It was an entirely boring building, spectacular only in its massive scale. Towering above its counterparts, the dark gray building was almost like the shadow of the city cast into the sky. None of the bright lights, or colors from its surroundings seemed to leave any impact in the wholly dull structure.
Cole fidgeted with his pocket, reassuring himself that he still had the keycard he had been sent, after his acceptance into the company. He looked up at the building, in close proximity it did not seem as plain as he had thought, instead it felt imposing. Cole blinked his left eye, and a number appeared in his vision, the time. It was 6:21 am, he still had nine minutes left before his first day.
Was it bad form to be too early on one's first day? Cole did not want to seem too eager, but he could not fathom risking being late. Cole blinked his eye again. It was still 6:21.
Cole checked his clothes for wrinkles. The uniform was new and had been hung up in his closet so the muted green pants, and the plain white shirt with too many pockets, were immaculate. Cole looked at the time again, barely a minute had passed.
Cole took a deep breath and closed his eyes, thinking back on how he had landed the job. He had excelled at the basic training that the government offered to all people, with little effort and upon its completion, his aptitude had led him to this job. He did not really know what his work would be, but he trusted the system that had graded his performance and sent his qualifications to the dark gray building.
Cole remembered how surprised he had been when he had received his acceptance notification in barely a single hour. He must have really been suited for the job. Cole felt a flicker of confidence, the job would be like most things he had been assigned in his life, effortless.., Cole could not fathom the convoluted depths that awaited him.
As soon as the clock flashed over to 6:26 am, Cole walked up to the building. There were no apparent doors on the smooth gray concrete, but as he approached a line in the wall appeared growing into a modest entrance.
The interior of the hulking building was plain and forgettable. Silver walls with no markings or decorations, a clean checkered floor that had noticeable scratches, a couple of benches against a wall, and an elevator that was recognizable only because of the sign above it.
"Over here." A measured voice filled Cole's ears. He looked towards the only other furniture in the room, a tall thick desk obscuring its occupant. Cole moved towards the desk, thinking of how the room felt too small to be the lobby of the massive building that marred his vibrant city.
"Keycard please." A wave of panic washed over Cole, what if he had forgotten the card? Of course the card had not disappeared since the last time he checked, and as he pulled it out of his pocket, Cole was reminded of how strange it was that he needed the card. It was so old fashioned, a person's identity could be confirmed with a few swipes of the finger, or any contact with an organic part of their body.
"Thank you." The voice paused and there was a soft beep. "...Cole Spearsgate." Cole thought of how easy it would be for someone to steal his card and impersonate him, as it was returned to him. "Please go to the elevator right there, and you can go up shortly."
Cole quietly thanked the receptionist, and as he walked towards the elevator, he thought it strange that he could not picture what the receptionist looked like. Cole had no recollection of the man's features, maybe he had brown hair… no it was green. As he wracked his brain harder, no more details emerged and Cole shook his head gently, he was just nervous, he would get a better look at his colleague tomorrow.
The elevator chimed, and Cole entered as the doors opened, thankful to be alone in the contraption. The elevator was just as drab as the outside of the building, only it looked a little bit more worn down. The black metal that had once had a sheen was dusty and dull, and there were no accents or any sort of decoration. The elevator chimed again, and the doors closed. Cole leaned against a wall and the machine began to rise without him having to touch a button, of which the elevator had none.
Cole barely had time to recollect his thoughts before the doors opened again. As he stepped out and started to look around, his vision was filled with the massive frame of a person stepping in front of him.
"Cole, I presume." The light and airy voice did not fit the hulking figure, and as he desperately worked his brain to come up with an answer, he examined his sudden questioner. Her head was shaved and what little hair she had was dyed a painfully bright shade of yellow. Her shirt was sleeveless allowing her arms to present their full glory, they seemed thicker than his legs, rippling with muscles made of thick silver wires. The wires were under her skin, which was so pale that it was easy to see the source of her unnatural power. The rest of her large body was covered with the same uniform that Cole was wearing, but if her arms were anything to go by, Cole figured that the rest of her body was just as enhanced.
"That is me, I suppose I should wear a nametag, or something" Cole winced slightly at his own reply. Luckily the woman didn't seem to mind and her face remained impassive, leaving Cole to wonder how such a flashy body could be piloted by such a plain face. Her face looked completely natural, almost boring compared to the rest of her form, without any makeup or discerning features. Maybe her nose was a little too small, but nothing else stuck out to Cole other than her brown eyes, which gave off an air of careless focus.
"I am Mel, and I have been assigned to show you around on your first day. Feel free to ask any questions." Mel reached out, crushing Cole's hand in a firm grip. Cole did his best to keep a neutral expression on his face, as Mel's cold hand let go of his now mangled gripper. When she pulled away, motioning Cole to follow her, he noticed that her pointer finger was made entirely of shiny metal plates that were seamlessly joined together.
"These are the desks where most of us work." Just past the elevator rows of desks were neatly lined up, with very little space between them. Cole wondered how Mel would fit in one of the cramped work stations. "As you can see there is not much else in this room, but I can show you the break room after you get assigned your desk."
Cole glanced around confirming Mel's words, the room was empty besides the desks. Its walls were gray with paint fraying in the corners to reveal a darker gray material beneath. There was a virtual window on one of the walls, displaying a green forest that Cole doubted existed anywhere on the planet. The floors were covered in a thin gray carpet that looked grimy, but did not have anything to make it dirty. No crumbs, dust, or stains, yet somehow it still did not look clean.
Some of the desks did have a few decorations, but Cole could not get a good look at any of his new coworkers, they were all hunched over their desks, typing and swiping on the screens that only they could see. Cole estimated that there were roughly twenty two people besides Mel and him in the room.
"This is Can, he is the floor organizer." Mel tapped on the desk at the end of the row, and a tired older man tapped his forehead looking up at Cole. Can wore glasses, probably as a fashion accessory, as it took optometrists barely ten minutes to correct a person's vision. Besides the glasses, Can was rather thin and small, with graying hair and a sharp pointed chin.
"Nice to meet you Cole." Can's voice was quiet and raspy. "Nice to meet you." Cole put out his hand, but quickly pulled it away when Can made no move to grasp it.
"Your desk is the one in the back corner, let me know if you need anything else." Can gestured towards an empty desk before his eyes glazed over as he tapped his forehead.
"Come on, you can look at your desk later." Mel put a heavy hand on Cole's shoulder and guided him away from Can's desk. "Everything here is pretty archaic, but you will get used to it." Mel said as she turned a doorknob, opening the lone door at the end of the room.
Past the door was a thin hall with three more rooms, the bathroom, the breakroom, and the manager's office. They did not go into any of the rooms, and soon enough Cole was sitting at his desk, flicking through the training manual. It was a worn old relic of real paper, which Mel said was because the manager thought that a physical manual would stick better in a new employee's mind.
Cole tapped his eyelid, scanning the pages of the manual into his system, just in case he needed to look it over after he returned it to Mel. Cole had wanted to ask Mel why he had not met the manager, but he had clammed up when Mel asked if he had any questions. 'It shouldn't matter, I am sure I will meet the manager soon enough.' Cole thought as he turned back to the manual.