Story: Hannibal Uprising
Part I
The nation of Araina,
Hannibal listened attentively to the sound of his baby's kicks inside of the mother's womb. Afterwards, he tenderly kissed his wife Sybil. Then Hannibal checked on his four year old daughter.
As usual Hannibal had awakened early to prepare for the arduous labor of tending to the Jakarra Reservation's garden. But Hannibal did not refer to the enclosed land that he and his kind lived on as the Jakarra Reservation. Instead he called the place prison and he received the nickname 'revolutionist' by his fellow Jakarras.
Jakarras were mythical creatures in Araina's past. The mythical Jakarras were transformed from humans into beasts in the legends. The term Jakarra was later applied to the million inhabitants of Araina who were mutated into creatures caused by an industrial accident ten years ago.
The Jakarras were humanoids. Their pigmentation was green with red lines that formed squares on the Jakarras' bodies. The males usually had yellow hair while the females had dark hair. Their bodies were faster and stronger than an ordinary human. Additionally, Jakarras possessed a high intelligence.
The Jakarras were shunned by the non-affected society and they were quarantined. The conditions in the quarantine were deplorable because the government had not handled the situation adequately. That had led to a Jakarra uprising that was broken by extreme military force ordered by the government.
Since then the Jakarras were placed on the Reservation that existed on the outskirts of the capital city. An electrical wall was built that separated the Reservation from the capital city and the army patrolled the border.
Still the Jakarras were resilient; they built homes, created a community, educated themselves and were subsistence farmers. The Jakarras had large families and eventually there was a population explosion. The result was overcrowding.
Hannibal was angry that the Araina government did not give the Jakarras more land to accommodate the population size or reintegrate the Jakarras back into the society.
Therefore, Hannibal had planned an uprising. Hannibal and his followers had made a detailed map of the city and the Presidential Office. More so, they had dug an underground tunnel from the Reservation into the city.
However, the elders in the Reservation were against the second uprising because of the painful memories of the first uprising's failure. Respectfully, Hannibal delayed the second uprising.
But on the fateful morning that Hannibal had listened to his child's kick and he had prepared for work, he knew that the day was going to be different. Half an hour later the premonition turned out to be true. Dozens of military trucks with heavily armed soldiers entered the reservation. The trucks stopped in the center of the Reservation. A place the Jakarras called the plaza.
The voice of a man that came through booming speakers drew all the Jakarras to the plaza. The man identified himself as a general and he spoke through a wireless microphone.
"The government of Araina will implement population control forthwith on the Jakarra Reservation," said the general. "A one child policy will be implemented, sterilization will be applied-"
"No!" shouted Hannibal repeatedly, as he pushed through the crowd and he headed to the front.
"The government does not have the right," said Hannibal, and he rallied the crowd behind him.
The Jakarras were outraged at the planned population control and Hannibal felt that the momentum was on his side for the uprising. He threw rocks at the soldiers and the people followed his lead. The mob surged forward and the scared soldiers fired into the crowd.
Under the cloud of the conflict, Hannibal and his followers in the uprising entered the underground tunnel and they emerged in the city. The majority of the followers attacked the soldiers at the Reservation who were cut off from the city while a smaller force led by Hannibal headed for the Presidential Office.
All of Hannibal's forces were armed with improvised weapons and body armour.
Anita Rose the President of Araina was in her office. She was forty eight years old and reasonably intelligent, but her political advisors had their hooks in her especially after Rose had made the mistake of defending Wakanda's omega weapon program. The United Nations had slighted Araina because of the incident. The advisors had warned Rose about the consequences of her decision but she had not heeded and the country suffered because of it with regards to international relations.
Therefore, Rose was hesitant to disagree with her advisors on the Jakarra population situation. The main advisor was Flavius. Flavius was an overweight seasoned bureaucrat; a student of "the Jakarras are not human doctrine" and he believed that the arable land the Jakarra Reservation was on could be put to better use. The population control plan was Flavius's idea to slowly eradicate the Jakarras although President Rose was not aware of it.
The news of violence in the Reservation startled Rose, but Flavius calmed her.
"Everything is under control," said Flavius as he stood near a window.
A Jakarra in the courtyard caught Flavius's attention. Then Flavius saw several other Jakarras who were overpowering the guards and entering the building.
"Good God, they are here!" said Flavius.
The chief of security entered the office and informed the President that all the exits were blocked. Rose and the advisors were sent into the secret room made for emergencies.
"We have to call our allies for an intervention," said Rose.
"We don't have any," said Flavius.
"Yes we do. Wakanda," said Rose. Rose was impressed that T'Challa and Ororo had offered Wakanda's assistance to the world.
"Ms President please reconsider. Bringing the Wakandans here will further damage our relations with the United Nations," said Flavius.
Thud! The sound came from outside the office, then the rapport of submachine guns. The office door was banged on.
