Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts – MIT Underground Lab
The silence that followed Hann's warning to Riri was thick with uncertainty. Her expression had softened—not with trust, but curiosity. She tapped the side of her prototype gauntlet, powering it on.
"So, let me get this straight," Riri said. "You've got a staff from a dead myth, rings that orbit like they've got free will, and a prophecy that says you're supposed to stop the end of time?"
Hann gave a half-smile. "When you say it like that, it sounds crazy."
"It is crazy," she said. "But… I've seen crazier. Stark once flew a suit into space and lived. I got no reason to doubt what's in front of me."
She extended a hand. "Let's say I'm listening."
Just then, a low hum vibrated through the walls—one that didn't belong to any of Riri's machines.
Azari tensed. "We've got incoming."
Before anyone could move, a flash of violet energy shattered the skylight above.
A small EMP drone spiraled into the lab, releasing a pulse that fried every screen in the room. Lights popped. The hum of machinery died. The lab plunged into partial darkness—lit only by the glow of Hann's rings and the faint pulse of Riri's core reactor.
"Get behind me," Hann said sharply.
From above, Echo Squad dropped in.
Six elite operatives clad in matte-black exo-suits, faces hidden behind reflective visors. Each one carried a mix of high-tech weaponry: pulse carbines, energy blades, and neural disruptors.
Azari launched herself sideways, a vibro-dagger extending from her wrist. Hann stood tall, staff gripped tightly, rings hovering around his arms like orbiting moons.
The leader of Echo Squad stepped forward.
"You've interfered enough, Hann. This isn't your time."
"Funny," Hann replied. "I was just thinking it's exactly my time."
Without waiting, he attacked.
---
The Lab Erupts
Hann's staff snapped forward, blocking a plasma bolt. With a twist, he sent two rings flying—one circled an attacker's weapon, yanking it upward, while the other shot low, blasting the man off his feet. Azari flipped through the chaos, kicking an enemy into a steel workbench.
Riri scrambled behind a wall of crates, activating her glove's stabilizer coil. Her suit was still in pieces—barely 40% assembled. But she was watching, recording, adapting.
Hann ducked beneath a slash, spun the staff, and slammed the butt into the floor. The vibration cracked concrete and sent three attackers stumbling.
But Echo Squad didn't break. They adapted.
One of them pulled a thin blade that crackled with vibranium edge-tech. It skimmed past Hann's ring and nicked his arm—drawing blood.
Azari moved to intercept, but got tackled into a wall. Another operative raised a heavy stun-cannon and fired.
The blast hit Hann square in the chest, sending him crashing through a support pillar.
"HANN!" Riri shouted, eyes wide.
Dust filled the lab. Smoke and sparks. For a few heartbeats, it was silent.
Then—
The rings pulsed.
Hann stood. His hood had been torn away, revealing his face—blood trailing down his brow. The staff in his hand grew, ancient carvings glowing hotter, the symbols shifting as if alive.
The rings formed a defensive helix around him.
"You shouldn't have done that," he said coldly.
---
The Turn of Battle
Hann surged forward.
He moved faster than before—no longer defensive, but driven. His strikes cracked armor, snapped blades, tore through kinetic shields like paper. His staff split into two segments—twin shafts of burning gold—and moved like extensions of his will.
One of the Echo operatives tried to flee. A ring caught him mid-air and yanked him back, slamming him into a wall hard enough to dent metal.
Azari took the cue, engaging with renewed fury. She disabled two more in quick succession.
Within sixty seconds, Echo Squad was on the floor—defeated.
Only the squad leader remained.
He reached for a comm-link. "Engage Phase Two."
Before he could press it, Riri's half-complete gauntlet sparked to life—and a magnetic pulse yanked the device from his hand, fusing it to the wall.
"Sit down," she said.
Hann raised the staff and slammed the final operative into unconsciousness.
---
Aftermath
The lab was wrecked. Sparks flew from broken consoles. Tools lay scattered. Riri leaned against her workbench, breathing hard.
Hann wiped blood from his chin. "That wasn't just a hit. It was a message."
Azari crouched near one of the operatives, removing his helmet. "Unmarked. No ID tags. No retinal coding. Whoever sent them… knew what they were doing."
Riri shook her head. "They didn't expect you to survive."
Hann looked at her. "You still think this is just about saving yourself?"
She hesitated. Then nodded slowly. "I'm in."
---
Location: Wakanda – Royal Archives (Hours Later)
Shuri examined footage of the battle, transmitted via Azari's encrypted drone. She watched Hann rise from the wreckage, watched how the rings protected him like sentient guardians.
Okoye stood behind her. "He's ready."
Shuri wasn't so sure. "He's becoming ready."
She paused the footage.
"…But I don't think he can do this without answering the one question that still binds him."
"What question?"
Shuri stared at the screen.
"Who he really is."
---
Location: Tibet – Ten Rings Sanctuary (Next Day)
Hann stood at the base of a towering stairwell carved into a jagged mountain face. Azari remained behind, watching from a distance. The staff was strapped across his back. The rings hung silent. The cold bit into his skin.
Meilin waited at the top.
"Your father will see you now."
Hann nodded—and began the climb.
---
To Be Continued in Chapter 13 – "The Test of the Firstborn".