Little time was wasted from that moment on as Zack, Cecilia, and Lambda were all moved to the designated chopper that would serve as their transport to the Limit Zone. Zack was happy to learn that Cecilia was flying in the same chopper as him. Too bad Corson and his higher-ups were joining them as well.
Zack sat silently between Lambda and Laura. Several men in black armor joined them as well as Nerine, sitting adjacent to Zack with Cecilia. He couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of tension rise among those around him as the helicopter they were in came to life. That didn’t bother him as much as Corson sitting next to his sister.
Way too close . . . he growled to himself.
Zack felt uneasy as his gaze fell toward a massive door within the hangar. The door made a sudden lurch, and with a deafening hissing sound, it slowly began to slide open. Zack half-expected an army of goblins and orcs to come rushing in behind the giant steel door. Instead, he only felt worse as the helicopter took point, allowing the other eight choppers to follow its lead.
Corson spoke. “Now, you will see a glimpse of what is to come.” He was cryptic, but Zack could hear his tone of unwavering confidence.
Zack was about to give a retort when his attention quickly changed to the scene unfolding to his right. It took a second for him to grasp what he was seeing. He stared with bewilderment as he noticed the floor begin to break away and open from below. The metallic scraping and searing of metal almost made his ears bleed, despite the deafening roar of the helicopter’s engines. His aching ears were the least of his worries.
“The operation is a go. All hail Leader Corson!” came the radical roar of all the members of Stigma throughout the hangar. It was terrifying hearing their wails of approval. The unity in just that one act made Zack wonder if anyone truly doubted Corson, or if they were too afraid to voice their doubts.
The show wasn’t over. Zack continued to gawk in shock as he watched what began to rise from Stigma’s basement, the floor having finished splitting down the middle. At first, he thought it was some kind of new weapon, but as the massive object rose to ground level, he stared at what had to be the largest aircraft plane ever. The gigantic machine was slick and black, oozing with a deadly aura, like a lurking snake. Its hooked wings made it look like some jagged boomerang, and judging from the mere size of the huge vessel, it looked like it could hold an army in it. Zack had never seen a B-52 Bomber up close, let alone a modified one.
Zack’s gaze fell to Corson. “What purpose does that serve?”
Corson ignored Zack as he watched the black bird finish its rise from its metal cage below.
Zack didn’t take kindly to the silence. “What are you using a B-52 for!?”
Corson’s eyes moved back to Zack. “To deliver the future.”
Zack sat rigid and frozen. The words that purred over his ears made him feel like he was locked in a freezer. Corson’s tone was so calm, yet utterly threatening. So much so that he was afraid to say a word.
Lambda eyed Zack with worry. Given the situation, she was unsure of what she could do. Matters had intensified beyond her control and it seemed like things were only falling further and further out of her hands. For Zack’s sake, she wanted to attain some form of resolution from all of this, but nothing she came up with hit the mark. Just seeing his troubled face made it all the more unbearable.
Is there really nothing I can do right now?
She thought tirelessly to find an answer. Blazing through her databanks, she tried to search for something that could be used to aid Zack. What was appropriate in a time of such peril and uncertainty?
Her search came to a screeching halt upon the finding of a single word. Hope.
Hope . . . hope?
Lambda hadn’t learned this concept. Hope wasn’t tangible or physical. It didn’t exist in any corporeal form or have any structure. It was like air. The concept shared an alarming similarity to another human manifestation—love.
Lambda’s face grew hot. Again, something stirred inside of her upon the word simply whispering through her mind. She could feel her chest tighten as the echoing drum beats began to hammer in her chest once more. Lambda was lost for words or reasons to describe what she was experiencing.
Where is this coming from?
She held a hand to her chest and tried to breathe deeply in order to calm the hammering within her. She was so flustered, but couldn’t truly understand the reason for it.
