7071/Central Park Fun

Central Park Fun
Date of Scene:	16 April 2019
Location:	Central Park, NYC and Caribbean Island "Isla Olvidado"
Synopsis:	Wonder Woman and Black Panther stop an attack of Stymphalian birds in Central Park, then locate their nesting grounds
Cast of Characters:	Black Panther, Wonder Woman

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(Scene played out over a long span of time, dating it to the scene finish)

Black Panther has posed:
March comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb, so goes the old saying. Today is proving the saying right as sunny skies and warming weather makes for a lovely day in New York. Margaret Drake and her three children, Bobby, Eric, and Meg, are enjoying the change of weather, having a picnic and playtime in Central Park. Margaret sets out food while the kids play Frisbee with each other on an expanse of green grass in the center of the lightly wooded park.

Eric sends the plastic flying, over Meg's head, the girl jumping short and then toppling over backwards as she lands, drawing laughter from her two brothers. Margaret keeps a semi-watchful eye on them, smiling as Bobby, the oldest, gives his younger sister a playful swat but helps her to her feet before he jogs off after the wayward Frisbee.

Turning back to the food, Margaret sets everything out, a plate for each child with a fried chicken drumstick, some apple slices and celery sticks with peanut butter, a piece of string cheese, and a communal bowl with their favorite chips. "Alright kids, come and get it!" she calls without looking as she sets out juices boxes for each of them.

Eric and Meg come running over, plopping down onto the spread blanket to use hand disinfectant before digging into the food. Margaret digs in her bag. "I know I have napkins in here," she says, finally finding them and handing them out to her three children. Or so she intends, but there are still only two there. Where is Bobby?

A large shadow suddenly darkens the sun, sweeping over the grass and over the small family. Margaret looks up in the sky, her eyes widening at the sight of a gigantic bird, with a bronze beak and feathers that glint like metal. Far larger than a horse, the bird glides above the park, looking down.

A disturbing sound draws Margaret's attention across the grass, to where another of the giant birds has landed. Its beak snaps on something, consuming it. The bird tilts its head up in the air, giving a last glimpse of Bobby's jeans before the last of the boy's body is pulled inside the wicked sharp beak.

Margaret screams and grabs her two remaining children to run. Looking up, she sees a number of the giant Stymphalian birds circling Central Park. Some dive down to eat as if they are hungry from a long flight. Others are circling the park, looking.

People stream from the park like ants from a kicked over hill, fleeing the man-eating terrors. Soon TV stations are cutting into their programming for news reports and live camera shots of the aerial horrors as they dive on fleeing people to feed.

Wonder Woman has posed:
This would certainly not go down in history as a 'lucky day' by any means. But as far as this day goes, there was some luck involved in that these giant mythological beasts had been spotted on their way to the park by Justice League watchers who had reported the strange sightings on route toward the massive park in the heart of New York.

On the call, Wonder Woman was at the Themysciran Arts Center on the East Side of Manhattan. She was apart of a training seminar where she and two of her sisters were fighting some of the public members most elite, the men and women who'd signed up to learn from the Amazon warriors, all the ins and outs of being a true warrior of the Themysciran way.

The Justice League call came to her and she to it, wasting no time to take her leave of the seminar and outside where she ascended to the roof of the Arts Center and then began to dart from rooftop to roof top until she was on the edge of Central Park.

Her eyes scanned the park until she caught sight of the birds still in flight. Her sword and shield were drawn and Diana shot like a bullet off of the roof of a tall high wealth apartment building, out over the park!

Its here where she enters the scene, landing on the grass about fifty yards from the winged monster that just attacked that poor family!

Black Panther has posed:
From the gleam in the metallic bird's eyes, its meal was not enough to sate the beast. The dark-haired woman that lands from the great leap looks much more appealing. One of the bird's giant feet rakes the ground, metallic talons scoring the grassy earth like a plow might, but far more easily.

The bird lifts its head to let out a shrill cry before looking back to Diana. Its wings flap, metallic feathers glinting in the sunlight. That sparkle of light does nothing to reduce the monstrous appearance of the mythologic predator.

The wing's flaps lift it into the air slightly before the Stymphalian bird lunges for Diana. Head extending, the metallic beak gapes open, already rimmed with the blood of the innocent human boy, meaning to snap down on Diana's exposed, delicious-looking flesh and make her a second course!

Wonder Woman has posed:
It would be a terrifying sight for just about everyone on this planet, to have an avian creature such as this Stymphalian lunging at them with its clear intent of consuming them as it had the poor victim moments before Diana was able to arrive. She'd heard the cries of the family fleeing, as well as the shouts from so many others, that she had a pretty good idea of what this creature has already done and because of that she knwos that it has forfeited its life to her will.

She also doesn't shy away from its lunge, no, what this powerful creature sees is the woman raise her shield up... a shield adorned with an engraved Eagle upon its apex, aimed right for the maw of the bird who wishes to consume her!

The two lunge at each other and Diana's sword arm is held far back behind her as she aims to ram into the bird's open beak with her rounded shield and then to swing her sword around to try to insert it directly into the beast's left eye without any ounce of mercy for its well being for it has let go of that right today!

Black Panther has posed:
The giant beak tries to gash closed on Diana as the bronze-rimmed bird lands just before her, but finds its maw closed on the shield instead. Straining to try to snap the metal and clamp down on the woman holding it, the mythological monster's head is kept still long enough for Diana's sword to strike home!

Plunging through the eye, the sword is buried all the way to the massive bird's brain. The creature's wings flap and its talons rend the ground beneath it as it convulses with death spasms. Finally it falls over sideways, its weight thudding heavily upon the grass as it gives a last strangled cry.

The other birds circling overhead hear that death warble. A trio of the Stymphalian terrors wheel over to converge on the human woman that took down one of their brood. Two seem intent on diving at Diana, while the third sweeps upwards and then swings a wing towards her. Metallic feathers fly free, four of them in a line flying towards Diana, their sharp edges glinting in the sunlight like the edges of finely honed knives.

Wonder Woman has posed:
As the Stymphalian falls to her sword after its overly brazen attack upon her, she can hear the approach of its friends. Her sword is buried nearly to its hilt inside the creature's head so she releases the handle of it kicks the dead bird's head up into the air a foot or so before she grabs it and raises it up to let the incoming metalic knife-like feathers slam into the right side of the bird's deadened face!

The Amazonian Princess ducks beneath the head for cover, her shield still inside its beak she spares a glance up at the other living birds that are dive bombing her, just as one SWOOPS over top of where she's crouching.

The Stymphalian flashes by in its sweeping attacking, having tried to grab the armored woman, and as it starts on arc back up into the sky it suddenly will find itself ensnared by a golden length of rope! A second later and the woman herself is now standing upon its back, holding the other end of that glowing golden rope as she pulls on it and begins to walk up the creature's back toward its head! Her muscular thighs flex powerfully, and her arms pull on her divinely enchanted lasso as she ascends the beast's back one step at a time while it soars above the park!

Black Panther has posed:
The cries of the giant birds grow more and more agitated. Not just those pursuing the troublesome human woman, but those that seem to be flying low, scouring the park, while others fly nearer to the edges, driving people back inside. Is it meant to be a giant feeding frenzy? It might be starting to look that way.

The bird with Diana on its back flaps its wings fretfully, body wanting to jerk to try to throw her. Though the lasso seems to be hampering its ability to struggle too much. It soars up into the air with Diana upon its back, her hair streaming behind her in an ebon wave.

The two other birds climb and wheel, spotting the woman atop their compatriot. One begins diving for her, feet extending their talons as if to snatch her off the other bird's back. The second bird shows a crafty mind, flying around behind her, giving a hard flap for some extra loft so it can send another round of razor-sharp feathers at Diana.

The attack never happens. Gliding in through the sky is a missile, the back lit by a blue-white light. There is a complete absence of that jet-sound one associates with the weapon. Just the silent majesty of it seeming to float through the air before it hits the ambushing Stymphalian avian. The resulting explosion is anything but silent, the smoking remains of the bird dropping from the sky to crash towards the ground below.

A sleek jet unlike any other type of aircraft glides past as silently as the missile. A familiar African face can be seen behind the clear canopy as T'Challa waves a salute towards the Amazonian before the Wakanda jet zooms silently past overhead.

Wonder Woman has posed:
The assist from the Wakandan jet and its King get a brief look from Diana, she does indeed catch sight of him inside the craft and if she were in a better position she would react to it, but as it were she's a little tied-up at the moment... or the creature she has is!

So instead she looks forward again and just as the other avian monstrosity swoops in to engage her with its talons she reaches the head of the bird she's roped-up and she wraps her arms around its neck and uses her immense strength to spin it around so that the other Stymphalian collides into the belly of the one she's holding!

The resulting collision is dramatic and brutal to any onlookers from below, the golden lasso wrapped bird! The one that rams into its brethren rebounds and takes to flight again after a short free-fall, while the one Diana is clutched onto is uanble to regain its flight and it falls (with her on it) all the way to the ground where they both impact in a cloud of sand and dirt beside the volleyball courts in the Great Yard of the park.

When the dust settles, Diana is crouched over the face of the Stymphanlian... she'd snapped its neck when they both landed, strategically using the earth's impact to clinch the kill and cease the bird's life.

She then rises up to her full height and scans the sky for that last bird, as well as the Wakandan jet's whereabouts.

Black Panther has posed:
The last bird circles above Diana, swinging out wide to give itself a long straight dive towards her. The Wakanda jet has swung back around and is itself diving on the unaware Stymphalian bird. The jet overflies the bird, but something drops from the belly of the jet. The Black Panther, fully suited up, his arms crossed over his chest to fit out the small opening in the bottom of the jet.

