A soft jingle began to ring through the train's comm system. "Thank you for riding with Silverline today! We have just arrived in Aughrim, two minutes ahead of schedule! The time now is 6:03 PM, and the weather outside is a cool and refreshing 16°C. If you are-"
Andrea was too preoccupied with another game of Tetris to hear the announcement. She worked at a feverish pace to move the colored blocks around the screen in a desperate attempt to continue, but things began to look grim. Red, yellow, green, blue, purple and white tiles piled up too fast for her to deal with, but a lucky string of well-timed and well-placed tetrads brought her back from the brink of failure.
Level 29! appeared on the screen as her score passed the 290 line mark.
"Yes... Yes!" she aggressively cheered to herself as she continued to focus on the falling blocks. "I just might do this!"
Despite her joy, she continued onward with unparalleled concentration. The colors flashed before her eyes as she moved each incoming tetrad into position, or at least attempted to. Red... red... green... blue... row complete! Red... purple... row complete! Yellow... yellow... yellow...
"Come on... give me something else!" her thoughts begged.
A white line appeared on the screen next, a very welcome sight. She positioned it properly and cleared four rows at once, giving her some much needed breathing room. The piling up of mismatched tiles resumed; red... purple... blue... purple... row complete! Yellow... red...
"Excuse me, Andrea?" a voice called from beside her.
She snapped back into reality as she looked around her. "Huh?" The game continued without her, and while she was lucky to clear another row without moving any of the tetrads, they quickly piled up and reached the top of the board. "Oh! Kimberly! Sorry, I was a little, uh..." she said as her attention returned to her phone. "Oh... I lost... great."
"You seem very distracted!" Kimberly said with a giggle. "The train has been stopped for several minutes now! Wasn't Aughrim your destination?"
She tossed her phone back into her purse and looked around to see the other passengers gathered at the doors. "Oh! I probably would have missed my stop if it weren't for you, thank you." She gathered up her belongings, slung them over her shoulders, stood up and let out a long and relaxing stretch. As she looked around, she noticed that Kimberly's Skitty was missing. "Where's your Skitty?"
Kimberly tapped on the pink Pokéball that dangled from the ribbon that ran along her dress' waistline. The Pokéball was adorned with fuzzy, faux-fur ears and the central button resembled a feline's nose, a design that Andrea was unfamiliar with. "She's safely back in her Pokéball. I don't like to have her out while in a big city like this. Much too risky."
"Good call, but I'd put those Pokéballs somewhere more secure if I were you. This station can be a little dangerous, especially during the evening rush hour."
"Dangerous?" Kimberly asked. Without waiting for an answer, she decided to follow the advice; she detached the pink Pokéball from her ribbon, did the same with a gem-studded purple one, then placed them into her purse.
The two began to walk towards the door together. "It hasn't happened to me, but I've seen it. Lots of thieves and scammers around here. They'll rob you blind before you even hit the floor. Hell, they could probably take that fancy dress of yours off and disappear into the crowd before you even realize it happened."
"Oh... Oh dear..." Kimberly said, her voice wavering. "Maybe it would be wise if we stuck together?"
She shrugged at the suggestion. "If you have the time. It could take me awhile to find this lady I'm supposed to meet, this is the biggest train station in the country and I don't know exactly where I'm supposed to meet her."
"I have some time to spare, I think."
The door whooshed open and the two were immediately assaulted with the roaring ruckus of the evening crowd. A sea of densely packed people covered large sections of the platform, making it difficult not just to exit the train, but to move deeper into the station as well. Despite the fact that she barely knew her, Andrea could tell that Kimberly had never visited Aughrim before and felt it was her duty to guide her safely through the station; she wrapped her arm around Kimberly's shoulder and pulled her in close, then led the way as they fought through the horde of busy travellers.
"This is intolerable!" Kimberly protested as she was jostled left and right by the crowd. "How are you so calm right now?"
"This is actually kind of light compared to the last time I was here," she replied. "You don't do much traveling, do you?"
"I've traveled a lot, actually... But I usually fly on a private jet if it makes sense to."
It took a moment for the comment to register in Andrea's mind. "...private jet?"
"Yes. My father..." Kimberly started, then held her tongue. She eyed the people around her with suspicion before continuing with a lowered voice. "My father is a wealthy businessman. I usually have access to his private jet, since he doesn't use it much anymore."
"Why not just fly into the city then?" she asked.
"There was no airport where I spent the last few months of my life. Besides, it's nice to see the countryside from the ground every now and then, isn't it?"
