He had held out his hand. His masked face at that time frightened Nerine. She was seventeen now, but his presence two years ago froze her with fear.
Despite Nerine’s obvious fear, he continued to hold out his hand to a beaten and tattered girl who was fighting for food. Back then, every day was a fight to find work just to feed herself in the Limit Zone. It was so rural and old that the only line of work available was construction or factory work, both of which she was physically unable to do.
The truth was, her talents laid elsewhere. Put her fingers on a keyboard, and she could give you the world. She was a genius hacker and a extraordinary programmer. Some say it was a gift, but for Nerine, it quickly turned into a curse as she was never given the chance to let her talents shine. After all, she was abandoned as a child. Where her talents came from, she never knew. All she did know was at the earliest she could remember, she was building her own computers with the just the simple scrap she found. It was a passion she couldn’t let go of. It was something that no one could take from her, and something that made her who she was. Unfortunately, it left her with no way to feed herself after she grew of age and was thrown into the futureless land of the Limit Zone. Left to fend for herself, and with no way to earn money, she quickly found herself homeless and starving in the dark world, teeming with smoke and metal. The land was always dreary and filled with unfiltered air. Even during the day, the smokestacks seemed to block out the sun.
She recalled Corson’s outstretched hand and his unwavering eyes. Had it not been for that extended hand she took that day, Nerine wondered if she would still be alive now. Back then, his hand never loosened. His powerful eyes spoke more words than anything. Though scared, Nerine had reached out with her quivering hand. She remembered, clearly, the first thing Corson ever said to her . . .
“What is your name, child?” His voice was so soft and kind then. It bewildered Nerine that his voice could sound the way it did.
Still fearful, Nerine remembered managing to cough out her name. She was mesmerized by how Corson’s eyes softened then as he chuckled lightly. The profound words he said to her that day still remained with her.
“Nerine? A fitting name . . . for a diamond in the rough.”
Nerine took a deep breath as she opened her eyes, finding renewed strength in the memories of her past. She always found solace and peace when she reflected on where she was then compared to where she was now.
“Cecilia,” she said with a light smile.
Cecilia looked up at her, sensing a change in her presence. It seemed a lot warmer all of a sudden.
“I want you to come with us.”
Cecilia looked surprised. “Come with you? Where?”
Nerine smiled cheerfully. “Where it will all begin. Limit Zone 246.”
* * *
The sound of Zack’s rumbling stomach echoed throughout the room. He looked over to Laura, but before he could utter a word, she merely pointed to the sink to his left.
“You’ll survive. Drink something for now,” she uttered nonchalantly.
Zack groaned as he rolled his eyes. I don’t know why I even thought to ask.
With minor discontent, he made his way to the sink and turned the faucet. The running water was ice cold, but it felt good as Zack put his mouth under the flowing water. Still, as refreshing as it was, he knew he was just stalling. After all, Laura was starting to become increasingly curious. Ever since Zack’s comment from before, she had been leering at him with a piercing stare. She seemed like she was trying to search his soul. It made Zack feel uneasy.
I can’t let her find out that I was there on that day. If they find out . . . who knows what they might do.
Zack could still distinctively recall the events that had transpired back then. If Corson were to find out that Zack was the one behind Rachiel’s creation, he may reconsider his current tactics. For all Zack knew, Corson may confine him and force him to make another Rachiel, an AI that would only obey him. However, Zack had his doubts. He recalled the haste that rode Corson’s words. It sounded like he was short on time. Even so, if he were to find out that Zack was there, or Laura for that matter, it would only cause more chaos. It wasn’t important right now, but Zack didn’t want anyone to find out, not just yet.
“Where is Corson now, Laura?” Zack asked after shutting the running water off.
Laura’s eyes burned for a quick second as she frowned with frustration at Zack’s casual use of Corson’s name. She rolled her eyes with a shake of her head, knowing she was only going to lose if she brought it up.
“Corson is making the final arrangements for our plan. Don’t worry, he still has a use for you, I’m sure. After all, he wants you to see the truth.”
Zack’s face turned serious. “The Limit Zones, huh?”
Laura nodded. “You will be able to experience and see what Stigma fights for.”
Zack sat down next to Lambda. “I wonder about that. Your organization has never been good at showcasing its efforts.”
Laura huffed. “You are blinded by the media’s fabrication of the truth. Perhaps you should stop being distracted and open your eyes to the bigger picture. What we are fighting for is bigger than you or me. Corson wishes to bring freedom. Soon, you will understand.”
Zack rolled Laura’s words over in his head. It seemed strange to him. Freedom? We all are prisoners now?
Zack didn’t understand what Laura was trying to say. She was deliberately being cryptic, and not saying anything that was too revealing. It was just enough to wet his curiosity, but not enough to give him a clear picture of the grand goal. Just what exactly were these Limit Zones?
Laura’s wrist lit up. She reached down and tapped it to receive her call.
“Yes?” she inquired. She continued her conversation in a hushed tone, prompting Zack to want to hear what she was talking about.
