TGS - #74

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Wakanda 

–Tony Stark–

"Urgh," The first movement of consciousness he experienced, an avalanche of pain assaulted his brain as he felt his body feel as if it was filled with lead instead of blood.

There was an odd ringing in his ear as he felt something cool on his back for some reason. He could faintly make out the smell of the hospital, something that he hated with passion.

He tried to open his eyes but even that felt like too much for him as he could only make out a blurry white floor for some reason. Makes sense it looked like he was in a hospital.

The last thing he remembered was.

He let out a throaty gasp as he felt something stick into his neck, making him lose consciousness completely.

…..

….

The next time he found his eyes opening, he found himself quite literally suspended in mid air. Well, not mid air but mid fluid one could say. 

He tried to make some gestures to tell the people walking around in front of him that he was awake but it seemed as if it was unnecessary as alarms began beeping and he found himself being lowered into the ground. His eyes took in all that he could, as he watched the fluid being drained from the pod he was in.

He looked at the dozens of holo screens that were much clearer than the ones he had installed in the Avengers Tower as well as Stark Residence in LA, and he was the pioneer when it came to those screens.

He also took in the colour of the skin of the people working in this place. Not in a racist manner but because that was how he realised that she was actually in Wakanda. The place that was not a third world country but something incredibly advanced.

"Mr.Stark," He was lowered into a chair that was incredibly comfortable, despite its metallic look. He was then borough in front of who looked like the doctor who ran this place.

"Please follow me," He said and then turned around and began marching towards the door, not knowing that he had no idea how to use this wheelchair or have the strength of the body to do so anyway.

Fortunately, that decision was not in his hands because the chair began walking towards the door, following the doctor.

He would have quipped about the situation but his mind was working overtime on the vents that led him to this state. He could still feel something on his back, it was cool and padded. He could still remember the searing heat he felt when his suit was hit with Jarvis' newest and most dangerous beam, right after he was forcefully ejected and thrown into another suit.

Jarvis didn't even wait until he was safely enclosed inside the suit before releasing another volley of blasts, burning his back. Well, if Jarvis could take out the woman at the cost of a few treatable burns, he was alright with the price being paid. 

Still, it would have been nice to know beforehand. He had to remind himself, once again, that Jarvis was not the same as he was before he went on his two year long stint of rogueness. Well, they were actually hunting criminals and hindering the conspiracies of a nefarious organisation everyone thought gone, so they couldn't technically be called as rogues.

The Old Jarvis never would have hurt him, just for a chance to take out a very dangerous foe, not unless he was explicitly ordered by his creator.

He understood the need for such dangerous maneuvers, but it didn't mean that it still did not hurt like a bitch.

"Oh for the love of Bast, will you please wait till he is here?" He heard a voice almost shouting in exasperation as they finally reached their destination. It was quite an important one as well, judging by the heavy security all around.

He turned around and was confused to see Jarvis' digital avatar in front of the same snarky teenager who upgraded his suit with Vibranium. Speaking of Vibranium, if his suit had parts of Vibranium in it, it would mean that his suit was not completely destroyed by Jarvis' attacks, no matter how potent they might have been.

Well, let's hope they retrieved his suit because even that amount of Vibranium was very hard to come by. He could reuse the same circuitry dozens of times, for dozens of iterations of both the Arc Reactor as well as the Repulsor tech before the Vibranium could ever reach the limit of its energy carrying capacity.

"Mr.Stark," He looked up to see Jarvis' avatar floating towards him.

"I am sorry for the sudden attack but I calculated it to be the best way of dealing a critical blow to our enemy," Jarvis' way of apologising was certainly..unique. Well, he learned from the best after all.

"Well, if you thought it to be the best, then it probably was. Did we get her?" He asked Jarvis because if he got burns on his back in exchange for no damage to their enemy, well he did not know what he would do but it would certainly involve a lot of caffeine and late night work sessions.

Also, chicks dig scars. He didn't know about Pepper though, so he might have to ask her.

Oh, God! Pepper must be worried sic–

"Oh my god, Tony!" Speak of the incredibly beautiful redhead and she shall appear in front of him in a holo avatar. Judging by the orange outline around the holo screen, it was probably Jarvis' handiwork.

"Pepper, I am fine. How are you?" He asked the now crying CEO of Stark Industries. Come on, Pepper. What would the Board think of such an emotional woman helming the biggest company in the world?

Note the sarcasm.

"Oh my god, Tony. Jarvis told me there was an attack on Avengers Tower and you were taken then I finally saw you on TV and then this?" She then promptly burst into tears once again.

Well, she was concerned for him and it really did make his almost frozen solid heart thaw out again.

So, he consoled her that he was fine. He was about to tell her about Wakanda and he did tell her but the words didn't seem to reach her, making him realise that Jarvis was not letting him do that. Still, he didn't let his suspicions and irritation show and continued talking with her. 

