Grey Area

Grey Area is a series created by Dan Abnett and Karl Richardson which began running in 2000 AD in prog 1764 (January 2012) after a pilot episode in prog 2012 (the 2011 Christmas edition). It has continued to appear at intervals ever since.

The series is set in North America in 2045, in the Global Exo Segregation Zone (the "Grey Area"), a huge sector in Arizona given over to housing the large number of extraterrestrial immigrants that arrive on Earth. A massive shanty town which acts as a holding area, it is policed by armed and armoured Exo Transfer Control Squads, with the lead characters in the series being the squad led by Captain Adam Bulliet, including officers Birdy (Bulliet's lover), Feo, Manners and Kymn (officer Kymn is particularly useful, as he has a natural ability to understand any and all alien languages, a "gift" which is viewed with suspicion by many). Initially, the series appeared to be largely disconnected short stories, but over time continuing plot strands began to become more prominent, including Bulliet and the insecure Birdy's relationship, and the potential consequences of Bulliet causing the death of Ambassador Uuveth of the Arakshu, an alien who attempted to use his diplomatic immunity to avoid punishment for horrific acts of sadism committed against humans for his own gratification.

Following an ill-fated encounter between a group of Christian activists and some newly arrived aliens who considered them "evil" because "all God's are evil (their world having apparently been destroyed by their God, which they killed in retaliation), and so their worshippers must be evil", the Earth became gripped by religious mania heralding the approach of a creature which appeared to be God, but which proved to be an alien entity capable of destroying worlds after first pacifying their populations with a rapture. Bulliet's squad were sent to intercept the creature, but discovered that it was impossible to communicate with, and had been aimed at Earth by the Arakshu in response to Bulliet's killing of Uuveth. With no means of stopping the creature, Bulliet elected to arm a nuclear device in their ship and fly it straight down the creature's throat, which was effectively a wormhole. The device exploded, apparently killing the both the creature and also Bulliet and his crew. However, the words "The End" were accompanied by a question mark.