Ben 10: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Chapter 26 (Early Preview) (Patreon)

Wakanda

T'Challa's footsteps echoed through the ancient halls of the Black Panther's Temple. His heart pounded with grief. The temple was silent, save for the distant rumble of thunder outside. A black panther statue stood at the end of the hall, bathed in the dim light. Beneath it, a stand held the Black Panther suit. Two Vibranium daggers lay crossed beneath the suit.

With each step up the stone stairs, T'Challa felt the weight of his father's legacy pressing down on him. When he reached the top, he knelt before the suit, bowing his head respectfully. His fingers trembled as he reached out, lifting the mask from its stand. He simply held it for a moment, pressing his forehead against the cold metal. Despite his age, he was still a boy seeking comfort from his father's spirit.

T'Challa raised his head. He locked onto the panther statue above him. His grief transformed into a resolve to avenge his father.

A soft voice broke the silence behind him. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

T'Challa turned to see his mother, Ramonda, standing at the bottom of the stairs. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were filled with understanding. She had always known her son's heart better than anyone.

"I have to, mama," T'Challa replied. "I know it is wrong—"

Ramonda interrupted gently. "It's alright. I support your decision. Just do the right thing when the time comes."

T'Challa nodded with gratitude. He descended the stairs, embracing his mother tightly. She held him close.

"I love you, mama," T'Challa whispered.

Ramonda kissed his forehead. "I love you too. Don't forget to tell your sister."

"I won't," T'Challa promised, pulling away reluctantly.

As they parted, T'Challa took one last look at the suit before carefully placing the mask in his bag. With a final, determined glance at the panther statue, he turned to leave the temple.

Back at the Palace

Shuri sat alone in her room, tears streaming down her face as she replayed the brutal scene of her father's death in her mind. The pain was raw, a deep wound torn open by M'Baku's cruelty. She was also consumed with worry for her brother, who had disappeared after the battle. Fear gripped her heart—fear of losing him too.

"Shuri."

The sound of T'Challa's voice made her head snap up. She saw him standing in the doorway, a bag slung over his shoulder, somber.

"Brother!" Shuri ran to him and threw her arms around him. "I was so worried about you. Why did you run off?"

T'Challa knelt in front of her, holding her tightly. "I have to go."

Shuri pulled back slightly in disbelief. "What? Why?"

"I need to go and get help," T'Challa explained, his voice steady. "I can't fight this battle alone. I need to find allies, people who can help me avenge Baba and bring justice to Wakanda."

Tears welled up in Shuri's eyes as she clutched his arms. "Please don't leave. I can't lose you too."

T'Challa placed a gentle hand on her cheek. "You'll never lose me. I'll be back before you know it with the help we need. I promise you that."

Shuri sniffled, nodding despite the tears. "I love you, brother."

"I love you too, little sister."

They held each other for a moment longer before T'Challa stood up, ready to leave. He gave Shuri one last reassuring smile before turning away. The rain fell heavily as he stepped outside. He paused and looked back at the palace. His mother and sister watched him with tear-filled eyes.

With a final, T'Challa turned and ran into the night. He knew he would return, for Wakanda needed him.

The Mines

The ancient mines echoed with machinery deep beneath Wakanda's surface. The tunnels, carved out over centuries, were lined with the precious metal that had fueled Wakanda's secret rise to power.

M'Baku, the new king by ritual combat, surveyed his reward with satisfaction. Around him, members of the White Gorilla tribe worked diligently, extracting the Vibranium under his command.

"For generations, the Black Panther tribe ruled Wakanda," M'Baku began. "They crushed my people under their heels. But no more."

"What of the Black Panther's son? Will he return?" asked a voice from the shadows.

M'Baku turned to Ulysses Klaue, the infamous arms dealer. The left side of his face bore the scars from his previous encounters with Wakanda, but it was his right hand that drew the most attention. The appendage had been replaced with a high-tech disruptor.

"It does not matter," M'Baku replied dismissively. "That Panther is defeated, and the kings of Wakanda do not ask for him. Even if he did return, who could help him?"

Klaue chuckled darkly. "Well, I'm glad I could be of assistance. But I'll be taking my payment now." He raised his right hand. "I've got men ready."

