Futuristic World Domination (Volchan x ShannonTrevor)

[volchan]

The space was dark and cramped; the only light coming from a single laptop screen as videos of YouTube tutorials played across it. Sitting in front of the screen sat a petite figure, dressed in a loose black tank-top with the image of a cartoon-ish white skull printed on the front of it and a pair of very short black shorts. A pair of goggles sat perched up on her head and a lit cigarette hung between her lips as her green eyes were pinned to the screen in front of her. Finally, after several moments of still silence, she huffed and brushed some of her sandy-blonde, almost shoulder-length hair out of her face.
“Useless.” She muttered, pulling her goggles back down over her eyes and pushing her rolling chair over to a nearby work station with her foot. On the station there sat several projects of various sizes and shapes, most looking unfinished or unrecognizable. As she grabbed a welding torch with one hand, the other reached out for a nearby cup of coffee. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't until she'd already taken a gulp, cigarette still pinched in the corner of her mouth, that she came to realize the coffee was quite old. She immediately spit the cold, bitter liquid onto the floor, losing her cigarette in the process.
“Fuck!” She shouted angrily, wiping at her mouth with her arm and nearly dropping her welding torch as a result.

Putting the tool back down, she stood up and marched with her cup past the piles of junk and scrap metal that littered the space around her, climbing a rickety set of wooden stairs and throwing open the door. The daylight from outside the windows nearly made her stumble back as she uttered another string of curses, shielding her face as she headed into a nearby kitchen and splashed the remaining coffee into the sink with a growl. A set of fluffy, blonde cat ears and a bushy cat tail bristled in agitation as she turned on the water in the sink, slurping up some to try and rinse the awful taste out of her mouth. She wasn't certain what time it was, or even what day it was, but either way her mood wasn't in the best of places at the moment.

 

[Shannon Trevor]

She was so set on her task, whatever it may have been, that she managed to miss the man sitting at the long kitchen table. He watched, making no effort to hid his amusement as she cursed and poured out her coffee.

"Morning," he called as she finished her task. Turning she would find Colonel Jon Lachlan smirking back at her, enjoying his own mug of coffee. He was dressed for work; an olive green tunic and dress pants, both of which clung tightly to his muscular frame. Whilst his housemate was young fresh faced and almost petite, Lachlan was flint-jawed, tall, tanned and very well built. He was a good bit older than her, his full, dark head of hair was showing the first hint of greying at the temples and laughter lines marked the corner of each eye and furrowed his brow.

They made for odd housemates, the young thief and the veteran solider but somehow they made it work. Lachlan exaggerated as he tapped the face of his watch, a two tone Rolex Submariner clasped tightly onto his left wrist. "Yes, it's morning. You look like you've been up all night."

 

[volchan]

The catgirl spit the water sloshing around in her mouth into the sink before jerking her head around to look at the much older man. At his little quip, she yanked her goggles back up to her forehead and squinted at him.
“Still don't look as bad as you, geezer.” She replied before casually stepping over to the fridge to look for something to eat. She wasn't certain how much time had passed since she'd eaten last...she wasn't all that great about keeping up with her physical needs sometimes. Regardless, she was in the kitchen, so she might as well shove something into her mouth while she could. Grabbing a tupperware filled with leftovers from a few nights back, she popped it open and snatched up a spoon from the dish rack as she closed the door of the fridge with her foot.

Plopping down at the table, she drew her skinny legs up so that they weren't hanging off the edge of her seat and started to unceremoniously shove spoonfuls of cold grub into her mouth.
“We're almosht owut of milk...” She muttered, her mouth full of food as she blinked at her housemate with her darkened, bloodshot eyes.

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Jon sighed patiently. After more than a year of sharing the house with Quin, it was a well practiced expression. "So go buy some." His own daughter and moved out to go to college and Jon had assumed he had a free house at last. That was until he first met the catgirl.

"Hell of an infiltrator," the General had said when Jon had finished his briefing.

"Yes sir," Jon had replied, keen to get the meeting over with. The assignment in Europe had been longer and a good deal more challenging than anyone had envisioned. He was keen to get home to a cold beer, a warm bath and a soft bed.

