The Genesis Code 1: Lambda (43 page)

“The girl comes. I’ve already made the arrangements,” he replied without even looking at Zack.

Zack clenched his teeth. “What good is that going to do?!” he bellowed. Many eyes now were starting to train on Zack as he yelled at Corson. This in turn began to agitate him as he focused his attention on Zack.

“The end justifies the means. That is all,” he replied back in a hushed tone laced with fury.

Zack moved towards Corson. “And what if I say otherwise, huh?!”

Corson’s posture turned rigid. His eyes flamed with an intensity Zack had not seen before.

Zack barely could process everything that followed soon after. He didn’t even realize that Corson had raised his hand to strike him, nor did he see the blade that suddenly appeared under Corson’s chin.

The entire hangar stopped moving. Complete silence gripped the mountain walls as every person gazed in horror at the sight before them. No one moved. No one breathed. All eyes were trained on Corson and Lambda as she held him at knife-point.

Both Laura and Peter slowly reached for their weapons, but ceased upon Lambda’s merciless words. They were so cold that they seemed to chill the blood of everyone in the vicinity.

“Go ahead and try. You humans are such fragile creatures. Stopping you will be almost laughable.” Her blade traveled over Corson’s neck and toward his chest. “How easy it would be,” she toyed threateningly. “What then? What would you insects do without your fearless Leader?”

Everyone stared, frozen. It was like the posing of some sick painting. Everyone’s face was mangled with a different expression. Some with hate, and others with fear. Nerine’s was the worst, as she looked to be in some state of shock. She backed away until she hit the helicopter behind her. She then fell to her knees and covered her face. Her body trembled uncontrollably.

For Zack, he could only stare, astonished. Lambda’s presence was absolutely terrifying. Even so, as he stared at Lambda, her slender frame and straight back between him and Corson, he realized something.

She’s always protecting me . . . always.

He didn’t get much time to entertain the thought as Corson spoke from under Lambda’s blade.

“Well, this is a rather interesting development.” He spoke rather calmly.

Lambda’s eyes lit up like fireballs. “Touch Zack or his sister, and I will take off your arm,” Lambda said viciously.

Corson’s eyes surged. “Too bad your resolve only shows when defending the boy. How pathetic that he needs you to rush to his side whenever he opens that ignorant mouth of his.”

“Corson!” shouted Peter. The look on his face made it seem like he was about to have a heart attack.

Lambda’s eyes never left Corson’s, though she removed her blade. “Your time will come. It’s only out of Zack’s wish that I don’t jeopardize his sister’s well-being by slaying you here and now.” Her eyes gleamed. “Your illusion of control over us will soon lead to your end.”

Everyone in the hangar seemed to breathe again as the tension slowly left critical levels. It still took several moments before the vast majority of the hangar resumed work on priorities. Zack found it interesting how no one was even asked to continue their work.

Zack stepped out from behind Lambda. “I understand why you want me and Lambda with you, but why my sister too? Can’t you just keep her here?” He did his best to control his boiling rage.

Corson cracked his neck to relieve built-up stress. “I want you two to see the Limit Zones with your own eyes. The girl could use a wake-up call, as could you.”

Zack recalled his thoughts from before. Now was as good as a time as any to ask.

“Do these Limit Zones have anything to do with the Great Divide?”

Corson’s eyes lit up for but a second. He turned behind him to look at Nerine. She had recovered from her shock but was still hugging the belly of the Black Hawk behind her.

“You told him, didn’t you?” Corson whispered intensely.

Nerine nodded slowly. The spunk and charm she had before was all but lost as she cowered at the sight of Lambda. She couldn’t even lay eyes on her without shaking.

Corson’s eyes met with Zack’s again. “You would have been educated in time, but knowing can only help in our effort to have you wake up from the fantasy world you live in.”

Zack stared, unfazed. “Unless you’re going to tell me that people were herded like lambs to the slaughter, I doubt you will make much progress.”

Corson let out a demonic roar of laughter. “Close, boy,
real
close.” His eyes were wild.

