The Genesis Code 1: Lambda

by Robert E. Parkin

  “Indeed. Shall I inform the Director of our progress?

  Overseer shook her head. “We take orders from our High King. We don’t need to check in with the fool.”

  Foresight stepped in. “But orders were to follow his.”

  “Since when have you ever known our High King to give orders as simple as that?” she replied back with light laughter.

  “Point taken,” replied Foresight with a nod.

  Overseer ceased peering down from the skyscraper. “Move into position. I want everything to be ready the moment that AI unit leaves the private server.”

  “Acknowledged,” both Void Reapers responded.

  Without another word, the two Void Reapers leapt off the side of the building and propelled down the side. They appeared to sparkle like violet crystals.

  Moments later, a large black hole swallowed them, appearing just below them as they continued to freefall past the monstrous building. The hole quickly consumed them and vanished seconds later, leaving no trace that the two even existed.

  Overseer leaned back from the edge after she noted they had vanished. She couldn’t help but chuckle deviously.

  [5]

  Luna Nova

  [January 6th - Cyber Network, Private Channel Server 23D11 - Day]

  Cecilia sat nervously as she panned through a giant laundry list of items and accessories including: skirts, jeans, shoes, boots, hair clips, and many more. It was only an hour to her biggest concert ever and she still hadn’t decided on what she wanted to wear on her Avatar. Nothing seemed to match her long strawberry blonde hair and fit her thin frame just quite the way she wanted it.

  The area in which she had secluded herself was a spherical room with dozens of monitors moving and hovering around her. The room was completely green all over and had only a large sofa in the center with a glass table for furniture. Cecilia truthfully didn’t need anything else in the room as it was only used for her to prepare for her concerts. Still, as she stared at the small screen before her she still just couldn’t figure out what was the best choice. She even opened another monitor several times larger, but the increased size of the image didn’t do much help for her decision.

  She sighed heavily. “I need to make a decision soon, but . . .” She trailed off, seeming a little down. “Zack is always here to help me. It isn’t like him to not be here, especially at such a crucial time like this.”

  A monitor off to Cecilia’s right appeared and floated over toward her. The image on the screen was of an older woman in her late thirties. Her tied up hair and glasses paired with a sharp business dress gave her a refined look.

  “Cecilia, I trust that you are nearly ready?” The woman’s tone sounded slightly belittling.

  Cecilia tried to lie. “I’m practically done Sarah. I just need to finalize a couple of things.” Her wavering voice didn’t sound very convincing. Sarah wasn’t buying it one bit.

  “Listen, Cecilia, as your manager I strongly suggest you get your act together. This is your largest concert to date. You can’t screw this up.” Her words were far from comforting.

  Cecilia’s head fell. She fiddled with her thumbs as she felt like she was being scolded. Then again, she hardly knew what it felt like to be scolded. She practically didn’t have parents, after all. The whole reason she tried so hard to become the pop artist she was today was to make her parents proud of her and finally see her as an individual. It was a selfish reason, but an honest one.

  “H-have you heard from my brother?” Cecilia’s voice was almost a whisper. Despite that, her manager heard her loud and clear.

  Sarah sighed. “I’m sure he will be there as he always is. Just try and get ready please.”

  Cecilia could hear the kind words under Sarah’s strict tone. It made her feel a little better.

  “I will be ready. I won’t disappoint the people who put all the hard work into this event,” Cecilia replied more confidently. She understood what she had to do, but she wished she had someone with her to give her a little push, namely, a family member. However, Zack was the only member of her family that seemed to care.

  Sarah broke her train of thought. “The concert begins in fifty-seven minutes. You are to be ready and on the main server in the next twenty. Being late doesn’t work on the Cyber Network when you can appear anywhere immediately,” Sarah stated frankly.

  “I will be there, thanks for always working so hard,” Cecilia replied back quickly.

