Storm (2nd series) #4

Issue Date: 
July 2006
Story Title: 
untitled
Staff: 

Eric Jerome Dickey (writer), Lan Medina with David Yardin (artists), Jay Leisten (inks), Matt Milla (colorist), Mike Mayhew (cover art), Randy Gentile (letterer), Jacob Chabot (production), Cory Sedlmeier (associate editor), Axel Alonso (editor), Joe Quesada (editor-in-chief), Dan Buckley (publisher)

Brief Description: 

Ororo and T’Challa have left the thieves’ camp and are wandering together, trying to settle their feelings for each other. At a market, Ororo buys a sexy dress and gets some earrings to boot. Later, alone, she is confused about her feelings for T’Challa and the atmospheric response of the weather. T’Challa’s suggestions help her to slowly embrace her gift and gain a small measure of control. Later, she confronts him in her new dress and they consummate their relationship. Meanwhile, the deRuyter brothers and their men attack the Thieves’ camp to find Ororo and T’Challa. Learning that they are no longer there, they slay everyone, save for teacher and the jealous Zenja, who reveals to the Bull that T’Challa is the son of T’Chaka. The Bull now wants T’Challa for himself, as his father once slighted him. Later in the helicopter, the Bull kills Teacher after the other man goads him. With the lightning due to Ororo’s feelings, the deRuyters are closing in on their quarry.

Full Summary: 

A market in a small African village. Ororo and T’Challa make their way through the crowd. Suddenly, he addresses her and warns her that, if she doesn’t behave, he will make her clap her hands while she walks. She doesn’t understand and he explains that a thief can’t clap his hands and steal at the same time. She is incorrigible. In a huff, she retorts that, after two days together, he thinks he is the prince of Ororo, the king of Munroe. She is about to give him a piece of her own mind, but he doesn’t want to hear it at the moment.

While he gets some food, Ororo admires a stall that offers dresses and jewelry. The owner whispers to her that she and the boy look good together and suggests she let her hair down and wear those earring to impress him, then she will steal his heart as he has stolen hers. It shows? Ororo asks. The woman just smiles. After a moment, they both begin to laugh. Ororo admits that she loves the dress, but can’t afford the earrings. The woman gives them to her as a gift.

Back among the thieves, one boy notices that Teacher looks sad. The man just tells the boy to focus on his work and repeats his order when the boys asks where Ororo is and why she hasn’t shown up for two days. That moment, Teacher’s daughter, Zenja, joins them. Agitated, she asks him about the rumor that Ororo has left. Has she run away? Is that the reason her father looks so sad? He replies that, before they left, she came to him. They? Zenja asks. Who else is gone? She left with T’Challa, her father explains. The daughter of a priestess, blessed by the gods. The son of a legend, from the bloodline of warriors supreme. He gave them their blessing. He gave his blessings? Zenja repeats furiously.

Leaving the village, T’Challa asks if Ororo has ever been to her homeland. She muses that she was so young, that she can barely remember New York. She recalls her mother being afraid of America. Horrible things were happening there. He means her true homeland, T’Challa explains. No, Ororo replies, they lived in Cairo, but never went to Kenya. War killed her parents… before. Now she’s afraid to go there. Why? he asks. She explains that she is worried because of her blue eyes and her hair. What if they treat her badly? What if they welcome her with open arms? T’Challa points out. Nobody has ever welcomed her with open arms, she tells him.

T’Challa insists that one must travel to understand life, to understand oneself. One can’t stay in one place and grow. She retorts that his father is a king. He will always be welcomed with open arms. She is an orphan who steals. Big difference, doesn’t he think? What does he see when he looks at her? she asks. A beautiful white lioness, he tells her. With a smile, she asks how many women he has said that to. Only her, he insists.

They find a tranquil spot near a waterfall and set up camp there. Finding him studying her, she asks why he looks at her in that way. What does it mean when her eyes turn soft and she looks at him that way? he asks. Maybe she should ask him to clap his hands when he is around her, she jokes. What could he possibly steal from her? he asks. Her heart, she thinks to herself; her heart.

Back at the thieves’ camp, Zenja is arguing with her father. She demands to know why he favors Ororo over her. Why would he not want his daughter with the prince of Wakanda? Is he foolish or plain stupid? How could he rejoice in that half-breed leaving with the Prince of Wakanda? Fed up with her insolence, he stops her rant by slapping her. Demanding some respect, he reminds her that he is her father. Angrily, she reveals that she heard him when he thought that she was unconscious. She heard him tell T’Challa that he wished Ororo was his daughter. His pathetic wish saddens her. She should not have saved the slowest zebra, she announces, as she step out of the hut.

Elsewhere, T’Challa admires Ororo, telling her her skin is smooth all over. How would he know? she scoffs. He reminds her that he carried her to Teacher when she was injured. Right, he had his hands all over her, she scoffs. The shape of her face is beautiful, he tells her. She has a big head, she retorts. Her cheekbones and eyes are perfect. Refusing to look at him, she announces that she hates both. As he keeps on complimenting her, their faces move closer to each other.

Meanwhile, several helicopters are looking for Ororo. In one of them sit the deRuyter brothers. The younger one, who confronted Ororo and T’Challa before, looks outside and sees lightning. When his brother, the Bull, asks what is wrong, he replies ‘nothing.’ He tells everyone to be ready and warns the other men that the wind rider might be disguised again in a wig, so they should tranquilize all the women. With the exception of T’Challa, they are to kill all the male children. Him, he wants to kill himself.

