Stark's Driver ~ A Bucky Barnes Story

Chapter 14- Terminator

"OW!"

"What?"

"Did you have to whack me so hard- we're training!"

Okoye rolled her eyes, "Will your enemies pull their punches?"

"I don't have any enemies!" Talia huffed, sweat dripping down her tan skin, they'd been at it for hours.

"Today I am your enemy."

"Yeh, I felt that." She mumbled under breath, rubbing her already bruising shoulder.

"Just because you're strong doesn't mean you can't feel pain, if you fought better you could block me."

"I know."

Okoye just smirked, "So why don't you? What's on your mind? Your powers? Would it be a certain super sold-"

"ARGHHH!" She launched herself at the woman , tired of her taunts, her eyes glowing hotly, from brown to a deep amber orange.

Okoye just blocked her every metal punch with her staff, which she couldn't even grasp, but Talia was at least managing to push her back step by step, towards the rocky wall where they trained, it appeared to be some sort of open arena, with one edge dropping off in a waterfall into a a gulping ravine.

Talia hit, blocked, punched and spun around the warrior, but she just whirled her staff with lethal grace and precision that she envied.

Anger and frustration began to mount within her and she gritted her teeth, trying to make her moves less predictable, sweeping a leg here and there, chopping and changing, a single drop of perspiration ran down Okoye's face, that was it. Talia was in buckets.

"Have you learned nothing girl? We've been here all day?" Okoye arched an eyebrow.

"All I've learned it how to better take a beating, which I was great already by the way, thank you so much." She grinned sarcastically.

"You'd think they would have taught you something in that war of yours, what was the point of it?"

From the way she froze, trembling with rage, and hand began to glow red hot, Okoye smiled internally, if regretfully, for she'd been trying to get the reaction from the driver all day.

"What did you say?" She growled lowly.

Okoye remained silent, sweeping a leg behind herself defensively. Prepared, in fact, for the flurry of attack that soon was Talia upon her, a blurring haze of orange heat- now that made Okoye sweat. It pushed the woman right up against the craggy rock, to avoid being burned by the furious woman.

Then an almighty THUD echoed throughout the area. Talia had sunk her glowing fist right next to Okoye's head in the wall, not by accident. She could tell by the look in her eyes, but in restraint.

Her teeth were gritted, in pain, and she could soon tell why, for the sizzling and heat emanating from the wall were unmistakable, at the sight of her warping metal hand, molten even as her powers faded from view, Talia just said, "enough, enough for today."

"Good." Her teacher replied, "Now we can begin."

~

"Ta daaaaa!"

Talia blinked her eyes open, Shuri had bullied her into keeping them closed for the last hour she'd been fitting her new arm on, fixing it to her muscle and tissue, she still didn't really get it, but it hurt like a bitch.

But looking down at it now, it was all worth it,
Similar to her old one, but less clunky, more streamlined and natural, she held it up to her other hand, finding it perfectly symmetrical. The vibranium shining brilliantly with threads of bronzen orange gleaming through it.

She wiggled it, clenched it, held it in her other hand, it didn't feel cold, surprisingly, but hummed with slight warmth. Shuri noticed her surprise, "It conducts your energy, but you still need to use your power, to properly remain in control. Do you, do you like it?" She asked hesitantly.

"It's, ...it'a perfect." Talia breathed, blinking small tears away quickly, she tackled Shuri into a fierce hug, "Thank you, so much."

She felt the girl smile into her shoulder, "Of course."

"Looks like you two are already good friends."
T'Challa remarked drily, just entering the lab.
Talia flicked him off with her metal hand, and he held his hand to his chest in mock pain,
"You wound me Talia."

She grinned sweetly, pulling away from a giggling Shuri, "Just testing out my new hand, Cha-Cha."

Shuri burst out laughing at that and, to his credit, so did T'Challa, "Hmm Cha-Cha, not very dignified I suppose, but I like it."

"What about Chally?" She mused, "Or Ally?"
"I like Chally." Shuri sniggered mischievously, "Chally and.. Tally!"

Her face dropped grumpily, "Okay, no nicknames, I was joking.."
"Oh no no no, Tally it is." T'Challa grinned and she groaned, "You sound like Peter."

"The spider-monkey boy?" Shuri asked curiously.

"Yes, that reminds me, I should probably reply to him, he calls me at least twice a day."

She clicked her phone open, putting it to her ear to listen to Peter's latest message,

"Hey, Talia! Um, here's my report for tonight. I stopped a grand theft bicycle. Couldn't find the owner, so I just left a note. Um... I helped this lost, old Dominican lady. She was really nice and bought me a churro. So I just, um, feel like I could be doing more. You know? Just curious when the next real mission is gonna be. So, yeah, just call me back. It's Peter. Parker."

She laughed slightly at the boy, scrolling through the 36 messages he'd sent to her phone, and quickly replied:

Talia: Hey Peter, keep up the good work kiddo, but stay out of trouble- you need to be the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man right now, if anything happens to you I'll kill you, then Tony will kill me.

I'm out of town right now, but here's Happy's number, he's the new head of transportation, he'll keep you in contact with Stark.
Xx

She chuckled evilly at the thought of the grumpy Happy receiving all of Peter's boisterous texts and calls, and sent him a quick heads up, before scrolling through her other messages.

2 unread from Tony Stank.

Hesitating slightly, she swiped them open.

Stank: You turned your tracker off- where did you go, Nigeria??? I can't find you from there.

Stank: Sparky I'm worried about you, are you okay?

Talia: Hey Tony, I'm fine just doing a lil sightseeing, how's India? 🇮🇳🇮🇳

Stank: India's great, but what are you doing out there?

Talia: I'm doing well boss, I acc feel rlly good, going to stick around where I am for a while, but I'll be back *Arnie voice* 🦾🤖

Stank: Okayyy Terminator

Talia: btw keep an eye on Parker, he's getting restless, might do something stupid x

Stank: Will do 👍