CHAPTER THIRTEEN: STORMY WEATHER
Xavier Institute, February 4, 2008
It was a frosty Tuesday morning, as the sun started to rise over the Institute, causing the snow-covered grounds to start to sparkle. In her room, in the few minutes before training began, Ororo was still asleep...though fitfully. Ororo tossed and turned in her sleep, her dreams anything but peaceful.
She was alone in the darkness, running from the menacing shadows that chased her. The shadows quickly turned to the darkest jungle, with phantoms running after her, just beyond the foliage. She could hear an eerie chanting echoing around her, growing louder as she ran. Suddenly, the shadows swooped in on her, trapping her...
Ororo awoke suddenly, her forehead drenched with cold sweat. 'I haven't had a nightmare like that since...ever!' she thought to herself. Still feeling too nervous to go back to sleep, Ororo put on her emerald robe over her light blue nightgown, and walked to the bathroom, where she splashed some cold water on her face. Felling a little better, she raised her head...
...and came face-to-face with the image of a skull, smeared on the mirror.
Ororo screamed in horror at the sight, drawing the attention of the students, who were just waking up for training. Clark was the first one to arrive, followed by Logan and the rest of the X-Men. "Miss Munroe, what's wrong?" Clark asked.
"Look!" Ororo cried, pointing to the mirror.
Scott blinked. "But...nothing's there, Miss Munroe."
Ororo turned back to the mirror...only to find that the skull had vanished, as if it had never been there. "What..?" she murmured. "But..."
"Maybe you just had a bad dream, Miss Munroe." Jean suggested.
Ororo calmed, remembering her dream. Perhaps she had just imagined it. "I...suppose so." she agreed. She managed a smile. "I'm fine, now."
"You sure, Auntie O?" Evan asked.
Ororo smiled. "Yes, Evan, I'm sure." she assured her nephew. "Now, I suggest you all get ready for this morning's sessions."
"Okay." Scott agreed. With that, the students headed off.
Only Logan remained. "You sure you're okay, 'Ro?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow. "I've never known you to freak out 'bout anything, 'cept..."
"I'm fine, Logan." Ororo assured her old friend. "But...do you smell anything, here? Anything out-of-the-ordinary?"
Logan took a few sniffs...and shook his head. "Nope. Nothin'." he said.
Ororo sighed. "Then I must have dreamed it." she said. She lightly smiled. "Thank you, Logan."
"No problem, 'Ro." Logan replied, before he headed off. Ororo took one last look at the mirror; it was clean, with no image at all upon it. Then, Ororo headed off, to get ready.
It hadn't taken Clark too long to get ready; he'd quickly donned his uniform and headed to the control room of the Danger Room, meeting the other X-Men and the New Mutants there, along with the instructors, also in uniform. Today, he was running a simulation designed to test the modifications he'd made to his nano-suit.
He'd spent the past few months adjusting it, first installing the micro-shield, then calibrating its energy consumption to provide the maximum defense without burning out the power-source in his belt-buckle. Then he'd had to calibrate its field-frequency to match the radiation frequency of Kryptonite, and modulate its phase to be in diametric opposition to Kryptonite's energy-emissions. And now, he would test it.
It had taken him all this time to get it working, between work at the Bugle, his duties as Superman and as the New Mutants' leader, his university workload – classes had started again in January – and his time spent with Ali...though spending time with the woman he loved was a joy, Superman thought with a smile.
January had been a busy month for everyone; they had all had mid-term exams shortly after returning to school, prompting hours of study, almost every night. Not only that, Ali had several concerts and CD recordings to worry about during exam time...prompting Clark to help his taushi study. In the end, everyone had done well, including Alison; she'd passed her exams with flying colors, and earned standing ovations at her concerts and recordings.
He knew because he'd listened to her overhead; her voice was amazing, utterly angelic.
His reflection complete, Superman took the elevator down into the Danger Room. As he stepped out onto the silver-metal floor, he reached for his belt-buckle, and activated his nano-suit.
In seconds, the trillions of tiny nano-bots started to spread out over him; to an observer, it would have looked like silver liquid metal was spreading over his body, forming the molecular circuitry that operated the suit's higher functions. The nano-bots quickly covered his body, forming the suit: his uniform was now a metallic silver, his boots a metallic white, his cape and belt silver, the crest of the House of El now metallic white, with silver gloves forming over his hands. The nano-bots soon reached his head, forming the sleek helmet, as a hard-light visor snapped down over his face, feeding sensory data to him by a Heads-Up Display, as well as the status on the suit's shielding.
The shielding was fully charged.
"Okay, guys!" Superman called. "I'm good to go!"
"Okay, Flyboy!" came Wolverine's reply. "Hope those new duds of yours are machine-washable...'cause they're gonna need it!" With that, the simulation began.
Almost instantly, numerous laser-turrets popped up out of the ground, and began firing at him. Superman didn't even feel them, as his suit absorbed the impact, the shots hardly even scratching the shielding. Superman simply activated the suit's scanners, tracking the frequency that the turrets were using...and quickly intercepted the data-stream, rerouting the turrets to accept commands from him, and simply sent a shut-down command.
Like magic, every single turret shut off.
Superman then felt something strike him, which took a modest chunk out of the suit's shielding, as the power-source tried to compensate. Turning, Superman spied a large training-drone, armed with a powerful laser-cannon, taking aim at him. Superman easily dodged its next blast, before flying at the drone, knocking its head off with one punch...and then got knocked back ten feet by the massive steel mallet that had popped up behind him; he was fine, but the shielding was now about half-depleted.
'I'll have to work on boosting conversion efficiency in the micro-shield generator.' Superman thought. As the mallet swung at him again, he melted it with a blast from his eye-rays, his beams not so much as causing the visor-readout to shake; it was designed to let his rays pass through harmlessly...and it was working.
"Simulation complete."
Superman smiled as the Danger Room deactivated, tapping the controls on his belt, causing the helmet to retract, before heading back up to the control room. "Well, other than needing to improve energy-conversion with the shielding, I'd say that my nano-suit is working fine!" he reported, as he stepped into the control room. "Based on the diagnostics I ran, yesterday, the shielding is in opposition to Kryptonite radiation; if Magneto or Doom try to use Kryptonite on me, I'll be ready for them!"
"That' great, Clark!" Cyclops said.
"I'd like to see the look on Magneto's face vhen he realizes zhat Kryptonite doesn't vork, anymore!" Nightcrawler laughed.
"Okay, Porcupine, you're next." Wolverine said.
Spyke paused. "Uh...Mr. Logan, is it alright if I do my session this afternoon?" he asked. "I...kinda need to get to school early."
That made everyone pause. "Is everything okay, Evan?" Storm asked.
"Sure, Auntie O!" Spyke said. "I just...need to take care of a few things."
Storm looked to Wolverine. "It's alright with me."
"Fine, fine." Wolverine grumbled. "You want to do the tougher session in the afternoon, it's yer funeral, Porcupine."
"Thanks!" Spyke exclaimed, and he hurried off, to get ready for school.
"Actually, I need to head off, too." Superman admitted. "Old JJ wants me in early; paperwork."
"Sure thing, Flyboy." Wolverine said, chuckling. "From what I've heard about Jameson, working for him is a lot worse than anything the Danger Room can throw at ya!"
That caused everyone to chuckle. "Mr. Jameson can be...a little harsh, at times." Superman said. "I'd better get going, because...patience is not one of his virtues."
Dazzler smiled at him. "Have a good day, tausha." she cooed.
Superman smiled back at her. "You, too, taushi." he replied. With that, he headed off.
Within minutes, Clark had donned his work clothes and inducer, and gotten a quick snack, before heading out to catch the bus to work, his knapsack over his shoulder. He had just reached the gate...
...when he thought he saw something in the brush.
Clark's eyes narrowed as his vision focused on where he'd seen the shadow, but found nothing. Warily, Clark opened the gate and walked through, heading for the bus stop, his senses on high alert.
Something was up; he could feel it.
African airspace, 10 miles off the coast of Wakanda
The small, sleek, one-man black aircraft lanced through the sky as it left its runway from the private airfield in the African nation of Wakanda, heading northwest, guided by its pilot.
