Enigma Source: Grey Area

Chapter 21: Shield Actual

November 25, 2531
Blythe Staples
Everest City (City Train Terminal 4B)

Of all the days to be spontaneous it was the day an almost mythical being had been rampaging through the streets. I had taken a train as close as possible to where Grey had last been seen. It was a little past noon and here I was stuck at the terminal. It was overly crowded with people trying to catch a ride as far away as possible from the combat zone. Unfortunately for all of us, we wouldn't be getting on a train anytime soon.

"Attention: Due to a massive power outage all trains systems will be unavailable for the rest of the day. We apologize for the inconvenience".

"That's just great. Now how am I supposed to get back to school?", I spoke. I could take a taxi, or one of those carrier services. But I'd rather not get in a car with a complete stranger". I sat at a bench near the ticket booth looking at the wall of monitors to my right. On them were the listings of the routes and trains that got cancelled. Which were all of them. "Definitely not gonna walk. I'd pass out before I even reach the district".

I exhaled in a stressed out way. And I wasn't the only one to be anxious. The overlapping conversations of worry and fear plagued the halls of the terminal. Few people talked about the actual incident that caused this. It seemed like everyone was more worried about getting a ride home or to work. "This is just great. I'm supposed to take my wife out for her birthday later", some guy next to me spoke. It was as if no one cared about about their own safety.

This mysterious, cool and cute Sinclair, guy had showed up to our school few days ago. I thought he was just some delinquent who got transferred over from another city. I had read many stories about that kinda of guy who was a badass loner in a new environment and I was ready to play my part in helping develop his character. But boy, there was a whole other layer to this tale. From what rumors floated around, Grey and this guy were involved in some incident at the Corpus' technology fair and were on the run. The lastest development in the story involved a flippin Peacekeeper from Babylon City. A handsome guy, but not really my type. He was just to cheerful looking.

"What did you get yourself into? And why did you color you hair? Ashy white is totally not your style",  I watched one of the monitors closely. Both Grey and Sinclair were carried of in an armored vehicle.

The constant noise in the train terminal was bugging me. I hardly used public transportation but I acted before I could really think. "My friend needed help, so I gotta go help", was my thought process. I didn't regard the distance or the weather (which was freezing by the way). The recent power outage fried the AC unit here so we relied on the body warmth of others. But I wasn't a people person. I stayed as far away as possible from anybody.

"What do I do now?". I sure didn't want to stay sitting here until the transport services were available. That could take all day. There had to be something that I could do to pass some time. "If I remember correctly, there's a nice restaurant close by. I'll grab a bite to eat and hopefully find out how to get home". I checked my bag, making sure I hadn't been robbed. "Thank goodness". With that I got up and began my way to the closest exit.

The whole station was still in an uproar as more footage was released of the apparent battle Sinclair and Grey waged against Copyoids. I was surprised by how Grey was able to even stand up to the bots. I didn't know he was strong either. Like, he would kick one of them and actually move it. Something big happened at the Corpus' fair. I just wish I knew what. But Sinclair on the other hand, was a whole other thing. He fought like a comic book hero and looked like a manga character. The perfect combination. There wasn't as much footage of Sinclair as there was Grey. However, he seemed to be the center of attention. And I could clearly see why.