  Sarah gave a weak smile. “Oh, this is nothing compared to my old job. Back then, one little mistake spelled death. This is a much more relaxed line of work,” she finished with a wink.

  With that, the screen vanished. The only sound that could be heard in the room was the faint noise of the monitors humming.

  Cecilia leaned back on her coach and gazed at the lime green ceiling. She felt a little jittery and stressed. She needed to relax. That being said, she did the one thing that came naturally to her. She closed her eyes, and began to sing softly.

  “Silent child, what can you see?”

  “High in the sky, I can no longer be.”

  “Rise my angel, I have come for thee.”

  “Take my hand, and I will set you free.”

  The words were tranquil, yet filled with such deep sadness. It was through song that Cecilia coped with her emotions and her frail disposition. She could only hope that one day her voice could reach her parents. Still, the peaceful quiet relaxed her. But that peace didn’t last long. Instead, the room’s monitors suddenly began flashing red and blared loud sirens. In just seconds, Cecilia went from feeling relaxed to almost having a panic attack.

  “Warning. Foreign signature detected. Server channel compromised,” came the metallic voice of the computer. The room still was flashing and blaring noise. Cecilia didn’t have a clue what was going on.

  “W-what?! What does that mean?!” Cecilia shouted as she stood up. Her legs were shaking. She barely got by with dressing her Avatar, much less understanding the full workings of the virtual world.

  “Server breached. Foreign account unrecognized. Security protocol disabled-”

  The whole room went black. Terrified, Cecilia stood frozen in the room. There wasn’t so much as a sound, just empty darkness. What is going on? Is the power out? Did I do something? What am I supposed to do now?!

  The lights returned. The sudden glare blinded Cecilia for a brief moment, but as her vision returned, she was faced with a new phenomenon. Just ten feet in front of her, a black slit split space and opened to reveal a gaping hole. Seconds later a figure was thrown out of the hole and hurtled toward Cecilia. Frozen with a combination of fear and surprise, she could only stare dumbfounded as the person crashed into her with the force of a wrecking ball. She was thrown back into the couch while the figure was propelled into the wall behind her. Upon the person’s body hitting the wall, the room rippled from the impact. Due to all the commotion, Cecilia didn’t even notice the second person appear as the black hole receded into nothingness.

  “I swear, it’s just one problem after another with her. I should have known she would trip the server’s firewalls when coming here,” came the groaning voice of the intruder.

  Cecilia, still reeling from the pain caused by her assailant, poked her head above the couch. What she saw made her face light up with joy and fury at the same time.

  “Zack!?”

  Zack tried to put on his best expression, which failed miserably. “H-hi, hope I didn’t come at a bad time.”

  Cecilia stared at Zack, dumbfounded. “You are an idiot.” Her tone was flat. Despite being beyond happy to see him, Cecilia just couldn’t show her true feelings at the moment. After all, he did greet her with all the grace and love of a enraged gorilla.

  “Sever entry successful. Fatalities and collateral damage minimal.”

  Cecilia nearly jumped out of her skin. With speed she didn’t even know she had, she spun around to see the origin of the voice
she heard. When her eyes laid upon Lambda, she was left speechless at the goddess before her.

  So . . . beautiful. Her eyes scanned Lambda’s slender body and toned structure. Her delicate hands and powerful eyes made Cecilia feel like she was melting. Even her long hair and imposing stature had a similar effect, but most of all . . . her incredibly cool-looking outfit.

  Still reeling from the appearance of the divine being before her, Cecilia spoke. “Zack . . . who is that?”

  Zack rose to his feet. He didn’t know how to play this. “Would you believe—my girlfriend?”

  Cecilia whipped her head around sharply. “Impossible.”

  Her words stung Zack despite his response being completely fraudulent.

  You could at least give it a chance, he huffed to himself.

  Lambda now looked at Zack. “Sibling union successful. Zack, please commence data upload of current circumstances for your blood relative.”

