Ulysses Klaue wasn't just any arms dealer. He had a long and notorious history. Thirty years ago, he conspired with N'Jobu, the younger brother of the current Black Panther, to steal 250 kilograms of vibranium from Wakanda.
In the aftermath, N'Jobu was executed by his own brother the then Black Panther and current king of Wakanda.
But Klaue? He slipped away and remained at large ever since.
Rowan had two very specific goals in seeking Klaue: First, to take the vibranium currently in his possession. Second, to extract intel on how to access Wakanda's hidden borders.
Back then, after Klaue stole the vibranium, he didn't dare sell it in large quantities. Wakanda had a unique way of tracking vibranium signatures. The moment Klaue began moving it in bulk, they'd zero in on him.
So, Klaue chose to sell it slowly, in small batches.
This strategy along with the sheer rarity of the substance was what drove the market price of vibranium up to a staggering $10,000 per gram.
The fact that Ultron would one day manage to steal a massive cache of vibranium from Klaue proved that Klaue still held a considerable stockpile during this period.
Which meant only one thing.
Rowan was going to take it.
His plan? Seize the vibranium, forge a full combat suit of his own, and use it to wage war on Wakanda.
Because there was no way he was walking into that country wearing his standard-issue tactical suit. Not when every Wakandan soldier carried vibranium spears capable of punching through most armor like paper.
If even one of those spears caught him off guard, it could mean the end.
And it wasn't just Wakanda. Namor, the ruler of Talokan, also wielded weapons forged from vibranium.
In the movies, Namor's combat prowess was… decent at best. But this was the real world. For all Rowan knew, Namor could be on a completely different level.
He wasn't about to bet his life on cinematic portrayals.
So, the best course of action was clear: craft his own set of vibranium gear, then make his move on the mines themselves.
While weighing all this, Rowan hopped onto the dark web and sent a message directly to Ulysses Klaue:
"I'm looking to purchase $30 million worth of military-grade weapons."
Originally, Rowan figured Klaue might take a day to respond. But to his surprise, a reply came in less than ten minutes.
Klaue sent over an inventory image along with a message:
"I'll ship you a sample item first. If you're satisfied, you'll pay a 30% deposit. The remaining 70% is due upon delivery."
Rowan smiled faintly.
Bait taken.
Once they met in person, Rowan wasn't worried about getting the information he needed. One way or another, Klaue would talk.
Rowan sent back a simple thumbs-up emoji.
All that was left now was to wait for the sample shipment and for Klaue to take the bait completely.
…
The next morning, Maria Hill was up early. She made breakfast before rushing off for work.
By the time Rowan got out of bed, she was already gone.
Click.
Just as he sat down at the dining table, Natasha's bedroom door creaked open.
Her red hair was down and slightly tousled, clearly fresh out of bed.
Rowan noticed that her eyes were a little puffy and dark circles had formed under them.
"Didn't sleep well?" he asked, taking a bite of toast.
Natasha glared at him in response but said nothing. She headed straight to the bathroom to wash up.
When she emerged, her hair was pinned up neatly and she had already changed into a tight tactical suit, looking much more alert.
Maybe she'd spent the night processing everything, because she was no longer acting flustered like the night before.
"Rowan, how did your physical abilities get this strong?" she asked, sitting down. She accepted the glass of milk he passed her.
"I was wondering when you'd ask," Rowan said with a shrug.
This kind of question really should've come up last night. Took her a whole night to work up the nerve?
"Speak. Now," Natasha demanded, giving him a light flick on the forehead.
Rowan didn't mind. After all, he'd smacked her butt several times last night fair trade.
"Didn't Hill tell you? I've been training under a mysterious mentor. I'm a martial artist now," he said calmly.
"Martial artist? That alone gave you this level of strength?" Natasha sounded skeptical.
Hill had told her Rowan had improved physically, but she never imagined it was by this much. She had assumed he was now on par with a trained operative not someone enhanced like her.
But last night proved otherwise.
She'd used advanced grappling techniques and holds, and Rowan didn't budge. He lifted her with one hand like she weighed nothing. She hadn't been able to break free no matter how hard she struggled.
This kind of strength… it wasn't just above average. It was well beyond the limits of a normal human.
She suspected not even Captain America could match him physically now.
"More or less," Rowan said, taking a sip of milk. "Once you step onto the martial path, you just keep getting stronger."
"You mean you'll get even stronger than this?"
Rowan's matter-of-fact tone stunned her into silence.
In just two months, the guy had gone from "training wheels" to this. What about six months from now?
"Of course. Right now, I'm still in the early stages."
He watched her reaction with interest.
"…Early stages?" Natasha swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She stared at him like she was looking at a mythical beast. "Then just how strong do you plan to get?"
Rowan smiled and slowly curled his hand into a fist.
"Strong enough to flatten a building with a single punch, probably."
In truth, he wanted to say a planet but figured Natasha wouldn't believe that, so he toned it down.
Natasha sighed and went back to biting her toast silently.
After a few seconds, she seemed to remember something and looked up.
"Can your telekinesis evolve too?"
She thought back to yesterday when Rowan had used it to control throwing knives, eliminating enemies in seconds.
If his telekinetic powers could also grow stronger, he might one day be able to lift an entire building with his mind.
"In theory, yes. But I don't have a natural talent for it. It's probably going to be harder for me to improve that side," Rowan said honestly.
Natasha finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Still, she couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.
It hit her then she might never get the chance to pin Rowan down and tease him like she used to.
"What's with that face?"
Rowan looked at her puzzled expression and chuckled.
"Isn't me getting stronger a good thing?"
"No!" Natasha shook her head emphatically.
Rowan raised an eyebrow.
A faint blush crept into her cheeks. She glanced up at him but didn't say anything.
The truth was, with his current strength, Rowan could easily overpower her. If he wanted to spank her again, she wouldn't be able to resist at all.
And that thought was… mortifying.
She used to be the one pushing him around. Now the roles had flipped, completely.
Rowan watched her expression shift and more or less guessed what she was thinking.
He simply shrugged.
Naive.
The Thor arc was already nearing its end. Soon, Loki would fall from the Rainbow Bridge and into Thanos' hands.
Which meant The Avengers storyline was just around the corner.
With the Chitauri army set to invade New York, Rowan couldn't afford to be weak anymore.
If he was still as powerless as before, he'd be crushed in seconds no questions asked.
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