I stared as the heroes flew in. Their various forms of transportation made them practically glow in the middle of the night.

Superman leads the Justice League forward. His chiseled physic also didn’t give a damn about things like front doors. Or in this case, a sliding side door to the balcony.

The glass ceiling did not survive their dramatic entry. Guards quickly moved about to intercept, but my standing orders about the superheroes stayed their hands.

Not that they could have done much with basic guns anyways.

I could only sigh as the shards of glass rained onto the hardwood in chunks. I winced as I noticed more than a few pieces simply stuck up like poorly fashioned plants.

“It is over ‘Supreme Leader’. We are here to set the people free!” Wonder Woman stated as she moved forward, lasso in hand.

A giant green hand wrapped around me and secured me to my seat. I was a little miffed as I didn’t get to do anything fun. Wasn’t I allowed to monologue or something?

The rest of the league didn’t seem cheerful as I had often seen them on TV. They were stone-faced and grim. Which made sense since they apparently thought I was evil.

“I apologize. It seems that we have some sort of misunderstanding here… What do you mean it is Over’?” I asked as I tried to shift into a more comfortable position. It didn’t work.

“Your oppressive tyranny over the people ends tonight,” the green alien man said. Martian Man Hunter right? That sounded right…

“I will make you admit your crimes!” Wonder Woman said as she threw her lasso over me. The green hand vanished as the magical ropes slid onto my body, locking my arms to my torso.

At least this was more comfortable. I was able to gently get up, wiggle, and then sat down again.

“This makes me tell the truth yes?” I asked as I felt an odd tingly sensation. It was like licking a small battery. I assumed that it would turn rather sharp if I lied.

“Why are you making your people suffer more? Haven’t they been through enough?” Andriod asked. I stared at the half-man, half-robot hero.

I wanted to say ‘For Fun’ but the rope began to feel like it was twisting into me. Wow. It did work.

Wonder Woman smirked at my struggles.

“Because I must. Because I have no choice,” I answered with a sigh.

“What?”

I stared up at superman. Rage flashed across my face before I schooled it. They were not to blame, but neither were they free of all responsibilities either.

“Val Verde is a small country. It has been invaded thrice. Once by Hydra. Beaten by the Avengers. Once by Bane and he was beaten by the Batman. Once by Cobra. Beaten by the GI Joes, and the Justice League,” I answered.

“Those are the historical facts, yes,” Martian Man agreed.

“Three major catastrophes… where is the help to rebuild? I had to instate rations! I know it is slowly killing my people, but we no longer even have clean water!” I raged but it quickly petered out. “Petrol stains the land. Our crops are down 80%. I am currently importing food from the mainland.”

The heroes simply stared at me. They noticed my gaunt frame. How could I eat when children starved on the streets?

“There is more broken machinery here, but tonnage, then there are trees. I have requested international aid, but the amount of red tape is staggering. Our brightest lives in the United States, while my souther neighbors in the Southern Americas eye what little resources we have left,” I confessed as I was struggling. Truly struggle to fight for every right as the leader of Val Verde.

My people suffered. Hell the reason I was up, was because of the UN forms I had to fill. In triplicate.

Sleep was a distant dream. Only filled with the nightmare of my suffering people.

“Take me to your justice, heroes,” I nearly spat out the words. They came and caused so much damage, and yet where was the cleanup? Where we at complete fault for listening to those who had helped?

Good or bad, both Hydra and Cobra invested money into the island. They supplied infrastructure, farming goods, and even raw food.

Bane simply made drug dens and tried to move large amounts of narcotics across the border. Good riddance to a sad man.

“Just ensure that Val Verde gets just representation before the UN. We are in desperate need of relief. Yet all of my please go unheeded!” I managed to stand as I stared up at these heroes.

“I only wish for the growth and the prosperity of Val Verde. My home,” I hobbled forward, making my way over to the Wonder Woman.