He free falls, dropping a little ahead of the bird so it has time to fly beneath him as he's dropping. Though the bird doesn't quite go where he wanted. Black Panther manages to only reach one of the metallic wings, reaching out and claws raking across it. Vibranium slices through the metallic feathers, severing them and leaving a number of the broken shards of metal to fall to earth in his wake, Panther alongside of them.

The shards hit the grassy ground, sticking in them, while Black Panther lands as lightly on his feet as the cat that his namesake despite a fall of several hundred feet.

Overhead the bird is struggling, but is gliding down on its now damaged wing, still intent on attacking the Amazonian!

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana is able to easily witness most of what the Wakandan King accomplishes after he drops out of his jet, but she turns and starts to run when the bird continues to descent on a course for her, which isn't too surprising since she'd caused the most damaged to its comrades in the park here today.

So when the injured creature starts it downward sloping charge toward her, Diana is running across the grass, her powerful stride carrying her toward that first avian monster she'd downed with her sword sticking up out of its head, like a sickly version of a classic Arthurian tale.

She runs at full speed, like a blazing blur across the Great Lawn, anyone who sees her will barely even be able to turn their head fast enough to keep up with the Amazoan who's now scaling the corpse of that first Stymphalian that she downed, she reaches the handle of her sword and she pulls it from the bird's cranium, then half-spins around and TRHOWS it at the face of the creature swooping down to clutch hold of her!

Black Panther has posed:
The crunch of the final nearby bird hitting the ground is one of rending metal and air expelling from lungs in a shrill cry. The Stymphalian bird slides across the grass to come to a halt right before Diana's feet. The hilt of her sword sticking up from right between its eyes, so close that the Amazonian demigod need barely extend her arm when she wants to retrieve it.

The Black Panther runs over over to join her, seeing the sightless state of the dead mythological monster's eyes. "Not what I had hoped for as the next time I saw you, Miss Prince," T'Challa says, retracting his helmet to reveal his face. He gives her a pleased look though, seeing she is quite hale and healthy after the first encounter with the birds.

"I counted six more. Three of them seem agitated, flailing at something on the ground," he tells her, motioning off towards the center of the park, where the jogger's paths cross, one bridging over the other, the lower one passing through a small tunnel beneath. Indeed one of the birds can be seen flapping up into the air only to drive at the ground again there.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana was agitated herself. She knew of these birds, she simply didn't know why or how they got here to the United States. As T'Challa approaches, her agitation is clear on her face and she doesn't move for a second or so after he speaks as she's taking a second to just listen to the sounds of the park around them all. She then stands and she pulls her sword from the deceased Stymphalian and then moves to retrieve her shield from the first's beak with a metalic twang of reverberation as she pulls it from the creature's maw.

"I would say this is an very unfortunate way to meet so soon after our last, but, I am glad to see you all the same." Diana says then, her hair flowing about her shoudlers as she comes to stand beside him with her eyes on where he's referring to.

"These creatures should not exist." She then says to him. "They come from a bygone time, and should be extinct. But, they are not..." Diana's eyes scan the perimeter of the park, the NYPD is getting civilians away from the open areas and people are clumping around building entrances, there's a lot of eyes on the park though.

"We should make haste and see what it is that they are focusing on there." Diana then starts to run, sword and shield back in hand with her lasso laced around her torso and waistline, still glowing as its still active with that Godly power it possesses, sure it means Diana cannot lie right now, but does she ever? The answer is No!

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa looks towards the dead creature as Diana speaks of how they should not be in existence. "From a bygone time. And why in New York. In Central Park. Someone behind it, perhaps, some purpose," he says, mentally running a list through his head of those capable of bringing back an extinct creature. Or magically creating them.

It is depressing how long that list ends up being.

T'Challa puts those thoughts aside for the moment. People are still in danger. "Yes," the Wakandan agrees with Diana. "I swear the other three seemed to be working together. Keeping people from escaping the park," he says, motioning to where one of those others can be seen flying a perimeter around the park.

When Diana retrieves her sword and shield and starts forward, he runs beside her. The pair cover the newly-greened grass as fast as a car. Soon they crest a hill, able to see the area ahead.

A lake hosting small boats for rental is on the left. There are still boats floating on it, but everyone using them have long since fled. To the right is a green area with trees and bushes. And right up the middle is a jogging path running straight away from Diana and T'Challa. It goes beneath a small bridge where another paved path passes overhead of it.

Three of the giant metallic birds seem focused on that tunnel where the lower path dips beneath the other. One of them is on the far side, and two on this side. The bird on this side is ramming at the opening as if trying to get in. As it pulls its head back finally, A man's screams for help can be heard. "Oh god! Save me! Help someone! Help!"

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana crests that hill at Black Panther's side, her sword and shield held down on either sides of her hips. She scans the park before them now and it doesn't take her long at all to find the birds outside of the tunnel. A wind whips across the both of them, rippling the waters of the boat lake, and Diana turns to look to T'Challa. "They have something corne--"

Its then that the voice calls out and she cuts her comment off as its instantly confirmed, she looks back to the tunnel and breaks into a sprint again. Her shield rises once more and she leaps from the park's fresh spring grass to shoot up into the air and toward the tunnel!

The Princess' intentions are clear, she's not engaging the remaining Stymphalian's as of yet as she's attempting to slam between them and get in front of them, to protect whomever it is that is seeking shelter and cover inside of that tunnel!

Black Panther has posed:
The Black Panther starts forward as he sees Diana advancing. She pulls ahead of him though as he slows just a moment at a fence made of metal bars that runs along one of the paths. A slice of his claws severs a section of it which he grabs as he starts running back forwards again.

The Amazonian surprises the two birds at first, but they then react quickly enough. Both of them snap at her with wicked sharp metal beaks, only to find the Amazonian deftly rotating in the air to avoid their bites, landing her in front of the tunnel mouth.

"Oh thank God! Please save me!" the man's voice calls from inside. He looks to be in his early thirties, wearing jeans and a flannel shirt, and wearing a backpack. Scruffy beard and hair, though not too unkempt.

Meanwhile T'Challa has reached his top speed again, the section of metal fence in one hand. He sprints wide of the tunnel that Diana went to cover, instead running up the side of a hill, hitting the slope at nearly 40 mph. He shoots up and into the air off the top as he jumps over the jogging trail atop the bridge. The bird on the other side lifts its head just as Panther whips the section of metal fence at its head with superhuman strength. Metal clangs on metal and the bird tumbles over backwards away from the tunnel before regaining its feet, wings pumping to help right itself.

Wonder Woman has posed:
The man is regarded only for a split second, he appears at first glance to be nothing but a scared park goer so Diana's back is turned to him and she raises her shield to intercept the attack of the bronze beaked Stymphalian's. The first strike is sent away with a powerful slam of her shield across the side of its face, the other bird is met with the pointed end of her sword and its smart enough to recognize the lethality of that shining blade... they are powerful creatures, well armored but that sword resonates with the strength of an uncommon metal and the bird is able to see that and it recoils, screams loudly and starts for another attack!

"Stay back!" Diana shouts to the man who's behind her, which he doesn't need to hear twice but there's limited space available in this situation and as she shouts that to him one of the bird's grabs hold of the edge of her rounded shield, and YANKS it from Wonder Woman's forearm, then tosses it out behind both of them onto the green lawn where it rolls toward a tree!

With her shield gone, another attack comes in to try to grasp onto her exposed arm now but Diana backhands the Stymphalian with her bracer of submission, resulting in a very loud metal on metal sound! The mighty bird is sent backward a good fifteen feet while its comrade rushes back in to resume where its partner left off! Its a difficult fight to say the least!

Black Panther has posed:
On the other side of the tunnel, Black Panther has landed, positioning himself between the other metallic avian and the terrified park-goer that had somehow drawn the attention of the monsters. However, as the bird starts forward, Panther doesn't wait for it to reach him. He drives runs forward then dives beneath a wing that sweeps razor-sharp metal at him. Claws cut along the bird's side, resulting in a squawk of pain.

The Stymphalian bird wheels about, swinging a wing back and launching metal feathers at its adversary. Black Panther dodges one but two others stroke him, sending him tumbling and causing his armor to pick up a slight purple glow. The armor seems to have held as T'Challa spins to his feet as the bird charges in again.

Black Panther rolls to and fro, inches ahead of a bronze beak striking the pavement, or metal wings slicing where he'd been. Claws rake the bird time and again as the Avenger uses hit and run tactics against the larger, stronger creature.

He misjudges one swing though, the wing catching him and tumbling him over. The bird quickly pounces on him, pinning down T'Challa with a foot and then hammering at him repeatedly with its beak. Each strike causes his armor to glow more and more.

Wonder Woman has posed:
As it tends to be with Diana, the more she fights the more she gets into the fight and the more she eases into understanding her opponents moves and tactics in said fight. This is happening here too as she advances further out of the tunnel and pushes the Stymphalian's back further as well!

Her lasso has come back into the battle also, now that her shield has been pulled from her person the golden lasso is back in play and as one of the bird's backs up to let its brethren strike her, the lasso grabs hold of its left mighty bird foot and wraps around it, curling around the appendage, allowing Diana to pull on the magic rope and swing the giant beast around to slam into its sibling!

Both Stymphalians crash into the side of the ridge that the tunnel delves beneath, but one is instantly tugged back by that lasso to Diana, who wastes no time to swiep her sword down and sever its leg from its body with a savage swiping strike!

The Stymphalian bursts into agonizing sounds of protests to this, it starts to flail wildly on the ground while Wonder Woman takes to the sky and raises her knees, aims her sword down and plunges back down to send the sword right into the bird's bronze beak, the tip piercing the back of its throat as she skewers it upon her blade, crouching upon its chest and neck now!

Black Panther has posed:
The man in the tunnel continues to cry out, not really able to see everything going on. But he hears the clashes of metal and the cries of the birds, can see Diana dash about with her lasso, and has a clean view of Black Panther being literally pecked.

