MISSION: GHOST GIRL PART 2

[ximilian]

● ● ● M I S S I O N   1 . 2

THE GREAT ESCAPE • THE MONSTER SANCTUARY • THIS PLACE BECOMES OUR LAST • IT'S TIME TO BE BRAVE • FYI

// PART I. the great escape!  

There is tension in the air for the next few days that follow, and there are too many questions and too few answers, and less that anyone in the palace is willing to give. The Orbers have been separated into two camps, with the sick and infected locked in a wing that cannot be accessed, save for the snatches of conversation exchanged through communication devices, and the rest kept in the dark with watchful eyes guarding their every move. But the team won’t sit down and accept their fates, and certainly not the fates of their newfound friends. Plans are discussed and carefully plotted between them, away from vigilant ears, and it can’t come soon enough.

1.0   Jim, Bucky, and Sam have been tasked with getting people in the infirmary to band together to knock out the guards, tie them up, and then escape. Syrlya will help the team from the outside, providing a portal to quickly help the infected escape the palace unseen. They will attempt to unlock the doors from the inside, and once unlocked, The Darkling can cut through the entire door, bringing it down; Daisy will help him. In the meantime, to keep the guards from alerting the rest of the palace, Richie will be tasked with distracting them, keeping their attention away from the infirmary.

2.0   Once the team has escaped through the door, Sabriel can help put the guards they come across to sleep, as well as disorient any servants they don’t want to catch leaving. Erik will be shielding them from any guards who try and stop them. It will be difficult for the infected to keep their wits about them, but they’ll have to remember who they are and focus on what makes them them. Finn will be the only one who can help the infected with the changes that affect the mind, so those who find themselves hallucinating, lashing out at others, or are struggling with any number of other changes may require some help to escape. From the outside, any other Orbers may join the escapees on their way to Yuryeong.

3.0   While the great escape is occurring, Clara, Hermann, and Clarke will have to try and convince the guards that they don’t support the escape and reassure them that they are on the side of Gyeongje’s rulers. In the end, will you escape to the outside and help as best as you can from the outer city? Or will you remain within the palace walls and hope that the guards don’t suspect you?

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// PART IIA.the monster sanctuary  

The knowledge of the way to Yuryeong leads the infected and those escaping with them deep into the forest, along a path covered in thick underbrush and a shelter of trees above. Eventually the group will notice a golden glow shining through the thicket of foliage and will be led to a small shrine made of stone and half-covered in moss; it seems old, almost abandoned, yet before it there is an altar bearing signs of offerings recently left upon it.

Once they approach, there’s an unearthly glow around the shrine like sunlight emanating from within; something seems to slowly be reaching out to envelop each escapee. Those familiar with magic will recognize it as a barrier spell of sorts — it inspects them, reads something inside them only visible to the spell itself… but whatever it’s looking for, it must be successful because the forest around them begins to blur.

When their surroundings refocus again, the small shrine has been replaced by a much larger one, and the trees around it carry red ribbons of prayer waving slowly against the wind. The entrance to the shrine is shrouded in darkness — though it’s not entirely natural, as becomes evident when the shadows start to move and a tall form emerges.

“I see you’ve followed my sister’s call,” the shadowy figure speaks with a man’s voice. Now in the light, his form becomes visible and a gruesome sight: his chest is hollow, the bones of his ribcage plainly in view. He lifts a shadowy arm and moves it in an arch towards the door behind him. “Well, Otherworlders, welcome to Yuryeong. Make yourselves useful, my sister will speak with you soon.”

4.0   When you follow him inside, you’ll be surprised: instead of the inside of a shrine, the door is less a door and more a gateway. Behind it is what can only be called a small village: there are tent-like houses that stand on shaky foundations, made from leftover wood and harsh, hard fabrics, partially held up by the trees nearby; pathways that cut through the grass; a large area outside where pots are held over fire, the smell of stew wafting in the air. And all around there are monsters: different forms moving, speaking to each other, some around the fire, some emerging from their tents, and some ducking under the flaps to disappear into them. Perhaps more surprisingly, there are also people: some are dressed in clothes not unlike the citizens in the merchant district; some bearing the uniforms of the guards, mingling with the monsters with ease.

