Cat Ran Out of Milk

The moon was high in the sky. With neon signs everywhere and tall skyscrapers littering the horizon, it was easy to see why San Angeles was known as the city that woke at night. A nocturnal tourist location, one where anything could happen. 

In the furthest reaches of this massive city…an alleyway with a single neon sign. Blue writing, along with a light green underline. There was an arrow pointing to the side. 

'Nirvana.'

There was an exclusive club here. Lowlives who couldn't get in littered the curb. They could only try to butter up the people that went in or came out. Only those who were skilled in their profession could linger. Hackers, guns for hire, thieves, demolitionists, etc.

Ignoring the randoms who made up the backdrop, a man made his way over to the entrance. He was muscular, a tech visor resting on his forehead. Anyone who saw him could tell that his vibe screamed military. A - grade cargo pants with black boots, and a grey sleeveless shirt to cover the torso. 

If it wasn't obvious already, then the dog tags hanging from his neck should be enough. Not to mention the few cybernetic enhancements that covered his body. One of them could be seen through the back of his shirt, most likely attached to his spine. 

The man walked down the steps until he reached the entrance. A bouncer was standing in front of the sliding door. Upon seeing him, the bouncer nodded before stepping aside. 

"Welcome back, Jax." Jax patted the bouncer on the shoulder without pausing his stride. 

"Did Roach come in today?" He asked. The bouncer nodded. 

"She's here."

The muscular man grunted before reaching the door. It slid open…then he was inside. A few twists and turns later, he reached the bar. Multiple figures could be seen hanging around. All of them with their own unique looks and cyberware. 

The bartender poured an undisclosed liquor into a shot glass and flicked it across the counter. Jax caught the glass and raised it in cheers. He was celebrating. 

"Put it on the tab, babe." He said. The bartender, an attractive brunette with freckles, shook her head. 

"Not this time, honey. After pulling off such a crazy gig like that…this one's on the house." She responded. Jax only grinned, showing a full set of teeth. 

He then gulped down the shot and growled as the heat went down to his chest. The empty glass clanked onto the counter. Both of them locked eyes. After a few seconds, the bartender rolled her eyes before pouring another glass. It slid over to him. 

"Thanks, Natalie." He grinned while walking away. 

"Mmmhmm." She hummed.

It didn't take long for him to reach a specific table. A group of people were already posted up, legs on the table. Some were sitting on the backs of the couches. One of them was smoking, puffing smoke in his buddy's face. 

"Damn it! How many times have I said not to do that shit!?" 

"Gonk fuck says what?"

"What?!"

"Heh. Gotcha."

BAM

A punch to the face and the two started to fight. Just like that, the whole bar grew rowdy as they watched. People started to bet on who would win. Jax ignored them, preferring to sit next to the woman who seemed to be unfazed. A beauty of russian descent, most likely a netrunner if guessed by her visible cyberware.

"Roach." 

The woman cupped his face before giving him a nice warm kiss. She tasted like alcohol. Jax sure loved his liquor. Roach let him go and leaned back into her seat. 

"Took you long enough." She commented. 

"Wait for me long?"

"For a dummy like you? Hell no."

"Aww. Don't lie."

"Lie? For you?"

"Sounds like you need another shot."

"Hmmm maybe."

The two kissed again. All in all, the surroundings were lively. Idiot 1 and idiot 2 were still fighting. It had eventually turned into a spar where they both showed their combat prowess. 

"Hey! Go play with your output somewhere else. We're supposed to be partying! We just klepped a whole damn tetra tank, after all." Another figure spoke from the couch. 

Jax broke the kiss with Roach and glanced at his other crew member. He only grunted. Cockblock.

"Fuck Nexotech. Corpo rats. They aint getting their shit back."

"You said it, boss man. Not me."

The group would go on to celebrate for hours. This wasn't just a club. People could be seen in private rooms, going over possible heists and gigs, making trades, etc. This was normal for Nirvana. 

…

…

…

(Cue the jazz music)

A black cat trotted across the nearby rooftops. Each padded footstep was as silent as a ghost. Its golden slitted eyes glanced at the entrance to Nirvana before moving on. 

Leaping onto an AC unit, it climbed up the wall in order to reach an even higher rooftop. It traveled further and further until something caught its eye. Walking across the wire of a telephone pole, then dropping down onto another rooftop, this one directly under the moonlight. 

"Meow."

It rubbed its head on the ankle of a standing figure, nuzzling its whole body against the person. A bowl of milk was set down, allowing the cat to get a good look at the human. Reflecting in the black cat's golden eyes was another with the same golden slits. 

A beautiful woman with asian features, her silky black hair stopping at her neck. It was a clean pixie cut. She was dressed in a tight body-hugging suit, black in color. It covered everything except her hands, even covering most of her neck.

Multiple straps wrapped around her legs, from the thighs all the way down to her shins. Her suit didn't stop before her feet. No. It morphed into combat boots at the bottom, mostly covered in straps and buckles. The heels were elevated, resembling high heels. 

The holster of a single black pistol could be seen on her hip. It seemed to be elegantly crafted, most likely a tech pistol of some sort. Big enough to be a handcannon forsure. 

