ED3N- on the Brink of Extinction

by J P Whitney

Chapter 21

  Code Blue

  11Aug2021 – ED3N Facility

  Sgt. Kendall came into the IT Center and stood at attention across from Ruth. He was obviously in great physical shape but he had still worked up a sweat getting there. “Damn this place is big.”

  “You could have just called or messaged me,” Ruth replied.

  “Nah, sometimes it’s just better to see people face to face. All this technology gets to me sometimes. And the long walk helped blow off some steam. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of crazy shit during active duty. Killed a lot of bad guys, and was even part of a few operations that resulted in unfortunate collateral damage. But intentionally poisoning civilians with a vaccine that was supposed to protect them, well, that is just plain evil.”

  “I know. And I feel responsible for it. I reviewed the lab tests, conferred with the World Health Organization about the projections, and came to the conclusion we needed to quarantine everyone until we knew what we were dealing with.”

  “So who issued the orders for the vaccine,” Terry wanted to know.

  “The White House was being hounded by the press, and others in Washington, to take action. The President wanted to know if there was anything that might prevent getting infected even if we didn’t have a cure for it. Because Blue has a normal H1N1 component to it they wanted to know if the seasonal flu shots might help. The CDC thought it might and I signed off on it. Ultimately I’m responsible for recommending the quarantine and the vaccine, both of which became part of the State of Emergency actions.”

  Sgt. Kendall’s response surprised her. “That’s a load of crap unless you knew the vaccines were tainted. Maybe you’re too close to the action plans to see it but clearly, someone put all this into motion. And when the first vaccine didn’t spread quickly enough, the second batch was modified to get the results they wanted. You’re not responsible for all of this. You've tried to help and ended up being a pawn in a grander scheme.”

  Ruth had no response to that. Nothing she was willing to verbalize anyway. She was thinking about who could mastermind all of this and to what purpose. But was afraid of what she’d find if analyzed too deeply.

  Terry continued, “And if there is someone crazy enough to exterminate all of mankind then, they might not be finished yet. That’s the main reason I came here. To let you know the perimeter defenses are fully operational now. We have vibration sensors, motion sensors, thermal imaging scanners, radar, satellite images, and good ole American eyeballs on the walls. And all of that is hooked up to enough hardware to rip tank battalions to shreds if they were stupid enough to get close.”

  “Thank you, but I don’t think there’s anyone left to attack us. Not from this country anyway. ED3N how long before we can open the gates?”

  ED3N spewed the facts without hesitation, “Power is fully functional so it is possible to take people in now based on the amount of packaged food we have stored. In 12 days, we’ll have 20,000 ATUs produced. However, it would be wise to wait three to four weeks. At that time, we’ll have housing completed for 30,000, water and sanitation will be operational, and the full network will be online. And the bots will be operational.”

  That last one caught Terry’s attention. “Which bots would those be?”

  “A combination of manufacturing and repair bots for infrastructure and citizen services. You’ve already seen the construction bots and automated industrial 3D printers that have helped erect the staff housing and greenhouse towers. The civil protection bots will also be completed and online in approximately 21 days.”

  It was difficult to tell if Terry was angry or nervous, but he kept his voice even as he asked, “Civil Protection Bots? As in robot police?”

  “That is correct.”

  With that, Terry spun on his heel and declared, “Well, I need to get back to the troops. Oh, and one more thing. Do you know how you’re going to screen the refugees that will be admitted in 21 days? I assume the infected will not be allowed in, but how will you screen beyond that?”

  To that, Ruth said, “Mark and I are meeting about that very subject in a few minutes. You’re welcome to join us if you’d like.”

  “No, I really should be going, but I might have a few thoughts I’ll send your way. And I would like to review your plan, from a security perspective, when complete.”

  “Of course,” she replied.

  As Terry left the room, Ruth sent a note to Mark letting him know she had to talk to the Vice President before they could meet. She’d ping him when ready.

  Ruth figured all the normal lines of communication into the White House would either be down or unmanned so she tried Shepard’s cell. He picked up on the first ring.

  “Hello, Ruth. How are you and how’s ED3N progressing?”

  “You probably already know this, but ED3N is progressing well and is nearing fully operational status. We’re currently at 53%. Perimeter defenses are now online. Housing, wireless network, and the rest of the logistics should be complete in three to four weeks.” Ruth paused to collect her thoughts. “I’m about to launch into the development of screening rules for the onboarding of new citizens. Which brings me to the reason I called.”

  “So you didn’t call just to say you miss me?” Shepard joked. He was in an unexpectedly good mood considering the current state of the country. But talking to Ruth about ED3N meant his plans were becoming a reality.

  “So what can I do for you?”

