The backbreaking work of cleaning Red Hills had only just begun - not everybody cleaned, some still wondered the ruins of desolation, some didn't stop - didn't spend the night at the huge party tents set up, the shelters made, some left to Covanger Fields - sold their property, put it up for auction.

Some just wept.

May never thought Hunter was the type to have a flair for style - for grand gestures. For the theatrical. Comedy, certainly - and comedy was mostly about timing, and maybe that was just what he was going for...

Maybe he thought it was a joke.

She wasn't the first to hear the rumbling. The scattered scavengers of Red Hills, picking through the devastation like a flock of birds that had swooped down, talking and squawking and shifting through the rubble.

Terror was the first reaction, the only reaction that made sense, they had just seen what a loud noise beckoned, had it burst again? But a dam couldn't bust twice, could it?

Yet the noise, in the quiet, the trees all knocked down, the buildings torn away, you could hear it for miles and equipment, heavy equipment especially, is noisy...

So it was with terror that people turned, May trying to lift up her dress and scoop up Tackle and run for safety, the Chapel? The -

"Trucks." A man shouted, "It's trucks, it's help! Somebody sent help!"

"It's the Army! They've come! Are they here to help? Now?"

"That's my brother. Hunter!" Jane shouted, of course - a chicken under one arm, her Mother gripping her other, stopping her from charging at a convoy. A entire long line of trucks and equipment and people!

Heroes.

And riding in the front, on top of the dozer that was pushing debris off the road, a chair bolted to the roof, a long rifle, but he was standing, waving to his sister, but it was a wave to everybody.

Was there anybody they needed more? Anybody who could fix this? And there he was, like a hero riding in on his horse - a caterpillar bulldozer, bright yellow with tank treads clunking and scraping away, making a path! A way forward!

"Hunter!"

"It's Hunter! It's him!"

May gasped! She smiled, she laughed -

"Hunter, get down from there before you break your neck! Don't make me get my spoon!" That was Mama Fontess, both Mothers rushing over, but one was crying too much to speak -

"It's going to be all right, he...he's just going to make some contracts and fix everything."

It wasn't going to be that easy, of course - but that didn't stop May from running forward with Tackle, both of them almost skipping across the debris - were all of them back?

The equipment parked, turned off instantly, each drop of fuel too valuable to waste for idling, but there were so many! And there were soldiers, what had happened, so many questions!

As the crowd pushed in closer May noticed the inconspicuous men, a few women casually ring Tackle, keep the crowd from coming too close, or trying to pet her - without washing their hands, of course.

There were soldiers. Tents. Plans. Orders. Hunter hugged his mother, his sister, gave Mr. Chikadee a pat on his clucking head and then was crushed by Mama Fontess all over again. And he was polite, sweet, friendly. Amy circled, too, fighting for her turn, and May hoped she let Hunter get some sleep, tonight - he was going to be busy.

Not too much, of course, he needed to work hard.

Then the Town Hall, he escaped, a group of the soldiers following after him like ducklings, and whatever he was doing, planning - he did.

"I didn't know we were having guests, we better go put something on, one thing I know is how hungry a soldier can be!" Mama Fontess shouted, "Now, we probably should all clear on out and let them handle their business and they can let us know how we can help them, what we need to do!"

Of course, of course that's what they needed to do, but...the relief, the stress that melted away, May could of just laid down in the dirt, the torn limbs and leaves and napped!

Hunter did approach May, once he became available -

"Tackle." Hunter knelt in the dirt and Tackle pranced over to him and bestowed a kiss, "Hickory is coming back as soon as he's made sure everyone is safe, but he wanted me to give you a present and tell you how much he misses you."

Tackle was torn between tippy taps of excitement and sadness as Hunter reached into a bag, pulled out a diamond necklace, no, two necklaces attached together, to go around Tackle's neck - and how it sparkled.

