BREAKING NEWS:

"This is Karen Gyllis, still on the air. (Yawn) currently in hour fourteen of the ongoing crisis. If anyone in the greater metro area has espresso left, you can be on TV for ten minutes if you bring me one. We still don't have access to our usual feeds from around the world, but it should be clear to everyone that the sun came up this morning, and we were here to see it. That's more than a lot of people were hoping for, to be honest. It means we had it in us to stay alive, and hold back from the unthinkable.

"What comes next will be harder. History has proven that building is always harder than destroying. But I hope… I hope that the legacy of our generation is that we ended up doing the right thing, when there were no choices left.

"We don't know what happened in Nevada, but it looks like the storm has passed. We're getting some weather reports that suggest the storms are easing as they spread out from the epicenter of the battle, just as they did when Hope Island arrived. We have no word on the status of the Planeteers, or The Gauntlet."

Kwame woke up first. He heard birds.

Then memory caught up, and he rose with a groan. The trees and jungle vines were all just like Hope Island.

Gi was suddenly right beside him. "Hey. Welcome back."

Kwame sat up. If he didn't know better, he'd think he was back on Hope island again. "It worked?"

"And nobody hit us." Gi nodded. "Wheeler's been trying to reach his father, but the phones are all fried. We probably knocked out every cell tower for five hundred miles."

Kwame rose. What was a wrecked city in a hungry desert was now swept clean. There was a single jungle oasis surrounding them, but Kwame could see the end of it. It wasn't like Hope Island. But after staring for several seconds, he realized the difference. "Wow."

General Connor looked out over what was once his forward operating base. "Still nothing on radar?"

"Nothing on anything." Colonel Johnson reported. "Our most hardened units are off the air. They could stand up to the EMP of a World War, but that... whatever-it-was cooked everything manufactured."

"Including the radios and all our vehicles." The General nodded. "I've had to send people cross country to find a place with working communications." He glanced over. "Which means I can't send people to look for your kids. Either of them."

The Colonel pointed ahead. "I could go myself."

"If you were going to do that, you would have already." The General commented. "But you won't, for the same reason I won't send anyone. If the Planeteers lost that fight, or fought to a draw, then it's even money whether or not you'd run into Gauntlet on the way there. And that's assuming that either side ain't coming for us next. I'll be honest with you, Colonel. I'm not entirely sure it matters anymore. For all we know, the entire country's been shut down. I heard about Hope Island. The Saratoga was the nearest craft still active; and it still took a day or two to get to Hope Island. Anything closer got shut down completely."

"Nothing to do but wait, and admire the scenery." The Colonel commented. "And it's a nicer view than we had yesterday, that's for sure."

"It's like something out of National Geographic." Gi enthused. "I've never seen a desert so... perfect."

The world beyond their Oasis was a vibrant landscape, with sands so bright red, and skies so fiercely blue that it made them gasp in awe. They could see the water over in the distance, with palm fronds and strong reeds gathered around the water line.

Lizards scuttled smoothly, and birds circled on the warm air.

"It's beautiful." Ma-Ti said quietly. "I can feel an ocean of life beneath the surface. Moreso than when there was a city here."

"Yeah. It's amazing." Kwame said, but his voice was so flat it felt like he was on the verge of tears.

They were all feeling the same. Right now, according to what they knew, The Corporation's many tendrils would be ordering the destruction of everything. Every food supply, every water supply. Medicine, clothing, fuel... The majority of it would be destroyed.

And there was nothing they could do.

Bligh stared at her phone. New York still worked. Everyone was glued to their televisions, waiting to see which way the chips fell.

"There's a moment, Mal." She said finally. "When you let go of the dice, there's a moment before they hit the table. You breathe wrong in that moment, you change how the dice come up. That's why it feels like the universe is holding it's breath."

Mal looked worse than she felt. The man hadn't slept. Every time he tried, he woke up screaming. Bligh wasn't sure what he'd seen Stumm do via her monitors, but she knew it was bad.

"I don't know if you heard about the Third Threat." Bligh said, more thinking out loud than telling him. "But if the sun came up, it was only a temporary win. Stumm ordered all the stockpiles be destroyed."

"Not ours." Mal said.

"What do you mean?"

Mal pulled out his omnipresent tablet, and started tapping at the screen. "When the market collapsed completely last week, he ordered we buy all of it. All the food, all the medicine, all the drinking water."

"I know. I also know he ordered it all ruined."

"All the stuff we were buying up." Mal nodded. "But the rest of it, the stuff we already owned before Gauntlet existed? Those orders hadn't gone out yet. They were slated to, but... well, that was when you tipped off the Board. They ordered a freeze on all orders coming from his office. They were expecting someone else to take over as CEO; but he killed them before-"

Bligh put a hand up. "Wait. How much of it survived?!"

"Well, everything." Mal said, as though it was obvious. "At least, everything that already had a Corporation Logo on it; which was already a command percentage of-"

"Oh my god." Bligh breathed. "Mal, do you have any idea what that means? I'm the only member of the Board left! All that is mine now! Every bite of food left to eat, every drop of water fit to drink, every... Every man, woman, and child on the planet is mine now! They'll pay anything to avoid..." The cruel, cunning gleam in her eye suddenly went dark. Her gaze turned to the rest of Stum-of her office. The rotten skeleton, and the foulness creeping across the walls... And the single office plant, alive and vibrant from Gaia's touch.

"Boss?" Mal asked, not sure what was going on in her head.

Bligh suddenly burst into wretched sobs, face falling into her hands, breaking down completely.

Mal started trembling again. In a week full of horrors, Bligh's tears was still the weirdest thing he'd faced.

"Kwame seems... heartbroken." Linka observed.

"I think he was hoping that we'd find some brilliant escape. Some way to reach them, turn them on Zarm." Wheeler shook his head. "I gotta admit, I hoped the same thing, but there was no chance to breathe, let alone try to reason with anyone."

"They knocked us out of the sky before we could say anything, Yankee. That's not on us." Linka said. "But what I meant was, he seemed heartbroken at the... the gorgeous desert left behind after yesterday. I think he wanted another lush jungle."

