Chapter 10:

[Catarina Peters]

"I don't know you sir," Catarina started, "But, you seem a decent man.Kat and Angel have spoken only good things of you, Trinity. Besides the region needs a government."

'We got one more or less. The remnants of the old state government up in Colorado Springs," Ethan countered. "I don't want it."

"And that makes you someone worth following," Kat said.

"I can't say as I like the idea of a King, but democracy is weakness in a land of warlords, tyrants, and people who eat other people. There needs to be one voice. Hundreds of politicians debating the proper course while farms and houses are being tourched is certain death for the whole," Wallace added.

"Whoa we ain't seriously considering this are we?" Ethan said incredulously. "My dad and grandfather didn't join the navy... Hell, I didn't join the Marines and serve two tours in Iraq to become a King."

"If that is what you decide you will have my fealty," Catarina announced.

[Trinity Talon]

"Told you so Cowboy." Trinity replied as she got up and took his plate. "Hey my whole family was in the service and I was too until you Desert Stormed me into twins.' she teased. "Thankfully your second tour was enough time for me to get this set up in the first place. And everyone questioned why I went with supply logistics officer as my specialty. I helped make this dream your reality."

"That's my girl." Angel said with a wink. "King Ethan and Queen Trinity... and to think I used to encourage you not to play with Princess dolls."

"Yeah, I played with GI-Joes and Barbies." Trinity said with a smile. "Always wanted to be Agent Scarlett though."

[Ethan Talon]

Ethan sighed defeated, "I guess that makes you the Queen Mother, my esteemed mother-in-law." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. Shaking his head, "Okay. Yeah, but on one condition: we get to rest of the people here to at least be okay with it. If they are vehemently opposed to the idea we walk away. We come up with something else."

[Angel Ryder]

"Exactly... but we do need to set up something. And if this governor is as much of a problem as it sounds, then we need to be strong enough to push back." Angel said and crossed her arms. "In the meantime... we've got a lot of work to do to get through all the stuff and people I brought." she looked out the window. "We should also consider sending scouting parties to see what other resources we can acquire. But we have to figure out the way the world works again, we lost electricity, we lost explosive potential. But nature abhors a vacuum... did something take its place? Is there something we haven't discovered yet? I can't believe that all this happened and that's the state of the world for all eternity."

[Ethan Talon]

Ethan cleared his throat, "I don't know much about all that, but there is one thing I do know, and that it's always easier to break something than put it back together."

[Angel Ryder]

"Ethan... don't play dumb." Angel said and kissed his cheek. "I think between all of us we can figure something out and if not, well... I'm sure we won't be the only ones working on it."

[Ethan Talon]

"Not playing dumb," Ethan said. "The fact of the matter is sometimes things break and you can't fix it, and the way the change was so specific it makes me think there was an intelligence behind it. A God? An advanced alien species? Witches? Damned if I know, but I honestly don't think it can be fixed."

[Angel Ryder]

"Well that's what we need to work on. Maybe there's a way to do things other ways." Angel said and laughed. "Although I wonder if magic is actually a thing now?"

[Ethan Talon]

Ethan smiled, "That I will leave to you. That, and a task to make life around here easier. Put that big engineering brain of yours to good work. I think the top priority needs to be havesters. A scythe is all well and good, but it's labor intensive, and limits the acreage of crops we can grow to what we can harvest by hand before the grains rot."

[Angel Ryder]

"Wow, king for 10 seconds and already bossing people around." Angel said with a wink of her eye. "I'll have to survey who we've got, find some more geniuses. Mankind survived thousands of years before we had modern technology... we can do it again. Or maybe we can do it better." she looked around. "By the way, how much unused space DO you have in here? I've got quite a few libraries and museums worth of stuff to put somewhere. I really wished I could have looted the Milwaukee Public Museum... a few exhibits I always wanted to actually study up close."