January 5, 2023.
The same thing was happening in every corner of the world. Air bases reported the same anomaly over and over again: a person moving at an absurd speed toward the same point on the planet.
It came as no surprise to the high commands. They already knew something like this was going to happen. There were only three "neutral" locations where a meeting like this could take place: Antarctica, space… or the open sea.
In the end, Irene chose Antarctica. The South Pole.
Location: AntarcticaTime: Unknown
Irene had been standing still for several minutes, looking at the white landscape that seemed to never end. She had seen snow before, of course, but not this much. And much less this level of ice, wind and silence. She found it beautiful. Like a place that human beings hadn't managed to completely ruin yet… not yet.
That made her think about pollution. With the power she now had, and the power the others had… couldn't they fix some of that disaster? Maybe they just needed to think of the right way to do it.
Her thoughts were put on pause when she heard a distant sound, though at this point "distant" meant almost nothing to her. A second later, a figure appeared through the blizzard.
He was a Black man with short hair. He wore a shirt with geometric color patterns, green trousers… and sandals. Irene couldn't help but wonder how on earth he had arrived in sandals in that cold.
—Hello —he said in flawless English—. What language will the meeting be in?
—I don't know, but I suppose English —replied Irene—. In the end it's the language most people use.
He nodded.
—What's your name? —she asked.
—Forgive the lack of manners. I'm Thabo, from South Africa.
That made sense. It was one of the closest countries to Antarctica.
—You're Irene, aren't you?
—Yes. Did you find out through the mental link?
—Yes. It's an interesting ability. We can talk through it if we want.
—Very useful —said Irene.
Before they could say anything else, another presence approached at full speed. Another blur. Another landing.
This time it was a man also with dark skin but lighter, curly hair, a football shirt, black trousers and trainers. He landed with a relaxed smile.
—Olá, em que idioma falamos? —he asked.
Irene and Thabo looked at each other, and she replied:
—In English, if you can.
—Of course, I learned it yesterday —he said as if it were nothing.
—My name is João Ferreira, from Brazil —he added—. I know you —he pointed at Irene—, but not you —he looked at Thabo.
Before Thabo could speak, Irene gently interrupted:
—I think it's better to wait for everyone to arrive and then introduce ourselves. That way we don't have to repeat everything three times.
Thabo agreed with a nod. Ferreira shrugged.
United States — Hours earlier
In an American military base, Lauren Brooks walked toward the exit as if nothing were happening. The soldiers, tense, received the order:
—Stop her!
I'm leaving, she said as she bent the door as though it didn't weigh several tons and wasn't reinforced.
—I'm going to the meeting —she said in a tone so calm it was more frightening than if she had shouted—. Don't try to lock me up again.
In the blink of an eye, a white flash surrounded her. And she disappeared into the sky.
Location: Antarctica Time: Unknown
Thirty minutes later, the cold seemed to have seeped even into those who no longer felt the weather as they once had. Twenty-seven people waited in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, when a white flash struck the snow — so fast that, for a human being, it would have been barely a blink.
From the light emerged a woman with fair skin and black hair that fell to the middle of her back. Nobody spoke, but everyone watched her with the same mixture of caution and curiosity.
The silence became almost physical until Irene, reminding herself that she was the one who had called them together, stepped forward.
—We will speak in English. It's the most widely used language… and the one we can share most easily.
Most nodded and nobody protested.
—Good. Would anyone like to begin?
Ferreira, unable to bear the tension a second longer, raised his voice with his easygoing tone:
—You know what the worst thing about having these superpowers is?
The gazes turned to him, some curious, others with disdain.
—That alcohol doesn't even tickle us anymore.
He said it with a smile on his face.
There were a few short laughs; some rolled their eyes and others did both. At least the atmosphere no longer felt quite so tense.
—I'm Ferreira, from Brazil.
He added with a small wave.
—Now then, after breaking the ice… what are the rules of this meeting?
All eyes shifted from him to Irene, as if the invisible room had a single focal point.
—I've been thinking about some since the first ones arrived.
—First rule: we won't introduce ourselves formally or at length. Just name and country the first time we speak. Otherwise this will go on forever. Agreed?
The responses were a mixture of nods, shrugs and silences which, conveniently, Irene decided to take as approval.
