“GO GO GO! Move it! Move it!”

The loading dock of a warehouse was lit by the midday sun from its open garage door. Everywhere men ran and scrambled. Boxes were thrown haphazardly into pickup trucks and the trunks of sedans. Dollar bills were stuffed into briefcases and thrown into the backseats of cars. Men carrying pistols and SMGs hopped into the backs of trucks and into cars, driving off without even buckling their seatbelts.

One man ran towards the last truck. A loud crash rang out from the door at the other end of the warehouse.

“Come on Juan!”

“Hurry up! Hurry up!”

“W-Wait for me!”

The doors slammed open.

“GO GO GO!”

The truck began to move.

“WAIT!”

Juan leapt through the air.

He grabbed onto the back of the truck.

The truck drove off.

The backdoor fell open.

Juan lost his grip and tumbled to the ground, rolling several times through the courtyard outside of the garage.

The truck was gone.

Juan spit dirt out of his mouth.

Step.

Step.

He heard footsteps. He turned his head.

Step.

Step.

Sweat drenched his forehead. He let out an eek and tried to run.

He stumbled back to the ground.

Step.

Step.

He trembled, sliding back along the ground, pushing with his arms.

“W-Wait! P-Please!”

His back hit the perimeter wall of the compound. He held up a trembling hand in front of his face.

“P-Please! Have mercy, Señor Falcon!”

Ice flew through the air and landed with a thud.

“Good evening, all you denizens of the planet Earth. This is GNN and I’m your host, Brendan Baird, bringing you all the updates you need. Tonight we’re here to discuss the International League of Superheroes and their recent dramatic growth. Let’s go to GNN’s super-analysts, Lacey Cook and Liam Reynolds. Lacey, Liam, how are you doing tonight?”

“I’m doing great, Brendan.”

“Same here.”

“Glad to hear it, let’s get to it. Lacey, Liam, what are your thoughts on the ILS?”

“It’s wonderful, Brendan. Director Green is doing great things for the world.”

“I agree, it’s great to see the heroes getting the support they need and the recognition they deserve.”

“I think we all can agree that the ILS has made the world a safer place. Now folks, ever since the Battle of the Jurassic Cemetery, the ILS has undergone an incredible expansion. Applicants flood into branch offices in nearly every major city on the planet. What is your opinion on these things?”

“I think it’s great and necessary. The more resources the ILS has, the better heroes are going to do.”

“Lacey, do you agree?”

“For the most part, Brendan, but I do have some concerns.”

“Oh?”

“The world is changing faster than anyone ever predicted, and our laws and society haven’t managed to catch up. The ILS is bridging that gap but I’m worried this is all too much for one organization and one woman to bear. And I’m also concerned that one individual is shouldering all the decisions right now.”

“Come on Lacey, if there’s anyone who has proved themselves up to the task, it’s Director Green.”

“Liam, you know there’s no one I trust more than Director Green. But it’s the principle of the matter. Our society needs to catch up, it needs to stay involved. We need to have discourse, participation. We can’t just leave everything to Director Green, that’s just not how the world works.”

“Lacey, would you have any ideas on what that might look like?”

“I want to see the ILS interact with the structures and systems of our world, whether that’s individual governments or a multilateral organization. I want to see transparent discussions on policies, procedures, and official lines of communication. If the people are to have a voice, then they need to know what’s being discussed. And if we can set up some concrete structures and policies, then Director Green doesn’t need to shoulder every crisis on her own. I mean look at this latest crisis. That was nothing short of a war. Yet where were our leaders? Where were our armies? Did they refuse to act, leaving everything to Director Green? Or did the ILS head out without them? And if they did, was it because they couldn’t wait, or because they didn’t speak in the first place?”

“That’s not really fair, Lacey. Are you suggesting Director Green should have waited? If anything I bet it was the politicians that dragged their feet.”

“That’s my point though, Liam, we can only speculate what happened. We don’t actually know, and now we never will. We don’t know what discussions took place or even if discussions took place. The ILS ended up acting alone and we don’t know why. And I don’t think that should be the case going forward.”

“Would you suggest the ILS slow down its growth? Perhaps restrict its mandate to a narrower and specific focus?”

“Not at all, Brendan, the world needs the ILS, that much is clear. And I think the ILS should be as big as it needs to be to do its job, both in manpower and mandate. But I do think we need to clarify what exactly that job is, where the lines should be drawn, and what jobs our society and government should be doing instead.”

“Liam, what are your thoughts?”

“I partially agree that the ILS should be more involved in society, but I want to see it the other way around.”

“What do you mean by that, Liam?”

“I want to see the ILS receive the authority it’s due. Vest Director Green and the heroes with official powers corresponding to the ILS’s own internal ranks. Let them make arrests, give them authority to call in additional assets when necessary and coordinate responders. The ILS gets the job done, and they do it well. Let’s adapt society to the ILS instead of chaining the ILS to society.”

“That’s a lot of power for a single, private organization to have, Liam.”

“Look Lacey, these days there are kids out there that can destroy tanks with their bare hands. We need the ILS, and we need to avoid constraining them with red tape that no longer conforms to our reality. Let the legal authority match what’s happening on the ground. And if there’s anyone who can be trusted with power, it’s Director Green.”

“But what happens when it’s not Director Green in charge anymore?”

“I’m not worried.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s the International League of Superheroes, so I’m confident that even when Director Green steps down one day, there will be someone there who can fill her shoes.”

“Well, if there’s one thing we all can agree on, it’s that the ILS is here to stay. In our society, in our streets, and even in our hearts. We’ll continue the discussion on the ILS expansion and how even you can get involved after a short message from our sponsors.”

Bob rubbed his chin as he watched the television. He stood up from his seat, walking over to the window with a steaming cup in hand.

He looked out into the evening sky, standing there for a good minute.

He took a sip and walked over to the table where he left his phone. He began to dial a number.

He had a lot to do.

On a hot day in Mexico a teenage girl yawned as she laid back against the couch, flipping through the channels. She fanned herself as sweat dripped down her forehead. She had straight, black hair, and brown eyes. She wore a tank top and shorts. She was slightly short but otherwise an average, normal teenage girl.

The doorbell rang.

“Coming, coming.”

She fanned herself as she walked over to the door. She opened it to find a delivery driver waiting in the doorway.

“Constanza Rubio?”

She blinked.

“Um, yes? That’s me, can I help you?”

The delivery driver nodded and took out a clipboard and a pen.

“Package for you, please sign here.”

Constanza tilted her head.

“Package? From who?”

The driver shrugged.

“Please sign here.”

Constanza blinked but took the pen and clipboard. A normal package delivery form. She decided to sign.

The driver nodded and took the clipboard, and then handed her a small package. He then turned and left without another word.

Constanza just stood watching him leave, then looked down at the package. It had her name and address on it, but no information about a sender or a return address. She shrugged and took it over to the table.

“Let’s see what this is all about.”

She slowly unwrapped the package and gasped.

It was a flower.

The most beautiful flower she had ever seen.

It looked like a rose, only pale blue. It seemed almost transparent, and shimmered as light reflected off the petals. A foggy mist appeared around it, she could feel the air begin to cool around her.

She felt as if it drew her in. She reached out her hand, more by reflex than thought.

Her finger touched the petal.

And then her vision went white.