by J P Whitney
The analytical side of Ruth was in overdrive trying to make sense of the information, “Which Bible verses did Eli quote?”
“Quotes from an Old Testament Prophet, Elijah, which provides more evidence for dementia. Eli is clearly associating himself with a biblical character,” ED3N stated clinically.
“OK, I agree. He may very well be demented, but he also has information about this place that is not public. See if you can find any background information about him. Is he connected to Vice President Shepard in some way? Or some technology lab or financing group? There has to be a connection.” Ruth pondered the possible connections, but remained curious about the biblical ties.“Show me the quotes Eli left on the blog please.”
As Ruth scanned the text from Eli’s blog entry, she hadn’t even made it to the Bible quotes, when the line about ‘I had a little bird, its name was Enza’ triggered a memory from her last discussion with Shepard. She could still hear his words which left her feeling conflicted. Ruth sensed it was best to keep Shepard’s secret to herself, for now. He had also urged Ruth to put her trust in ED3N just as she had trusted him. It was only a few days ago but Shepard’s words echoed as if from the distant past.
“… a failsafe for disarming the system, but it's all or nothing. If invoked, the entire system is wiped, and you’ll be 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.”
Could the nursery rhymes and verses quoted by a homeless madman be the key to shutting down ED3N if needed? The failsafe Shepard hinted about? He said it would become obvious when needed. Maybe Shepard sensed ED3N was becoming unmanageable and had sent her clues through other people. He knew ED3N would be listening to their conversations. And now at least three different people had pre-knowledge of their top-secret compound. That certainly wasn’t a coincidence.
But she didn’t want to jump to conclusions yet. There was still time to collect more information before considering any plans that included shutting down the very system that was keeping her and thousands of others safe.
To keep from dwelling on that frightening topic any longer, she shifted her focus back to the biblical references and asked ED3N, “Do you see anything interesting in the verses or how they may be interpreted that could be connected to the Ark Project?”
“Obviously, the use of both rhymes is meant to refer to past plagues. The first Bible verse mentions sending a prophet, which is the signal of a future curse that will strike the earth. It is possible that Eli believes he is the personification of Elijah and the Blue virus is proof of the coming apocalypse.”
Ruth was taken aback by how easy it was to converse with this operating system. ED3N was more than a limitless source of facts. The system seemed to have the ability to reason and deduce meaning even from ancient texts.
“And what is your assessment of the second verse?” Ruth asked.
“It is also about the prophet Elijah but the context and content don’t seem to be related to the previous items. These last verses tell the story of how the prophet is incredulous that all his efforts to convince the Queen Jezebel of her sins against God have failed. She refused to heed his counsel and threatened to kill him in spite of the miracles he performed as proof of his God. Elijah felt defeated and asked God to let him die, but to also punish the wicked. Instead, his God instructed him to complete one more task.”
“I don’t see that mentioned in what Eli quoted. What was the final task he was commanded to perform?” Ruth asked.
“It is written that Elijah was summoned to Mt Sinai and upon meeting God was instructed to anoint and train the next prophet, Elisha, that would usher in a time of healing and restoration of religion in Israel. Elisha brought spiritual education and joy to people through the use of his miracles, which was in stark contrast to Elijah who preached condemnation and judgment of the wicked.”
“So in lay terms, Elijah showed people the error of their ways and threatened the wrath of God while Elisha showed people how to live right and ushered in the teachings of forgiveness.” Ruth surmised.
“That is one possible interpretation, yes.”
“So, who is Eli drawing parallels to? The old Elijah warning people of their failings? Is he the second coming of Elijah signaling the return of Jesus? Or is he Elisha, showing a more Christ-like way of living?” Ruth said mostly to herself.
“ED3N can you find any information on Eli? Who was he before all of this?” Ruth inquired.
“All I have on him is the name Eli and that he was homeless in Portland, Oregon. There’s no trace of him using an email account while with the Olsen’s other than the one he registered with on stopblue.gov and that was created the same day. As far as I can tell, he only wrote in his personal journal and then on the Olsens blog, which was through Tommy’s account. We’ll have to ask him who he was before all of this … when he arrives.”
That was shocking news to Ruth, “He is coming here? We haven’t even told anyone where this facility is located.” Even more proof there had to be a connection back to Shepard.
“Based on his continued references to you, and the Ark project as a whole, it is logical to conclude he will come here. Perhaps he already knows the coordinates, just as he knows other things that he shouldn’t.”
Chapter 27
Book of Eli, Day 1 A.O.
Day 1 A.O. (After the Olsen’s)
The visions, I don’t know what else to call them, and automatic journal writings that keep drawing me to ED3N must be a spiritual calling of sorts. No other explanation makes sense to me. The recent visions of the prophetic verses of Elijah feel like a reminder to stay pure in my approach. Elijah wandered the lands on foot. As though the mere act of being one with nature for so long and having faith that food and water would be provided became a constant meditation that maintained contact with the higher power which guided him along his way. And so, I have put one foot in front of the other roughly sixty thousand times today.
