SHADOW OF DEATH
Chapter 14: Wakanda
The SHIELD jet took them as far as Kampala.
"Wakanda doesn't allow tourists so do not be surprised if you don't gain entry," their SHEILD pilot told them as they landed at the Entebbe airport. "They also do not have an airport, so this is the closest you can come."
"I'm sure it doesn't," Loki said, rolling his eyes and holding in his smirk. He was trying. He really was. However, after a 20 hour flight he was more than tired of pretending to be Thor and even more tired of attempting to keep up polite conversation with Jane Foster. He should have simply met her here.
"I don't understand why you didn't just, you know, vooop us here with your hammer," Jane said as she stretched again and struggled to stand on her shaking legs.
"'Voop'? Really, Dr. Foster-your eloquence astounds. How many suitcases did you carry, might I ask?" he answered.
She shrugged and gave him a knowing glance. "A couple?"
"How, pray tell, am I to carry you and that interminable pile of luggage and still manage to keep a grasp on Mjolnir? Lady Jane, as you have already sought to convince me, you require all this luggage for your research, as well as your comfort and your convenience, and so we have flown here in comfort and convenience."
"If that's what you call it," she said with a slight groan. "Ugh. I need a shower and a nap!"
"You have done nothing but nap and sit still since you boarded this flying vehicle," he responded.
"And read. A lot of reading…and more movies than I've watched in years. I was really behind in my pop culture. I feel ready to converse with any teenager now."
"Indeed. I congratulate you."
Jane gave him a searching expression and he quickly replaced his sarcastic glower with a feigned cheerfulness.
"You are different," she said.
"Different than the three days I spent with you over two years ago? I should hope so," he responded.
She did not answer but shrugged and moved to gather her belongings and disembark.
The thick, humid air swallowed them as they opened the door of the plane and looked out on the silvery expanse of the ocean-like Lake Victoria. The air was rich with the scent of charcoal and diesel fuel, wet earth and growing plants. Red soil and lush, green vegetation warred for dominance against the pale, shallow blue of the equatorial sky.
Fresh rooms and a hot meal met them at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Kampala. Through the bustle and endless noise of the taxis, boda bodas, and millions of bodies filling the cramped, hilly urban jungle, they somehow found their way to their hotel.
"We leave tomorrow at dawn," Loki told her. Jane nodded and retreated into her room.
Their driver loaded all of Jane's suitcases and equipment into the back of a Toyota van and opened the door for her to enter the front seat beside him. The Ugandan man gave her a wide, toothy grin and asked her polite questions while Loki finished paying for their rooms and organized for their departure. Loki, still dressed in Thor's physical frame, now wore a neat, light blue collared shirt and freshly pressed khaki pants. He held a notebook in his hand and slid into the car. Once seated, he pulled a pair of silver rimmed spectacles from his pocket and placed them on his nose. He caught Jane staring at him curiously.
"What's with the get-up?" she asked.
While not understanding her choice of words, he did understand her meaning.
"We are researchers attempting to seek permission to enter Wakanda to conduct our studies," he said. He frowned as their driver burst into laughter.
"Eeee eee eee, ssebo! Forgive me," the man said, meeting Loki's glower in his rear-view mirror. "You wish to gain entry to Wakanda for research? Not even Bill Gates himself was allowed into their borders and he has more money than the presidents of Uganda and Kenya combined! They do not like outsiders. They will not let you in, just like that."
"I thank you for your concern," Loki responded coldly, "but you have been hired to drive and not to speak."
Jane turned to glare at him before she turned to the driver's chided face with an apologetic expression and began to ask him about his family. She spent the remainder of the drive getting to know Mr. Ssebagala and ignoring Loki completely. Loki, grateful for the respite, fell into silence.
After his failed attempts at seeking legal permission to enter through the Wakandan embassy in Washington D.C., he decided he would prefer to arrive in person at their borders and make another attempt. If that failed, he would resort to more creative methods.
At Lukaya, the town bordering the main entrance into Wakanda, their driver stopped.
"This is as far as I can take you," he responded. "The border is 2 kilometers away from here. I wish you all the best."
Ssebagala unloaded their luggage and took it into the tiny hotel nearby. Their two rooms proved to be half of the suites of the entire hotel. The grey- and black-haired woman with a gapped tooth smile gave them a warm welcome and assured them the running water would be back that evening- along with the electricity.
Loki groaned inwardly, gave her a false smile, and thanked her.
"Let's go," he said to Jane, after their hostess cleared away their lunch dishes.
She turned an inquisitive glance to him. He could tell her mind was brimming with questions but she chose to refrain from voicing them. He felt that was a small victory on his side.
