4 hours after Irene Salvatierra's transmission
The world had no time to breathe.
No time to analyze.
Not even to deny.
Irene's voice — calm, precise, without a flag — had appeared on thirty-seven million screens before governments could block it.
Her message was still traveling, reproduced by bewildered, distrustful or terrified users.
And while the population debated, the States acted.
INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS:
United States — "A meeting, yes. But on our terms."
In the White House, the security advisor slammed the table.
—We cannot allow twenty-eight… no, twenty-nine individuals to determine global policy.
—Twenty-nine gods, you mean —whispered the director of intelligence.
The American superhuman, Lauren Brooks, 27 years old, had been seen flying across the Nevada desert two days earlier.
The Pentagon demanded she reject the meeting.
She didn't respond.
And that silence was more worrying than any threat.
China — "Absolute control."
The Politburo met in an emergency session.
Their superhuman, a 24-year-old man named Li Wei, was under "voluntary protection"… though the real word was custody.
When they heard Irene's proposal, the minister of internal security declared:
—If this happens without our supervision, we will lose decades of strategic power.
China publicly announced it would not participate, but in private began tracking Irene's location.
India — "This could prevent a war."
The Indian superhuman, Anaya Mehra, 22 years old, had accidentally stopped a minor earthquake by instinctively reacting to the vibrations in the ground.
She was the first to send a direct response: "I accept the meeting."
Her government couldn't stop her.
Russia — "If we don't control them, they will control us."
The Kremlin declared official silence, but Russian satellites moved.
Their carrier, Dimitri Antonov, 29 years old, had destroyed a drone without touching it.
Russia trusted no one, but also feared being left out.
They accepted… with impossible conditions.
Brazil — "A miracle or a disaster."
The Brazilian — João Ferreira, 25 years old — had been filmed stopping a moving train.
His government was divided:
—National hero.
—Absolute risk.
In the end, Brazil simply said:
—If others go, so do we.
France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy — "Europe must act as one."
The Europeans debated for hours.
In Brussels there were shouts, slammed doors and political threats.
But in the end, they decided to accept the meeting to avoid falling behind China, Russia or the U.S.
Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, D.R. Congo, South Africa — "Africa also has a voice."
Africa was the most divided region.
But one thing was clear:
Their five superhumans represented the greatest combined power the continent had seen in all its history.
All five agreed to attend.
Latin America — "Maybe this is our moment."
Chile, Venezuela, Ecuador and Argentina had no carriers…
but Mexico, Brazil and Colombia did.
Colombia, of course, already knew about Juan Camilo.
The government had been watching him since that first recording in Cauca.
The president delivered a tense message:
—Our representative will act under supervision.
Juan Camilo, from his house, laughed quietly to himself.
South Korea, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia — "Balance or death."
East and South Asia reacted with fear.
Too close together, too many historical tensions.
But none of them could afford to be left out.
They accepted the meeting without hesitation.
Iran — "Silence."
No statement.
No denial.
No threat.
Iran said nothing.
Their superhuman — identity unknown, location unknown — had not made a single public appearance.
And that silence… was what worried the world most.
IRENE'S FIRST RESPONSE
Irene was in the attic where she had recorded her message when she received the first signal.
A soft, faint sound, like one thought pushing against another.
It was a direct message.
Not by radio.
Not by cell phone.
Not by internet.
A voice that wasn't audible, but felt.
Anaya Mehra — India:
"I heard you. I am not alone. Let's do this."
Irene steadied her pulse with one hand.
She hadn't known the powers could connect like that.
Minutes later, another presence.
Heavy, intense, like a mountain in motion.
João Ferreira — Brazil:
"Sister, if you speak, I'll be there."
Then another.
And another.
And another.
Young voices.
Strong voices.
Frightened voices.
In the end there were twenty-eight affirmative responses.
Only one was missing:
Iran.
Important notice: This work is a work of fiction. The characters, events and dialogues described herein are the product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to real persons, including public figures such as presidents, political leaders or institutions, is used solely for narrative purposes and is not intended to reflect real events or opinions about such persons or entities. It should not be interpreted as a faithful representation of reality, but as part of a fictional universe.