M'Baku regarded Klaue for a moment, then gave a curt nod. "Very well. As promised, the Vibranium is yours to take, Klaue."

Klaue's looked around at the rich deposits of Vibranium. "It's always good to go right to the source."

As Klaue's men began moving in to take their share of the Vibranium, M'Baku watched them with an expression unreadable. One could argue that he had made a pact with a devil, but in his mind, it was a necessary evil to ensure the return of the old ways of Wakanda. The White Gorilla tribe would remove the weakness that the Black Panther's lineage had wrought for many years.

Outside the Village

T'Challa, now donning the Black Panther suit, crouched silently on a thick branch of a towering tree just beyond the village. The suit fit him like a second skin. The mask covered his face, but his eyes scanned the village below.

He had seen enough. M'Baku had not only taken his father's life but had also sold Wakanda's most precious resource to a foreign invader. The weight of his mission pressed heavily on him, but T'Challa knew what he had to do. He could not face M'Baku and Klaue alone—not yet. He needed allies, time to plan, and, most of all, to keep Wakanda's secrets out of Klaue's hands.

With one final look at his home, T'Challa turned and leaped from the tree, disappearing into the night. His heart ached to leave Wakanda in the hands of a tyrant, but he knew that to save it, he would have to leave. He would find the strength, the allies, and the means to return and reclaim his father's throne. He vanished into the darkness.

Weapon X Facility

Steve Rogers had left the surveillance room and started moving toward Sector 5 to find the child.

As he rounded a corner, the sound of voices reached his ears. He froze, quickly pressing himself against the wall and slipping into a nearby alcove. From down the hall, two figures were conversing. He recognized the voices immediately from the attack on the town. The one clad in red and black had his usual manic energy. Steve listened intently.

Deadpool's voice echoed through the corridor, filled with his usual bravado. "I'm just saying, I have the same if not better regeneration than Wolverine. I could totally go through the adamantium skeleton process. Think about it—adamantium swords and bones. I'd be unstoppable."

Steve grimaced. If this man had the same level of healing as James, he would be hard to put down. Steve doubted that a bullet to the head would work if his memories of James on the frontline of the war were accurate.

Omega Red grew weary and sighed. "If you recall the doctor's words, adamantium is toxic to the body. It will handicap you further than you already are."

Deadpool paused, seemingly puzzled. "What handicap?"

There was a brief silence, followed by Omega Red's blunt explanation. "Wade... You are literally a walking tumor... Do you really want to throw toxic metal into the mix?"

"Hmm... Point taken," Deadpool conceded, and Steve could almost hear the gears turning in the mercenary's head.

Omega Red's patience was wearing thin. "Is there a reason you are here with me and not following the doctor's orders?"

Deadpool's tone shifted to something more casual, almost flippant. "What? Friends can't hang out together from time to time?"

"We are friends?" Omega Red sounded genuinely surprised, if not a little skeptical.

Deadpool didn't miss a beat. "Okay. Fine. We're more like begrudging co-workers."

Omega Red huffed. "Get to the point."

Deadpool's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, though it still carried easily in the quiet hall. "I was thinking that since Wolvie's back, we can tease him with his kid. He finally came back home with the milk and cigarettes he promised."

Steve's heart skipped a beat. His intuition was right.

Omega Red, however, was not amused. "The girl has much potential and doesn't need distractions from the defector before he gets reprogrammed."

"Come on," Deadpool argued, "growing kids need social interaction. Remember when I played catch with her?"

Steve could practically hear Omega Red's exasperation. "You were shooting her, hoping that she would cut or block the bullets in mid-flight."

"Exactly," Deadpool said, as if that made perfect sense. "You should have seen me in action when I was still sexy. There was this one time I was in an elevator surrounded by gunmen..."

Omega Red cut him off with a warning growl. "Wade..."

Deadpool wasn't deterred. "The point is that the kid could learn a lot from her Uncle Deadpool and Uncle Omega."

Omega Red's voice dropped to a low, threatening rumble. "One of the saving graces of that child is that she doesn't talk much. So that she doesn't get that mouth of yours, I would appreciate it if you didn't meddle with her training more than you already have."