"Would be a shame to miss out on using her talents."

"Yes sir."

"But need to keep an eye on her. Can't let her stray so to speak. Need someone who she'll respect and someone you can manage her without killing her."

"Yes...." the penny dropped for Jon suddenly. "Me!?"

By Jon's count that was nineteen months ago and she was still here eating his food and complaining when she didn't have any left. Not that Jon wasn't fond of Quin. She had a quirkiness about her but he liked the weird ones. If nothing else, it kept his life from getting boring.

"Dare I ask what you've been working on?"

 

[volchan]

Quin raised an eyebrow at him when he suggested she buy the milk herself. She swallowed the food in her mouth before sighing.
“You're already out, so why don't you just pick it up? Or are you so feeble now you can't carry groceries on your own?” She asked, obviously trying to press his buttons. They'd been living together nearly two years now, and Quin still enjoyed picking at Jon any chance she could. In the beginning they'd had their fair share of arguments, but over time they'd started to get used to each other. Now it was mostly little quips and jabs here or there, for the most part. When she'd first moved in with him, she hadn't expected to stay long. She'd been desperate for a place to stay while she tried to sort herself out, but somehow what she thought would last a few weeks ended up being months. She was honestly a little surprised he hadn't tossed her out by now, but she wasn't going to complain about having a place to live and food to eat; especially when she was barely doing anything for it.

She twirled her spoon in the mass of food, staring at him as he asked what she'd been up to in the basement the past....however many hours.
“You could, but I doubt your simple mind could comprehend.” She replied cruelly. Quin might have appeared tiny and harmless, but she could be extremely cold and harsh. In the nineteen months or so they'd been together, she'd barely told him anything about herself. She wasn't a trusting person by nature, and it was a bit strange to her that even though he knew what sorts of things she tended to make and what kinds of crazy, lofty goals she had in mind he still kept her around.
“Anyway, it's mostly basic things like hacking devices or gadgets to help me when I'm doing a 'job'.” She said, leaning back a bit in her chair. She'd been pretty weary around Jon at first, but in the end she'd started telling him little bits and pieces of what she was doing...and what she wanted to do. She didn't know if he actually believed her or not, or if he'd end up turning her in to the police at some point...but she was prepared to deal with that scenario. It wouldn't be the first time she'd had to escape the authorities.

“What about you, hmm? Got some grand plans today or something? Gosh...I'm so glad I opted out of living an average life.” She huffed, shoveling what was left of the food into her mouth before standing and tossing the container into the sink. Giving a stretch, she then rubbed her eyes. Now that she'd eaten her body seemed to want to rest, but there was always too much to do to sleep.

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Jon laughed. If his was an average life he would like to see how the other half lived. A three story town house in the center of town and a Colonel's salary was not to be sniffed at. But then he supposed, Quin didn't much abide by societal conventions. He decided to ignore the jibe and answer the question originally posed. "Briefings in the morning and plenty of reports to catch up on. Heading out into the country in the afternoon to act as an observer on some military maneuvers."

He held up a hand to silence any reply from Quin. "I know to you it sounds boring but it's how I afford the nice things and nice house that you seem to enjoy being so unappreciative of." He checked his Rolex as he stood up before looking to Quin again. "Don't work yourself too hard, ok?" He said, his voice softening a shade. "You're know good to anyone if you burn yourself out."

 

[volchan]

Quin stared for a moment, then stuck out her tongue at him.
“I don't plan on being good to anyone -but- myself.” She replied.
“Go enjoy your military exercises...or whatever.” She added, waving him off. She supposed living with a military man might not be in her best interest in the long run, but for the time being he was useful to her. She wasn't certain exactly what his job entailed, and he'd never really shared much with her as far as his job went, but that was okay. She couldn't be certain what his intentions were, but if he ended up being a problem she'd deal with it.