She gazed toward Zack, his head slumped down, hiding his face behind an open palm. Her chest began to beat rapidly once more. She almost felt dizzy as her gaze moved down to his free hand, placed weakly beside her. At that point, she couldn’t explain her actions. On impulse, she reached out and placed her hand over Zack’s. The action alone almost made her face explode as she remained completely frozen, unsure of how to proceed.
Zack ceased holding his face and quickly saw what was unfolding before him. He looked up at Lambda, peering deeply into her eyes. The look on his face seemed so mystified.
Lambda opened her mouth to speak, but no words could form. Every action she made couldn’t be quantified or observed in a sensible way. She was a bundle of nerves, fueled by raw impulse. Nothing within her programming could make sense of her actions. She could only try and say something, anything to explain her odd behavior.
Zack didn’t let her. In no words, he turned Lambda’s hand over and held it tightly. With a simple nod, he smiled majestically.
Lambda’s face flushed a sudden shade of pink. She averted her eyes, but didn’t take her hand away. She felt that what was happening had to continue. She couldn’t explain what she was feeling, but her actions appeared to make Zack feel better.
But . . . I don’t understand. We are still in this terrible situation. How can he smile?
The answer came to her upon gazing at Zack’s uplifted face once more. He stared straight ahead with strong eyes. She could see renewed faith and a refueled spirit within his demeanor. She knew, without thinking, that this was hope. Yet she still couldn’t fully comprehend her own deduction.
This is hope?
Lambda was confused at first, but something just told her to stop thinking about it. What she felt at that moment was true and powerful. She felt a spark, a connection to Zack that she hadn’t noticed before. Now, she was starting to see just how important he was to her. She didn’t want to just protect him, she wanted to be with him. That much she knew for a fact. The only thing that made her pause was whether or not Zack felt the same.
The pilot up front turned to Corson. “I have received word from Commander Peter, Leader. Python is forty-five percent primed for takeoff. ETA puts us less than two hours ahead of them.”
Corson replied promptly. “Very well. Alert the other Vipers and prepare for the final launch sequence. We don’t want to keep our audience waiting,” he announced proudly.
Zack found Corson’s tone worrisome as he noted the choppers taking to the air. Zack had never experienced flying in a helicopter before, but what followed wasn’t exactly normal.
Harnesses sprung from the seats and latched everyone in the chopper firmly. They were so tight that Zack almost forgot to breathe. The helicopter gave a sudden lurch, pressing Zack firmly back in his seat. The chopper was now barreling down the long tunnel at a rather alarming speed.
“Why are we moving at this speed?!” exclaimed Zack, now utterly perplexed.
Corson chuckled as he relaxed his shoulders, easing himself calmly into his seat.
“It’s necessary for wormhole hopping over vast distances.”
Zack’s eyes grew with alarm. “Wait, what?!”
Corson eyes sparked with delight. “Don’t blink.”
Zack didn’t get a chance to respond as a slit burst open at the end of the dark tunnel. Zack recognized the swirling chaos. But he wasn’t ready for the intensity in which they were going to hit the wormhole, or what he would see when they reached their final destination.
[22]
Inverse
[January 7th - Babel HQ - Private Network Server - Night]
A round table, lit at twelve points with vibrant, white light, hummed with hypnotic vibrations. Sounds made by the pillars of light echoed and bounced off the dark walls of the ominous room of black metal as the lights extended into eternity.
A sudden hiss broke the soft echoes as a light cloud of smoke began to appear from each of the twelve lit points. Seconds later, in rhythmic succession, large chairs appeared around the round table, latching to their positions loudly. The table began to light up as the center piece produced a red sphere and slowly rose from the center of the table. The large ball then burst, displaying a sea of grids and small monitor screens. It swayed and loomed above the round table eerily, lighting the dark room a bright crimson.
A voice spoke from the darkness, hidden behind the shadows of one of the twelve chairs.