Tackle loved it! She was nuzzling Hunter to the point she almost knocked him over, thanking him but also trying to rush him to put it on, and May knew she'd be getting it tangled in her mane every day, what a silly gift to give a horse, a diamond necklace?

"May." Hunter said, and the expression he had, it was scared? Timid, "Hickory asked me to give this to you."

It was a pot. A huge, heavy, cast iron pot. May looked at it, and at Hunter, and she waited for him to laugh, to give her the real present. Certainly if Hickory got Tackle diamonds...

Tackle was watching her. Somebody was always watching - and, of course, "Oh, my, this is...just perfect!"

May rushed forward and grabbed the pot, hugged it to her chest, held it up, admiring it -

"You don't have to wash this kind."

"Oh, truly? How thoughtful, then, it's just what I needed." May looked and saw the men that had gathered looking thoughtful, and the women eyeing her angrily, almost desperately, but what was she supposed to do?

Besides hit Hunter over the head with it, and she could just tell at least a portion of this was his fault, but he was the hero of the hour!

"Well you make sure he knows how thankful I am, if you see him before me?" May asked, giving him another hug that caused him to stiffen as he heard her whispered tone, "I'm sure you will."

Hunter nodded quickly.

They didn't have to beg for help, to commandeer, or demand assistance. rescuer operations were underway for the whole river - to understand the extent of the damage.

Once they identified who was stopping it from going forth, of course.

That's what the Corp of Engineers did, natural disaster relief. Public works. They built the dam a long time ago - but had maintained it since. Repairing it. That was why they were there in the first place.

It was more complicated than that, their mission had included everything from water samples to monitoring wildlife and visitors, trimming trees and controlled burns. They were biologists and builders, they were not just soldiers. Not only.

These were the people that normally went in after everything was blown apart and put it back together again, they were a different sort of hero, a part of the military few understood or heard of.

And it wasn't just soldiers, it was civilians, too. Less formal, though that changed with the breaking, changed with the mission and they'd been inducted into service formally, voluntarily. Mostly.

There hadn't been much room or resources, no jobs for people, and the government titty had run dry quickly, but food? They had food. Equipment. A mission.

"I was a Sergeant, a Combat Engineer, which isn't as smart as it sounds, I mostly built roads." Commander Beckhart said, he'd recovered somewhat from the blowback that came from losing the Book, he hadn't fought back. Hadn't had a chance to, from the sound of it, "And then I was doing my best to run this place, keep order established to make a foothold."

There were nods of agreement, they were in a conference room, and Weston finally saw what a Font 'Focusing Improvement' looked like. Like what Jared had used against him, to bring all those powers against him at once.

For this Chapel, it was a room, a large red table, seats. Their command center. Occupied at the time, but by the wrong people to mount a defense - a team of various advisors and department heads having a mundane meeting.

"When the Chain of Command found out I had a Book, the Font, they wanted to study it and understand it, they ordered me not to use it so I didn't, they were running tests at other locations. Three days later these guys show up."

The Commander eyed the men on the other side of the table.

"I'm sort of relieved, to be honest. It was only a matter of time before one of these assholes killed me for that damn book."

Weston looked across the table and took in the other men - serious men, officers. All older, and maybe special forces, special something?

"Then everything went to shit, we couldn't get comms through, couldn't coordinate. We had a convoy punch through the shadow to tell us to focus on defense, to use the book and we did. They had orders, the President gave me the rank of Colonel."

Beckhart grinned at this, shook his head.

"Said they were going to send help, but it hasn't come yet, which, if it's true that the shadows come based on population it makes sense."

Weston's Body Double didn't twitch, but his real body in the other room?

"So we've been putting everything for defense, that was the plan for the book, but...I didn't make the plan with the dam, but I implemented it."

The problem was Beckhart was the lowest ranked man in the room - aside from Weston.

"The plan was to use the dam to raise the water level, there are two more Fonts that are within the lake environs, both would be submerged. Originally the orders that came -"

"That's classified."

