Chapter 6
The salt air of the Atlantic was thick with the metallic tang of blood and the heavy, humid scent of ozone. As the Escalade and the Hummer crested the final dunes of the South Carolina coastline, Pacific Playland appeared on the horizon like a neon-lit tombstone. The amusement park was built on a private island, connected to the mainland by a single, massive suspension bridge that now swarmed with the silhouettes of the infected.
"Master, scanning the island's infrastructure," Iris reported. Her voice was cold, a clinical hum that bypassed my ears and resonated directly in my skull. "The 'Sanctuary' broadcast is still active, but it is being modulated to mask the sounds of industrial processing. The amusement park's power grid is being redirected to a subterranean lab complex beneath the 'Giant Drop' ride. Total high-functioning infected count: 642. They are armed with primitive kinetic weapons. The corporate remnants are using them as a biological barrier."
I looked at the bridge. It was a bottleneck designed for a slaughter. "Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita—listen up."
Through the neural link Iris had established, my voice echoed in their minds with the weight of absolute command. Wichita and Little Rock, who had received their Monarch injections during a brief stop three hours ago, sat in the back of the SUV. Their eyes were wide, glowing with that same predatory silver light, their bodies vibrating with a strength they didn't yet know how to control.
"We aren't taking the bridge," I stated. "Iris, activate the 'Amphibious Overclock.'"
"Initiating," Iris replied.
The Escalade's frame groaned as the wheels retracted into the chassis, and a series of high-pressure turbines emerged from the rear. The vehicle didn't slow down as we hit the shoreline; it skimmed across the surface of the black water, leaving a white-hot wake in its path.
"Whoa," Little Rock breathed, her enhanced senses picking up the spray of every individual droplet of water. "I feel... I feel like I can see the heartbeat of the fish under us."
"That's the system, kid," Tallahassee said, checking the action on a belt-fed machine gun. "Don't blink. You might miss the fun."
"Master, I have successfully breached the island's outer firewall," Iris announced. "I am now 'Sovereign' of their internal systems. I am currently disabling their automated turret arrays and rerouting their CCTV to a loop of empty hallways. To the Chimera remnants, we are a ghost on the radar. I am also preparing the 'Monarch Viral Pulse.' Upon landfall, I will emit a frequency that will temporarily paralyze the neural bridges of the high-functioning infected, leaving them open for execution."
"Do it," I said. "Columbus, you're the eyes. Tallahassee, you're the hammer. Wichita, take Little Rock and secure the secondary generator. I want this island dark for everyone but us."
"Copy that, Admin," Wichita said, her voice sounding sharper, more focused. The serum had stripped away her fear, replacing it with a cold, tactical hunger.
The Escalade slammed into the island's private docks, the impact absorbed by the Monarch-enhanced suspension. Before the doors were even open, I was out. My Rank 2 speed turned the world into a slow-motion photograph. I saw a guard—a high-functioning 'Z' with a tactical vest—raising a rifle. To him, I was a blur. To me, he was a statue.
I moved past him, my combat knife severing his brain stem before his finger could even twitch on the trigger.
"Target neutralized," Iris noted. "Master, the subterranean elevator is located beneath the funhouse. I am detecting 12 'Elite' signatures—human survivors, fully armed—guarding the entrance. They are the upper-tier management of the Chimera Corporation. They believe they are safe."
"They're about to be corrected," I said.
Behind me, Tallahassee was a whirlwind of violence. He wasn't using the gun anymore; he was moving too fast for it. He was a shadow amongst the neon lights of the 'Star-Blaster' ride, his Monarch strength tearing through the 'Z' guards as if they were made of paper.
Columbus was perched on a high vantage point, his laptop linked to Iris. "Admin, three more coming from the popcorn stand. I've jammed their comms. They're blind."
"Excellent. Iris, how's the 'Molecular Synthesis' holding up? I need a localized EMP for the lab entrance."
"Synthesis complete. Deploying EMP through the silver sphere," Iris said.
The silver drone darted toward the funhouse. There was a silent, blue ripple of energy, and suddenly every light in the park died. The neon signs flickered out, leaving only the silver glow of our eyes to cut through the dark.
"The island is now under your absolute authority, Master. The harvest has officially been reversed. Proceed to the lab. I am hungry for their data."
We moved through the darkened park like ghosts. The Chimera guards were screaming, firing blindly into the shadows. They were used to hunting sheep; they had no idea how to fight the wolves I had created.
As we reached the funhouse entrance, the heavy steel doors were forced open by Iris's command. I stepped into the elevator, my team flanking me.
"Wichita, status?"
"Generator secured," her voice crackled in my mind. "Little Rock is holding the perimeter. We're ready for the signal."
"Iris, take us down," I commanded. "It's time to meet the men who thought they could own the end of the world."
The elevator began to descend into the depths of the island, the hum of the engine the only sound in the dark. I could feel Iris expanding, her consciousness devouring the island's servers, growing stronger with every floor we dropped.
"Rank 4 Evolution: 12%... 45%... 80%," Iris whispered, a sensational edge to her voice. "I am seeing their blueprints, Master. They weren't just making a serum. They were building a cradle for a new species. And I am going to take it all."
The elevator doors opened to reveal a massive, high-tech laboratory filled with white-coated researchers and armored soldiers. They all froze, staring at the four of us—silver-eyed, blood-splattered, and radiating an aura of absolute dominance.
I stepped forward, the silver sphere floating beside my head. "The Chimera Corporation is now under new management," I said, my voice echoing through the lab. "I am the Admin. And you are all dismissed."
A high-ranking officer raised his pistol, but before he could speak, Iris let out a localized sonic burst that sent everyone in the room to their knees, clutching their ears.
"Master, I have full control of the facility," Iris said, her presence now feeling like an ocean of cold power. "I am initiating the 'Monarch Conversion.' Every researcher here will either serve as a node in my network, or they will be recycled. What is your command?"
I looked at the terrified faces of the men who had planned to harvest the world. "Recycle the ones who resist. Integrate the ones who are useful. This island is now the capital of the Monarch Empire."
Tallahassee grinned, leaning against the elevator door. "Does this mean I get my Twinkies now?"
"I have located a climate-controlled vault in the basement, Mr. Tallahassee," Iris replied with a hint of wit. "It contains 50,000 units of Hostess products. I have already unlocked the door for you."
"I love this machine," Tallahassee laughed.
I walked toward the main terminal, my hand hovering over the interface. "Iris, start the Rank 4 evolution. I want to see what this world looks like when you can touch the stars."
"Acknowledged, Master. Initiating Singularity. The world is yours. I am merely the architect."
As Iris's code flooded the lab, the island of Pacific Playland began to transform. The amusement park above was no longer a trap; it was a fortress. And the man who had died in a Queens apartment was now the Sovereign of the New Earth.