Synopsis
Riri Williams contacts Tony Stark for the 1st time in ages, and it seems he's been an absentee mentor too. He compliments her on her performance as Ironheart and her new armour (since Infinity Countdown: Champions #2 and throughout this series) and she tells him about some enhancements she's just made. But he cuts her off and says he's got a meeting to go to, so they get to the point of the call. It appears Riri already asked him to arrange for her to visit Wakanda. Now she tries to tell him about the Wellspring Of Power Dr Strange located there last issue, but he cuts her off again to tell her how he helped Strange go to space (#1 of the current DrS series). This time *she* cuts *him* off, so Tony tells her she's expected and sends her some background info on the country.
Riri flies by armour-power to Birnin Zana the capital which is an amazing mixture of high and low tech. She spots a heavily-guarded building which she guesses correctly is the Royal Palace, and she hovers in front of it asking to be let in. Princess Shuri, sister of Black Panther T'Challa, creates an opening in the wall and invites her in.
Once inside Riri absorbs her armour and launches straight into a spiel about the Wellspring but Shuri is insulted that her guest didn't exchange pleasantries 1st. Riri says its urgent because bad guys are after the mystical Well, and then gets distracted by an intriguing nano-machine. Shuri snatches it out of her hands and says she knows all about urgent situations - she's been Black Panther, fought Thanos, ruled Wakanda, fought Skrulls, and also died. And as a scientist she doesn't believe in mystical stuff (but what about the Panther God?). And anyway if the Wellspring existed in Wakanda she'd know about it.
Meanwhile Riri has found another cool gadget. Shuri accuses her of having no manners. Riri accuses *her* of being pretentious because she inherited all of what she has. Shuri orders our heroine out of Wakanda. Riri's NATALIE AI tells her to calm down while Griot spirits tell Shuri the same.
But before the pair can do anything they are rocked by an earthquake. They both work out this isn't a natural occurrence and it's targeting the city. Riri armours up again and offers to help. Shuri says her attire *is* her super-suit. They express mutual admiration for their tech.
Outside the earthquake has created a rift out of which climb shadow monsters. Ironheart chips in that her last Wellspring-related encounter (#7) was with zombies. Shuri creates a wall-opening again and they fly out - Shuri's suit creates metal wings and panther-head blast gauntlets. They both shoot monsters and then Ironheart switches to sealing the chasm. Then they recombine to mop up the remaining shadows.
But the city remains damaged so the duo turn their attention helping the people and repairing the buildings. At 1 point they hear a young girl crying from a shaky building. Shuri goes in the ground floor while Ironheart flies up to the window. Inside she finds the girl whose mother is unconscious. Riri unmasks to calm the girl's fear until Shuri joins them. The princess and the girl exchange words in their own language. After they've got mother and daughter out Shuri tells Riri that the girl asked if they were sisters - and she'd replied "Yes".
Later back in the Palace NATALIE gets Riri to apologise to Shuri, and Shuri apologises back. They agree that they are both scientists, but this mystical Wellspring does seem to be real. Riri shows Shuri where on a map Dr Strange said the Wellspring was, and Shuri identifies it as in the Jabari-Lands.
But then they are both alerted to an intruder. It seems to be 1 of the shadow monsters, but then it coalesces into Silhouette the paralysed sister of Midnight's Fire. (From previous issues we know that it is he and his group the Ten Rings who are seeking the Wellspring.)