“Good afternoon all you citizens of the planet Earth! This is GNN and I’m your host, Brendan Baird. Today we’re here to talk about the recent events in the Pacific, where the Aurora Legion did it again! The team of heroes joined forces with an international fleet to take on Gabriel Le Blank and her flying fortress! Our young heroes confronted Miss Le Blank directly, and were able to bring down her terrifying superweapon.”

“In the aftermath of the conflict, the United States of America and People’s Republic of China have toned down their rhetoric. Notably, Admiral Faulker of the United States Navy and Admiral Huo of the People’s Liberation Army Navy have come out in support of peace, and publicly called upon their governments to resume diplomatic relations.”

“In the wake of Miss Le Blank’s attack and the casualties she inflicted on both navies, the USA and the PRC have agreed to further talks. There is even word of a broader forum for Asia-Pacific to provide additional avenues of discourse.”

“To explore what this could mean for the future, we go to GNN’s expert on US-China relations, Stacey Shao! Stacey, how are you today?”

“I’m doing great, Brendan, thanks for asking.”

“Now Stacey, a lot of people, experts included, are not particularly enthusiastic about the new peace initiatives. Do you agree?”

“Well Brendan, it’s not wrong to maintain realistic expectations. At the end of the day, these will act in their own self-interest, and the United States and China remain the biggest potential rival for the other. Real cooperation will be difficult to achieve.”

“So you agree with the critics on this?”

“To a point.”

“Oh?”

“There is a new variable to this equation: superpowers. The US and China are the biggest potential rivals in terms of countries but they are no longer the only or even largest potential threat to the other. In one fell swoop, Miss Le Blank dealt significant damage to both the US’s and China’s ability to project power across the ocean. Both were forced to join hands and ask the ILS for assistance. And Miss Le Blank isn’t even the worst example of what a supervillain can do.”

“So you think the existence of supervillains might force countries to cooperate?”

“I think after the Atomic Herald and the Necrosaurus shocked the globe, both the US and China wanted to assert their strength, demonstrate that they still have power and control over the world. That has backfired immensely. I think both sides will now be much more judicious about such displays of force until they possess a response of their own to the threat of supers.”

“So back to the drawing board, I suppose. Will they return to the fighting once they do have a response then?”

“That’s unclear, Brendan. The truth is it will take them some time to do so, and these new lines of communication have been established in the meantime. Both sides have an interest in deescalating for the time being, which means having hard talks and developing boundaries both sides can respect. This might be easier now due to the relationship formed between high ranking members of the military on both sides. I think it is possible the relationship could stabilize by the time either side is confident in their security, and it may no longer be in their best interest to provoke another incident.”

“So they may not become friends but they don’t have to be enemies?”

“Exactly. And honestly, I think this event is going to spread beyond East Asia.”

“Oh?”

“Two of the most powerful militaries in the world were shut down by a single woman. Thousands of lives and billions of dollars of military hardware were lost in an instant with no gain to either side. Before that we saw armies of monsters appear out of thin air across the globe. Every other country, if they are reasonable, will now hesitate to send forces abroad. The risks are simply too great and their forces might be needed at home at any moment. I think the entire world is going to have a pause on conflict as everyone adjusts their militaries to the new global reality.”

Bob nodded as he watched the television. He let out a sigh, leaning back into his chair and taking a sip from the mug in his hand.

It had been hard work, but he got it done.

He flipped through his notebook, reviewing the state of the world. He hummed and rubbed his chin.

A clean and sustainable future for the economy. Global peace, at least for a time. Heroes and villains now contained within monitorable systems, flows of finances and laws keeping them in check.

He couldn't think of anything else that required immediate correction. Oh there was always more he could do, more that could be improved but...

He could take a moment.

He could let the world spin on for a bit.

His work was finished.

Bob allowed himself to smile.

He loved it when a plan came…

“What’s that? B-Breaking news folks! There’s been a bombing in the middle of New York City! We’ve received confirmation that Director Green of the ILS was caught in the middle of it! Details are still scarce and the Director's status is unknown, GNN will keep you posted as we investigate this shocking turn of events!”