Marvel: The Enlightened One-Chapter 109: [] - The Fracturing of Wakanda

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Logically, even with its existence revealed to the world, Wakanda should have been able to stand its ground. With an arsenal of Vibranium tanks and jets, they should have been more than a match for any "peacekeeping" force the Five Great Powers could muster.

But not this time.

The Demon Hulk had torn through their country, and the full might of the Wakandan army had been powerless to stop it.

They had suffered catastrophic losses, and the entire River Tribe’s district had been reduced to a smoldering ruin.

Most importantly—

King T’Chaka had collapsed again. Wakanda was a nation without a leader, forced to adhere to their king’s last command: retreat to the capital and activate the city’s Vibranium energy shield.

As everyone knows, the larger the area, the greater the energy consumption. The smaller the area, the more concentrated the power.

T’Chaka had been confident that while Hawk might have been able to shatter the shield protecting their entire nation, he would never be able to break the one defending their capital.

...

Inside the royal command center of Wakanda, the atmosphere was thick with tension.

"It’s been ten days. What’s the plan?"

"Has the king awakened yet?"

"I say we fight them! Drive the thieves from our land!"

"Fight them with what?"

"That is the combined might of the Five Great Powers out there."

"This is our land!"

The chieftains of Wakanda’s various tribes were gathered, their voices rising in a cacophony of dissent as they stared at the holographic projection of the UN peacekeeping force massed outside their capital.

Just then, King T’Chaka appeared, pushed in a wheelchair by a sharp-looking man.

The arguments ceased instantly. All eyes turned to their king.

"My king!"

"Shuri."

T’Chaka, his hair now completely gray, his face a mask of weary defeat, looked to his daughter, who was standing quietly by his side. "Contact S.H.I.E.L.D. Invite them in."

The moment he had seen Hawk shatter their energy shield with a single punch, the shock had overwhelmed him, and he had collapsed.

He had seen this coming—the inevitable consequence of their exposure.

If it had been possible, he would have chosen to reveal Wakanda to the world himself.

After all—

Choosing to reveal yourself and being forcibly exposed are two very different scenarios, with two very different sets of consequences.

But there’s no medicine for regret.

Wakanda’s technology might be centuries ahead of the rest of the world, but they were now facing the collective will of the planet’s five superpowers.

If they refused to cooperate, the Five Great Powers might not be able to get in, but they would make damn sure that no one in Wakanda ever got out.

Their isolation had left them vulnerable. They had no strategic reserves, not even enough food to last a prolonged siege.

If the standoff continued, it wouldn’t be long before they destroyed themselves from within.

And so, there was only one path left for them.

Princess Shuri heard her father’s command and nodded grimly.

The other tribal chieftains’ expressions changed, and they all turned to T’Chaka.

"My king, you can’t!"

"They are not peacekeepers! They are thieves! Vibranium has always been ours—"

"Do you have a better plan?"

King T’Chaka cut them off. He pointed a trembling finger at the holographic display, at the massive army that had assembled in just ten days, at the five flags fluttering in the wind.

"Do you know what those five flags represent?"

"The last nation they ’helped’ in this way... do you know what happened to its leader? To his country?"

"If you do not agree with my decision, you are free to leave. Your tribes can declare their independence. But the Golden Tribe will surrender."

King T’Chaka’s voice, though hoarse, echoed with the last vestiges of his royal authority.

The other chieftains looked at one another, stunned into silence by his words.

"Shuri."

"Yes, Father."

"Contact them. Now. Before I draw my last breath, I must ensure the safety of our capital. I will not die in peace otherwise."

"Father..."

"Yes, sir."

Princess Shuri looked at the fading light in her father’s eyes, and her own voice trembled as she opened a secure channel to S.H.I.E.L.D.

Standing behind the wheelchair, T’Challa placed his hands on his father’s shoulders. He could feel the life force draining from him. He looked around the command center, at the faces of his people, and a wave of grief and rage washed over him.

He had left Wakanda as the prince of a hidden kingdom. He’d come home to find it being carved up by the world’s superpowers, his father on his deathbed...

And it was all because of one man.

An image of the man he had seen on the holographic projections flashed in T’Challa’s mind. He instinctively held his breath.

"Hawk."

...

"Achoo!"

In the school library, Hawk, who was helping Gwen with the senior yearbook, let out a sudden sneeze.

Gwen, sitting cross-legged on a sofa nearby, completely absorbed in editing photos on her laptop, glanced over at him. "Catching a cold?"