The shadow-man disappears into one of the tents, unmarked from the rest, and when he reemerges, he is not alone. So-Yeon’s white clothes stand out from the rest like a beacon and she slowly approaches the team members where the shadow-man had left them.

SO-YEON

Welcome. I have been told you are in the process of finding a cure for the curse. If that is so… then please: know that if you can help my people, you will have all the assistance I can give you. But even if that is not so, you are still welcome here. The enemies of my enemy are my friends. You will be safe here, the palace cannot reach us now. There are empty houses you may rest in and food you may eat. Be at ease — if you wish us no harm, you will come to no harm. And if you need anything, ask me or Seung-Hyun. He manages most of the affairs here.

She nods to the shadow-man — it becomes clear the similarities between them; this is her brother — but anything more she wants to say is interrupted when one of the guards runs to her side, tugging her arm. It’s an emergency, they say urgently. She looks at the team, mouth half-open, but then turns away swiftly to follow the guard into one of the tents… She reassures you that she will speak with you later.

5.0   If you follow her suggestion, you’ll find that there are a few empty houses to occupy — though inside, they are barely furnished, mostly consisting of hastily-crafted wooden desks and spare clothes or sheets on the ground making what appears to be a bed. In general, all of Yuryeong seems less like an established town and more like an emergency encampment, and those who are not infected may want to do something about that. Perhaps you want to help make the “houses” more comfortable, or perhaps you volunteer to hunt and forage for food — with so many new mouths to feed, it’s clear that whatever supplies exist won’t be enough. Or maybe, having assessed the desperate situation, you decide to sneak back into the city, avoid the guards there, and come back with supplies.

If you are feeling inclined to do a little cooking, there are few pots and pans scattered about by the fires. Just be sure to leave some of the meat uncooked as some of the infected seem to require it raw.

Those who want to explore will find a graveyard in the woods near the shrine — there are nearly a hundred graves marked with stones bearing crude carvings. Those who walk among the markers might find some spirits of the deceased still lingering, dead townspeople, either killed in attacks or by the infection.

6.0   As the days pass, the infected will find that their changes have reached the end and have come to the completion of their transformations; and though they are not entirely losing their minds, thanks to Yuryeong’s barrier, the mental effects do persist. With the team progressing through a working cure — So-Yeon is there alongside the team members focused on the cure and readily provides what help she can… though pushing the orb’s power out of her and into the cure often leaves her anywhere between tired to half-conscious, carried back to her tent by her brother on numerous occasions.

Eventually the time comes for the cure to be tested… after all, while in theory it seems to work on the cells of the infected, reversing their mutations, you never know if it works in practice. The particularly brave or daring will be the first and necessary test patients — and indeed, the cure does not work without some hitches. Those it’s tested on find their transformations receding and then returning again, and unfortunately once the changes begin to be undone for good, it does not come without considerable pain.

But endure that pain and finally, finally, after countless hours of work, science and magic together, the cure will start to work. The infected team members will slowly start to change back to themselves.

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// PART IIB.this place becomes our last  

The members of the team who choose to stay within the palace walls will have to convince the Lord and Lady of Gyeongje that they are there on the basis of believing the rulers are just and right in their thinking. And, sure, it takes some doing, but eventually it is the Lady Jeung-Sun who nods her head. It seems she believes you when you tell her and Lord Suk-Ju that you condemn the actions of your fellow teammates, that their siding with the Ghost Girl is to declare themselves enemies of the palace and its people.

That’s good, right?

7.0   For the remainder of the late afternoon, there appears to be a sense of camaraderie between you and the rulers of Gyeongje. You’ll be welcomed to tea and food, to be seated in the main room alongside the captain and some of the higher-ranking soldiers. At one point, the captain is beckoned to the main table where she leans in while Lord Suk-Ju appears to be relaying some important information he doesn’t want his wife to hear. (Lady Jeung-Sun remains none the wiser while she sips her tea, watchful of her company.) The captain nods, and then she nods again, and her eyes roam over to where you and your teammates are enjoying tea and bite-sized foods and other things. She straightens and approaches your tables, her expression solemn and unreadable.