Rose took the video phone and she dialed the number for the Wakandans that was sent. There was an answer.
"Hello, T'Challa speaking," said T'Challa. He was thirty five years old with a broad chin and caring eyes.
"This is the President of Araina we need your assistance!" said Rose.
The office door exploded. The force of the explosion knocked Rose to the ground. There was another explosion in the room. The video phone screen died; although T'Challa spoke his voice was not transmitted through the damaged receiver. Moreover, everyone in the room was temporarily deaf.
But T'Challa heard the yelling and the piercing scream of a woman. Then there was silence.
Part II
The Wakandan jet plane had a character all its own. The feline like design exuded menace and sophistication. The vapor trail that the jet left was made from clean fuel and the rest of the jet's power came from solar power. The plane also had the ability to fly backwards because of the exhaust engines that faced forward on the wings.
Inside of the jet T'Challa and Ororo were updated on the small nation Araina. Ororo was thirty years old; she had natural long white and natural blue eyes.
Ororo had her head down as she read the information on Araina. The autopilot indicated that the plane had entered Araina airspace. A computer tracked the location of the telephone that made the call to T'Challa since the phone was not hung up. Ororo tried to contact air traffic control but no one responded. T'Challa took control of the plane and he followed the coordinates indicated by the tracking computer. He then lowered the plane's altitude.
The jet passed through the cloud covering and came upon the smoky capital city. Ororo scanned the streets with the plane's outside camera and the images appeared on a computer screen in front of her: trucks with soldiers patrolled the streets.
"It looks like the government was overthrown," stated Ororo.
"But by whom?" queried T'Challa.
He brought the plane over the Presidential Office.
Minutes before, Hannibal was alerted to the unknown plane. At the time Hannibal was celebrating with his comrades on the successful ambush of the troops from the other side of the country and the subsequent capture of all the army barracks.
He hurried to the capital. From a high vantage point he saw a man and a woman disembark from a plane that had landed on the Presidential office grounds. The man was in a black full body uniform and he carried a sword on his back. The man was six feet tall and he moved with an air of authority. The beautiful slender woman also moved with confidence; she had white hair and was in a black and gold uniform with wind flaps.
"Take their pictures and find out what you can about them from the Internet," said Hannibal to a lieutenant. "Tell the guards in the office to stand down and I will speak to the strangers."
T'Challa and Ororo felt that they were watched; even though, the Presidential Office was apparently vacant. An explosion damaged the front of the building; therefore a large gaping hole was at the entrance, which exposed the interior of the building to the elements. The furniture was burnt. There were more large holes in the walls and water flowed freely from the damaged plumbing.
Ororo saw the hidden guards' body temperatures and T'Challa's panther like sense of smell had taken up the scents.
"They are not human," said T'Challa.
"I count ten. I'll capture one for interrogation," whispered Ororo.
"The one to the right, behind the debris," whispered T'Challa.
Ororo created a small tornado that lifted the guard from the hiding place. The tornado carried the guard in front of T'Challa and Ororo. She made the tornado disappear and the guard fell onto the floor. A lightening bolt from Ororo's hand knocked the weapon from the guard's hand.
T'Challa withdrew his sword that was magnetized to the vibranium metal in his suit. The nano robots that covered the dark force energy blade slipped into the vibranium hilt. On the hilt were two time space computers disguised as gold panther seals. The computers kept the dark force energy stable otherwise the volatile dark force energy would explode. Additionally the computers allowed time travel and teleportation.
T'Challa prepared to battle the other guards if they retaliated, but the guards kept their positions.
T'Challa and Ororo recognized from what they had been reading that the captured guard was a Jakarra.
"I can send a painful electrical surge through your body if do not answer my questions," said Ororo. "What happened to the President of Araina?"
T'Challa picked up an additional scent; he turned around and he saw another Jakarra at the entrance. The Jakarra had broad shoulders, with shoulder length yellow hair and appeared to be twenty five years old. The Jakarra had a weapon slung around the right shoulder.
"I am Hannibal," he said. "Release my brethren at once. Then I will answer your question."
Ororo looked back at the guard. "Get out of here," she said.
The guard scrambled to his feet and he ran towards Hannibal then stood next to the leader.
"Your turn," said T'Challa.
"The President of Araina has been detained," said Hannibal.
"For what reason?" inquired T'Challa.
"For attempting to make the Jakarras extinct," responded Hannibal.
"What of the citizens, what are your intentions?" asked Ororo.
"We will do to them what they intended to do to us," replied Hannibal.
"We want to negotiate," said T'Challa.
"There is nothing to negotiate," said Hannibal, "you are free to look around the office, but do not over stay your welcome."
Suddenly all the hidden guards came out and they exited the building. Hannibal followed the guards.