Speaking of the latter, the bird slams its beak into the trapped super hero again and again. The impacts bruise him slightly but most of the kinetic energy is gathered in and caught by the vibranium weave of his outfit. Soon his suit ripples with the purple energy as T'Challa lets the bird power up his suit.

Though he lets it go a little too long. The bird slides a wing across his chest. Cutting, rather than impacting, has the effect the bird wished, cutting through the outfit and into T'Challa's flesh.

He lets go the store energy. A tremendous halo of purple-blue expands from him, sending the bird flying, crashing back and breaking tree trunks. The tops of the tress fall on the bird, pinning it for the moment.

T'Challa rises and hurries forward, steps only a little unsteady from his wound. His claws rip away the metal armor covering its head. A glowing knife is thrust in deep at the back of its skull, the bird thrashing once and falling still. Black Panther turns to run back towards the tunnel, checking on the man, and on the Amazonian fighting on the other side.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana tries to remain well aware of the whole battlefield, its one of her trained skills and as such she's aware of Black Panther's fight as much as she is of her own, she knows he's a capable warrior though and when he sends out that violet energy wave she spares a glance in his direction...

But she's not done quite yet as another attack is coming from the 2nd of the two tunnel attacking avians! This one slams into the her side and sends her flying off of the bird she just ran through with her sword, her body slaps into the soft grass and mud causing her to roll several feet until she ends up on her side and pushes herself up onto her hands and knees. She looks to the bird as it soars around and starts to come toward her, she falls back onto the grass and starts recoiling, no sword, no lasso, no shield.

The Avian is pecking at her on her back as she crawls across the grass, his bronze beak slapping against her metal bracers as she deflects each incoming assault, one after another while it tries to pin her down with a massive bird-foot!

Finally it does just that, slamming the foot down onto Wonder Woman's form, smooshing her into the grass and dirt, it roars loudly and moves in for the kill...

But her bracers slap together, and a mushroom of kinetic energy bubbles up out of the park's ground toward the sky, fanning out in all directions in a translucent display of gold hued energy!

The Stymphalian that had her pinned is sent tumbling head over tail into the sky! Knocked silly with many of its metal feathers flying in all directions!

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther stops at the man in the tunnel just long enough to see he has no wounds. The man has his backpack off, is clutching it to his stomach protectively almost like someone else might a child.

Seeing Diana pinned though, Panther darts outside the tunnel, just in time to see her send the giant bird reeling. It tumbles through the air and crashes back down to the ground, flailing about. T'Challa darts in it, blood running from the slash across his chest. He dodges a wing and then slices through metal and bone, completely severing the dangerous appendage. Reaching its body, he pulls a pair of long vibranium knives, burying them deep into the bird's head to end its death-thrashes.

T'Challa stumbles away from it, sheathing the weapons, he picks up Diana's shield, moving to offer her a hand up and then returning the eagle-emblazoned metal disk once she's back on her feet.

"They went after this man with a frenzy. And he has something in his pack he is protective of. I suspect they may be linked," he says. He wears a bracelet made of circles of metal. He touches one and a display of the park comes up, showing the three remaining birds. "They are still around the edges. For the moment," he says.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana is sitting up by the time that T'Challa reaches her and she raises her hand to take his offered one, and is back onto her feet within a second later. She accepts the shield back from him as well and then her eyes drift over to the man in the tunnel that he is indicating, she can see him and his backpack.

Diana spares a glance back to the Wakandan then and she shows a pensive expression. "Then we have some questions for him, I would say." She replies as she follows it with a heavy exhale. She starts to walk to the man then, assuming that Black Panther is coming with her.

As she approaches the man she gathers up her sword next and sheaths it over her right shoulder, then centers herself in front of the man. "Hello." Diana says to him from the start. She looks him over and nods toward his backpack. "You are safe now." She says. "But I would love to know why they were so interested in you... is there anything you may know about this?"

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa has lowered his mask as he does indeed accompany Diana over and into the tunnel. He lets Diana be the one to talk to the frightened man. Which seems wise given how the man looks up at her. He responds to Diana as so many people do, sensing in her the embodiment of so many virtues that man holds dear.

"Ah... well... I... I guess.." he stammers, seeming reluctant to tell her despite his reaction. T'Challa stands nearby behind Diana, and his nose twitches as he inhales deeply.

"You," T'Challa tells the man. "You smell like them. Why?" Anyone else with keen enough senses might also sense that subtle scent that comes from the man, something similar to the birds.

The man runs a hand through his unkempt hair. "Ok, it's probably... it's probably this," he says. He opens up the top of his backpack and shows that inside he has a giant egg. Larger than an ostrich egg. It has clothing packed around it on the sides to help protect it.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana gives a momentary look back to T'Challa as he joins her with this man. Its likely a pretty intimidating experience to have these two Royals staring you down and questioning you, even after everything that just happened in front of this lone man.

When he finally fesses up, Diana's eyes go to the backpack and she reaches out to take it. She doesn't hesitate to take it from the man so that she can look inside of it and see the egg more clearly. Its then that she looks up to the man and offers the backpack over to T'Challa.

"Where in the world did you get this?" She asks him next and are you responsible for... she motions out to the field of carnage in the park behind her. "To all of that? People have died here today, children... have, died, here today. You need to tell us everything that you know with regard to all of this."

Black Panther has posed:
The man doesn't try to hold onto his pack as Wonder Woman takes it from him. But hearing her point out his responsibility for what has taken place makes him cringe and look outside with horror in his eyes. There are spatters of blood out there on the sidewalks that did not come from the birds. He likely saw things before they focus in enough on him.

"Oh god. I didn't mean for any of this," he says, hands clenching and unclenching. "I'm a professor, at NYU. Archeology. I saw pictures on social media someone had taken of an island in the Caribbean, east of Bermuda. Just a little island I'd never heard of before. But there were runes there, Greek runes. And so I put a little trip together to the island," he explains.

He looks out of the passage with a worried expression, as if fearing more of the birds. "Before I managed to get to where the runes were, I saw these great big birds upon the cliffside. I didn't think they were -that- big. But they all flew off, and so I climbed up. And there was a nest. I figured, it was a huge discovery. I took an egg so I could bring it back to a colleague. Only, by the time I climbed down and got to the beach, they returned. They came after me. I had a seaplane, we just managed to get in the air and outrun them!" He's a little wild-eyed at recounting the memory, on top of what he just went through.

"Jesus. I never thought they'd follow all the way back here!" he says. "Please, you have to believe me, Wonder Woman. I didn't know."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana doesn't need a lasso to believe the man's story, she knwos enough about people at this point in her long lived life to knwo that he's telling her the truth. She glances back to T'Challa again before she looks back upon the worried man.

"I believe you." She tells him then. "But you should have known better. You should have done your research." Thats all she'll say to scold him in this moment and thusly she turns to her side, her shield is placed onto her back as well now, hooked into the leather loops on the back of her leather harness.

"Come along." She tells the man. "You must go to the police and tell them of this. You must own up to your choices now. After that? Well, you will give me exact directions on where you found this egg..." She glances to Black Panther then. "So that we can return it."

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa pulls up his display showing what the jet's sensors pick up as it lingers, cloaked, above the park. "The remaining three birds are still out there," he says before he looks back up and over to the Amazonian Princess. "These things are more your specialty. Do we try to get them to follow us, with the egg, back down to their island? Or are they something too dangerous to leave out there?" he asks.

From his tone of voice, T'Challa would seem to favor the former. Though if Diana thinks they are better eradicated, T'Challa seems like he's willing to follow her lead on it.

The professor, on the other hand says, "These might be the only ones in existence. You can't kill them!" He wrings his hands and looks about. "I mean... well... they are dangerous, but..." He trails off, seeming to decide that staying silent is the better course of action.

T'Challa looks back to Diana. "If they will follow the egg? And they followed this man's plane all this way? Then we can get them following it, have you land in my jet, and lead them back home. If you think they can be safely spared?"

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana looks between both of them, the Professor gets a lingering gaze as she decides the best course of action. "If they were on this cliffside that you spoke of, then they have been there a very long time. We will return their egg and ensure that they follow us." Diana decides then as she reaches out for the backpack and the egg again, choosing to take the egg and hand the backpack back to the man.

"Thank you, for your help in this today. Prepare your jet, if you would not mind." She tells the Black Panther before her and spares him a faint smile before she looks back to the man who caused all of this.

"Come along." She tells him as she starts toward the line of NYPD that are making their way through the park now, with their high tech weapons that they've been armed with in the past many years to help fight off especially challenging threats like this. "You must tell me precisely of the origin point of this egg." She tells the NYU instructor. "We will return it. With its remaining family."

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa returns that smile from Diana with a soft one of his own and gives her a nod. He walks outside with the Amazonian and the professor, then works the controls via that bracelet he's wearing. The Wakandan jet begins descending, though still cloaked to not draw the attention of the birds quiet yet.

T'Challa walks alongside Diana as the professor gives her the coordinates. "Here, I can send them to you," he says, pulling them up on his phone. Once T'Challa sees them he says, "That is sufficient, doctor."

The Wakanda pulls up that display from his bracelet again, zooming into the latitude and longitude. There's a small island there. Isla Olvidado according to T'Challa's map.

"There is an access point in the bottom middle," T'Challa tells Diana of the roundish shaped aerial vehicle. "I will leave it open for you." He decloaks the jet and she can see where he is speaking off. The same opening he dropped out of earlier, not needing to use the main entry ramp that way while in flight.

T'Challa takes something from his belt, showing Diana a small sliver of mostly translucent material, with some electronics on them. "Communications," he tells her. If Diana consents, he gently places it behind her ear so they can speak to each other easily. Afterwards, he walks over beneath the jet and jumps up about twenty feet to disappear inside.

