Three days after Alex Thorne saved a dozen lives—and accidentally summoned four unknown heroes from beyond time and space—the government came knocking.
Not politely.
First came the drones.
Then the armored vans.
Then the agents in clean black coats and glowing gloves, walking like they already owned the building. They cleared the hospital hallway in seconds.
Room 309, where Alex rested, became a warzone of suspicion.
The world had seen the footage. Pole Vaulter leaping over burning beams. Zipline skating across collapsing rooftops. Circuit shorting an entire alley of live wires. Magician dazzling with illusions in a shopping mall panic.
And not one of them had a registration ID.
No activation pulse.
No elemental trace.
No citizenship, no biometric trail.
They were "rogue" heroes.
And they all came from Alex's room.
---
"I'm Commander Lyra Morn. Hero Oversight Division."
The woman who stepped into Alex's room wore her authority like armor. Silver trim. One glowing badge pinned to her chest—A-Rank Enforcement. Behind her stood a dozen officers and a floating tablet that recorded every word.
"You're Alex Thorne. Former Dispatcher for Titan Hero Logistics."
Alex nodded slowly, still sitting on his hospital bed. "Do I need a lawyer?"
"Depends," she said coolly. "Did you summon four unregistered powered individuals into this city?"
"I did."
"Are they citizens?"
"No."
"Are they awakened?"
"Not here."
Morn's expression hardened. "Start explaining."
---
Alex laid it out.
Everything he knew.
Everything he barely understood.
He explained how his personal hero—Knuckleduster—had accidentally burned down a bank while trying to rescue civilians. How the Hero Corp pinned the blame on him to preserve Knuckleduster's record. How he got fired and lost everything.
He explained how, while job-hunting, his apartment building caught fire. How he rescued others, got trapped—and was pulled out by a blinding light.
And how, in the hospital, something had awakened in him.
A power.
A calling.
He called it "Hero Dispatch."
And when he used it, people arrived.
Not ordinary people.
Heroes from somewhere—somewhen—else.
---
Morn remained silent for a long time after his explanation.
Then she asked the question that had the weight of law behind it.
"Mr. Thorne… have you registered your power?"
Alex blinked. "I didn't even know I had it until three days ago."
"Everyone who awakens must register within seventy-two hours. That's the law. Failure to comply can result in forceful containment, monitoring, or banishment from urban zones."
"Banishment?"
"This city isn't a playground. Powers range from E-Rank dust makers to S-Rank worldbreakers. We monitor everything. Rank. Category. Mental state. If you can pull people from other realities without knowing how or why, you are not safe."
---
They took him to a secured government facility—clean steel, surveillance everywhere.
There, he met Agent Desrick, the tired, sharp-eyed bureaucrat who handled late registrations and strange awakenings.
Desrick sighed when he reviewed Alex's case. "Great. Another wildcard. You people are popping up like mushrooms after a storm."
He pulled up a holographic chart showing the Awakened Power System.
"All registered awakened go through three steps: Identification, Testing, Ranking. Most fall into E or D. Those folks go into civil work—trash levitators, fireproof cleaners, emotion pacifiers. You know, useful jobs."
Alex nodded. "And higher ranks?"
"B and above can enter official Hero programs. A and S get sponsorships. Reality contracts. Combat teams. Fame, if they survive long enough."
"And unregistered?"
"Rogues. Some hide. Some go criminal. Some think they're gods. We hunt them. Or they get someone killed."
Desrick flicked to another chart. "And now animals are awakening, too."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "You serious?"
"Oh yeah. Pigeons that teleport. Dogs that breathe fire. We had a cow last week shoot metal rods from its mouth."
"Jesus."
Desrick snorted. "You'd think. But most of them just cause chaos. Not evil—just confused."
---
They gave Alex a private interview room and asked him to demonstrate his power.
He whispered the call:
"Dispatch."
Vault appeared, pole in hand, saluting like a true soldier.
"No ID," one observer muttered. "No power pulse. Like he doesn't exist on this plane."
"Who are you?" Desrick asked the summoned hero.
Vault smiled. "I go where I'm called."
"And where were you before this?"
Vault hesitated. "...Dead, I think."
The room went silent.
Alex dismissed him with a thought.
---
After hours of review, Agent Desrick returned with a new offer.
"You're dangerous. But you're also useful. We're tired of private Corps cherry-picking flashy new awakenings and dumping the rest on us. You're something different."
Alex crossed his arms. "So what do you want?"
"A deal."
He slid a contract across the table.
"You'll work under us. Trained, watched, but free. You'll have a dispatch license. Your own field unit. We'll study your summons—and you'll help us control the chaos outside."
"And if I say no?"
Desrick shrugged. "Then we mark you as unstable and revoke city privileges. Enjoy living in the woods with fire-rats and telekinetic squirrels."
Alex stared.
Then he smiled, took the pen, and signed.
---
By that evening, the news had broken:
"Rogue Heroes Identified—New Awakening Explained!"
"Man with Summon Power Joins Government Force!"
"Dispatcher of Legends? Meet the Man Behind Vault, Zipline, Circuit, and Magician!"
But deep in the underlevels of the Hero Oversight building, strange readings pulsed again.
A door had opened.
And somewhere else—beyond dimension, beyond time—something looked back.