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Mount Champaqui, The Traslasierra Valley, Argentina
Earth

"I just love the delicious meat and the gorgeous view," Blaze sighed as he and Invisible Brainiac sat contentedly on the summit of Mount Champaqui. They tucked into the delicious meal they had purchased in one of the many small towns in the valley.

"I love it too, but we shouldn't stay too long," IB said distractedly as he stared out into the distance. "Our captives might be getting hungry."

"Hon. You have got to stop thinking of them as your pet projects. They're pretty dangerous and almost killed us!"

"They're just misguided and confused. If we can sway them to our side, we can get a lot of information out of them and also learn more about their comrades - you know, the other powered troublemakers we've had to fight."

Blaze shook his head. "Admirable, but do we really have the time and resources? I think we should focus on the problem. We're kind of meandering here."

IB took a bite out of his bife de chorizo as he considered what Blaze said. "... you're right, we need to get to the bottom of this now if we're to help Earth." He stood up and took a swig of his yerba mate and grimaced. "Even with the honey it's still terribly bitter. Okay, how about this? We've only taken 3 of them out one-on-one. Let's do the last 7 - yes, including Alexandra - and see what we can learn from them. When we're done, we go with our plan to infiltrate their home base. Fair enough?"

Blaze nodded. "Sounds okay to me. And now that we're decided, can we please have some fun while we're here? I saw a gaucho a while back with horses for rent. Pleeeaaase?"

IB sighed. "It took me ages to learn how to ride a bicycle. You go ahead."

Blaze cheered as he took off. IB shook his head as he followed. "He's ridden spaceships and can fly, and he wants to ride a horse?"

Lake Assal, Djibouti
and
Zeila, Somalia
Earth


"I thought you would like it here, Adia. You come from around here right?" Invisible Brainiac tried to keep his tone friendly as he let them land near Lake Assal, the third lowest point on Earth. The Devil's Island dominated the view from where they stood.

"Nice view, huh?" Blaze said. Adia just looked at them, though it was obvious she was trying he rbest to keep as blank a face as possible.

"Djibouti used to be one of the most unremarkable countries in the world," IB noted. "Mostly wasteland with little arable land, and none of the majestic ruins of Northern Africa or Mali or Ethiopia..."

"Djibouti's services and industral sectors blossomed not long after the Great Leap of Africa though, spurred by the growth in neighbors. Somalia and Libya, in particular, needed to tap the skills of Djibouti's educated population."


"Have you ever been to either of these countries, Adia?"

Adia remained sullen as she looked out over the lake. Gleaming cities and towering factories dotted the land beyond the protected area.

"You'd love Somalia. It's improved a lot," IB said. In a flash, they were hovering above the grand ruins dotting the port city of Zeila.

"Imagine. In the 21st century, Zeila only had three telecommunications towers and a whole lot of ruins and old buildings. It was so small there were no taxis - this despite it being Somalia's main trading point with Djibouti," Blaze said.

"Of course, Somalia wasn't the most well-governed country in the world. It wa storn by war, bullets flying everywhere... and Zeila was in the autonomous region of Somaliland, which was much more peaceful and somewhat more developed than the rest of the country. You can imagine what the rest was like."

Adia bit her lip as she walked through the now-bustling city. Fenced-off ruins stood shoulder to shoulder with magnificent mosques and tall warehouses that spoke off Zeila's new prosperity.

"Somalia and Djibouti have both come a long way," Invisible Brainiac whispered quietly. "Neither could have done so without foreign aid."

Adia turned away from them and continued to look.

The Oasis City, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
Earth

"Ironic, isn't it? They used to call this the Empty Quarter, yet it is anything but." The carpet of brilliant golden sand they were flying above seemed to stretch on forever.

"I'm sure they all freaked when they first discovered oil around the edges of the desert," Blaze added as he consulted a map. "Sadly for the UAE, Oman and Yemen, their portions of the desert didn't hold quite as much oil. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were the truly lucky ones - Kuwait alone had more than 10% of the world's oil reserves."

"Course, it couldn't last forever. Some skirmishes were fought over the oil fields, but all out war was prevented by the strengthened Organization of Islamic Cooperation. It didn't hurt that the dawn of the 25th century saw the widespread acceptance of a more moderate Islam."

"And the Arabian Peninsula also benefited from the influence and lead of Qatar, which had reinvented itself as a major player in the 21st century. Qatar realized that petroleum, oil, natural gas and what have you are finite products, and so..."

Adia remained silent as the carpet of sand gave way to gleaming lights and towering buildings.

"Diversification, sustainability, enlightenment. Qatar led the charge and its neighbors finally followed. And that is why the Arab world has closed its previous gap with the Western world."

"Would you believe that this city is jointly administered by both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia? More surprising - as recently as the 26th century Saudi Arabia banned the public celebration of any religion other than Islam. But now..."

IB gestured towards a towering church. Flocks of worshippers were entering it as a disk on top pulsed, to signal that the service was about to start. And beside it was a mosque, with wits own worshippers kneeling in prayer.

"Once Saudi women earned the right to drive, the rest of the changes didn't take much longer. It started as a Saudi experiment by following the more moderate Kuwaiti laws, and then snowballed from there."

