The genesis sequence boo.., p.1
The Genesis Sequence Books 1-5, page 1
The Genesis Sequence
Books 1-5
Mackenzie Morris
Mark of Logic
Copyright © 2015 by Mackenzie Morris
Prince of an Alien Empire
Copyright © 2015 by Mackenzie Morris
Birth of a Traitor
Copyright © 2015 by Mackenzie Morris
Destroyer of Humanity
Copyright © 2015 by Mackenzie Morris
Funerals of Martyrs
Copyright © 2015 by Mackenzie Morris
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Mark of Logic
The Genesis Sequence
Book One
Chapter 1
Purple and orange neon from the illuminated city hovertrain tracks filled the modest Under City home, the pulsing energy reflecting off of the metal kitchen table where a young boy with pale blond hair was busy at work. His tiny thumb clicked the electronic pen in his hand to change the desired color of the ink to dark blue then continued coloring his picture of a surface sunrise that he had never seen. The boy had only ever seen vague images of the surface world from the educational cartoons that the government showed every morning after first-hour inspections. They warned the children viewers of the dangers that awaited them outside of the lead, steel, and electromagnetic wave-filled barrier that defended their beloved city of Odyssia from radiation and the diseases of the surface.
A hovertrain sped by, shaking the shoddily-constructed walls of the deteriorating house and sending tiny white cockroaches skittering out from the cracks near the floor. They climbed up the riveted walls to the ceiling where they disappeared once again into the twisted maze of rusted pipes and colored wires that controlled the home's facilities. The boy ignored them. He was used to seeing the cockroaches every time anything passed by the Under City Poverty District. At least he was not one of the Rejected who spent their days begging for the digital currency of Cyrino-coins and their nights curled up in the alleyways that ran through the filthy Under City. The boy had seen those destitute citizens with their black 'R' tattoos on their foreheads, placed there to deter any agency from employing them. They scared the young boy even more than the cyborg soldiers stationed at the Under City gates who prevented anyone without a passport from entering the main part of the city. Not that the boy had ever been outside the house for more than a brief ten minutes one night after the streets had cleared out.
"Nemo, are you ready for your birthday cake?" The woman in the grey jumpsuit with the long blond curls knelt down on the silver metal floor then ran her hand through her son's messy bangs. "That's a beautiful picture."
"It's not done. I wanna give it to Daddy when he gets home. Do you think he'll be coming home tonight? It's my birthday. He has to come home."
The woman's pale blue eyes softened as she kissed her son's cheek. "Oh, Nemo, your daddy is a very busy man with an important job to do for the government. You know his computer hardware helps to keep the barrier up and running to protect all of us in the city. Your daddy is a hero."
Nemo continued coloring on the piece of jagged-edged cardboard. "I don't wanna have my birthday until Daddy gets home. I want him to be here."
They both looked up towards the black iron door that was secured with a collection of various mechanical and electronic locks as heavy boots clanked on the metal sidewalk. A shadow passed by the front window where the blinds were closed, momentarily blocking out the neon glow from the hovertrain track. One by one, the locks were disabled until the door slid up into the ceiling and a tall red-haired man in a dusty black jumpsuit with a leather bag on his back stepped inside.
"Daddy!" Nemo jumped down from the stool at the kitchen table then ran to the man and threw his arms around his waist. "I knew you'd come home tonight. Mommy said you wouldn't, but I knew you would. I knew it!"
He scooped Nemo up in his arms then spun him around. "Of course I came home. I wouldn't miss my son turning five for all the Cyrino-coins in Odyssia. You haven't eaten all the cake without me, have you?"
"Nope! Come on, Daddy. Let's cut it." Nemo squirmed out of his arms and ran back into the kitchen.
His mother smiled at the man. "Rav, why are you home? I thought you were deployed with the other engineers until June. That's still a month away."
"Don't worry. I got tonight off just so I could be here."
"How much did you have to pay in bribes to make this happen?"
"Don't worry about it, Helen. Nemo is worth it." Rav took his wife in his arms and held her close, his dirty arms smearing the black grease across her jumpsuit. "I've missed you like you wouldn't believe these past four months. I can't keep doing this job and leaving you two alone down here in the Under City. It's not safe. When the government started performing those mandatory searches, I thought for sure they would find Nemo and take him from us."
"You don't exactly have many other options. Besides, I've been checking my communicator for any alerts you send me, so I know when to lock him in the basement cupboard. All I have to do is put him in sleep mode until it's over."
Rav pulled away from her then tossed his bag onto the curved sofa in the living room. "I don't like doing that to him and you know it. What if he doesn't start back up?"
"I trust your work and your programming, Rav. He's doing fine so far."
"Has that glitch come back?" Rav asked, unzipping his jumpsuit to reveal his thin cotton pants and long-sleeve t-shirt underneath then stepping out of it. "The one with his eyes?"
"Not that I've seen. Don't worry so much. Come on, now. Let's go celebrate. Nemo is so excited."
"First, let me get his present set up."