He'd just heard the report from one of his operatives in America, who were keeping tabs on several of his enemies. 'I knew that the Hungan held a grudge against her, but I never thought that he would go this far...'
He berated mentally berated himself; one of his father's favorite sayings was, 'Think two steps ahead of your enemies, and three steps ahead of your friends.' He should have watched the Hungan more closely, and now he had new associates.
He would handle this matter personally; his aircraft was invisible to radar, but at its maximum speed, it would take him until the early evening in America to reach his destination. He hated this lack of speed, but the element of surprise was vital.
He took out a small photograph – one of a beautiful, snow-haired, chocolate-skinned woman – and gazed upon it. 'Ororo, my love...please be safe.' he silently prayed, as he guided his aircraft onward.
Bayville High
Evan took a deep breath as he walked up to his Physics teacher. "Sir?" he asked. "Uh...about that make-up exam..."
The teacher nodded. "Alright, Evan, I'm willing to let you re-do the mid-term." he said. "Based on your past assignments, I know you can do better, so I'll let you try again. However, there's no doing this one over; if you still get a bad mark, I'm sorry, but that's all I can do."
Evan smiled. "Thank you, sir!" he exclaimed. "I won't let you down!"
"Good." the teacher said. "Just be here, after school, and be prepared for a two-hour exam." Evan nodded, and headed to lunch.
He was doing this make-up exam because he'd flunked his Physics mid-term. He hadn't been studying for it, and had gotten slammed on exam day.
'Good thing CK gave me that pep-talk, a couple months back.' Evan thought. If someone hadn't given him a metaphorical kick in the pants, there was no telling what kind of academic hole he'd have dug for himself. Evan had managed to pass all his other courses...and had slacked off on the last one, Physics.
But now, after several extra-credit assignments – as well as copious begging – Evan had a chance to do it over, and he was not going to blow it. Still, he was going to have to do it quietly, as he didn't want his friends – or Auntie O – to hear about it. He'd managed to keep his low mark under wraps, so far, since report cards didn't come out until two weeks from now, and exam marks would be posted then; once he did the rewrite, he could come clean.
Right now, he was going to eat lunch with his friends, and then head off to study.
As lunch hour came, Scott and the rest of the Institute students met at their usual table, sitting down to eat lunch. Alison was the last one to arrive, and she looked annoyed. Scott arched an eyebrow quizzically. "Anything wrong, Alison?" he inquired.
"Only this!" Alison said, obviously disgusted, as she tossed a magazine onto the table. Scott took a look at the article she was referring to.
The headlines said it all: "ALISON BLAIRE AND MYSTERY MAN SPOTTED IN NEW YORK MALL!"
"AFTER SEVERAL ROMANTIC MISHAPS, COULD THE MUSIC INDUSTRY'S PRINCESS HAVE FOUND HER 'PRINCE CHARMING'?"
"WHO IS 'KAL,' ALISON'S NEW SWEETHEART?"
"Argh!!" Alison exclaimed angrily. "I don't believe this! Can I get even a moment's privacy?!"
Rogue shook her head. "Yet another reason Ah'm glad Ah don't read tabloids." she said.
"Dat's de price o' fame." Remy added.
Jean briefly looked over the article. "Well, they're certainly prying." she commented.
Alison nodded. "I called Aunt Bridget as soon as I saw this; she told me that heads will roll for this!" she said. "Why can't the tabloids just leave me alone?!"
Kitty lightly smiled. "Well...they are right about the whole 'Prince Charming' thing."
Alison smiled at that. "Yeah." she agreed, her fingers lightly tracing the pendant around her neck, the one that Clark had given her for Christmas. "Tausha is just wonderful..."
Kitty chuckled, and lightly elbowed Lance, her new boyfriend. "Why can't you use beautiful words like that?" she sweetly teased.
Lance chuckled, looping an arm around Kitty's shoulders. "Because I believe that actions speak louder than words." he countered, punctuating the sentence with a kiss to her temple, causing her to blush.
Alison then frowned. "I just hope he doesn't see this." she lamented. "The last thing he needs is more people asking about him. Even worse, they'll probably think we're having some...horrible, illicit affair!!"
Tabitha arched an eyebrow. "Are you?" she teased.
"TABITHA!!" Alison cried, her face going red.
"What?" Tabitha asked. "It's a fair question!"
Alison frowned. "No, Tabitha. We haven't done that, yet."
"Well, why not?" Tabitha laughed. "Ali, you've landed the most eligible bachelor on the planet! You'd have to be crazy not to!"
Alison blushed. "We're just...waiting for the right moment." she said. "I'm not ready, and Kal isn't pressuring me."
"Hey, guys!"
Kurt's expression brightened as Amanda walked over to them, sitting down next to him. "Hey, Amanda." he greeted. "How vere classes?"
Amanda lightly blushed. "Oh, you know; same as always." she said. "I...had a great time at the movie, last night."
Kurt smiled shyly. "Me...too."
Amanda turned to Alison, smiling apologetically. "I heard about that article, Alison." she said. "Sorry."
Alison sighed. "Well, I guess I should be somewhat used to these kinds of things."
Amanda smiled. "This 'Kal' guy...is he that guy you like?"
Alison nodded. "He's a bit better at dodging cameras than I am." she joked, smiling.
"That's likely because he doesn't want to be seen with you."
Alison frowned as she turned to glare at Anita and her snobby clique, as they were walking by. "Get lost, LeRoux." Alison said.
Anita smiled coldly. "Why else would Kal avoid being seen with you?" she continued. "I haven't seen him here to pick you up as school lets out. Being near you must take its toll on him."
Alison frowned as Anita's clique giggled, and then smiled slyly. "There's another explanation, LeRoux." she countered. "The reason he doesn't show up is because he can't stand being within a 500-mile radius of you. Hasn't him continually telling you to get lost taught you anything? Which reminds me: get lost, Little Miss Stalker." At that, Anita's face flushed angrily, as she turned up her nose haughtily, and walked away, her clique following her.
Amanda frowned. "God, she is such a witch!"
"Tell us about it." Rogue agreed.
Alison nodded. "If it's not that little green-eyed monster, it's jerks like Pietro and Duncan pestering me for a date." she muttered.
"I hear you." Jean agreed. "When it comes to jealousy, guys can be just as bad as girls."
At that moment, Evan, who had been silent all through lunch, got up to leave. "Hey, Evan, where you going?" Scott inquired.
"Uh...I just need to take care of a few things." Evan said quickly.
"Like what?" Kitty inquired.
"It's nothing."
"Hey, man, maybe ve can help!" Kurt offered.
"Look, it's nothing, okay?!" Evan shouted. "I'll see you later." With that, he headed off.
Amanda blinked. "Wow." she murmured. "Is your friend okay?"
"I don't know." Scott said. "He's been like that since exams."
Jean nodded. "We're starting to worry."
"Hey, he'll be fine; Evan's tough!" Kurt said. "He'll pull through!" At that, the bell rang, indicating the end of lunch, and they all got up, to get ready for class.
It was late in the afternoon when Evan got back from school; he felt that he'd done better on the make-up exam – maybe not "genius-level" good, but better than the last time. He quickly dropped his knapsack in his room and promptly suited up, dashing to the Danger Room. By the time he reached the Danger Room, Storm was already there, waiting. "You're late, Evan." she said, her eyes narrowed crossly.
"I...had a few things to take care of, after school." Spyke said.
"Very well." Storm said. "For today's session, your objective is simply to protect me."
"Okay." Spyke agreed. "I'm ready." At a nod from Storm to Wolverine in the control room above, the simulation began.
The Danger Room's holographic projectors instantly changed the vast metal chamber into a narrow, dark blue, wire-framed corridor, with a light at the far end. Slowly, Spyke and Storm started to walk through the corridor. After they had taken a few steps, several laser-turrets emerged from the walls. At once, Spyke popped out bone-spikes from his forearms, and fired them at the turrets, destroying them, allowing them to continue on.
When they were about half-way through, several launchers popped up from the floor, firing hard ceramic discs at them. Spyke quickly generated a bone-staff, and smashed every single disc that came their way. Suddenly, the floor underneath Storm rose up around her, enclosing her completely. "Auntie O!" Spyke cried, as he ran to his Aunt's side, trying to crack her prison open with his bone-staff...
