sinking|namor

|03- You Brought A Spear|

THE WAKANDAN LIBRARY, WAKANDA
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Kalpana pressed her palms to her face, rubbing her eyes. She had just left the Citadel, impatient after the elders had declined her right to speak on Namor. Such aggravating prunes. Running a hand through her locks, tousling her brown tresses as she browsed through the rack of books before her. She was searching for anything on mesoamerican culture or water-related lore.

Somewhat impatiently, she slammed her hand into the shelf, causing numerous dusty tomes to fall. Clouds of unsettled grime billowed upwards from the ground, choking the thick air as she pawed beneath a table for a battered green book.

Tugging it out, she stood up, brushed off her clothes, and turned to place the book away. But the gold-embroidered cover caught her eye. A photo of a man with tan skin and winged ankles decorated it.

Namor.

Scrambling over to the nearest table, Kalpana scanned the room, ensuring no one was looking before she opened the book. Thumbing through the age-yellowed pages, she studied the painted illustrations, vibrant and detailed. Settling on a tiny paragraph below a photo of an underwater temple, Kalpana whispered the words aloud.

"Dearest Kal, I noticed you took a fascination in Mesoamerican lore after my last visit. Namor," she breathed, panic mixing with lust and fear.

Had he been watching her? Where was this book from? What was it about? How did he get in? The endless stream of questions overflowed her head, and she stuffed the textile into her canvas bag, sprinting from the library. There was only one person who could help. Shuri.



SHURI'S LAB, THE CITADEL, WAKANDA
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Kalpana rushed down the sterilized white halls, bumping into nameless assistants as she went. Suddenly, a pair of weathered brown hands clamped onto her shoulders, fingers digging into her flowing button-up. Kalpana spun around and found herself facing Queen Ramonda. The woman smiled sadly at her, a soft look dampening her umber-brown eyes.

She sniffled softly before regaining her cold composure and formally addressing Kalpana.

"In the case that you are looking for Shuri, she is on a mission with Okoye to find the scientist," she informed stiffly.

"Where?"

"M.I.T"

"Oh, okay, because I needed to talk to her about something," Kalpana said, unconsciously patting her bag.

She knew she should disclose her secrets to the Queen. It would provide more information and help her defeat Namor. But she felt it would bury the girl in trouble and heavy Ramonda's conscience. Plus, she had always felt as though the bronzed man was her precious secret.

"Hm, well, you can communicate with them through their kimoyo beads," the Queen offered, turning away.

Compelled by familial love and grief of the unknown, Kalpana rushed forwards and enveloped Ramonda in a passionate embrace, breathing in her aroma of nutmeg and beef suya. For a moment, mixed with the older woman's heartbeats, she could almost detect a faint cry, but when she pulled away, she ignored the thought.

Sprinting away, she tossed back a careless "Thank you!" and continued downstairs to the tech table.

Scouring the room, she grabbed a headset from a nearby table, pressed a kimoyo bead from her bracelet into each earpad, and whispered, "Shuri."

Sliding the headphones on, she listened. Silence and static for a minute, and then, "Hey, Kal?"

Kalpana grinned furiously, jumping up and down before she spoke again, "Yeah, it's me. I'm using the kimoyo headset you designed, remember?"

She heard Shuri squealing with delight and an indistinct conversation, doors swinging open and close, and footsteps going up a set of stairs. Finally, out of breath and quiet, Shuri whispered again.

"Well, at least we know my invention works, and now we can use it for communicating anytime. But, hey, I need you to hop in Zing and meet us. We might need backup, plus I want you to meet the American scientist," she explained.

Kalpana frowned slightly upon hearing the name Zing. Zing was a high-tech, vibranium-fuel-powered race car that the two had made when they were younger. It was eco-efficient amazing and strictly prohibited for use outside Wakanda. But she had no choice. Shuri and Okoye needed help.

Fastening the headset tighter, Kalpana slipped into an oversized yellow windbreaker and raced down another level into the transportation storage unit. It was a neon-red cellar stored slightly below ground level and housed all personal means of transportation designed and used by Shuri.

Running through the center, she skirted around flashy motorbikes and shiny limousines until she found Zing. Zing was shiny and apple red, a luxurious Mercedes-Benz with the sweet scent of motor oil and leather. Kalpana jumped over the side into the driver's seat and grabbed the keys from the door compartment.

Starting the car, she pulled out and started driving quickly toward the end of the tunnel.

"Griyo," she called out.

"Yes."

"Cellar exit."

There was no response, but she knew the AI was working behind the scenes. Smoothly, a piece of the ground 12 feet away moved upwards, creating a ramp leading to ground level. Kalpana revved the engine and raced up the ramp to a small platform concealed by a massive concrete half-pipe. A wall of metal bars blocked her exit, but as soon as she neared, it de-materialized, parting for her.

Kalpana smiled and silently thanked Griyo before continuing out. The pipe spat out a few feet from the force field, and when Kal looked back, she saw it was disguised as a mossy log, a shimmer forming a curtain of leaves covering the exit.

Turning back, she pried a kimoyo bead from her bracelet, pressing it firmly into the dashboard and ordering it to "Show me Shuri." A holographic blue map blinked to life above the dashboard, a red dot symbolizing Shuri, and a yellow trapezohedron marking Kalpana's progress.

Suddenly, a piercing sound and crackling static filled her ears, as well as a voice screeching, "You brought a spear!" Kalpana snickered and shook her head.




THE BRIDGE, MASSACHUSETS
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Kalpana stretched out, exhausted. It had been a long drive, and Shuri's bleeping red mark had been foxtrotting across the map from the M.I.T campus to a tech-filled warehouse. She had finally stopped moving at a nearby bridge, only slowly inching around. Once she had reached the bridge, she stopped the car, turning off the headlights and pocketing the keys. Pressing a tiny button, the panels masking Zing turned the car invisible.

Kal's breath hitched as she surveyed the wreckage of automobiles piled up on the bridge. Shuri. Scrambling over, she stepped onto the bridge, kicking aside a tin can. And then she heard her. Shuri was speaking a strange dialect. Kalpana rushed over to the edge of the bridge, peering down to see Shuri and a strange girl sitting on a makeshift raft in the water with four blue-skinned people. Sub-mariners. At least Shuri seemed compliant, as though she had chosen to go with them.

Panicking, Kal could hear sirens wailing and tires screeching across the pavement nearby. Although she was indecisive, she knew two things. She needed to protect her friend. And she wanted to see Namor.

Backing up a few feet, she sprinted forwards, leaping and perching for a split second on the railing before she dove off and into the raft. It rocked dangerously, sending massive waves rippling and splashing upwards in walls of water. Before she could comprehend a thing, something smashed into her head, and she blacked out, crumpling to her knees.
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TOMMIE;
Hey, one day late, but...
Sorry loves! If this chapter doesn't make sense I apologize, I was mildly rushed. Please vote and comment it really benefits me, helps me stop procrastination and publish more, and is overall really nice.