“That will be all, Nerine. I will have words with the girl now,” spoke the masked man in a dark undertone that made the air around him shudder.
Nerine frowned. “You know, your timing couldn’t be worse. She was just calming down.”
He ignored the comment and stepped into the room, allowing the door to shut behind him. Now that he was in the light, Cecilia basked in the dark tyrant before her. The malicious eyes behind his mask terrified her.
“Does my appearance frighten you, child?” spoke the tyrant.
Cecilia was too frozen to even attempt a reply.
“Corson! How is this going to-”
“Did I speak to you, Nerine?” His words were hushed, but stung with lethal intent.
Nerine flinched ever so slightly, as Corson seemed on edge.
“Forgive me, Leader. I meant no disrespect,” she said while bowing deeply in apology.
Corson took a deep breath. It seemed like he was trying to calm himself.
“No, your apology is unneeded. Perhaps it is I who needs to reflect on my words.”
Nerine rose her head. A small smile grew as she stepped aside, allowing Corson to approach Cecilia.
Cecilia could see in Nerine’s eyes that she respected the man before her. It was hard to see, but there lurked a small shred of kindness, beneath his dark complexion. It became easier to see when she saw his eyes soften behind his mask.
“I’m sure you hate me, child. This I can’t change. Your presence here is something I had wanted to avoid at all cost. However, for the sake of our mission, I’m afraid we are left with no other choice, thus the reason why you are here now.”
Cecilia swallowed and tried to find her voice. “A-are you g-going to kill me?”
Corson shook his head. “Despite what you may have heard from media outlets, Stigma doesn’t kill innocent people. You have done no wrong, thus no harm will come to you. This I swear.”
Cecilia wanted to believe the words coming from Corson, but she couldn’t place her faith in a man that looked like the slick and trimmed version of an upgraded grim reaper. That, and she worried what he was going to do to Zack.
“Will you hurt my brother?” she mustered with every bit of courage she had lingering in her body.
Corson fell silent for a moment. He turned to Nerine, as if seeking some sort of counsel. She promptly smiled and tilted her head towards Cecilia in an encouraging gesture. Corson’s eyes then fell upon Cecilia once more with a hard gaze.
“That depends on him,” he said bluntly.
Nerine sighed deeply as she placed a hand over her face.
Cecilia gathered that Corson wasn’t letting on to anything that he felt was unnecessary for her to know. Regardless, she wanted to know his intentions.
Cecilia swallowed, mustering her courage.”What do you plan on-”
The voice of Laura sounded over an intercom over the room.
“Corson! There has been a development regarding the boy!”
Corson’s eyes flared. “What?” he said as he clenched his fist.
A monitor window then materialized to Corson’s right. His eyes burned.
“So, the Void Reapers caught up with them in the physical world.” He huffed dismissingly. “It matters little. They won’t be able to take out the Lambda-”
“Leader, something isn’t right,” came Laura’s voice again. “The Lambda unit isn’t responding to the incoming threat. It should be able to detect the Void Reapers from its current position.”
Corson’s eyes now grew with concern. Is it baiting them? Corson looked closer at the monitor. His gaze fell upon the two at the center. His eyes inflamed. He rushed the monitor. He grabbed the screen and pulled it out to enlarge the point where the Void Reapers were encircling. His whole body then began to shake with irritation.
“The boy is interfering with the Lambda unit!” His voice roared with wrath.
Nerine spoke up. “This is bad. If the Lambda unit isn’t operating at its full capacity, it can easily be taken out by Void Reapers like this. If we don’t do something, they will capture Lambda and kill Zack-”
Corson shot Nerine a look of death.
Nerine reeled in her blunder. She peered over to Cecilia who sat motionlessly. The look in her eyes now seemed almost dead.
“My brother is going to die?” she said in a hushed whisper.
Corson slammed his fist into the wall next to him, radiating with contempt.
Just perfect!
[15]
Terminate
[January 7th - Washington D.C. - Mobil Transport - Day]
Dead Eye rode in near-silence. The only sound that could be heard in the large limo was the clicking noise of the hard candy hitting his teeth. The sweet sensation of the small delicacy balanced and swayed within his mouth as he pleasantly savored the sweet flavor. The wide grin on his face coupled with one wild eye made him seem like he visualized the candy in his mouth to be his prey.
His earpiece came to life as his Com-Linker signaled an incoming call. His expression quickly reverted to a more solemn manner when noting the caller.
“It isn’t wise for you to make contact-”
“We have a problem. Stigma is aware-”
Dead Eye stopped playing with the piece of candy in his mouth. He bit down hard and shattered the tiny square between his teeth. Though he was clearly disturbed, his expression appeared unchanged.
“I figured as much,” he said nonchalantly.
The line was silent. Dead Eye sneered widely, sensing the surprise on the other end.
“Stigma won’t be able to move as quickly as you, so taking the boy and sealing Lambda shouldn’t be too difficult for you and the others . . . “ Dead Eye paused for a moment. “Quite interesting how they seemed to have cornered themselves,” he replied, completely consumed with himself.
Ares didn’t find Dead Eye’s carefree nature amusing.