Just then, with a loud cry, Storm blasted herself free with a deadly surge of lightning, the shockwave sending Spyke flying. "The session is over!" Storm shouted, as the holographic emitters shut down. "You should have been paying more attention, Evan! If you can't protect your teammates in training, how are you supposed to do it in real life?!" With that, Storm left.
'Way to go, Daniels.' Spyke thought glumly. He should have been paying more attention, especially as far as that kind of trap was concerned; he knew that his Aunt was claustrophobic – she hated enclosed spaces. She'd been that way ever since she was a kid, though Evan didn't know where that phobia came from...or much else about his Aunt, for that matter.
But he sure wasn't going to ask her now. Not when she was so steamed.
Sighing, Evan headed out of the Danger Room. 'Can anything else go wrong, today?'
Ororo sighed to herself as she entered her room, changing out of her uniform and into her regular clothes. 'I was too hard on Evan.' she thought sadly. There was no way he could have seen that trap coming; anyone else could have stayed calm until they'd been freed...
...except her.
Ororo absolutely hated her phobia; her logical mind knew that there was nothing dangerous about some enclosed spaces...but every time she was in one – even an elevator – she got nervous. There was just no dealing with it.
As she left her room, Ororo decided to take a little walk outside, to clear her head. As she stepped outside, she saw that the sky was getting dark, as the sun began to dip behind the horizon. It was a beautiful sight, almost as breathtaking as the sunsets back in Africa.
Ororo's expression turned sad as she remembered her home, and all the memories thoughts of it evoked. She'd been born the daughter of a Kenyan princess and an American journalist; her childhood had been a happy one...
...until her parents had been killed in a rebel attack, which had caused her, as a child, to be trapped underneath a car for many days.
It was no wonder she was claustrophobic.
After she'd been freed, she'd wandered Africa, having to steal to survive...until her powers had emerged.
Once she'd learned to control the weather – to a degree – she'd been able to bring rain to barren, drought-ridden fields, make them green again. The tribes had mistaken her for a goddess, and for a time, Ororo's life had been simple...
...until him.
Ororo sighed, placing a hand to her lips, in memory of his kiss. 'T'Challa...'
T'Challa. The young Crown Prince of Wakanda, the heir to the secrets of the Panther Clan, the descendant of generations of wise and powerful kings...and the only man she had ever loved.
It had been love at first sight. The attraction between them had been unmistakable, undeniable...and all-consuming. They had many adventures together, fighting against the racists and slave-traders that were all too common in those days.
And then, she'd met Charles Xavier – after trying to pick his pocket – and learned exactly what she was.
He'd offered her the chance to learn to control her powers, something she deeply desired...but it would mean going to America. At the time, T'Challa had slowly been growing distant; with the passing of his father, the strain of kingship was weighing heavily upon him.
And so, they had parted.
And that had been the last she'd heard of her beloved. From recent news, T'Challa had become a great king, and a beloved, progressive ruler of his country, turning it into an advanced, modern utopia-like nation, and yet still keeping ties with nature and the land's ancient traditions.
She couldn't have been more proud of him.
By then, the dark of night was fast approaching, and Ororo decided to head back in. She turned to go...
...and something rustled in the brush.
Ororo whirled around. "Who's there?!" she demanded.
At that, a single African man, in his thirties, clad only in a straw loincloth, wearing war-paint and carrying a simple spear, stepped into view. "Only me, Goddess."
"Nirambo!" Ororo exclaimed, both surprised and pleased to see her old friend again. "How are you?"
"I am well, Goddess." Nirambo replied. "But please, there is not much time; you are in danger!"
"What are you saying?" Ororo asked.
"The Hungan is after you!"
Ororo's eyes narrowed. The Hungan had been one of her old enemies back in Africa; he had been the shaman of her tribe before she had become its goddess-figure. He had fought her for control of the tribe, but she had soundly defeated him. Ever since then, the Hungan had despised her.
"I have fought the Hungan before, old friend." Ororo said. "This time will be no different."
"Goddess, the Hungan is not alone!" Nirambo said. "After coming to this country, he has been joined by another organization!"
"Who?" Ororo asked. Before Nirambo could answer, they both heard more rustling in the brush...and then something pricked Ororo's neck.
A dart.
Ororo felt herself starting to get drowsy, her legs getting wobbly. The last thing she heard was Nirambo crying out...
...and then darkness.
Superman was just flying home, soaring over the Atlantic Ocean, his evening patrol complete. He had just rescued an oil tanker in distress and flown off without anyone seeing him. Superman couldn't help but smile; he always felt pretty good when he was able to help people without anyone knowing he was even there...
Suddenly, his hearing picked something up; people were fighting...
...near the Institute!
Superman doubled his speed, soaring towards his home, stopping high above it and looking down; it looked like numerous African men – in tribal garment and weaponry – were fighting in the Institute's back yard. Specifically, about a dozen tribesmen had ganged up on one other tribesman, who was holding his own...but was still outnumbered.
His eyes narrowing, Superman rapidly descended, landing fast, shaking the ground as he did so, to let these guys know he was serious. His landing caused the attackers to turn towards him, as he inhaled, and unleashed a burst of gale-breath, sending all the attackers flying.
Superman walked to the lone tribesman. "Are you alright?" he asked.
The tribesman looked up at him, his eyes wide. "Merciful Goddess..." he murmured, "...you're...you're REAL!!"
"I won't harm you." Superman assured him. "Who are you, and who were those men attacking you?"
"I am Nirambo, operative of King T'Challa, and servant to the Goddess." the tribesman – Nirambo – answered. "And those men were the servants of the Hungan, the enemy of the Goddess." Nirambo lowered his eyes. "I failed her..."
"Who?" Superman asked.
"The Goddess...the Windrider." Nirambo explained. "The Hungan has captured her."
"'The Windrider'?" Superman repeated. His eyes went wide. "Storm!!"
By then, the rest of the X-Men had darted out, all in uniform. "What's going on, here?" Cyclops asked.
"Storm's been kidnapped." Superman said. "Nirambo, you'd better tell them what you told me." At that, Nirambo quickly explained what had just occurred.
"So this 'Hungan' guy kidnapped Storm?" Shadowcat asked.
"Yes." Nirambo replied. "I was sent to warn her of the Hungan and his allies...but I was too late."
"Sent by who?" Cyclops asked.
Suddenly, Superman's hearing began to pick up movement in the brush. "Wait." he said softly. "Someone else is here." He looked to the brush, scanning it..."There!"
"Impressive."
The figure that owned that calm, stately voice stepped into view. He was a bit taller than Superman, and strongly built, clad in a completely black bodysuit, which seemed to have a slightly metallic look to it, as well as black gloves and boots, with a long black cape, and a black leather belt around his waist, and a cross-belt over his chest, both belts laden with deadly-looking knives. His face was covered by a black cowl, with two slight points on top, resembling the ears of a deadly jungle cat, with only two white eyes visible, his face completely hidden.
"My King!!" Nirambo cried, instantly kneeling.
"Rise, Nirambo." the figure said, before he glanced to Superman. "Not many people can detect me in the brush, Superman. Well done."
"Who are you?" Superman asked.
"Men call me the Black Panther." the figure answered.
"My liege, please forgive me." Nirambo pleaded. "I have failed you..."
"The failure was mine, Nirambo." the Panther replied. "I did not anticipate that the Hungan would have allies." His tone turned grave. "We will discuss this later. All that matters now is finding Ororo."
"Agreed." Cyclops said. "Superman, do you have any idea where these guys could have taken Storm?"
Superman closed his eyes, listening. He could hear it, as plain as day. "Chanting." he said. "I can hear chanting coming from the old construction site on the far side of town!"
"That must be where the Hungan has taken her." the Panther said. "I will proceed there, and evaluate the situation."
"Superman, you'd better go on ahead, and check things out, too." Cyclops said. "The rest of us will follow in the X-Van."
"Got it." Superman agreed, and he took to the sky, flying towards the construction site. Below him, he could see the Black Panther moving through the brush at impressive speeds, following him. He wasn't sure who the Panther was...
...but he had a feeling that they could trust him.
