After being dealt a terrible blow by T'Challa, Claude de Ruyter was angry... and in great pain. So after he woke up again, he first checked on his mercenaries and noticed that most of them were now incapable of ever walking again. T'Challa hadn't killed them, but punished them by paralysing them. They were now incapable of ever walking again or using the lower part of their body. Seeing the brutality of T'Challa, Claude decided that he needed help. He wasn't just going to get back the Windrider; he was also going to get revenge on the 'boy' who dared lay a finger on his men, but most importantly, him.
[...How may I be of service?]
The man on the other end of the line asked, after Claude dialled the number.
"Put the Bull on the phone, now!" Claude shouts.
[M. de Ruyter is occupied at the moment. Exactly what do you need, sir?]
So Claude started to explain everything in a few sentences and told the man who was working for his brother about the situation and what he would need for the remaining job to be completed.
[Urchins? You were bested by ignorant street children? You want helicopters and guns to attack children? And who should I say is calling, sir?]
"Tell him it's his younger brother. Tell him I found a Windrider." Claude says.
[Hold on, sir.]
Meanwhile, the Bull, AKA Andreas de Ruyter, is done fighting an actual bull and coming out on top. He walks out of the ring and towards the man holding the phone for him.
"Ice for my hand and knees. Cigar before I get mad." Andreas says.
"Phone, sir. Your younger brother. Something about street urchins, a beating, and a Windrider?"
"Windrider?" Andreas is surprised and takes the phone.
[Tell me all about it, Claude. What happened?] Andreas asks into the phone.
After another, more detailed telling of what happened, Andreas understands.
[I understand. I'll be there in a few hours.]
.
A few hours later, Andreas arrives with the helicopters, more men and guns to finish the job that his brother started. They sit in the helicopter and make their way towards the village, where Claude found Ororo the first time, and where he and his men were badly beaten.
*Zzzzzzbroomm*
A lightning strike gets the attention of Claude and tells him that he's on the right track.
"What's wrong, brother?" Andreas asks.
"Nothing. Everyone is ready. The Windrider may be disguised again, in a wig, so tranquillise all the women just to be safe. With the exception of the one that attacked us, kill all the male children." Claude tells the men. "I want to kill him myself."
Their group makes it to the village's location, but what they find isn't the same as it was before. Following T'Challa's advice, Teacher has moved most of the people in his entourage to safety away from the village and has armed the few men under his command with weapons they stole. But he miscalculated greatly and didn't follow T'Challa's words, so they stood no chance when the De Ruyters arrived with three helicopters and automatic weapons.
"Loyava keeneck q wi!" they shouted, alarming all those who were present.
*RATATATATA*
The machine guns fired at them, killing most of them, in the first couple of minutes. Despite the Teacher's and his daughters' brave resistance, they were overwhelmed by the sheer might of the men who came to set fire and destroy their village. They tried to use hyenas as a way to attack the men, and it seemed to work initially. The hyenas attacked one of the men and bit him in the neck, killing him. But before they could do any more damage, two mighty hands grabbed their necks and broke them, killing them on the spot.
"Stop playing, brother! Find the damn Windrider!" Andreas yells.
"No rain, no thunder, not even a breeze. She's not here. There would be a hurricane by now." Claude deduces and turns his gun towards one of the boys they captured. "Where is she?"
"We do not know. And if I did, I wouldn't betray my friend."
*BANG*
Claude simply shoots the boy in cold blood.
"Is anyone's memory getting better? Do I need to look inside all of your brains myself?" he asks the remaining young men.
But none of them answer. They are far too proud to talk, and so, Claude turns to the only female present right now, Zenja. She had tricked him the first time and told him that she would lead him to Ororo, only to then help Ororo instead.
"You... the one who tricked me. The enemy of my enemy... shall die."
"STOP!"
"Huh?"
"Stop... no... not my daughter... please." Teacher is dragged closer by Andreas.
"Your daughter?"
"Where is the one we're looking for?" Claude asks.
"She's no longer here." Teacher answers.
"Sigh, the question is, where did she go?" Claude asks again.
"I know where she went," Zenja says.
