Enigma (Rogue #2)

17

Paradox or Keone was literally leaving. Because that's why Eniola and the rest of them all had found their way to the Beijing International Airport. All 5 of them were spread out in a line in coming to a random flight. Zaira had told them all that they weren't supposed to get on a flight, but they were supposed to find Paradox when it had happened.

Eniola felt static in the busy environment. It was like her mind had tethered away from her body because she could feel everything. The people who were all coming and going, rolling suitcases around with androids, rolling around with them on clear silver floors. The ceilings were huge and grey and curved against the ceilings in waves. Holo-screens showed flights and updated times and busy attendant droids scanned in flight tickets.

This was the last day people could fly before the world went under digital quarantine. Eniola thought people would be terrified out of their minds, but they had no problem risking their lives for a dream vacation.

Eniola nervously tapped her foot on the ground, looking at the floating blue screens that showed lights. The huge window panels showed Beijing where their faces were still on the wanted boards. Eniola was more bored than scared at this point. As of now, she was Moniquisha Jenkins. Unfortunately.

Eniola stepped out of the line and spotted her friends paced out in the line. It would look so weird if 5 foreign travellers happened to all be next to each other instead of interspersed through the crowd. To her, they were her friends, but to everyone else, they were their various identities Zaira had cloaked into their SCOPElenses. They weren't going anywhere, and they hoped that by the time they would come out in line Paradox would make some grand show and they'd short sight him, as they discussed in their plan.

Mostly everyone was Chinese, except for the black girl out in front of Eniola, she noticed. She only wore a straight face and a pantsuit. There was no bag that he had. She must've been some high-profile businesswoman.

"Any sign of Paradox?" Eniola asked quietly.

"No," Zaira said. "So we're just waiting for now. But I repeat, do not let your guard go down."

"I will not," Jay repeated. "I am an expert at keeping my guard up."

No one replied to anything, but she heard a couple of snorts. And one of those came back from her.

"Whatever," he grumbled.

"Let's just stop talking, because it will look hella suspicious if we're mumbling to ourselves," Theo said. "Let's just be careful."

Everyone stopped talking, and despite them being there, she felt an odd disconnect. At the same moment, the girl in front of her turned to her. She was pretty, had deep dark skin, and long thick braids. Her eyes opened narrowly prettily, revealing a light amber. Her skin was freckled with dark spots and had a wide smile. She was someone who'd be on billboards.

Pantsuit-Woman turned around and gestured to Eniola elaborately. She must've been deaf. The blue text immediately ran under her vision, and Eniola's hands immediately touched her face and sighed. She still had translators on. She must've forgotten.

"What did you do in Beijing?" the text said, and the girl mumbled faintly.

Eniola froze. Of course. Backstories. "I was just on a school trip. I'm coming back. How about you?"

She signed to Eniola. "I'm here for business. I've met with some investors for my tech company."

"Cool," Eniola said, trying to avoid the topic.

"Look at everyone," she continues signing. "It's so weird how everyone wants to travel only simply because we won't be able to do it anymore. It is such pseudo-human behaviour."