Reality
"Shuri, where is your brother?"
"I have no idea~ Mama," Shuri answers when her mother, Ramonda, enters her lab.
"SHURI—" Mama is calling her with that TONE again!
"Is T'Challa in Haiti?" Her mother asks again,
And Bast blessed you, brother.
"Yes, Mother, he's in Haiti…" She flips out the screen and T'Challa's kimoyo beads's coordinates show Haiti.
Shuri was sure T'Challa had sneaked out of the country to meet with Nakia. It's the only valid reason he's been sneaking out every weekend. It's been happening ever since they came back from the blip, since the first weekend, to be exact.
She waited for their mother to start lecturing that he's a King, he shouldn't be sneaking out of his own country so often, things like that—
"Very well, Shuri, please tell your brother that he better bring the love of his life, Nakia, daughter of Yaa, my future daughter-in-law, back to Wakanda as soon as possible, this is her home, it's time for her to come back."
Nakia had left Wakanda since the blip happened, too heartbroken by the fact that T'Challa was taken away from her. She settled in Haiti and even built a school for children over there. Ramonda checks on her every now and then without letting her know. She doesn't need someone else to tell her where the love of her son's life has been doing all these years.
"Yes, Mother, I'll let my brother know when he comes back, like next Monday…" Shuri prays for his brother.
Ramonda turned and was going to leave…
"By the way, Shuri? You should come and have a walk with me in the garden, save some time for your mother besides hiding in the lab?" Ramonda crosses her arms at her daughter.
Shuris has been busy in her lab for the past six months, busy catching up with all the changes, updates and upgrades for the past five years. And immediately taking over everything back under her control.
"Mama, it may have been five years, but it's also been a blink of an eye for us…" The last moment they were dusted off, and the next moment they came back five years later.
How crazy is that ? But it is the truth, and Shuri believes, it was all science and she herself had been a part of it.
And it happened to the whole universe.
"I have to catch up with all the time I have lost! Look at all the new techs—" Shuri starts to ramble— until she stops and quickly removes her lab coats and glasses.
"—I mean, I have to catch up with all the time lost, especially with my Mama! Let's go, Mother, you want to go to the garden? I'm coming!!" Shuri puts down everything on her hands and runs to her mother, hooking their arms together and leaving the lab once and for all.
Ramonda smiles secretly.
"I saw you there. Are you making something regarding the earthquake under the ocean?" Ramonda saws a map of the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean that surrounds the African continent and Wakanda.
"Don't let Okoye hear that or not she's going to—"
Shuri steps in front and starts imitating the General, Ramonda looks behind her—
"Shuri— we HANDLE it by NOT HANDLING it," She sounds just like Okoye now.
"AHEM!" A spear thumps hard on the ground, startling Shuri as she hides behind her mother.
"MAMA! Why didn't you tell me Okoye is coming!" Shuri wails.
"Queen Mother, PRINCESS—" Okoye salutes them and eyes Shuri warningly.
"T'Challa said he will handle it when he returns, PRINCESS."
"I can handle it— Alright, alright! I get it, I won't handle it— I'll wait for my brother to decide, General," Shuri surrenders.
"The earthquake under the ocean, it's been occasionally happening for the past five years, we don't think it's necessary to investigate further on this matter since it doesn't affect Wakanda—"
Everyone they loved had been dusted off and taken away from them. Wakanda had isolated themselves from the world for the past five years after losing their King and Princess. Wakanda could only focus on themselves and grief for their loss.
"But we are back now, T'Challa and I, and everyone else, we can help," Shuri tried to reason with Okoye.
"I'm sure you could, Shuri, but we have other important matters. And we just want you to take a break…" Mother tells her softly.
Shuri sighs, "Yes, Mother, I will take a break from the lab. But aren't you guys curious? We never had an earthquake under the ocean before, not before Thanos attacked, at least…" She wonders.
"Yes, it is strange, we had sent droids and ships to the oceans, but we didn't pick up anything strange on our radar," Okoye says of their findings.
"What are you thinking, my child?" Ramonda caresses her daughter's face.
What are you afraid of?
"It's nothing…I was just wondering…since the blip happened everywhere, on other planets, as the Avengers said. Like outer space…what if…" Shuri hesitates but—
"What if they are aliens living underwater too? Bast, we have a mad titan and his minions crashing into Wakanda from outer space, I'm not surprised if there is…" She looks at Ramonda and Okoye, who are waiting for her—
"If there are superior intelligence species living underwater, maybe Thanos's attack had awakened them or something like that…" Shuri finishes.
Ramonda and Okoye are all slightly stunned by Shuri's explanation. They never thought of this.
Space and ocean, they are the same.
Full of unknown mysteries to humanity, the endless abyss that keeps on attracting people to discover, to explore—
We are not alone in this universe.
And people are always afraid of the unknown.
But the fear of the unknown doesn't stop Shuri.
From protecting Wakanda.
And for the people they loved, they will not experience loss again.
Not ever again.
"I understand your worry, Shuri, we will keep an eye and inform you when the earthquake under the ocean happens again," Okoye assures her.
"Thank you, Okoye."
Shuri's heart settles a bit.
"So, where were we? Ah, intelligent species living in the ocean? I'm surprised they didn't resurface or at least interfere for the past five years," Ramonda and Shuri continue to stroll in the garden.
"Maybe nothing happened underwater? Maybe they were pissed off but couldn't do anything…?" The gears in Shuri's brain keep on turning.
"Or maybe the earthquake was just an ordinary natural phenomenon," Ramonda answers her confusion.
"Yeah, that's more likely so, or they were like Wakanda—" Shuri's eyes lit up at the mere thought—
Who had advanced technology,
Who hid in plain sight,
Who shut themselves out from the world,
To protect its nation,
And it's people.
Just like them.
"Who knows?" Shuri shrugs at her conclusion.
She spent the rest of her day with her mother and loved ones.