Chapter Text
"Have you ever got that feeling, that nothing is actually real. It's just a collective of failed imaginations... because I do"
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It's just the start of the whole day, nothing serious, just another boring day in a random year close to 2070, not that close, but time sure does fly away fast. Technologies has gone far more worse, so is the politics and laws on the new technologies, like the use of Artificial intelligence and other technologies. It's far worse that many company need to build a programme to get rid of it, and get rid of the deep fakes that exist in the daily life that poses threat to civilian and everyone possible.
The street was crowded with both human and non-human combined in one soup of mixed races. Their footsteps are loud as an airplane engine in the broad daylight of the weekday. The chatter ringed like a flock of bird communicating with each-other. In that crowd, walks a man. His eyes were half-closed, as he walks, and dodge the sea of people downtown. His footsteps were limping across the path way into a large majestic building, but even if it's large, it looks dull. The large letter in the front read:
Paranormal Research and Enforcement Association - International Branch
Maybe... life's not that boring
"Morning Brown" said a tall security guard at the front gate, "can I scan your ID?"
The man, Colton Brown, gave his ID to the security guard with a small genuine, "yeah, sure. Why not? You don't have to ask me the same question every time I clock in for work."
When he got his ID back, he dangled the lanyard around his fingers as he navigated through the complex building.
1st floor.
2nd floor.
3rd floor.
Colton has been working here for years, just to get lost everyday because he never remember a thing about the route he's heading down towards. He headed down the door with a sign saying:
Department of Research and Development.
He turned right to an office with a plate saying 'Office of Biological Medical Engineering Director, R&D", his own and current office. He opened the door and settle down inside the office, he felt empty, like he's just a cog in a machine, a small cog in a machine that can replace anything.
His current is a small cozy space. A window of the view outside, bookshelves, another table full of research and report papers, office computer with holographic display screen on his desk, a mug, and a shark plushie from his nephew. He eyed the plushie for a moment before turning back to the dirty mug satined with brown liquid, which was hot chocolate. He snatched the mug and heads outside as his sneakers make less noise than the outside environment of the city.
The destination? Break room... just to wash his mug and refill it again. He let out a quiet sigh as he look at his mug. Not until he was interrupted.
"Hey Brown!"
Colton turned to look at the cheerful voice behind him, just to find a guy a lot taller than him, that's Norman Redwood, another R&D director in the building, and is one of the best employee the association has ever had, "Oh... Hey, Norman, how are you doing?"
"Peachy, you know how things are these days," Norman replied with a smile before stopping and glance at the mug, "is that what I think what it is?"
Colton quietly scoffed "An uncleaned mug. What? Can't I just forgot to clean it once-"
"Three times this week, and this is Thursday."
"Okay, fine... I plead guilty"
"I'm heading to the break room, wanna catch up a bit?"
It went quiet, before Colton gave a small glance to his mug and nods to his colleague's offer. The two heads to the break room, with Norman dropping down on the sofa like a slumping seal while Colton went to clean his mug.
"So... what is really going on with your team, heard what happened." Norman asked as he eyed the surrounding.
"Eh? Just some malfunction on paranormal energy reading in the med bay yesterday. The medics are still furious at us for a small mistake in the wiring, what about you? Heard one of your tech in field caught something." Colton walked back and slump on the couch as he winces on his knee.
Norman went quiet for a moment. He went quiet like he was processing whether tell the truth or lie in front of Colton. Not until he let out a defeated sigh as he looked up from behind his thick rim glasses. "Remember the story about Atlas Alucard?, the missing investigator from the paranormal crime division, who went missing an incident in the 20s?" Norman paused as he let that sink, "We found an exact matching description of him, alive. There's no way it can be right? He should be dead by now since he would be a grumpy old man, from what I heard."
Colton went silent, conflicted. "What?"
"I'm not lying."
"I'm not saying that you're lying."
Colton looked at Norman in disbelief. "That guy?... That guy who worked with THE office's worst example employee?"
"Hilson's not that bad... The association chairman told me."
"Of course... she would."
Then silence loomed over them again, no one in the break room, except them and the sound of the air conditioner. Until, Norman finds something to talk about again.
"You look like you haven't slept properly"
Colton raised his eye brows up as that topic was brought up. He would admit it that he's been suffering with sleep for weeks. It's the same... again and again for every day. He did sleep, but not enough. "Yeah, nightmares... It's getting worse."
"Don't get started," He cut Norman off before the guy could open his mouth, "I've been trying to get help but nothing is getting better at all. It's like the nightmare just add more and more detail. It always start with a vast sea... then a creature with large fins... it attacked me before I wake up with blood on my neck, which doesn't even have any wound." His leg was bouncing, as his fingers drum on his mug.
"My goodness... I never knew."
"It's that bad... and no one know what's wrong with me" Colton replied, "Anyways, see you around..."
Colton walked away before Norman could even say goodbye.
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