Enigma Source: Grey Area

Chapter 16: Metaphoric Standards

November 25, 2531
Hyde Morrison
Corpus Industries

"Let's see, everything seems to be in order. We've got two weeks worth of supplies for the trip. Even though we'll probably only be there for three days assuming we find what we're looking for". I scrolled down the pad and rechecked the inventory. We were packing all sorts of paraphernalia and equipment that would aid us on our expedition to that place. From first aid kits to drilling equipment; Anything and everything that the company owned we practically put on the inventory list. The mad doctor also gave us access to a prototype mobile base. It would house and haul all of the personnel and equipment going on this trip. I hadn't seen it yet but I was on my way at the moment. They had finished loading it yesterday, but I still wanted to see it up close.

I was currently in an elevator near the center of the main Corpus building, descending several stories down below ground level. No doubt about it, I was going to one of the company's many secret areas. The amount of floor buttons for the elevator could've made any normal person wary, but to me it was normal. Looking back now, I'm sure my son and his friend would never find there way around such a maze. Not without a map at least.

"What the hell has Grey gotten himself into?", I said as rubbed the nape of my neck. The fact that he met and allied himself with an Arma was ludicrous and extremely dangerous. Does he not know the dangers that such an individual could cause? I had read up on Magnolia and the many horrific experiments that the people there conducted. Data was sparse on the dilapidated place, but hopefully with this trip we could shed some light on all of Magnolia's secrets.

I closed out the tab on my phone and looked at the fifty four missed calls from my wife. My heart always sank when I saw the number rise. I wanted to talk to her and tell her everything was okay, but that would be a lie. I didn't know what to tell her about Grey and the current situation at the company. I'm sure somebody would tap into my calls though, wondering what I would tell her. It was just too risky. "Sorry Anna. I can't afford to risk your safety. I promise I'll get into contact soon", I spoke softly. "Gotta figure out how though so please be patient. Just a little longer".

I put the pad down and stood there in silence. We were really about to go to a restricted place. Magnolia City was supposedly a forbidden place. It was illegal to go near it. The entire World Leaders Council, or WLC for short, even set up a ban. Absolutely no one was allowed anywhere near there. The city of Babylon, the place nearest to Magnolia, was nominated to be in charge of security. I'm sure Dr. Corpus worked something out with them so we could check it out. I would hope so at the very least.

Ding! The elevator notified me that I reached my floor. The sudden stop jerked me a bit, but I was used to the harsh momentum shifts our elevators were known for. "Well then, let's see what we're going to work with".

The single panel swung open and the familiar white halls filled my vision once again. Some Copyoids with experimental gear patrolled the wide corridor. Instead of having the usual black and thin armor pieces that were standard, these had thicker plating and were colored red. No doubt an effort to combat the stronger adversary Corpus Industries had made for themselves. I stepped out of the mechanism and confidently strode in the center. As I passed by one of the machines, it looked at me and scanned me profusely. Ever since the break-in, we had to double our security measurements. It didn't affect me at all but it made day-to-day operations a tad more annoying. "CLEAR", the Copyoid stated. I rolled my eyes and continued forth.

I went along the straight path. It was about half a mile long. There were hardly any rooms alongside this hall but there were some nonetheless. Accompanying these sparse rooms were rectangular windows, almost like the ones you would find at automobile garages. Most of them were empty, so I paid little attention when I passed by.  I wasn't needed in this section anyways. I had to travel to the next one to see the vehicle and help organize. A pair of doors separated this lonesome area to the more busy one. As I got closer, the sounds of heavy machinery began to flood my ears. Gears grinding and metallic clangs breached the thin gaps of the doors.