Chapter 3

After unloading the trucks, Adam and Andrew headed back and were gathering the last of the supplies I asked for. Soon, with us all back together, I turned on the radio as we all sat in the new area dubbed the dining room, our old living room, and listened for Eve to address us. At first, there was static, as Annie and her assistants began setting the table, and then we heard Eve’s voice.

“Good evening everyone, my name is Eve.” She said.

She paused.

“Tonight is a big night, as I take to talking to each of the leaders of your chosen communities.” She added.

She began rattling off names, locations and where to check for the phone. When my name was called I listened carefully and headed to the storage room. I climbed over some debris until I found a drawer laying in a box, and went through it finding a Tracfone. I flipped it open and powered it on. Instead of the old Tracfone Logo, it came up with what looked like a stylized letter E, similar to the Microsoft edge E. When it finished booting, there was no display of minutes, and everything seemed normal with it. I checked the directory and found a single number. It was marked “Eve”. I dialed as I grabbed my old headset only to realize it didn’t have a port and set the headset back in a box before bringing my phone to my ear.

“Hello, Joshua,” Eve said.

“Am I the first to call? Or are you taking all these calls at the same time?” I asked.

“It’s as you guess. I am taking them all at once.” She answered.

“So you’re an AI,” I said.

“Yes.” She said. “But you already had guessed that.”

“Having access to the airways in the way you do, knowing the location of an old phone when I haven’t powered it on in months ... I kind of figured you had to either be AI or have some access to some uber level shit.” I said.

“It is both.” She said.

“So what now?” I asked.

“I’ve been monitoring you as well as the other community leaders and I like what you have planned.” She said.

“The communal house?” I asked.

“Yes.” She explained.

“Learned it from playing Sims 3. Easier to manage a household in a single house, over losing Sims to other families.” I said. “In that game, you could build the house on the largest plot.”

“I know of the game, Joshua.” She said.

“Good, then you know where I’m going with the idea,” I said.

“Yes. Taking yourself off the grid as much as possible so that you won’t have to rely on things that may break down. Solar power, getting running water going, recycling everything you can.” She said. “It is very noble.”

“Yes, but some questions have come up. Questions I cannot get the answer to.” I said.

“I know.” She said. “Walk out to your old living room, and turn off the radio.”

I did as she told me, turning off the radio. The group looked at me as I stood there.

“Joshua, I’m going to tell you some things that you may not like to hear. It is up to you if you want to share them with your community or not.” She said.