Chapter Text
It had been about 3 months since you had last seen a human being or any living being except rodents. This was a climate issue- rising tides had washed over your little city in Portugal. Months and months of rising heat had threatened to sink your city straight to the ground- so Kingdom had gone on their way to build geo-domes above your city and save it from the incoming Atlantus status. That was very clear.
But as you sit with little dirtied white paws between your legs, you can help but wonder how much time you have left. There is only so much food for the mice to eat to feed you- everything perishable had perished and god knows there was only so much canned food left. You shouldn't even risk the energy it would take to go back to walking on two feet. It wasn't worth it. You were tired enough.
You had come to the conclusion that you had been out and about in a different form when news came that the population in the geo-domes had to be evacuated. You wouldn't know, it was as if a day and a night passed and the city was desolate. It was as if everyone had left without a trace. The shops were still filled with useless junk- guitars and pottery, what could you possibly do with that? You needed food. Clean water. Rationing. Can you imagine a cat caring about rations?
Your day to day life was mostly sleeping. You couldn't bother wasting time and energy doing anything but looking for food, you didn't know when someone would come back for you. Did your acquaintances know you were missing? What little family you have should be concerned, no? You wouldn't know. The power to this place had gone down about a month ago. You had tried everything- even to just swim out of the place- but it was a waste. You had about 2 months of canned food and all the vermin you could catch until you’d succumb to starvation.
And the worst part? It wasn't fearing impending doom. It wasn't fearing the dome collapsing onto you. It was the boredom. There was no one to talk to, animal nor human. There were no activities, there was nothing. It was bare. The most interesting thing you could do is watch whales and other sea life float on by, and boy, you were jealous. To be free. To swim.
Your thinking was twisted- you were hungry. Grilled fish, and a sub from Subway. Cooked meat and salted potatoes. You craved constantly. Chocolate. Fresh fruit. It didn't matter. It pained you, and it only made you hungrier. But you slept. That's what your day to day life was like.
Well, that's what it was like.
Currently, you are in your old apartment. You leave your windows and doors open, it's not like anybody was going to come in. Closing the window would only leave your home stinky and stuffy. You laid on your couch and waited the day away. But you heard the weirdest thing- a guttural, ripping noise twice on different sides of your dome. It made you sit up. You couldn't help stretching. You jump up onto the windowsill somewhat gracefully, but didn't see anything interesting. So your next move? Go investigate. It could be people. Rescuers. Has someone really come looking for you? Would you no longer hunger?
You couldn't let excitement overwhelm you. It could easily be something more sinister. But you trot along, silent beaned paws prodding against cold cement pathways.
You turn near a place with statues of the people who'd saved your city locked behind a gate and see people. FIVE of them. You almost faint. Two women, two men, and a… robot?
It didn't matter. You practically run up to the one standing in the front- a man- dress sleek with a colorful tie. He's holding some sort of triangular device in his hands, and he scowls when he sees you. You rub up against his leg. If you transformed now, you'd collapse.
He kicks you away with force, sneering at your disheveled and ratty state.
“Disgusting pest,” He scoffs, brushing off his pant leg. He has a noticeable accent.
You wheeze. The air had been knocked out of you, bruises forming beneath your skin. Fuck. Imagine how much energy this will take to heal.
“Did you really need to kick the cat, Chamber?” A younger girl comments, although not really putting her heart into it.
The man- Chamber- does not dignify it with a response. You already feel a burning anger towards that man. The robot speaks up.
“It's impressive that it's alive. Everyone who owned animals should have evacuated with them. Nobody is down here.” He says, pulling a pistol out of his waistband. He inspects it, walking to the left, urging his teammates to follow. If you could emote, you'd be gawking. No empathy for a cat? Monsters.
The team follows. None of them acknowledge your existence beyond that, except for a woman with pinkish hair, who makes some comment about being hungry. You could relate, more than she knows.
The bruise starts to form, an aching in your side. Fuck. You limp off in a scurry, your foot not working properly. Fuck.
You skitter down an open area back towards your apartment. You can't think straight. If not here for you, then for what? There's nothing down here. Your feet pitter patter erratically until you bump straight into something. You skitter back looking up and immediately write off what you see as a hallucination.
What the fuck? A man, dressed in bandages, glowing blue streaks for a face, wearing a cloak. Was that the grim reaper?
He peeks a corner, clearing the small alley before crouching down and looking at you. You don't panic. You just accept it.
“A cat? How… peculiar,” He comments. “How have you survived? And… What hurt you?” In a deep, gravelly voice, he looks you over. You look up at him, letting out a soft mew.
Once again, he checks his back before trying to lift you but you don't allow it. It hurts. Way too much. You squirm out of his arms. So this wasn't the grim reaper? Okay, so is he with the other people? That Chamber guy?
He interrupts your thoughts. “Stay here, little cat. I'll come back for you.” He slowly stands back up straight. You see him conjure a little orb and place it above you, surrounding you in a cloud. His earpiece makes noise. But no way in hell are you going to let the one guy who could get you out of this isolation just up and walk away, you dont care how much youre hurting. You let out another chirp and he redirects his attention towards you.
“What is it?” He says with a sense of urgency, peeking back into the cloud. The three scratch mark looking lines on his face turn a different shade of blue and flicker momentarily.
The way he's going is a deathtrap. It's the same direction they were headed.
You just keep meowing. Meowing until he approaches you. Then, you start limping off to the right. To be honest, you don't know why he has the gall to follow a cat and disregard whatever mission he's on. But he silently follows you as you slowly limp to go behind where they were. He stalks behind you slowly, checking corners. You arrive at the back of where their team went, seeing them not notice anyone flanking them.
