In the rebuilt Vienna International Center, which replaced the scene of his father's death, King T'Challa spoke.
"Wakanda will no longer watch from the shadows. We cannot. We must not. We will work to be an example of how we as brothers and sisters on this earth should treat each other. Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis, the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe."
A member of the audience spoke: "And what does an undeveloped nation of shepherds and horsemen have to offer the world?"
T'Challa smiled. He held the silence for several beats. In the back of the room, Everett Ross, his new brother-in-law ("one single tribe") smiled in solidarity.
"Honorable chair, esteemed delegates, and members of the press - if I may beg ten more minutes of your time, my sister, Princess Shuri, head of the Wakanda Design Group, has arranged a brief demonstration outside, a small taste of what Wakanda may offer the world."
Amidst general grumbling, the assembly rose reluctantly and shuffled from the auditorium. It was a fine spring day. It would be pleasant to take a break in the open air. Truth be told, the majority were more curious to see the mysterious Princess - "I hear she's tasty," one delegate whispered to another - than optimistic about what she might have to demonstrate. "Perhaps a superior method of dyeing wool," a reporter snickered to one of her colleagues.
Outside the central hall, flags of all nations snapped and fluttered in the breeze. Princess Shuri, clad in a white lab coat, black tights, and (improbably) a pair of chic but functional moto boots, waited with a patient smile as the delegates gathered. Cameras clicked and flashed. (She was, indeed, quite tasty.) Next to her was an object, standing waist high, draped in a white sheet. Shuri glanced at her brother, who gave her a nod. Then she touched one of the glowing beads that circled her wrist and spoke. Her voice was projected clearly, and just at the right volume. People glancing around them saw no obvious speakers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending this impromptu demonstration of some of the advanced technology Wakanda is ready to share with the world.
"As I am certain you are aware, nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year. Anywhere from twenty to fifty million more are injured. As with the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, the victims are disproportionately young. More than half of all road deaths occur among young adults between the ages of 15 - 44. Impairment, inattention, fatigue - plagues of modern, industrialized life - all take their toll on the drivers, passengers, and pedestrians of the world.
"In addition to this, vehicle emissions kill more than 50,000 a year in the United States alone. And I hardly need mention the larger global calamity of climate change due to carbon emissions. The insistence upon unsustainably-fueled personal mobility devices is killing us.
"Today I show you one solution - the WDG Nesibindi."
With a flourish, she pulled off the white sheeting. Resting on the ground was a vehicle similar in design to a Vespa Rally 180, painted grey with airbrushed white spots, "Nesibindi" in chrome letters, with streamers and tin cans tied to the back. The crowd was silent, as if stunned. Then the laughter began.
"A restored Vespa with no wheels? No worry about road crashes with that piece of junk!" shouted a wit in the crowd.
"Or carbon emissions, either!" shouted another.
Shuri smiled serenely. She said, "Up, Nesibindi."
With a pleasant hum, the vehicle rose in the air until it hovered at the height of a typical wheeled scooter. The crowd looked up. No wires. The crowd looked down. No struts.
"The hover-bike," Shuri said, "is a staple of Wakanda urban life. With the Nesibindi, I have extended the technology to address global traffic issues. Its fully self-driving technology will improve the mobility and safety of all, empower those whose impairments currently prevent them from driving, protect the vulnerable young most at risk from vehicle crashes, and even significantly reduce road kill.
"The Nesibindi features lidar, radar, high-resolution cameras, and fully-immersive, predictive sensors up to a kilometer in distance. It is essentially crash-proof, so that even a first-time user may ride safely. I see the CIA's Everett Ross is in the audience. Agent Ross, sir, would you mind coming forward and assisting?"
"Absolutely," he said, stepping forward from the crowd. He walked up to her, smiling, one eyebrow raised. He was dressed in a suit of black wool, fitted perhaps more closely than one would expect on a CIA agent, a crisp white oxford shirt, and slender black tie. A closer examination would reveal that the tie was woven with the Sun sigil of the Golden Tribe; but the only person close to him was Shuri, who briefly muted her Kimoyo bead and whispered to him, "Dear Bast. The fit of that suit is sweet as sin. I cannot wait to tear it off you later."
"I can't, either," he whispered back.
She tapped her bead again and resumed her demonstration.
"Agent Ross, thank you. Have you ever ridden a hover-bike before?"
"Unfortunately not."
"Have you ever ridden a WDG Nesibindi?"
"I have not."
"Agent Ross, do you trust me?"
"With my life."
"Then please." She gestured toward the hovering scooter. Everett pulled on a pair of black leather gloves, donned a pair of black RayBans, and straddled Nesibindi.
"The Nesibindi may be controlled through the handles and pedals, just like a Vespa. It may respond to voice controls, or be preprogrammed for a particular destination. But since we are, as you have pointed out, sir, a nation of horsemen, I prefer voice commands." She clicked her tongue and the vehicle drove off, completing a circuit of the circular drive. As it approached her, she said "Whoa," and it came to a halt beside her.
"This is so cool," Everett whispered. "Best wedding present ever."
She smiled but kept her professional demeanor. "What of road debris, you may ask? Nesibindi's automatic safety features include a transparent force mesh that encases vehicle and driver, yet is permeable enough to allow the wind to still blow through one's hair. Agent Ross, your sidearm, please."
He handed her his SIG-Sauer P226. She aimed it at him point blank and fired. The crowd shouted, then grew deathly silent. A foot away from Everett's face, a bullet hung as if suspended in plain air. He reached out, plucked it, and dropped it to the ground.
Shuri walked away and stopped at fifty yards. "No dilemma, either, of whether to strike the vehicle or the pedestrian. Agent Ross, come at me. Straight at me."
He drove at her. Improbably, the hover-scooter rose higher and cleared her head by a good two feet before gently coming down the other side.
"As you have seen," she said, "the Nesibindi rises to the occasion with vertical lift-off feature and clears the obstacle like a champion steeplechaser."
"In conclusion, the Nesibindi represents the potential of billions of dollars saved in medical expenses, disability, road maintenance, insurance premiums and payouts. It holds out hope that we may maintain personal mobility without destroying our beautiful planet. I have submitted a research article to Science detailing the sustainability and zero emissions of vibranium-powered engines. Thank you for your time and attention. I would love to stay and answer your questions, but I have an elopement to attend. Wakanda forever!" she cried, and saluted the crowd.
She threw off her white lab coat to reveal a fit-and-flare bustier dress of fine wool woven in a tartan incorporating the colors of the five tribes of Wakanda, commissioned especially for the new Clan Ross. Nakia stepped forward from the crowd and affixed a long white veil to Shuri's head. Okoye stepped forward and presented her with a bridal bouquet of yellow freesias.
King T'Challa kissed her forehead. "Well done, little sister. Now go and play ... but not too long. There is still much work to be done."
Everett pulled Nesibindi up next to Shuri, and she hopped on behind him, circling his waist with her arms. They rode off into the future as the cameras flashed.