Chapter 16 – A Herb

[A/N: This chapter and the following one are two of my favourite ones, as they give us the first glimpse of how others see the main character. And as they kinda belong together, I decide to upload both of them together. That also means that I won't post another chapter for this story until the end of the week, most likely Friday, so keep that in mind. Anyway, enjoy the story!]

[2011 – January]

It didn't take me long to load the Vibranium into the car, not with my speed, and as soon as I was finished I activated one of the bombs on the ship with a timer.

As we drove away from the Salvage Yard – me behind the steering wheel, while Wanda rested beside me – the empty shipwreck blew up. There really was no point in leaving behind evidence on a crime scene.

It only took us another two hours to arrive back at Durban and a few minutes in which I loaded the Vibranium onto the ship.

Afterwards we stayed in Durban for a few days, where I spent a lot of time comforting Wanda as she was still pretty shaken by the events. Murdering someone in cold blood, always left its mark. At least it did if one wasn't a hypocrite about it and told himself that what they did was for some noble reason.

Killing another being, either in cold-blood or self-defense, was always murder in my opinion. The motivation may be different, but the burden and the outcome are the same, one person took another person's life.

Being able to accept that and live with the burden of one's actions was a sign of true strength. At least in my book it was.

That was also what I told Wanda.

The fact that as a consequence of our actions at the Salvage Yard, innocent people would not get harmed by these weapons had helped her in dealing with her inner conflict.

Though I made sure she understood the difference between motive and consequence.

Preventing innocent people getting hurt by the weapons we destroyed was only a consequence of our actions. The motive had always been to aquire the Vibranium.

Truly, I was no saint.

…

[Three days after dealing with Klaue]

Lying on the deck of the ship and being warmed by the morning sun, while feeling the soft body of Wanda pressed up against me, I was lost in thoughts.

"What are you brooding over, Pietro?", Wanda suddenly asked in a quiet tone, so as to not disrupt our peaceful morning.

"You.", I answered simply, being equally quiet.

"What about me?", she asked a bit curious.

I was silent for a moment, not really sure how to answer her question. I normally didn't keep secrets from her, with the exception being some of my future knowledge, but this was different.

The reason, why we had stayed in Durban longer than originally planned, was the same that plagued my mind right now, making me unable to give her a straightforward answer.

Wakanda, more specifically the Heart-Shaped Herb – I wanted it. Not for me obviously, but for Wanda.

It was one of the few items, that would allow her to gain a superhuman physique that probably wouldn't conflict with her inherent powers. The herb was of natural origin and had some kind of spirituality to it, that might be beneficial for her too. Her Chaos Magic did originate from her soul after all.

It was also a fact that Wanda was vulnerable in close-combat, her powers were simply more suited towards mid and long-range attacks. Such an obvious weakness in one's fighting styles however was dangerous. Too dangerous for my liking.

The problem was that the herb was in Wakanda, the technologically most advanced nation on Earth, and I was unsure if I should risk trying to steal the herb.

Simply going there and asking for it as a reward for bringing Klaue to justice, was also an option of course. Though I didn't really see them giving up the herb without a violent confrontation.

"I am going out for the day. I will tell you, when I return, ok?", I asked after a lengthy pause.

Wanda didn't comment on the short lull in the coversation, she just said.

"I will be waiting here for you. Be careful."

It seemed, as if I had to take a risk this time. Not something I was comfortable doing, but life wasn't always comfortable.

…

It took me nearly three quarters of an hour to arrive at the Wakandan border at my fastest speed. I had taken a short pause on my way here, as it wasn't easy to keep up my top speed for such an extended period of time. Mach 7 was no joke. Still, nearly 5000 kilometers in under an hour was a pretty good time.

The last three kilometers up to the border, I walked with normal speed. Giving the Border Tribe time to prepare for my arrival, as they had no doubt already detected my approach.

I could already see the men of the Border Tribe in the distance, with practically all of them looking rather hostile and unwelcoming. Wakanda's centuries of isolation politics had clearly left them with a distaste for outsiders.

