The Genesis Code 1: Lambda (2 page)

“We will have better success in capturing Lambda if we enlist the Core’s security force.” The Director eyed the man, who was still looking confused.

“With the Core’s World Moderators, they can isolate Lambda and limit its Exit Ports,” the Director added.

The man to the Director’s left spoke. “But the God Mod AI units enlisted by the World Moderators are programmed to delete all virus-related signatures. If we alert Core HQ of Lambda in this manner, they will just release the God Mods and hunt down the Lambda unit as a Corruption. How are we going to ensure that they won’t destroy it?”

The Director smirked. “It was never designed to go down easily.”

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[January 5th - Undisclosed Location - Night]

In a dark room lit by several dozen computer screens, the face of a lone Japanese girl with long black hair could be seen. The girl’s hair was pinned up on her left side with a vibrant hair decoration of a blue flower in bloom. Her expression ranged from deep satisfaction to absolute triumph.

“It looks like the hack was a success,” chuckled the girl as she adjusted her hairpin ever so slightly.

The girl’s moment of triumph was cut short as the door to her rear swooshed open, revealing a silhouette of a tall figure with long hair. Her icy stare made the girl a little uneasy as the woman approached her.

“Has it been done, Nerine?” Her tone was coarse and direct.

Nerine turned in her chair majestically as she tried to wave off her uneasiness with a vibrant attitude and radiant smile.

“Everything went according to plan. Will you be requiring anything else from yours truly?” she responded proudly.

The woman stared darkly. Her eyes never seemed to waver for a second. The intense focus was deeply disturbing to Nerine, despite her pride in her own focus as a Corrupter.

“I will inform our Leader of the mission’s status. This is only the first phase of the plan.” She then thrust her hand out, pointing her finger a mere inch from Nerine’s face.

“Continue to monitor the target’s location and pinpoint its final destination when it sets on an Exit Port. We can’t afford to lose it now.”

Nerine puffed out her cheeks, like she was pouting. “Anything else?” she responded with all the enthusiasm of a corpse. She then spun from the gaze of the woman and focused on the screen before her.

“You could learn to loosen up a bit,” Nerine said playfully.

The woman behind her said no more and left seconds later from where she came, leaving Nerine to her devices. She mumbled under her breath the moment she left.

“I forgot that the Ice Queen might melt if she cracks a smile.”

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The cold woman marched with purpose. Her stride was long and powerful as she gracefully lit the ground afire in route to her destination. Her slender body, endowed with a tight, black battle suit, swayed with each contact of her foot on the metal floor. The slick design of her uniform brought out her lean body structure and small curves. She had a soldier’s body, but brought a unique beauty through her modest features and unblemished skin. However, her eyes pulsed with a deadly aura. No one would have guessed she was only twenty-one.

She brushed her golden hair behind her as she rounded a corner, never slowing down. The tall hallway she marched through was massive and made of reflective sheets of steel. Upon rounding another corner, she was met with two armed guards. They seemed to be talking causally, but immediately stood in attention the moment they saw the fire in her eyes.

“Commander Richter!”

“As you were.” Her words were forthright and harsh.

The men quickly stepped aside and allowed the overwhelming presence access to the control panel on the metal door. The woman removed her black glove from her right hand and placed it on the small panel of the door. She then bent slightly and allowed a laser device to quickly scan her retina. Several seconds passed before an automated voice came over the loud speaker.

“Identification Complete: Laura Richter. Access approved.”

The door slid aside and Laura quickly passed the two men. Both let out a sigh of relief as the door slid shut behind them.

Laura continued her pace just as her left ear and wrist started blinking red. She wasted no movements or time as she quickly tapped her Com-Linker to receive her incoming call.

“Report,” she said sternly.

“The target has begun to slow in speed. It looks to be preparing to settle on an Exit Port. I’d get ready quickly,” came the foreboding words of Nerine over the line.

“Very well. I will inform our Leader shortly.”

“But of course, Lady Laura,” replied Nerine cheekily.

