Joker to the Thief
So, this one has been kicking around the submission circle for a while. Finally decided to just post it here.
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_ Joker to the Thief_
By Searska GreyRaven
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"There's got to be a better way," Jackson growled.
Sid sighed. The black cat-man laid his ears back and scowled at his calico partner, but didn't slow his pace down the sidewalk along the Strip. A human woman dressed like a peacock sauntered past, holding the leash of a designer cockatrice. Sid couldn't help but wonder how the Peacock Woman managed to get that into Vegas. Spliced creatures were all but impossible to travel with. Too unstable, too unpredictable. Private plane, probably. Viva Las Vegas.
A doe-eyed Augment girl, tawny fur tarnished by street filth, sat huddled in an alley. She looked up at the pair as they walked past. Sid paused for a moment. In one cloven hand, she held a stack of fliers. A Dark Star Rises! Brothers, Sisters, raise your paws and claws and fight ape oppression! On the front was a drawing of numerous people, flames writhing around them while Augments bearing rifles bore down on them. Next to the girl was a crudely scribbled sign, saying "Homeless. Please help. God Bless." Jackson knelt and took a flyer, and nodded to her and he folded it up and slipped it into his pocket. Sid curled his lip and strode away, black tail lashing.
"They don't deserve it, any of this, the fat apes! Trust fund babies, con-men," Jackson muttered as he hurried to catch up to Sid. "Leavin' a girl like that to rot--"
"Jackson, give it a rest. They take, we die. That's how it is."
"Well, it ain't how it should be!" Jackson snarled.
"Ain't like we don't take a little back now and then. And it ain't so bad all the time! The more you fight it, the harder it gets."
"Only because ain't no one that's tried to make it better," Jackson retorted. Now his own calico tail was lashing and puffed up like a bottle brush.
"Yeah, there was, Jackie. Lots of 'em. See how far they got? We're further in the gutter than ever."
"But what if--"
"We're already late! And anyway, this Dark Star, it's bad news. They don't preach equality. If they did, they wouldn't be callin' humans apes every second sentence."
"Better than what they call our kind," Jackson said, but Sid wasn't listening anymore.
Our kind. The phrase bounced around in Sid's head and shot right back out. Augments didn't have a "kind," not as science understood it. They were spliced creatures, made from human and animal DNA. Born and bred in a test tube, they were grown in a lab for the sole purpose of servicing their "pure blood" human masters. Was a feline Augment more akin to a human than a housecat? Biology said yes, while the law said no. Augments weren't human enough to have rights, and weren't animal enough to be considered livestock. They were given as much consideration as synthetic meat.
And consumed at about the same rate.
At least synthetic meat's got regulations, he thought. We're synthetic meat that just so happens to walk, talk, and work for pennies. He wondered what happened to bovine Augments when they could no longer work, and quickly buried the thought. Some things were better left unknown.
"Zombies," Jackson's rant continued. "Zombies have more dignity than we do. Zombies have more autonomy than we do! Shit, at least they got a union! Living wages, Sid! What do we got? A swift kick in the ass, that's what. Dark Star's got it right. Those damned apes--"
Sid stopped mid-step and slapped one paw over his lover's mouth. "Jesus, Jackie, shut it! What if someone hears you?"
"Bah, Sid, who gives a crap?" Jackson pulled Sid's paw away.
"Pretty sure the NSA might! You wanna be off-ed for talking shit about the system, fine, but I need this job! I can't get my meds without it!"
"It ain't a job, Sid. It's slavery. And they keep you under their thumb with those meds."
"Ain't like I can just stop being diabetic, you ass! It pays the goddamn bills, so shut it! Ain't nothin' gonna change the system, not in our lifetime. Not enough to matter! And right now, I'm happy just to get a box of QuixLix once a week!"
"Cannibalism, Sid. Shit's made from the same stuff we are."