This was intensified by one looking as suspicious as myself. I wore my favorite black hoodie – as it still smelled like Wanda, since she had slept in it last night – along with grey pants and shoes, my long ash-blonde hair neatly braided and put in a bun. I also carried a small bag on my back.

I certainly didn't look like a lost traveller or how one would look while travelling through the African wilderness.

And to be honest the temperature on this side of the world felt more like a pleasant spring day for me, than like the unbearable heat of the African continent. Extremis had made me pretty indifferent to such mild temperatures.

"Halt, outsider!", one of the men shouted at me from a few meters away.

He looked like their leader and if I remembered correctly, his name was W'Kabi.

W'Kabi had lost his parents nearly twenty years ago, when Klaue had infiltrated Wakanda to steal Vibranium and used the detonation of a bomb as a distraction to escape. The explosion was what had killed his parents and left him thirsting for revenge.

Stopping my approach, I looked at W'Kabi as he continued.

"Who are you? Do you know whose land you are approaching?", he asked in a cold tone.

"You can call me Silver and I am here to meet King T'Chaka of Wakanda.", I told him straight away, seeing no use in dragging this out unnecessarily.

SILVER had already deleted Wanda's and my information from the government's databank. Officially, we didn't even exist.

"Our King doesn't meet with the likes of you. Now leave, before we force you to."

Truly, they were an inhospitable bunch.

"I have news about the whereabouts of Ulysses Klaue. You still plan to bring him to justice, do you not?", I voiced calmly.

The reaction to my words were immediate. W'Kabi froze in his tracks as a look of deep hatred appeared in his eyes, followed by one of determination.

"I will bring you to our King. If what you say is true, I imagine you will be rewarded handsomely. But if you are lying, than don't expect this to be a painless visit.", he threatened unimpressively, after a moment of thought.

As long as I was able to enter the dome around the Golden City, I was practically free to do what I wanted. None of them were a match for me, their technology couldn't bridge the gap in personal power.

The shield, however could very well keep me from fulfilling my goal, which is why I chose to approach them openly like this.

Stepping back for a moment, W'Kabi grabbed some sort of communicator from his clothes and made a report about the happenings.

"Come with me, I will bring you to meet with the King.", W'Kabi said a few moments later, after ending his call.

We walked for about an hour in silence, before we reached a small hut. I naturally expected that, as there was no way that they would let a stranger into the Golden City, though that didn't matter anymore.

In front of the hut I could see King T'Chaka, his son and current Black Panther T'CHalla and around a dozen members of the Dora Milaje. All viable candidates when it came to taking hostages.

As the distance between myself and T'Chaka was only a few meters, one of the Dora Milaje interjected.

"That is close enough, outsider.", the bald woman said in a cold tone, distrust and hostility evident in her tone.

Turning my crystal gaze in her direction, I suppressed my violent impulses at the provocative look on her face. I wasn't an irrational person, so I knew full-well when to control myself. Now, wasn't the time for violence, at least not yet.

"I have been informed that you wanted to meet me and that you have knowledge about the location of Ulysses Klaue. If that is true, you will be rewarded for your information.", T'Chaka said in a calm tone.

He seemed a lot more meassured than his subordinates to be honest, which would make this conversation less of a challenge for my patience.

"I have, but this information is of sensitive nature. It would be best if we could discuss this in private.", I replied calmly.

I could already see T'Challa and the Dora Milaje members frown heavily and knew they would try to object. W'kabi was no different, as he desperately wanted to know where to find the murderer of his parents. So before they could voice their objections, I continued.

"This information is related to your late brother N'Jobu."

This short sentence caused a ripple in T'Chaka's heart, clearly visible by the look in his eyes. And a moment later, he raised his hands in a gesture that silenced any possible arguments.

"Come, with me Mr. ...?", he said a moment later, apparently unsure how to adress me.

"Simply Silver is enough.", I helped him out.

"Hm. Come with me, Silver. The rest of you will stay here. You too, son."

T'Chaka entered the small hut with me following closely behind. The hut was truly simplistic, only a handful of seat cushions were placed on a rug that covered the wooden floor.