"I think Kwame was hoping that we could turn Nervada into a new breadbasket for the country. Some way to beat the Third Disaster and keep everyone fed after all."

"A pipe dream. The Corporation owned so much. One more orchard, even one the size of Hope Island wouldn't save the world. If it could, we would have invited food shipments out of Hope Island months ago."

"True enough." He squeezed her hand as they fell silent for a while. "We've been here before, you know." Wheeler said softly. "Looking at the storm clouds in the distance, wondering if there's anything left of the world beyond them."

"We still don't know what happened to Gauntlet." Linka said quietly. "But if we're here, then it means Zarm lost. I can't imagine they survived."

Wheeler, very carefully, rested a hand on her shoulder. And for once, she pulled him closer instead of leaning away. In fact, she shifted over and pulled his arm around her shoulders. "I lived without her for a long time." Linka said quietly. "I told myself I was fine with it. Told myself I didn't need her there." She glanced at him for half a heartbeat. "I've spent most of my life trying to prove it. It didn't make me strong. It made me lonely."

"It made you both." Wheeler promised. "Linka, I really don't want to be 'that guy' right now, but you know you don't have to be strong like that around me, right?"

"I know." Linka said quietly. "Because you did the same thing when your mom died."

Wheeler shook his head. "It was harder for you, babe. My mom had a far better reason for not being there."

"I wasn't hoping to win anyone back. They were busy, I wasn't a priority. It wasn't that we didn't talk; it was that we had nothing to say. But…" Linka looked at him. "How did you do it? How did you get that… lonely, and then make other people your whole life afterward? JJ? Polly? Then us? How did you manage to get past that feeling? And do it enough to have a whole family around you?" She wiped a slowly gathering tear away quickly.

"What was the alternative? JJ had lost his mom, and we knew Dad was going to deploy again..." Wheeler shrugged. "And… I don't know, I guess that was why I decided to stick with the Planeteers, too."

"I'll never get to make things right with my mom." Linka was clenching her free hand into a fist so tight that she could feel her nails cutting into her palms. "And the thing is, I never planned to. I could have made my parents come and talk to me when I became a Planeteer. But I decided I would always look after myself without them. I never… I never planned to keep my parents out, when I became a player on the world stage. Can't help but think there's a reason why Gauntlet never got to JJ. It's because they knew you were still close with him."

"I honestly don't care why they never picked him. I'm just glad they didn't." Wheeler squeezed her hand. "And I'm sorry you never got into a better place with your parents."

"He wanted me to save them. They all did. Natali lost her brother, Kwame lost his friend. Gi is working herself into grey hairs over there, she's so ashamed of forgetting about Cho."

"Natali already thought her brother was dead. Kwame's problem is he doesn't know whether or not to tell her the whole story." Wheeler told her. "Trish got what she wanted, and became a player instead of a spectator. Ditto for Bligh. Your mother… whatever her reasons were-"

"I know her reasons." Linka said evenly. "They were the same reasons I had for conjuring up a tornado for the first time. Gentle touches weren't enough; so she got hard and she got mean." Linka looked at him carefully. "I… have been identifying with her a bit more than I'm comfortable with."

Wheeler said nothing for a moment. "Recent events prevent me from thinking you could ever be cold and indifferent at heart. I, of all people, can say otherwise."

Linka blushed, just a little. "Yes, you can." She sighed. "When I found out who the Gauntlet was, I realized that the problem with looking at the Big Picture all the time is that you forget how it's always made up of little pictures." She cupped his face between both hands, not for the first time. "You always saw the little pictures. Frustrating as it was, sometimes... I hoped that would never change."

"Maybe we have a shot and actually living happily ever after, then." Wheeler said quietly. "As long as one of us always has the big picture in mind, and the other cares about the little pictures more… If we can keep each other even, instead of being mad at each other..."

"One thing we've learned for sure, Yankee. We're at our best when combined. My mother picked the side where nothing worked together. And she lost." She looked down. "But my father will never see it that way."

"You never know."

"No, I do. He helped your father prevent a war. He knew the stakes. If that's the price, then it was worth-"

"You're doing it again." Wheeler said quietly. "Being ultra-rational and practical when the emotions get painful. Didn't we just agree that wasn't always the best move for you?"

"I've been doing that my whole life on this particular topic." Linka admitted. "My parents always cared about me, but I was never their top priority. Not compared to… saving the world. Truth is, I think the reason they both went into Interpol was because they couldn't bear to be apart from their partner." She looked out the window. "You can love someone and still find their presence inconvenient."

Wheeler flat out smothered her in a bear hug. No quips, no reassuring platitudes, just wholehearted affection.

And for once, Linka indulged, outright snuggling into it. "I have Grandmother. I have Ruby. I have all of you."

"And me most of all." Wheeler promised.

"Seems to me like I'm a lucky girl, in the family department." Linka pulled back enough to kiss him again. "Besides, I can relate. If we weren't both Planeteers, what would this little romance look like?"

"I don't know." Wheeler admitted. "Something my mom said once: You can't jump a canyon in two jumps. Half a leap only works on small things. What held me back for most of the last year was my worry that you'd chicken out if we ever took the plunge."

"No, I can't do that." Linka said with certainty. "I mean, I get why you thought that, but the moment I saw you on that dock, alive and well, I knew I'd never be able to go back to the way things were. Half a leap is never going to work for me."

Wheeler nodded. "The things I care about, I commit all the way. Ride or Die. You and me are something Real."

"The last few weeks have been very… humbling for me. I've felt more kinship with my enemies than my closest friends. I've gone to war with a mother I barely know, and didn't even blink… And I lost you. I've gotten a very good look at all the consequences of my choices." Linka sighed. "I wasted my chance with my family, Wheeler. I don't want to waste anymore chances."

Wheeler made her look at him. "Linka, I made my choice a long time ago. I could have fought the expulsion at Yale, I could have fought the… I decided a long time ago that the people I cared about were my life. And just so you know, that includes y-"

Linka leaned forward and kissed him deeply. "I love you, Wheeler."

