Cloudless Night in Neon WInter

Cole did not sleep that night, his mind quiet for a moment, before bursting forward with explosive aggression. Mr. Jenkins captured the majority of his thoughts, but every now and then Mirai, or Alyx would pop up. After replaying the day's events that ended when a certain door swung shut, Cole climbed out of his bed.

His bedroom was small, with just enough space to fit a bed and a thin rug next to it. Cole sat on the rug for a moment, before standing up and pulling aside the curtain, revealing a tall window. It went from floor to ceiling, allowing Cole to look out of his window as he sat back down on the rug.

His room was on one of the higher floors of his building giving him a stellar view of the monstrous city around him. The moon hung in the sky unobstructed, trying desperately to outshine the sparkling metropolis below. It was a futile task. The moon looked faint in comparison to the bright lights that pierced from the ground through the dark sky. Buildings seemingly outlined by a variation of bright neon lights.

Cole took a deep breath, looking at the city at night had always been one of the ways he could quiet his mind. Even at the moon's zenith there was still movement in the streets, and it was only at night that the true radiance of mankind's lights could be observed. A flashing billboard caught Cole's eye. An eye-catching green man with no shirt was wiping his brow as if he had just completed a hard day at work. The man smiled as he brought his hand down before pointing forward. The screen flashed and a single word appeared /UNIONIZE/.

Cole smirked and looked at another advertisement, after Intrusive ads had been banned, companies had to go back to the old fashioned way of getting people's attention. Cole had not been alive when advertisements could be played directly onto one's personal screen, but he had heard stories of people ripping out their own eyes because of an overload of targeted information.

An ethereal woman made of pink and blue light rose out of the city, projected onto the sky itself. She beckoned towards herself and a few words materialized above her hand. /I could be whoever you want. Vote to pass the synthetic human ordinance/. Her figure shifted into a slender man whose smile was the same. The words appeared again. The man turned into a more muscular man. Cole turned away from the ad, glancing down an alley near his building.

It did not have any lights, but it was still well lit from the excess light around it. The walls danced with different colors, electric blues blended into brilliant greens and yellows, vibrant reds cut through sparkling purples, leading to a small sign at the end of the alley. The sign was an image of a bowl on fire, all in shades of neon pink. Cole felt his stomach grumble, that shop was one of his favorite places to eat. It sold all manner of soups and pastas, but unfortunately only opened late at night. Since he had started his new job, he had not been.

Cole stood up and reached under his bed, pulling out a sideways rack. Without caring too much, he grabbed a jacket and a pair of warm pants. Pulling them on, he pushed the rack shut and walked over to his shoes. Next to his clean work shoes, was a pair of worn boots that Cole slipped into before exiting his room. Walking past his tiny kitchen and bathroom, he soon exited his apartment and moments later he was rocketing to the ground in a fast, but not entirely stable elevator.

It stopped with a soft clunk and shudder, before its doors creaked open allowing Cole to exit. A few minutes later, Cole reached his destination, opening the door to the store. A bell chimed softly, and Cole looked towards the counter in anticipation, already imagining the delicious meal to come. 

*Bump.* Cole looked down and realized he had run into a smallish figure. Her face had hit his chest, and Cole could only see a black bob haircut. 

"I'm so sorry." Cole stuttered the words out and quickly moved to get out of the woman's way. She looked up, her gray eyes sparking with interest. She walked past and smiled, the vibrant light of the little alley reflected across her face and Cole stood frozen at how alive she looked in that moment. Her expression sparkled with energy, a mirror of the neon lights of the city. Cole turned away to stop from staring.

"See you tomorrow Cole." Cole looked back at the woman as she waved enthusiastically and walked off. How did she know his name? Cole stepped back in shock as he realized that it had been Alyx that he just walked into. She had been so different from when he met her that morning. How could a face that looked so blank and uninterested brim with so much life hours later. Even her voice that had been almost robotic, was full of energy when she had called out to him. The Alyx he had bumped into felt like a different person.

Cole went and ordered a bowl of soup, before finding his usual place, at the window of the shop. The meal was delicious, the chunks of fresh ingredients meshed with the flavor of the vat grown bits, tied together by the broth that the shop owner cooked overnight in a large pot. However, Cole could not focus on the food and as he looked out into the alley, the brilliant lights kept reminding him of Alyx's smile. It was just too lively and captivating.

Cole smiled to himself and returned the bowl to the cook. Moments later he was back in his apartment, his mind no longer focused on Mr. Jenkins. Cole flopped onto his bed and closed his eyes. 

*Ting.* The coin clanged against the ground, wobbling on its side for a moment before landing on its face. The figure on the upturned coin was a miserable looking jester. His hat drooped and his face was cast in a frustrated glower. Cole reached for the coin, but found himself clutching a doorknob. He knew he shouldn't open it. *Creak.* The door groaned quietly as it opened.

*Screech.* Cole woke up drenched in sweat. Tiredly he reached over and tapped an object on his bed post, stopping the horrible screaming noise. The alarm clock had been a gift from his family when he had been sent across the world to receive basic training. He had done so well in preliminary schooling that he had been shipped to his current city for his training. The training was the same all over the world, but cities were only allowed a few excellent students each. Cole had been unlucky enough to be in a city with too many overachievers and had been sent away.

After sanitizing himself in the bathroom and eating a nutrients cube, Cole slowly made his way to work. He was upset because he never had time for a proper breakfast anymore, but the real reason for his slow steps was because he would likely have to see Mr. Jenkins again.

Cole handed over his keycard and got into the elevator, each step forward causing his heart to pound harder. The elevator smoothly opened and Cole stepped out. Alyx was already there, back turned towards Cole as she bent to pick something up. Cole suddenly remembered the previous night and her brilliant smile. Hearing the elevator softly closing, Alyx turned towards Cole.

Her hair was tied back in the tiny ponytail once again, and Cole's brow furrowed when he saw her face. There was no hint of the lively emotion from the previous night, her face was back to being plain and neutral.

"Morning." She said blandly. "Good morning." Cole replied, forcing a smile. "Do you need me to get here earlier?" She cocked her head to the side. "No, I got here a few minutes ago."

She straightened and Cole saw her slipping a small metallic circle into a sleeve pocket. Her expression told him not to ask with its disinterest and Cole stood silently waiting for an instruction.

"It's time to go back to resource management." Alyx's face did not express any emotion, even as Cole shuddered. "At least we can get justice for you Mr. Jenkins." Cole muttered under his breath.

 "Should our job be about getting justice? Or is it about stopping this killer from striking again?" Alyx spoke up, but before Cole could respond, she walked past him, towards the elevator. 

Cole wasn't sure what to make of Alyx's question. What did she mean? He followed her into the elevator. 

"Do the dead care about justice?" Alyx spoke again. She must have noticed Cole's puzzled expression. The rest of the elevator ride was silent as Cole tried to understand the points that Alyx had brought up. 

The elevator opened, and Alyx reached up, patting Cole on the shoulder. "Time to get to work."