Chapter Ninety-Five: Wakanda

Ulysses Klaue had his right hand severed by Ultron, and his whole base was wiped out by the Avengers. He escaped through a secret passage.

Fearing that he had been cursed by terrible luck and with all his men dead, Ulysses hid in a small town in Sierra Leone to recover from his injuries.

Wakanda had long been trying to capture him, so once his base had been exposed he fled at once and took refuge in Sierra Leone.

Thud...

The dejected Ulysses was sitting in a chair, smoking, when the door to his hideout was suddenly kicked in.

"Who are you?" Ulysses drew a pistol and aimed it at the figure before him, whose entire body was wrapped in a black cloak.

"Haha, you do not recognize me after only two days? Does your right hand still hurt?" The man pulled back the black cloak, revealing a face of deep crimson.

"You are... Ultron?" Ulysses knew well the metal monster that had cut off his right hand, but the man before him looked almost human, except for his red skin and the metallic elements crowning his head.

"How is it? What do you think of my new body? It was thanks to you that this body could be made," Ultron said.

"This is made of vibranium!" Ulysses knew the miraculous properties of vibranium all too well; he had dealt with Wakanda for half his life.

"Correct. I am very satisfied with this new body. I came to you because I want you to work with me. We will go to Wakanda and take more vibranium!" Ultron said.

"You do not understand how terrifying Wakanda is. The two of us alone cannot stand against it," Ulysses said.

"That is why we need an ally, a true Wakandan. You know this man, Erik Killmonger, do you not? I found interesting information in confidential United Nations files. He is a Wakandan!" Ultron said to Ulysses.

"What? Erik is a Wakandan? No wonder he knows vibranium so well!" Ulysses had never imagined that the black man Erik was actually from Wakanda. He had worked with Erik several times, and the man knew vibranium inside and out.

"Find him. He can help us once we enter Wakanda," Ultron said.

"All right! I will work with you!" Ulysses took out his phone and contacted Erik Killmonger.

...

"What do you want with me?" Erik Killmonger arrived at Ulysses's hideout. Ulysses had said that he had something important to discuss with him.

"It was not me who wanted you. It was him!" Ulysses said, pointing to Ultron, who sat in the chair.

"It was you who wanted me?" Erik asked, looking at the strange man before him.

"Erik Killmonger. Graduated from Annapolis University at nineteen, then earned a research degree from MIT, joined the Navy SEALs and was deployed to Afghanistan, and later joined the Ghost Team of United States Special Operations Command!" Ultron recited Erik's file.

"Who are you? How do you know all this?" Erik asked, staring at Ultron.

"My name is Ultron. My purpose is to kill every member of the Avengers and bring peace to the world!" Ultron said.

"World peace? And what of it? You want to hire me to help you deal with the Avengers?" Erik asked.

"No need! My next target is Wakanda. I need a great deal of vibranium to build an army of steel! And from what I understand, you are a Wakandan, are you not?" Ultron said, looking at Erik.

Erik's expression changed the moment he heard the word Wakanda. After a moment of silence, he said, "I am Wakandan, and I bear a blood feud with Wakanda!"

Ulysses's interest was instantly piqued. "Can you tell me why you hate Wakanda?"

Erik looked at Ultron and Ulysses. After thinking for a while, he decided that these two could be of enormous use in his revenge against Wakanda, so he chose to trust them for the moment.

Erik parted his lower lip, revealing the mark borne only by Wakandans, and said, "My father was N'Jobu, the brother of the King of Wakanda. He was murdered by the Wakandan king! I was left alone in America as a child, and all these years I have never stopped thinking of avenging my father!"

"So you are royal blood from Wakanda?" Ultron asked.

"Yes!" Erik replied.

"Excellent! I will help you kill the King of Wakanda, then you will take control of Wakanda itself, and together we will seize the whole world. How does that sound?" Ultron said.

"Kill the King of Wakanda? With you?" Erik did not believe Ultron had such ability.

Ultron suddenly rose into the air. Red energy beams flared from his right hand, blasting a huge hole straight through the wall.

"Your body is made of vibranium?" Erik recognized the material at once.

"Well? Shall we work together?" Ultron held out his hand to Erik.

"Fine! Wakanda will be ours!" Erik and Ultron shook hands, and the pact was sealed.

...

Kingdom of Wakanda

T'Challa stood beside his father, the old King T'Chaka, as they listened to a report from one of the attendants.

"Your Majesty, Ulysses's secret base by the Nile has been destroyed by the Avengers, but Ulysses escaped. We searched for him, yet lost his trail," the guard said.

"Ulysses is a wanted criminal of Wakanda and must be captured. He has stolen a vast amount of vibranium. We have searched for him for years, but in a sealed kingdom like Wakanda, how difficult it is to find a man hiding out in the world beyond," said the old King T'Chaka.

"Father, why do we not seek the help of the Avengers?" the young Prince T'Challa asked.

"Wakanda appears to the world only as a backward tribal land. We have hidden here for generations to avoid war. If the world were to learn Wakanda exists, we would face unprecedented danger," the old king said.

"Father, we should try to make contact with the outside world. Wakanda has hidden for too long. I believe we can guide the world toward peace," T'Challa said, not agreeing with his father. He felt Wakanda had a duty to protect the peace of the Earth.

"Then leave that to you after you inherit my place. I believe you will do very well, my child," said the old king, looking at T'Challa with kindness.

"Father, I will not fail your expectations. I will study well under you and learn how to make the lives of the Wakandan people better!" T'Challa said, looking at his father.

The old king smiled and nodded. He believed T'Challa would surely be a good king.

"Father, the Avengers sent word to us. They say a robot named Ultron wants to come to Wakanda to seize vibranium, and the Avengers want to come to Wakanda to help us deal with Ultron!" T'Challa's sister, Princess Shuri, said to the old king.

"A mere robot wants to seize Wakanda's vibranium? How ridiculous! The Avengers must be trying to discover Wakanda's exact location. Ignore them!" The old king scoffed at the message.

"Father, they say that Ultron has forged a body from vibranium, and that he is allied with Ulysses. We had best make preparations," Princess Shuri said.

"A vibranium body? Then Wakanda cannot stand aside. Keep watch on the Avengers' messages, and order the Border Tribe to strengthen its defenses!" said the old king.

"Yes, Father." Shuri bowed and took her leave.

Just then, a guard from the Border Tribe arrived with urgent news, asking to report it at once. The old king allowed him to enter and speak.

"Your Majesty, an outsider has come to the Border Tribe. He has captured Ulysses and wishes to request an audience with Your Majesty," the Border Tribe guard reported.

"Ulysses has been captured? Come, let us go and see!" The old king was delighted to hear that Ulysses had been caught, and prepared to go see whether it was true.

"Father, you must not go. This outsider is surely suspicious! How did an outsider find his way to Wakanda? Father, let me go in your stead and take a look," T'Challa stopped the old king, feeling that things were not so simple.

"This is Wakanda. There are soldiers of the Border Tribe, and you are at my side. There is no danger. I want to see that thief Ulysses with my own eyes!" The old king ignored T'Challa's warning and led the Dora Milaje to the Wakandan skimmer outside the great hall. T'Challa had no choice but to follow, and Shuri went along as well.

The Wakandan skimmer took off and headed for the Border Tribe.

...