She looked into my eyes and then sighed as she stepped away. Her voice had no place at the moment.

“We will take you to the UN. You may make your request there,” the solemn voice of the Batman said as he used his hand to guide my back. I moved with him. There was no need to resist.

Anyone of them could have crushed me. I was but a man who somehow was elected.

At the time, I didn’t even know I was in the running as I had voted against myself.

“Stop!”

We all listened and stopped. Not because of the gun. The rusty AK in her hands was comical. It was because she was a young girl. Barely a teenager and malnourished as she glared at the Justice League.

Beside her was the unhappy visages of the local people who lived just outside my palace. Workers, civil servants, military personnel. They all had something in their hands.

I wasn’t sure what a broom would do against the man of steel, but I was curious to see if it would be funny.

“You will not take away our Supreme Leader!” an old lady screamed as she hefted her shotgun.

I wondered if she understood that the one in the most danger was myself. These guys were either bulletproof or had some ability that made bullets irrelevant.

My superpower would then slowly die as I bleed out.

“People of Val Verde! We are here to only escort your Supreme Leader to The Hague, where will receive a fair trial!” Superman said as his voice boomed across the crowd.

I frowned as those words didn’t settle them in any way or fashion.

I goggled as a little girl popped open her doll’s fabric body and pulled out a small, pink Beretta Pico. It was a model that was popular with the fashionable teen girls of today.

Small, cute, and deadly if one aimed at the vital areas. It was a leftover from Cobra’s reign on the island. A cheap, and effective method to arm everyone.

By the way Batman blinked. I was sure he was just as shocked.

“Can you untie me? I need to settle the crowd,” I asked Wonder Woman.

True to her name, she didn’t hesitate as she rotated her wrist and the rope simply fell off me.

“My children!” I screamed as I slowly walked forward. My hands were making waving motions towards the ground. I hope that worked.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“I am in no danger! If I go to the Hague, I can request the delivery of supplies and food in person. I will ensure that we can finally receive help!” I said as I stopped my movements and stared at my people.

Their thin faces stared back at me. Most had lowered their weapons, but not all of them.

The little girl with the pink pico ran up to me. No-one stopped her and she hugged my leg.

“I don’t want you to go…” she whispered.

I squatted and returned her hug. The children were the largest victims. The lack of food was impeding their growth during a critical time in their lives.

I gently took the gun from her hands. The safety was on, and there were no bullets as I double-checked it. I then slowly placed it back into her doll’s hidden snap button pocket.

“I want you to be able to go to sleep with a full belly,” I began as I poked her in the stomach. She giggled as she took her beloved doll back.

“Then I want to make sure you have a mind full of school,” I finished, and the girl had a completely different reaction. Her eyes narrowed as she suddenly reconsidered her earlier words.

I laughed as I knew I had just lost her vote. Yet I would give up everything to ensure my dreams came true.

“Go back to mama and papa,” I ordered her as I patted her head. She gave me another soft look before glaring at the heroes around her. She left with a huff as she gave her doll a hard squeeze.

“I am ready to go,” I said as he looked at the heroes. Their eyes were somber as the Green Light made a giant disk that we all stood onto.

I watched as we rose. I mentally began to prep my speech to the UN.

I didn’t care about this court case. Only that my words would be heard.

I was the Supreme Leader. Within me were the dreams and the future of my people.

----------------------------------------

The afternoon sun was warm as I lounged in the plastic chair.

The simple seat was wonderful as I stared across the shattered docks and out into the blue ocean beyond.

Why people had settled on Val Verde was easily apparent. Long beaches. Beautiful vegetation. Vast ocean views.

Yet time had not been kind to the country. Out of what was once six million people, more then half had either left… or died.

One did not join Hydra. Cobra. Or even Bane’s cartels and leave unscathed. Especially since those organizations desired world conquest.

Our brightest emigrated to the US for better lives.

The poorest dealt with Southern America’s to look for opportunities.