"Hush, child," her father tells her, trying to get her to be silent.
"No, you hush, father. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself... me... all of us... for her? Let them have her and the boy she left with, let them have them both. He is nothing more than a traitor." Zenja says, outraged.
"Where is she?" Andreas asks, picking up the Teacher and lifting him into the air with his great strength.
"She's with a boy. A boy from Wakanda." Zenja says, trying to protect her father.
"Wakanda?!" Andreas suddenly asks and turns to Zenja in anger.
"A stranger who bragged that he was the son of T'Chaka, the son of the Black Panther. His name is T'Challa." Zenja says.
"T'Challa! T'Chaka's son, here?! Here?!?" Andreas grows erratic and picks up the Teacher by the throat.
"I swear on my mother's grave. Don't hurt my father. That is who she is with: the Prince of Wakanda. Find T'Challa and you will find Ororo." Zenja says.
"Who did the boy travel with? Is he with other warriors from Wakanda?" Andreas asks Zenja.
"Only with the girl you seek. He came here alone, left with her. Is that what you told me, Father?" Zenja says.
"I see now. It makes sense, brother, that you were beaten so badly. If he's truly the son of T'Chaka, then you are lucky to be alive. Those disgusting Wakandans!" Andreas rages.
*ZZZZZZbroomo*
Another lightning strike in the distance. Claude is aware of it and tells his brother.
"Brother, there!"
.
While the De Ruyter brothers gather the Teacher and his daughter Zenja to fly to the location where the lightning hit, Ororo is taking a bath and wrestling with her feelings. She is trying to make peace with her gift, but it isn't working as intended just yet. She is nervous, for she has plans for the night. She has decided to become a woman. After cleaning herself and trying to calm herself down, she hears T'Challa play on his flute. She told him that he had the musical skills of Orpheus, a hero of Greek mythology, who was said to be able to make even the rocks and trees dance. But T'Challa said that he despised Greek Mythology.
Nevertheless, his music managed to soothe Ororo. It calmed her nervous heart as she hears it now and leaves her feeling free-spirited. She gets out of the water, puts on her new dress, which she bought earlier that day, and returns to the small camp they had set up.
"T'Challa," she says as she walks up to him.
He stops playing and turns towards her. He can see that she has decided something and suddenly remembers what this is most likely about. He waits for her to act first. She walks up to him and they embrace for a moment.
"You are in control, Ororo," he tells her, seeing that no lightning is striking at the moment.
"In what way?" she asks.
"In every way."
Ororo decided in that very moment. She reaches up and is just about to undo her dress, but his hand stops her from doing that.
"What is it?" she asks, confused.
"You don't have to do this, Ororo."
"Do... but what are you... What do you mean?" she asks.
"Listen, Ororo. I just told you that you are in control. I understand your feelings and know that you so desperately want to become a woman. But no matter what others have told you, womanhood doesn't arrive through the loins of a man. I have feelings for you and believe that you have feelings for me as well. But I am 16 years old and you are but 13, still so young."
This wasn't what Ororo wanted to hear right now; this was absolutely not what she wanted to hear. She was ready, had steeled her nerves, and he was... rejecting her? She was confused.
"Please don't misunderstand, Ororo. It's not that I don't want to do it. But if these feelings we share are real, if what we're feeling is true love, then I am convinced that they will survive for a few more years until you are certain and have had time to grow and think about it some more."
*Zzzzzbrooom*
.
In the helicopter, the de Ruyters were in a heated exchange.
"I don't give a damn about the girl." Andreas says.
"What?"
"I want the son of T'Chaka. The son of my enemy." Andreas says.
"If you know of T'Chaka, the Black Panther, if you are aware of the Warriors in Wakanda, then you should be wise." the Teacher says.
"Shut up, old man!" one of the mercenaries says.
"Fear should rule your heart." Teacher continues.
"I fear no man." Andreas answers.
"Obviously, you have not met him." Teacher says.
"I dealt with him in the name of Johannesburg. Arrogant man, that one. I met him once. On the outskirts of Wakanda, that was. He refused us entry. I offered him a fortune for Vibranium, a fair deal, but what did he do? He spat in my face." Andreas says, recounting his meeting with T'Chaka almost a decade earlier.
