Prince N'Jobu's son, N'Jadaka, had long been on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s special persons list—not just because his father had been a "serious threat to U.S. social security" as a member of the Black Panther Party, but also because he went on to become a brutal mercenary. Other Party leaders were either under surveillance or had "committed suicide by shooting themselves eight times in the back." Only Prince N'Jobu had died at the hands of his own family, simply because King T'Chaka believed his views were too radical. Who knows what T'Chaka would think now if he took a walk through the impoverished Black neighborhoods of the U.S.—but at the time, he thought bloody revolution was wrong. That was precisely why Solomon never saw him as a true partner.
The Undying City had fought African warlords before and knew their methods weren't much different from those of the Middle Eastern fundamentalist terror groups. Prince N'Jobu's son, N'Jadaka, was one of them—a man who carved a scar into his body for every person he killed. If he ever entered the United States, he'd immediately be put under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tight surveillance. But smuggling into America was far too easy. Any skilled coyote could pull it off. That's why N'Jadaka had never been arrested on U.S. soil, and America's overseas intelligence and military agencies were always too busy snorting or trafficking drugs—or running errands for domestic oligarchs—to bother with a lone mercenary.
What N'Jadaka never imagined was that the person liaising with him was a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
Ever since the Undying City had taken over parts of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence network, contact with N'Jadaka had begun. In other words, the Undying City was now his real backer. N'Jadaka had even been deployed in the Undying City's African "colonies" (publicly referred to as corporations), carrying out assassinations of various local warlords. This was all Victoria Hand's idea—she figured if they were going to pay this infamous mercenary, they might as well put him to work. Only after Solomon informed her of N'Jadaka's strategic importance did they pull him from the frontlines. He was then sent to battle against rebel forces funded by diamond cartels, banks, and oil conglomerates—rebels who opposed governments now controlled by the Undying City.
Normally, N'Jadaka would have been part of those rebels. He had worked for countless African warlords who ruled with private armies. After all, coups in Africa didn't require massive costs or forces—sometimes all it took was capturing a radio station to declare victory. So for N'Jadaka, working for a government army was a novel experience.
Whatever the case, to the people of the Undying City's colonies, N'Jadaka had become an undisputed hero.
There were now schools, homes, factories, and sprawling farms—things they'd never had before—all earned through N'Jadaka's gunfire. Even if he wasn't fully aware of the current reality, N'Jadaka could sense that the Undying City was leagues apart from the capitalist forces who had hired him before. He never imagined that war could also bring prosperity and peace. If he looked back through his father's belongings, he'd probably find a book quoting this phrase: "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun." That was the path King T'Chaka had rejected. Today's Black Panther Party lacked the fire of the past—carrying rifles but lacking the nerve to pull the trigger, with less courage than gangsters in the slums.
"N'Jadaka!" A middle-aged white man in a worn knit sweater, heavily faded camouflage pants, and mud-caked military boots raised his hands as he walked into the cave that temporarily housed the government troops. Only once he reached the commander and felt the barrel of a rifle pressing into his back did he lower his arms. The troops here were equipped with U.S. military-grade weapons, and their makeup was diverse—South American ex-rebel officers, Black mercenaries, white operatives. If Agent Coulson were here, he'd recognize the Latina woman in charge as his old acquaintance Camilla—the Undying City had pulled her out from under the Peruvian government's firing squad. She now served under Sophia's department.
Officially, Camilla was dead. The body tossed into a mass grave belonged to a random street thug.
"N'Jadaka is on assignment," Camilla said, shifting her gaze from the TV screen to the agent. "What orders do you have?"
"I can't say, dear Camilla," the agent smiled. "You know how the big bosses operate."
"Sophia promised me that no orders in this region would be hidden from me." Camilla pulled the pistol from her thigh holster and pointed it at the agent's head. The mood in the cave instantly turned tense. Soldiers who had been idly smoking and chatting suddenly reached for their weapons. In her time leading this unit, Camilla had earned their trust with her sharp tactical skills. "I kept my promise and led the government army into battle. Now it's time for the Undying City to keep theirs."
"This isn't your order, Camilla. I can't disclose it. It's for N'Jadaka alone. Until I see him, I can't even recall the instructions. And once I deliver them, I'll forget them entirely." The agent's smile faded. "Don't forget the lengths our bosses will go to keep a secret. If they don't want you to know, you won't see a single letter. And remember how much it cost to pull you and your crew out. If I die here, a missile from a naval ship will land a few inches from your feet to erase that cost. Even without a missile, without the Undying City, you'll be out of ammo and rations, dead in these woods in no time. Learn this lesson—never defy the Undying City's orders."
Camilla stared at him for a long time. Finally, she said, "I'll call N'Jadaka back."
"Thank you, Camilla," the agent's smile returned. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint us."
"Shut up. Get out of the way and don't interrupt Downton Abbey."
"Can I stay and watch? I missed so much while on the road..."
"Order relayed. N'Jadaka is en route back to the U.S."
That was the sentence on the report Victoria Hand submitted the next day. Alongside N'Jadaka's return came a full container of weapons and several agents assigned to monitor and assist him. Solomon had instructed N'Jadaka to rally the radical factions of the Black Panther Party within the U.S., train them briefly in military tactics, and then bring them to Wakanda to launch a coup. If T'Challa prevailed, the alliance between Wakanda and the Undying City would continue, and the city would absorb Wakanda through its Mars Forge war machines. If N'Jadaka prevailed, the Undying City would annex Wakanda outright, converting its technology fully into productive power.
"Winner takes all," Solomon said, moving his chess piece. "I am always the winner."
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