Chapter 3: Royal Exchange
Sean looked up at the large lettering on the beached ship. The Churchill was the base of operations for Ulysses Klaue, an international arms dealer and the only man to successfully steal Vibranium from Wakanda. He didn't escape unscathed and he killed a lot of people on his way out, but he managed to take billions of dollars worth of the precious metal with him.
The man known as Dragon summoned his Asgardian armor. In a swirl of fire he was cloaked in head to toe black leather-like material. On the arms were red lines that swirled like a flame up to his shoulders. His chest was covered by an armoured cuirass that was a dull grey with red highlights along it. On his head rested a hood that came down to shadow his face. This was the armor he was gifted by his parents before he left Asgard, and like Thor's it was incredibly resilient.
Sean hadn't worn his Asgardian gear on Midgard before, it was easier to not have to explain his time in an alien city. Now though, he felt it was fitting. If he was going to return the Vibranium as a Prince of Asgard, then he should look the part.
Pulling one of his looted handguns from the Armory, Sean checked it over with an expert hand before loading it and making his way towards the scaffolding on the side of the ship. He moved with all the stealth he could, choosing to leave most of the scum that populated this wreck alone for the time being. His main target was Klaue and the Vibranium, anything else would be a bonus.
He had to take a few detours on his way to the main cargo hold to avoid the patrols that frequented the ship. On one occasion he actually had to take a man out who turned a corner right as Sean was about to. Stashing his body in a closet would buy him some time, but if he didn't hurry someone would notice the absence.
Doubling his speed it only took a few more minutes until he found himself overlooking the hold. Just as he thought Klaue was sitting in the main office talking on the phone, probably to some other criminal who wanted to do business, while keeping an eye on the bustle of people down below.
They were moving all kinds of goodies around, some seemed to be just arriving while others were being prepared to ship out. There were guns of all sizes, missiles, various explosives, vehicles and even more crates that were sealed with mystery contents. Sean grinned widely, he did always love a good grab bag.
He counted a dozen guys down on the floor, with another five or so watching over them from the catwalk on the second level and of course the man himself Klaue. As soon as the shooting started everyone on this ship would come running, so he was looking at fighting upwards of fifty guys all on his own.
Thor would no doubt love to jump in and just start fighting but Sean liked to think he was a bit more classy than that. So how to take out as many of these low-lifes as possible, secure Klaue and the Vibranium, steal a bunch of stuff, and leave in one piece? He could use his fire, he hadn't really played around with it yet. Then again fire plus a room full of things that go boom might not work out too well. Hmm, maybe work backwards? That could work.
With nary a sound Sean slipped down to the ground floor and made his way into the shadows. Sticking to the dark corners of the room, he moved around opening small portals underneath a few of the pallets and crates. He dropped them all into his Sorting room, and carefully made sure to only take what no one was looking at.
His plan worked as eventually they noticed things were missing. Voices were raised, guns were pointed, and soon enough Klaue came out of his office and down to the main floor accompanied by the guards from the catwalk. Sean waited until they were all gathered toward the middle of the room and pulled his thunderstick from his Armory. He pressed the button on the top and slammed the sharp end into the ground.
Before any of them had a chance to react the top of the stick shot into the air to head height and released a wave of blue energy. The wave knocked all of the men back a step and then promptly unconscious, their bodies and guns hitting the floor in a staccato of thuds.
'Eighteen men down without a shot fired, god I love that thing,' Sean thought as he moved forward. He didn't really need to kill any of these guys so he grabbed a bunch of loose rope and tied them all up, leaving Klaue separate. While he had a little time Sean indiscriminately took everything he could fit in a portal, which was basically all of it. He could now arm a very small nation if he wanted to.
He left just enough to serve as evidence for the authorities, making sure to clean out all of their cash. Using Klaue's own phone he called the local police and told them he saw a bunch of men with guns that looked like pirates. Not the best story, but whatever. Even if they didn't show up this group was mostly out of business now.
