Enigma Source: Grey Area

Chapter 30: End of Pax

December 1st, 2531
Hyde Morrison
Babylon City: Capital Structure

"We're severely underdressed for this", I spoke to Jefferson. "We're about to meet royalty and here I am with a white tee and some slacks". I, as well as the other people in our expedition, were being escorted down a nice hallway with a vibrant red carpet. A human guardsman dressed like a knight took us to meet the Monarch himself. Of course, he wasn't dressed as an actual medieval knight, but the armor he wore was a modern take on the look. It was cybernetic in nature; a fancy exoskeleton to be exact.

These fairly new suits were one of Babylon's prized inventions. In place of relying on Copyoids, they had developed these armors in order to combat threats. Although expensive, these things could match a Copyoid in terms of strength and speed. However, since they were still new and expensive, not many people had access to them. I was still kinda jealous that they beat us to the punch though.

"Damn. They really like their old fashioned architecture. Look at those pillars: The look like they came straight out of a mausoleum". The hall was huge, and yes, looked like a very fancy tomb. The ceiling was about twenty five feet tall, and the width was about the same as well. Blue and gold seemed to be the main color scheme. Most things were a nice navy blue but had gold outlines or accents. Of course, normal things like tables and benches were regular browns, but tapestries and cloths followed the design. Even the exosuits and uniforms were blue and gold. A bit pretentious if you asked me.

We approached a set of "half oval" doors. They were needlessly large as well. "The Monarch is just beyond these doors. Try anything and you'll be terminated with extreme prejudice", the lone guardsman told us as he placed his hands on the doors. The way he spoke was very stern and serious. It was somehow scarier than any Copyoid I had heard speak.

"Of course. We'll be on our best behavior", I told the man. With my acknowledgement, the guardsman pushed the doors open and the bright rays of the sun shined onto us.

The Monarch's room was enormous, almost too big for comfort. It was like the mainstage of a cathedral mixed in with a pompous library. The room itself was shaped like a theatre, curved and round at the sides. Shelves filled with books lined the fifty foot room. There were two ladders with the wheels on the feet, one on each side of the room. Directly in front of us was a long and curved desk made of an expensive wood. It had about ten seats, having one giant, throne-like seat at the center. This was probably where the Monarch and his officials had their meeting. Right behind that was a huge window that led to a sort of balcony.

And there he was. A man so grand and magnificent. He was standing on the balcony and looking down at his kingdom. "Sire, your guests are here", the guard spoke loudly. With a dramatic, turn, the royal turned to face us. A bright smile as radiant as the sun greeted us. "Visitors from Everest! Welcome!", he greeted.

Silas Silverstone was a very handsome man with short brown hair. He had a nice, chiseled jaw with a think and shirt beard. His whole head was nicely angular. And he was pretty tall too, probably around six feet and four inches. Even from how far we stood I could tell that he was a man that could pass as royalty.

He wore a very decorated uniform; the kind a high ranking general would wear. Many golden badges and colorful ribbons adorned the upper left part of his chest. The navy blue made them pop really exquisitely. For being in his late forties, he looked really young and full of life. There wasn't a crown sadly which was something I wished Babylon adopted into their culture.

"Holy cow it just hit me: I'm about to meet Monarch Silas", Jefferson stated. Yes. It really did hit. This realization that we were about to meet a very important person. While not a king, Dr. Corpus was our equivalent to a supreme ruler. Even more so since he practically had the whole world underneath his feet. It was just felt different because he wasn't a king or anything.