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*****
"I heard you two haven't stepped foot out of the lab in three days?"
Just as Fini and Shuri were debating the final design of the pendant, a steady, powerful voice echoed from outside the laboratory.
Fini turned around to see a man who bore a striking resemblance to T'Chaka standing not far away, watching them. Fini immediately had a guess as to his identity.
"Brother!"
Shuri's joyful exclamation confirmed Fini's suspicion.
"When did you get back?" Shuri ran over excitedly and grabbed the man's hand. She immediately pulled him over to Fini's side to introduce them. "This is my brother, the Prince of Wakanda, T'Challa."
"Hello, Prince T'Challa. I'm Fini Halsey," Fini said, extending a hand in greeting.
T'Challa immediately shook Fini's hand and replied respectfully, "Greetings, respected Mr. Fini Halsey."
"There's really no need for that," Fini sighed helplessly. "Just call me Fini or Halsey, like Shuri does."
Over the past few days, T'Chaka had practically been treating him like a deity. He would personally check in every day to ask if everything was alright, if the food was to his liking, or if he wanted to move to more luxurious quarters. It had left Fini feeling quite awkward.
T'Challa hadn't witnessed the spell Fini performed earlier, so his feelings toward him were more characterized by curiosity. If his father hadn't insisted that he show Fini the utmost respect, he might not have been so formal.
Hearing Fini's request, he hesitated briefly before accepting the offer. "Then forgive my lack of formality, Fini."
With the introductions out of the way, Shuri excitedly tugged at T'Challa's arm. "So, when exactly did you return?"
Looking at his overjoyed sister, T'Challa let go of his lingering worries and smiled. "Only a short while ago."
Many in Wakanda had seen Fini arrive, but many didn't understand why T'Chaka had insisted on hosting him with such high honors. Because of Fini's request for discretion, the truth about his "identity" was known only to the tribal leaders and a few of T'Chaka's most trusted advisors.
Worried by the secrecy, some who were kept in the dark had found a way to notify Prince T'Challa, who had been studying abroad.
Upon his return, T'Challa had learned from his father about Fini's "relationship" with the Panther Goddess, Bast. Since he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he didn't believe it outright, but he didn't fully dismiss it either. He decided to see the situation for himself.
Naturally, his first stop was the laboratory. From their brief interaction, his impression of Fini was decent, but he didn't think the boy looked like the "God" his father had described.
"They say you've been in here for three days straight. Is everything okay?" T'Challa asked his sister with concern.
"Piece of cake!" Shuri raised an eyebrow confidently. She pulled T'Challa over to the Tesseract and said enthusiastically, "Brother, you won't believe how mysterious and powerful this thing is!"
"What is it? A new battery you're working on?" T'Challa asked, stroking his chin as he examined the cube.
"It's the—" Shuri started to explain, then suddenly remembered it belonged to Fini. She quickly turned to him, her eyes asking for permission to speak.
After Fini nodded, Shuri began speaking at a breakneck speed, covering everything from its origins to her research. T'Challa was left somewhat dazed, but he eventually grasped the core of her message.
Essentially: This thing is mysterious, powerful, and incredibly dangerous, but I've successfully figured it out.
T'Challa inwardly marveled at how his sister could make a simple plea for praise sound so complex. He patted her head and smiled. "Truly worthy of being Wakanda's top genius."
"Hehe!" Shuri looked proud, though a little bashful.
"So, are we nearing completion?" T'Challa asked. He had gathered from Shuri's rambling that they were only one step away from finishing.
"Yes. Once the model is designed, we'll begin fabrication," Fini answered for her. He hadn't expected the process to go so smoothly. At the same time, he felt a flicker of worry. If Bast ever returned to Earth and found out about this, he wondered if she would take it out on Shuri and the others.
But it was impossible for Fini to give up now. He could only hope that the "Mother Panther" would take her time getting back; hopefully, by then, his strength would have increased enough that he could handle her with a simple "slide tackle."
T'Challa's arrival didn't cause much of a distraction. A day later, the Vibranium pendant was successfully completed.
Fini finally extracted the Space Stone from the Tesseract and carefully set it into the pendant.
The silver-white pendant didn't fit Wakanda's usual obsidian aesthetic, but the engravings upon it were uniquely Wakandan. Unlike the Eye of Agamotto, the stone was housed within a sculpted Blue-Eyes White Dragon. When coiled, the dragon completely encased the gem; when in use, it would unfurl its body to hold the stone in its jaws.
Fini was thrilled with the finished product. He wondered if he should give it a name, and he felt a genuine surge of admiration for Shuri's craftsmanship.
Having spent nearly the entire week in the lab with Shuri, their relationship had become quite friendly. As he prepared to leave, Fini decided to ask for her help. He knew Shuri was straightforward, so he didn't beat around the bush.
"I have a laboratory in Seoul that is currently researching another gem. If you don't mind, would you be interested in helping out?"
Helen Cho's research was advanced, but Shuri's genius could take it to the next level.
Shuri looked intrigued. Over the past few days, the more she studied the Space Stone, the more she realized its terrifying mystery. Hearing that Fini had another one, she couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you say there are only six of these in the entire universe?"
"That's right. I went to a lot of trouble to get two. Two others may be forever out of reach."
Fini nodded. By "out of reach," he meant the Time and Soul Stones. If something happened to the future Doctor Strange, he might have a chance at Time, but Soul... unless he could break the rule of sacrifice, it seemed impossible.
"Will we be making another pendant?" Shuri asked. Since each stone had different attributes, the housing requirements would likely vary.
"No. I'm hoping to use it to help a pair of siblings awaken their superpowers."
Fini's answer left Shuri torn between excitement and hesitation. As a scientist, she had spent a fair amount of time trying to find a scientific basis for Fini's "magic." Fini had cooperated with her occasionally out of boredom.
While the Kamar-Taj spells followed some logic, the skills Fini got from his system defied all laws of science, leaving Shuri completely baffled. The idea of helping people gain superpowers was a major draw, but she was hesitant about leaving Wakanda.
Seeing her expression, Fini thought she was refusing. "It's fine. If it's too much trouble, don't worry about it."
"I'll go! I'll go!" Shuri snapped out of it and spoke quickly. She couldn't pass up the chance to see another one of the six fundamental artifacts of the universe.
Fini was delighted by her decision. Because it was Fini making the request, T'Chaka and Ramonda—though worried—did not stop her. T'Challa, however, questioned the details repeatedly and insisted on sending a squad of Wakandan guards to accompany her before he finally gave his consent.
Just four days after Fini finished the unnamed pendant and left Wakanda, as Christmas drew near, a major event shook New York and the rest of the United States. Every television station was hijacked.
A terrorist by the name of "The Mandarin" became a household name overnight.
(End of Chapter)