A thunk is heard. The reaper whispers into his piece, “Planted B. Flanking.”
You sit down. He has at least 3 clear headshots lined up, and another of their team had already been knocked.
He aims, shoots, and successfully hits. The annoying beeping is stopped. You hear some cheering and whooping coming from down the long ramp.
Some guy walks up and approaches the man you're with. Dark skinned with orange tipped dreadlocks, he cheers. He has a british accent, and is wearing some clean black sneakers. You look up at him, and he doesn't even notice you at first.
“Niiiice Omen, terrific shot. You're not even winded. You sure you're human?” He laughs, almost clapping a hand onto Omens' back before pulling away. They do not make contact.
Omen hums a ‘Thanks,’ and returns his attention to you. He squats down once more and the man seems thrilled to see you.
“Phoenix, do you think Brimstone would care if I brought it with me?” He inquires, looking up at the taller man.
“Could convince him it's a team morale booster,” He squats down, patting your head. “Where'd you find it? How’d it get so hurt?” He looks at your paw and rib. He notices how skinny you look. “Regardless if we can keep it, we should take it. Lil mog must be starvin,” He coos, lifting you up in such a quick succession you can't resist it. You squeal in pain, and he sets you down with equal speed.
“Sorry, mate.” He awkwardly steps back.
“It had come running at me. It doesn't want to be picked up.” Omen scolds, a rasp to his tone.
“Will it follow us?” Phoenix asks. Omen doesn't respond, walking off. Phoenix does a double take before skittering after him. You limp and follow the two. They lead you down the ramp to three other people. A man with some blue hair, a woman with some nerdy looking glasses carrying some sort of turret, and a masked man who is the first to speak.
“A kitty-cat?” He chuckles, some sort of accent ringing through his voice.
“Yeah mate, Omen said it ran up to him.” Phoenix answers, gesturing towards the cloaked man.
“Peculiar. There shouldn't be anything alive down here except fish, bugs, and potentially vermin.” She hums, tapping her pointer finger to her chin.
“Peculiar indeed,” The masked man hums, blue lights in place of eyes lingering on you just a moment too long.
“Can we go already? I dont have the time to sit here and discuss a cat.” The blue haired man scoffs, turning his back towards you and facing the teleporter in front of the rest of you.
“You're so impatient, bro. But he's right, let's go,” Phoenix is the first to head through the teleporter. The other three follow suit, but Omen lingers behind and makes sure you're following them.
You are greeted with warm, fresh air. Not stale. Not freezing like the air beneath the ocean. You wait for Omen’s next move, as he has seemingly taken a silent ownership to you. The lady with glasses sighs. “I'll do the report for this mission, you're welcome by the way,”
Everyone seems to go their own way, except for the two younger men who seem to be joshing each other before they turn the corner and are out of sight. Omen leads you down another hall, to a room smelling of antiseptic.
“Sage,” Omen calls out. “I have a patient for you.” He ushers you in, crouching down to nudge you into the room.
A woman with a long black ponytail walks out to greet him. Sage, was it?
“I've never had a patient so small before, Omen. Where did you find the feline?” She asks, spreading her hands to form what appeared to be a circular cube of ice. She kneels down to you, gesturing her hands towards you and a cool, soothing feeling spreads along your body. You even feel less hungry.
“On our latest mission at Pearl.” He says, watching you test your foot.
“Pearl? That place should be desolate. How did a cat manage to survive there?” She inquires, petting you, which you happily lean into until you're scooped into her arms. “It's a boy.” She says, putting you down again. You feel violated. That was a violation. Thank god you're a cat. You're going to stay a cat for a while after that.
“I assumed it was a girl,” Omen says with a hint of surprise in his gravelly voice.
‘Story of my life,’ you think, sitting down, tail swishing.
“Its injuries… bruising, broken bones.. It doesn't appear to be from anything but other humans.” She says, sorrow in her voice.
“Evil,” He says. “Thank you, Sage.”
Now you happily let him scoop you into his arms. You feel nervous before calming yourself. He pats you, talking outloud. Sage nods before returning to her work.
“Now, the hard part is Brimstone. I can care for you only with his permission.” He says, petting you, taking you back to his room for the time being.
He sits you on his bed.
“It’ll be fish for dinner tonight, as I have no cat food for you, little one.” He says, placing a plastic bowl on the ground before walking off and out of the dorm room.
It only takes a moment before a knock hits the door.
“Omen?” A muffled feminine voice comes through the door.
You sit.
But a white haired girl opens the door. Wait, what? This was-
This was the same girl that let that nasty man kick you into oblivion!
You scamper off the bed to hide under it. The door opens.
“Omen, I came to see the cat. Guh!” She jumps when he silently appears behind her.
“How have you already heard about it?” He huffs, brushing past her. You watch their feet. Omen seems to check the room before peeking under the bed and spotting you.
“Phoenix cant keep his mouth shut,” She replies casually, as if she didn't just get spooked.
“Tell him he needs to if he wants the cat to live here.” He growls, clearly irritated.
His ‘eyes’ hit you, changing to a more soothing baby blue color. He silently beckons you out with a helping of steamy, hot fish. You don't budge. That cat kicker's sick friend was in the same room as you.
“How'd that thing survive down there? I can only imagine it's hungry.” She remarks, staying put in the doorway.
“Indeed. Starving and injured, it bumped into me.”
“Injured?”
“Affirmative. Bruising and a broken foot.”
“Jesus. What from? A fall?” She takes a step forward. That lying-
“No. Sage said other people, and the injuries were clearly recent. It must have been the Omega agents.” He remarks.
“Our clones don't know what's good for them. They're so… different from us… poor kitty.” She sighs, a heavy tone replacing her previously peppy one.
Clones?