Seating himself on a cushion on the floor, he gestured for me to take a seat as well. I did so, while he asked in a neutral voice.

"What kind of information do you have about my late brother?"

There was shadow behind his calm gaze, that betrayed his outward appearance. I knew that T'Chaka had killed his brother, in order to save Zuri, his subordinate. It was an act that had left a deep mark on his heart.

I didn't answer him directly, instead I grabbed the bag from my back and sat it down in front of him.

"What is in that bag?", T'Chaka questioned, seeing my actions.

"The head of Ulysses Klaue.", I answered, causing his eyes to widen in shock and surprise.

It was the truth, I had indeed taken his head with me before blowing up his base.

T'Chaka opened the bag to verify my words, closing the bag right after he did so. He didn't seem bothered by seeing the decapitated head of a man, which wasn't a suprise given that he had been the Black Panther in his youth.

"I am not sure I understand the meaning of this.", he admitted, as he quickly overcame his surprise.

"I need a Heart-Shaped Herb and in exchange I brought you the head of Ulysses Klaue."

T'Chaka paused for a moment, before answering me: "It's seems you know a lot about Wakanda and its secrets, Silver. But, you should also know that the herb cannot be given to outsiders. Only the Black Panther of each generation is allowed to consume the herb. And while you indeed did Wakanda a great favour by bringing Klaue to the sword, these traditions cannot be broken that easily."

"I didn't just bring you the head of a criminal. I brought you stability. I know that the Border Tribes are unsatisfied with your rule, as you have failed to apprehend Klaue for more than a decade.", I countered.

"Sigh. Truly, you do know a lot. But that still isn't nearly enough for me to grant your request."

"Maybe not, but I didn't lie when I told you that I had information about your late brother. I know that you were forced to kill him in an attempt to save your subordinate. An act that proved your worth as a King, though it wasn't without consequences. Your brother's son, N'Jadaka, he knows that the Black Panther killed his father. Hate and resentment will lead him here in a few years time to take revenge.", I told him.

T'Chaka looked positively horrified at my revelations. In truth this information wasn't that valueable in itself, but the guilt and regret that plagued T'Chaka's heart, made it very valueable for this negotiation.

Why? Well, I was sure that he would like to take this opportunity to try and make amends for what he did. How that would turn out, wasn't really of importance to me.

The Wakandan King seemed to have aged a few years under the weight of my words.

"How? How could you know all these things?", he asked in a low tone.

"The Black Panther isn't the only being with powers a normal human could only dream off.", I answered while turning my hand over and summon a bit of blue fire in my palm.

I was purposefully vague in my answer, that along with my display of supernatural abilities would lead him to make his own assumptions. There was no need to give an elaborate explanation about my powers.

Humans tend to believe their own thoughts more than another man's words anyway, which was something I wanted to take full advantage off.

T'Chaka looked surprised for a moment, before he regained his focus and a bit off his earlier demeanor.

"If you already have these powers, what do you need the herb for?", he asked seriously.

"It isn't for myself. I need the herb for my lover. The world isn't a safe place and it is getting more dangerous by the minute. My heart would be more at ease knowing that she can protect herself. The herb is the key that will grant her the ability to do just that.", I explained, being semi-truthful.

I could see it in his eyes, the fact that I didn't want the herb for myself gave him a more favorable impression of me, but there was still hestitation and doubt. Time for my last hidden card, before I had to use a more forceful approach.

"In the Museum of Great Britain is an historical exhibition about native African tribes. Among the pieces placed in the exhibition is an axe, an axe made of Vibranium.", I said, emphasizing my last words.

"Truly, you know too much about us.", T'Chaka mumbled in Xhosa, the official Wakandan language.

A language, I had studied extensively on our month-long cruise trip from Portugal to here. Coupled with my near-perfect memory, I understood his words easily, though I didn't let that show on my face. I also understood his words as the admittance of defeat it was.

A short moment later, he continued in English.

"I will grant you the herb, though it will come with a condition. The power it grants cannot be used to do injustice. Should you violate this condition, I will ensure that you will face justice at all costs. So keep that in mind."