Wonder Woman has posed:
When T'Challa approaches with the communications device she allows him to place it properly on her ear and she offers him a light and short smile of thanks for this, all of it really. "I will get them to come after me with the egg and then I will join you aboard your plane." She says to him in her thickly accented English.

Once more Diana looks to the Professor then and she gives him a much more serious stare. "You will forfeit these creatures lives if you tell anyone else where they nest." She warns him. "Keep it secret, and safe, or they will suffer as they already have because of your actions here." That should be a sufficient amount of guilt for this man... hopefully.

And with that said the Princess turns and starts to scan the skies, holding the egg of the Stymphalian birds close against her right hip. With one more nod given to T'Challa, she shoots up into the air toward the location of the birds who seem to be circling in the sky, perhaps deciding their next play... it doesn't take long before everyone on the ground can see Wonder Woman engaging the Stymphalins in-flight and a chase beginning shortly there-after.

Black Panther has posed:
The jet lifts straight upwards, three circular engines on the bottom providing lift as the vehicle goes vertical without having to tip the nose up. Once it is high enough overhead to not spook the birds or otherwise impact what Diana has in mind, it stays there, the round hatch in the bottom left open as T'Challa had said.

As Diana clears the trees, she can spot the three Stymphalian birds in various spots around the edges of the park. Patrolling it. Sometimes diving down to drive back people caught inside who try to make a run for the edges. Some gets out, there being too much perimeter to the park for the birds to cover. Though even those driven back, the birds don't seem to be eating, so much as just herding back inside.

One gives a loud squawk that rings cross the park as it notices Diana. The bird's beak comes up as if it is sniffing. It takes wing and begins flying towards the Amazonian Princess and the egg she carries.

Another loud, shrill cry is given, the other two birds quickly looking up with an intensity to their gaze. They take off, and all three begin making a fast beeline for Diana.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana hovers in the air long enough for the Stymphalians to track her more easily and then she's turning and moving off in full flight toward the horizon. She's a capable flier, and experienced at it at this phase of her life. It wasn't until the 1980s that she really started to excel at it though, and has since practiced it in hiding until she became a public figure in the 2ks. Now she flies openly and often, but generally uses her alien tech powered jet... which is currently in Metropolis on a mission with others.

The Wakandan Jet is watched as Diana flies away from the massive dangerous birds that pursue her. she glances back to them and then back to the Jet as she angles her flight path toward the jet. Once they're out over the ocean she maneuvers toward the open hatch on the aft of the craft and she slips inside of it.

Her right hand reaches up to brace herself on the craft's open hatch, her armored boots are firmly planted on its deck plating and she holds the egg up against her stomach while her eyes look out toward the Stymphalians, she lets them get a good look at her inside of the Jet and then she turns and starts to walk forward inside it to find the pilot.

"They are following us." Diana says in the midsts of a heavy exhale of oxygen.

Black Panther has posed:
The inside of the jet is quite unlike most aircraft. An open room. Round like the aircraft's general shape. There are banks of terminals with small padded chairs in front of them. A bench, and a table in the middle. It looks more like a command room of a space craft or naval vessel than it does an airplane of this size.

The cockpit looks much like a plane, but the controls appear to mainly be holographic. T'Challa is sitting in a seat there, his mask down. He motions to the holographic displays and a section of the cockpit becomes a screen showing a view behind the plane, focused on the three birds.

"Well done," T'Challa's smoky deep voice says as he swivels in his seat fully to face Diana. "We are on course for Isla Olvidado," he tells her. He rises from the chair and walks back to join her. He motions towards the table in the center of the room. The surface of it rises up, like the grains that make up the surface can be moved to take different shapes. It takes the form of a map showing New York, and then their destination. T'Challa makes an adjustment, and one corner of it zooms in to show the three Stymphalian birds in flight, each formed of the little bits of metal that seem no bigger than iron filings.

"I have set the autopilot to match their speed and keep them at a distance of a third of a mile away," he tells her.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana seems even taller when she's in enclosed spaces like this, her armored boots taking her height above the six feet it stands at naturally, and she steps back and to the side to let T'Challa come back to the middle of the ship to access the table there-in.

Her blue eyes scan the images that the table presents, she tracks where T'Challa indicates and she softly nods her head in approval of it all. "This is perfect." She says then in her own smoky voice, turning her head to stare at him and offer him a faint smile. "Thank you." She says further.

Once more her eyes go back down to the table and she releases a burdened sigh. "They killed people. Children." She says. "I would not be lying if I admitted that part of me strongly considered ending them, and this." She says, giving a brief glance to the egg held at her side.

She then looks back to the King and lowers her chin ever so slightly. "But it would be wrong. It is not their fault they did what they did. It is the fault of the careless man who brought them to our shores."

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther reaches down and picks up one of the flying birds, the tiny vibranium filaments that form it staying together, flapping even as T'Challa holds it in his hand. "It is... a difficult thing to have to decide," he agrees as he looks the bird over before releasing it so it slides back into place on its own beside the other birds.

"I would suggest we examine their nests. See what type of remains are there. They must be feeding on something. We may need to revisit the decision after we know more," T'Challa suggests, looking over to Diana.

He walks past her, but pauses to reach out a hand and rest it upon her shoulder. "They would have killed far more. But for your intervention, Diana," T'Challa says in his slow, precise delivery. "I wish we both could have been quicker. But we made a difference."

He lingers there with her for a few moments, before walking over to the bench. His costume dissolves, the top half disappearing up into the necklace he wears. Revealing his bare chest, with a wicked looking cut right across it. He sits down with only a small wince, and opens a cabinet which contains medical supplies.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana shows him another faint and brief smile as he comforts her concerns on the events in the park and she responds with a light nod of agreeing and understanding. She knows he's right, its just hard for her to carry the burden of knowing what happened there.

Her eyes fall back to the birds then as he moves to sit and tend to his wounds and when he is openly displaying them is when she looks away from the holographic radar system she spies his injuries.

"Here." Diana says a moment later and she walks toward him, removing her shield from her back she leans it against one of the bulkheads and then moves toward where she sees the medical equipment... even though Wakandan medicine is likely out of her wheelhouse when it comes to first aide.

"The city of Manhattan is in Wakanda's debt." She then says as she ties to sit before him to help him with his wounds. She leans in to try to inspect it more closely and she has to wince at it. "I do not suppose you have advanced healing abilities?" She asks, glancing up at him with a small grin.

Black Panther has posed:
The first aid equipment looks fairly standard, at least to start with. Something to clean the wound off. There is something akin to a staple gun from the looks of it, though no sign of actual staples. "Thank you," T'Challa says as Diana comes over and offers to help him. He helps with cleaning the wound. A deep cut, though one that stitches would be enough for.

T'Challa picks up the instrument to offer to Diana. "Do you mind? This will seal it closed. You need merely depress the trigger. Then run it slowly along the cut," he tells her.

The Wakandan's dark brown eyes shine with gratitude at her comment. "Wakanda, and Themyscira," he says. "May it be but the first example of such cooperation." T'Challa looks over to Diana, taking a moment to look at her as if truly seeing her. "And hopefully not just the first cooperation on the personal level too, not just the national," he tells her in a softer voice.

T'Challa glances down at the cut then and says, "Though I got a little careless. I admit, this new armor that I have? I enjoy letting an opponent charge it up. But it is not as effective when sliced. I could have freed myself before it happened. I shall have to rethink how I use some of my sister's enhancements," he tells her.

T'Challa nods to Diana then to say, "Actually, I heal quite rapidly. This should be fully healed in... two days? By tomorrow, no more than the smallest discomfort. Bast lends her health to me," he says of the African Cat Goddess.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana's eyes study the tools as he indicates how they operate and she nods softly in understanding of them. Once they have the wound cleaned up to a place that Diana feels is good she takes the device and she lightly pushes him by his shoulder, her fingers are bare the rest of her hand is wrapped in dark brown leather that goes up into the bracers on her forearms. "Lay back." She says. "Hopefully this does not hurt." She offers a light grin.

The device is taken and she examines it with one more look over before she places it in the proper place and she uses it to seal his wound. "I am sure that we will have many more opportunities to work together to overcome... adversaries such as our winged friends behind us." She glances up to the King again and shows him another light smile.

"You have many impressive technologies." She then states. "I must say that it is most impressive. I would like to meet your sister, she sounds like an amazing engineer. The proof is all around us, after all." She completes the procedure and then sets the device aside before smiling lightly to him again.

"I think you will live." She announces and then takes a deep inhale. "I must warn though that these creatures to tend to... leave poisonous droppings behind. I do not know what your resistance to such would be, but if we are to look around their nestings, it is something to keep mind of." Another faint grin. "A very lovely topic to bring up. I know. Safety first?"

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther lies back for Diana as she readies the medical instrument. "It is mostly painless. Though if she had a way to tell it was me? She would probably have it give a sharp pinch," T'Challa jokes back to Diana.

"She is smart," he says of Shuri, eyes shining with a brother's pride as Diana works the instrument. Rather than leaving some sort of staple or suture, it just seems to leave a dark grey film across the wound which solidifies almost immediately and seems to hold the wound closed just fine. "A tremendous scientist. She has pushed our technology forward as few have in my nation's history," he confides.

"She is a fan of yours. We have a holiday where the children wear costumes. She dressed as you when she was younger, one year," T'Challa tells Diana, the memory bringing a warm smile. "She made me throw things at her so she could practice deflecting them with her bracers," he says. T'Challa looks over towards Diana's armor. "Tell me, are you able to actually see bullets in flight? Or do you figure out where they will hit? I have always wondered that," he asks Diana.

He sits up slowly as Diana finishes and pronounces he will live. "Few poisons affect me. Another of Bast's blessings," T'Challa says of her concern over the bird's poisonous effects. "But yes, safety first." He glances towards the medical equipment and asks, "Do you think these sorts of technology would be something your mother would feel comfortable with Themiscyra obtaining?" he asks.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana grins lightly at the pinch comment and she sits up straight with her hands in her lap as she listens to the rest of it. A sly smile shows at the talk of his sister further and she glances down at her bracers. "I shall have to procure a set of them for her, if she would enjoy such a thing in a more serious form now that she is an adult." She assumes she's an adult based on what she knows of the woman now.

