Eight hours later, Shuri is at the compound. Steve and Bucky meet her on the lawn, and she rushes off the jet.

She reaches Bucky and immediately embraces him. "White Wolf, I'm so sorry. How is she doing?"

"It's not good. She's trying to fight it, but it's getting harder for her. Pain seems to be the only thing that seems to help her beak the hold, though only briefly." Bucky says with an exhausted voice.

"I promise you we will get Jo back. If it's something created in a lab, I can find a way to break it." Shuri says with determination in her voice, a tone Bucky is very familiar with.

"Tony and Bruce are already in the lab analyzing her blood samples." Steve says.

"Then that's where I need to be." She says as all three turn and quickly head towards the building.

Shuri steps through the lab doors. "All right, my science bros. What do we know?" she exclaims with her usual wit.

"Shuri." Bruce turns and hugs her.

Tony turns to her, exchanging a playful handshake with a fist bump. "All right, Stark, show me what you've got?"

Steve and Bucky leave the three geniuses to their work and go to check on you once again.

Bruce and Tony turn the screen so Shuri can look at it. Bruce runs a hand through his hair as he speaks. "We've tried to run every sample we had left of her blood. Every time we start the analysis, the sample becomes corrupted and breaks down. We've never seen anything quite like it."

"Then we need new samples." Shuri says bluntly.

"That's easier said than done right now." Tony says as he rubs the back of his neck.

"I'll do it, but I need the Captain and Sergeant's help." She starts to pull a few instruments from her case. "I designed these vials to neutralize certain possible contaminants; hopefully, they will help us run new samples."

It takes Bucky and Steve almost 15 minutes to subdue you enough so Shuri can collect new samples without injuring you.

Back in the lab, Shuri gives Friday the first vial to start analyzing. Within minutes, Friday makes an announcement: "Tony, there's something you should see."

All three of them walk over to the screen. "Is that what I think it is?" Bruce asks

"They're nanobots." Tony exclaims.

Shuri looks at them closer and shakes her head. "Why didn't I think of this when you told me she had been injected? They used neuro nanorobotics to reactivate her programming."

"Nanorobots, that I can do." Tony goes back to examining the screen.

"I've been working on a new design but don't have a prototype yet." Shuri says as she starts to bring up some schematics.

Tony quickly looks at Shuri. "Designs aren't going to do us any good. They're not going to help Jo." Tony says in a short voice.

"We can make them. I just need a little time." Shuri says as she starts to scan through her files.

"She may not have time. I...we need to save Jo." Tony says with desperation in his voice.

"Dr. Banner, please take a look at the molecular applications for me." Shuri says as she swipes left on the screen, sending the file over to Bruce's. She goes back to opening more files and expanding her research. "So, how long have you been in love with the Lieutenant?" Shuri asks nonchalantly without looking away from the screen.

Her question dumbfounds Tony. Shuri looks at him and smiles. "For research purposes."

Bruce is on Tony's other side and looks past him at Shuri. "Tony's not in love with Jo." Then he turns to Tony. "Wait a minute, are you in love with Jo? Are the two of you together?"

Tony stammers over his words. "I don't know if I will call it love yet." He tries to busy himself with what is on the screens.

There is a mix of shock and disappointment on Bruce's face. "Am I always the last to know around here?"

"Put it in a TikTok, ladies, and let's get back to work." Shuri says as she enlarges a picture on the screen. "We have a super soldier to save."

After twelve hours in the lab, Tony, Bruce, and Shuri step back from the monitors.

"Gentleman, we have reached the Boss level." Shuri says as she watches the 360° hologram rotating before her.

"I think we've done it, Tony. I think this can bring Jo back." Bruce says as he pats Tony on the shoulder.

"I need to go over the programming one more time. There can't be any room for flaws." Tony continues to scan his screen.

Shuri comes up next to him and puts her hand on his, removing it from the screen. "You will only get this out of me once, so listen. You are a genius, and what you created is perfect. This is going to save Lieutenant Barnes." Shuri smiles. " If you ever tell anyone I said that I will come for you in the night. " she points her two fingers and gives Tony the "I'm watching you" motion.

Bruce calls everyone into the lab to update the team on what they've come up with. "Nobody could understand how Rumlow gained control over Alpha again. We tried running her blood samples through an analysis, but something in them kept corrupting the sample before we could get it under the microscope. Thanks to some new tech Princess Shuri brought with her; we were able to isolate new samples and scan them."

Shuri takes over from there. "Immediately after scanning, FRIDAY detected a foreign body in her bloodstream." She brings up samples of the nanobots on the screen.

"What are we looking at exactly?" Steve asks.

"Neuronanorobotics. They are quite advanced technology. They can be used to monitor and record different brain-related activities but, in Lieutenant Barnes's case, to manipulate her brain activity."

"So they basically put the programming chair IN her head?" Bucky asks.

"Yes, more than likely, their programming is being run remotely. That's why she said she couldn't control her body and was occasionally able to resist the programming." Shuri replies to Bucky.

"So what can we do about them?" Clint asks the team.

Tony finally speaks up. "With a design that Shuri was already working on, we were able to design and program our own. Once injected into Jo's bloodstream, they will attack and destroy Hydra's."

