Not a very long chapter, but hope you all enjoy it.
TW: Thanks.
Idaho
Morning
Steve, Natasha, Clint, Bucky, Wanda, Hunter and Bobbi watched a news report, talking about Peter's fight with Toomes and Marko on a holographic screen.
"George Stacy and his family could not be reached for comment, but I'm told that he is personally overseeing the interrogation of Adrian Toomes."
"Well, guess we know what Ross's next move was," Clint mused.
"Why would he go after Spider-Man?" Steve wondered, very aware of Bobbi and Hunter in the room.
"Someone with that kind of power; seems right up Ross's alley, knowing what he did to Dr. Banner," Bobbi pointed out.
"Knowing Ross, he wanted to know how Spider-Man's powers worked so he could replicate it," Natasha mused and Wanda scoffed.
"He's taking a leaf our of Hydra's book," Wanda said darkly, remembering the experiments with Loki's Scepter.
"Let's just hope that's all he takes," Tony said as he walked up behind them.
"Hey, how's the decryption going?" Hunter asked as they looked over at him, all of them seeing how tired Tony was.
"FRIDAY and I were up all night working on it, but we finally got it," Tony said, to their relief. "Still, it's a crap load of information. Fury and Hill are going through it all now."
"What is it exactly?" Bucky inquired.
"Calls mostly, transcriptions of conversations with a lot of different people. But Ross wouldn't go to all this trouble to keep it buried if it was harmless. There's something in there that will bring Ross down," Tony said confidently.
"We just need to find it," Steve said in agreement, hoping that was sooner rather than later.
The Raft
Same time
"What do you want to do about Toomes and Marko, Sir?" one of Ross's agents as they walked towards the prisoner section of the building.
"They don't matter anymore. They failed to capture Spider-Man but even that's unimportant now. I have something much bigger now," Ross said as he entered the cell block.
Ross walked passed the cell that had belonged to Rumlow before stopping in front of another cell. Inside, Zemo looked up at him, a glower on his face.
"I will not break, no matter what you do to me," Zemo said and Ross smirked.
"Who said anything about breaking you? Take a deep breath, clear your mind. Remember your training. Compliance will be rewarded."
As the words were spoken, a fog seemed to come over Zemo's eyes before he refocused, all hostility fading from his form.
"Happy to comply."
"Good. Then tell me about Siberia."
New York
Same time
In the interrogation room of a police station, Toomes, his armor having been removed upon his capture, had his hands cuffed to the table as George sat down across from him.
"Mr. Toomes, according to my daughter, you actually saved her life from Marko. So why would you ever team up with him? Your MO is weapon smuggling and robbery, someone like you doesn't go out of their way to attack someone like Spider-Man," George noted.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Toomes said with a sigh.
"I know that my wife and daughter were nearly killed by that manic only to be stopped by Spider-Man before armed men showed up ready to take both of them in. Then the chief calls for a manhunt for Spider-Man. Now you show up working with Marko to take down Spider-Man. Things aren't adding up, Toomes, so try me," George demanded and Toomes looked at him blankly for a moment before shrugging.
"Fine, I doubt you'll believe me anyway, but here goes. I was in jail, ready to serve my sentence. Next thing I know, I'm shipped off to some secret supermax where Marko and a few others are being held. The guy running it tells me to do what he says or he'll kill my family. He is not the kind of guy you so no to," Toomes said, staring at George with a haunted look that George couldn't help but believe him. "He says he wanted Spider-Man, I didn't ask why. When a man like him gives you an order, you follow it. I'm just terrified what he might do to my family now."
"Tell me his name, and I'll do everything I can to protect them. But I need you to be straight with me," George said and Toomes smiled tightly.
"Even if you believe me, I doubt anyone else will. It was the Secretary of State, Thaddeus Ross," Toomes announced, to George's shock.
"Ross? The Secretary of State?" Brett Mahoney asked in disbelief after George told him everything.
"That's what Toomes told me," George said with a sigh.
"You believe him?" Mahoney asked after a moment.
"I believe that he believes it. And after Fisk and Hydra, is it that much of a stretch?" George asked.
"Maybe, maybe not. But what are we gonna do about it?" Mahoney asked and George didn't have an answer.
Wakanda
Not long after
In the throne room, T'Challa and his council, along with Okoye and several Dora Milaje, waited. The doors to the room were opened and two Dora Milaje and two members of the Jabari led in W'Kabi, who was restrained. As he was led in, W'Kabi shot a cold look at T'Challa, who returned his gaze unflinchingly.
"W'Kabi, you are accused of treason and attempting to usurp the crown. How do you plead?" T'Challa asked calmly.
"What is the point of any defense? You have already decided I am guilty," W'Kabi sneered.
"Perhaps we wish to know why you forsook your honor and allied with a madman to target the royal family," Okoye said, glowering with rage at her husband.