Adia remained silent as they landed, though IB noticed her eyes had widened ever so slightly. Even though she refused to talk to them, at least she was seeing and experiencing.

As they walked through the streets of the city, IB hoped she would also learn.

Nicosia, Cyprus
Earth

The flags of Cyprus, Greece and Turkey lined the streets of Nicosia as people thronged the streets. "Welcome to The Reunited Capital, Georgs," Blaze addressed the boy from Latvia who could animate objects. "They're celebrating a very important milestone today, as Nicosia was divided between Greek and Turkish Cypriots for the longest time."

"You wouldn't think it though..." Blaze noted as he hungrily eyed a cart full of halloumi. The grilled cheese slices were carved in crescents for Turkey, crosses for Greece, and the shape of the island of Cyprus itself. "Festive, isn't it?"

"Or are you surprised that once bitter enemies are now such good friends?" Invisible Brainiac asked.

He was met with stony silence.

"They probably wouldn't have, if a powerful earthquake hadn't struck that fateful day in the 21st century. It was only by working together that they were able to rebuild Nicosia. Once they made peace, so did Turkey and Greece. They're hardly the best of friends now, but at the very least they stopped blocking each others' memberships in regional blocs. That's how Cyrpus got a NATO seat and how Turkey joined the EU."

"Check it out," Blaze gestured as they passed a mural showing Nicosia lying in ruins. "That wall used to divide Northern Cyprus from the South. It's all crumbled here, just like the rest of the city."

"Sometimes all it takes is a little disaster to make people see that it's worthwhile trying to live together," IB added.

Georgs opened his mouth as if to argue, then shut it again. IB hid a smile; the celebrations were so festive that nobody could deny the Cypriots were completely united now.

"Let's go, we don't want to miss the parade," Blaze grinned as he headed towards the crowd.

I love this IB, love it. Your tale of unification and (potential) history, particularly of the African countries is stunning. I love how sharing history with the badies is the way to defeat them, brains over brawn! Love the pictures too btw. This is fun and also Very clever stuff, take a bow and then get back to your keyboard to give us more, more, more!

Hi Harbi, wow thank you so much for the kind words I was worried that the story wasn't quite gelling the way I wanted it to - what with me only showing short snapshots per country, and having to marry a world that is part "bright and shiny future" and part "starting to descend into regional tensions" again. Thank you very much for that wonderfully enthusiastic endorsement

Anytime IB, you've written a very engaging and intelligent story, you natural warmth shines through. It's a pleasure to read.

Anytime IB, you've written a very engaging and intelligent story, you natural warmth shines through. It's a pleasure to read.

Thank you, that's such a wonderful compliment and I'm glad you are enjoying my exploration of Earth

The Friendship Tower of Sulaymaniyah; Kurdistan (housing the embassies of Iraq and Syria)
Earth

Though the sun had set over Sulaymaniyah, the city lights were bright enough for Invisible Brainiac to see the faces of his companions without using his powers.

"I think you'll appreciate this next stop, Georgs," IB said as they alit on the Friendship Tower smack dab in the center of the city. "The tower celebrates the Kurds' long struggle for independence; Kurdistan's territory today used to be divided between neighbors Iraq and Syria. It was only after those two countries were themselves occupied by external forces that they consented to allow the Kurds to establish their own independent state."

"Historians agree that the weakening of Iraq and Syria was a very good thing for all countries, as they were now placed on equal footing with Kurdistan. The three have mantained strong ties of cooperation ever since," Blaze noted as they landed. "They wouldn't be as strong as they are today without that. Each of their economies is as strong now as Oman's or Lebanon's."

Georgs remained silent as they walked past holograms of Kurdistan's Rawanduz, alongisde exhibits of the Hatra Ruins in Iraq and the city of Aleppo in Syria. The grand exhibit hall alternated images of all three countries.

"Isn't it great?" IB asked. "All three nations are at peace."

"I think it's foolish that they would celebrate their former colonizers," Georgs sneered. "They should have forged ahead without stopping to look back."

"But they wouldn't have gotten where they are now without helping one another," Blaze gestured towards a second room. "Come."

"This is what Kurdistan looked like in the mid-21st century. And this is what Syria looked like, and Iraq." The hologram slowly warped as a clock above it ticked the centuries away. They watched as buildings grew and spread, reflecting the growing prosperity in the region. "Kurdistan's relative peace had made it the most economically and technologically developed of the three; while Syria and Iraq had larger populations, access to the seas and greater ties with other Arab States. All three had rich oil reserves. You can see where this is going."

"It's like with you and your friends. Viki provides transport, Carlos was supposed to shut our powers down, the rest of you provided the firepower..."

"And your mysterious leader provides direction and strategy and information on the outside world while you're locked away in your base." IB filed away the look of shock on Georgs' face. He hadn't expected them to know about their leader. Whoever it is didn't share our little jaunt into their HQ.

"We're locked away for good reason. It keeps us safe and allows us to live in peace without being exploited."

IB shrugged. It was important information but he didn't want Georgs to know that it was valuable to them. "Point being, much as you help each other, so these countries helped each other too."

"We help each other out of necessity, but these countries didn't really need each other. They could have grown on their own."

"But you agree they wouldn't have been as successful if they hadn't pooled their resources?"

"Yes, but was it worth working with former enemies?"