He grabbed Klaue and dragged him up the stairs to the door he recognized from the movie. Pulling it aside showed a group of barrels labelled 'Toxic', but after a moment the room shifted down and another took its place.
"Jackpot," Sean mused to himself. In front of him were a few dozen tubes that contained Vibranium, it was the work of a few seconds to stuff all of them into a portal. Deciding he didn't really want to show off his Fortress to the Wakandans Sean looked around and found a duffle bag that should be able to hold them all. He tossed that in with the Vibranium and decided that it was time to go.
Considering Klaue for a moment, Sean bound and gagged him, pulling a blindfold over his eyes and then a bag over his head before leaving him in an empty Storage room. He shouldn't wake up any time soon, but if he did he wouldn't know where he was kept. The sound of shouting heading in his direction was Sean's cue. He left the way he came in, only stopping to hide while a group ran past him.
On the deck of the ship, poorly covered by a camo net was an old beat up two seat helicopter. Since it was that or walk, Sean worked quickly to pull the netting off and start the heli. Thanks to his Vehicular Manslaughter perk he had no trouble understanding the controls and he lifted off smoothly. There were shouts behind him so Sean looked back and gave a wave, they didn't seem to like that as he had to jerk the controls a bit to try avoiding the gunfire.
Now he just had to get to Wakanda...where was it again?
LINE BREAK
'Why is Africa so goddamn big? I hate this, 0 out of 10, not coming here again.' It was quite a bit further to Wakanda than Sean had originally realized. He remembered that it was tucked in between Uganda and Kenya, but that was six hours by plane from the area Klaue's ship was in. The heli he 'borrowed' wasn't that fast nor did it have unlimited fuel.
So it was that four hours after leaving the Churchill he had to make a landing and spend the next day and a half walking to Wakanda. Thank all the higher powers that he had his Fortress to get food and water from. He also slept in it, but since he didn't have furniture it was only mildly better than the ground. He also threw some food and water in with Klaue, after taking the bag off his head and ungagging him, but left him alone otherwise.
Finally he could see a swath of plains that was being very closely watched. While he was still out of their sight he pulled Klaue and the Vibranium out of his Fortress. Making Klaue walk for himself, Sean carried on towards what he really hoped was the Wakandan border. It was easy to see the moment he was noticed, because there was suddenly a lot of movement and several men in tribal garb moved towards him.
Once they were heading in his direction Sean pulled Klaue to a stop and waited for them. He didn't want to accidentally provoke them. When they reached him one stepped forward and spoke, fortunately in English.
"I'm sorry my friend, can I help you with something?" The speaker wasn't a particularly tall man, but he did have an authority about him. Not to the level of a ruler, but like an officer. If Sean was a betting man, and he was, he would guess this was W'kabi.
"Hey guys, I'm looking for King T'Chaka or Prince T'Challa. I have a gift for the Kingdom of Wakanda from the Kingdom of Asgard." Sean pulled his hood down and kept a smile on his face to put them at ease. It didn't really work, the moment he mentioned the King several swords were pulled free of their sheathes.
W'kabi merely narrowed his eyes, "And what gift would that be?"
"Oh this," Sean kicked the back of Klaue's knees to force him to the ground and pulled the bag off his head, "I present Ulysses Klaue, and also what's left of the Vibranium he stole." He finished by dropping the duffel next to Klaue, opening it to show off the metal inside.
The gathered border guards began murmuring amongst each other, they clearly recognized the most wanted man in their country. W'kabi's eyes were about as wide as they could be, but he seemed struck speechless.
"So you think we could take this back to the city, or at least inside? I could really use a break." This was enough to shake W'kabi out of it and he turned to his men. Speaking at a rapid pace in a language Sean didn't know, he ordered his men around. It sounded like Xhosa but that was mostly spoken in South Africa.
