The Genesis Code 1: Lambda (9 page)

“Launching Network procedures. Account Holder registered. Preparing Network Upload. Dive commencing,” announced the voice. Zack’s chair then lit up with blue lights along the edges as it began to recline. He rested his head and gave one last look to Lambda.

“Try to be subtle in your upload. The last thing we need to is to draw needless attention to ourselves,” Zack said with a weak smile.

“Understood,” Lambda replied soullessly. She didn’t smile back.

Zack’s computer spoke again. “Upload complete, initializing Gateway. Network Location set. Avatar construction complete. Welcome back, Zackary Allan Knight.”

Zack’s vision went white. His body tingled all over as the glaring display covered his whole body. His pulse quickened as he felt a rush of cold air crash over him. It almost felt like he was skydiving. The intense wind and fuzzy sensation through his whole body just made the experience so intense as he was sucked into a vortex of code.

“Server 346, fifty one percent full. Network Transfer complete. Welcome to the Cyber Network,” came the pleasant voice of a woman in Zack’s ears just moments later. It sounded like a prerecorded message done by a telemarketer.

Just seconds later his vision returned as he appeared within a large purple pentagram rotating clockwise. He then looked up and noted the second world before him, the Cyber Network.

The world wasn
’t much different than the physical world, but there were glaring differences that set it apart. The sky never changed from its perfect blue image with few clouds hovering above. The artificial rays created by the image of the sky above stimulated parts of Zack’s brain to allow him to feel the concept of warmth within this virtual world, much like all the feelings felt in the Cyber Network. The sky was also heavily populated by dozens of large holographic screens that hovered in the air. The display on them ranged from random video feed from other servers to commercials of products created by an array of different companies. These image broads populated many other areas of the world and were found everywhere, just hovering in random areas on any given server. The only other thing that really stuck out was everyone’s appearance.

In the Cyber Network, people were represented by their Avatar. These Avatars had certain customizable features and thus allowed a person to appear how they wished with limitations keeping them from appearing as anything but humanoid.

Zack reached up and adjusted his collar, straightening the long, white coat he had adorned upon entering the Network. The coat had a design of gold thorns on his left arm
as well as gold cufflinks. His build and appearance remained the same, his dark hair gently ruffling in the wind. Only his attire had changed from his school uniform to a black casual shirt and jeans.

Zack stood silently as many people around him walked by with little regard to his presence. Their joyful expressions and laughter caused a small sting inside of him. A look of sadness could be seen in his eyes as he gripped his coat’s sleeve.

Zack shook his head to shake out the unpleasant thought and looked to his surroundings once more. He had appeared in a lush park, filled with dozens of people walking around. They seemed cheerful, like it was just another day in the physical world. For Zack, there wasn’t time to enjoy the sights and embrace the peace he saw around him. Ironically, it all shattered quickly.

“What is that?!” cried out a young girl behind Zack. He quickly took note as to where she was pointing and saw a large black ball of red lightning burst into existence. Zack gazed in horror as he realized that Lambda’s way of entering the Network was going to set off a million alarms.

This is what she thinks is subtle?!

A giant red field in the shape of a diamond appeared and covered an area of about twenty square feet in the peaceful park just below the sparking orb of lightning. The red lightning propelled out of the center of the black sphere and bounced off an invisible field at the edge of the diamond frame below as the sphere grew to six feet in size and began to take a humanoid shape. Zack then saw Lambda slowly rise up with her arms fully extended upward and her body slightly arched backwards. Her entrance was indeed stunning and showy, but at the same time it had captured the attention of the entire server.

Wonderful start,
Zack thought sarcastically.

Moments later, Lambda’s upload field vanished and she opened her eyes. She gazed at the alarmed people before her before stopping her gaze on Zack. She didn’t say anything and paid no real attention to the people staring at her. She just walked over to Zack nonchalantly.

“Why is your attire different than that of your physical form? You weren’t wearing that white coat before we entered the Network.”