The question about the bullets and her reflexes makes Diana raise her eyebrows up a little as she considers the response and then just lightly nods her head once. "It is based in my reflexes. I sometimes compare it to that of someone with tremendous speed, such as the Justice League member 'Flash' though it is no where near as fast as he is. I can see the projectile and move away from it, or use my armor to deflect it, which is generally the ideal choice so that the ballistic will not... move past me to harm someone else in my place."

The question of her mother makes Diana look away toward that holographic projection of the radar tracking system and, well, she has to release a light laugh and shake her head. "Not even a little." She replies about her mother as she turns her gaze back onto him. "It took me weeks to get her to allow my original plane to be parked in a cavern on Themyscira and she has it guarded now every hour of the day to keep others away from it. She believes that what we have now, is all that our people could ever ask for, ever need."

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa gives his warm, lopsided smile at the mention of the bracelets for Shuri. "You have no idea how much you would make her day, with such a gift," T'Challa says, shaking his head. His eyes shine warmly at Diana. "You have a great kindness about you, Diana," he says. It takes T'Challa a second to catch what he said and get a rueful look. "Forgive me, Your Highness. Miss Prince, I should have said," he amends, trying to make up for the familiarity with an extra dose of etiquette.

"But yes, she would love it," he says again. T'Challa looks thoughtful then at the stance of Diana's mother. "Well, there are plenty of other things we might exchange as part of growing a friendship between our peoples. Food. Music. And, perhaps there is interest in fighting styles? We have our own fighting style, which Okoye and the other members of the Dora Milaje, my guard, use. I have no doubt Okoye would jump at the chance to have her warriors go through Amazonian training. And train any of your people that might wish to learn the Wakandan styles?" he offers.

Wonder Woman has posed:
"Diana is perfectly fine to refer to me as." She replies to him then with a slight smile. "The Prince part did not come until I came to the shores of man's world and then, it was... thrust upon me. Once I learned the weight of a surname, I kept it and over time it became as official of a name as anyone else's... But... Diana is the name I held the longest in my life and... titles of royalty are for official occasions, if even then."

A light nod is given then to him. "Once we return from this, I will send word to my mother of the request of allowing you and some of yours to come to the island. I do not... believe she has ever heard of Wakanda before, so there may be a fair amount of explanation required, but once she is brought up to speed, I do not think she will hesitate to allow you and yours to come to see our home."

Another light grin is shown on her lips. "I would very much look forward to seeing the sparring of our peoples. The entire idea of it excites me, in fact. Hopefully you can bring your sister along as well." Diana gives a glance then toward the holo-images over the table, to spy on the birds that they are leading along.

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa smiles softly to her and says, "Alright. Diana then. And of course, please, call me T'Challa," he tells the Amazonian Princess. He looks over to the display as well. The plane is making good time, according to what that table is showing. "I can prepare a few things if you like? Gifts. Examples of our history and culture. So she has something to judge us by," T'Challa offers.

A soft chiming sound comes from both the cockpit and from T'Challa's wrist. He swings his legs over the side of the bench where he'd lay down for the treatment. "A communication," he tells Diana. "Let me check it."

T'Challa stands up and walks over to the cockpit, sitting down in the floating chair there. An image of a young black woman in her early twenties appears from mid-torso up, looking as real as if the woman herself were there. She has a bright, fresh face, and apparently she can see T'Challa as well.

"Brutha! I was reviewing the latest footage from your jet. What have you been doing!" she says.

T'Challa laughs and motions with his hands. "I'm fine, just a small cut," he assures her.

Shuri holds up both hands. "Just a cut? It's not that. You were fighting alongside -Wonder Woman-. And you let yourself get hurt by what? A giant chicken!" Shuri tells him.

T'Challa covers his face for a moment. Apparently Shuri can't see that Diana is in the plane with where she is. "Shuri, it wasn't a giant chick-"

"A giant chicken, brutha!" Shuri repeats. "Okoye couldn't stop talking about how beautiful and noble she was, and you let yourself get pecked apart by a barnyard animal?" Shuri says.

T'Challa glances over his shoulder to Diana, laughing softly as he looks back to Shuri, and motions for her to calm down. "Shuri, really," he tries to tell her, but his sister is just laughing at him right now.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana looks to him as he rises and moves to tend to the communication call. She smiles lightly and then stands and moves to look at the radar display. Her advanced hearing makes it almost impossible for her to not hear the entirety of the conversation between the siblings and it makes Diana smile again, but she tries to make it go away... its their conversation after all.

She continues to stare at the three avians trailing after them, they are beautiful creatures really...

Eventually though, Diana can't resist and as the two talk, she'll come into frame behind T'Challa's shoulder, the young woman on the other end of the communication will easily be able to see her.

"I promise." Diana says then. "They are much harder to fight than a chicken." She says this, punctuating it with a slight grin. "He saved lives today, I assure you."

Black Panther has posed:
Shuri's eyes open wide. "Wonder Woman! I mean... Diana Pr- I mean... Your Highness!" she exclaims. T'Challa is sitting quietly in his seat, his expression one of utter satisfaction as he watches his sister squirming. T'Challa turns his head to look over to Diana and shine her a look of absolute joy and gratitude.

"Shuri, this is Diana Prince of Themyscira," T'Challa says finally to save his sister some of her embarrassment. "Diana, this is my wonderful baby sister, Shuri," T'Challa says. He looks back to his sister to say, "Diana was commenting what an amazing engineer you must be. And I believe saying she would enjoy meeting you sometime."

Shuri looks like she wants to drum her feet on the ground. "I'm such a big fan," she tells Diana. "I would love to meet you, yes. It would be a great honor," Shuri says, the young woman having such a bright liveliness to her.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana just grins lightly throughout the initial reaction and then nods her head once to the woman on the screen. "Diana, is all you need refer to me as." She offers then before she looks over and down to the King as he makes the formal introductions.

Her gaze returns to Shuri's simulated own and she smiles to the young woman. "It is only a matter of time now before we meet each other. So it would seem." She indicates, glancing to T'Challa and then back to Shuri. "I am going to arrange a trip for your brother and whomever he wishes to include, for a Wakandan group to visit Themyscira. I formally invite you to come, should be able to, of course."

"The honor would be mine, to host you and yours at my home sometime soon." Once more she glances to T'Challa then. "Your brother is an amazing fighter, as I believe that your General Okoye is as well. I very much look forward to seeing our people interact together. I think it will be an experience, for both of us."

Black Panther has posed:
Shuri's grin is ear-to-ear. "Thank you Diana. I very much look forward to visiting your home," she says, her face nearly glowing at the prospect. T'Challa adds, "I cannot think of a better representative. Shuri might even wear some of our historical, traditional attire. Perhaps something from the river tribe?" T'Challa offers.

From Shuri's face, it probably is not something very attractive. She gives T'Challa the kind of playful glare that siblings master for each other. "I'll wear a sheet if that's what it takes," she tells T'Challa. "Though I have a Janet van Dyne I'd much rather wear."

T'Challa smiles and looks to Diana. "Thank you for your compliments, Diana. And for your friendship and assistance," he tells her, giving the woman a warm smile. Shuri's head tilts a little bit as she sees that smile from her brother.

There's another beep from the plane then. "It looks like we are nearing our destination. Shuri, we will speak later," T'Challa tells her.

"Alright. Be safe, both of you. No more... ah... Stymphalian wounds," Shuri replies, leaving off with the chicken comments.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana looks between the two siblings as they exchange their little barbs and it makes a smile spread over her red lips to the interaction. She never really had a sibling, Donna... but Donna disappeared within a very small frame of time when Diana was a child, they barely ever got to be together even.

"I look forward to seeing you soon, Shuri." Diana says then. "I will bring a gift for you, so prepare for that." Thats just a little bit of fun thrown out there, to make the girl hopefully sizzle in anticipation for a gift from Wonder Woman.

T'Challa's words of her assistance get a nod from her. "We have to stick together, less we are doomed to failure." And with that she gives a slight nod to Shuri and then turns to walk toward the radar system when T'Challa speaks of them coming up on their destination. "I will check on our pursuers." She says then, moving to do just that!

Black Panther has posed:
The birds have flown the whole way down, a matter of quite a few hours now. "I imagine those creatures must be quite hungry after the flight," T'Challa comments. The display shows they are still back there, in hot pursuit of the Wakandan plane that is keeping the pace to what they are already flying at.

T'Challa rises and moves over to the table. He zooms in on the island itself. It only has so much resolution at this distance. "Cliffs here. And here," he says, zooming in on them. "Perhaps some on the back side that the jet cannot see from this angle," he comments.

T'Challa reforms his suit back up to his neck. The previous slash is gone from it once it reforms, one of the handy things about the technology. "What are your thoughts on how to handle this?" he asks. "We have the egg to return. We also need to get an idea what they are feeding on. Whether they have lived here all along or something else is responsible," T'Challa says. He frowns a moment and says, "And there are those Greek runes that led the professor to the island in the first place," he comments.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana approaches the table and she draws in a light breath while her eyes take in the sights that it displays and T'Challa runs down what all they are looking. She glances over at him before she looks back to the display once more. "The runes are a concern." She quietly admits. "It suggests that there may be some connection to the outside world and that these creatures have not been here simply by random chance, all these years."

The Princess then steps over to where she'd rested the egg and she gathers it up into her hands again, holding it between both of her hands near to its base with the egg resting in her palms.