"Ask the people who now live in comfort whether it would have been better to be less poor."

Georgs didn't reply to that.

Gediminas Castle, Lithuania,
and
Wieliczka Royal Salt Mine, Poland
Earth

"Don't scowl so much Georgs," Invisible Brainiac teased. "After all, this is a big day for your fellow Baltics in Lithuania. We are celebrating the ancient Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which was a precursor to democratic systems that evolved the world over."

"The Commonwealth was among the first to introduce checks on monarchical power," Blaze noted as he focused his holocam on the nearby Gediminas Castle. "And it was a federation among two roughly equal states. Well, Poland was the dominant partner in reality, but you can't blame them too much for the inequality. They were avant-garde." He handed the holocam to IB. "I want it just like this okay?"

IB smiled as he focused. "I can use my powers to enhance the light just a little bit... Sorry Georgs. Blaze loves castles almost as much as he loves getting his holos taken."

Blaze snorted as he checked the holo. "It took me forever to teach him how to get it right. You'd think someone with the power of light would be better at this."

"He's just so vain. When we do have kids I'll have to warn them never to take holos of their dad," IB whispered loudly, then whisked Georgs inside the castle before Blaze could retort.

"Nice view, isn't it?" he asked Georgs as they enjoyed the view over Vilnius. Holograms in the sky showed the flags of Lithuania and Poland, and also of neighbors such as Estonia, Latvia and Ukraine - countries which had territory that was once part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. "Lithuania is one of the most diplomatically adept nations on Earth now. Besides maintaining close ties with fellow Baltic States Latvia and Estonia, it has forged a close friendship with Poland and with other former European Union states. Not to mention its close work with former annexing power Russia to preserve the Curonian Spit."

"They did what they had to do," Georgs said grudgingly. "Even my own Latvia enters into agreements with Russia on necessary matters."

"Do I hear the tables turning?" Blaze grinned. "At our last stop you were so very dismissive of countries which cooperated with their former colonizers."

"... I can see the logic behind it."

Blaze and IB shared a smile as they watched the holo light show while snacking on their zeppelins. Georgs tentatively bit into his pork-filled one. "No poison there," Blaze laughed. "Here, have some more sour cream."

"Now if you're both okay, let's head over to neighboring Poland to see how they're doing it." IB ascended into the sky, his invisibility cloaking them. Not that it seemed necessary; holographic bursts of light were everywhere as citizens and tourists alike below cheered.

Scant seconds later, they were walking through the Wieliczka Salt Mines. "Would you believe, this mine was operational from the 13th to the early 21st centuries? And those salt sculptures were made using technology at the time," Blaze noted. "I wouldn't taste them though."

"Even the cathedral's made of salt," IB's tone reflected his rising excitement. "It's always been near the top of my list of places to see."

"Hon, that's a really long list. You want to see everything!" Blaze pointed out.

"Just because there's so much to see. I just hope countries don't start a wave of closing their borders off and requiring visas again like what we saw in Rwanda and Burundi... I can imagine our 21st century ancestors must have had tons of trouble with that."

Georgs snorted as he admired a statue of an angel. "We can't just let anyone enter our borders. It's a good way to keep foreigners from leeching off our resources. I don't mind if our neighbors can enter freely, but why would I want the entire population of Nigeria or Bangladesh in my country?"

IB opened his mouth to comment, then decided to just shrug. "Eh, with our powers it's not an issue anyway." Border controls are a logical step to protect sovereignty, and this isn't the time and place to argue anyway..."

"I think we're almost at the Cathedral," Blaze whispered excitedly.

Up ahead, they could see holocams floating around as a man in a suit supervised the placing of holograms of the Polish and Lithuanian flags. Below them were flags of other neighboring nations. A small crowd of dignitaries in national costumes milled around; most looked European but IB also caught a glimpse of a Japanese kimono. A woman in a gown was tapping furiously on an Omnicom. IB used his powers to take a peek.

"She's going to run through a brief history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the ties between countries in this region throughout the centuries. Sounds interesting. Would you like to stay and finish the service?" IB asked Georgs. He shook his head. "I don't believe in a higher power."

"Fair enough. But let's at least watch the start of the show. We just might learn something new today, after all."

The Old King's Yard, Sierra Leone
Earth

"I hope you weren't expecting anything particularly spectacular, Luis," Blaze told the lupine opponent they had first met in Venezuela. "The Old King's Yard is more important for its historic value to the abolition of the slave trade than it is for looking pretty."

Luis gave a low guttural growl. It didn't stop Invisible Brainiac from admiring his profile; Luis apparently could switch from human to wolf form, and take on anything in between. He was quite handsome as a human. Luis met his stare without blinking, but unconsciously licked his lip. IB took note of that fact.

"I thought you would appreciate this as an important stop for freed slaves. Those rescued from slave ships were brought here for processing and liberation. We're familiar with your history, Luis. Iwas in a position of servitude too."

Luis bared his teeth and said nothing. IB and Blaze looked at each other. With an exaggerated shrug, IB walked into the yard. "Think of all the people who passed through here to get their first taste of freedom. They sat in these chairs, prayed in this church... After a long time of not having any choices, suddenly they had some."

Blaze tapped IB's shoulder. Luis had stopped walking and was staring intently at a wall of St. Charles' Church. The holo captured the names of every slave that had been freed by the court at the King's Yard.

