Jungle, Wakanda
Everything appeared to move in slow motion. Oliver saw, heard and felt things quicker than he ever had before. He could see the South African’s finger squeezing the trigger, almost read the pulse as it ran from brain to arm. Oliver grabbed the shaft of his makeshift bow and hurled it like a javelin, wedging it into the barrel of the AK-47. The South African pulled the trigger and the gun exploded!
Oliver flipped forward and brought the fight to the remaining five drug runners. He was swift, brutal and efficient. A broken arm here; shattered jaw there; a skewering with a stick for good measure. They did try to fight back but Oliver was moving on a different level.
Oliver walked over to the angry and splinter covered South African, who’d gotten to his feet. He drew a large hunting knife
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded looking at the hairy, badly dressed bushman in leaves standing before him
“I’m the Green…”
“P-p-panther!” stammered the South African pointing behind Oliver
“Do you think I’m ten? Is this a pantomime?” Oliver closed in on the man
The South African began to tremble
“Yeah that’s right, be scared…be very scared” said Oliver trying on his tough guy voice
“Panther!” he whimpered again
“There’s nothing behind me but trees and…” Oliver turned around to see a gigantic white panther with piercing, almost glowing green eyes behind him, standing about nine feet at the shoulder intently watching the scene “A giant panther!”
“I told you” cried the South African
“Shut…up!” said Oliver cautiously “I really, really hate this place”
Dockyards, Lagos, Nigeria
“…so when Kepler gets here with the final run we can set sail for Canada” said the captain of Orin McKenzie
“So far cultivating cocaine in Wakanda has been a profitable business for me” said the woman in the black trench coat and partial balaclava. It was a hot day but she was dressed for cooler climes. Her arms were folded across her chest, the right hand covered in a metallic ‘cup’.
“But South America is closer to transport cocaine” said the captain
“Nothing wrong with your knowledge of geography Captain” she said “But the risks versus the profits plus the fact the United States have basically declared war on anything coming from the South. Here in Africa which has similar climate for growing both coca and marijuana and the people looking at it are celebrities wanting to adopt children or watch movies on child soldiers. A bit of old fashioned slavery reduces my costs, this stolen rebranded Chinese ship technically doesn’t exist and whoever heard of a Canadian drug cartel?”
“You’re a very smart woman”
“A compliment from a smuggler and rapist…how odd” she turned and walked down the dock “But you are correct captain I am very smart. I am also very dangerous”
“Yes Madam Shado Klaw”
Jungle, Wakanda
Oliver spread his arms, shielding the South African from the unnatural beast glaring at them. The natives who’d been coerced into helping lay prostrate on the ground
“Is this about your smaller cousin who chased me the other day?” joked Oliver “Because if so I’m really sorry”
The panther let out a low rumbling growl that shook the jungle. The South African shrieked and ran like a terrified girl into the trees. Oliver watched him run and looked back at the massive cat “You can chase that if you want?”
“Why are you here little T’Challa?”
Oliver’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“Are you deaf?” asked the Panther
“Did…did you just speak?”
“YES!” roared the Panther, the wind sending Oliver’s leaf mask flying off his face. The natives ran off into the jungle.
“Okay I’m in a urine coma” muttered Oliver “Talking white panthers, me doing gymnastics through the jungle. I’ve gone mad!”
“You have eaten my blessing” said the Panther walking around Oliver “You are of royal blood”
“My dad was in finance and my mother was a socialite, didn’t know New York high society counted as royalty”
“You are a simple, stupid, uneducated boy!”
“Hey I went to Empire State University!”
“YOU KNOW NOTHING!”
“Okay that’s it! I’m not taking any more lip from a talking fat cat!” Oliver cracked his knuckles “You want some; come get some!”
The giant panther looked down on the little hairy man wearing a costume of leaves and mud, bouncing from foot to foot and burst into laughter
“What is so funny?” asked Oliver
“You little T’Challa” the Panther lowered itself to eye level “You amuse me. I deem you worthy to be my avatar”
“So this is a computer game?”
“I am Bast. Panther God of Wakanda and Cat Goddess of Egypt. You will serve on my behalf”
“Look…puss! The only boss of me is me! And maybe Dinah, but nobody else”
Bast looked at Oliver and smiled “I like that you think that. Go now little T’Challa. It is time you rejoined the world for you have work to do” And with that the enormous animal walked into the green and disappeared
“Did ANYONE else just see that?” asked Oliver of the now very empty jungle
Royal Palace, Wakanda
“Your majesty!”
King T’Chaka looked up from his paperwork at the heavy breathing servant who’d burst into his chambers “Did you forget how to knock?”
“I beg your forgiveness my king but you must come see in the courtyard”
The King got up from his desk and walked to the balcony and looked down on the royal square. Sitting in the middle as proud as punch, surrounded by police, reporters and citizens was Oliver Queen upon a mountain of cocaine bundles. Several men were tied together sitting in a circle looking sad and sorry for themselves.
“Honestly” joked Oliver at a reporter “It was a spur of the moment thing. If you’d LET me come to Wakanda then none of this would’ve happened. Ummm is that the king?”
The crowd hushed as they turned to their monarch. T’Chaka looked down on the minor circus in his royal square
“Hi king!” said Oliver breaking the silence “Do you have a razor I can borrow?”
Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Nigeria
Shado Klaw sat in the executive lounge gazing at the planes go by. She had scoped the room; two CIA agents, a former KGB freelancer, a C-list celebrity, an MI6 agent and four millionaires sat about. None recognised her, as it should be. If this shipment went…her phone beeped
“Go” she said. Shado listened closely to the information. The expression on her face barely changed but if you were close enough you could see her eyes literally sing with anger “I see” She closed her phone carefully and got up heading to the first class concierge desk.
“May I help ma’am?” said the girl
“A relative has taken ill so I need to amend my flight details” she said handing over her passport “I need the first available flight to Star City”
“Let me see Miss Hawks” replied the girl tapping away on the computer “I can cancel your flight to Tibet and the next available flight to Star City is leaving tomorrow at 4am estimated arrival time of 2.47pm Friday. Anything else?”
“I shall leave my bags here; I have some arrangements to make. I would like a window seat”
(Green Arrow, Oliver Queen, Dinah Lance, Shado and Star City are owned by DC. Black Panther, T’Challa, T’Chaka, Wakanda and Klaw are owned by Marvel. This story is mine and the creation of Green Panther is mine as is Shado Klaw but using elements from DC & Marvel, as I’ve said in other stories they own the sandpit I merely just play in it)
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