The Black Panther and Storm in Crisis

 

 

Previously in The Black Panther and Storm:

For over ten thousand years warrior kings called Black Panthers ruled and protected the isolated and unconquerable African nation Wakanda. In their isolation Wakanda became the most scientifically advanced nation on Earth. T’Challa was the latest Black Panther, and he believed that his great nation was obligated to use its resources to help the less fortunate; defenseless peoples of the world against tyranny, corruption and megalomaniac super humans.

Black Panther later married Ororo ‘Storm’ Munroe the non-Wakandan mutant hero. However, in Wakanda the royal couple’s noble endeavors were considered private affairs, which conflicted with their official duties.

Two years ago, Wakanda was fatally attacked by the royal couple’s super human enemy- the mind controlling Darkheart. In the wake of the attack that devastated the nation, the royal couple resigned on the principle of accountability, they dissolved the monarchy and they gave governance to a democratic government.

Black Panther and Storm were temporarily reinstated to Wakanda’s leadership to save the world afterwards the incumbent president resigned, which left Black Panther and Storm in power.

Meanwhile Nginda a secret society member transformed himself into the Hatura- a secret hulking living weapon that was created to stop the Savage Hulk. Storm fought the Hatura and his female accomplice Slay, but they escaped, and a conspiracy removed all evidence of the battle at the Wakanda military facility where the Hatura formula was kept; therefore Storm only had her word, which only the Black Panther believed.

Nginda has entered the general election race for President of Wakanda without the fear of being arrested, because Storm has no evidence against him and Nginda wants Wakanda, to return to self imposed isolationism, which T’Challa had slowly eroded. Storm and T’Challa joined the election race so that Wakanda may help the world.

But the nations of Earth were fearful of Wakanda’s omega weapon and the United Nations had threatened to destroy it.

 

 

 

Story: Crisis

 

Chapter

 

In the mid morning on the eve of Wakanda’s general election, T’Challa and Ororo the leaders of Wakanda were notified that their political rivals Nginda and Slay were at the Presidential Office.

T’Challa was a handsome thirty five years old man and his body had been made strong from years of battling threats to Earth and his homeland. His attractive wife Ororo was thirty years old and she had an indomitable will that carried her through the perils of a super heroine life.

Nginda was a sharp thirty six years old man and his body was built like a boxer. The Hatura monster inside of Nginda turned him into a juggernaut of power. While Slay was a beautiful thirty-four years old woman and deadly in her military skills.

The two opposite groups that vied in the close race for the Presidency met in the briefing room. Nginda took the liberty of opening the shades of the window that had a view of the memorial monument for the million lives that were, needlessly, taken in the Darkheart attack. Nginda and Slay had lost love ones in the attack, which they vehemently blamed on T’Challa’s and Ororo’s super hero activities.

T’Challa noticed the drawn shades and the monument. He had mourned for the lives that were lost in the attack. Ororo had also mourned, but she was focused on Nginda and Slay because they made it appear that Ororo was a liar to the nation and her husband.

”Good morning what can we do for you?” asked T’Challa.

”Morning, I want you to withdraw from the election immediately,” said Nginda.

”Are you serious?” asked Ororo sternly.

”A member of the UNDA crossed over to our party yesterday and he was present at the backroom meeting where both of you were asked to return to the leadership. Where you T’Challa said and I quote, ”We are bad for this nation, we will jeopardize the safety of the nation with reprisal attacks from our enemies”,” said Nginda.

”We can leak it to the media and with tomorrow being Election Day, you can see the damage it will cause your campaign,” said Slay.

T’Challa made brief eye contact with Ororo and he understood that they were thinking on the same page then he said, “We will not exit the elections. Leak it if it pleases you.”

You’re a hypocritical bastard thought Nginda. Nginda glanced at Slay and he knew that as friends they shared the same thought.

“I see that it will take a lot more than putting the country needlessly in the line of fire before both of you develope a crisis of conscience,” said Nginda. “But at least we mutually understand that you’re both wrong for this country. Thanks for the meeting.”

Nginda and Slay left the Presidential Office; T’Challa and Ororo returned to the Executive office.

“Do you think that they will leak it?” asked Ororo.

“Yes,” replied T’Challa.

”It was fortunate that last night we sensitized the supporters about the gravity of voting for us,” said Ororo.

”But the statements will impact on the swing voters,” said T’Challa.

The Intelligence Division rang. T’Challa took the call and a small holographic face of Modakai the Intelligence Division Head Manager appeared.