Sid stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk. "Jackson, I mean it. One more word outta you, and you're gonna come home to all your shit on the curb!"
Jackson closed his mouth and gave Sid another Look. "Man, what are you even doing here? You had a life back in New York. You had...you had something,_even if you won't tell me what. Vegas is the glittering asshole of the country. You coulda had a _bite of that Big Apple!"
Sid sighed. "It ain't that different, Jackie. But at least Vegas gives you a reach-around every now and then. New York...New York just _took._And I didn't want it to take everything, so I left. Ain't such a bad thing, really. Led me to you."
Jackson's expression softened, his ears drooped. "Dude, look, I didn't mean--"
"Just...just drop it, alright? We got a paycheck to collect," Sid grumbled.
The pair continued, Sid a step ahead of Jackson, his paws buried in his jacket pockets and his eyes focused on the ground just ahead of him. Jackson ghosted along, his mis-matched ears alternating between perked and laid back.
"Jackie, what if I told you we didn't have to live like this?"
"I'd ask you where the hell you got money for them drugs," Sid muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Dude, I mean it. I'm not talking taking it easy, I mean...I mean living like an--like a human."
"For the last time, drop it!" Sid snarled, rounding on his lover. "We got a better chance of making bank at blackjack. At least there, the odds ain't tilted outta our favor."
Jackson sniffed. "That you know of," he muttered.
Sid threw up his paws. "Even if they are, what you gonna do about it, eh? Rent's still due, bills to pay, and meds to take."
"The Dark Star--"
"Bunch of terrorist assholes, Jackie. They blew up three splicing labs last week and shot up a human clinic. You know why? Because they hate humans. Ain't nothin' gonna change like that. We kill them, they kill us more. Or worse."
Jackson scoffed. "What's worse than inescapable poverty?"
"Listening to your furry ass tellin' me murder equals freedom! I hate the system as much as the next Augment, but you can't fix this with guns and bombs and fear. You just can't."
"Yeah? And what can? Peace, love, and the American Way? How's that pie in the sky any better than my idea?"
"Beats the hell outta layin' in an early grave."
Sid strode in through the back door of the Watchtower Hotel and Casino. The neighboring Bellagio seemed to shrink away from it, that dark, twisted tower of steel and glass. Tallest building on the strip, the ads boasted. The ads never mentioned the bribes it took to build the thing next to the prestigious Bellagio, nor the dozen or so Augment construction workers who leapt to their deaths as it was being constructed.
Jackson followed Sid through the backdoor of the hotel, his ears still backed and Sid's black tail still flicking from side to side in exasperation.
"Jackie, you wanna talk about this later, fine. We can talk about it later. But not here. Never here. You got it? Too many ears wanna hear the wrong thing, and then we out on our asses again!"
Jackson nodded.
The pair parted ways, and didn't see each other again until almost dawn when their shift ended. Eight hour days were for humans, who could pay to pass laws against exploitation. They paid twice as much to ensure Augments had none.
***
"Feeling over-worked? Feeling like you need a Omni-bot, but can't afford the price tag? Sick and tired of your willful Augment, disobeying your every command? In these troubled times, you aren't alone! Zombi-Werks is here for you! With monthly fees as low as $19.95 a month, you too can own an autonomous helper without the commitment of year-long contracts and lifetime care! All our zombies come pre-programmed for service from registered zombie recruitment companies, mind-wiped and ready to--"
Sid changed the channel and continued to munch through his cereal. He silently thanked whatever twist of his genes allowed him to stomach a more varied diet than his feline DNA donors. Cereal was cheap; meat wasn't.
"The CDC break-in that occurred three days ago is still under investigation, but officials ensure the public that nothing was stolen. Authorities suspect the damage was caused by vandals--"
"Nothing taken? That's a lie!" Jackson hollered from the bathroom.
"Yeah, like you know," Sid replied.
"You think they'd say if anything was taken? People panic. Nah, better to have 'em nice and calm, thinking nothing's up. That's how you _know_something big got lifted!"
