Never Happened (Apocalypse AU)

We all know what happened when the AI went mad, destroyed probably over half of the world, many people died, cities lay in ruins and most of the surface was turned into rubble and wastelands. But here, in this place, none of that happened. Here, characters will interact as they would before loved ones died, people got lost, minds were affected by starvation, loneliness, and radiation. Here, they are human, and comfortable... as most of them can be.

It was another day on the streets, keeping my head down, my hands stuffed into the pouch pocket of my sweatshirt, it was a bit warmer than usual, but that didn't mean I would neglect wearing my sweatshirt. It was something that could easily identify me, something that made me stand out in a crowd if someone was paying attention, but, it was too precious to just leave at home while I'm out here. People tend to be quite oblivious in this town though, rushing places, concentrating on their own lives and not those around them.

I reluctantly stick to the seedier part of town. My last heist was in the more 'expensive' side of town, and going back so soon would make me too obvious... Currently, I am still deciding whether to stake out a house or if I should stick to people today. A house would take more time, needing to see when the people aren't home, a store or other building would be worse... though I have done it before. People... it was a chance. Some people are more perceptive than others, would immediately realize their necklace was gone, or their wallet felt lighter, but so far, when I'v been called out, I'v been quite respectful and returned the item to them.

I decide keep an eye out for both... A person that looks unhappy, that could use a hug, has a lot on their mind, distracted... or a house that looks easy enough to break into, one that looks like it doesn't have security features.

I haven't eaten much these past few days, not having much to bring back when trying to keep low, giving the larger portion of anything I /did/ find to my father to keep him as healthy as I can. My poor father... Keep it together Hugsy, and keep your eyes out for people.

My name is Jay Mortis. Yes, I know that. I don't need to tell myself that. Just the customers.

I've woken up from a... rather unpleasant dream. No, it was horrible. Set it aside, get some coffee. Alex isn't home, but the window is open.
I should really fix that. I will, when we have some more money. Probably. Maybe. Whatever. This coffee is horrible.
I'm getting a cough. Achey. I guess I was right. It's a cold, something like that.

Outside, with my piss-coffee. It's chilly, but nicer than inside.
Honestly, I prefer living in the less-fancy-techy district. The neon adverts and billboards the G.C. tends to adore give me a raging headache.
That said, our more permanent home on the labs is both warm and neon-light-free. It's like heaven, and to make things better I almost run the place. Almost.

Piss-coffee still tastes like piss. I don't deserve this.

- - - - -

Jay leaned back against the wall of the building, silently contemplating his less-than-satisfactory beverage.

"Mortis, you have several missed calls."
That made him jump a little.
"Yeah, 3. You keep telling me that and I keep telling you that I'm all over it."
"Some of these are over a day old. I'm ashamed of you, Jay."
"Are you my mother now? Piss off for a moment, will you?"

The phone was silent for a moment.

"As requested. Now, I might add that one of the messages is from Alex. He's going to be delayed getting home. But don't worry, I can always replace him both morally and in terms of hugs and kisses."
Jay placed the communication device inside the house, and returned outside.

My searching takes me into the side of a well-off home, something of an alleyway, where nothing but a sad homeless person would be witnesses to my plundering of an uptight home. It was kind of amusing how the rich were so blind of the worse off so near to their home. I could imagine that many of the men and women on the streets always thought to do what I do every day, but never gathered the courage or knowledge to do so.

A cracked open window. It was easy because the building gave me easy handholds to pull myself up to a higher window. For my size I was quite strong, at least strong enough to get where I needed to go. Perching on the lip of one of the higher windows, and of course, it was unlocked, even cracked open. Silly rich people... feeling so safe in their fortress homes, so safe, and comfortable that they would leave a window open because they thought it too high for someone to even try to get into. Lifting with black gloves and using my small size to squeeze into the room.

It looked to be something of a bedroom, probably a guest room... a working bedroom would be decorated more lavishly. I take a few things from the room, they wouldn't be missed as much as things in normal rooms but would still be worth something to the right people, placing the items into the duffle bag I carry with me before peeking out of the room, listening for a dog, or people before making my way downstairs to look for the kitchen, quickly searching through cub board, the fright, the pantry for anything that either won't be missed, looks like it's been there for a while, or things that are non-perishable, stuffing it all into my duffle, happy I found this house. Now my father and I could eat for a while. I then search within the fridge to see if there was anything that wouldn't be missed that I could snag for a proper dinner tonight, finding some leftover ham in a tubberware container. The yelling would go as such. "Where is the ham I was saving for dinner tonight!? I bet (Insert Name Here) has eaten it again!" And that would be the end of it, all forgotten.

After I rummage in the kitchen it was time to get back to that window, squeezing through skillfully and then shutting the window behind me like it was before. A good haul today, and again, it would feed and support my father and I for at least a week. Plus, tonight we get some actual food, ham! I smile happily as I scale down the side of the house, feet touching the ground. I take a deep breath to get my composure back before heading back onto the main streets and toward home. It was a while to walk...

With the taste of tepid urine coffee lingering on, Jay set out on a venture to the nearest store. The compound he lived within was, he admitted, not exactly the crown jewel of the area. Tall blocks separated only by narrow streets - but hey, at least it wasn't too busy right now. For now, Jay's mind was set, completely, on procuring better coffee.

Coffee that, hopefully, didn't taste like mud.

There had to be better coffee in this god-forsaken sector, right? Such was the forlorn hope and assurance of Alex, at least. The thought of him gave Jay a twinge; he’d forgotten to send a package to Adrian for him.
"Oh. Son of a bitch," Jay sighed. He took another pace forwards before slowly spinning about on his heel, then ran a hand through his hair. "Crap."
He hadn’t wanted to traipse all the way back there, but it now seemed to be the most pressing matter.

