The island prison wasn't so much an island as it was an underwater fortress, surrounded by endless water and fortified like no other facility. This was where General Ross had imprisoned the Avengers who opposed the Sokovia Accords, including Hawkeye and others deemed "threats to stability."
As the strongest superhuman prison in existence, its security was unmatched. Yet, today, it received an unexpected visitor.
Steve Rogers walked into the facility, his presence immediately drawing attention. General Ross approached him with a sneer, his tone dripping with disdain.
"Well, well," Ross mocked. "You escaped from Leipzig Airport, only to come running back here? Delivering yourself on a silver platter?"
Steve's expression was calm but resolute. "Enough, General. The Sokovia Accords were flawed from the start. The bombing in Vienna was a setup. We've all been framed."
Ross folded his arms, unimpressed. "Save your breath, Rogers. I'm not some impressionable idealist. Whether or not the Avengers are guilty doesn't matter—they're destabilizing forces, all of them. And you're no exception. You're staying here."
He gestured to a squad of heavily armed soldiers, who surrounded Steve, rifles raised.
"Alright," Steve said quietly, holding up his hands. "If you won't listen to reason, I'll convince you another way."
A deafening crash shook the facility as a massive green figure smashed through a reinforced wall. Hulk roared as he grabbed Ross and slammed him to the ground like a rag doll.
The soldiers stumbled back in panic, their weapons now trained on Hulk.
"Don't shoot!" Steve shouted. "You can't stop him, and you'll only make things worse."
Ross, lying dazed on the floor, glared at Hulk, his anger overriding his fear. "Hulk," he hissed through clenched teeth. "You're proving my point! The Avengers are dangerous, a threat to the entire world!"
Hulk spat dismissively. "Idiot general."
Steve knelt beside Ross, his tone firm. "You're wrong, General. A soldier's duty is to uphold justice, not to maintain some illusion of stability."
He stood and turned to the soldiers, his voice carrying an undeniable authority. "Who here can tell me where the Avengers are being held?"
The soldiers exchanged hesitant glances. For a moment, it seemed no one would speak—until a sergeant stepped forward, lowering his rifle.
"I can show you," he said quietly.
Ross stared at the sergeant in disbelief. "Sergeant Mike! Why?"
The sergeant stood tall. "Because I believe in the Captain."
The prison break was swift and efficient. With the sergeant's guidance, Steve and Hulk freed the imprisoned Avengers and escaped before reinforcements could arrive. Enraged, Ross immediately contacted Tony Stark, but his call went unanswered. Tony was in Wakanda, overseeing Rhodes' spinal surgery, and had no time to deal with Ross's demands.
Frustrated, Ross reported the incident to the Council, demanding that the fugitives be recaptured. But his pleas fell on deaf ears. The Council, and indeed the entire nation, had far bigger problems.
The chaos sparked by Thor's leaks had engulfed the United States. The videos had torn away the veil of freedom and democracy, exposing the government's dark underbelly. Internationally, America's allies grew wary, while adversaries seized the opportunity to denounce its hypocrisy.
Domestically, the situation was even worse. Riots raged in cities across the country, with fires lighting up the night sky. Protesters clashed with police, and even government buildings weren't spared. Washington's attempts to suppress the unrest only fueled the flames of public anger.
Politicians turned on each other, their once-secret skeletons dragged into the light. In a desperate bid to protect themselves, they leaked each other's scandals, turning the halls of power into a battleground of mutual destruction.
Legally, the leaked videos were inadmissible in court—they were obtained through hacking, an illegal act in itself. But the law no longer mattered. Public opinion had already passed judgment, and the people's trust in their leaders was shattered.
Thor had achieved his goal. By unleashing a storm of truth, he had dismantled the nation's confidence in its own government. But his intentions went beyond simple chaos. He sought to ignite a movement, to force the people to question the very foundation of their system.
It worked. As the nation grappled with its darkest truths, many began to ask the question: Who will save us now?
Amid the turmoil, whispers of new possibilities began to spread. The United States was home to over 130 political parties, though most were dwarfed by the dominance of the ruling and opposition parties. Dozens of smaller parties, long overshadowed, now saw an opportunity to rise.
For decades, these smaller parties had been resigned to obscurity, their influence too weak to compete in presidential elections. But with the two major parties mired in scandal and disarray, the political landscape had shifted. The people's anger and disillusionment created a vacuum—one that the smaller parties were eager to fill.
As the ruling party and the opposition party floundered, their approval ratings plummeted to historic lows. The flood of revelations had left both sides exposed, their reputations irreparably damaged.
In the shadows, ambitious leaders from smaller parties began to lay the groundwork for a new era. For the first time in generations, it seemed the stranglehold of the two-party system might finally be broken.
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