Black Panther: Rise of the Princess (COMPLETE)

Chapter 7: Okoye

The King decided to send me to retrieve the white man Peter Parker, or as I was told by the Princess, Spider-Man. Apparently, she knew him from one of the media's she pays attention to. I decided not to question it. If Shuri bought that he was reasonable, then it couldn't be much worse than when Sergeant Barnes had lived here. Indeed, the broken white man had taken very good care of his goats.

I piloted the ship with the camouflage engaged. No one needed to know that a Wakandan ship was dropping by New York. It was a longer journey, but I was able to enjoy myself during the jaunt. I may or may not have stopped for a latte on the way, and I caught up on one of my favorite series. A new season just started, and I had been so preoccupied with work that I hadn't been able to watch the new episodes.

When the ship crossed the state border into New York, I adjusted the flight course and directed it towards Queens, New York. I had the coordinates for Mr. Parker's house, and I hoped that he would be ready when I got there.

If anyone noticed the ship brushing over top of the city, they didn't do anything about it. Their guns wouldn't have damaged the ship, but would have made a mess for sure. The building lit up on my screen, and I zoomed in on the roof. Mr. Parker was waiting on the roof, in a blue and red suit with gold highlights. It was then that I recognized him. He had fought during the Infinity War, alongside Tony Stark. He was almost a year younger than the Princess, and I silently prayed to Bast that he didn't have as strong of an infatuation for 'meemees', or whatever Shuri called them. I already had to deal with one.

I lowered the ramp to the airlock without disengaging the camouflage. The Spider-Man caught my drift and leapt onto the ramp, and I resealed it as I sped of, back the way I had come. I activated the autopilot and went to greet Mr. Parker.

He waited in the airlock, which was good, because I didn't want him exploring what he wasn't supposed to see. When he saw me, his mask retreated into the suit and he approached me. "Hello, ma'am. This is the ride to Wakanda...right?"

"Yes," I reassured him. "And you are the Spider-Man?"

"Yeah, but you can call me Peter. Ah, who are you?"

"Okoye," I told him. "I am the general of the Dora Milaje. I will be escorting you to the King and Princess."

He switched his weight from one foot to the other. "Okay, cool, what...what should I do?"

"Come," I invited him, "make yourself comfortable. We will arrive in six hours, and I will be sure to let you know when we get close. I don't doubt that you will want to see the city. Most others enjoy the view."

Peter sat on one of the couches. "How big is it? I've heard a few stories, but when I was there, I never actually got to stop and look around."

"Much bigger than your own city, Mr. Parker," I laughed. "You will find that we are quite capable at building what we need."

"Oh, I bet it looks beautiful. Am I allowed to take pictures?"

I glanced behind me, over my shoulder. I couldn't see him properly from the pilot's seat, but I raised and eyebrow at him anyways.

"It's just that I'm...well I'm a photographer, and I've always wanted to get a scenic shot from Africa for a album I'm putting together. Wakanda would be perfect."

"Do you plan to share this album?"

"I wanted to give it to my aunt, as a birthday gift next month. I don't think she would share it, if I told her not to."

I thought for a moment. True, a picture of Wakanda would look beautiful, I knew it all too well myself. It was a great gift to give.

"I'm sure if you ask the King, he would be able to give you an answer," I said finally. "Take your pictures, but do not share them until you are told."

I couldn't see him, but I knew he would comply. He seemed decent, for a white man.

"When you fought in Wakanda, the what did you remember?"

He didn't answer for a moment, but eventually, he said, "Not much. It was all so crazy, and afterwards, all anyone really talked about was Steve's death." I heard him make a sound like he was going to say something else, but he must have decided against it.

"I remember Sergeant Barnes took it especially hard," I commented. "He was a fine soldier."

"Yeah, he was," Peter murmured, and I could have sworn he was smiling. I decided I didn't want to know why.

~

When we landed, the T'Challa and Shuri were waiting for us. Nakia must be inside. I walked with him down to meet the royal family.

Peter bowed when he approached T'Challa, but he waved him off and laugh. "You don't need to do that, Mr. Parker. Welcome to Wakanda."

"Thanks for having me," he said, standing up and composing himself. "Your country is beautiful," he commented, looking around. "I've never seen anything like it."

"That's because there is nothing else like it," the Princess laughed, and she held out her hand. "Here, you may use this during your stay. It is a communication device, similar to ours."

Peter took it and stared at it, then at Shuri. "How did you shrink the power source?"

T'Challa looked confused, turning to stare at me. "What did you tell him, General?"

Peter shook his head. "No, it's just that I tried to make one of these before, but I couldn't get a small enough power source with the resources I had. What's powering it?"

The King looked astonished, but Shuri's eyes began to widen.

I knew that look. Bringing Parker to her was a mistake, I could already tell.

"Oh, come here! I've got lots to show you!" Shuri grabbed him and dragged him inside the castle. Her brother looked after the two of them.

"Where are you going?"

"To talk with someone who understands what I say!" Shuri yelled back, and Peter, although looking thoroughly baffled, ran inside after her.

I looked at T'Challa. "My King, what have you done?"

He shook his head. "I'm starting to believe that I should have requested someone else."