As the two continued to walk away, Steve himself quietly moved from his hiding spot. A pit formed in his stomach of how much the girl had been affected by her experiences here.

#

Professor Thorton sat in his office revising the day's data entries. A heavy folder of data spread across his desk. His weary eyes scanned the documents before him, reviewing the progress and setbacks of the Weapon X Program. The Wolverine was back in their possession.

Thorton leaned back in his chair, letting out a deep sigh. He had come a long way since the U.S. Army. To think it all started when he found Nathaniel Essex's laboratory hidden within a Nazi concentration camp. It was a goldmine of genetic research.

The U.S. Government quickly absorbed Essex's work into its clandestine operations. Thorton was recruited into what would become known as the Weapon Plus Program to create super-soldiers. It would be the successor to Project: Rebirth. That was America's first step into the future: Captain America, aka Weapon I.

Weapon Plus expanded its operations, co-sponsoring with the CIA the formation of Team X. Thorton became the head scientist, responsible for the continuous conditioning that kept the operatives in line. Team X was a success, but it was only the beginning.

Thorton was later appointed Director of the Weapon X Program. The capture of Logan, codenamed Wolverine, had been vital. Logan was the perfect subject. His healing factor made him suited to survive the adamantium bonding process. The ultimate weapon had a body laced with unbreakable metal and a mind conditioned into a killing machine.

Sadly, free will got in his way. Despite all of Thorton's efforts to control him, Wolverine had broken free. The escape nearly brought the entire Weapon X Program to its knees. For a time, it seemed like everything Thorton had worked for would be lost.

Even as his superiors moved to shut down Weapon X, Thorton kept the program alive.

As he leaned back in his chair to stretch, a small red notification box appeared. His brow furrowed as he read the alert: "Subject Lady Deathstrike - Entered Containment Room: Subject Logan."

Thorton's eyes narrowed. "Damn it." He quickly set aside the paperwork. He knew how volatile Lady Deathstrike could be when it came to Logan. Their shared history was a powder keg. The last thing he needed was a confrontation that could jeopardize years of work. Thorton moved quickly toward the containment area.

#

Steve moved through the corridors as he approached Sector 5. Steve eventually came across an observation window and saw the girl again. She was bound in metal restraints that held her hands and feet. The girl lay on a narrow bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her expression was seemingly devoid of emotion.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. He quickly moved to a shadowed corner, watching as a scientist appeared carrying a tray of food. The man stopped at the door to the girl's room, pulling out a keycard and sliding it through the reader. The door hissed open.

The scientist stepped inside, his voice a condescending drone. "Okay, X-23. It's dinner time. Let's refrain from any messes this—"

Steve was on him in an instant, knocking the scientist out with a precise blow to the head. The man crumpled to the ground, the tray clattering beside him. Steve caught the keycard before it could hit the floor and moved into the room.

The girl blinked, breaking free of her trance-like state. She sat up, her eyes locking onto Steve. She tilted her head slightly, trying to understand this new situation. The last time someone unexpectedly entered her room was Deadpool, with one of his bizarre ideas of fun. She didn't like playing catch with him. It hurt. This was different. The man standing before her was new. Instead of the usual cold detachment, there was a warmth that she hadn't seen in a while.

Steve approached her slowly. "Sorry about that. Hello, there. My name is Steve. I'm here to help."

Laura pulled her legs to her chest.

"Don't worry," Steve continued, keeping his movements. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Do you understand me?"

Laura hesitated, then gave a small nod.

"That's good." Steve smiled reassuringly. "Do you have a name?"

Memories of Doctor Kinney flashed through her mind. She was the only other person who had ever shown her any semblance of kindness in this place. They had talked and read books together. The other people in white coats disapproved. The name the doctor had called her surfaced in her mind. "Laura..."

"Laura," Steve repeated, his smile widening. "That's a beautiful name."

She liked the name, too, but she should have been a better subject. Doctor Kinney was gone now. The professor promised that they would get a new teacher to properly discipline her from then on.

"Listen, Laura, I know where your father is. I can get you out of here and take you to him if you want."