IB silently crept up beside Luis and leaned close. "Third oldest church in Africa. There sure are a lot of names, huh?"

Luis gave a small start, but hid it well. Though his hypersenses were due to his now-blocked power, his instincts had been developed over time. IB leaned even closer; he could feel Luis' breath on his neck. To his amusement, he felt Luis inhale deeply. This was promising.

He would have to tell Blaze to make sure he knew. His boyfriend could be so oblivious sometimes.

"Why don't we go into the church, Luis? Give some thanks. After all, these slaves would never have been freed if their colonial power England hadn't decided to abolish slavery."

"Colonizers are good for something too, aren't they?" Blaze's flat glance at Luis confirmed that he knew about the latter's attraction to IB. IB quickly took Blaze by the shoulder to assuage his jealousy.

"Come on. Let's go and enjoy this nice, historic church."

The Biafo Glacier, Pakistan
Earth


"Have you ever been out of South America before, Luis? I mean, really going out and about and exploring the beautiful landscapes, seeing how people live their daily lives, trying the food..."

Luis pursed his lips as if to speak, then shook his head. IB put a hand on his shoulder. "Mostly missions huh?"

"Maybe you want to tell us where we're going next, IB?" Blaze said pointedly. IB took the hint and removed his hand.

"We've told you that the countries of Africa only reached their current level of prosperity because of the close collaboration that started during the Great Leap. Now we'll see what the countries of Asia have done. With almost 60% of the world's population, the impetus for cooperation was much greater. We know ties are fraying somewhat - I heard Myanmar is considering requiring visas for all but the original ASEAN members again, and Iran is requiring visitors to declare their religions on their passports - but relations remain good. Increasing border controls and security won't make countries abandon their economic initiatives."

"It was like that at the height of the corporate takeover, wasn't it? Population movement was greatly tightly controlled so that each country and region would continue functioning and producing output in a consistent and predictable manner."

"Yes..." Luis said as they touched down over the white surface of the Biafo Glacier. He shivered as IB relaxed the tightness of his light shield. "The weather hardly ever gets this cold back home huh?"

His hair afire, Blaze leaned against the light shield. "It's beautiful, isn't it? Good thing part of the Asian Alliance was the conservation of nature."

"The Biafo Glacier was a good source of water during the water shortages in the late 22nd century. It was the longest glacial system outside of the polar region, and still is even though over 20% of it was used to provide water to Pakistan and neighboring arid countries like Afghanistan."

"Let me out, hon. I want to enjoy the cold!"

Blaze smiled as he dropped into the snow. "His flames are out but he's keeping his internal temperature raised," IB explained. "Do you want to head down too, Luis?"

Luis watched Blaze making a snow angel, and gave a shy nod. "Okay, stay close to me so you don't freeze."

As Luis gingerly knelt down, IB continued. "Without outside funding and expertise, Pakistan would never have figured out how to draw fresh water from the glacier without destroying it utterly. And now we can enjoy this because... OOMPH!"

IB turned in shock as ice slid down his neck and back. Startled, he turned to find a grinning Blaze. "Catch, hon!" IB jumped forward just as another snowball landed where he had been standing. He quickly scooped up his own handful of ice and turned to face Blaze. "Oh, you are so gonna get it!"

"And that ends your history lesson for the day, Luis," Blaze winked as he tumbled forward. "Hope you have good aim!"

The Great Blue Hole, Belize
Earth

"Baby, why did you bring us here? I might drown!" Blaze gripped IB's hand tight as they flew over the Belize Barrier Reef System.

"Aw hon, you have your transuit and I'll be your lifeguard," IB squeezed back as they descended over the dark blue, almost blackish, opening of the hole. "Welcome to the Great Blue Hole, a humongous vertical cave that is one of Belize's most famous tourist spots."

Luis gasped as he leaned forward. "It's... immense."

"It gets bigger," IB smiled. "Hope you're not afraid of the water. Don't worry about the dark, I can shed light on it. Now, prepare yourself..."

Luis' mouth dropped in awe as they were submerged into the warm waters. Parrotfish, reef sharks and barracuda swam gracefully through the water. A couple of sea turtles swam past, and over half a dozen species of colorful butterflyfish darted around.

"This is made possible with the help of Australia and France, among others," Blaze said, still holding IB's hand. "They lent their expertise in conserving barrier reefs to Belize. Thankfully they did, as Belize relied heavily on tourism and fishing to spur economic growth."

"Lucky for us too, otherwise we wouldn't be able to enjoy this..." IB said as they sank deeper. "I don't want to use too intense a light, but you can still see a lot of fish despite the depth. Look!"

Everyone turned to see a school of colorful yellow-and-white fish swim past. There were hundreds of them, all swimming gracefully in formation.

"I... I used to wish I could find buried treasure while swimming in the seas," Luis muttered. "But I think this is the best treasure of all."

The Socotra Archipelago, Yemen
Earth

"And they gave him frankincense and myrrh. But if the three wise men had come from Yemen, they could also have given many rarer things," Blaze mused.

IB smiled. "Like these dragon's blood trees? Don't get excited though. They're only called such because of the red resin they produce."

Luis peered out of the bubble. "Weird trees. And there look to be a lot of weird animals too. I can smell them..."