Hawk rubbed his nose. "I think someone was just talking about me."

It wasn’t a guess. It was the Sixth Sense.

Gwen tilted her head.

"Peter?"

"Why would Peter be talking about me?"

"Because you’re obsessed with where his webs come from."

"Aren’t you?"

"I was," Gwen said with a sly smile. "But I already got the answer out of Mary Jane."

Hawk’s eyes lit up.

"And?"

"Not telling."

"What?"

Gwen just shrugged. "You never told me he was Spider-Man. I had to figure that out on my own. So, I’m not telling you his secret. You’ll just have to ask him yourself."

The corner of Hawk’s mouth twitched. "Gwen, you’re being petty."

"You’re just now figuring that out?"

She was completely immune to his goading.

Just then—

Speak of the devil.

Mary Jane and Peter walked into the library.

"Gwen, is the yearbook layout done?"

"Yep." Gwen looked up. "Just sent it to the printer. What about the contact list?"

Mary Jane nodded. "All done."

Hawk’s eyes were fixed on Peter.

Feeling the intense stare since the moment he walked in, Peter’s Spider-Sense made the hairs on his arms stand up.

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. "What is it?"

Hawk just shrugged, his eyes drifting down to Peter’s wrists. "So, where do the webs come from?"

Peter’s eye twitched. Seeing the two girls talking, he quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Gwen, did you see the latest news today?"

Gwen looked up from her laptop. "I’ve been here since seven this morning, helping Hawk with the yearbook. What happened?"

Peter didn’t drag it out. "The UN just declared Wakanda a permanently neutral state. And to ’ensure peace and stability in the region,’ the Five Great Powers have unanimously agreed to send in a joint peacekeeping force."

Gwen blinked.

Mary Jane, who was now leaning on Peter’s shoulder, chimed in. "Didn’t they already send troops to some African country like a month and a half ago?"

"This is different. Africa’s been a mess for years. The Five Great Powers have never done a joint operation like this before."

While the girls gossiped, the boys talked politics.

Peter shook his head, then looked at Hawk. "Right, Hawk?"

Hawk shrugged. "Africa is a long way away. I couldn’t care less."

As he spoke, he stood up. "I’m going to go make a call."

Gwen just nodded.

The moment he was outside, Hawk pulled out his phone and dialed Anna’s number.

Okay, so he’d lied. He was actually quite interested in what happened next in Wakanda.

The call connected instantly.

"Hawk."

"Anna."

He got straight to the point. "The negotiations with Wakanda are over? What’s this about a ’permanently neutral state’?"

Anna chuckled.

"You saw the news?"

"Yeah. Is it a done deal?"

"It was finalized five hours ago. The press release went out immediately."

"Give me the details."

Hawk’s eyes lit up. He walked down the library steps and sat down cross-legged on the lawn.

Women loved gossip. Men did too, they just called it "geopolitics."

Hawk was no exception.

On the other end of the line, Anna organized her thoughts.

"Wakanda requested recognition of their capital as a sovereign city-state, the status of a permanently neutral nation, and the preservation of the Golden Tribe’s authority."

"The Five Great Powers agreed, in exchange for access to Wakanda’s technology and the right to establish a permanent, joint military presence to ’protect’ them."

Hiss.

Hawk drew in a sharp breath. "So they’re disarmed?"

Anna’s voice was laced with irony. "Why would a permanently neutral country need an army?"

An African nation with that many Vibranium weapons? What are you going to do, start a rebellion against the rest of the world?

Hawk’s eyebrow arched. "And Wakanda agreed to that?"

"The Golden Tribe agreed."

"Uh..."

"This morning, right after the treaty was announced, the River Tribe, the Jabari Tribe, and the Border Tribe all declared their independence and attacked the peacekeeping forces. The joint command is... not pleased."

"So..."

"The UN is about to make an example of them."

Of course they were.

It looked like the situation in Wakanda wasn’t going to be resolved anytime soon.

"Alright. Thanks."

"Any time."

Just as Hawk was about to hang up, Anna spoke again. "Oh, and Hawk? Congratulations."

He paused, the phone still at his ear.

"For what?" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Happy graduation."

"..."

...

PS : Hello everyone, since we didn’t reach 300 PS, there will only be one Chapter today. Over the past month I’ve been releasing a lot of Chapters, sometimes even bonuses from me so you can read more, and I really can’t keep up that. The story needs motivation to keep going, and that part depends on you.

Best regards!

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