Wakandan Jungle
The last of the Wakandan scouts hit the dirt as vibranium weapons scattered across the jungle floor.
Hulk stood in the center of the aftermath, breathing steadily.. Around him, Wasp buzzed back to normal size, brushing off leaves and grime. Ant-Man crouched beside an unconscious warrior, examining a vibranium spear lodged in the earth.
Iron Man hovered just overhead, scanning the area with a flick of his palm. "Okay," he muttered, helmet retracting. "So, that was a little harder than it should have been."
Hulk yanked a third spear from his back with a sharp growl, snapping it in half like a twig. "Lousy neighbors," he grumbled, flicking the shards to the side. A deep scowl creased his face. The idea of Wakandan citizenship suddenly didn't seem so appealing.
Ant-Man held up one of the spears, turning it over with interest. "This is ridiculous. For a supposedly uncharted African nation, Wakanda's packing tech that's decades ahead of what we've got. If Hydra gets their hands on any of this…"
"They won't," Iron Man cut in. He landed beside them. "Whatever Wakanda's hiding, it stays buried. Let's just hope Thor and Ben can handle their part without kicking a hornet's nest."
Capital City
High above the jungle canopy, Ben as Jetray banked hard to follow T'Challa's original plans. Thor kept pace effortlessly. They soared past the city's outer defenses.
They descended swiftly, landing in a secluded garden courtyard. A flash of green light, and Ben was human again, shaking out the stiffness from his limbs.
He and Thor slipped through an arched doorway and into the palace proper. Tapestries that depicted centuries of Wakandan history like gods, warrior kings, and epic battles.
"T'Challa, we're in the palace grounds," Ben whispered into his communicator. "We'll try to locate Man-Ape."
As they rounded a corner, two figures stepped into their path, halting their advance. The first was a woman of commanding presence, her bearing undeniably royal. She was draped in robes of deep violet and gold. Beside her, a younger woman, whose features strongly resembled T'Challa's. She wore a sleek, modernized take on Wakandan armor, her hands held near the twin panther-like gauntlets on her wrists.
Both women stopped dead, their eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Who are you?" the elder queen demanded.
Ben immediately raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "Whoa, easy there. We're not intruders. I swear," he said, trying to sound as non-threatening as possible. "We're Avengers. You've probably heard of us. We came with T'Challa. We're here to help stop Man-Ape."
The younger woman's eyes flicked between Ben and Thor. She didn't lower her guard. "You're with my brother?"
Ben nodded, relief washing over him. "You must be his sister and mother, then. I'm Ben, this is Thor."
"I am Queen Ramonda, Queen of Wakanda."
Shuri waved a hand. "Former, actually."
The mother rolled her eyes at the technicality.
Thor inclined his head respectfully. "Your son fights for the future of Wakanda. We have pledged to support that fight."
The queen's stern facade wavered for just a moment, a flicker of maternal fear clouding her eyes. "He's not ready," her voice softening with worry. "My son is brave, but he has not completed the final rite. He cannot face the champion of the Ape God, Ghekre. Not yet."
Thor's earlier suspicions were confirmed. There was more to this than a simple challenge for the throne. A battle between the local gods.
Ben, picking up on the gravity of her words, turned to Thor. "Do you know that god?"
Thor shook his head, his brow furrowed in thought. "I cannot say that I have. The pantheons of Midgard are many, and not all are known to Asgard."
"I suppose that is expected," the Queen said as she drew herself up. "He was known as the Gorilla God, a deity of judgment. Originally, the White Gorilla Cult worshipped Ghekre. Though the cult was outlawed by mainstream Wakandan society, the religion was still practiced in secret by the Jabari Tribe."
The queen reached into the folds of her robes. She withdrew a plant whose leaves pulsed with a soft, purple light. It was a Heart-Shaped Herb. "He must put himself before the Panther God and earn her favor. It is only then that he may do combat with the full strength of the Black Panther."
Understanding the urgency, Ben turned on his communicator again. "T'Challa, we found your mother and sister."
A crackle of static, and then T'Challa's anxious voice shot back. "Are they safe?!"
"Yeah, they're fine," Ben reassured him quickly. "But, you'll want to meet up with us. If what your mother says is true, you have one more task before you can avenge your father."
The line went silent for a beat. "I am already with Captain Rogers," T'Challa finally said, his tone strained. "If you cannot assist me, then he shall..."
The Queen held out her hand, requesting for the communicator. Ben obliged without hesitation, handing it over. She brought it to her lips. "Please, son. Your sister and I have already buried one loved one."
