Ever since the Cascade, life was never simple. The powers bestowed on Zackary could make him level a city. It was easy to take everything, conquer anything. Be anyone! No one could arrest him. There was no place on the planet that could contain him. The level of power he could generate in the palm of his hands made him a god among men. He was truly, without the doubt, unstoppable.

  But he had to be responsible and have some accountability. Be an example so others with similar powers had to follow. Ever since he was convinced by his friend Ben to join the DOE, also known as the Defenders of Earth. He had to follow a strict set of codes that prevented him from using his powers to its full potential.

  It was infuriating! To him, it was like he was forbidden to not use the full motion of his legs. He would always blame the bureaucrats that feared him and lack any idea of what he could achieve. Why be limited to the concept of laws when he could just finish the job and leave?

  However, he wasn’t allowed to show off. The world was on edge and he had to play along with the rules like everyone else in the organisation. To think that one moment, he was just a regular person. A grunt fighting in Afghanistan. Only to later become the equivalent of a nuclear bomb. That was not the life he wanted, a life of restraint.

  Zackary Dicklish, also known to Curly by anyone close. Had pale skin and short blond hair. Though he was out of the military, he never truly left it with how he chose to carry himself.

  Fortunately, there were glimpses of a simple life. A normal he could accept if he just allowed himself to sit back and relax. In the commons room inside of the DOE headquarters, south of Washington D.C. Zackary sat on the couch and rested dirty boots resting on the coffee table. Zack spread his arms out, claiming the couch as his own throne while he watched a show. But not just any show.

  The Cascade changed the world in funny ways. Everyone was anxious about those who were mutated. Given powers that made them beyond ordinary. Because of the changes caused by the Cascade and the formation of the DOE. It made a superhero show more relevant by the day. It started with almost zero budget, an obscure piece of media no one ever heard would eventually become a multi-million dollar property.

  ‘What are you watching? I didn’t know you like animated shows.’ Benjamin said behind Zack.

  Benjamin was a hulk of a man. He sported long curly hair. Ben was proud of it, a little reward of when he got out of the military ever since the Cascade happened.

  Zack shrugged, not bothering to look back. ‘Some show.’

  ‘Some show?’ Ben replied before sitting down at the other end of the couch. ‘So what is it about?’

  ‘I think it is about a world full of heroes recovering after a pretty significant event.’ Curly turned to Ben’s bewildered face. ‘Yeah, it is pretty popular.’

  ‘You don’t say.’ Ben mumbled to himself. ‘So what episode are we on?’

  Zack paused the episode to reveal the title. “Episode 26: Tales of Training and The Kadian Beat”. ‘That, I just started watching it.’

  Ben raised a brow. ‘So why do you sound unsure about the plot?’

  ‘I started in the middle of the first season.’

  ‘What? Why?’

  With a shrug, Zack put the show back on. ‘I like to be confused and full of surprises. It makes life interesting.’

  Though he greatly disagreed. Ben didn’t bother arguing with Zack at that point. He figured it would be pointless if he did. Instead, he sat in silence with Zack. Watching a show about heroes going through their own struggles. Though Ben asked a few questions, like how one character has golden hair and the general plot. Zack mostly ignored him.

  Yet, despite annoying Zack, he seemed to enjoy it for what it was. Ben understood why it was popular. Everyone in the DOE was a registered mutated or superpowered human. Employed by the UN to protect the world from those who would misuse their powers for nefarious means. The show to him, or at least from the episode he was watching. Was showing a human aspect of heroism. A depiction that he couldn’t help but smile along.

  At the end of the episode, Zack glanced at Ben. ‘Like the show?’

  ‘I think it is pretty good,’ Ben admitted with a nod.

  ‘Is it because some of them wear silly costumes like you?’

  Ben frowned, ‘no! I like it because they feel real, and the interactions with each character feel organic.’

  ‘I think you only like it because you like to dress up.’

  ‘Just because I wear a bright outfit…’

  ‘And take up an alias.’ Zack smugly interrupted.

  Ben took a breath, tired that he had to explain it to him again. ‘Yes, but that is because people need a symbol. I can’t just fly around wearing camo or regular clothing. It scares people.’

  ‘So you wear something that appeals to kids?’

  ‘Yes! Because they needed to be catered to.’ Ben enthusiastically explained. ‘I mean, looking at the show, it seems they follow the same principle. I wear a costume, not because it makes me look cool. But because it makes people know I am there. And it helps kids understand that I am here to help them. It isn’t armour or something that is threatening. It is a symbol. A symbol that means someone is there to protect them. I like to think it is a hopeful message that anyone from different nations or from different languages can understand.’

  Zack raised a brow, still unconvinced by the reasoning. ‘That is some virgin behaviour right there.’ He said before putting on the next episode, ending the conversation right there. Without saying anything, Ben sat back and watched the show. Disgruntled by Zack's dismissal.

  ‘Gosh, aren’t you two such nerds?’ Valentina spoke in a heavy rural Mexican accent as she walked up to them with her arms crossed. She was one of their heavy hitters who joined the DOE three weeks prior. A formal firefighter with a talent for causing trouble.

  ‘Ben,’ Valentina continued. ‘don’t you have a meeting tomorrow? Why are you watching… that?’