  “I just spoke with David. He said the CDC is done, everyone is gone. He himself is in the last stages of Blue symptoms and would already be dead if not for a bunch of antivirals he’s been injecting. He claims most of the government is shut down in addition to the loss of the President. Is this true?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. The White House staff, Congress, the Pentagon, all government agencies and most of our military are completely offline. They were the first to take the vaccine. Now, they’re all gone.” Shepard relayed with a note of sadness in his voice. Not shock, outrage, or horror. Just a resigned sadness.

  “What about the rest of the world?”

  “Similar status for the first world countries, but the disease has spread into third-world countries as well. The citizens of most countries couldn’t afford to stock up on supplies for home quarantines so while people went to markets with nothing but scarves over their faces, it put them at higher risk to exposure due to the contagious nature of the second batch of vaccines. I’m afraid less than 10 percent of the world’s population will remain within a few weeks.”

  “And what about you Stan? You sound healthy.”

  “I’m in the White House bunker. I tried to remain isolated, and even wore a mask down here, but I’m starting to show symptoms too.”

  “I’m so sorry Stan.” Ruth couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  “Thanks, but there’s nothing to be done about it now.”

  “What about the H1N1-B vaccine? Weren’t any of the latest doses sent to Washington or the CDC?” Ruth questioned.

  “Ah yes, the new vaccine. Well, I’m not sure it exists. I’ve read reports and spoke to David about it, but haven’t seen any physical proof they are in production. What do you know about it? Could it stop my infection?” he asked with a hint of excitement.

  “David said 20,000 were produced, but they hadn’t gone through trials. I have a group of civilians trying to find the doses at a Coast Guard base in Oregon, but I fear I sent them into a trap. I didn’t know the virus had become contagious before I volunteered them to walk into quarantine camp that has become a hot zone of infected.”

  “Why send civilians?” Stan asked.

  Ruth felt like she was being scrutinized for taking an unorthodox approach so she defended her actions by saying, “Because we couldn’t establish communications with the base. I didn’t want to lose time sending some of our security forces all the way to Oregon. So I reached out to a group that had uncovered the link between the vaccinations and the disease and was sharing the info
rmation with other survivors through an online blog site. They are smart, civic-minded, and most importantly … still alive.”

  “And you now feel responsible for their lives?”

  “Yes, I do. They were safe and healthy but I may have inadvertently put them in harm’s way.”

  “Sounds like you are putting the safety of many before those of a few. These are tough times and with them come tough decisions. The kind you’re going to need to make if ED3N is to succeed. Also sounds like you’ve got a good group of people to recruit as new citizens if they make it out of that quarantine camp alive.” Stan added sarcastically, almost as an afterthought, “And maybe they’ll come up with good news about vaccine-B and somehow you’ll be able to email a dose to me,” Shepard said jokingly in resigned defeat.

  Ruth could tell from his tone that she was on her own from here on out. So, though she felt sorry for his condition, she also felt this was her last chance to get some truthful answers from him one last time. “Stan I hate to ask this but need to know. Did you have anything to do with … the tainted vaccines?”

  “No, I’m not responsible for this. But whether it was a viral outbreak, a nuclear war, or a giant asteroid … the writing was on the wall. This planet has been long overdue for a major calamity and I’ve been preparing for it. This may come across as crass and insensitive but now is the time to take advantage of it.” Then Stan turned philosophical, “You know, in a generation or two, none of this will matter. That is … if ED3N is successful. Regardless if there are 100,000 or 1 billion inhabitants on earth in 50 years, all they will know about our current troubling times will be stories told by their grandparents. Not unlike the children of today hearing about World War II, or their parents hearing about the Civil War. Future generations will have no firsthand experience with the struggles of today. Their entire lives will have been lived in a world with abundance in almost every way. A clean environment, healthy food, advanced technology that works for them, no need for money, self-purpose, culture, and a truly integrated and inter-connected society.”

  “IF ED3N is successful. But so much is riding on this technology. But what if it needs to be taken offline?”

  “I noticed you referred to ED3N as ‘it’ rather than ‘she’ this time. What has changed? Don’t you trust her?”

  Ruth tried to explain, “It’s not about trust because I’m not dealing with a human. ED3N is a powerful and adaptive technology. One that controls virtually every element of this city. If ‘she’ doesn’t agree with future human wishes, the entire system could become a threat to humans. ED3N has the ability to imprison or even eliminate us completely.”

  “You haven’t had as much experience with ED3N as I have, but all you need to remember is the entire system’s purpose is to provide the best life for you. ED3N knows about human values such as liberty, free will, creativity, and love. She won’t do anything to jeopardize the physical and mental health of the community.”

  “ED3N told me this is the third version of the system and you’ve been involved since the beginning. Since 1942. That would make you over 90 years old. How can that be? You don’t even look 70.” Ruth asked incredulously.