He had to also promise her to be back by the end of the week,something that was looking possible because the teenager standing with her arms crossed nodded slightly when Pepper asked him about that.

Until finally, Pepper hung up the call and he was, once again, faced with the teenager who was looking down on him. 

"Mr.Stark,"

"Actually that would be Dr.Stark. You know, I do have 6 PhDs," He smugly pointed to her, knowing that she did not have as many as he did.

"Dr.Banner has 7," His smirk fell off as she just said that and turned around. He was left floundering about only for a moment as she turned around.

"I am Princess Shuri of Wakanda, a title that is infinitely more powerful and respect worthy than just Doctor. I don't need outside validation to know that I am far more intelligent than you, old man," 

He gasped in mock outrage, "You take that back, young lady. You know, you kids have it all easy. Constant access to always connected computers with all the knowledge, and misinformation, of the world accessible to you at a moment's notice. You know, back in my time, I had to actually read books, and what more, I had to actually build my own computer."

Both of them looked at each other for a moment before both of them burst out laughing,

"Ah, I needed that," He wiped the tears from his eyes as he got comfortable once again, in the wheelchair. He could use his legs but the chair was oh so supremely comfortable.

"You are not bad, old man. Also, did you actually build your own computer?" She asked him as she straightened up.

"You too. And no, just the circuitry had to be designed. I had the engineers at Stark Industries build the computer,"

She nodded sagely, "Makes sense. It is always useful to have competent minions so that we can pawn off menial labour to them."

Both of them nodded at the completely sensible thing that was being discussed between two of the brightest minds of the century.

"Now, Princess Shuri, what is going on here?" He asked her the dreaded question, tensing slightly for some reason because he was wary of what their nation would turn out to be. How did they get so advanced?

Why are they hiding? What are they hiding?

Well, that question was easy to answer. They were hiding their advancements in fear of the Western World waging war to gain access to the technology they had. And if they had Vibranium to just give away to some stranger, they probably had more of where that came from. The US Government would love to get their hands on all the Vibranium in the world, even if they didn't know jackshit about making anything with it.

Were they aliens? Did they have alien technology?

"We are in Wakanda. And yes, Wakanda is the most advanced country on the planet, barring ocean based civilisations, as was recently pointed out to us by none other than Jack Sullivan, that man knows things he has no right knowing,"

He nodded. That made sense and Sullivan was already known for that, pulling intel out of his ass at the most critical moments.

"We were approached by Jack Sullivan because we know how to deal with mental illnesses better than most of the planet. That was when you people were put under mind control by the Scarlet Witch,"

Yeah, that was not a pleasant thing to experience. Wait. What? 

"The who now?" He asked her with a piercing gaze.

"The Scarlet Witch. That is the designation of the individual that attacked you all, told to us by Jack Sullivan," Shuri responded to him, a video of the red woman surfacing on the holo screen right next to her.

Honestly, how she was doing that was beyond him because he did not see her even twitch as the video was opened. Something to with mental brain wave control?

"Okay, putting aside the fact that, yes, her powers come with a red hue, but Witch? Really? Does Jack really believe her to be a magician of some sort? For all we know, she could be like the Titans that he showed us when he took us—"

He stopped mid way as alarms began blaring around them, Shuri's eyes widening as she looked behind him. He tried to turn with his body, and the wheelchair complied. 

Huh, so it was some sort of brain wave control then?

He looked at Shuri in confusion as there were the telltale signs of the portal that Jack used, opening in front of him, with the orange circular fires and everything.

Only….his body tensed as someone else entirely exited the portal in front of him.

"I won't fault you for not believing in magic, Mr.Stark, sorry, Dr.Stark. After all, you are a man of science." The complete stranger using the same brand of portals that Jack used appeared in front of them, clad in yellow robes, with a locket that shone green hanging over her neck.

"Identify yourself," Shuri shouted as his wheelchair jerked back, and he did a double take as he found himself behind not just Shuri but Shuri clad in an armoured skintight suit. He looked at the texture and was alarmed to find them to be made up of nanites.

The woman in front of them looked at Shuri with a calm expression on her face, even as more and more of the signature guards of this place began pouring in this place. His wheelchair was also locked because he could not guide it anymore.

He didn't want to risk trying to use his legs and then flop uselessly on the ground, his dignity would not be able to take it, so he stayed put and watched as the situation unfolded.

His eyes widened even further as he watched Shuri point both her arms at the woman, as he watched transfixed, as if it was sludge, annites began pouring in and connected both her arms, forming a massive canon, that seemed to be gearing up to shoot…Repulsors?

Did she steal his tech? Or did they simply discover the offensive capability of muons earlier than he did?

Well, as long as they did not sue him.

There was a low pitched whine of the repulsors in the room, the output of which, from what he could see, was going to blast all of his previous records out of the water, likely reaching half the level that Jarivs used to deal with that Scarlet Witch. 