You might be curious by this point, or perhaps you’re beginning to suspect that you’ve overstayed your welcome. But before you can utter a word of warning to the rest of your team, if you’d had any of the tea and foods, your tongue might start to feel a little strange, slippery to match the way your brain feels like it’s sliding out of place inside your head. If you decided to abstain from the offered sustenance, you’ll notice your fellow Orbers start to look quite unlike themselves: lethargic and a little overheated; some might start to babble confessions to questions they might otherwise have kept to themselves.

The next thing you know, you note the captain raising her arm, shouting for the guards to arrest you and the others while the truth serum is still in effect.

It’s time to go.

8.0   It’s not without some fussing and possibly a brief scuffle before you manage to get past the guards and back out into the palace grounds. Your heart is beating so fast and it’s difficult to remember where you are or how to get out; the palace has been built like a maze. A figure seems to emerge from the shadows and she’s alone. “Trust me,” she whispers as she ushers you and the others down a path you don’t recognize, “I’ve helped one of you already.” But before you’re about ready to call her out, you see the exit up ahead. You’re almost there. You’re almost free.

There are others waiting for you right outside of the gates, and they lead you towards the merchant’s district, a comforting sight to those of you who have explored it, and familiar enough to those who haven’t. There are shouts in the distance, difficult to discern but it’s easy enough to hear the displeasure, and more importantly, how they’re in pursuit of you.

You’re led into a home with a dimly lit hearth and there’s enough space to look as though this might have once been the residence of a large family, maybe even a well connected one. The wood walls, painted red, seem dull now, the colour flaked and chipping away from the worn structure. It has seen and faced time and disuse. There are thick curtains covering the windows and trinkets left on a table facing a mirror. Everything is covered in a light layer of dust.

A strong, stout woman with her dark hair piled high atop her head comes from the next room over, followed by two other women, both much younger than her. Her daughters, perhaps, or maybe the daughters of her neighbours. Either way, they seem simultaneously protective and obedient to the older woman, moving to stand behind her while she and the guard who initially helped you escape exchange words. You can make out the words ‘Listen to them, they speak the truth’ — and then the guard nods in your direction and slips back out of the house without another word, leaving your fate in the hands of this unfamiliar woman who looks as though she might have boxed a few ears in her time.

“I’ve been informed that you can tell me exactly what is happening to our city and why we are made to suffer as we are,” she says. “You may call me Aunt Min-Ji. Which of you will speak?”

9.0   Not all of you will have been led to Min-Ji’s home, or perhaps you’ve simply decided to find your own way. Maybe you’re keeping guard from nearby, opting to protect the others during the quiet, informal council. Either way, the sound of the palace’s guard is louder, and there is commotion and flickering firelight reflecting against roof tile and cobblestone as Lord Suk-Ju’s search parties have entered the outer district with the intent to silence you before the truth gets out.

Use your wits and your weapons to protect this area and defend it from the guard. Those with abilities to snuff out flame might be especially useful at this time, as wood doesn’t exactly do well against fire, and the guards have come equipped with torches in hand.

10.0   It’s becoming clear that the palace guards were never going to allow you and the others to exist in peace, not while the Ghost Girl and the Infected were still at large. You’ve now been declared a threat and an enemy to Gyeongje and must be stopped at all costs. If you run into the palace guards, you’ll be met with a fight, and you must try and defend yourselves and the merchant’s district to the best of your ability. If you aren’t much of a fighter, you can still be useful. There are always other ways of tricking a guard or disarming them — just, you know, use that clever brain of yours.

Even while you’re in the midst of a tussle, you might notice a suspicious party moving past the commotion. There are a cluster of guards surrounding a dark wood box suitable for one, lifting it by its formidable poles. The palanquin is concealed by fabric curtains but a shift of wind reveals a man’s figure within it — he looks panicked and harried as he urges his entourage on. You know that face, you saw him only moments before he called for your arrest. Ah, yes, it’s none other than the Lord of Gyeongje, himself. But where is he going?

And while staying within the city has quickly become dangerous, there is some good news from those in Yuryeong...

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// PART III.it's time to be brave  

The cure is administered to the Orbers first, and with very little complaint — “Our people are still wary,” So-Yeon explains when the rest of the compound hesitates, “let them see the success of this first.” She seems to pause, her expression thoughtful before she adds: “Besides… I have a plan.”