When Ororo came to, she couldn't see anything; it was completely dark. She felt around with her hands, touching soft earth. There was no light above her.
She'd been buried alive.
"No!!!" Ororo cried, summoning lightning and casting it about her prison. "Let me out!!! LET ME OUT!!!!!" Her lightning illuminated her prison: she was in some kind of underground cavern.
Ororo stopped casting lightning, forcing herself to calm down. 'The others must know that I'm gone.' she thought. 'They will find me. I have to stay calm; I have to keep up hope.'
Ororo curled herself into a small ball, trying to keep her fears at bay. Her eyes began to water, as she softly whimpered.
"Please hurry..."
As his followers chanted around their fire in the construction site, preparing the ritual that would allow him to take control of the Windrider, the Hungan, an older African man, in a cloth robe and straw loincloth, watched the covered pit that held the Windrider. 'Soon, "Goddess,"' he thought, 'soon, your spirit will break, and I will then take it from you...'
"Hey, Hungie! What's the holdup?"
The Hungan frowned, as he turned to his associate, hired by his allies. He was a tall, athletically-framed man, clad in a red bodysuit, with a vest laden with numerous weapons, a red-and-black cowl covering his face, with only his eyes visible.
Wade "Deadpool" Wilson, A.K.A "The Merc With the Mouth." He was a highly trained mercenary, supposed to be a survivor of a para-military project, and he apparently, he had a kind of rapid-healing ability, which, in turn, gave him enhanced physical abilities.
"The ritual required is complex, Wilson." the Hungan replied. "Furthermore, the Windrider is not yet ready."
"Hey, fine by me!" Deadpool said. "I get paid the same, either way; all this waiting is just makin' me nuts!"
The Hungan bit back his retort. "You don't have much more waiting left. We will be ready very soon, and your...employers will have the weather-witch under control."
The Hungan then frowned to himself. He hated having to work with Deadpool's employers, but if it meant finally besting the weather-witch, then it was a small price to pay.
Superman and the Black Panther were watching the Hungan and his men from the brush when the rest of the X-Men, plus Wolverine, met up with them. "There are twenty-three of them, several with automatic weapons." the Panther said. "Ororo must be being held in that pit." He pointed to a pit covered by a large, steel plate. "When we attack, we must move swiftly, and strike the armed ones first."
"Leave that to me." Superman said.
"Once you take out those armed guys, we'll move in and distract them long enough to get Storm out." Cyclops added.
"Very well." the Panther said. "But I would best be wary of that one." He gestured to the guy in the red bodysuit. "I am familiar with him; he is called Deadpool, and he is a mercenary."
"A hired gun." Spyke said.
Black Panther nodded. "And not a cheap one, either." he added. "The Hungan does not have the resources to hire him, so he must be working with someone else."
"We can worry about that later." Superman said. "The important thing is rescuing Storm."
"Okay." Cyclops said. "Let's do this."
At that, Superman darted out of the brush, moving at super-speed, darting to and from the armed men, snatching each of their weapons, before crushing them into a pile of metal, which he tossed aside. By then, the Black Panther had stealthily snuck up on one tribesman, and knocked him out with a swift chop to the side of his neck.
At that, the rest of the X-men burst from the brush, rushing at the Hungan's men. Cyclops fired his optic-blasts, sending two tribesmen flying, while Jean levitated two more, crashing them into each other, knocking them out.
Nightcrawler 'ported to and from various tribesmen, delivering flying kicks to each one, before vanishing in clouds of brimstone. Shadowcat phased herself into the ground, and reached up to grab the feet of three of the Hungan's men, trapping them.
Spyke generated a bone-staff as two tribesmen ran at him, brandishing spears. He leaned out of the way of the first one's stab-attack, before slamming his torso with his bone-staff. As the first one stumbled away, Spyke ducked under the second's swing, and whirled into a back-spin strike, knocking him out.
As one of the Hungan's men tried to pin Rogue from behind, she pulled off her gloves and touched him, knocking him out as she absorbed his energy...as well as his spear-wielding skill. Rogue then picked up the tribesman's spear, and ran at another tribesman, parrying his stab-attack, and whirling her spear to envelop his, knocking it away, and then she slammed the staff of the spear against his head, knocking him out.
As three tribesmen closed on him, Gambit just smiled, and drew three cards from his deck, charging them. The tribesmen could only look on in confusion as he flicked the cards at them...and they promptly blew up, sending the tribesmen flying, out cold. "Dealer wins."
After he'd disposed of the weapons, Superman darted back into the fray, stopping next to Avalanche, turning to his earth-moving teammate; Avalanche nodded in understanding, and began to unleash a tremor just as Superman slammed his foot into the ground with earthquake-force.
The resulting super-quake literally caused the ground to ripple as it sent every remaining tribesman flying, knocking them out, as the X-Men promptly dodged it, either by 'porting out of its path, or by Jean levitating them to safety.
After he'd knocked out the tribesman, the Black Panther drew two of his daggers, and headed towards the pit that held Storm. Two of the Hungan's men moved to intercept him, but the Panther was ready; he expertly dodged the first's stab-attack, and slashed his spear in two with one of his daggers, and then punched the tribesman, knocking him out. As the second came at him, the Panther blocked his spear with his dagger, lightly pushing the spear to the side, causing the wielder to run towards him...to meet his double-fist strike, which easily knocked the tribesman out.
Now only Deadpool stood between him and the pit that held Storm. "Well, looky here!" Deadpool said. "His Royal Highness, the King of Wakanda himself! Don't I feel special!"
"Stand aside, Wilson." the Panther growled. "I am in no mood for games."
"No? How 'bout a magic trick?" Deadpool said, as he drew an automatic from his vest. "How to make a Panther disappear!!" With that, he opened fire.
The Black Panther moved as swiftly and as gracefully as his namesake, effortlessly dodging every single bullet, closing on Deadpool; in less than two seconds, he had closed on the mercenary and stabbed him with one dagger, before whirling behind him to stab him under his shoulder-blade with the other.
'That will not keep him out for long.' the Panther thought, as he sheathed his knives. He turned to the steel-covered pit, to try and free his beloved Ororo...
Suddenly, another tribesman closed on him, brandishing his spear. The Black Panther reached for his knives...
...and then Spyke ran at the tribesman, slamming him with his bone-staff, knocking him out. "My thanks." the Panther said.
Spyke smiled. "Just looking out for my teammate."
Under his cowl, the Panther smiled. "Now, help me get this covering off." he said. Spyke nodded, and started to use his bone-staff as a lever to pry off the covering, as the Panther grabbed the edge, lifting with all his strength...
Deadpool started to get up, his knife-wounds already healed. "That hurt, you lousy, son-of-a..." He started to draw his automatic, taking aim at Spyke and the Black Panther...
Superman instantly darted between his teammates and the mercenary. "I suggest you put that down." he said firmly.
"What the bloody hell?!" Deadpool yelped. "So, you do exist!" He cackled gleefully. "First I get this sweet deal, and then I get to take out the guy on top of the Kingpin's hit-list! This has to be my lucky day!!"
"So it was Fisk who hired you." Superman said. 'Should've known.'
"Nope! Wrong-o, Boy Scout!" Deadpool laughed. "I'm workin' for a new guy, someone who wanted the power of this 'Wind-rider' chick! Why he wanted her, I don't know, but as long as I get paid, I don't care!" He cleared his automatic, aiming at Superman. "Time to earn my pay!" With that, he opened fire.
Superman didn't blink as the stream of bullets bounced harmlessly off of him. "Fisk never told you about me, did he?" he asked pleasantly. "So much for honor among thieves."
Deadpool snarled. "Cute, Boy Scout! Very cute!" he snapped. He reached for the grenades on his vest. "Let's see you shrug off one of these...YEEEEEOOOOOWWWWW!!!!"
Deadpool yanked his hand away from the glowing-hot grenades. Superman lightly smiled as his eyes stopped glowing. "I'd let those puppies cool down a bit before you get rid of them." he said. "I fused the pins to the handles, so they're pretty much useless."
Deadpool snarled in fury, as he drew two wicked-looking knives. "Fine! I'll just do it the old-fashioned way!" With that, he ran at Superman, who didn't move an inch.
