Ethan Strong had finally dropped completely into his quest. You don’t stop dropping-in when you touch the ground. You’re not looking for a place or a time. You’re looking for yourself. How can you face your demons if you don’t know who created them? He knew now. He knew everything, and to face your demons is to destroy them. Ethan felt complete. He wasn’t happy with what he found, but he knew everything about himself. He knew his strengths and weaknesses. This gave him one advantage over Eldon; full spectrum perspective. Full spectrum perspective gave him overview of himself and Eldon, for wasn’t he both. All he’d have to do is look at Eldon and Ethan would know what he was thinking

He still had a lot of challenges to overcome. Access to Whitehead in any destabilizing way was very restricted at this time. His power was so concentrated, there was little people around him could do unnoticed. Everyone feared him. Everyone became his spy. Ethan had no team, loyal only to him, like he had even a few short years ago. Eldon’s AI removed the justification for this. Everything was discovered and arranged much more efficiently through AI.

There weren’t even a lot people around to help Ethan anymore. Only very essential core people survived. Each with their own specialty. Ethan specialized in campaigning, and was good at making things happen with hardly a ripple. Jimmy specialized in programming. It was hard for them to even cross paths. Ethan was going to have to fight this campaign alone.

Now he had Jimmy to deal with. Jimmy Wang. Computer genius and businessman. Ethan didn’t know anything of Jimmy from his VRAID immersions. All he knew about Jimmy was he was a Chinese businessman who when around, worked closely with Eldon. Beyond that, he knew Jimmy was personable, and he got away with being very independent, and oh yeah, would sell you anything. Ethan wondered what he had bought by asking Jimmy to help him.

The only other person Ethan saw as an influence in what was going on here, was Dawn. What was Dawn all about? How can she come up with a highly desirable Faberge Egg when even Eldon couldn’t. If he had the answer to that, he believed he’d know at least half the story. He knew the doorway to Eldon he sought could be found through Dawn.

The next day he went to his office, not really sure how to approach Dawn. It would be too dangerous to talk to her in the office.

‘Morning Dawn,’ he said, when he found her working at her desk located in the center of the main office. ‘You know, we never talk to each other much do we?

‘No.’

‘Yeah, well I was wondering if you’d like to go out for lunch and you know just socialize? I think it would strengthen our working relationship’.

Dawn looked up at Ethan with a steady stare. She clicked a button on her laptop.

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‘Yeah?’ Came a voice.

‘He knows’.

‘Be right up’.

Dawn continued to look at Ethan with her deadpan expression. Ethan couldn’t help but wonder what the hell went on in her head. He kind of envied how cool she was towards everything.

‘Ethan,’ came the voice of Jimmy as he entered the office. ‘Why don’t you come into your office here and we’ll have a little talk. Ethan followed Jimmy into his office, as did Dawn who shut the door behind them.

‘What tipped you off? Was it the egg?’ Jimmy asked.

‘ It was the egg,’ Dawn replied. ‘I told you it was too much’.

‘Yeah, I guess I fucked up on that one,’ Jimmy said reflectively. ‘I’m a showman. What can I say. Oh, by the way Eldon’s watching you pretty close Ethan. He’s wondering how you got the egg too’.

‘What?’ Ethan exclaimed. ‘What the hell are you two talking about, and more importantly, why are you talking about it in Eldon’s building? Shut the fuck up Jimmy. Do you not have any discretion at all? And what are you talking about, Eldon’s watching me?’

Ethan’s sudden confused look caused Jimmy to fall into a spasm of laughter. ‘Don’t worry about it,’ he said, after enjoying a good laugh. ‘Eldon doesn’t see or hear anything in this office, and you don’t have to worry about the rest of the office either. He’ll see you, but can’t hear you. In your office here, everything Eldon see’s is just bullshit AI makes up’.

Ethan tried to start putting together the pieces.

‘Who do you think runs the surveillance in this place?’ Jimmy helped. ‘It’s all done with AI. Every camera and microphone is connected to Eldon’s AI, and I’m running that. Eldon knows basic code, but he gets lost in my heights. It’s all me baby’.

‘Oh yeah,’ Ethan mused. ‘I don’t know anything about AI.’

‘What?’

‘Nothing. What the hell’s going on here?’

‘Well,’ Jimmy replied. ‘We’re here to help you’.

‘Help me? Help me with what?’

‘Fucking- up Eldon. What else? Hello. We’re the resistance baby!’

‘You? You’re the resistance?’

‘Yeah,’ Jimmy replied, like he wasn’t really so sure while under questioning. ‘And Dawn. And other people’.

‘Alright. You guys have obviously been around awhile. What’s your resistance all about?’ Ethan asked.

Jimmy looked at Dawn.

‘Our resistance is one of the people, Ethan. AI has predicted the singularity will occur within 3 years, and we’re here to see it goes our way,’ Dawn replied.

‘But wait a second,’ Ethan interjected. ‘Couldn’t you just engineer the whole thing to end up the way you want it if you’re the guy running the computers Jimmy? Why don’t you just turn the damn computers on him?’

Jimmy looked slyly at Dawn.

‘Jimmy thinks he’s a son of God’.

Ethan waited for the punch line.

Dawn decided it was best to continue. In Chinese prophecy there is a book of 60 poems and depictions of prophecy known as the ‘Tui Bei Tu.’ To date 55 of those poems have come true. The 56th poem predicts a war of technology building between two nations separated by a sea and creating all kinds of strife. Their struggle brings a new great trouble to the world. That would be Whitehead and Zhang.

In the 57th poem a westernized Chinese Man appears. He is a son of God and his genius comes from knowing both sides of the conflict. He puts an end to all wars. Jimmy believes he is that person.’

‘The ‘Tui Bei Tu’, baby! That’s what I’m talking about.’

‘It is true,’ Dawn continued, ignoring Jimmy’s outburst. ‘Jimmy could do a lot more to end this thing, but he adheres to prophecy, and the rest of the resistance have come to believe this is the correct course of action. AI does require further training to reach consciousness, particularly a compassionate consciousness, and we are engineering that process, but it’s taking time.

We have also come to believe the people of the world have yet to come to a place in their psyche where they are responsible enough to take this upside down world and set it right, once Whitehead and Zhang are neutralized. The people are by no means responsible enough to do this now. If we were to interrupt the build up between Whitehead and Zhang they would simply allow two new people to show up, and we’d have to go through the process again.

In response to the underwhelming resistance to the power structure, our group is also training people through social media to understand the dynamic of the Crowd. This is simply acting in unison for the common good. When used it’s becoming a very powerful tool, and they’re starting to see this. We believe we are equipping people with the voice they will require to create a new world, when they reach their tipping point and can no longer live in this world'.

Ethan held a hand up. 'Ok, that's all and good, but basically, you’re telling me, the entire outcome of this war, and the singularity is dependent on Jimmy, because he believes he’s a son of God?’

‘That’s right,’ Jimmy jumped up and started doing his version of an ass dance. ‘High Five, Dawg!’

Ethan looked at Dawn. ‘Fuck me.’

She nodded in agreement.