He pulled back a bit more, so that she could see the stunned look in his eyes, and the purely happy smile on his face. "I can't believe you said it first."

"All in, right?" Linka reminded him.

"All in." Wheeler confirmed. "And I love you too."

"I'm glad they got there, before all this." Gi said quietly, watching them discreetly.

"So am I." Kwame said quietly. "I mean… Until."

"Until." Gi said quietly. "We had to do it, didn't we?"

"Fight Gauntlet? Yes." Kwame nodded. "They would have torn the planet apart if something hadn't stopped them." He sent a glance to the sky. "If we're all still here, then Wheeler's father must have been able to convince them to hold back, but…"

"We stopped them from wiping out the world directly. Maybe, maybe, maybe we can stop the Corporation too. I mean, they need to eat, don't they?"

"I keep thinking about what Bligh said, about how the Corporations already destroy food if it isn't cost-effective to try and sell it. How many of those people that do the trashing actually check with each other planet-wide first? We have no idea what happened with Bligh and Stumm. Even if she won..." Kwame admitted. "And with the Geo-Cruiser destroyed, we really don't have a clue what's going on out there. Odds are better than good that there's a global riot going on over the last of the food right now."

Gi was silent a long moment. "We couldn't do anything against Stumm. Every single one of us were needed here. Colonel Johnson couldn't do anything here. We needed him where he was. If enough people can hold off the end of the world in enough ways, and do it every day… Then the world spins on forever. That's the goal, isn't it? To reduce the number of ways things can end, help people make the right choices for all the places we can't fix?"

Kwame shivered. "I just wish I knew what was happening out there. We aren't out in the middle of the ocean this time, but we're just as cut off."

"I remember reading about the end of the Second World War. I remember reading that Hitler signed an order, saying that if it looked like he was going to lose the war, his troops were to raze everything to the ground. Every house, every street, every bridge, every artwork…" Gi bit her lip. "If Bligh failed… I still don't know what Zarm is exactly, but I'm betting he's the type to destroy everything out of sheer spite."

Kwame shook his head. "Some people just have to have everything, don't they?"

Gi snuggled closer to him. "Just so you know, if it comes to that? If the future of the human race is a Mad Max movie from here on out? I'll still stick with you, forever."

"Feeling's mutual, my love." Kwame hugged her tight, and the five of them waited to see what was left of the world.

BREAKING NEWS:

"We're now able to report that limited Communications have been restored. Special Thanks to our own Karen Gillys for keeping the flame alive while the lights were out."

"Good morning, Dan. Unfortunately, the news is not all good. We don't really have any field reporters left just yet, but I want to take this moment to give thanks to my friends in the Planeteer Foundation. They'd finished their part fourteen hours ago, but they're still helping as best they can. Emily, can you hear me? We've patched the phone into the studio."

"I can hear you, Karen. On the surface it's mostly peaceful. I think it's dawned on everybody that there's not really anything left to fight over. After a week of the 'Try To Fly' parties, and everything else that happened; there isn't really anyone left to tear down or loot… And I think it's dawned on everyone that the shelves aren't being restocked. I got a lot of people here taking shopping carts full of their things and walking the Hudson Bridge. They're heading for the mainland, but there aren't a lot of working vehicles left, and…"

"I'm sorry, I think we've lost her. Communications are going up and down-"

"No, I'm still here, but… Karen, there are helicopters in the sky. I haven't seen anything in the sky for three days. They're… They're not military, but they're huge."

"Wait, I can hear them. I can hear them here in the studio! Transport Choppers?"

"Yeah. And they've got logos from The Corporation all over them!"

"What are they doing?"

"I think… I think they're making a Food Drop!"

After a few hours, the Planeteers discovered the wreck of the Geo-Cruiser.

"Well, at least now we have an idea of how far the Planet-Force reached." Linka observed. "We may have turned half of Nevada into a flawless landscape."

"Wonder what that would do to the property values?" Wheeler quipped darkly; though nobody laughed. Even if Vegas was empty, there were still people in that range.

Gi had already climbed into the fuselage and looked through it. "She'll never fly again. But I think I can get the radio working." She stuck her head back out to look. "Assuming there's anyone left to call. Anyone that can answer, anyway."

"And I guess we can't put that off anymore." Kwame yawned. "What's the next move? We don't know what state the world is in, but the most likely scenario is that The Corporation is trashing all the world's supplies right now. At best, someone's trying to stop them before we all starve. What's our response?"

Gi let out an epic sigh. "There's nothing we can do. Not against that. For all our power, there are only five of us."

"Right. So let's talk about what we can do." Kwame said seriously. "We still have Hope island. A land-mass that will grow anything, and can support a much larger community of people than it has been."

"Kwame, at most that's…"

"A few thousand. Ten or twelve thousand at the outside. But with what we've got there… That's a colony of people living clean, living sustainable…"

"Twelve thousand." Wheeler said softly, and suddenly nobody was smiling. "I keep thinking about something Gi said, back when this started, about how Gaia could wipe out more than three quarters of us, and humanity will still go on just fine." He shook his head. "It doesn't feel like a victory."

"But it isn't necessarily a defeat. Not nearly like the way it could have been." Ma-Ti offered.

"And it's not like we can just drop them off." Linka put in. "They'll be scared, angry, hungry. They'll need all five of us to organize them, keep them in line, teach them how to do anything without the rest of the world... It'll be a full time job for all of us."

Sullen silence.

Gi spoke finally. "I'm not going."

Everyone looked over in surprise.

Gi looked at Kwame, eyes begging him to understand. "I love you. I love all of you. But before all this started, I spent a year turning my houseboat into a green and sustainable place. But I did it. We had zero money to spend on such things, but I was able to pull it together by understanding the tech, understanding the science. I put it together from scrounged parts." She waved at the horizon, where the storm clouds were still dark. "I could do that with other homes, guys. There's a billion homes out there that'll be abandoned once the food runs out. If I can conjure water for those people, I don't get to run away."

