Companion
Cole's a big guy—okay, more like a huge guy. It's immediately noticeable. When people see him coming, they automatically move out of the way. But he's also the first person they turn to for answers. He's big but loveable, I guess, and definitely more open than most Gears. But he's always been a bundle of energy.
When I first met him, I found that optimism he projects as nothing more than a nuisance. How could he be happy all the time with the death and destruction around him? It seemed disrespectful to me. Then I found out the real reason.
This is what makes Cole a goddamn hero.
It doesn't matter if he's hit rock bottom on the emotional scale, he won't show it. He'll keep that positive energy going just to make other people feel better. He never cares about himself; he's always thinking of everyone around him. Whatever he's actually feeling stays locked up somewhere, even after the immediate crisis. It's not healthy.
He's lucky to have me and my observant eye. I've learned his signals.
When he's upset, he'll start to pace or bounce his leg—anything as long as he's moving. When he's afraid, he won't shut up about Thrashball. Yeah, he normally always finds a way to relate anything to the sport, but it's when the chatter never stops that I know he's pissing his pants scared. It's similar to my habit of bitching. I grumble on a daily but it's only when I'm terrified that I don't shut up. Cole knows this and often finds a way to save me from my big mouth.
I can't really remember when I started considering him my buddy, I just remember that it was nice to find someone who would be there for me, no strings attached. It took some time to get used to it, of course. I went my entire life surrounded by people who wouldn't provide a scrap of sympathy unless they got something in return. Cole's just so open, so honest. It freaked me out, but his ability to boost morale was intriguing.
The first time I saw Cole in battle was at Kinnerlake. The man was a machine. He wasn't afraid of anything, just stared down a couple of drones and made their day a whole lot worse. Okay, maybe's that when this whole thing started. I followed after him because I might have been a little afraid for his safety, and that's when I got to see Augustus Cole, not The Cole Train.
He was an unstoppable tank fueled by rage. He had lost his family to the grubs like any normal person on Sera and he was damn sure he would kill every one of them personally.
It was kind of beautiful.
After the battle, he was back to being The Cole Train. The unshakable, unmoving pillar of optimism, but I could see the fight had left a mark. He was still going to smile, though, just because he had to. Because everyone was counting on it. I've followed Cole ever since.
We compliment each other, I guess. I'm the brains, he's the brawn; I'm the pessimist, he's the optimist. Perfect opposites. As much as it should have annoyed me that I found a human presence I enjoyed, it really didn't. It was nice to have some company in my lonely world, and then Marcus and Dom joined the party.
They don't have the same ranking in my life as Cole, of course. If he's ever in trouble, it's a knee-jerk reaction to go to him. No thinking, just doing. He's always first on my mind on the battlefield right next to Stay alive. Marcus and Dom are second, but it took some time for them to get there.
I know they're my squad and that I should look out for them more, but what's the point? Those two have a force-field around them that screams Stay out of our way. They've been through a lot together and one always puts the other first. They look out for each other the way Cole and I do, so who am I to barge into their business? As long as Dom is alive, Marcus is safe, and vice versa.
In the COG, support is everything. Shit, that's all we have left. Everyone has that arm they can lean on when the shit gets rough. With Cole watching my back, I feel like I can take on the whole grub army and come out alive on the other side.