"I will take this down there now. I will draw them to me and I will show them that I am returning it to whatever appears to be their place for these. We can... hope, that that is enough to draw at least one of them to remain with the egg. I would suggest that you take your plane and scan the rest of the island, so we can at least have record of this place. IF you see anything that suggests man made structures, call it out to me and we can meet there. Hopefully, without any Stymphalian aggressors. I would very much prefer not to kill any more of them as we are at their home now."

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa zooms in on some of the nests, the detail improving as the plane draws closer. After checking a few, he picks up one of the nests. The object which looks made from little metal filings sticking together to form the image, doesn't seem to mind being handled.

T'Challa adjusts a button on the table and two little egg-like shapes in the nest light up. "Other eggs, with life signs in them," he tells Diana in his cultured sounding African accent. "Perhaps a good one to aim for then?" he suggests.

He lets go of the nest and it slides through the air back into position. Along with the eggs lighting up, four more Stymphalian birds light up at various places around the cliffs. "Four at the island, and three following us. So seven total," he comments. "I have wondered how agile a flyer you are. Though I would have settled for a mere demonstration," he tells Diana, looking up to smile at her. But she can likely detect he holds concern for her, even if he lets his confidence in her abilities keep most of it from his expression. "I will scan and send you the results. But if you need assistance," he offers.

He opens a drawer in the table and takes a beaded bracelet like one he is wearing. He moves over to Diana, holding it up and towards her wrist as if seeking permission to place it on her. If granted, he slides it on her wrist, his fingers touching the skin there briefly before it placed and it self-tightens just enough to stay in place, out of the way of her bracers. "This bead will light up and chime. Just touch it and it will make a display much like the table," he tells Diana. He touches the bead and indeed, an image even clearer than the table's appears, a live feed of T'Challa's face, before he turns it off again with a touch.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana's flight is different from other super heroes, its different from Superman's or Captain Marvel's, its more physical based and has taken her a lot longer to perfect than those two ever dealt with in their own right. "I do prefer to be on the ground." She say sof it. "I prefer to run and jump, more than fly. Free fall rather than controlled flight. But, I will be fine." She says as she then gathers up her shield as well before she looks once more to the table and takes in the sight of the other birds and the spotted nest, which gets a dip of her chin in a confirmation of where she needs to go.

Its then that Diana looks over to the King again as he presents to her that device that slips about her wrist, over the leather that encases the palm of her hand and the back of it, that disappears beneath the edge of her submission bracers. "Thank you." Diana says to him as she looks up onto him and smiles softly.

The Princess then turns to move to the aft of the craft, where she entered it from. She holds the egg in one hand and her large rounded shield in the other. "I am ready." Diana says, then, waiting for the hatch of the vessel to open before she will dive out into the sky!

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa gives Diana back his soft, lopsided smile. "Be safe, Miss Prince," he says, the extra light in his gaze making his use of the more formal address seem more of an endearment before he turns and returns to the pilot's seat. "Flying directly overhead the nests. You should have a clear shot down to it," he tells her. The heads up holographic display zooms in for a moment to help show where they are in relation to it. "Ready in, three. Two. One," he says and then the circular hatch retracts into the underside of the plane, allowing egress by dropping or diving through it.

Once outside, there is none of the jet sound that one would expect when leaving such a plane. Though there was none noticeable during the trip, so that might be something she could be used to. Just the roar of the air as the speed of the flight causes it to whip by.

Once Diana is clear, the jet banks in a circle, out to sea first before curving back towards the island. Giving T'Challa a chance to check and make sure she's alright before the Wakandan vehicle will disappear out of view over the cliffs to check out the rest of the island.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana's own jet makes an odd sound in flight, its not dead silent, but it is a sound unlike most any other craft likely on Earth today. This plane? She can tell its unique, as are most things about the people of Wakanda, so she's coming to discover.

The Princess doesn't so much jump or dive out of the back of the craft as she does allow gravity to take her from it. She tumbles out with a graceful posture and a turn in her body that leaves her arching away from the vehicle and down toward the ground in a spiral-like effect that could easily be referred to as a flourish. She does this for a reason, she wants to draw the bird's attention to her and she's holding that egg in her hand outward the entire time.

Finally. Diana lands on the edge of the cliff where the nests were located. She drops into a crouch, her armored boots poised on the edge of a rocky ledge. She adjusts her gaze from down upon the waters of the ocean below, now up to where the birds that have been tailing them are coming.

With a deep inhale of oxygen, Diana turns and starts toward their nests. She hops up a series of rocky inclines, propelling herself from one stone outcropping to the next until she's up ontop of an old gnarled tree truck, long without leaves on its old branches, Diana moves toward the large nests upon it. She ducks as one of the Steymphalin's flies over her head, then leans forward to place the egg back into the nest before her, next to the others located there....

Black Panther has posed:
The egg's presence is drawing not only the three chasing birds, but seems to have caught the notice of the other four. Only one is nearby, taking wing to go and investigate, while the others begin flying from various directions where they were off, doing whatever it is such birds do.

There are bits of bone in the next from previous feedings. A few skulls that look like they are from animals. Goats or deer or something like that, but nothing that looks human. The cries of the birds that have chased them from New York call out as they see Diana going into the nest.

The Wakandan jet meanwhile has disappeared over the cliffs and in towards the rest of the island. It's about a mile long, a crescent shape with a bit of a lagoon in the middle, but many steep cliffs and mountainous hills that make this a volcanic rather than coral island. The lagoon in the middle was probably the volcano's caldera at one point.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana has the egg in place with little trouble, but the problem is now... the birds all know where she is and that this creature has dared to trespass on their sacred nesting place. One of the larger creatures descends down and lands upon the branch with an experienced confidence. it tries desperate to peck its beak through the branches to get at Diana, but she's nimbly darting through it all and descending the cliff beneath the old tree.

Two more drop out of the sky to help the first and they land beneath the tree now, trying to catch Diana as she emerges, one of her armored boots narrowly avoiding a bird's aggressive snapping attack.

As luck would have it though, this tree that they've nested on is firmly laying inside of a rocky crevice large enough for the Princess to sheek refuge within beneath the tree's trunk above her, rock walls on either sides. The Stymphalian can't come at her within this spot.

She works her way through the crevice, shoving through old foliage, dirt, even some of the discarded bones tossed aside by the avian creatures most likely. There's a gap up ahead and once she's out from beneath the tree she suddenly reappears, shooting up into the sky and darting now toward the center of the island, over top of that lagoon. "The egg is back in their nest." Diana says over their comms as she glances down to the wrist he put the holo-imager on, she locates where the Wakandan jet is. "Anything else unusual showing up?"

Black Panther has posed:
The birds snap and claw at the entrance to the crevice, one snaking it's head into clang a bronze beak closed just short of reaching Diana as she moves deeper inside the narrow gap between the rocks.

Once she's out of sight, the birds seem to refocus on checking the eggs, none of them trying to chase when she emerges out the other side. The three birds that flew all the way from New York go off to other parts of the island, likely to feed.

T'Challa's face shows in the bracelet's hologram. "I am glad that you are safe," he tells her, face showing relief from the small bit of worry he had. T'Challa continues, saying, "I have found some sort of manmade location. Stones around what might serve as an altar."

The hologram changes, showing the island and the zooming in on an area near a beach along the edge of the lagoon. Rocks that are stood upright in a semi-circle. Some of them look like they might have been smoothed or chipped to give rough approximations of weapons. One has a cross hilt like a sword. Another is close in shape to a great hammer. At the focus of the semi-circle is a flat stone lying across two others as if to make a table, or altar.

"I am landing now for a closer look,' T'Challa tells Diana. The Wakanda jet can be seen touching down on the beach ahead.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Above the crystal blue waters of the lagoon below Diana, she scans them with her eyes while listen to T'Challa. She is fine indeed, if a bit more dirty now and her hair a bit more wildly a mess. "There appears to be some ship wrecks beneath the ocean's water here as well." She relays, able to see the outlines of old wooden ship hulls beneath the waves crashing inward toward the sandy shore of the island's inner crescent beach. It'd be a pretty place, if it weren't for the context of why they're here and what oddities this island oasis possesses.

"I will be there shortly." Diana replies to T'Challa then as she darts off toward the direction that the holo-imager showed her. She drops down toward the core of the island and is soon to fall from the sky entirely and to land on the shore of white sands with her armored boots sending up a spray of dirt and sand beneath her. Now the Princess is doing as she said she preferred, running, jumping, scaling and traversing her way to the rendezvous point on-foot and with her impressive strength and parkour skills carrying her there.

Diana appears on the perimeter of the location that T'Challa mentioned, standing atop a rock ledge with her shield still in her left hand, held up against her arm and side. She's aware of the other birds still likely to attack them both, but she's stayed ahead of them at least thus far.

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther is waiting for Diana on the rock ledge. He sits crouched, hands upon the ground near his feet in a somewhat catlike posture though he has never really considered it looks that way, especially with his armor on. He's gazing down at the area below, but turns towards Diana as she arrives, his mask dissolving away to reveal his face.

"Well done with the egg," the African says while giving a nod of respect to Diana. "I have circled the location. There are some scents that might be people. But very faint," he says in his smoky-soft voice. "Perhaps a week old."

T'Challa looks back towards the semi-circle and points between the larger rocks, each nearly man-sized, that stand upright looking like weapons. "Between them, laid flat on the ground, are more stones with Greek writing," T'Challa says. "I figured to wait for your aid in deciphering them." The Amazonian is given a soft smile, T'Challa figuring it should be no trouble for her, clearly.

He gazes towards the beautiful, tropical lagoon. "Such a beautiful island. A shame," he says. "I wonder of these ships you spotted. Perhaps we should take a look at the place here. And then dive down to check them?" he suggests as he rises from his crouched posture to move over to join Diana.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana looks over to him as he reveals his face again from his armored suit. He's crouched beside her so she has to look down onto him. Then her stare goes out toward the ruins that he indicates. "This place." Diana starts then. "It looks to me like the remnants of a tactically sound naval base. A place where ships may have come to resupply and... or... prepare for battle. The wreckage I saw appeared to be quite old." Her eyes go back down to T'Challa then. "I will read the inscriptions."