Zack felt a pinprick in his chest. “I-It was a gift,” he mumbled while averting his eyes.

Lambda leaned in. “A gift?”

Zack rolled his eyes, losing his patience. “Hold the questions, we need to move. You already drew way too much attention.” He then grabbed Lambda by the hand and started walking quickly to a point in the park where the stares weren’t as bad.

Once out of the line of sight from most of the people around, Zack waved his hand out in front of him and materialized an emulated screen. He pulled the screen with his finger a few times to reach a tab labeled “Channel List”.

“She is currently in her server. It should be a straight shot for me, but I’m not exactly sure how you transfer from server to server,” he said wearily.

Lambda didn’t seem worried. “There won’t be a problem. Once loaded to the Network, Lambda is free to move with no limitations. Gaining access to your sibling’s channel will be a simple task.”

Zack was still a bit worried. “I see. Well, just follow me, and you should be-”

“Hey, you!”

Zack’s head whipped around.

“You there, with the white coat and the girl in black! You are in violation of Regulation Number 477 and 234: Illegal use of Avatar and Upload Corruption! Don’t move or we will be forced to freeze your Avatars!”

Zack stared at the two men before them. They were wearing a blue and black suit and had a dorky looking hat that appeared to be too big for either of them. They looked well built physically, but seemed to lack an authority presence. They came off more as annoying than threatening.

Zack sighed heavily. “Great, they sent the Probes after us.”

Lambda’s eyes radiated and began to glow. “Shall I eliminate them?”

Zack was surprised by the hostile intent. “That won’t be necessary. They are just lowly Admins with little power.” He smiled awkwardly. “They are kind of a joke.”

Zack recalled another name for the two men before them. Probes were called many things, but Zack’s personal favorite was the blue Power Rangers.

Zack looked to Lambda. “Moving along now. Follow my lead.”

Lambda did as she was told. Strangely, she instinctively went for Zack’s hand. She didn’t understand why she did so, nor did she understand the strange flutter in her chest. She chalked it up as a mere distortion in how she was materialized into the Network.

“Hey! What do you think you are doing-”

      
The two Probes didn’t even get to finish as Zack and Lambda quickly vanished, leaving nothing but a small sparkle of code behind them.

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[January 6th - Undisclosed Location - Day]

Laura’s eyes stared intently at the elevator doors as she felt the metal box slowly fall further into the heart of their stronghold. Corson’s words were still ringing in her ears as the elevator came to a stop and opened its thick doors to reveal a large room with a ceiling nearly eighty feet in height. The floor was lightly padded with a sturdy foam-like material. Laura’s boots sunk into the material as she made her way into the room. The large lights above her lit the massive area and racks upon racks of weapons could be seen lining the entire outside of the room’s walls. This was a training ground.

She stopped when she came into view of the sixteen men and women training before her.

“Commander present!” shouted one of the men.
      

Everyone ceased their actions and turned to Laura. All of them wore black uniforms that were fitted with metal plates along their bodies. Several of the men and woman wore helmets that concealed their faces. All the helmets and uniforms were embroidered with a white cross.

Laura smirked. “Rejoice, team. Finally, our Leader has gifted you all with a mission.”

One of the masked men stepped forward. He had a strong build, broad shoulders, and impressive form. He crossed his arms over his imposing physique, making for a powerful presence.

“What is it that our Leader commands?” His voice was calm, but Laura sensed he was on edge.

“Unruly as always, Krieg. Most rookies tend to speak to me with more respect.” Her eyes narrowed with discontent. Many others in the room could also feel the rising tension. The spectacle wasn’t new to them, though.

The man that had spoken earlier stepped forward. His aged features put him in his late forties, but his build was sturdy and commanding.

“Apologies, Commander Richter. Krieg has been rather difficult to control as of late. Much like the rest of us, we grow restless in anticipation of our Leader’s plans,” the man said with a bow.

