Summary:The Batman inquires at the Wakandan Embassy about Vibranium at night. Ambassador Shuri though has to maintain face against the accusation of supplying Vibranium at all. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Evening in the Wakandian Embassy. As most of the staff is winding down, and the embassy is quieting down. As Shuri is in her chambers, the balcony is opened to the warm summer air. There's not a person in her room. Instead, perhaps in defernece to the woman's title - perhaps not wanting to catch her in a moment of her own intimacies, the figure that stands on the balcony is known only by rumor and word of mouth.
The Batman stands, with his cowl folded around him, his appearance settled, lips pulled into a thin line of thought. "I didn't have time to book an appointment." he offers dryly. And then he holds out his hand from his cape and opens it. Inside that hand as he opens it is a small bar of what appears to be vibranium.
She hadn't left the door open, so as Shuri moves to the balcony she is wary, her hand occupied by what might be a ceremonial spear. But she knew full well how to handle it, even though she didn't wear the Panther Habit.
"You have not, and there are no appointments before the Gala to be had." Her reply is dry as she lifts the tip of the Spear a tiny bit away from where the masked man stands, an eyebrow lifting as he shows the bar. Dull, whitish… could be Aluminium as much as Vibranium. "Who are you to violate the sovereign state of Wakanda?"
"An ally." Batman doesn't really do the whole 'I'm BATMAN' bit. That's just one of those urban legends. Instead, he tosses the bar towards Shuri underhanded for her to catch. "One to warn you that someone is trying to undermine Wakanda's economy and national treasure with an artifical version of it's greatest find." comes the flat responds, as he takes out a small USB drive.
"Someone has figured out the chemical and atomic makeup of your metal, and it attempting to replicate it. This came from a device that they attempted to use last night at an event as a field test." he says finally. And he'll let her study it. It feels and looks and even smells like vibranium.
Shuri's spear lofts fast as she catches the bar, her eye darting to it only so long it takes to catch the thing before returning to the Batman. "Wakanda deals in grain, not mining." Shuri claims, the official version. "But this is a pretty lightweight metal. It doesn't feel like Aluminium…"
A couple moments she seems to consider before stepping back to the open door, waving inside. "Why don't we close the door a bit?" She takes the metal bar, twirling it around her finger a moment as she leans the spear against the wall inside.
"And off the record, Wakanda offers small amounts of it's metal reserve to fund it's projects it wants off the books." How does he know that? Batman's not going to be offering much in the way of how he gets to know the secrets that he knows as he steps through the doors at Shuri's urging. "Which is why at first blush, I wondered if the new leadership of Wakanda had opted to start selling to a more unscrupulous bidder." comes the words of doubt from the vigilante.
As he gets inside, he moves the cape back, exposing the utility belt, gear, the armored costume, and bat symbol on the center of his chest.
It just takes Shuri a moment or two to close the door, putting the bar onto a desk, reaching for a letter opener. "Even if Wakanda would trade in metals off the books, the leadership of the state hasn't changed since the King took it years ago. But let's see what this is…"
She takes the letter opener, strikng the side of the blade against the desk before bringing it in contact with the meta bar, one finger resting on the tip of it. "If this was normal metal, it would take the ring…"
The reaction is exactly like vibranium - there's no ring. No sound at all. It's absorbed and taken in. Batman waits until after the test is completed, before he speaks up gently. "It took a few spectral analysis for me to find the difference." he says finally. He wanted to see how she reacted first before he spoke up. To know if that was vibranium she may have provided, or her government.
"At the molecular level, it's not as stable. It's artifical matrix is not as strong as what your country provides. That's why I said at the start that someone is attempting to undermine your market."
"A Market for this marvelous metal obviously exists." Shuri picks the bar up, slowly turning it in the hand before repeating the official stance of Wakanda. "But this is not something that Wakanda trades with. We are, as I already said, mainly exporting grain in a continent plagued by hunger. If we would have such a metal, we'd mine it, maybe even use it." Technically all true but evading the point that Wakanda has the metal and trades in it. A tiny little bit.
"I have studied nuclear physics. Forcing metal into an articicial matrix is very energy intensive, and as you said, forcing an alloy into a very specific metal structure is not stable. The structure deforms as the body itself is deformed or changed. There are purely theoretical papers about how to achieve a perfect order in alloys, but they have never been proven. The theorized alloy would, akin to what you said about this sample, most likely degrade over time with the exact results being quite unpredictable."
"Indeed. Then I suppose that there would be no issue if SHIELD was making their own version of Vibranium." Batman responds flatly. There's a shrug of his shoulder. He can see the movement in her shoulders, watching her intently, before he steps back towards the door. "Since it is not your official stance, then I have no reason to further assist you with this."
Opening the doors, it's clear that he's preparing to head back into the night. But not before turning to Shuri and he holds out his hand. "Since you have no need for the sample, I will deal with myself."
A couple moments Shuri seemed to hesitate, shaking her head as the Batman was about to leave, lifting a finger as she picked up a landline phone and dialed just one number. "Wait a moment, will you?" she asked, still holding onto the sample. A moment later she seemed to be connected. "Flea, I need answers. Man, Caucasian, 6'3", Chiroptera iconography." Obviously she got some answer, as she gave a short thanks before hanging up.
"I was told it was pretty useless to talk official to you. We don't make this. But since you said the quality is lacking, and since SHIELD will not want sub par materials, there are things that can't not be done unofficially and not be done officially."
Pausing at the edge of the balcony, Batman frowns. "I don't play games, Ambassador. This is a dangerous article. It works well enough to be considered in the short term. There are plenty of organizations that would take advantage of even a temporary vibranium replacement. If it burns out, it can be replaced." he points out to her, showing the big picture as he sees it. Yes, having a solar battery is awesome - but if you can get the same effect with 20 cheaper car batteries…
When she brings up the possible file on him, there's a fine arch of a brow, the dark knight standing and waiting. He doesn't say anything, nor tip his hand - that's not his way.
"Oh, I do see the dangers, Batman. But I also see someone walking into a panther den. You said you ran your tests, what use is this sample for you now?" Shuri slowly moves, graceful, almost like hunting, the Vibranium bar in hand. "Now, what do you want out of this? You inform me of the fake material around, you know how it can be used, and you expect something in return. I suspect more than just the confirmation that Wakanda does not a Vibranium-like alloy that, as you put it, is instable. So what's it?"
There's a smirk from Batman as Shuri tries to guess. "I have a feeling that the group making this has their own motives for making it. My place is to stop it." Batman considers the young woman for a moment. "As for walking into your home - it is simply a service - one to show that my intentions are with merit. You ask me if I expect something. That is the first problem with those that put business first. There is always a catch. Always something wanted in return."
There's a glance at the Vibranium bar in her hand, and the Bat considers. But no, for the moment, his message is delivered. He's perked the cat's curiosity. And if anyone knows when to pull away from a cat before it becomes dangerous - or worse, leave it even more curious? There's the hiss of a line, and the yank of a grapple as Batman is pulled back into the night, leaving the young woman on the balcony.
"It's a question of Politics…" Shuri mutters, closing the doors after the Batman left, the sample still in her hand. Again she reached for the phone. "Flea, get me a secure line to Wakanda. And I need something analyzed and I need it ten minutes ago."