“Good Morning, what is it?” asked T’Challa.

“Morning, the UN are prepping the Protectors and we have intercepted a transmission that states that they will strike us tomorrow,” replied Modakai.

T’Challa knew that the Protectors’ purpose was to protect Earth but if they attacked Wakanda Ororo and him would be forced to try and destroy them, which Ororo and T’Challa did not want.

”We will strike at them first,” said T’Challa. ”Gather all the intel on the Protector program.”

 

Chapter

 

The need for a common multilateral superhuman program, as the first line of defence and the last resort of an attack, was the genesis for the United Nations’ Protectors program. The Protectors were 100 humanoids that were born in test tubes and they possessed: durability, energy projection, energy manipulation, flight, super speed, super senses, super strength, super healing and they could survive in any environment.

The permanent members of the United Nations Security Council each had an activation key for the Protectors and all the keys needed to be activated for the Protectors to be awakened. The Protectors were dormant in cryogenic cylinders, where information on their targets was transmitted as dreams into their brains. The secret headquarters of the Protectors was an invisible multilevel airship that hovered in the North Atlantic, just minutes from Canadian airspace.

The Protectors were prepared for their first mission- the destruction of Wakanda’s Hider Machine. The Hider Machine could remove a country or landmass from the Earth and return it. Therefore, the United Nations Security Council demanded that Wakanda destroy the Hider Machine or it would be destroyed for them. Wakanda had refused on the grounds that the machine was for their protection and the standoff had created an international security crisis.

The impending strike had two objectives: the destruction of the Hider Machine and the crippling of Wakanda’s ability to re create the machine. The location of the Hider Machine was deemed to be in the major military facility outside of the Central city.

But the strike was part of an overall plan for the international isolation of Wakanda until they ended the Hider Machine program. Joel Abierman the United Nations Secretary General was the architect of the isolation plan; he gained the support of the major world nations and economic packages were promised to developing nations for their co operation.

 

Chapter

 

Nine hours before the strike, a sudden electrical storm appeared around the military airship where the Protectors were kept. Lightening bolts destroyed the communications antennas and the invisibility camouflage system. Then the climate around the airship became a harsh blizzard and the equipments outside of the hull quickly iced up and refused to function, like the guns of the soldiers.

A bright golden light illuminated the upper deck and when the light subsided twenty five Wakanda commando platoons were on the deck. They fanned out quickly. Their objectives were to commandeer the airship and the Protectors. The commandos were ordered to use non lethal force but all the crew had to be put off the airship within thirty minutes.

The commandos wore white, vibranium weaved, full body armour uniforms. T’Challa wore the Black Panther full body vibranium battle uniform. The commandos carried rifles while T’Challa’s only visible weapon was the sword, which he had recently built. The sword was magnetized to T’Challa’s back and the sword had two time and space computers, which allowed T’Challa teleportation and time travel. Additionally, the sword’s double-edged blade was made of a deadly energy called dark force and nano robots sheathed it.

T’Challa moved like a panther through the ship as he fought and defeated the guards. Ororo was not in a vibranium uniform since the special metal reduced her ability to manipulate energy. But she was in the battle. She created tornado speed winds that threw down stubborn metal doors and they scattered enemy forces, meanwhile, she kept the snow storm outside of the airship.

In twenty five minutes, all the ship’s crew had been forced to evacuate. That information was reported to T’Challa and Ororo by Shuri- a thirty four year old woman-the platoons’ general.

Immediately, T’Challa teleported to Wakanda, and he returned seconds afterwards accompanied by Taku the burly forty years old Chief military scientist and ten engineers.

”Begin phase two,” said T’Challa to the forces.

The engineers took control of the computers that monitored the Protectors while Taku invaded and downloaded the database that stored all the information on the Protectors to discover their weakness.

Meanwhile, the airship was piloted to an unpopulated island in its vicinity. The airship was lowered onto the island and then T’Challa contacted the engineers in Wakanda who awaited the command to use the Hider Machine.

”Do it now,” said T’Challa.

The engineers activated the Hider machine and the island along with the airship disappeared from Earth. They reappeared in a dome that was in an inter dimensional tunnel.

T’Challa and Ororo teleported to Wakanda; they informed the nation of the preemptive strike and then T’Challa and Ororo visited Abierman.

 

Chapter

 

Abierman in a response to the Protector incident said that, ” Wakanda proved that they were unrestrained enemies of the free world.” Later Abierman went to his office where he met T’Challa standing, waiting for him.

