Chapter 2. AMANDLA
LOCATION: KRAKOA
...the beautiful red head spun about, her hair briefly forming a brilliant vermillion halo about her stunning face. Her eyes...those stunning sinople stars which had long gained fame, admiration, jealousy, envy and lovers in the worldwide general populace and both the superhero and supercriminal societies...were clear and sharp, questing, gazing into the depths of her sumptuous chambers. Cannily scanning her surroundings. She'd seen and done and been things most creatures in this portion of the universe couldn't imagine, so this? Wasn't new to her.
"I can call a literal army to my quarters, and you would be rent asunder." She spoke calmy. Quietly. To the silent corners of her very spacious living quarters. "Or. You can show yourself."
For several heartbeats, nothing whatsoever changed in her quarters. Her superhumanly powerful mind tasted the exact same life and energy vibrations from her plants, her furnishings, the atoms of the air, the interlacing swaying dart of connecting, parting, and reweaving molecules that had been the norm within her quarters moments, hours, days and weeks prior.
Emerging stark naked from Jean's bathing quarters...which alone was the size of most peoples' homes...came one of the most beautiful, sleekly muscled Afrikan women she has ever seen. Wreathed in steam, water beads glistening on her perfect flesh and gleaming like sun diamonds in her long dreadlocked tresses, the young woman favored the taller red haired woman with a side long glance. For long moments the two utterly lovely women stood thus, evaluating each other.
And then the ravishing red haired elder woman said: "Shuri?"
And the jaw droppingly gorgeous ebon skinned younger woman replied: "Jean." Her lovely Afrikan accent adorning her every word with the melody of humanity's Motherland.
The two women embraced.
"A robe?" Jean asked.
"Our Afrikan culture...and especially my Wakandan culture...does not have the discomfort regarding our bodies that the cultures and countries that you grew up in have had drummed into the very foundations of their civilization," Shuri replied with a complete lack of self consciousness and a wisdom far beyond her tender years. "But yes, if it would make you and your family more comfortable..."
Jean...with a flicker of her staggering mental power...drew a skein of light swirling around Shuri that solidified into a flawless emerald and white bath robe so beautiful that it put most wedding dresses to shame, and yet was casual enough to wear about like jeans.
Shuri wrapped herself in the robe. "Thank you," she trilled with that Wakandan accent of hers.
"Tea?" Jean asked. Shuri nodded. And again Jean's mental powers seemed to spin up masterfully crafted Old European ivory tea cups, tea pitcher, fruits, juicy vegetables and grapes from the very air. The women took their repaste on a large, ornate table which seemed to be woven of dominantly deep green beautifully rendered wood with a symbol of Krakoa as fiery red as Jean's hair emblazoned into its center...but this same table and same emblem took on different colors from whatever angle the seated or standing observer or observers took.
The women began to dine upon the food at the table.
Shuri...even before she became Queen...was not as patient as T'Challa, and was not inclined to be as oblique in method or approach as T'Challa. She most decidedly was not one to take overlong to address matters on her mind. As soon as she finished her portion of her meal...as Royal protocol required...she said in her sweet Wakandan accent:
"Jean. How did The Shadow King know where Wakanda proper was?"
Jean Grey. The former Phoenix. Simply looked at Shuri without surprise or fear.
"You think I sent this Shadow King to Wakanda," Jean...similarly disinclined to beat around the proverbial bush...surmised.
"I think you helped The Shadow King acquire information as to the whereabouts of Wakanda proper." Shuri replied from the depths of her bath robe.
"Why?" Jean Grey queried.
"Jean," Shuri repeated. "How did The Shadow King know where Wakanda proper was?"
"You said:'Was'. As in: Wakanda is no longer at that location."
"Of course."
"Sooo...you moved an entire landlocked Kingdom to another location. " Jean stated.
"Yes," Shuri confirmed.
"Impressive," Jean said.
"High praise from someone who housed The Phoenix Force."
"And you STILL think that I sent The Shadow King to Wakanda. Why would I have done that?"
"I do not think that you sent The Shadow King to Wakanda...why haven't you called your friends?"
"You are the royal younger sister of my sister Ororo whom I have loved for longer than you have been alive, Shuri. Ororo loves you; which means that I love you, too. And Ororo? Was Queen of Wakanda at the time you reference. I have NO REASON to send The Shadow King there, even if somehow I could do such a thing rather than extinguish or at least capture and imprison such a creature."
"Jean," Shuri spoke quietly. "I didn't say you sent The Shadow King to Wakanda proper. I asked you: 'How did The Shadow King know where Wakanda proper was'?"
