by J P Whitney
Ruth turned away from the gore on the table. Instead, she stared at the other corpses in fatigues in the hallway and their weapons that had dropped uselessly to the floor. Studying them from a distance, it appeared as though part of their internal bone structure had been disintegrated. They resembled bags of skin and clothes that had been haphazardly dropped onto the ground instead of dead bodies. As if they’d fallen from a 20 story building, but without the splatter. All the damage appeared to be internal.
ED3N detected changes in Ruth’s vital signs which indicated sadness or depression and asked delicately, “Would you like the medical bots to process the other bodies and begin cleanup?”
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly through her nostrils to calm her nerves, “No. I want Terry to see this.”
“You won’t have to wait long, he has nearly arrived.”
Ruth was content to sit in silence until Terry got there. The Security and Medical bots were motionless, awaiting their next orders.
Terry was in the process of walking back from the outer ring when he had been summoned to the city center. Not by voice but just a simple text that spelled out, “Emergency at the IT Center – Ruth”. He boarded the next train and arrived at the square within minutes.
He needed time to assess the situation and work out the best reaction to the emergency, whatever it was, and decided to exit the train two blocks away from the IT Center. Right away Terry could tell something was terribly wrong. He couldn’t make out the details from that distance, but the reflection of light and shadows that fell across the glass front of the building were inconsistent. His adrenaline surged and he sprinted for a full minute until coming to an abrupt stop on the pulverized glass. Both the inner and outer doors and their stainless steel frames were obliterated. Two sets of one-inch thick bulletproof glass … now completely gone. The IT Center had been bombed.
Fearing Ruth’s cryptic message meant she had been injured, he rushed through the lobby and turned the corner to enter the main hallway and went down hard as he tripped over something that shouldn’t have been there. Reflexively, his hands went out to brace for impact, but his head still made contact with a discarded weapon, and a cut opened above his right eyebrow. Stunned, he rolled onto his side and came face to face with a distorted view of a human head. The base features were all there … eyes, nose, mouth, two ears. But the overall shape looked like something from a funhouse mirror. The impact his head made with the weapon must have been harder than he thought because the image didn’t register in his mind.
Remembering Ruth, he turned his head the other direction and saw her through the glass conference room wall. She seemed unharmed but had a dead look in her eyes. Rising slowly, his trained eyes took in the scene. At least fifteen members from the civil defense team were clearly dead and their weapons, including satchels of C4, were still on the floor. He couldn’t locate a single ATU.
He walked into the room, staggering only slightly, and asked, “Are you alright?” A medical bot approached him and was reaching out with a wad of gauze, but he took the compress and held it to his head himself.
“I’m uninjured, unlike you. But no, I’m not alright.”
“That’s a relief. Who’s in the bags?”
“See for yourself,” was all Ruth would say.
Terry approached the first and unzipped the thick rubberized material until he reached a bloody gash in someone’s throat. He unzipped a bit further and could make out the glasses on the bridge of the nose and the lips. From these clues and the location within the IT Center, he knew it had to be Mark.
Reaching over to the second bag, he unzipped the upper portion and had to spread both sides wide enough to make out the nameplate on the man’s fatigues. The grotesque face was unrecognizable. Alex. He pulled the bag away from the body further and inspected the arms of the cadaver. Once again, no ATU.
Terry took a chair opposite Ruth and observed her body language and expressionless face. He was a soldier and there was work to be done but he couldn’t help but feel compassion for her. Ruth had clearly been rocked by this experience.
“Aren’t you going to ask what happened,” Ruth said to him flatly.
“It’s pretty obvious what happened. Some of the security team decided to take matters into their own hands. None of them were wearing ATUs, therefore, the entrance doors were demolished to gain entry. They came with the intent of shutting ED3N down, presumably armed with enough C4 to do the job. ED3N eliminated the threats with lethal force,” Terry summarized.
“How do you know all of this?”
“Because it’s what I would have done. And the physical evidence is obvious if you know what you’re looking for,” Terry responded.
“What about Mark?”
“He was a hostage. Looks like he resisted and his throat was cut from behind. But that doesn’t make sense,” Terry commented.
“What doesn’t make sense? Him being held hostage or his throat being cut?”
“Their motives for attacking the IT Center are pretty clear. They felt ED3N was a threat. But these men were trained soldiers. Whether Mark cooperated or not, he was the only shield they had against the counter-attack they had to know was coming. Why kill him?”
“ED3N, show him,” Ruth requested.
The video wall filled first with footage from outside the building as the two squads arrived from separate directions at precisely the same time. Military precision. The view switched to the lobby cameras as the doors imploded and the soldiers stormed in.
Next, ED3N switched to footage from the conference room and the audio feed replayed the threats made by Alex and as well as Mark’s freely sharing of information. As Alex took Mark hostage, the screen split and the advancement of the security bots and their efficient elimination of the men was displayed in sync with the instinctive movement that ended Mark’s life.
It was surreal for Terry to watch the high definition replay of people he had trained, fought, and worked side by side with for years go from hardened physically fit soldiers to unnatural heaps of flesh in an instant.
