บท 236: Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-Six. I Bless The Plans Down In Africa
Erik was sat in the transparent cell, the energy curtain would provide a small shock at the slightest touch, and burn anything held in contact for too long,
"I can hear you, you know," he said, sitting on the comfortable bed, he was lying with his hands behind his head. "I might not have super hearing but you move like a truck, all power and no grace."
Peter snorted and walked in full view of the prison. He had asked the Dora to let him talk to Erik alone, and after they had gotten confirmation they had moved, only to outside the entrance, but it was enough for this to be private.
"So, if you've come to gloat, I ain't interested." and Peter shook his head, grabbed a chair and moved it in front of the cell.
"Nope, I called a friend of mine, Nick Fury, and he kindly got me a copy of your CIA file. Nice read, Kilmonger." and Erik shrugged,
"So? Lots of people read that file. Blah blah, joined in 02, blah blah, exceptional soldier, blah blah, I'm not in the mood for a social call, and I've met enough suits to know you want something. Unless it's freedom, and my throne, I said I'm not interested."
Peter sighed, "Freedom isn't mine to give. Shuri and M'Baku are arguing about that right now, probably take an hour, maybe not. I do have an offer though."
Erik sat up, resting his hands on his knees, and brought his legs up and crossed them, "Yeah, you got something better than a throne?" and Peter laughed,
"You know there's no throne in either your or M'Baku's future. I'll stop you, and I can call a lot more people. See, I also got Fury to call in a favour, Cross Industries, Fisk's little projects, and a few Enhanced? You've got nothing, and Cross can't touch any formula as I already got Parker to patent the Heart serum. Seems my ace chemist made an interesting discovery about a certain plant in Africa. You've got shit, and all you'll do is start a war you can't win."
Erik pursed his lips and glared at Peter, "So you are here to gloat," and he lay back down, "You still can't stop me. I will get what I want."
Peter shrugged, "and what do you want? Wakanda to rule? That's not happening either. Shield has energy weapons, and its own formula, the Banner formula is military. Hell, I bet Ross would bend over backwards to get you on his Thunderbolts. Wakandan tech might have been advanced a hundred years ago, but the rest of the world caught up. Wakanda's still at the top, but it's getting to be a closer race than you think."
"We'd still win."
Peter laughed, "no you wouldn't. But winning isn't everything. Cut ties with the White Gorilla Tribe and side with Shuri."
Erik sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, giving Peter a confused look, "And that gets me what? A nicer prison, a better view of the guillotine?"
"No, it gets you the military advisor position. It gets you standing next to that throne, maybe not on it, but you know as well as I do, generals who make policy do much better than ones who fight wars. How many foreign leaders are dead because they pushed for war. The US would stomp Wakanda flat, and the world would help. Your vibranium mine? yeah, you'd never see that again. It would be stripped in a year and Wakanda would be left with nothing but a huge hole in the ground."
"So, you want me to advise, and what's to stop me once I'm out this cell from making a huge mess of things?" and Peter shook his head,
"You want Wakanda at the top of the world, not rotting in the muck. You want an Empire, but anyone who picked up a history book in the past decade knows that Empires are over. Tech and money rule now, not military might. Start a war and it goes global. And the big shots who hold the money don't want anything to endanger that." and Erik nodded, every empire that rose ultimately created a huge global mess, before the next one came along and took the crown, making a mess of its own.
"So, behave and get a slice, not the whole pie?" and Peter half shrugged, "Nah, You and I don't see eye to eye. It won't work." and Erik lay back down.
"We don't have to, you and Shuri, that's the question. I'll be her King, but ultimately still an outsider."
There, Peter found the thread, Erik was interested, he just needed a push, and with the Mind Stone, he gave him one.
Erik crossed his fingers and lay them on his forehead, "and you think Shuri will agree?" and Peter laughed,
"You never stood a chance against her, you think being fast and tough is our only power. She heard everything we said, she's guiding this conversation. She says, rot in there, as you're never getting out on anything other than her terms." and it was Eriks turn to snort,
"Telepathy?" and he sighed, "I guess it's here or a casket right? with you, M'Baku won't win." Erik sat back up and stood in front of the cell wall. "Honestly, how much of a chance did I stand?"
Peter hit the panel next to the cell and the two Dora guards came in, "You got the orders?" and they nodded.
Touching a hand to the forcefield, it began to burn and flake. At first, the skin blacked and peeled, and even Erik took a step back. Peter pushed his hand forward and as the fingers burned and crumbled he stared at Erik. Once each finger was gone he pulled his hand back and Erik saw the slight glow at each stump and every finger regrew, taking seconds to reform. Once they had Peter flexed his hand.
"With this game, I'm not playing. Cross will be gone soon. Even Pym is about to get a rude awakening. Wakanda is about to set itself up as a global superpower, and nobody, not Stark, not M'Baku, and certainly not you are going to change that. Get on board or be left behind."
The demonstration was Shuri's idea, as Peter hated being so melodramatic. Wakandans valued two things, power and vibranium and Peter needed to show Erik just how much power he had.
