Issue #1 by Jake Hawkins
March 2018
March 2018
[Editor's Note: This issue takes place before the events in Avengers #71 and the C.O.D.E. Confidential series].
YEARS AGO
BIRNIN ZANA, THE GOLDEN CITY
Hunter stood in the throne room, his eyes refusing to look at the seat his father occupied what felt like ages ago now a few feet away from him as he stared out into the brightly lit capital of Wakanda. From the moment he first saw this view, he had loved this country. It was the only home he knew, the home of the only Father he had, a man who saved his life and raised him as his own despite the trials and trepidations such an act from a man in his position would elicit. In a manner of weeks, Hunter had seen his life unravel. His father now resided in the Djalia, the ancestral plane of kings, felled by a two bit bounty hunter raiding the kingdom for Vibranium. Hunter had spent every waking moment since Ramonda summoned him back home with the news, tearing himself apart with guilt. Now he stood here in the place where some of his fondest memories stemmed, awaiting a fate he had accepted in the weeks following the death of his father.
He didn’t even look in his brother’s direction as T’Challa entered the throne room, his panther suit dissolving into his royal blue dashiki robes as he joined Hunter in front of the massive window overlooking the capital.
“My mother tells me you have been heaping the blame for Klaw’s treachery on your shoulders.” T’Challa asked, finally turning to face his brother.
“Mine are the only ones suited to carry such a burden. It appears yours are built for much greater things.” Hunter replied, his voice barely louder than a whisper, his gaze still fixed on the city.
“You know why I have asked to speak with you…” T’Challa surmised by his brother’s colder than usual demeanor.
“Akili has been unable to look me in the eyes since the day I returned. The writing has been on the wall from the moment father entered the Djalia.” Hunter spat the words at his brother, finally turning to face him. “Speak your mind, my king.”
“Losing father has given me a clarity I have never known before. I’ve had to look at the way we have done things all these years, to assess the mistakes and triumphs made that got us to the point we stand amidst right now, and try to understand how we as a nation push forward.”
“The great and heralded T’Challa, son of a nation. A nation you have never in your life a day wanted to serve. You stand here, in the throne room of your ancestors and you shrink before the mantle you have been blessed by Bast with.” Hunter accused him, his rage beginning to bubble over.
“I shrink before nothing. I understand and feel your frustrations Hunter but do not allow misguided anger to control your tongue.” T’Challa sighed deeply before continuing. “Our father did everything he could, including die, for this nation. His love for his people was so deep that it forced him to turn a blind eye to actions that ranged from reprehensible to absolutely atrocious. Atrocities you carried out without a second’s hesitation.”
T’Challa raised his arm to chest height as he shook back the sleeves of his dashiki, revealing his Kimoyo bead communicator. A holographic video emitted from the beads, flashing images from war torn countries of suffering refugees, absolutely massacred families and members of the Wakandan secret police performing countless forms of torture on various subjects. Hunter looked away from the stream of photos, a slight smirk curling from his lips as a sweltering pride built in his chest as he remembered the various missions from the picture.
“You stand there, judging me for what I have done in service to this great country we both have the privilege to be sons of. How do you think our way of life will be preserved with the way the world is shaping outside our borders? You’ve heard the intel reports on this Magneto, or Von Doom. You think either of those monsters won’t hesitate to do whatever is necessary to meet their goals should Wakanda stand in their path, or worse, suit their needs? What about Director Fury? How sure can you be America does not plot our downfall now that our Father is gone? You were in America, chasing after future White House aides and jazz lounge singers while I was here, doing what my Father raised me to-“
“I left the realm to become the king my Father raised me to be. And as much as I may not want it, the king Wakanda needs right now. I know what you have done, you have done out of loyalty and service to the crown, but it is time the Hatut Zeraze were repurposed and overhauled extensively, and such a task cannot be accomplished under your edict. I must remove you as Commander of the War Dogs, effective immediately.”
Hunter merely chuckled to himself as his brother finishes. “Well then T’Challa, it appears we have finally had enough of one another. For your sake, I hope your weak stomach does not lead Wakanda to ruin.” He turns back to the spectacular view of the golden city, soaking it in as much as he possibly can. “I leave the kingdom in your hands brother, may it be as good to you as it was to me.” Hunter storms past T’Challa as he begins to leave the throne room.
“So instead of staying and supporting the throne, you choose to be a child and turn your back on your family when your wants are not met. What do you believe father would think of your actions at this very moment?” T’Challa scolded his older brother, causing Hunter to pause briefly in the middle of the room, slightly conflicted by T’Challas words.
Hunter dropped his head, never turning back to his brother before he spoke once more. “Watch over Shuri and Mother. Should any harm fall upon them, I will hold you responsible, no matter how much such a thing may hurt me.” And with that, Hunter disappeared out of the room without another word.
# # # # #
PRESENT DAY
BLACK DOLPHIN PRISON
RUSSIA
A pair of guards made their rounds to each cell, checking in on prisoner after prisoner. One of the guard’s freezes when he reaches a particular cell, unlocking the thick steel door and stepping aside so that a bearded Hunter could step out, placing shackles on his hands and around both ankles immediately. The pair of guards led the prisoner through the massive facility, pasts cell after cell of various prisoners, all shipped here to live the rest of their lives under the harshest of conditions. Hunter is finally shoved into the Warden’s office and placed roughly into a chair near the middle of the room before the guards exit without a word, slamming the door shut behind them. A video screen emits from a small receiver on the desk and the face of Baron Von Strucker himself appears.