  Zack ignored her. “Sorry, Cecilia, but you see . . .” he paused as he tried to figure out what would be the best way to introduce Lambda. He went with the most basic lie.

  “My friend here tagged along with me since she is a huge fan of yours,” he said, sweating bullets. “And I wanted to check up on you,” he added, sounding more sincere.

  Zack didn’t want to alarm or send his sister into a panic right away, but he now had a confused and irritated sister on his hands. What made things worse was that somehow he had to convince her to cancel her concert. If she went on stage, she would be a sitting duck for Corson.

  Zack sighed heavily before the task at hand. I’m going to be hanged for this.

  Cecilia stared darkly at Zack. “Liar.”

  The word pierced Zack with such intensity he thought he was hit by a javelin.

  Cecilia didn’t let up. “You’re a terrible liar, Zack. Now, answer my question.” She pointed to Lambda. “Who is this person?”

  Zack was worried how he was going to come out with everything. Taking no additional time to think, he sighed and gave his sister the answer she demanded.

  Zack took a deep breath. “Her name is Lambda, and she is a AI Combat unit that has come under my . . . possession.” Even Zack didn’t know how to say the last part. He was pretty sure his choice of words was not correct, but given the current circumstances, that made the most sense. Cecilia didn’t seem to buy it.

  “Were you listening before, Zack? Enough of these stupid lies. What is really going on here?” Her tone was low and strict. She didn’t seem like a sixteen-year-old.

  Zack shook his head, now taking on a more serious tone. “I’m in trouble,” he said frankly.

  Now Cecilia’s expression changed. Instantly, worry was running up and down her spine. She saw it in his eyes- he was telling the truth.

  Cecilia swallowed hard. “What kind of trouble are you in?” She tried to prepare herself for what Zack would say. However, nothing could have prepared her for what Zack was about to tell her.

  * * *

  [January 6th. Washington D.C. - Cyber Research Plant - Day]

  Richard burst into the Control Lab where Karen was diligently working with several Tech Agents. Their monitors were ablaze with images from all around key areas in the Network. He noted the emphasis on the large monitor before him targeting a lone private server as well as several other signatures that were associated with it. He scowled darkly.

  “Why wasn’t I told of this?” His manner was coarse.

  Karen turned to gaze at him with squinted eyes. “Your presence wasn’t needed, so you weren’t alerted.” She returned her gaze to the monitors. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. Everything is under our control.”

  Richard’s eye twitched. “So that would mean you are aware of the fact that the Director sent Void Reapers?” Anger could be heard between his words.

  Karen’s eyes widened ever so slightly. “I wasn’t told of this. How did you acquire this information?” she replied sternly.

  “I intercepted another account trying to lock onto Lambda’s signature. The account type used is consistent with Void Moderators.”

  Karen’s expression returned to normal. “It is possible, but that doesn’t mean it could be a Void Reaper. It could just as easily be a rogue Corrupter.”

  Richard spat. “How do you figure? Who other than us would know where Lambda even was?”

  Karen gazed at Richard with soul-crushing eyes. “I can think of a few.”

  Richard froze. What does she mean by that?

  Karen continued. “We have already concluded that the terrorist group Stigma is very likely responsible for setting Lambda free. It can easily be them.”

  Richard took a firm step toward his wife. “He is with Lambda still. This means that he thinks she is in danger.”

  Karen looked to Richard, a little unsettled by his cryptic words. “What are you getting at?”

  Richard’s tone became grave. “It’s Zack. Our kids are with Lambda.”

  Karen’s expression didn’t falter. “I’m aware of their involvement. It doesn’t change our objective.”

  Richard felt a sharp sting from Karen’s words. “You have nothing to say to the fact that the object we seek and Stigma are now involved with our own children?”

  Karen’s gaze hardened. “Irrelevant. If anything, this has made the objective of the foreign party clear. If Stigma is after Lambda, they will surely use Cecilia to get Zack to hand Lambda over to them.”

