October 26, 1943

Steve felt a massive blow to the face, and before he could so much as cup his chin, he felt another blow to the face, and then a punch in the stomach and the gut.

He and the Liberty Brigade were currently camping out near the coastal dunes of the Netherlands, where reports of another Hydra base had been surfacing. The sky was very blue, and there was not a single cloud to be spotted. Steve was not dressed in his Captain America gear – rather, he was in a white tanktop and green pants, and he was sparring against Ted Grant, the Wildcat. Ted was not donned as Wildcat, either. Rather, he wore another white tanktop and black pants. Bucky Barnes was sitting on a crate and watching the two spar. Ted tried to strike against Steve again, only for the Captain to dodge it this time and punch him in the stomach. Steve delivered three crosses and four jabs at Ted in rapid succession, and then he tried to deliver a hook, but Ted dodged it and Steve hyperextended his limb, causing him to groan in pain. Bucky ran up to Steve and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Whoa there, you alright, Rogers?" Ted asked, raising his finger up.

Steve groaned again. "Yeah…yeah, I should be good…."

"We'll stop for the day. That Super Soldier Serum may have enhanced you, but you still need to be careful. You are still human."

"Thanks. I probably needed that."

Then along came Doctor Fate and Miss America, who were fully donned in their superhero outfits. "Steve, Ted, Bucky, how have you three been today?" Miss America asked.

"Just peachy," Steve replied, gritting his teeth and holding his arm.

"Just be glad we're not in our old neighborhood, Steve," Bucky replied. "If you hyperextended while trying to fight them off, that would have been a bloodbath."

"No kidding, Buck."

Doctor Fate said nothing. Rather, he looked at Steve's shield. Steve looked down at his arm for a few moments, but then looked at Doctor Fate staring intently at his shield, which was next to the crate that Bucky had been sitting on. Fate raised the shield up with his telekinetic powers and moved closer towards them.

Once it was close enough, Fate physically grabbed it and began to simply stare at it. Steve furrowed his eyebrow while Bucky smirked.

"Hey now, Kent. Don't you get too intimate with that shield. You'll make Steve jealous," Bucky quipped.

"I simply have a question," Fate said, seemingly ignoring Bucky's comment and looking directly at Steve, his voice letting out a deep echo. "How does it feel, knowing you have the only vibranium located outside of Wakanda?"

Steve's mouth went agape, and he looked around at Bucky, Ted, and Miss America, with a million questions racing through his mind. "Wakanda? Vibranium? What on Earth are you –"

As Steve struggled to find out what else to say, he thought about it. He remembered that Wakanda was one of only a handful of independent countries in the entirety of Africa. But while its history was little-known to begin with, Steve figured that he should have heard of this 'Vibranium' if it was located exclusively in Wakanda; but he had never heard the term before.

Miss America walked up to Steve, looking equally confused. "You mean, you don't know what this shield is made out of?"

"And you don't know the truth about Wakanda?" Ted added on.

Steve threw his arms up in the air. "What the heck are you all talking about?"

"Well, no no, it's alright to be confused, Rogers," Miss America said, which made Steve feel like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders…somewhat. "Wakanda's true nature is very much a secret from the outside world. Besides the three of us, we thought you were the only other Brigadier who knew the truth."

Ted raised his arms up. "Yeah, I mean, the military just gave you that shield and never told you why it's indestructible? Those higher ups in the military confuse me sometimes, I tell you."

Steve was at a loss of words. He looked at Bucky, who merely shrugged and gave him a look that said, 'Don't look at me, buddy. I'm just as lost as you are.'

"Allow us to explain," Fate finally said, to which Steve had to prevent a sigh of relief in response to. "And what I am about too tell you must remain secret. No one else is to know – not even your beloved Peggy. Assuming she doesn't already know, of course."

He then motioned for Steve and Bucky to come closer, and Ted and Miss America all came closer as well, which Steve presuming it was so they could lower their voices.

"Wakanda is actually the most advanced nation in the world," Fate began, and Steve's mouth already went agape. "When Europeans were still figuring out how to use gunpowder, Wakanda had already created flying aircraft. They have technology that we probably won't have for another century. And it's all because of Vibranium. It is an element that does not originate from Earth. It crash landed onto what is now Wakanda centuries ago. And your shield is made out of it – I was able to detect it as such with my magic. It is the only Vibranium outside Wakanda."

Steve nodded sheepishly. "Okay, well…that is an awful lot to take in, but how do you know that?"

"We've been there ourselves," Miss America answered.

