Technomancer in MCU #30

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Chapter 30

Technomancer in MCU

Previously

They would either join me in bringing about that change or they would perish, I thought ruthlessly.

No two ways about it.

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The Royal Palace, Birnin Zana

–N'Jadaka–

I opened the door of my room if you could even call it that.

Apparently, being the prince of Wakanda pays well.

It was more of a penthouse suite than a room.

Upon opening the door, I came face to face with T'Chaka.

Surprised and confused at his visit, I opened the door fully and gestured to him to come inside.

He entered the room and I locked the door behind him.

"I trust you are settling well?" he asked me, his hands crossed behind his back, looking around the room.

Putting my hands in my pockets, I shrugged "Yeah, I guess."

At that statement, he looked back at me with a questioning gaze, tinged with concern.

That made me slightly uncomfortable.

I sighed, "Look, this is all just very much new to me. It'll take time for me to adjust to being accepted here. I never thought I would get this without bloodshed and that is disconcerting to me, that's all."

He nodded sagely at that, "I can understand that."

Clearing my throat, I gestured for him to sit on the sofa.

"Ah, yes. We have to talk," he said while getting seated on the sofa.

I nodded back, "Alright. What is it?"

"It's about the council meeting tomorrow," he said, his countenance grave.

"What about it?" I asked him.

He opened and closed his mouth several times.

I just stared at him, waiting patiently for him to get his words together.

After about a minute of this happening, he seemingly gave up.

His shoulders slumped in resignation, he said, "Look, in tomorrow's council meeting they might ask you about your past. No, they most certainly will. How are you going to answer that?"

I shrugged and said, "With the truth."

He leveled a look at me for that statement.

"Look, I am not going to enter my father's country with a lie. I will tell them fair and square about my past." I seriously told him.

"And what is your past?" he questioned me.

"Where were you? I tried to search for you a few years back but you seem to have disappeared. I feared the worst." he said, concerned about my past.

I looked at him for a moment and replied, "What else? I enlisted. Joined the NAVY SEALS, became one of their best performers, accidentally got my whole team killed, was assigned a shrink after that…."

T'Chaka's face looked more and more somber as I told him about my life before I met Ed.

About my single-minded obsession with returning to Wakanda.

"...and then I met Ed and my entire life changed." I finished speaking and looked at him.

Only to see tears trailing down his cheeks.

He then stood up and hugged me tightly.

"I am sorry you had to go through all that."

I clenched my fists as I suppressed all my instincts that spoke at me to lash out at him.

"It's alright" I consoled him, patting his back.

After letting go of me, he visibly collected himself and said to me, "I don't think the council will have any problems with you becoming Prince."

I nodded, curious as to where he was taking this.

He sighed and said, "I never told them about your father."

My face became stone-cold at that.

Before I could tear him a new one, he said, "It was not to protect my position as King. I can assure you of that."

I stood up and nearly shouted out, "How can you say that when you are still sitting in the position of King? While my father is dead?"

He looked resigned as he said, "Because it wouldn't have mattered."

At my confused look, he elaborated, "The incident with N'Jobu would have only strengthened my rule."

My eyes widened in realisation.

He nodded, as if expecting my reaction, "The position of King is supposed to be above family, above tribes, and even above yourself. The King is supposed to put Wakanda above all else. The fact that I killed my brother with my own hands would have been celebrated. They would have put me on a pedestal. In their eyes, I would have been the Hero who put his feelings aside and did what was necessary."

I just collapsed back on the couch.

He looked sorry as he said, "At that point, he wouldn't have been a Prince, he would have been a traitor and there is only one punishment for traitors in Wakanda."

I looked at him, my eyes red as he said,

"Death"

I looked down and closed my eyes as he uttered the punishment that awaited my father had he been caught alive.

"Your revealing of the situation years ago would do nothing but hinder your own agenda. They would look at you with suspicion, even more so as you lived outside until now. But…"

I looked at him as he said with utter sadness in his eyes, "I don't want to be known as someone who killed his family. I loved N'jobu, with all my heart."

He stood up, wiped his tears, and said finally, " I would like for his memory to remain as the Prince who died for Wakanda."

"Dead doing his duty to Wakanda. Not a traitor. I would be very much thankful if you didn't ruin his image. That's all."

And he left.

The sound of that door closing was the last straw as I just stood up and threw the lamp into the wall.

Breathing heavily, I tried to think about what he said.

About how my father was still thought of as a hero to this nation.

Even though he was a traitor.

I sighed as I palmed my forehead and thought of the council meeting that would go down tomorrow.

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–T'Challa–

As I approached his room, I thought of all the ways that could go wrong.

I had been warned by both mother and father to stay away from my cousin until his appearance in Wakanda was publicly explained, not to mention the matter regarding Shuri.

That was another headache that my mother still refused to explain to me.

She clearly knew something but was intentionally stonewalling me.

Shuri also had not woken up but mother said that she was fine and she would wake up soon.

I just couldn't ignore her pained screams when that damned cocoon enveloped her.

I needed an outlet.

The usual way would be sparring with Okoye but she was busy and even with her, it was more about technique rather than strength.

But with N'Jadaka, it would be different.

He had more than enough strength to match me and maybe even overwhelm me.

As I neared his quarters, I noted that they were one of the empty Prince's quarters.

Father kept them out of nostalgia as his brother used to reside in one of them.

I stood outside his door and squared my shoulders in determination.

Then I knocked on his door and waited for an answer.

After some time, the door opened and he stood in the doorway, looking at me for an answer.

At that moment, the only thing that came out of my mouth was, "Spar?"

He looked taken aback at that but with an understanding glint in his eye, he slowly nodded and said, "You came at the right time. Just let me change."

I nodded, giving my tacit agreement.

I stood outside, waiting for him as he changed inside, thinking about Baba's warning.

"Don't underestimate him. You do not know his situation. The one behind him is Ed and he is someone we have to be absolutely wary of. If he so wished, he could unravel all of Wakanda's protections and present it naked to the world to ravage, in a matter of days rather than weeks or months."

I found myself wondering if my decision was correct but I had already taken a step forward and there was no going back.

Years later, I would come to thank myself for this decision, for this event forged the bond between the future Black Panther and the first Gold Panther of Wakanda."

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Word Count - 1403

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