HAWAII'S HOMETOWN HEROES

An interview with Ecologix

By

Linda Ka'oupa

The Kauai Observer

Over the years, most Hawaiians have become used to the idea that we're considered something of a backwater by the continental U.S. We don't have anything on the scale of New York City or Los Angeles, and we've liked it that way.

In recent weeks, however, we have been able to lay claim to something that few states have: our own team of superheroes. The new group, calling itself Ecologix, intends to use its abilities and resources to repair damage to the environment, and to provide humanitarian relief to disaster areas.

I admit to being slightly nervous as I approached their headquarters, but, as promised, a solid-looking bridge rose out of the water to let me onto the grounds. The headquarters itself doesn't exactly scream 'superhero base'. If anything, the word that comes to mind is 'cozy'. The place has a low profile, and runs on suprisingly little power, all of which is provided by renewable energy... which I took as an encouraging sign that these heroes practice what they preach.

(At the request of the team members, only their code names will be used in this article.)

I was met at the door by two members of the team. Archetype is a curiously unassuming man. He gives the impression of being closer in temperament to Indiana Jones' father than Indy himself. Storm, however, is a regal, statuesque beauty. If she ever decides to give up the superhero business, she has a bright future as a runway model.

After a quick greeting, I was escorted to, of all places, the kitchen, where the rest of the team was discussing the lunch menu.

Linda: I was expecting all of you to be in costume.

Iceman: We're still on vacation. (Laughter)

Archetype: Actually, that was deliberate on our part. We wanted you to feel comfortable.

Pyro: Besides, we're still working on the fit.

Linda: You're inviting the public to visit your base. Doesn't this run against the usual tradition of secrecy among the superhuman community?

Storm: Not really. You see, the base is divided into two parts. One part, which consists of our apartments, training area, and equipment storage, is private, with restricted access.

Rogue: You were let in to show that we have nothing to hide... other than the fact that some of us are slobs.

Pyro: Guilty.

Iceman: Ditto.

Archetype: The other, larger part will show our public face. It's meant to serve as a museum and education center... to give information about the environment, what some of the threats to it are, and, hopefully, ways to address the problems.

Topaz: We want to lead by example, but not be preachy about it.

Linda: How so?

Avalanche: We've begun by making this place energy-independent, to show that it's possible for the majority of people to do likewise, if they're conscious of energy use when they design their buildings. And most of the materials used to build it were recycled.

Rogue: We're hoping to invite guest lecturers eventually, and to give workshops on conservation and environmental awareness.

Iceman: We'd also like to become involved in the local community... stepping up when people could use a hand.

Linda: In what ways?

Archetype: We have a greenhouse set up, and may experiment with some sustainable agriculture on the grounds. Anything that we don't use ourselves will get donated to the local food bank.

Meggan: We'll also be doing volunteer work with local agencies, and groups like Habitat for Humanity.

Linda: What about the larger environmental groups? Will you be working with them?

Storm: Not directly. Our charter precludes our taking a political stance against specific governments, and many of the existing groups are overtly political.

Linda: But won't articulating positions on certain topics put you in conflict with certain governments?

Archetype: Of course. I think that our displays on whaling and overpopulation will be the most controversial. However, we haven't stated anything beyond the facts... and we quintuple-checked those facts for accuracy.

Linda: I meant to ask earlier: Which one of you is in charge?

(Everyone points to Archetype) He is.

Archetype: When did we decide that?

Rogue: While you were in the bathroom.

Archetype: Great. Betrayed by my own bladder.

Linda: I'll direct my question to you, then: What would your response be to those who would say that mutants have no business involving themselves in issues like this?

Archetype: Well, my initial response couldn't be printed in a family newspaper. But here's the official one: Mutants breathe the same air, drink the same water, and live off the same food chain as everybody else. Some, in fact, are more sensitive to environmental damage than an average person. As a group, mutant humans have just as much to gain from a healthy environment as everybody else. We're not doing this for the sake of mutants. We're not doing this for the sake of humanity. We're doing this for the sake of the planet, and, more importantly, because it's the right thing to do.