Deathly silence.

"I'm staying too." Wheeler said finally. "Before all this started, I built urban gardens. The Patch, my container garden… I know how to take a tiny concrete space, surrounded by violent gangs, and turn it into a small farm that can feed people in a practical way. I know how to make it work in a sealed up room, or a burned out ruin of a building. I went dumpster diving for things I could use as pots. I was looking for every inch so bad, I once used an old tennis shoe to grow basil in. Gi's right. Plenty of people are going to be desperate, fighting over the scraps. I can protect her, and I can help them start over. I can't run away either."

Linka smirked. "The fact that Wheeler and Gi spoke first is the only reason I'm telling you at all, but I've already put together a few… essentials. Back before all this, I was a farmer, in a climate that really wasn't worth farming in. All of my town were. I had to help some of the guys in town while they hand made parts for our generators, furnaces… Nobody was going to help, so I had to steal tech manuals from out-of-town libraries. And let's face it. Gi and Wheeler wouldn't last a week without me."

"Especially Wheeler." Gi smirked.

Kwame actually looked relieved. "I spent my free time planting trees. By hand. Without crazy earth powers. I'm in charge of this little group, but I admit I think we should stay too."

"You wanna keep us safe, Kwame. But we're never safe. Never will be."

Kwame smiled, and was about to make a comment, when they all heard it. Helicopters. Big transport helicopters. A lot of them.

They all rushed to where they could see the sky, and found the transport choppers making a slow circle of the whole area. One of them hovered directly over them for several moments, and came in for a landing.

Instinctively, the Planeteers looked to Kwame, who let out a breath. "Okay. Let's see where the chips fell."

BREAKING NEWS:

"Like a miracle, help came. We were expecting to report a complete breakdown of all social and civic infrastructure, but thankfully; that has not happened. We go now to our star reporter, Karen Gillys. Karen?"

"Thank you, Dan. Every refugee and relief center has now reported that food, clothing and water drops have been made in every country that we can still get reports from. A few days ago, we were reporting that The Corporation had ownership of every supply of... well, pretty much everything left. Now they're handing it out."

"Will it be enough, Karen?"

"It'll be enough to keep thousands of millions of people fed for a time. Our research desk isn't really back up to speed, yet. But the people I'm talking to say that it should be enough resources to keep the peace, until the infrastructure can be rebuilt."

"So, just to sum up… The Corporation has managed to save the world after all."

"What's left of it. Apparently, the entire Board of Directors, as well as CEO Vernan Stumm were all killed by Gauntlet, or the 'Try To Fly' raves that Gauntlet set loose."

"It certainly fits their profile, Karen. Targeting the wealthy and powerful."

"That's right, though obviously it's too early to be official. We still haven't heard anything from the police yet. The local Departments haven't reopened yet."

"So, who's in charge at The Corporation now?"

"Barbara Bligh, head of Security for the Corporation. She's the highest ranking member of the Organization; and apparently it was her personal instruction that made the food drops happen."

"Well, you can't argue with the results. The sudden influx of resources has cooled world tensions, dramatically."

"Moreso than anyone expected, Dan. In fact, if I'm totally honest, I owe CEO Bligh an apology. When the Corporation started buying out all those infrastructure and business entities, it wasn't a secret that they took a huge loss on them. At the time, we had all expected The Corporation to raise prices and gouge the public terribly with their new uber-Monopoly. But this sudden… Dan, I can't imagine that even The Corporation is going to be able to survive this much… generosity. They are, at this point, providing life support to pretty much four-fifths of the planet… and they aren't charging for any of it."

"More than goods and supplies, Karen. We're receiving reports that The Corporation is turning over their real estate holdings to local governments, to be used as relief centers, refugee centers, soup kitchens, and temporary housing. Their hard cash reserves are being given away to anyone who's lost a home or business."

"Is that money still worth anything?"

"I'll be honest with you, Karen; I wouldn't have thought so, this time yesterday. But apparently, funneling all those resources in at the local, state, and international level has acted as something of a Bailout. The sun came up, and the world managed to hold back just enough to avoid a war. Gauntlet is presumed dead. People are returning to work."

"Even in Vegas, Dan. I had a call from an unnamed source, who tells me that the Nevada desert has been completely swept clean of all the debris and wreckage left after the Hoover Dam collapse. I've been sent a few pictures of the areas around all that spilled water, and it's an oasis now. An oasis the size of Lake Mead."

"Has there been any word from The Planeteers?"

"No sign at all. But I wouldn't count them out just yet."

The helicopter took them to a ship. A private yacht, large enough to have a heliport. That was a surprise. Who was waiting for them was not.

"I thought it better if we meet here." Bligh said, dismissing her people. "I could have had you meet me at Corporation HQ, but I'm seriously planning to burn the whole building down. I don't really believe in evil spirits, even after all this; but if there's anywhere in the world that's haunted by demons, it's that hellhole."

Kwame actually smiled at her. "We're all still here. I guess you pulled it off."

From the bottom drawer of her desk, Bligh pulled the last Gauntlet, with it's Golden Stone. The stone had gone dark and lifeless. "I did it. Now get this thing away from me and bury it in a volcano somewhere."

Ma-Ti picked it up and put it away. "I will."

Silence.

"Thank you." Kwame said suddenly, and very sincerely. "Bligh, thank you. You saved the world yesterday."

"He's right about that." Gi admitted. "As much as I hate to say it; you were the one who pulled this off, Bligh. We fought the Gauntlet, but you're the reason the sun came up this morning. And from what I've heard during the flight here, you're also the reason the world will keep spinning on."

"The question is: What's your next move?" Wheeler put in. "Because what we're hearing says that there's no way the Corporation can refinance from this. How do you plan to get all that money back?"

"I don't." Bligh said simply. "This is why I had to get you all here."

"To do what?"

"To surrender." Bligh sighed. "You win."

Dead silence.

"Wait, what are we talking about?" Kwame asked.

