Chapter Text
Luna jolted awake and immediately two large paws tightened their grip while their owner growled. She froze and peered up to find Zap Cat snoozing away. Ugh! Could someone remind her how she ended up being freaking imprisoned via cuddling!? She was seriously debating whether Damsel's and Gym Boy's lives were worth being humiliated like this.
Also, why in the hell did she let herself sleep hard enough to get caught like this? Yeah, sure, she had both gotten her ass kicked and had been awake for more than twenty-four hours, but that was no excuse. She should have woken straight up when Zap Cat dragged her off of her… her… Okay, cot was a generous description but, whatever, close enough. Speaking of, she glanced over at Zap Kitten's "cot" to find him absent.
Right, a shift change on the night watch. Otherwise she'd not be a freaking teddy bear right now.
Luna leaned back in the cat's forelegs, closed her eyes, and tried to pretend the situation wasn't so ridiculous. Yet a few moments her eyes popped back open and demanded to stay that way because now she was too frustrated to sleep. So she had to lay there in the dark while being a giant cat's cuddle toy instead.
Freaking. Joy.
Okay, fine, since she couldn't sleep, then what about escaping? How dumb of an idea was that? Well, first problem: she had no idea where Zap Kitten was. (Okay, the actual first problem was getting away from Zap Cat, but she opted to ignore that so she could dive down the what-if hole.) But Zap Kitten could be just out of perception waiting for her to do something stupid. Or he could be a moron and be outside smoking a cigarette while paying her no heed. Either way, let's say she got past him. What then?
She roughly knew which way they had come from, sure, but Driftveil had who-knew-how-many guards who might take exception, possibly violently, to her. She knew the route ahead led to their destination, some place called Mistralton City, but she didn't know the exact direction that'd end up being other than roughly to the north. Probably. Besides, wouldn't going there defeat the point of escaping? As for other options, all she knew there were forests and rivers. And, while she knew a lot about urban survival, she knew basically nothing about wilderness survival. Oh, and if she did get somewhere then there was no promise they'd tolerate her.
Oh, and to top it all off, it sounded like it was raining because why not?
So, rock and a hard place. Or a floor and a taser tiger actually, but who the hell cared about the semantics? Life was so much easier when she had to only worry about herself and her son. But, no, she had to go and make friends and actually give a damn about others and now she was in one hell of a bind because of it. If only she had turned down the whole accompanying Gym Boy thing then she could have taken care of herself and she could have… could have…
Okay, hell, what would she have even done? Agreeing to help with Gym Boy got her both some help with controlling her powers and also netted pretty much all the supplies she owned. No Gym Boy meant none of that. Sure, she could have stolen some stuff and fled, but where would she have ended up going? Maybe she'd have made it to Castelia on her own, maybe she would have never reached Striaton, or, hell, maybe she would have been lasered in the desert by those death bird-droids. Damn it, there had to be a decision she made somewhere that was clearly a mistake. One she could have done better with the info she had at that time.
But which freaking one was it? Which. Freaking. One?
The sound of clawed footsteps drew her attention to the doorway. She held still until Zap Kitten stepped inside. Even recognizing him, she still held still. Why? Because he came in with that smug-ass grin she so, so, so wanted to punch out of existence. Sadly, if looks could kill, then Zap Kitten was friggin' immortal.
"Don't you two look adorable together?" Luna flipped him off, to which he only grinned wider. "Now, no need to be rude when I'm complimenting you."
"I don't want-" She stopped when Raijin stirred with a small growl. She lowered her voice. "I don't want freaking compliments from the asshole who might be dragging me to a public execution."
Kitty shook his head. "Luna, I'm offended. I'm sincere in my intention of not hurting you so long as you cooperate. And, yes, that includes Mistralton. Besides, I'm not the type to make a spectacle of things. If I want someone dead then I just shoot them on the spot. And ideally without them knowing I'm there so they won't shoot back."
"So, what the hell do you want with me then?" Big cat grumbled at her hissing. Damn it this was freaking annoying! "Is this all for that little bit of chaos you want to cause? Is this just to piss off your brother?"
He started to reply but stopped and looked squarely at Raijin. Kitty pondered for a moment before stepping closer to whisper. "Tell you what, Luna. If you can extract yourself from your snuggle buddy without waking him then we'll have a private chat." He spun around and glanced over his shoulder. "But don't try to escape. I'll be watching."
As he strolled out of the room Luna gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. There was a good chance the stupid cat was playing her and making this into some sort of game for his amusement. But he knew something. And he knew she knew. And with the way he looked at the big cat, maybe there was a chance he actually knew something he didn't want Zap Cat to know but was okay sharing with her? But why though? Jackass' motivations were still a flippin' enigma to her so how the hell should she know why?
None of that mattered if she couldn't escape her current predicament. Breaking free of an electrified sabretooth tiger's grip was going to be a new one. So, how to do this? She already knew both being noisy and making sudden movements would stir the cat. Luckily, the feline was laying on his side so she only had the forelegs to worry about. Unluckily, she had both wings and sharp bits that prevented her from just carefully sliding out. Of all the ways she thought being a freak of nature would be problematic, this was one she would have never considered.
