The Conceptual Deck

It took me twenty minutes to walk back to a less populated area so I could climb out of the water, because while I was completely invisible I still took up space, meaning that a person or security camera that just happened to be looking in the wrong place at the wrong time would see the water spread out around something that they couldn't see.

I walked along the river, letting the water drip off of me for a few minutes before I spread my invisible wings and took to the air again. I flew about twenty feet above the trees before turning, scanning the nearest parts of the city. It was almost three in the morning here, and the city, while still active and vibrant, was relatively quiet. I flew about the streets for a while, listening to the snippets of conversations I was close enough to hear. Most of it was just small talk, hushed because of how late it was.

As I flew I scanned the city for anything interesting, and everywhere I looked I saw incredible technology. Some of it was worked into structures and other things to look normal, while other things shone with the classical science fiction crispness and sleekness. Eventually I picked a random rooftop and gently landed on a corner, summoning a card to my hand and pushing out its contents. Inside was my universal map, a combination of hundreds of maps, GPS units and car navigation devices, worked together with a few Stark Industry tablets and a handful of scanners Tony put together for me. The result was a device that showed a map of anything on Earth, a short description of the location and, if necessary, directions on how to get there. It showed everything from a random janitor's closet at Cairo International Airport to a junkyard in Santa Fe.

I scanned through the tablet, sliding it around to get a general feel for my location. I immediately discovered I was in Birnin Zana, the Golden City and the capital of Wakanda. More specifically it seemed like I was in some sort of shopping district and the building under me was a clothing shop. I moved the screen around more, making slow circles around the city before expanding outward. Suddenly the name of a location passed by the screen and I quickly moved it back.

It was the City of the Dead

A temple of sorts, separate from any of the small cities that were protected by the massive cloaking bubble. A location where the Wakandans worshiped their ancestors. It was also the location of the garden where the Heart Shaped Herb grew.

I was barely a minute long flight from a plant that could enhance a person and make them comparable to Captain America, maybe even better in some regards. I was already enhanced to that level through my tattoos, but they were all enhancements on my actual abilities. If I enhanced my actual body, with the Heart Shaped Herb as the base…

But in order to do that I would need to steal one first, which was a can of worms I wasn't sure I was willing to open. For one, stealing a flower would inevitably be noticed, and would ruin any chance of my message being received with anything other than anger and violence. The Herb had massive connections to Wakanda's spiritual beliefs, they would not forgive anyone the sleight of stealing one.

On top of that, this was a Marvel world, the chances of Bast actually being responsible for the power of the Herb was not zero, and I didn't like the idea of pissing off a god in a universe where they might actually exist.

With a soft groan of annoyance I scrolled the screen away from the temple, continuing to look around. I quickly found the location of the Citadel, the palace of the Golden Tribe, of which T'Chaka and T'Challa were members. Satisfied that I had found the location for my message I pushed out my wings again and took to the sky, making my way to one of the larger buildings in the city. It followed the more advanced style of architecture that a lot of the buildings had, but was decorated by several panther statues, as well as plenty of other iconography.

As I got closer a quick check of my tablet map showed me that I needed to be thirty floors up, as well as on the opposite side of the structure. A quick flight brought me to the correct spot and I carded my tablet before pushing out another device.

A small circular device of brass, rubber and metal, it attached to the massive window and stuck on. A combination of dozens of doors, windows, transformation cards and quite a few other things, the device slowly expanded until it was around eight feet tall and wide. Behind it was open air, the glass having been stretched open. My own version of a portable hole. I waited for a long moment, my enhanced hearing straining to detect any sign that my newly made entrance had been noticed. When nothing happened I backed up and flew through the hole, tucking my wings in to pass through before flaring them open on the other side to catch myself.

I slowly sank to the floor, eyes peeled as I looked around the large room. A set of steps led down from the large window to a raised circular floor, made of glass and metal to show off some sort of red rock. The rock rose to the center of the circle, exposed in a square that had been carved flat save for small mounds in each corner. It was chiseled to resemble the cracked patchwork of dried over mud, on which were eight chairs of different styles, the one closest to the window the more ornate.

I stepped down the stairs and made my way to the square of stone, stepping up onto it, relying on my stealth system to keep me silent. After another short check to make sure I wasn't about to be attacked by a hundred Wakandan warriors I began preparing my message. When everything was done. I took one last look around before heading back out the way I came, deactivating and carding my portable hole as I left.