“The legendary White Wolf. We have reviewed the proposal you had sent to us. Not an easy thing to do, get a message to Hydra whilst locked away in one of the most secure penitentiaries in the world. Nevertheless, we were impressed with your resolve and I have decided to personally hear what it is you have to offer. Should this meeting be deemed unsatisfactory or a huge waste of resources, you will be killed immediately afterwards, understood?”
Hunter merely nodded complacently before finally speaking. “I have no time for idle threats, I have an appointment to keep, so let’s move this meeting along briskly. You saw what I have to offer you, and in return I ask for barely anything at all. I sit here before you and offer you countless rewards in return for nothing more than letting your soldiers do what they do best. Now do we have an accord, or should I take my business elsewhere?”
“Be careful how you speak to me, Wolf. You are in no position to negotiate nor make demands.” Von Strucker warns. Moments later explosions rock the building, gunshots can be heard echoing throughout the hallway outside the office as a smile spread across Hunter’s face. Two men burst into the room carrying Wakandan assault rifles and dressed head to toe in red and black suits, their faces covered completely by masks. In the center of their suits, a symbol of a lone wolf howling at a black moon. They quickly free Hunter from his shackles before stepping to the side as he rises from his seat, all this to the shock of the Hydra leader who watched from whatever location he was currently based.
“You have twelve hours to give me an answer, or my offer is rescinded. I appreciate you granting me audience Baron, and I look forward to speaking further in the near future.” Hunter bowed deeply before storming out of the room, followed closely by his two men as they began their escape from the prison.
# # # # #
NIGANDA/AZANIA BORDER
A group of mercenaries rain down gunfire at a convoy of British relief aid trucks on the road into Niganda. One of the truck drivers dove out of his cab, ducking underneath the vehicle as he radioed for assistance. The mercenaries kept up the pressure, moving forward towards the last strands of resistance and pinning them down.
High above the chaos on the ground, a massive cloaked Quinjet hovers unbeknownst to everyone below. On board the aircraft whose brand new design had been tweaked for weeks meticulously by the king and Shuri, T’Challa monitored the events below.
“Multiple hostiles my king, how would you like to proceed?” Aneka questioned from behind as a table dropped from the ceiling, a cadre of marvelous weapons for her selection.
“Get the foreigners to safety. Tell them to head towards the embassy in Azania, we will make sure their resources are dispersed adequately.” Aneka made a face at T’Challa behind his back. “I need one or two of them alive Aneka.” He told her, sensing her displeasure at not getting the opportunity to engage the mercenaries.
Aneka nodded as she took control of the ship and a port slid open as T’Challa got into position. His Kimoyo beads glowed as the nanites spread and his body became covered in his panther suit. He grabbed a set of daggers no longer than spades before dropping through the port and directly into the madness on the road.
A mercenary just happened to look up as the Black Panther smashed both his feet into his chest, sending him crashing into one of their vehicles and slumping unconscious from the impact.
“It’s Damisa-Sarki!” One of the mercs yelled to the others in Swahili as he opened fire in the Panther’s direction. The bullets bounced off the vibranium, the kinetic energy building in the suit glowed a vibrant purple as T’Challa charged at his assailants. He pressed a button on one of the daggers, extending it into a short spear before pointing it at two of the mercenaries and blasting them with a concussive sonic wave. The pair of them are blown down the road like rag dolls as the Panther continues his assault without missing a beat, turning and tossing the spear into the chest of another merc and pinning him into the side of the truck.
As the hijacking unravels before his eyes, Martin Haskins watches one of his fellow operatives take off into the jungle in an effort to create as much distance between himself and the Panther. “Bloody cowards they slotted me with…” Haskins grumbled as he reached into the back of a truck and pulled an M32A1 multi-grenade launcher out of the back. He stood up from his position and aimed at T’Challa just as he attacked another member of his group. He fired a grenade at the king of Wakanda, who quickly dropped his current prey and made an X in front of his chest with his hands in the direction of the oncoming threat. The Panther’s Kimoyo beads came to life to activate an energy shield that absorbs the blast from the grenade.
Haskins takes a deep breath of relief as his target disappears behind a cloud of smoke from the explosion. By the time he realizes T’Challa has survived the attack, it is far too late as the Panther leaps across the hood of one of the supply trucks and lands directly on Martin’s chest. He rips Haskins to his feet before shackling him in a pair of Vibranium handcuffs just as the Quinjet landed a few feet away from the road in a small clearing. The back of the ship opened as T’Challa boarded with his captive.
“Take us to the safe house near the mountains.” He orders Aneka, who dutifully heads back to the cockpit as T’Challa sets Martin in a seat near the back of the jet, the ship strapping him in once it registers his presence.
