Tony tilted his head, his gaze shifting from the blue hued projections of Aryan's U.S.S. units to the King of Wakanda. "And what about your backyard, T'Challa? We're talking about global security. Does the Golden City stay behind the curtain?"

  T'Challa answered evenly, his voice resonating with the quiet authority of a man who didn't need to raise it to be heard. "Wakanda will contribute."

  Tony blinked, leaning forward. "Contribute… how? We are talking futuristic tech, or are you holding out on the personnel side?"

  A new data stream, slid into place above the center of the table, intersecting with the existing EDF organizational chart.

  WAKANDAN ENHANCED GUARD

  50 Enhanced Warriors

  Joint command compatible

  The room went quiet again. The technical hum of the Sentinel Complex felt louder in the absence of conversation.

  Bucky Barnes frowned slightly, his tactical mind immediately comparing the new data to his own history. "You mean like… super soldiers? You've got a serum too?"

  Behind the glass, the Federation observers exchanged sharp looks.

  For decades, international intelligence had treated the African continent as a region to be monitored for instability, never realizing that the most advanced military force on the planet was sitting silently in its heart.

  The air in the gallery grew cold as the observers processed the shift. Seeing the term "Enhanced" codified in a formal defense registry changed the strategic landscape of the planet in an instant.

  It was that they had been physically and technologically superior all along, watching the rest of the world from a position of unearned security.

  The surprise wasn't just at the power itself, but at the calculated scale of the deception.

  T'Challa raised a hand calmly, preempting the flood of questions before they could derail the meeting's pace. "It is not the Super Soldier Serum," he said, his tone patient. "At least, not in the way you understand the chemistry of the West."

  He allowed himself a small smile "Wakanda has its own methods. They are… adjacent in effect, yet entirely different in origin. It is a refinement of biochemical enhancement combined with long term physiological conditioning. It is a part of our heritage."

  "So," Bucky said slowly, leaning his elbows on his knees, "what you're saying is you also have Captain America level people. Just with a different recipe."

  "Comparable in output," T'Challa corrected. "Not identical in function. Their endurance and sensory perception are tuned differently than the U.S.S. personnel."

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  Bucky exhaled, "That's comforting. Somehow. Nice to know Steve wasn't the only outlier on the map."

  T'Challa continued, looking toward the Leader and Aryan to ensure the numbers were properly logged. "We maintain a total of one hundred such warriors. They are designated as the Wakandan Enhanced Guard. Fifty will be seconded to EDF operations immediately, integrated into the joint command structure. The remaining fifty will remain in Wakanda for sovereign defense and the protection of the Necropolis."

  Bucky raised an eyebrow, his eyes darting to the projection. "Only a hundred? For a nation that advanced?"

  "Our process is resource intensive and culturally restricted," T'Challa replied, his gaze cooling. "It is not something that can be manufactured in a lab for the masses. It requires a specific compatibility that few possess. Like your thousand, they are a finite resource."

  …

  Namor exhaled through his nose, the sound echoing slightly in the pressurized environment of the chamber. "Talokan won't be absent," he stated, "We do not leave the security of the deep or the planet… to the mercy of surface dwellers alone."

  He made a short gesture with his hand. The table's surface shimmered.

  TALOKAN DEEP OPERATIONS UNIT

  50 Enhanced Aquatic Super Soldiers

  Specialization: Amphibious combat, deep sea sabotage and rapid response.

  Physiology: Pressure resistant up to 11,000 meters, extreme cold tolerance.

  Deployment: Undersea, surface and orbital insertion capable.

  "Surface threats don't always stay on land," Namor said flatly, his eyes scanning the room as if daring anyone to challenge the logic. "Nor do they always stay in the sky. If the enemy seeks refuge in the trenches of the ocean or attempts to strike from the blue, they will find the Talokanil waiting."

  For half a second, the room was silent. The magnitude of the combined force being assembled on this table was starting to sink in.

  Then…

  "Of course you have super soldiers too," Bucky said, breaking the silence first. He rubbed the back of his neck, his metal hand making a faint whirring sound. "Why wouldn't the ocean have its own nightmare unit? It's basically a requirement at this point."

  A Federation official behind the glass leaned forward, his face pale in the teal light. "Enhanced… aquatic… super soldiers? You're telling me there are fifty men who can fight at the bottom of the Mariana Trench and then jump onto a spaceship?"

  Bucky let out a short laugh. "So let me get this straight. Wakanda has them. Talokan has them. Umbrella has a thousand. Stark Industries is getting a starter pack of fifty. And somehow the old world, the one I was born in… convinced itself for seventy years that Captain America was a one off miracle."

  A few people in the room chuckled, the sound of men realizing how small their previous worldview had been. The tension that had built up during the high stakes negotiations cracked.

  One of the Federation analysts rubbed his temples, looking at the glowing maps. "So the only civilization that didn't mass produce enhanced soldiers was… us? The people with the most flags and the most wars?"

  Namor's lips twitched in the closest thing to a smirk he had shown all day. "The surface preferred speeches and bureaucracy," he said, his tone dry. "We preferred results."

  That earned a genuine round of laughter, even from the Federation representatives who felt the sting of the truth.

  The Federation representative cleared his throat, trying to regain a professional footing. "So… Talokan's enhancements. Are we talking about a variant of the Super Soldier Serum?"

  Namor shook his head, his expression becoming serious again. "No. Our path is dictated by our biology. It is a refinement of the gifts we were given when we first entered the sea… honed and stabilized over generations."

  He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly with a glint of humor. "And before you ask… yes, the recipe is classified. We are an ally, not an open book."