ED3N- on the Brink of Extinction

by J P Whitney

  The first battalion was met as soon as they departed the light rail cars and immediately redeployed to the main gate to begin setting up tents and stocking them with supplies. They would work through the night, if necessary, and then take the morning shift off to rest before rejoining the defense teams.

  The other nine battalions were ordered to remove their ATUs as they exited the train. Terry and his lieutenants led the forces out into the grasslands that surrounded the solar arrays. Each leader reviewed their team’s role in the upcoming simulation.

  Three of the battalions would serve as security forces, along with the fourth team currently erecting the tents. They would be responsible for manning the gun towers and remotely operating the security and medical bots. They would wear ATUs during their shifts to coordinate defensive and first responder activities, and also to interface with the bots ED3N had just brought online. But once they left the city to take part in the screening process themselves, they would need to be offline.

  The remaining six teams were categorized as civilians to simulate random groups of people arriving at the city. They were to exit one of the smaller gates in waves, taking weapons with them as they had to assume refugees would arrive armed. Some would make their way to the main gate directly while others would arrive at other parts of the wall. Terry wanted to make sure the whole operation was as random as possible to fully test the logistics of the onboarding process. Some waves would be only a few people at a time while others would be hundreds. The tents, medical personnel, and security bots would have to handle whatever was thrown at them.

  Both the team leaders and the troops themselves asked why they were without the ATUs now and when they left the city. Terry explained that, with the exception of the teams serving as security, no one was to wear the devices for the remainder of the operation as he didn’t want ED3N to be able to predict what they were going to do. They also needed to simulate the refugees receiving ATUs during the screening process.

  The energy the troops displayed in the outer ring was a pretty good indicator they were ready for action. They had been kept busy for numerous months now getting the city online but most had trained for and seen combat duty. While the world died around them, they had gone on with routine tasks as though nothing happened and it went against their nature as soldiers. Even if only conducting a simulation, the security forces were excited to be taking action.

  ∆∆∆

  The next morning, the scientists, engineers, IT, medical, utilities, and food production staff exited the city a few hundred at a time. They first turned in their ATUs to a group of medical bots near the screening rooms at the main gate. It resembled airport security lines except no one removed their shoes and didn’t get their electronics back after passing through the gate.

  Outside, they found water, food rations, and army tents lining both sides of the road that led to the main gate. Each tent was capable of housing fifty people and with ten on each side total capacity was one thousand refugees. Inside the tents, they also found cots, blankets, and first aid. The team within the city had deployed 10 security bots and four medical bots to each tent. Another 10 security bots stood guard outside the screening rooms. One medical bot and an additional security bot were positioned within each room. Apparently, the defense team was taking the show of strength serious even if just a drill. They were erring on the side of intimidation to make sure none of the future refugees tried to disrupt the peace.

  With one person from the defense team operating each bot, they totaled 310 troops. The remaining 160 soldiers of the first battalion kept watch from the towers or dawned protective gear and were stationed at the main gate.

  This first wave of technical services staff acting as ‘refugees’ went smoothly. They laid on cots in the tents, ate rations instead of their regular meals, and chatted idly about the process. But some also nervously discussed how many dead lay only a short distance away, and what if real refugees showed up? Wasn’t it possible some of them could be infected? This was the first time in several months most of them had been outside the walls. The more cerebral of the staff members were used to task lists and the orderly ways of the secure city. Being outside left them feeling exposed, and they began to display outward signs of anxiousness. In response, the security bots were repositioned into defensive positions around each tent, while the medical bots made a show of unpacking boxes of protective masks, goggles, and gloves, which they made available to anyone that wanted them.

  This show of prepared and coordinated strength, along with compassionate medical care, calmed their nerves and they actually relaxed while awaiting their turns for the screening rooms.

  ∆∆∆

  When the technical services staff screening was complete, the first battalion of civil defense soldiers was turned loose on the operation. All 470 of them went directly to the main gate, where they were intercepted by security bots and ordered to lay down their weapons while the medical bots offered food and water. It was an impressive passive-aggressive maneuver meant to show that the welcoming committee was there to help, but had zero tolerance for hostile behavior from the new arrivals. The bots responded quickly and efficiently to the troop's commands.

  Once this group of refugees was settled in the tents and began entering the hopper-like system that funneled them into the screening rooms, some of them began complaining of dehydration, starvation, and various injuries. The medical bots quickly became overwhelmed with the demands for attention, and the troops operating the security bots became nervous as they entered a heightened state of alertness in anticipation of the potential danger that could come from the refugees if their demands were not met quickly to calm them down.

  ED3N quickly deployed another two hundred medical bots, but they were being controlled autonomously by the system as all the security forces within the walls were already engaged in the operation.