Wonder Woman jumps then, all the way down the ledge to where she believes he was indicating. Her shield is swept back around to be mounted once more upon the harness around her armored torso. She starts to walk toward the ruins and cast her gaze about. She spots a discarded... food wrapper and this makes her frown quite heavily. She kneels to retrieve it and after rising once more she looks over to that of the Black Panther. "Our New York University expedition members, I assume." She says, showing off the 'protein bar' wrapper to him with a smirk.

"It is a beautiful island. It has shades of my home about it, vague... but still. Its been scarred by man's warring ways though. I can feel it still suffering from those scars, like an elder with many war stories."

She approaches the runes and allows her eyes to sweep over them.

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa jumps from the ledge as well not covering the distance of Diana's great leap, but handling the fall without issue as he alights softly on the ground. Sparse tropical vegetation grows in the area, though it seems to grow less dense the closer they get to the arrangement of stones. In some cases the green of the plants is disrupted, the leaves turning brown and looking as if the plants might be dead, or dying.

T'Challa's nod signifies his agreement with the University expedition. "One boot print matches the tread of our Central Park professor," he comments, moving over to the spot, pulling back the stray leaves that covered it, protecting it from the elements enough to have been left behind. He covers it back up both to further preserve it, and hide evidence of their own presence there.

The flat stones laid in the ground have weathered Greek runes on them. Not a modern creation. Nor do the taller, weapon-like stones seem newly crafted, they bearing the look of weathering by the elements after they were crudely shaped.

The runes are sometimes difficult to make out, but they seem to have a religious bent. Appeals to the gods for success. Health. Victory. Power. A few stones are laid in the ground closer to the altar-like arrangement. The same rune appears on four of them. Ares. But no mention of other Greek gods. The setup is very like might have occupied an ancient shrine in Sparta, Argos, or some of the other more warlike citystates.

"Any idea what vintage the ship remains might be?" T'Challa asks as he pauses to look towards the lagoon. They are in the Bermuda triangle, a distance from Greece, but not too far for ships dating even that far back to have made the voyage.

Wonder Woman has posed:
The protein bar wrapper is wadded up and stuffed into the back of Diana's bracer between her forearm and the armor wrapped around it, she's not about to just drop it on the ground again!

Religion and ancient Greece go hand-in-hand, so when she runs her gaze over the runes and finds references to the gods none of it surprises her really. What does surprise her somewhat is that she only spies the name of Ares. This, in fact, makes her visibly frown again and she gives a 'look' over to Panther about what she just read. "The God of War." She says softly then to T'Challa.

Diana then steps around a bit more as she continues to walk and explore at a casual and slow pace. "It was too difficult to tell from where I was. They did not look large, smaller, like troop transports. Perhaps dispatched from larger vessels and sank on their way... to shore, which might indicate a battle took place here as though one group was attempting to siege the island from another.

Diana then spares a moment to look ot the skies, over the trees where the sun is shining in the distance as its on the downward arch of its daily routine by now. "The Stymphalians seem more content with their egg returned, at the very least." She idly comments.

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa moves over to note the runes that Diana indicates signifies the God of War. He gives a slight frown then glances back the direction towards the cliffs where the large birds nest. "In mythology, these creatures were related to Ares were they not? Killed by Hercules during the tasks set before him?" T'Challa asks. "Or, so that is the story that made it through the years to the rest of the world," he adds, as if suspecting Diana might know more of the matter than the surviving myths do.

He makes his way over to the altar then, not having searched it yet as he wished to wait for Diana. "Some signs of... I will call it use," he says. He uses his glove hand to pick something up, bringing it to his nose to sniff. "A military medal. Smells of blood. And... other scents. Avian. Those birds we fought, but something else not-them, too," he says.

He straightens to eye the stones themselves. Feeling his hands over the top of the altar. "Scrapes. Recent, not weathered. Some visible, others more subtle." One of the sets of scrapes is a trio of marks, large and spread apart though. "This looks the size of one of their feet," he comments, having had a close up view of them while he was pinned by one to the ground. "So some connection between this place, and their presence?"

He glances at the mountains hills on the island. "I spotted many goats on the hills. I suspect that is their main food source. Probably feeding after their long flight on something easier than us?" he suggests of the bird's current absence.

Wonder Woman has posed:
"Likely so." Diana replies about the birds and their eating habits. She then turns back to where T'Challa is and she moves to walk around the altar herself. As she does this her eyes scan over it and the marks upon it. "Ares stole the birds from Artemis and allowed them to breed and spread chaos across the Peloponnese peninsula." She recalls her history lessons as a child, fondly as she does most of her childhood memories. "And yes it was then Hercules who came to defeat them. But he was unable to kill all of them. It is said that his efforts were... mostly suecessful, in that he saved the peninsula from further attacks, but he made the Stymphalians--that remained--spread out to far away places."

Diana pauses then and stands beside T'Challa. She glances to him, then to the area around them. "I feel that this is likely one of the islands that they fled to. It is remarkable that they would go undiscovered this long. But... I have seen stranger things in my life since leaving home."

She glances back to T'Challa and offers him a faint smile before her gaze returns to the altar. "Clearly someone found this place though, a group faithful to Ares, perhaps attempting to return the birds to Peloponnese to finish Ares' bidding."

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa crosses his arms, looking thoughtful as he listens to Diana. A soft tropical breeze filters through the surrounding trees, barely stirring the short curls of T'Challa's hair, but stirring more through Diana'a flowing locks. "Their numbers are not great, but it is a small island. Perhaps the amount of food keeping them from growing too many?" he muses.

He glances to the altar. "So keeping them well fed would be necessary. If there was not another way increase their numbers." He draws a finger across the altar, smelling it and frowning. "Definitely things have died here. Perhaps men. Creatures that dine on goats for a thousand years may no longer cave the same tastes that Ares originally wished them to. Perhaps this medal was... someone to help them reacquire the taste?" he suggests.

T'Challa looks back around the altar area for anything else they might have missed. "Shall we check the sunken ships and see if they have anything to add to the story that we have found painted here?" he asks Diana.

Wonder Woman has posed:
"They did not hesitate to attack, and consume, the people in Central Park." Diana acknowledges T'Challa's assessment of all of this. She stares at the altar a moment longer but the evidence upon it speaks for itself. After a lingering moment more, she agrees with a light nod and a step that starts to carry her around the altar and back the way they had come, back to the island's center.

She looks back to him then. "I am going to take note of this place, and have a Justice League monitoring station issued here. It will allow us to better track the activities that take place on this island going forward. It will also warn any ships that come close to it that this place holds dangers they must avoid at all costs. It will be for the best."

Diana starts up an incline that will weave its way through the island back toward the waters that can be distantly heard on the winds that do indeed ruffle her hair about her shoulders a little. "Thank you again, for all of this. The Avengers are lucky to have you on their roster."

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa walks alongside Diana up the incline, a nod signalling his agreement on having the place monitored. "If someone is intentionally interacting with them? Waiting to catch them would be the wisest move," he agrees.

As they crest the rise, he motions over to where the jet is parked. "I have underwater gear on board. Rebreathers, fins," he says. "Though Amazonians may be as effective underwater as above, for all I know. But I could use the gear, at the least," he tells Diana.

The jet is parked near the beach, along the line of firmer ground where the vegetation soon begins. There is a ramp that extends down from it, rather than using the access hatch Diana did during flight. If she accompanies him there, T'Challa walks up the ramp with her into the comparatively spacious plane. Over to a section where he opens a panel to reveal the equipment.

Though it is Wakandan design, and more compact, it will be easy enough to identify the breathing equipment, little more than a nozzle with a mouth-fitting which recycles the air rather than needing a tank. There are also wet suits, though the tropical weather does not need them. And swim wear both for men and women. "Take anything you wish," he tells her as he pulls out swim fins, and retracts his armor back to what amounts to a bathing suit's worth of coverage.

Wonder Woman has posed:
"If they do not know already know that we are here." Diana says then. "I have been looking for any sort of pre-existing monitoring equipment, but I have not yet seen anything. If there was something of that nature though, I do believe the University expedition would have triggered it... and I do not think the Professor and his people ever would have returned home."

Diana nods softly two small times to what T'Challa says about the equipment aboard the plane and she boards it, setting her sword and shield aside now she examines the equipment and picks up a mask to make seeing that much more easy beneath the water. "This should do." She says then as she turns to sit on on an empty space that will accommodate her. She clears her throat softly then and looks up to him. "Brace yourself." She says with a soft smirk as she starts to remove her armored boots, and then rises and steps out of them. A moment later and she's removing that ornate Eagle Armor of hers. She's not nude beneath it, quite the contrary, she's wearing a dark blue set of underclothes, bottom and top, they look quite similar to a sport swimsuit in and of themselves. So THATS what she wears under there! Questions answered. At least to the King of Wakanda.

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa gets a pair of fins and mask out, setting them aside, along with one of the rebreathers, little more than a tube that goes about the neck, with hoses to a mouth piece. "I was thinking the same. About the University group," he comments in his soft, precise way of speaking. "Nor did they encounter the birds directly until they had the egg. They may have been off elsewhere for a time. Perhaps just feeding. Perhaps something else?" T'Challa shares, expressing those wandering thoughts he had earlier.

He is picking up his things when Diana's 'brace yourself' comment is given. T'Challa glances over, an eyebrow raised in curiosity even as the woman's light-hearted tone puts a soft smile on his face. As he sees her start to remove her armor, there is a moment's hesitation as the man's instinct appears to be to turn away, but for that expression and her tone.