“There is no guarantee the Lambda unit will fall as easy as you believe. Even with the Zero Barrier, there is no-”
“Surprise is on your side. Make it work for you in your assault.”
Dead Eye’s words were so straight that Ares had no response ready.
“I’m sorry, am I going too fast for you?” Dead Eye said fiendishly.
“I hope you are planning something outside of brute force,” Ares warned.
Dead Eye chuckled. “That is for you and the dogs to figure out,” he said gleefully.
Ares grumbled under his breath, now trying to hide his aggravation.
“Trust me, my little war god. The boy and Lambda will be ours as long as Stigma doesn’t make it to the party before you finish.” Dead Eye now appeared to be more interested in choosing a blue or red candy stick than the conversation at hand.
Ares was far more focused on the matter at hand.
“You still have yet to tell me why the boy is so important.”
“The boy’s importance isn’t your concern. You need only to focus on bringing in the boy and taking down the Lambda unit so I may have my little interrogation.” He bit down on the piece of candy in his mouth, grinning wildly with each crunch.
“Interrogation? You never said anything regarding-”
“I’m sure you were aware of what could happen once you were under my command. Don’t tell me you’re backing out now.” Dead Eye’s voice was pleasant but filled with venom.
Ares grunted over the line. “Why do you plan to interrogate the boy? What does he know that you don’t?” he probed.
Dead Eye cackled. “You’re so transparent. As if I would tell you such a thing.”
Ares groaned, knowing his question was pointless.
Dead Eye smiled. “Come now Ares, I’m a master puppeteer . . . “ He bit down on the red candy stick in his other hand. “Pulling people’s strings is my greatest talent.” His grin widened. “You should know that best.”
Ares ignored the subtle jab, though it was
more like dodging a volley of flaming arrows.
“Don’t worry, you still have much to offer, my dear Ares,” Dead Eye spoke with a sinister edge to his voice.
Ares voice turned flat. “I’m overjoyed.”
He was about to disconnect from the call when Dead Eye spoke up once more.
“Ares, could you do me one small favor?”
The line was quiet for a moment as Ares rolled over the question.
“What would you ask of me?”
Dead Eye lowered his voice to a whisper. Ares could hear him snickering.
“Do be so kind and clean up the mess the dogs make. They are really quite sloppy and useless, I must say.”
Ares didn’t quite follow Dead Eye’s words. “I fail to see what you mean. With the Zero Barrier up, there won’t be any need for a cleanup crew once we secure the boy and Lambda unit, no?” Ares was still confused.
Dead Eye erupted with laughter. It was several seconds later that he regained control over himself from his wicked fit. He wiped tears from his eye as he caught his breath.
“My dear Ares . . . I’m not telling you to fix what they destroy.” He stifled a laugh as he leaned back in his seat.
“I’m telling you to clean up their corpses.”
* * *
[January 7th - Abingdon, Virginia - County Park - Day]
Both Zack and Lambda seemed to be lost in each other’s eyes. The lingering feeling between the two was nurturing and pure. Neither wanted to say a word for fear of breaking such a fragile serenity. However, they couldn’t spare anymore time.
“All right, let’s get-” Zack barely took three steps before suddenly feeling lightheaded and stumbling to his knees. Along with the sudden bout of fatigue, his head was hurting as well.
Lambda rushed towards him, alarmed. “Zack! Are you all right?!” She scanned his vitals. Everything seemed normal; but for some reason, his body appeared to be heating up. Fearful of the strange occurrence, Lambda was unsure of what to do.
“What should I do, Zack?” Lambda asked, holding him up.
Zack shook his head. “Maybe I’m more tired than I realized.” He cursed under his breath. “Why is this happening right now?”
Lambda ignored everything around her and focused her attention on Zack. Everything was tuned to him. She didn’t even acknowledge the sudden ripple in the sky as the morning light shimmered like water for but a second.
“Well, I guess you may need to assist me as we move,” Zack said weakly as his vision began to blur.
Lambda appeared worried. “You must need rest. Surely resting here could be-”
“Not an option. We have camped here too long. That silver knight and the Void Reapers could find us at any moment,” he replied firmly.
Lambda continued to gaze at him with plagued eyes. “But you seem so weak.”
Zack groaned. Honestly, he was more embarrassed than anything. He wanted to help Lambda, but in the end, it was her yet again that aided him.
“Say, Lambda . . .” Zack began, unable to look Lambda in the eyes.
Lambda eyed Zack curiously.
“Do you regret me choosing to get involved with you?”
The question left Lambda with no idea of how to respond. Normally, everything would have dictated for Zack to stay away from her at the start. However, Lambda was certain that his choice wasn’t simply for her sake.
It all comes back to Rachiel . . .
Had he never created Rachiel, he would have surely avoided Lambda like the plague. The thought of that weighed heavy on her mind and body. She could even feel her chest constrict.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” Zack said with a weak smile as he felt his knees give out from under him.
Lambda tightened her grip on Zack, but her mouth hung open as she tried to speak. She wanted to say how she felt, but nothing but empty gasps came out. She had lost her voice, and couldn’t understand why. What made it worse was the fact that the words that hung on her tongue were not, “No, I don’t regret it,” but rather . . .