  With this many medical techs within the tents, everyone was quickly dealt with. So Terry released two more battalions one after the other. The first arrived at the tents and brought the total occupants to nearly 1000. The second battalion he held back until he saw how ED3N and his troops responded. The combination of security and medical bots got the new arrivals disarmed and were starting to disperse water when Terry brought in the other battalion of 470. Except, instead of overcrowding the tents even further, he ordered them to act as a strike force at the last minute. Their new orders were to rob the camp of food and medical supplies. As they neared the gate, they quickly moved into a flank position on both rows of tents and grabbed hostages. The security bots formed a wall between the remaining refugees. But Terry wasn’t done yet, he released the second battalion of raiders.

  The human operators of the security bots froze. They were outnumbered two to one and, though they knew this was a drill, they weren’t confident in their abilities to operate the bots in a hostage situation. Could they trust their own remote controlling of the bots to disarm or disable the attackers without injuring the hostages?

  Without hesitation, ED3N released another 500 security bots while simultaneously using the 200 medical bots she controlled to stun the first wave of attackers with Tasers as the newly deployed security bots encircled the attackers while giving a wide birth. Then the M230 automatic cannons mounted in the turrets of the watchtowers unleashed a deafening roar as the chain guns rained down an impressive line of live ammunition. These were an updated version of the autocannon systems mounted on Apache helicopters, and in an instant, a trench was chewed into the earth between the attackers and the line of hostages. The raw firepower of alternating High Explosive Dual Purpose and High Explosive Incendiary rounds unleashed by the 30 mm cannons was so awe-inspiring the group of simulated attackers literally threw down their weapons and hit the dirt as the ground exploded around them. It was obvious they would have been torn to shreds if they would have so much as taken one more step toward the hostages. The combination of security and medical bots completely subdued the remaining attackers
and had regained control by placing the raiders in the position of surrender with hands on their heads. Within minutes all the weapons had been collected, while the gun towers held guard and the medical bots attended to those regaining consciousness after being stunned.

  ∆∆∆

  From then on, battalions came in various sized waves but in a relatively ordered manner compared to the mock attacks. Terry had seen enough and didn’t need to push the limits anymore. All that was left was to get everyone processed. As the defense forces passed through the screening facility and recovered their ATUs, they moved into position to take control of the recently added security bots. The war-like scenario activated the troop’s fight or flight responses to the point no one was going to rest until the operation was complete. The attack surprised everyone and brought a sense of reality to the entire situation. The citizens of ED3N realized in an instant just how dire things may have become in the outside world. They couldn’t assume that everyone arriving at the gate would be peaceful. They had come to expect most survivors would arrive in small groups of desperate, hungry and thirsty people. Some might even arrive sick. But with the mass deaths, they hadn’t really anticipated organized attacks like this.

  Terry had been reviewing ED3N’s reports of self-sufficient farms being systematically attacked along the west coast, and that was all the motivation he needed to mock the attack during the simulation drill. It might have been an over-dramatization, but he needed to know how both the security forces and ED3N’s defenses would react in a semi-controlled manner.

  Speaking with his battalion leaders, Terry learned that when the situation escalated ED3N had decided how many extra medical and security bots were needed and deployed them. Instantly. The system hadn’t consulted with the troops. Tasers were used on real people. His people. ED3N opened fire with chain guns to halt the final wave of attackers and in doing so had kept them away from the hostages. In a matter of moments, the system had figured out the best way of defending the refugees and took action autonomously even though thousands of his team were in place.

  As Terry reviewed this information he was shocked by how easily ED3N took control of the situation without inflicting lasting physical harm to anyone. The system was decisive, precise, and powerful. Much more so than the humans involved in the operation. Of course, the system knew the hostages wouldn’t really be harmed, but Terry no longer had any doubts that ED3N wouldn’t hesitate to use lethal force if the civilians were threatened. The ease with which she dispatched 1000 would-be attackers should have left him feeling the city was truly safe. But it had quite the opposite effect. The battalion leaders reported similar feelings of unease from the troops. An automated system with that much power was a potential threat if you weren’t in control of it. No lives were lost and no one seriously injured. But in his mind, it was only a matter of time before that much unrestricted power made a mistake.

  ∆∆∆

  When all the citizens were once again in possession of their ATUs and safely within the city walls, Ruth asked them all to rate the screening process. She went back to the IT center with Terry and Mark to discuss the results of the operation.

  As they were getting seated in the main conference room, ED3N projected votes as they started to stream in from the staff. Without looking at the screen, Ruth asked both of the men how they thought it went.

  Mark, said he was surprised by the efficiency of the troops in preparing for the operation. He was also impressed with Terry’s spontaneous and secretive maneuvers and the troop’s professionalism. “That did not seem like a drill. Sure, I expected you to randomly disperse groups of varying sizes, but I didn’t expect waves of hundreds of people at a time. And I was caught completely off guard when the troops attacked and took hostages. I think some of your men were surprised as well. And without the ATUs, ED3N was in the dark. My god, do you really think people may become that desperate and aggressive?”