"The world has changed, we must change with it. I would rather be a conqueror than a coward. You, my king, are a coward, refusing to use your power to affect any meaningful change, hiding from your duties rather than handling them. If given the same opportunity, I would do it all again," W'Kabi declared, glaring at T'Challa hatefully.
"You are right," T'Challa said after a moment, causing everyone to look at him in shock. "The world has changed, and we must change with it. But not as conquerors. When I addressed the United Nations, I said that the strong offer compassion and help in times of crisis while the weak hold onto grudges from past wrongs. W'Kabi, you cannot want change if you yourself refuse to change. You have not shown your strength, you have revealed your weakness."
"If you're going to execute me, just sentence me already," W'Kabi sneered and T'Challa looked at him in disappointment.
"You refuse to listen. To execute you would merely show that I am no different than you, holding onto petty grudges. A leader leads by example. I am not going to execute you, W'Kabi. You are exiled, like my father, although your restrictions are not as lenient. You will be forced to stay in Africa, where we can keep an eye on you. Any attempts to return to Wakanda or contact anyone from Wakanda will result in your immediate execution," T'Challa declared. "In two days' time, you will be taken back to your home, where you may gather some belongings before you leave. In the meantime, you will be taken back to your cell, where you will remain under guard until that time."
The stunned W'Kabi was then escorted from the room, completely silent. No one said a word until the throne room doors had shut.
"Are you sure that was wise, my king? He is still a threat," The River Tribe Representative pointed out.
"A threat we can monitor. Hopefully, his time away will set him on the right path. If not and he violates his terms, he will suffer the consequences," T'Challa said, his face darkening at the thought.
Idaho
Later in the morning
"You find something?" Tony asked as they all sat in the room that resembled Fury's old office.
"Boy did we," Hill muttered as they all noticed Fury and Hill's grim looks.
"The question is can it help us take down Ross?" Steve asked and Fury nodded.
"It'll do that and more. Most of what Wanda got off that server was transcripts of old calls and conversations, looks like they were confiscated from before Hydra came out of the shadows. "Then, there's this," Fury said, looking over at Steve, Wanda and Bucky carefully, confusing them. "There's no easy way to prepare yourself for what you're about to hear."
Fury then clicked something and they heard Ross's voice.
"Is everything going according to plan?"
"Things are going according to schedule," a voice that Steve, Buck and Natasha recognized as Alexander Pierce spoke. "Project Insight is going ahead. Within a few days, the Helicarriers will be launched, and the algorithm will take care of the rest."
"There's still Fury to deal with," Ross pointed.
"He'll be dealt with. I'm sending the Asset after him. Nothing will stop us," Pierce said confidently. "Hail Hydra."
"Hail Hydra," Ross echoed before the call ended.
"Son of a bitch," Tony muttered as they all stood there, in complete shock.
"Ross was Hydra," Bobbi said, her voice no more than a whisper.
"It makes sense," Natasha said once she started thinking about it. "It never made sense how Ross ended up in his position after the mess in Harlem. But knowing he's Hydra, it makes sense now."
"Pierce must have helped him," Bucky noted and Natasha nodded.
"Cap? What are you thinking?" Tony asked as they saw Steve staring ahead, a blank look on his face.
"If Ross is Hydra…then our worst fears have come true, Hydra has control of the government and they're using it to their advantage. We have to stop Ross now," Steve said as he got to his feet.
"Way ahead of your, Rogers," Fury said and they all looked at him. "I sent a copy of this to Coulson twenty minutes ago. And knowing him, he's already preparing to take Ross down."
The Playground
Same time.
In Coulson's office, Talbot listened to the call between Ross and Pierce in complete disbelief.
"Ross knew about Project Insight, what Hydra was planning on doing. We need to bring him in Glenn, now," Coulson ordered and, after a moment, Talbot nodded, overcoming his shock.
"I'll get a team together, send them over to apprehend Ross as soon as I can," Talbot said, picking up his cell phone and starting to make some calls as he walked out of the room.
Idaho
Same time
"Ross will have some kind of exit strategy, its classic Hydra," Bucky interjected. "And knowing that we got what was on that server, he'll be prepared for something like this."
"Bucky's right, we can't leave this up to SHIELD," Steve said, a determined glint entering his eyes. "We need to call Sam, Rhodey, Bruce and Vision. We're going to have to bring in Ross ourselves."
Honestly, I kept waiting for the reveal that Ross was Hydra in the MCU. Ross uses Hydra like tactics, shares Hydra beliefs, and his appointment to Secretary of State makes a lot more sense if he is Hydra.
I went back and forth about what to do with W'Kabi, but it makes a lot more sense for T'Challa to banish him rather than execute him, because it shows that T'Challa is not like past kings, that he's doing things differently.
Buckle up everyone, because the final act of the Ross arc is about to begin.