It was a little past lunch time when Erik and Ino finally came out of Erik's mindscape therapy session. Ezekiel noticed and so did everyone else, because Erik gave Ino a big hug after he stood up and it made Ino yelp and turn bright red. Everyone could hear Inoichi's loud laugh from the other side of the room, which only made Ino turn a darker shade of red. After Erik let go, Ino turned around and walked over towards her father who was still laughing. Erik on the other hand made his way to Ezekiel's desk with a slight grin on his face.
Ezekiel was seated at his desk working on his computer. Seated close to the desk was Shisui, who was currently reading a book. Once Erik was close to the desk, Ezekiel said, "It's just past lunchtime. Do you wanna go eat?
Erik sat down as he said, "I'm not hungry."
Ezekiel nodded as he said, "How do you feel?"
Erik was quiet for a moment before he said, "Lighter, like a weight I never knew I was carrying is gone."
"I am glad we were able to help you."
Erik glanced over at Ino who was talking with her father as he said, "You said you wanted to show me a new path. What is it?"
"It's whatever you want it to be, except now your judgment isn't clouded anymore."
Erik sat back as he relaxed in the chair for a little while. He would glance towards Ino sometimes as he thought. Ezekiel quietly waited for him. A few minutes passed before Erik said, "Even though my anger is gone, I still want to help my people."
"That is a noble goal to aim for, but why not help everyone instead of just one group?"
Erik was quick to reply as he asked, "Who else is dealing with hardships brought on by a system built to keep them down?"
Ezekiel nodded his head as he said, "I won't argue with you there, but that is mostly in the United States. What about the rest of the world?"
It was over a minute before Erik said, "I'm not even sure how to fix what is wrong here, how am I going to help the rest of the world?"
Ezekiel smiled at that as he said, "With friends and allies. Did you see the broadcast a few months ago?"
After Erik nodded his head, Ezekiel said, "That facility Magneto talked about, that was a joint mission. We worked together with his people to take that place down. Have you talked with Cessily or Laura much?"
Erik shook his head as he said, "Laura only really replies with single words most of the time or a grunt. Cessily talks a lot more than Laura, but she hasn't talked much about where she came from… They came from that place?"
Ezekiel nodded his head as he said, "Yes, but it's not my place to tell you their stories. If you really wanna know it, just be a good friend to them and one day they might tell you."
Ezekiel shook his head as he said, "Sorry, got a little off track. My point was we are already working to change the world for the better with our allies. Not just for one group of people, but for everyone."
"Are you saying if I want to accomplish my goals, I need to join you?"
Ezekiel shrugged as he said, "Not really. If you wanna go off and do your own thing, I won't stop you. I will even help you as long as it doesn't interfere with my plans."
Erik studied Ezekiel for a while before he asked, "Even if my plans involve killing a king?"
"If you feel that is the only path forward for you, I won't stop you. But I also won't help you with that either. Are you really sure that is the best idea though?"
Erik nodded his head as he said, "He killed my father, that needs to be answered for."
"If you kill him, you'll never be able to connect with what's left of your family."
Erik had a little bit of heat in his voice as he asked, "So I just let my father's murder go free?"
Ezekiel shook his head as he said, "No, I just said not to kill him. You might be able to ruin his reputation though and have him removed from being king. You might even be able to fight for the crown at that point if you wanted."
Erik shook his head as he said, "I don't care about being king, I just want some justice for my father."
Ezekiel laughed as he said, "You do know your father betrayed Wakanda, and tried to kill one of its citizens in front of its king. I am pretty sure you could argue his killing was justifiable. What you really want is vengeance. Which is honestly fine with me, I just don't want you to kill him."
Erik frowned a little as he said, "So I can't kill him, but you are fine with me getting some type of revenge, even though you think my father being killed was justified? How does that make sense?"
Ezekiel grinned as he said, "It doesn't need to make sense. What matters is if you want help or not."
Ezekiel waited for Erik to think it over, after a few minutes of silence Erik asked, "You said his actions could be considered justified. What could we do with that to ruin his reputation?"
Ezekiel gave a wicked grin as he said, "While him killing your father might be argued as justified, he completely hid the truth. As far as the rest of Wakanda is concerned N'Jobu mysteriously disappeared and was never heard from again."