"So shoot me." Beckhart said, shrugging, and the man did, three shots delivered from a 9mm pistol, the shooter turned a throbbing blood red, a murderer, then he pointed his weapon at Weston and -

"Damn it." Weston said - it was so hard to get information from people! Beckhart was the only one speaking, it was stupid to not take their weapons from them, but they didn't know they'd kill each other!

The gun holder looked at Weston with almost surprise at his lack of fear from the weapon trained at him, further demonstrating either how weak their powers were - but Weston probably still would have flinched if he'd actually been in the room, even with the potion.

They looked between Weston and the gun held on him. Did they think they were going to take him hostage and escape? Were they just not afraid to die?

"I'm going to explain something to you, we came here to fight only because it promised the least amount of people hurt. You used a resource as a weapon because you didn't understand how the Font works."

"We did our duty. We took actions to maintain order and to suppress a growing rebellion that threatened stability in the region."

Weston nodded. It was true.

"Then help us understand who attacked the Font and why, you can still do that, we agree that somebody capable of blowing the dam it is too dangerous to leave unchecked."

"What do you intend to do with our men?"

"Feed them. Help them integrate in this world. You understand the first act made was to stop a flood and to build a University, certainly you can see that we've only acted with the best intentions of everyone."

"We're either prisoners of war, or you are releasing us. You've captured a strategic resource and declared yourselves enemies of the United States."

"We have not heard one word from the Government, and neither have you." Weston said, "And where is the US flag by the way?"

The men stared at him.

"What you're trying to do is bluff and bully and scare us like you did the Commander, but it's obvious you attempted to consolidate power around the lake because you recognized how important it is. You wanted everybody to come here to kiss your ass-"

"We wanted to reestablish order."

"Yes, and it's almost true. But I can see that you also have another Font as a vassal, and your method of establishing order was becoming an Empire."

They had poker faces. and it was good that Weston had stopped trying to read people because he could have easily been outclassed here. Instead he judged them by their actions - what they were doing. No food production, no schools, no long term plan for the public good.

Their intention was to focus on military power and be a government without providing any sort of actual benefit other than protection against shadows...which wouldn't even be a threat if they closed their incursions, just a nuisance, easily defended against if everybody worked together.

In fact they were withholding help they could have given as a bargaining chip if it wasn't in their self interest.

"I'm willing to release most of you." Weston said, eyes flickering at the still red murderer, "You can sign contracts. a promise to not initiate hostilities with us. That's it, say what you want to say, live here or move, be leaders in the community. The Commander was ultimately responsible and would have been executed."

They looked at him. Weston shrugged.

"But that's it. Red Hills doesn't have a military because everybody in that settlement is a militia. Everybody defends against a threat, and if five kids can walk in here and defeat you..."

Weston was actually relieved the Commander had been shot, it solved so many problems, but...they weren't even sure if Red Hills still existed at this point.

"You have a duty as a citizen to provide assistance to the government."

Weston nodded.

"Absolutely, and Chase is working right now to find those elected officials so they can be brought into this room with us." Weston nodded, "The fact that we have to go look for them is why -"

"We are under martial law. We are the government."

Weston shook his head.

"Blocking the dam, attempting to use a rising water level to displace communities because they wouldn't capitulate to you, of course they blew the dam!"

Weston breathed. Because the plan had actually been genius if it had worked. You can't drink from a Font that's under water...or maybe you could? It had been a gamble, but one that would have paid if successful.

He hadn't realized how strategically important it was because they'd only thought of it as a hazard, but every second Weston was seeing it more fully. Hunter saw it as a trade route through three states, the primary source of water for the state of Texas, and even if it had a high salt content it actually made growing foods like potatoes and onions easier - which was specifically why Weston wanted a canal of that water instead of creating a pump system.

He'd thought too small...

This dam was theoretically the lynchpin that held together the entire midwest, and the Generals - they had acted now only because the longer they waited, the greater liability it would become for those reasons alone.

They had to, because they understood how men thought - Hickory didn't. Hickory didn't bother, instead he just did the best he could. Now the result of that was he now sat on two bombs.