# # # # #
SOMEWHERE IN JAPAN
Hunter and three of his men are escorted by a young woman through the temple, finally reaching a large opulent room where Viper stood, accompanied by the Silver Samurai. The pair of them were studying the layout of a particular base when they noticed their guest had arrived.
“I hope I’m not disturbing anything particularly delicate.” Hunter greeted the pair as he and his crew stood across from the Hand’s leader and her ace guard. Viper flashed a wicked smile at Hunter as the Silver Samurai quickly snatched the map off the table, rolling it back up and handing it to one of the ninjas behind him.
“Gentleman, I assume your talk with Von Strucker went well?” Viper asked, a devilish grin still on her face.
“He contacted me a few hours ago to notify of his interest. We meet tomorrow to discuss terms further.” Hunter answered confidently. Viper slid around the table, stepping past one of Hunter’s men to get a closer look at the White Wolf.
“Then I trust you’ve come here to make arrangements.” She assumed, stalking across the room to a large rounded coffin that sat upright in a nearby corner. She ran her hands across the intricate designs carved into the black stone coffin, her eyes transfixed on the symbol of the beast at its center.
“Once Hydra begins the attack on Birnin Zana, you’ll have a brief window to drop into the capital.” Hunter warns her, his eyes catching the look of contempt the Silver Samurai bores into him.
“You aren’t confident in Hydra’s ability to overtake the golden city?” Viper questioned, her attention still on the coffin.
“Their forces will be formidable, but nothing my brother will not be able to handle. Baiting Hydra into attempting a siege on Wakanda is merely an elaborate smokescreen disguised and gift wrapped to Von Strucker as an immense opportunity.”
Viper finally turns around, eyeing the White Wolf curiously. “From what I’ve heard you’ve spent the last few years the closest thing to a ghost anyone could ever imagine. Now you emerge from some self imposed exile bearing gifts and chances, why?”
“That’s far from any concern of yours. Just take solace in the fact that neither of our goals step on the other’s toes. In due time the Hand will have a vessel for its master, you can thank me and leave it at that.” Hunter nods politely at Viper and the Silver Samurai before he departs, his men following dutifully behind him stride for stride.
“I do not like him.” The Silver Samurai grunted the moment the three were out of ear shot.
“I’m quite sure you’re not very fond of anyone but me, Harada. However it doesn’t matter whether we can trust him or not, as once the beast returns to this world nothing will stand for long, not even the country he’s so desperate for. Inform Lester I need him back from assignment at once.” The samurai nodded before leaving quickly to follow his masters orders.
# # # # #
ADORED ONES SAFE HOUSE
EDGE OF JABARI TERRITORY
T’Challas mask faded away whist the suit remained as the lift down into the underground bunker descended. The doors opened once the elevator came to a halt just as Okoye rounded the corner.
“My king, Aneka tells me there wasn’t much resistance.” He joined her as they made their way down the hall and into a large room with several monitors in front of them. A few displayed different locations across the Jabari lands, whilst one had a live feed of Martin Haskins shackled to a chair, somewhere within the base. Aneka stood at the control panel, her eyes on a group of White Gorilla clansmen marching through the mountains with a string of prisoners. A few of the grunts carried their captives in cages far more advanced than anything the Jabari were usually capable of obtaining, something Aneka noticed immediately. T’Challa joined her, his eyes on the Jabari as well.
“Those cages, their one of our older designs.” T’Challa surmised, pressing a few keys on the control panel to switch to a different camera for better look.
“M’Bakus elite guardsmen are carrying some of the early model energy staffs as well.” Aneka chimed in as T’Challa made his way over to another one of the monitors.
“And what of this man?” T’Challa asked with a nod of the head at the screen broadcasting Haskins.
“Facial recognition scans ID him as Martin Haskins, former MI6 operative who as of the last 6 years has been doing wet work every where from Madripoor to Canaan. He hasn’t said much, though that will change.” Okoye answered as she joined Aneka at the control panel.
“I want the two of you to rendezvous with Shuri in quadrant four and rescue those prisoners. If you are confronted by the Man-Ape, do not engage him. I will handle M’Baku personally.” The two members of the Dora Milajae quickly leave the room and head to the Quinjet hangar down the hall as T’Challa steps through a door to the left of the control panel and into the room well Martin Haskins is being held.
“Oh great king, why have you imprisoned me here? I’ve done no wrong in your realm.” Haskins sang in a mocking tone as T’Challa entered the room.
“We knew someone would plot to attack the aide trucks on their way into Niganda. Which is why we informed the organization sending relief to alter their delivery schedules. But somehow you and your men knew exactly where they would be. You will tell me why. Or you will spend the rest of your life in a prison right here on this continent.”
“That sort of talk ain’t nothing but bluster from you. All that running around you do with the Avengers tells me you’re not the type to falsely imprison a man. Sure, we killed quite a few people in that hijacking, but we weren’t on Wakandan soil. So do what you kind of people do in these sort of situations, and release me great king.” Haskins taunted T’Challa, a cat who ate the canary grin spread across his face.