"Mother..." T'Challa's voice was pained.
"We do not want to bury another."
A long, heavy pause stretched over the comms link before he finally conceded. "Very well. I will be at the palace soon."
Just as a collective sigh of relief seemed possible, a distant horn echoed through the air.
All four of them froze, a new tension seizing the hall.
The younger woman, Shuri, pulled out her Kimoyo bracelet, her fingers flying across the holographic interface. A holo-display unfolded from her wrist, lines of Wakandan script scrolling quickly before resolving into a live feed of armed warriors mobilizing.
She turned the screen so they could all see. The Wakandan forces were aware of the Avengers' arrival and were preparing their military for an assault.
The Queen turned to them into a formal bow. "Please. You must stall them, so my son may complete the ritual and fulfill his heritage."
Ben and Thor exchanged a loaded glance. This was escalating far beyond a simple escort mission. "Well," Ben said with a wry, determined grin, "we did promise T'Challa a fair fight against Man-Ape." He looked at Thor, a challenge in his eyes. "How well does your hammer stack up against Vibranium?"
Thor hefted Mjolnir, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "I would say that I am confident."
"Do you think this might cause an incident with the other realms?" Ben asked, only half-joking.
"So long as we do not kill any of their citizens," Thor mused, his eyes glinting with the thrill of a coming battle, "I think we shall be granted immunity from the new Panther King."
Ben's grin widened. "Diplomatic immunity? Sign me up!"
Wakandan Throne Room
Man-Ape sits on the Wakandan throne, flanked by two identical women with their hair pulled back and bound so it stands straight and armed with spears. The only difference being one is dressed in yellow and the other in red.
An elderly, white-haired Wakandan dressed in white adviser robes, a green headpiece and holding a panther-headed staff calmly approaches the throne with a grave expression. "Our warriors in the jungle do not respond." He kneels before Man-Ape. "I beg you, rid Wakanda of all outsiders. T'Chaka would never-"
"I am king!" M'Baku roars, hearing the former king's name, sending him into a seething rage, as he rises from the throne. "Not the Black Panther. The Black Panther is no more! We shall deal with these intruders with extreme prejudice!"
The Vibranium Mound
After hearing about the intruder earlier, Hydra accelerated their ore extraction rate. They needed to get what they could and get out.
BOOM!
The wall of the vibranium mound detonated inward with a concussive boom. A green fist tore through the metallic rock, sending shards of priceless ore raining down as the Hulk pulled his arm back from the newly created entrance.
Iron Man's armor hummed as he stepped through the breach. "Thank you for the entrance, Hulk."
Hank knelt down and examined the damaged ore. "Well, it can always be smelted later."
The excess kinetic force from the Hulk's punch radiated outwards, absorbed by the latticework of vibranium ore that composed the mine.
Wasp zipped past Iron Man's head, before appearing in front of the Grim Reaper. "You're on our list, pal. I think you're number thirty-four. But we can take you early."
Grim Reaper raised his scythe. "Finally. Someone to hurt." However, his confidence wavered as the Hulk flexed his hands, producing a sound like cracking stone.
"Same," the Hulk rumbled. He had no problem breaking the bones of HYDRA agents.
Grim Reaper slashed toward Iron Man, who flew upward to evade the attack. Wasp moved in, a flurry of bio-electric stingers erupting from her hands. Reaper spun his scythe, deflecting the blasts in a shower of sparks. He was surprisingly fast, keeping Wasp at a distance with wide, sweeping arcs of his weapon.
While Reaper was occupied, Iron Man turned his attention to the soldiers on the cavern floor. White-hot repulsor beams lanced out, striking the ground at the grunts' feet and sending them flying.
The Hulk, unimpressed by the small fries, tore a multi-ton drilling machine from its moorings. He roared and hurled it end over end toward a cluster of HYDRA agents. They scattered in panic as the massive piece of equipment carved a trench through the cavern floor.
With every impact, the hum within the mine walls grew louder. The faint purple veins of light in the ore pulsed more intensely, crawling across the cavern like a living web.
The Hulk, seeing Reaper successfully fending off Wasp, grabbed a nearby HYDRA agent by the leg. The man screamed before he was thrown like a spear. Grim Reaper had to abandon his defense, diving to the side to avoid being hit by his own man.
High above, Klaw finally managed to fight back against the insectoid swarm. A high-frequency blast erupted from his sonic emitter, scattering the ants in a wave of pure sound. The shriek of the weapon added another layer of violent energy to the already overloaded vibranium.
