The First: EVO Uprising (66 page)

“
Solid light photons,” he answered, “she absorbed no energy from me.”
 

“
We definitely have to talk.” She seriously pointed to him again. “So how long have you been able to tap your reserve energies?”
 

“
Since 2011.” Sophia looked down at the sand, embarrassed. “During one of my trips to deep space, I tried to duplicate a certain technique that will remain nameless. Next thing I knew my veins began to light up like Christmas trees, and nearby asteroids began to form an orbit around me.”
 

Erica and Kimberly looked at each other, and then burst into laughter as the Eye of Ra brandished a huge smirk on his face comprehending the joke.
 

“
Don’t laugh!” Sophia pouted with a stomp. “I was out there for like two days figuring out how to power down, which was almost impossible because I kept absorbing vacuum and electromagnetic energy! It also takes a massive toll on my body!”
 

Her plea and explanation did not end the laughter.  
 

“
I’m sorry!” Erica choked. “I’m just picturing you out there screaming and waiting for your hair to turn yellow!”
 

In the midst of the laughter and celebration, Rogers communicator went off. Checking the caller I.D. on his
bracer, he patched in via his headset.
 

“
So how long am I suppose to babysit David Draiman’s illegitimate offspring?” Shintobe’s voice came through. “She’s just laying here drooling all over the pavement of DC. It’s like mad depressing.”
 

“
I can ask the big man in gold to open up one of those portals so you can bring her to us,” Abe smirked. “I’d like to thank you personally for a job well done.”
 

“
Now, you damn well I retired from the spotlight,” she scoffed. “You want to thank me. Buy me dinner sometime.”
 

“
You got a deal.” He grinned. “We’ll be there in a couple of minutes to collect her. Thanks for everything… champ.”
 

“
You too… champ,” Shintobe returned.
 

Abe cut off his communicator turning to see Lady Tech looking at him from afar with a sly smirk on her face.
 

He made a gesture wondering what was her problem.
 

“
Oh nothing,”
she smirked whispering in his mind,
“just wondering when you were going to tell me that you had the Queen of Queens on speed dial.”
 

“
Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he shot back, “and get out of my head.”
 

“
Sure you don’t,”
she snorted.
 

After checking to see that every last one was alive, not badly injured, and counted for, Sophia made her way to the Sergeant to extend her gratitude for saving her island and people.
 

“
I’m in your debt, Sergeant,” she held out a hand.
 

“
This isn’t all our doing,” he shook her hand, “that little girl of yours takes after her mother. She’s the one
who took down the Draugr.”
 

A wide-eyed Sophia slowly turned to Kimberly a few feet off talking to Kyle, Akram, and the rest of the kids about how she had helped her mother save the world.
 

“
She did.” She pointed in disbelief.
 

“
She sent that son a bitch to an ice cold hell where he belongs.” He pointed upward. “That’s one hell of a kid you got there.”
 

“
I’m finding that out every day.” She smiled, looking at her.
 

“
Miss, I am detecting an EVO inbound,” Maxine announced out of nowhere. “Energy signature is similar to…”
 

Before she could make confirmation, the intruder landed sending sand spraying everywhere. Villagers scurried away screaming behind Sophia and the battle ready team curious to know who would attempt to attack them when they were at their strongest. As the mini sand storm rested, the beach became dead silent in disbelief.

 “
What did I miss?” an exhausted Oliver asked with his left arm in a sling.
 

The uneasy silence remained as Erica covered her mouth while her eyes poured like a fountain. Her body trembled as if she was about to collapse.
 

Adrian stood there as well, running his hand through his hair shaking his head. His eyes could not keep dry either as he shook his head in disbelief.
 

Rogers was the first to move as he holstered his sidearm and walked up to Oliver. He stood toe to toe with him giving him a slow look over.

“
Sir I…” Oliver began to formerly report in.
 

He was stopped as Abe grabbed him by the back of his
neck pulling him in for a hug that took everyone aback, especially Oliver. He held him tight as if he was his son, making it impossible for Oliver to keep his own emotions contained.
 

Abe finally released him still holding the back of his head as he looked him in the eye still in disbelief that it was actually him.

“
Thought we lost you, son,” Rogers voice cracked.
 

“
I thought I lost you all,” Oliver smiled.
 

“
How?” a wide-eyed Erica stepped forward. “You were gone… for almost two hours… you weren’t breathing, there was no heart beat, no brainwaves… how?”
 

Oliver pulled out Adrian’s platinum crucifix from his sling holding it up.
 

“
You?” Erica close to falling out turned to him. “You did this?”
 

“
I couldn’t let my best gaming buddy go without a fight,” he shrugged, wiping his eyes.
 

“
But how?” she began to press.
 

“
It’s from your lessons,” he reminded her. “You stressed how the virus genetically transformed our bodies making us different from regular humans. When I went to go see him off, I touched his hand, it was still warm even after all that time. It was a gamble, but I figured brain functions took longer to die in people like us. Something you probably missed because you were upset. So before I left, I took a chance and hooked up the defibrillator to him. I set it to its highest level, hitting him with a jolt every two minutes for thirty minutes. Everything else I left at the Big Man’s feet upstairs. Hoping He understood that we needed him more than He did.”
 

Erica smiled realizing how truly awesome Adrian was
when he was not acting like an adolescent, and how she in some ways was still one.  
 