“You do me a great disservice. You assume that because you haven’t attacked my country, I will simply let you walk away. You left families devastated with the lives you took today. Had you been successful in the acquisition of those medical supplies, you would have left hundreds more to die. But you mistake me for blind, as I am sure the men who employed you for this job will want you killed for not only your failure, but to ensure you don’t talk to anyone. Your thinly veiled attempt to bait me into throwing you in a cell for your protection falls on deaf ears.” T’Challa’s Kimoyo beads glow a dark green and the Vibranium shackles on Martin fall to the ground. Haskins stares at the King with utter disbelief.
“Whoever tipped you off to this job will come for you. And when they do, I will be there to make sure they answer for the carnage those people suffered today. Or you can give me the answers I seek, and I can make sure you live by throwing you in the cell you covet so much.” T’Challa explained succinctly, as Haskins eyes go wide with fear at either outcome left in front of him.
# # # # #
DEEP IN THE JABARI LAND MOUNTAINS
The white gorilla clan continued their march through the mountain terrain, on their way to the caves near the top that had been the home of the Jabari for centuries. They marched step for step, chanting in Xhosa the phrase “Overcome! Conquer! Rampage!” in unison as they climbed the mountain, their weary prisoners huddled in fear amongst each other in their cages.
Aneka peeked from behind a rock formation on a ridge above the Jabari tribe as they passed. “I count twelve hostiles. We’ll need to get those cages open and the prisoners as far away from the battle as possible. Princess, is the convoy in position?” Aneka spoke into her rangeless communicator, a note of worry in her tone. She hated the Jabari even more than most, as they waged war on her tribe during her childhood, which resulted in her coming to the Golden City as an orphan. Were it not for Queen Ramonda bringing her in to the palace to train as an Adored One, she shuddered as she considered what would have become of her instead.
“The convoy is in place. As soon as we engage, we make sure to send their captives in its direction. I’ve programmed its route to take them directly to the nearest refugee center in Birnin Djata. Okoye, on your mark.” Shuri said with all the confidence in the world as she sat watching the Jabari from high above in a tree top.
At Shuri’s command, Okoye dropped the cloak from her shoulders that had rendered her invisible and kept in front of the White Gorilla clansmen, extending her Vibranium spear as she got into a defense position. A member of M’Bakus elite guard stepped forward out of the abruptly halted troupe. He wore the skull of a gorilla on his head, a sign of his high ranking status in the tribe.
“The legendary Okoye! How brave of you to come all this way to face death.” The guard taunted her as one of his fellow clansmen handed him one of the energy staffs, which came to life once it touched his hands. The staff crackled with a white hot energy beam wrapped around the end of it as he got into an offensive position and prepared to engage the decorated general.
“Tell your master you fell here today, release your prisoners now, and I will consider not killing you.” Okoye threatened, her expression stone faced as she stared down the ruthless Jabari clan.
Above the warriors a fleet of drones in the style of mini Quinjets hovered. Shuri used her Kimoyo card to activate the drones attack sequence, as they suddenly dove down towards the White Gorilla clan, firing energy bolts with deadly precision. Okoye and Aneka used the chaos to attack the elite guardsman, who grabbed Aneka up by the throat only to be impaled through the shoulder by Okoye’s spear. He clutched at the spear, trying to pull it from his body. Before he could make any progress Aneka slashed his throat cleanly with her dagger. The two Dora’s wasted not another moment attacking the remaining Jabari’s who began to use the stolen technology to their advantage.
“Princess, you need to get the cages open before they close off the path back down!” Okoye warned Shuri as she narrowly ducked away from a barrage of laser rifle fire. The errant blasts shredded through the trees in the mountains, felling some and igniting a blaze.
“I’ve almost got them. The locks are blocked by a firewall. It’s taking my Kimoyo card some time to get through!” Shuri shouted as she leapt from the trees, her Vibranium soled boots helping her land effortlessly in the middle of the fray. The Kimoyo bead bands on both her arms glowed and two plasma cannons with a panther’s mouth for the barrel appeared on the Princess’s arms, and she quickly got to work blasting away some of the reinforcement Jabari troops that had made their way down the mountain.
“Signal Lord M’Baku!” One of the Jabari yelled to his fellow tribesmen before he is speared through the leg from a throw by Okoye, who dashes over and pulls her weapon from the crippled Jabari and finishes him off mercifully quick. The Kimoyo card on Shuri’s hip showed a progress bar that finally reached a hundred percent, and the four cages of the White Gorilla clan’s prisoners opened simultaneously.
[WRITER’S NOTE: * translated from Xhosa]
“*They’re Americans?” Shuri yelled confused as she fought her way towards the cages. There isn’t any popular tourist sites anywhere near this region, the Princess mused. How could the Jabari have captured so many American’s, and have them in the maw of their territory no less.
“You people! Get down the mountain, emergency transportation is there. Go, now!” Aneka’s orders to the former prisoner’s snapped Shuri from her suspicions as she fired a slew of blasts at a few retreating Jabari’s. Suddenly a loud drumming can be heard coming from down the mountain.
“*He is here! Our savior, the Man-Ape!” the Jabari chanted as Okoye, Shuri, and Aneka watched from afar as M’Baku made his way down the mountain surrounded by the three remaining members of his elite guard. M’Baku led his followers in the chant of the Jabari as they closed in on the Dora’s and the Princess. “*OVERCOME! CONQUER! RAMPAGE!
