The Crime in Callahan's Morrow - being rewritten

Chapter 3: Supernatural Investigations Bureau

"Your comrades can be the only thing between you and certain death. So, nurture those bonds until they are unbreakable."

~Meredith Allesium, The High Commander of the Battle Witch Forces;
War Tactics lecture, Battle Witches' schooling system lessons

III.

Supernatural Investigations Bureau had almost always employed people with supernatural powers. The reason behind it was logical – you couldn't really fight supernatural crime on the same terms without them.

Branch offices sometimes had a few employees without an obvious power in their arsenal while the rest were should be capable of dealing with even the worst of the supernaturals around. Nicole's office was no exception.

When Nicole arrived at the offices the day after that fateful encounter with the vampires, she saw Adrian standing near the main computer platform and carefully studying one of the screens filled with some diagrams. Her boss was a rather average looking man with wavy, blond hair and crystal-clear green eyes, always frowning at something. He frowned even now.

"...and when you add fire elemental to the mix, the explosion is inevitable–"

The woman speaking, paused talking to shift her brown eyes at the intruder, flashing a small smile in Nicole's direction, and then promptly snapped her head back at the monitor without seeing Nicole's nod. She continued the explanation about some kind of explosive material. Nicole really didn't want to know what Ann was talking about because she was tired as hell and had a bad case of headache.

"Hallian, wait for me in my office," Adrian told Nicole after she left her bag on her desk.

She knew he would want the report on her findings, even though he must be aware that she hadn't got any interesting news to share. If she had, she would've called in immediately after acquiring them.

"Sure thing, boss." She turned to go to his office but then she remembered the last time he'd told her to do so and then added in an afterthought, "Don't forget about me. I don't want to wait like the last time." After that jokingly threatening warning meant for Adrian, she disappeared through the door.

Nicole sat at the gray sofa with one continuous seat backed with two seat cushions where you could fit three people of stockier built if you packed them like sardines. The material was rough, though covered with a fluffy, dark-blue wool plaid, which made the sofa quite comfortable. It was a present for The Great Summer Solstice festivities she had bought for Adrian three years ago. It shouldn't be left to say he hadn't taken it well, and after declining the present, he had optioned to call it a present for the office, hence the nice covering over the scratchy sofa in his office.

Nicole made herself comfortable and grabbed her phone, opening an app with the latest notes, reading through them, and pondering some of the obvious questions and conclusions.

Her eyes closed on their own volition. Once, twice, trice...and then she knew no more.

***

If Adrian hadn't been a man he was, he would have flinched after Nicole had so generously reminded him not to forget about her. It wouldn't have been the first time Nicole had to come to the common offices and drag him back to his office. Sometimes, he would forget things that weren't important that much at that particular moment. Then she would give him a piece of her mind. All of his authority as their chief in command would disappear and he would feel like a little kid being scolded for messing up. It had happened twice before, and he never wanted to repeat again.