The First: EVO Uprising (12 page)

“
Oh shit,” Rosann whispered with a huff, “here we go…”

“
Adrian Esposito, but you can call me ‘Hard-On’ soldier boy.” He cracked a smile. “Am I close enough for you to try to kiss me?”

“
Thank you.” A huge grin formed on Roger’s face.

It was the first one Erica had seen on the old man’s face since meeting him. She could sense without reading his mind that it was an omen to something bad coming in a couple of seconds.

“
Thank me for…” Adrian knitted his eyebrows wondering the Sergeant’s game.

Rogers disrupted Adrian’s question by the sound of human skull smashing into his Platinum metal nose. Esposito’s neck snapped back as he grabbed his nose, shocked that he was registering pain in his metallic form. It shocked him so much that he did not see the haymaker punch Rogers caved his chest in with lifting him off his feet sending him a good forty feet away.

“
Adrian!” Rosann screamed.

“
Oh shit.” Blitz turned watching his new teammate go sailing.

Rosann watched in horror as her brother landed back first into the ground creating a crash drag; he used the momentum to backward roll to his feet, while digging his fingers into the dirt in order to brake. He shook off the cobwebs as newfound rage filled his eyes. As Adrian prepared to take on an advancing Rogers, Rosann went to reach for a tiger tooth necklace around her neck.

“
I wouldn’t do that,”
Erica projected her voice into Rosann’s mind, stopping her.

Rosann whipped around turning to the culprit inside her skull.

“
Get out of my head you little…” She bared her teeth at Erica.

“
Rogers is a professional, and your brother needs some schooling,”
Lady Tech returned echoing again in her skull.
“So stay out of it.”
 

“
That’s my brother you, little bitch!” Rosann fired back.

“
Tell me something I don’t know,”
Erica scoffed.
“Transform or move from that spot, and I’ll make you think that you’re going blind with an itchy asshole that needs a good scratching.”
 

A frustrated Rosann reluctantly watched as her enraged brother proceeded to pick up speed charging at Abe.

“
You cock sucker!” he howled. “You wanna go? You wanna piece of me? Let’s go!”

Rogers did not bother answer him as he continued to advance in his direction, Esposito went to shoot on Rogers for a takedown, but a more experienced soldier stuffed his shoot attempt with his powerful legs digging deep into the dirt. With no hesitation, he used one hand to keep him bent over while raining brutal forearm blows down onto his back.

“
You old bastard,” Adrian growled, “can’t… hurt me…”

Hard-On roared as he powered out of Abe’s grip and swung for the hills with a powerful right. A skilled Rogers stepped in, catching his arm. He hit a well-executed judo flip slamming him into the dirt creating a small crater.

“
My arm now…” Abe growled back.

Rogers sunk in a powerful armbar forcing Adrian to his feet. Adrian was baffled that he registered pain in his metallic form. He proceeded to whip Adrian around into a giant swing taking him off his feet before leaping into the air a good thirty feet. While in midair, Rogers delivered another judo throw hurling Hard-On back to the Earth creating a human size crater with his body; before he could recover Rogers returned to Earth delivering a boot to his chest causing a mini dirt explosion adding insult to injury. Rogers removed his boot from his chest and placed it on his throat forcing him to gasp for air as he squirmed trying to get free from underneath Abe’s boot.

“
Now that we’ve established that I’m not only stronger than you,” he dug his boot in deeper, “but can kick your miserable ass hide three ways to Sunday and then some. Why are you here?”

“
Thought… it was cool,” Adrian Esposito gasped, “to be a part of a real… superhero… team… sir…”

“
Same damn answer as your sister.” Rogers drove his boot even deeper into his throat. “But at least you’re honest and to answer your question why you lost, it’s because you’re an ignorant dumbass. I know all about your power, just because you can transform into the properties like metal or stone doesn’t mean you’re not human. Blood still courses through your veins, and you’re nervous system still lights up, which is why if I hit you hard enough, you can still feel pain. Now you got five seconds to tell me why I shouldn’t send you home with a permanent limp?

“
I… can… be… better,” Adrian gurgled, “sir… give… me… chance…”

“
Chance? Before you were a bad ass.” Rogers twisted his boot. “Big dick wily swinging with your bra shirt, all “blinged” out looking to show me something, now you want a chance? Well let me think about that.”

Rogers once again looked to the heavens scratching his chin as he contemplated the male Esposito’s fate.

“
Okay Limp, I suppose if I can throw your sister over there a bone, I can throw you one too. Aside from being a total waste of human excrement… you got guts,” Rogers scowled, driving his boot deeper into Adrian forcing him further into the dirt, “but you so much as look at me sideways I’ll pop you like a Pepsi can, you hearing me, boy?”

“
Sir,” he gurgled, “yes… sir!”

Rogers finally released Esposito allowing him to struggle to his feet; he powered down and stumbled back to the line standing next to his sister with his head down. The Sergeant calmly strolling back over, again stood before the completely humbled new recruits.

“
Now that I know who you
really
are,” Abe’s voice boomed, “allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sergeant Abraham Rogers, and you will all address me as “Sir, yes sir,” calling me
anything else
to my face will make you subject to cruel and unusual punishment.”

“
Sir, yes sir!” all three managed to sound off in unison.