“These meetings are becoming too frequent, Simon. We may have our duties to Babel, but we have our own countries to attend to as well. We can’t be catering to your every whim just because you can’t control a-”
“I trust you can make time for this, Iscariot. Germany can wait,” boomed the voice of Simon.
A man chuckled. “Still harsh as ever, I see. So, what does the Punisher wish to discuss regarding Project Lambda this time?”
Simon growled under his breath as his fingers dug into the table. “I will ignore the subtle jab there, Mathew.”
Another voice broke in. “We had expected you to have fixed the problem regarding the Lambda unit by now. It would appear leaving it all to the Lord of Pandemonium is proving unwise, as we warned.”
Simon grinded his teeth. “I care little for what a dog with no teeth has to say, Thomas.”
Thomas slammed his hand on the table. “How dare you disrespect me-”
“Gentlemen, please! Could we at least be civil? As accomplished diplomats, this is not how we should be using our limited time,” came a voice with stern authority behind it.
Simon took a breath to find his center. “You are right, Andrew. I will get to the point.”
Simon moved his hand over a small sphere next to him, altering the large display above the table. He brought up several monitors and grids.
Simon cracked his knuckles. “Simply put, Corson has revealed his hand. Not only does he now posses the Lambda unit, but as we feared, he knows too much. The movements we captured prove this.”
The monitors at the center enlarged so the twelve members could get a good look at what Simon was trying to show them.
“So, he is trying to wormhole hop to a location. Unfortunately for him, he underestimates our satellite imaging,” spoke another member of the table.
Simon agreed. “True, but it’s his projected destination that gives me cause for concern,” Simon said deeply. His words seemed to echo with trepidation.
Another man in shadow spoke up. “His plotted course appears to be heading to Limit Zone 246. You can’t mean that-”
Simon clenched his fists. “He’s after the Key again, Iscariot. He surely plans to use the Lambda unit to achieve his goal.”
The table grew silent for a moment.
“Then he knows of the existence of the Hex Cubes,” Iscariot said with worry.
“Yes,” Simon stated firmly. “However, he won’t be successful. I have already taken steps to ensure he fails. As I said, Dead Eye will succeed.”
“Forgive us if we seem skeptical, but Dead Eye hasn’t delivered. One would naturally question his ability to perform, despite him being one of the Three,” warned another shadow.
“You needn’t worry about that. I have given Dead Eye the proper tools to ensure this mission to be a success, Andrew,” reassured Simon.
A new voice broke in. “That is good to hear, Simon, but you seem to not be addressing an even greater concern.”
Simon groaned. “And what exactly are you concerned about, James?”
James’s shadow leaned forward. “Epsilon,” he echoed warningly.
The table began to whisper once more. Simon’s posture stiffened.
Mathew spoke up. “Well, Simon? Where do we stand on the matter?”
Simon face twitched. “Presently, the Epsilon unit has been tampered with. The lab and team in charge was sabotaged not long ago. The status of the unit is unclear as of now.”
The other members seemed to shift in their seats nervously.
“Simon, the last thing we need now is to have two of our projects running around, unable to be controlled,” barked Thomas. “Why didn’t you mention this sooner?”
Simon cursed under his breath. “For now, the Epsilon unit appears to be contained. I had hoped to settle the issue with the Lambda unit first. Focusing to take down one problem quickly was the best course of action.”
There was a pause before someone spoke up.
“It’s just another Enforcer defect. Surely it won’t be as much trouble as the Lambda-”
“Be quiet, Thomas. Have you forgotten why the Epsilon project was sealed?” shot James with warning.
Thomas seemed to clam up at the mentioning.
James continued. “Epsilon was only to be used as a last resort, but if it is to be released as it was before, it would far outclass the Lambda unit now. It would in turn only cause more problems and complications. We can’t let that happen.”
“It didn’t help that it was the only AI unit with enough functionality that could contend with Lambda’s advanced features,” added another voice from the darkness.
The dark room fell silent. Only the nervous tapping of fingers on the glass table broke the quiet.