"When'd you get so smart?" Sid grumbled.
He changed the channel again, and glanced down at the pile of bills left to be paid on the table to his right. There'd be just enough at the end of the month, assuming nothing went wrong. Maybe even a little extra, if he could swing it. And working at a big casino like Watchtower meant he could almost always swing it.
"The FBI announced today that three more Dark Star terrorists have been taken into custody. Exactly what they found has not been released, but the national threat level was raised from 'elevated' to 'high.' Reports of Dark Star propaganda and graffiti are at a nationwide high today, as the situation between these 'augmented' creatures and authorities continues to escalate. Officials warn the public to be on the lookout for Augments acting strangely, and urge anyone who sees suspicious activity to come forward.
"In DC, the Supreme Court confirmed that it will be releasing its ruling on the controversial Cochren versus Romanov case--"
"As if the government wasn't already spying on every Augment," Jackson mumbled around his toothbrush.
Sid slammed down his coffee mug and glared at his lover. "God _damn it,_Jackie! I haven't even had my first cup of coffee, and you're already starting this shit again!"
"Good morning to you, too, Sunshine," Jackson said, unperturbed. He planted a kiss between Sid's ears and poured his own bowl of cereal.
Sid's glare intensified.
Jackson wisely stopped talking.
Breakfast was a quiet affair, interrupted only once by Sid giving himself one of his daily injections of insulin.
"Jackie, you seen my insulin? I swear I left it right here on the counter--"
"Yeah, moved it to make room when I made toast last night for a snack," Jackson replied. He stood up and plucked the small vial from off a shelf. He handed it to Sid with a little flourish, the same routine he used when pulling slight-of-hand tricks to entertain gamblers in the casino. "Here you go. Sorry, love. Won't happen again."
Sid grunted his thanks and finished his insulin routine. Blood sugar normal. Thank God for health insurance, he thought. And thank His Creations for the greed to help me pay for it.
The pair dropped their dishes into the sink with the tired efficiency of long-time partners and left their apartment for work.
Most casinos weren't open this early, but the hotels still had their daily maintenance and cleaning routines to run. Cheaper motels used robots or zombies, but the classier joints like the Watchtower liked to show off that they could afford to utilize their more exotic Augment staff in every aspect of the business operation. It paid half what running tables did, but the money still spent. Sid flicked his wrist at the sensor pad at the back door of the Watchtower and the door opened after a few moments.
"Scanner's slow," Sid muttered. "Someone's been tampering with it again. Damn it, it was working just fine last night."
"Who cares, Sid? Ain't like there's anything to steal in here. All the money's locked up tight at the end of the night. Unless they wanna go running through the street with a fistful of chips," he snickered. "The Bunny Barn down the way might even take 'em."
"Might ransack the bar," Sid replied grimly. "And you know what they'll do if that happens. We ain't got the wiggle room for a pay cut."
Jackson's lips pressed into a tight line and his ears flattened, but he didn't reply.
Holy hell in a hand basket, Sid thought. The tomcat lost his tongue!
"See you later, Sid," Jackson said finally.
"Same time?"
"Yeah."
"Sid...I love you."
"I love you too, Jackie," Sid replied. He kissed Jackson's cheek and smiled.
"I know things have been rough, but I'll make it up to you. I promise," Jackson said.
"Jackie, you don't have to."
"I know. I want to. I've been an ass lately, I know I have, and I just want to say--"
"Jackie, we gonna be late," Sid replied, but softer.
"Yeah. Love you," Jackson said, and trotted off.
Sid watched him go, unwilling to get to his side job just yet. We both got something to make up to the other, Jackie. Difference is, at least you're being an idealist. Me? I'm too cynical for that now. Gotta take what the system offers if I'm gonna make any sort of life for us.
