The Genesis Code 1: Lambda (30 page)

The woman tapped her wrist and brushed her hair behind her as she marched towards Cecilia’s bed.

“Stop your flailing, child. We aren’t going to hurt you.”

Lies!

Cecilia didn’t stop. The looming presence of the cold woman before her injected chills of fear that rattled her entire body. The dark eyes that stared down from above felt so icy and empty that she honestly thought that the woman was going to kill her.

The woman let out a sigh. She tapped her Com-Linker as her ear blinked red.

“Nerine . . .” The look on her face seemed frustrated. “Can you come here, please?”

Cecilia didn’t understand the woman’s mannerism. She seemed in many ways mad, but also embarrassed?

Seconds later the door to the room flew open to reveal a spunky girl looking no older than seventeen
      
. Her ravishing smile and spirited spring in her step seemed to cease the tension she was feeling, but it didn’t make her feel any safer.

“Laura, did you scare her?” the girl said in a scolding tone. The act was comical in that Laura stood almost a foot taller than the girl.

“The girl has no tolerance. She is just a little princess,” Laura shot back coldly. Her gaze found Cecilia’s eyes once again. It nearly made her heart stop.

“See! You did it again!”

Laura turned her head dismissingly. “I’m not doing it on purpose,” she muttered, sounding dejected.

Nerine shrugged, shaking her head. “You’re hopeless. With that attitude, you’re never going to catch Corson’s eye, you know.”

Laura’s face bulged in anger. There was also a slight tint of pink in her face.

“You be silent! Moreover, how dare you use Leader’s name in front of an outsider!”

Nerine ignored the outburst. “Oh come on, everyone knows he is the leader of Stigma-”

“Nerine!” Laura bellowed.

Cecilia didn’t know what to make of the argument unfolding before her. She did figure out at least one thing, and it only made her situation worse.

I’ve been kidnapped by Stigma?!

Laura rubbed her temples, hoping to suppress the inner voices telling her to kill the black- haired midget before her.

“Just calm her down. I hope that task is simple enough for you until Leader is ready to see her,” Laura fumed as she walked by Nerine without another word.

Nerine stuck her chin up. “Naturally! I’m at least good at talking to people,” she shot back rather snootily.

Laura ground her teeth as she left the room. The closing of the door, followed by the deafening slam of metal and bone made Cecilia nearly jump out of her skin. She didn’t even realize that she was still crying.

Nerine walked over to her bedside. She then pressed a button on her bed and inclined it so Cecilia was in a sitting position. A chair then sprang up from the metal floor panels below, which Nerine grabbed and sat down rather eagerly.

“Well, for starters, let’s get that tape off of you.”

With one fast motion Nerine pulled off the tape sealing Cecilia’s mouth shut. Her lips stung slightly from the sudden force of the tape coming off, but the pain was the last thing on her mind. Every part of her body wanted to scream for help, but the simple smile of the girl before her made it rather difficult.

Is this girl another hostage, or is she part of Stigma?

Nerine’s expression slowly changed to a more apologetic one as she tried to ease Cecilia of the fear she surely was feeling.

“I won’t pretend that I don’t know the situation. This entire idea was something no one, including Cor-” she stopped for but a second. “our Leader wanted. If it would make you more comfortable, you can ask me any questions you may like. I will try to answer them as best I can.”

Cecilia starred into the pure blue eyes of the girl before her. She was so pretty. Smooth, straight hair, vibrant, milky skin, and a snug figure that shaped her perfectly in the black uniform she wore. She was a stunning Asian beauty, fit to be a model. Her earnest smile and proper mannerisms made it difficult for Cecilia to put together a question, despite it being on the tip of her tongue.

“Wh-where am I?” she stuttered. Fear hadn’
t completely washed away yet. After all, she was still a prisoner, shackled to a bed.

Nerine cleared her throat. “This is one of Stigma’s bases. I can’t tell you where you are geographically, but let’s just say that this location is off the grid.” She tried to put a smile on. Cecilia wasn’t taking very well to it, despite Nerine’s good effort.

Cecilia looked at the cuffs that bound her to the bed. She then looked to Nerine with yearning eyes. Nerine didn’t have to ask what her next question was.

“Sorry about that,” she said as she reached over and punched a six digit code on the wrist cuffs binding Cecilia to the bed. The cuffs snapped open and Cecilia slumped down into the bed. She cradled her bruised wrists in her hands, not making a sound.

“Do you know why you have been brought here?” Nerine asked carefully.

Cecilia looked up at Nerine. She suddenly felt a wave of guilt wash over her as she recalled Zack’s warning. Now she felt like a fool. In the end, she had ignored her brother, and now allowed herself to be captured by Stigma. She knew why she was here, and it only served to anger her more knowing that it was her own selfishness and stupidity that allowed this to happen.

Nerine’s expression turned serious. “You do know, don’t you?”

Cecilia stared back into the girl’s strong eyes. Despite her stature, she could tell that she was more accustomed to intense scenarios. The other thing she saw was honesty. This girl Nerine seemed to possess a certain aura that made Cecilia feel like she could trust her. She felt that it wasn’t wise to trust someone who was in league with those who had kidnapped her, but even so, her intuition told her that this girl was safe.

“I-I do,” she replied weakly.

Nerine nodded, smiling half heartedly. “I see . . . well, do you-”

The door behind them flung open with a loud swoosh of air. The figure behind the door made Cecilia’s heart almost rocket out of her chest. It didn’t stop there. The mere sight of the person seemed so powerful that it made her body forget basic motor function. She couldn’t even breathe.

“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.