“
My job is to take you three pieces of turds out the crack of God’s ass, and turn you into a fighting force capable of defeating and killing the Devil himself.” Rogers began to pace. “And I will have you know that I have
never
failed when a mission has been presented before me. The only way this will fail, is if
you
fail
me
. Are you going to fail me?!”

“
Sir, no sir!” all three howled in unison again.

“
No, you won’t, because I will
physically kill
you if you do. Each of you had a chance to opt out,” Rogers continued to bark. “You didn’t take it so now you belong to
me
… heart, body, mind, and soul. Rule number one, obey me as if your
life
depended on it… and it will because to not obey me means I get to
physically kill
you… is that understood?”

“
Sir, yes sir!” all three yelled in unison for a third time.

“
Rule number two, no one is allowed to use their powers and abilities unless ordered to do so,” Rogers howled, “you were shit before you had powers, and you’re
still
shit with them. My job is to pound you worthless pieces of shit into fertilizer so that you can grow into the most feared and respected fighting force this country has ever seen. To do that you all must become
human beings
before you can become
superhuman beings
, and you’re not human beings. In my eyes you’re nothing but a bunch of freaks of nature taking up God given Earth, air, and space… you want my opinion to change… then it’s your job to prove me wrong… failure to follow rule number two means I get to
physically kill
you… is that understood?”

“
Sir, yes sir!” all three screamed in unison again.

“
Now allow me to introduce you to your other teammate,” howled Rogers.

All three turned their attention to Erica stepping up with a bright smile on her face to stand next to Rogers.

“
This here is Lady Tech, she is responsible for designing and building this facility and all of the tech and gear needed to both train and prepare you for future missions should you survive me,” Rogers roared, “which means she’s got more brain power in one strand of her hair that all of you
combined
. I am God… she is Jesus Christ… which means despite being half your age you are to give her the respect of someone
twice
your age, because she knows damn well what she is talking about. Failure to do so means I get to
physically kill
you. Is that understood?”

“
Sir, yes sir!” all three shouted in unison one final time.

“
Now that you understand,” Rogers nodded, “get your shit, and get ready to descend into hell.”

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

Ten minutes later, the twins and Brandon all wore similar faces of disbelief as they looked around at the massive facility, vehicles, and independent automatons moving about the base. They all looked as if they had descended into another world, or centuries into the future.

“
This is the Ranch, our base of operations and training ground,” Rogers began his introduction, “here you will eat, piss, shit, and learn to be a proper soldier … on
my
level… and it’s a very high level people… I’m talking looking God in the eye type of level… Lady Tech.”

“
Sleeping quarters are this way,” Erica pointed out, “each of you have been assigned your own quarters.”

“
Sweet,” Adrian whispered.

“
Mess hall is here, central command, which you will see soon, is down that hallway,” she continued, “and over here… is what I’d like to call the Hurt Locker.”

The twins looked at each other in bewilderment as Blitz swallowed, anxious to see what awaited him on the other side of the steel doors. As they entered they found a massive bare room.

“
Looks like they forget to put in the ‘hurt,’” whispered the male Esposito.

“
Shut up, Adrian,” Rosann whispered, “not trying to catch shit again…”

“
This is a multi-scenario combat room, built for training in multiple combat situations,” Lady Tech explained. “Here we can upload holographic environments from jungle…”

Out of nowhere, a deep forest jungle area similar to Vietnam appeared around them with amazing realism.

“
To urban,” she continued.

The environment switched to downtown Times Square with people walking around them.

“
The environment and civilians are created by a holographic force field generated simulator. It is as you can see realistic, sensitive, and made to interact with your actions creating combat scenarios that you can learn from,” she pointed out.

“
So we’re supposed to train off of some ghosts?” Adrian raised a hand.

“
Adrian!” his sister growled.

“
What?” he shot back, “I can’t ask a simple question?”

“
No, you’re expected to train off these,” Erica answered.

The floor opened up in front of them creating a huge square opening as a platform rose in the place of where the floor was. Standing before them were six human beings of various sizes, shapes, and ethnicities wearing similar outfits to Lady Tech; they appeared to be asleep on their feet. The Japanese woman in the front was the first to awaken revealing her green eyes. She raised her hand, which began to spark. It erupted from a spark into a large flaming sphere, which she controlled.

“
Whoa,” Rosann’s eyes widened.

“
Holy…” Adrian tilted his head stunned.

“
They’re called Replicators,” Erica smiled, “cybernetic androids underneath a synthetic organic grown skin. They have the ability to imitate regular humans, or in this case EVOs.”

“
EVOs?” Rosann raised a hand.

“
You, you’re brother, and Mr. Brandon,” motioned Lady Tech, “it is the government classification for “super humans” such as us. People infected by the EVO Virus, which you know as the Judgment Virus after the Big Bang II incident. The sub-classification is Prometheans like me, Moleculars or Elementals, like you two,  which are extremely rare.  Apollo types like Mr. Brandon. Mercurians, which are the speedster class.”

A small yet ripped male Latino Replicator exploded into a run creating a sonic boom forcing everyone but Abe to cover their ears as he moved and turned at blinding speeds through the imaginary street of New York City before returning back to his spot again.

“
And Finally… Titans like Sergeant Rogers,” she pointed to him, “by training with them you will learn how to combat various types of EVOs on different power levels, and in different environments. Here you will be able to hone your abilities and hopefully increase them as well as learn your limitations. Being superhuman does not mean you are invincible.  Understanding that will teach you to rely on other tools aside from your abilities.”