Three of the men came forward to grab Klaue while another picked up the duffel, they moved to one of the huts nearby. One man took off running, as if to act as a messenger, and W'kabi gestured to Sean to follow him to another of the huts. When they got inside and seated, Sean was offered water and gladly accepted, W'kabi told him it would be a while before the King or Prince could be alerted.
"You guys are really committed to the whole 'third-world country' act, huh?" At W'kabi's cautious, and poorly hidden, look Sean continued, "I was born on Earth, in New York actually, but through strange circumstances I found myself on Asgard. The Asgardians are an interstellar species, travel between planets is incredibly easy. As such, I can recognize things like communicators, or enhanced fibres." He pointed at the beads on W'kabi's wrist and the blue cloak he wore.
"My guess would be that you guys have a lot more Vibranium than you've ever let on and have used that to advance well beyond anyone else on the planet. I don't blame you for keeping it quiet though, if anyone found out it would lead to war. You guys would likely win, but the cost for everyone would be very high."
Sean said all this calmly, working to not make it sound like a threat. He could respect their decision to hide away, though he disagreed, but it would be annoying if they kept the ruse up to him. The man gave him a long look before asking him to stay put and leaving the hut. Sean could hear him talking just outside, probably calling T'Challa.
It was a scant five minutes later that Sean could hear an aircraft overhead. Shortly thereafter a tall man walked into the hut, his face cautious but curious. Sean rose to meet him, it wasn't hard to recognize the Prince.
"You are the man who brought Klaue to us?" T'Challa asked in a soft but powerful voice.
"Yes, my name is Sean O'Connor, Prince of Asgard. Would I be correct in assuming you are Prince T'Challa?" He offered his arm for a warriors shake, a sign of respect and a way to show he held no hidden weapons.
"I am," T'Challa said, returning the gesture. "May I ask how you knew to bring Klaue to us?"
"In the last couple of years I've worked with an organization called the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division, called Shield by most everyone, and with them I had access to information about Klaue. He never made it a secret about how he got his Vibranium, using his 'great personal cost' in order to up the price." Sean scoffed when he mentioned Klaue's tactics.
"I see, and what do you seek in return?" T'Challa seemed genuinely grateful, but there was an undertone of suspicion. Not surprising really, given that everyone wanted Vibranium.
"Friendship," Sean replied without hesitation. "Asgard are nominally in control of the Nine Realms. This includes Midgard, Earth, but we stay hands off here since your technology has begun to advance. However I think both Asgard and Wakanda could benefit from having an equal to deal with."
T'Challa nodded, and seemed to think very carefully about something. After a moment he looked back to Sean, "Please join me back to our capital, I believe my father would like to speak to you." With nothing else said the future, if not already, Black Panther led the way outside.
Waiting for them was a ship that looked like a quinjet built by aliens. Sean could see T'Challa watching for his reaction but he just nodded and followed him up the ramp. Klaue and the Vibranium had already been brought aboard, the man surrounded by border guards. Once they were on board the ramp raised and the ship took off without jarring them at all.
LINE BREAK
They approached the 'Golden City' quickly, Sean was impressed at the sight. It was a large and modern looking city, augmented by Vibranium powered technology. Everywhere he looked were contradictions to the third-world country facade they showed the world.
"Welcome to Birnin Zana," T'Challa said with pride.
"It's a beautiful city, reminds me of home." There were similarities to Asgard, but it definitely had its own culture and style. The ship swooped down towards the palace and landed in a large courtyard.
As they exited the craft they were met by a large contingent of women in gold armor flanking an older man. The Dora Milaje were the royal guard for the King of Wakanda, which would make the man King T'Chaka himself.
Sean gave a respectful nod, "Your Majesty."
"My son tells me that you believe Wakanda and Asgard could be friends. How can we know you aren't just after our resources like everyone else?" T'Chaka's voice was deep and direct. Sean was expecting this kind of xenophobic reaction from him, but it was still tiresome.