Linda: When does the visitor center open?

Storm: This Saturday at eight A.M.

That Saturday, Ororo woke up with the sun, gave herself her usual raincloud shower, and padded down to the kitchen.

As she reached into the cupboard for a teabag, she glanced out the window.

The glance became a stare.

She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and stared again.

Then she ran back to the bedrooms.

"How many!?" Will squeaked.

"I'd guess close to a thousand," Bobby said from his place at the security monitor. He was looking at a line that snaked from the entrance to the (currently lowered) bridge, to the parking lot, and beyond.

"We designed everything with a fifty-person capacity," Topaz said, burying her face in her hands. "What do we do?"

"The holochamber presentation is half an hour long," Rogue pointed out. "If we fill that up, then let another fifty into the display area, we can keep switching them out without stopping."

"We'll have to cut the line off now, though," St. John pointed out.

Will nodded. "Okay. Everybody suit up. Bobby, give Meggan a call, and tell her to get her butt here ASAP." He grabbed a stack of index cards from the desk and started writing down times in half-hour intervals. "Rogue, count off the first one hundred people, and hand the last one a card. The last group will be at..." He looked up at them. "Seven?"

"So we'll close at eight?" St. John asked. "That's a twelve-hour day!"

"We'll switch off. One person for the tram, one greeter... I'll start that... two guides for the displays, one guide for the film, and one for the greenhouse, garden, and lagoon. The seventh person gets the hour off to collapse and stuff their face. We'll probably be this bad tomorrow, so we'll continue with that pattern until things slow down."

"Can you drive the tram?" Rogue asked him.

"It's not like anyone else will be on the road."

The first group of patrons entered the atrium of the visitors' center, where Will greeted them, dressed in the uniform of Ecologix.

The color scheme for the uniform was forest green and maroon. He still wore his bolo tie, but his coat, also maroon, was omitted for the moment due to the heat. His vest was solid green. The uniform, as a whole, was made of a lighter weave than his usual design, again, as a compensation for the Hawaiian climate. Since he was indoors, he had designed an olive green version of his usual fedora, using a breathable fabric that allowed his perspiration to escape. He wore no (visible) weapons.

"Good morning. Welcome to Ecologix Headquarters. My code name is Archetype. I'm the field commander for the team.

"Some of you might have read an article about us in your local paper. For those of you who haven't, I'll give you a bit of background about us, and our intentions. We requested, and were given, a charter by SHIELD to pursue three goals. We intend to prevent, and do what we can to repair, environmental damage all over the globe. We will provide humanitarian relief to the populations of damaged areas, both independently, and in cooperation with international relief agencies. Thirdly, we hope to educate the public, both here and at the locations where we deploy, about environmental damage on both the local and global scale, and suggest ways to prevent further harm... and when possible, ways to repair the damage.

"Now, because we honestly weren't expecting this kind of turnout on our first day, the tour's going to be a little abbreviated, so that we can accommodate everyone. If you'd be kind enough to enter our holoroom, you'll see a brief presentation that Doctor Reed Richards was kind enough to make for us. After that, Rogue and Topaz will give you an overview of our exhibits, and then Storm will take you to our biosphere, garden, and lagoon, to show you some ways to incorporate environmentally friendly practices when you get home."

After the last visitor was in the holoroom, Will shut the entry door, then collapsed against it, sighing in relief. "One more of those to go."

"You did great," Topaz assured him. "We'll have to write down that opening speech."

"I'll take the lead when they come out," Rogue suggested to Topaz. "You ride herd in back and make sure everybody keeps moving. We can't afford any traffic jams." Rogue's uniform was similar to her usual X-Men garb, but she had changed the coloring to match Will's. Topaz wore the purple-and-gold uniform that Rogue had helped her design. They each wore the symbol that had been agreed on for the team: The generic X-symbol, with the four spaces between the bars each filled with either a black, white, yellow, or blue field.

"Ororo's ready at the greenhouse?" Will asked.

"All set. She just finished checking the water levels."

He nodded. "Remind me later to look into using plants for sewage treatment. And on the subject of water..." He pulled his communicator out of his pocket. "Archetype to Pyro."

