The conference room had turned into rubble, but thankfully, the missile hadn't completely leveled the building.
As the armed helicopter prepared to fire a second missile, the plane escorting the Wakandan king to the border city took off, swiftly retaliating and shooting the helicopter down.
Inside the room, T'Chaka, stirred by T'Challa's calls, regained consciousness. The explosion had knocked him out but didn't cause serious injury, thanks to T'Challa shielding him.
"T'Challa, I'm fine," T'Chaka reassured. "Capture them. We need a live one."
"Yes, Father!"
T'Challa surveyed the room. Fehr had already fled, and Winter Soldier Two was barely alive, severely injured by the missile blast.
"Okoye!"
"Yes, Prince!"
"Secure him and ensure the king's safety."
"Understood, Prince!"
Okoye, the Royal Guard captain, along with the remaining three guards, approached the Winter Soldier Two and swiftly killed him, deciding one captive was enough. They then regrouped around the king for protection as T'Challa pursued Fehr.
Fehr had managed to escape the building but didn't get far. Just as he reached the street, T'Challa, as Black Panther, tackled him. Fehr tried to fight back, but within a single exchange, T'Challa knocked him unconscious.
…
In the Wakandan science lab, T'Chaka underwent a comprehensive examination.
"Father, your health is fine," Princess Shuri confirmed.
Queen Ramonda embraced T'Chaka tightly. "I'm so relieved you're safe. We were so worried when we heard the news."
"From now on, avoid meeting such outsiders," she implored.
T'Chaka comforted his wife before addressing his son. "Have you gotten anything out of him?"
T'Challa shook his head. "He has been very tight-lipped, refusing to say anything."
"Looks like we'll need some of Shuri's special methods to get him to talk," T'Chaka remarked, still shaken by the earlier attack. Without his son and the Royal Guard, he might have met his end.
"They're highly trained military operatives. The three who attacked us were exceptionally skilled," T'Chaka noted. "Our spies reported that these aren't regular soldiers."
"We were fortunate the meeting was on our turf, preventing them from bringing in firearms. Otherwise, the outcome could have been disastrous."
T'Challa nodded in agreement. "Yes, Father. If they had brought firearms, the situation could have been much more dangerous."
"We'll use Shuri's methods. I want to know what drove them to this madness and why they're so powerful."
"Yes, Father!"
…
T'Challa took the device Shuri had prepared and entered the cell where Fehr was being held. Fehr was bound and severely beaten, evidence of a thorough interrogation.
Seeing T'Challa return, Fehr did not show fear; instead, he smiled.
"Hahaha, who would have thought that a remote backwater place would hide such advanced technology and skills?" Fehr remarked. "We underestimated Wakanda; otherwise, the outcome would have been different."
Hydra's intelligence had not uncovered the true extent of Wakanda's capabilities, believing it to be a primitive African nation.
Fehr and the three Winter Soldiers were expected to handle the mission easily. Even the armed helicopter was meant for extracting T'Challa and his father, not for an assault.
T'Challa ignored Fehr's comments and asked, "Tell me, who are you people and why do you need vibranium? According to our information, no nation should possess soldiers of your caliber."
Fehr looked at T'Challa and replied, "You're delusional. Kill me; I will never betray my organization."
T'Challa picked up a blood-stained chip with tweezers from a nearby tray and said, "Are you waiting for them to locate you and rescue you? We found this chip in your body before you were brought here."
It was a tracking chip implanted in Fehr's body, which the Wakandans had discovered and removed.
Seeing the chip, Fehr smirked. "Kill me; you'll get nothing useful from me."
T'Challa couldn't help but admire Fehr's loyalty to his organization. What kind of power could cultivate such devoted operatives? However, admiration did not equate to leniency, especially not for someone who had nearly killed his father.
T'Challa produced a small spherical device. It was a technological weapon developed by Shuri.
When implanted into the body, it releases neural elements that forces the person to answer questions but also causes brain death within minutes. Unlike traditional truth serums, this was effective even against those trained to resist interrogation.
T'Challa approached Fehr and pressed the device into the wound on his lower back. As the sphere activated, a blue glow spread from the wound, and Fehr's perception of reality shifted. He no longer saw the Wakandan cell but the Hydra base.
His instructor addressed him, "Fehr Wells."
"Present."
"Where are you from? What is your mission? To whom do you pledge allegiance?"
"I am from the United States. Our mission is to dominate the Earth, to eliminate war and oppression."
"Hail Hydra!"
T'Challa was taken aback. Had he just heard "Hail Hydra"? Wasn't Hydra eradicated during World War II? He glanced at the device in his hand, wondering if Shuri's invention had malfunctioned.