TO BE CONTINUED IN ISSUE 2
BIRNIN ZANA, THE GOLDEN CITY
Hunter stood in the throne room, his eyes refusing to look at the seat his father occupied what felt like ages ago now a few feet away from him as he stared out into the brightly lit capital of Wakanda. From the moment he first saw this view, he had loved this country. It was the only home he knew, the home of the only Father he had, a man who saved his life and raised him as his own despite the trials and trepidations such an act from a man in his position would elicit. In a manner of weeks, Hunter had seen his life unravel. His father now resided in the Djalia, the ancestral plane of kings, felled by a two bit bounty hunter raiding the kingdom for Vibranium. Hunter had spent every waking moment since Ramonda summoned him back home with the news, tearing himself apart with guilt. Now he stood here in the place where some of his fondest memories stemmed, awaiting a fate he had accepted in the weeks following the death of his father.
He didn’t even look in his brother’s direction as T’Challa entered the throne room, his panther suit dissolving into his royal blue dashiki robes as he joined Hunter in front of the massive window overlooking the capital.
“My mother tells me you have been heaping the blame for Klaw’s treachery on your shoulders.” T’Challa asked, finally turning to face his brother.
“Mine are the only ones suited to carry such a burden. It appears yours are built for much greater things.” Hunter replied, his voice barely louder than a whisper, his gaze still fixed on the city.
“You know why I have asked to speak with you…” T’Challa surmised by his brother’s colder than usual demeanor.
“Akili has been unable to look me in the eyes since the day I returned. The writing has been on the wall from the moment father entered the Djalia.” Hunter spat the words at his brother, finally turning to face him. “Speak your mind, my king.”
“Losing father has given me a clarity I have never known before. I’ve had to look at the way we have done things all these years, to assess the mistakes and triumphs made that got us to the point we stand amidst right now, and try to understand how we as a nation push forward.”
“The great and heralded T’Challa, son of a nation. A nation you have never in your life a day wanted to serve. You stand here, in the throne room of your ancestors and you shrink before the mantle you have been blessed by Bast with.” Hunter accused him, his rage beginning to bubble over.
“I shrink before nothing. I understand and feel your frustrations Hunter but do not allow misguided anger to control your tongue.” T’Challa sighed deeply before continuing. “Our father did everything he could, including die, for this nation. His love for his people was so deep that it forced him to turn a blind eye to actions that ranged from reprehensible to absolutely atrocious. Atrocities you carried out without a second’s hesitation.”
T’Challa raised his arm to chest height as he shook back the sleeves of his dashiki, revealing his Kimoyo bead communicator. A holographic video emitted from the beads, flashing images from war torn countries of suffering refugees, absolutely massacred families and members of the Wakandan secret police performing countless forms of torture on various subjects. Hunter looked away from the stream of photos, a slight smirk curling from his lips as a sweltering pride built in his chest as he remembered the various missions from the picture.
“You stand there, judging me for what I have done in service to this great country we both have the privilege to be sons of. How do you think our way of life will be preserved with the way the world is shaping outside our borders? You’ve heard the intel reports on this Magneto, or Von Doom. You think either of those monsters won’t hesitate to do whatever is necessary to meet their goals should Wakanda stand in their path, or worse, suit their needs? What about Director Fury? How sure can you be America does not plot our downfall now that our Father is gone? You were in America, chasing after future White House aides and jazz lounge singers while I was here, doing what my Father raised me to-“
“I left the realm to become the king my Father raised me to be. And as much as I may not want it, the king Wakanda needs right now. I know what you have done, you have done out of loyalty and service to the crown, but it is time the Hatut Zeraze were repurposed and overhauled extensively, and such a task cannot be accomplished under your edict. I must remove you as Commander of the War Dogs, effective immediately.”
Hunter merely chuckled to himself as his brother finishes. “Well then T’Challa, it appears we have finally had enough of one another. For your sake, I hope your weak stomach does not lead Wakanda to ruin.” He turns back to the spectacular view of the golden city, soaking it in as much as he possibly can. “I leave the kingdom in your hands brother, may it be as good to you as it was to me.” Hunter storms past T’Challa as he begins to leave the throne room.
“So instead of staying and supporting the throne, you choose to be a child and turn your back on your family when your wants are not met. What do you believe father would think of your actions at this very moment?” T’Challa scolded his older brother, causing Hunter to pause briefly in the middle of the room, slightly conflicted by T’Challas words.
Hunter dropped his head, never turning back to his brother before he spoke once more. “Watch over Shuri and Mother. Should any harm fall upon them, I will hold you responsible, no matter how much such a thing may hurt me.” And with that, Hunter disappeared out of the room without another word.
# # # # #
PRESENT DAY
BLACK DOLPHIN PRISON
RUSSIA
A pair of guards made their rounds to each cell, checking in on prisoner after prisoner. One of the guard’s freezes when he reaches a particular cell, unlocking the thick steel door and stepping aside so that a bearded Hunter could step out, placing shackles on his hands and around both ankles immediately. The pair of guards led the prisoner through the massive facility, pasts cell after cell of various prisoners, all shipped here to live the rest of their lives under the harshest of conditions. Hunter is finally shoved into the Warden’s office and placed roughly into a chair near the middle of the room before the guards exit without a word, slamming the door shut behind them. A video screen emits from a small receiver on the desk and the face of Baron Von Strucker himself appears.
