Cloudless Night in Neon WInter

An individual cannot swallow the ocean. Ensure proper formation of groups that function, but above all else do not foster connections. –Management Code 120

There was a dead body in the middle of the room. There was no obvious wound visible from the doorframe, just a slumped over figure on a carpet. The man could simply be sleeping on the floor. Cole knew that was not the case. Before him was a corpse. It didn't matter that Cole had never seen one before, he just knew there was no life left in the motionless figure on the floor.

Cole's normally racing mind froze. It was as if his brain shut off for a moment. As it rebooted, Cole could hear the pounding of his heart. Thoughts rushed back into his head, yet his body stubbornly remained frozen. The concept of mortality was not foreign to Cole, not all of his family members roamed the grounds of the earth. This was different.

The unnatural sprawl of limbs robbed the body of its humanity, the utter stillness defied life, and the stench of iron clung to air. Cole willed his eyes shut, hoping they were faulty.

*Beep. Beep. Beep.* A call chimed in his ear. Mechanically, Cole reached up and connected the call. "Exit the room, close the door, and wait outside. I am sending someone over, follow her instructions." The manager's voice was as warped as usual, but Cole could tell there was no waver in her voice. 

Her stoicism only made him feel more alone. No one could share that dreadful experience with him… except for the dead man before him. Cole left the room and closed the door. He noticed his hand shaking and he sat down, leaning against the dirty wall.

His mind had stilled, the corpse was all that remained. Cole tried to focus on something else. Would he be blamed for the death? That didn't seem to matter. Cole would welcome the role of suspect, if it could shift his reality away from the dead man. No not the dead man, that was Jake Jenkins. Cole did not know if Mr. Jenkins was on the same level as the manager from his department, or if the man was just a common worker assigned as his guide, like Mel had been on the first day.

The unknown Mr. Jenkins had already left his mark on Cole's life, but he was not done yet, not by a long shot. Cole looked at the wall in front of him. The dull yellow wall with thin blue stripes did not look so dull anymore. The stripes wriggled and the colors seemed to writhe. The wall was not stable, and it could not even control the covering that it had been given. The stripes bent round each other, some spiraling into a loop, while others recoiled from their neighbors in disgust.

Cole watched a stripe flop from the wall, slithering towards him. A predator, feared because of its unknown nature. Cole stared at it blankly, unmoving.

"Excuse me. I was told there was a problem." The voice lacked any feeling, as if its owner was too lazy to add any. Cole blinked, the wallpaper was dull once again, rigid in its prison on the wall. The words were enunciated perfectly, but it took a few moments for Cole to look up.

She was wearing the same uniform as Cole. However, her white shirt was untucked, hanging over the waist of the green pants. The top button of the shirt was unfastened, not for any apparent fashionable reasons, and her hands were tucked into her pockets comfortably.

Cole looked into the woman's face, her whole demeanor was so casual he wondered if she knew the extent of 'the problem'. Her expression housed a slight grimace that accentuated a sharp nose, messy eyebrows, and a thin set of lips. Her face was entirely clean of any sort of grime or makeup, making her calculating gray eyes stand out. Her dark black hair was pulled out of her face into a tiny ponytail that might have made Cole laugh, if he could muster the emotion.

Cole stood up and motioned to the door next to him. He staggered slightly into the cool wood, reassured by its silence and solidness.

"Damn these walls are dirty." The woman reached out and brushed some of the dust off of Cole's back. Cole froze at the soft touch and gingerly stepped to the side of the door.

"Name please." The woman's expression did not change as she looked Cole up and down.

"Cole Spearsgate." The woman nodded and reached out a hand. "I'm Alyx." Her hand was cool to the touch, and Cole could feel a scar along the palm of her hand. There were no more pleasantries, and Alyx motioned Cole to move aside. As soon as he stepped away, Alyx opened the door swiftly, without warning or hesitation.

Not wanting to look into the room, Cole observed Alyx's face. Her eyes scanned the room, and Cole could not tell when they alighted on Mr. Jenkins. Every inch of the room was surveyed as if Alyx was at a store trying to decide which brand of vegetable was most cost efficient. There was no emotion in her eyes, and even when her lips pursed thoughtfully, Cole felt she was not really that interested.

Alyx closed the door and reached into a pocket on her sleeve. She pulled out a small black disk and stuck it to the door. Orange light sprung from the disk, covering the door in a net like pattern. The orange net did not stop at the door and in a matter of seconds the entire wall in front of Mr. Jenkins' office was encased in the orange light. 

"Just making sure the crime scene remains undisturbed." Alyx answered the unasked question smoothly. She turned and started walking away. "Follow me." Her tone never shifted from its lazy plainness, and she did not bother to check if Cole was following.

In the elevator, Cole let out a breath, he had not realized he was holding, it was nice to get away from the fraying wallpaper, and layer of dust.

The elevator reached its destination silently, and the duo stepped out into another unfamiliar hall. This one reminded Cole of the place where he worked, only slightly smaller and with three doors on the back wall. 

"That's my office." Alyx pointed to the rightmost door before continuing. "Go through the middle door, a manager will talk to you."

Alyx walked to her office and entered without another word. The door clicked shut behind her. Cole stood frozen for a moment, before walking to the middle door and placing his hand on the knob. A faint beep echoed and the door swung open.

The office was exactly the same as the manager's office in Cole's department, only it was not empty this time. Sitting cross-legged behind the desk, wearing a slightly less provocative outfit was the manager. She had black form fitting pants, and a ruffled red shirt that had a clear window, allowing a full view of her back. 

As Cole sank into a chair, the manager reached up and carefully removed her mask, with great effort, so as to not mess with her hair. Her face was heavily painted in makeup, a stark blush on her cheeks, deep blue lipstick, and purple outlines around her eyes, which were slate blue. Her upper lip was pierced with a small silver bolt, and she had a pair of earrings that wrapped around her upper ear. A faint line in her forehead betrayed the metal seam that indicated a piece of robotics implanted on her temple.

"I suppose I must introduce myself now. You can call me Mirai." Her voice held a measured warmth that was jarringly different from Alyx, and the robotic sound that the mask usually gave MIrai.

"Until the issue is resolved you will be assisting our investigator. Alyx is a contractor so you will be her liaison to all company affairs." Mirai did not mince words and Cole thought he caught a faint hint of amusement, when his face twitched.

"I know you are a relatively new employee, so I will be your contact for any questions on how the company functions. I will almost make it clear what information can be revealed to Alyx. Do you understand?" Cole nodded. 

"Good. You will start your new role tomorrow. Stick with Alyx and file daily reports on your activities." Mirai did not bother to tell Cole if she believed he was innocent, in fact she did not mention any specifics about the case.

"Take the rest of the day off, then report back here and follow Alyx's instructions. She is in charge of the investigation, but if I tell you to stop her from doing something, you will stop her instantly. The company takes its secrecy very seriously." Mirai left no room for questions as picked up her mask, fitted it on her head, and turned to exit.

Through the window in her shirt, Cole could see metal bumps sticking out of the skin on her spine, indicating that it had been mechanically enhanced. After Mirai left, Cole walked out of the office. Alyx's door was still shut, and only a faint hint of light under the door betrayed the fact that she was in the room.

Cole walked to the elevator and did not realize where he was until he closed the door of his small apartment.