One Week After the U.N. Speech
Location: NATO Headquarters – Brussels, Belgium
Rain lashed the tarmac outside the NATO summit hall. Inside, beneath brilliant chandeliers and behind reinforced blast doors, an emergency security council had convened.
The air was electric with unease.
Dozens of heads of state sat around a massive circular table, translators whispering rapidly into earpieces. On the large screen in the center, footage of President Lance Carter's glowing speech from the United Nations played on loop — his voice rich with warmth, truth, and terrifying potential.
"We stand on the cusp of evolution. A new dawn. Not ruled by the few—but protected by the strong, guided by the just. Superpowered or not, this planet belongs to all of us. And I will see to it that it thrives… together."
When the video ended, no one spoke.
Prime Minister Arthur Melville (UK): "He calls for unity... while wielding the power of a sun god."
President Francois Moreau (France): "You don't call for unity after stopping a tornado with your bare hands. You declare dominance with a smile."
Chancellor Dieter Koch (Germany): "We cannot allow one man to possess power unchecked, regardless of his intentions."
General Wang Zhao (China): "The President of the United States now is your missile defense system. The world's peace is balanced on his mood."
Vladimir Petrov (Russia): "I say we test that balance. Build our own response."
Murmurs rippled through the room.
A second screen lit up, displaying recent surveillance footage:
A Chinese black site in Tibet constructing a particle collider for controlled X-Gene activation.
A Russian carrier patrolling near Arctic borders, rumored to house a secret metahuman detachment.
A French nuclear sub trailing the U.S. East Coast with experimental anti-metahuman torpedoes.
All quiet, all unofficial… all dangerous.
Scene: White House Situation Room – Washington D.C.
Lance Carter stood at the front of the long table. Behind him, holographic maps and intercepted transmissions from the world's major powers rotated slowly.
Maria Hill: "France and Russia are running disinformation campaigns through Eastern Europe. China's backing anti-American protests in Pakistan, and Wakanda wants an independent superhuman rights tribunal."
Jessica Jones (reading dossier): "Also, Canada politely asked us to 'not laser their geese'... so there's that."
Lance raised a brow.
Lance: "Noted. No heat vision near Ontario."
Laughter. Tension released. But it didn't last.
Storm (Ororo Munroe): "We've confirmed Hydra remnants in Sokovia and Madripoor are attempting to mutate prisoners with experimental X-Gene accelerants."
Emma Frost (White Queen): "Everyone's gearing up for a cold war. But with fire. Powered fire."
Lance leaned forward, voice slow, deliberate.
Lance: "Then we give them no reason to strike... and every reason to look inward."
Scene: Bilateral Meetings – 2008-Style
Private Meeting – President Lance Carter & President Vladimir Petrov (Russia)
Petrov (smiling coldly): "You are an interesting contradiction, Mr. Carter. A man of peace… who could kill a god with his hands."
Lance (stone-faced): "Peace isn't born from weakness. It's enforced by restraint."
Petrov: "But for how long can you restrain yourself? Or your... 'daughters'?"
Lance: "As long as necessary. And if restraint fails, remember — I don't start wars. But I do end them."
Private Call – Lance & Prime Minister T'Challa (Wakanda)
T'Challa (calm): "You now embody myth. That makes the world irrational. Be careful."
Lance: "You speak like a king."
T'Challa: "And you speak like a man carrying a mountain. What happens when you finally set it down?"
Lance: "I'm hoping to hand it off… to a better world."
Private Meeting – Lance & President Xiang Fei (China)
Xiang Fei (stern): "Your powers threaten balance. The United States has always spoken of equality. Now you redefine it."
Lance: "Then evolve your definition. I didn't choose these powers. But I will use them to keep peace — even if that peace must be enforced."
Xiang Fei (narrowing eyes): "Is that a threat?"
Lance: "No. That's a promise."
Scene: Back in D.C. – Situation Room Summary
Daisy Johnson (Quake): "So the planet's basically flipping out."
Lance: "The planet always flips out when someone flips the power dynamic."
Jean Grey (Phoenix, quietly): "You've become the sun in a room of candles. They'll either orbit you… or burn trying."
Press Coverage – Global Media Reaction
CNN: "Is America now the world's only superpowered superpower?"
Fox News: "Should we trust a man who glows to write our laws?"
BBC: "Carter's Ascension: Messianic figure or dangerous demigod?"
Al Jazeera: "Will the West now weaponize evolution?"
Political Ramifications (Deep Plot Seeds)
1. The Phoenix Accord (Proposed by Wakanda and the UK):
A UN-led international council to monitor global superhuman activity, including non-government mutants and enhanced individuals. Intended as a "counterbalance" to Lance's unchecked influence.
Backed by: Wakanda, Japan, France, Canada.
Opposed by: Russia, China, U.S.
Result: Political deadlock… for now.
Project Olympus (Russia – Secret Initiative):
Development of metahuman weaponry using DNA recovered from the Red Room and Sokovia. Black Widow-class operatives combined with low-grade X-Gene activation.
Intended to create an anti-Lance strike team.
Currently in beta phase. Unknown success rate.
The Ascension Cult (U.S. Civil Response):
Grassroots American movement rising in inner cities and rural areas. Children paint symbols of hope — not Superman's "S" but Lance's Presidential seal, stylized like a golden star.
"He's not our President. He's our protector."
This worries the U.S. Senate and global allies. The myth of Lance Carter is growing faster than policy can contain it.
Lance's Internal Monologue
Lance (alone, late night in the Oval Office):
"This wasn't part of the plan. I wanted power to survive. Now the world sees me as a savior… or a threat. And I'm neither. I'm just a man who got tired of waiting to die in someone else's story."
He looks at the globe on his desk. Spinning slowly. Silently.
"But if I must carry their fears, I'll shoulder them all. Until my daughters never have to."