"Pym! You fool!" Klaw screamed, his voice raw after being freed from the swarm. "The vibranium mound, if it absorbs too much energy..."
Ant-Man looked at the glowing walls and understood. "It'll overload. And with that much vibranium, the explosion will take out half of Africa." He turned to shout at his teammates. "Wasp, Iron Man!"
A Hydra Grunt attemps to shoot Ant-Man only to miss and shoot the wall, adding even more energy to the ores around them.
"No! Everyone stay back!" Klaw yelled from the scaffold. He shoots his sonic gun at the Hydra Grunt.
After seeing Klaw attack his Hydra men, Reaper decides to cut ties. "I think we're done with you, Klaw," Grim Reaper snarled. Grim Reaper shoots then scaffold near him.
With a screech of twisting metal, the platform gave way. Klaw fell. His sonic emitter, a complex device attached to his arm, struck the raw vibranium mound as he landed. He hit the ground hard and began to glow. The metal around him pulsed with the same violet light. He screamed, a raw sound of agony as his physical form dissolved, then vanished in a flash.
"Klaw! No!" Ant-Man shouted, the warning lost in the chaos.
The sound wave that followed was immense, a physical force that threw everyone off their feet. A swirling vortex of purple energy, coalesced where Klaw had been.
"The sound! The sound! I am the sound!" His form solidified into a vaguely humanoid shape of crackling purple energy. The sonic emitter was embedded in its core. The new Klaw's voice boomed, a chorus of overlapping frequencies. "I can hear you, HYDRA. You snakes." He lashed out, and waves of sonic force tore through the cavern, blasting HYDRA agents and Avengers alike.
The Hulk roared, seeing the massive energy creature as a worthy challenge. He leaped, aiming to smash the sound being into oblivion. He flew directly through Klaw's form without any resistance and crashed into the far wall of the mine, shaking the entire structure. "That sucks…"
"Wasp!" Iron Man yelled.
"I'm on it!" she replied, firing her stingers into Klaw's body. They passed through him, doing nothing.
Grim Reaper saw his chance. "All ships, take whatever vibranium you have and launch. HYDRA's pulling out." Soldiers scrambled into their transports and fled the collapsing mine. However, they lost one of the carts to a purple hand.
"Let go of that," Klaw's voice echoed. "It's mine."
Wasp flew over to the others. "So, does anyone have a plan? Mine is earplugs. But it's kind of short-term."
Wakandan Palace
T'Challa and Steve snuck into the heart of the royal palace thanks to the Prince's know-how and experience growing up. Thor, Ben, Queen Ramonda, and Shuri were waiting for them.
The moment T'Challa saw his family, his regal composure fell away. He crossed the floor and wrapped his arms around his mother, holding her tight. He rested his forehead gently against hers. He then pulled Shuri into the embrace, and the three of them stood together in a quiet, wordless reunion beneath the warm glow of the palace lights.
"You've come back," Ramonda whispered. "Then we must begin." She turned to her attendants. "We need a private place to perform the ceremony."
Ben and Thor exchanged a look. Thor gave a single, decisive nod.
"We'll keep the military distracted," Ben said, already turning to leave. "You handle the ritual."
"We will see them safely through this," Thor added. He held Mjolnir ready at his side. "I look forward to seeing Bast's new Champion." The two of them departed, disappearing into the cityscape.
Ramonda guided the rest of the group deeper into the royal halls. Shuri walked close to her brother, her expression tight with focus. Steve followed in silence until they reached the entrance to a sealed chamber, its presence hidden behind massive, carved stone doors.
"I'll stand guard here," he said. His tone was simple and direct. "Make sure no one interrupts."
Ramonda nodded in gratitude. "Thank you, Captain."
The heavy doors swung shut behind them, sealing them inside the chamber.
Outside
Jetray and Thor shot across the sky, descending onto the vast, open plains, kicking up clouds of red dust as they landed. This was the perfect arena, far enough away to ensure no stray blast would harm the city or its people.
A flash of green light enveloped him, and in his place stood a shifting, green gelatinous humanoid. A small, silver anti-gravity projector hovered above its head, keeping the amorphous form upright.
Thor spun Mjolnir casually. "An interesting choice for a battle."
"We're not here for a battle," Goop's voice gurgled from his body. "We're here for a distraction. And Goop is great at being distracting without breaking anything."
On the horizon, a line of Wakandan military vehicles and warriors appeared, closing the distance with incredible speed. They saw the sun's rays glint off polished vibranium armor and the tips of countless spears.