A University unlike any in the world that Weston hadn't even got to peak into yet and a dam that controlled four states.

Yes Hickory saw it differently:

"Now if you think there's a lot of fish in a river just imagine how many fish are in this lake, Weston."

And there was more - of course, so much more. The weaponry, the soldiers, the engineers...

Chase wasn't distracted by the University, no. He was in control of his curiosity, he had work to do, tracking down the city council, the mayor, the elected officials. Of course it had been easy -

Send a truck around with a loud speaker telling them to meet at the University. He wasn't distracted at all, waiting there to meet them, the second they showed up of course he'd go right out to get them.

And until then?

He just peaked into the University, just to find a proper place for them to meet at, somewhere comfortable, it was an important meeting, what room would be best?

The Library? A huge building, a round, windowed roof that let natural light in, staircases, levels - and right now? Just one book shelf. 12 books. Which was disappointing at first, but for a book to be included in the library it had to be written by hand...

Chase went and pulled one of the books down, Secret Fish of the Red River. The book also stayed there, on the shelf. Amazing.

The War Room? A Tactical Academy? That was also interesting, it had maps, topographic maps, little markers and - it was like a giant game of Risk, but made up. It wasn't Red Hills or Covanger Fields, it was make believe. Randomized maps. Theoretical.

The Gyms were the same as Red Hills, just larger, more copies of the same equipment, but it was the Aquariam that was truly the marvel. Besides the walls of glass, one side the lake where you could look out - there was a trick to it that allowed him to see when it should have been too dark.

The other side was the Red River, far too dirty now, just like a thick chocolate milk - he doubted many fish would survive, unable to breath, perhaps the new ones? The modified ones?

Above the water line, the waterfall splashed, and that whole window was just moving water, a torrential downpour of splashing, hypnotic movement - and then tanks. Tall tanks instead of pillars spanned the center and walls, the floors - some already had fish...in fact, there was no way to open or access some of them.

One tank closest to the river side held fish he recognized, catfish and stripped bass, perch...common fish, but it was more than that. Even as he watched, the fish were shrinking, not the catfish -

It was some sort of visualization representing the fish population...their health, or habits or -

None of the new fish were represented, but that was probably to be expected, if they were based on population levels? Perhaps the Hatchery spit out a lot of fish, but the Red River was over a thousand miles long...

There was another tank, the fish looked healthy in that one? So that one was the lake, correct?

There was something here, there was something to be said of this - he hurried to the greenhouse, just one more minute! Just to verify this line of thinking. The greenhouse was similar. There was areas for experimentation, different soil samples, different dirt types, open and ready. mulches and bins, planters - various light levels.

Again - two locations, two obvious areas of controlled growth, another living chart, but...not two sides of the river then, two Fonts...just like the library had the books from Red Hills, this place was a way to study the Fonts from here.

Which maybe meant the War Room was the same? But just obscured for now? Since they didn't have the infrastructure? Or was it just secret, like Weston said the Embassy was, it didn't provide some information to unappointed people. Secrets.

And that was all he could do, all he could explore this second, the low hanging fruit of what this structure represented...

Just as the loom could be completely useless for anything more then paper towels without May, without the skill to use it properly, she still claimed to discover something new each time she used it.

Chase headed out to await the officials, passing by the Chapel portion and looking in, and it was just a room, stone. People were wondering the grounds, moving through the facility carefully, curiously.

He decided to meet them right there at the door, to make the meeting as short and clear as possible -

"This is the deal. We've got a city council here and a Mayor. You are going to be taking over the leadership of this town, you are going to be Hickory's point of contact to find out what the people need and how to get it to them."

They blinked, opened mouths - Chase held up his hands.

"You will be paid for this work and have the resources you need, housing, transportation, everything, a huge say in how this place develops going forward...then there will be elections once things settle, but remember that if you accept this offer, you are a council, a team of advisors...Hickory is the King."