The Genesis Code 1: Lambda (37 page)

Peter took a step back. Despite being a solid three inches taller, he found the man before him to have a presence that commanded respect. He was reminded why he joined Stigma, and why Corson was his Leader.

“My apologies, Leader. I only wished to express my concern,” Peter said with his head hung in apology.

Corson dismissed Peter’s words, not out of arrogance but out of understanding.

“Pay it no mind, Peter, but we have more pressing matters to deal with now.”

Nerine chimed in as she rounded her head around Corson’s shoulder.

“And is leaving Laura behind to
watch
those two really the best idea?”

Corson sighed. “Frankly, she’s the best person . . . for all reasons, don’t you think?”

Peter and Nerine both stared, surprised. They quickly exchanged glances, already knowing what each of them were thinking.

D-did Corson just make a joke?!

“Anyway, now that we have all the pieces in place, we can finally move forward with our operation.” Corson turned to Nerine, his eyes showing concern.

“The Lambda unit, we can still harness what we need it for, yes?”

Nerine ran a hand through her hair as she mulled over the possible avenues to proceed. Honestly, she hated to admit the fact that not even she could have predicted its development.

“Lambda’s self awareness goes beyond anything I’ve ever seen before. No AI has ever come to actualize as much as it has. It has almost completely assimilated to the point of being human.”

Corson’s eyes focused. “And what does that mean in terms of the unit itself? Can it still operate at full power?”

Nerine shook her head. Nothing was certain. This was a brand new field of science for her, or for any scientist in the field of cybernetics. There was no way of telling what could happen.

“In terms of operational output, the Lambda unit should be fine, but it’s the newfound awareness I’m worried about. Before, it was a blank program with raw computing power, easily tapped and controlled. But now, it’s like a normal human. It’s a bundle of nerves.”

Corson groaned as he tapped his finger over his crossed arms. “That’s just perfect,” he spat sarcastically. “Humans are easily motivated and manipulated, but . . .”

“They can be unpredictable,” Peter added with a worried tone.

“Exactly,” Corson agreed. “Lambda is under our control for now, but if push comes to shove, she may break free of those chains. For the time being, so long as we control the boy, we control the unit.”

Nerine nodded. “How should we proceed, then?”

Corson turned to Peter. “Rally all the squads. The real mission starts soon.” He then eyed Nerine. “The boy and the Lambda unit are to be prepped for departure as well . . . that includes the girl,” he added rather ominously.

Nerine found this tactically unsound. “Wait, the Lambda unit is one thing, but I see little need to bring both the boy and girl along as well.”

Peter seemed unsure as well. “Does this have to do directly with the operation, or are you trying to prove some kind of point?”

Corson answered curtly, dismissing both Peter and Nerine’s concerns. “We leave for Limit Zone 246 in an hour. That is all you and the members of Stigma need to know now. As for the boy and his sister, they come. There will be no further talk of this.”

Peter still didn’t seem fond of the idea. “I understand, but this will only cause stress on the operation. Surely we can still use them as anchors to control the Lambda unit from off sight-”

“They need to see what we are fighting for. I would think you would understand that, Peter.”

Corson’s eyes found Nerine’s once more. “I especially thought you would agree as well.”

Both fell silent before Corson’s words. He had an uncanny way of always getting his point across and making a person see eye to eye with him.

Peter bowed his head, still unsure of the decision.

“I understand, Leader. Should I relay any type of briefing to the selected squads regarding their next objective? Given some of the attitude I noticed in the squads left behind before-”

Corson laughed loudly, which both Peter and Nerine found rather disturbing. Corson’s laugh was never followed by something particularly funny.

“Let me guess. Laura’s squad wasn’t happy?”

Peter seemed a bit surprised. “W-well, they were the ones that seemed to-”

“It was just the one, wasn’t it?” His tone was vivid.

“Yes . . . one such individual seemed to voice his dislike given current matters. His name I believe-”

“Krieg seems rather restless, as I expected him to be,” Corson said with a light chuckle. His stern manner returned quickly as he addressed Peter. “Have all the selected squads prep for departure. It’s almost time,” Corson finished, sounding quite sure of himself.