"Can't argue with that."
It took some time, but they finally managed to make their way into the main hall of the train station. The crowds were slightly thinner than on the platform, but not by much. Andrea began to realize the difficulties of finding her partner among the masses; she knew vaguely what Tamara looked like, but there were thousands of faces to scan and study, and potentially dozens of people to talk to before she found the right person. She lamented the fact that there wasn't a more solid plan when it came to meeting her. 'Just go and you'll find her, have fun!' seemed like a terrible waste of time, but she was stuck with it.
Kimberly suggested they reach a higher vantage point and they ventured to the second story balcony. It certainly helped her to investigate the crowd more quickly, but the finer details of the people they were looking at were lost on both of them. Kimberly dropped her backpack to the floor and began to dig through it. She retrieved a small pair of binoculars and handed them over to Andrea.
"Yeah... I won't look suspicious at all..." she said before raising the binoculars to her eyes. Every now and then, she'd lower them, focus on another group of people, then raise them again for a closer inspection. She was making very little progress in finding Tamara in the crowds, and it was starting to frustrate her. A few more minutes of searching was fruitless. "I sure am glad I know what I'm looking for!" she began to rant, the sarcasm in her voice clearly obvious.
"Who are you looking for, exactly?" Kimberly asked.
"A girl named Tamara Dahl."
"Oh, I've heard of her! The world famous Pokémon trainer!" Kimberly said. "You're going to be working with her?"
She lowered the binoculars one last time and handed them back, then pulled her phone out of her purse. She began to dial Dr. Reiland's phone number. "That was the plan..."
"That's quite an honor!"
The phone rang five times before it was finally picked up. "Hello?"
"Yes, Dr. Reiland? It's Ms. Dennison, your new employee!"
"Ah! Yes, Ms. Dennison! You should be in Aughrim by now, correct?"
She nodded. "I am."
"Good! How was the train ride?"
She peered over at Kimberly, then shrugged. "I don't know, actually, I slept through most of it."
"Heh, sleeping on the job, huh?" She let out a long sigh. "I envy you... Have you met with your partner yet?"
"That's what I called about... I've been looking for over half an hour now, I can't find her anywhere."
"Is that so? Have you tried the main lobby, under the clock?"
"That was the first place I looked. Not there."
"Huh... that's where I was told she would be..."
The fact that Dr. Reiland apparently knew where Tamara was supposed to be waiting made it difficult for Andrea to contain her frustration, but she did her best. "It would have been nice to know that. It feels like I came here without a plan."
There was a momentary pause. "...did I not tell you that? My sincerest apologies, the medication can... you know."
"Whatever the case, I can't find her. I don't know where she could be. I've looked almost everywhere."
"Almost everywhere?"
"I'm not going into the men's restroom to look for her."
Dr. Reiland let out a hearty laugh, but she quickly shifted to a more somber tone. "That's... worrying. From what I know of her, she's always punctual. Can you give me a moment?" There was a long pause as she went silent, and the sound of her struggling to lift something came across the line. A few moments later, she continued, "I want you to call this number, it's Ms. Dahl's personal line. 1-105-6734. Please, don't share that number, she has gone to great lengths to keep it hidden from the public."
"1... 105..." she mumbled quietly, relegating the number to her short term memory. "Got it."
"I'm going to get in touch with her employer, see if he knows anything. That will take some time, though... You caught me on my way home. If you find her before I call you again, let me know."
"Thank you, will do."
"You'll hear from me soon." The phone clicked, then went silent.
She let out a sigh and began to dial the number that Dr. Reiland gave her.
"Anything?" Kimberly asked.
She shook her head. "Nothing. I'm going to call this lady's personal number, see if I can get through."
The phone rang... and rang... and rang, until eventually an automated message began to play, "Greetings, you've reached Tamara! I can't answer the phone right now, leave me a message and I'll get back to you." A loud beep followed shortly after.
She began to mutter obscenities under her breath before finally composing her message. "Uhh, hello! This is Andrea Dennison, Dr. Reiland's assistant. I'm supposed to accompany you to Doranshire for some research about the strange happenings going on there. I'm here at Camden Station but I can't find you anywhere, there's far too many people in the way. Get in touch with me so we can figure out where we're meeting, my number is 1-210-7240. See ya soon!" She hung her phone up and sighed loudly.
"Is everything okay?" Kimberly asked.
She shook her head. "It's only been a few days, but this job has been very stressful so far... First that cow, then the mushrooms, and now-" She stopped her unintelligible muttering when she saw the strange look on Kimberly's face. "I'm sure she's just running late, she must be a very busy person."