  ‘I have a meeting on the sixth of March. It is a week away.’

  Zack chuckles, ‘that is tomorrow. Not a week away.’

  Ben slams his palm over his head as everyone there laughed at him. Even though he was the person who made the DOE, the leader of the Defenders of Earth. He was like everyone else. A person who would make mistakes.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  He was overworked to the bone. Ben had to constantly attend meetings, request additional resources from world leaders, seek permissions to intervene when required, and, of course, be the hero the UN expected him to be. Responsibilities Zack was thankful he didn’t have.

  Just like Zackary, Benjamin Earl had the capabilities to destroy an entire city on his own. Both have super durability and the power of flight. Their powers differ by a lot. Zack had the powers of electrokinesis. To him, it was far more impressive than Ben’s super strength and the ability to shoot energy out of his hands. Discount Superman, Zack would joke to himself.

  However, in the end, he respected his friend. The two survived Afghanistan together. It would also be there where they got their powers. Zack owed Ben his life after the amount of times he saved his life. So, while Zack would tease him and have different views on what it meant to be a part of the DOE. He still respected his formal Sergeant.

  Valentina sat down on the spare chair, watching the show about heroes. She was surprised about how down to earth it was. Though she couldn’t help but laugh at how corny it was, even when there were no signs of it. Val just wanted to say something to rail someone up. Unfortunately for her, everyone else ignored her.

  As the show went on, more and more people gathered around to watch it. All were curious to what the world and popular culture thought heroism was. All of them made comparisons. Some joked about costumes, while others defended its implementation. When there were no new episodes to stream, Zack relented and started the show from the beginning so everyone could bing in one go.

  During her lunch break, Doris, the only member without powers and head scientist of the DOE. Approached the gaggle of super powered humans and sat next to Ben. ‘I didn’t know you like watching cartoons?’

  Ben flustered for a moment, taken aback by the question. ‘Well, it was on and I just joined in.’

  Doris gestured to everyone who gathered around, all eagerly paying attention to the one TV in the commons room. A second hand piece of junk Doris found at a garage sale which caught the attention of every powerful person on the planet.

  ‘I think it is more than that.’ She commented.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Doris smiled before leaning closer to Ben. ‘Well, big guy. I think everyone here sees themselves in that show. I like to believe that everyone in this room imagines themselves as larger than life, but also just regular people deep down. But also be a hero people can inspire to become, no matter how flawed.’

  He thought about what she said. As he observed everyone, he realised what she meant. Behind the jokes at the expense of the show, they empathise with the characters and its world. Some people in the room came from a rough place, some even caused a lot of harm when they just got their powers.

  Yet the show was able to communicate to them in a way that they deeply relate to. It might not be the show’s intentions, but it appealed to them where no other media was able to achieve since the Cascade. It made them all feel human. The show gave them a representation they all yearned, and one the show delivered.

  Ben cracked a smile as he resumed watching the show with his team. A group of people who were willing to put their lives on the line to protect others. They would only face threats who would have similar powers or were far more powerful than them. Death was more than a possibility, it was an aspect of life they had to accept. But they knew they wouldn't have to face it alone. Not when they were part of the DOE.

  Lightspeed rushed into the room. He was their speedster, a pacifist that was horribly mutated from the Cascade. Lightspeed had orange bark-like skin, his stomach was hollowed out while his heart radiated with a yellow glow.

  To anyone who would listen, he nerded out about the show and how it was different from the comics. He bounced up and down, ecstatic about its representation of the characters. Ben was even surprised that the show was almost canceled, but it was thanks to the world altering event that made it become popular.

  Lightspeed talked about the League of Supers and how they were split off from a task force known as the Burning Eagles. He went on and on about their history. To the group greatest achievements to their mightiest of defeats. How their militaristic roots later changed to capes and spandex. From how they were a super force for the UN and broke away from them.

  Ben wasn’t excited to hear that fact. As he wouldn’t want the organisation he built to dismantle the same way the Burning Eagles broke away. But from the explanation Lightspeed provided, he could see the internal logic of how it happened in that world. All he could hope for was he wouldn’t be forced to face the same problem.

  The show meant everything to the people in the commons room. Zack would not predict it, nor would he ever expect. But he accidentally started what would be an annual tradition for the members of the DOE. A weekend marathon of I Am Rage. A show that would make them laugh, cry, cheer, and boo at. Most importantly, it inspired them to be more.

  The world saw everyone in that room as nothing more than tools, weapons to deal with threats no one could handle. To them, it was more than a relief that there was something that made them seem more than agents of order. But a person who was flawed and full of aspirations.

  As the latest episode concluded, the commons room echoed with sighs and grunts of disappointment. Zack was the first to leave the room, already drained of the company. Doris and Ben would stay behind, sitting together as they stared at the blank screen.

  ‘So what do you think of the show? Best of 2019?’ Ben asked.

  Doris paused for a moment before giving an answer. ‘I don’t trust Seth, I think there is a lot more about him than what is revealed.’

  ‘Really?’ Ben chuckled. ‘He seems decent.’

  ‘You only believe that because you like to think there is good in everyone.’

  ‘Is that a bad thing?’

  Doris smirked before turning away. ‘No, that is just what makes you what you are.’