Deadpool didn't hesitate. Nor did he miss.
CHINK!
Deadpool's knife hit Superman's neck...and shattered.
Deadpool's eyes widened in horror as he looked upon his ruined blade. Superman's eyes narrowed. "Enough." he said firmly, as he reached over, and lightly flicked Deadpool in the chest.
Deadpool went flying over fifty feet, landing hard with a sickening crack, as he coughed, holding his chest...until his ribs knitted back together. "So, you're bulletproof, huh?" he snapped. Then, he looked to the X-Men. "But what about them?" He drew an automatic pistol, took aim, and fired.
Superman's eyes widened in horror...and then narrowed, as he darted towards his friends at super-speed.
Superman raced after the stream of bullets, which seemed to be moving in slow-motion to his eyes. He couldn't risk the bullets deflecting off him to ricochet and hit the X-Men.
He put himself between the bullets and his friends, his hands moving like lightning, as he caught every single bullet in his hands. After Deadpool had emptied his ammo-clip, Superman opened his hands, letting the bullets clatter harmlessly to the ground.
Deadpool's eyes widened. "Holy shit..."
His eyes narrowed, Superman inhaled and unleashed a burst of his gale-breath, sending Deadpool flying far out of sight.
Turning, Superman spotted the Hungan, running away. He then heard Spyke call out, "Big Blue, catch!" At that, Spyke tossed his bone-staff to Superman, who caught it, took aim, and threw.
The staff stuck into the ground just ahead of the Hungan, causing him to trip, and fall flat on his face. Superman then saw that the covering was off the pit. "All yours, Storm!" he called.
Those words were all that Storm needed, as she floated out of the pit, her eyes glowing white. "You wanted my power, Hungan?" she shouted, her sentence punctuated by thunder. "Well, here's more than you can handle!!"
Storm pointed at the Hungan, trapping him in a whirling tunnel of wind, spinning him around and around, before tossing him into the air, and sending waves of hailstones to pummel him, as bolts of lightning arced dangerously close to him.
The Hungan landed on the ground hard, moaning piteously. The Black Panther was instantly upon him, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him up. "Who put you up to this?!" he roared.
"I...I can't..." the Hungan whimpered.
The Panther drew a knife, putting it to the Hungan's neck. "You will tell me now," he snarled, "or, by the Panther God Bast, I will cut your skull open and extract the information myself!"
"If I tell..." the Hungan moaned...and then his eyes went wide. "No...no, please!!" he cried, to an unknown assailant. "I won't tell!! I swear I won't!!! Please, Master, don't punish me!!! Have mercy, Master Mes – " Suddenly, his head snapped back, from an invisible blow...and his eyes went wide, unfocused, utterly catatonic.
Jean put her hands to her head. "A telepath did that." she murmured. "He's still alive...but he's brain-dead."
"Someone didn't want him to talk." Cyclops said.
Superman scanned the nearby area, looking for whoever could have done this. He thought he saw a shadow in the distance...and then, it was gone.
By then, Ororo had touched down, clearly still shaken-up by the whole experience. "Stormy, y' okay?" Gambit asked.
Ororo's gaze fell to the Black Panther. "T-T'Challa?" she cried. "You...you came..."
"Of course I came." the Panther – T'Challa – said. "I came as soon as I heard what was happening."
At that, Ororo simply passed out, and the Panther quickly caught her, lifting her into his arms. "I think it best if we leave the Hungan and his followers to the authorities." he said. "We should return to your Institute."
"Right." Cyclops agreed. "We should go." At that, the X-Men, and the Panther, still carrying Ororo, headed back to the X-Van, and drove back to the Institute, as Superman took to the sky, flying home.
After he'd changed out of his uniform and into his regular clothes, Evan headed down to the infirmary, where his Aunt was sleeping. As he walked in, he saw the Black Panther there, by her bedside, holding her hand. The Panther looked up as Evan walked in. "Is...she okay?" Evan asked.
The Panther nodded. "She had a case of shock from being in there for a while, but it could have been worse." he answered. His voice turned warm. "She was fighting her fear."
Evan smiled. "Yeah; she's one tough lady."
The Panther looked to him, his voice uncertain. "Are you...her son?"
Evan lightly chuckled, shaking his head no. "Her nephew." he corrected. "Auntie O isn't even married!" Then, he gulped. "Who are you, really?" he asked.
"Someone who loves your Aunt very much." the Panther replied.
"How come she never mentioned you?" Evan asked.
The Panther sighed. "I suppose we both had a bit of growing up to do, back then." he said.
Evan gulped. "I...heard that Deadpool guy call you a...King..."
The Panther simply slid back his cowl, revealing the face of an African man, in this thirties, with dark skin, short, dark brown hair, and brown eyes. "I am T'Challa, King of Wakanda." he said.
Evan froze for a few seconds. "I'm...Evan Daniels." he murmured. "Should I...kneel?"
The Panther – T'Challa – smiled. "That is not necessary, my young friend." he assured Evan. He held out his hand. "It is an honor to meet you."
Evan smiled, and shook it. "Likewise!" He then looked to his Aunt...and the frowned sadly, remembering how he'd goofed in training today, because of how he'd messed up his Physics mid-term...
T'Challa noticed his expression. "Something is weighing upon you." he observed.
Evan nodded. "It's probably nothing you ever had problems with, Your Highness." he said. "I flunked my Physics mid-term exam. These past few weeks I've been doing extra-credit assignments to make up for it, and just today, I did a make-up exam...but I was late for training with Auntie O, and I messed up, and made her mad." He lowered his head. "I just couldn't tell her how I'd failed..."
T'Challa placed his hand on Evan's shoulder. "There is no shame in failure, Evan." he said. "When I was your age, I had to learn all sorts of difficult subjects, from the harshest taskmaster of all – my father, T'Chaka. Not only that, I had to master numerous fighting styles." He chuckled. "I cannot recall how many times I got answers wrong, or how many times I was knocked flat on my back." He looked Evan in the eye. "If my father was upset when I made a mistake, it was not because I made it, but because I did not learn from it; our mistakes teach us, Evan. If you have learned from yours...then your Aunt will not be angry."
Evan smiled. "Thanks." he said. "So...are you a mutant, too?"
T'Challa smiled, shaking his head. "Not exactly." he said. "My abilities came to me as the leader of the Panther Clan; when I became king, I ate the sacred heart-shaped fruit cultivated by my family, which gave me the strength, speed, and heightened senses of my namesake."
"Cool!" Evan exclaimed. "Is that where you got those knives?"
"No; they were of my own design." T'Challa answered. "They are made of vibranium, a rare metal that Wakanda has vast stores of. Vibranium has many unique properties; a vibranium blade is arguably the sharpest blade there is."
Just then, Ororo began to stir, opening her eyes. "Evan..?" she murmured.
Evan smiled at his Aunt, as T'Challa stepped back, giving them their space. "Hey, Auntie O."
Ororo smiled weakly. "I heard everything you said, Evan."
Evan's face fell. "Oh. Yeah...sorry, Auntie O."
Ororo smiled. "Evan, you could never disappoint me." she whispered. She extended her arms to her nephew, and Evan zipped in to hug his Aunt.
"Hey, Auntie O," Evan added, "your friend T'Challa is still here."
Ororo smiled warmly. "He's much more than a friend, Evan." she replied. "He was almost your uncle."
Evan smiled. "I'll...just give you two some time alone." he said, as their hug ended. He turned to go...
"Wait."
Evan stopped, turning to face T'Challa. "I would like to give you a gift, Evan...with your Aunt's permission." the Panther said. Ororo smiled, and nodded.
Evan's eyes widened as T'Challa unclipped a sheathed knife from his cross-belt, and handed it to him, handle first. "Really??"
T'Challa nodded. "Draw it not to take life, but to save the lives of those you love."
Evan felt like he had just been knighted. "T-Thank you, sir!" he said, as he reverently took the knife. T'Challa just smiled, and affectionately ruffled his hair. Smiling, Evan headed out of the infirmary, gazing upon the gift he'd been given by the King of Wakanda.
Ororo smiled as Evan left, her heart fluttering as she was alone with her longtime love. "He's a good boy." T'Challa said, smiling at her. "You must be very proud."