"You won." Bligh said again. "The Corporation is dead. Gi's right. We aren't going to survive to the end of the next quarter. For all our unlimited resources, the truth is that the greatest power of The Corporation is its influence. We held markers or blackmail material on everyone above the rank of dogcatcher. But most of them are dead, in hiding, or just don't care anymore."

"So how does that affect the next step?"

"The way The Corporation worked when it all started was simple. We organized a merger between a lot of the largest companies. The top eight percent of companies owned half the world long before we ever came alone. We just took their profits, put it into a large discretionary fund, and then used it to cover everyone's expenses. That 'discretionary fund' is going to be bankrupt soon. And when everyone realizes that the entire Board of Directors is dead, along with everyone else in the Headquarters…"

"Word on that is already leaking." Gi put in.

"Then the Corporation disbands, and it all goes back to the way it was before The Great Merger." Bligh summed up.

Silence.

"You got what you wanted." Bligh said quietly.

Kwame almost smiled. "Bligh, that's the point you never got. We don't need to destroy our enemies. We don't care who gets the profit, or who gets the credit. Our goal is that the world keeps spinning on forever; and that everyone gets a chance to live."

"How'd that work for you yesterday?" Bligh needled.

"You got what you wanted, too." Ma-Ti said softly. "A legacy that would make people weep across the world at your funeral. Immortality. But you won't be remembered for power, won't be remembered for wealth. You'll be remembered for your generosity. For feeding the hungry and giving hope to the helpless. For saving the world, and taking apart the Corporation that you're currently the Apex of."

"I know." Bligh said seriously. "The irony is not lost on me."

Silence.

Bligh shook her head slowly. "Is this a little too chummy for anyone else?"

"If it helps, I still don't like you." Linka offered.

Bligh was silent for a long moment. "I could go the rest of the way, y'know. The Corporation won't have a whole lot left by the time everyone else is back up to speed. But I could still… I could make sure that when the infrastructure is rebuilt, it's renewable instead of coal and oil. I could make it so that every structure is designed to be eco-friendly. There's no shipping left, I could have all of them refit for electric turbines and solar panels…"

The five of them stared at her, trying not to scream, daring to wonder if she meant it.

Bligh went quiet for a long time, staring at nothing. "I wasn't against what you stood for, you know. I had my agenda, it meant more to me than yours did. You could say the same. Maybe yours is more noble, but… I mean, so what?"

"Still feel that way?" Kwame asked.

"I don't know." Bligh admitted, and it was clear she didn't want to talk about it anymore. "We've set a course for Hope Island. I'm sorry about your Glider. I won't be building you another one."

"Are you giving us a ride home, or marooning us on Hope Island?"

"I think we both know your involvement is still kind of touchy. That strike the Powers That Be were planning wasn't just for Gauntlet." Bligh said. "I'm using up everything I've got left. Sooner or later, the Politicians and Money Changers will shake off their shock and want to be in charge again. What happens after that, I have no idea."

"Still can't reach your dad?" Wheeler asked Linka. She had tried her satellite phone off and on several times as the Yacht powered across the ocean.

"Not sure if we're having technical difficulties, or if he just doesn't want to talk to me." Linka admitted quietly. "He'll never forgive me."

"For what? Staying alive?" Wheeler countered.

"For taking out his partner."

"We didn't do that. Remember that, Linka." Kwame said, as he and Gi came over to join them. "We fought the good fight, but none of us forced the showdown; and it wasn't us that won it." Kwame sighed hard. "Part of me wonders if we should even tell people who Gauntlet was."

"We aren't the only ones who know that secret." Gi told him. "It'll get out eventually." She gave him a squeeze, knowing what he was really thinking. "And Natali should hear it from you before anyone else."

Their families came running down the dock as the Planeteers returned.

"You're back! You're back!" Ruby was flat out shrieking as she ran into Linka's waiting arms. "You won!" She pulled back, suddenly calm. "I wasn't worried for a minute."

Linka laughed and swept the girl up. Ruby immediately reached over her shoulder and pulled Wheeler over too. Linka rolled her eyes at the obvious move, but didn't hesitate to pull Wheeler in closer.

"Where's JJ?" Wheeler asked.

"Not coming back yet, but he called. He's okay." Ruby said. "But don't go yet?"

Wheeler squeezed the girl's hand. "Why would I go anywhere without my two best girls?"

Ruby trilled a little.

A few feet behind them, Gi and Kwame were watching the blatantly domestic spectacle with silly grins. Wheeler and Linka put Ruby between them, and she swung on their hands as they made their way toward the huts.

Ma-Ti came to his parents, and found them at the edge of their battlefield. Lizzie Quinn had left a scar of anti-life that turned a mile or two of the island into wasteland.

His parents were there, burying the dead animals. Lizzie Quinn was there, trying to negotiate a shovel with her one good hand. The exertion had her pale and sweaty, looking like she was going to fall down any second.

Quinn saw him first, and her jaw dropped. "You're alive!" She blurted.

Ma-Ti's parents spun, to see their son coming, and ran to him. "You're back! You did it?"

"We did it." Ma-Ti promised, looking around the wasteland. "I never did thank you, did I?"

"Thank us?" his father blinked.

"Well it wasn't us who saved the day during the last week." Ma-Ti pointed at Lizzie Quinn. "It was you. And Agent Petrov. And Colonel Johnson. And even Bligh."

Lizzie sniffed. "I would have liked to have been on that list, instead of the other one." She confessed. "Um, if there's anything you still need me to do… I mean… If there's still a world left out there."

"You don't know?" Ma-Ti asked.

"News was off the air, even before you left." His mother explained. "It came back during the battle, but…"

Ma-Ti looked around the wasteland again. "We still have some cleaning up to do, don't we?"

Quite a Bit, yes.

Ma-Ti smiled. "Gaia. You're alive."

I am life, incarnate. Calling me a 'survivor' may be something on an understatement.