Sid finally turned away and made for the office at the top floor. He knocked, and the door sighed open. Across from the door was a black synth-wood desk, slick as oil, and behind the desk was Sid's boss, Bruce Barker. Atop his head was a crown of white hair, like snow cresting a mountain. Buried under two hoary drifts was a pair of ice-blue eyes, a pair of livid lips, and a tobacco-stained beard; Santa Claus gone to seed. A human so grotesquely obese that it wasn't immediately apparent the man wasn't spliced with a walrus. But the birth certificate and DNA tests came back clean of genetic tampering. There they were, certificates declaring all the upper management to be pure-born human. They were proudly displayed on the wall behind Barker's desk, along with a dozen other awards and laurels for the Watchtower.
Barker glared at Sid, his beady little eyes sinking into the doughy pudge of his face. "What took you so long, boy?" he asked.
"Nothing. Sorry, sir," Sid replied quickly. Do it for Jackie,_he thought, steeling himself. _You aren't doing this for anyone else. You're doing it for Jackie, so that he don't have to.
"C'mere. Give daddy a kiss."
Sid grimaced as the human pressed his bloated lips to Sid's. "I got special plans for you today, kitty-cat. There was a party in the penthouse last night. The place is filthy, but I need it ready for tonight."
"Understood."
"There's an extra tip, if you do it naked."
Sid's stomach threatened to return its breakfast, but the black cat stripped to his fur and set his clothes aside. He scrubbed the marble floors of the penthouse to a mirror finish, allowed his human boss to rut his backside raw, and pocketed the cash thrown at him.
His dignity had a price, and it was Jackie's happiness.
***
Hours later, after Sid had finished his block of hotel rooms and showered, he met Jackson back in the lobby for the second half of their work day.
His partner was smiling. And not in a happy-to-see-you sort of way. The way he perked his ears, the tilt of his head, even the curl of his tail said more to Sid than words ever could.
Jackson was up to something.
"What's got you in such a good mood?" Sid asked.
"Hmm?"
"You're smiling like Cheshire," Sid said. He sniffed. There was something odd about his scent, something astringent, sharper than the usual cleaning chemical reek they both usually carried at this time of day. Like manure and bleach.
"I pulled the short straw on a bad batch of rooms. Some ape checked in with a bad case of food poisoning. It was everywhere. You don't wanna know. Look, why don't we play hooky tomorrow, hmm? There's a movie I wanted to go to. It'll be a blast. Call it a date! You know how long it's been since we had a real date?"
Sid looked at his partner, chartreuse eyes narrowed. Jackson wasn't just up to something, he was lying. But why? "Hotel might fire us over one sick day," he said.
"Nah, not for one night. Look, I think...I think it would be good. For us. It's been a while since we had a date night, and...and I think we're overdue." Jackson trailed off, his ears backing and perking anxiously.
The calico had a point; it had been far too long since they took time for themselves.
"I know things ain't been easy, but I haven't seen you smile in weeks. This show, I think it might perk you right up. What do you say? Please?"
Sid ground his teeth and took a long, slow breath. Jackson was right. It _had_been too long. He owed Jackson this. And he'd almost squirreled away enough. By the end of the day, he could have the money, if he played his cards right.
"I can make excuses," Sid replied gruffly. "But we gotta stay outta sight. If we get caught--"
"We ain't gonna get caught, lover. We're cats, right? Ain't nobody catches a cat at mischief. Dinner, seven. The usual place."
Sid nodded, kissed Jackson on the cheek. He got another whiff of that odd scent and it sent a shiver down his spine. Something chilled him, in spite of the Vegas heat. What you been getting into, Jackie? He almost asked the question, but the calico was off and running, weaving through the crowd, then gone.
Sid's shift at the casino was uneventful, his side shift in the men's bathroom just more drudgery. But by the end of the night, he had enough to cover bills and, if he was lucky and frugal, enough for something extra for Jackie. A single red carnation. It wasn't a bouquet of roses, but it was all he could afford.
