A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer

@markdornfeld

Former PDX & NW Oregon News & Traffic Reporter, now freshly retired and feeling pretty smug that I worked in radio when it WAS radio. Open to suggestions. Not susceptible to suggestions. I don't know all the answers but if you hum a few bars...

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A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· 18h

Let's ask Klaatu.

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· 13d

Oregon Journalism Project has a new feature called Civic Ledger available to peruse. This image is from Multnomah County, as you can tell. I haven't seen how many counties or cities are available. civicledger.oregonjournalismproject.org/jurisdiction...

"Civic Ledger" from Oregon Journalism Project, showing spending growing in Multnomah County, Oregon since FY 2016.

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· 18d

Latest update on the Akawa Butte Fire. "Firefighting resources assigned to the Akawa Butte Fire will nearly double today as the incident is the nation's highest-priority fire for resource allocation." Sisters is in the section labeled SIS-041. Most of the town is Level One - Get Ready.

Screen grab from the Watch Duty app of the Akawa Butte fire. The town of Sisters is in the section labelled SIS-041. Most of the town is Level One - Get Ready.

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· Jun 9

Newsmax gleefully "reporting" about DOGE cutting funding for screwworm abatement.

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· Jun 1

@johnfugelsang.bsky.social reposted this so it's blowing up my notifications. Thanks John! As long as you're here and have not read it yet, do yourself a favor and read his book. You'll thank me later...

John Fugelsang's book "Separation of Church and Hate"

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· May 29

WIP Realization Dawns. Pride goeth before destruction. #WIPSnips

"Peters."

"It's Goldberg. I have some great news."

"Can't this wait until tomorrow morning?,"

Peters replied.

Goldberg continued, "No. This is big.

Remember the New Dawn Project Phoenix prototype?"

Peters exhaled and said, "Of course I remember, it was created for me. What do you want, Goldberg?"

"I have it!", Goldberg gushed. The other soldiers rejected the upgrade but I have Maria Meyer. The prototype!"

Peters was silent for a moment then answered, "How did you get ahold of the most dangerous person in the world? New Dawn couldn't even control her."

"It wasn't difficult," Goldberg bragged. "I lured her to the lab. She came snooping around when she found out about the soldiers. She's in a stasis pod right now. I just left. She followed every order. I think the New Dawn prototype is worth more than thirty million, Henry."

"Call me Mr. Secretary, Goldberg," Peters replied. "And you don't get to haggle with me. You take my price and say thank you. I know what she's capable of. She took down the fucking government! You think you can just nab that weapon? She's playing you."

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· May 27

WIP Realization Dawns. Maria and Phoenix saving Marcus. Little does she know she just saved her future husband. #WIPSnips

"Phoenix says he can overwrite the hostile commands, but he needs a hardline."

She stepped forward, reaching behind Marcus's head. The skin around the implant was radiating heat. She hesitated, then pressed her palm flat against the angry, scarred tissue.

'Do it.'

<Initiating patch.>

Maria could feel the area where the implant was cooling immediately. She lifted her hand, seeing the wound starting to lighten.

'Did it work?'

<The patch was successfully installed...his system now believes it is receiving orders.>

Dr. Kroeger checked Marcus's vitals again.

"He's stable. The antibiotic should help to heal the area."

Jeff walked up to the head of the bed and said, "Maria. We need to be ready when he wakes up. He's an unknown quantity."

"He won't attack Jeff. He was asking for help. And not just for him. He said “us”. Jeff answered, "Just don't let your guard down. So who is... us?"

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· May 26

WIP Realization Dawns. Maria and her Physical Therapist Annie are on the run from a New Dawn wet team after Maria took the first man out. #WIPSnips

After a few moments of silence, Annie asked, "Maria. What happened to the man at the cabin?"

Maria thought a moment and replied, "You remember when I told you about the Al making the soldiers physically enhanced?

Well, meet the new soldier. Not the same as the old soldier."

"Do you mean to tell me, YOU took that man out. By yourself? I can't even..."