“That’s Commander Richter to you.” Her tone was fierce, her expression irritated.

Nerine sighed disappointed. “You’re no fun.”

Laura didn’t even respond as she cut the call.
Her attitude makes me nauseous,
she thought to herself.

Only seconds later did Laura come to a stop as the long hallway broke into a wide area of white. The space before her was a living area with beautiful works of art lining the wall. Several pieces of white leather furniture were strategically placed in the quarters and fresh vegetation gave the room a clean and tranquil feeling. Laura, for only a moment, let her body relax as she gazed at the peaceful layout of the room.

“How long are you going to stand there Commander Richter?” came a deep voice.

Laura quickly broke from her relaxed state and stood in attention.

“Sir! Our target is preparing to emerge. We are ready to move to the next phase,” spoke Laura strongly.

The source of the deep voice was a lone man in the back of the room. The figure was clad in black and sported a strong build, toned and firm. He wore a long coat that appeared more like armor in its slick and edgy design along the shoulders and sleeves. As the dark man stood up from one of the sofas far in the back, it was almost like the pressure around him could crush diamonds.

His back was to Laura for only a moment, as he turned to reveal his masked face. The white, metallic mask adorned on the man before her had a design of cracking veins that coursed out his left eye and around his chin. His coat was open, revealing his armored chest, and held together by three metal chains.

The masked man brushed his black coat aside as he began walking toward Laura. His bleached hair was erect and sharp, much like Laura’s posture. Still, his gaze made even Laura weak in the knees as the dark figure slowly approached.

“Good. I trust that you are prepared to follow me, then. Are you having any doubts?” His tone made Laura’s body numb. The sheer presence of the man was massive.

Laura let her head fall. She found comfort in staring at the floor instead of at the overwhelming eyes of the dark man before her. It wasn’
t fear that caused her this anxious feeling, but overwhelming admiration.

Still staring at the ground, Laura replied firmly. “I trust in your abilities as our Leader.”

“Perfect,” echoed the man’s voice, now dangerously close.

Laura’s head jerked up in surprise as she stared into the inflamed eyes of the masked man. The distance he closed was more than twenty feet, yet he managed to not make a sound, completely taking her by surprise. She was left speechless by this immense gap of skill. The person who stood before her was truly a frightening man, but also powerful.

“Tell me, Lady Laura, do you question your orders regarding the operation?”

Laura went completely numb. She couldn’t help but allow the masked man to call her in this fashion despite her dislike for it. She had nothing but respect for this ominous entity.

The masked man’s hand rose to Laura’s cheek, touching it ever so gently with his black glove. He grazed over her lips with his thumb and slowly moved his hand along her face as he delicately ran his fingers through Laura’s hair. He was so close. His eyes were so intense.

Weakly, Laura responded. “I-I need only my orders. E-exact knowledge of the operation comes secondary.”

The man’s hand left Laura’s cheek as he stepped away, feeling that he had teased her enough. “Very good. And what of our contact within Babel?”

Laura shook off the remaining dizziness lingering in her head.
“We have yet to hear back from our contact after the Lambda unit was released. Their silence is rather troubling.”

The man nodded his head.
“Indeed, you are quite right. The Babel contact’s actions seem to not be fitting with my predictions, but even so, this Lambda unit . . .” The man turned to face Laura once more. His eyes were filled with intrigue.

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[January 6th - Abingdon, Virginia - Town of Little Brook - Day]

The constant beeping of a digital clock sounded annoyingly in the background. Before the third beep, a swift kick from an enraged body under the covers of a bed attacked the clock with such precision and force that would stun a martial arts master and a professional marksman. It was a shame that the disgruntled person below the covers was neither. Regardless, it was more than enough to silence the obnoxious device, as well as avenge the loss of the dream state the grumbling body had been enjoying just moments before. With a low groan, Zack flung the covers off of him and glanced at the defamed clock. The time flickered in and out as it read: 6:34 a.m.

