8 - The Panther and The Doctor
June 7, 2008 Abrahams-Thomas ranch, Upper New York 7:25 AM
"So," Gwen Stacy drawled, perched on a wooden beam as she watched her best friends below her, "remind me why were doing this instead of a Doctor Who marathon?" Nate grinned up at her, before returning to his work.
"Pete wanted me to show him how I made VIOLET, and then we were going to work on an idea he had." Gwen nodded, frowning thoughtfully.
"And why am I here in this cold dreary barn instead of inside, watching Doctor Who?"
"Because you'd be bored without us?" Peter offered helpfully. Nate shook his head with a smirk.
"Nope. Because she doesn't want my parents knowing she only spends so much time around here for their T.V." Gwen laughed, nodding and pointing to her best friend as she dropped lightly to the ground next to him. She grinned at Peter as she slung an arm around the boy's shoulder.
"He's right, you know" she stated playfully. Nate snorted as Peter smiled slowly, still unsure of his place in their dynamic. He smiled reassuringly at their friend, before returning to explaining VIOLET's functions to the other boy. The taller boy stopped mid sentence, soldering tool in hand. Her friend sighed, rolling his eyes. She tilted her head. Peter blinked owlishly, looking from one to the other.
"Sorry you two, I left something in my step dad's office. I'll need to get it if we want to finish here," he turned to Gwen, "why don't you and Pete head inside and set up Doctor Who while I'm gone?" She nodded.
Sounds like someone somewhere needs help. She turned to their bespectacled friend.
"How about I help Nate clear some of this, and you go and turn the DVD player on?" Peter nodded, clearly confused. He made his way out of the barn, closing the door behind him and leaving them alone. Waiting until she heard the front door open and close, Gwen turned to her friend.
"What's the sitch?"
"Someone in Kenya's calling for help. It sounds serious. I'm thinking I should get out there." She smiled, gesturing for him to go. He tapped his watch, the now familiar black skinsuit materialising in place of his blue shirt, black jeans and red jacket. She waved as he shot into the air, flying out through the open window. Sentinel's work is never done, she thought, stepping out through the barn door and strolling across the lawn.
–AoS–
He slowed to a halt, floating in the air above a small village. Men and women rushed out of wooden huts, carrying as much as they dared. Children huddled together in a small crowd, a tall white haired woman shepherding them. A young boy stopped and gazed up at him, pointing and jumping around excitedly. The others turned and glanced. Some stopped what they were doing, waving as they did. He smiled at them, descending slowly into the centre of the village. The white haired woman approached him, moving with practiced grace. She offered a hand.
Nate took the offered hand, shaking it firmly.
"Sentinel. It is good of you to come and assist these people. My name is Ororo Munroe. You may also call me Storm, if you wish." Nate's eyes widened. The mutant worshipped as a goddess? He marvelled. She smiled slightly at his reaction. Recovering quickly, he snapped to attention.
"What's happening?" She pointed off to the east. Nate turned. In the distance stood a tall peak, black smoke billowing from the summit. A volcano. He shuddered slightly. He'd dealt with one before, but absorbing the energy from a volcano was a sensation he did not enjoy. He frowned, glancing at the villagers.
"We're evacuating the people?" He asked. Storm nodded.
"To be safe, yes." They floated into the air together, Storm's eyes glazing over. Storm clouds blanketed the sky, rain pouring down over the landscape, putting out fires in the forests at the foot of the mountain. Gale force winds blew the pumice and ash harmlessly into the upper atmosphere. Below, the ground trembled. A faint roar met his enhanced hearing in the distance above the shearing wind. He spun in mid air, scanning the far off valley below. Dread gripped his stomach, heart hammering in his chest.
"That's not good" he breathed. Storm glanced at him.
"What is it?" The woman enquired. He pointed down towards the emerald giant crouched in the valley, slamming his fists into the earth below.
"Oy Vey" she grimaced. "I'll handle things with the volcano. You deal with the beast." Nate nodded, shooting down towards the ground below, a funnel of air surrounding him. He drove his fist into the Hulk's back, driving the behemoth into a nearby tree, which shattered instantly. Shards of splintered wood flew through the air. Hulk staggered slowly to his feet, using his knuckles to push himself into a standing position like a mighty silverback. He snorted, smirking at Nate.
"Doctor Banner!" He called imploringly, "you need to come to your senses. Try to think straight!"
