Fort Roraima, in the Mount Roraima Ark

My wife threatened to leave me. I was a journalist for 50 years, and I missed a lot of birthdays and anniversaries doing the job and chasing the stories. So when I told my wife that President Torrie Eltap wanted me to come interview her, I have to say I'm glad she was holding a rubber spatula instead of a frying pan. But now, as I stand here in what they call "The Chalice" -- a sort of meeting place/commerce center reminiscent of ancient Greek Boule, where Senators would meet to discuss their new democracy -- I can't say I regret washing whipped cream out of my hair. I'm the first non-meta to come to Fort Roraima. The US Secretary of State plus a delegation of other such dignitaries from a dozen countries are set to make the trip a week from now, but President Eltap wanted me to give the people an "unvarnished opinion" first.

Let's start here; the photos Photobucket took down don't do it justice. This place, built into the side of Mount Roraima near a waterfall, is a miracle of engineering that could have only been accomplished by Meta-Humans. Nature and technology are one here, as stone and steel support the multi-tiered city (nation state? We'll get to that) and it's many floors. There are two floors dedicated to hydroponics, four dedicated to hydro-electric power, dozens dedicated to living spaces, many more floors built for commerce, and several community levels. And that's just the steel platforms. Dozens more areas look to be carved into the ravine walls giving more space for living areas, but also industrial activities.

"Planning and engineering is a little harder than you might deal with in New York, but we've managed." President Eltap -- She insists I call her Torrie, but the security guards who have been following us around make me think twice -- says. "We sent several people to various universities and colleges to learn the skills our nation needs. And now, armed with the necessary know-how they come back here to build, but also to teach." She smiles as we walk past a children's daycare. "Not just for this generation, but also the next."

The weight on her shoulders is enormous, to say the least, but you'd never know it to look at her as we walk through Fort Roraima together. Torrie Eltap, gifted with the ability to fly and throw balls of fire from her hands, became known the world over for singlehandedly disabling the american aircraft carrier The USS Enterprise . The whole thing, caught on camera and broadcasted globally, gave birth to the nickname 'The Arch Angel' as wings she can protrude at will are made of flame, though she prefers 'The Phoenix.' But that right there is really the crux of all this, a metaphor for what next week's summit is all about; What Fort Roraima is depends entirely on your viewpoint.

America's viewpoint is simple, and isn't terribly nuanced; They don't like Venezuela's government or their economic position of nationalized Oil & Gas resources, so they demand no one trade with them. Venezuela's position is equally simple, though I think they get credit on nuance; Just because America doesn't like the government the Venezuelan people elected, doesn't mean they get to decide whether or not the Venezuelan people get to have freedom. So after decades of sanctions, the Venezuelan government engaged in a social media blitz: "To any superhero willing, come to Venezuela and help liberate us from our oppressors. In exchange we promise you sanctuary and a chance to live free of harassment." Over 4,000 Metas showed up, and credit to the meta community there, they refused to help unless the 999 Metas who were known criminals were sent packing. Then Torrie, a lawyer, negotiated not just for sanctuary, but a piece of Venezuela they could call theirs.

American forces, having no Meta-Humans enlisted due to bad policy -- my opinion -- surrendered within three days.

So when I got the call from my former editor, I didn't really know what to think. I've been covering the news since I wrote my first piece on the lack of proper food-safe standards in my high school cafeteria. I try never to go into these things with an opinion... But how could I not? The arrival of Meta-Humans has captivated the world, and drawn brand new political lines in the sand. My first real story was on the election of Harvey Milk, if you can believe it. My fourth story was the bill Milk drafted giving gay people the right to be employed... And my seventh story was my first Pulitzer. I've never displayed the prize though, not that one. It's hard to be proud of an article written about the death of a great man. But what's not hard is seeing the parallels between then and now, and forming an opinion on it. These Metas are people. People just looking for the right to exist. They're building a community together, and inadvertently upsetting an establishment that would like nothing more than to have them go away.

When asked about how the world feels about her and her people, President Eltap doesn't shy away. "As best to my knowledge, none of us asked for this. It was thrust upon us. So many of us were formerly American, and we can't help but look at our home country with disgust. How many times will they cast different people out? Or look at them as 'less than' because they're different. I'm not sure if it's racist, though I've heard the term 'genicist' thrown around by my people and theirs. All we want, all we truly want, is a piece of this world to call our own. Our dream? That we can cooperate, instead of just coexist." The response is rehearsed, but genuine. She is clearly born to lead, and the people who walk past us highlight that. Nobody bows, or displays fear. When they see her they all smile, and great her warmly. Even her political opponent during the election -- Samuel Dimn, now her vice president -- embraces her as a friend before discussing arrangements for the political summit.

And while they're busy, I find some people to talk to, and I get the real story. "We love it here," or some version of that is the first thing they say, followed immediately and invariably by "we miss our families." A toll no-one, even myself, had considered before. Sure, they have sanctuary here... But it's also isolation. Money had to flee friends, family, and loved ones for fear they might be hurt as anti-meta hysteria swept much of the developed world. I ask about the commerce and trade with other nations, and the response to that is just as universal "It's a small price to pay if it means being able to go back home." They have no interest in competing with global markets, not really. They see it as a ransom to be paid so they can see the people they care about. Though many do mention they hope Venezuela makes out well at the summit. They have maintained close ties with the country and are on good terms, but the global tension after Venezuela put out the call for metas is heightened, and they would like to see world governments acknowledge what is being done to their people.

Only time will tell how this all goes. For their part the people of Fort Roraima are in good spirits, seem genuinely invested in the prospect of peace, and are excited about the prospects of what's to come. But there's still a nervousness there. Security is already heightened, and practicing drills in case of trouble. My escort, a lumberjack sized man wearing sunglasses, only said one thing to me: "We have no intention of striking first. But we will strike back if it comes to that." This old reporter hopes it doesn't come to that.