The Wakandan sun burned golden across the horizon as the quin-jet settled silently on a landing pad that shimmered with cloaked technology. Tony Stark stared through the viewport, mouth half-open.
"…You've got to be kidding me," he muttered. "I've spent years thinking Wakanda was a glorified nature preserve, and now you're telling me it's basically Silicon Valley meets Narnia?"
Alex didn't even blink. He adjusted his crimson-trimmed Mechanicus robes, servo-skulls orbiting silently at his shoulder. "Appearances deceive. That is why they've survived."
Vision tilted his head, synthetic eyes scanning the air. "The energy readings are…remarkable. A vibranium weave cloaks their entire infrastructure. Ingenious."
As the ramp lowered, the three men were greeted by a royal delegation at its head stood Queen romonda , regal in her lion-embroidered mantle, her son T'Challa beside her, watchful and restrained. The elders stood in semicircle formation, their expressions carved from centuries of guarded secrecy.
"Welcome to Wakanda," romonda said, her voice steady as stone. "Few outsiders have walked this ground. Fewer still have left it alive."
Tony leaned toward Alex and whispered, "Okay, she's definitely the fun one at parties."
Alex ignored him and stepped forward, bowing his head slightly. "Your Majesty. We come not as thieves, but as equals. The universe is changing. Earth must prepare. We would trade knowledge for knowledge."
The negotiations began in the Golden City's throne chamber. Holographic maps of Earth and Mars shimmered above the council table.
Alex laid his cards on the table first. "We seek vibranium. It is key to stabilizing a metal known as adamantium a resource necessary for planetary defense and expansion. Without it, Earth will fall vulnerable to forces you cannot yet imagine."
Romonda's eyes narrowed. "And in return?"
Tony chimed in, leaning back in his chair. "How about, oh I don't know access to the first functioning orbital station in human history? Labs with zero-G manufacturing? Oh, and Mars. That big red rock we're turning into a colony. Fancy building a Wakandan lab on another planet?"
The elders whispered, debating in Xhosa. T'Challa's gaze flicked to Alex. "You speak of colonization as if it were as simple as raising walls. Mars is hostile. Its soil, its air "
"We have reactors. Terraforming protocols. Automated servitors," Alex replied smoothly. "Your sister will understand better."
As if on cue, Shuri stormed into the chamber, a mischievous grin splitting her face. "Did someone say lab on Mars? I want in. First dibs."
"Shuri" Romonda warned.
"umama, listen! Imagine the research! Vibranium under Martian conditions, low-gravity metallurgical synthesis it's the future!"
Tony smirked. "I like her. She's got the Stark gene."
Alex raised a hand. "We'll allow a Wakandan research wing on Mars, if you grant us one thing in return: the schematics for your maglev transit system. Your vibranium rail design is superior. It would serve as the backbone for planetary infrastructure Mars, the Moon, even Earth's orbital elevator."
That caused a ripple of unrest among the elders. One slammed his staff. "You ask too much. Wakanda has remained hidden for centuries. To share such technology risks everything."
Romonda's firm voice silenced them. "And yet…times are not what they once were." Her eyes fixed on Alex. "You build weapons for wars not yet fought. Why should Wakanda trust you will not turn Mars into another empire?"
Alex met her gaze, unblinking. "Because war is already coming. Whether I build or not, it will find us. I prepare so that Earth will not burn."
The chamber was heavy with silence. Finally, Romonda rose. "Then let it be so. Wakanda will trade vibranium for your station's access and a place on Mars. Shuri may oversee the lab herself. But know this: betray us, and even your machines will not save you."
Alex inclined his head. "So sworn."
Tony whispered under his breath, "I give it two weeks before she hacks my suit."
Shuri smirked at him. "Two days."
Later, as the delegation walked through the Golden City, Alex let his gaze linger on the hidden spires, the cloaked fields, the maglev train gliding silently across the skyline.
For the first time in a long while, he felt something stir beneath his calm iron resolve.
Hope.
But also danger. Because now Wakanda was stepping onto the galactic stage and once the veil was lifted, it could never be put back.