Zack found himself becoming more and more curious and disturbed.

“So what? People were herded into these Limit Zones during the Great Divide?”

Corson’s eyes darkened deeply. They almost seemed pitch-black, sending a wave of dread over Zack’s body. He could only gawk, frozen from Corson’s piercing stare.

“The media did a splendid job in aiding the governments around the world. The moving of these people was no simple task. Many showed resistance, but in the end, people are stupid.”

Zack found Corson’s tone destructive but oddly appropriate.

Corson continued. “Our lovely politicians and elected leaders around the world were quick to aid and speak to the people, assuring them that this new age of technology would bring forth an economic growth we so desperately needed. But the people were blind to what was really happening.”

Zack was hesitant to ask. “What exactly happened?”

Laura stepped forward, her rigid expression and sharp eyes cutting into Zack’s skin.

“Total segregation. In this case, the ones who have a future, and the ones who can’t afford one.”

Zack tried to process what he just heard. “You mean to tell me that the government just moved people into these Limit Zones because these people couldn’t afford the costs related to getting on the Cyber Network?”

Laura’s face churned out a snarl. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. The people were fools. They were promised by the higher-ups that relief and more affordable prices would become available soon. They said that these Limit Zones were only meant for temporary residence as the cities and all major towns were refitted with working Network lines. What they weren’t told was that once they were put in these zones, they would never be able to get work anywhere but there,” Laura snapped.

Zack recalled this type of conversation. His thoughts turned to David and his involvement with protest marches.
This can’t be true . . .

Zack looked to Corson. “You say that those of the Limit Zones were tricked into residing in these grounded areas with no hope of ever leaving or being able to get work?”

Corson’s eyes shimmered. “Not quite. Limit Zones are dead-ends. The areas were permanently locked in 2013, before the Network was created. They live life with no way to achieve anything or grow to better themselves. They are locked in a world where there is no future. They simply live life as we once did, without access to the Cyber Network.”

Zack could feel his resolve slipping. Everything just seemed like a joke, a really bad one at that.
      

“You’re dodging the point, Corson,” rumbled Peter. His stern words rattled the hangar.

Corson turned his head slowly toward Peter. “I didn’t want to crush the boy’s spirit so quickly,” he said forebodingly.

Zack didn’t like his tone. It sounded like he was enjoying this way too much.

Lambda spoke up from her silence. “If all this Great Divide did was move people that couldn’t keep up with the expanding Network into the Limit Zones, where is the urgency and justification behind your current motives?” Her eyes glowed with an intimidating bloodlust.

Corson pointed his finger at Lambda, his eyes a torrent of fire. “You. You’re the reason.”

Zack looked a little alarmed. “Now, wait a minute. How is Lambda related to this?”

Corson didn’t ease up. “Lambda isn’t specifically related, but AI units like it are very much involved,” Corson uttered sharply. “What you don’t seem to understand is that these Limit Zones, while being dead-ends, are also prisons. They are concentration camps that the government uses to store people who are unable to make it in the new “High Society”. As such, they label those sent there
as terrorists, and police the areas respectively.”

Corson glared fiercely at Lambda. “You ever wonder where those protesters that are arrested go? The rebels that raid Network facilities? They are thrown in Limit Zones. The people that are part of the Network never think to ask where they go. They naturally think they go to prison, but that is exactly what the governments want you to think. In truth, they throw the people in these dead-end towns, cut off from the world and left to wither.”

Zack was beginning to see what Corson was saying. The thought alone seemed cruel, not to mention unconstitutional. How could this be allowed to happen?

“If what you say is true, then how does this come back to Lambda?” Zack asked, fearful of the coming response.

Corson crossed his arms, his eyes never wavering. “The government uses AI units to keep the people of the Limit Zones in line, by
any
means necessary,” he added with an edge to his voice.

Zack’s eyes grew in surprise. “That’s ridiculous,” he replied, unsold but unsure in his own convictions. “How could this have been going on all these years with no one finding out?”

