Day Off

Cole awoke to a dull ache in his shoulder. He sat up slowly, memories of the previous night rushing back. Was someone trying to stop the investigation? Cole looked at his shoulder, he had not changed out of his clothes, so the bullet hole in shirt allowed a clear view of his injury.

Peaking through the hole, was clean unbroken skin, different from its surroundings only because it had no hint of weathering. Cole glanced towards a small suitcase sized compartment, on the side of the wall. Inside the compartment was Alyx's medical supplies, including a small tool that could stitch wounds together, rejuvenate flesh, and create any missing parts from an onyx gel. 

Surprisingly, the tool, which resembled a gun with a fine tip, and a tube attached to the handle, had not managed to completely heal the knife wounds. The flickering blade had permanently marred Cole's skin, leaving blackened scars that refused to heal. However, Cole did not feel any pain from the knife wounds, it was only his shoulder. that looked completely healed, that still hurt.

Cole stood up, suddenly very aware of his location. He had been sleeping in Alyx's bed, his eyes widened as he saw a puddle of his drool on the pillow. Cole bent down and awkwardly brushed at the drool, catching a hint of citrus in the sheets as he drew close.

After getting to Alyx's apartment, his memories were slightly foggy, he remembered Alyx stitching up his wounds, and her feeding him a tube of a tasteless paste. After which he had fallen asleep. 

Cole looked around the bedroom. It was not as spartan as he had imagined. Every inch of the walls were covered in bright posters and paintings. A rack hung from the ceiling, spinning slightly as it displayed a heaping of different outfits. 

Aside from the bed, the only piece of furniture was a small chair placed under the only window in the room. Cole imagined sitting on the chair would give someone a perfect view of the city.

Cole heard his stomach grumble, and he stopped looking around, moving towards the bedroom door. When he reached the door, something caught his eye. It was a printed picture. Same as the ones that his mother hoarded. Digitally storing photos was a safer way of keeping memories intact, but some people really liked to get them printed out.

The picture next to Alyx's door was the only one in the room, and it depicted two smiling girls with their heads pushed together. One of the smiling girls, Cole recognized as Alyx, by her gray eyes, and the other one must have been her sister. The two looked very similar and the easiest way to tell them apart was the slight difference in their eye colors. Alyx's sister had slightly bluer eyes.

Cole wondered what Alyx's sister was up to, as he opened the door. Did she approve of Alyx's career choice? The room he entered was not very large. It had a small kitchen, next to a door that Cole assumed housed the bathroom. A few steps away from the kitchen was a table with one chair. Behind the table was a small couch, which was the last piece of furniture in the room. The walls were plain, and there were no obvious decorations anywhere.

Cole felt embarrassed when he looked at the sofa again. Alyx was curled up on the small couch, meaning he had kicked her out of her own bed. Alyx was still asleep, blanket kicked to the floor, clutching a small plush dinosaur to her chest. Alyx had changed out of her white dress, and she wore comfortable looking fuzzy pants, and a large shirt.

Cole stood still in the doorway for a moment. Should he wake her up? Cole decided against it, and quietly moved towards the kitchen. Looking through the cupboards and retractable storage, Cole found enough ingredients to make some food. Luckily Alyx's apartment did not seem to have much tech, and Cole was able to cook a simple yet tasty meal with the limited supplies in the kitchen.

He made enough for two people, feeling like it would be rude to only make food for himself. Before he ate, Cole stored the second serving of food in a black box that came out of the wall. It would keep the food warm for Alyx.

White he was eating, Alyx woke up and joined him, leaning over the sofa to use the table without saying a word. The two ate in silence, and when they were finished they examined each other. What was there to say?

"Thank you." Cole knew he wouldn't be alive if it were not for Alyx. "I was just better equipped to deal with the situation." Alyx waved off the gratitude, instantly understanding what Cole meant. 

Cole frowned. The rasp in Alyx's voice suggested that she was still waking up, and it seemed like she was not a morning person. However, there was still more life in her words than what he was used to at work. "Does that happen to you a lot?"

"No." Alyx replied. "I have been trained to deal with assailants, but I have never had to put my training into practice." 

"What exactly is your job?" Cole asked, wondering how Alyx had ended up investigating a murder at the company. "I am an investigator that is called by the company whenever they need to figure out something internally. Usually there is no violence involved, but I need to be prepared just in case."

Alyx seemed a little despondent talking about her work so early in the morning, and Cole decided to give the topic a rest. As he reached his decision, he realized he didn't have anything else to say. Nothing seemed appropriate to address the woman who had kept him alive last night.

"Thanks for catching me…" Alyx mumbled, turning her head away from Cole. "Of course, it's a good thing you are not that heavy." Cole smiled as he saw a hint of embarrassment on Alyx's face. The faint blush caused Cole to relax, and he quickly pounced on a new subject.

"So you need a stuffed animal to sleep." Alyx laughed, grabbing her dinosaur. "Don't even think of badmouthing Growler. I'll kick you out before you can even blink." Cole reached for the green plush, but Alyx quickly pulled it away.

Cole chuckled, even as his shoulder twinged, in the moment he was just having a relaxing morning with good company, the previous night was forgotten. "This meal is pretty good, do you want to be a cook or something?" Alyx asked, after ensuring Growler was safely kept away from Cole.

"I like eating tasty food, and I can't always go out to eat." Cole thought it was pretty obvious that someone who liked food would be able to cook, but apparently Alyx didn't agree.

"Well I don't cook, I think that it makes it better when I go out. The food always tastes superior to anything I could make, so it makes me appreciate it more."

Cole rolled his eyes, he couldn't imagine eating nutritious packs regularly. "I guess we are not all as talented as me." Alyx scowled and challenged Cole to spar with her. He quickly turned her down, he didn't want any more bruises. As if mollified by Cole's cowardice, Alyx just laughed.

After an uneventful yet pleasant morning, Cole arrived back at his apartment. He wanted to clean himself and change his clothes. It took him longer than usual to get clean, and as he pulled on a new outfit, he noticed his long distance transmitter flashing.

It had been a while since he had talked with his family, and he rushed over, tapping the device. An image appeared before his eyes, but he was disappointed to see that it was not a call; it was just a recorded message. /We are going to be busy for a while, and won't be able to talk. Please keep yourself safe, and be sure to stay in shape./

The message was rather ordinary, and Cole shrugged. His parents worked at a large company in his home city developing flying personal vehicles, and it was not strange that they might be busy. However, the timing of the message was a little strange, his mother had sent it late last night. It was probably around the time he was eating with Alyx at Red Melon. Cole's parents always went to sleep early, so it was unusual to receive a message at that time.

'She must be working overtime.' Cole thought as he drafted a quick response. After ensuring that he ate a good lunch, Cole lay on his bed. He knew he needed to go to work the next day, but the previous night made it hard to think about returning to the office.

Of course he was not going to be doing anything normal at work, Mr. Jenkins' killer was still on the loose. Suddenly Cole imagined Ms. Hopkins as one of his attackers. Soon everyone in Resource Management was putting on the mask and goggles of the assailants. Cole shook his head to rid himself of the ugly thoughts. 'I better make the most of the rest of my off day.' 

Cole fell asleep.