"Flying man strong. Flying man want puny Banner. Puny Banner weak. Hulk strong. Hulk crush flying man!" With that promise, Banner leaped at him, fist cocked back. He
flung his giant hand forwards, like a piston loaded jackhammer. Nate deftly flew to one side, before kicking the beast in the knee. Hulk roared in protest, swinging his open palm towards his head. He ducked under the blow and felt the wind rustle his cape. He shot forwards, delivering several quick strikes to Hulk's ribs. The behemoth delivered a sharp kick, kneeing him in the chest. The blow jostled him, sending him flying back several feet.
Banner charged forwards, delivering a fierce headbut and driving him into the ground. A huge meaty foot slammed into his chest, creating a deep gouge in the ground around him. Banner raised his foot, only to bring it slamming down once more. Nate seized the foot by the toes, throwing it to one side. Hulk leaped back, bending down and roaring in his face. Hot breath assaulted his face, forcing him to wince and close his eyes. Banner cocked a fist back, swinging down at him. Flying out of the path of the hit at the last minute, Nate delivered a sharp two footed kick straight down into the back of his foe's head. The green giant topelled info the ground. He pushed himself once more onto his hands and knees, spitting out a clumpful of dirt.
"Had enough?" Nate taunted. Narrowed sickly green eyes snapped around to regard him, and he felt an icy chill run down his spine.
Banner threw his head back, letting out an earsplitting roar. He stood up, seeming to have grown half a foot. The muscles in his arms and legs bulged and rippled, veins popping. Hulk leaped forward, seizing his cape in his meaty hands. The lumbering giant spun in a circle, Nate spinning with him. He felt his stomach flip and lurch and clenched his teeth to avoid bringing up his breakfast. After several agonizing minutes, the vice grip on his cape loosened. He felt himself thrown through the air, carried by his own momentum and unable to arrest his movement.
He shot through the air like a cannonball, only coming to a stop when he slammed into the side of a mountain. He sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. Floating slowly off of the mountain, he extended his vision outwards. Finding no sign of the Hulk in pursuit, he slowly descended towards the ground, coming to a soft landing. The sound of light footsteps caught his ear, and he turned to find a dozen female warriors, spears pointed at him. At their head stood a tall figure dressed all in black, wearing a mask in the shape of a cat's head. He frowned, tilting his head slightly.
"Ugh. Hi there?" The black clad figure, obviously the leader, held a hand up to silence the others, approaching him as he did so. The other figure raised his hands towards the mask, removing it and placing it on a nearby rock. The face that met his own was that of a proud figure, a man with the appearance of a man over fifty, with wisdom in his sharp gaze. When he spoke, his deep voice burned with authority.
"Why are you here, outsider?"
"I didn't mean to end up here. I was thrown into that mountain." The old man glared, eyes narrowing. Thick eyebrows crumpled as creeses dotted the skin of his forehead. Nate slowly stepped back.
"You must not be here, foreigner. We guard our nation well. If you are found to be undeserving of our secrets, you will die. You will come with us." He turned to the female warriors. "Bind him". Nate raised his hands placatingly.
"I didn't even want to come here, you know. If you just let me go, I'll be on my way and you never have to see me again." One of the female warriors stepped forwards, placing the end of her spear against his cheek. He staggered slightly, a sense of exhaustion washing over him. The woman glared harshly.
"You are a threat to our way of life, outsider. You cannot be allowed to leave. If it were down to me -" before she could continue, the air was rent by a bloodcurdling scream, and the earth shook as the Hulk slammed into the ground behind him, eyes a blazing green.
The warriors stood around the old man leaped into action as he slid his discarded mask back on. They moved into formation around their leader, spears thrust forwards. Before Nate could stop them, they opened fire with a barrage of energy bolts. The blue blasts peppered the skin of the jade giant, who seemed not to notice them. He lunged for them, with Nate hastily interposing himself between banner and the lead warrior. The force of the blow knocked him back, sending him tumbling through the air. The cat man leaped onto Hulk's back, attempting to slice through his thick hide with small metallic claws.
The enraged monster slung his hand at the smaller man, swatting at him like a fly. The other man leaped deftly off Hulk's shoulders, landing on the ground across from the behemoth. Nate shot through the jungle, delivering a right hook to Hulk's jaw, staggering the giant. He flew from side to side in mid air, avoiding each hit, before darting in to deliver a series of jabs to Hulk's stomach. The larger man seized him by the waist, tossing him once more into the mountain.
He rolled his shoulders and neck as he stood up, dazed. Below, the other fighters ran around the Hulk in circles, darting in and out, like ants attempting to corral a feral cat. Floating above the mountain, Nate shot off through the air, heading south, away from the fight.