"Can I?" but Peter cut him off by shaking his head,
"Anything else, but not that. There will be rules, and as long as you play by them then you get what you want." Peter could tell he was already on board, he was just going to play hard to get, and that wasn't Peters concern,
He'll agree, just give him something to sweeten the pot and he'll fold.
Good, without him, M'Baku will have no choice but to back down, thank you, and I am sorry about your hand.
In his mind Peter laughed, it's okay, you'll just need to lend me yours later,
Shuri giggled, and I am sure you will use it for the most naughty of things, I wish I could my heart but right now, Wakanda needs it more
Hey, Hey, it was a joke, I know. Even I have to get back to work.
Reed and his team were heading to Egypt for the removal of Apocalypse's spaceship. He had used some of his spare vibranium to bribe the Egyptian government, they had no clue as to what was under there and Peter wanted it packed and gone before they found out.
I know, no rest for the wicked as you American say, and you, my heart, are very very wicked
He also wasn't lying about Pym and Cross. After talking to Cindy more, it seemed that Hank had taken to the idea of a living biological armour. Something that could survive within the quantum realm for longer than a normal person, and stave off the effects of the realms poisoning. What Peter saw in Cindy's memories was a sickening series of experimentation, and Silk had suffered.
With new powers, and a set of laws behind him he had already sent Matt and his new team of Wakandan lawyers to seize all of Hank's material about the Symbiotes, and if he was lucky, throw him in a very dark hole to go with it.
Darren Cross was easier, getting rid of stolen tech and an illegal team was just a tip-off to Ross, and Cross Industries would be getting shut down. And knowing Ross he would probably seize any of that strange shrinking tech Cindy had told him about.
After Betty Brant, and a small discussion with Liv, who he trusted on the issue more than anyone, he saw why Charles used his powers the way he did. Erik was just an example. He wanted to be free, to see his homeland standing proud, but his way would cause untold misery and suffering. A gentle nudge with the Mind Stone set him on a path he had considered already, one without the pain. Liv had been his sounding board, if she shut him down he wouldn't have, but even she saw the truth. And with Shuri on board, he felt no hypocrisy in using his powers to avert a war.
As long as Peter didn't actively change someone, as long as it was a nudge, a small whisper to follow all already thought of path, she saw no harm in it, a shortcut over a long debate. It did come with a warning though, that if she found him using the Stone or its powers to control people, she would be the first to stop him.
His next stop, after persuading Erik to switch sides, was to visit Cindy herself, find Eddie, and the rest of the totems and see what their plans were.
Felicia and MJ had both been angry at Cindy's arranged visit, but with Silk a serious problem they had relented. He just hoped that didn't mean a repeat of Flash. Cindy wasn't the nicest person in the world, and with Silk hurt, her personality made it worse.
Eddie on the other hand was going to be fun. Now it was all out in the open and his identity was compromised, then Peter could see if the man wanted a position at Parker Inc. He didn't hold any hope, but with some persuading and a little bribery, Liv might just have an original Oscorp serum survivor to play with. As long as he held no grudge against him, Eddie should jump at the chance to return to New York, and at an actual job.
Peter frowned though, as he rounded the corner of the hanger, where he saw the four standing Eddie was arguing with Cindy, while a pale, goofy looking skinny guy and a serious dark-skinned man, he knew was called Sam Wilson, stood and watched.
"I don't care, he's Venom and no." but Cindy wasn't having any of it.
"So? so he beat the crap out of you, so what, I want to go home. I want some space and I want a life. Not that bullshit that Hank calls living, not the crap I put up with from you three." and she paused as Peter smiled, "You, what the hell did you do?" and she held out her phone.
Run, they came for us
Peter shrugged, "nobody experiments on Symbiotes. Nobody, so he got what he deserved.
"Deserved? They took everything. He ran as soon as the vans showed up. Hope was with Cross and they all scattered."
Peter shrugged, "don't be an asshole then" and Eddie blinked,
"You, telling someone not to be an asshole? You're a criminal, why aren't you in jail? Hank saved us and gave us a base, and you're okay with taking him down? And why the hell is Cindy talking about moving in with you?" and as Eddie got in Peter's face, Peter took a breath and pressed a hand against his chest.
"First, personal space, let's not have a repeat of last time. Second. Illegal experiments on a sapient and sentient lifeform and you're defending him? Third, Shield, like Sam Wilson. So yeah, I cleaned my act up, I went legit, and now, I don't get a lecture from a bum who smells like an ashtray and fast food."
Sam stepped forwards, "yeah I got Fury's message. So, I'm leaving for Avengers training, Scotts coming with me, as he got a pass. Eddie, you too or not. We had some good times, but life moves on. More and more Enhanced are appearing, and you don't get to walk that line. There is no grey anymore, it's right or wrong, black or white, and if you want to get paid and not have the cops up your ass, it's white."
Eddie huffed, "yeah I heard, Olivia Octavious already contacted me," and as he snarled, "fucking Parker Inc. How come you get to act like a jerk and land on your feet, while we, while I struggled?"
"Oh stop whining," Peter said, "take this is your big break. Work for me, get paid a huge ton of money to guard Livs life and stop being a douchebag."
Eddie huffed, and crossed his arms, "how much money?"
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