July 12, 2040:
11 years have passed since the Season 2 finale of Revolution took place. Many changes have occurred in both the world and for the main characters. The most notable change being that the Nanos have been destroyed and electricity has returned. As it turns out, the virus that Aaron Pittman wrote in Lubbock, TX but was unable to finish was inserted into the Nano's code. It just took several months before it was able to spread, causing the block that prevented the Nanos from absorbing their own electricity to disappear, effectively causing the Nanos to cannibalize themselves. With the Nanos disabled and the Patriots defeated, a vacuum for power existed in most of the United States. Since it was Texas who led the charge against the Patriots, Gen. Blanchard decided to take shot at re-uniting the USA and he became President Blanchard. Although the USA has been officially re-united, many autonomous governments still exist within the US and throughout the world. Automobiles have become a common site on the roads again. Most cars made in the 2030s and today are electric cars, as these are easier to produce in large quantities than attempting to revive the oil industry. The Internet exists again, TV and radio exists, all of which are so far unregulated. Many of the decayed buildings built before the Blackout have been either demolished, or fixed up. Abandoned neighborhoods still exist though, especially in the southwest, with skeletons commonly being found in these neighborhoods. A government funded organization called Light in the Dark exists to help people track down relatives they lost touch with due to the Blackout and is working to register everyone as either living, dead, or missing. The sites where Philadelphia and Atlanta existed are still uninhabited by people and are a ghostly reminder of what is considered the worst tragedy of the Blackout. There is a lot of controversy over what caused the Blackout, but many believe it was human caused. Aaron Pittman, at the request of Rachel Matheson, hacked into all US government databases and deleted any trace of the government project that caused the Blackout. Some blame the Patriots, who have become the embodiment of evil in the minds of US citizens after the power has turned back on. In a controversial decision, President Blanchard pardoned every US citizen of crimes they may have committed during the Blackout era, which includes Sebastian Monroe, and all Patriots. Now, we focus on our characters and their lives.
Broadcasting on various TV's around the USA and the world, is Rebuilding America, a modern day daytime talk show, similar to the Pre-Blackout Jerry Springer Show. The host is 40 year old Michael White, a Caucasian man with brown facial hair and an easy going personality.
*The show intro plays*
*Audience claps and cheers then is quiet*
"Hello all, I'm Michael White and you're watching Rebuilding America, a form of entertainment for you, and a way to fix the broken lives of our guests. Today's episode is very special. One of our guests is one of the most hated men alive. He once ruled the very ground I'm standing on with an iron fist. He pitted brother against brother in a time of desperation…. So he could become a king. He's survived 3 attempts on his life in the past decade, and currently resides with his girlfriend who is also one of our guests. If you guessed Sebastian Monroe, you're right."
At this point, the audience collectively booed.
"Alright, yes I get it. He's a piece of shit."
A few audience members cheered at this.
""But before we bring him out, we're going to introduce the woman who called our show, a desperate mother worried about the man her daughter is dating. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Rachel.
*Audience claps and cheers as the now 54 year old Rachel Matheson walks onto the stage.*
"Alright, so Rachel, tell us a little about your situation."
"Well, what's there to say? My daughter is dating the most hated man in America."
"Now how old is your daughter?"
"She's uhh, 33. I know she's well into adulthood but that doesn't stop me from being a mother. I don't care how old she is. I don't want her dating a well-known murderer."
"I think we can all sympathize with that. So tell us, how did this happen?"
"Umm, that's kind of complicated." Rachel laughs nervously. "First off, I knew Sebastian Monroe well before the Blackout. My husband was friends with him growing up. We lost touch after the Blackout…. He….. became a tyrant…. And after the Patriots took over the Monroe Republic, he joined our group in Texas. Me, my husband, son, and daughter were guerilla fighters. We first fought against Monroe, than the Patriots. Monroe joined our group and fought alongside us against the Patriots. After the war ended, my daughter and Monroe got closer and before I could stop it, she's pregnant with his kid." Rachel begins to tear up.
"So they have kids together."
"Yes. I don't know how many at this point. I haven't spoken to my daughter in 5 years. 5 years ago, they had 2 kids. A boy and a girl."
"Are you ready to see your daughter again?"
"Yes I am."
"Alright folks, this is Rachel's daughter Charlie."
*The audience boos loudly*
Charlie walks out dressed in a black belly shirt, and ripped jean shorts. Her hair is dyed black now. She sits in a chair on the far side of the stage from her mother.
"Okay, so Charlie and Rachel. First time seeing each other in 5 years…. Not even a simple hello to each other?"
"I've got nothing to say. I'm just here to collect money from being on this show. Rachel's the one with the problem." Was Charlie's cold response.
"You're damn right I've got a problem. You're dating a mass murderer who's twice your age. How is that supposed to make me feel Charlie?"
"I don't know. How did you feel when you left me in the care of your child molester husband?"
"It was your sweetheart who kept me from coming back to you." Rachel said with a smile.
"Go fuck yourself." Was Charlie's eloquent response.
