Reggie Philips was flat-out exhausted. The three days since losing electricity had been the worst of his life. He stood outside around the corner of the main entrance to the giant concrete and steel USECO bunker. Reggie had bummed a cigarette to smoke. It was his first in over twenty years. It wasn’t the only thing he was doing that he had told himself he would not do. He was avoiding his responsibility.

He had been bombarded by everyone’s needs for so long, that over the past few days he was afraid he was coming to resent those he served. He just needed a few minutes alone where no one could find him. He needed to hide for awhile.

The council meeting he just fled from was going nothing like Reggie wanted it to. He had planned to talk first of course about the electrical outage, but portray it as a good thing. Reggie was going to explain that this was a perfect time for a needed outage for maintenance and then move on to other topics. He wanted to talk about getting the school system working again, instituting some form of currency to replace the shaky barter system they were currently working under, and to at least start the conversation of legal reform so there could be some standardization of punishment for crimes throughout the JP.

He also planned to discuss the status of the regimental system and hopefully slide quietly past the topic of Timothy Walker’s commission without anyone raising too much of a fuss if possible. Reggie also decided against General Anderson’s recommendation to share with the council the interaction he had with General Sampson several weeks ago. Anderson was worried about the spy in their midst, but Reggie didn’t think they could give anything away the spy didn’t already know.

Unfortunately, they weren’t able to get away from the electricity issue. Reggie had expected some trepidation from the average citizens, but was shocked by the near open panic and irrationality of the leaders gathered around him. Reggie could only explain their reaction as denial. They had convinced themselves for so long that nothing had changed. Oh, they would admit that some minor things had changed like not being able to watch Monday Night Football, but nothing of real significance. They could pretend that N-Day never happened and that the world outside wasn’t a desolation. Cutting off the electricity took away this illusion and forced them to admit reality. Some hadn’t dealt with the current reality very well.

Most areas remained calm, but not everywhere. Within hours of Tim Reynolds’s radio broadcast, the station was mobbed and looted. People were looking for Reynolds, convinced he had more information he wasn’t giving out. Thankfully, he had already left the station.

Reggie was also careful about his public appearances, and the JP put the police and military forces on alert. Surprisingly, Paducah remained calm through all the turmoil justifying his trust in Brazen.

So far, things were still under control, but they could come apart at the seams at any moment, and Reggie wasn’t quite sure what to do. He wished Clarence Anderson were here to give him counsel, but the General had taken the local guard forces south and was working on organizing the southern defense against any incursion by Sampson.

Reggie was aware of someone beside him also smoking. He had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed Brazen. “Mind if I hide with you?” he asked.

Reggie smiled in spite of himself. “Help yourself, but they’re sure to find us eventually.”

“At least you didn’t have to deal with introducing me,” said Brazen with a smile of his own.

That was true. They never got to that topic and Reggie judged they probably never would. It would simply now be a given. They were within their power after all to appoint him. He only intended to bring it up as a courtesy and if anyone asked later he could always say the discussion was dominated by other more pressing matters.

“Yes, Colonel Walker, that was the silver lining to this particular cloud I suppose. You know things are getting ready to get bad, don’t you?”

“I think I do,” answered Brazen, taking a long draw off his cigarette. “I’m down to only one carton. Figure I’ll be out of cigarettes in less than a month. I’m scared to think what the world will look like after that.”

“You know what I’m talking about,” said Reggie, amused nevertheless.

“Yeah, I know what you’re talking about,” answered Brazen. “And all we can do is keep doing what we have been. Get ready and then see what happens. It’s not all on us you know? If the people want to have the JP, there’s going to come a point where we’re going to have to fight for it. Not just the leaders, but everyone.”

Reggie was silent for a moment. It was somehow encouraging to think that the weight of everything wasn’t squarely on his shoulders. “Yes, I suppose so. But will we be ready?”

“We’ll be as ready as we’re ready,” answered Brazen. “It’s going to suck, but not as much as the uncertainty. There will come a time when there just isn’t anything you can do to get ready for bad stuff. You just can’t prepare yourself for a kick in the balls. You can see and know it’s coming, but nothing is going to make it hurt less.”

Reggie started laughing and realized it was the first time he had laughed in quite awhile. It felt pretty good. He turned to look at Brazen, “Colonel Walker?”

“Yes…sir?” said Brazen.

“I sure hope I’m right about you, because, if I’m not, we’re all doomed. Everyone is going to be focused on the south with Sampson, and here you will be in the north controlling most of our wealth, manufacturing, people, and everything else. It would be a good opportunity for you to set yourself up pretty nice, if you wanted to.”

“Yes it would,” said Brazen. “But I won’t.”

“And how do I know that?” asked Reggie.

“You don’t,” answered Brazen as he snubbed his cigarette out against the wall. “You’re just going to have to trust me, but I’ve given you my word.”

They looked at each other for another moment before Brazen turned and began walking away, but then turned back abruptly.

“Oh yeah,” began Brazen, “regarding our lack of electricity. I’ve been thinking about that.”

“Haven’t we all,” said Reggie with a grimace.

Brazen smiled, “You see all the abandoned cars around here with no use whatsoever?”

Reggie nodded.

“Why not just pull the alternators out and hook them to something that turns like a crank, or a windmill, or wagon for that matter. It would charge a car battery which could be used to power just about anything small for a short period of time. Might take the shock out of peoples’ minds if they realize electricity isn’t gone forever, even if the dam is never fixed.”

Reggie froze. It was so simple, yet none of them had thought about it. He looked at Brazen in amazement.

“Don’t look so shocked,” said Brazen with a mischievous smile as he turned away again, “I was an engineering major at MIT after all.”

Reggie smiled to himself and realized that he wasn’t so tired anymore.