Helen watched him intently. "What are you up to?"
Rav sat on the living room floor and proceeded to pull out all manner of electronic parts, wires, and displays from his bag. "Just something I was toying around with during my breaks."
"You can't have this stuff here. It's illegal, Rav."
"Shh. It's only illegal if I get caught, right? Besides, it's past the night bell. The Tech Police would never conduct a search at this time of night. I'll be sure to take everything back when I return to work. I just want Nemo to see what I've programmed for him. I'm hoping to sell these to the Upper City children."
"Why do this now?" Helen asked. "Showing this to Nemo will only make him sad when he finds out you are taking it back. He can never have the same kind of tech toys they have in the Upper City."
"But at least he'll be able to enjoy it while it's here. You and I both know it's unfair how they restrict technology down here to the common people. Whenever I talk to Nemo, he begs me to show him what I do, and this is part of what I do." Rav took one of the thick cables then plugged it into the outlet on the wall. A bright orange light flickered to life in the middle of the room on top of the domed silver disk. He opened a panel on the side then typed in a few commands before shutting it and screwing it back on tightly. "Watch this."
Helen leaned against the wall with her arms folded across her chest then gasped as the light began to take form. Thousands of pinpoints of light gathered together to form a shape of glowing orange particles. It began moving on its own. "What is that thing?"
"It's a security hologram that I simply reprogrammed to make a puppy. Look at it. Isn't it awesome? That's not all, though." Rav turned a dial on the side of the silver disk then smiled as the dog started whimpering and barking in sync with its movements. "So? What do you think?"
Nemo rushed into the room and squealed as he dropped to his knees in front of the hologram. "A puppy! This is so cool, Daddy!"
Rav pulled his son into his lap. "Go ahead and pet him."
"What? Really? I can touch it?"
"Of course. See what happens when you do."
With wide green eyes, Nemo reached out his thin hand to the glowing particles then petted the holographic dog's head. The dog licked his hand and barked twice in artificial contentment. Nemo giggled and clapped his hands together. "He likes me. Daddy, he licked my hand. I felt it. It was wet and warm. Can I do it again?"
"Go ahead. He's all yours to play with tonight. Happy birthday, Nemo."
Helen knelt down behind her husband to whisper quietly in his ear. "How can he feel a hologram?"
"You know the artificial intelligence program I installed two years ago?" Rav asked, pressing his face into her hair as he spoke so Nemo couldn't hear him. "I upgraded it to include tactile responses when the correct electronic frequencies are passed over his skin. That's how Nemo learned that his soup was too hot that one time, remember? Those feelings became ingrained in his mind just like they would have in any other child. It just took some fancy programming to get him there."
"Oh." Helen stood up and headed towards the kitchen. "Nemo, your cake is going to spoil if we don't go eat it. You can play with your puppy after we blow out the candles, okay?"
"Okay! I'll bring my puppy a piece too." The tiny boy jumped up then skipped happily into the kitchen.
* * *
Rav sat next to his wife at the kitchen t
Rav locked eyes with Helen who returned the smile. She was so graceful with her natural beauty and soft features. He felt beyond lucky to have her at his side. When he was fifteen, he applied at the Genetic Matching Center for a wife. One year and ten thousand Cyrino-coins later, Rav and Helen met at their wedding in the Under City garden. He had been so afraid as to what kind of woman the genetic matchmakers would pick for him, but as soon as he lifted her veil, he fell instantly in love with her. As he watched his wife's subtle movements, Rav traced the thin black ceramic band around his left ring finger that detailed both his and Helen's genetic makeup. It was proof that they had been chosen and approved for mating by the government. Ten thousand Cyrino-coins was not a small sum of money, but it was worth it to know that Helen could never be stolen away and given to another man whose genetics proved to be better suited to hers. She was his and his alone.
Nemo looked up from his messy plate with blue and green frosting smeared over his face. "Daddy, are you sad?"
Rav blinked out of his thoughts. "What? No, of course not. Why would think that, buddy?"
"You're quiet."
"Awe, don't worry about me. I was just thinking about how happy I am to have both of you in my life. Trust me, I couldn't be happier."
Nemo grabbed another giant piece of cake. "Five-year-olds go to school, right? I'm five now, so I get to go to school."
Rav and Helen exchanged concerned glances.
"Right?" The boy's eyes glittered in the glow from the snapping fluorescent lights that hung from the ceiling. "Mommy's a teacher, so I get to go to school in the Upper City, right?"
Helen patted Nemo's shoulder. "Well . . . I . . ."
Before their conversation could continue, there was a loud pounding on the front door and an authoritative voice that shouted through the thin metal walls. "Tech Police. We have received a tip from an anonymous source that you are in possession of controlled and contraband technology. Open your residence and submit to a mandatory search immediately."
The color drained from Helen's face as she pulled Nemo behind her back. "Rav, what do we do? All of your equipment is still plugged in and running in the living room. They'll kill you for having that."