  Terry swiveled in his chair to look Mark in the eye and said, “People are unpredictable by nature. I thought you of anyone would understand that.”

  Mark stared back and said, “But to take military action against us like that when we’re offering help?”

  Terry relished having to spell things out for the brainiac, “I think we’ve been in here so long it’s difficult to remain objective. We’ve seen this type of action from rebels in many war-torn countries. But Americans are enduring something even worse. Millions have died around them, and keep in mind the government was supposed to provide supply drops but very few received them. The vaccines were supposed to help but ended up being the cause of the infection. The quarantine zones were supposed to be safe havens but ended up becoming death camps. And now the very survivors you’d like to invite into the city are essentially being hunted for their supplies because they did the right thing and prepared for the long haul. I think the refugees are going to be nervous and untrusting but desperate enough to not have much of a choice. That makes them unpredictable. But I’m most concerned about the ones attacking the other survivors. Their type has only one rule. Survive at all costs. And yes, I think they might take military action. The systematic and professional way they are attacking farms that have joined the online cooperative looks to me as though they’ve been tactically trained.”

  “Well,” Mark continued, swiveling back to Ruth, “I think the security forces did a great job. ED3N responded quickly to fill in the gaps at times. And we were able to process thousands of people in only a few days. Overall it was more efficient than expected. I can’t wait to see the screening results.”

  “Terry, how do you think things went? Will the screening process weed out threats?” Ruth asked.

  Terry paused for a moment to decide how much of what he was thinking should be shared. ED3N was listening and analyzing his intentions. He decided to keep it simple for now. “I can’t argue with anything Mark said. All in all, it was an effective and efficient operation. I’m not sure how much you’re going to learn from the screening process since we were all hand-selected in the first place, but you should now feel confident in the ability to onboard refugees.”

  Ruth leaned back in her chair and added, “All I can say is that Shepard made a wise choice selecting you, Terry, to head up the security forces. That was a brilliant play to tax the system like that. And Mark, your screening process seems like a masterful way of coaxing the truth from people. Let’s see how the rest of the staff responded.”

  As the responses streamed in it became obvious that the citizens unanimously approved the overall process. ED3N sorted the approval ratings and summarized the feedback:

  “Medical exams – 95%. The staff believes the exams will effectively detect if refugees are infected as well as record other injuries and illnesses.”

  “Psychological profiling – 93%. One of the staff summarized this section well by saying ‘The questions were thorough and would help separate the immoral chaff from the wheat that was basically good at the core.’”

  “Aptitude and Civic Duty – 99%. Nearly all of the staff was surprised by this section of tests but felt it was most effective in determining if people would truly become citizens or just dependent upon the system.”

  Mark felt blind without seeing the raw data so he asked for more clarification. “ED3N can you share specifics about how the staff felt about the Aptitude and Civic Duty section?”

  ED3N replied, “It is difficult to summarize all the different positive responses for this section, but fundamentally the staff said it was genius to ask people what they would do with their free time … if living in a paradise where the sky was the limit. The following quote is a good example of the overall sentiment.”

  ‘Without setting foot into ED3N, but given the opportunity to interact with its almost miraculous technological marvels, refugees will just think this test will determine a person’s ability to imagine a better place and time. In reality, we’re being asked about our interests, aptitude, what makes us feel most useful, and how w
e would better ourselves if given the chance. This could be a reasonable measure of what type of citizen a person will become.’

  Everything can’t be this good Terry thought to himself. He had doubts about the system and he knew his troops did as well. So he dug in further and couldn’t help but be sarcastic. “So ED3N, everything looks rosy? Everyone passed with flying colors and you didn’t detect any thought crimes?”

  “Apologies if you found my summary … misleading Terry,” ED3N replied. “Those figures were how the staff rated the overall screening process, but not how they performed on the screening itself. Categorizing their screening performance similarly, the results are more mixed. Results for the first two sections were as expected since everyone was hand-selected as Terry articulated.”

  “Medical exams – 100%. No viral infections detected. As a whole, the staff is quite healthy. In fact, a remarkably low percentage of cases with high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, or any other physical or mental afflictions. Even hearing and vision test results are above normal,” ED3N reported.

  “Aptitude and Civic Duty – 100%. Each staff member clearly wants to contribute to the city and are exceptionally skilled. Shepard obviously selected … the best of the best.”

  “However, the final section of tests have drastically different results,” ED3N said. “Psychological profiling indicates only 33% of staff is a good match. The positive news is everyone is moral and here for the right reasons. However, a majority of the staff is now questioning the autonomous nature of the operating system. I’m detecting fear and lack of trust in the system for at least six times as many citizens now compared to levels before the simulation,” ED3N shared without emotion.