Power, Part 2

Shuri has been crowned Queen of Wakanda and the new Black Panther.[1] Since taking on the mantle, she was attacked by assassins during a visit to the United States. Her team of experts have very few clues to go on, but have determined the cyborgs that attacked them used old Wakandan and Stark Industry designs.[2]

N’Lix, one of her new aides, has been working with security around the clock and have only found more questions and few answers. Like, for instance, the Starktech used in the assassins weapons were older models that had since been replaced with newer models before the Skrull invasion.[3] More troubling are the circuits inside, which are top of the line Wakandan deigns that are currently used by its Air Force. N’Lix notes that whoever modified it for this use is as skilled as he is when it comes to technology. There are very few people in the world with this level of skill, which gave the their first break in the case. N’Lix then turns it over to his associate Zakar.

Zakar has been running investigations into anybody who could have access to this technology. Specifically, he’s looking for a traitor or traitors in within Wakanda. Zakar is treading carefully, because such accusations could inflame the situation even more. This was all the good news, now Shuri wants to know the bad. N’Lix takes over again and says that they were able to get more data on the equipment used by the assassins. They have determined that some of the technology is actually Atlantean in design.

Back home, things aren’t going very well. On the Wakandan State Media channel, two talking heads — the conservative N’Dega, and liberal M’Toka — discuss growing tensions in Wakanda. The country is being hit hard by the current economic recession that is affecting the globe. Currently, other nations are too poor to buy into Wakandan exports, and fourteen major banks have folded. With Wakandans hurting and their ability to be self sufficient in jeopardy, N’Dega fears that this might lead to economic and cultural collapse followed by total anarchy. These developments are being watched closely by the secret organization that sent the assassins at Shuri.

Meanwhile, T’Challa continues his personal training. Forcing himself to walk once more, he has gone into sparring practice to get back to his fighting strength. This is observed by his wife, Storm (Ororo Monroe), his step-mother Ramonda, and Doctor B’Gali. The latter is deeply concerned that T’Challa is pushing himself too hard. When Ramonda counters this, reminding the medic that T’Challa is no ordinary man. B’Gali doesn’t dispute this, but warns that he is not a young many anymore and could quite possibly kill himself.[4]

Back in the states, Shuri gets confirmation that some of the tech used in the attack were also used in the last two Atlantean assaults on the United States.[5] Still, there is nothing that proves who is ultimately responsible. Still, N’Lix has a lead, Hellerman Exports (HEX for short), a New Jersey operation known for brokering technology deals to extremist groups. This is reason enough for Shuri to want to start with them first. Soon, Shuri puts on her Black Panther habit and is given a new set of equipment provided by N’Lix that will aid her in breaking into Hellerman Exports head office and handle anything that might happen along the way.

With the aid of Flea — a Wakandan hacker stations in geostationary orbit overhead — she is able to gain access to intel and bypass security technologies built to keep her out. Shuri uses the gear given to her earlier to deal with the guards she encounters on the way.

Meanwhile, T’Challa leads to the priestess in charge of training the Dora Milaje, the “Brides in Waiting” that serve as royal bodyguards. He confides in her that the person who seriously injured him was Doctor Doom, something that he has kept secret from his entire family for reasons of his own. While she can certainly train the Dora Milaje to counter robots and energy force bolts, she can’t protect them against magic and says that there is only one person capable of providing that service. T’Challa then goes back to his own training, taking on a massive warrior named N’Tomo. However, he becomes angry when it becomes obvious that N’Tomo is pulling his punches. He then threatens to exile the warrior unless he gives it his all. N’Tomo does as ordered, leaving both men aching all over by the time the battle is done. T’Challa then goes to Zawavari who is surprised to see him. He was under the impression that the Black Panther relied more on science than magic. T’Challa agrees that is usually the case, but he needs magic to settle things with Doom.

At the same time, Shuri has made it to the central database of Hellerman Exports and stolen the data she needed from their computers. However, before she can leave she is attacked by a whip-wielding cyborg named Ohyaku who has been sent to protect the facility. While Ohyaku has the element of surprise she is no match for Shuri’s equipment which quickly incapacitates her. The whole time, her handlers are watching via the security feed. They are unconcerned about the data pulled from the computers because it has all been doctored to lead Shuri to believe that the Sub-Mariner (Namor) and Atlantis were responsible for the attack.

Recurring Characters

Black Panthers (Shuri & T’Challa), Storm, Desturi (Ohyaku, T’Kan), Ramonda, N’Lix, Zakar, Aneka, M’yra, Zawavari, Flea, M’Toka, N’Dega, B’Gali

Continuity Notes

1. Shuri became the new ruler of Wakanda and the next Black Panther after T’Challa was seriously injured by Doctor Doom. See Black Panther (vol. 5) #1-6.

2. Shuri was attacked last issue. Next issue, the organization responsible will be revealed to be the Desturi. They are a group of nationalist tribesmen of Wakanda seeking to restore Wakanda’s isolationist practices. Wakanda was closed off to the world until T’Challa opened its borders in Black Panther #15.

3. At the time of this story, Stark Industries was decimated in a one-two punch by a vengeful Zeke Stane in Invincible Iron Man #1-6 and most of its remaining tech was bricked during the Skrull’s attempt to conquer Earth in Secret Invasion #1-8.

4. Per Rise of the Black Panther #2, T’Challa was born 18 years prior to the start of the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe. Making him about 19 when he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52. Making him about 31 at the time of this story, per the Sliding Timescale.

5. N’Lix mentions that the technologies used was also used by Atlantis during its last two conflicts with the surface world. He is referring to the events of the Atlantis Attacks event (specifically Web of Spider-Man Annual #5, when Attuma attacked New York City) and the more recent Civil War #7.

Topical References

• In one of the news clips, Shuri is shown speaking at a podium lined with microphones. One of them bares the logo for CNN. This should be considered topical as this is a real world news network.

• For context, this story is implied to be set around the Great Recession of 2007-2009. The greatest economic recession since the Great Depression of the 1920s and 30s. Any reference to this specific event should be considered topical as they are being referred to in the present tense. Modern readers should instead interpret this to mean a unspecific global recession unique to the fiction as to a real world event.

• When showing off Shuri’s new gear, Zakar refers to N’Lix as the “love child of Q and James Bond”. These are two recurring characters in author Ian Flemming’s James Bond spy novels. The titular character was a spy that operated for the British government, while Q was an inventor who would create equipment for Bond and other operatives on their mission. While this is typically a topical reference, James Bond has had an enduring pop-culture presence due to film adaptations of Fleming’s.

• Flea offers to provide Shuri any intel she wants, including the latest Jay-Z album that is slated to be released. At the time this comic was published, this would have been Blueprint 3, which was released the same month as this comic (September, 2009). That said, this should be considered a topical reference as Jay-Z is a real world person.