"Oh the number of internet questions I could answer now, were I such a man to share these details," he says in a mock rueful tone. "The number of 'Likes' and "+1's" I could gain?" T'Challa says, holding up his hands as if it's a true dilemma to be in, to answer all those internet questions on the topic or not.

T'Challa smiles over to the woman and offers her the mask once she's ready. "The bracelet can also record what we find, if anything. And we can contact Shuri to do more detailed scans," he says. "Though, speaking underwater to her would prove difficult. She will figure it out I'm sure."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana sets her boots together on the floor and then she rests her armor over top of them. It was the armor of Antiope originally, the fiercest of all Amazonian warriors. It may be widely considered 'Diana's armor' by the world at large, but she knows the truth behidn it and this is why she still treats it with care and affection, to the point T'Challa might notice it as she sets it carefully down like it didn't even belong to her at all.

His comments though, make her laugh softly as she straightens up again and raises her hands up behind her shoulders to start to wind her dark hair together into a small braided tied at the base of her scalp behind her neck. "I am sure." She says in a playful sort've way at the light hearted moment. "My favorite quote along those same lines... 'What is... Chuck Norris hiding beneath his beard? Another fist.'" Yes, Diana Prince just told a Chuck Norris joke. She has a perfect memory after all, she remembers all the good ones and the bad ones!

"I look forward to you spreading the truth about what I am hiding, beneath my armor." She teases the man then as she gives him a warm and sincere smile, her sculpted features able to convey a lot of emotion when she is feeling it at any given moment. She turns then and starts to quietly pad bare footed back toward the aft of the Wakandan jet, her hair now tied back into a ponytail.

Black Panther has posed:
The reverence shown to the armor is not lost on T'Challa. He moves over to where she is setting the armor, and pulls open a secure locker for her instead. "The surface will sink in to cushion the pieces," he tells her, the end result being like the pieces were held in soft foam specifically cut to fit them. Once she has them stowed he will close it and says, "Key lock to Diana Prince." A soft beep acknowledges this as the compartment locks itself.

T'Challa breaks out in warm laughter at the Chuck Norris comment. "I loved that site," he tells her. "There is no Theory of Evolution," he quotes from memory. "There is only a list of animals Chuck Norris allows to live." The soft-spoken image he gives to the media is also more straight-laced and sedate than these bits of warm merriment that Diana has been increasing drawing from T'Challa.

Perhaps he seems to notice this. He picks up his fins, mask and rebreather to accompany her. "Not that I expected I might ever spend time around you that was not enjoyable, Diana," T'Challa tells her quietly as they move to leave the jet. "But I keep finding treasures in these few small moments as we have spent together," he says to her as they walk down the ramp together. Once out of the plane, he closes it and cloaks it for safety while they are underwater.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana did seem happier to have the armor stored in a secured location like that and she'd thank him quietly for the option offered. Once at the aft of the vessel she'd look back to him as he retorts with his own joke and it lands well, making the Princess smile brightly again and laugh once more. "I met him, you know." She says then. "Many years ago... It was before I was known as Wonder Woman. He and his family came through the art gallery that I was assisting in Manhattan. I showed them around on a lovely tour. A very nice man."

Once out of the advanced plane, Diana curls her toes into the sand and she starts toward the water while looking over to him as he cloaks the ship. "The same." She says to him with a softer smile now. She holds the mask up that she'd claimed then and starts to slide the straps on it over her head and rest the mask on top of her forehead, sans tiara that is now with her armor. "It is not often I take a trip to a remote island to go diving with the King of a wondrously mysterious nation." She lowers the mask and smiles behind it before she starts toward the water, not needing any fins to propel herself beneath the waves, it would seem.

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther dons his mask and settles the rebreather to rest about his neck, the hose dangling from it but near at hand. He carries the fins as they walk down towards the water. "And can you confirm what hides beneath his beard then?" T'Challa asks in a voice that would seem straight-faced for others, but which the perceptive woman blessed by Hestia might be starting note as being T'Challa's joking tone. He has one, though it is more subtle than many.

"And I am making a mental note to ask you about this gallery. Another time," he says as they start to wade out into the waves, beneath which speaking will not be possible. A wave rolls in, splashing against the African's muscular torso and continuing on past him to roll up on the beach.

T'Challa glances over, giving Diana that charming lopsided smile at her comment about diving in his company. "I may just take that as a challenge. To make that a statement that could not be uttered truthfully in the future. There are many splendid islands to visit," he tells her, dark brown eyes flashing warm for a moment before he pulls up his mask and then fits the fins to his feet, the water deep enough finally to begin to slip beneath the waves and swim underwater.

Wonder Woman has posed:
"A handsome smile is all that I am at liberty to say." Diaan replies on the subject of the Texas Ranger before she shows another smile and then wades out into the water where it gathers around her legs and up them until she's waist deep within the blue sea of the ocean. She still has the comm device on and the wrist projector, so they should still be able to communicate as well.

With a hearty leap, Diana is out of the water again, at least partially as she plunges forward and into the ocean, graceful and capable, she sinks beneath the water and starts to make her way outward. Her voice is now over the comms. "They are this way." She says back to the King accompanying her.

The waters grow darker the further from the sandy beach one gets and as they angle out in that direction there are indeed large dark masses of clearly unnatural objects, things that are only at the bottom of the ocean because of man's hand.

Black Panther has posed:
The fins do much for T'Challa's ability to keep up beneath the water. He wears his necklace, with the tribal look and teeth of metal, the mask and the rebreather which is now supplying air as he dives down under the water. A colorful fish swims by to check on the strange pair before turning to dart off at higher speeds.

Things are so peaceful below the water. For those with acute senses, the constant barrage of sounds grow muffled. The scents are gone that are as much a part of T'Challa's sensorium as is his sight. That part perhaps he misses, but the quiet beneath the waves can be a welcome respite.

He looks over to see Diana, gliding gracefully through the water, until she seems to belong there nearly as much as a dolphin does. More than, even, requiring fewer trips to the surface for air.

His attention turns back to the ships, gauging their age as the pair draw nearer to the sunken wrecks. He swims nearer to them slowly. The sense that this was a battlefield, that men lost their lives on these, cannot quite be scrubbed away by the years beneath the sea.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana doesn't use her cheaty powers to help her swim faster than him beneath the water, no she make sure that they stay together on their approach to the underwater vessels. "It is hauntingly beautiful." She says over the comms. "These kinds of ship wrecks." She glances over to him then for reaffirmation to those words. "I have gone on trips to see others and as surprising as it might be, one of the long standing requests that the Justice League has had is to go and recover as much of the Titanic as we could be capable of. There have been many debates on that, because... we have people who are capable of recovering it. But, should we, is the question there."

As she says these things they draw closer to the leading/closest vessel in the grouping. Diana glides up along it and she adjusts her swimming so that she's facing it while examining it. "Ancient greece war ships. Pre dating the days of even using cannons. These definitely came from a larger ship." So she was right when she made her guess back at the ruins. "It was an invasion fleet." She points then. "Look, charring here. It was sank by fire, you can see it even all these years later..."

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa's form glides slowly through the water, fins moving in a graceful, steady rhythm behind to propel his body. "I can imagine the debate over it," T'Challa says back to Diana. "To some, it is a historical treasure to be uncovered. To others? A tomb, that removal might feel a desecration." He looks at the remains of the wooden vessel, the waters helping preserve them from decay after all of these years. "I would have a hard time arguing against any who had a relative there. And felt the latter," he comments.

T'Challa drifts to floating upright as he holds position and looks closely at one of the hulls. "Yes. Fire there," he says. "A hole in the hull as well," T'Challa adds as the African swims down to where the hull is sticking up out of the sand, pushing his hand through a spot the timbers have been smashed in. "A ram perhaps. Ships attacking. Ships defending?" he offers.

Wonder Woman has posed:
"Yes..." Diana says on the subject of the Titanic as she searches the wreck before her further. "I certainly have conflicting feelings on the topic." But that is a conversation she knows is best had another time as they are focused here and now.

Continuing along the side of the hull, Diana comes across the hole that T'Challa points out. She approaches it and without a shred of fear or hesitation she leans forward and slips her body inside the ship with just a few graceful kicks of her long legs. "The cargo area." Diana says once inside. "There's not much here... remains of barrels." She says as she spots the iron rings that would've wrapped around the wooden containers. "Shackles for prisoners..."

She turns around then and she stops advancing, just swims in place. "There." She says in a slight grimmer tone. "A cage. They were coming here for the birds." She might be reading that wrong, it could just be a prisoner cage...

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa follows Diana inside the wreck when she speaks of what she's seeing inside. The wood has growths of undersea life on it, barnacles and other, feathery looking plants that seem to soften the appearance of the structure. A fish is disturbed by the presence of the humans, sinking further into a back corner.

T'Challa touches his bracelet and light shines forward, better illuminating the cages. "The bars do seem a bit far apart for a man," he comments as he swims over, viewing the rusted hulk, but not touching it for fear it might fall apart. "A slender man might squeeze between them," he comments, motioning to the spacing of the bars.

"So they came for the birds. But someone resisted with fire. And ramming with their own boats," he concludes. "One side is likely with Ares. But who would be the other? Could they be followers of Artemis? The original theft of the birds?" he hypothesizes, shining the light about the interior slowly, looking for details.

Wonder Woman has posed:
"Sailors of these vessels were notoriously thin." Diana replies to him as she watches him activate a light with the wrist apparatus that she does not fully understand the full scope of whats it capable of. "Operating the oars above would leave them often malnourished and spindly thin."

As she searches further she shakes her head softly side to side. "I do not know. Everything is so eroded by the sea... It could be Artemis, or members of the naval forces of the Peninsula that these birds originally attacked. Hercules scattered them across the sea, its possible that the naval commanders felt the need to chase them whilst they were weakened."

Diana laughs softly then as she swims up to the side of T'Challa. "I simply am not an archaeologist, above the water or below it."