"He is right," Steve repeated. "This isn't the time for talking, for planning, right now, people are dying, and we, we must get out there and save them. We stop Trask by stopping his Sentinels."
And this was something everyone could agree with. The Illuminati was a group of the most powerful beings on the planet, yet they had spent too much of their time on diplomacy, on playing nice, on talking.
No, that wasn't it, they all started to slowly realize that they hadn't been talking, they had been discussing, they had been engaging in peace talks, back and forth that got them nowhere.
Because they had been working with SHIELD, they followed SHIELD protocol, their way of thinking.
But Arthuria had secured them not the right to talk, but to decide.
To demand.
When Magneto had decided to end the fighting, they had felt he overstepped, that, despite it being the right decision, many felt it was too forceful.
And that led them to try and go the opposite way, to be more open, softer in their approach.
"Cap is right, we need to just start knocking those things apart. Fury, how many are there and where are they currently operating?" Tony asked, as he too stood up, stretching as he did so. "Time to suit up, I'm way past due for a good fight."
"According to the last count, there are about a thousand of them," Fury said. "But the number is still increasing, and fast. As for where there are most, that would be in the United States, but we are still trying to get a full picture of the situation." He said, before a new image appeared on screen. It was a map of the United States with glowing red dots marking the locations of Sentinel attacks.
"Well, no surprise there, Trask has been making them in the States, so while he might have shipped some around the world, most of them are, no doubt, leaving straight off the production lines," Tony said. "It's also the best place for them, given the number of mutants, and potential mutants living there."
"True, outside of Albion and Ireland, the US has the most mutants still living there, at Charles' school," Bruce added.
"Fury, are they attacking the School?" Steve asked, hoping that it wasn't so, but knowing that it was impossible.
These machines were killing innocent people for the "crime" that they might become, or might give birth to children who might become mutants, so there was no way they wouldn't target the biggest concentration of mutants, just because they were mostly children.
"Not yet, but it's only a matter of time," Fury said. "There are some moving towards it right now, but they are getting delayed by killing every possible mutant they come across."
"Then we need to get there, and fast," Steve said.
"I have already plotted the route, but this thing isn't meant for speed, so I would advise you to take the Quinjets," Fury informed them.
"No," Tony cut in, "They aren't fast enough."
"Do you have something faster?" Reed asked.
"No," Tony shook his head, "I don't, but I know someone who does."
"Wakanda," Reed gasped.
"Correct, their jets are superior to anything SHIELD has to offer, so I say we get down there and borrow some," Tony said with a grin.
"Do you think they will just lend us some, after we've been trying to force them to open up for weeks?" Steve asked, a little skeptical.
"Normally no, but I am not a normal person," Tony said, "And I'm not asking, I'm 'taking', for the greater good."
"Alright, but let's make it fast, we can't waste any more time," Steve said, not wanting to get into another long debate about Wakanda and its isolationism.
"So it's settled then, we will go to Wakanda, 'borrow' their jets, and then go to Charles' school and save the day," Tony said, a wide grin on his face. "Let's do this."
With that decided on, they acted quickly.
First, they got in contact with Erik, who was leaving on his own. Since they had all decided on the same plan, there was no reason not to bring him on the team.
After all, the only reason he had left on his own was that the others couldn't decide on taking the fight to the enemy, but now that the decision had been reached, it was best if they acted together.
"Too bad Charles already left. If he had waited, we might have gotten a quicker jet for him," Steve said as they moved through the ship.
"No need," Erik said with a wave of his hand, "Charles didn't take a jet, he had young Wagner pick him up."
"The teleporter? Ghostcrawler or whatever?" Tony asked.
"Nightcrawler," Bruce corrected, "But I assume that is the one, his name is Kurt Wagner, after all."
"Could we do the same?" Steve asked.
"No, it worked for Charles because he went to defend a location, but we need greater mobility, and he can't teleport an entire jet over, so we have to fly," Magneto said, though he did consider getting one of his own teleporters to pick him up.
Though before that, he would go with the others to ensure they got their jets with minimal problems. He honestly doubted most of them had it in them to use force, well, except Doom, but he was just one man.
"Prince T'Challa," Steve stepped up and made the call while they flew down in a Quinjet.
"Captain Rogers, to what do I owe the visit?" the prince of Wakanda asked.