“Simon,” came the voice of a woman speaking forthrightly. “We need to discuss a countermeasure should Epsilon’s contain break before Dead Eye retrieves Lambda.”
Simon was firm. “You are right, Thaddaeus.”
Thaddaeus continued. “Given Corson’s target, the Limit Zone will provide a cover that we can at least use to our advantage,” she added strictly.
Thaddaeus returned to her point. “Do we know the degree to which Epsilon has been tampered with?”
Simon’s eyes gleamed. “Epsilon has been programmed to seek and destroy the Lambda unit.”
The whole table seemed to erupt with small chatter.
Thaddaeus pressed on, ignoring the murmurs around her. “That serves as an advantage for us. However, citizens of the Limit Zones are still people too. Keeping this quiet will prove to be a challenge.”
Simon shook his head. “Perhaps you have forgotten the Limit Zone’s original goal, Thaddaeus,” he hissed.
Thaddaeus didn’t falter. “I have not, Simon. However, hiding the Hex Cubes under each Limit Zone requires us to at least monitor and control those in the Limit Zones. Thinking them to be mere sheep is blind arrogance.”
“Thaddaeus has a point,” Thomas interrupted. “If Epsilon is released, it will headhunt the Lambda unit. That can be used to our advantage should Dead Eye attain Lambda.” He leaned back in his chair. “Can we trust Dead Eye to handle this, or are we to seek the aid of the others?”
Simon scowled. “I’m sure you understand how the Three feel about that.”
Thomas frowned. “That hardly seems relevant at this stage, no?”
Simon drummed his fingers. “Dead Eye would never agree-”
“With all due respect, Simon, what the Three think is void in the eyes of the Twelve, correct?” interjected a stern voice from the shadows.
Simon eyed the man cautiously. “You are not wrong, Philip, but history has proven that the Three don’t necessarily work well together. If you could show that-”
A monitor screen quickly appeared above, the screen completely black. The Twelve all gazed at the monitor, unsure.
A voice echoed from the screen. “I will take point. You won’t have to worry, much. Besides, if you want it done right . . .”
Simon groaned. “Dead
Eye won’t be pleased with this.”
Philip let out a loud cackle. “If all goes well, Dead Eye will never need to know.”
Simon peered at the man, and then to the screen. “To whom am I speaking?” he spoke sternly.
The monitor blinked and was filled with an eerie image of two half-circle eyes and a wide, saw-toothed vermilion grin. The source of the uncanny image didn’t speak.
Simon felt his body tighten. “So, the big one, huh?”
Philip smirked with triumph. “We all expect great things, don’t we?”
The Twelve all nodded. All was now set.
The screen filled with the razor grin vanished seconds later. Without another word, Simon vanished from the round table along with the other members. The twelve pillars of light then faded, eclipsing the vacant room in shadow. Only the dull hum of fans pierced the eerie silence as time continued to tick away.
* * *
[January 7th - Abingdon, Virginia - Stigma Black Hawk Helicopter - Night]
The sky split open as eight choppers blasted from the black chaos of the wormhole created in the air. With alarming speed, they raced onward, pressing the limits of their maximum potential.
Zack peered out the window of the racing machine that speared through the air, now grazing the treetops below at unimaginable speed. He liked it better when they were in the wormhole.
How fast are we even going?!
Zack was perplexed at how the machine he rested in could hit such speeds. The trees below zoomed by to the point where it all looked like a giant green blur. Even when he stared up at the cockpit, gazing out, it felt like he was being sucked into a black hole as his body crushed up against the steel wall behind him. Everyone appeared to be feeling the effects of the flight. All except Lambda.
Does she not notice this pressure? Zack wondered as he gazed over at her. Her expression was alarmingly calm.
Lambda was lost in thought. Her mind continued to drift in and out, unaware of her surroundings. She kept on teetering back and forth in her mind to a simple question.
The Genesis Code 1: Lambda Page 35