With my message delivered I scanned the city, my eyes trailing over the hundreds of wondrous bits of technology I could see. While I had already decided not to steal anything, carding nonphysical things could also be very useful. I already had eighteen cards filled with the concept of a projected shield, which I was extremely excited to work with.

My eyes locked onto the flying train's crossing the city, following one in particular as it passed through rings that pulsed with some sort of energy. With a slight adjustment of my wings I made my way to the "track", stopping to hover by one of the rings. I took a careful look around, before rescinding the armor around a single finger. I waited for a while, floating in the air, completely invisible save the tip of my pointer finger. Finally a train went by, hurtling past almost completely silently.

Certain that they now had the maximum amount of time to notice if for some reason this messed something up, I reached my finger into the field and pulled. The field flickered for a split second before immediately reestablishing. I could feel the energy singe and bruise my finger, but my increased durability held strong. I flicked the card into my hand and examined it.

It was an interesting combination of concepts, with strong charges of stabilization, power and thrust, with the latter seeming to lean heavily to large-scale thrust rather than small scale, personal thrust like Tony's repulsor tech. Seems like the field simultaneously charged, pushed and stabilized the trains as they passed through the circular gates. I carded the field twice more, though in all honesty I wasn't sure what I would use it for. I would probably end up making something that projected the field so I could get the cards out of the Deck.

With one thing sampled, I spent the next hour flying around and seeing what else I could find. I snagged a few cards of thrust from an automated vehicle, the whole thing wobbling before it compensated. This also held a large-scale thrust concept, though this was much more pure. I ended up carding ten of them, almost filling the Deck.

Despite there being more that I wanted to snag and much more that I wanted to explore, I was beginning to get nervous that I would overstay my welcome, so armed with the knowledge that I could return whenever I wanted, I took one last look around before traveling home.

[H1]Birnin Zana - The Citadel - Council Chamber[/H1]

Ten Dora Milaje followed behind King T'Chaka as he climbed the steps to the Citadel's Council chamber. Normally his protection detail would be no more than five, but the city was on alert and his security team were on edge. He stepped through the large doorway into the Council chamber room proper. The room was filled with security, some armed and surveying the room while others moved around waiving scanners. Any one not busy bowed their heads when he entered.

"What have you people found N'Botoh?" T'Chaka asked, his own eye trailing over the room before coming to rest on the center platform.

"A standard patrol noticed it this morning my King," His chief security officer said, raising his head from his bow. "That was about five thirty this morning, three hours ago."

"And no alarms were triggered?" King T'Chaka asked, standing a dozen feet away from the council chamber platform.

"Nothing," N'Botoh answered, his head bowed low. "As far as we have been able to tell the Citadel has not been breached."

"And yet it has," T'chaka responded, eye still on the platform. "What else have you found?"

"As far as we can tell the spears belong to M'Kindi, C'onze and Ch'Tinza, all three reported lost…"

Each spear, having been lost the previous day when the Dora Milaje clashed with Maker, stood impaled into the red stone platform, the vibranium spear heads driven completely into the rock. Beyond the three lined up spears T'Chaka could see that two items were placed on his chair, one on each arm. One was a folded piece of white paper, and the other a small tablet.

"Have you investigated the items yet?"

"The scans say they are inert King T'Chaka," N'Botoh responded.

"But from what we understand about Maker's ability that means nothing," Omande, the leader of King T'Chaka's Dora Milaje protection detail said, stepping forward. "He seems to be capable of making objects change in ways that do not follow conventional thinking."

After a moment of silence T'Chaka walked forward, ignoring the shouts of his guards and security, only stopping when he stood in front of his chair. He picked up the folded note and turned, giving his people a stern glare.

"If the man wanted me dead, these spears would not be buried in stone." He said, before opening the letter and reading it to himself.

Hello King T'Chaka

I'm sure by now you have noticed the return of your property. On further reflection of the methods and lengths Wakanda seems to be willing to go to protect and regain its lost or stolen property, I thought it best to return these before I was forced to defeat your warriors again for little reason.

I'm sure that this method of returning your property might seem more than a little confrontational, and maybe even downright hostile.

I certainly hope that has come across properly.

