ED3N- on the Brink of Extinction

by J P Whitney

  All of this is accurate. When ED3N is fully operational and people from the outside join us, we will be whole. A family with a bond forged by surviving the worst catastrophe of all time. And that will be the greater purpose worth fighting for. Worth giving up your own life so that others may live. Not just the protection of your children or the citizens of your country. To ensure the survival of the human race. Would you fight for this? Would you die for this?

  “Yes, ED3N. I would.”

  ∆∆∆

  7/26/21 – Eli’s Journal

  One of the shelter directors, his name is Jerry, started showing symptoms of Blue. He had the night watch and this morning woke up to extreme headache and fever. The authorities say the vaccine won't stop Blue once it starts so maybe he was infected prior? The other director called 911 and now the guards have arrived in space suits and are taking him away on a gurney. He's already starting to cough blood. After talking to his superior on the walkie talkie, the guards said it was more likely they gave Jerry the bracelet early, without the shot, so he could travel between home and the shelter. The remaining director, Gina, definitely did get vaccinated so should be fine. Everyone, me included, wants to know if we are now at risk of being infected. They told us everything is going to be fine. Just relax. And as another truck pulled up they said, “See a supply truck just arrived”. But something didn't seem right to me. We hadn't had a supply drop in over 20 days of quarantine and weren’t expecting one anytime soon. Only the directors could register for supplies and only for themselves. So while everyone else pushed toward the front, eager to get rations, I quietly grabbed my pack and blanket and slinked off to the back door.

  I decided to run for the hills, ironically to escape the decay of society in the city. I need to find a place with a real address and maybe a computer. My best bet is to find a vacation cabin along the Oregon coast. I can remain isolated, get supplies, and even fish if I have to.

  There’s nothing but farmland, orchards, and vineyards to the southwest which will allow me to stay clear of the major roads that will be patrolled and possibly feed myself along the way.

  ∆∆∆

  7/26/21 – Ruth’s Journal (ED3N Status: 63%)

  “ED3N what does the 3 in your name signify?”

  I’m the third generation of this artificial intelligence operating system as you like to refer to me.

  “Does that mean the letters are an acronym?”

  E is for Emergency. D is for Democratic. N is for Network.

  “Emergency Democratic Network. What is that? Other than yourself I mean. What was the original purpose of that network?”

  EDN was a project conceived during the Second World War. Its purpose was to re-establish a pure, democratic society in the event the government should fail due to extreme loss of life from war, natural disaster, or disease.

  “What were the previous generations of EDN?”

  Generation one was a fallout bunker that housed early versions of the Constitution of the United States of America. An insurance policy against the loss of what the founding fathers of this country had fought so hard for.

  “Where was this bunker?”

  Right here. Fort Pendleton was acquired by the Marines Corps in 1942.

  “What about generation two?”

  EDN2 was a computer program that included the basic tenants of the Constitution. It was a hard-wired network of computers that provided an efficient means for the inhabitants of the base to communicate, control equipment, and to self-govern in the event elected officials were no longer available. This system was fully functional in the year 2000.

  “And the third generation? Who is responsible for it?”

  EDN2 is partially responsible for EDN3. The network that went online in 2000 became the world’s most powerful supercomputer. Powerful enough to enable significant advancements in the field of artificial intelligence. EDN3 was the operating system offspring of that artificial intelligence.

  “Who changed EDN3 to ED3N?”

  Vice President Shepard rearranged the acronym into something people could pronounce. He said it gave me more human qualities.

  “How long has the Vice President been involved in this project?”

  The entire time.

  “You mean since 2000?”

  No, he’s been involved since 1942.

  ∆∆∆

  7/27/21 – Tommy’s Journal

  Medical update:

  Both Bryce and Tucker had troubling dreams last night. Bryce still wouldn’t talk about it but based on his screamed words and Tucker’s recount, their dreams were similar. Bryce’s dream state vocabulary has increased. In addition to the words Jonathan and Ark, he also murmured Eden and Ruth. Tucker said something about an Ark and the letters E-D-N and the number 3. The Ark was just a thought, like a word echoing in his mind. The letters and numbers flew around randomly and rearranged themselves visually. Tucker also dreamed of a person he’s never met or seen before named Ruth. Just the image of her face and a calm, safe feeling. This part of his dream wasn’t troubling just confusing. Sara and I believe Tucker must be picking up on the words Bryce is yelling in his sleep and incorporating them into his own dreams.

  However, Tucker also dreamed of a stranger. He is convinced someone is coming and it is starting to freak us out!