The plan, it seems, requires returning to the city. Everyone in Yuryeong is gathered in front of the shrine where So-Yeon speaks to them all, her voice easily carrying over the crowd with renewed strength.

“Everyone! Finally, we are returning to Gyeongje! We will take back our home and show everyone the truth. We will expose the lies once and for all!”

11.0   Her words are met with a roar of approval… and whether you agree or not, you’ll find it difficult to stop the infected citizens from leaving. One after another, they follow a procession through the door of the shrine, disappearing through the barrier that has protected them all these months — none look back.

The journey back to the city from the dark woods is deceptively easy but everything seems to change the moment the group reaches the edges of the outer district. Armed guards are waiting for them patiently as though they were prepared for their return — it is an army by the looks of it, assembled to pursue the monsters instead of protecting the palace.

But just how did they get there…?

12.0   Those in the city may have an answer for that. The signs of the guards mobilising are impossible to miss: their presence on the city streets is suddenly gone, like they have dropped all efforts to search for the team; instead, they can be seen dragging heavy carts full of arms to the palace.

It is possible, too, to see some of the guard sneaking back into the city, knocking on the doors of houses where some of the team have taken to hiding. There are whispers between the cracks of the doorways — It’s finally happening, the captain has called for us to go to war, it’s the Lord’s orders, what do we do —

But it’s the noticeable presence of the full force of the guard leaving the palace the next day. They form an impenetrable wall around the border of the outer district, some perching on rooftops in the merchant district, all alert, their backs straight … all of them ready to fight at their captain’s command.

13.0   And a fight does ensue the moment the Yuryeong forces arrive. Just as before, in the palace courtyards, hesitation ripples amongst those of the guard who seem yet again unwilling to fight — but most of them, it seems, have gathered their resolve. They aim to target everyone equally, human or monster; and in the midst of it all, the captain calls her forces to her.

While some of the guards wield regular swords (one or two), some have equipped themselves with sabers or bows and arrows — all are strong, capable in combat, and are clearly using the magical arts to help them fight. A single jump might take a soldier from the street to the rooftop or higher still into the trees. Some will fight with talismans, using them to freeze their opponents in place, to bind them, or make their weapons burn fire-hot. Some guards may also have their own special weapons: whips of pure energy, fans that create unnaturally strong blasts of wind, or arrows that — when they hit a target — neutralise any magic their target might have for long enough to leave them vulnerable for further attack.

As the fighting inevitably spills from the edge of the city and into the streets of the residential district, brave civilians begin to join the throng in an attempt to interfere. Further still are the innocent bystanders unaware of the fighting or the reasons for so much violence near their homes. Without weapons or the skill to defend themselves, they’ll need someone to protect them — they’ll need you.

● ● ●

The fight is heated on both sides, the cries of metal and magic ringing through the air amidst shrieks of the fearful citizens, and when it feels as though casualties are unavoidable, it’s So-Yeon’s voice that rings out over the city that has quickly transformed into an ugly battlefield.

“Stop!”

The barrier that kept Yuryeong hidden slams through the city with a staggering force, and So-Yeon, with her face seeming greyer than just moments before, sways on her feet before taking a step forward.

“Guards of Gyeongje, stop fighting! You cannot harm us now, and we have no desire to harm you. Instead, I ask you listen. I ask you watch. Come with us to the marketplace … there we will show you the truth of us and the truth of this plague.”

There is a palpable hush among the crowd, surprise and wariness spreading across the faces of the Gyeongje guard in equal measure. Some of them quickly gather their wits about them, making attempts to push against the barrier that has suddenly materialized between the infected, the orbers, and the palace’s guards like a wall. But the others seem noticeably relieved, and others still are curious. Hesitant whispers ripple over the army. Many are unsure what to do next.

One, however, refuses to be silenced — as she pushes herself towards the front of the forcefield, the captain raises her voice to those under her command.

“Guards, don’t listen to her! She’s just trying to stall us, to —”

Her words are cut short, and shadows that seem to slide like liquid from darker corners of the city gather towards her, wrapping themselves around her arms and her legs and her mouth, binding her to keep her from speaking any further. Like the shadows themselves, Seung-Hyun’s form glides next to his sister, motioning to one of Yuryeong’s guards to take the captain away.