Maria continued, "It's not just physical change, Annie. I've been given advanced knowledge required by these soldiers to survive. Huge amounts of data. I couldn't have learned it better if I went to college or boot camp for 10 years.”

"But you weren't supposed to learn it," Annie said, still wearing a look of disbelief.

"You seem to be enjoying it.”

Maria looked over at her again, noting the unmistakable concern.

"That's the thing, Annie. I didn't choose this. But it's in me now. I'm just being me. Dealing with that threat was completely natural. I knew exactly what I needed to

do."

Annie didn't reply, taking another drink of water, looking out the window at the darkening river in the waning light.

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· May 25

This is perfect for PDX with the rain today. WIP Realization Dawns. The crash that took Maria's parents and started her down the path to her new life. #WIPSnips

When Oregon State Police Sergeant Owen Cutler arrived on the scene of the double-fatal crash there were already two Troopers on scene. Whenever there were life-threatening injuries involved, an investigation was required. Sgt. Cutler had done numerous crash investigations during his time with O.S.P. but they were never easy.

The crash occurred around 6:00 PM on Highway 26 in the Coast Range, roughly halfway between Portland and Seaside.

Because of the hour and the fact that it was the end of Spring Break, traffic was extremely heavy but an investigation required the closure of the highway. The Troopers had already closed the scene off and the Oregon Department of Transportation had been notified to close the highway back at the nearest exits in both directions, while the traffic that was trapped on either side of the crash was being turned around and sent back from where they came. Life Flight had landed their helicopter at the scene and transported one. The Fire Department responders had come and gone. Sgt. Cutler got out of his vehicle, making sure his rain slicker was zipped up. The rain had slacked off but it was still pouring, water constantly dripping off the brim of his hat as soon as he stepped outside.

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· May 25

WIP Realization Dawns. Maria's trojan horse strategy to bring down Shen Zemin is underway. Unfortunately it will be a pyrrhic victory. #WIPSnips

The drug hit. The warmth spread, dulling the sharp edges of her rage, but leaving her mind dangerously clear. An hour later, Shen came for her. He was wearing a dark, expensive suit, a Chinese flag pin on his lapel. He looked at her with a sickening mix of pride and possession. He reached out and adjusted her collar, his fingers brushing her neck. Maria didn't flinch.

"Perfection," Shen murmured. "You look like you were born for this uniform."

"It fits well, doesn't it?" Maria said, her voice flat, drugged, but obedient.

"Today, we send a message," Shen said, guiding her out of the room. "The West thinks they own the future. Today, we show them that the future has come home where it belongs." They took the elevator down to the main atrium. Even through the haze, Maria clocked the security. The two monkeys in the elevator. Four in the lobby. But the atrium itself was transformed. It was a sea of red. Massive banners hung from the ceiling. A stage had been erected, flanked by teleprompters and cameras. The room was packed with press. International correspondents, state media, tech bloggers. Shen stopped her just behind the curtain. "Listen to them," he whispered.

"The whole world is watching."

"What do I do?" Maria asked, looking at him with wide, chemically dilated eyes.

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· May 23

WIP Realization Dawns. Maria reconnects with Phoenix after an attempt to steal her tech goes awry. And gets a chance to drop Track Suit Mafia #WIPSnips

"Something...something's wrong," he stammered. "The soldiers are not responding properly. Can you help?"

Maria laughed, a genuine, terrifying sound.

"Track Suit Mafia. Swear to God! Do you even hear yourself right now? You kidnap me and now you want me to be your tech support?"

She unlocked the shackles on her ankles while keeping one eye on him. "Tell you what. I'm going to make sure the 'soldiers' get proper care, something they most definitely are not getting from you. You can assist me or YOU will need care. More than they do. Do you understand?"

"Y... Yes," he replied, shaking.

Maria hopped off the chair, pausing for a moment as her head swam.

<That is normal... it should clear up soon.>

'I'm fine... I'm just glad to have you back, buddy.'