"I think we should let him go for the time being. We don't have all the facts on who is wrong or right in this conflict. The best thing is for both sides to sit down and reach a resolution," replied T'Challa.
"Then the president has to be freed without us being drawn into a direct conflict with Hannibal," stated Ororo.
"Any ideas?"
"Actually I do," responded Ororo.
She explained the plan and a moment later T'Challa ordered spy satellites and air drones from Wakanda.
Meanwhile, Hannibal learned that the strangers were the husband wife leaders of Wakanda. Hannibal watched an Internet video of T'Challa and Ororo offering Wakanda's assistance to the world.
Furthermore, Hannibal read about T'Challa's physical prowess that was on par with a Jakarra's abilities and Hannibal paid specific attention to Ororo's mutant abilities.
Afterwards, Hannibal realized that T'Challa's and Ororo's heroic zeal would lead to a violent confrontation with him. Therefore, Hannibal ordered that human citizens be taken to three warehouses. The warehouses were to be filled with the humans and one source of fresh air was to be allowed into the warehouses. The air supply was to be controlled by an electric generator. Additionally, pipe bomb necklaces were to be placed on residents of five human housing blocks.
Then Hannibal asked about T'Challa's and Ororo's whereabouts. Hannibal was told that T'Challa and Ororo were walking around the city block where the President Office was situated.
"What about the prisoners?" asked Hannibal.
Hannibal was told that President Rose and her associates were quiet in their cells.
T'Challa and Ororo secretly found a decent enough hiding spot and the time space computers recorded the coordinates. Then T'Challa and Ororo returned to the plane. In a compartment were two life size android models of T'Challa and Ororo.
"Never thought that we would actually use these things," said Ororo. Ororo looked at the face of the android that was a reflection of her.
T'Challa connected the couples' kimoyoes-palm held supercomputers- to the androids so they heard and saw everything through the androids.
The plan was that T'Challa and Ororo would hide in a drain tunnel until nightfall, which was an hour away. The androids would walk around the Presidential Office building once, return to the plane and leave. In the interim Wakanda spy satellites and air drones would provide T'Challa and Ororo information on where to covertly rescue the President. Once the President was released then T'Challa and Ororo would try to get both sides to negotiate a settlement.
Part III
Hannibal interrupted T'Challa and Ororo at the Presidential Office.
"Your time here has expired. Leave now," said Hannibal. "Otherwise, I will detonate the bombs that are attached to hundreds of humans. Ororo do not attempt using an electro magnetic pulse since you will shut down the generators that are providing air to another hundred trapped humans."
"This is not over. You will be hearing from us soon," said T'Challa.
T'Challa and Ororo returned to the plane and then they took off. Hannibal contacted his forces at air traffic control and he was told that the plane was heading out of the country.
He was satisfied that the plan had worked, yet he wanted the hostages to remain in place in case they were needed again. Later Hannibal went to the central prison to speak with President Rose.
President Rose was a widower and she had no children. Hannibal had never met Rose until that day and he wanted to know better the person who wanted to reduce the Jakarras.
Rose was placed in a small room that contained a table and two chairs. Shortly after Hannibal entered the room.
"What have you done with the people?" asked Rose.
Hannibal circled Rose; he noted her slender frame, broad shoulders and then Hannibal stopped.
"I have done nothing to the humans as yet," replied Hannibal.
"Spare them," said Rose.
"Spare. I have a daughter and another child on the way. They are the joy of my life and I hope to have more. If your policy was enacted then I would not be permitted to have any more children. Aren't children the future? By stopping you I have spared my people's future," said Hannibal.
"We wanted to alleviate the overcrowding situation," said Rose.
"Alleviate! It was you who put us there in the first place," said Hannibal.
"It wasn't me. It was the previous administrations," said Rose.
Hannibal was directly in Rose's face so close that he smelt her perfume.
"Then why didn't you undo it?" asked Hannibal.
"Because-" said Rose trying to find the right words.
"Because it was not politically safe to do so," said Hannibal.
He backed away from a speechless Rose.
"Surprised? I had studied politics in our library so I know how you politicians operate. The library itself is a story. Politicians, learned men and women were also transformed into the Jakarras. But like all Jakarras the rest of the society pushed them out. So they pooled their collection of books and writings resulting in the library," said Hannibal, and he pressed his back against the wall. "I know that the humans do not regard Jakarras as human beings. I have no argument with that since as a Jakarra I am not fond of humans. Still the Jakarras didn't have to be treated in such a horrible manner."
Rose leaned on the table and was visibly frustrated. She tapped her right thigh lazily.
"I am sorry," she said.
"It is too late for that," said Hannibal.
He then left the room.
