Pack Mentality
Part 2
"Welcome to Gorilla City."
Black Panther looked on as he and Solovar entered the dome encasing the city. When the vehicle came to a stop, a few gorillas walked towards them and escorted them to Solovar's palace. Black Panther took him time following Solovar and his bodyguards, looking at all of the buildings and infrastructure of this incredible society. Solovar turned around and said, "You seem to be taking all of this in quite well. The last time we let a human into the city, he nearly fainted." "I've faced aliens and undead beasts so many times that talking gorillas, or anything else for that matter, shouldn't surprise me. I am intrigued about how you've been able to make yourself invisible to even my kingdom," T'Challa replied. "We have perfected hiding ourselves from the populous to prevent their judgmental and… aggressive aspects," Solovar said in response.
"How did you know Grood would come to Wakanda and that I would need your help, by the way?" T'Challa asked as they entered the palace. Solovar took a moment to respond. "…There is someone we have detained here that clued me in to what Grood was planning before his escape from our prison." T'Challa raised an eyebrow with Solovar sparking his interest, and before he could retort Solovar's bodyguards guided all of them to the prison.
Two armed gorillas opened an enormous vault door that led to the prison, and the two kings walked down the halls of the facility. Inside the cells were gorillas of all different sizes and colors, but there were no beings that Black Panther recognized, until they came upon the final corridor.
"M'Baku."
"T'Challa."
"I knew there had to be a reason why my men have not seen you around the border planning another invasion."
Solovar butted into their conversation and said, "He was found illegally mining near our dome, and he was sentenced last year for six months until he killed two inmates, and his sentence was then extended to ten years." The Black Panther smirked when M'Baku yelled, "I did not start the fight, I simply finished it!" T'Challa replied, "I understand why. In a prison surrounded by gorillas, and you're wearing the skin of the extinct white ape."
"If I was outside of this cell I would—"
Solovar interjected M'Baku and said, "Now, gentlemen, let us just get to the matter at hand. We're here because Grood was your cellmate for several months."
M'Baku took a moment to remember the name and stated, "Yes, he was my cellmate for a while. He was insane, constantly rambling about vengeance. I figured I could use his assistance in conquering Wakanda so I gave him the schematics I knew of off the top of my head. In exchange, one of us would bust the other out of this hellhole if one of us were able to escape. I remember the night he sprung out, and he forgot about me like he was yesterday's news. That is the only reason I am telling you this, I hate him almost as much as I hate YOU, Panther. Other than that, there is not much else to say."
Solovar and the Black Panther were about to leave when M'Baku hit the bars of his cell and exclaimed, "I helped you out, so what's in it for me?!"
Solovar started to walk back out of the prison when he said, "We'll take two years off your sentence."
M'Baku called over the Black Panther to tell him one last thing before he left as well.
"We both know I will eventually break free. And when I do, there will be no one to stop me from tearing off your limbs.. one by one."
"I wouldn't have it any other way… old friend."
As T'Challa caught up to Solovar and made it out of the prison and back to the palace, he asked, "Our talk with Man-Ape hasn't told me much that I already knew. Exactly how should we plan to take back my country? Grood has most likely used his mind control abilities to sway all of my people to follow him, so we cannot attack head on or directly storm my palace. We need a different plan…" Solovar replied, "I was actually going to suggest a direct attack, towards the eastern borders, the closest ones to Grood's new fortress."
"We won't be able to get past Wakanda's defenses, and even if we do, they will use lethal force, and I cannot kill my fellow countrymen."
"How do you think I was able to come in and save you? I was able to use my own ability to scramble your men's satellites and tracking devices. The only problem we should face is the foot soldiers…"
"Which we will use non-lethal force to disarm."
"Of course."
As Solovar gathered some of his forces to join in on the liberation of the Black Panther's home, T'Challa was sharpening his daggers and concentrating on the task at hand. He remembered every move Grood made, to prepare himself for anything Grood may have planned.
The Black Panther and Solovar then set off for Wakanda , and as they reached the border, T'Challa ordered Solovar to stop the vehicle. T'Challa leaped out of the vehicle and said,"This is where the most dangerous traps start. After I finish disarming them all, we will need to carefully follow a set path around the other ones. A slight deviation could cause disaster." Solovar understood and told his forces to cease. The Black Panther seemed to effortlessly fly from tree to tree, inspecting every branch and hole out of place, searching for traps. A while later, T'Challa returned to Solovar's caravan and they continued onward down a swerving path interwoven between the borders of Wakanda and Nagata.