The awkward silence returned as a doe eyed Rosann slowly approached. Everyone on the beach, and the world disappeared in that moment leaving just her and him. Inches away from him, she seemed as if she was about to back away and run as he smiled at her. Slowly she reached out touching his chest. Her eyes widened as if it was the first time touching it. The more she touched it, the less she was able to contain her tears.

She began using both hands on both sides of his chest, she gave it a hard tap, before running her right hand up his neck to his face touching his cheek. He grabbed and held her with his good arm as her legs went out from underneath her. Her uncontrollable sobs of joy delivered tears to everyone watching.
 

“
You heard me,” she cried in his arms. “You heard me and came back to me.”
 

“
No I didn’t,” he whispered with a smile, “but you can tell me again.”
 

She told him again with a deep kiss. He answered her back kissing her deeper.

It triggered cheers and applauds from everyone, even those who were not privy to the full story. To them it was as memorable as “The Kiss” photo. The battle was over; Sanctuary and the world was safe once again.
 

Amidst the celebration, Lady Tech saw Rogers with a sour look on his face. She indiscreetly sauntered over to him to see what troubled him in the midst of their monumental victory.
 

“
There’s still more work for us to do.” She looked at him. “Isn’t there?”
 

“
Yeah,” he nodded, “we have a lot of work to do.”
 

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

1000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC:

Abe marched through the halls of the Pentagon with Erica in tow making a beeline for Secretary Graves’ office. Anyone who attempted to stand in his way, he violently threw out of it. Those who bore witness to his act of violence wisely moved out of his way. He pushed through Graves’ double Oakwood doors to find him sitting behind his desk as if waiting for them.
 

“
By all means, do come in and have a seat,” Graves greeted them with sarcasm.
 

Rogers walking up, pulled out one of the visitor seats. He removed his sidearm placing it on the desk facing Graves then took a seat.
 

“
Now what may that be for?” He motioned to the gun.
 

“
It’s to shoot you in the face with, if I find out you’ve been lying to me,” Abe flatly answered.
 

He turned to Erica doing a scan on her tablet.

“
Found it,” she confirmed.
 

She extended her hand employing telekinesis to rip the metallic disk from his forehead along with the fake patch of skin.

Rogers finally turned to Graves giving him a dull look.

“
My team and I just got back from the North Pole,” Abe began, “where we tracked down and captured the last member of the Zombie Nation held up in a barge partially stuck in an iceberg. We confirmed that all of the original occupants except for one, were all dead. They apparently kept this poor bastard alive to fabricate the weapons and gear they used against us. The rest were killed and tossed overboard to be chow for fish or polar bears. What was interesting about this barge, was the top to bottom R&D we found from body armor, weapons, and
a butt load of other tech that only my friend here to tell me about. All of this shit fell into the hands of a murderous psychopathic bitch, and her equally psychopathic goon squad. And what gets my goat, is that barge and everything on it, is related to a project that was supposed to be completely shut down seven years ago. This is where you determine whether I ask Ms. Champion to please wait outside while I shoot you in the face.”
 

Graves inhaled and exhaled as he leaned forward in his chair to look Abe in the eyes.

“
The genetic side of Project Evolution was shut down,” he dryly answered, “however, that was only a small fraction of the project. As you are both well aware not all of us are blessed with your “attributes.” We still employee several hundred thousand non-superhuman troops who defend this country. The latest tech and weaponry under development there and our other facilities was meant to equip them in the near future. Back then, as you probably already figured out, we shuffled D.E.A.D members to the facilities when they needed to familiarize themselves with weapons or equipment for their missions. Not the other way around. Which is why she knew the location of that facility, and possibly others.”
 

 “
How many others are out there?” Abe scowled.
 

“
That information is classified,” Graves huffed, “and you will have to shoot me before I divulge that to you. However, I will say ninety percent were closed near the ending and beginning of 2008 and 09. And before you chew my head off about irresponsibility, Sergeant, the report after the destruction at Mount McLoughlin was that all four members of the D.E.A.D were D.E.A.D.”
 

“
You knew she had possession of that barge,” Erica snarled, “didn’t you? How long?”
 

“
Does it really matter?” he smirked, “it’s over. The
members of the Zombie Nation are either dead or captured, #3 finally eliminated, the world and its leaders all safe because of your efforts.”
 

“
You’re not making an argumentative case for me putting a slug in your brainpan.” Abe leaned forward.
 

“
For what Sergeant?” Graves scoffed, “a couple hundred casualties? You’re a soldier, you know battles are never clean. And majority of that blood is on the hands of #3 and your new best friend. You want to kill me because of our government’s methodology of warfare? I hope you brought enough bullets because you’ll have to shoot everyone in this building, the Senate, the House, and then make your way to the White House.”
 

Both Abe and Erica glared at Graves in hopes of burning a hole through him. His Teflon demeanor made him impervious to their death stares.   

“
You superhumans think you know what real power is because you can lift heavy objects, fly, or move things with your mind,” he smirked. “Real power is about progression and building a network of likeminded individuals to ensure that progression continues to move forward. That network would happen to be the United States Government, and our progression is greater than any known force in the universe. The world  believes that Asia is now the leaders in technological advancement, and that is what we want them to believe. Because the final key to real power is being a better poker player than everyone else, and them never ever seeing your hand… until it is too late.”
 

His words unsettled Erica.