Enigma Source: Grey Area

Chapter 27: Halfway Point

November 30, 2531
Hyde Morrison
Somewhere in the Wildlands

It was a rather calm Friday. The winter air was frigid as usual and the sun was obscured by the marshmallow like clouds in the sky. The atmosphere was very dull and gray despite the entire crew being in high spirits.

We were already about halfway through with the trek. Magnolia City was all the way on the western seaboard and Everest was at the east. It was a strange coincidence that two if the world's rival settlements we're on opposite sides of the continent. That aside, we had to stop at Babylon City. And it was only a few miles out.

We had departed from Everest City on Monday and made really good progress so far. The lead Mobile Base was miles ahead, clearing a secure path. It was designed to clean up hazards and dispose of any harmful wildlife that could jeopardize the mission. Only Copyoids were on that one and a variety of them too. From Grunts to Ogres, and even Builders: All kinds of explosives and construction gear were loaded in than one. Basically anything we needed to carve a smooth and safe path was on that one.

The second Mobile Base was the actual base of operations for the expedition as well as the sleeping quarters for all of us non machines. Besides Jefferson and I, ten others joined us on this trip. None of them were particularly interesting, but they were intelligent people who wanted to study the flora and fauna we'd encounter along the way. Oh, and Dr. Corpus' personal lap dog was here too.

That bizarre, hooded fellow hadn't spoken once since we began the trip. In fact, he was rarely seen around. According to security footage, he hung around the front base though, so maybe they were just in charge of security. Hard to tell really, since we barely interacted with the lapdog.

But back on the mobile bases.

The third vehicle was where the Copyoids would recharge and rearm themselves. We called this one the Nest, since the machines would swarm around it like insects. Weapons and gear for the robots were in this one.

Currently I sat in my small closet of a room and stared at the computer monitor. The constant rumbling the vehicle made as it moved was annoying the first few days, but eventually I grew used to it. It didn't interfere with my work after all. "Very strange. There was a small ping, and then nothing", I spoke. "And it seemed to come from a different spot too". I was still studying the strange signal from before. The one from space that is. Even though we were taken off of that project I was still too curious to just drop it completely.

The pings from the mystery source were happening more frequently. There had to be some correlation with the appearance of the Arma. I was sure if that. "But where are you coming from? And is there some kind of message or code in there?". Impatiently, I tapped my fingers on the desk. This wasn't the only thing I had on my mind either. Tons of footage and news was coming out about my son and the situation he was on. Apparently he had manifested some kind of power similar to the Arma's. "Dr. Corpus' really is gonna create an army of them huh?". Looking slightly to the left of me, I took a glance of the serum I stole from Dr. Corpus' workbench. "What should I do with you?".

I picked it up and looked at it closely. It reminded me of those sugary kid's drinks they sold all over. Looked just as good too. I had the equipment and tools to see what its chemical makeup was but a fear of the unknown kept me from looking any deeper into it. After all, I was already knee deep in another mystery.

It was a scary situation we were going into. Babylon City was our closest neighbors and allies but recently there has been some tension rising between us. The people of Babylon weren't happy with Corpus Industries. According to them, the company trampled over their traditions. Babylon was a very old school kinda place. From their government to their architecture: It was totally different from how Everest City functioned.