”What is this?” said Abierman. He was fifty two years old, he wore bifocal glasses, had a broad chin and he was bald.

Ororo closed the door behind Abierman. ”We should ask you the same thing,” said Ororo. ””Enemies of the free world,” when he have fought off threat after threat to Earth.”

”So what now?” asked Abierman calmly.

”The Protectors will be returned as soon as possible. But don’t ever threaten my country again,” said T’Challa.

”But-” said Abierman.

However, T’Challa and Ororo teleported from the office and they went to Wakanda. The security officers broke through the office door since the warning system had indicated teleportations in the office.

”They are gone,” said Abierman.

”Who sir?” asked the Chief of Security.

”T’Challa and Ororo,” replied Abierman. ”Go now.”

The security officers departed from the office; Abierman kicked the desk in frustration.

 

Chapter

 

But Abierman’s political stance against Wakanda had unknowingly influenced a cursed man named Kiber. Centuries ago, Kiber was a warlord and an accomplished fighter from the Steppes of Asia with a home and a family; his enemies had called him Kiber the Cruel. Kiber lost everything at age forty and he was handed the burden of an immortal army.

Kiber’s immortal life was filled with violence. He fought in both World Wars, in the Pacific Basin and in the gangland streets of the world. In all the wars Kiber fought he tipped the scales of victory towards the side that he wanted to win. In the process, he amassed a fortune, class, connections, knowledge and military resources.

Kiber summoned his 100,000 immortal soldiers by thought; the soldiers were intelligent but they had no free will.

Kiber agreed with Joel Abierman that Wakanda was a threat to the free world; Kiber realized that the United Nations’ policies against Wakanda were ineffective. In Kiber’s mind the free world needed the unrestrained, flexible and deadly force of his army to defeat Wakanda.

Kiber’s first strategy was the political destabilization of Wakanda. Kiber had procured a mutant inhibitor machine and a magnetism control suit for the purpose of terminating Ororo and T’Challa and the prey would be lured into a trap.

 

Chapter

 

A non-descript man stared down a silent Cape Town street. The Wakanda embassy was at the end of the street. The man wore a grey sport jacket that hid a bomb. In quick steps the suicide bomber made it to the embassy gates and he detonated the bomb.

The quiet Cape Town district was awakened by the bomb’s explosion. The explosion destroyed the front of the Wakanda embassy, most of the street and it left a deep crater. After a minute there was movement in the crater. The scattered matter of the suicide bomber crawled to each other. Bone, tissue and flesh reformed and soon the bomber was made whole, but his body had third degree burns, his face was ugly and unrecognizable.

He stared briefly into the sky then he moved out of the crater. His muscles had not regenerated enough; therefore, he struggled as he climbed out the crater and when he ran. The bomber ran until he reached the edge of the burnt out area that was around the crater. A blaring police car skidded and stopped in front of the bomber and an officer alighted from the car.

”Stay calm, help is on the way!” said the shocked officer.

The bomber punched the police officer in the throat. The officer fell backwards. The bomber entered the car and pushed the other officer out of the car. Then the bomber drove the police car at full speed from the scene. Twenty minutes later the bomber drove the police car off a pier and he disappeared into the sea.

 

T’Challa and Ororo were in the Defence Division where they spoke with Taku who was still in the inter dimension. T’Challa and Ororo were more concerned with the safety of Wakanda than the voting in the elections. The meeting with Taku was cut short when T’Challa and Ororo were informed by the spy satellites department that all of Wakanda’s embassies were bombed.

Each embassy had a spy satellite that monitored them and the images of the bombings were shown in the operation room. Preliminary reports stated that there were causalities.

Immediately, T’Challa called on his sword to teleport him to an embassy that he chose at random, but Ororo stopped him. ”Let us speak about this first,” said Ororo softly.

”In the next room,” said T’Challa.

T’Challa and Ororo entered a private room. Ororo knew that T’Challa wanted to use his sword to travel into the past to prevent the deaths yet for her it was unethical.

”If you do this where will you stop?” asked Ororo. ”You have to restrain yourself.”

T’Challa realized that Ororo was correct. The couple returned to the main room.

”W’Kabi what do you have?” asked T’Challa.

W’Kabi was a young brilliant military mind and he was in charge of the Counter Terrorism agency.

”In the aftermath of all the bombings severely burnt humanoids walked or ran out of ground zero,” replied W’Kabi. ”They all went for the sea and disappeared.”

The satellite images of the bombings were played in several frames on the large plasma screens.

