"Save me, I don't want to die!"
"Mommy, are the superheroes coming back to save me?"
"Don't cry, honey. They will. We'll be fine."
Amidst the sounds of crying and fear, Captain America made his way through the ruins, clearing debris and collapsing walls until he finally reached the main hall of the bank.
The power system had completely failed, but the emergency lights were still flickering, casting a faint glow that allowed him to see through the dust-filled darkness.
Outside, sirens blared as rescue crews began to arrive.
Captain America surveyed the crumbling columns in the main hall. He knew time was running out—the building could collapse at any moment.
"Hey, I need you all to be quiet!" his voice cut through the panic, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Through the dim light, they recognized him—the man with the five-pointed star on his shield.
"Oh my God, it's Captain America!" someone exclaimed.
"Steve, you're our hero!" another voice shouted.
"Quiet, all of you, quiet down!" Steve commanded firmly.
The crowd quickly calmed, gathering around him in silence.
"The door is blocked," he explained, "and if we try to force it open, this whole building might come down."
"I've cleared a path on the second floor. Follow me, single file, no pushing. Stay calm, and we'll all get out of here safely, understood?"
His calm and reassuring tone steadied the crowd. One by one, they nodded and began to follow Captain America toward the second floor.
When they reached the tilted window ledge, Steve gently picked up a small boy, leaping out of the window with him and landing safely on the ground.
He repeated this process over and over, until everyone was safely evacuated.
As soon as the last person touched the ground, the crowd erupted in cheers.
"Steve, you're our hero!" they cried.
"Get that damn bomber!" another shouted.
"You'll always be America's pride!" someone else exclaimed.
Many took out their phones, recording the scene, while helicopters overhead broadcasted Captain America's rescue efforts live to the world.
At that moment, a thin security guard approached Steve anxiously.
"Captain, there are still people trapped inside! In the basement—the vault! Please, you have to save them!" the guard pleaded.
Steve's heart sank. He had already rescued the crowd, but hearing that there were still more trapped inside, he didn't hesitate.
Without a word, he rushed back into the building.
"Captain! Steve!" the crowd called after him.
"Captain America!"
"Eternal five-pointed star!"
Meanwhile, Iron Man and the others were frantically saving as many people as they could, as the explosions continued to rock the city.
Many civilians were dying even as the Avengers tried to save them.
"Can anyone tell me how many bombs that bastard planted?" Tony grumbled in frustration. One of the bombs had detonated near him, destroying part of his robotic arm. Fortunately, his armor was tough enough to keep him alive.
He cursed under his breath, furious.
"Who knows," Thor replied through the comms. "We're spread too thin. This is madness."
Each Avenger carried a communication device, coordinating their rescue efforts across the city.
"Fury!" Tony called out over the channel. "We've got too many refugees here. We need support!"
"Damn it!" Fury's voice crackled back. "The New York Bridge was blown up. I'm sending helicopters now!"
"Oh, come on! I thought your people were supposed to keep the bridge safe!" Tony snapped, his frustration boiling over.
"I admit he's a tricky guy, but—"
"Boom!"
Before Fury could finish, a deafening explosion echoed through the comms, followed by static, then silence.
"Fury! Fury!" Tony yelled, but there was no response. Only the long, dreadful tone of a dead connection.
"Hawkeye, take over! I'm going to find Fury!" Tony ordered, his voice grim.
...
All of New York was plunged into chaos. Ports, stations, and highways were jammed with panicked people trying to flee the city.
As Captain America rushed deeper into the ruins of Mellon Bank, he found a hidden entrance in the main hall. The underground vault area was more fortified, spared from the worst of the explosions. Emergency lights flickered, casting eerie shadows across the room, and the faint sound of voices could be heard.
"Who's there?" a weak voice called out from the darkness.
Captain America followed the sound and spotted a thin man trapped under a pile of rubble, his body covered in blood. The man's accent was foreign, likely Indian.
"Help me, please!" he begged, his voice filled with desperation.
Steve moved quickly toward him, but before he could reach him, another explosion rocked the entire building.
"Boom!"
The force of the blast sent debris raining down from above. Without hesitation, Captain America lunged forward, grabbing the man and pulling him out of harm's way just before a wall of stones crashed down where he had been lying.
The man groaned in pain but looked up at Steve with gratitude in his eyes. "You saved me... thank you, thank you so much."
Steve nodded, still breathing hard. "You're welcome, but we're not safe yet. We need to get out of here."
The two of them were now trapped in a small, windowless room, likely a surveillance room in the bank. The path they had come through was blocked, and the rest of the building seemed ready to collapse at any moment. But at least the vaults and safe rooms were sturdy, giving them some temporary protection.
"Stay here. Don't move," Steve instructed the man as he cautiously moved toward the center of the underground space.
The air was thick with dust, and faint screams echoed from the other side of the walls—bank employees and customers trapped in the vaults, terrified and calling for help. Loose wires hung from the ceiling, sparking occasionally and sending eerie flashes of light into the otherwise pitch-black room.
As Captain America navigated through the rubble, something unusual happened.
"Click!"
A spotlight suddenly flickered on, illuminating Steve in the middle of the debris. He froze, instantly on high alert. Around him, six large monitors descended from the ceiling, their screens crackling to life with static. Slowly, the cameras in the room whirred to life, all focusing directly on him.
The eerie silence was broken by a low, menacing voice that echoed through the room.
"Welcome, Mr. Steve."
Captain America's heart sank. He recognized the voice. It was the same voice behind the attack that had decimated the Avengers' base. His fists clenched tightly, and a shiver ran down his spine as he realized the game had just begun.
The six screens simultaneously flickered to life, displaying black-and-white images. The snowflake-like static soon gave way to a pair of cold, calculating eyes staring down at him from every direction.
The voice continued, playful but laced with malice. "Did you really think you could outrun me? The fun is just getting started."
Steve's body tensed as he felt the full weight of the situation bearing down on him. The eyes on the screen seemed to peer straight through him, as if Jackson Chen could see every move he made.