It was rare that I made risky decisions, but for some reason I did not want to head straight home. I stood at a crosspath, looking btween two streets to take. One would lead me straight home from my current position, and the other would eventually lead home. It would pass by some beautiful houses, ones which I had always wished I would move my father and myself into. I decided the scenic way, wandering off my normal path toward the ones with the beautiful homes I had mentioned.

Later on down the path, after looking on the trimmed lawns and flower gardens, I start passing by the flats that marked that I was almost home. Like the homes deteriated the further you walk down this street. And that was when I spotted something... tempting. A partly opened window. And upon further, not obvious inspection... no one was home. Now, a home that felt comfortable enough to have its window busted and doing nothing to even try to mask it, or block it while the owner was out, showed a great sense of confidence. One of those classicideas of 'It could never happen to me'. Confidence was one of man's greatest weaknesses, which is probably why I remain so timid around people.

It didn't take me long to scout the outside, making sure there really was no one within the house before scaling to the temptress of a window, moving it just enough for me to squeeze inside. The only time I thank myself for having such a petite frame.

Once inside I set down my duffel by the window I came in through. I would be doing this, just to teach the owner of this home a lesson, that no one is excluded from a theives sight. I get work to kind of sift through things, pulling clothing out of closets or dressers or whatever was within the rooms. Taking anything that looks valuable and moving it to a different spot to make it seem as if it were stolen at first. Going through papers, seeing if any of it was personal information and moving those with the valuables. In a way this was kind of fun. A helpful theif. Teaching people to be more caring of their posessions.

Jay shuddered slightly with cold as he re-entered his somewhat shabby domain.

But, hey, at least it’s warm.

Or, it was, until the draught from the broken window caught him. Chilly, indeed, and yet somehow he was drawn to it. Quite quiet in his movements, and a little drowsy, perhaps, he nudged open the door to the room; he saw the intruder long before he actually realised his presence.

Then, seeing the somewhat scattered papers that were indeed somewhat confidential (and how, at this rate, a particularly private store might be violated presently), he made something of an unintelligible yell, grabbing the nearest solid object he could lay hands on.

This was an abandoned cup of coffee, of course, and - naturally - it completely missed it’s mark, smacking into the wall and only lightly splashing its intended target with the slightly congealed beverage.

At last remembering that he had a tongue, Jay spoke.

"What the fuck is this?"

I was happily distracted by my work, at a point forgetting the possibility of an inhabitant returning to their domicile. Quite sucked into my self-proclaimed act of lesson that it was much too late to notice the coffee cup flying passed me at a... non-alarming distance, though flinching when the cold coffee sprinkles onto me once it shatters against thewall. Looking back at the man, obviously the owner of this place, my eyes reflect my panic and a curse emnates softly under my breath.

Caught... Damn it Hugsy...

I quickly clear my throat and hold up my hands to show that they are empty, mostly becase I dropped everything as soon as I heard the cup. Speaking in a soft and nervous voice, hardly the voice for a theif to have. My body trembling with obvious fear.

"I... I c-c-can explain....r-really... I w-wasn't going to take anything... I s-s-swear....!"

"Oh, really?" Jay took at couple of short paces towards him, glaring. "So I suppose you were just, what? Checking that my room is all in order?"

He started to root around in his jacket for something. It may have seemed as if, to the thief, perhaps, the man spent all of his money on looking sharp, rather than on his quality of housing.
"I get it, there are plenty of people trying to feed themselves around here. Maybe if you asked nicely I would have helped you out, but as it is, I can't let you leave this room."
Jay gestured to the floor, drawing some sort of syringe out.
"Sit down, please?"

- - - - -

"I mean, really, Alex, he's being rather unreasonable," 3 continued, "no tact at all. He'll probably think it's drugs. Evil drugs." A disappointed sigh from the AI. "The man's probably psychotic."
"Well, maybe I like that." Alex paused at the front door.
"I think you're abnormal, then. Try not to kill the guy, or whatever you did last time."
"That was an accident and you know it. I'm sure he's fine - but he was trying to pry into our affairs. Alpha's call, not mine."
He nudged the door.
"Oh, right, yes. Alpha is the psychotic one, my error. Sure, go right ahead then. That remind me, is Adrian still coming over? He made pie."

My seemingly heroic act cut short, and I wasn't used to being caught... let alone interacting with people. I try to stammer out a couple more things while being backed against the wall, probably still splattered with the projectile coffee that was originally intended for me.

"N-no... b-b-but..." I am able to squeak out, silencing myself as I see the man rummaging in his pocket. What was he going to do!? Shoot me...? Stab me!? But much to my surprise the man had drawn a syringe from his coat and was pointing for me to sit. Of course... I didn't want anything to do with whatever was in the needle. Tucking myself even firmer against the wall, eyes slowly sliding to look at the window. If I ran could I make it out...?

"N-now please... l-l-let's not do anything irrational... I p-p-p-promise I can explain...!"

Jay glanced at the window behind him. It wasn't a very wide room, so he might be able to catch this small thief if he tried to run. Maybe.
He fiddled with the needle.
"I'm not going to use it unless you do something particularly stupid. I was expecting someone, and now I don't think I'll be able to make them any coffee."

There was a faint sound from somewhere else nearby. Jay bit his lip.
"If you sit, I'll sit. Then you can lie to me about why you're here and I won't have to use this."

What did he think I was, stupid...? If I sit, that puts him in complete control of the situation. So my choices are... either comply and stay with a small possibility of being let go completely clean. Or make a break for it, thus leaving the things I colleted today and making my father and myself starve for another night. My body trembling with fear of the situation, still on the defense while slowly sitting down, I had to do it this way... so that I could feed my father tonight.

"A-alright... alright... l-l-l-look... I'm s-sitting..."