Assassin's Joy

Security Footage

The ninja (minus Cole) were asked to leave a few hours later, all of them protesting. They didn't want to leave him alone in an unfamiliar place.

"He won't be alone," a nurse assured. "Because of his attempt, there will be someone who will be watching him as well as cameras in the room. I do suggest you put him into therapy. We're going to put him on some anti-depressants, so hopefully that will help him."

"Thank you, ma'am." Zane looked at the others. "Let's go."

The ninja left the hospital. Jay held Nya's hand, but it felt different after holding Cole's in the room. 

Cole's hand was much bigger than hers, and rougher too. Yet, it felt like Jay's small hand was made to be held by Cole. 

Nya's hand was still bigger than Jay's, but not that much. It was smooth and soft, untouched by the harshness of the earth. It suddenly felt awkward to hold to Jay. 

They climbed onto the bounty and went their separate ways. Nya walked with Jay to his room and sat on the chair to his desk.

"Jay?"

He looked at her as he sat on the floor. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"No. I'm worried about him."

"We all are."

"I just don't understand. I know he's had a rough life, but I feel like there's something he's hiding from us."

"What makes you say that?"

"His note. He said something about how his past is suffocating to him. I get this feeling he didn't grow up on the streets. I believe him when he says that he lived on them, but I don't think I believe it anymore that it was his whole childhood after his dad ditched him."

"I haven't read the note." Nya stared at him, her face etched with worry. "But why do you say you don't think he grew up on the streets."

"Cause stealing things to survive wouldn't cause guilt that follows you around. He mentioned a few times about failing us and Sensei and how he isn't a good person. I know deep down he is, but he must've done some stuff to get that idea in his head."

Zane pulled up a chair and opened up the security cameras. Almost every room had one, the only ones that didn't were bedrooms and bathrooms for privacy. 

He didn't know what he was looking for, but he watched past footage for hours. 

Eventually he opened the footage for the kitchen and watched it. 

"I want my mom," Cole mumbled, his voice cracking.

Cole's head snapped up, his eyes darting around. He was clearly looking for something or someone that wasn't there. The cameras showed that Cole was the only one in there.

He sat in silence for a good minute then clenched his fist, narrowing his eyes at a stain on the table.

"Why?"

Silence again.

"I'm waiting for the right time," Cole said. Electricity coursed through his body, causing him to grip the table and pant.

He put his face against the wooden table and shut his eyes.

"Get out of my head."

Cole stood up, punching the table so hard it broke. 

"Get. Out. Of. My. Head," he repeated.

Jay walked into the room, rubbing his eyes. "Cole? What's going on?"

"Nothing."

Jay flicked on the light, frowning when he saw the table broken at Cole's feet. "Cole..."

"What?" Cole's tone was harsh, something Jay's never heard directed toward him.

"What's going on? You're—"

"I'm fine." Cole grabbed the plate and threw the cake into the trash. He threw the plate into the sink and stormed out.

Jay flinched as he heard the plate break and walked over. He sighed, cleaning the shards of glass out of the sink. "What's going on, Cole?"

Zane stared at the footage, confused. It was like Cole had some sort of conversation with someone, but no one else was there. He knew Cole talked to himself all of the time, but this felt different.

There had even been a moment where Cole had seemed to be in immense pain. 

Zane opened up a program that was made to pick up more sounds in recordings and rewatched the footage, hoping there would be some more answers in there for him.

"I want my mom," Cole mumbled, his voice cracking.

"What was that, young one?"

Cole's head snapped up, his eyes darting around. He was clearly looking for something or someone that wasn't there. The cameras showed that Cole was the only one in there.

"Oh, I'm not there. When you fell asleep in the park last night, we took you back to the base and installed a little earpiece inside of your ear. That way, we can speak to you and hear what you hear or what you say."

He clenched his fist, narrowing his eyes at the stain. "Why?"

"You've been a ghost. You haven't been keeping up with your reports. You haven't completed your mission."

"I'm waiting for the right time," Cole lied. Electricity coursed through his body, causing him to grip the table and pant.

"You can't lie to us, young one."

Cole didn't say anything, panting heavily. He put his face against the wooden table and shut his eyes.

"Heh. You have three months. If you fail, you'll be put into the pit to rot. Remember, Cole, you were once our top assassin. You were praised and seen as a hero by many of our members, don't you miss that?"

"Get out of my head."

"Excuse me?"

Cole stood up, punching the table so hard it broke. "Get. Out. Of. My. Head."

"I'll keep in touch. Do not fail me."

The mysterious voice then went silent just as Jay walked into the room, rubbing his eyes.

"Cole? What's going on?"

"Nothing."

Jay flicked on the light, frowning when he saw the table broken at Cole's feet. "Cole..."

"What?" Cole's tone was harsh, something Jay's never heard directed toward him.

"What's going on? You're—"

"I'm fine." Cole grabbed the plate and threw the cake into the trash. He threw the plate into the sink and stormed out.

Jay flinched as he heard the plate break and walked over. He sighed, cleaning the shards of glass out of the sink. "What's going on, Cole?"

Zane hummed, thinking. Cole had been put on some kind of mission and was a member of something.

Perhaps some underground organization found a young Cole that was scared and hungry and took advantage of it. If so, he would've been perfect to manipulate into doing things that he wouldn't've done otherwise. 

He recorded a snippet of the man's voice then ran some diagnostics in an attempt to find out who this man was. Whoever he was, Cole was scared of him.

Zane sat back and watched the computer cross-reference the voice with others in its database.