They walked the 2 kilometers down the dusty dirt road leading to a lesser-used entrance into Wakanda. After investigating all the various ports of entry on a past trip, Loki had determined that this one was the least likely to ask questions or gain attention. They stopped at a well-guarded gateway manned by six men with AK 47's, jaunty black hats, and green uniforms. A large sign spelled out "Welcome to Wakanda" over them in twelve different languages and a spiked gate showed that, despite what the letters spelled out, they really weren't welcome to Wakanda.
A small line of a dozen or so people stood by the gateway showing passports and paperwork. Women with baskets of wares on their heads, men on bicycles with bundles of plantains, and children with bound chickens all queued before the gate. One man in a black suit waited next to a shiny black Mercedes. The guards flashed each prospective visitor a wide grin, carefully looked over their paperwork, asked them questions in a variety of languages, and either bid them enter or turned them away.
Dozens of eyes fell upon Loki and Jane and stared in hushed fascination as they waited their turn. Some openly gawked, while others spoke in whispers to each other in their native tongues. When they arrived at the window, Loki flashed his widest, most Thor-like grin and greeted the guards.
"I am Dr. Odinson from the University of Toronto and this is my colleague, Dr. Jane Foster. We were invited by the University of Wakanda to study some of the unique geological phenomena of your country," he said. He produced a series of letters and papers, copied exactly from a legitimate visa he found in the archives of the Wakandan embassy.
The guards all turned to each other and burst into laughter.
"I am sorry, Dr. Odinson. Whatever you paid to obtain the documents in your hand is money you have eaten. We do not grant academic visas…or work visas…. or any other kind of visa into Wakanda. Uganda is a very nice country. I suggest you complete your research at Makerere."
"I am afraid I must insist," Loki said, staring the man in the eyes meaningfully. He placed a large stack of currency on the desk. "We will be happy to speak with whoever we must, and, if more is required, we will happily give it."
The guard stared back at him just as forcibly and pushed the stack of currency back towards Loki. "I am afraid I must insist," he responded coolly. "If you continue to waste my time, I will forcibly remove you from our borders."
Loki laughed inwardly and wished to see that happen- till he remembered his difficult to replace and rather fragile (and somewhat bothersome) mortal pet. He placed a forced smile on his face and bid them farewell. He took Jane's arm and took her outside.
"Now what?" she asked.
"Now, we try more clandestine methods," he said.
"We sneak?" she asked skeptically.
"Yes."
She gave him a curious, dubious expression and he arched one eyebrow in question. She sighed.
"Thor, you walked straight into a SHIELD facility by yourself and entirely outnumbered. You never struck me as the kind for 'sneaking'."
"Perhaps, I've gained caution and a healthier respect for the lives of those around me who could get caught in the crossfire," he responded.
She placed a small hand on his forearm briefly but remained silent.
When he waved his hand, they both vanished. They reappeared at the space along the border that he had previously explored. As far as they could see, nothing lay before them but dense tropical forest.
"Woah!" Jane said, breath leaving her in a rush as she lost her balance and fell against him. "What a rush! How did you do that?"
"Magic," he responded shortly.
"Is that easier than flying?" she asked.
"When I wish to be covert, yes."
"Remind me, then, why did we have to sit on a plane for a whole day?"
He ignored her. He could feel her eyes on him as he made his way towards the invisible barrier. He called on his magic and began to feel through the heart of it for a crack or a fissure or some way to force his way through. He did not know if it would work, but he hoped he could create a hole small enough for them to crawl through. His eyes could not see through the barrier, but his magic could feel its way through to sense what was behind. If needed, he could disguise them on the other side until he could figure out a more plausible reason for them to be here. Jane sat on the ground nearby and simply watched him as he worked.
An hour later, his deep concentration was broken by the sound of approaching vehicles. A small, flying vehicle and series of horned beasts all approached their location. The vehicle landed not far from them and a white haired, wrinkled face old man in an embroidered blue and black shirt and trousers exited the helicopter. A contingent of guards surrounded him on all sides while he walked towards the barrier.
The old man paused and signaled with his hand. Loki could feel a small doorway form in the shield nearby. Four women in red and silver armor carrying spears passed through. They stood on each side and the old man walked through and stood in the center of their ranks. Loki could feel the legion of warriors standing guard behind them, hidden by the shield, but ready to intervene at a moment's notice.
Jane squeaked in surprise when she saw the figures materialize from what appeared, in her eyes, to be from thin air. She stood up and backed herself against a tree and stared.
The old man stared at Loki, eyes penetrating through him. They held no fear or surprise. Instead it was Loki's eyes which held surprise as the old man spoke a greeting in high Asgardian and gave a solemn nod of his head.
"Who are you?" Loki asked.
"I am T'Chaka, King of Wakanda. We are honored to receive you again, Kiwanuka," the old king said, arms outstretched. I never thought I would live to see the day. Stories of your last visit have been passed on from our kin for over 400 years. I doubt we have enough malwa to quench your thirst, but we will be happy to share what we have."
Loki looked at the king as if he had suddenly turned into a horned middelsweir calf. He had never heard tell of Thor's visits to this Midgardian kingdom and he felt unsettled by the long memory of the old king.