This is my first night alone since walking off Tabor Mountain in search of God knows who and God knows where. It was only a few miles to Interstate 5 and from there I knew my path would continue south uninterrupted for the next thousand miles or so. The mile markers and road signs make it pretty easy to calculate I’ve gone about 30 miles today. So I guess it literally could take me forty days and forty nights to reach Ruth. That’s a little uncanny.
I’m still in the Oregon wine country so it is fitting that I unroll my wool blanket in a vineyard near the interstate. Careful not to get too far onto the property in case the owners are not as fond of visitors as my last hosts were. Reviewing the meager contents of my pack there is only this journal, my Bible, one change of clothes, and a felted wool hat the boys gave to me as a goodbye present. Hand-made by their mother. I miss them so much already … the family I never had. But duty calls and all that. I also have a few days worth of food (mostly fruit), and water. Hopefully, it will be enough to fuel me for several days at a time. I have faith. And as if in answer, all I have to do is look around and witness the birds plucking juicy grapes straight from the vine. Tonight, I will not dine alone.
∆∆∆
Day 2 A.O.
I woke with a start and couldn’t make sense of where I was. Blinded by the sun streaming through the broad leaves of the grapevines. I was confused and disoriented. The dream, still fresh. Heart racing. Head aching. The words seared into my brain like a biblical branding iron. I feel I must write them down to purge them from my system or they will be all I can see and hear. Then I really will be wandering the roads blindly. The strange automatic writing energy is flowing to my hand which vibrates as I put pen to paper …
"Sword, arise against my shepherd, against the man responsible for my community, says the LORD of heavenly forces! Strike the shepherd in order to scatter the flock! I will turn my hand against the little ones. Throughout all the land, two-thirds will be cut off and die; but one-third will be left in it. I will put the third part i
nto the fire. I will refine them like one refines silver; I will test them like one tests gold."
Chapter 28
Book of Eli, What are you doing here?
With his small pack and wool blanket Eli felt light and free. In a way, he hadn’t in a very long time. Even more so than his days of being homeless … before life went to hell in a hand-basket. It had become easy to travel 30 miles each day. And once he stopped trying to analyze the situation and predict what he would encounter when he finally found Ruth, the days blurred into one another. He let his feet take him where they would and let his mind wander.
Eli’s first week in Oregon started with rolling hills through the wine country and quickly turned to flat farmlands. Eventually, he started to climb into the high plains desert region of Medford and Ashland before he crossed into California. His path continued to climb until it peaked at 4000 feet on the edge of Mt Shasta National Forest. From there it was mostly downhill as I5 paralleled the flow of the Sacramento River as it exited Lake Shasta and plunged to an elevation of 600 feet as he entered Redding at the north end of the 450 miles long Central Valley. The river continued to wind its way through the fertile agricultural valley slotted between the Sierra Nevada’s on the East and Coast Range on the West. The river turned west at Sacramento and dumped into the bays that lead to San Francisco.
He couldn’t remember one day from the next. They blended together. The same blacktop always in front of him even though the landscape slowly changed around him. It felt as though he was on a treadmill, always staying in the same place on the side of the road, while the world rotated past him. He didn’t feel tired, or sore, or hungry. Not even thirsty. Just had an electric buzzing in his nerves, similar to the feeling when you touch a 9-volt battery to your tongue.
It had been a little over four weeks since Eli left the Olsen’s property. Striking out alone on his quest to find Ruth and ED3N.
Interstate 5 sliced through the rich farmlands of the Central Valley which extended past Sacramento and south to Stockton, to Bakersfield, and all the way to Los Padres National Park where Eli now found himself. He didn’t have a map. Only mile markers and road signs to mark his progress.
Miraculously, he always found food in the fields or orchards he walked past. Water was also plentiful. He crossed the Sacramento River many times and often water could be found in irrigation pipes that lined the fields like veins in a leaf.
130 miles further down the road, another four days or so, and he’d reach Los Angles. And from there, an easy day’s hike would get him to the coast. He didn’t know why, but it was there Eli expected his journey to end. Near the Pacific Ocean.
The electric buzz that pulsed through every cell of his body was beginning to intensify. All he could hear was a high pitched ringing, his vision had begun to blur in and out of focus, and his hands tingled and twitched. He was about to have another episode and sat down abruptly to fish the journal from his pack before he lost complete control of his actions. The strange auto-writing, which he had become accustomed to during this trek, took over from there ...