Looks like I got to fix the stupid thing again.

Today wasn’t anything new, not even anything special. Zack simply woke up, went about his normal routine in getting ready for school, downed a bowl of cereal for breakfast, and checked the local news channel. When the man on the screen started talking about a riot caused by Anti-Network protesters he shut the television off with a grunt. He wasn’t one for bad news this early in the morning.

Seconds later, he marched outside to be greeted by the chilly, morning weather of January. This part was so routine that Zack was starting to wonder if he could have possibly been a zombie in a past life.

He heard the humming tone of his phone in his pocket while also suppressing the annoying pinging noise his wrist began to make. He gazed down at his wrist and tapped his Com-Linker. The small device displayed a illuminated screen with a blinking envelope. Zack sighed as he closed the display and fished out his phone.

How do they know both my phone numbers?
      

Zack sighed again. The only reason he kept a phone outside of his Com-Linker was because he was a sucker for classics, devices his parents didn’t know about. So much for that.

Hesitantly, he pulled out the old smart-phone and noted a new mail message on the device as well. He pulled open the inbox and grazed over the text displayed. He rolled his eyes after realizing the subject matter and sender of the mail. He had hoped he could hide the fact that he skipped yesterday for simply having no desire to go to school. It wasn’t like they taught him anything new. Still, Zack’s parents had several ways in always finding out what he was doing, and only took action, it seemed, when it wasn’t good.

“So nice of my parents to send their messages of contempt so early in the morning. How they manage to know about my everyday life without actually being here is beyond me.” Zack’s face contorted into an ugly scowl.

This was hardly new. Zack had lived alone for the past three years of his life. Now at the age of eighteen, only months before graduating high school, he had seen his parents maybe twice. The occasional e-mail here and there showed that they were still alive, but even those felt rushed. It was almost as if they hardly had time to even say hello to their son through text message.

A rush of cold wind rolled over the area, sending a chill through Zack’s body.

Even Mother Nature gives me the cold shoulder,
he
joked half-heartedly as he began his routine march to school. Today, it felt like Zack was wearing weighted clothing and bricks for shoes. He could just feel that today was going to be a drag.

The walk to Zack’s high school wasn’t long, but hardly short. It took him up to twenty minutes to get there, depending on how long he would have to wait at the crosswalks. Still, upon seeing classmates with matching uniforms, he inadvertently avoided eye contact. He knew all his classmates well, but just was never a fan of small talk or engaging in conversations with people that he knew had no interest in him. The useless notion of being pleasant and keeping the peace with everyone to avoid conflict was one that Zack had done away with awhile ago. He just simply kept to himself. Most people tended to leave him alone, but there was one exception.

And as if on cue . . .

“So the genius decides to come out of his cave. How are we doing this morning, Sleeping Beauty?” The owner of the voice quickly slapped Zack’s back with all the love of a linebacker. The boy was very built and about a head taller than Zack. His athletic body made him look like he could pass for a professional wrestler in his twenties Despite the condescending tone from the giant, Zack just rolled his eyes. He always wondered how he was friends with this behemoth.

“I was doing crappy up until you arrived. Now I just want to die.” Zack’s reply was cold and intense.

The boy laughed. “Come now, how is that a way to treat your friend?”

“Friends help one another. You just laugh at my expense.”

The boy waved his hand as a way of dismissing Zack’s comment. “Regardless, I’m here to brighten up your morning as I accompany you on our walk to our lovely Horizon Academy.” The way the boy stated the last part of his sentence seemed ridiculously flamboyant.

Zack gave a snotty retort. “This coming from the guy who is always leaving and cutting classes? I think I should stop associating with you as I might have caught your disease.”

The boy shrugged the comment off.
“What can I say? I’m a busy guy with things to do. You ought to tag along one of these days.”

Zack rolled his eyes. “I’m pretty sure your Anti-Network protests are going to get me thrown in jail, David. It’s a wonder you haven’t had your Network Account seized yet and your sorry soul thrown behind bars.”