Pushing himself to fly faster and faster, he soared through the clouds. He felt his muscles contort in protest and his eyes watered as the wind buffeted him violently. Still, he flew, faster than he had ever gone before. Rounding the planet, he shot forth back towards the fight, passing over europe and Asia as he went.
Hulk stood triumphantly over the female soldiers, many of whom lay unconscious. The green behemoth violently slammed the black clad man into the ground repeatedly, shaking him like a sack of dirt. Turning at the rush of wind in time to see Nate's fist as it collided with his chest, the green monster was physically torn from the ground and thrown into the air. Darting underneath him, Nate slammed a savage uppercut into Hulk's jaw. Banner soared higher into the air. Nate immediately followed, delivering another strike, followed by a fourth, and fifth. Together, they broke through the cloud cover, Hulk roaring in his face the entire time. Shooting up above his adversary, Nate delivered a two footed stomp to the back of the frailing Hulk's neck.
The other man sunk like a stone, dropping second by second back towards the earth below. Shaken and near exhaustion, Nate slowly descended after him, keeping an eye on the other man to ensure he did not revert into banker's weaker form before he hit the ground. With a thud, the Hulk slammed into the jungle, levelling a kilometre of trees. Nate touched down gently across from him, watching, fascinated, as the green man began slowly to shrink.
It was like watching a plant growing in reverse, only sped up. Muscles contorted and shrunk, skin returned slowly to a normal tone, the green evaporating like water down a drain. Banner's bones snapped back into their normal positions. Purple blotches marred his skin. Carefully, Nate slid into the shallow crater beside him, placing a hand on his neck. A faint pulse thrummed against his fingers. He let loose a relieved sigh, lifting the other man into his arms. Banner groaned slightly.
"Easy doctor," he murmured softly.
"You may bring the other outsider to our city. We will treat him." A wary voice came from behind them. Nate turned to find two figures standing in the clearing. The female warrior he had protected stood stiffly, her commander's arm slung over her shoulders. It was he who had spoken. Nate nodded, bowing his head. The trio made their way through the jungle, Nate curious and his companions wary. The two led him to a jet black jet, climbing aboard and extracting a gurney to lay the unconscious banner on.
Nate dropped into a seat near the rear of the plane, running a hand over his head to wipe the sweat from his brow. The old man sat cross from him, watching him silently as the woman made her way to the pilot's chair. "You have unusual abilities, stranger." The old man observed, watching him intently. Nate nodded.
"It's a long story", he replied. The old man smiled sardonically.
"Most are." They fell silent after that, the old man closing his eyes and Nate leaning back, listening to the soothing hum of the engines. Their journey was a short one; soon enough they were touching down and stepping off into a city straight out of one of the dozens of Sci-Fi series he had watched with Gwen. Silver and Gold towers reached into the sky, men and women laughed as they strode through the streets in stylised Robes. Jets and sky cars zipped past. The entire city was contained in a shimmering blue energy dome. Near the edge of the dome sat two giant panther statues, carved entirely from some inky black stone. In the centre, taking pride of place, its tallest spiral towers touching the tip of the barrier, stood a massive golden citadel. Everywhere he looked, all he could see was prosperity. The perfect civilization, he realised, stunned.
"What is this place?"
"Birnin Zana", the woman replied, watching him stare at her home in awe, "capital of Wakanda. You are the first outsider to see this place since your Captain America and his compatriots assisted our victory against invading Hydra forces, almost seventy years ago."
–AoS–
They led him to the citadel, refusing to make any stops for sightseeing. Doctor Banner was brought directly to the Wakandan medical centre to treat his wounds. Nate shook his head in wonder as he stepped into the vast marble halls. His footfalls echoed against the pristine floor. Breathtaking tapestries hung on every wall depicted the secret history of Wakanda. He blinked, stunned into silence. Everything his people knew about this place was wrong. They had long been led to believe that Wakanda was desolately poor, its people subjected to appalling conditions. It was a paradise.
They led him to the very top of the citadel. Before him stood two massive thrones, flanked on either side by smaller thrones. In the left of the two largest sat a regally dressed woman who walked to be in her middle ages. Sat beside her was a pretty girl with curled hair his own age. On her other side in front of the right most throne stood a man in his mid twenties with short black hair and kind yet shrewd dark brown eyes. The man was tall, six feet at least, with lean muscles. Even without his enhanced senses, it was impossible not to recognise the man as dangerous.
