To Everything There Is A Season

~A Report~

            The men around the table watch their tiny hostess carry the last of the lunch dishes into the house. She was a surprise. None of them had known what to expect when they were sent out here to find and search Jed Sorenson's house, but a very young bride was not in the plan.

"Alright gentlemen while our gracious hostess is occupied in the house, I want to have a very quick meeting." Owen started, "You have all had a chance to read the files on Jed Sorenson and his involvement with the organization that attempted to cripple the major cities across the country. They may have failed at their objective, but their group can still claim to have been a success as nature did their work for them. The timing of the solar flare worked in their favour and set us back to turn of the previous century technology.

The academy sent us out here to discover everything we could about Jed Sorenson and his group. I highly doubt they knew he was married and from what Dr. Roberts has told me the chances that this marriage was recorded anywhere outside this group is highly unlikely. Explore the house and grounds. Just be respectful of both. This is miss Sang's home and given the gender beliefs of this group chances are very good that she has no idea what her husband was involved with.

Dr. Roberts also had a secondary mission for us, and it looks like we may have fulfilled it by accident. He wanted us to locate, if at all possible, a young woman that he had been watching for the last few years. He told me that he was first alerted to the presence of a young girl who was exhibiting many of the qualities that we look for in academy recruits. At the time she was only twelve and Phil had no way of extracting her that would not compromise his mission. He watched as she developed into an accomplished young woman. He said that she never realized how extraordinary she was. Every summer at the end of camp when the elders of her community met to evaluate each young person hers were always glowing. Yet a few years into her teens he finally saw the report that was being sent home to her parents and her glowing evaluation was attributed to her sister while her sister's less than stellar report had her name on it. Phil believes that this young woman was being groomed for a specific husband. This belief was confirmed when he put in an offer for the younger sister and instead was "married" to the elder one instead. Her sister was settled in the city and attending classes at the community college. Phil lost track of her in the days after the flare. The younger sister's name was Sang. There is little to no possibility that there would be two young women with that name in their tiny community.

We know that Jed Sorenson is dead. He was killed in the aftermath of the bombings in Charleston. I highly doubt miss Sang knows that she is a widow. Plan to be here for a few more days. We know that the violence from the city is starting to spread out to the surrounding countryside. We will need to send a small group back to check in or Phil will send a team to find out what happened to us. Victor I would like you to go assist our host with the lunch clean up. North attend to the fire and the bacon clean up. We will see what we can help her with this afternoon. Gentlemen I expect you to be on your best behaviour. I want you to work as hard as she does.

Any comments?" Owen opened the floor to the others.

"I just have one. Do not underestimate how hard she will work. She has a cellar that is partially filled with canned food and when I was helping her with lunch, she told me about her day. She starts before dawn. The bread we ate at lunch she baked this morning. Her house for all she claims it isn't company ready is spotless. I have a feeling that she will work us all into the ground and still be able to go on for a number of hours more." Luke commented with unusual seriousness.

"Very good. That is wise advice for us all to take to heart now let's get on with our work." Owen dismissed the men, those he assigned specific tasks went to do them the rest took the time to walk around the yard and get their first real look at their surroundings.

"Mr. B, she may need more help than either she or we think. I can see a number of missing shingles on the house and that wind turbine is crooked and possibly broken." Kota pointed out.

"I want to see how she makes cloth. I know the theory of cloth making but never had the chance to watch anyone actually do it, think she would show me?" Gabriel tossed out to the group.

"Enough gentlemen. We will talk more this evening once we have a better idea of what Miss. Sang is dealing with and more importantly after we have a better idea of who she is." Owen silenced the chatter and motioned for Sean to check on the pair in the kitchen.