Ma-Ti chuckled. "Forgive me. What I meant was, we weren't sure you had made it through the battle. We saw Zarm and the Planet-Force at war with each other. I may just be the only one that understands how much of your own life force was in danger." He smiled a bit, as though looking at someone. "And then when you didn't say anything..."

My attention has been... elsewhere. I go where the Spirit moves me, and it does so for reasons that even I don't fully comprehend. I have had much to consider.

"For example?"

When I gave the five of you those Rings, I was hoping to find a way that humans could exist within my domain. I wanted champion, and examples. But when the moment came, Zarm was able to factor you in to make his ultimate victory a certainty. My Heroes For Earth were part of my enemy's design. It has been very humbling to find that the battle was won thanks to others; including those in Zarm's power.

Linka's family, and Gi's family were also full of questions as well. Gi and Kwame took turns telling them the story. The conversation took them until dinner time, and Ma-Ti's family joined them as the story came to an end.

"I wish I could have seen that!" Gi's father remarked as they finished laying out dinner plates on the table.

"I'd have been glad to watch it on television." Gi told him, staring at the food like she hadn't seen a meal in days.

"We've been watching the coverage. JJ's actually been on the air once or twice." Yumi put in. "It's pretty quiet, all things considered. Everyone's pretty stunned. But it seems to be working. The Corporation is dissolving, piece by piece, the farms are all back at work, so are the supermarkets, the-"

"The fishing fleets, and the lumberjacks…" Kwame murmured philosophically. "Was it enough?"

Kim was silent a moment. "You may not remember what it was like when The Corporation was formed, Kwame. But I do. Going back to the way it was before? It's for the best. Back when I was your age, competition meant whoever could make the most money, or get the most customers. Now, just maybe, there's enough people who could count going Green as a selling point. Or at the very least, enough people who are willing to make the effort; now that it's getting easier and cheaper to do the right thing than not."

"We've been here before." Gi put in. "Back in the 1850's, the Industrialized World ran on Whale Oil. Eight thousand whales a day were slaughtered for the oil, the bone... Whaling was the fifth largest industry in the USA. Then Kerosene came along in 1854. In thirty years, America went from a whaling fleet of over seven hundred, to under forty." Gi snuck a quick bite, too hungry to wait. "I said it a dozen times, back then. The world went from VCR to 4K Blu-Ray because people saw the upsides of upgrading. Nobody passed a law, or started a war. They just did what made sense for them."

"Taking out the Corporation had another effect too." Ma-Ti added as he came in. "There's a lot less influence over the rest of the world. Regular Mega-Corps can cover up a lot of sins, but The Corporation could bury whole countries. It's still not a fair fight, but it's better than it was."

"JJ called in an hour ago." Yumi offered. "He says that with all the disruption, some people are looking to make the Foundation a legit, full-time business. Not just a volunteer thing, but a global workforce, offering room and board to anyone who's willing to work. It won't pay much, but that's still a million people who are willing to clean up the mess, clean up disaster zones, rebuild the houses… If Bligh's willing to kick in some funding, or legal protections, it'd be a viable deal. Something that could grow, after everything burned down."

Alana arrived with Ruby in time to hear most of that, and the two of them sat, as Kim spooned them some dinner. "It'll never go back to the way it was before. It didn't all end with the big showdown. The latest from the news is that about a quarter of places in Eastern Europe and Northern Africa are shut down irreparably. There's a migration crisis started, and given the… reluctance of so many governments, nobody's quite sure what's going to happen to twenty million people."

"Alana, the Climate Shifts were enough to dry out Cape Town completely." Kwame reminded her. "Climate migration is a problem we were always going to have to deal with. One of the few things on the list that haven't changed." He picked up his knife and fork. "In the meantime, we did a huge thing, and the world kept turning. Back when we started this, we weren't sure we'd get that far." Kwame said. "It feels like the worst is behind us. I don't know if it is or not, but I do know that the big battles feel like victories, when really; the best changes that get made are done without anyone noticing until after the fact. I just hope enough people feel the same."

Agreeing with that, The Planeteers started to eat.

Yumi looked around. "Should we wait for Linka and Wheeler?"

"No." Everyone answered her all at once.

BREAKING NEWS:

"And now the latest on the ongoing situation, which we're thankfully no longer calling a Crisis. Riots have dispersed across the United States, as food shipments stabilize. There's still some online complaints, as the storerooms of the Corporation don't have as large a variety as people are used to, but the general feeling is gratitude. For more on this, one of our newest reporters, JJ Johnson. JJ, we're grateful to you for helping out the last few days."

"Glad to do something useful, sir."

"What are you hearing on the ground?"

"Well, as you said, there was some griping online, but I think the world in general has figured out how close we came to the edge. The feeling on the matter is that it won't kill us to live like the rest of the world for a whole week. Truth is, a lot of people are getting a better deal from the state of emergency than they have before."

"Explain that."

"I'm currently at the Free Clinic set up in Central Park. People are having an easier time finding a meal and a doctor here than they did back before it all went crazy. Nobody really knows what the world is going to look like tomorrow, but there's no small number of people who are glad to see yesterday's world go."

"True enough. JJ; has there been any word about The Planeteers?"

"Still nothing, which isn't necessarily bad news. Nobody's quite sure what to make of them now. But if you're asking if my brother has been in touch, no. Not yet. Again, means nothing. Communications are still spotty internationally, without a hardline."

It had been a long day, and Ruby was finally running out of her impossible enthusiastic adrenaline. She had insisted that Linka tuck her in, and Wheeler had gone along, inseparable from Linka as he always was now.

Ruby was finally starting to doze, as Linka and Wheeler took turns reading her stories. The two of them sat quietly for a while, just being quiet together, listening to each other read softly. Ruby's light snoring finally came, and Linka put the book away.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked finally.

"Nothing very profound." Linka admitted. "You remember when we went out to the Tar Sands to try and clean them up?"

"I remember."

"And remember the chemical spills after the Reclaimer? Took three of us to keep the spills from spreading for miles."

"I remember that too."

