The First: EVO Uprising (16 page)

“
Holy,” was all Adrian got out.

Rosann followed up with “Wow.”

Oliver who finally settled into his seat just sat there with a look of amazement of how beautiful the island looked from his viewpoint.

Sitting in the middle of the snow-white sand of the beach that circled half the island like a crescent moon was a gargantuan highly polished black granite stone with the words “Welcome to the Sanctuary” etched deeply within it. Fresh tropical vegetation covered at least ninety percent of the island. Integrated within the forest and foliage were large highly constructed huts the size of houses and mini mansions with what appeared to be solar paneling on the roofs. The team could view specks of what appeared to be people pausing to look back up at them.

Lady Tech’s bio signature tracking system pinpointed Sophia’s location as she piloted the Tornado to the far side of continent size island’s beach where there appeared to be new housing being constructed. Children running around on the beach playing tag stopped to look up in wonderment as the Tornado flew over them looking for a place to land. A bunch of women of various ages, sizes, ethnicities, and backgrounds sat at the edge of the beach to sunbath and get their feet wet looked up as well, and then at each other with worried looks wondering who was coming to disturb their peace this time.

˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜

A young pale slender male covered in tattoos with piercings through his lip, nose, and ears sporting a purple Mohawk ran through the construction site of the new hut homes with a frantic look on his face. Some of the workers yelled at him telling him to watch it as he almost bumped into people and knocked over some building material as he rushed up the stairs of one of the newly constructed huts.

“
Sophee!! Sophee!” hollered the panting young man.

On this day, she wore a bright yellow and black bikini top with blue daisy duke shorts, which displayed her extremely tone and womanly features. Her eerie glowing blue eyes and bright smile underneath her long jet-black dreads greeted the frazzled young man trying to catch his breath.

“
Hey Zeek,” she chirpily responded.

“
Soph,” he coughed fighting to get air, “there’s... a ship…”

“
I know,” she chuckled, “just catch your breath and calm yourself.”

“
Never... seen anything like this before,” he gasped. “Looks like we’re being invaded!”

“
Doubt that,” she smiled, “but why don’t you do me a favor and quietly ask everyone on the beach to calmly head back to the village for me.”

“
You got it Sophia,” he nodded ready to help.

As she watched a hyperactive Zeek run out of the hut again to do her proud, an older man, fourteen years her senior, and several shades darker with a cue ball look and peppered beard in a simple white tank top, jeans, and construction boots walked up to her holding a board in his hand.

“
Trouble?” he asked.

“
Don’t think so,” she turned to him, “but why don’t you take everyone back to the village as well for a break... just in case.”

“
We can stay and help you know,” he gestured.

“
If I need help,” she smiled, “I’ll scream.”

The man just grinned at her little joke of reassurance.

“
All right people,” he howled, “lunch time, back to the main village!”

As everyone departed, Sophia strolled out standing at the open door of the hut, watching as the now hovering ship descended on the remote side of the beach several yards away. Despite the great distance, the force of the VTOL’s thrusts sent sand in her direction. Shaking her head with a smile still on her face she returned to work.

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Back at the landing site, the Tornado’s crew disembarked and began securing the perimeter around their ship, while Lady Tech scanned the beach for the location of the inhabitants and their target.

“
Save for those two over there,” she pointed, “everyone else is back at the village, and our target is still in the new construction.”

“
Doing what?” Adrian asked.

“
Working,” she shrugged.

“
So what’s the plan, Sarge?” he turned to Rogers.

“
Recon.” Rogers looked at him wondering if he was sleeping during the debriefing. “Which means you sit your tanned ass here, while I go have a conversation, and the next time you call me ‘Sarge’ instead of ‘Sir,’ I’m going to pound your sorry ass into the ground like a tent peg.”

Rogers walked off as Hard-On glared at him clutching his fists with sheer frustration.

“
Is anyone else getting
really
tired of this shit?” he lashed out, looking around.

Rosanna answered her brother’s annoying whining with an eye roll, while Oliver just shrugged his shoulders.

Rogers walked the beach nearing the two stranglers implied by Lady Tech, the younger was Zeek yelling at an older gray-whiskered dark-skinned man sporting a bare chest with a potbelly in some knee high jeans shorts. He held onto a fishing rod trying to cast his line while shooing Zeek away. Next to him was a bucket full of tropical fish he captured prior to the team’s arrival.

“
Come on, Mr. Norton!” yelled Zeek, “we’ve got to go!”

“
For the last time, Zeek, I ain’t going anywhere!” Mr. Norton returned. “I’m trying to catch me some fish for supper tonight, and as you can see I am on a role!”
 

“
Mr. Norton, we can go to the other side of the island and fish!” coaxed Zeek. “It’s not safe here!”

“
Today is not the day to go fishin on the other side!” the old man forcefully returned. “Today is the day to go fishin here! And what you talkin bout not safe, you can’t get no safer than Sanctuary, except maybe Heaven itself!”

“
Mr. Norton, do you not see whose coming this way?” Zeek lost his cool again. “It’s about to be a warzone up in… oh… oh, no…”

Rogers walked pass a smiling Mr. Norton and a nervous and frustrated Zeek.

“
Gentlemen.” Abe tipped his beanie as he walked by.

“
Hey… hey I know you,” Mr. Norton beamed, “you’re Abe Rogers right? Da Wrassler! Tell me I’m right!”

“
Yeah.” Abe turned to address him. “I was.”