  Richard bit his lip as he tried to keep his composure. “Indeed. What makes me worry more is why Zack is still with Lambda.”

  Karen seemed uninterested. “He never was good at avoiding trouble, specifically in the form of AI units. They seem to be his thing,” she replied ambiguously.

  Richard held back his anger. “Making light of his experience three years ago is in terrible taste, especially coming from the one that brought him into this world.”

  Karen shrugged. “That changes little now. As Stigma wishes to use Zack to get Lambda, we can do the same.”

  “But what about the Void Moderators?” Richard inquired, trying to bring light to what he was sure to be doom if not properly addressed.

  His wife looked to be losing her patience. “I’m telling you, I would have been told-”

  A screen burst to life above her. The stern face of the Director barreled down upon them.

  “Richard is correct. Given the situation, I was left with no other choice but to enlist aid from Babel. They have given me authority over the Void Reapers to ensure Lambda’s capture.”

  Karen now looked enraged. “Why wasn’t I told of this?!” she barked.

  Charles peered down with intensity. “Informing you had no meaning. Your job was to monitor the Lambda unit until I gave you further instructions.”

  Karen grit her teeth, unable to say a word.

  Richard moved to speak. “Director, our . . . kids are with Lambda. You can’t possibly think that-”

  “The well-being of your children ranks second to Lambda’s retrieval. I will say it is quite unfortunate that they are involved on such a level,” Charles replied coldly.

  Richard now felt something snap in him. “You think the assassins of the Cyber Network are going to care about anything so long as they bring down the Lambda unit?! They’d soon use my son as a meat shield before they did anything to protect something!”

  Charles noted Richard’s concern, but there was little he could do. “Their orders were to cause as little collateral damage as possible in bringing in Lambda. They will have to come to me-”

  “Those are High King bloodhounds! They don’t answer to you, Charles! If you think they are under your control, you are sadly mistaken!” Richard bellowed.

  Charles’ eyes darkened. “That’s enough!” he roared. “I will hear no more of this! You are to monitor Lambda’s movements and track it, should it make any rash moves. Until the Void Moderators detain Lambda, you will remain on standby. Do I make myse
lf clear?”

  The entire lab was silent. The tension was enough to shatter bone.

  “Should problems arise, Richard, I will do my best to ensure your children aren’t harmed. That I can promise you,” Charles said, with as much concern as he could muster.

  Richard let his head fall. “I fear for their safety, just like any father would.”

  Karen broke in with dark words. “Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil.”

  Charles stared intently, unsure what Karen meant. Richard, however, knew of the quote Karen used. She had a certain fancy way of flaunting her intellectual superiority in quoting famous words of some of history’s greatest thinkers and writers. This time, she went with Aristotle.

  Before either of the two men could get a word in, Karen stormed out of the lab without making eye contact. No one made an effort to stop her as the metal door leading to the lab swooshed open and shut behind her swiftly.

  Richard looked up at Charles within the monitor. “I hope you know what you’re doing. You’re dealing with forces that are outside our control,” he warned.

  Charles smirked, finding humor in Richard’s words. “My dear friend,” he said with a chuckle. “That ship has long since sailed the moment the Cyber Network was born.”

  * * *

  [January 6th - Undisclosed Location - Day]

  Corson watched intently as he noted Laura’s team was now Diving and racing to their respective positions for the mission. Everything was set. All they needed now was for the main heroine to take the stage.

  “Incoming transmission from Commander Richter,” stated the computer before Corson.

  “Patch her through.”

  Laura’s image quickly flooded the screen before Corson.

  “We are set and in position. Has the target left the private server?”

  Corson shook his head. “No, and it would appear that that two new signatures entered the private channel not too long ago. I’m left to believe that the boy has predicted our move.” Corson mused to himself. He had underestimated the kid. This was now turning into a brilliant game of chess.