Elsewhere, Ororo is frightened by the change in the weather, caused by her emotions. Why is this happening to her, she complains. They walk all day and it is fine. Then, at night, when they are alone, and he gets to close to her… Cupping her chin, T’Challa tells her to focus. It comes from inside her. It’s not fair, Ororo complains. He knows how she feels about him. She doesn’t know how he feels. He tells her to focus and they kiss. She tries to concentrate, not to let the weather reflect her emotions as they deepen the kiss. Then lightning strikes the tree under which they are sitting.

In the meantime, the deRuyter brothers and their men have reached the thieves’ camp and the massacre begins.

Looking at the destroyed tree, Ororo suggests that maybe they shouldn’t touch each other. The gods disapprove. T’Challa replies that she is gifted. Can she make this gift go away? she asks. Can she be normal like everybody else? T’Challa suggests she work with the gift not against it. She shouldn’t fight the energy within her but accept it and then control it, understand herself.

She turns away and he asks what is wrong. After some hesitation, Ororo asks how many fires he has stared. He doesn’t understand. She asks if he has been with many women? He admits to being with experience. Does that bother her? So he has loved many women? she asks. It’s not how many women a man can love, but how well can a man love one woman, he replies. She gathers some things and tells him she is going to bath. Away from him, she happily repeats the compliments he made her.

Back at the camp, the kids fight back and release some trained hyenas against the mercs. The Bull slays them, using only his hands and demands his brother hurry up finding the wind rider.

Elsewhere, Ororo has reached the river and it is raining. Almost pleadingly, she asks the rain to stop and it does. Excited, she allows the winds to lift her. As she sees T’Challa bathing downstream, she loses her concentration and drops. That was not cute at all, she decides.

Back at the camp, the younger deRyuter decides that Ororo cannot be here among them or the weather would have gone crazy by now. Holding his gun to a boy’s temple, he asks where she is. The boy replies that he doesn’t know, and if he did, he wouldn’t betray a friend. DeRuyter shoots him and asks if anyone’s memory is getting better?

Among the prisoners, he recognizes Zenja, who tricked him before. The enemy of my enemy… shall see God, he tells her as he presses the gun against her forehead. Teacher intervenes, begging him not to kill his daughter. He explains that Ororo has long gone. Zenja announces that she knows where Ororo went. Teacher tells her to hush. She retorts that he should be quiet. Is he willing to sacrifice himself, her, all of them, for her? Let the men have her and the boy she left with. He is nothing more that a traitor. The Bull repeats his question and Zenja reveals that Ororo left with a boy from Wakanda.

The Bull seems surprised at this and Zenja continues that the boy bragged that he was the son of T’Chaka, the Black Panther. Turning to Zenja, the Bull asks if he traveled with other men from Wakanda. No, only with her. The badly beaten teacher states that they are only children in a pleading tone. The younger de Ruyter brother sees a lightning bolt striking some distance away…

While Ororo is bathing, trying to become calmer, the deRuyters leave with Zenja and Teacher after having killed all the other children. Is he happy, Zenja asks her father. All of her friends dead. And they will die as well. All because of Ororo.

T’Challa is playing his flute at the campfire. Calmed by the music, Ororo enters, now wearing the revealing dress she bought at the stand, as well as the golden earrings the vendor gave her. Stroking T’Challa’s face, she asks him to give her music.

Back in the helicopter, the Bull announces that he doesn’t give a damn about the girl. He wants the son of T’Chaka, the son of his enemy. Still holding his daughter, Teacher remarks that, if he knows T’Chaka, the Bull should be wise. Fear should rule his heart. He fears no man, the Bull scoffs. Obviously, he has not met him, Teacher remarks.

Drawn out, the Bull replies that he dealt with T’Chaka in the name of Johannesburg. Arrogant man. He met him once on the outskirts of Wakanda. He refused the Bull entry. He offered him a fortune for Vibranium. T’Chaka spat in his face. Did he battle him? Teacher goads. Did he win? Where was he born? the Bull snaps. Wakanda, Teacher replies. Moments later, he is thrown out of the flying helicopter. Zenja screams hysterically and the Bull warns her to shut up or she will join him.

Was that necessary, the younger brother asks. The Bull replies, seething with rage, that Wakandans are selfish bastards. They own more vibranium than one could ever imagine but refuse to share that wealth with other Africans. The younger brother replies that he doesn’t care who kicked his butt or about Wakanda. He wants the boy dead by his own hands. The Bull warns him not to touch the boy or he will deal with him. He will not rob him of his vengeance. How badly did T’chaka beat him? he asks. The Bull warns him to settle for the wind-rider or open the door and get out of his helicopter. The younger brother gives in.

Elsewhere, the two youngster share an embrace and T’Challa tells Ororo she is in control. In what way, she asks. In all ways, he replies. Wondering if this is what love feels like, she undresses before him.

Not too far away the deRuyters see lightning strike again.

Characters Involved: 

12-year-old Ororo Munroe

teenage T’Challa

Teacher

Zenja and other thieves

DeRuyter

Other Poachers

Andreas de Ruyter aka “the Bull”

Story Notes: 

Strangely enough, the new earrings look just like the ones Ororo wore last issue.

Issue Information: 

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