Zack strained his ears in an effort to hear her conversation. He wondered just what kind of plan Corson was trying to put in motion that required Lambda’s and his cooperation. He was far from any answer. It pained him to be left in the dark, without a clue of what all of this was leading up to.
Laura broke Zack’s thoughts.
“Looks like things are moving smoothly. You two will accompany me to Hangar 3. We will meet Corson and the rest of the chosen squads there,” she said firmly.
Neither Zack nor Lambda made a comment as she opened the door to their room.
“Follow me. Don’t fall behind, and don’t ask any questions,” she warned.
Zack chuckled wearily under his breath. Feel the love and hospitality.
Moments later Zack and Lambda followed Laura out into the long halls beyond their little cell. The metal walls shined with such perfection that it made both Laura and Lambda stand out alarmingly in their black outfits. Even the floor below him clanked every time a step was made. It was a fortress of steel.
As they rounded a corner, the hall expanded and branched out to give access to three huge doors, labeled one through three. Several members of Stigma were scattered around the area. Some chose to lay on the ground, while others propped up on the walls. Once they laid eyes on Laura, they immediately ceased what they were doing and stood in attention. Zack found this fascinating. After all, a lot of the people he saw looked much older than Laura.
They all wore a similar uniform of camouflage with a mix of dark green and black. Several of the people Zack noted were older men, appearing to be in their early forties and some in their fifties. He could tell from their military stature that they were veterans.
There weren’t many women, but the few Zack did see appeared to be quite young. There were only two to five women he could see that looked to be in their thirties at first glance. Still, what stood out most to Zack was that the demographic seemed incredibly mixed. From just taking quick looks, he could tell that all races were present. Still, that aside, Zack found it quite remarkable that so many people from different backg
rounds and culture were all united under the same banner. What was their reason for following Corson?
“All of these people are-”
“What did I say about asking questions?” Laura barked as they marched on.
Zack cringed and instantly silenced as he kept pace with Laura from behind.
Lambda followed suit. She too wondered about the people around them. In particular, she wondered why some of the people would make eye contact with her and then immediately look down. She could hear their quickening pulse and increased heart rate as she scanned their vitals. She wanted to believe this was the effect caused by Laura, but she knew better. She didn’t like the answer, but she already knew what was happening around her.
They’re terrified of me.
Lambda’s thoughts were broken as they ceased their advance once they came before the giant door with the number “3” on it. Laura tapped a small compartment and popped it open to reveal a retinal scanner. She leaned forward as the laser expanded and scanned her eye for verification.
“Match. Laura Richter. Access granted,” came a robotic voice.
The massive door split in two and slowly spread to allow them to enter the vast hangar beyond the metal doors. Zack felt like he was passing though the Hoover Dam.
Once on the other side of the massive door, Zack stared in awe as he gazed at the colossal armory before him. The area was gigantic and expansive, with multiple levels stacked along the sides of the mountain-like walls. In the center, it was all clear to allow several Black Hawk helicopters to rest on their helipads. Dozens of huge computer screens were illuminated all around Zack and displayed huge holograms of the entire world and Cyber Network layout. The only thing more mesmerizing was the sheer amount of people that moved around the area. So many different people looked to be working tirelessly towards a goal that Zack just didn’t seem to understand. There had to be a few hundred people moving around in the hangar. That alone was enough to leave Zack in shock. The bigger realization he came to see was one simple truth. He didn’t want to admit it, but after seeing all this, he had no choice.
Zack looked to the ceiling of the giant hangar, his eyes still sparkling with wonder.
Corson’s influence . . . is legendary.
[20]
Havoc
[January 7th - Washington D.C. - Isolated Area - Day]
Karen marched down a long flight of stairs, leading further into the dark underbelly of a remote location. She couldn’t help but smirk as she took each step. After all, getting to this point was just too easy.
“I can even impress myself still,” she mused.
She doubted that Richard or Charles had even realized she was gone. Naturally, she knew they had their hands full with keeping Epsilon contained, an issue she would soon address given what she had in mind for the unit.
The stairs kept on going deeper into the earth as she pondered her next objective. Presently, she was in one of the many storage warehouses she had leased through different aliases over the years. She had overhauled one of these storage garages to enable appropriate storing of data towers within the compound for backup and emergencies. Beneath the ground, they were kept cool and had low risk of overheating. The underground facility was powered by her own personal generators and siphoned energy from the neighboring electrical companies by tapping into their lines. Down in this little hole, Karen was basically invisible to the world above. It was the perfect getaway.
Karen smirked as she flipped a large switch upon coming to the end of the descending stairs, bringing to life the massive towers in the dark basement. The flickering lights radiated with blue auras as the machines roared with life. The floor was full of mist from the cooling agents given off by the high-tech ventilation system and dry ice machines. The basement was kept at a low thirty-eight degrees at all times.
At the end of the basement, a large monitor booted up and several additional screens appeared around it. Karen walked over to the hovering screens and waved her hand past them as she sat down at the large terminal before her.