He decided on the blunt answer, "Because we don't need it. You may have the main source of Vibranium on the planet, but you got it from a meteor. There are plenty of asteroids and other planets out there that have similar if not stronger metals."
The King seemed skeptical but willing to listen for now. With barely a gesture he turned and led everyone into the palace. Sean followed behind him, content to play along for the moment. As annoying as he found this attitude of theirs if he could lay the groundwork for a partnership between their peoples they would be in a better position against Thanos.
They soon arrived at the throne room and the King sat on his throne. To either side of him were the leaders of the tribes that made up Wakanda's population. "So you say that you don't want our Vibranium, then what would you want?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I've been on Earth for a decade now, I don't know exactly what is going on at home. However we have access to plenty of food and other goods that I'm sure you would be interested in trying. I doubt either of our peoples truly need anything essential, but knowledge and luxury goods are easy enough to exchange."
"I see, and how do we know that we would be equals in this?" King T'Chaka asked.
Sean was already getting tired of this, he was no diplomat and he really just wanted to open communication. Oh, there's an idea. "I give you my word, as a Prince of Asgard, that you would be dealt with in a fair manner. My father is...wary of dealing with non-Asgardians because of their limited lifespans in comparison. This is more on a personal level though.
"As I said, since I've been away I can't really speak to our needs or what we could offer. If you are open to talks, I will arrange for a communications device for you. It will be a rather showy delivery but I can swear no harm would come to any of your people."
The older man nodded and asked him to step outside while they discussed things. Sean accepted and followed one of the guards out of the room. He tried to start small talk with her while they waited but she was stoic and silent. It was almost an hour later that he was called back in.
"We have decided to try opening talks with your people. Prince T'Challa will accompany you to the border where you can gather the device. After that we would ask that you leave, and swear on your honor to not speak of Wakanda's true state unless the royal family says otherwise."
"That sounds perfect, I can do that. Thank you for your time, Your Majesty." With another nod of respect Sean followed T'Challa back to the same ship they had flown in on. In a matter of minutes they were landing back at the same border Sean had arrived at.
"Okay, clear a little space." Sean made sure there was a clear open area in front of him before looking upwards, "Hey Heimdall, if you've been paying attention do you think I could get a communicator please?"
There was a long pause and then it seemed like the sky opened up. A large beam of multi-color energy slammed into the ground, after a moment it dissipated. Standing where the beam had been was a pair of familiar figures.
"Mother?" The first woman that had arrived was regal looking, with long blonde hair styled up. She wore an elegant dress. With her was another woman that Sean recognized, this one with dark brown hair and wearing armor. "Sif."
Queen Frigga came forward and embraced her youngest son, "Hello Little Dragon, your father and I decided this needed a more personal touch."
"Good to see you brought the best of protection with you," Sean smiled and exchanged nods with Sif. They had known each other for years, and truth be told he had something of a crush on her when he was younger. Though he had grown out of that and saw her as a good friend and sparring partner.
Turning back to his audience Sean guided his mother forward, "Prince T'Challa, allow me to introduce my mother Queen Frigga. Mother, this is Prince T'Challa."
After pleasantries were exchanged, Sean bid his mother farewell as her and Sif joined T'Challa to fly back to the capital. It wasn't until they had left and the border guards started giving him looks that Sean remembered he was supposed to leave now. Of course this put him in the middle of Africa with no real plan on where to go.
Fortunately, Wakanda was quite close to Uganda so it took Sean a short time to find himself back in civilization. Once he had a hotel room, he took a much needed shower and settled in to decide what to do next.
Since he knew that Thor would be landing in New Mexico in a few months, he might need to get involved. Giving it some thought he wanted to let Thor learn his lesson. If he reached out and asked for help then of course Sean would help, but Thor needed to be humbled and realize the consequences of his actions.