“
I remember you! You probably don’t remember me! November 15, 2007 you were in Madison Square Garden.” Mr. Norton went into his story immediately, “After the show you were leaving and signing autographs… I had on one of your shirts I got at the Goodwill, and you signed it for me! Then you slipped me like a couple hundred dollars! You didn’t even look to see what was in your wallet! You just pulled it out and gave it to me… told me it wasn’t much but make sure I use it to get something to eat and stay warm… I would have been happy with just the autograph… I don’t have the money, but I still got the shirt!”  

“
I remember you,” Abe cracked a rare genuine smile.

“
You ain’t come to start no trouble, right? You just come to talk to our Sophie,” Mr. Norton gestured, “cuz you just like her… a hero sent from God… to help people like me.”

“
I’m not all that,” Abe answered, “but I did just come to talk to her.”

“
Well she right over there!” Mr. Norton pointed.  

“
Thank you, Mr. Norton.” Abe tipped his beanie again out of respect.

Abe continued walking as Zeek gave him a nervous glare making it known that he did not like him.

“
What the hell, Mr. Norton!” Zeek began to admonish the old man, “Why’d you tell him where she was?”

“
Boy, hush yo mouth, and help me catch these damn fish here before I pull dat ring clear out of your nose!” the old man wagged a finger at him. “You look like a cracked out bull!”

The two continued to argue as Rogers finally reached the construction site, slowly he walked up the steps coming into view of Sophia casually placing a piece of hardwood cherry panel next to the others she put up to create the final piece of a wall. She began to push thick eight-inch nails into the panel attaching it to the beam on the other side as if they were thumbtacks.

“
Welcome to my island Captain,” she greeted him not looking his way as she continued to work.

“
Sergeant,” he politely corrected her, “Sergeant Abraham Rogers… former United States Marines.”

“
Figured you for a Marine,” she said as she ran her hand across the panel to make sure it was secure. “My apologies… I’m not up on all the latest superhero…”

“
I’m not a superhero,” he corrected her again.

“
Super Soldier?” she innocently asked.

“
Just a soldier, ma’am,” Rogers cracked a simple smile.

“
Humble… nice,” she nodded. “Hope you don’t mind if I talk to you while I work… I want to finish all these huts before tomorrow.”

“
Not enough room,” he asked.

“
Plenty of room,” she answered. “These are for new residents.”

Rogers watched as she grabbed a larger board laying it down and measuring it out; with her thumbnail she cut through the board like a scalpel through paper slicing it in half. She then took the board tacking it into the beam behind it as she did the last one.

“
New residence?” Abe asked looking around.

“
Yep, whoever wants to come,” she sighed motioning to the men he met, “Mr. Norton, who you just met, former Vietnam Vet… former alcoholic… homeless on the streets of Manhattan for twenty years ever since he was no longer able to work and lost his home and wife to cancer. Ezekiel Marsh from L.A, who you also met, was a former Heroine and Meth junkie… before that he was being beaten and molested by his father and older brother. We have people here from Cambodia, Iraq, Iran, Darfur, various parts of Africa, Europe, South, and North America… war refugees, homeless, drug addicts, rape victims, molested, oppressed… you name it… all get a chance to live and start a fresh clean life here.”

“
Quite an admirable undertaking,” nodded Abe.

“
Nothing admirable about this, Sergeant,” sighed Sophia while cutting some more boards. “Just good clean common sense. How many times have governments such as the US, UK, or Russia ‘intervened’ in war torn and impoverished countries to bring liberty and peace only to leave, making things a thousand times worse than when they came in? People going in and out of drug or alcohol rehab because when they reach a low point for any reason, the poison they are trying to stay away from is so easily obtainable. Then instead of being treated like people who are sick, they are locked up like animals, and their lives are forever destroyed by a system in need of a serious overhaul. One that fat geriatric bureaucrats are too lazy to fix. They can’t get a job because they have a record, and the next thing you know they’re left to die on the streets and looked upon like garbage.”

After cutting five clean new boards, she paused to give Abe eye contact.

“
And that’s just a couple of many stories taking place in the messed up society of a world we live in,” she said. “Here in my own backyard, I control the playing field. Other than medicinal, which certified others and I administer, illegal drugs, and recreational alcohol are not allowed here, and everyone is perfectly fine with it. They can live without fear of someone raiding their village to rape and murder them or take their children away to be child soldiers. Here they can live as they were intended to live. Peacefully and like human beings.”

“
Mind if I ask how you’re funding all of this?” Rogers asked noticing that the oak wood she cut was of extremely fine quality.

“
You want to give me a donation, Sergeant?” she smirked.

It forced him to crack another smirk.

“
Wouldn’t want your money anyway.” She gave him a wave in jest. “Let’s just say a woman with my ‘skill set’ can venture places mere mortals cannot go and make bank. Off record, I have acquired more liquid assets to dwarf, Mr. Buffet, Zuckerberg, and Ms. Winfrey combined, which is needed to run an operation like this. We use solar panels during the day and an industrial sized electrical generator at night. I also plan to order some wind turbines in the next month. We also have satellite and fiber optic connection allowing us the creature comforts like television and internet.”

“
What about education?” he asked, remembering that he saw children as they flew over the island.

“
New York State licensed from kindergarten to high school,” she answered. “Personally interviewed and triple vetted by me. They’re paid their worth as long as they come with the passion to teach, which children need. So far who I have picked has not disappointed me. This is not a one- stop of everyone Sergeant. Some people have made this place their permanent home, and they’re welcome to stay for as long as they like. For other’s it’s a way to get back on their feet, and when they decide it’s time to leave, I ensure they remain on their feet.”