Chapter Text
Vector woke up. He stared at the ceiling. It was unfamiliar to him, as it was his first time waking up to it. It was early in the morning, but he was awake now, so he got up. He put on his aviator jacket and went outside, discarding the rubbish from the fried chicken take away he'd had for supper the previous night in the bin outside.
Vector was a cheetah, 5 ft 7 with a lean, athletic build. He was good looking, but whether or not he was aware of this was a mystery.
It was quiet outside as Vector walked to the middle of the road connecting the two sides of the double lane street. He lit a cigarette, letting out a long puff of smoke into the early morning air as he leaned against the safety railing. As he stood there, he cast his gaze down on the lower levels of Unicorn city.
Unicorn city was a multi-story city, comprised of multiple levels, each about two stories high, stacked on top of each other. It was sort of like a bunch of giant interconnected apartment complexes, but with entire city blocks. Climbing the levels was sort of like climbing the societal ladder, the higher up you went, the richer the class of people. The opposite was also true, and where Vector lived was towards the lower end of the scale. He didn't really mind however, he was never really one for material things, and the neighbourhood seemed nice enough. Vector though it looked 'neighbourly', a sentiment that probably wasn't shared by everyone, as this was still one of the 'be careful walking down an alley alone' levels.
The city was already stirring and waking up, with some people already starting their day. Vector had just moved to the city yesterday, and had spent the whole afternoon unpacking his things and settling in. He had moved here in pursuit of money. Not wealth, but a very specific amount of money that he needed. Yubelle, a Fluffy black cat with ginger markings and a spunky personality, and his girlfriend of three years, needed it. Yubelle was a kind, caring soul. Always trying to help others out and make their lives better, completely disregarding herself. Vector usually had to help her, sometimes almost forcefully, to enjoy herself for a change.
Unfortunately, for the better part of a year now, her brain had been ravaged by an aggressive disease. The doctors has never seen anything like it, they said it was like there was a slate-like rock forming on the tissue of her brain. As a result of this disease, she couldn't remember anything, on top of that she couldn't commit anything to long term memory, so she would wake up every morning blank. If left as it was, she would eventually become brain dead. A treatment would be expensive, very expensive. Which is why Vector was here, looking to somehow aquire the necessary money.
That was at least, mostly the reason. He would be lying to himself if he said that he wasn't running. Seeing the one you love it such a state, unable to recognize you, to be in a near constant state of labotomy. She hid it well, it was in her nature after all, but it got to her sometimes, as was to be expected of someone in her position. All of this was painful, so painful for Vector. He wanted to run, run away from all the pain.
Vector had a job here working at a computer store, his plan was to get some experience in the line of work and then start his own business selling custom built computers. There was a voice in the back of his head telling him that this wouldn't work, that he wouldnt be able to gather the necessary funds, and that if he did, by that time it would be too late. He pushed these thoughts down as hard as he could, he couldn't bear to think about them, they made it all seem so hopeless.
Vector finished his cigarette and went inside, it was Thursday today and he didn't start work until Monday. Today he would simply be going to the store to get some basic supplies, but first he had to wait until the stores were open. He made himself a cup of instant coffee and sat down in bed, turning the TV on to find a marathon of Monster Blade. It was a show he was quite fond of, so he watched the marathon until it ended at about ten in the morning.
He got changed into his casual attire which consisted of black jeans, a dark grey shirt and of course his aviator jacket and headed out to go to the store. It was a nice day, the sun was shining and the sky was clear, not that you could see much of the sky from this level but it was clear nonetheless. Vector went to his local store and bought a whole bunch of basic supplies and essentials. After getting everything he thought he needed, he headed back home, eating a pie for lunch as he did so. Not far from the store was a diner called 'Shrimpy's Shrimp' that apparently served fresh seafood. He decided to try it out for supper that night. Vector arrived back home and stocked his house with all the supplies he had bought. He then crashed on the bed and dicided to watch some TV, as he had nothing better to do.
At some point he must have fallen asleep, because he woke up sometime in the evening. Vector, sat up and yawned. He looked out the window and saw that it was getting dark. He checked the time on his phone and saw that it was near seven. He figured it was a perfect time to head out for supper, so he got up and headed out again.
He puffed on a cigarette as he walked to the diner, hands in his pockets. A noise caught his ear, it sounded like a grunt coming from the other side of the street. He looked over to see someone on their hands and knees in an alley way, two people standing behind them. The one directly behind the person on the floor was holding a metal pipe.
His cigarette fell to the floor as he realised what was going on. In an instant, Vector was running towards them. It didn't take him long to close the distance, he was a cheetah after all. "Come on darlin', cough up some-" the one with the pipe didn't get to finish his sentence before Vector's fist smashed into the side of his face from behind. Vector went past him and stood between them and the person on the ground.
The attackers were both coyotes, the one with the pipe was about Vectors height and the other was maybe a bit shorter. The coyote with the pipe looked up, clutching the side of his face and glaring angrily at Vector. "Bad move bub, now you've pissed me off," "back off," Vector said firmly, holding his ground, "leave her alone," "Oh I wouldn't be worried about her if I were you," said the coyote, patting the palm of his other hand with the pipe threateningly. Vector prepared himself for a fight, when a calm female voice came from behind.
"Thanks for distracting them pal, I'll take it from here," Vector turned his head to look behind him, it was the person who they had attacked She was a cat, small with black and white fur. She wore a leather jacket, black leggings and a loose fitting sleeveless white shirt, underneath which she wore a black sports top. Now affixed to her right arm was a sort of fingerless glove that extended up most of her forearm. There was a row of clasps running along the outside of the forearm, into one of them she was inserting a strange cloudy white gem that seemed to be glowing.
She casually walked past him. All of a sudden, arcs of what looked like lightning broke out around her body and with blinding speed, she darted forward, raised her leg and then kicked the coyote in the stomach with a force she should not have been able to muster. The coyote flew back, landing on the ground a few feet away. He rolled over and vomited onto ground below him.
"Shit!" the other coyote exclaimed, turning around and starting to run, the other coyote got up and began to run away too, stumbling as he did so. Vectors jaw hung open in disbelief as he stared onward. "Thanks again," came the girls voice, snapping him out of it, "they got the drop on me and I wasn't prepared," Vector looked at her, "what was that? " he asked, calmer than one would expect of someone in his position. "what was what?" she asked back, not seeming to understand his question. "What you just did," clarified Vector. She stared at him for a moment, then asked, "you really don't know?"