"Socotra is supposed to be one of the most biodiverse locations on the planet," Blaze noted. "It was once said that only the Galapagos Islands and Hawaii had more endemic species."

"And that is why Yemen has made sure not to ever open the island to mass tourism. With only four small hotels until now, and little advertising, nearly all the tourists who come here are those with an appreciation of nature and the pains needed to conserve it."

"And of course they do. Besides dragon's blood, frankincense and myrrh, you have rare species like the Socotra warbler, the loggerhead turtle, ghost crabs, land snails..."

"It took a long time for the local communities to adapt to the conservative and sustainable methods of livelihood. But they've adapted well; grazing of goats is now controlled and over 70% of the population makes a living in tourism and research."

"Go on," Blaze said. "I'm sure you want to stretch your legs a bit."

Luis took a look around. "It would be nice to run some."

"Go ahead," IB smiled. "Without your powers, of course."

Luis gave him a wry grin, then took off. IB and Blaze looked at each other. "At least this one's less stubborn."

"Come on, you saw how he keeps checking you out. Of course he's being nice."

"Yes, but trustworthy? I don't think so just yet."

Blaze shrugged. "Let's just enjoy the moment first. I think we'll have an even bigger problem with Alexandra."

They both fell silent as they stared out over the Indian Ocean. Behind them, the dragon's blood trees cast long shadows as the sun started to fall.

The High Coast, Sweden
Earth

"I smell... game." Luis mumbled as they soared over the alternately rocky and grassy lakes of the High Coast.

"There are a lot more now than there were in the 21st century," Blaze noted. "The High Coast is an area that has been rising out of the sea, because of some weird scientific processes that caused it to "rebound" after being trapped under a glacier for so long."

"And now the new peninsula is home to bears, lynx, moose, plus an abundance of berries and mushrooms and evergreen trees and wildflowers."

"The concept of allemansrätten, or freedom to roam, makes it one of the most tourist friendly places for tourists seeking nature," IB added. "The Nordic States have always upheld that right - as long as people act responsibly in exercising it."

Luis began sniffing as soon as they landed. "Moose to the west, bears to the east... This place is amazing."

"They wouldn't be here if Sweden hadn't worked with neighboring Finland and other northern countries to conserve these species," Blaze noted. "The Global Warming Crisis of the late 24th led to many species heading towards the brink of extinction. It's a good thing both science and international cooperation had developed to the point that Earth was able to successfully adapt, repair the ozone layer and expel many of the greenhouse gases trapped in our atmosphere!"

"I had heard of that time. It was said that the summers of Venezuela became very hot. It became so hard to breathe, and everyone drank water with lots of ice."

"I heard it was a time of great cooperation borne out of desperation. But then, the seeds for that global effort had been sown with the strong international alliances that had formed in the years before. In Asia, for example, we mentioned the Asian Alliance. There was the revitalized African Union, and of course the European Union that Sweden had joined. But cooperation had to trickle down to the pretty much everyone on Earth."

"It spurred a massive Green Revolution, with everyone changing their energy consumption habits, working to reduce pollution... It must have been a glorious time. It..."

IB stopped as Luis began sniffing around. "Sorry. Got distracted by a moose."

Blaze shrugged. "If you're only going to chase it, go for it."

Luis smiled. "Good thing people decided to work together to go green huh? I love chasing moose." He took off with a big smile on his face.

Berat, Albania
Earth

Sunlight glinted off the beautiful, well-preserved ancient houses of Berat. "No, I'm not using my powers," IB smiled. "That reflection you see comes from the old houses. Berat IS the town of a thousand windows after all."

Seamus, the Irishman with the power of verbal persuasion, slouched against IB's light bubble. "So what? I'm supposed to be impressed by an old town which isn't rich enough to replace its windows with climate shield panels?" Even though his powers weren't working, Seamus' voice remained deep and full. He had done voice work for commercials before the Corporate Takeover.

Blaze didn't even try to stifle his smirk. "You really think the people of Berat haven't replaced their windows in over a thousand years? They only maintain that for the tourists. Look - c'mere, hon."

IB complied, bringing their light bubble close to the open windows of one of the houses. Seamus' eyes widened as they peeked inside. The furnishings were rich and very comfortable - a cellular trim ray, a personal robotic chef, and a tesseract closet were among the luxuries they saw inside.

"How...?"

"It wasn't easy. Time was, the Albania diaspora had its people spread out across North America and Europe. Their population saw the largest movement of people in the 15th to 22nd centuries in Europe, except for the first World Wars. It was particularly bad towards the end of the 20th century, with the collapse of the economic regime."

"Massive brain drain of skilled workers occurred, and Albania couldn't recover as its best talent was overseas."

They landed on the main street of Berat. Their tale of economic woe was in stark contrast to the prosperity they could see around them; shop windows displayed high-quality goods, robotic servants sweeping the streets, and more. Berat was easily as affluent as Pisa or Cebu or Seattle or Cape Town; it was certainly comfortably well-off.

"Albania leveraged its new European Union membership to awaken hope in its people," IB explained as he looked longingly at some figs in a shop window. "It took a long time but fourth or fifth generation Albanians eventually returned - as did others whose ancestry was a much more distant memory."