"Shuri. I hear you. Now. Please. Listen to reason. We have no reason to fall to hostilities. And I have no reason to send..."
"You are stalling for time..." Shuri calmly interrupted.
"...Shuri. Younger sister. I don't know exactly how The Shadow King knew where Wakanda proper was. I don't even know where Wakanda proper was..."
"Why are you telekinetically sealing this room...Elder Sister?"
"Shuri, I am sealing this room in order to prevent hostilities, and to prevent others from hearing your wild accusations against me and coming to this chamber in my defense."
"Perhaps there is another reason that you don't want your friends to hear me saying what I am saying to you," Shuri suggested.
"What possible reason could you have to genuinely question me on such a matter, and what fantastical reason would I possibly have to even remotely consider such an action with The Shadow King?
No. I am telekinetically sealing off my chambers for precisely the reasons that I outline. As you know quite thoroughly? My room is surrounded by chambers wherein reside many of the leaders of Krakoa. These men and women are the most highly trained, extremely experienced collection of warriors on this planet blessed with an abundance of mutant superhuman powers, including superhuman hearing. If one of them heard you now, this conversation between sisters regarding an error could escalate into...unpleasantness. I simply want to prevent one of those tiresome supercape brawls that seem to spin out of the most paper thin misunderstandings that could be easily resolved by a simple, mature talk. We as women are not inclined to the testosterone fueled tirades of the men in our lives. We most clearly are able to see and understand that we don't need violence in situations like ours right now, but reason..."
"Then reason shall prevail. Return with me. Willingly. To Wakanda. And face our Tribunal. Bring Cypher with you as your legal representative. He would be utterly outstanding in that capacity."
"Shuri, I cannot leave my duties in Krakoa. Something you well know, being a monarch yourself..."
"Jean. How did The Shadow King..?:
" I already told you. Listen closely, my sister. We are being manipulated by some outside source or force. Perhaps Doom. Namor. Perhaps Moses Magnum. I don't know who right now, but you must understand me and please believe me: I don't know where Wakanda proper is. Therefore I cannot share information that I don't have. "
Jean reflected on this matter a moment. Then she continued:
"HOW could I have known where Wakanda proper is, Shuri? Do you not have great faith in the incredible effort, resources and protections that you have invested in keeping such knowledge from leaking? You have done a spectacularly good job, and you know it! Only a Wakandan...and a highly placed Wakandan at that...would have the requisite knowledge to lead any of we Outworlders to Wakanda; and to my knowledge, virtually every Wakandan is hyper-patriotic about their homeland. They consider the rest of the outside world to be a hovel by comparison, and by and large refuse to live outside of their own personal Shangri-La of Wakanda; therefore they would never ever betray their country..."
"Jean didn't know where Wakanda proper was. But you do...Madelyne. With your powers as The Red Queen, you seduced one of our brilliant, loyal Priests. Rather than turn on Wakanda, he killed himself."
"WHAT are you TALKING about, Shuri? Ororo told me that the Wakandans were particularly fiercely xenophobic and some are given to the most unblinkingly suspicious, immeasurably grand conspiracy theories but THIS claptrap you are braying about now..""
"You made three grave mistakes in your operation and contemplate a fourth, " Shuri smoothly continued, as if Jean hadn't spoken a word. "Our Priests are potent spiritualists and sorcerers, and this particular Priest of Wakanda...Wakenhotep...was no different. His defenses...even in death...were formidable. Even with your dangerously potent magicks as The Red Queen, you weren't sure that you could breach Wakenhotep's defenses. That's why you called in The Shadow King, and together? You two were victorious. You had The Shadow King infest our Priest's brain and animate his body. You and The Shadow King achieved the difficult feat of breaching the defenses of Wakenhotep's dying brain, and plundered his brain for whatever information you could find on Wakanda...including inside knowledge regarding the construction of some of our many cures for all ailments of the human and organic conditions...and our location. You could not have been so lost to reason as to think that it would escape our notice that many of the miracle cures you have offered the world in exchange for their acknowledgement of Krakoa are brilliant genetic manipulations of cures that we Wakandans have possessed for long millennia? And...though I wasn't there...I am absolutely certain that my sister Ororo would have both warned against this particular path AND accurately predicted the Wakandan response to such unapproved variants upon our cures spread to the world. Which means...you here in Krakoa have already prepared for the possibility of war with Wakanda. Such a war? Would thrill you, as you care not for the whole of mutantkind nor Wakanda. You care solely for you, Scott and Logan.
