Show Me ↝ Black Panther

22

Shuri finally pushed her way over to them and checked on Akina, who'd gone unconscious. "Her heart's still beating, but it's weak. We have to get her to my lab."

"Shuri, your lab was destroyed," Nakia reminded.

"Not completely. Let's hurry so I can stabilize her, otherwise we'll really lose her."

Mekate carefully slid her arms under Akina's body and lifted her. She and Nakia followed Shuri towards the palace.

N'Deke stood up, his sister's spear in hand. M'Bao grinned smugly. He was proud, proud of the fact Akina was in a life-threatening situation. Proud of the fact that because of her, she might not live to see another day. And that only infuriated N'Deke even more.

He'd once considered M'Bao his father. Today, the man was nothing more but another enemy that needed to be dealt with. And N'Deke now knew exactly what he had to do.

"N'Deke." M'Bao didn't dare to get too close yet. "I know you are upset right now, but I needed to deal with her. She was poisoning your mind with false ideologies. She was going to tear us apart."

"Was she really? Or were you just scared she'd reveal who you truly were deep down?" N'Deke snarled. His grip tightened around the spear.

"Listen to me, Son."

"Do not call me that!" N'Deke was burning up. He didn't like to be angry. Anger led to nothing but brash, regrettable decisions. But today, he had to allow himself to feel it. He was justified in feeling it.

"It ends here, M'Bao."

"Indeed, N'Deke. Everything ends here for you." M'Bao twirled his spear in his hands. "Out of love for you, I will give you one more chance to switch sides. Despite what you say, you're still my son and I care for you. I don't want to have to kill you."

"If I wanted your chances, do you really think we'd be here right now?"

M'Bao laughed before his expression darkened. "I suppose not."

He charged without warning. N'Deke raised his spear in time to block the oncoming attack. He took a step back, ducked and swung his leg. M'Bao jumped up. He delivered a kick to the younger's chest, sending N'Deke sprawling onto his back. He would've never thought M'Bao was this strong. He must have been training years, longer than either he or Akina.

N'Deke grunted as he reached for his weapon.

"Do not take your eyes off me!"

He rolled to the side as M'Bao drove the spear into the ground. It imbedded itself in the very spot where N'Deke had previously been lying. N'Deke did not allow himself to think of what would've happened if he'd been even a second too late.

He jumped up onto his feet and punched M'Bao right in the stomach. His satisfaction at getting a hit in faded faded when M'Bao grabbed his arm and used it to send him flying into a rock. The breath was quite literally knocked out of his lungs. His spear slid to the side.

N'Deke coughed and wheezed to get some much needed oxygen back into his lungs. M'Bao lifted him up into the air before throwing him down. Hard.

"I bet you're starting to regret not taking that chance. You're too stubborn. You're too much like her," M'Bao said.

N'Deke attempted to get back onto his feet only to have something slam him back down onto the ground. A pained scream tore its way out his throat as M'Bao suddenly grabbed his arm and yanked hard enough to dislocate his shoulder. His vision went blurry. Tears sprung to his eyes and he grit his teeth so hard he wouldn't be surprised if he'd somehow managed to dislocate his jaw as well.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw movement. Someone was heading towards him. "No!" he yelled, and whoever it was stopped. Judging from the silhouette, N'Deke guessed it was one of the Jabari men. "No! Stay back. This is between him and I," he managed to utter out through the pain.

M'Bao let out a crazed fit of laughter. "You've grown into quite the man, N'Deke. I'm proud, truly."

"Your pride means little to me." N'Deke spat on the ground, right by M'Bao's feet.

He let out another scream when M'Bao stepped on his fingers before kneeling on the younger, putting all his weight on him. He yanked N'Deke's head back and pressed his spear against his neck. "I will give you one more chance to surrender yourself. Believe me when I say I'd rather walk away from here without your death on my conscience."

For a moment, N'Deke could hear it. That same voice he'd grown up with. Nurturing, caring, and yet firm. For a moment it felt like his father, his real father, was clawing at the surface, begging to be let back out. But this version of him had the upper hand, in more ways than one. And the tighter the spear pressed into his skin, the more he realized that this was not going to be as easy as he'd hoped. A new type of pain, one that did not stem from his body, began to bloom into his chest.

He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to kill M'Bao. He thought of his mother, of how she would have to learn that her adopted daughter had possibly become a casualty. That one of the two most important men in her life was no longer.

Show him who N'Deke Motobe is.

He couldn't die yet. Not here, not now, and especially not like this. He had to see this through to the end. He had to live.

His good hand inched towards his spear until his fingers wrapped around it.

"I'm sorry it had to come down to this, baba. But for what it's worth, I'll never forget the lessons you've taught me."

This caught M'Bao off-guard. N'Deke gathered all the strength left in him and flipped them. He rolled over and quickly pushed the tip of his spear into M'Bao's stomach. His grunt of disbelief made N'Deke's stomach heave. Blood began to sip out from the wound. M'Bao let his head fall onto the ground. "You really did it," he wheezed out.

The old him had finally broken free. But it had come at a terrible price

N'Deke pulled himself up so he could sit down besides him. Watching M'Bao bleed out filled him relief, anguish, guilt, and most importantly regret at what could've been. "I wish I didn't have to."

"You did what you needed to do. It was going to be either one of us, and I'm glad it wasn't you." M'Bao drew in a shaky inhale. "I mean what I said earlier, N'Deke. I never stopped caring for you."

"I realize that now." N'Deke swallowed hard. "It's not too late, you know. If we hurry we can still make it to Shuri's lab," he suggested. Perhaps they could both walk away alive.

"It's all right." M'Bao coughed. "Even if she manages to fix me up, I'd only end up being tried and imprisoned. Maybe even executed. And I'm already hated by all, including my own family. I have nothing and no one left to live for." A single tear slid down his cheek.

N'Deke screwed his eyes shut in an effort to keep his own tears from spilling. All he could manage was a weak nod.

"Tell your mother I love her. You two take good care of each other. And... I'm sorry about Akina." He turned his head to look at N'Deke. "I was too weak, Son. I let all this thirst for power get to my head. Promise me that you'll never end up like me. Promise me that much."

"I promise." N'Deke's voice wavered. Emotion threatened to choke him up.

M'Bao smiled and raised his hand shakily, cupping the younger's cheek. "You're a good kid. Don't you ever change."

N'Deke held his hand, feeling how cold it already was. With one last exhale, M'Bao went limp, smile frozen on his lips. N'Deke let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. With it came a sob, then another, as he closed the now-deceased man's eyes.

He raised his head at the sound of footsteps. An arm slid around his middle, helping him up.

"You fought bravely. You should be proud of yourself, N'Deke," Okoye said.

"Thank you, General."

He was proud. Not just because he'd held up longer than he thought he would, and not just because he made it out despite having to kill his own father.

But also because he'd finally shown everyone else, and himself, who N'Deke Motobe was.