Of course, the straps around her thighs weren't for show. Small knives and daggers were hidden all across her bodysuit. A military grade black coat was worn over her body suit, but it was a crop top jacket…stopping right before her belly button. 

Let's be frank. Her curves were in full view of the moonlight. With such tight clothing, and straps around her lower body, how could she not be enticing? Thin gloves covered her hands, with grey patches on each fingertip. Static emitters.

"Meow."

The cat mewled again before digging into the bowl of milk. As if responding to the cat, the woman opened a bottle of her own milk and gulped it down. Delicious. Milk tasted best at night.

"001. Let's go over the mission one last time." A male voice resounded in her head. 

"........"

The woman known as 001 slipped a chip into the side of her neck. A hologram soon appeared in front of her, showing the portrait of a military musclehead. There was a plethora of information.

"Jax. He's a merc that's starting to make a name for himself and his crew. In 2094, he did his first gig for the Red Fang. Ever since then, he's been in their pocket. It's only recently that most of his gigs have targeted Nexotech. Unfortunately, he's now an eyesore. Get rid of him. Quietly." The voice explained.

His portrait grew smaller and several portraits appeared beside Jax's. Five other people. Everyone involved in the gigs against Nexotech. 

"There will be a bonus for the members of his crew. Each kill confirmed is 50,000 credits. A netrunner is part of his team. Confirm her kill for 75,000 credits. That is all. Get it done."

BEEP

The call ended. 001 looked at the cat who'd finished 'his' bowl of milk. What a gluttonous thing. He was already looking at her as if asking for more. A slight smile tugged at her lips as she spoke. 

"Sorry, little man. That's all I've got right now."

"Meow."

Without further ado, she leapt off the edge of the tall building. 001 immediately entered a freefall state, the wind rushing through her hair. Her body slowly turned invisible as she fell through the air. Optical camo. She disappeared.

…

…

…

Jax stumbled his way out of the club. After hailing a cab, he was on his way. The surroundings were a blur. It was just a plethora of colors as he looked out the window. 

He'd really enjoyed himself tonight. Now all that was left was to get some rest. Roach would be waiting in his bed for him. She left earlier, after all.

As he stewed in his thoughts, a flash of gold caught his eye. A black cat was looking at him from one of the rooftops. Those eyes were fixated on his. He couldn't look away. 

"Mmmm?" He hummed before shrugging it off. The cat disappeared when he looked again. 

Upon entering his complex, he took the elevator and reached the top floor. Floor 17. This entire floor was all for one room. He'd been making a lot of credits lately so the big move was inevitable. Roach seemed to like it, no matter how sarcastic she was. 

He could immediately see her shoes once he stepped inside the suite. The man lazily threw off his coat while dragging himself through the hall. He needed some damn water. His head was fucking spinning.

"Roach!" He called out. There was no response. 

'She must be sleeping already.' He thought while opening his fridge.

The lights were off. He could barely see shit. After taking a swig of water, he made his way to the bedroom. His clothes fell off one by one as he fell into the bed. The weight of another was already present. 

Jax wrapped his arm around Roach as he grew comfortable. A few seconds went by before he frowned and sat up. Something was wrong. Her body was twitching. She wasn't making noise either.

"Babe?" No response. 

He immediately bolted from the bed and flipped the light switch… but the fucking lights didn't turn on. Dashing into his closet, he found one of his old military flashlights. It switched on with a slap…and he saw Roach. 

Steam wafted from her head, tiny electric currents dancing through her skull. She was dead. Her brain was fried. Jax immediately saw red. Pulling her into his arms he roared. 

"No no no no no NO! FUCK! You were supposed to hit the big leagues with me! Why the fuck did you die!? Did you forget about finding your family in Russia? GET UP! Don't leave me here! You gonk, I swear to fucking…" 

"Meow."

The sound made his sweat turn cold. Those eyes, peeking in from the fucking window. Jax immediately grabbed his sawed shotgun off the dresser and fired at the cat on his window sill. 

BANG

Did it hit? The window was blown to shreds. But the cat, where is it? Did it die? Fucking bastard. 

This wasn't his first time in a high stakes situation like this. Jax quickly put on some pants while calling his crew. His eyes lit up as the ringing started. 

RING RING

...…

RING RING

...…

Nobody was answering. What the hell? His gun and flashlight pointed at each and every section of his penthouse. He needed to get back into a public space. Being here was dangerous. 

Jax made his way down to the first floor, eyes open for anything and everything. He called for his car, which had yet to leave the parking structure of the apartment. It didn't take long for it to pull up to the side of the building. 

As he ran to the car, his mind was racing. What was going on? Why was nobody answering? Fuck! Is it some corpo ninja? Did they track him? How would they even know? It was a smooth job, quick and clean. The cameras were wiped. There shouldn't be any footage of his heist.

As he reached for the door handle of his car, he heard something roar in the distance. Jax immediately dropped to the ground as something massive punched through his car. 

Whatever had passed through his car left a trail of molten metal. What the fuck was that? A railgun? A sniper? Right where his body used to be standing was a big hole. A bit of static danced over the melting remains of the bullet path. 