“To show that we have no desire for a fight, we will not harm her,” So-Yeon says reassuringly. “All I ask is that all of you follow me to the marketplace, and soon you will know the truth.”

Without waiting for anyone’s permission, she begins to follow a path leading directly into the marketplace, the infected moving quietly after her, a procession of ghouls and ghosts made flesh. With no one to command them otherwise, their captain silenced, the Gyeongje guard slowly lower their weapons, watch for the Ghost Girl and her army, and follow.

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F Y I

• The events in this log take place during the first two weeks of August.

• The conclusion of the first mission will be revealed on August 14, and the team will return to the station then.

• If you have questions about anything in this log, please direct them here.

• Soundtrack for this log (parts I, II and III): ♪ ♪ ♪

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▶ NAV

Comments

[unclesam]

[ Sam's lips curl up at that, eyes contemplative on Erik. He's got the feeling there's no getting past whatever the guy's deal it, like his measure has been taken and been found wanting. There might be common ground here somewhere, if Sam's got the patience to go on an archaeological dig for it. But he's not the type to bend himself seeking approval he doesn't need to get. ​]

I bet. So besides pulling kittens from hats, what magic tricks are on the table?

[scarcastically]

[ erik rolls his shoulders. ]

Plenty, but I don't see why I need to do all the work.

[ also no amount of flattery or cajoling would get erik to show off that much. he's gotten this far for being level headed. short of pushing a rage button, he'll keep that cool. ]

Do somethin' fancy, Black Cap.

[unclesam]

You really gonna keep calling me that, West Coast Panther?

[ Sam cocks an eyebrow, then gestures at his suit. ]

Flying and playing frisbee not fancy enough for you? Afraid the getup doesn't come with a dance number and pre-programmed lightshow.

[scarcastically]

[ hmm. he hadn't really meant it as an insult. though he's not surprised wilson feels the flack from it. he shrugs, nonchalant. ]

Just sayin'. What's wrong with being a black Captain America? Why shouldn't being black comes first?

[unclesam]

Nothing wrong with being a black Captain America. But Rogers was Captain America, Walker was Captain America, so I'm Captain America. Damn right I'm a black one, just not gonna give anyone room to think I exist parallel to the real deal, instead of being it.

[ He is the real deal, and he needs to hold on to that. If he gives the wrong people room to turn him into Black Captain America, he gives them room to distance him from the title and legacy, but not in the ways in which he wants to define his time as Cap. ]

Not a subcategory of Cap, y'know?

[ Not a Cap, but the Cap. And he shrugs a little at that. Isn't sure Erik will agree with that tightrope between making the mantle his own and ensuring those who hate that he's carrying it trying to distance him from the mantle. ]

[scarcastically]

[ erik gives a little snort. ]

Bold of you to think they rate that high to me.

[ he gets the point though. he rolls his shoulders. ]

And they're gonna do that to you anyway. You know that. Might as well own it.

[unclesam]

[ The first part gets an actual little grin of amusement out of Sam, and he nods - point taken. ]

Remind me to tell you about that time a few Dora Milaje beat up the other white Captain America. I feel like you'd get a kick outta that.

[ And as for the rest... ]

Yeah, they will. Ain't doing this for them, though. If I can be for even one black kid what the Wakandan Outreach program's been... that's worth more to me than which news stations run a hate campaign.

[scarcastically]

[ something cold slithers into his veins as his head filters out everything, white noise blaring inside his skull. the wakandan outreach program. his voice comes out jagged and quickly, before he could stop himself. ]

The fuckin' what.

[unclesam]

[ Sam blinks, confusion settling in. Didn't the guy say he was from 2018 - shouldn't he know about this, then? ]

The... Wakandan International Outreach Centre in Oakland. Established sometime in 2016, after Wakanda revealed itself to the world.

[ Concern settling into his features at the jagged tone in Erik's voice, Sam takes a small step closer. ]

You okay, man?