The woman on the throne smiled warmly at the old man who stood upon the dais before seating himself in the vacant throne beside her, kissing her hand softly. Her gaze darkened as it fell on him. Despite his power, he could not help but avert his gaze. The old man - now revealed to be a king, gestured to the woman stood near him.
"Okoye. You may leave us now. I do not expect our guest will be much difficulty." The warrior stiffened, but turned and strode out of the throne room, casting a backwards glance in his direction as she closed the doors behind her. Nate turned his attention back to the royal family, suddenly remembering to bow. Both the younger man, who, now they were together he could clearly see the resemblance to his father, chuckled warmly. The little girl giggled. Even the queen smiled. The king raised a hand, eyes alight with mirth.
"We don't do that here" the prince stated simply. Bemused and embarrassed, Nate nodded.
"T'Chaka" the queen spoke now, "why is this stranger here with you? What is to be done with him?"
"Nothing, deerest", the king replied, "he will swear an oath of silence" he glanced pointedly at Nate, a subtle reminder this was not a matter open to debate, "and will be allowed to go on his way. After all," here he smiled slightly at him, and Nate felt some of the dread that had settled in the pit of his stomach subside.
"He saved my life". The princess gasped audibly. The queen's gaze once more met his, something undetectable in her eyes. The prince beamed. Briefly the king spoke to his family in his native tongue, presumably relating the story of the battle with Hulk.
The queen stood, slowly descending from the dais. She pulled him into an embrace. He stiffened slightly, unsure of how to proceed. "Thank you", she spoke, voice choked with emotion, "for bringing him home." Nate shook his head.
"I did nothing", he protested.
She smiled, returning to her husband's side.
"Nonetheless," T'Chaka intoned, "we shall need certain assurances you will not share our secrets. What will you offer, outsider? If it is not enough, you will not be permitted to depart Wakanda". Nate stiffened. He knew if they tried to force the issue, he could handle anything they threw at him. Still, he didn't want it to come to violence.
"Perhaps, since they were willing to trust us, we could return the favour?" Violet offered. Nate considered his friend's proposal. Really, he reasoned, what was the harm in letting them know? It wasn't as though they were going to tell anyone. Even if they did, who would believe them?
"What if I offered a secret of my own in return for yours?"
"Explain".
The Harridanite bodysuit receded into its wrist watch form. VIOLET switched off the cloaking technology that altered his appearance. He stood before the royal family as himself, smiling sheepishly, hoping against hope that this would be enough.
"Hey there," he began, "my name's Nathaniel Thomas. Most people just seem to call me Nate though".
–AoS–
Despite his initial frosty reception, his spontaneous display of trust seemed to endear him to the king and queen. Princess Shuri insisted on giving him a guided tour of the Golden City, delighting in his open awe over their incredible technology. Prince T'Chaka followed a few steps behind the two, interjecting occasionally, and laughingly reminding Shuri to give their guest a chance to talk. Nate loved every minute of it. The siblings could not have been more different. T'Challa was quiet and thoughtful, whilst his sister was a ball of crackling energy, seemingly bouncing off the walls. She seemed to have hardly finished one topic before leaping to the next. It was obvious both T'Chaka's children knew their stuff.
When it was time to depart, both his new friends were sorry to see him go. T'Challa shook his hand, pulling him into a one armed embrace and ruffling his hair. Shuri shoved a set of blueprints into his hands, declaring he should make use of them, and insisting he return whenever he could.
A/N: This came much quicker than I expected it to, so you get two chapters this week.
Now that there's a few heroes added to the universe, I thought it could be fun to start a Phase I power scale for this universe, let me know if that's something you guys would be interested in.
In regards to ages, which came up with regards to Carol, some of the characters' ages have been changed. In this case though, nothing was changed; according to the sources I used, T'challa and Shuri were born in the early 80s and 1998 respectively, so
they would be in their mid twenties and the same age as Nate, respectively. In T'challa's case, in this universe his birth year was 1983, making him 24-25.
If this hasn't made it obvious, my plan for the Avengers in phase one is for the roster to be the six from the first movie, Carol, Nate, and T'Challa (T'Chaka won't be dying before the attack on New York, but his injuries sustained fighting Hulk will compel him to give the mantle of Black Panther to T'Challa).
Actors
T'Challa - Chadwick Boseman (RIP)
T'Chaka - John Kani
Ramonda - Angela Bassett
Shuri - China Anne McClain ( from The Gospel)
Hulk - Mark Ruffalo
Storm - Naomie Harris
T.A.T.A Tata for now.
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