"Much like you. Your parents were the first of your family to move back to Ireland after fifty-three generations right?"

Seamus closed his eyes; he wasn't surprised anymore that IB and Blaze knew so much about him. He had been easier to research on than most of his comrades because of how public his life had been before the Corporate Takeover.

"Much like how exports and foreign direct investment fueled the rise of Ireland's Celtic Tiger way back in the 20th century, so FDI also played a key role in Albania's rise. Like it or not, its economy was tied to the rest of the European Union too, Seamus."

They all fell quiet as they watched the sun glinting off the windows of Berat. All was indeed looking bright for its people.

Havana, Cuba
Earth

Men and women in brightly colored outfits strutted down the streets of Havana. The city was alive with a festive air, as if the people all had no worries whatsoever.

Seamus covered his ears as a marching band paraded past them. "Let me guess. Some sort of feast day?"

"Not quite," Blaze mumbled as he munched on a Cuban-style burger. "They are celebrating the fall of communism in Cuba. It was one of the last countries in the world to democratize."

Seamus snorted. "And you'll be telling me that Cuba only democratized because of its neighbors."

IB smiled as he pulled out his Omnicom. "We were just sharing with Luis some stories about the effects of climate change. This is what happened to Cuba and many of its neighbors at the height of the Greenhouse Crisis."

Seamus tried, and failed, to hide his shock at the scenes of devastation that IB shared. "I'd read the typhoons were bad, but never imagined..."

"Ancient history. It did happen centuries before our time," Blaze said as he bit into a plantain. "What's important is what came after. Cuba was so devastated, it had no choice but to ally with its Caribbean neighbors and accept aid from outside. And now, look at it."

"Cuba now exports competitive manufactured products, whereas before it relied on sugar, tobacco and fish. Liberalization allowed foreign companies to open plants, transfer in technology and knowledge to Cubans. And many citizens of other nations, whose ancestors had been born in Cuba, returned as well."

Seamus shook his head. "I can't believe the government would turn around so quickly."

IB handed Seamus a burger, which he took with trepidation. "They had no choice, though of course they didn't totally relax economic restrictions. But they did open up - time was Cubans couldn't build their own houses! Now come on, eat yours - you saw me buy it along with mine." IB took a big bite out of his.

Seamus finally bit into his. One bit turned into another, and soon he had gulped the whole thing down.

IB pointed to a Spanish-style building whose design seemed to hail from Cuba's colonial past. "Let's head over to the Freedom Museum. It has some pretty good exhibits of Cuba's time before democracy and open markets, and the rapid development after. It even has a video of the first time people were allowed to eat beef."

Seamus stopped in his tracks. "Beef used to be regulated?"

Blaze smiled as he put a hand on Seamus' shoulder. "Told you things were messed up before foreigners came in."

Paro Taktsang (The Tiger's Nest), Bhutan
Earth

Seamus' legs dangled over the side of the cliff overlooking the Tiger's Nest in Bhutan. Perched on the edge of a 1,200 meter cliff, it looked like it could fall off any moment.

"How in heaven's name did they keep it from falling off all these years?" he asked.

"They almost didn't," Blaze replied as he inched his way along the cliff's edge. "Ah, here's a good angle!" He aimed his holocam carefully and snapped.

"Enjoy the sight, Seamus," IB said as he took his own holo. "Bhutan was once one of the most expensive countries for tourists to visit because of government restrictions. They didn't want foreigners polluting their culture so they made sure only those with tons of money could get in."

"Heh. Sounds like a good policy," Seamus snickered as he bent down to get a better look. "Mixing cultures can be pretty bad - when we went back to Ireland my new neighbors said I didn't think like an Irishman at all."

"Yet you still love Ireland, right?"

"Grew up hearing stories about the 40 shades of green."

"And waves of people returning to Ireland did what for its economy?"

Seamus' legs grew still. "That's different. Pretty much all of us had Irish blood."

"And a lot of people now living in Bhutan don't have a drop of Bhutanese blood...But the government managed a fine balance between bringing in new culture and technology and keeping their traditions alive. They even exported their idea of Gross National Happines, a concept that focuses on four pillars: GNH indicator was established. GNH stands for "Gross National Happiness" and is defined by the following four objectives: to increase economic growth and development, preserve and promote the cultural heritage, encourage sustainable use of the environment, and establish good governance."

"At the same time, they imported a lot of things - like terraforming technology."

"The same kind of technology," IB said as he stood up and jumped into the air, "that shored up this cliff we're standing on right now. You know, the one that monastery is built on."

Seamus' legs stopped swinging completely, and he quickly scramled upright. "Crikey! You mean this thing once almost came tumbling down?"

"Relax!" Blaze grinned. "Thanks to the foreigners you despise so much, it won't be tumbling down anytime soon."

Seamus gulped as he peered over the cliff's edge at the valley floor - which he could barely see - below.

The Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia
Earth

"Brrr. It sure is chilly here," Blaze shivered as he set his hair afire. "It's cold compared to back home."

IB nodded as he guided Seamus to the top of one of the ancient monolithic churches of Lalibela. "Ethiopia has a fairly high average elevation, which gives it colder temperatures than most of its neighbors. I'm really thankful for that, otherwise we'd be drowning in sweat because of all these people!"

"What are they here for anyway? What's so important about this church?" Seamus asked.

