Nairobi, Kenya.
Thousands of people were inside the Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi when the atmosphere suddenly changed. The colors seemed to invert and everything took on a negative tone, as if the world had been filtered through a distorted lens. Within seconds, every visitor collapsed to the ground groaning in pain, their faces weakening as they felt themselves aging months for every minute that passed.
Those watching the scene from outside saw a massive dome of dark violet covering the entire mall. And at the very top, sitting calmly, a skrull rested as if he were not draining the life of thousands. Every time he breathed, the barrier beneath him released violet gas that he immediately absorbed, causing those trapped inside to feel even weaker while they screamed in pain.
"What's happening?"
"Something's going on in there!"
"My son is still inside!"
"What is this damn thing?"
The crowd outside the barrier shifted from confusion to fury in an instant. They wanted to enter, break it, do something, but soon realized the true gravity of what they were seeing. Even though the interior looked negative, they could still distinguish bodies writhing on the floor. Among the screams, the most heartbreaking came from a woman who had gone to the mall with her young son. The boy, as he usually did, had walked a few meters ahead and ended up trapped inside the barrier, while she, just a few steps behind, had the luck, or the misfortune, of remaining outside, watching through the dome as her son agonized.
"Amani, Amani, my son, please hold on!" she shouted, hitting the barrier with all her strength, unable to make it budge even a millimeter.
Several people approached to help and began hitting it with her, even knowing it was useless. A bolt of lightning suddenly descended and electrocuted them, sending them flying in every direction. A skrull appeared in front of them with an expression of annoyance.
"Even if you can't damage the barrier, you're still a nuisance," he said, observing them.
"W,why are you doing this? My son…" the woman sobbed.
"Why?" the skrull repeated, shrugging. "There isn't some deep reason. We have children too, and we want to give them a place to grow."
"We can live in harmony, we've lived in peace for months!" she cried, never taking her eyes off her son.
The skrull sighed. "I don't really understand the high command either, but it is what it is."
"Then… please, spare my son, let him live…" the woman begged, falling to her knees.
"It isn't about wanting to or not. The only way is for the one who created the barrier to deactivate it, which I doubt he'll do, or for someone to force him. But the coward is hiding up there. It's hundreds of meters, who could climb that?" the skrull said, explaining it more out of boredom and guilt than empathy.
"You don't seem like a bad guy. If you back off, I can let you go," said a voice that interrupted the conversation.
The skrull looked at the newcomer and smiled. "Either you aren't afraid of death, or you're the one coming to stop us, right?"
The man had dark skin, short black hair, and looked to be in his late thirties. The most striking thing was a necklace of animal teeth around his neck. Despite the common nature of that adornment in the region, something about him made it impossible to look away for a moment.
"Are you sure you don't want to retreat?" T'Challa asked.
The skrull walked forward slowly as he spoke. "Don't get me wrong. Yes, I feel sorry for you humans, and yes, I would have preferred a peaceful solution. But now that the invasion has begun, there is no room for peaceful methods. Even if I don't want to fight, if I have to…" His body released a large amount of electricity that focused into a ray directed straight at T'Challa. "…I will stand with my race."
T'Challa did not dodge the attack, he ran forward, crossing his arms over his chest. The lightning struck him directly, but did not harm him. A black suit with a panther design spread across his body, covering him completely and absorbing the blast without injuring him.
Without slowing, T'Challa reached the skrull and extended a hand, releasing sharp violet and black claws. The skrull, surprised by the speed of the attack, barely reacted before being sent flying several meters backward. Black Panther did not chase him, instead he extended his claws from his other hand and his feet, then sprinted straight toward the barrier.
He jumped as high as he could and clung to the surface with his claws, climbing on all fours like a true panther. The skrull on the ground watched and smiled, simply observing with no way to reach him.
Meanwhile, at the top of the barrier, the skrull responsible kept his eyes closed, inhaling and exhaling deeply as he drained the life of thousands. He opened his eyes when he sensed extreme danger. He barely had time to duck and move back to avoid Black Panther's claws.
"I knew I couldn't trust that bastard Thalir," he muttered as he stood up.
But Black Panther had no interest in talking. He needed to save everyone inside the mall before they died. He charged at him and easily dominated him in close combat. He finally immobilized the skrull, pinning him down with his claws pointed at the alien's neck.
"Deactivate the barrier," he ordered firmly.
The skrull smiled.
"I'll take you with me," he said just before T'Challa snapped his neck.
The barrier began to fracture from the center point, like a crystal tearing apart. The skrull's body fell through one of the cracks while Black Panther began a desperate race downward. The barrier was breaking behind him at an alarming speed. When the collapsing structure was about to reach him, he made a decision: he jumped inside, dug his claws in, and slid down. A few meters from the ground, he jumped again, landing with feline grace.
The first thing he did was pick up the child nearby. Although the barrier had disappeared and everything was returning to normal, most people still lay on the ground, stunned and in pain. For a child it was much worse; he had fainted from the shock. T'Challa checked that he was alive and, after confirming his vital signs, carried him to his mother.
"Thank you, thank you… blessed be the panther goddess," the woman said before kneeling to pray in front of Black Panther.
"You know me?" he asked, intrigued.
"Yes… my father was a believer of the panther goddess. He said there was a country where she ruled, a place beyond all other nations in the world… but I never believed him.
When Wakanda's existence was revealed and it was slandered, he said it was a lie and that they would suffer divine punishment for not believing. No one listened. I am so sorry… if I had known…"
"Do not worry. The goddess forgives," T'Challa replied, placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
With the child stable, the conversation ended and T'Challa stepped away. More Wakandan soldiers arrived shortly after.
"Your highness, what do we do with him?" one asked, pointing to the electric skrull from before.
"For now, bring him with us."
"Is that wise? Our public image isn't the best… and if we also forgive the skrulls…"
"We will not judge an entire race for the actions of the majority. Public image does not matter."
"Your highness, even if I believe this strategy is right, are you sure we can achieve it?" another asked.
"Normally it would be impossible, but Laplace's Demon gave us instructions in advance. Thanks to that we can distribute our forces and deploy our soldiers in the most efficient way depending on their abilities," T'Challa replied.
After that, he separated from the group and boarded a personal aircraft toward the next endangered zone.
"That said, I am still unsure about Oceania," he murmured, remembering a previous conversation.
A female voice responded through the communicator.
"I already told you, brother. We are showing our strength to the world and earning a seat at the table. Having one continent on our side is good, but having two is even better."
"But it carries risks, Shuri."
"There are always risks. We already negotiated with SHIELD so they will let us handle the protection of Oceania. If even with Laplace's Demon's information and SHIELD's support we never take risks, we will never gain presence beyond the barrier of Wakanda."
"I know," T'Challa admitted. "But even so, it is a big gamble… I only hope we win it."
"By the way, are you sure about the skrull we are taking?" Shuri asked.
"Yes, I defeated the one controlling the barrier too easily. Either the skrulls underestimated Wakanda and left little protection, or that Thalir was stronger than he showed."
"If you say so," Shuri replied through the communicator. "Change of plans, head to Canberra, Australia. The prime minister's son will be in danger in an hour and a half. An opportunity comparable to saving Kenya's economic center."
"Understood. On my way," T'Challa said before ending the communication and heading toward the indicated location.
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80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)