Meanwhile, T'Challa's and Ororo's bodies were intertwined as Ororo lay on top of T'Challa who was on his back. They were in the small drain tunnel. The sunlight that came through the bars slowly faded as night drew nearer. T'Challa held Ororo tenderly to help her overcome the claustrophobia that was created when a house had collapsed on Ororo and her parents during a military conflict in Cairo, Egypt. The collapsed house killed Ororo's parents; it left Ororo an orphan at six years old and she became a pickpocket to survive.
Despite the claustrophobia Ororo managed to plan a strategy with T'Challa on their kimoyoes. The rescuing of the hostages became a new element in T'Challa and Ororo's plan. The Wakandan spy satellites provided detailed three-dimensional and x-ray layouts of building and streets. The invisible Wakandan air drones intercepted transmissions and provided aerial support for the co ordination of the rescues.
The first targets of the rescue were the residents that were attached to the bombs. The next targets were the people in the warehouses. Lastly the politicians held in the prison. Areas were chosen to keep the rescued people.
Night finally came and the rescue operation began.
T'Challa and Ororo teleported from the hiding spot to a secluded section of a street that had a view of the residential buildings that contained the hostages. Ororo created an electrical disturbance that blocked the communication devices of the guards while T'Challa stealthily took them out. T'Challa eventually freed the hostages; he ordered them to be quiet and to go towards that the light that flashed outside the building.
Ororo created a visible electrical charge around her hand as a signal when she saw the first of the hostages exit the building. She turned the electrical charge on and off. The people saw the message and Ororo them directed to an empty building.
The plan worked with the four other buildings without incident.
The second stage was more direct than the first for the purpose of distraction. Ororo flew from warehouse to warehouse and she blew opened the doors with bolts of lightening. Then Ororo used severe hailstorms to stop the guards. The people in the warehouses escaped into the streets.
As expected forces from the prison were sent to the warehouses. T'Challa teleported to the control center of the prison and he defeated the guards with non-lethal force. He used the monitors to locate the president. He found President Rose and other people in civilian clothes imprisoned on the same cellblock. The high number of guards on the cellblock told T'Challa that the other prisoners were also of importance. He then teleported near to the site.
T'Challa told the sword's computers to return to the plane that was in stealth mode outside of Araina's airspace. T'Challa sent a message through the kimoyo to Ororo. Then the power went. Ororo had created a nation wide electro magnetic pulse that deactivated all electronic items for two hours. The prison fell into darkness.
The sword reappeared in T'Challa's hand two minutes later. Then he used his night vision as he attacked the hapless guards. Once all the guards were subdued T'Challa used the sword to cut out the cell bars.
"I am T'Challa of Wakanda," said T'Challa to all the prisoners.
Still the politicians were hesitant; therefore T'Challa pulled, ordered and requested the politicians out of the cells. Flavius was shocked that the Wakandans came whereas Rose was grateful for the intervention.
T'Challa gathered all the politicians, and then he teleported out of the prison to the Presidential Office where T'Challa spoke with President Rose about Hannibal and the Jakarras.
Meanwhile Ororo's tornadoes and hailstorms scattered the Jakarra's forces until Hannibal came back to the city after visiting his wife in the Reservation. By word of mouth Hannibal settled his forces. Hannibal guessed that he had lost the advantage of the hostages and the political prisoners.
The Wakandan plane was remotely summoned to the Presidential Office by T'Challa and he teleported into the jet. He deactivated the androids and he returned them to the compartment. Then T'Challa located Hannibal through spy satellite surveillance.
The Black Panther flew the plane over to Hannibal's location and T'Challa set the plane in hover mode. He activated the external hologram system. The camera in the ship's computer transmitted T'Challa's image to a three-dimensional hologram outside of the ship. The light formed by the hologram brightened the grounds. The onboard speakers blared out his voice.
"Hannibal you have been defeated. In the best interest of your people concede the fact. The government is willing to negotiate," said T'Challa.
Ororo flew to the plane and she landed on top of it.
Hannibal waved his right arm in the air that was the signal to the forces that had gone up on the high rise buildings initially to shoot at Ororo. The forces used binoculars to see the signal and then they began shooting at the plane.
The bullets banged on the plane but the vibranium metal absorbed the shock and the bullets bounced off. Ororo mentally manipulated lightening bolts from the sky , which struck the enemy forces' positions. She looked at the positions for movement but all the shooters were down.
"Hannibal I know you have a child on the way. Surely you don't want your child growing up in a civil war because of your stubbornness," said T'Challa. "Stand down and we can settle the issue once and for all."
Hannibal was willing to battle until the end, but in the eyes of the Jakarras T'Challa had placed Hannibal in a position where surrender seemed better than a prolonged conflict.
Therefore Hannibal reluctantly suspended the uprising.
T'Challa and Ororo aided the settlement between the Jakarras and the rest of Araina. The Jakarras were forgiven by the state for damage done in the uprising and they were allowed back into society. An education program was established for the ordinary humans for their understanding of the Jakarras.