6581/Big Bro Comes a'Knockin'.

Big Bro Comes a'Knockin'.
Date of Scene:	16 June 2021
Location:	Wakandan Embassy
Synopsis:	Bucky gets a reminder that he's really not alone in this world when Shuri loans him something precious.
Cast of Characters:	James Barnes, Shuri

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James Barnes has posed:
    It wasn't but a few days later that Bucky was contacting Shuri. His rotation guarding the sphere hadn't come back around yet, but... he needed help with something else. There's a child that's been kidnapped by a creepy cult. He's going in with a team of, well basically amateurs as he sees it. He'd rather not get dead, so he's calling on Lil Princess for help.
    It should be noted, this is a first for him. It points to growth on his part, not to mention the fact that he's finally realizing that not letting Shuri help him is tantamount to 'putting baby in the corner', something he never wants to do with her.
    So, he arrives, as scheduled, at the Wakandan Embassy to talk deets of the situation.

Shuri has posed:
    The embassy staff will show him in to see her. Most of the embassy is very traditional Wakandan; the face they show to the world. Shuri, by contrast, is dressed in very modern attire. She's in a white top with a very vintage denim skirt. When James is shown in, she looks over. "Shall I grab my things?" She assumes this is to go to the sphere, of course.

James Barnes has posed:
    For his part, Bucky is dressed in a drab, gray jacket modeled in the 'army surplus' style, lots of pockets, faded jeans, combat boots, a baseball cap with his hair all tucked under it and a pair of cheap sunglasses. He removes the latter once inside. He's polite, respectful and would give Ayo a WIDE birth if she happens to be around, lest she corner him and ask him his business here. ...oh, just here to drag your Princess into some of my shit... yeah, that conversation can't happen.
    "No, kiddo... not my rotation yet. This is something else," he explains. "There's a kid's life at stake and I wanna make sure he comes out of it with that life intact."

Shuri has posed:
    That gets a concerned look, but she nods. "Tell me more." And then, after a beat pause, she asks "Have you been eating?" She might be the little princess, but she's acting like the big sister.

James Barnes has posed:
    Steve Rogers will ALWAYS be Bucky's best friend, right to the end of that line, but Shuri? Well, she's one person that can get him to almost instantly come clean about things. Maybe it's the fact that, while she might snark at him over stuff, she doesn't often *fret* over him like the others do.
    "Yeah," he honestly has but, "Haven't been sleeping much though."
    There's more important business though. "The kid's been taken by some cult using the moniker of the Order of St. Dumas." He pulls out a folded manilla folder from an inside jacket pocket along with a little flash drive thingy. "I got this," he holds up the envelope. "But all this is on here," the flash drive. "If you need to see things bigger."

Shuri has posed:
    "Hardcopy." Shuri says, the dismissiveness in her tone clearly indicating her opinions as far as hardcopy goes. She takes the flash drive, and holds it near her kimoyo bead bracelet, before a bead glows and a holographic display appears in the air, showing the images on the drive. "How did you get pulled into all of this? It sounds more like this would be a police issue?"

James Barnes has posed:
    "The kid's a Happy Harbor student," he explains. "Illusion powers of some sort, but they only work if they're based on a book he's read." The hologram, the first one at least, shows a map of some ruins on Malta. "They're holding him there. I have someone accessing me a satellite feed, infra red, but what I really need is a way to *see through* those walls, if one exists. Scrying isn't working, magical means aren't working. There's magical warding all around the area, but tech... that might as well be magic?" That's definitely a back door compliment to the girl's genius.

Shuri has posed:
    Shuri considers. "I can come up with something. It would be better if I had a chance to get some readings from the area first. Do we know why they took him? Or what kind of time-frame we're looking at with this? Also, how are you getting to Malta?"

James Barnes has posed:
    "Because they want to use his powers to bring some big fuckin' ugly they worship into living color," Bucky explains. "We're leaving for Malta tomorrow night." Short notice there Buck! But... "I just found out last night and I'm taking the Quinjet." Just a beat and he adds, "It gets worse." Worse than a creepy cult with an obviously powerful sorcerer?