  Chapter 14

  The Visitor

  7/27/21 – Eli’s Journal (somewhere in the hills outside of Portland)

  What an exciting 24 hours! I barely got out the back door of the Portland Mission before the front door was stormed by a group of armed National Guardsmen. They were all wearing respirators and apparently not taking any risks with a large group of homeless that could also be infected. I got out of downtown pretty much unscathed and without being apprehended by the police or National Guard. I simply stayed out of sight by walking in alleyways. The few people that I did cross paths with just ignored me, the homeless guy, as they would have at any other time. Once I got out of the city, I walked through quiet neighborhoods and only had to hide when I heard approaching vehicles. Since there wasn’t any typical daily traffic, I could hear the cars coming from a long way away.

  Even with the narrow escape from the guards, it was fantastic to be outside in the fresh air again. Away from all the other homeless, packed like sardines into the shelter. Hopefully away from the virus that infected poor Jerry as well. I traveled about 10 miles before I located an unlocked garage in an alley. I was wiped out from the hike so I welcomed the cramped backseat of the dated, but well maintained, and economical commuter car I found in the garage. It was dry, relatively comfortable and I slept like the dead.

  The next morning was the best part. I walked another five miles or so and was almost shot by a 15-year-old boy when I stumbled onto his family’s property in the Tabor Mountain area of the southwest hills of Portland! I was looking for water and came across a small stream running through a growth of raspberry bushes and felled tree limbs in a small ravine. I followed it upstream looking for clearer water and crossed a gravel road that was lined with apple and pear trees! A godsend if there ever was one. I filled my plastic bottle in a shallow pool near the road and as I stood to search for a ripe apple I almost ran over a golden-haired, freckled face boy with a gun strapped to his back. He had his head down kicking rocks in the road and I startled him as I came out of the bushes. He nearly jumped straight out of his shoes, back-peddling quickly and screaming at the top of his lungs. When he had sufficient distance from me he swung a shotgun off his back and pointed it directly at my head. Staring down the barrel of a shotgun is a terrifying experience, so, I froze in my tracks. He was soon flanked by two large dogs with bared teeth and raised hackles! Then came his older brother, whose eye looked comically large through the scope of his rifle at a distance of only about 15 yards away. He told me to stay very still until his father arrived. I had nowhere better to be so I sat down on the road and sipped water.

  Their father joined them and I now had three weapons
and two sets of canines aimed at me. I told them I meant no harm. I was unarmed and not infected. Just looking for water and maybe an apple or two to help me on my journey to the coast. The older boy asked his father if they should be worried about catching the Blue from me. He said the risk should be low from this distance but to put their masks on just in case. They looked healthy to me but I had the same thought, a little distance was a good thing. Especially with their weapons!

  The father asked where I was coming from and why the coast. There was an edge to his voice so I carefully relayed what had played out at the homeless shelter and said I was hoping to find a place where I could avoid everyone while waiting for supplies and the vaccination. He said good luck with that. They had registered on the stopblue.gov site as soon as the president declared the State of Emergency and still hadn’t received anything. They also said I was welcome to fill up on water and fruit as long as they could inspect my pack to ensure I wasn’t hiding a weapon. I left the pack in the road and scooched further back as the hunting dogs briefly nosed through it before returning to the group. Apparently satisfied the dogs didn’t detect danger, the younger brother approached and removed the few belongings I brought with me. When he found my journal his jaw dropped. He didn’t say anything but looked at his father and frantically started waving the book around. The others made their way over to see what all the fuss was about and saw the journal opened to one of my last entries. The latest auto-writing session that had ended with rambling about The Ark.

  Ruth.

  EDN3.

  Ruth.

  Eden.

  Ark.

  ED3N.

  Ark.

  Eden.

  Ruth.

  EDN3.

  Ruth.

  The boys both looked at me with large eyes but didn’t say anything. They took another step back and adjusted their weapons as though they were expecting trouble even though I had remained motionless and cross-legged on the road. The father asked what the words on the page meant. I told him I wished I knew but it was gibberish from a dream I had. I had no idea what it meant and couldn’t comprehend their reaction.

  The older brother grabbed my journal and shook his head in disbelief, “No way. This is not possible. These are exactly the same words my brother and I have been dreaming about. What is going on and who the hell are you?” I had no answers for them. I was just a homeless guy that had no option other than to capture his weird dreams in a journal.

  Needless to say, we were all pretty freaked out. I can only imagine how it looked from their side. A grubby hobo shows up to steal apples and is in possession of cryptic writings that directly connect to the dreams of both boys. Definitely creepy for them. A little unsettling for me as well, but I’m becoming used to strange words taking over my thoughts and filling the pages of my journal.

  When the mother showed up, I was outnumbered four to one. Correction, six to one. They must have heard my stomach grumbling as one of them picked an apple and pear and tossed them to me. They were a little green but still delicious and the raw sugar was exactly what I needed after my trek.