The car was fucked. He needed to move. Jax rolled to his feet and dashed into the sidestreet by the complex. Going out into the open was suicide. It was much safer next to the buildings. 

As he ran through the alleys, his eyes were focused on the rooftops. Not for a second did he stop calling up his crew. Nobody was answering and it made him jumpy. He could admit it. Jax was fucking spooked. 

It was at this moment that he saw that damn cat again. Far in the distance, watching him from the darkness. Those eyes were gone by the time he raised his gun. Fuck.

He didn't stop moving. He hoped his crew was alive. Was this his fault? He made the decision to take the gig. Going against a corporation. He should've known it would end like this. 

Jax could feel death creeping closer. Out the corner of his eye, something shifted. He saw it. He fucking saw it! Quickdraw. Fire! Nothing. Just a bunch of flechette holes through a wall.

Then he heard it once more. Something big roared again, this time much closer. Without even registering what happened, he fell to the ground. Shit! Get up! 

He tried to get up…but his legs were missing. A single shot blew off both of his legs?! This kind of aim…his opponent was a monster. A freak. 

"AAAAAAGH!" He screamed in pain. 

His missing limbs were sizzling. There was no blood. It evaporated before it could even fall to the ground. But fuck that. He could finally see who was after him! The figure was cloaked in optical camo. Jax immediately grabbed his gun. 

BANG

The figure leapt into the air as if predicting the line of fire. 001's body twisted in midair, flipping effortlessly. She ran along the side of the wall as if gravity didn't exist. Another missed gunshot. In only a second, the assassin was behind Jax. 

A foot kicked away his gun. He was defenseless…or so he wanted her to think. He raised his arm, the barrel of something massive popping out of his wrist. A happy smile crossed his lips. 

"Game over." He said.

CLICK 

"Huh?"

CLICK

Why wasn't it shooting? 001 released her optical camo, allowing Jax to finally see her true form. His eyebrows rose upon seeing her eyes. Exactly like that damn cat.

"...Did you think I wouldn't know your capabilities?" She finally spoke. 

"You…you fucking bitch. If you could stop my weapons from working, why didn't you kill me earlier?" He growled. His arms stopped functioning. She'd infiltrated his cyberware.

001 tilted her head. She then crouched down and cupped his cheek. There was a blank look on her face. 

"Mmm…I made a lot of credits tonight. Your team was worth quite a bit. I thought I'd give you a chance. Maybe see how your skills were. If they were good enough, then…" 

Her words stopped as she thought for a moment and eventually shook her head. Jax was surprised to see how casual she was speaking to him. Like this bitch didn't kill his people. 

"I see. So I didn't make the cut." He spoke with a sad smile.

"No." She responded. 

Her grip on his face grew tighter. Static danced from her fingertips before infiltrating his body. Immediately, his cyberware broke down. His body could only spasm as his brain was cooked alive. 

Dead.

…

…

…

3 Years Later - 3009

001 opened the door to her new apartment and stepped outside. As she basked in the sun, the apartment door beside her opened. A girl wearing a school uniform stepped out. With wavy brown hair and bright blue eyes, she definitely didn't look like a kid from the streets. 

Daisy was surprised to say the least. She knew that someone new had just moved in beside her. Upon seeing the older woman dressed in only a crop top shirt and shorts, she raised an eyebrow. 001 currently wore glasses, which gave her a calm and studious aura. 

"Oh? Hi! You're my new neighbor, right?" Daisy greeted. 001 looked her up and down before smiling slightly. 

"Hey, kid. Off to school?" 

"Eh-Um. Yes! Um…I'm Daisy."

"Aiko." 

"Hi, Aiko…"

Daisy couldn't help but gulp as she looked at her. It was as if every one of Aiko's actions demanded her attention. Just stretching in the sun, and playing with her hair had gotten Daisy's full concentration. The way her hair fell onto her shoulder, a slight bit of moisture. Did she just get out of the shower? 

She'd never seen eyes like that before. Normally, people go overboard with cyberware or don't change them at all. Aiko's were just enough to get some attention…but not enough to make human interaction awkward.

"Daisy?"

"Huh?" The girl snapped out of her daze. Only now did she realize how hard she'd been staring. 

"I was asking what school you go to."

"O-Oh. I go to Mirage Academy."

"Ah…that corpo academy. Shouldn't you be living in some grand highrise then?"

"Not really. My situation isn't quite like that." Daisy commented. Aiko raised an eyebrow.

"Oh. Okay then. Well…see you around?"

"Ah! R-Right. See you around!" 

Daisy quickly ran down the stairs. The back of her ears were red. She knew that Aiko noticed her staring. 

Meanwhile, Aiko went to her balcony. Aiko…that wasn't her name, but she'd pretend it was. She didn't have a true name. 001, that was what they called her. 

The woman lazily sauntered over to the fridge. The black cat was already sitting on the counter watching her. Almost as if he was waiting. 

"Meow."

"Alright, alright. Let me see." Aiko opened the fridge. It was empty. 

"Meow!"

"Damn. I'm out of milk." She muttered.