She moved her grip to the back of the tech's neck and marched him over to the glass pods containing the nine soldiers.

"Here's what you're going to do,” she said.

"You will monitor the vitals of these people.

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· May 21

WIP Realization Dawns. So many possible choices! Maria's enhanced skills on display for the first time. #WIPSnips

Billy thought 'It's just a poor little girl.' Maria was wearing her t-shirt and black bike shorts with white sneakers, looking to BIlly like she was going out to ride her bike.

Except for that stare. Billy continued to climb the stairs. When he reached the top, Maria took a step back, her weight on her rear leg.

Billy asked, "Anyone else here?"

Maria quietly said, "No".

Billy smiled and replied, “Mind if I have a look?"

Maria again said, "No."

Billy said, "You first." It was the last thing he said that afternoon.

As soon as Billy reached out for the door Maria delivered a swift Krav Maga kick to his exposed groin with such speed that he never saw it coming. He doubled over and Maria quickly swept his legs while grabbing his throat with her left hand, hurtling him back down the stairs. Maria watched him tumbling down the stairs, his large body almost wedging between the railings before flopping onto the ground. She walked silently down the stairs to his unconscious body, his boots still on the bottom step. She quickly grabbed his Glock and taser, then took the fob for the Interceptor from his right pants pocket. She took his phone from his vest pocket, pocketing it and the fob,

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· May 17

#WIPSnips Realization Dawns. Maria realizing that having her body's systems upgraded may not be everything it's cracked up to be.

The morning sun lit up the hotel room, even with the sheer curtains closed. Maria squinted and sat up, still wearing yesterday's clothes. She sniffed under each arm and thought,

'Did you upgrade my sweat glands too. My God.'

<Do not underestimate the importance of properly regulating body temperature.>

'Can't you just send ice water through my veins or something? I have to smell it. And my sense of smell is in overdrive.'

First item. Shower, she thought. No, second item. First item... Call Paul.

She turned her phone on for the first time since the previous morning. She smiled when she checked the missed calls, ignoring the calls from Kyle's phone. Paul had called three times yesterday. She sat in bed and dialed his number. At first she thought he wouldn't answer. 'Too early.'

"Hello Maria! I thought something happened to you. How are you doing?"

The sound of his voice started the tears flowing, blurring the incoming sunlight. Her sudden relief was immense.

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· May 16

WIP Realization Dawns. Our protagonist Maria finally meets the antagonist in China. Rasp is a nice hoarse vibe. #WIPSnips

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· May 14

WIP Realization Dawns. Protagonist Maria is having an early morning internal "conversation" with the AI Phoenix. Comments on the internal dialogue formatting welcome.

She pulled the covers back and rolled out of bed, walking to the bathroom. She heard the coffee pot starting in the kitchen. She set it for 6:15 every morning, even though Marcus always slept later. She needed that fix. After taking care of the morning pee and cleanup, she pulled her robe on and walked to the kitchen, pouring a mug full of the fresh Italian Dark Roast she loved. She held the mug in both hands, inhaling the coffee-scented steam. She walked out to the living room, sitting on the couch, Livia’s old “hurricane workstation” still next to it.

‘Anything new this morning?’

<Apparently not…you are sitting and drinking coffee at the same time you do every morning.>

‘You probably enjoy the caffeine running through my veins’

<I enjoy the mood it puts you in…you are addicted to it.>

‘I know. But it’s good for me.’

<Should I tell you what the abundance of caffeine does to you or just not say anything.>

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· May 13

WIP "Realization Dawns" The protagonist Maria Meyer finds out her parents are gone after 48 hours in a coma. #WIPSnips

“Maria. You were in a serious accident two days ago. You’ve been unconscious for the last 48 hours. Your parents didn’t make it, Maria. I’m sorry. It was instantaneous. There was no suffering.”
“Maria?”
Maria felt the blood drain from her head like water in a flushed toilet. She blacked out.
“Maria?”
The nurse and counselor walked in. Dr. Thomas asked Christine, the Hospital Counselor, to sit and stay in case she woke up. Christine asked the doctor, “How long is she going to be here?”
Dr. Thomas replied, “Probably a few more weeks. The damage to the spinal cord at L5 wasn’t full. She probably won’t need surgery but she’ll need to get into a Rehab care center around that time. We need to make sure there are no incontinence issues too. We can’t tell with the catheter. The last thing we need is a UTI.”
“Okay,” Christine replied. “I’m sure she’ll want to know.”
The doctor continued, “She just found out about her parents before passing out. I think that’s going to take some time.”
Christine nodded, “Yes. It is definitely going to take a long time.”