Are you here because of Rachiel?
Lambda shook her head violently. That wasn’t what she wanted to say, but at her core, it was what bothered her the most. After all, if she had never met Zack, she would have never gotten to know him, and he would have never taught her about these feelings that laid dormant inside of her.
Lambda looked down on Zack as she noticed his breathing becoming irregular. He looked like he was having a heat stroke with a spiking fever. All of her compiled data told her how to treat Zack’s symptoms, but she didn’t understand how to put it into practice.
Lambda’s eyes began to quiver. “I’m not human. I don’t understand . . .” The words hung out like a tattered flag, bruised and broken. The more Lambda thought about those words, the more they left her feeling insecure. What was she exactly? She could only draw from her own logic and remind herself that she was just hardware and code. She had a physical form, but no soul. She was just data in human form. A puppet. A simple imitation.
She looked to Zack, who looked like he was about to pass out. She slowly raised her hand as she knelt down beside him and placed it on his cheek, lightly brushing it with her fingertips. His face was hot. Inside, she could feel her chest begin to flutter and her body start to get warm as well. She didn’t fully understand what her body was trying to process, but the sensation she felt was intoxicating. She felt drawn to Zack.
Zack didn’t even notice Lambda or what she was doing. He was having too much trouble trying to stay conscious at the moment. It was soon proven to be a fruitless endeavor, as he finally blacked out, falling into Lambda’s arms.
Lambda held Zack tightly. Her gaze never broke. She could only think of him as she peered down at his defenseless body. In her arms he breathed heavily as sweat dampened his face.
Even at rest, he still can’t recover, Lambda thought as she looked upon Zack’s sleeping face.
A sudden urge crept up in her as she watched Zack sleep restlessly. She didn’t understand what she was feeling, nor what it meant. All at once, she found herself lost with Zack at the center. Her finger touched his chapped lips as she began to lean forward. Many things were going through her mind, but everything was starting to blur. These feelings she was having were out of control. Every neuron and bit of code was firing at light speed, creating so many different surges in her body that she had no hope of comprehending. There was no way for her to keep up.
I c-can’t think . . .
She could hear her own brain process, warning her of hundreds of ignored variables, yet she didn’t stop. She ignored everything except what was in front of her. She didn’t want these feelings that her body was generating to stop. Lambda realized that it was these feelings that made her feel real. It was these feelings that made her feel human.
“Zack . . . I . . .”
A rush of wind blasted the area with all the force of a turbine engine. The intense current of air was so violent that several trees began to crack at the trunk from the pressure.
Lambda held her hand out, producing a spherical dome around her and Zack to protect them from the strange phenomenon. Still, she knew that this wasn’t an act of mother nature.
The black holes split open just ten meters above the ground, producing three figures clad in armor. Lambda lowered her shield once the wind vanished, and materialized her black visor over her eyes. She burned inside with a new type of feeling . . . hate.
* * *
[January 7th - Washington D.C. - Cyber Research Plant - Day]
Karen and Richard both hung over their keyboards, staring up at the large monitor before them. Their expressions were full of unrest.
“Do you think it was wise to let her go alone?”
Karen shrugged. “Margret is a grown woman. She knows the dangers. Besides, her need to know everything makes it impossible to talk to her when she gets like this.”
Richard wa
sn’t convinced. He crossed his arms, diving into his thoughts.
Karen shook her head at the sight. “Stop your worrying. It’s not like she-”
The door to their lab swooshed open to reveal Margret standing on the other side. Karen quickly noticed the grim look on her face.
“Karen,” she said sternly.
Karen stared back, completely unfazed.
“I need a favor from you,” Margret said gravely.
Richard spoke up. “Margret, what has happened? You look pale.”
Margret ignored his observation and entered the lab, allowing the door to close behind her. She knew that she didn’t have a lot of time.
“I need an exit, Karen. You are the only one I know who could make this work.”
Karen eyed Margret oddly. “What are you talking about? Perhaps it would be better if you explained-”
Margret slammed her hand on the table beside her. “Can you do it or not?!”
Now Karen looked annoyed. Richard was starting to feel that the situation was only going to get worse. Instead, he made the first move.
“Margret, stop! This solves nothing. What is going on?”
Margret leered in Richard’s direction, but managed to get herself under control. She took several deep breaths before speaking.
“Looks like I wasn’t careful enough.”
Margret explained her situation as quickly as she could without losing too much time. She knew that Dead Eye would be arriving soon, and there was little time to prepare. Marcus’ warning was very clear, and she knew that the best course of action was to get as far away as possible from the High King.
“Not good. Of the three High Kings, Dead Eye has a certain reputation,” stated Richard in a foreboding manner.
Margret turned to him intently. “What do you know about him?”
“Enough to tell you he is worthy of his title: the Lord of Pandemonium.”
Karen pushed herself out from under her keyboard, spinning on her chair to face Margret.
“You should have been more careful in your digging. Babel doesn’t like its secrets being pooled together in one person.” She chuckled lightly. “Very unlucky to attract a wild dog like this though.”
The Genesis Code 1: Lambda Page 24