Fate cleared his throat. "Well, I was there myself once in 1940, about three months after I got my powers. Then Ted, Madeline, and I all had an adventure there a few weeks before Pearl Harbor."

"Well, do tell us what that adventure was like," Bucky replied with, his left arm now on his hip.

Ted shook his head. "No can do. The Wakandan king was very, very insistent that we keep it a secret. We're only telling you guys because we thought you already knew about Wakanda. It's a really damn beautiful country, however."

Miss America smiled, with both of her own arms on her hips. "And I will say this: If you ever find yourself in Wakanda, tell them that you are a friend of Doctor Fate, Miss America, and Wildcat, and they'll probably let up on you immediately."

Before the conversation could continue any longer, Sergeant Franklin Rock yelled at all five of them.

"Come on! We think we just made a breakthrough in finding this base, and all of you need to follow me in order to listen to those plans, pronto!" Sergeant Rock yelled.

The five superheroes and Bucky followed Sergeant Rock. "Hey, get your shit together –" Sergeant Rock began to yell at a couple of young and bulky soldiers who were beginning to get into a fight.

But all Steve could think of was the truth behind his shield.

"That's all I ever found out," Cap said to both Superman and Black Panther, standing up as Batman and Carol piloted their jet towards Wakanda, with the rest of the Vanguardians chatting amongst themselves.

"Ah yes, the three Brigadiers who helped to save all of Wakanda. In thousands of years' worth of Wakandan history, that is the only positive story of outsiders we were ever taught," Black Panther stated in response. "Thinking about that story does alleviate my mood. Thank you for that, Captain Rogers."

"I do want to ask one, T'Challa…what did Kent, Ted, and Madeline all do?"

"I'm afraid I cannot reveal that. Even by the standards of Wakanda, that tale must be kept an absolute secret."

Even Superman seemed to be mildly frustrated. "With all due respect, your highness, is this the most ideal time to keep secrets from us?."

"As my country's sovereign, I cannot afford to share such secrets," Black Panther began, before locking eyes with Superman. "Especially those so close to the press. With all due respect to you as well, Clark. All you need to know is that Wakanda will be eternally grateful to Doctor Fate, Wildcat, and Miss America, and may they all rest in peace."

Cap shook his head, and Superman looked at him with a look of understanding.

All of this came to a halt when Batman asked, "Alright, King T'Challa, we're nearing the coordinates."

Cap, Black Panther, and Superman all walked up to Batman and Carol, with Black Panther in particular leaning down.

"Alright, this will only take a minute," Black Panther said as he began pressing some buttons onto the system while Batman and Carol scooted away. "There we go. The ship will allow us into the main Wakandan city."

It was only a few moments later that the ship bypassed a portal, with lights of purple energy sheathing through what appeared to be the main shield guarding the city. And even though his mask covered his expression, it was not hard for the other Vanguardians to figure out that Black Panther's jaw dropped at the sight of the city – many of the majesticly advanced buildings that he had seen in his photo were heavily damaged, with smoke coming out of many of them. And even at the height they were at, it was not hard to see the mass of Wakandan bodies that laid at the city floor – there were dozens upon dozens of bodies.

Superman placed his hand on Black Panther's shoulder, the latter having walked away from the front window and turned himself away from the visible carnage. "Do not worry, T'Challa. Grodd will answer for these crimes."

There was a few moments of silence before T'Challa spoke. "Oh, yes he will, Clark. He will answer for every man, every woman, and every child whose life has been cut short by his monstrous lust for power. If Solovar cannot see to it, I will."

"Are you sure it's best to kill him?" Batman asked, though he didn't make eye contact.

"I try to be an honorable man, Bruce, but I am more than just a crimefighter. As a King, I must see to it that he pays a dear price," Black Panther replied, before walking back up to the front of the jet. "We do not have time to argue about this, however. The Wakandan Palace is only about a minute or two away."

And indeed, it was not long before they had reached the royal palace. It was a very wide building that had a sleek white color with a golden roof, and it surprisingly looked to be mostly intact. Down below, an army of gorillas could be seen fighting off the Dora Milaje, the special forces of Wakandan women. From this distance, a couple of the gorillas looked to have some sort of device on their heads, though it was hard to see what it was.

The jet began to lower to the ground, and the gorillas and Dora Milaje stopped what they were doing and watched the jet land.

Batman opened the door, and it was not even a moment later that Hal flew out of the jet and created a giant hammer to help combat the gorillas. Back in the jet, Hank sneered. "Typical Hal, going in before thinking things through. Idiot."

"Not now, Hank!" Wasp yelled back at him, her teeth gritted. "We have a country to save!"

