They stood in the open field, silently waiting for the Interpol agents to emerge from the ship. It was night now, the only light coming from the town behind them and the Cloudburst which opened up with a descending ramp. The agents known as Intrepid and Shift slowly came down the ramp.

“We’re with the Interpol Metahuman Division,” Intrepid informed them, “I am Agent Intrepid and this is Agent Shift. Please come with us.”

“But we’re-,” Kyle began but was cut off.

“The Upstarts. We know,” Shift interrupted, “You’re also a group of metahumans who unlawfully entered a country and interfered with ongoing investigations concerning local authorities… on international TV I might add.”

“So now that you’re here, instead of bullying us, why not go after the cartels?,” Alexis snapped.

“Human-level criminals with energy rifles do not constitute a metahuman threat so we have no authority,” Intrepid explained calmly, “That is the Columbian authorities’ jurisdiction, not ours. We’re not the world police and you wouldn’t want us to be.”

“But we’re a metahuman threat?,” Alexis snapped back once again.

“Technically, yes. Considering you’re still alive, you should appreciate the fact that our director took a special interest in you. Now come with us.”

“You should have brought more than two cops,” Alexis raised their fists, using their shape shifting powers to elongate their arms and puff out their hands several times their normal size.

“Yeah, we outnumber ya’ll,” Da Mutt announced as he also took an offensive stance.

“Wait, we’re fighting the Badges?,” Dante asked nervously.

“Absorb whatever kinetic energy you can,” Alexis commanded, “Use your strength to-”

Shift raised his hands and telekinetic energy swirled around them, lifting them into the air, “It’s hard to absorb kinetic energy when you can’t move.”

Dante remembered what Ryan Bennings told him and began clenching his body, forcing it to tremble in hopes of absorbing kinetic energy. On the ground, the IMD agents continued to explain.

“We’ve been keeping tabs on you,” Intrepid told them, “We know what you’re capable of.”

“You’ve been spying on us, you mean,” Alexis sneered.

“Your powers are listed on your website,” Shift reminded them, “As well as the location of the Upstart Manor which was pretty disturbing to us so please tell Levison to cut that shit out.”

“We have no desire to fight kids, powers or not. Please just come with us,” Intrepid’s voice conveyed sincerity, “There’s someone onboard our ship who wants to talk to you. We had to do a lot of convincing for him to let us do our job so he could talk to you so please, just humor us.”

The Upstarts silently looked at one another. Dante unclenched his fists. Now wasn’t the time to test a theory. The fight was over before it began.

In Miami, Craig Levison had been notified by his military liaison of the Upstarts’ “trip” to Columbia and that he was expected to be contacted by the director of the IMD soon. He stepped out of the bar and into the back of his waiting limo, trying his best to sober up for the unpleasant conversation ahead. Sean Pierce soon appeared on his phone’s screen without it even ringing.

“Director Pierce,” Levison smiled nervously, “First of all, I’d like to thank you for your service…”

“Save the arse-kissing for the lads in Washington,” Pierce snapped, “Your TV stars nearly caused an international incident.”

“Director Pierce, I can assure you I had no knowledge of their actions. I do not condone it and if I was aware-”

“Levison, I firmly believe in Hanlon’s Razor: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. I don’t believe you are in any way a malicious person.”

“That… sounds back-handed.”

“I have personally monitored the Upstarts Program because everything concerning it pointed to a very bad situation. My people have picked up your team and are in the process of bringing them to your location. My jurisdiction ends there, sadly. Senator Jackson and the American military have requested leniency from Interpol and my hands are tied, otherwise, I would see what I could do to shut your entire operation down and you should understand that if I had my way, those kids would be returned to their parents and you would be in prison. Having said that, I know there will be someone returning with the Upstarts who will have words with you and that should be punishment enough,” Pierce disappeared from the screen, leaving Levison exasperated.

In the Cloudburst, the Upstarts freely sat in the cabin while Intrepid and Shift piloted the ship back to Miami. A back door slid open and the Upstarts prepared themselves for their mysterious friend who soon stepped through the doorway. They were initially surprised but once given thought, it soon made sense that Ryan Bennings would be there.

“Hey kids, I’ve paid your bail,” Ryan said jokingly.

“You called the cops?,” Alexis asked angrily.

“No, they came once you put yourselves on TV. I just hitched a ride since I was in the neighborhood.”

“What do you mean?,” Dante asked.

“You guys know I was used by Levison and the CIA as a kid to create weapons and you knew those weapons were eventually sold to the Columbian cartels. Of course I was on this shit from the start.”

“Why didn’t you take care of this already?,” Kaley asked.