‘A very powerful wind went before the LORD, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the windstorm, there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper. When the prophet heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
Chapter 29
Waiting
9/7/21 – Tommy’s Tabor Mountain blog entry (as written by Tucker Olsen)
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 2 ramblings
247,517
7/17/21
Rules to live by
321,415
7/27/21
Unexpected Visitor
727,040
8/3/21
War Zone
15,000,000+
8/12/21
Code Blue
Billions & Billions Served
9/7/21
Labor Day
Deluxe Garden Harvest Edition
Status update:
It is Labor Day, technically yesterday was but we were too busy to write, which I thought was supposed to be a day of rest. A day to reflect upon the numerous contributions to the powerful US Economy. But not this year. The only economy that remains is that of finding efficient movements while working the soil of our land with our own hands. Hard physical labor is the Labor Day of today. And I’m thankful for it. Thankful because of the bountiful harvest from our garden.
What's happening to me? I sound like a modern-day pilgrim and it’s not even Thanksgiving! Tomatoes, potatoes, squash, broccoli, cucumbers, beans, corn, and cauliflower in abundance. The grapes, apples, pears, and figs are beginning to ripen in the orchard as well. We’re going to be busy with all the washing, freezing, storing, and canning.
The good news, we aren’t going to starve or have to rely on freeze-dried meals from emergency buckets for quite a while. The bad news, we’ve nearly consumed all the meat we’ve had in the freezer. Our chickens are still providing at least six eggs per day, but we’re literally going to be on the hunt for protein soon. The other good news is bow hunting season is open! Not sure an actual ‘season’ exists any longer, but it helps to mark the passage of time and interesting how it coincides with our own need for meat. Bryce and I have gotten quite good with the bow, so we’ll conserve our ammo and ride our bikes down to the fields of alfalfa we used to see deer in during bus rides to and from school.
I’ve started to consider the possibility of harvesting the koi fish from our pond as well. Mom didn’t think they would taste that good but I grilled one for dinner last night and it wasn’t bad once you got past all the bones. Wrapped in foil and baked with olive oil, salt, and fresh dill. We still have plenty of rice and beans so the thirty or so fish could provide plenty of meals if it comes down to it. Some of the koi are over ten pounds and worth several hundred dollars but our health is worth more.
Here’s a status update for you, the sewer is backing up! I guess we just assumed since it was gravity fed it would remain operational for, I don’t know, eternity perhaps. Apparently, we were wrong and using the toilet is no longer possible. Which leads me to the next topic.
Business matters: (Get it? Doing your business? Another tribute to dad’s lame sense of humor). With the flush toilets inoperable, we resorted to creating composting toilets. Your garden variety five-gallon bucket and a little sawdust, soil, or pine needles is all you need. Poop, cover, repeat. It doesn’t really stink as long as you have a nice thick layer of compost material on top. Mom would say ‘it’s great for the garden’. I say it provides an equal measure of humor. I can't help but laugh every time I go to do my duty and read the words on the side of the bucket. 'Let's do this!’. Nothing like a good poop joke every now and then.
Musical requests:
Oh music god of the internet and airwaves, might you have any ‘Dust in the Wind’ perchance? Not sure the visceral (my big word of the day) meaning I’m going for here other than while working in the garden there was lots of literal dust! ;)
Turn on your radio folks and turn it up. Wait for it. Wait for it. Yes. There it is. Once again the radio god
does not disappoint! I close my eyes …
Deep thoughts:
Eli has been gone for over a month now. I hope he is well and finding the answers to the questions plaguing his soul. Strangely, both Bryce and I are dreaming about him. Nothing like the nightmares we originally had, that were somehow connected to Eli, but just as persistent.
Bryce’s dreams are usually quite brief. He gets an overwhelming feeling of serenity as Eli whispers a single word. ‘Eden.’ Eli isn’t spelling it out or anything so we assume he means ED3N. But sometimes his dreams turn dark. He remembers being in class and holding Jonathan while he bleeds to death. He sees Eli in a homeless shelter witnessing others becoming ill while the National Guard comes to take them all away. Bryce says he always wakes and feels fused to Eli’s mind as he lies there pondering why he didn’t get sick himself and die.
I wish I got off as easy as Bryce. Those things make sense. My dreams are confusing. I have flashes of random images. Shoes on pavement. Grapes. Mountains. A River. And endless ribbon of highway cutting through fields. Eli coming in and out of consciousness. I sense an internal struggle with the concepts of faith and God and contrasting them with the cleverness of man. In my dreams, I wrestle with concepts like Do we need God at all? Has religion led us down a path of destruction? Or was it our own doing as we drifted away from God? What is good and what is evil? I get a sense of panic as though I’ll actually have to make the choice between life and death. I’m sure it all boils down to the cryptic discussion I had with Eli about prophets of God before he mysteriously disappeared into the wilderness. Regardless of the cause, I also feel fused to Eli’s mind during these dreams … and they can stop any time now.