Luna puzzled over the problem for several long moments before she figured working around her tail and ankle spikes would be easier than trying to squeeze her wings through his grip. Though that did mean crawling towards Raijin's head rather than his lower chest which could have its own issues. Either way, the hardest part might be breaking the grip of his crossed paws without stirring him.
So, hard thing first: she carefully reached for the paw clasped on top of her hip and tried to lift. A claw caught on her jeans and she froze. No reaction. She eased it down, pulled slightly to unhook it, and then gently lowered the surprisingly heavy appendage to the floor. All right, now for the leg actually draped over her. She rolled slightly, took hold of the paw, and slowly maneuvered it off, this time making sure not to clip her pants.
Keeping it lifted with one arm, she slowly rolled onto her back, tucked her sharp tail between her legs, and then carefully propped herself with her other hand to ease her body backwards over that leg. Once her hips were clear, she sat on the ground and slowly got her legs free while taking care not to hit him with her ankle spikes. Feet free, she lowered the paw down and quietly sighed in relief.
Just as she started to get up, the feline growled and that paw she had just spent so much effort getting out from underneath grabbed her from behind. She suddenly found herself held eye to eye with a sleeping taser tiger. Luna froze and clenched her jaw hard to avoid cursing aloud. The paw tried to slack to the ground but one of the claws caught on her belt loop. She slowly exhaled before she reached behind her to undo it. As soon as it was safely removed and out of the way she scooted away as quickly and quietly as she could.
She held her second sigh of relief until she finally climbed to her feet and left the room. Of all the daring escapes she had made in her lifetime this would be the one she would never tell a single soul about. Ever. Screw being a big cat's teddy bear and may that title never, ever, ever grace her public reputation. Unfortunately, one person did know about that.
Just out in the hallway Luna found Zap Kitty, who, upon seeing her expression, gave her a mirthful grin. Oh he was so, so, so lucky the taser tiger was in the other room. He was also lucky he had that weird rifle too, but Luna was confident that she was pissy enough that wouldn't have stopped her on its own. Wordlessly, the yellow feline motioned for her to follow down the hallway. It wasn't a long trek before they stepped through a heavy door and she was greeted with the sound of rain hammering on a glass dome and a damp earthy smell.
Zap Kitten gestured to the plants as he led her deeper into the green house. "From what I understand this used to be a research facility where scientists studied the seasons and were trying to rediscover hydroponics. It's amazing that technology that was so cheap and easy to use took so long to be lab-viable again. I have to wonder how they would have reacted if they saw the hydroponic gardens people used to have on their back porches?" He stopped and turned to Luna. "Well, I suppose you didn't have a hydroponic garden or even a back porch to call your own."
She crossed her arms and scowled. "And what the hell are you suggesting with that?"
"Let's see… If my memory isn't failing me, and it might since it has been a few centuries…" Zap Kitty gazed to the glass ceiling and tapped his chin. "Luna Hayes, female, early to mid twenties, homeless, suspect of a number of thefts, assaults, batteries, burglaries, and similar crimes, but no murders or even accidental manslaughters despite a recorded incidence of self-defense. You had a good few warrants for your arrest but nothing big enough to actively pursue. Known to be violent and aggressive, assumed to always be armed and dangerous, and very good at slipping away and avoiding law enforcement."
He turned his eyes to her with a knowing grin and her muscles tensed and jaw tightened in response. Whatever snarky response she sought refused to reveal itself.
"Also, a single mother with a child enrolled in school. Ike Hayes, wasn't it?" Her fists clenched. "CPS had an open case on him but they just couldn't figure where his current residence was to investigate his home life in order to make a move. Even to this day it boggles my mind how someone there didn't grasp what homeless meant. But, what do I know? I was military, not civilian, after all."
Luna took a deep breath, huffed it out, and stared the cat dead in the eye as she felt fire flicker in her veins. "And what makes you think any of this is true?"
He grinned again. That damn, asshole-ish grin. Bigger than ever. "Oh, Luna, it's easy. I was the one who captured you."
Dark claws lashed for the feline's face but an electric blur intercepted her wrist. She ignored the jolts shooting down her arm as her other hand clasped his throat with shadows oozing from her grip. Before she could squeeze, a rifle barrel pressed right into her sternum. She snarled and stared fire into his eyes, but nothing more. Bullets, or whatever the hell his rifle shot, would be much faster than strangling.
" Relax girl. I don't want to splatter your insides all over the glass, but I will if you force me." As much as she wanted to mutually smear him across the glass she preferred to live. Luna let go while yanking her trapped wrist away. "That's better. But, I guess you really did come out of stasis recently. Otherwise I'm sure a few dozen decades would have mellowed you out by now."
Luna turned her back to him and, with her body obstructing his view, massaged her electrocuted arm to get rid of some of the pins and needles while a soothing fury suffused her. "I have one question for you and how you answer it will determine whether I care if either of us wake up tomorrow or not." She looked over her shoulder with a stare that'd make the devil pause. "Tell me, precisely, what the hell did you do with my son?"