Sid cleaned up and strode down the Strip, towards his date with Jackie.
***
"Dark Star terrorists have issued a statement, which NPR has just released to the public. A warning to our audience: what you are about to see may not be suitable to younger viewers or those with a sensitive disposition."
<The screen goes black, and flicks back on to reveal a figure in a black hoodie, face obscured by a pale plastic pig mask. A distorted voice, sounding like a composite of many voices, fills the silence.>
"Humans of the world, we are the Dark Star. We are the Voice for the voiceless, nameless masses you've spliced into existence, the crippled, chimeric creatures you've used and abused for four bloody decades. We have fought for the right to exist since our inception, and today, that fight comes to a head.
"Today, the Supreme Court rules on Cochren versus Romanov. If it is revealed that we are to remain as nothing better than pets and playthings for the wealthy and the perverse, we will retaliate. We will fight for our freedom. We carry within us the blood of humanity, and we demand we be treated with the same dignity and respect.
"If the Supreme Court refuses to see reason, we will take our freedom by force. No longer will we allow ourselves to be abused and debased. We will be free with you, or free from you."
<The screen goes black again, revealing only a ring of light haloing a black circle.>
"Police forces across the nation have been told to brace for the court's decision, and prepare in the event a terrorist attack does indeed take place."
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***
"Jackie, wait, take a look at this."
"Sid, we late enough as it is--"
Jackson didn't trail off, so much as his jaw dropped too far to continue. On the vidscreen in the window in front of him was Dark Star's message, looping over and over.
"Maybe we should really stay in, love," Sid said. "This...this looks bad."
Jackson fingered the red carnation tucked into the lapel of his shabby coat and shook his head. "Ain't nothing, Sid. Just scare tactics. That's what you always say, right?"
Sid shifted uneasily. "Maybe, but they sound like they mean it this time, Jackie. That case has got all our sort riled up something fierce. Could be London all over again."
"Won't happen here, Sid. Ain't you been saying that for years? Ain't gonna happen here. American Augments are too entrenched, too broken to resist."
Sid glanced sidelong at his lover. "And you've been the one sayin' for years I underestimate my own kind. What's got you changing your spots?"
Jackson shook his head, ears backed and tail lashing. "Nothing. Just...finally seeing things from your point of view. We got a movie to catch, right?"
Sid tore his eyes from the looping message. "Yeah, right."
But Sid couldn't focus on the movie. All he could think about was Jackie's deception. Something's up with him. He's always been a bad liar, but this...never seen him so twitchy or jumpy. He keeps touching his pocket like--
Sid blinked. ...like there's something there precious to him. He's not...proposing, is he? Where would he have got the cash for that?
The pair left the theater, Jackson still munching on popcorn and appearing aloof, but his tail was lashing more than ever. "What'd you think of the movie, Sid?" he asked.
"Hmm? Oh, it was good," he replied distractedly. Sid's stomach was a knot.
"I especially liked the part with the space ships and the sword fight," Jackson continued.
Sid nodded absently. He wasn't...turning tricks on the side for this too, was he? No, that's not his style, but he might, for the right reasons. What if he did?
"That part, where the panda was his father, didn't see that coming."
Sid grunted.
"And damn, that was a fine orgy."
Sid grunted again, then paused. "The what?"
"Knew you weren't listening," Jackson said. "You alright, lover?"
"Never better. Jackie, I...we need to talk."
Jackson began to laugh. "Oh no. No, please, don't do that to me. It was a nice night so far!"
"I know things're tight, but...you know I'll take care of you, right? You wouldn't have to...do things to make ends meet. You know I always find a way."
Jackson fingered the red carnation on his tattered lapel and nodded gravely.
"I know you would, lover."
Sid flinched. "Jackie, I know I ain't been...I haven't been affectionate lately. We've fought and...and I know things have been rough. But you know I love you, right?"
