Enigma Source: Grey Area

Chapter 15: Crimson Gleam

November 25, 2531
Grey Morrison
Slums of Everest

This alarm like sound woke me up from a pleasant dream. (It involved a romantical experience with an absolute bombshell of a lady). Anyways, I didn't even know what or who was making that sound. I could only guess it was one of Sinclair's drones waking us up to get our day of being fugitives started. And well, I was half right.

I opened my eyes to a bright LED light flashing red lights down at me. "Ay! What gives!", I shouted somewhat. With the light in my face I wasn't sure which PetPod it was. The noise it made was pretty horrendous too, sounding like a storm siren had a baby with an alarm clock. "I'm up! Can you stop that already?", I (politely) asked the machine. I sat up on the sofa and rubbed my eyes, but before I could fully understand what was going on, another one if Sin's toys came from behind me and attempted to push me off the sofa. "What now?".

With my eyes fully opened and my senses coming back online, I looked around the room as much as I could. Besides the two PetPods acting up, everything was normal. It was still dark outside so I only assumed that Sin made me wake up early for a reason or another. But where was he? Sinclair was nowhere to be found. His coat was gone, but he left his bag. "Maybe he went to piss or something", I thought. I got up and asked the robots to settle down. "Ok that's enough. Where'd Sin go?". The PetPod that shined the light on me and blared that alarm stopped both of those activities and approached me. It was Lux, the yellow one that was the most energetic of the trio. It beeped frantically and circled me hastily. Echo, who was more than likely the one pushing my back, aslo let out a dire sounding tone. "You know I can't understand you guys. But it seems like you want me to get up ASAP".

I eagerly hopped off the sofa. I thought this simple act would calm the little balls of metal down, but I only aggravated them more. That what it looked like at least. Echo hovered towards Sin's bag and hot under the strap. Lux took Echo's spot, this time pushing me towards the direction of the bag. I was so tired that this felt like surreal dream. You know the ones that feel so real and normal that the minute you wake up you think you actually did the things in the dream. It's hard to explain, but I'm sure you know what I mean.

"Not sure what's going on. Is Sin in trouble? Or does he just need me to take him his bag?". I didn't mean to speak in a sassy way, but it just came out that way. Both PetPods didn't like my attitude. Lux, being more pushy than before, somehow got me to move. The energy output in these things was amazing. I stumbled forward just a few feet away from the wall where Sin dropped his bag against. Echo tugged on the strap as much as he could but the weight of the bag was too much for the little guy (Forget what I said earlier about thier energy output).

"Let me get that. I don't think you have the capability to lift Sin's heavy bag", I stated. At this point I was as awake as I could be without coffee, let alone breakfast. I would've killed for some of my mother's omelettes right about now. Too bad I was a criminal now. I've got to eat something manly like say a plain bagel and coffee with no cream or sugar. Crazy I know.

"Where is Sin by the way?", I asked the both of them as I slung the bag over my right shoulder. Both Lux and Echo got together and started to communicate. A beep here and there and various chirps. Lux sounded more worried out of the two, using slight movement to show off her "expressions". What I mean is that she would hovered up and down and side to side, imitating the way a person would move thier head when they were distressed. It was rather uncanny, but it did show me something important. Something bad had happened, or maybe something bad was going to.

I was about to interject into thier "conversation" but a sudden noise broke my concentration. It was a creaking sound of the rusted door latches, but not from the door to this room. It echoed through the building, from somewhere down the hall. It had a ghostly sound to it since it traveled down the abandoned halls. I won't lie, I nearly pissed myself when I heard the sound. The cold shiver that ran down my spine was unlike anything I had felt and I even developed a sudden cold sweat. Then some clicking sounds. "What the heck is out there?", I softly spoke. I didn't want to inform whatever was here my location. Didn't know why, but I felt something sinister in the air. Like, something bad was stirring.