Ezekiel's grin became wider as he said, "King T'Chaka also abandoned you to fend for yourself in the United States. He justified leaving you behind because he was afraid of the repercussions of taking a child back to Wakanda who was not a pure-blooded Wakandan. He was mostly trying to maintain the royal Wakandan bloodline, by preventing half-Wakandans from being mixed into it."
Erik had a frown as he asked, "You think that would help ruin his reputation? What if the other people in charge are just like him?"
Ezekiel shrugged as he said, "It might work, it might not. But I am pretty sure it would ruin his reputation with his kids. His son T'Challa and daughter Shuri are pretty forward-thinking people. I would consider that a pretty big win myself."
Ezekiel turned the computer monitor towards Erik as he said, "As for the other leaders, you could have the border tribe leader on your side if you bring him a gift." On the screen was an Interpol file for Ulysses Klaue.
Ezekiel smiled as he said, "This is Ulysses Klaue, he worked with your father. Your father gave this man info about Wakanda, it was how he was able to get into Wakanda and steal vibranium. When he did though, he killed a lot of people, one of them was the current border tribe leader's father."
Erik nodded along as he asked, "So what, we find this guy and bring him to Wakanda to get inside?"
"Pretty much. Plus we need to pick up what your father left you."
Erik looked a little confused as he asked, "What are you talking about?"
Ezekiel gave a smile as he said, "Ulysses Klaue stole the vibranium for your father. Your father had plans for it, but unfortunately he was never able to collect it. As far as I am concerned, that vibranium is yours."
Erik gave Ezekiel a considering look before he said, "So you want that vibranium for something?"
Shisui who was sitting close by reading a book said, "I told you."
Ezekiel let out a sigh as he said, "Yes, I have a need for it. It was one of the reasons I wanted to talk with you."
Erik shook his head as he asked, "So all of this was so you could ask for some vibranium someone else has?"
Ezekiel shook his head as he said, "No, I told you before I was going to help you. I won't take that back. It is the same reason I was going to ask to have the vibranium. I consider it yours and I won't take it from you if you want it."
Erik was quiet for a moment before he asked, "Okay, so what happens if I say no?"
Ezekiel shrugged as he said, "Then I will have to find some more, or steal it from Wakanda."
"Then what if I don't wanna give it away? What would you trade me for it?"
"What would you want?"
Erik thought about it for a while before he said, "I don't know."
Ezekiel sat back in his chair for a few moments, before Shisui spoke up and said, "Ezekiel could set you up on a date with Ino if you asked. You've glanced her way over a dozen times now."
Erik became a little darker as he said, "No I haven't."
Ezekiel shot a glare at Shisui as he said, "Stay out of this, you aren't helping."
Shisui looked up from his book and gave Ezekiel a grin before he went back to reading. Ezekiel let out a sigh as he asked, "So what do you want to do?"
Erik shrugged this time as he said, "If you really help me ruin T'Chaka's reputation, you can have the vibranium."
"Deal."
Erik took another glance towards Ino before he asked, "So what is the plan? Find Klaue and the vibranium? Then what? Do we go to Wakanda?"
"I already found Klaue and the vibranium. If you want to go to Wakanda after I have Klaue we can."
Erik looked a little surprised at that as he asked, "When are you going to take care of Klaue?"
Ezekiel shrugged as he said, "I'll probably do it as soon as we are done here, since he is currently with the vibranium."
"So we'll go to Wakanda tomorrow then?"
Ezekiel turned his computer monitor around and typed on his keyboard for a few seconds before he said, "No we'll go tonight. With the time difference it will be nice and early in Wakanda. But keep in mind, you will be doing all of the talking in Wakanda."
Erik looked a little confused as he asked, "Why will I be doing all the talking?"
Ezekiel smirked as he said, "Two reasons, the first is because you are technically a prince of Wakanda and I will be acting as your guard. The second is because they won't listen to some foreigner."
Erik thought about it for a few moments before he nodded his head and asked, "Since we are going to Wakanda, is there anything I should bring?"
"Your fathers ring, other than that you should be fine. How about you go rest up and my team will take care of Klaue."
Erik nodded his head again as he stood up. He gave another quick glance in Ino's direction before he said, "Just come grab me in my room when you are ready to leave for Wakanda."
Ezekiel smirked a little as he said "That was the plan."