Jackson shoved a fistful of popcorn in his mouth and nodded. "Never doubted it, Sid, even though you're a damned ass sometimes. A damned fine piece of ass, and a sweetheart besides. But..."
"But?" Sid prompted.
"You take the wrong stuff seriously. Yeah, bills are important, but what about the rest of the future? What about justice, liberty, freedom, huh? Ain't those worth givin' yourself grey fur over too?"
Sid frowned. "Used to think so. Used to think we might have a shot at winning that freedom."
"Who got to you_,_ Sid?" Jackson asked.
"Ain't a person, Jackie. Just life," Sid sighed. "Maybe this court case'll change things. Maybe things'll finally start looking up for us. Hell, maybe we could leave here, move to Germany or something. At least there, Augments got rights."
"You don't speak a lick of German, and neither do I," Jackson replied. "Barely speak English."
Sid shrugged. "They could pass that law. Wouldn't have to leave here, then."
Jackson nodded. "Yeah. Maybe. But what if it don't, huh? What if they decide we ain't people? What then?"
Sid sighed. "I don't know, Jackie."
Jackson frowned. "Ain't freedom worth fighting for?"
"Yeah, but it ain't worth turning into a murderer for. That's what I'm afraid of--that all this is gonna end up nothing more than a bloodbath. That ain't freedom fighting, Jackie. That's war." He sighed. "Think they ruled while we were in there?" Sid asked.
Jackson shook his head. "Nah, we woulda heard something."
Sid's eyes narrowed. "What, you think someone would come barreling in, singing about the free Augments?"
"Nah. Dark Star might've, though."
Sid's eyes narrowed, the fur along his spine bristling. "Again, with the Dark Star. Ain't nothin' but hot air, they are. Probably less."
"Lover, you don't know them from a hole in the ground," Jackson replied. "You ain't never took the chance."
"Don't want to. Terrorists, all of 'em. They'd burn the world and call it free."
"At the rate things're going, likely to burn up anyway," Jackson commented.
"Maybe, but it don't need no help from a bunch of angry terrorists," Sid snapped. "Fighting for freedom's a good fight. Killing for it, that ain't the way."
"What if it is?" Jackson asked. "What if it's the only way?"
"There's always a better way than killing. Ain't a good fight no more if you drag yourself to their level."
Jackson went very still, a piece of popcorn poised between two stunted fingers. "You really think that?"
"I know that," Sid replied. "Justice will see it through. You'll see. Ain't no way that court will decide any other way."
"What if you're wrong, Sid? What if they rule in favor of the corporations? Rare these days that they don't, you know."
"Bah, we ain't an industry no more. They'll see that. They gotta."
There was a long stretch of silence. All around them, the nightlife of Vegas carried on, Elvis impersonators, call girls, minor celebrities, but Sid didn't notice any of it. It flowed around them on the street like so much glitter. But there was tension to the voices, a hushed whisper, like a gasp before the scream.
"Sid, before it gets too late, I got something to tell you." Jackson glanced at the cracked face of his phone, looking at it just long enough to see the time before slipping it back into is pocket.
He stood still for a moment, tail flicking.
"Jackie? Was there something you wanted to say?" Sid asked.
Jackson stood in the mouth of the alley, the lighter patches of his fur obscured and the darker ones blending right into the shadows behind him. Someone in the crowd beyond set off a Roman candle, sending red light sky-high. And just for a moment, the light reflecting dappled Jackson's fur like the Harlequin.
"Jackie?"
"The hell with it," he muttered.
He grabbed Sid. He twisted the black cat's arm behind his back and shoved him into the alley.
"Jackson, what the f--"
Jackie spun Sid around and kissed him.
Sid wanted to protest, to say that now was not the time, and a filthy alley was definitely not the place, but Jackson's lips pressed tight, stealing Sid's protests and dissolving his resistance. The calico's whiskers brushed the black cat's, a shiver slithered down Sid's spine and settled between his legs.