Peter eyed Corson oddly. “Is it best to leave Krieg be? Perhaps it would be better to-”

Corson turned to face Peter. His monstrous eyes could turn someone to dust.

“Let’s just say a dog shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds him.”

*
      
*
      
*

You would need a chainsaw to slice the air of the room in which Zack and Lambda sat. Standing rigid and unnerved, Laura leaned up against the wall with her arms crossed and eyes closed. If she were to dress in normal clothes and maybe smile once in awhile, Zack might have thought that she would look quite beautiful. Still, that didn’t deter his frustrated mood.

“What do you see in that guy?” Zack asked trying to work off his irritation with a thoughtless question. Frankly, he didn’t really care, but the question did nag at him a little. After all, he didn’t see the allure in working for a masked man who was nothing but an arrogant bigshot to everyone around him.

Laura made no effort to reply as she continued leaning up against the wall.

Being ignored didn’t faze Zack much. He persisted on, wanting to get at least a reaction from the girl of stone.

“Do you love him or something?” he asked, half-rolling his eyes.

The unexpected reaction he got was nothing short of jaw-dropping.

Laura’s eyes shot open, her face turning bright red with her mouth slightly agape. She seemed to be struggling with words to retort with.

Zack tried to hold back his smile. Now he found this subject interesting.

“How long? Since you were brought on, or perhaps even longer than that?” he said in a mocking tone of voice.

Laura’s flushed face boiled with anger as she clenched her fist. Every ounce of her being wanted to slap Zack across the face, but she knew that this was only a tactic to get a reaction out of her. She told herself to let it go no further. Still, it was bad enough that Nerine made fun of her. Now Zack was doing it.

“Zack, this woman’s blood pressure seems to be rising quite alarmingly. Not to mention her heart rate is nearly reaching two hundred beats a minute. Out of respect for her health, you may want to change the subject,” Lambda broke in.

Laura may have actually been happy with this statement, but the use of a condescending tone mixed with a sly smile instantly made Laura realize that Lambda was merely joining in. She finally snapped.

“Enough!” roared Laura, still red with anger and embarrassment.

Both Zack and Lambda shrugged off the roar with uninterested looks and became silent. This only burned Laura’s insides more.

“Do not presume to know anything about me or our Leader! You are nothing but a spoiled brat who hasn’t a clue!” She turned her gaze to Lambda. “And you! You’re just a soulless program, animated by data and code! You’re nothing but a hollow eggshell, a cheap imitation, a lifeless doll. Stop playing human; you are an insult to everyone who lives and breathes!”

Laura’s words cut deep. Both Zack and Lambda wanted to yell back, but already knew their limitations. Her words did hold truth.

“So, all joking aside, why do you follow him and profess him to be your devoted Leader?” Zack asked once again, staring intently into Laura’s wild eyes.

Laura calmed down and returned to her spot against the wall.

“It isn’t any of your business,” she responded coldly.

Zack rolled his eyes. “Naive I may be, but don’t think I’m stupid. Corson knows that threats alone aren’t the best course of action, I’m sure. He wants me to see what you people stand for. He wants to show me why you guys fight . . . am I right?”

Laura stared at Zack keenly. There was something about him that gave Laura an odd feeling the more she listened to Zack speak. She couldn’t place it before, but as Zack spoke now, she felt like she had heard his voice before. When, she couldn’t quite place.

She shrugged off the thought and answered Zack dismissively. “Once you see the Limit Zone, you will know all you need to know.”

Zack didn’t take his eyes off Laura. This was now the second time this “Limit Zone” was mentioned. This was the first he heard of it. Was it a term only Stigma used? Did it mean something already in existence? Zack’s thoughts drifted to the words of David when he spoke of relief programs that were considered “urban legends”.

Could the Limit Zone’s be one of those urban legends?
Zack thought deeply.

Legends or not, the lack of information on the Limit Zones simply meant one of two things: one, the government was censoring it on both the web and Network, or two, it was a term Stigma used to label something. The question was, what were they exactly?

As if reading Zack’s mind-

“The term ‘Limit Zone’ doesn’t appear in any known database on any server accessible through the World Wide Web or the Cyber Network. What is this Limit Zone?” Lambda asked with a deep stare as she stood next to Zack.