“The legendary White Wolf. We have reviewed the proposal you had sent to us. Not an easy thing to do, get a message to Hydra whilst locked away in one of the most secure penitentiaries in the world. Nevertheless, we were impressed with your resolve and I have decided to personally hear what it is you have to offer. Should this meeting be deemed unsatisfactory or a huge waste of resources, you will be killed immediately afterwards, understood?”
Hunter merely nodded complacently before finally speaking. “I have no time for idle threats, I have an appointment to keep, so let’s move this meeting along briskly. You saw what I have to offer you, and in return I ask for barely anything at all. I sit here before you and offer you countless rewards in return for nothing more than letting your soldiers do what they do best. Now do we have an accord, or should I take my business elsewhere?”
“Be careful how you speak to me, Wolf. You are in no position to negotiate nor make demands.” Von Strucker warns. Moments later explosions rock the building, gunshots can be heard echoing throughout the hallway outside the office as a smile spread across Hunter’s face. Two men burst into the room carrying Wakandan assault rifles and dressed head to toe in red and black suits, their faces covered completely by masks. In the center of their suits, a symbol of a lone wolf howling at a black moon. They quickly free Hunter from his shackles before stepping to the side as he rises from his seat, all this to the shock of the Hydra leader who watched from whatever location he was currently based.
“You have twelve hours to give me an answer, or my offer is rescinded. I appreciate you granting me audience Baron, and I look forward to speaking further in the near future.” Hunter bowed deeply before storming out of the room, followed closely by his two men as they began their escape from the prison.
# # # # #
NIGANDA/AZANIA BORDER
A group of mercenaries rain down gunfire at a convoy of British relief aid trucks on the road into Niganda. One of the truck drivers dove out of his cab, ducking underneath the vehicle as he radioed for assistance. The mercenaries kept up the pressure, moving forward towards the last strands of resistance and pinning them down.
High above the chaos on the ground, a massive cloaked Quinjet hovers unbeknownst to everyone below. On board the aircraft whose brand new design had been tweaked for weeks meticulously by the king and Shuri, T’Challa monitored the events below.
“Multiple hostiles my king, how would you like to proceed?” Aneka questioned from behind as a table dropped from the ceiling, a cadre of marvelous weapons for her selection.
“Get the foreigners to safety. Tell them to head towards the embassy in Azania, we will make sure their resources are dispersed adequately.” Aneka made a face at T’Challa behind his back. “I need one or two of them alive Aneka.” He told her, sensing her displeasure at not getting the opportunity to engage the mercenaries.
Aneka nodded as she took control of the ship and a port slid open as T’Challa got into position. His Kimoyo beads glowed as the nanites spread and his body became covered in his panther suit. He grabbed a set of daggers no longer than spades before dropping through the port and directly into the madness on the road.
A mercenary just happened to look up as the Black Panther smashed both his feet into his chest, sending him crashing into one of their vehicles and slumping unconscious from the impact.
“It’s Damisa-Sarki!” One of the mercs yelled to the others in Swahili as he opened fire in the Panther’s direction. The bullets bounced off the vibranium, the kinetic energy building in the suit glowed a vibrant purple as T’Challa charged at his assailants. He pressed a button on one of the daggers, extending it into a short spear before pointing it at two of the mercenaries and blasting them with a concussive sonic wave. The pair of them are blown down the road like rag dolls as the Panther continues his assault without missing a beat, turning and tossing the spear into the chest of another merc and pinning him into the side of the truck.
As the hijacking unravels before his eyes, Martin Haskins watches one of his fellow operatives take off into the jungle in an effort to create as much distance between himself and the Panther. “Bloody cowards they slotted me with…” Haskins grumbled as he reached into the back of a truck and pulled an M32A1 multi-grenade launcher out of the back. He stood up from his position and aimed at T’Challa just as he attacked another member of his group. He fired a grenade at the king of Wakanda, who quickly dropped his current prey and made an X in front of his chest with his hands in the direction of the oncoming threat. The Panther’s Kimoyo beads came to life to activate an energy shield that absorbs the blast from the grenade.
Haskins takes a deep breath of relief as his target disappears behind a cloud of smoke from the explosion. By the time he realizes T’Challa has survived the attack, it is far too late as the Panther leaps across the hood of one of the supply trucks and lands directly on Martin’s chest. He rips Haskins to his feet before shackling him in a pair of Vibranium handcuffs just as the Quinjet landed a few feet away from the road in a small clearing. The back of the ship opened as T’Challa boarded with his captive.
“Take us to the safe house near the mountains.” He orders Aneka, who dutifully heads back to the cockpit as T’Challa sets Martin in a seat near the back of the jet, the ship strapping him in once it registers his presence.
# # # # #
SOMEWHERE IN JAPAN
Hunter and three of his men are escorted by a young woman through the temple, finally reaching a large opulent room where Viper stood, accompanied by the Silver Samurai. The pair of them were studying the layout of a particular base when they noticed their guest had arrived.