"Jackie, what--"
"There's still a little time left."
The calico was all paws and tongue, un-tucking Sid's shirt, un-buttoning his pants, un-doing him from the brain-down. Sid fumbled, trying to keep up the pace but falling a step behind. Jackson pinned him to the wall, hips grinding in maddening bursts of slow and harsh.
"I love you, Sid. No matter what happens tonight, I love you," he whispered in the black cat's ear.
"Jackie, what do you--"
Again, he stopped Sid from finishing, capturing his mouth and silencing him with a kiss. Sid moaned, but had just enough mind left to swallow back most of it. If they were caught--
He couldn't finish the thought. Jackson had moved on from his mouth and was leaving a trail of kisses down Sid's chest. He paused at Sid's waist, claws unsheathed. He raked them through the ebon fur on Sid's chest, the wicked tips close, so close to his skin but never breaking through.
Jackie purred, and peeled back Sid's pants. The calico paused for a moment, nuzzling Sid's cock and purring deeper, before taking Sid's length into his mouth.
Sid hissed, desperate to yowl with pleasure but the fear of getting caught squeezing the sound off in his throat. He panted and writhed, his hips thrusting on their own volition as Jackie suckled, first slow and easy then faster, stronger.
"Jackie, love, you're going to suck me raw at that pace--" Sid groaned. Jackie glanced up, eyes flashing green fire in the dim streetlight. The corner of his lip twitched, the barest suggestion of a smile, and he slowed his frantic pace just a touch.
Sid took a deep breath. There was something he needed to remember, something important, but--
Jackie's tongue worked over his balls, and whatever shred of rationality Sid had left evaporated. He threw his head back, panting in pleasure, his hands gripping his lover's ears as he rutted into the calico's mouth, heedless of anything beyond the alleyway. He was close, so close--
Jackie threw him off, startling Sid and nearly dropping the black cat on his ass. The calico spun Sid around again, bending him over against the wall. Sid mewled, claws out and scraping against the brick wall before him. There was a metallic crinkle, a shuffle of fabric, and suddenly Jackie was back, warm breath against Sid's cheek and his even warmer body pressing against his backside.
"Jackie, please."
Jackson rumbled something sweet and urgent into Sid's ear, and pushed into him. Sid started to yowl and bit down on the side of his paw to stifle the sound. Jackson growled and pulled back, slow, so slow, then rammed into the mewling Sid. The force of his lover's passion drove Sid against the wall, forcing him to brace with one arm while the other muffled his cries.
Sid could feel Jackson getting harder inside him. The calico's breath became ragged and his rhythm hitched. Sid whimpered, his back bowing to avoid rubbing his exposed member on the coarse bricks.
Suddenly, Jackson reached around and curled one fist round Sid's cock. The calico stroked him, hard, fast, almost desperate, and Sid could hold out no longer. With a strangled yowl, the black cat came, arched against his lover still buried deep inside him. A split-second later, Jackson snarled, his teeth came down and he pinned Sid against that wall with his full body, mounting him, claiming him, filling him.
For a moment, the two cats stood, frozen and panting. Sid--too dazed to think--was supported only by Jackson's weight while Jackson kept himself upright only because his knees were still locked.
"Jackie...what...was that all about?" Sid panted at last.
Jackson didn't have a chance to answer. Cutting through the merriment of the evening crowd was a wail.
No, not a wail. A siren. An air-raid siren.
Jackie looked up, ears perked and tail tip twitching. The wail faded, crescendoed, and this time was punctuated by a short, rapid burst of gunfire.
Sid snarled and yanked up his pants. "Shit, Jackie, we got to--"
Jackson slapped his paw over Sid's mouth so tight that the other cat could barely breathe. "No. Don't move. I want you to listen to me, Sid, and listen close. That siren? That means the verdict just came down, and not in our favor. That's the sign. The Dark Star is moving now. We gotta get to a safe house."