"And potentially a world, knowing Grodd," Black Panther added on, before being the second one to run out of the jet in order to fight off the gorillas. And Captain America, Superman, and the rest of the Vanguard all followed suit.

Upon closer inspection, the devices on the gorillas' heads were black with purple energy seaming out of certain parts; the devices consisted of a black rectangular area in at the front of the gorillas' heads, with a purple core at the center, and black straps connecting it to their heads. They beat their chests and roared towards the Vanguardians.

"Do not kill the gorillas!" Black Panther shouted as Thor swung his hammer towards one of the gorillas' chests while Wonder Woman bashed one in the face with her shield. "They appear to be mind controlled!"

As Flash used wind funnels to send three gorillas away and Wasp shrunk down and began blasting another one in the eyes, Wonder Woman was thrown towards the place by one of the gorillas, and wiped some blood of her mouth. "You said they were brainwashed? My Lasso of Truth frees people from brainwashing. It should be able to free these gorillas."

One of the gorillas tried to punch Black Panther in chest, but his suit absorbed the energy and the King was able to send it back to the gorilla's face, knocking him out. "Wonder Woman, if you're able to override these devices, it would be of great benefit to all of Wakanda."

And with that, Wonder Woman got out her Lasso of Truth and began swinging it in the air, aiming at the gorilla who had a boomerang thrown at his or her arm by Batman. But before she could lung her lasso towards the gorilla, she felt her leg get pulled, and she was bashed towards the ground below by a massive white gorilla, one that stood about a foot taller than the other gorillas.

"Solovar!" Black Panther shouted out as he witnessed the former gorilla king bash Wonder Woman into the ground before Superman used his freeze breath to freeze the gorilla's legs in motion. The gorilla let go of Wonder Woman, and Superman punched the gorilla directly in the face, sending him flying a few feet.

"King T'Challa!" a feminine voice suddenly cried out, and Black Panther recognized it immediately. He turned out, and there was Okoye; she was bald, like the rest of the Dora Miljae, and she had a large nose and the same red and gold garb as the rest of the female warriors who were fighting off the massive gorilla army. And she grimaced at her King. "What have you done, bringing in these outsiders?"

Some gorillas came charging towards them, letting out ear-gratingly loud screeches as they did so, but Iron Man blasted at them and Hank sent a massive army of ants towards five of the gorillas, and they began screeching in agony as the ants swarmed all over their bodies.

"Wakanda needs all the help it can get at the moment, Okoye! We must swallow our pride!"

A gorilla tried to grab Black Panther by the head, but he dodged it and Okoye stabbed the gorilla in the leg with her spear, then did the same thing to the gorilla's chest.

"With all due respect, my King, Wakanda has never needed foreign help before, and it doesn't need it now!"

"You forget about the incident with the mystery men in the forties. Of whom Captain America fought alongside."

Aquaman could be seen bashing one of the gorillas with his trident, then kicking the ape in the shin, lifting him by his sides, and throwing him down towards the ground. A gorilla saw this and screeched, but Cap was able to use this to his advantage and thrust his shield at the device in the gorilla's head, causing purple electricity to burst its way out.

"As a friend of Doctor Fate's, Captain America is welcome, but you tread on murky waters by bringing in everyone else," Okoye retorted.

"We will discuss this at another time, Okoye," Black Panther replied, before a gorilla swung its fist as Okyoe and sent her flying. Black Panther delivered a roundhouse kick to the gorilla, and then the gorilla tried to smash him in the ground, the African king rolled away, then jumped up in the air and slashed at the ape's face with the claws in his gloves. He saw Carol blasting at one of the other gorillas, and Hal slamming one into the royal palace with a giant green hammer, and then he looked at Wonder Woman, who was getting up from the ground, and Zatanna, who was creating a shield in order to doge Solovar.

"Wonder Woman, free Solovar first!" he said, as he looked at Solovar, who was trying to dodge Zatanna's magical blasts of energy. Zatanna teleported behind Solovar and sent a massive combination of lighting, fire, and ice against Solovar, which made the gorilla roar in agony.

Wonder Woman seized the opportunity and threw her lasso towards Solovar. The gorilla roared again, and purple electricity was coming out – even more than the electricity that came out of the device Captain America had damaged with his shield. Solovar let out another shriek of agony before the purple core at the center of his device seemed to shatter.

By this point, much of the gorilla army had been taken care of, and Solovar looked around, breathing heavily. He then looked at Black Panther, and sighed. "King T'Challa, please, forgive me…I…I…"

"I bear no will any you, King Solovar," Black Panther interjected, raising his arms up. "I understand that this is all Grodd's doing."