Laura's brow furrowed. Father? The concept was foreign to her, but then she remembered the original Weapon X, the man whose genetic material had been used to create her. Doctor Kinney had mentioned him once. "Logan?"

Steve exhaled slowly. "That's... That's close enough." He gestured to her restraints. "Do you know how to get out of here?"

Laura nodded slightly and pointed toward a control panel at the edge of the room. She had seen the scientists manipulate it whenever they moved her from one sector to another.

Steve followed her gaze. He tightened his grip on his shield. When he broke those restraints, alarms would likely go off, and they'd have to move fast. He turned back to Laura. "Are you ready to get out of here?"

Laura took a deep breath. Linney had talked about what she would do in the outside world. "Yes..."

#

Lady Deathstrike stood before the submerged Wolverine, her mechanical claws twitching. The man who had haunted her every thought for years was now at her mercy. Her father's voice echoed in her mind, urging her to finish what she had started so long ago. She had sacrificed everything to get this opportunity. She would finally kill Logan and reclaim her honor.

"You will die today, Logan-san," she hissed. "It does not matter what the professor says. These are your last breaths."

Wolverine glared at her. There was defiance, but Lady Deathstrike didn't care. She wanted only his death. She brought her adamantium claws to the tank. The tips of her claws began to press into it.

Just as she was about to break it, a voice cut through. "Deathstrike, what are you doing here?" Professor Thorton stepped into the room. "I'm about to start Wolverine's reprogramming!"

Lady Deathstrike's claws froze in place. She turned her head slightly at the professor. "He has to die! This ends today!"

Thorton's expression hardened. "How many times do we have to have this conversation, Yuriko? He's more valuable alive than—"

From behind, Sabretooth was just about to slash the man's back when the facility's alarm blared.

"Alert: Security Breach in Sector 5."

Before he could finish his sentence, Sabretooth, who had been silently lurking in the shadows, made his move. His feral grin spread wide as he prepared to slash at Thorton's back.

But before the strike could land, the facility's alarm blared loudly.

"Alert: Security Breach in Sector 5."

Sabertooth dropped his arm. "Huh?"

Thorton instinctively flinched, turning around to see Sabretooth. "What are you doing? You nearly gave me a heart attack."

The man kept a blank expression. "Uh, nothing... Never mind that. The alarm?!"

Even Lady Deathstrike stopped what she was doing.

Thorton quickly recovered. "Subject 23 must be trying to escape! We must secure the exits! Get me Omega and Deadpool!"

Sabretooth huffed. "Finally. I was waiting to have a shot at the welp."

Lady Deathstrike seethed. "This isn't over, Logan." With that, she turned to follow Thorton out of the room. At least she could take her anger out on his spawn.

Sabretooth cast one last glance at Wolverine before following the others too.

#

Wolverine floated in his containment chamber. He had finally been left alone.

About a minute passed before he noticed a strange banging from above. His eyes flicked upward to the source. The banging grew louder until the air vent duct above the chamber suddenly came crashing down to the floor.

Wolverine tensed as a familiar figure dropped from the vent.

"Steve?" Logan asked, muffled.

Steve Rogers dusted himself off before his eyes settled on Logan. "Nice to see you again, James." A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Logan rolled his eyes, though a sense of relief washed over him. However, before he could process the reunion, another figure dropped down from the vent—a little girl.

She was thin, with raven-black hair that fell in messy strands around her face. The girl turned slowly, her dark eyes meeting Logan's. For a moment, she stood still.

Logan's brow furrowed. Who was this girl? Did Steve free her?

Steve chuckled. "I'm sure you have questions."

Logan watched the girl step forward. A small hand reached out to touch the glass.

Before he could piece it together, the girl did something that made his heart skip. She extended two adamantium claws from each of her hands, just like him.

His eyes widened. 'What the hell!?'

Laura brought her claws to the reinforced glass and began to cut through.

As the chamber emptied, Logan felt the restraints loosen. He collapsed forward, gasping for breath.

Steve helped him to his feet. "Take it easy. Quick introductions: James, meet Laura. Laura, meet James. Now, we need to get out of here before they realize what's going on."