“I can’t just walk into Cartel Territory, guns blazing as you just found out. In fact, rich white guys bursting into, say, Latin America and blowing shit up for the greater good isn’t exactly a good look, historically. I can, however, quietly track down their weapon caches and sabotage them. Also, searching for links between the Columbian cartels, the secret crime organization in Costa Triste and the CIA takes a while and, not to make you feel worse than you already do, might not be possible after your little stunt. You brought attention to the situation without enough evidence which means they’ll have the opportunity to cover their tracks and quietly leave the chat, so to speak. Rookie mistake.”

“I guess we got caught up in our feelings,” Alexis admitted, “We didn’t think things through.”

“We keep making that mistake,” Kyle said as he glanced at Da Mutt, “But at least when we’re adults, a lot of this high school-level shit will go away.”

“Oh my sweet summer child, if only that were true,” Ryan told him, “Look, I can’t lie and say things get less complicated when you get older because the fact is, you find out things are far more nuanced than you realize. Take the Columbia situation, for instance. You had your hearts in the right place but it was the wrong time and place.”

“Sorry we screwed up your operation,” Dante told him.

Ryan sighed, “It wasn’t a complete bust. The Costa Tristens won’t be selling weapons anymore and will probably leave Columbia alone after all this heat. Meanwhile, the cartels have likely been spooked into hiding and by this time tomorrow, roughly 73.4% of their weapons will be destroyed after I blow their caches. The Columbian authorities can pick up the rest.”

“So what happens now?,” Alexis asked.

“Now, I take you back to that swank Miami resort, go to bed and be happy you’re alive,” Ryan sat down in a cabin seat, “Oh,… and if you do anything like this again, I’ll kill you myself.”

In the following weeks, the entire first season of Upstarts would premiere to rave reviews and high audience scores. The superhero community would be largely against it with Cavalier making a rare statement to the press that stated “Children have no business suiting-up.” As expected, Ryan Bennings himself came out to the public describing the series as “An amalgam of state propaganda and child exploitation” among other things. The Upstarts went back to their homes to wait until the filming of the next season which was greenlit quickly. The Columbia situation was quietly dropped by the media with the American military satisfied with keeping the Upstarts on a reserve status until needed despite some misgivings about their readiness. Motions were in place to give them proper training by the summer.

Back to the night of the Season One wrap, Levison sat quietly in the suite, waiting for the inevitable. Unlike the Upstarts, he was fully expecting Ryan Bennings to come through the door. The teens stood silently, expecting Levison to give them the riot act but instead, he waved them off, “Go get some sleep. The staff will help you leave in a couple of days.” They left, single file to their rooms while Levison stood to his feet, eyeing Ryan from across the resort suite.

“So, let me have it,” Levison said, spreading his arms out and beckoning him as if challenging him to a fight.

“You’ve always been a money guy and you’ve not exactly shied away from being a propaganda tool,” Ryan said as he took up the challenge, “We both remember when you tried to do that live-action Sgt. Stripes show and I’m sure the Army was more than willing to foot the bill for that one since we all know Rex Robinson wasn’t willing. But it never ended with just that. You knew the military wanted me to develop weapons and you let that happen for some sweet kickbacks. I get it. Why go further than that? Why have me facing off against the Energizer in the middle of Times Square? And going beyond that, why the hell would you cozy-up to some sleezy senator so you could help create government super soldiers under the guise of a stupid reality show that likely won’t go past three seasons? Don’t you have enough?”

“I’m giving the world something that no one else has before,” he shrugged, “It’s just showbusiness. Meanwhile, the authorities keep us safe by giving the world a few more superheroes. Doesn’t the world need heroes? I think your pal Rex Robinson would agree.”

Ryan rubbed his brow, “Yeah, I guess I shouldn’t have expected a legit answer. It’s nice you want to remain famous but sooner or later you’ll have to realize what you do to people,” he pointed to the teens’ rooms, “Dance with the Devil if you like, but those kids have done nothing to deserve being a part of this.”

“They’ll be fine,” Levison assured him, “The military won’t enlist them tomorrow or anything so there’s plenty of time for training. And it’s not like they’re slaves. They can quit whenever they want.”

“What if it’s too late? What if there’s some massive threat that requires more than me, some Badges and whatever other superheroes happen to be active that day? What if the military has no other choice but to send those kids in to fight the good fight? They’re too young, Craig. They aren’t even old enough to drink a bottle of beer and somehow they’re gonna be the saviors of humanity?,” Ryan leaned in, “If anything happens to them, their blood will be on your hands.”

Ryan turned and left the room, leaving him silent and drunk.