HIDDEN ─ marvel

XVI. The Black Panthers

Chapter Sixteen:
Soroya

We had a plan, and it was a good plan given the extreme odds stacked against us.

Shuri, Nakia, Ross, and Khari are currently sneaking into the lab, while Alex and I flank T'Challa on both sides. We walk across the field in front of the lab. As one of the jets carrying Wakanda's weapons begins to fly away, T'Challa sends a blast at it, sending it crashing to the ground.

Killmonger, the Border Tribe, and the Dora Milaje stand gawking at the unexpected disturbance. Walking over the crashed jet is T'Challa, standing for all of them to see with Alex and I by his side; shifted into the form of black panthers.

T'Challa brings his mask back, showing Killmonger and his army that he is indeed not dead. I plant my paws firmly on the destroyed ship and roar, with Alex joining in with me. I can see a smile form on T'Challa's face.

"N'Jadaka!" T'Challa yells.

Killmonger doesn't look to angry that he's alive. "Wassup?" He shouts back nonchalantly.

"I never yielded! And as you can see, I am not dead!" He says, his arms out wide, an invitation to the false king. As he starts to walk across the field, Alex and I are right by his side.

Killmonger doesn't take it. "All that challenge shit is over with. I'm king now," He turns to the Border Tribe and shouts: "Get those planes in the air! Carry out the mission!"

"Shuri, now." T'Challa says into the communicator. I thank god Shuri had perfected mine to last while in other forms so I can hear her reply: "Copy that."

An exchange happens between W'Kabi and Killmonger. I can see Okoye's face as she pleads to her husband, but W'Kabi turns to us and charges, with the Border Tribe on his heels. This was going to be painful, I didn't want to hurt any of them. But I had to, because Killmonger needs to be stopped.

T'Challa puts his mask back on and charges back at his former warriors. I look behind them and see Okoye pointing her spear at Killmonger. I begin running over to help her. As I'm making my way across the field, a Border Tribesmen tries to slash at me with his knife, but I pounce over him, sinking my teeth into the shoulder of another Tribesmen. Slashing my claws across the back of another warrior, I try to move quicker as I see Okoye send most of the Dora Milaje to fight for T'Challa. She and three others fight the now suited Killmonger alone.

I shift into a bird, just missing another attack from a Border Tribesmen. I fly over to Killmonger, shifting back into a panther and extending my claws out to attack. Killmonger is caught off guard by a panther falling out of the sky, so I manage to knock him over. I slash at his suit, but it does no good featuring its made of vibranium.

He pushes me off him and I fall next to Okoye's feet. I shift back into a human and she smiles down at me, kneeling down to allow one of the Dora Milaje to launch off her back and strike at Killmonger.

Spotting a spear lying on the grass a few feet away, I run over to grab it, seeing two Dora Milaje fighting Killmonger at once. I grip the spear as I sprint back towards them. Killmonger turns his attention to me as I strike at his head, but he blocks me, using his other weapon to fend off Okoye.

Together she and I strike at him again. I manage to just graze his torso, but he sends his knee into my stomach, sending me to the ground. I use the new angle to try and jab him, but he kicks at the spear and sends me toppling down the steps.

As I push myself back onto my feet, I hear a horn being blown. I look over to see W'Kabi blowing into a horn on a large rock. I then sense a new scent, the scent of an animal. Surely enough, from the crashed jets appears armored rhinos.

Shit. I almost move to go down towards them, but I see that Alex shifts into a rhino and jams his husk into the side of one of them. Since they're armored this does little, but that doesn't stop Alex. I can't take anymore time to feel proud of my brother, because I hear the desperate grunts of the Dora Milaje as Killmonger holds one of them beneath his knife. I rush up to them, but I'm too late, Killmonger slashes at her throat. The scream that erupts from Okoye is heart breaking.

I bring my spear up and use my strength to throw it at him. I would have made my mark if he hadn't hit it out of the way. I grab hold of the spear again and continue to strike at him along side the remaining Dora Milaje.

We manage to get all our spears around him and lock, beginning to electrocute him. I kick at his knee and it sends him down to the ground.

"Get the necklace!" Okoye shouts.

What I hadn't realized is that the kinetic energy has been building up in the suit. With a growl, Killmonger expels it, shooting all of us into the air and onto the ground yards away.

I shift into a Harpy Eagle just before I make impact. I manage to grab hold of Okoye's arm just before she makes contact with the grass, lowering her gently on the ground. I shift back into a human, looking around to see that the other Dora Milaje are alright.

I search for Alex, seeing that he's still running around as a rhino. T'Challa has jumped onto Alex's back and uses him as leverage to jump onto one of the armored ones, taking him down to the ground hard.

Khari is very close by, keeping any straggling Border Tribesmen at bay as Alex runs around.

Okoye nods to me and begins to fight the Tribesmen off. Out of the corner of my eye I see an armored rhino heading straight towards T'Challa. Since Alex is preoccupied, I rush towards him. I watch as the rhino manages to get T'Challa first, sending him flying through the air. I quickly shift back into the eagle and soar towards him, grabbing onto his arm with my talons and gripping him tightly, jerking a little as I try to set him down gently.

I shift back into a human, seeing that T'Challa looks slightly dazed, but despite this, he grabs my shoulder and nods. "Thanks, Soroya."

I nod back. "No problem." I say to him, shifting back into an eagle, flying back towards the fray. While in the air, I see Killmonger fighting Nakia and Shuri. I dive down towards them, grabbing onto a spear as I shift back. I charge up towards him, fighting side by side with Nakia.

Her weapon are these weird rings, so every time she pulls back to strike, that's when I attack with my spear. Given our numbers against him and my added strength and durability, we should easily beat him. But I think the heart shaped herb has more of a kick to it than my serum, because we are barely able to keep up with him.

Killmonger bends down and slashes at Nakia's leg, sending her flying the other direction. I swing my spear over my head and strike at his shoulder, but he maneuvers around the strike and kicks at my legs, which sends me down with a yell. He kicks at my side, sending me flying after Nakia.

I hit the steps to the lab hard, feeling my head spin as I try to get up. When I look to my right, I see Nakia isn't doing too well either. I know Shuri is still up there, so I try to move with every ounce of strength I have. I see T'Challa run past us, launching himself at Killmonger and sending them down into the lab.

I know how deep that fall is, so I'm relieved when I hear T'Challa ask to turn on the train on the bottom track.

"The stabilizers will deactivate your suit! You won't have protection!"

"Neither will he!"

I am confident T'Challa can handle Killmonger, especially with Shuri helping from up here. So, I help Nakia onto her feet and together we go back towards the fray.