”Pause the frames,” said Ororo. The frames were paused and it became clear what Ororo had seen- all the humanoids had stared directly at the spy satellites.

”They are sending a message to us,” said Ororo.

”That they have thrown down a gauntlet,” said T’Challa.

The Head Manager of the Intelligence Agency sent a multimedia package that contained a terrorist video message taken from foreign news channels and a preliminary analysis.

The terrorist wore a masked hood with eye slits and the video’s background was black. The terrorist vowed the destruction of Wakanda and harm to any nation or person who associated with the country. The terrorist ended the message with the name of the terrorist group- the Immortal Army.

The first preliminary analysis stated that the speaker was not Middle Eastern and it was a voice recording.

”Immortal Army. They will be begging for mercy when we are done with them,” said T’Challa.

 

Chapter

 

Abierman called the bombings ”cowardly” acts but stated that it was another reason for Wakanda to return the Protectors so they could track the terrorists.

The statements made Kiber upset. He once frequented the United Nations building; therefore, he knew the layout of the offices and the security. He entered the information into a teleporation wrist band device and he placed the mask on his face. Kiber teleported to the UN building security control center and he defeated the guards; then Kiber teleported into Abierman’s office. There were five other people in the office other than Abierman. Kiber swiftly knocked them unconscious and he stopped Abierman from pressing the panic button. Abierman was thrown onto the book shelf and he fell heavily onto the ground.

”Who are you?” asked Abierman as he stood up gingerly.

”I bombed the embassies,” replied Kiber.

”What do you want with me?”

”Lay off of me, since we want the same thing. An end to Wakanda,” responded Kiber.

”You’re a terrorist!” said Abierman.

”No,” said Kiber. ”I am fighting them. I am harming them. Isn’t that what you wanted? And you need not be involved.”

Kiber pressed a preset button on the teleportation device and he vanished from the office. He reappeared in a bunker. Kiber checked the security system and it was clear. He wondered how long again he had to wait before Wakanda found the clue to his location that he had left in the video message. In the meantime, Kiber double checked his trap.

 

Chapter

 

The polls had closed in Wakanda and the counting of the ballots began. However, the election results were far from T’Challa’s and Ororo’s mind as they formulated a policy for the capture of the Immortal Army. The Counter Terrorism agency stated that they had a break through in the analysis of the video message. On the video message was a faint sound of a bird that lived only on an island off the coast of Greenland.

T’Challa and Ororo accompanied by ten commando units teleported to the island. However, the region had entered the Polar Nights period- three months of darkness. Therefore, T’Challa and Ororo used their natural night vision and the commandos used infer red goggles. There was one structure on the island, which was a bunker.

Suddenly, T’Challa sensed multiple bodies that appeared around the Wakandans. The number of hostiles steadily grew. T’Challa took the sword from his back and the nano robots that sheathed the sword retreated into the vibranium hilt.

”Prepare for battle!” said T’Challa.

Ororo decided that it was unsafe for her comrades if she used lightening or gusts of wind without restraint in such a close proximity battle; therefore, she created a double edge ice sword.

”They are not human,” said T’Challa as his panther like sense of smell had indicated it.

There was a growl from the multitude of humanoids and then they attacked. The commandos fired their automatic guns. T’Challa and Ororo slashed through the surge of the humanoids.

The humanoids were armed with swords and spears; they attacked the Wakandans from all directions.

T’Challa and Ororo headed for the bunker. Kiber awaited them.

 

Chapter

 

Firstly, Kiber turned on the mutant power stunner machine that had a range of 50 meters. Secondly, he activated the magnetism control cybernetic suit that he wore. Lastly, he armed the automatic rifle that was in his left hand.

As soon as, Ororo entered the bunker she lost her night vision and she felt something missing from her body.

”I am powerless,” said Ororo.

Abruptly, T’Challa’s sword flew from his hand and disappeared from his sight. A fluorescent bulb that hanged from the ceiling came on. Kiber stood on a metallic platform. He wore a mask.

In a sharp movement, Kiber extended his right arm and aimed his right fist at T’Challa. Instantaneously, the vibranium in T’Challa’s suit was under the control of Kiber. Kiber opened his hand and the vibranium collapsed and shot through T’Challa’s body like a thousand small shrapnel.

T’Challa collapsed and he went unconscious.

Kiber fired the rifle at Ororo. The rapid rat ta tat tat rapport filled the bunker.