Once he was gone, she sunk down onto the living room sofa and grabbed a note pad sitting on the coffee table in front of her. Taking a little pen, she started jotting down some notes and diagrams for more projects she could start on. She'd been building up her inventory for quite a while, and she still had a ways to go. Crafting and inventing new weapons, machines, and programs was one thing; getting the supplies with which to make them was another. Scrap metal and wire weren't hard to come by...but she was going to need a stronger energy source soon. Tapping into the house's electricity was very limiting; she couldn't use much without alerting the electric company or possibly shutting down the power for the entire community.

Her hand still grasping the pen, she ended up falling asleep on the sofa. It had been almost two days since she'd last slept, and it had finally caught up with her.

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Jon found her on the sofa. She looked almost peaceful if not for the loud snoring. He didn't have a blanket handy so instead placed his tunic over her. It was big against her, almost enveloping Quin. He chuckled as he moved over to the stove and began to cook dinner. He was aware if the sounds of him clattering pans and moving dishes didn't wake her initially, the wafting smell of stirfry certainly would.

"Hey sleepyhead," he said, shaking Quin by the shoulder. "Hungry?"

 

[volchan]

“Mhnnnnnn...” Quin groaned when Jon shook her, her face scrunching up in agitation at being disturbed. She wasn't one to have a normalized sleep schedule, and when she did happen to sleep the last thing she enjoyed was being forced out of it. She groggily swatted his hand away, opening her eyes slightly to glare up at him. She could smell the food, but was it worth getting up for?

For a few minutes she shifted, not really wanting to get up but also feeling the need to eat, until finally she dragged herself off the couch and made her way to the kitchen table, where she basically melted into her chair with another tired groan.
“.........................................what did you make?” She asked after an extended pause. Whatever it was, it better be good. She wouldn't be happy if she'd been woken out of sleep for some sub-par dish.

 

[Shannon Trevor]

The meal actually seemed to go down well. At least, Quin didn't complain, which was about as close to a compliment as Jon could hope for. With the dishes squared away Jon began to brew some coffee. Letting the machine work its magic he went to change into a plain black sweater and a pair of jeans. Taking his coffee into his study, the Colonel began to catch up on the latest briefings that came to his department while he was observing the maneuvers.

 

[volchan]

Quin, mostly due to her sleepiness, ate in silence. The food wasn't awful, at least. As usual she shoveled the food into her mouth, perhaps a little slower due to being recently woken, and finished her plate within a few minutes. She left her dishes on the table, not caring to clean up after herself, and plodded back to the sofa. She sat there, her eyes still half open, as she listened to Jon in the kitchen.

Within 30 minutes she heard him head into his study, where he would usually do his late-night work. By now the food she'd eaten had given her a bit more energy, and she decided it would be good to acquire some new materials. Unfortunately she wouldn't be able to get her hands on a new source of energy yet; she'd have to do some more research before she'd be able to make a move. In the meantime she'd just have to settle for some new computer parts and circuitry.

Listening to make sure Jon was distracted, she pulled on a black hooded jacket as well as some athletic sneakers. Grabbing up a little satchel bag that she could sling across her back, she very quietly opened the front door and stepped out into the night. She had business to attend to this evening, and it wasn't anything she needed Jon knowing about.

 

[Shannon Trevor]

The beep from Jon's laptop alerted him to the front door being opened. Quin, on one of her late night escapades.

"Too much freedom," the Director had told him in their last briefing. "We need to know what she's up to."

With a sigh, Jon closed his laptop and timed one minute out on his Rolex. After the sixty seconds were up, he followed Quin out into the night.

 

[volchan]

Quin had pulled up the hood around her face, effectively shielding it in case of any active street cameras. Her target wasn't too terribly far; about ten blocks. Hopefully it would be distant enough not to draw attention to her, but she doubted what she would be taking tonight would gather too much concern from the authorities.

The evening air was a bit chilly; most of the people she passed on the street were either homeless, late-night partiers, or joggers trying to knock off those last few pounds. The area she ended up in was much quieter; mostly stores and shops that had already closed up for the night. There was barely a soul to be seen and, taking one short glance around, she stepped into a small alleyway between a book shop and an electronics store.