As Erik started walking away, Shisui said, "Not gonna say goodbye to your girlfriend?" Erik just picked up his pace a little as he walked out of the room.
vvvvvv
Ezekiel was standing on the top of a derelict ship as he observed the ship Klaue used as his main base of operation. It was just past two in the morning, Klaue and his men had just finished unloading a shipment. Ezekiel looked over at the four other people with him as he asked, "What do you think is the best plan of attack?"
A man with silver hair wearing a white and red mask shaped like a wolf glanced over to Ezekiel as he said, "Fast and quiet, we will go around the outside and work our way in while putting everyone we run into a genjutsu. Are your henge seals in place?"
Ezekiel nodded his head in reply as two of the other people did the same. The man in the wolf mask said, "Good, then let's start." Each person disappeared from their spot the next instant, within moments they had all crossed to the other ship and started their mission. Tao was still standing on the deck of the other ship as she watched Ezekiel and his clones almost teleporting from person to person. Each one they met would freeze up for a moment then they would relax and go still.
With four people using genjutsu on normal people it took minutes to go through all of the outside guards. It was a little harder when they moved inside, they had a lot of random rooms to check and while the body flicker technique was great to use in open areas. In closed spaces it was terrible, you would be moving so fast it was hard to stop and make quick turns. So stealth was used inside the ship. Ezekiel let the others take care of that part and it didn't take long before everyone except Klaue and his personal guards were dealt with.
Ezekiel and the others quickly rushed the guards at that point, once they were under a genjutsu. Ezekiel adjusted his mask, before he knocked on Klaue's door. A second later the last guard stationed inside the room opened the door. He was put under a genjutsu also and Ezekiel and the others walked into the room. As they did Klaue who had headphones on while working on his computer asked, "What do they want Alec?"
When Ezekiel stopped in front of Klaue's desk, Klaue finally looked up. He glanced at Alec still standing frozen next to the door and then he looked at the four people standing in front of him all wearing different looking red and white colored mask's.
Klaue smiled as he said, "How can I help you gentleman? I assume you are here for weapons?" As Klaue was talking, his right hand moved slowly away from his mouse to reach for the gun hidden underneath his desk. He moved his other hand faster to act as a distraction as he went to remove his headphones. But before his right hand could get too far a weird looking dagger thudded into the desk right beside it.
The man standing in front of the others said, "If you don't wanna lose your hand, keep it on the desk."
Klaue moved his hand back to his mouse as he smiled bigger and said, "Sorry, habits. So what can I help you with Mr…"
"Vibranium."
Klaue's eyes widened just a little bit as he took another look at the men before him, even though they had masks, he could still see their skin. He relaxed a little as he said, "I might have some laying around."
"Good, I want it all."
Klaue frowned the tiniest bit as he said, "You know that it's worth ten large for a single gram? It also came at great personal cost." As he said the second part he reached up to rub his neck.
"How much do you have?"
Klaue started to type on his computer for a moment before he smiled as he said, "Two point eight billion, rounded down a little if you buy it all."
A few seconds later a cell phone on Klaue's desk started to beep, he looked at it for a moment. His eyes went a little wide before he looked up with a smile as he said, "I like it when my customers are decisive. Let me show you where it's stored."
Klaue was still cautious and slowly stood up from his desk. He started to walk towards the door as he asked while looking at his personal guard, "Are my guards gonna be alright?"
"They will be fine once we leave."
Klaue nodded his head as he asked, "Is that some kinda new weapon? Is that something you are selling?"
Klaue just shrugged it off after a few seconds of silence as he asked, "So how did you hear about me anyways? I normally only get referrals from people I have dealt with before. Who told you about me?"
Klaue started to hum when he didn't get a reply. After a few minutes of walking they showed up to a locked bulkhead door with a keypad. He entered a code and then slid it open, inside was filled with barrels that had 'Toxic' written on them. After a moment the whole room started to move down and as the barrels disappeared a new room appeared with a bunch of small containers filled with a blue type of metal. Klaue walked inside and grabbed one.
As he handed it to the only person who talked, he said, "A word of warning, some people might come after you, if you flash that stuff around."
The man nodded as he said, "I am not worried about Wakanda." He looked up at Klaue as he said, "You on the other hand, you should be worried."
Klaue tensed up just a little, but let out a laugh as he said, "I've been dodging them for years I will be fine."
The man shook his head as Klaue felt his body relax uncontrollably, Klaue could still see and hear. But his body was frozen in place and he couldn't talk. The man walked past Klaue into the vibranium storage room as he said, "Not anymore."