The SHIELD plane sliced through the skies and dropped Storm, T'Challa, and Batroc off in New York. As they parted ways, Storm turned to Daisy with a gracious smile. "You should visit Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters sometime. We could use more chaos in our lives." It was a kind invitation—sincere, even—but Daisy only offered a dry chuckle, her usual composure unwavering. "When I have time, I'll be sure to bring the apocalypse with me."
The Panther Goddess, meanwhile, was utterly mesmerized by New York's skyline. Wakanda might be technologically superior, but its population was small and its rhythm predictable. There was nothing like the pulsating chaos of a metropolis. She practically drooled over the flashing signs and steel towers. "No rush on the movie," she declared, barely looking back at Daisy. "I haven't left Wakanda in centuries. Now that I'm out, the world is mine to explore. I'll find you after I've had some fun."
Daisy wasn't concerned. A goddess with shapeshifting powers and divine lethality could take care of herself. If any fool dared touch her, well—may the gods pity them.
She flew back to Washington on her own, escorting the Juggernaut and what was likely the world's most expensive livestock delivery. The mission was to report to Nick Fury and hand over the unusual 'gift' from her new Wakandan contacts.
Unfortunately, leading a war rhino straight into S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ was not an option. The creature was tame, sure—but timid too. One loud bang and it could charge through walls like a battering ram. The body count wouldn't be pretty. The lion, named Simba Jr., wasn't exactly low-maintenance either.
So she called Fury and asked him to meet her at her residence in Washington, which thankfully had a garage large enough to hold a rhino, a genetically enhanced human wrecking ball, and a lion.
Half an hour later, Nick Fury arrived.
...
[ Daisy's House, Washington D.C. ]
Daisy was lounging in the garage, absently brushing Simba Jr.'s fur as the lion sulked in the corner. The poor thing looked like it had wandered into a nightmare—eyes narrowed, ears back, body tense.
"Simba Jr.," Daisy said sweetly, patting his head. "That's your name now. Better get used to it."
The lion blinked up at her as if questioning her sanity. But she nodded solemnly. This was happening.
The lion was sensitive to killing intent, and the moment Nick Fury entered, Simba Jr. dashed behind Daisy like a child hiding behind his mother. He peeked around her legs every few seconds with pitiful eyes.
Daisy clicked her tongue and calmed him with a gentle brush of fingers. "Easy, Simba Jr.. He's just terrifying on the outside."
"What's so secret it can't be said over the phone? Hey… this guy's really something. Is he from some kind of genetic experiment?" Fury's eyes casually skipped over the rhinoceros and lion. After years of fieldwork across the world, there wasn't an animal he hadn't seen.
But the nearly three-meter-tall Juggernaut truly gave him pause. He couldn't believe a human could grow that massive and powerful without lab interference. To him, it screamed experimental subject.
Daisy had no choice but to give a rundown of Juggernaut's abilities. She knew the guy wasn't some lab creation, but had no hard proof to back it up. All she could mention was that Storm believed something evil was residing inside him.
Nick Fury wasn't the type to be concerned about "evil" or morality.
"Think there's a chance we could get him on our side? From what you've said, he doesn't sound too bright."
Daisy crossed her arms.and answered uncertainly, "We've never actually talked. For all I know, he might just start swinging the second we make eye contact."
Who knew how deep Cyttorak's control ran over Juggernaut? Maybe a few stacks of cash could sway him? If he was willing to take a paycheck from Viper, maybe someone else could buy him off too. Let Fury figure that out.
Nick Fury's one good eye met the rhino's small, curious ones. He couldn't understand why Daisy had parked a full-grown war rhino in the garage. Still, after years in the agency, he knew agents often developed strange coping mechanisms under pressure—this might just be one of hers. He asked, cautiously, "Who's the rhino?"
Daisy immediately lit up at the question, clearly pleased. "It's a gift from your fellow Africans," she said with enthusiasm.
"Fellow Africans?"
"Yeah, yeah."
Her words stirred up old memories for Fury. After so many years in the field, especially across Africa, he had encountered plenty of people—and had a few memorable encounters of his own.
Daisy found his looks rather unflattering but in the eyes of many African women, this was exactly the rugged charm of a seasoned man. Add the eyepatch, his high rank, the air of dominance, and his lethal skill set—it wasn't hard to see why he had a few "friends" over the years.
He casually rattled off some names: the wife of a Zambian tribal leader, the daughter of a Zimbabwean general—but Daisy shook her head after each one.
"Who sent it then? Agent Johnson, just tell me," he said finally, giving up on guessing.
"This was sent to S.H.I.E.L.D. by the Wakandan royal family," Daisy replied, suspecting that Fury already had a good idea.
That name stirred a few memories. Fury wasn't just an old soldier—he was a collector of secrets. He'd heard whispers.
"The golden city… That ancient Ethiopian text mentioned something about it."
Daisy nodded. "They don't call it Wakanda in the texts, but yeah. Same place and t's a country with very advanced technology.."
Nick Fury immediately tuned out the phrase "technologically advanced." In his eyes, no matter how advanced, everything had its limits. But another thought came to him: "SHIELD records mention advanced weapons showing up in Ethiopia during World War II. Untraceable. Theories said it came from the Brits or the French."
"Wrong continent, wrong empire," Daisy muttered." She hadn't expected Nick Fury to take such an interest in the history of his ancestral continent.
Ethiopia was one of the rare African nations that successfully resisted colonization. Though its opponent had always been Italy, it still emerged victorious. Daisy knew that history, but she had never connected it to Wakanda before.
She couldn't say for sure if Wakanda had helped, so she replied vaguely, "They did participate indirectly in World War II. The raw material for Captain America's shield came from Wakanda."
Mentioning Captain America pulled Nick Fury's focus back to the present. He thought aloud, "There are legends of a hidden nation in Africa, but most people think it's just a myth. You've been there? You just came from there?"
"Yeah." Daisy nodded.
"Do they have rare metals? Is it a resource-based nation?"
"Not entirely. They've developed extremely well by leveraging their resources…"
"How good?"
Daisy found herself at a loss for words. She didn't know how to explain Wakanda's distorted social structure—a nation with advanced technology but a surprisingly modest standard of living for its people.
Then, inspiration struck. Instead of explaining, Daisy pulled out the vibranium cloak, fastened it around her shoulders, and activated it. A translucent blue shield shimmered to life.
Fury stepped back slightly, his single eye widening. "An energy shield? You're telling me they developed that?"
Daisy smirked. "You're welcome."
S.H.I.E.L.D. had only scratched the surface of that tech, and Wakanda was apparently making cloaks out of it.
Fury was genuinely rattled now. He stared at the shield, then at Daisy.
"Start talking."
So she did—selectively. She recounted the story under the guise of a personal journey to find her biological father. She mentioned stumbling across Wakanda, forming relationships, gaining their trust. She left out the infiltration, the manipulation, and a few morally gray details.
Simba Jr. yawned and rubbed his head against her leg.
Daisy absently scratched his ears. "And that's how I got a lion, a rhino, and a magically enhanced muscle-head in my garage. Welcome to my life."
To Be Continued...
---xxx---
[POWER STONES AND REVIEWS PLS]