Ororo smiled back, slowly getting out of bed, hoping her knees wouldn't start wobbling. "It's...wonderful to see you, again, T'Challa." she whispered. "How...are you?"
T'Challa lightly smiled. "Well." he replied softly. "My country is prospering, and, with a few minor exceptions, we have peace, though I am getting increasing pressure to export vibranium and Wakandan technology."
Ororo nodded. "It...must be difficult."
"At times." T'Challa agreed. He lightly smiled. "But no more than guiding over a dozen teenagers with special powers."
Ororo laughed. "Yes, they can certainly be a handful, at times!" she said. Her tone turned a bit sad. "I'm sure that your...Queen must help you..."
T'Challa smiled wistfully. "I have no Queen, Ororo."
"You don't?" Ororo asked, excited. Then, she quickly calmed, adding, "I...see."
T'Challa smiled, walking to her, and took her hands in his. "There is only one woman I would have for my Queen, Ororo." he whispered. "And she is the only one who owns my heart."
Ororo smiled, feeling her face turn rosy. "T'Challa...there is no other for me but you..." she whispered, "...that has never changed...and it never will."
T'Challa smiled, and tenderly embraced her, his touch electrifying her. "Ororo, my darling...would you do me the honor of..?"
Ororo smiled gently, sweetly shushing him by placing her finger on his lips. "I know what you are about to say T'Challa." she cooed. "Nothing would make me happier than to be your Queen...but I can't leave here; not yet. I am still needed, here; the Professor, Logan and I are teaching the students to control their powers and use them for the good of all..." she giggled, "...and, at times, keeping them from killing each other."
"DRAKE!!" came Rogue's scream, as Bobby ran past the infirmary door, followed by a very angry Rogue, her hair covered with shaving cream. "AH SWEAR TA GAWD, WHEN AH GET MAH HANDS ON YA, AH'LL TURN YA INTO A SNOW-CONE!!"
T'Challa softly chuckled, as a very embarrassed Ororo buried her head in his shoulder, trying to suppress her laughter. "So I see." T'Challa said. "I suppose it would be selfish of me to ask you this when you are still needed."
Ororo lightly smiled. "Perhaps, in the very near future, when things are settled, I won't be needed as much." she cooed. "Could you...ask me again in a year?"
T'Challa smiled. "In a year." he promised. "Until then."
Ororo felt her face burning. "I'm so out of practice at this."
"No more than I." T'Challa replied. "But there is a delightful saying in America for this sort of thing: 'It's like riding a bicycle: once you learn...you never forget'." And with that, he leaned down to her, and Ororo stood up on the tips of her toes, meeting him.
And with that kiss, they were back in Africa, back where they belonged. Ororo sighed happily, savoring her beloved T'Challa's kiss; there was nothing more perfect, more natural than being in his arms. After a few wonderful minutes, their kiss ended, and they just gazed into each other's eyes...
"Miss Munroe?" came Clark's voice from outside the infirmary. "The Professor wanted to see you when you were ready."
Ororo smiled. "I suppose I should go."
T'Challa smiled. "I should go, as well."
"Don't be a stranger."
"I won't." T'Challa promised. "Perhaps...in a few weeks, I might...take you out for dinner?"
Ororo beamed. "I'd like that." she cooed. "When you can, just...just call me."
T'Challa smiled. "I will." Smiling, her face flushed, Ororo left the infirmary, passing Clark – Superman, still in uniform – in the corridor, feeling like a schoolgirl all over again.
She couldn't have been happier.
Superman couldn't help but smile as he saw Ororo's happy expression, and chuckled as he saw a similar expression on T'Challa's face as he looked into the infirmary. "I...hope I didn't interrupt anything." he said. "I just didn't want to walk in on anything...again." At that, T'Challa arched an eyebrow quizzically, lightly smiling. "Long story." Superman explained. He smiled, and extended his hand. "It's an honor to meet you, Your Majesty!"
T'Challa smiled, and shook it. "The honor, Superman, is mine." he replied. "Truthfully, I had hoped to meet you, to express my gratitude."
Superman blinked, confused. "For what?"
"For saving part of the Wakandan rain forest, several months ago; had you not contained that forest fire, the results would have been catastrophic." T'Challa explained. "That particular rain forest contains plant life that Wakandan botanists have been studying; they believed that many medicines can be made from compounds in those plants. Not only that, the forests are part of the ancestral grounds of my family, the Panther Clan. Superman, you have saved something very precious, both to my people and myself. Not only that, you have helped save the life of the woman I love." He lightly bowed. "I owe so much to you."
Superman lightly shook his head. "Your Highness, it was the right thing to do." he replied. "Anyone would have done the same. And as for Ororo...she's family."
T'Challa smiled. "Nevertheless, without your and the X-Men's help, I shudder to think what may have happened." he said. "My operatives watching the Hungan almost did not alert me in time." He chuckled. "My father always taught me to think two steps ahead of my enemies and three steps ahead of my friends. How right he was!"
Superman smiled. "The words of a very wise man." he agreed.
T'Challa nodded. "Regardless, Superman, of what this hypothetical 'anyone' would have done, the fact remains that I am indebted to you; I owe you a debt of honor that I must repay."
Superman lightly smiled. "Your Highness..."
T'Challa chuckled. "If you refuse, I will be most offended."
Superman grinned. "Well, Your Majesty, when you put it that way, how can I refuse?" he said. Then, he remembered something. "Now that you mention it, Your Majesty, maybe there is something you can help me with."
"Oh?"
"When I blew out that forest fire, I detected an unusual energy signature in part of the forest." Superman continued. "It was far away from any city, but it was a degree higher than any of your power plants."
T'Challa nodded. "I know the place of which you speak." he said. "I will take you there now, if you wish."
"Thank you." Superman said, lightly bowing.
They were both about to leave when Alison walked in. "Tausha, I was wondering..." she began, but stopped as she saw T'Challa. "Oh, I-I'm so sorry!" she stammered. "I didn't mean to..!"
"It's okay, Ali." Superman assured her, smiling. "I just have to step out for a minute, taushi, but I'll be back soon, okay?"
Alison smiled. "Okay." she cooed, and she headed off.
T'Challa smiled. "I see that you, too, know the joy that the love of a good woman can bring."
Superman nodded. "Yes, sir, Your Highness; having a special lady in your life makes everything worthwhile."
T'Challa smiled...and then looked confused. "But that word you used – 'taushi' – I know a few languages, but none with anything close to such a word."
Superman lightly chuckled. "That's another long story, Your Majesty." he said. "Let's just get going; I'll explain on the way." With that, they both headed out.
After finding T'Challa's small aircraft, they were underway, as Superman was content to be a passenger on this flight, as he told T'Challa of his origins. Within a few hours, they were flying over the Wakandan rain forest, and, sure enough, Superman's belt-computer was picking up the same power-signature he'd noticed before; it was coming from an ancient temple deep in the rain forest.
Superman had finished the story just as the aircraft had touched down. "Astounding!" T'Challa exclaimed as they stepped out. "I am actually conversing with a being from an alien civilization millennia ahead of ours! This is amazing!"
Superman chuckled. "It was a surprise for me, too."
T'Challa's expression then turned regretful. "But I am truly sorry to hear of your people's fate." he said. "We of Earth – all of us – could have learned a great deal from the people of Krypton. Their passing is a true tragedy."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Superman said. By then, they were walking into the temple. "Wow...this place must be hundreds of years old..."
"Five hundred, actually."
Superman then looked at the hieroglyphics upon the walls of the corridor that they were entering. "This tells of the people that built this temple." he said. "It was built in homage of Bast, the Panther God." He moved to the next section. "This tells of an event, shortly after the temple was completed...something fell from the sky."
"Very good." T'Challa said. "There are very few who can understand these writings."
"Languages are a hobby of mine; I guess it started after learning the Kryptonian language." Superman chuckled. Then, he frowned. "I...I must be reading this wrong; it says 'flying star,' not 'falling star'."
"You are reading it correctly." T'Challa assured him. "I myself wondered about that phrasing...until I saw it."
"Saw what?" Superman asked. T'Challa did not answer, but simply continued on, and Superman followed.