The first volley was a series of missiles launched from armored carriers. Before they could travel more than a few hundred yards, Thor acted. He flung Mjolnir in a wide, powerful arc. The hammer, struck each missile one by one. The resulting explosions were bright, violent flashes in the sky, their concussive force dissipating harmlessly over them.
As Thor managed the ranged attacks, Goop moved forward to meet the ground troops. The Dora Milaje led the charge. They thrusted their vibranium-tipped spears at the strange green creature.
The spears passed directly through Goop's body, meeting no resistance. The warriors' follow-up kicks and punches were simply absorbed into his gelatinous form.
Before they could react, Goop lashed out with several slimy pseudopods. The appendages wrapped around the warriors' limbs and weapons with surprising strength. He simply disarmed them, pulling spears from their hands and armor from their bodies before letting them drop, unharmed but neutralized, to the ground.
A heavy assault tank rumbled forward, its main cannon swiveling to target Thor. Goop launched himself at the vehicle, his body splattering against the hull like a thrown bucket of paint.
He seeped through the panel seams and viewport slits, his form rematerializing inside the cockpit directly in front of the startled pilot. The man yelled and fumbled for a sidearm.
A wave of green cytoplasm washed over the control console, shorting it out with a fizz of sparks. Another glob of goo sealed the pilot's hatch from the inside. The tank was dead in the sand.
Upon exiting, more warriors swarmed him, trying to find a weak point. Goop began to spit blobs of his own body mass. The green cytoplasm acted as a powerful, instant adhesive, sticking soldiers' feet to the ground or pinning their arms to their sides.
A fresh wave of spears flew toward him. This time, they stuck, the vibranium heads embedding themselves deep within his body. Goop's form bubbled for a moment. He willed himself to become acidic. The wooden shafts of the spears dissolved into nothing, and the priceless vibranium tips clattered to the dusty ground.
Thor, having just swatted another volley of rockets out of the sky, glanced down at Goop's work.
It was thanks to years of practice that he could keep his Anti-Gravity Drone out of the Crossfire of a battle for so long.
Royal Palace
In the throne room, M'Baku sat slumped in the king's chair. A scout, breathless from his run through the palace, knelt before him. Two of the Dora Milaje stood as silent sentinels at his side.
"Lord M'Baku," the scout said, "the former queen and the princess. They have taken the prince to the Chamber of the Ancestors."
An elder, one of the few who had not fled, stepped forward. "My lord, the rituals of that place are sacred. We must respect..."
"I have no use for tradition," M'Baku cut the elder off with a low growl. He leaned forward, his massive form casting a long shadow. He looked at the two warriors flanking his throne. "Crush the panther cub."
The two women nodded once in unison. Their loyalty was to the throne, and M'Baku now sat upon it. They turned and followed the scout out of the chamber, their spears held at the ready.
#
Outside the sealed chamber, Steve Rogers stood perfectly still in the shadows of the hallway. He heard the soft, rhythmic tread of their sandals on the stone floor long before they came into view. Three figures rounded the corner.
Steve stepped out from the alcove, blocking their path.
The lead guard stopped short. "Outsider!"
"T'Challa will be having a word with your 'king' soon," Steve's voice was low and even. "I ask that you stand down."
"He is not our leader." The Dora Milaje's reply was sharp, her grip tightening on her spear. The command of their king was absolute. "And you do not belong here."
Steve shifted his weight, settling into a low fighting stance. "Let it be known that I tried to do this peacefully."
The two guards mirrored him, their spears held expertly, their bodies coiled for a strike. For a moment, the hallway was silent, the air thick with the promise of violence. Then, they moved as one.
The attack was immediate. The two Dora Milaje moved with a fluid, synchronized precision that spoke of a lifetime of training. One went low, her spear a blur aimed at Steve's legs, while the other thrust high, the vibranium tip aimed for his chest.
Steve reacted with instinct honed by a hundred battles. He stamped his foot down on the shaft of the low spear, pinning it to the floor. In the same motion, he brought his arm up, deflecting the high thrust with his forearm. The impact jarred him, but he held his ground. He twisted, using the pinned spear as a fulcrum to spin the guard off-balance, and shoved the second guard back with his free hand.
He created a moment of space, but only a moment. They did not fall for simple tricks. They recovered instantly, their spear shafts now used as quarterstaffs.
He blocked, parried, and dodged. He could feel the thud of their strikes through his arms and legs. These women were strong, and they were relentless.