Though I had begun to tighten the borders. Less illegal nonsense. The slave trade here was ending. Narcotic uses were dropping dramatically.

If there was one neat thing about being called the Supreme Leader. Why I had hope that I could fix things. The various cults that were entrenched into the island populace lived to serve.

I was their focus. Thus they obeyed and that brought about their own happiness.

The people that died fighting, they died for their cause. Their belief in a better world.

Such was the tragedy as the Hydra forces cared little for this island of hard workers. Cobra was more of the same.

Bane just saw them as cheap labor.

Yet as I gazed out to the small sea of people resting under various tarps, parasols, and even boxes. I saw myself.

These were my children. Young, old, good, or bad. They were mine.

I was responsible for ensuring their survival, their growth.

My title meant that I could do something.

So I did.

The impassioned speech at the Hague. In front of international courts, and its people.

I begged. I screamed. I cursed.

I was found innocent. Which was odd to them. A man whose rule had seen more children die then any modern dictator of the year was found innocent.

As such, the embargo held up by the UN itself was lifted.

I wasn’t even aware that an embargo was in place.

Bureaucracy at its finest. I had publicly declared my new government to the world. My intent on a better world.

Yet it had all fallen onto deaf ears. My proof of compliance with international pursuits of democracy was ignored.

They all saw Val Verde as a breeding ground for cults… and I could not blame them. For decades Hydra had built up its forces. Then Cobra picked up the pieces.

My thoughts were broken as a heard the patter of flip flops on cement.

I looked over to see the little girl that had fought for me. Little Maria held a bottle of sugar cane before me. Her small tactical doll was held in her other hand.

The little celebrity smiled as she waited for me to grab it.

I laughed. “It's for you little one. I am not thirsty.”

She frowned. Yet my smile persevered. She began to chug at the clean liquid, and I patted her head.

We had more sugar cane water than freshwater. Which was a short term solution.

That was another problem for tomorrow…

[Tweeeeet][Tweeet][Tweeeeeeeeeeet]

Several people began to blow whistles.

Wait. Was that them?

I stood up, as did several from the crowd. There were dots on the horizon.

We watched with bated breaths. The dots in the horizon slowly grew, and with them came the loud horns of several ships.

The first to land was the Wonder Woman. Her large, strong frame paled in comparison to the sheer presence she gave off. I didn’t notice it that night, as she was among so many equally powerful figures. I was also panicked and I am surprised I didn’t poop out a brick.

Well, with how much I had been eating, it would have been one of those Lego bricks.

She was both beautiful and confident as she smiled. She landed with the grace of a bird, and I wondered how she flew. How wonderful it must be, to be able to fly.

There were gasps from the crowd but no one was brave enough to move forward.

After my trail at the Hague, I was returned by the Green Lantern. It seemed that I needed to brush up on my hero names as I only knew the really famous ones.

I tried my best to do damage control, showcasing my appreciation to the Justice League for fast-tracking our appeal.

I wasn’t sure how well that worked since the radio system on the island was spotty at best.

Yet as I moved forward to shake her hand and welcome her, the children hesitatingly also made their way up.

Maria was a big fan. Her doll was a Wonder Woman. One that had lost most of her hair, and only wore a faded red and blue dress.

For her, Wonder Woman only smiled and complimented Maria.

Thus the hero was immediately mobbed as the rest of the children rushed out to see a real-life hero.

I gave her a smile as I sidestepped and allowed the flood to swallow her up.

Okay. I was still a little bitter against the female hero.

When I was at the Hague, I finally met Val Verde’s diplomat face to face. Marquez Lopez.

The fat bastard jiggled while children died. He talked a poor game of simply confessing to crimes for a lighter sentence.

I was only able to give three good hits in before Wonder Woman was able to restrain me. I don't know why she did, I didn't even try to rip out the man's eyes yet.

If that Marquez ever returned to Val Verde… I would show him the ‘mercy’ of the people.