They came to an altar-chamber, with the altar in the center...and upon it was a fairly large, gleaming metal, high-tech-looking object, almost looking like a cannon, with crystals woven into the metal. It was producing the power-signature.
Superman knew what it was. 'I don't believe it...'
"This was the object that fell from the sky." T'Challa said. "We have never been able to activate the device. The most that we have ever been able to determine is that it is composed of mostly a metal similar to vibranium, but with several unique properties...including incredible resistance to corrosion; not even vibranium can resist corrosion to this extent. For the longest time, my people have had no idea what it was...but I have long had reason to believe that it is part of an alien spacecraft that crashed on Earth, 500 years ago."
"You're right, Your Highness." Superman said softly. "It is part of an alien spacecraft." Slowly, Superman reached out to touch it...
The instant he did, the device whirred to life, glowing lines tracing themselves in the metal, its crystal starting to glow as it powered up. Quickly, Superman pulled his hand away, and it shut down.
"A Kryptonian spacecraft."
T'Challa's eyes widened. "You know what it is?"
Superman nodded. "Be thankful that you were never able to activate it, Your Majesty." he said. "This is an Ion-Pulse Cannon, from a Swift Justice-Class Speeder, the fastest type of ship in Krypton's Fleet. Even on the lowest setting, this Cannon has the equivalent firepower of a 100-kiloton nuclear weapon."
T'Challa's eyes widened. "This is...a weapon?"
Superman nodded. "Though my people were peaceful, there were several other races in the universe that were not on friendly terms with my people. They had to defend themselves." he explained. "Be thankful that it was not a more heavily-armed ship that crashed here; the Speeder had only light weaponry. A more powerful ship – like a Balanced Judgement-Class Cruiser – would have a power-signature that every country on the planet could detect." He lightly smiled. "Your Highness...you have just shown me that my people have been here, before." He bowed. "Thank you."
T'Challa smiled. "To be honest, I am somewhat reluctant to keep it here, now." he admitted. "I am already under considerable pressure to export vibranium and Wakandan technology to other countries, most notably the U.S. and Latveria."
Superman lightly frowned at the mention of Doom's country.
"I see that you have had dealings with Victor von Doom." T'Challa observed. "And from your expression, I gather that they were not pleasant."
"Hardly, Your Highness."
"Perhaps it would be better if you took this weapon." T'Challa added. "Ultimately, it belongs to your people – to you. My people and I have no use for it, and if Doom were to learn that an alien weapon of such power were here, he would surely want it. Please, Superman, take it, with the friendship and gratitude of myself and my people."
Superman smiled. "Thank you, Your Highness." he replied. "I promise, I will store it where not even Doom will look for it. And even if he does look...he'll have the devil's own time getting in!"
T'Challa chuckled. "Very good." he said. "But there is one more thing: please call me T'Challa."
Superman chuckled. "In that case, you can call me Kal-El." He extended his hand.
T'Challa grinned, and shook it. "Well met, Kal-El of Krypton." he said. "Farewell." Superman nodded, and lifted the Ion-Pulse Cannon onto his shoulder, darted outside, and took to the air, flying north.
He knew just where to store it.
It was almost midnight at the Institute, and Alison was sitting on her bed in her room, in her favorite blue bra and panties, the crest of the House of El – Clark's crest – on them, her strawberry blonde tresses tied in a long ponytail, her guitar in her arms, as she absently strummed the cords, until she found just the right one. Smiling, she took a piece of paper, and wrote it down, before she continued strumming, looking for the next one.
She smiled as she heard a familiar sonic boom echo above her head...seconds before a red-and-blue blur whooshed through her open window, as Superman sat next to her on her bed.
Alison smiled. "Ever heard of knocking?" she sweetly teased.
Superman smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." he said. "I was just so excited; Ali, you won't believe what I found out!"
Alison giggled. "Oh, how cute are you, you goof!" she cooed.
"They were here!" Superman exclaimed. "My people, Ali! They've been on Earth, before!"
Alison's eyes widened, as she smiled in amazement. "Clark, that's incredible!" she exclaimed. "How did you find this out?"
"T'Challa showed me an artifact that fell in his country 500 years ago – an Ion-Pulse Cannon from a Swift Justice-Class Speeder, Ali! It must have been on a surveillance mission of Earth! But the Speeder is only medium-range; it couldn't have come from outside the system directly! That must mean that there's a World-Gate in this system! But it's unlikely that it simply crashed; the Kree and the Skrulls have used this system as a battleground in the past – they must have shot it down! The Speeder had only fairly light shields, so it's possible..."
"Clark, slow down!" Alison laughed. "Some of us only have human brains, remember?"
"Sorry."
Alison giggled. "If you tell me what on Earth you're talking about, I might forgive you." she teased. "For starters, what's a World-Gate?"
Superman smiled. "World-Gates were how the Kryptonian people traveled through space before the advent of Trans-Warp." he explained. "The World-Gate network was established hundreds of thousands of years ago; Kryptonian pioneers set out into space, traveling across several star systems, until they stopped. They then built the Gate, programmed it, and entered the sequence to connect to the Gate in the Xerius Galaxy, and then just jumped home to re-supply, while the next team jumped to the previous Gate, and continued on. Each Gate has its own eight-symbol sequence; entering one Gate's sequence into another Gate synchronizes the Gates, allowing a wormhole to form, for instantaneous transportation. Over thousands of years, my people explored much of the universe this way."
"Wow..." Alison murmured, "...Clark, your people sound amazing!"
"Thanks!" Superman replied. "My people eventually made contact with many races in the universe. Most were friendly...but a few weren't."
"The...Kree and the Skrulls?" Alison asked.
Superman nodded. "The Kree-Skrull War has been going on for millions of years, Ali." he said. "Chances are, those two races are still going at it. The Kryptonian people literally stumbled onto a battle in that War over 2000 year ago, and tried to make contact."
"I guess even advanced races make dumb mistakes, on occasion."
"Immediately, both the Kree Empire and the Skrull Empire recognized that Kryptonian technology was infinitely superior to theirs." Superman continued. "Both sides want them as allies, to completely annihilate the other. My people, initially, tried to mediate for both sides, to end the conflict...but neither Kree nor Skrull would be satisfied until the other side was destroyed. My people then simply left, activated the nearest Gate, and headed back to Krypton."
"My people realized that neither side would take no for an answer; they would head to Krypton to try and force my people to take sides. The Kryptonians then recalled every single one of my people back to Krypton, and shut down the entire Gate network, to prevent the Kree and the Skrulls from using it. It was around this time that my people starting encoding their technology so only Kryptonians could use it. But since the Kree and Skrull home-worlds were relatively close to Krypton, my people knew that it was only a matter of time before they came to Krypton, anyway."
"What did they do?" Alison asked.
"My people knew that both sides would have to pass through a certain galaxy to reach Xerius." Superman said. "So the most brilliant scientists of the age – led by one of my ancestors, Nir-El, and his longtime friend, Den-Lir, of the House of Lir – traveled to that galaxy, to construct one of the greatest technological feats in Kryptonian history."
"Sentrius. The first – and only – Steadfast Guardian-Class Battlestation in history." Superman continued. "Sentrius was armed with the latest in weapons technology, scanners, shields, defenses, and Artificial Intelligence; it was designed to be completely automated – a mighty sentry, standing guard against Krypton's enemies."
"Did Sentrius work?" Alison asked.
Superman nodded. "Within several years, the Kree and Skrull fleets arrived at the galaxy that Sentrius was in." he said. "Both sides came ready to fight; over a million ships, each."
"Sentrius completely decimated both sides in a matter of minutes."
"Whoa!!"
"Yeah." Superman agreed. "After that, the Skrulls pretty much gave up on trying to compel my people to join them; having less than fifty of a million ships return tends to wreck morale. The Kree, however, wouldn't quit; over the next few centuries, they sent ships to try to defeat or get past Sentrius...and Sentrius defeated them easily, each and every time. As time went on, my people periodically upgraded Sentrius, as new technologies became developed. After about a thousand years, they gave up, too. Things were peaceful, then."
"Until the Shi'ar attacked."
"The who?"