You didn't originate the notion of warring with Wakanda. Your Quiet Council did. You're under the illusion that you would be victorious in such combat with Wakanda. Atlantis thought she would vanquish us. Thanos thought so, as well. For more than a million years, would be conquerors thought they would be the ones to vanquish Wakanda. For more than a million years later, proud Wakanda remains unconquered, and these would be conquerors? Are all vanquished. Such a war? A Krakoa-Wakanda War? Would result in Krakoa being utterly routed and defeated. Such a war? Would be your fourth grave mistake.
Your first grave mistake? Was having the temerity to conceive of designs upon Wakanda in the first place. Your second grave mistake? Was murdering our Priest Wakenhotep, who was friends with my mother, my brother and myself. Wakenhotep The Wise, River Tribe Elder, who taught the massively brilliant rebel philosopher and scholar, Changamire.
WAKENHOTEP THE WISE, RIVER TRIBE ELDER
CHANGAMIRE
CHANGAMIREYou thought that you could take advantage of him without our knowledge. You had no way of knowing that all of our Priests share a knowledge born of a spiritual group collective, so if one falls...all know. Immediately."
"Ororo..." Jean began, her sinople eyes narrowing into sizzling slits.
"Yes, Ororo knew. But she was constrained by her oath as former Queen of Wakanda to not reveal this particular piece of knowledge. She shouldn't have to do so, and wouldn't have to do so...if you were true and not false of purpose. I wasn't there, but I know my sister. She would have insisted. Unendingly. Against such an action. Which means?
You and the Quiet Council took this action without her knowledge. Behind her back." Shuri slowly shook her head disapprovingly. "Dirty family politics? I thought you mutants proposed to be above such, here in Krakoa. On the other hand, Magneto styled the mutants of Krakoa as the new gods for we humans. Given his history, and the histories of religions and religious wars on this planet? Such a statement isn't dire or threatening at all." It was impossible to miss the sarcasm in Shuri's tone.
" To return to Wakenhotep," Shuri resumed her story. "We Black Panthers? Are High Priests within a particular spiritual group collective. We knew of your every move. Who do you think allowed you to contact our Priest, and authorized our Priest's dealings with you in the first place? You were undone the moment you contacted our Brother Priest, and this encounter we are having now was guaranteed the moment you assaulted him.
For a brief moment, you were able to shield your exact whereabouts from us. We were hot upon your trail, but not yet upon you. That's when you got overconfident, and overreached. Your third grave mistake was when you had The Shadow King...wearing the guise and flesh of our Priest Wakenhotep, like a malignant mental plague wearing the form of a truly beautiful mind ...returned to Wakanda. While there, this vile creature framed my friend Gentle for the death of our loved and esteemed Priest whom YOU murdered. For which you will pay. With your life. Madelyne."
Suddenly Shuri's robe clamped over her head and windpipe with near Colossus level strength. " I could use my power to instantly snap your neck, or tear your entrails asunder, or permanently rip the air from your lungs..." Madelyne hissed. "But this death? Is slower. Far more horrific. For more terrifying. Far more satisfying..."
PsiKaTech particles exploded from Shuri's robe smothered form, golden and strobing like the dawning morn...utterly neutralizing the telekinetic web Madelyn entrapped Shuri within. The robe ripped to shreds as Shuri emerged from it, dressed in dazzling blue and gold Wakandan hypertech body armor. Shuri feinted cannily leftrightleft, then level changed combined a PsiKaTech blast with an acrobatic, truly cunning, ankle height double leg blast takedown. The PsiKaTech blast...Madelyn discovered to her horror...instantly bereft her of all psionic and magic powers, leaving her with only her physical skills, experience and tactical acumen to face this Ancient Future, this Deadliest of the Species known as Shuri. Madelyn was more than formidable in hand to hand, executing a series of adroit grappling and professional striking to dislodge Shuri. But Shuri was having none of it. Using Maji Mbinu...Water Technique...from Njia Uhuru Kipura, Shuri flowed like an implacable tsunami all over Madelyn, achieving the dreaded Mkao Oya...Posture of Oya...atop Madelyn, then raining down vicious blows upon her prostrate foe. Madelyn's teeth flew out of her mouth and her jaw, orbital bone, and nose shattered under the rapid fire concussive blows of Shuri's fists, head butts, palm strikes and elbows.
"This is not your death, Madelyn...rather your humiliation. And your humiliation? Will not be as satisfying to me as kicking your ass is about to be! This...is for Wakenhotep!" Shuri proclaimed.
Madelyn saw Shuri's fist. Then Madelyn saw nothing but darkness.