"What happens to the ones we inject?" Sam questions.

"They will remain there as a fail-safe if they try to inject her again. They will destroy any foreign objects unless we program them otherwise." Tony says as they watch a video of the nanobots destroying Hydra's.

"Will any of this hurt Jo or have any side effects?" Bucky asks uncertainly.

"It won't be a comfortable procedure, but we will monitor her closely the entire time, " Shuri says. She walks up to Bucky and touches his arm. "White Wolf, I assure you, you will get your sister back."

"On a side note, by keeping the nanobots in her system, we programmed them to continue restoring the damaged neurons and hopefully restore the rest of her emotions," Bruce says with a small smile.

"OK, so how long before these are ready and we can inject them into Jo?" Steve asks.

"FRIDAY, how long until production is completed?" Tony asks the AI.

"Twenty minutes and counting, boss." She replies.

Tony tilts his head and raises his hand. "There you go. We are going to need her here, though. Can you do that?"

"Don't worry, between the three of us, we can handle it." Wanda says as she steps between Bucky and Steve.
Wanda uses her power to help subdue you while Steve and Bucky put you on a gurney and strap you in with vibranium cuffs. They wheel you up to the lab.

Shuri and Bruce start to place electrodes on your chest and head. Bucky steps up and asks.
"Does she have to be wired up so much?"

Shuri gives Bucky a reassuring look. "We have to be able to monitor her vitals and brain waves in case her body reacts badly to the battle that's going to happen in her body." She touches his arm gently. "I promise, White Wolf, I won't let anything more happen to your sister."

Tony walks over with two syringes and hands one to Shuri. "Are we ready?" he asks, and Bruce nods his head. "Yeah, she's ready."

Tony looks up over you at Bucky and Steve. "You might want to step back this isn't going to be easy to watch."

Bucky nods his head and takes a step back. Steve stands still and looks at Tony. Bucky takes his hand and pulls Steve back to stand by him.

Tony takes a deep breath and lets it out. "All right, let's do this."

Shuri and Tony simultaneously inject you with both syringes and then step away. Bruce swings the monitors so all three of them can watch your vitals and a holographic scan of your body. With the scan, they can see the nanobots moving through your bloodstream.

Everyone watches the monitor as they watch the nanobots attacking the Hydra ones. The more they do, the more your body starts to twitch. Everyone watches, holding their breath as your body starts to convulse.

"Bruce, what's happening? Is she supposed to do this?" Bucky asks with worry in his voice.

"We expected some reaction, but not this much." he says as he turns back to the monitors.

As he looks at the monitors, the convulsions get worse, and a monitor starts to flash red. "Tony, she's burning up!" Bruce yells.

Tony quickly turns from you to Bruce and the monitors. He looks at several readouts on the screen. "Hydra's nanobots are trying to self-destruct before we can get rid of them. They're trying to kill her! We need to cool her down now!" he yells as Shuri is already grabbing some cooling pads.

Tony rushes over, grabs some from Shuri, and surrounds you with them. Bucky and Steve start to move towards you when Wanda steps in front of them. "Trust them, let them do their work."

They both stop and watch in horror as your body shakes even harder. Tony looks over his shoulder at Bruce. "Where are we at?" He yells.

"We're at 85% destroyed. Her temperature is at 105°. We need to get it lower." Bruce says

Shuri looks up at Tony. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes." he says as he nods, confused.

She runs to one of her cases and pulls out a jar with what looks like laundry pods in it. She quickly grabs a heavy glove from a drawer. She comes back over. "Back away."

Tony steps away quickly, unsure of what she is doing. "What is that?" He asks as she slams it down with her palm in the center of your chest. She quickly steps back as a small cocoon forms over you. She looks at Tony and sees the question spread across his face. "It's a liquid nitrogen cocoon I've been developing, similar to our cryogenic chambers but portable."

"She's not prepped for cryo sleep, though; it could kill her." Tony says with panic in his voice.

"Dr. Banner, where do we stand?" She asks over her shoulder.

"We're at 98% destroyed, and her temp is dropping rapidly." He replies

"Tell me when we are 99.8%. Tony, grab gloves and something to smash this."
Shuri says.

Tony touches his watch, and his repulsor glove appears. "I can send an ultrasonic pulse to break it. Just say when." He leans down and whispers in your ear. "Come on, Lieutenant, hang in there. I can't lose you now."

"Now, Tony! Do it now!" Bruce yells.

Tony touches his watch and places his hand close to the hard shell covering your body. He can see it shake right before it shatters into tiny pieces. Bruce yells over his shoulder. "Her temperature is rising back to within normal levels. The last of the nanobots have been destroyed. We did it."

Tony smooths out your hair. "We did it, Jo. You're going to be okay." Tony steps back as Bucky and Steve approach.

"Is she going to be Ok?" Steve asks softly as he looks at you.

"Her body has been through a lot of trauma. It needs a little time to bounce back, but she'll be Ok, Captain." Shuri says as she touches Bucky's shoulder while he watches you.

Bucky looks up from you. "Thank you. Thank you all."

Tony quietly steps out into the hallway, leans up against the wall, and lets his body slide to the floor. He lets out a shuddered breath, "You're safe once again."