"Did you battle him?" Teacher asks.
"Shut up, old fool," Andreas tells him
"And if you did, did you win?"
"Whee, where were you born, old man?" Andreas asks.
"Wakanda." Teacher admits.
"Oh?"
Andreas opens the door to the helicopter without another word and throws the Teacher out, causing him to fall to his death.
"NO! Father, NO NO NOOO!" Zenja shouts and tries to kick Andreas without luck.
"Scream in my ear again, and you will join him," he tells her and slaps her across the face.
"Was that necessary?" Claude asks his brother.
"Pah! Wakandans. Selfish bastards, they are. They own more Vibranium than you could ever imagine, and yet they refuse to share the wealth with other Africans." Andreas says.
"I don't care who whopped your butt or Wakanda. I want the boy dead by my hands." Claude says angrily.
"Touch the son of T'Chaka, and you deal with me." Andreas spats.
"You would rob me of my kill?"
"You will not rob me of my revenge." Andreas shoots back.
"How badly did T'Chaka beat you, brother?"
"Not as badly as his child beat you." Andreas says.
"Mmmm"
"Settle for the Windrider." Andreas orders.
"Or what?"
"Open the door and get out of my helicopter."
"... Sure, brother. Have it your way. The Wakandan will be yours." Claude relents, knowing that his brother isn't called the Bull for nothing.
.
Ororo is hurt; she doesn't understand what T'Challa means by what he said. His meaning hasn't made its way to her brain yet. Tears start to roll down her cheek, and she begins to cry. Without looking where she's going, she starts to run away, deeper into the woods.
"Ororo! Wait!"
T'Challa calls out to her, but she doesn't listen. She runs off while her tears prevent her from seeing where she is going right now. After running for a while, she makes it to a small lake, where she falls to her knees and sobs, looking at her reflection. She cries for a while, and as she does, T'Challa's words sound in her head. She starts to calm down somewhat, but before she can understand T'Challa's meaning fully, another face appears on the surface of the water.
"NO!"
*BANG*
A tranquiliser dart hits her back before she can move.
"Where are you crawling to, Ororo? That is your name, right? The old man is dead. Most of your other friends are dead as well. Your village is burned to the ground. You see? That's what happens when you tick me off." Claude tells her.
"No... no... you lie..."
"How do you think we found you? Now that I have you, I'll deal with your little boyfriend." Claude says with malice.
Two of his men lift her up and place her inside a Vibranium coffin that they brought along. It was created by the De Ruyter brothers' father a long time ago from the smallest piece of Vibranium he could get his hands on.
"No... no... please... no... I beg of you..." Ororo starts to lose consciousness.
"T'Challa... loya~va kee... run... T'Challa..."
They close the coffin and enter a code to lock it.
"Can she manipulate the weather from inside that coffin?" one of the men asks Claude.
"A Windrider has never been captured before."
"Sooo... this thing has never really been tested?" the man asks.
"No."
"Great. Just great," he says.
"Take her back to the helicopter," Claude orders them.
"And where are you going?"
"You take my prize back to the helicopter. Wait for me while I kill her little boyfriend."
.
T'Challa waits for the men to come out of the woods.
"Pardon me, sir. But are you the son of T'Chaka?" a man asks him as he comes out of the woods.
"Indeed. What may I do for you?" T'Challa asks.
Right behind the man, the large stature of the Bull appears, with a cigar in his mouth and an angry but strangely satisfied expression on his face.
"Shall I wait while you beat him within an inch of his life, sir?" the man asks the Bull.
"No. Go and keep your eye on the Windrider." Andreas says, walking forward.
"I remember you," T'Challa says.
"Good, then you will understand this is war," the Bull says and takes off his shirt.
T'Challa looks at the man in amusement. He still remembers the day he arrived in Wakanda, trying to enter and get access to Vibranium. He remembered how his father was lenient and merciful, granting him a chance to leave and never return. And now, he came to him, similarly to how he came to his father before him.