Laura shook her head. Her deadly eyes matched Lambda’s gaze.

“It’s better that you don’t know now. It will make the reveal all the more worthwhile.”

Zack let his head fall in annoyance.
Pointless,
he groaned.

“All right, how about this then,” Zack offered with renewed spirit. “Why did Corson bring you into Stigma?”

Laura’s eye twitched. “Nice try, but I’m not stupid either.”

Zack snapped his fingers. “I’ve got nothing to lose in asking, I suppose. But it is a more interesting question then asking why you follow Corson. After all, your ledger is quite red, Null Death Killer.”

Laura’s eyes darkened. “You were foolish enough to mention that in our first meeting. It would be wise of you to not knock on death’s door twice.”

Despite the hostility radiating off of Laura, Zack pushed on. “I’m a slow learner,” he cooed.

Laura found his words grating on her patience.

If only I could just hit him once . . . just once.

“The Null Deaths,” repeated Lambda rather coldly. “Took place in the year 2021, starting in July. Several CEOs of Fortune 500 companies were targeted. The attacks were categorized as random at first. That thesis changed during the investigation when it was found that each company CEO that was targeted had done recent dealings with one specific company.”

Lambda’s words were flat, but she never once took her powerful eyes off Laura. Laura herself found this infuriating.

“That is enough out of you. I don’t need to listen to your rattling of events of the past when you have no-”

“The said company in question was called Calm Rain . . . owned and operated by your now-deceased parents.”

Laura’s eyes smoldered with hate. Without another thought, she dove at Lambda, producing a blade from under her wrist. She aimed for Lambda’s throat.

Effortlessly, Lambda grabbed Laura’s arm and squeezed hard, causing Laura to wince in pain and drop her blade. The motion was so fast that Zack hardly saw Lambda’s arm even move. Her eyes were ablaze.

“Corson calls me weak . . . how can he say that when he surrounds himself with such fragile people like you?” Lambda hissed, her eyes scorching like suns.

Zack didn’t like what he was seeing and intervened. “Lambda, stop!”

Like waking up from a trance, Lambda’s eyes snapped back to normal. She almost seemed confused. “ . . . Zack?”

“Lambda, let go of her wrist,” Zack said calmly.

Lambda did as she was asked and released Laura only to have her leap back to the door, cradling her wrist. When Zack looked closely, he could have sworn he saw tears.

Now, Zack felt bad. However, what worried him more was Lambda.

Are her emotions overriding her own consciousness? Can that even be possible?

Zack recalled the incidents in the past he had watched when Lambda struggled with her emotions. It seemed like she was fighting to control them at times. The more intense the scenario, the more certain emotions took full control without her even realizing. Her bloodlust was truly frightening. Zack feared that if he wasn’t there to stop her, she might have just torn Laura’s hand clean off. In the end, she was above any human limitation. The only thing keeping her from tearing down the facility was Zack and his sister. That alone was enough to make him worry.

Zack’s thoughts were cut off as Laura stood up. She held her head down, rubbing her wrist gently. Her bangs hid any expression on her face as she stood there silently.

“Can you just answer one thing?” Zack asked a little gently. He didn’t want to rile her again.

Laura made no effort to acknowledge that she heard him. This prompted Zack to continue.

“Why did you kill all those people?”

Lambda looked to Zack and then back to Laura. Her data involving the case files already told her the answer to Zack’s question, but it was strange. She felt like she shouldn’t say anything. It was like a strange ambiance, silent, but ever so faint as it hovered around the room. Something just told her that what she knew wasn’t meant to be said by her. It wasn’t an emotion she felt, but a gut feeling. Perhaps she was starting to understand human subtlety in communication? The feeling was different, making her entranced and invigorated.

She remembered vividly the feelings of contempt she had as she mercilessly pulled up Laura’s case file and read everything regarding the events behind the Null Deaths. What she did, how she did it, and why she did it. She didn’t care for Laura’s feelings, but only her own gloating satisfaction. In short, she wanted to break her. She wanted to see her on the floor crying. Such spiteful thoughts filled Lambda’s head at that time. Even she herself couldn’t believe what she thought and felt as she coldly rattled off the data she found. It was faint, but Lambda was beginning to fear her own self.