For once the feline dropped the smug grin. He started to reply but seemed to have thought better about it. The cat turned away and remained quiet for a few moments. "One of my comrades captured him. I'm told he was hiding under a thin sheet and was coaxed out. I know for sure he wasn't hurt since I saw him not long later. Scared and crying, but not hurt. He was taken somewhere else, some other place than you, after that but I wasn't privy to the knowledge. I do know that, years later, he signed up for the same hybridization program I went through and that was probably why he survived the cataclysm. But I don't know anyone by that name anymore."
Unf.. That… That was a straighter response than she expected. Far straighter. She hated that, all this time, the rational part of her was right and Ike wasn't around anymore. She hated her theory that he wound up a hybrid monster like her and kitty cat was correct. But, at least in his case, it sounded voluntary? And… And freaking hell… Her kid lived through the apocalypse that killed her world and she wasn't there for him. Damn it, why in the hell was she alive when he wasn't?
She felt the flames roaring in her blood die. Only for a moment as something came to mind and Luna snapped around to face him. "Wait a second! If that really was that freaking long ago then how the hell are you still alive!?"
"Something something science bouf-muk I don't understand." The cat shrugged and turned his attention to the rain outside. "I'm not sure if the fact we don't physically age anymore was intended or not, but that kind of tech did exist. It was just a lot less effective in pure-blooded humans since it was a repair job on their genetics rather than a full-on replacement like we got." The feline shrugged again and turned back to her. "But I might be wrong on that. The people who were smarter than me and understood how all that worked died a long time ago. Turns out the average person doesn't make it much farther than a century before they die for some reason or another even if they're forever young and have biological superpowers."
She wanted to call him out for lies but… Damn it! She didn't trust what he was saying but, at the same time, she couldn't figure out what he'd have to gain from lying either nor how he'd know so much about her otherwise. Besides, if he really wanted to manipulate her then he could have claimed Ike was alive and all she had to do was everything he said if she wanted to see him.
Damn, her head was suddenly throbbing. And also just… damn being angry and defiant and all that right now. Where was that going to get her? Instead, she sighed, sat on the edge of one of the planters and allowed the drumming of the rain to overwhelm the room. She didn't look up as she heard the cat take a seat across from her. Neither said anything for a long time while her thoughts refused to stick to any coherent direction.
"Of all of us that underwent hybridization, whether we wanted to or not, most of the ones who lived long enough fell into one of two groups: those who didn't have a say whether they died and those who chose to." He paused as if waiting for a reply. She gave him none. "The latter group saw the world change, everything and everyone they knew faded and crumbled as time marched on, and they felt they were left with nothing. Nothing left of their former lives, no purpose, not a single thing. Whether it was throwing themselves at the first heroic sacrifice they saw or it involving tragic circumstances, they all made the choice to truly have nothing."
Her claws dug into the planter she sat on. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"What I'm saying is I know how it feels. I've been through it. All my former friends went through it. My siblings, even if they aren't really blood related, went through it. The guy I sprung from a freezer tank, like the one you were in, twenty or so years ago went through it. But, those of us who still remain and didn't have the choice ripped from us, we all realized that we still had something worthwhile-"
She snapped her eyes up at Zap Kitty and snarled. Where the hell was this topic coming from? "Is this whole set-up just some big ploy to recruit me to your damn cult?"
He shook his head. "The damn 'cult' is just a means to an end. They'll have their rise and fall like everyone else. No, Luna, what I'm saying is, as long as you're alive, then you still have your life. You'll still have plenty of opportunity to find things to fill the rest of the void as long as you stay alive. They'll crumble eventually too, sure, but then you find something else. Ultimately, the only thing that matters is survival. Everything else, including such things as ephemeral like a purpose, will follow sooner or later. But if you make the choice like the guy I thawed a couple decades ago did then you'll truly have nothing. Forever."
She wasn't even going to dignify that by looking at him. When the only reply was rain Zap Kitty sighed. "It was one thing when I was watching and observing until Nacrene when you were full of fire and looked like you could take care of yourself. It was another when I saw that glint of defeat in your eye at Nimbasa. I might be coercing you in coming with me out of my obligation to The Prophet and the Children of Arceus, I might have other reasons for dragging you along too, but I've also seen too many make that last choice. At the very least, if you must die, then let it happen because you weren't given any other option."
Luna elected to smolder instead and focused intently on the darkness.
"I don't know if you need to hear that right now. But, if you don't, then keep that advice tucked away for later, all right?" Zap Kitten stood up and stretched. "Either way, this might be supposedly safe territory, but someone still has to keep an eye out. Make sure you're back in your bed before Raijin wakes up and don't make any rash decisions."
Something occurred to her as he strolled towards the door. "Wait!" Zap Kitty stopped with the door halfway open and looked over his shoulder at her. "Did… did Ike…?"
The feline shook his head. "No, he never made that choice."