Shuri has posed:
    "Because of /course/ it does. And how does it get worse?" She's considering options, but magic is certainly her weakest area, and she doesn't have a ton of options to deal with it.

James Barnes has posed:
    "British Intelligence is very likely to drop in on our heads in the middle of this and they have shoot to kill orders on the kid." Angry, Bucky is ANGRY when he spills that bit. So. Angry. "They think the cult is conditioning the kid..." Kinda like Hydra did him? "...and that he should be shot on sight rather than saved."
    What if that's what Steve thought about Bucky? What if Steve never fought for him, gave him a chance... this kid, in Bucky's mind, deserves a fucking chance.
"... I'm not going to let them kill him."

Shuri has posed:
    Shuri nods. "All right. Come with me." She turns, and she starts to head off to a nearby door. If Bucky follows, he'll get admitted to the local sanctum sanctorum: Shuri's Lab. She steps into the place, clean and clear and full of technology.

James Barnes has posed:
    Of course he follows. But once inside, Bucky stands in the center of the room as to not TOUCH ANYTHING. Dude has barely mastered his cell phone! He would look awed if he had a clue, as it is he just looks mildly uneasy and a little confused.

Shuri has posed:
    Shuri moves over, and starts moving her hands in the air, as a haptic holographic interface opens up. A holographic kimoyo bead shows up there, as she taps at some elements. She takes two of the beads off her own bracelet, separating them magnetically, and holds them up near the interface, downloading the program to them. "This should work." She hands them to Bucky. "This one is the probe. Get it near a wall, and you should be fine. This second will pick up the signals, and put out a display for you. Also, if you get the chance, you can roll or toss the probe through a gap if you get a chance, to use as a remote sensor inside the room."

James Barnes has posed:
    Bucky takes the beads and rolls them around in the palm of a gloved hand for a moment. His expression is difficult to read but when he looks back up at the spunky Princess, his tone isn't so hard to read. "Thanks Shuri..." Not just for the beads, but for believing in him enough to trust him with something he knows is treasured by the Wakandans. The beads, their tech. ...thank you for trusting him, for never giving up, for never making him feel 'less than' for all the shit in his head, for never making him feel 'different'.

Shuri has posed:
    Shuri looks back. She can tell that not giving up on the kid who might need deprogramming is a hot button issue for him. And while usually she's the Princess of snark, it stays at bay for this. She gives a sincere nod, and says "Go bring him home, James. Both of you, come home safe."

James Barnes has posed:
    "Always kiddo, I always come back home and I don't fail my missions." It might take him sixty-five years to come home, but he makes it back. He reaches up with his other hand and rubs the back of his neck a little. "Uh... you have a way to make this see multiple rooms at one time?"

Shuri has posed:
    NOW the wry smile pops back up. "Seeing through walls isn't enough for you?" She unclips another few beads, putting the now-too-short bracelet on a shelf. She synchs up another three beads, and then hands them over. "Here you are. More sensors." If it were nearly anyone else, they'd have gotten death-glared for asking for more. She doesn't even throw in the usual "you owe me" sort of snark.

James Barnes has posed:
    Bucky takes the beads and actually steps forward to press a brotherly kiss to the top of Shuri's head. He has to bend down to do it, she's a short little snarker. "I love you, kiddo," he says as he straightens. It's probably only one of less than a handful of times he's said those words to anyone since his return from the cold and most of the those few times they've been said to her. That is to say this is probably maybe the second time he's done so.
    ...it's likely that the first time was a time he wasn't *really* sure he'd be coming back too.

Shuri has posed:
    She doesn't let it get too sappy. It wouldn't fit her. "Go on, now. You're going to mess up my hair." She makes a shooing motion with her hands. Of course, she also didn't tell him that the beads have a few extra surprises. The "receiver" bead is also set to monitor Bucky's vitals and send them back to her. And every bead has a taser and emp package in them that she can remotely trigger. Just in case.

James Barnes has posed:
    "Well go out for pizza when I get back," he offers as he turns and heads for the door. It's not lost on Bucky that he doesn't know what he'd do if something happened to that girl. ...and not because of her way cool tech and planet sized brain. Losing her would be losing family.