Laura let it drop, but didn’t take her eyes off of Krieg. She peered into his soulless face shield, black as the void. “All is fine, Captain. More pressing matters have a higher priority.” She then gestured and directed their attention to the screen she projected off her wrist. The image before them was of three profiles characterizing their targets.

Laura’s expression turned serious. “The two on the left are the ones you should familiarize yourself with as they will pose a threat in our mission. Our main target, is the girl on the right.”

Krieg broke in. “We are now stooping to kidnapping?”

“Krieg! Hold your tongue!” yelled the Captain.

Laura held up a hand, silencing the man. Her eyes didn’t leave Krieg. “The girl is Cecilia Elizabeth Knight. Onstage, she goes by the name Luna Nova. For the purpose of our Leader’s goal, we must find this girl and bring her in. Does this bother you, rookie?”

Krieg’s arms fell to his side. “You have the location of the girl?” Krieg probed, sounding agitated.

Laura’s gaze deadened. “Her physical location isn’t known to us. Given the limited time we have, this is the best course of action. Our mission is to Dive to the Network and hack her account Avatar to ascertain her exact location.”

Several whispers could now be heard among the soldiers in black. Krieg said no more.

“What is the purpose in attaining the girl?” asked the Captain.

Laura looked to him sternly. “That is classified. Our mission is to find the girl’s location, so our Leader’s plan can move to the next phase.”

“And what exactly is that?” asked Krieg, once again on the offensive.

Laura leered in his direction. “You need only follow our Leader’s orders. Questioning every step only hinders the plan’s time table.”

Krieg clenched his fist. “How long are you going to keep that charade up? Tensions among Stigma and all its branches are starting to affect us all. Now you tell us we are kidnapping a child?” Krieg’s body was radiating. “Forgive me if I have a few questions concerning our Leader’s orders, given that he has seemed to have forgotten the moral code we used to stand for.”

Laura scowled. “As those trained to be the elite force in Stigma, your focus should be on the task given to you. Need I remind you that you and everyone else here joined on your own accord knowing this.”

The area fell completely silent. No one spoke. The tension felt like fifty-pound bricks pressing down on everyone’s shoulders.

Laura ignored the pressure. “Now, can I rely on all of you to do what is expected of you?”

All of the soldiers in black stood in attention. They spoke in perfect stereo. “Yes! Commander Richter!”

Laura noted Krieg’s salute. For now, she let his brash attitude go.

“Very well. Prepare for a mass Network Dive.” She then smiled in a rather sinister manner. “We wouldn’t want to miss the little princess’ performance, now would we?”

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[January 6th - Cyber Network, Server 346 - Unmarked Skyscraper - Day]

The hollow, black eyes of the lead Void Reaper stared at a small device on her arm. A red dot blinked rapidly as it rushed across her screen. The woman’s hair flapped in the wind as she gazed intently at the device from behind her mask.

“Has the target settled, Overseer?”
came the deep voice of one of the Void Reapers from behind. His tense posture made his toned physique stand out through his armor.

“It would appear our target is heading to a private server. I leave the details to you, Foresight,” Overseer said firmly.

Foresight nodded. “Consider it done.” He quickly pulled a small monitor up on his wrist and began typing on the transparent keyboard projected out before him.

“Clairvoyance, have you scouted the perimeter and the server layout?”

The space behind Overseer rippled like water before splitting open. The third Void Reaper leapt from the blackness and landed before her. He rose to his feet and stood in attention.

“The area will be easy to infiltrate and set up. However, the amount of Account Holders that will be present will be our greatest challenge with this server being the host of a large concert program.”

Overseer looked out and below. They were sitting on top of a giant skyscraper, overlooking a Concert Hall that was preparing for the event Clairvoyance mentioned. The warm sun above beat down on them as a calm wind blew. The soothing nature was wasted on the armor they adorned, glimmering from the beating sun above.

“Foresight, did you ever get the specs on this Lambda AI program?” Overseer’s tone seemed more curious than serious.

“That would be a negative. However, from what intelligence I was able to gather, it would appear that this AI far outclasses God Mod specs.”