"Soon, you will be the permanent guest of the Republic of South Africa. Soon Wakandans will bow down every time they hear my name," the Bull says, attacking T'Challa.
He swings his large fists towards T'Challa, trying to knock him out, but not killing him—not yet. However, his fist hits nothing but air. T'Challa moves back and lets the fist pass by without doing anything. Andreas pulls back and rushes forward, trying to tackle him. T'Challa ducks underneath his body and turns to the side, hitting the man with a roundhouse kick, straight to the face.
*BANG*
The large man flies through the air and lands on the ground. He shakes his head and touches his jaw, feeling the pain of T'Challa's kick.
"Impressive, few men have ever hit me that har-"
*BANG*
T'Challa's fist impacts the Bull's face. His skull cracks, and his brain hits the other side of his skull, causing him to be disoriented. But T'Challa is not finished. He continues to attack him, sending a powerful uppercut to his chin and a left hook to his temple. After this short exchange, the man was already beaten bloody.
"My father is a better man than I am. He allowed you to leave. I wouldn't have done that. And I won't do that now either." T'Challa says and walks forward.
Suddenly, his senses warn him of danger. He performs a front flip over Andreas and pulls his head backwards, hiding behind the man's big back.
*SFFFFFT*
*SFFFFFT*
Several tranquiliser darts are fired in his direction, but thanks to his impeccable senses and strength, he uses de Ruyter's body to shield himself. The tranquiliser darts hit the big man. But T'Challa takes this chance and grabs Andreas's head. He pulls it down hard, over his shoulder and hears a loud crack.
*CRAACKKKK*
The sound of Andraes' neck breaking.
"BROTHER!!" Claude shouts as he sees his brother being killed by the young man. His already enormous rage shoots through the roof as he aims his sniper rifle at T'Challa and fires in quick succession.
*SFFFFFT* x4
"I'LL KILL YOU!! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL KILL YOUUUU!!!" Claude shouts, but T'Challa doesn't care. He lifts up Andreas de Ruyter like a sack of potatoes and runs forward, transforming into a bulldozer and almost crashing into Claude, who manages to get out of the way just in time.
*Crash*
"YOU I'LL-"
*Bam*
T'Challa uses his fingers to stab the man in the throat, silencing him. Blood pours out of the holes as T'Challa takes his hand back, and Claude de Ruyter falls to the ground, grabbing his throat and choking on his own blood.
"I wouldn't have been this cruel to both of you. But you dared to lay a hand on Ororo, and that shall never happen. It might sound hypocritical coming from me... but... oh, you can't hear me anymore."
Claude has bled out and died by the time he has finished talking. T'Challa suddenly starts running. He feels as if something is wrong and runs as fast as he can. He has already reached Peak Human Speeds at 16 and can run at over 40 miles an hour forever since he has limitless stamina. But now, he pushes himself more to go faster, following his feeling.
.
(Ororo POV)
It was the day my parents died. The day everything changed, the day I became an orphan. All of my life, I've wanted to be accepted for who I am. All of my life, I have seen death and pain. All of my life, I have been hated. War kills them over and over... I scream. Scream in the air that is too thick to breathe. In a space smaller than death. Sweat falls in my eyes, creating puddles of salty fear as I pant and pray for air. I beg someone to have mercy on me... to help me... but... no one answers.
I have been abandoned.
T'Challa... over and over... I saw my parents' dead bodies... a thousand times a minute. I watched them die because of another man's war. A thousand times a minute, I was orphaned. A thousand times a minute, I lost love. The new love I had found, I called for him.
I screamed and screamed and screamed. Screamed for him to come and save me from this nightmare. For some of us to be hated, all we have to do is be born. They hate us not because of any wrong we have done, they hate us because we exist. They dare to kill us because we exist.
I feel the air grow thinner and the oxygen diminish. I am afraid and can't help but think of his face.
*CRACK*
"Ororo! Are you alright?"
I open my eyes and see his face... full of anger and relief.
"T'Challa..."
_________________________________________
This should tell you somewhat what kind of man T'Challa will become. We finally move on in the next chapter.