Linka shook her head lightly. "I saw an artist's rendering of a totally green, eco-friendly community. It was… it was beautiful, Yankee. Everything alive and healthy, vibrant colors, and clear blue sky; and everything clean… I've personally gone around the world visiting the nightmare scenarios. The animals screaming in terror because they're covered in muck, the acid rains, the children being kept away from their own kitchen sinks because the water is too toxic…" She shook her head. "Even the people who don't believe in Climate Change… They can't want to live like that, right?"

"Imagine, if we manage to create clean air, and clean water, and cheap, reliable off-grid power that doesn't cause sickness, and turn the world into a healthy, living place… and then Climate Change turns out to be a big hoax." Wheeler drawled sarcastically.

"And we'll have made the world so much better, and reduced the cost of living, all for no reason at all." Linka hammed it up, chuckling to herself. Her eyes went to Ruby. "I love this little girl, Wheeler. And she's got a home on Hope Island. Part of me is tempted to just declare victory, let the world pick itself up, and stay here. Eat tropical fruits off the vine every morning. Play baseball games with Ruby and JJ every afternoon. Romp with you half the night. Watch the sun come up over the beach and do it all over again."

"Sounds like someone's definition of paradise to me." Wheeler agreed. "In fact, it sounds like my definition of perfect." He smiled a little. "But we're not really wired for 'perfect', are we, babe?"

"No." Linka agreed. "We're made for slaying dragons. It's what we're best at."

Wheeler smiled wickedly. "Second best."

She flushed. "Not in front of the kids, Yankee." She hissed, glancing at the lightly snoring girl.

The Planeteers met over breakfast the next day.

"Still can't get a signal across to JJ." Wheeler complained.

"I can't reach my dad, either." Linka sighed. "Gi says the same thing happened when Hope Island was formed. High energy static discharge in the air, signals get scrambled. Like a lightning storm going for days."

"Well, in the meantime, we still have the news. Satellites are still working, thank mercy." Gi observed. "I've been piecing together what I can, and… Well, there's another upside to Bligh giving away her store."

Kwame, over at the Mission Board, was erasing more than half the list, a line at a time. "All of these things were wiped out by circumstance. Everything got put on hold, and with Bligh giving so much away, they aren't likely to ever start again."

"We might actually get a vacation." Linka said brightly.

Everyone stared at her. "A vacation?" Gi repeated. "Who are you, and what have you done with Linka Petrova?"

"What?" Linka said defensively. "If you haven't noticed, we seem to have made a real difference. Isn't that what we've been telling people for a week? No reason we can't take a week or two to… celebrate."

"Is that what you're calling it?" Gi drawled.

Wheeler whistled innocently.

Ma-Ti rolled his eyes. "You're sending half the animals on the island into heat, you know."

Gi giggled. "Get outta here, both of you." She told them. "Obviously, we have some time."

Blushing, Linka stood up. "Well, if you insist." She went over to the door, and glanced back at Wheeler. "Um… chase me." She told him primly, and took off running for the beach.

Wheeler stood up, in no particular hurry, gave his fellow teammates a polite nod… and then took off after Linka, actually leaving a firetrail behind him.

"Thing is… we're not done." Kwame said once they were gone. "Linka's right, we scored a major victory, and we lived to tell the tale, but it threw things into chaos. I don't know if our continued involvement is going to make it better or worse, but I do know the world that was is gone."

Gi nodded. "And if something new is going to be put in its place, we get one chance only to frame it right."

"Frame it right?" Kwame repeated. "I don't know, Gi. I have no idea what a fair economy looks like. I have no idea how the leaders should be picked, or what their first priority should be. I have no idea how to clean up the mess that we left this week, and I don't know how to provide relief or rescue to anyone in dire straits after everything Gauntlet did."

Gi hesitated, before she pushed her laptop closed. "Me neither."

"We have the authority to speak on the subject of the environment, because the Earth itself summoned us together and told us to do something. We can't say the same about the other stuff."

Gi smiled, a little rueful. "No, I guess not. But we have to say something."

A day later, as the sun came up, Linka and Wheeler came to join the others for breakfast. Ruby had a big smile when she noticed they were walking hand in hand. They hadn't left each other's side willingly since Wheeler had returned from the dead.

"So, what did we miss?" Wheeler asked.

"We're trying to sort out our next move." Ma-Ti reported. "When Hope Island was created, there were a lot of questions about us. Now the questions are all about what comes next."

"A question that has far less to do with us than they might think." Gi put in.

"Wheeler!" A voice called from up the beach, and those assembled turned to see Kim waving from the Comm Tent. "We got a signal from JJ!"

Wheeler was quickly running for the tent. And still didn't let go of Linka's hand, but her long stride could easily keep up with him.

"Ohh, those two are going to become insufferable soon, aren't they?" Alana sighed, though she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"I figure they'll either live happily ever after, or murder each other in six weeks." Kwame said simply. "Either way, they'll be a stronger team, and a fiercer enforcer for our future missions."

"How long do you think you'll stay, before things get busy again?" Yumi asked.

"Depends on how things shake out." Gi told her mother. "We can't put our pieces on the board until we know who we're playing against… or who's playing at all."

"We've been here before too." Ma-Ti said sagely. "After Hope Island was formed, we asked Gaia what she would do next. She said she would continue to move the balance back to even. That's still our mandate. To make the earth healthier, and bring humanity around to living on it forever."

"Bro! You're okay!" JJ and Wheeler both said at the same time; and they both laughed; happy to hear from each other.

"What's the feeling back there?" Wheeler asked.

"We're getting it together. The Foundation is actually managing a big chunk of the city now. Nobody's quite sure if there's still a Mayor, and the Governor was on some trip when the Gauntlet started twisting people up; so we don't have a clue where he is either. So, right now at least, the city's being organized from The Corporation, and the Foundation."

"I heard that you were working for CNN now." Wheeler commented. "Reception's been up and down here, but Kim and Yumi say that you're a natural."

"Yeah, they made an offer. Truth is, I don't know if they're serious or not. We're still trying to figure out who survived the riots. The only thing bigger than the Shelter is the morgue. It's big enough that Yankee Stadium is being converted into a pyre."

