that you guys have been sprung, so I came to say goodbye only to find you're getting all 'Bill Nye the Science Guy' in here!" He stopped and looked around the room, his eyes getting wider in anticipation and peeking around every corner. "Wait, is Bill here? I'd pop my right nut to shake that guy's hand! Look! I blasted the tip of this finger off after an experiment of his and it didn't grow back! How cool is that?"

Before anyone could dare an answer, the door opened again, this time with an essence of urgency. "Shuri, stop!" T'Challa commanded, but he quickly realized that he was merely a minute too late and the trial had begun. He rushed to your side and took your other hand, "(Y/N), are you alright?"

"So far, yeah."

"Okay, I need you to act as normally and as calm as you can-" but he was halted before he could finish, the door this time allowing a completely unexpected visitor.

The man was smaller than you remembered him, and clearly more aged with his hair as white as snow atop his head. He still carried the sour expression that you knew too well, and his lack of introduction was no surprise. "You need to stop this immediately," Secretary Ross ordered sternly. "If you continue, you will be in violation of section 1B, subsection 14 of the Sokovia Accords. Any replication of the supersoldier serum is to be confiscated and secured."

"How is this in violation of that damn waste of paper, exactly?" Tony challenged, stepping up. "We're not trying to make anything new here, that's why it's called replication. We're trying to save lives. Besides, how the hell did you hear about this so fast?"

T'Challa's head lowered, his gaze unwilling to meet Tony's, "I was unaware that our communications were being monitored, and I didn't use a secure channel."

"Why the hell are our communications being monitored?!"

"Stark, stand down," Ross threatened. "The serum that you're about to inject into her is a new formulation and any new weapon created by the Avengers must be examined, registered, and monitored. You've done none of that, so I'm here to collect it."

Steve felt the grip of your hand over his tighten, and he knew something was changing. You were doing your best to hold steady as T'Challa commanded, but your veins began to burn, and the room began to spin around you. You closed your eyes but it didn't help; you wanted to throw up and scream at the same time, trying to stay calm when it started to feel like your head was about to explode. And then, by some miracle, you were never more thankful for your father's lack of giving a shit than right now.

"Get the hell out of her room," Tony argued back, taking another step to nearly touch the man, "or I'll get you out of here myself."

"You're really ready to go to prison over this? "Ross smirked, trying to call a bluff.

"For my daughter? You're goddamn right I am." With that, Tony's arm pulled back, thrusting his fist forward to land a solid hit to knock the man flat on his behind. Steve saw it coming and couldn't get there fast enough to stop it, taking Tony's other hand to pull him back instead. "Man, that felt good! Do you know how long I've wanted to do that?"