"The Shi'ar were another race my people had contact with; relations between them were always friendly." Superman answered. "But some time after the World-Gate network was reactivated, the Shi'ar Emperor of the time, Kral'Nor, wanted to use the network to conquer nearby star systems. My people tried to reason with him, until they had no choice but to call back every Kryptonian to Krypton, and shut down the network. This time, however, Sentrius couldn't help, because the Shi'ar's system wasn't anywhere near Sentrius, so my people built a massive shield to protect Krypton, as well as massive plasma cannons to shoot down the Shi'ar Imperial Navy when it came. Soon, they came, and laid siege to Krypton for over five years. The Shi'ar could never pierce the shield or destroy my people's ships, and my people couldn't destroy enough of their ships – they were vastly outnumbered, a million to one."
"Then, in the sixth year of the siege, the Kryptonian Defense Force – led by General Zod – had an idea." Superman said. "My father, Jor-El, developed a way to activate only one World-Gate, leaving the others inactive. After Jor-El developed newer, more powerful weapons, a small team, including Jor-El, and another scientist, Yen-Lir, and led by General Zod, broke through the Shi'ar lines, and activated the Gate...heading to Sentrius. They managed to move Sentrius into position next to the Gate...where Zod used the Gate as a tactical weapon; he fired Sentrius' weapons through the open Gate, programming them to automatically lock on to Shi'ar ships."
"The Shi'ar never knew what hit them."
"Wow!!" Alison exclaimed. "That is amazing, Clark!" She giggled. "I'm dating a member of the most advanced race in the universe!" She smiled. "And your father helped save his world...just like you saved ours. Like father, like son."
Superman beamed at the compliment. "Thanks, taushi." he said. Then, he chuckled. "But my people were not perfect, Ali." he added. "We made plenty of mistakes in our time. We just learned from them, and grew...just like humanity can."
Alison smiled. "Clark...did your people believe that there is a universal soul, a place that we all return to when our lives end?"
Superman chuckled. "I'm afraid that my people have puzzled over that question just as much as humanity has, taushi." he said. He smiled. "But when I'm with you...I feel a little closer to the answer." With that, he leaned in and kissed her.
Alison sighed happily, setting her guitar aside and sitting in her boyfriend's lap, encouraging him to deepen the kiss. After a few wonderful minutes, their kiss ended. Then, her expression turned sad. "So...when did Krypton..?"
Superman turned sad. "It was very shortly after the siege ended." he replied. "My father tried to warn Krypton's governing body – the Council of Twelve – that its core was going to explode, but Brainiac – the Brain Inter-Active Construct – refuted his claims, saying that the tremors were only a seismic shift." His tone turned dark.
"But Brainiac lied."
Alison's eyes went wide. "He...betrayed them?"
Superman nodded. "My father found out about Brainiac's deception, and managed to send me to Earth just before Krypton exploded. If Brainiac had warned my people earlier, they might have survived..." He lowered his head. "But that's in the past; I shouldn't dwell on it, too much."
Alison was silent for a few moments. "So...how did this Speeder get to Earth?"
"It must have crashed here during a surveillance mission." Superman reasoned. "As I said, this system was a frequent battlefield for the Kree and Skrulls; apparently, it occupies a strategic spot between their territories. My people had only sporadic contact with those two after Sentrius was constructed. The Skrulls basically left us alone, but the Kree hated us, and blamed us for not helping them during the war. My people's technology was more advanced, but a Speeder was no match for an entire Kree battle-group." He sighed, worried. "That's another reason I try to keep a low profile; the Kree and Skrulls occasionally send probes to scan Earth."
Alison gasped. "Are they...going to invade?"
"Probably not." Superman reasoned. "Other than this system's strategic value, Earth has no advantage to them; they have no reason to come here." His tone turned grave. "But they would recognize the crest of the Kryptonian House of El, and they surely know about Krypton's destruction, by now. The Skrulls might not do anything, but if the Kree learn that the sole survivor of Krypton was here..." he didn't finish.
Alison lightly smiled. "You'd stop them, tausha." she cooed. "You'd find a way to kick them off our planet."
Superman smiled. "Thanks." he said. "But I only found part of the Speeder; the rest has to still be on Earth, somewhere, and I need to find it before someone like Doom does."
"You'll find it." Alison said, smiling. "I know you will."
Superman grinned. "How is it that you always know how to lift my mood?"
Alison giggled. "I'm your girlfriend, you big, blue goof!" she teased. Superman just smiled at her, before he inched closer to her. Alison just smiled, her eyes closing, as she leaned up to meet him...
Suddenly, Superman froze, his body stiffening, his gaze miles away. Alison chuckled; she knew that look. "Duty calls?"
Superman smiled apologetically. "I'm so sorry..."
"Don't be." Alison cooed, sweetly kissing him. "There are people who need you, so get going!" Superman smiled, quickly kissing her, and then darted out the window, flying off at supersonic speeds.
Alone in her room, Alison simply smiled, putting her guitar away, before climbing into bed, happy that her Clarkie had shared part of his people's history with her. She closed her eyes, content to let her thoughts of him turn to dreams.
Undisclosed location
In a dark room, numerous black-robed figures had gathered before a single figure as a cloaked individual entered. "The Hungan has failed to obtain the mutant Storm." he said. "Fortunately, I was able to silence him with the Master's power before he could reveal us."
The ancient, living-stone mutant known as Ozymandias turned to face the figure. Ozymandias seemed to resemble a man in his late sixties, his skin carved to resemble a simple robe, with a turban upon his head. "This is most troubling, Mesmero. If we cannot obtain mutants for the Master, then we cannot revive him."
The illusionist known as Mesmero lowered his hood. Mesmero was in his late forties, with light skin, dark eyes, and a bald head etched with arcane tattoos, clad in dark robes. "We still have time, Master Ozymandias. Soon, I will begin the search for the three keys to free Master Nur."
"See that you do." Ozymandias said. "Prophecy or no, we cannot delay."
Mesmero looked grave. "I believe that Irene Adler's prophecy may yet be true, Master. I saw the Child of the Star – the one called Superman. He exists."
Ozymandias' eyes narrowed. "Did he see you?"
"Possibly." Mesmero said. "He is indeed powerful, Master..."
"No man can match the power of Apocalypse." Ozymandias said coldly. "Master Nur will return, and soundly defeat this 'Superman,' no matter what hokum-prophecies that lesser mutants divine!"
"Yes, Master." Mesmero agreed. With that, they dispersed, heading to their individual quarters. One figure closed the door on their quarters, and threw back the hood on her robe.
Mystique frowned at what she'd heard; this 'Master Nur' unnerved her, and 'Apocalypse' sounded worse. She easily remembered her old friend Irene's words.
"...and all around him, mutantkind shall unite, to drive back the dark in a terrible fight..."
Well, it looked like she'd just found 'the dark.'
Still, she had to discover more, as part of the deal she'd made. Putting her hood back on, Mystique left her quarters, to look around.
'No monster is going to start a war that could take the lives of my children.' she thought to herself.
The next day, as school started, Evan took a deep breath as he walked towards the posted mid-term exam marks. He stood before the sheet of Physics marks, and found his name...
"YES!!" Evan crowed; 90 percent. He'd aced it!
Hearing him, his friends came over. "Hey, way to go, Evan!" Scott congratulated him.
Evan grinned. "Thanks!" he said. "Sorry I wigged out on you guys, yesterday!"
"Ach, vater under zhe bridge, mein friend!" Kurt replied.
"You could have told us!" Kitty exclaimed. "We would've helped you study!"
Evan laughed. "And end up wearing that goofy 'study-hat' you bought, a few weeks ago, K-Girl?" he quipped. "Thanks, but no thanks!"
Laughing, they all headed into class...pausing as a sonic boom echoed overhead. Evan just smiled up at the sky, as their friend went off to save the day again, before heading to class.
Author's Note: Sorry about the delay. My creative well hit a brief dry spot. But I think I'm back on track now. I hope you enjoy! You guys rock!
Coming Soon:
After a tiff between her and Scott, Jean and some of the X-Girls decide to show the boys just what they can do.
But have they bitten off a tiny bit more than they can chew?
Can Superman and Dazzler help their friends?
Or will they need the aid of one without fear?
Find out in "Night on the Town," coming to your computer soon…