102Cole Brookstone leaned casually back in his chair, filing away at an incessant hangnail. He kicked his polished, steel-toed boots up onto the furnished oak desk and glowered at the glowing laptop screen. It displayed an informative document about one of the agency's newest trainees.
Cole snapped the plastic nail file in half and tossed it in the general direction of his office's trash can, uncaring of whether or not the broken file made it into the bin.
That done, he stretched out his hand to maneuver the wireless mouse so that its clicker hovered directly over the red 'X' in the corner of the page.
Without a second thought, Cole closed out of the file and slammed the lid of his laptop shut.
Today was supposed to have been his day off. And yet, here he was, sorting through a mountain of paperwork as he waited for his boss to assign him his next case.
Apparently, there was a deep level of corruption in one of Ninjago City's top businesses, Borg Industries. Cole, being the detective agency's most reliable and most experienced detective, expected to be chosen to handle the assignment.
In fact, he had been almost certain that he was being handed the Borg Industries case the second his boss had called him in on his day off.
A firm knock at the door had Cole hastily taking his legs off the desk and rearranging his workspace so that it appeared more organized.
"Come in," Cole invited gruffly, lacing his fingers together and sitting straight in his swivel chair.
The door swung open to reveal Raymond Smith, Cole's boss and superior. There was a shorter, skinnier fellow standing shyly off to the side of the doorway as well.
"Good afternoon, Detective Brookstone," Raymond greeted coolly, dipping his head to acknowledge his star employee.
Cole inclined his head slightly in response.
"I appreciate the fact that you were able to come in today at such short notice," Raymond continued, stepping further into the vacant office space.
Unsure of what else to do, the short, young man who had been standing in the entryway shuffled inside.
Cole decided to cut to the chase, eyeing the nervous-looking figure with no small amount of disdain.
"Who's that?" he bit out, mind racing as he sorted through names and faces on record for the agency. His thought process screeched to a halt as he recalled the trainee document he had been looking at mere minutes ago.
He doesn't look all that smart, Cole thought critically. Why did the boss want to hire him?
Raymond smoothly stepped to the side, giving Cole a clearer view of the identified trainee.
Said trainee now closely resembled a deer caught in a car's headlights.
"This is Jay Walker," Raymond explained quickly. "He joined the agency last week."
Cole snorted in disbelief. Jay Walker…?
Jay took a tentative step forward. "Hello," he stated quietly, allowing a small, lopsided grin to edge its way into his expression.
Cole sat unmoved, giving Jay a brief once-over.
Jay Walker had short, styled auburn hair and the faintest dusting of freckles on his fair cheeks. He looked as though he wanted to shrink down into the oversized suit jacket he had clinging loosely to his shoulders. It was a rich, midnight blue that complemented his brilliant blue eyes, which shined with life. His ebony dress shoes were scuffed, and Cole narrowed his eyes in disapproval.
"Hey," he shot back icily.
Jay's shy smile instantly disappeared, and he dropped his gaze to the floor.
"I want you on the Borg Industries case," Raymond jutted in without preamble. "Undercover. I've already taken care of the details. I have an organized resume and employee papers for you to take to their management. I expect you to be hired into their IT staff, which should give you access into their records. This will be further outlined in the briefing, but I need you to check and see what sort of dealings they've made over the past year."
Cole nodded sharply, turning his attention away from the newbie. He quickly soaked up all the information Raymond was giving him, stashing it away in the back of his mind to access later.
"There's a catch," the detective stated bluntly, noting the way Raymond was twiddling his thumbs and rocking back on his heels.
"Ever the detective," Raymond admitted dryly. "And yes, there is a catch." With that, Raymond jerked his head in Jay's direction. "He's on this case with you."
Cole stood up from his chair so fast that it abruptly smashed to the smooth, hardwood floor beneath them.
Jay flinched at the sharp noise.
"What?" Cole spat, nostrils flaring. "This is a highly delicate situation. You can't be sending rookies in there!"
"Don't lecture me on the fragility of the mission, Brookstone," Raymond retorted coldly. "I am well aware of the situation. And Walker is far from a rookie. He may be new to our practices, but he did serve as Deputy of Investigations for a time with the Ninjago City PD."
"There's a difference between police work and the jobs we do here," Cole snarled, balling his hands into fists.
Raymond drew himself up to his full height, unkempt, dark brunette locks shading his blistering green eyes. "Nevertheless, the two of you will be partnering up on this case," he stated with a sense of finality. "And I won't hear a single whisper of complaint from either of you. Understood?"
Jay immediately murmured his agreement, keeping his head bowed low. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world than stuck in an office with two arguing detectives.
"Good," Raymond huffed. Without waiting for an answer from Cole, the Head Detective strode from the room, firmly shutting the door behind him.
Leaving Jay Walker and Cole Brookstone completely alone in the small office.
Welcome to my first real AU.