“Oh god”, Terry thought to himself before putting his game face on and getting into damage control mode.
“Alex had no intention of killing Mark. He was using interrogation techniques on him to determine if the system could be shut down non-destructively,” he rationalized.
“That is why I didn’t end his life sooner. It wasn’t until he attempted to reach for the C4 that I gave the order,” ED3N said without emotion.
“I don’t mean to be cold but what happened to the men’s bodies?” Terry just had to know.
“The energy weapons can be used to stun … or fatally wound threats instantly. At full power, not only is the central nervous system eliminated, but ultrasonic pulses are sent that shatter higher density structures within the body. This ensures the threat cannot take further action even while dying,” ED3N explained.
“You mean their bones were pulverized?” Terry tried to sound horrified to mask his natural curiosity when it came to new weapons and tactics. The emotional stuff was compartmentalized and would be dealt with later. Probably after several glasses of premium single malt whiskey he reserved to get in touch with his softer side and as a silent salute to the fallen.
“Are you kidding me, Terry? A small army, carrying C4, attacked the IT Center. They killed Mark in the process, for Christ’s sake, and all you can say is ‘what happened to my men and what cool technology did you use?’” Ruth had gone from stunned to enraged.
“Look it isn’t that I don’t feel the loss of lives or understand the seriousness of the situation, but they were soldiers acting on their own volition. At the moment, I need to focus on the facts so we can best deal with the situation. I’m also sorry for Alex’s actions but I’m not sorry for what he exposed. Ruth, ED3N is in control here, not us.”
“Once again, the Civil Defense team has made an aggressive move against citizens and you start looking for potential flaws with the ED3N s
ystem? Instead of addressing or even acknowledging the inability of the defense team to deal with not being in full control. Terry, in my opinion, these men were terrorists,” Ruth said trying to come to terms with the fracture that had formed within the community so quickly. They hadn’t even pressed the start button and already their new society was coming unraveled. Something had to change. And quickly.
“That isn’t fair or accurate and you know it. There was no intention to create fear and uncertainty within the community with disregard for human life. These soldiers felt that all citizens were at risk and decided to take action against the technology. Mark was at the wrong place at the wrong time and became collateral damage. But I don’t believe they were hell-bent on harming anyone,” Terry said trying to remain rational. “I assume they thought it was better to do what amounted to demolition work in their eyes. Now … before everyone was lulled to sleep by the comforts of having everything provided for them,” he said pushing his beliefs a step further.
“The soldiers only had the destruction of the system in mind. They were not concerned about putting other citizens in harm’s way to do so,” ED3N replied.
Terry had forgotten he wasn’t alone with Ruth and was a bit surprised the system was jumping into the discussion at this point. “What do you mean they were willing to put citizens in harm’s way? The way this building is constructed and the distance to the living quarters make this a pretty isolated action. Who else could have been at risk other than Mark?”
“You might not have been able to hear it during the initial playback of video sequences, but Alex indicated he was willing to escalate further. That is when the security bots took lethal action against the men in the hallway,” ED3N stated while queuing the video in question.
The video wall brought up the scene and switched into slow motion as Alex took his knife out and moved behind Mark. Then the audio level was increased and enhanced while resuming regular speed. It was quite clear what Alex growled into Mark’s ear. “Can Ruth shut the system off?”
“Your men were contemplating taking me hostage as well to shut ED3N down,” Ruth said sadly. “How much of this did you know about Terry? Did you plan this with the soldiers after the screening simulation didn’t go your way?”
“Absolutely not. As I said before, these men acted on their own. I can’t believe you’d suspect me in all of this. I had just met with both of you and discussed realistic next steps,” Terry said defensively.
“ED3N, is he lying?” Ruth hated that she was questioning his honesty but had to know the truth so she could decide what to do next.
“Terry is sincere,” ED3N confirmed.
“We’re sitting on a powder keg of opposing views. This has to stop. I don’t want to see anyone else hurt and the stability of the city is at stake. Why can’t the security team trust the system? Do they no longer have faith in Shepard’s vision or was this just a job for them?” Ruth had so many thoughts running through her mind that everything just blurted out.
“Faith? Really? How could both you and Mark have blind faith in a machine’s programming to make decisions of life and death? That is the bottom line in our differing opinions,” Terry countered.
“If you don’t agree with Shepard’s vision then why did you enlist in Project Ark in the first place?”
“Because he was the only Vice President selected by three different Presidents. He didn't care about party lines, only who was the best candidate and what they stood for. He had the Midas Touch and turned each presidential ticket into a golden one. Shepard should have been president. Everyone in the military ranks thought so but he refused. Rumor we heard was he didn’t want to limit his terms in office and therefore his ability to affect change. And he was a war hero. Over the years, I guess he became one of the few contemporary Americans I truly looked up to. He was one of the good ones and did what he could to make this country better for all of us. So when he asked if I would work on a special project I jumped at the opportunity. And haven’t regretted it for a second. Until now. Maybe it was just a job initially. The kind that career legends are made of. Maybe his charisma clouded my ability to see through his idealistic plans.” That was the first time Terry fully allowed himself to admit how wrong he thought an automated society was.