Solovar breathed heavily again. "I still do not understand how Grodd was able to pull of any of this…he had him heavily guarded for four years."

"Grodd has always been one to plan for the long term. He has probably been planning this since the Vanguard of Justice first formed."

"Speaking of the Vanguard….be very careful. From what little I can gather of Grodd's scheme, he was counting on the Vanguard of Justice showing up to Wakanda."

Black Panther looked around at his teammates, who had now grouped together and were standing alongside Okoye, who narrowed her eyes and looked at Captain America.

"Um…" Captain America said, rubbing his neck. "I am a friend of –"

"I know, Captain," Okoye interrupted. "You are a friend of Doctor Fate, Wildcat, and Miss America. May they all rest in peace. You are welcome here. The rest of you, however, are not. Especially if Grodd was counting on you all showing up."

"OKOYE!" Black Panther finally shouted, taking off his mask and showing his eyes wide with anger. "As your King, I command you to stand down and treat the Vanguardians with respect. Aquaman is the King of Atlantis, Thor is the Prince of Asgard, Wonder Woman is the Princess of Themyscira, and the rest are all champions of the modern world. And if Grodd thought he could use the Vanguard to his advantage, then he is sorely mistaken."

"Oh, am I?"

Black Panther turned around, and there stood Gorilla Grodd. Like King Solovar, he stood around a foot taller than the other gorillas – and he was surrounded by two dozen or so gorillas.

Black Panther sent Grodd a death glare. "What is all of this about, Grodd! WHAT YOU DONE TO MY SISTER!?"

"Oh, she's been…dealt with, T'Challa. And before you think of doing anything against me, know that I have your stepmother Ramonda tied up, and oh, the things I have planned for her. And the things I have planned for you."

Then a Caucasian man walked up in front of Grodd and the other brainwashed gorillas. He had a rugged look to him, with short black hair and a five o'clock shadow. He wore a brown jacket with a white shirt underneath, and he bore jeans and black boots. The man had the same device on his head as the other gorillas, only smaller. He snarled, and out of each of his two hands came three metal-looking claws.

"I'll take this guy on while the rest of you deal with the gorillas," Hal said, creating a green sword with his ring.

"No, wait!" Cap said, tapping Hal's shoulder. "I recognize this man. He was a Canadian soldier who fought in the final showdown against Hydra. I don't know how he hasn't aged, but he's tougher than he looks. Bullets do not faze him. I even remember him telling me 'Nothing to see here, bub', after I saw it with my own eyes."

"So a healing factor, then? No biggie? The Green Lantern Corps has dealt with far worse –"

Then three other beings flew down to the ground, all wearing the same devices on their heads as the soldier. One of them was a black-haired and square-jawed man who bore a red suit with a lightning bolt on his chest, yellow boots, and a white cape – Black Panther recognized him as Shazam, the hero of Philadelphia. The other two were women – one had braided blonde hair, wore sleeveless black armor with some touches of gray, and stood as tall as Wonder Woman, while the other sported flowing brown hair, a white helmet plate on her face and a red/white combat skirt and boots.

"Valkyrie…Sif…" Thor muttered to himself.

"I tested my abilities to mind control on these four heroes, and now…."

Grodd showed a golden device in his hand that glowed purple, and he smirked…before it sent out a blast of energy that sent the entire Vanguard, plus Okoye and Solovar, a hundred feet away.

Purple fire was consuming the area now, and Black Panther felt himself getting lifted by Solovar and taken another hundred feet away alongside Batman. While he tried to regain the ability to see clearly again, he saw Solovar do the same for Okoye, Wonder Woman, and Captain America, but before he could grab any more heroes, he was decked in the face by one of the gorillas.

As the four Vanguardians tried to get up, the gorilla punched Solovar in the stomach and kicked him in the leg, but then Solovar blocked one of his punches and bashed him hard enough in the head to knock him out.

Then, the other Vanguardians could all be heard roaring and howling in agony; silhouettes of the gorillas placing the devices onto their heads could be seen in the flames, and all four of the Vanguardians carried to safety by Solovar tried to go to help, but were to weakened by Grodd's blast.

The screams continued for another moment, before coming to an abrupt stop. Wonder Woman felt her leg, and Black Panther saw that her Lasso was missing….and then the flames cleared. Black Panther, Okoye, Solovar, Batman, Captain America, and Wonder Woman all widened their eyes when they saw the rest of the Vanguard, standing there silently, with the devices all on their heads.

They were all under Grodd's control now.