"These churches were made in a time when Christian Ethiopia was cut off from the holy places of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. king Lalibela had these made from living monolithic rock. Because of their influence on these people, the churches were among the first sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list."

"And that is why these churches were chosen as the site of today's thanksgiving celebration - the first in a series that will culminate a week later. The people of Ethiopia are celebrating their unity."

Seamus raised an eyebrow, though not with as much skepticism as he once had. "Let me guess, because they were once scattered all over the world and were able to return because of international help."

"Partly that, but also partly because Ethiopia once contained 80 distinct ethnic groups. You can imagine how hard it was to unify them."

"More like assimilate?"

"Not really. The various groups are all well-represented in government. I guess they realized that the melting pot status of Ethiopia helped it remain the only non-colonized African nation during the Scramble for Africa. It was a slow climb, but by the early 24th century Ethiopia had regained its status as one of the premiere African countries. It's still a leader in the African Union."

Seamus shook his head again as he stared at the crowd of people entering the church. "I still don't understand how so many people could live in such harmony."

"It's hard to explain, but I suppose faith and a shared history helped."

They fell silent as a low humming sound began to start. Strumming quickly followed from a row of ten-stringed begena and six-stringed kirar. It was soon joined by thumping on the kebero.

Seamus opened his mouth as if to speak, but Blaze gently put a finger to his lips. "Listen."

The low hum turned into words, and hundreds of voices began to sing in unison. Men, women, and children; they all blended in wondrous harmony as they were accompanied by half a dozen traditional instruments.

The three boys sat down quietly as they listened to the magic around them.

Crystal Mountains National Park, Gabon
and The Central Highlands of Angola
Earth

"I hope we have enough insect repellent," IB dug into his pouch as they landed in the dense forests of the Crystal Mountains. Beautiful orchids dotted the trees, lending a burst of color to the jungle.

"Why are you bringing me HERE?" Viki, the teleporter, stood with her arms across her chest. "Doesn't look like there's much here to convince me that international cooperation would be beneficial."

Blaze and IB looked at each other and shrugged. They had expected that their prisoners would talk to each other while they were left alone back in their hideout. "That's where you're wrong," Blaze said as he brushed aside some leaves. "Viola."

Viki peered silently at the huge structure in the middle of a clearing. It was made almost entirely of glass, or so it looked. Scientists - many of whom looked like locals - scurried around inside. "The Crystal Mountain Research Center. Studies carried out here in Gabon are used to learn about the medicinal properties of plants everywhere and how to help conserve said plants."

Viki made as if to yawn. "Not impressed. Of course they would. After Gabon ran out of oil they were forced to turn to their only remaining resource - its diverse flora."

IB and Blaze glanced at one another again. She was obviously very well read.

"I suppose running through a list of medicines made from the plants here would mean nothing to you. Antibiotics, treatments for schizophrenia, antihistamines, the cure for the common cold, the anesthesia now used by dentists..."

Viki smiled as she sniffed on an orchid. "I know about most of them. I studied them. Fantastic, but remember - these other countries only helped Gabon out because they wanted to get their hands on these plants."

"Okay then. Why don't we head over to the towns on the other side of the mountains..."

A short jump later, Viki was staring at the houses of middle-class Gabonese. They were easily as well-off as most Southeast Asians or South Americans.

"A far cry from the massive income inequality that characterized Gabon a few centuries back, right?"

Viki's mouth narrowed into a thin line. "Okay, so I admit the foreigners didn't keep all the wealth for themselves. Might be an isolated case. Despite Africa's Great Leap Forward I don't see life really getting much better."

"Why don't we check out another country?" In a flash, they were hovering above the Central Highlands of Angola. Rich wildlife roamed the countryside - giraffes, cheetahs, elephants, lions.

"There's a lot of wildlife here..." Viki noted.

"Much more than there used to be, yes? Conflict in recent years halted the recovery of both wildlife and fertile soil in the area, but Angola's bounced back."

"And check out the homes over there."

A perimeter fence enclosed the savanna; beyond it stood a clean domed city with wide streets. "Angola likewise had reduced its massive income and social inequality, and has transitioned to becoming a net exporter of agricultural products again. No more expensive food imports."

"And what about the mining industries here and in Gabon?"

"They ran out of resources to mine. Both countries have transitioned out to more sustainable economic activities."

Viki nodded as she considered the prosperous city below them.

The Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Earth

"Hard to believe this was once the world's first[ and largest operational space facility, huh?"

The exhibits of ancient rockets at the Baikonur Cosmodrome gleamed in the sunlight. Scale models of Soyuz rockets and other long-obsolete technology adorned the old launchpads.

The trio stopped in front of a replica of Sputnik I. "Just think, the original only spent 3 months in Earth orbit. What a time that was."

"Of course, you can see the hustle and bustle here now..."

Viki kept quiet as Blaze gestured towards the technicians, astronauts and security personnel running around the Cosmodrome. Flags on the backs of their clothes showed people from a multitude of nations across the world. "I don't think our ancestors in the 20th century would ever have believed that the US, Russia and China would peacefully work together to conquer space."

"All's not well, you know. There have been attacks on the Cosmodrome. Some people want to keep Earth isolated from space," IB said. "I think your group sympathizes with them?"