Ruth knew they had different ideas about what was best for the community but now knew Terry was being honest and open so she decided to share her feelings as well. “I asked Shepard once why he never ran. He said because once president, you're forced to walk a tightrope between the party lines while the press sharks wait for you to fall so they can feast on your political bones. A mad dash to make a change in four years while the rest of the world resists. But as VP, he could stay as long as he wanted. And as long as the next president wanted. Looks like the military rumors were accurate … he didn’t want to be limited by four-year terms.”
“You know, a lot of people in the pentagon think he was the puppet master. That Shepard had made several senators. And even before he was elected VP he was guiding presidents. But he was always trustworthy. That is why I followed him here,” Terry explained.
“So why can't you trust what he envisioned for this place? His system?”
“Because it's a machine at the end of the day. Even if there are never mistakes, it's still not human. I don't take orders from inanimate objects. I trust equipment with fixed functionality, that I can control, like those found on Blackhawk helicopters. They are predictable. They don't think or adapt. They do their job. The job a human commands them to do. ED3N scares me. She's too smart. And to be honest, I don't think I want to live in a perfect society even if it exists. Maybe I'm tainted goods from years of war. Utopia is boring and I need conflict. That's where I add value. Bringing order to madness. Hell, sometimes I’m even the bringer of madness … at least on the battlefield and as evidenced by the training scenarios.” Terry stopped to consider if he wanted to share more. Ultimately, he decided to continue with the transparency if this was going to end peacefully. “I'm an agent of change. I don't think I have a role here any longer. Now that things are up and running. I did my job, now it's time to move on.”
“Move on to where and for what purpose? It’s turned ugly outside these walls,” she said trying to imagine what it would be like to start over in a world of limited available resources and roaming bandits. Visions of Mad Max came to mind. Would a well-trained and heavily armed battalion of soldiers turn into a heavy-handed dictatorship or would they bring order to the chaos?
“Do you think this was the only location discussed for the Ark Project? We had backups. I'll go to one of them but without the robots thank you very much. I'll get communications up and let you know when it's safe. Maybe you'll want or need to join us later,” Terry said winking. It was too soon for humor but he really could be charming when he wanted to.
Terry decided to try one more time to convince her that the system had too much power and could be dangerous, “Ruth, when you flip the switch and hand over full control, will ED3N decide to kill those that don't agree with her philosophy? Will you be powerless to stop the system once it starts?”
“In my opinion, if we decide to go without ED3N we lose it all. It's all or nothing. And everything we've built here will have been a waste. And all the knowledge humanity has accumulated over the years will be lost,” she replied.
“Not all of it. We still have what’s upstairs,” Terry said tapping the side of his head. “And we still have equipment that makes other machines and improves our lives. We’ll need to retrain ourselves to get them running again and it will take time but I like the life we had before all of this. That’s where I’m going back to. A time where you can be human and make mistakes. I don’t want big brother, or sister in the case, watching my every move and crawling through my head.”
“I’ll take with me whoever doesn’t have faith in ED3N and we’ll start something different,” Terry said showing an uncharacteristic philosophical side. “And there is something else that ha
s been bugging me. Why hasn’t a single citizen of ED3N fallen ill? Initially, we were told the vaccines were reserved for those of greater need. We even helped administer some of them. But we never got sick. Somebody knew we were safe while the rest of the world was going to die. I don’t know if that was Shepard, or the President, or ED3N. But I can’t be part of a master plan that involves genocide and the extermination of billions of humans.”
“Terry, I can’t believe you think that is possible. Someone was behind tainting the vaccines, yes, but all the evidence points to a terrorist group intentionally poisoning the world’s population when our leaders were distracted with thoughts of world war. They were opportunists. We simply got lucky to be enlisted in Project Ark, which kept us isolated, and we wore protective gear whenever we left the city. That doesn’t mean ED3N and the vaccines are one giant conspiracy plot by our government. You of all people should know that.”
“If you say so, Ruth. But every other group, branch, and force of the US government were the first to be vaccinated. Do you think they just forgot to have their top contingency plan take precautionary measures as well?”
“Shepard worked on this place for decades. That is normal protocol for Washington and the Pentagon. They’ve always been willing to invest billions for ‘just in case’ scenarios. Look at the Star Wars strategic defense initiative Reagan put in place … over $30 billion spent on that endeavor. Are you saying he started planning to use the virus decades ago along with the space initiatives?”
“Interesting you use that example. Would you be surprised to learn that Shepard was the top proponent of that program? He wanted to shift from the ‘Mutual Assured Destruction’ tactic of amassing of nuclear arsenals to one of intercepting ICBMs before they can reach US or ally targets,” Terry said.
“Not surprised at all, in fact, I bet funds were siphoned from that project to pay for this one. To me, that sounds like a more peaceful military approach to saving lives instead of hoping neither side flinches while resting their fingers on the trigger of thousands of nuclear warheads. Exactly what got us into this situation in the first place. But I don’t see how his involvement in the shift to a Star Wars defense system would be related to the killing of billions with a flu virus. I can’t believe the virus was part of a master plan that included setting up this place,” Ruth said.