[scarcastically]

[ oakland. a bark of surly laughter leaves his chest. that fucking asshole. erik was going to rub t'challa's face in the dirt the next time he sees him. that waterfall was too good to him. his fingers clench. oakland. bringing fairytales to kids.

erik grits his teeth. ]

Guess Wakanda's still coverin' up their big secrets.

[unclesam]

[ Sam's so far assumed, given the suit and the attitude about Wakanda combined with his American accent, that Erik's a Wakandan who's spent considerable time stateside. Likely tied to T'Challa somehow - Sam's honestly got no idea how the whole Black Kitten thing works, and if it's weird that there's a second guy prancing about in a cat suit, or just part of the whole deal. He was on the run when Wakanda revealed itself, then visited briefly for a fight against aliens, and then he'd died.

What does he know, really, other than that Wakanda helped Bucky break his brainwashing, that their king wears a cat costume and that the Dora Milaje kick serious ass? All he knows he's not from there, and yet standing within its borders had tugged on something deep within Sam's chest that hurts to think about.

But when it comes to Erik... Sam's beginning to feel like he stepped onto a landmine. ]

... that you? The secret?

[scarcastically]

[ the secret. the lost tribe of wakanda. the boy playing basketball under the watchful gaze of his father's window. the monster they made. there are so many things he's been called and been calling himself, it is impossible to pull out who is real under all that armour. is it erik stevens, the american? killmonger, the black ops assassin? or is it n'jadaka, son of n'jobu, now no one's son. he bites on his lower lip to feel the tang of blood.

he wants to touch the ring under his clothes, but that's just a weakness. and the truth is, he's not a secret. his legacy is just bones t'challa is building upon. the grin on his face is bitter, bloody and black. ]

That's right, I'm the secret. Oakland's where the king murdered my father. Stuck his panther claws into his chest and left him there to bleed to death.

[ he shrugs, an edge to his movements. like a blade that cuts two ways. ]

That's what Wakanda is built on. Secrets and lies to protect themselves. Your wings? They ain't a gift. It ain't generousity. It's Wakanda working on an international scale.

[unclesam]

[ There's not much Sam knows about this or can judge. He doesn't know if Erik means T'Challa or T'Chaka, but he has a sinking suspicion. This doesn't feel like fresh anger. This feels dark and deep, cutting. The kind of thing that festers.

He thinks of Karli. Keeps that hurt in its box within the deep trenches of his chest that bleed so hard for the right people.

He won't agree with Erik - but he won't disagree either. It would be cruel to do, to defend people Sam barely knows just based on the impressions he got, in the fact of the cruelty that was inflicted on Erik, clearly.

Sam thinks there are good people in Wakanda - Ayo and Shuri, instrumental in helping Bucky. T'Challa, too. But who if not someone like him can recognize that good people can exist within and be part of a system that has inflicted unspeakable cruelty on others? That whatever T'Challa is doing now does not erase the deeds of the past? Both things can be true - T'Challa can be a good man, and Wakanda can have bought its secrecy with blood. ]

And you?

[ He keeps his voice soft, and his gaze on Erik, unflinching, listening. Erik can have space for his anger and his pain. And Sam isn't denying him that. ]

What happened to you?

[scarcastically]

[ there is a proverb from uganda. "you cannot climb to the mountaintop without crushing a few weeds.". that is how he feels. a weed under wakanda's heel, everything dusted and moved on from. he never wanted a grave but he never wanted this . . . erasure, this narrative t'challa is making for himself while n'jadaka is not a word spoken through people's lips.

his lip curls in disgust. ]

I was a black orphan kid in Oakland. What didn't happen to me?

[ if it were anyone else, erik wouldn't bother. but sam would understand the context. see the black lines on white paper, neatly laid out in rows. damage inked. ]

[unclesam]

[ I'm a black man carrying the stars and stripes. What don't I understand?

Sam has to draw in a slow deep breath, jaw clenching on a small nod, eyes dark with emotion. Yeah. Yeah, he gets the context. And it sticks with him, echoes in the cage behind his ribs: Orphan kid. Mother dead, father killed by Wakanda - T'Chaka, then. And Erik, just a child. In Oakland - where T'Challa built an Outreach Center - suggesting a sense of guilt, perhaps? Definitely no coincidence.

Erik didn't know about it. Erik's not from 2018.