“Now, to business,” she said, still smiling.
Her words fell on deaf ears. This hardly bothered Karen. She was fond of the silence. It never had an opinion, and never spoke back.
She pulled out a small thumb drive and inserted it upright into the terminal. The drive glowed bright red and instantly generated twenty different screens around Karen as she flipped through them with her hands. She stopped when she found the screen entitled “Project Lambda”.
Her expression quickly turned grim as she stared intensely at the screen before her.
“It continues to learn even now . . .” Her eyes burned. “I underestimated the unit. I had hoped I could use Zack to control it.” She bit her lip in frustration. “If only I could have disappeared then . . .” She shook her head. “No use trying to fix what is irreversible.”
She noted Lambda’s location to be unknown. She shrugged, knowing its most probable location.
“So, Corson was able to get what he wanted.” She leaned forward, gazing at the monitor with possessed eyes. “Too bad it will only lead him to ruin.”
Her fingers blazed over the many keyboards, quickly pulling up several other screens. This time, the image was a display of a different AI unit.
Karen smirked. “It’s awake, but not fully.” She sneered with malefic intent. “It appears I need to give it a hand.” She chuckled as she thought of one of her favorite quotes from T. S. Eliot. “The tiger springs in the new year. Us he devours,” Karen purred with sinister delight.
She went to work. A dark force hung over her head like some lurking shadow. She could only think of how all would be turned to dust in the moment that Epsilon clashed with Lambda.
She smiled widely. “Havoc is coming.”
* * *
[January 7th - Abingdon, Virgina - Stigma’s Underground Facility - Day]
Corson leered down the several levels of Hangar 3 as he watched Lambda closely. He couldn’t help but feel uneasy with such a force moving so freely around his base despite his confidence in keeping her on a short leash.
To think the most powerful weapon of man is at the command of just a boy, he thought as he peered upon Zack with hardened eyes.
Peter, standing next to Corson, noticed his fixation. He could sense the disapproval radiating from him.
Peter then received a mission update over his Com-Linker. He looked to Corson. “Corson, all the squads are beginning their final preparations. They will be ready shortly.”
Corson’s eyes broke from below. “Good. Is everything in place as I ordered?”
“That depends. I’ve only just been informed we had to scramble our Black Hawks and our B-52 for departure to Limit Zone 246. How do you think things are going with sudden updates like this?” Peter didn’t try to hide his criticism.
Corson groaned under his breath, making no effort to answer Peter.
Peter sighed. “All is progressing normally.” He paused, his expression turning hard.
“I still think it’s unwise to keep everyone in the dark about the operation, especially at this point. Ever since you revealed the location to be Limit Zone 246, the entire crew is anxious to learn more. Can’t you at least give up more of the plan? At least tell them what the B-52 is carrying to the drop site.”
Corson’s eyes didn’t waver. His tone was harsh. “I didn’t put you in charge of the men to ask questions. Do your job. I will hear nothing more of this until the operation begins.”
Corson spun on his heel and marched off, leaving Peter distraught and offended. His expression quickly turned coarse as he leered at one of the large monitors above him. Displayed over his head was the twenty-mile operation zone Corson had laid out, Limit Zone 246 being the center.
Just what exactly is there that is going to help us achieve our goal, Corson?
Peter turned and glared at Corson’s back. “We all follow Leader, huh?” Peter whispered.
With a huff and a turn, Peter broke his heated stare at Corson’s back and continued about his work. He knew he would get his answer soon.
* * *
Zack still stared dumbstruck at what surrounded him. He was still trying to take everything in when an arrogant voice cut his bewilderment short.
“Close that gap on your face. We don’t have time to sight-see,” barked Laura as she marched forward.
Zack groaned under his breath. “It’s because of that attitude I bet you’ve never had a guy before,” he mumbled.
Laura’s ears perked. She turned her head slowly to glance back at Zack, her eyes full of bloodlust.
Zack felt sweat starting to form on his brow as he waved back cheekily. Laura rolled her eyes as she stomped onward. Zack and Lambda followed close behind.
As they walked, Zack couldn’t help but feel the strange stares from all the people around him. It appeared to be a mix of resentment and rage. However, he could see another emotion wavering in the many eyes of those he passed—fear.
Are they scared of Lambda?
Zack’s thought was quickly put to the test as a woman carrying a wooden crate brushed shoulders with Lambda. The sudden impact caused the woman to lose her balance and fall to her knees. The scene didn’t cause pause for anyone around except Lambda and Zack. Everyone continued their work like nothing had happened, like an automated assembly line. It was when Lambda went to aid the woman that Zack got his answer.
“Back off!” the woman yelled.
Distraught, Lambda recoiled, stunned, as she stepped away from the woman. The sudden explosion and elevated tone confused her. She had no idea what she did wrong.
The woman took to standing once again. Her eyes quivered as she glared at Lambda.
The Genesis Code 1: Lambda Page 31