—Second: to speak, let's raise our hands. I don't want this to turn into chaos.
A stocky man, dressed in thick winter clothing, stepped forward before speaking.
—I don't think it's necessary… but if the majority wants it, I have no problem. Oh, and by the way, I'm Dimitri, from Russia. And nice joke about "breaking the ice" — was that a reference to where we are?
Ferreira winked at him.
—Finally someone who appreciates the jokes.
A few smiles escaped among those present. Others still seemed to be wondering what they were talking about.
A man with Asian features raised his hand slowly, as if even that felt like too much effort. When he saw he had the attention, he spoke in a calm voice.
—I'm Li Wei, from China. Can we begin… or at least say what the purpose of this meeting is.
Juan Camilo, leaning with his hands in his pockets, let out a light laugh.
—What a way to kill the mood… and we're already here.
He joked.
—But I agree with the Asian guy. I'm Juan Camilo, from Colombia.
Ferreira and Dimitri let out small laughs. Others took a few seconds to understand the joke.
Irene took a deep breath. It was clear that if she didn't take control, the meeting would slip through her fingers.
—The objective of this meeting is to discuss what to do with our powers. To avoid conflicts among ourselves and, above all… to prevent governments from deciding our fate without asking us.
Her voice echoed across the snow and ice.
For the first time since they had arrived, everyone listened to her in earnest.
Someone raised a hand; it was a man with somewhat Arab features and bronzed skin.
—I'm Hasan, from Egypt. I'd like to know — why do you think there would be any conflict between us?
Someone raised a hand: a woman with dark skin, Indian clothing, a color dot on her forehead and loose hair down to her shoulders spoke.
—I'm Anaya Mehra, from India. I think Irene is right to assume that sooner or later we would have ended up fighting.
—Why?
Asked Hasan with a raised eyebrow, looking at Mehra.
The others simply watched in silence.
—It's quite simple. It's because sooner or later we will do something that affects another person's nation, directly or indirectly. I'll explain it in a simpler way with an example.
—Who is the representative from South Africa?
—Me.
—replied Thabo, raising his hand with a serious look upon seeing he would be involved.
—Tell me, your country suffers from a malnutrition problem, doesn't it?
—Yes.
—he said, frowning at the reminder of something he himself had suffered alongside many of his own people.
—In the United States, a great deal of food is wasted and it has very high obesity rates.
—Now, with these powers, why not simply threaten the other states to have that wasted food distributed in your country?
All eyes turned to Thabo.
—Being honest, I had already had that thought. I simply chose not to act on it.
Someone raised a hand — a blonde woman with grey eyes.
—I'm Sari, from Indonesia. Are you sure you didn't do it simply because you knew the other countries also had a superhuman?
She said it in a neutral voice, but there was a hint of curiosity and amusement.
—Yes, I must admit that did play a part.
Thabo replied.
There were a few seconds of silence after his admission.
—Then let's set rules for ourselves.
Said a woman with Asian and European features.
—I'm Amaya, from Japan. I think the best thing would be for us to set rules, and since only we can stop each other, who better to decide? Do you agree?
She said it in a soft voice.
There were varied reactions, but nobody refused.
—I agree.
Affirmed a fair-skinned woman with straight hair and dark eyes.
—I'm Valeria, from Mexico. I have a question that will in turn lead us to create a rule.
They looked at her with curiosity at her approach.
—What should we do if two of us fight?
The question tensed the atmosphere.
Someone raised a hand — a thin man with fair skin and a moustache.
—I'm Lorenzo, from Italy. I want to answer with another question.
—Can we survive in space?
They looked at him with bewilderment; a few, with understanding.
Ferreira answered.
—Yes. I was thinking about visiting the Moon, like in a film I watched, but I got bored halfway there… I think.
Someone among the twenty-nine whispered.
—He's crazy.
—Yes, perhaps a little, but I don't think I'm the only one who tried it.
But nobody paid attention to his ramblings.
Lorenzo spoke again:
—Good, with that confirmed, I propose the rule that if there is a fight between us, it should only take place in space. If this rule is ignored, the rest of us can work together to send them to space, where neither the planet nor the people will be harmed.
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.