C186(2)

Two S.H.I.E.L.D. field agents emerged from the trees, pistols raised. They had been tracking the drug lord, but now they saw something unexpected—the barrier, the two armed women, the advanced-looking technology.

One agent immediately barked out a command.

"Ma'am, lower your weapons and surrender! You are under the jurisdiction of S.H.I.E.L.D. and must comply with questioning."

The drug lord's eyes darted between the agents and the Wakandan guards. He was unarmed, outnumbered, and cornered. His throat was still pressed against the spear's edge.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents didn't recognize these women, nor did they know of any faction operating in this area. But from their attire and weaponry, it was clear they weren't just random mercenaries.

Were they the ones who had arranged to buy the 084 item from the drug lord?

"No, wait—listen! I'm here to make a deal!" the drug lord suddenly screamed in terror.

His voice cracked as panic overtook him. He threw up his hands and staggered backward.

But then—

His face contorted in pain.

A sickening crack echoed through the air. His skin bulged unnaturally, turning deep red—then purple.

And in the span of seconds—

Boom!

His body exploded.

Blood, flesh, and bone fragments splattered across the ground, painting the air with the stench of burning meat.

A stunned silence followed.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Wakandan guards stood motionless, staring at the gruesome remains.

Something—or someone—had triggered his death.

And whatever had just happened… it had not been natural.

Why Did They Die So Suddenly?

The two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents immediately turned their suspicion toward the Wakandan female guards. Eyes filled with alarm, they spread out, aiming their guns as one of them shouted:

"Raise your hands and surrender immediately, or we will open fire! Do it now!"

"This is Wakanda."

One of the female guards began to respond angrily, but the warrior beside her stopped her with a firm gesture. 

This entire situation felt off—unnatural. Rather than escalate the conflict, they needed to report this to His Majesty.

But before they could act—

One of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents suddenly convulsed, his entire body swelling grotesquely. His skin turned an alarming shade of red, veins bulging unnaturally.

And then—

Boom!

Just like the drug lord before him, the agent exploded into a shower of blood and viscera.

His partner barely had time to react before the same thing happened to her. With sheer willpower, she managed to press her distress signal just before her body ruptured, spraying the two Wakandan guards with a gruesome mist.

For a moment, the battlefield was silent, save for the sickening sound of flesh hitting the ground.

"What Is Happening?"

The two Wakandan guards stared at the remains in disbelief. Three people had just spontaneously exploded in front of them.

And to make matters worse, the blood and shredded flesh weren't behaving normally—the remains were dissolving, breaking down rapidly as if some chemical reaction was accelerating decomposition. Within moments, the bodies were unrecognizable.

One of the guards clenched her spear tighter. "Stay vigilant. The technical team is on its way."

At that moment, T'Chaka's voice came through their earpieces.

"I've seen the footage. Something is wrong—proceed with caution."

From his surveillance feed, T'Chaka had observed everything. His growing sense of unease was now undeniable. 

Anyone watching would assume Wakanda was responsible for these deaths, but his warriors had done nothing.

This was a setup. Someone was deliberately framing Wakanda.

T'Chaka's voice was calm but firm.

"Find out exactly how they died. Then, contact S.H.I.E.L.D."

He had met with S.H.I.E.L.D. before. Their director, Nick Fury, was a man as black as himself—perhaps there was still room for diplomacy.

But whoever was orchestrating this clearly wanted a war.

Hydra's Scheme

Elsewhere, in a dimly lit room, Gideon Malick leaned back, watching the surveillance footage with a smirk.

Across from him, Kain exhaled sharply. "Hydra's work, without a doubt. But won't Wakanda find traces of the truth?"

Malick merely shook his head. "They won't find a thing."

He rewound the footage, watching as the drug lord played his part perfectly.

"A simple PsyD injection, paired with a delayed-onset hallucinogen—enough to make him act exactly as we wanted. And the Hydra agent? A necessary sacrifice for something much bigger."

Kain remained silent as Malick closed the video. This was the last transmission S.H.I.E.L.D. had received before the explosion. And thanks to Hydra's inside influence, it had been copied and edited before reaching S.H.I.E.L.D.'s upper ranks.

By the time the official investigation concluded, there would only be one obvious culprit.

Wakanda.

"Just saying it isn't enough."

Malick nodded in agreement. "Exactly. That's why, in three days, two fighter jets from separate American defense contractors will 'accidentally' crash in Wakanda. Rear Admiral Blake will demand a full investigation the moment he hears about it."

"It's unfortunate for the simple-minded people of Wakanda to have you as their enemy."

Kain remarked with a smirk. Rear Admiral Blake was known as a hardliner within the Air Force—once he got involved, he wouldn't stop until he uncovered Wakanda's secrets. 

Meanwhile, Wakanda's current king, T'Chaka, was notoriously isolationist. He would never allow the U.S. military to conduct a search within Wakandan borders.

That was the perfect storm.

The American military would turn to S.H.I.E.L.D. for an intelligence assessment on Wakanda. And with Hydra pulling the strings, the narrative would be clear:

Wakanda was a threat.

Once the fear took hold, it wouldn't stop there. Generals like Thaddeus Ross—already known for his aggressive stance on national security—would push for military action. 

And with 90% of the White House and Congress willing to back an intervention, Wakanda would have no way to escape scrutiny.

Kain chuckled. "Honestly, it won't even matter whether Wakanda was actually responsible or not. As long as they remain an 'unknown nation' outside U.S. control, the White House won't just let this slide. They'll tear Wakanda apart looking for answers—at least until they're sure it's no longer a threat."

"Only once they've forced Wakanda under U.S. control will they consider letting go."

Satisfied with the plan, Kain stood up, stretching. "Alright, I'm heading back to New York, Mr. Malick."

Malick watched him, then suddenly asked, "Kain… how exactly did you do it?"

Kain smiled, eyes gleaming with mischief. "The same technology the Red Skull developed over sixty years ago. So far, I'm the only one left who knows how to use it. Honestly, Malick, keeping the Tesseract locked away in S.H.I.E.L.D. is a waste. Ever thought about donating it to a museum? Let the public have a look?"

With that, he turned and casually walked out of the room, still smirking.

Seconds later, Malick's assistant entered, shaking his head in silent confirmation—just like last time, the security system had been hacked. No audio, no video, no record of how Kain had left.

Malick could only guess—whatever method Kain was using, it had to be connected to the Tesseract, the same technology the Red Skull had once controlled.

….

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