"On your next stop here, take a few minutes to fill up that drink cooler we have with water, and grab a stack of cups. Some of the people in line are going to start collapsing soon if they don't stay hydrated."

"Good idea. Archetype out." He shut off the communicator and pocketed it. "I'll set up a cot or two in the infirmary, just in case. Be right back."

After Will had left the room, Rogue activated her own communicator. "Bobby? Any problems?"

"Good. Do me a favor when you're done, and do a quick survey of the people in line. If anybody looks like they're about to drop, cool them off a bit."

By the time Will returned with the two cots and set them up in the small infirmary intended for the public, Meggan finished her first presentation, and guided her group out to the custody of Rogue and Topaz.

"All right," Rogue said, strengthening her drawl just slightly, "if you'll all follow me..."

"Yes, sir, it's correct that most electric cars have a limited range, but most people drive less than eighty kilometers, round trip, per day. And if you use a plug-in hybrid engine, instead of a straight electric..."

"Any standard diesel engine will run on vegetable oil or biodiesel, provided you replace the rubber in the engine with polypropelyne, since biodiesel will dissolve rubber. In fact, Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the engine, never intended it to be used with petrofuels. He envisioned a world where fuel would be generated locally..."

"This hydroponic greenhouse, because it's multi-leveled, can grow as much as a full acre of ground crops, even though it's just over forty meters wide. A smaller version of this, placed in a backyard, could easily feed a family, and would provide fresh produce year-round, if kept airtight. The glass allows sunlight to enter, and the thermal mass of the concrete..."

"All of the plants in this garden were chosen for specific reasons. Some attract bees and hummingbirds. Others, as you can see, attract butterflies. This row here provides herbs used in cooking, while this row has ones used in tea. You'll notice that everything's been placed in raised beds. This makes it easier to turn the soil..."

"Yes, sir, plug-in conversion kits are available for some hybrid models..."

"Yes, sir. All of the plants here were raised from organic seeds, and most of them are heirloom varieties, since they tend to have richer textures and tastes..."

"Yes, Ma'am, we're composting our garbage on-site, and using it in the gardens."

"Well, sir, there's nothing preventing you from running your diesel truck on straight olive oil. I'd think it would get expensive after a while, though..."

"... Yes, this is my natural hair color.

"Yes. They're real, too."

At nine that evening, the full roster of Ecologix could be found collapsed on various pieces of furniture.

"Fighting the Adversary was less work," Domenic grumbled.

"I'm just glad that everyone was in a fairly good mood once they got inside," Meggan confessed. "That was the only thing that kept me from going mad."

"Did you have any problems with maintaining your shape?" Will asked.

"No, the amulet worked perfectly. It was keeping my mind shielded from all those emotions that was a drain."

"I could teach you some shielding techniques," Topaz offered.

"I'd appreciate that."

"I am ravenous," Ororo moaned. "What do we do for dinner?"

"Anyone against pizza?" Rogue suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Bobby replied.

Will stood up with a groan and grabbed the phone book from the kitchen. He chose the closest pizza shop on Kauai, putting in an order for six large pizzas. "No, we'll pick it up," he told them. "Delivery would be a problem, anyway."

"Okay," he said as he hung up, "now where do I have to teleport to?" He turned to a map of Kauai that he had hung on a wall.

"I'll get it," Meggan told him. "How long?"

"Twenty minutes."

Meggan smiled naughtily, looking at the other women for a moment. "Rogue, can I borrow something?"

No matter how many times the cashier at Papa Poi's Pizza Palace told the story about the flying blonde in the bikini, no one ever believed him...

"By the way," Topaz said as she munched on her third slice, "we might want to consider the idea of something that our visitors can take home. I lost count of the number of people who asked where the gift shop was."

"Same here," Rogue added.

Bobby looked a bit dubious. "Wouldn't that be a little too tacky?"

"Maybe not," St. John said. "On one of my drop-off runs, one bloke told me he was a Boy Scout leader. He was thinkin' of doin' a field trip for his troop. Something about a merit badge..."