Rav whispered hurriedly to her. "Just get Nemo down to the basement and shut him down completely. Whatever you do, don't open that basement door. Do you hear me?"
Helen grabbed onto his arm. "But what about you?"
"I'll take care of it."
"They'll punish you."
"Then I'll take the punishment. I will not let them take my son." He pushed her towards the trap door. "Go. Keep him safe."
"I will."
Rav jumped into action, pulling the plugs out of the wall and pushing the equipment underneath the sofa, coffee table, and television stand. He kicked the cords under the red oval rug then tossed his box of tools through the doorway into the kitchen where they were out of sight. Running a shaking hand through his short red hair, he opened the door to see the four Technology Control officers in their black trench coats with the reflective piping around the overly large zippers that ran up the front and around the glowing panels on their shoulders that showed their rank.
"Stand aside and remain silent until our inspection is finished."
The officers pushed their way into the small house then began unceremoniously tearing it apart. They ripped the paintings off of the walls, tossed the pillows and cushions from the sofa onto the floor, and even flipped through the various books on the bookshelf.
Rav watched in horror as they worked. Surely they would find something. Then what? The inspection continued for a few minutes until the head officer reached into his trench coat and pulled a device from his belt. That's when Rav's nervousness reached panic levels. An modified EMF detector. Rav had used them many times in his work to find electromagnetic frequencies and wires inside walls. The kind the Technology Police carried were enhanced to detect nearly any technological signal or frequency.
Once the officer flipped the switch, the detector began beeping rapidly almost immediately. He swiped it over the sofa then grinned darkly as he knelt down to look under it. Sure enough, he pulled out the hologram projector and a mass of wires that were still connected to the battery pack. "Found it."
How could he have been so stupid as to overlook the battery backup? The thing was still running.
"What is all this? A CyrinoTech hologram projector with an altered radio receiver? Rav Tillman, Citizen 911317, you are under arrest for possession of controlled technology and stolen computer programs. You are hereby labeled as a cyber terrorist and will face immediate execution by electrocution for your crimes against Odyssia."
"Wait! Just wait a minute. My mark of logic proves I'm not a cyber terrorist." Rav rolled his sleeve up then held out his right arm where a black round digital tattoo of three interlocking gears was on his forearm. "I'm a computer engineer for the government. I'm allowed to work on these programs. I have clearance for this information. Go ahead and scan my mark."
One of the lower-ranking officers retrieved a thin electronic square scanner from the pocket on the chest of his trench coat then placed it over the gear tattoo. It lit up and beeped as it read the information from the sensors embedded below Rav's skin. "Mark of Logic, Computer Terminal 109, Level 7 Clearance: Authorized. He's telling the truth."
"Very well, but it is still against the law for him to have this level of technology in his possession outside of the laboratory compound. Men, confiscate all the equipment and the data stored inside, then return it to its rightful owners at CyrinoTech. Let them know what one of their engineers has been doing with his free time. As for this criminal, he will be given twenty shocks in the public punishment yard."
Rav winced as his arms were forced behind his back and the heavy handcuffs were tightly locked around his wrists. Twenty shocks? He had seen this punishment performed on a young man who had been spying on women in the military showers. The boy had been stripped naked then secured to a sturdy metal rectangle by his arms and legs then electrodes were placed over his body. Then the soldier in charge of the punishment turned a dial on a nearby machine that delivered the electricity into the young man's body. The effects were immediate and not at all pleasant. After receiving only ten shocks, the criminal had lost control of his bodily functions, was covered in tree-like burn marks, and he temporarily found himself unable to walk or speak. The specialized electrodes ensured the punishment was painful, but not life-threatening unless the death sentence was handed down. Now Rav would be receiving twice that amount.
With one last glance towards the hidden door to the basement, Rav's heart began to race in his chest and his mouth went dry. Sweat beaded up on his forehead as he thought of his impending agony in front of the Upper City citizens who would all know who he was and would never cease mocking him for it. On top of that, the entire ordeal would undoubtedly be televised, just like every public punishment. There was one spark of optimism in all of this. At least there was no television down in the basement where Helen and Nemo could see him suffer. They did not need to see that. But Rav was fully prepared to endure whatever the police had in store for him in order to keep his son safe. That was his duty as a father.
Chapter 2
Camille's raspberry red hair that was shaved on the sides glistened in the orange, green, and purple lights of the eternal night that shone into the hovertrain car as it sped through the Upper City. The neon signs and endless broadcast commercials on the sides of the tall buildings enticed the citizens to strip clubs, bars, game rooms, casinos, and brothels. Drug dealers had their own shops where people of any age could enter and try the newest fad drugs, forever chasing the best high. The sea of glittering sin stretched out in all directions, seemingly without end. Thousands of people spilled into the narrow streets to peruse the shops that never closed, the abundant foods to suit any palate, and the street performers with talents such as fire breathing, exotic dancing, and playing music on their electronic instruments. The merchants who could not afford to have their own shops instead had street carts where they sold their goods to the always excited masses.