Blaze watched Viki's reaction carefully. IB and Blaze knew that she and her friends were almost definitely involved in whatever attacks had been launched to stop Earth from reaching the stars again. She kept her face calm though. "There is merit in keeping Earth isolated from the United Planets for a bit longer. We want each country to resolve its domestic turmoil first; why should we complicate things by having a bunch of off-worlders meddling?"

"Well," Blaze leaned in closer to inspect the Sputnik. "Remember when Earth made first contact with another planet?"

"I know of it, but I haven't really read the history tapes."

"You also know of the first time the United Nations unanimously approved a resolution?"

Viki fell silent. She was seeing where this was going.

"The Khunds were the first to reach Earth, which had already begun sending manned missions as far as Saturn hoping to find peaceful life. The Khunds were anything but."

"So the nations of Earth were forced to band together - and cooperation was more intense than when they solved the Greenhouse Crisis."

"Sadly, Earth was no match for the Khunds - at least until the Coluans came into the picture. A peaceful race, the Coluans had calculated that helping Earth would be beneficial to both planets."

Viki closed her eyes and smiled. "Mutual self-interest. Of course they would only help if they got something from it."

"Aren't most relationships though? At least we know there are some other planets out there who won't take complete advantage of us."

Viki shook her head as she looked at Sputnik again. "I wonder if that simpler time made them happier."

Grandvalira, Andorra
Earth

"Tell me, Viki. Do you really believe that every country in the world can be completely self-sufficient?"

Viki rolled her eyes at IB's question. "To an extent, a country should be able to provide for its own security and basic needs - but I'm not dumb enough to think that each can survive on its own. Not every country can produce all of its basic needs in its own borders. But at the same time, we advocate that each country doesn't interact with foreigners any more than is necessary."

"That's a good point, and your opinion is pretty objective," Blaze mused. "But what if the "necessary" part accounts for, like, 80% of your GDP?"

"Welcome to the ski haven of tiny and mountainous Andorra!" IB grinned as their bubble of light landed on soft, powdery snow. He quickly scooped a handful and tossed it at a surprised Blaze.

"I'm gonna get you for that hon," Blaze snarled as the snow melted away.

Viki watched in a mix of derision and amusement as the two pelted snowballs at each other. "Okay, you have me there. Andorra's terrain means it has little choice but to remain competitive in the tourism industry. It can't export agriculture, it can't beat other countries in banking..."

"Right," Blaze puffed as he dodged a snowball. "All of its economic activity is highly dependent on foreigners coming into the country and spending their money here!"

"Many of the world's tiniest countries have that problem," IB's sentence was barely intelligible as he rolled forward to escape a volley of slush. "We'll get to that in a bit... Right now I have to pummel Blaze."

Bridgetown, Barbados
and the beach resorts of Antigua and Barbuda
Earth

Sea gulls flew past over the crystal clear waters of the port of historic and well-preserved Bridgetown. Though Barbados was now one of the wealthier nations in the Caribbean, it had carefully and lovingly maintained many of the colonial structures in its capital.

"It may seem a little rustic, but the tourists love it! Which is important because..."

"Yes, I know, I know," Viki groaned. "Tourism is one of its primary industries."

"Very good," IB winked. "Barbados used to focus on fishing, agriculture and animal husbandry because only small portions of the island were urbanized. In the early 21st century, this left about a fifth of the population in poverty. But when Barbados vastly improved its tourism sector and its financial services, income took off for everyone."

"A lot of the Caribbean islands have similar stories," IB shared as he offered Viki some breaded flying fish. "Wanna see?"

"Do I have a choice?" Viki asked impishly. A major breakthrough, as just a couple of days before she'd been trying to capture them.

"Okay, don't be snippy," Blaze smiled as they vanished in a flash of light to land on the pristine beaches of Antigua and Barbuda. "Now THIS is a Carribean paradise," Blaze grinned. "In the early 21st century tourism accounted for 60% of GDP. The only reason its share in growth hasn't increased is because the government has been aggressively diversifying to make itself less vulnerable."

"Good for them, because at the rate their tourist arrivals have been growing..."

"It's a key industry, I get it," Viki sighed as she dug her feet into the soft sand. "No thanks," she said as IB offered her some more flying fish. "Since we're here, might as well try the lobster."

The Grand Casino, Monaco
Earth

"Welcome to Monaco, the second smallest independent state in the world! It's smaller even than some island territories like the Spratlys or the Coral Sea Islands," Blaze grinned as he took a holo of the Grand Casino in Monte Carlo. "And it's also 100% urban, so you know what that means..."

"Yes," Viki sighed. "No agriculture, no mining..."

"And it's so tiny that a lot of its services are provided by France," IB finished. "Not that its citizens complain, as to this day they aren't taxed because the casino rakes in so much money. Well, except for the duration of the Corporate Takeover."

"Any wonder that it has probably the world's highest GDP per capita? By the way, nearly 60% of its population goes to work in neighboring France or nearby Italy..."

Viki threw up her hands. "Okay, so maybe opening up your country's borders CAN be a good thing in some circumstances. Doesn't mean it's always good."

"At least we can meet halfway there, Viki," IB smiled. "And now that we've made this historical meeting of the minds, let's go on in and pretend to be filthy rich for a bit."