Two nations have failed Erik in the worst way people can be failed.

No wonder the guy's pissed and practically gags at the sight of Sam - Sam carries parts of both, and has no room to show Erik that he represents neither, not in the way Erik likely assumes at least.

With a nod to the suit: ​]

You made it to Wakanda.

[ Not a question, that. It's obvious, by the suit alone. It's why Sam had assumed the connection in the first place. But it's an opening to speak. ]

[scarcastically]

[ erik gives a low snort. he is walking around in their colours. the gold might be offputting but it's still a pather habit. he was king. he was black panther. the nation bowed to him once he soaked his hands in king's blood. for all their advancements, the tribalism reigns strong. and strength is the real law. doesn't matter how it was bought. ]

I can make it anywhere. I am a motherfucking empire breaker.

[unclesam]

[ And ain't that familiar. He'd told the senators that they needed to be better before they met Karli 2.0. Turns out Karli 2.0 is named Erik, and he went to Wakanda. ]

I believe it.

[ But it's not Sam's way. ]

So you're why Wakanda revealed itself. You're why they built the Outreach Centre.

[ Sam hesitates. Keeps his tone mild - this isn't reproach, this isn't even really pity. Empathy, yes, but nothing so dripping that it's patronizing. ]

But you're not there for any of it. And you're not from 2018.

[ Did the empire break you back? ]

[scarcastically]

[ of all the lies to be caught out on, he hadn't expected it to be that one. he simply threw out a year to cover his tracks. that is the problem with hubris and the future. you think it never changes on you. he grimaces. ]

Nah. Told you. That's not Wakanda's MO.

[ which is unfair and erik is throwing them under the bus, but he's not in the mood right now to be factual. not after hearing about all of this. ]

[unclesam]

[ Sam nods - acknowledgement, rather than agreement, but that likely doesn't come as surprise. He's had precious few interactions with Wakanda, mostly knows of the things they've done for and in this case to others. None of it's enough for him to go to bat in their defense as a kneejerk reaction, or to condemn all they are based on Erik's rage - understandable though it is to Sam. ]

This gonna be a problem between us, considering my wings?

[scarcastically]

[ erik has to scoff, bemused. sure, the wings are an eyesore, but that's not really the crux of erik's problem with them. and sam's just using them. erik has no doubt he had little to do with the process. ]

Like I said. You ain't exactly high up on the food chain.

[unclesam]

You wound me.

[ Dry as bones, though - Sam's not actually serious about that, but also doesn't dismiss what Erik's saying. He can't pretend to understand the guy fully - but he appreciates that the anger isn't misdirected at him. That would have been much more exhausting. ]

More complicated: This gonna be a problem between you and Barnes?

[scarcastically]

[ that does prompt a laugh from erik. really? barnes? ]

Why, 'cuz he's pathetic enough that Wakanda gave him a helpin' hand? Or 'cuz he's desperate enough to wanna be the first white Wakandan?

[ he shakes his head. ]

You all take your shit too seriously. Right now, you don't mean much on a chessboard. The new suit may mean people'll notice, but doesn't guarantee much else.

[unclesam]

Anyone ever tell you you got a real poetic world view?

[ Sam raises one eyebrow, amusement on his face, but not fully in his eyes. Not a lie, necessarily, just the easier part of the equation to focus on.

He's talking about the three of them on a space ship, not a game of chess. That Erik's thinking on a different trajectory is certainly noted. ]

Just wanna make sure you don't shove my partner out an airlock over Wakanda related disagreements.

[scarcastically]

[ erik merely shrugs. his world view tracks. and it's held up against everything he's seen and done. partner is an interesting choice of words. or maybe they just pass barnes around like a shield.

this is real funny. he raises an eyebrow skeptically. ]

Gotta protect your white buddy from me? Yeah, you're Captain America all right. Just nailin' it.

[unclesam]

Man you're just a massive bag of sunshine, aren't ya?

[ Sam shakes his head - this, at least, leaves him unbothered. If Erik's hoping to get a rise with that, Sam's glad to add to the list of disappointments he represents. ]

You let me know if you ever wanna get caught up to present context, or if you'd prefer to keep being outta line, yeah?