Wheeler let out a low whistle. "I'm glad you made it, man. You heard from dad?"

"He's busier than I am, but he made it. Linka's dad is with him; trying to sort some transport. They'll be coming to you."

"I want you to get back here too." Wheeler said.

"Yeah. No, that won't be happening." JJ said. "I'm… Wheels, I'm useful here. As much as I love the Island, there's not much for me to do there. I'm doing this now; and I think this is my business now."

Wheeler didn't answer for a moment. Linka squeezed his hand. "He's all grown up." She said quietly.

"Yeah. Yeah, he is." Wheeler admitted. "So, if you're not looking for a pickup, why do I think I know why you're calling?"

"CNN wants to know what happened, Bro. I'm the only one with your own personal number." JJ said, and Wheeler couldn't help the smile. "I know, became a company man really fast, didn't I?"

"It's the kind of job a grown up person should have." Wheeler said. "Not bad, considering you aren't shaving yet."

"Yeah, well. Here's hoping CNN still exists in two weeks. But if you guys have something to say on the subject, now's the time; and we're your best bet of getting it out globally."

"We're still trying to figure out what to say, over here." Wheeler admitted. "But- wait, off the record?"

"If you like." JJ laughed.

"Off the record, I don't think the usual message is going to work here. The world's been… changed."

"Yes, it has." JJ agreed. "And we're in no state to hear about Zarm and Gaia having it out. The world just isn't ready for that."

"I'm still not entirely sure Zarm is alive anymore." Linka commented to Wheeler. "But I imagine we'll find that out too."

"So what do I tell Karen?"

"Karen Gillys? When did you guys get on first name basis?"

"When we kept the network on the air during a time of global crisis." JJ reported promptly.

Wheeler smiled a bit. "Tell them… when we figure out what to tell the world, they'll get it first, thanks to you."

Six hours later, Hope Island released a message. It was just the five of them, sitting on the beach, looking at the camera, speaking earnestly.

"Before we do anything else, we want to say 'thank you'." Ma-Ti said to the world immediately. "We went into that battle, not knowing if even winning it would make a difference. We didn't save the world this time. It was all of you."

"Every single day, we rebuild the world into something new." Kwame started them off. "The world has changed quite a lot in the last week; but the truth is, we've been redefining the word 'normal' on a week-by-week basis for years now."

"Every single day, we decide what's 'normal' for us." Wheeler continued. "Nobody else can decide what our version of 'right' is. At any given moment, something we have: a job, a diet, a routine... even a long entrenched habit; could just suddenly stop working. For us, and for others. But it's always within our power to change it, rather than ride out something that doesn't work."

"What the world will look like tomorrow, we don't know." Gi put in. "But we do know that it won't look anything like yesterday. But how is that different from any other day?"

"Change is scary." Linka took up the message. "It's also inevitable. But it isn't always bad. In fact, it can be wonderful. Take a moment and think about all the things you don't like about how the world is, and then consider all the ways out there that it can change." She took Wheeler's hand. "You know what our perspective is, and if there's one thing that the last ten years have proven, it's that the world is always creating more and more ways, for each and every person to make their own mark. Technology is only one small part of that."

"And as the ability of each individual to make a difference grows, the sad paradox is that most people feel like they're being drowned out. If everyone can make a mark, nobody cares to be the one who tries." Ma-Ti put in. "And if you're going to take anything away from the Planeteers, take this: That's the most important reason to do the most you can."

"Anyone who ever did anything important in the world started out just like you." Kwame said. "We certainly did. But when we look back at the last year, and all our accomplishments… the superhero parts of it rank as some of the least effective ways to try and make things better. Powers are fascinating, and entertaining, but the real work is done in all the places where superpowers can't help."

"This is the most important time in history for people to be involved." Gi added. "And there's never been a time when there were so many ways for people to participate. And whatever tomorrow looks like, you're part of it, because deciding to do nothing is an action too."

"We don't know what the world will be in a day, but we do know it's going to happen because of what each and every one of us does today. And That Power Is Yours!"

AN:

And with that, the Heroes For Earth Series is over. I want to thank everyone who followed along, showed patience between stories two and three, and left those reviews that I live for. If you'd like to see more of my work, you'll find a link to my blog in my bio; which will point you at my original fiction.

As much as I'd love to finish with another 'Power Is Yours' Campaign, the things I'm finding just wouldn't fit with the apocalyptic scenario I was writing for this fic, even with a happy ending.

This story got pushed to my top writing priority because of multiple people who sent me PM's asking if I thought there was still reason for hope. Truth is, I'm a cynic myself. I don't know if we'll win this one, but I do know that more is being done to try to fix the problem than has ever been done before. People have remarkable capacity to get things done, once they accept that it has to happen. We've been there to see that transition; and now the avalanche has started. We live in a world now where the Energy Companies know it's cheaper to buy a coal mine, pave it over; and set up a Solar Farm. (I'm not making that up, it's happening in multiple countries. Car companies are investing in Recharge Stations over Fuel Stations, and the trendiest car you can buy new is something Electric.

And from the stuff I'm researching, we're on the cusp of a few other such revelations in industry and business. (For those who asked about the references in early chapters, I'd recommend a book called 'Clean Meat' by Paul Shapiro.

Straight up: If you know where to look; there's now some good news for every bit of bad news. I'd recommend the '/RenewableEnergy/' sub, over on Reddit.

In the last week, it's been announced that China's Air Pollution has dropped by 30% over the last three years.

The EU has made moves to ban single use plastics.

And after being hunted to near extinction, a species of European Bison has been reintroduced into the Dutch wild.

Every single chapter, I've been able to give you multiple examples of people trying to make the world better, on a week-by-week basis. The fight is far from over. And that is why, for this grand finale, I had the non-Planeteer characters, even the villains, be instrumental in saving the world. Because all those positive stories I put in my author notes? None of the people behind them have elemental powers. (I don't think, but that would be cool)

The Power Is Yours.