“I hope I’m not disturbing anything particularly delicate.” Hunter greeted the pair as he and his crew stood across from the Hand’s leader and her ace guard. Viper flashed a wicked smile at Hunter as the Silver Samurai quickly snatched the map off the table, rolling it back up and handing it to one of the ninjas behind him.
“Gentleman, I assume your talk with Von Strucker went well?” Viper asked, a devilish grin still on her face.
“He contacted me a few hours ago to notify of his interest. We meet tomorrow to discuss terms further.” Hunter answered confidently. Viper slid around the table, stepping past one of Hunter’s men to get a closer look at the White Wolf.
“Then I trust you’ve come here to make arrangements.” She assumed, stalking across the room to a large rounded coffin that sat upright in a nearby corner. She ran her hands across the intricate designs carved into the black stone coffin, her eyes transfixed on the symbol of the beast at its center.
“Once Hydra begins the attack on Birnin Zana, you’ll have a brief window to drop into the capital.” Hunter warns her, his eyes catching the look of contempt the Silver Samurai bores into him.
“You aren’t confident in Hydra’s ability to overtake the golden city?” Viper questioned, her attention still on the coffin.
“Their forces will be formidable, but nothing my brother will not be able to handle. Baiting Hydra into attempting a siege on Wakanda is merely an elaborate smokescreen disguised and gift wrapped to Von Strucker as an immense opportunity.”
Viper finally turns around, eyeing the White Wolf curiously. “From what I’ve heard you’ve spent the last few years the closest thing to a ghost anyone could ever imagine. Now you emerge from some self imposed exile bearing gifts and chances, why?”
“That’s far from any concern of yours. Just take solace in the fact that neither of our goals step on the other’s toes. In due time the Hand will have a vessel for its master, you can thank me and leave it at that.” Hunter nods politely at Viper and the Silver Samurai before he departs, his men following dutifully behind him stride for stride.
“I do not like him.” The Silver Samurai grunted the moment the three were out of ear shot.
“I’m quite sure you’re not very fond of anyone but me, Harada. However it doesn’t matter whether we can trust him or not, as once the beast returns to this world nothing will stand for long, not even the country he’s so desperate for. Inform Lester I need him back from assignment at once.” The samurai nodded before leaving quickly to follow his masters orders.
# # # # #
ADORED ONES SAFE HOUSE
EDGE OF JABARI TERRITORY
T’Challas mask faded away whist the suit remained as the lift down into the underground bunker descended. The doors opened once the elevator came to a halt just as Okoye rounded the corner.
“My king, Aneka tells me there wasn’t much resistance.” He joined her as they made their way down the hall and into a large room with several monitors in front of them. A few displayed different locations across the Jabari lands, whilst one had a live feed of Martin Haskins shackled to a chair, somewhere within the base. Aneka stood at the control panel, her eyes on a group of White Gorilla clansmen marching through the mountains with a string of prisoners. A few of the grunts carried their captives in cages far more advanced than anything the Jabari were usually capable of obtaining, something Aneka noticed immediately. T’Challa joined her, his eyes on the Jabari as well.
“Those cages, their one of our older designs.” T’Challa surmised, pressing a few keys on the control panel to switch to a different camera for better look.
“M’Bakus elite guardsmen are carrying some of the early model energy staffs as well.” Aneka chimed in as T’Challa made his way over to another one of the monitors.
“And what of this man?” T’Challa asked with a nod of the head at the screen broadcasting Haskins.
“Facial recognition scans ID him as Martin Haskins, former MI6 operative who as of the last 6 years has been doing wet work every where from Madripoor to Canaan. He hasn’t said much, though that will change.” Okoye answered as she joined Aneka at the control panel.
“I want the two of you to rendezvous with Shuri in quadrant four and rescue those prisoners. If you are confronted by the Man-Ape, do not engage him. I will handle M’Baku personally.” The two members of the Dora Milajae quickly leave the room and head to the Quinjet hangar down the hall as T’Challa steps through a door to the left of the control panel and into the room well Martin Haskins is being held.
“Oh great king, why have you imprisoned me here? I’ve done no wrong in your realm.” Haskins sang in a mocking tone as T’Challa entered the room.
“We knew someone would plot to attack the aide trucks on their way into Niganda. Which is why we informed the organization sending relief to alter their delivery schedules. But somehow you and your men knew exactly where they would be. You will tell me why. Or you will spend the rest of your life in a prison right here on this continent.”
“That sort of talk ain’t nothing but bluster from you. All that running around you do with the Avengers tells me you’re not the type to falsely imprison a man. Sure, we killed quite a few people in that hijacking, but we weren’t on Wakandan soil. So do what you kind of people do in these sort of situations, and release me great king.” Haskins taunted T’Challa, a cat who ate the canary grin spread across his face.
“You do me a great disservice. You assume that because you haven’t attacked my country, I will simply let you walk away. You left families devastated with the lives you took today. Had you been successful in the acquisition of those medical supplies, you would have left hundreds more to die. But you mistake me for blind, as I am sure the men who employed you for this job will want you killed for not only your failure, but to ensure you don’t talk to anyone. Your thinly veiled attempt to bait me into throwing you in a cell for your protection falls on deaf ears.” T’Challa’s Kimoyo beads glow a dark green and the Vibranium shackles on Martin fall to the ground. Haskins stares at the King with utter disbelief.