"I am hoping our previous treaty remains," T'Chaka continued, his eyes still piercing into Loki's. "During the long friendship between our kingdoms, we have sought to honor our pledges. Your hammer, it still serves you well?"
Loki allowed his Midgardian garb to transform into his illusion of Thor's scarlet armor. He held up the illusion of Mjolnir before him and the king appeared pleased.
"Your father paid us a king's ransom for the vibranium ore necessary for its construction. He spoke with joy of the great plans he had for his son," T'Chaka said. "Now, your sister will not return, yes? She is still spoken of as a curse of the darkest of legends. I would rather die a thousand deaths than have Hela allowed back onto this land."
"I have no sister," Loki said, confidence growing that this old man must be mistaken.
The old king looked upon him again, a thoughtful expression upon his face. "As you say. Now, Kiwanuka, why do we find you hiding around our walls like a mamba hiding in the grasses? You had only to knock on our front door and we would welcome you gladly. Have you forgotten our treaty?"
"After so many years, I assumed I would be forgotten," Loki said.
"Four hundred years is too small a time to forget you if we had not forgotten your father after thousands of years. Come, Kiwanuka," T'Chaka said. He turned to walk through the invisible doorway and past the barrier into Wakanda. The four women turned and followed him. Loki nodded his head at Jane to tell her to follow. They walked through the doorway and the illusory forest disintegrated. In its wake, they saw an army of warriors mounted on great grey one-horned beasts and carrying shields and spears.
Loki suddenly gasped as he felt his magic restrained by an invisible force stronger than iron chains. He struggled against it, but he could not break free. Jane's face morphed into an expression of shock as she stared at him.
"Thor?" she asked. "What..."
"My King, this is not Kiwanuka," said one of the warrior maidens alongside the old king. "He is an imposter."
Loki's eyes fell to where his hand no longer carried Mjolnir and where a scarlet cape no longer flowed. Instead, he wore the Midgardian clothes that he had physically dressed himself in that morning. He grabbed a strand of his hair and saw it now flowed dark ebony instead of sunlight. He held up both his hands in an expression of surrender before his mouth twisted into a cocky smirk.
"I am Loki, Prince of Asgard, and King of Midgard," he said. "And I believe this is my first visit to this illustrious realm. I humbly request access into the Kingdom of Wakanda."
"Prince Loki of Asgard, you have lied to the King of Wakanda," T'Chaka said gravely. "This is an offence which cannot be overlooked."
Loki fell into a defensive stance and subtly sought a knife from beneath his shirt. Before he could withdraw it, he found his hand bound by a firm metallic cord and his arms held in the unnaturally strong arms of a man dressed entirely in shining black. Loki reached for his magic and cursed as he found he could not set it free and draw it to himself. Before he could struggle further, his eye-sight grew dim, his thoughts stilled, and he knew no more.
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Notes:
A.) Location: Wakanda is shown in some cases to be in north western Kenya on Lake Turkana. But, really, who wants to live in the middle of a desert? The Wakandan kingdom doesn't strike me as pastoralist nomads so we will leave the Turkana and Samburu there. Othertimes it is shown somewhere in western Uganda. We will go with this option and put Wakanda to western Uganda/eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Theoretically, an unconquered, uncolonized kingdom of Wakanda maintained their hold during the Scramble for Africa so they maintained their land (from about Masaka to Nebbi on the Uganda side into a good chunk of the Maiko National park on the side of the DRC. This leaves them with the Rwenzori Mountains, Lake Albert, Lake Edward, and a good bit of the White Nile. I envision the Wakandan capital of Birnin Zana to be near the Rwenzori Mountains, not far from Kasese.) Essentially, Wakanda is where the kingdoms of Ankole and Bunyoro were.
B.) Language: in the Black Panther movie, they speak Xhosa, a South African language. While the Pan-African celebration of Africa can be an adventure, I'm trying to ground Wakanda into a particular cultural/geographic region. The fictional country of Wakanda is over 2,200 miles away from where Xhosa is spoken. Therefore, I am going to use Swahili as my African language of choice (also a Bantu language but a commonly spoken one across East Africa). Technically Swahili doesn't even make sense to be their main language either as it's a trade language that developed from a mixture of Portuguese, Bantu, and Arabic, but it makes more sense than Xhosa in this context... more likely each distinct "tribe" in Wakanda would have their own dialect, unless they are bound by their own distinct language (most likely Bantu or Nilotic).
C.) I'm combining Norse mythology with Kiganda mythology (hooray for archetypes!). Hence we get Gulu, god of the sky and his son Kiwanuka (pronounced chi-wa-nuk-a), the Thunder god who carries a hammer and Walumbe of death. I will pull in some mythology from the Bunyoro and Ankole later, as well, but the Kiganda pantheon is more fun. Enjoy!