----------------------------------------

Within the hour several ships pushed anchor and the large white letters of the UN were showcased. Many were US military ships.

From there smaller ships made it the docks, and the dockworkers quickly scrambled to work.

Those that waited watched as the first people disembarked.

Soldiers. UN helmets, but flags from other countries. Blue, Red, White. They could have been from any UN country but I didn’t recognize it. They did look Hispanic, which also meant very little.

The pallets of foodstuff were quickly moved to the dock. Then like swarms of ants, my people moved in, grabbing what they could, and shouldering it.

Our trucks were in poor shape. But I had people. Eager people. They would load the trucks first, then distribute the remaining stuff among themselves. I trusted them to listen to me and share it with everyone.

This was supposed to be the first of a few aid shipments.

My world blurred as I cried.

Finally.

Finally, they would stop starving to death.

“Are you okay, Supreme Leader?” Maria asked as she tugged at my sleeve.

I squatted and pulled her into a hug. The orphan girl who was so thin… she had a chance to grow up now.

“I am very happy today. You can eat until your full tonight,” I whispered as I gave her head a kiss.

“Really!?” she chirped as she hugged the bottle and her little doll to herself.

“Really,” I replied. It wouldn’t be hard to fill her little stomach. They would all eat well tonight.

Wonder Woman watched as I wiped my tears. I waited in line with the other people, moving in to move the goods onto the trucks where we could ration the remaining items until the next shipment.

Buying food from the mainlands was hard. We were closer to South America, but add a few hundred kilometers and we could also reach Africa.

Val Verde was a wonderful port country until the GI Joes simply bombed the docks to hell. There were still dud shells littering the various warehouses.

“Ah! Supreme Leader!” One of the dockhands nearly dropped the sack of rice, and instead wobbled in place. His fellow workers steadied him, but they also stared at me with wide eyes.

“I am just a worker today,” I replied as I held out my arms to receive the bag.

The man hesitated as over a hundred workers stopped and stared at him.

Did he give the sack over? Make the Supreme Leader work like a commoner?

“It's okay,” I whispered and the man slowly nodded and handed me the sack.

I grunted as my very unfit frame took on the bag. I struggled, but I hefted it onto my shoulder, like everyone else.

I moved as quickly as I could. Which meant I was about half the speed of any of the other young-lings.

A man in his thirties would always struggle! Time, how dare you to fight me on this!

I huffed as gave my sack to the truck hand. The man scoffed as he took it from me. Then fell off the truck as he realized who I was. His fellows berated him for giving me attitude, and I laughed.

My cheer stopped them as I twisted my waist too and fro. I held out a hand to help up the older man, and he sheepishly took it. The stern atmosphere broke as they instead began to rib him for his ‘Supreme’ arrogance.

“To your left,” a soft voice said, and I moved.

I watched in awe as Wonder Woman hefted six bags per shoulder.

Holy shit.

She flashed me a grin as she passed, and easily squatted to let the truck hands grab the top bags.

The kids screamed in awe. Wonder Woman really was super.

“You making me look bad,” I sighed as she stepped up beside me.

“You seem more relaxed,” she replied as she crossed her arms. The muscles flexed and I stared at my thigh. Yeah, I was smaller.

“They can eat for now. Until the next shipment at least. I have time to look into the many other issues,” I said as I ran a hand through my hair. They were already starting to go gray. The stress here was unbelievable.

“I am sure you will figure it out.”

I nodded at first. We needed to fix the problem with the contaminated soul first. “Know any superheroes that specialize in nature? Specifically plants, soils, and contamination?”

Wonder Woman stared at me and then furrowed her eyebrows. Then she frowned.

“I will talk to Batman about it. We might have someone, or two, who can help,” she said as she looked at the smiling faces of the people. One was the reclusive scientist turned vigilante. The other was a stringent environmentalist whose spouse was rather… eclectic.

I smiled. Things were beginning to look up for me.