“Whoever tipped you off to this job will come for you. And when they do, I will be there to make sure they answer for the carnage those people suffered today. Or you can give me the answers I seek, and I can make sure you live by throwing you in the cell you covet so much.” T’Challa explained succinctly, as Haskins eyes go wide with fear at either outcome left in front of him.
# # # # #
DEEP IN THE JABARI LAND MOUNTAINS
The white gorilla clan continued their march through the mountain terrain, on their way to the caves near the top that had been the home of the Jabari for centuries. They marched step for step, chanting in Xhosa the phrase “Overcome! Conquer! Rampage!” in unison as they climbed the mountain, their weary prisoners huddled in fear amongst each other in their cages.
Aneka peeked from behind a rock formation on a ridge above the Jabari tribe as they passed. “I count twelve hostiles. We’ll need to get those cages open and the prisoners as far away from the battle as possible. Princess, is the convoy in position?” Aneka spoke into her rangeless communicator, a note of worry in her tone. She hated the Jabari even more than most, as they waged war on her tribe during her childhood, which resulted in her coming to the Golden City as an orphan. Were it not for Queen Ramonda bringing her in to the palace to train as an Adored One, she shuddered as she considered what would have become of her instead.
“The convoy is in place. As soon as we engage, we make sure to send their captives in its direction. I’ve programmed its route to take them directly to the nearest refugee center in Birnin Djata. Okoye, on your mark.” Shuri said with all the confidence in the world as she sat watching the Jabari from high above in a tree top.
At Shuri’s command, Okoye dropped the cloak from her shoulders that had rendered her invisible and kept in front of the White Gorilla clansmen, extending her Vibranium spear as she got into a defense position. A member of M’Bakus elite guard stepped forward out of the abruptly halted troupe. He wore the skull of a gorilla on his head, a sign of his high ranking status in the tribe.
“The legendary Okoye! How brave of you to come all this way to face death.” The guard taunted her as one of his fellow clansmen handed him one of the energy staffs, which came to life once it touched his hands. The staff crackled with a white hot energy beam wrapped around the end of it as he got into an offensive position and prepared to engage the decorated general.
“Tell your master you fell here today, release your prisoners now, and I will consider not killing you.” Okoye threatened, her expression stone faced as she stared down the ruthless Jabari clan.
Above the warriors a fleet of drones in the style of mini Quinjets hovered. Shuri used her Kimoyo card to activate the drones attack sequence, as they suddenly dove down towards the White Gorilla clan, firing energy bolts with deadly precision. Okoye and Aneka used the chaos to attack the elite guardsman, who grabbed Aneka up by the throat only to be impaled through the shoulder by Okoye’s spear. He clutched at the spear, trying to pull it from his body. Before he could make any progress Aneka slashed his throat cleanly with her dagger. The two Dora’s wasted not another moment attacking the remaining Jabari’s who began to use the stolen technology to their advantage.
“Princess, you need to get the cages open before they close off the path back down!” Okoye warned Shuri as she narrowly ducked away from a barrage of laser rifle fire. The errant blasts shredded through the trees in the mountains, felling some and igniting a blaze.
“I’ve almost got them. The locks are blocked by a firewall. It’s taking my Kimoyo card some time to get through!” Shuri shouted as she leapt from the trees, her Vibranium soled boots helping her land effortlessly in the middle of the fray. The Kimoyo bead bands on both her arms glowed and two plasma cannons with a panther’s mouth for the barrel appeared on the Princess’s arms, and she quickly got to work blasting away some of the reinforcement Jabari troops that had made their way down the mountain.
“Signal Lord M’Baku!” One of the Jabari yelled to his fellow tribesmen before he is speared through the leg from a throw by Okoye, who dashes over and pulls her weapon from the crippled Jabari and finishes him off mercifully quick. The Kimoyo card on Shuri’s hip showed a progress bar that finally reached a hundred percent, and the four cages of the White Gorilla clan’s prisoners opened simultaneously.
[WRITER’S NOTE: * translated from Xhosa]
“*They’re Americans?” Shuri yelled confused as she fought her way towards the cages. There isn’t any popular tourist sites anywhere near this region, the Princess mused. How could the Jabari have captured so many American’s, and have them in the maw of their territory no less.
“You people! Get down the mountain, emergency transportation is there. Go, now!” Aneka’s orders to the former prisoner’s snapped Shuri from her suspicions as she fired a slew of blasts at a few retreating Jabari’s. Suddenly a loud drumming can be heard coming from down the mountain.
“*He is here! Our savior, the Man-Ape!” the Jabari chanted as Okoye, Shuri, and Aneka watched from afar as M’Baku made his way down the mountain surrounded by the three remaining members of his elite guard. M’Baku led his followers in the chant of the Jabari as they closed in on the Dora’s and the Princess. “*OVERCOME! CONQUER! RAMPAGE!
TO BE CONTINUED IN ISSUE 2