"Get out of here!"
A piercing roar echoed through the medical center.
A priceless hovering medical robot was ripped in two by a sharp claw covered in golden fur.
Barbara Minerva huddled in the corner.
Those vertical pupils stared intently at every living creature at the doorway, a threatening growl emanating from its throat.
Several members of the Royal Guard quickly dispersed, forming a fan-shaped encirclement, their spears pointed directly at the dangerous creature in the corner.
"Don't do it!"
T'Chaka strode into the ward and stood between the guards and Barbara.
The king of Wakanda did something that made everyone's jaws drop.
He untied the elaborate Vibranium shawl that symbolized royal power from his shoulders and tossed it to the ground, revealing that he was only wearing a cotton undershirt that offered no protection.
He even spread his hands out, palms facing outwards, completely exposing his vital areas.
"Your Majesty! She is in extreme danger; all the indicators suggest she is on the verge of spiraling out of control..."
Okoye was so anxious that the veins on his forehead throbbed, and he dared not lower his spear even an inch.
"Step back! Everyone step back!"
"But..."
"She's a victim, not an enemy!" T'Chaka roared. "That's an order!"
The guards exchanged glances, then finally put away their weapons and left the room.
Only two people remained in the room.
Barbara maintained her attack stance, her back arched.
Her fingernails scraped harshly on the floor, her eyes filled with extreme distrust of her surroundings.
Well done, Minerva.
She snapped her the Snap in her mind.
This stress response is textbook precise.
For a " Beast " character who has been used as an experimental subject for a long time and survives by killing, waking up to find a group of people in uniforms pointing instruments at him, his first reaction would definitely not be to say "hello", but to try to bite their throats off.
The script the boss gave us was very clear: be crazy, be wild, be miserable.
The more you resist, the more real it seems.
T'Chaka felt a pang of heartache looking at the woman covered in wounds before him.
That's the blood of Wakanda.
Look at the Vibranium deposited in those bones; how many days and nights of torment did that represent?
S.H.I.E.L.D..!
"My child..."
T'Chaka called softly in the purest ancient Wakanda language, a language with a unique rhythm.
Barbara tilted her head.
The fierce expression on her face turned blank.
That was a bewilderment from not understanding, and an instinctive resistance to such a gentle tone.
"I don't understand... what are you saying..." she rasped, "Don't come any closer... I'll kill you... I'll tear you to pieces..."
The grief in T'Chaka's eyes was even greater.
She has even lost her mother tongue.
"It's alright, child, it's alright." T'Chaka switched to English, taking an extremely slow step forward. "There are no cages here, no experiments, and no one will hurt you."
"Liars!" Barbara screamed, shrinking back. "You're all liars! You want blood... you want what's inside the bones..."
She frantically scratched her arms, her nails digging into her skin until it bled profusely.
This is self-harm.
It is a pathological reaction to use pain to confirm that one is still alive.
This scene deeply stung T'Chaka.
No! Don't do this!
He stopped, his eyes welling up with tears.
T'Chaka took out a small, coarse cloth bag tied with woven straw rope from the inner pocket of his body.
He untied the rope and took out a dried purple leaf.
Although it is dry, it still emits a unique vibration that can Vibranium.
At the same moment the leaf was exposed to the air, the microchip inside Barbara's body detected the frequency.
"Buzz--"
The drug that Dr. Sinclair formulated began to take effect in the bloodstream.
A tingling, warm, and even slightly hallucinatory pleasure swept through my body.
Barbara slowly straightened up, her gaze fixed on the withered leaf.
Her breathing became rapid, her nostrils flared, and a primal urge compelled her to crawl forward two steps.
"You felt it, didn't you?"
T'Chaka crouched down, placed the leaf in his palm, and offered it to her.
This is the taste of home. This is what your ancestors, your bloodline, have always called out to.
It's telling you that you belong here.
Barbara reached out her hand, trembling.
Her fingertips touched the leaf.
There was no magical light, but her tears flowed down without warning.
Large tears rolled down, washing away the blood and grime on her face, leaving winding streaks.
' Sinclair's drugs are really potent; my tear ducts are about to burst.'
Barbara mentally complained, but her face showed a blank and vulnerable expression, as if her soul had been struck a heavy blow.
But in T'Chaka's eyes, this was the soul's return to its ancestral home.
"Who... who am I?"
Barbara raised her head, her vertical pupils now round like a human's, filled with helplessness and confusion.
"You are the daughter of Wakanda."
T'Chaka, the king who ruled the richest and most powerful nation on earth, acted like any ordinary father, ignoring the blood, filth, and Beast stench that covered her and pulling her into his arms.
Barbara rested her chin on T'Chaka's shoulder, her gaze passing over the king's back and fixed on the white wall.
"Sorry."
T'Chaka's voice choked with emotion, thick with a nasal tone.
"We hide behind barriers, enjoying peace and claiming to be the Guardian of civilization, while you are left outside to suffer this hellish curse alone."
"This is Wakanda's sin. I am the king, and on behalf of this land, I apologize to you."
Tears dampened the downy hair on Barbara's shoulders.
The old man was really crying.
Barbara blinked. Since the atmosphere had been built up to this point, it would be impolite not to respond.
She slowly raised her hand, her movements clumsy and stiff, and embraced the king in return.
Is this... home?
She murmured to herself.
"Yes." T'Chaka released her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "From this day forward, no one can hurt you anymore. All of Wakanda's resources, all its technology, will be open to you."
"I will heal you. Even if I have to search every single stone slab in the royal archives, I will find a way to relieve your suffering."
T'Chaka stood up and pressed the button on the communicator.
"Notify Ashara to prepare a high-level laboratory. Also, open the Ancestral Hall; I need to take her to see the Panther God."
Barbara lowered her head.
"Thank you... Father."
She uttered the word softly.
T'Chaka's back trembled.
He didn't turn around, but nodded heavily and strode out of the ward, his steps even more hurried than when he came in.
He wants to make amends.
At all costs.
Barbara wiped away her tears, picked up the dried Heart-Shaped Herb leaf, and took a deep breath.
"It smells so good!"
She murmured softly, crushing the leaf in her palm.
"The boss will like this gift."