T'Challa was slightly surprised that they managed to reach the palace undetected. They decided to continue on foot, and T'Challa gathered Solovar and a few of his best troops to infiltrate the palace while the few who remained stayed at their vehicles in case the mission was a failure and had to call for reinforcements.
T'Challa picked the lock at one of the rear entrances, and had to knock out a few of the guards. He then motioned Solovar and the others to follow him inside. As they made their way up the many levels of the Wakandan palace, one of the gorilla tripped over a wire and tripped an alarm. Grood heard the alarm and telepathically ordered the remaining guards to charge into the room where T'Challa and Solovar were. Solovar stepped forward and told T'Challa to stand aside as he tried to cure the guards of Grood's mind control, causing the guards to pass out once they reached the room. "I suppose that will work for the moment," T'Challa said as they made their way to the throne room. T'Challa was furious once he saw that, in the short time Grood had taken control, Grood had destroyed all of the priceless family heirlooms that hung in the throne room and demolished the royal throne itself, and was sitting on a personally made chair being held up by the Wakandan council members.
T'Challa held back his rage in his words, "You seem to have a flair for the dramatic. Problems with your ego, Grood?" Grood responded, " I can't believe I ever wanted to take control of Gorilla City, when all this time I could have seized the most powerful and technologically advanced country on this entire continent. The fact that I overlooked this country for most of my life... It humbles me."
"You're going to feel a lot more humble once I kick your teeth in, Grood."
"You are in no position to be issuing threats, T'Challa. I have an entire army behind me now, at my beck and call. In a few minutes, they will be beating down the door to protect me… but they will not need to. I do not plan on this taking long, I have more pressing matters."
Those words put T'Challa over the edge, and he lunged at Grood, knocking him off the throne and the council members to tumble over, unwillingly holding the throne. That was the cue for Solovar to join on the attack, and he ordered his troops to surround Grood. The gorilla troops fired at Grood, who dodged their fire by leaping up onto the wall and then onto the troops, knocking them out. Solovar tackled Grood to the ground, and T'Challa stood over Grood and asked him if he was willing to surrender. "Not a chance," Grood said, as he overpowered Solovar and punched T'Challa, sending him flying into a wall. Grood turned his attention to Solovar, and he lifted the benevolent gorilla over his head. Grood was about to slam him to the ground, when T'Challa regained his composure and threw an energy dagger at Grood, landing in his back. Suddenly, Grood lost feeling in his left arm, allowing Solovar to release himself from Grood's grasp, and Solovar kneed Grood in the ribs and thrust his palm into his chest, knocking the wind out of him and knocking him to the ground. Before Grood could recover, Solovar was standing over him with a foot on Grood's chest and T'Challa held a gun to Grood's head.
"Are you feeling humble now?" T'Challa asked Grood with a smug satisfaction in the tone of his voice. Grood didn't respond, and simply closed his eyes, let his head drop to the ground, and seemed to accept his defeat. Solovar smiled and shook T'Challa's hand. "Perhaps Gorilla City and Wakanda can form a partnership to benefit the continent and protect each other." T'Challa replied, "I think this could be the beginning of a wonderful friendship."
Neither of them noticed Grood grasp a small detonator he kept on himself. It was his last resort plan, and he figured there was no time like the present, and he pushed the small button on the device, and within seconds, the arena a few miles from the palace was destroyed. T'Challa and Solovar looked out the windows to see what had happened, and it gave Grood enough of a chance to leap out another window, where a small hovercraft was waiting below, and he was able to get away.
Even though Grood escaped, eventually the Wakandan people were free of Grood's mind control, and the Wakandan soldiers set up relief tents to help any civilians in distress.
"Capturing Grood has become Gorilla City's number one priority," Solovar said as Black Panther looked on at the efforts to make things as normal as they could ever be in Wakanda. Black Panther took off his cowel and replied, "When you do finally find him, let me know. I want to bring him to justice for what he has done." Solovar said he understood as they walked down the halls of the palace.
"What's the phrase you humans use, the thrill of the hunt?"
"More like the never ending battle for justice."
"I always thought panthers were solitary creatures…"
"I know from experience that it is better to think with a pack mentality."
-End-