Yesterday afternoon your son and his soldiers broke into my friend's home and threatened his well being. I understand that this was done out of fear and a desire to find a wanted criminal responsible for the death of your people and the theft of your property, but the brazen disregard for law, due process, even the basic observation of human rights is too much to ignore. What would you have done if he had bought the vibranium from Klue? Would you have simply killed him? Or whisked him away to a secret Wakandan prison?

You and your people need to understand that your technological edge no longer means you are the big dogs on the block. I broke into a secure building in a city hidden by a massive cloaking bubble, in the most technologically advanced country on the planet that I shouldn't even know exists, all as easily as you might go for a walk.

Basically, my bullshit beats your bullshit.

Now this note is not just for me to threaten and brag, it also is meant as an olive branch. The Wakandan people have created something amazing, and despite my own opinions that your hoarding of medical technology alone is abominable, I cannot deny that your city is beautiful. I will not drag you and your people into the spotlight, and neither will Tony, despite the fact that he has every right to. We -

"Father, what are you doing?" T'Challa asked, walking into the room with his own cadre of Dora Milaje. Suddenly the room was more than a little crowded.

"Reading the results of your fool headed adventure." King T'Chaka responded, giving his son a look. "We will be discussing your choices when I am finished here. Go, wait outside."

T'Challa looked shocked for a moment before standing straight. He nodded and left, his protection detail following him out. T'Chaka frowned and watched his beloved son leave before looking back down and continuing to read.

We will keep your secret.

As a sign of good faith I am giving you a gift. No doubt you have noticed the tablet that sits on the opposite side of your chair. This tablet does one thing and one thing only. It tracks the exact location and status of Ulysses Klaue, in real time. It is unblockable and untraceable. He will not escape you again, as long as you have this tablet.

There is a catch to this gift however. While using my gift to catch Klaue I want you to consider how far the world has come. I want you to consider that for every one of your own people you save with your miracle technology, hundreds, maybe thousands of innocent people die because the rest of the world was unlucky enough not to be born on a massive hunk of space rock. I want you to consider how you want to enter the world stage. Either as a technologically advanced nation gifting the world cures to diseases and solutions to problems, or as technological equals who hoarded their knowledge and refused to share until they were forced to. Because while you hold a firm lead on the world now, eventually that will change. Maybe not in your lifetime, and maybe not even in your sons. But eventually the world will catch up.

I hope that my words have gotten through to you, though the gift is yours to keep even if they haven't. Tony has assured me that Klaue is a maniac, a man who deserves whatever tender mercies you have planned for him.

In any event, I hope this closes the previous chapter and allows us to move on to one in which we can exist peacefully. If you wish to contact me, simply dial "Maker" on any telephone or communication device. I am sure we have much to teach each other.

Respectfully,

Maker

T'Chaka closed the letter and returned it to its place on his chair before picking up the tablet. At his touch the tablet turned on, displaying a perfect map of Birnin Zana. A point rested on the border of the screen, pointing to something outside of the city. A quick search showed it was pointing to a ship salvage yard along the coast of South Africa, not far from Johannesburg. The dot was stationed inside a ship the map labeled as the Churchill, specifically the mess hall.

Apparently Klaue was eating breakfast.

"Gather a team." T'Chaka said, looking to his people, specifically to his Dora Milaje. "A group large enough to fight at least thirty armed criminals. I want the War Dogs to be notified that we will be conducting a raid on a salvage yard outside of Johannesburg and that they need to keep any curious eyes off of it."

"My King, who will we be striking against?" Omande asked, gripping her spear.

"We have been given a gift. The location of Ulysses Klaue." King T'Chaka explained. "Bast demands he stands for his crimes, and today that duty will be fulfilled."

"My King… will the Black Panther be included in this raid?" N'Botoh asked.

"We shall see shortly," T'Chaka responded. "I have yet to discuss yesterday's events with my son. His explanation will dictate my decision."

The King stepped off the platform and made his way out of the Council Chambers, the tablet gripped in his hands. While Maker might have started his message with hostility and threats, to say nothing of his preaching, the fact that he had given them a way to track Klaue was a gift he could not ignore.

Hello everyone! The Conceptual Deck passed the 200k mark! I am having a lot of fun writing this story and I'm excited to hear what everyone things of the next leg of Carson Walsh's story. If you have enjoyed the story so please visit my Pa_tre_on and consider supporting me! Either way I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!