Ororo had expected it; therefore, she dived onto the ground and she rolled out of the path. She stopped the roll, took a quick breath, and she hurled the ice sword into Kiber’s face. The ice sword stuck Kiber in the left eye.

Instinctively, Kiber mashed a button on the platform for an emergency escape. The platform quickly lowered into a tunnel. Kiber withdrew the ice sword from the painful wound. He seated himself on an electric sled and he activated it. The sled shot forward and headed for the beach.

Meanwhile, T’Challa’s sword called out to Ororo.

”Come to me!” said Ororo.

The sword teleported from the wall it was stuck into and it reappeared in Ororo’s right hand. Ororo then dropped next to T’Challa who had a faint pulse and he bled profusely. Ororo’s beliefs stopped her from going into the past to prevent T’Challa’s condition.

”Take him to the Defence Division infirmary and tell them what happened,” said Ororo to the sword. ”I am going after the one who did this.”

The sword did as instructed while Ororo leapt into the tunnel.

 

Chapter

 

Ororo raced down the tunnel then she felt her powers and the night vision returned. Ororo created strong wind currents that lifted her body and she was pushed forward at an extremely quick speed.

Ororo erupted out of the tunnel and onto the beach. Ororo did away with strong winds and she stood on the beach trying to determine the direction the terrorist went. The scent of salt hanged in the air and the waves crashed loudly on the rocky shore.

Ororo felt a quick movement in the air currents. The movement was heading in her direction and it was in line with her neck. Ororo ducked out of the path. Wurrr! An object passed over Ororo. The object was a chakram- a razor sharp edged metal hoop. Ororo tracked the chakram and she fired a lightening bolt that struck the chakram out of the air and it fell onto the shore.

Two growls flanked Ororo and she smelt the decomposing bodies of the humanoids. Ororo concentrated and created miniature tornadoes inside the stomachs of the humanoids. The tornadoes grew and whittled away the humanoids then the tornadoes died down and disappeared.

”Face me!” shouted Ororo since she was tired of the decoys.

”In due time,” shouted Kiber. He stood on a bluff and the eye wound had healed but had left a scar. Then Kiber detonated the bomb buried in the beach.

 

Chapter

 

Ororo created a cocoon of plasma around her body in the milliseconds it took for the scorching heat to engulf her. The rest of the beach was blasted into the air and it fell as rubble. Seconds later Ororo flew out the crater. She looked around for Kiber, but he had vanished.

Ororo spotted the bunker and the commando units had converged on it. The attackers were gone. Ororo contacted Wakanda and she ordered three small army airships for an immediate pick up.

 

When Ororo arrived in Wakanda she was informed of T’Challa’s condition. T’Challa was in a coma and it was a miracle that he was alive. One doctor suggested that T’Challa was kept alive because of the healing properties of the Panther plant that T’Challa had eaten in the crowning ceremony to become king of Wakanda (only a person from T’Challa’s lineage could consume the plant without dying from it’s toxicity). But it was still too early to determine if he would completely heal or die.

”Keep me notified,” Ororo said and she left the infirmary. Ororo had to debrief the generals on the failure of the mission to capture the terrorist and inform the nation of the situation. Moreover, Ororo contacted Taku for an update on the Protectors and she received a report that a weakness had been discovered but it had to be double checked. The Foreign Affairs Division stated the UN had passed the economic packages to the majority of the developing nations that had ties with Wakanda and those nations were scared into the deal by the terrorist threats. The nations had ended diplomatic relations with Wakanda. Therefore, Wakanda was officially made isolated by the rest of the world.

An hour later the Wakandan general election results were announced.

 

Chapter

 

T’Challa awoke from the coma a week after the incident on the island. Ororo was alerted and she soon arrived at the infirmary.

”Are you all right?,” said T’Challa weakly.

Ororo sat on a chair near the bed and she held her husband’s hand.

”Yes I’m all right,” said Ororo and she kissed him on the lips.

”What’s new?”

”We lost the terrorist, the country is stable, we returned the Protectors, the world shuns us and we won the elections,” said Ororo.

”We will catch him,” said T’Challa.

”I know we will,” said Ororo.

T’Challa took two days to fully recover. Then he was back to full force. T’Challa and Ororo addressed their supporters and saluted their rivals Nginda and Slay whom had formed the opposition.

T’Challa and Ororo vowed the destruction of the Immortal Army and the Presidential couple declared to the world that the offer of help was still open to any nation that needed Wakandan assistance, they need only call the Red Phone in the Presidential Office. 

Next Story: Help Us

~ by blackpantherfanstories on September 29, 2008.