He caught one spear shaft under his arm, yanked the warrior forward, and used her momentum to spin her into her companion. The two guards collided, stumbling but not falling. It was the opening Steve needed. A quick, hard chop to an elbow joint made one guard's arm go numb, her spear clattering to the stone floor. He kicked the weapon away.
Before he could deal with the second, the sound of more running sandals echoed from down the corridor. Three more guards appeared, their spears leveled. The lone guard with her weapon took the opportunity to press her attack, forcing Steve back toward the door.
He was now facing four armed opponents. The odds were shifting.
He ducked under a wide swing and drove his shoulder into the attacker's midsection. The air left her in a sharp grunt. He grabbed her spear as she staggered back, wrenching it from her grasp. He now had a weapon of his own. He spun the spear, its length a barrier between him and the advancing line of guards.
"You don't have to do this," he said, his breathing controlled.
Their only answer was to attack. The corridor was tight, which limited their numbers from overwhelming him all at once, but it also limited his room to maneuver. A spear tip grazed his side, tearing the fabric of his uniform. He jabbed with the butt of his captured spear, forcing one guard back, then spun to block another strike aimed at his head.
He hoped that whatever T'Challa was doing would be finished soon.
Ritual Chamber
Inside, the air was cool and still, scented faintly with herbs and soil. The chamber was round, quiet, lit only by torches that burned low along the walls. At its center, a circular plot of soft dirt awaited.
T'Challa lay down on his back in the center, eyes fixed on the ceiling above. Ramonda moved with purpose, kneeling at the altar where the Heart-Shaped Herb rested. With practiced hands, she scooped water into the ceremonial vessel and began to grind the herb with care and reverence. The paste darkened slowly into a deep purple as she stirred.
Shuri sat beside her, legs crossed, watching closely but saying nothing.
Ramonda dipped her fingers into the mixture and looked down at her son.
"I call upon the ancestors," she said. "I call upon Bast. I am here with my son, T'Challa."
Shuri placed a hand gently on her mother's arm. "Allow the Goddess to grant the powers of the Black Panther… and take you to the Ancestral Plane."
Ramonda nodded and brought the vessel to her son's lips. T'Challa drank the mixture without hesitation. His breath slowed. His eyes fluttered shut.
Ramonda began to chant in Xhosa, her voice weaving between prayer and memory. With steady hands, she scooped a layer of soil over his chest, then his arms, then his face.
"T'Chaka," she said softly. "We call on you. Come here to your son."
The world went dark.
T'Challa felt himself sinking. His father's face came into view, smiling. Young T'Challa reached out, and the old king cupped his son's face. Flashes followed, the ceremonial fight, the roar of the Man-Ape, and the burial.
He burst through the surface, gasping. He was no longer underground.
Stars glittered above him, scattered across a deep purple sky. He stood in a vast, endless grassland, the ground soft beneath his bare feet. Acacia trees dotted the land, tall and ancient. A single massive tree stood ahead.
Golden eyes blinked at him from the branches. Panthers.
As T'Challa stepped forward, one of the great cats leapt down from the tree. Its paws touched the grass silently before it rose on two legs. The panther's form shifted and became something else, someone else. T'Chaka.
T'Challa didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and pulled his father into a hug, burying his face into the familiar strength of the man who raised him.
"Baba!" T'Challa called out, his voice carrying through the grasslands as he stepped forward.
T'Chaka stood beneath the great acacia tree, tall and calm, his spirit draped in the light of the stars. "My son," the former king greeted in Xhosa.
Omnitrix DNA Entry:
Name: Goop
Species: Polymorph
Home World: Viscosia
Powers and Abilities:
Polymorphs are amorphous, gelatinous beings capable of reshaping their bodies at will. Goop's default form is a green, viscous slime controlled via a hovering anti-gravity projector. This anti-grav emitter allows him to levitate, fly, and maintain his form; without it, Goop collapses into a puddle.
Goop can alter his shape, stretch, flatten, slip through tight spaces, and regenerate from physical damage by simply reforming his mass. His semi-liquid body is highly resistant to blunt force, energy blasts, and most forms of physical harm. He can absorb and trap enemies inside his body, suffocating or restraining them.
Polymorphs can produce corrosive acid, which Goop uses in short-range attacks or to melt through barriers. Goop can also alter the density of his slime to harden or soften parts of his form for combat or defense.
While Goop lacks traditional strength or armor, his unpredictable shape and ability to reform make him a difficult target to pin down. As long as the anti-grav unit remains active, Goop can adapt to almost any battlefield condition with eerie fluidity.
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