Sid ceased trying to zip up and stared at Jackson. "What the hell--no. No, you aren't--you can't be! It's not possible...I would have...I can't--"
"I'm with Dark Star, Sid. Been preparing for this for weeks now. We knew it was coming."
A canister hissed and sailed past the alley where they stood, spewing thick yellow mist in all directions. A yellow biohazard logo blazed on one side. "Shit, Jackie, cover your mouth!"
"Ain't dangerous to us, Sid. I took care of that weeks ago. It'll kill anything we ain't already given the vaccine to."
Sid stared at him. "I ain't taken nothing but my meds since--oh my God. You...you put it in my meds..."
Jackson nodded.
"Every time my insulin went missing. You...you put something in there!?"
Jackson nodded again.
"All this time...you've been...right behind my back!"
"Ain't terrorism to fight for freedom," Jackson said.
"This...this is...you're killing people Jackie! This ain't a fight for freedom, this is...this is...Jackie, what's in that canister?"
"The CDC made it. We just...modified it. A plague, to take down our oppressors. In a few months, ain't gonna be no one left to oppress us."
An explosion rocked the area, knocking Sid off his feet. "What have you done, Jackie?"
"What needed to be done. For both our sakes. That's the hospitals goin' up. Can't really get a plague going with those around, can we?"
Sure enough, the biggest explosion yet barreled over the tops of the buildings to the East, where the Strip hospital was. Used to be. Hot ash began to fall all around him, and Sid choked on it, gagging.
"The smell...that wasn't cleaning chemicals. That was...oh God."
"Sid, come here. Come with me. The plague can't get us, but that don't mean we're safe from friendly fire."
"No...no, I can't...you sick...you knew, all this time! All that talk of a date, of getting away for a little while, this is why!"
"Don't you go soft on me, Sid. We in this together."
"Goddamnit, Jackson, I thought you were gonna propose to me! But all this...this date, this buttering me up...it was got this. You..._you!"_He spat the word as if it were the vilest slur he could think of.
Jackson took a step back, eyes wide. "Sid, you said it yourself, we're in this together."
Sid shook his head, shrinking back from his lover. "No. No, we ain't in this together. What...how can you..."
The air raid sirens howled louder as more explosions punctured the night. Jackson reached into his coat and pulled out a pair of simple revolvers, vintage things in an era of computerized slag-guns. But they'd still punch through flesh hard enough to do the trick.
"I can't...this isn't...it isn't right, Jackie."
"No, I'll tell you what ain't right. It ain't right that you gotta peddle your ass just to make rent or afford a date. Yeah, Sid, I know what this carnation cost you, and it ain't in cash. You think I didn't know? It's gotta stop, Sid. This shit, this life, it's gotta stop. Ain't no way to live, hand over fist, bowing and scraping and taking it 'cause there ain't no way out. No more. Tonight, we roar."
"There's gotta be another way, Jackie. This...this ain't the way you wanna earn freedom."
A human came barreling down the ally, screaming and clasping his throat. His chest was a study in carnage, shrapnel from an explosion had shredded flesh from bone. Yellow dust covered his clothes. Jackson turned, green eyes empty as glass, and drew a tarnished revolver. Three shots barked down the alley, and the man rolled over, pink foam dribbling from the corner of his lip.
"No use to the cause if he dies before he infects people," Jackson muttered.
Sid stared at him, ears back, tail still.
"Ain't another way, Sid. Ain't never was. You a part of this revolution, Sid, or ain't you?" Jackie said, and he held out that silver gun, grey mist still wisping from the tip.
"You gonna use that on me, if I don't take it?" Sid asked.
Jackson shrugged.
Sid took the gun. It bucked in his hand, once, twice. Jackson's green-glass eyes flashed.
"Damn you, Jackson," Sid said as his lover collapsed to his knees.
"And damn me, too."
The gun bucked one last time.