"I'd forgotten about that," Bobby exclaimed.

"Forgot what?"

"A couple of years ago... just before Krakoa... the Professor talked with a BSA rep about a Mutant Studies badge. Guess they finally approved it."

"Never knew that," Will admitted. "Of course, they have a few environmental awards that we'd probably be helpful with, too. Did you get his name?"

"Nah," St. John shrugged. "He said he'd come back when things weren't quite as crazy around here."

"You did point out to him that crazy is our default state, right?"

"Yep. He just laughed and said he could relate."

"To get back to the gift shop idea," Ororo said as she sipped at her iced tea, "It wouldn't have to be tacky. We could make the items ecologically oriented, like what you'd find in a traditional natural history museum."

"And we could look into working directly with local artists from different areas," Topaz suggested. "People who might not get a chance to show their things here because of cultural barriers. I have some contacts among the Dalits, back in Calcutta. I could run the idea by them."

"I know some blokes who have contacts with the Abos back home," St. John thought aloud.

"And my friend Chinua may be able to make arrangements in Kenya," Ororo considered. "We might even get work from Wakanda, if I ask T'Challa very nicely."

"We could even ask Dani Moonstar and Jimmy Proudstar if they can help," Rogue pointed out. "That would give us Cheyenne and Apache pieces." She took a pencil and pad from their place near the phone. "We should start writing these down."

"Okay, one rule," Will said. "The money from this stuff goes straight to the artists. We don't make a penny off it. I'll pay the sales taxes myself." He thought for a moment. "Did that Scoutmaster mention if he was interested in any activities for his kids?"

"No," St. John said, "but given the attention spans of kids that age, it'd be a good idea. Why?"

"I was thinking of something simple that they could build... maybe a toy that runs off a solar cell. We could walk them through the assembly, and teach them the basics of solar power at the same time."

"There are a few other possibilities," Ororo suggested. "I used to make paper as a hobby, and I used flower petals and other natural materials to do it. I'm fairly certain I could teach a class on how to do it."

"And you and I could teach a gardening class or two," Domenic pointed out to her.

"What's next?" Bobby joked. "A petting zoo?"

Topaz shrugged. "I have experience raising goats and chickens. They're not much of a bother."

Bobby blinked at her. "I was kidding."

"Well, why not? They'd be a good source for eggs and milk, and would show people that small-scale farming is doable. Besides, they'd be healthier than something off a factory farm."

"We'd need to dedicate some space for them," Will mused. "We'll look into it tomorrow afternoon." He turned to Meggan. "Did you want to head back to Muir? We'll call you again once things get busy."

"All right. You should all get to bed yourselves."

"I'm planning on it, believe me. Are you getting up with the sun again, Ororo?"

"I think so. Do you want me to get everyone up?"

"By seven, if you could. It'll give us all time to wash up and eat."

"We might want to call the Mansion and give them an update," Rogue pointed out.

"Good point." Will looked over to an unoccupied area of the room and opened a Door. "I'll pick you up at around eight-fifteen, our time," he told Meggan.

"See you then," she agreed as she entered the Door. "Night, everybody!"

"Well," Will said with a grunt as he rose from his chair, "Might as well take care of the dishes before we turn in."

"I'll get it," Domenic offered. "I owe someone a few dozen dish duty nights back from our Brotherhood days." He looked at Rogue with an amused glint in his eye.

"That's true," Rogue agreed as she got up to join Will. "And I think that my insider information regarding the camera you had in Momma's bathroom gives me even more leverage."

Domenic and St. John both paled. "You knew about that?" St. John asked.

"I even have a date-stamped copy of the footage," she told them as she and Will left the room. "It's in a safe deposit box, of course..."

Bobby looked at her in wonder. "The pupil has surpassed the master."

Author's Note: As I get older, and my face changes, I start to think about what Will looks like as he gets older and 'weaker'. My choice for a more weathered Will Riley is Sam Neill, who is best known for his work in the Jurassic Park movies.

My thanks to Minisinoo, whose brilliant Heyoka series (set in the X-Men Movieverse) provided the X-symbol used by Ecologix.