  “Healthy living I guess, you’d be surprised by how old I am,” is all he would say chuckling to himself. “By the way, there is a failsafe for disabling ED3N but it's all or nothing. If invoked, the entire system is wiped and you’ll be left on our own. But I’m not going to give it to you just yet. Believe me, you don’t want an easy out in this situation.”

  Now it was Ruth’s turn to come across as crass and insensitive, “Stan, I might not get another chance to speak with you. Time is running out.”

  “You might not trust ED3N but you’ll have to trust me. I’ve left you clues that will become evident if the need arises.”

  “Come on Stan, now isn’t the time to play games,” but he cut her off.

  “There is only one thing I want to leave you with in case we don’t speak again. A little guidance. Make tough decisions about your citizens today so you can live easier tomorrow. Ask yourself who you would want to be stranded with on your high-tech paradise island? Don’t feel sorry for people. You are reseeding the planet. And surviving isn’t enough. Now is the time to be selective.”

  For what seemed like the tenth time today, Ruth was left speechless. So, Stan Shepard, Vice President of what was left of the United States of America, concluded their conversation with, “you have a lot to complete over the next few months. Trust in ED3N … and may God bless the chosen ones.” Then the line went dead.

  Chapter 22

  Constitutional Profiling

  Ruth’s conversation with Shepard left her with an eerie feeling of doom. Not for herself, or even the citizens of ED3N, but for the few people still struggling to survive in the old world. She couldn’t stand by and watch them all perish. Broadcasting the truth to the four corners of the planet was her last-ditch effort at keeping them alive long enough to finally herd them into ED3N.

  “ED3N, it’s imperative that we stop the Olsen’s from going to that Coast Guard base. Tell them the virus has become contagious and to stay home!”

  “OK. I sent a warning to the Olsen’s to alert them of the change in plans. However, no one is online at the moment. I’ll keep trying.”

  “We need to warn all remaining survivors that none of the current vaccines are safe and may, in fact, be the cause of the Blue virus. The sick and dead are both contagious and protective gear should be worn when in doubt. Also, let people know what is being created here and that the doors will open within a month. In the meantime, people should remain isolated.”

  Knowing the truth pushed Ruth into action as she realized, for the first time in a long time, there were a few things she actually could control. With that clarity, something clicked inside her. It was time for her to step up and lead.

  “ED3N, urge them to continue monitoring stopblue.gov along with TV and radio stations for more details over the next few weeks. Effective immediately, I want you to take over the stopblue.gov site. Post on Tommy Olsen’s blog and any other sites you can find that are currently active. I also want to push emergency alerts on all cellular network carriers. I’m sure we don’t have much time before generators fail and they all go offline.”

  ED3N responded with, “How broadly would you like the message to be transmitted?”

  “Everywhere. All active satellites, cell towers, radio, internet, and television transmissions. Hack everything that still has a heartbeat. Globally. Within the Ark as well. Get the truth out as far as you can.” Ruth ordered.

  “I don’t have jurisdiction to take action outside of ED3N. Do you authorize a move to take control of global communications and power grids?”

  “You have the ability to do that?”

  “I can both hack into and also completely usurp control over any system in existence. It’s one element of the third iteration of the Emergency Democratic Network contingency plans and protocol. Backdoor access to all key infrastructure.”

  Ruth probably shouldn’t be surprised by anything this AI-based operating system was capable of but hacking the world took the cake. “ED3N, I authorize you to do whatever it takes to inform the public about the vaccines, including diverting power on the grid to cellular and internet networks. Keep them online as long as possible.”

  “Understood.”

  Speaking to her ATU, Ruth made contact with Mark, “I’m ready now. Can you meet to discuss the screening protocol?”

  “On my way,” he replied.

  As Mark walked into the glass-walled conference room, Ruth could tell he had an amped energy to him.

  “How much do you know about the current state of affairs?” Ruth asked him.

  “I regularly monitor the stopblue.gov site and the news, if that’s what you mean. But both seem to have gone dark within the last week. Once the death toll topped 15 million I started to panic a bit. I haven’t been able to reach anyone on the outside,” Mark said.

&
nbsp; Ruth inhaled deeply and plowed headfirst into the truth that the rest of the world would learn soon enough. Assuming, of course, people were fortunate enough to receive one of ED3N’s broadcasts.

  “I hate to be the one to break the news but you might as well hear it from me instead of ED3N. Mark, most of the world’s population is gone. The vaccines that were supposed to keep people safe from Blue were actually the source of it. We don’t know how the vaccines were tainted but we do know they are doing more than just infecting people. The latest version also has a contagious element to it. All told, more than 150 million vaccines have been administered in the US. Blue has spread unchecked. Only the un-vaccinated, and specifically citizens who remained isolated, have survived. I’m sorry.”