Other than that, all he had planned was to wait for the first Avengers movie. He would probably be called on by Fury to help with the Hydra situation, but nothing else pressing came to mind. It would be possible for him to snatch up a few of the artifacts lying around the world.
Eh, most wouldn't be a problem until after 2012, and by then Shield should be Hydra-free. They would be able to handle things, and Sean could give them hints if they needed it. 'I'm not doing everything for people, too much work.'
Having made his plan for the near future Sean booked a flight, it was time to settle down for a bit. Feeling a little nostalgia for his old life, he was headed for Boston. It didn't really matter where he set up, but Boston was well placed between some of the major hotspots while still being slightly out of the way.
He managed to get a flight to Logan International the next day, though he had to stop off in Cairo first. The long flight was spent reading more, watching the in flight movie (some sappy rom-com that was actually pretty funny), and sleeping. After landing in Boston Sean wasted no time in booking a hotel room and starting to look for a cheap place to rent for a while.
LINE BREAK
Sean breathed out a sigh of relief and closed the door to his new condo. It was a small one bedroom that was fully furnished. He definitely preferred the layout of his Fortress, but this was a nice little place. It had only taken a couple of days to get everything together, the amazing things that can happen when cash is involved.
In the meantime he had caught up on the Tony Stark news. Things managed to work out mostly the same, though without the presence of the Iron Monger. Without the backing of Raza finding the pieces of the Mark I armor Obadiah had decided to go big and tried to move on Stark Industries with his personal security team.
He broke into Tony's Malibu home, stole the Arc Reactor in his chest, then went to Stark Industries to try and clear out all of the data and prototypes that were stored there. He was met by a handful of Shield agents and during the firefight Iron Man made his appearance. The fight caused a lot less collateral damage, but it seemed the world wanted things to follow a certain path.
Since that all worked out, Sean decided to focus on his own training. He made his way into his Fortress and through to the Storage Rooms. Bypassing the first few, he found the first empty one and stepped in. He didn't have a proper training room or dojo yet so he would just have to make do with this.
All of the skills and powers he had purchased were already wired directly into his mind and body, but he didn't have any personal experience with them. So he figured he should start with his fire since he hadn't had the chance to try it out at all.
Deciding to start small, he summoned fire to his hand. The fire was warm in his hand, but it didn't burn him. Focusing on the feeling of his flames he pushed more power into them growing them to the size of a basketball. With little more than a thought the fire started shrinking and changing colors, becoming a vibrant blue.
Sean aimed his hand at the far wall and tried to push his fire at it. With a roar the flames leapt forward and surprisingly he felt a push from the force of them, giving him an idea. He summoned more fire, this time to his feet, he upped the temperature and tried to impart a feeling of force downwards. This resulted in a sudden meeting of his head and the ceiling.
"Ow," Sean shook his head, "That hurt, but was also awesome." After taking a moment to adjust the room with a higher ceiling. "Let's try now."
He pushed the fire back to his feet and slowly increased the power. Ever so slowly Sean began rising into the air. Every move of his feet and legs sent him spinning, more than once he slammed into the walls. He took a page from Tony's book and started using his hands to stabilize his flight.
For what felt like hours he enjoyed flying and tossing his flames around. It was very freeing to be able to move through the air and not have to stick to running along the ground. He was looking forward to being able to do this on the outside. This maneuverability would be game changing once he was in an actual battle.
After a long time enjoying himself for a time, Sean headed back to his condo. He should probably start sorting out everything he got from Klaue, but he felt like doing that later. Taking a quick shower, he was about to settle in to watch some TV when his phone started ringing.
"O'Connor," He answered.
"We need you, get to the Lighthouse," Was all the person on the other end said, but Sean recognized it as Fury, then the line went dead.
'So much for not having anything to do.'
AN: Alright here's chapter 3! It might take a little while for the next one, sorry about that. Let me know what you think!