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· May 12

WIP "Realization Dawns". This snippet is a nice example of the protagonist Maria's internal dialogue with the AI known as Project Phoenix, "Phoenix" to her. Working on making that dialogue clear to the reader. #WIPSnips

Annie went to her bedroom to retrieve her bag and Maria took hers into her room. She didn't have much to take, just the freshly cleaned clothes from yesterday and the few clothes she bought at Freddie's that she wasn't wearing. She transferred the cash she had in her purse to a ziplock bag and then the Manila folder and put it into the gym bag.

<I am sending all relevant data on special forces self-defense…battlefield acuity…strategy…survival techniques…the Host requires this learning now…I do not believe we will depart before they arrive.>

Maria looked at herself in the mirror.

‘What do you mean ”sending all relevant data”? What am I supposed to do? I just learned to walk!’

At that moment she felt something change, like a cool wave crashing over her mind. Her eyes widened and she exhaled slowly. Her fear was gone, replaced by cool logic and knowing exactly what she was going to do.

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· May 11

WIP "Realization Dawns". Maria is the protagonist. I do have lots of nothing.

Maria woke up remembering nothing about the previous 48 hours. She could recall riding in the back of the SUV while listening to music in her headphones. After that, it was a giant blank slate.
In the dark room the only thing she could make out were the lights of the monitors, blinking in time to the beeping sound as the machine monitored her heartbeat. She was wearing a mask that obscured her vision as she exhaled, like an incoming and outgoing fogbank. Her head hurt, and she couldn’t move her left arm. It was in a sling and her shoulder screamed at her if she tried to move it.
Her waist felt bruised but her back felt fine. In fact, she felt nothing. She reached down and touched her right thigh, immediately pulling it back. It felt like touching someone else’s leg. Her leg didn’t feel it. She tried again, as far as she could reach with the same result. The feeling of no feeling sickened her. She started crying, wanting to yell out for her Mom, realizing the mask would mute it anyway. She looked and felt around with her right hand, trying to find a call button, the digital heartbeat speeding up as her stress level increased. She finally found it and pressed the button, the nurse coming right in.

Peters was livid, “Krause, this is FUBAR! Your prototype is running around in the wild with the AI assisting her in eluding your security teams and I'm getting emails from Senators on the Armed Services Committee and Representatives on the House Oversight Committee! They have documents showing how YOU unilaterally decided to put an advanced AI into a civilian without her knowledge. Do you know how deep this shit is, Krause?”
“Well, Mr. Secretary,” Krause shot back, “your contracts concerning the upcoming trials of the 100 new chips indicate that you're in that shit too. And that shit is going to save this country when the inevitable future conflicts arrive.”
“Don't drag me into your illegal activities,” Peters warned. “We had nothing to do with illegally planting a prototype chip for super soldiers into an unwilling civilian. Do you know the illegality and unconstitutionality of your actions? Not even counting murder and kidnapping felonies.”
“What is it you want, Mr. Secretary?”
“You have until tomorrow morning at 6 am Eastern to get this situation under control. Or that shit you're standing in is going to be hit by a gigantic fan.”

A.K.A. PDX Traffic Whisperer@markdornfeld· May 10

The only times fate appears in the entire book! Krause is the CEO of New Dawn, which developed a prototype chip with an advanced AI for use in the battlefield. Maria Meyer (who they're looking for) is the protagonist, having had the AI uploaded to what was supposed to be a BCI against her will.