Peter marched forward, approaching Zack slowly. “With the emergence of Babel and the creation of the Grand Twelve, the world united under one banner for the continued expansion of the Cyber Network. What we are dealing with is not just the work of one government, it’s the work of the entire world, trying to cover this up. All their resources are pooled and united. This is no difficult task when the largest world governments have the same agenda.”

Zack was starting to realize that he was holding less and less cards.

The area around them fell silent. All eyes were on Zack as he tried to come to some conclusion in his mind. His concentration was quickly broken as Nerine slowly approached. She kept her head down, trying not to make eye contact with Zack or Lambda. He could see that she was trembling.

“You don’t want to believe that your perfect world is built on nothing but lies. I’m sure you are trying to deny everything that has been said so far, but the truth remains.”

Nerine’s voice was low but heavy. Zack was unsure of how to respond to her words. He liked it a lot better when she was full of life and joy.

Nerine continued, still staring at the ground. “You asked before what the Great Divide was, right?”

She paused, finally looking into his eyes. Her gaze was full of scorn. “It was the prepping for the coming oppression of those unable to keep up.”

Zack and Lambda could only stare at the girl before them. She was an entirely different person. Nothing about her seemed right. The person they had met looked to be lost in some torrent of emotion. She seemed broken, dejected, hateful, and terrified all at the same time. Zack couldn’t come up with a response to such morbid words.

It can’t be . . . are they really telling the truth?

Corson put a hand on Nerine’s shoulder. “That will be enough, Nerine. I need you at your best, so don’t dread on this too much, okay?” he asked rather respectfully.

Nerine broke eyes with Zack and nodded in agreement with Corson. She soon returned to her work, venturing off.

Corson’s eyes met with Lambda’s. “You can’t hide your true colors. In time, you will see how people
truly
see you.”

Lambda’s eyes wavered as Corson’s words echoed in her mind. She couldn’t shake a strange feeling of doubt inside her, brought on by the look in Nerine’s eyes when she spoke.

Zack took a step forward, standing before Corson. “Lambda is far different than any other AI in existence. Don’t lump her in with all the others,” Zack warned with a firm stance.

Corson eyed him with intrigue. “Standing by and defending it, huh? How interesting to see the two of you stick up for one another,” he finished with a hint of sarcasm.

Zack growled under his breath, but found no words for a rebuttal.

Lambda found herself lost in the words spoken by Zack and Corson. She kept circling around and around one issue like a bird of prey, but no matter how long she processed, she couldn’t arrive at an answer. She wondered how Zack saw her.

Did he have feelings for her? Did he love her? Love?

Lambda caught herself. The word “Love” was not foreign to her. She understood the fundamental principles of the emotion, but nothing about its practice. Throughout human history she found data logs referring to the existence of this “Love”. It was completely illogical. There was hardly anything scientific about its existence; yet it was so real, so alive. Lambda found that truly fascinating.

She placed a hand over her chest.
Are these feelings . . . love?

The idea confused her. She saw Zack as someone of great significance, but wasn’t sure if what she felt was this ‘love’. Was she overthinking it? She instantaneously read many studies and books in regards to the subject through the vast matrix of her cyber cortex. However, she did find one missing factor.

I . . . I don’t have a heart.

She knew what she was, and she knew what she sought was impossible. The sensation of a quickening heartbeat and a rapid increase in pulse were things she desired. They were sensations that she didn’t know or could show. Without them, she felt she couldn’t understand how she felt or what love was.

I want to know. I want to know what this ‘love’ feels like.

She peered deeply into her own matrix of code, searching for an answer. She had learned so much, but it still wasn’t enough. She wanted to learn everything she could to fully understand her own emotions and feelings. She truly wanted to know how she felt about Zack and that what she felt was real.

Is it even possible for a program to-

Lambda’s entire frame felt a sudden jolt from something moving inside of her. It felt like some kind of shockwave, spreading over her entire body. She felt numb to everything around her as the sensation spread all the way to her fingertips and toes. She could feel a small squeezing sensation in her chest. It was faint, but she could feel it. Something inside of her had just appeared.