Cole sighed, resting his head on his desk. He didn't feel like going to Resource Management. It was the second day after returning from Harbor, and the Cole who had been so gung-ho in his questioning, was no more.
In his place was a man tired from work, who wanted a relaxing day. Or maybe he was just missing someone. Alyx was still recovering at her home.
'I guess I will file a report of everything that was uncovered.' Since he was working on the investigation for the company, Cole had no thoughts of concealing the case's progress.
Nothing about Mr. Jenkins' death pointed to further corruption in the company. Cole firmly felt that it was the act of a singular employee, in Resource Management.
Cole wondered if Alyx disagreed. He hadn't been able to talk to her about what they learned in Harbor. Cole scrunched up his face, he was too focused on Alyx.
Cole dutifully filed his report. Putting the experiences into words felt flimsy and impersonal. He couldn't describe how shattered Mrs. Jenkins had been without ever knowing of the affair. Cole paused, was that necessary in an investigation report.
He had never received any sort of training in his new capacities, and it was not the first time he questioned his capabilities. He had been a new hire, and now he was thrust into the heart of a murder investigation.
Cole continued writing his report, moving on to the time spent in Harbor. 'I should probably keep my personal feelings out of it. Or am I filing these reports for perspective?'
Cole's description turned more generic, as he tried to state the facts of what had occurred, in the simplest language he could find. Cole sat back, the words floating in front of his eyes moved with him. They did little to describe the struggles he and Alyx had experienced in Harbor, but they felt sufficient. For a second.
Cole suddenly wanted to rewrite the entire report, but he had no confidence that he could make it better. Cole looked at the door of his office. Normally Alyx would be nearby, her presence and confidence in him, enough to calm his frazzled mind.
Cole clenched his hand into a fist. He knew Alyx would be fine, she was just resting. So why was he thinking about her more than his family, whose safety was uncertain. He needed to focus.
Cole turned back to the report, filling in his conversations with Jam Hardy, and Sinje Daniels. Were they bigger suspects after what had been uncovered? It felt foreign to Cole that Jam would be so against receiving a raise, and He didn't see Sinje as someone who would lose composure and kill for passion.
Cole looked over his completed report, sure that it was the worst thing he had ever written. 'Whatever, I doubt Mirai even reads them.' Mirai could tap into Cole's sight whenever she wanted, in the company building, so Cole was certain that she had a better grasp on the case than him.
Was she using his vision at that moment? Was she laughing at his struggles? Cole took a breath, he always knew when Mirai tapped into his vision, and had to accept her requests. He had gotten so used to it, that he barely registered it, but she was definitely not watching his struggles at that moment.
Cole sent the report. As soon as sent it, he instantly came up with many ways to improve it. A change of words in the Harbor section would make the entire report much clearer. Cole reread his report.
"Ughh. What am I going to do with the rest of my day?" Cole said to no one in particular. He wanted to turn his attention away from the report. It was hard to come up with a plan that didn't involve going to Resource Management. In his new capacity, he did not have many set guidelines.
He just needed to follow Alyx's instructions and write reports to Mirai. He could sit idly for the rest of the day, and likely not face any punishment. However, Cole could not do that, he was at work, and he had a compulsion to do something to earn his paycheck.
'Alyx would… Stop thinking about Alyx.' Cole imagined himself as a child, succeeding in a sport he had never played. It was the only way he could think about something other than Alyx.
/Please report to my office at once./ The words flashed in front of his eyes, jolting him away from his thoughts. He had something new to worry about. Mirai had called for him.
Entering Mirai's office was always nerve wracking for Cole. It did not happen often, and usually, preceded or followed, an unpleasant event. 'Did she hate my shitty report that much?' Cole cursed to himself.
The door to Mirai's office smoothly slid open, and Cole entered. Mirai was sitting behind her desk, her mask carefully aligned with the edge of the surface. As he expected, Mirai's face was enticing, pleasing proportions enhanced with the striking colors of accentuated makeup.
Cole pulled his eyes away from her outfit as he found himself following a slit in the side of her dress that led all the way to the yellow tattoo on her hip. Instead, he took a seat and waited patiently.
Mirai was a person that gave off the impression that she was always busy, even though Cole had no idea what her job entailed. After half a minute of silence, Mirai's eyes focused on Cole.
For a second Cole saw a spiral of mournful fatigue in her slate blue eyes. The weakness disappeared in an instance as Mirai spoke. " You don't look very happy to see me." Her voice was warm and smooth, comforting to Cole, even though he had no idea how to respond.
"Sorry that was an attempt to lighten the mood, I am not at full capacity today." Mirai's mechanical hand brushed a nonexistent strand of her maroon hair out of her face. Cole's attention was pulled to the tattoo that ran along her collarbone onto her mechanical arm.
After everything that happened with Jam, Cole could not look at a tattoo as only decoration. What did Mirai's tree branch mean?
"It's a good tattoo, isn't it? I never thought that there would be someone who could tattoo flesh and metal." Mirai smiled as she noticed where Cole's eyes had drifted.
"What does it mean?" Cole decided to throw caution to the wind, he had already been caught looking.
"I am not sure, I found it in a letter that my sister sent to me. I don't think she realized that her drawing was attached to the message. I got it soon after I lost my arm, because it reminds me that she cares about me."
Cole sat frozen, listening to Mirai. She had always seemed to be perched on an unreachable mountain, and now she was telling him about her past. The woman who usually felt robotic in her perfectness, was certainly in a strange mood.
"Back on task. I called you in to discuss your progress." Mirai sobered quickly from the glimpse of her life, and Cole felt as if her piercing gaze could see his deepest insecurities.
"I am impressed with how much you have done." Mirai's words shattered the preparation Cole had started, to ensure he was ready to face admonishment. "Thank you." Cole said quietly.
"Initially, I had planned for you to only be my eyes, but I see, from your reports, that you have been a great help to Alyx." Mirai leaned forward in her chair. Cole focused on her words, ignoring the view presented by the shift in her thin dress.
"I don't think I have done anything that advanced the case." Cole spoke before he could control himself. He truly believed his words. He felt anyone could take his place and produce the same results.
Mirai's eyebrows rose questioningly. "Either way, as a manager, I have seen enough to know that you will be a valuable asset to the company after the case is concluded. If you keep up the excellent work, I am sure that I can secure a high ranking position for you."
Cole started to speak, but shut his mouth. He didn't want to ruin his image by saying he didn't deserve the raise. Maybe he would be able to afford a garden module. He had heard of rich people growing their own food.
Cole felt a flash of motivation, which he quickly shook off, it should be enough that he was trying to catch a killer. Over the course of the investigation, his opinion on Mr. Jenkins had been lowered, but that didn't mean he should be more excited about the possibility of food, over bringing the man's murderer to justice.
"Now that you know that the company values you. I need to tell you that you must be more careful. The danger you and Alyx recklessly put yourselves into should not be repeated. Harbor is a serious organization, and if you need to infiltrate a similar entity, you have to come to me first."
Mirai's words had no room for argument, and Cole decided not to mention that he had simply followed Alyx's cryptic instructions. "Yes ma'am."
"Good. I have one more thing to discuss, before I let you go." Mirai still looked serious, causing Cole to worry that there was some other mistake he had made
"What do you think of Alyx?" The question hit Cole hard, he had been trying not to think of Alyx the entire day.
"Wh..what do you mean?" Cole stuttered out. Mirai's face twitched with confusion. "I want to know how she has been in your eyes, regarding the case."
"She has been great. I have learned so much from her. She is amazing." As he spoke, Cole reeled internally, like he had been punched. He had just realized why he could only think of Alyx. He had feelings for her.