Chapter 54 - Break Out

The drive back to the city was tense to say the least. Devin could feel the gazes from the dora milaje in the car with him. He knew how suspicious this looked to those from Wakanda. It's gonna look like he lured them away so that Klaue could attack the capital. Devin also wondered how Klaue had even gotten that far into the capital without anyone noticing. With how much technology and surveillance that is found in the nation there should have been someone who spotted his group.

"Mr. Price, I want to ask this now. Did you have anything to do with this?" T'Challa asked again. Devin knew that he was one of the biggest suspects right now.

"No T'Challa, but this whole situation seems really suspicious." Devin replied as the SUVs continued through the terrain.

"What do you mean?" One of the dora milaje asked in his vehicle before T'Challa could, though the silence that followed seemed to suggest that he wanted to hear the answer as well.

"We leave and as we are approaching the supposed location of their hiding location. We are ambushed by members of Klaue's group like they knew we were coming. Then while we are engaging that group, another group assaults the capital, getting through all the security and surveillance unseen, to make off with your father and sister." Devin said as they rounded a corner at high speeds.

"What are you trying to say?" T'Challa asked with a tone suspicion and slight anger.

"What I'm saying is that I think there is someone that is not only keeping tabs on you, but also reported my arrival and our plan to attack. Once is a coincidence, but twice is a conspiracy and the fact that two unexpected events happened that were related to one another definitely means something is up." Devin said as they could see the capital and the columns of smoke that were probably the results from the attack.

"Mr. Price, we'll need to find out what happened and we will get to the bottom of this. I just hope that you are telling the truth about your involvement." T'Challa said as they road through the streets and pull up to the palace. Upon stepping out of the vehicle, Devin was surrounded by dora milaje with their spear points at his neck. Devin placed his hands up in surrender as the rest got out.

"You are being summoned by the council to be judged as an accomplice and conspirator to the kidnapping of the king and princess." Okoye stated as she glared at Devin.

"Okoye stop. He had nothing to do with what happened!" T'Challa said as he walked over with his mask removed.

"I'm sorry my prince but this has been ordered by the council." Okoye said as she waved for Devin and his new guards to start moving.

"T'Challa, it's gonna be fine. Remember what I said and look for ANYONE else missing." Devin siad as he looked T'Challa in the eye while emphasizing that one word. The prince nodded as Devin was escorted in.

***

{2 Hours Later}

Devin now sat in a high tech jail cell. The "meeting" was more of a farce than Devin thought it would be. More like a sentencing without the trial and a metric ton of screaming on top of a pile of accusations. Devin was told that if the king and princess were returned to them safely then they would not execute him. Devin didn't think that was in the movies, but this wasn't exactly the movies either. They had tried to find the weapons that he had but after a thorough search they couldn't find a single thing, not even the gloves he had when he had arrived. Devin had put the gloves into his inventory when all the chaos broke out with the shouting.

As he was contemplating his options, footsteps began to echo through the corridor where he was sitting. Soon T'Challa appeared in his panther suit with a neutral look plastered on his face.

"I'm sorry this happened." T'Challa said as he stood in front of Devin's cell.

"Don't worry about this. Did you find anything?" Devin asked as he stood up and moved closer to T'Challa. T'Challa nodded his head in response.

"I've checked the reports and there are only two other people who are missing. One is a servant that works in the palace. She started roughly two months ago and has no previous, reasonable problems to suspect her though it doesn't rule her out. The other was a secretary and transcriber for one of my father's advisors. He has been working for a number of years and also has a spotless record, though there was something that caught my eye." T'Challa reported as Devin thought about the two.

"What was it that caught your eye?" Devin asked as he thought about the possibility that it was one or both of them.

"The secretary, N'Balli Boso, was from a small vilage on the boarder of Wakanda and his parents were killed in an accident when he was a child. He was adopted by an older couple here in the capital who were in support of revealing our country to the world. His adoptive parents passed nearly six months ago to this day." T'Challa said as he raised an eyebrow that seemed to say "Suspicious huh?" to Devin.

"We can't rule them both out, but for now you need to start tracking where they took your family. Knowing Klaue, he'll most likely try to ransom them for a large quantity of Vibranium. I'd help but I'm not going anywhere right now." Devin said ending with a chuckle.

"And who says you are not helping?" T'Challa asked as he passed his kimoyo beads in front of a panel that the guards had used to close Devin in earlier. Devin raised his own eyebrow as he stepped out.

"This could get you in some real deep trouble you know that?" Devin asked as the two looked eye to eye.

"I believe that you are telling the truth just as my father believed in you enough to send you with me on that mission in the beginning. I just hope that that belief is correct." T'Challa said before holding out his hand.

"I'll show you how right that belief is." Devin said as he reached out his own hand and clasped T'Challa's hand in a solid grip. As the two turned to leave a hard voice stopped them in their tracks.

"My prince this is a serious offence that you are committing right now." came the voice of Okoye as she and two other dora milaje stepped into the hall directly into the path that Devin and T'Challa would need to take to leave. The two that backed Okoye were a pair of familiar faces to Devin. That of Ondati and Irindi from his first meeting and the beginning of all this.

"Okoye, stand aside we are going to go get my father and sister back." T'Challa said as he took a step forward. Okoye simply shook her head before speaking.

"I'm sorry my prince but I can't allow that. You, get back in your cell. Now." Okoye said to T'Challa before ordering Devin back to his cell. Devin looked from them to T'Challa and back.

"Uh how about no." Devin said as he drew out the last word.

"You have no choice. Resist and you will be forcibly detained." Okoye said as the other two prepared their spears. T'Challa and Devin readied themselves as the two groups seemed to wait for the other to make the first move. A full minute passed before Okoye stood up and motioned for the other two to put their weapons away. This greatly confused the two men.

"What are you doing?" T'Challa asked as he stood up and Devin followed suit though he did remain ready in case this was to throw them off guard.

"I wanted to see your resolve for breaking out this man though I don't approve of him coming along we might need his help. Come, walk this way. We have a vehicle prepared." Okoye said as she turned and began walking as the other two warriors followed. Devin looked at T'Challa who looked back before shrugging and then walking after them followed by the prince.

The group snuck out of the palace after a while of dodging both people and security cameras. They got to the vehicle the three warrior women had stashed away in an alcove where prying eyes wouldn't notice it. Loading up everyone in the vehicle the wakandans took the seats while Devin climbed into the rear compartment of the SUV.

"Alright lets get this show on the road and save some royalty!"