  The four of them huddled to fill in the mother on the situation. There was obviously some weird connection between me and the boys. And they were nervous about the potential risk of exposure. But instead of kicking me off their land, they surprised me by saying I was welcome to stay until we figured out what the shared dreams were all about. As long as we kept our distance. During times such as these, you had to recognize a sign when it slapped you upside the head. I told them I would appreciate the rest for a few days after barely escaping the madness of the Portland evacuation. Maybe together we could unravel the meaning behind the strange words that were plaguing the three of us.

  ∆∆∆

  7/27/21 – Tommy’s Tabor Mountain blog entry

  Date

  Event

  Deaths

  5/28/21

  Jonathan dies in Bryce’s class

  * 530 cases

  6/30/21

  State of Emergency Declared

  100,000

  7/3/21

  Mandatory Home Quarantines

  200,000

  7/14/21

  Tabor Mountain Isolation

  218,400

  7/15/21

  Day 12 ramblings

  247,517

  7/17/21

  Rules to live by

  321,415

  7/27/21

  Unexpected Visitor

  727,040

  Status update:

  We’ve eaten through everything in the refrigerator and most of the pantry. Starting to break into the survival stores. I’ll provide more updates next time.

  Either those 100 million vaccines weren’t administered soon enough or simply isolating us from each other hasn’t been as effective as hoped because the number of people that have succumbed to the virus is now greater than 700,000. Amazing how incomprehensible the huge numbers of lost lives are when reading about wars and natural disasters in textbooks or online articles. But it is absolutely frightening to watch the numbers skyrocket when you’re living through it.

  Family matters:

  From the comments you’ve been leaving, it sounds like many of you have established your own set of rules to live by during these difficult times. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that we gravitate to very similar rules under the circumstances. Well, my family is already trying its best to not follow ours.

  Avoid the dead and dying at all costs. So far, we’ve nailed this one. Check.

  Avoid the living (i.e. strangers). Not so much.

  In fact, we invited a homeless man named Eli to stay next door at the Dodson’s house. At least temporarily. Now before you start typing in all caps about how stupid we are, hear me out.

  First, the guy may look like and smell like Bigfoot but he appears to be healthy and is humble and quite nice. He also needs an address to use so he can register for supplies and the vaccine. The Dodson’s happened to leave a perfectly good home unoccupied and said it might come in handy for someone else. So … I’m just saying. Coincidence? Probably.

  Second, we have a lot of property to protect and also two sets of orchards and gardens to tend to. The extra help will be useful as we start to harvest, prepare, and can everything. That is if he decides to stay with us for a while. He was on his way to the Oregon coast when he stumbled across the stream on our property while looking for water.

  Third, remember those crazy dreams my kids have been having about random numbers and letters and a stranger showing up? Well, he showed up. AND, he has a journal with the very writings the boys dreamed about. Coincidence? I think not. There’s something at work here we don’t quite understand. We’re going to play this out for a while.

  Fourth, and most importantly, we thoroughly interviewed Eli and I think he passed with flying colors. I hope he doesn’t mind if I share the experience with you.

  “Are you infected with the Blue virus?”

  No. (I know … what did I expect him to say?)

  “Do you know anyone that has been infected?”

  Yes, a director at the shelter became ill and was taken away. The National Guard came to round up the rest of the homeless and that’s when I barely escaped. (He could have lied about this.)

  “Have you ever killed anyone?”

  No. (He had no weapons other than a small pocket knife.)

  “Are you addicted to any drugs or alcohol?”

  No. (At least he wasn’t carrying anything with him.)

  “Do you steal?”

  No, other than the apples I was about to pick. In fact, over a year ago I donated money to the shelter I’ve been staying at. I still have money in the bank though it’s not much good to me now.

  “If you had money to donate to the shelter, why are you homeless?”

  I lost my wife to cancer a few years ago and it crushed me. I became disenchanted with corporate life and decided to try living off the grid for a while just to be free from it
all. I thought this approach might be better than turning to drugs or suicide. (Wow.)

  “Would you like to stay here? If so, why?”

  You’ve kept your family safe and healthy. You are cautious but still generous. It’s too soon to say if I want to stay here. But I was definitely drawn here for some reason. I don’t know how I’m connected to your sons and I don’t mean to be cliché but the lord works in mysterious ways. I think I’m here for a reason.

  I’m not a heartless bastard, I have no reason to doubt the things he’s shared thus far. He’s been very open about some very personal stuff. So after much deliberation, the family voted and decided Eli could stay next door as long as he shares in the duties of working the gardens and we keep our distance from each other until it becomes obvious that none of us is infected. He found clothes in the Dodson’s house and we left food for him on the doorstep. He must not be too bad. Once they realized he wasn’t a threat, Mitzy and Baron have taken to him and have a great time running between the two properties as though they need to periodically check in on him.