Pff, as if Magic was real.

"Shuri, stand down!" A regal shout came from the entrance, inadvertently drawing everyone's attention to it as a man dressed in excessively royal garbs entered the room, with another armoured Cat Man behind him.

Shuri looked confused but she complied with the order. That man must be the King then, judging by the row of bowing that happened across the room that prompted him to mimic the action awkwardly as well.

Shuri was chill but who knows what the King might take offense to. And what kind of advanced society had a monarchy as its ruling structure?

The Cat Man's face mask slid off his face, revealing a youthful face with similarities to both Shuri and the elderly man walking with him. The same nanite technology then. Probably son and father, with Shuri being the daughter then. 

"Sorcerer Supreme, I, King T'Chaka, welcome you to Wakanda." King T'Chaka bowed to the woman who still held the same expression as she did the moment she entered the lab.

"I am sorry to intrude, King T'Chaka. I assume the High Priests of Wakanda have informed you about my existence?" She asked in a smooth crisp voice that was tinged with indifference.

"Yes, but I have to say, I never put much thought into their warnings, considering that the same warning had been passed down for generations, of you being the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth," T'Chaka asked in a cautious voice, something that was rare considering the gobsmacked expression on everyone's faces, including Shuri's.

"Yes, Unfortunately, I am yet to find someone to pass on the burden of protecting the planet from mystical threats–" 

Why did it feel as if she singled him out as she said the "mystical" word in front of all the others.

"---That is why I have been the Sorcerer Supreme ever since your Royal line came to be, King T'Chaka. Now, I have some important information to tell all of you," The Sorcerer Supreme said as she subtly asked the King to vacate the room.

Her words were command apparently because the same was done, despite the very visible protests of the guards.

"I am called the Ancient One, for reasons you can guess."

"Are you immortal?" Shuri piped up.

"Shuri. Quiet!" T'Chaka rebuked his daughter before looking back at the Ancient One.

"Jack Sullivan is a master of the Mystic Arts, someone who learned under me and has the potential to become the strongest being this planet has ever seen. Unfortunately, another entity who similarly has the potential to rend apart the fabric of reality had seen fit to pit Dr.Banner against Jack." 

Her words sent a chill down his spine.

Rend the fabric of reality? What the fuck?

"The results of said fight are known to all of you. One of Humanity's greatest assets is currently drifting away from the planet, suffocating in Space, and the other is currently comatose, the injuries of the fight being too much for him to recover properly."

"What? Comatose? How can it be? I was there when he was recovering. His body was completely recovered before he went away," Shuri interrupted once again but T'Chaka didn't stop her this time.

"Yes, his body was completely healed. But, Princess Shuri, unfortunately, injuries of the soul are much harder to heal," She said.

"Now, I want two things from Wakanda currently."

"Please, tell us, Sorcerer Supreme," T'Chaka said.

"I want you to tell the world about the fight and ask them that Jack is currently recovering in secret and will be back soon. This way, the majority of the politicians around the world should calm down. Tell them the fate of Dr.Banner as well. I will be retrieving him after I leave here. 

Secondly, I want to inform you that the Scarlet Witch is, henceforth, our problem and she will not be disturbing you anytime soon. So, I would like to ask Princess Shuri to destroy the sample she has of the Scarlet Witch's blood as well as the Vibranium that she has soaked in her energy."

T'Chaka's neck snapped to Shuri who looked deer eyed at the information.

'Shuri!" Both of the men hissed at her who looked shocked for a moment before she looked at the Sorcerer Supreme.

"But, they are important! It will allow us to better understand her energy and help track her. Also, her blood is very fascinating. Her DNA itself is completely human but her cells have an outer line with the same energy. The applications of that—"

"I can tell you, Princess Shuri, that nothing good can come out of the direction you are heading into." She warned Shuri before turning to T'Chaka.

"King T'Chaka, this is merely a courtesy I am extending from my side. I can, and will, confiscate any Chaos Energy sample on my own. Also, I must warn you, that I am duty bound to exterminate anything that is tinged with Chaos Energy."

The warnings rang in the room with finality as T'Chaka turned to his daughter.

"Shuri, get rid of every single sample. T'Challa, make sure she does it, and deletes all the data as well,"

"Sorcerer Supreme, I will make sure that it is done."

"Very well, I bid you farewell then. Let's hope that the next time such a situation arises, you have to deal with a new Sorcerer Supreme instead of me,"

She said those words and then he blinked, and she was gone.

All the while, he could not utter a single word as he sat there in his wheelchair, shocked at how the situation turned out.

"Mr.Stark," he looked at the cat man that was speaking to him.

"I will escort you to your teammates. You should be back in America once the doctors give you the green signal," Tony shook the man's hand.

"I am T'Challa, crown prince of Wakanda."

Word Count - 3216

A/N - Booyah!

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