"Speaking of running late, I should probably get going... These coordination contests take some time to prepare for... Will you be alright here by yourself?" Kimberly asked.
She made a dismissive gesture as she nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Good luck with your contest."
"And to you as well, friend. It was nice meeting you!"
She watched as Kimberly cautiously approached the crowd and then disappeared into it. "10 golden roses says she's eaten alive by this city..." she mused to herself.
She decided to sweep the station more thoroughly again for any signs of Tamara, despite the nagging thoughts that it would be pointless; if she hadn't picked up her phone, she reasoned, then she likely wasn't anywhere in the station. Or, who knew, maybe she was at the station, but the staggering amount of noise from the crowds made it impossible for her to hear her phone. Whatever the case, she just wanted to kill some time before Dr. Reiland contacted her again, and she could think of little else to do.
Her search led her across the main lobby and nearly every person she came across was meticulously studied. No luck. She moved onto the relaxation lounge next. The dim lights in the area were anything but helpful when it came to inspecting the people around her and even led to some awkward confusion when she thought she finally found Tamara, only to realize that the person in question was merely a man with long, black hair. Fed up with her search, she decided to move onto the next part of the station, the commerce center.
There were lots of alluring distractions in the commerce center; sports games on the television at the bar, the scent of freshly prepared food, a public Dance-Dance-Arcade! match between two seasoned veterans, a variety book store and a jewelry kiosk all fought for her attention. Her love of rave music made it difficult to slip by the Dance-Dance-Arcade! display unhindered, as did her rumbling stomach as she passed through the food court. All the while, she kept a watchful eye on the people around her... all for nothing. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that she wouldn't find Tamara.
She decided instead to pass the time by browsing the merchandise around her. A look through the book store offered little in the way of entertainment, as only two subjects were covered: romance and politics, neither of which she had any interest in. She was drawn back towards the Dance-Dance-Arcade! display next and blended in with the cheering spectators who were watching a heated competition between two young men.
"Yeah! Ya got 'em, ya got 'em!" one of the spectators shouted as the match progressed.
The screen was crammed to capacity with flashing arrows that passed by at lightning speed, each corresponding to a specific dance move. Both were able to keep up with the ludicrous pace and remained evenly matched for several minutes, but eventually one of them missed a step and threw off their whole rhythm. The crowd erupted with boisterous booing and cheering as the young man stormed off in defeat.
"Me next, this guy's goin' down!" another spectator demanded before shoving his way forward, almost knocking Andrea over in the process.
As the two argued on the next song and the difficulty they'd compete at, Andrea felt a deep rumbling against her leg. She pulled her phone out and looked at the screen, and her heart dropped a bit. 'Incoming call from Dr. Rebecca Reiland'. She stepped away from the hollering crowd and answered. "Hello?"
"Hello, Ms. Dennison, it's Dr. Reiland again. Have you heard from Ms. Dahl yet?"
"I haven't. I don't think she's here. I called her phone and reached her voice mail, but she hasn't gotten back to me yet."
"I see... I was just in touch with her employer, Dr. Belmonte. He hasn't heard from her, either. The airline company she booked her flight into Aughrim with said that she was aboard the plane when it took off, but she never checked into the hotel she's staying at."
"Where the hell is she, then?"
"She's definitely in the country, but beyond that... I don't know. I'm starting to grow a little worried."
"You don't think..." she started.
Her mind immediately drifted to the recent news reports related to missing people, kidnappings and murders across the country. Growing up, Andrea always thought of Lanark as a safe country, and it truthfully was; disappearances were a rarity during her youth, and violent kidnappings even more so. She remembered reading a recent article that stated in April alone, there were nearly 400 reported cases of missing persons, ten times the yearly average. Fears that a trafficking ring had been established in the country continued to dominate the headlines and discussions on evening news programs, and Andrea had begun to wonder if Tamara had suffered a similar fate.
"Is it possible that she ran into trouble somewhere in the city?" she asked.
"As much as I don't want to... I'm starting to think that."
"So... what do... how..." she stumbled. "What should I do?"
"I'm not sure there's much you can do at the moment. Check into a hotel, we'll figure out what you're doing in the morning. It's much too dangerous for you to travel the roads at night, especially alone. In the meantime, I'll keep in touch with Ms. Dahl's employer and sort out a missing person report."
"Understood."
"Stay safe, Ms. Dennison."
"I'll try."