Interlude: Nakia's Troubles
Nakia could not speak.
Her silence somehow felt deafening in the training arena, where the women of Dora Millaje trained for all possibilities. The newly appointed guard members were tasked with completing varying circuit training, which were truly just a distraction. The elder members of the Dora Millaje were huddled together in a distant corner, hotly debating. Though they managed to keep their voices down, Nakia only had to inch towards the group to grasp some words. A name to be exact.
"Arnold Jackson"
She quickly regretted that action. Moving back towards the other new girls, she shook her head to dislodge the sudden burst of anxiety that gripped her. Managing to swallow the unease that fluttered in her stomach, she plopped down on her mat and stretched to calm her racing thoughts.
Nakia was truly grateful that the mind-readers available in Wakanda were full of bugs and glitches. No scientist had been able to recreate that mutant power, unlike some other low level ones. Wakanda being the most technologically advanced nation in the world helped in their ability to study those with the X-gene and recreate their natural born ability in another without many adverse effects. The key was Vibranium, which was considered to be one of the most valuable resources. Steve Roger's shield was made of pure Vibranium, a product of Howard Stark. The elder Stark had come to Wakanda with Captain America in tow in 1941 to inquire about the rare metal. What he found both excited and confounded him.
The Wakandan strain of Vibranium was extremely durable, and absorbed vibrations and kinetic energy, which make up the perfect traits of a shield. King T'Chaka had given him permission to mine Vibranium for his endeavors, with the only stipulation being that he had to share his findings. Howard was not a stingy man, especially with information, so he agreed.
The history between Wakanda and Howard Stark was common knowledge to the residents of the nation. Those findings were available in the Research section of the Wakanda library for all to see and take in. The documents also detailed the other, less known feature of Vibranium.
The rare ore had the ability to amplify mystical energies. Moderate exposure strengthened while overexposure caused psychosis.
Nakia was terrified she was going through the latter. She had been plagued with a recurring presence, someone that was not suppose to be there.
She was seeing dead people.
Former Ambassador Arnold Jackson, who had perished in the attacks in Vienna, was following her. Not at that current moment of course, but whenever she left the safety of the training corridor, his being would emerge like a wraith to scare her silly. The trek to her loft was shortened by a record-breaking sprint along the distance. He never ventured past a certain point, turning back well before her loft comes into view. That detail gave her some respite from her worry and the confidence to ignore his presence as she walked home from the non-satisfying training session. Though normally full of adrenaline from running away from the ghost, the young guard member sullenly made her way up the stairs to her floor. The other girls went to the Lagoon to start their partying before the ceremony, while she begged off to take a quick recuperating nap.
Nakia was distracted, lamenting her woes to herself as she let herself into the loft space. She never detected the stunner or other presence.
The figure of Arnold Jackson woodenly smiled down at Nakia, his sunken face warping considerably at the motion.
She was a fine specimen. This would do nicely.
A.N: Hey guys! Its been a long while since I've updated this story, but a burst of inspiration hit. I have more of an idea of where I want this story to go now.