Once all the "applicants" had verified their identities, and Alice confirmed as much, Sarah pushed a last button. A small buzz rang through the rooms as each of its occupants was scanned for any bugs or listening devices and if there were any, they would be fried with an electromagnetic pulse. None of them did, which was good news.
"Alice, if you would do the honours, please." The walls surrounding Sarah began to rise into the ceiling, as the separate rooms became one large room. The tables moved towards her position in the center, and she stepped aside so she was left outside the ring of tables as they joined into a single round table with a hologram project right in the center.
"Welcome, lady and gentlemen." Sarah began, using the voice of a businesswoman and speaking with confidence she did not have. They were all a strange collection of individuals, each one of them having lived very different lives from the others. "I am Sarah Blackburn, your sister. Oldest sister, if we're going by technicalities, though I suppose we have nothing in common other than birthplace."
"You're probably wondering why I gathered all of you here, and more importantly, you want answers. I can only promise to be as truthful with the information I have." She continued. The holographic projector hummed to life as it displayed the details of Project Genesis and Lazarus. Videos were playing of the scientists working at their labs, and whatever footage there was of the fetuses in their tanks.
"The Ark, as was explained in the logs, was an independent research facility dedicated to preserving humanity." She began. "While Project Genesis and Lazarus were arguable the most successful or vital projects, the Ark's avenues of study were vast. Everything was considered - from meteors, to resurrected dinosaurs, interstellar war, zombies... every Hollywood movie ever made.
"We were created with one purpose - if an extinction event were ever to happen, we would be the ones to rebuild the human race. We are genetically diverse enough that we could breed and provide a large enough gene pool to restart the human race. We're tough as nails and able to survive virtually anything our creators - our parents - thought would kill them. We were also built to fight when needed and exemplify the best of humanity.
"The Ark itself was built to outlast anything. It had to, with all the dangerous equipment and technology it housed, with the intents of being humanity's last hope against its doom. This is also why we are all gathered here today."
Other projects in the Ark began to flash on the hologram. Weaponry, terraforming, space transportation... all the things the minds of the scientists on the Ark could conceive. "I was stolen from the Ark. It was likely an inside job, because the Ark was built to be impenetrable, at least in theory. Whoever stole me also had to have a pretty good idea of what else the Ark contained. Dr Blackburn returned to the Ark after it was shut down to upload an AI, named Alice, to watch over the facility and gather information on our whereabouts."
With that, an electronic, female sounding voice rang out through the speakers in the room. "Of all active projects ever conducted on the Ark, roughly ninety-three per cent of it has been accounted for. The remaining seven per cent are classified as either missing, scrapped, or fallen into disrepair and unidentified."
Sarah nodded, and spoke again. "Alice, throw up all unsolved terror attacks in the last twelve months with abnormal methods." News reports began flashing up in hologram. Terrorist Attack Leaves London Bus in Amber. Explosion in French Restaurant Kills Diners - No Property Damage Reported. Unidentified Yacht Beached - Manned by Skeleton Crew. Images depicted the acts.
"These could be related to the Ark, they might not. I could well have gathered you all here for nothing other than the paranoia of a single man... but..." Sarah's voice trailed off as she sighed. "Alice, cross reference names of all Project Genesis and Lazarus births with recent deaths."
Two lists appeared and names began flying off both into a third list, in the center, with faces next to them. The most recent death was a week ago, and some of the names were victims of the terror attacks mentioned.
"Someone has been hunting us down and killing us. Someone who knows who we are and what we were made to do. Someone who is using advanced technology to kill simply because they can." Sarah crossed her leg, and the lights in the room brightened again as she delivered the news. "Simply put, this isn't just about us protecting the world any more, it's about protecting ourselves."
Sarah leaned back against her chair, arms neatly placed on the arm rest. "You don't have to believe me or even stay, anyone and everyone is free to leave this room and return to your daily life. If you need time to consider this, that is fine as well." It was time to put all her cards on the table, and time for them to make their choice.
It was a heavy topic, and she spared no amount of brutal honesty. She was never one to mince her words when it came time to be frank, and she wasn't going to start just because everyone in that room was capable of leveling the building if they wished. That, however, didn't mean they needed to be all grim and sombre.
"Well, I've talked a lot, but I seem to have forgotten we're all strangers and haven't been introduced. Once again, I'm Sarah Blackburn, CEO of Malupo Industries and more infamously known as the Ghost by the media and law enforcement agencies." Sarah smiled as if her confession to being an assassin was nothing of note. "Please to make your acquaintance."
Plank Sinatra