"You ungrateful bitch." Rachel responded with before Charlie got out of her seat and began to walk toward her mother.
"What was that? Ungrateful? Ungrateful that you left me to be molested by my father, who was actually my uncle all along because you slept with the whole god damn family?"
Rachel slapped Charlie, which then caused Charlie to start throwing fists violently at her mother. The audience cheered this on. After several seconds, the security on stage separated the two women.
"Charlie. I left you with him because he was your father and he cared for you. Yes, he had problems. It was during the Blackout. Who else was I supposed to leave you with? The Monroe militia? I left so I could save the world. I would have gotten back to you sooner if your fucking boyfriend hadn't kept me prisoner!"
The host chimes in "I think now's a good time to bring out the man you've all been waiting for… Oh, you guys are gonna hate me for this. After the break."
Since Rebuilding America is live, the show waits 5 minutes before re-airing. The two women go backstage to cool down.
"Will I be safe out there?" A concerned Sebastian Monroe asks one of the producers.
"We've inspected everyone for weapons. Our security is trained and well-armed. We promise nothing will happen to you while you are on stage. Well, you might get hit by that Rachel woman, but that's what you signed up for."
*The commercial break ends and Rachel and Charlie return to the stage.*
"Alright, welcome back to Rebuilding America. Now, without hesitation, former president of the Monroe Republic, and the most hated man in America, Sebastian Monroe."
*Sebastian Monroe enters the stage wearing a black leather jacket, sunglasses, and smoking a cigarette. The audience boos even louder than they booed Charlie.*
*As Monroe takes his seat on stage, the audience quiets down. One man in the audience remains vocal.*
"You piece of shit. You killed my family. You killed my son. I'm gonna murder your whole fucking family!"
Monroe responds by saying "Shit happens." And then shrugs nonchalantly, which elicits more boos from the audience and eventually evolves into "Kill Monroe!"
*The security reaches the man in the audience and prevents him from reaching the stage.*
"That's a real catch you got there, Charlie." Rachel says happily.
"Okay, so I want to hear your guys' view in all of this." The host asks of Monroe and Charlie.
Monroe answers first "She's hot. I'm hot. We're made for each other. What else can I say?"
Charlie follows with "He might be kind of a dick."
"Which I admit." Monroe interrupts laughingly
"But I trust him. He's been a wonderful husband, a wonderful father, and I just feel at home with him."
"Did you say husband?" Rachel asks.
"Yep. We're married going on 4 years now." Charlie showed off her ring to the audience, which elicited more boos.
"You know, I don't think we've had guests that our audience has hated more than you two today."
"Well, there's an accomplishment." Monroe answers.
"You know, I've got to ask, do you feel any remorse for what you did during the Blackout?" the host asks. "I mean, I'll admit, I don't have any experiences with the Monroe Republic. I lived in California during the Blackout, but a lot of our audience I'm guessing have memories of living in the Republic, and some even serving in your army, or fighting your army."
"Remorse? No. I don't. I did what had to be done. I put an end to the savagery, cannibalism, rape gangs that became common place after the Blackout. You want me to apologize for that?"
"Yes, but I can compare my memories of living in the California Commonwealth to my friends' memories of living in the Monroe Republic and I've got to say, it's drastically different. California cleaned up the chaos that took place after the Blackout and then created a system that established order but also gave us freedom and normalcy. My buddy who served in the Monroe army talks about re-education camps, being ordered to kill women and children, for offenses such as owning an American flag. I can tell you first hand that none of that took place in California."
Sebastian Monroe lit another cigarette and said "I don't have to justify anything. I did what I did because I could, and I enjoyed doing it. All empires are created of blood and fire. Pablo Escobar."
Rachel decided to speak. "I know the audience doesn't need any more reason to hate these two. But I'll give them one more anyway. My lovely daughter Charlie is dating the man who killed her brother."
"You're a fucking liar. He didn't kill Danny. One of his men did. It was a complex time." Charlie answered.
"Go on. Keep trying to justify it." Rachel said with a smile.
"Yeah, well justify this. When you went off to save the world, Daddy raped Danny. I saw it happen. Of course, I was raised thinking that's what all fathers do. So was Danny. We didn't have exposure to anything outside our little commune. But you… You already knew how sick and wrong it was, but you allowed it to happen anyway."
"I was abused too, Charlie. By my father as well. You don't see me bitching about it or holding a grudge against him. And a little bit of touching doesn't compare to murdering thousands of people, so just remember that."
*After several more minutes of banter between the guests, and a 5 minute segment where the audience was interviewed, most of who vocalized hate toward Sebastian Monroe, with one calling Charlie a skank, the hour long live episode with the Monroe's and Rachel Matheson was almost up.*
"Okay, we're about to wrap up this episode of Rebuilding America. As the advice giver and the fixer of America's problems, I will say this. Rachel, it looks like these two, however much you hate him, are sticking together. You're a grandmother Rachel, and you've missed out on a lot of your grandkids lives. I hope you guys find peace."
*The ending credits play and the episode ends.*