"I need your fastest craft, a few of them in fact," the Super Soldier asked, being direct and to the point.
T'Challa clearly hadn't expected such a request and was clearly both confused and surprised by it. "Fastest craft?"
"There is an emergency that requires us to move quickly, and Tony claims that you have the fastest flying aircraft in the world," Steve explained, without really explaining much.
"While I am honored that the great Tony Stark would say so, you are mistaken, your armor is much faster than what we have," T'Challa replied, being humble.
Tony, who was on the line as well, cut in. "While my armor is fast, it doesn't have much cargo space. I need something with both speed and space."
To that, T'Challa sighed, a sign that he understood the request now. "What is the emergency, Captain? You know I cannot just lend you our tech without the council's approval."
Steve took a deep breath, straightened his back, and locked his eyes onto the hologram of the Black Panther. "Prince T'Challa, the Illuminati is hereby requisitioning several of your Talon Fighters. This is not a request. This is an order."
Silence.
Dead, cold silence.
The hologram's face, usually a mask of regal calm and controlled strength, twisted. The mask shattered, revealing a raw, volcanic rage. "An order?" T'Challa's voice was a low, dangerous growl, the words clipped and precise. "You dare stand there, in your flying fortress of Western arrogance, and order me, the prince of Wakanda, to hand over the sacred technology of my people? The technology my ancestors died to protect? The technology that is the birthright of my nation?"
"You have no authority here, Rogers. None. This..."
"Enough," Magneto cut him off, "This wasn't a request, you will give us what we want, or we will take it by force, don't think just because Vibranium is difficult for me to control, that I can't turn your own toys against you." His words were a naked threat.
Steve placed a hand on his shoulder. "T'Challa, I respect you, I respect your people, but the Illuminati stands above everything, this is the authority Arthuria granted us, that the UN, which your Wakanda is a member of, granted us. Don't make this harder than it has to be."
Steve spoke from his heart. He didn't want to do this; he hated the idea of using their so-called authority to do this, but he knew they couldn't turn back now.
They had made the request, given the order, and if anyone dared to ignore it now... they would have to make an example out of them; if not, then the Illuminati would collapse, its image ruined and its authority a joke.
It would also lead to the complete collapse of the Wakanda talks, so he had to double down on this.
Tony had been quiet, but he now spoke up. "Look, T'Challa. The whole world is burning right now. People are dying. Trask's Sentinels are on a rampage, and they're heading for Xavier's school. We need to get there now. Your tech is the fastest way. So, you can either cooperate and help us save a few hundred mutant children, or you can stand on ceremony while we take what we need and leave you to pick up the pieces. The choice is yours."
At those words, the rage on T'Challa's face cooled, replaced by a grim, weary resignation. He looked at them, one after another, seeing the determination in their eyes. He knew they were serious. He knew they would do exactly as they said.
The silence stretched, thick and heavy.
"Very well," T'Challa finally said, the words tasting like ash in his mouth. "You will have your ships. But know this, Captain. This is not a gift. This is a debt. And Wakanda always collects its debts."
The line went dead.
The hologram vanished, leaving them in a sterile, silent room.
"That went better than it could have," Bruce tried to lighten the mood a little.
"Speaking of debts," Doom scoffed, "They will learn soon enough that they have no right to demand anything from us."
Magneto nodded, clearly not happy with T'Challa's attitude.
None of the others had much to add, they knew few could accept something like this, no nation would allow others to steal their technology.
Steve, for one, was once more feeling the weight of the burden that was the Illuminati, the legal rights to stand above all laws, the authority to do anything, and everything.
This immense power was something that had to be controlled tightly; he knew well that power could easily corrupt, and absolute power would corrupt absolutely.
And he, the human heart of the Illuminati, he was the one who had to ensure this didn't happen.
Once again, the scenes Arthuria had shown him, the acts of a God, the legends of Noah, of divine judgment.
Of how easy it was for those at the top to forget about the human cost of their decisions. To forget about those at the very bottom.
He had to remember that even if they had the right to do something, it didn't mean they should.
But for now, this was the only way, the only solution. He just hoped that this wouldn't become the norm, that they would not start using their power just because they could.
He could only hope that they would remember that with great power comes great responsibility.
(End of chapter)
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