She crouched down in the shadows and opened up her bag, pulling out a pair of black gloves and slipping them on. There was a side door leading into the building that was obviously only for employees, but that wasn't the sort of thing she concerned herself with. She didn't touch the door right away, instead she quietly observed it, taking note of anything out of place.
“No wires...” She mumbled to herself, narrowing her eyes. She couldn't discern anything that would give away an alarm system, and to be honest the store didn't seem the type to afford advanced security measures.

Finally deciding it was okay, she reached into her bag again and pulled out a little lock picking set of tools. She was an expert, and the lock gave a little click within half a minute. She carefully stepped inside and shut the door behind her, creeping through the small, cramped isles to find the parts she'd need. Motherboards, chips, wiring, and tools were always useful, and in a place like this she could be fairly certain of what she'd be getting compared to garbage diving or buying from some shady figure.

She was in the store for about eight minutes before she came back out the way she'd entered, locking the door again behind her. She'd taken a bag from the store and had her stolen goods stuffed inside. Pulling out a little timer from her bag, she hummed under her breath.
“...still got time.” She said to herself, slinging her new bag of goodies over her shoulder and going further down the alleyway. When she walked out back onto the sidewalk she didn't head back towards home. Instead she went the opposite way; apparently her night wasn't over just yet.

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Jon watched from an adjacent alley as Quin broke into the store and waited until she came out again. Crouched in the shadows and in dark clothing, no one would have noticed the Colonel until they were right on top of him. "Eight and a half minutes," he noted to himself as Quin exited the premises. The old man shook his head, petty breaking and entering? For what purpose? No doubt Quin had her reasons and had justified them to herself in her head but it was concerning that a government sponsored asset was still engaging in thievery.

The Colonel waited until Quin had disappeared down the adjacent alleyway before following. He kept low. The street was deserted and dead quiet but Jon barely made a sound. For such a large man and someone who was getting a little older, he moved surprisingly quietly.

 

[volchan]

Quin continued walking for another fifteen minutes until she'd reached a large park. Walking in, she followed the dimly-lit main pathway until coming to a small group of trees. Giving a little whistle, a moment later a skinny, tall young man stepped out from the shadows.
“Yo.” Quin said with a little nod, addressing the fellow with just a hint of sarcasm in her tone.
“The usual?” He responded, eyeing her. He looked like the kind of person you wouldn't want to meet alone at night, but Quin didn't appear phased.
“Yeah. Can't be carrying too much of that around, ya know?” She replied, reaching into her jacket pocket for a little wad of money. Handing it to the man, he flipped through it quickly before looking at her.
“The price has gone up.” He said.
“What??? Dude, I ALWAYS buy from you. What about rewarding customer loyalty, eh?” She said, crossing her arms in agitation. He was obviously just trying to get more out of her.
“Well, you could always pay another way...” The young man suggested, earning a raised eyebrow from Quin.
“What? With my body? Are you fucking joking?” She replied, looking a little more than angry at his suggestion.
“Give me back the money. I'll just take my business elsewhere.” She insisted, holding out her hand. Instead of giving her the money, however, the young man grabbed her wrist and yanked her towards him. Wrapping one arm around her neck, he pinned her back against him as his other hand tried to snake under her clothes. Quin grit her teeth in rage, her tail bristling, before throwing her leg back and giving the man a swift kick to the groin. Before he even had time to buckle, she used his weight against him and threw herself forward, throwing him off of her and to the ground.
“You little cocksucker!” She shouted, taking advantage of his current weakness and kicking him in his gut. She went at him for a minute or two, until finally pressing her foot against his face, squishing it.
“Don't you EVER touch me again, you got that?” She growled threateningly. She'd beaten him pretty badly, and he didn't try to move other than give a very subtle nod. Reaching down, she grabbed up her money and dug in his pocket to pull out a small packet containing some sort of green, leafy substance.
“Consider this our last encounter. You try to find me, I even see you in the street, I'll kill you.” She warned, pocketing the packet and the money before leaving him there. She was still tense as she walked away, her hand clenched without her even seeming to realize it. She started back the way she came, heading now in the direction of home.

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Jon had been halfway out of cover before Quin turned the tide on the slimeball. He watched in satisfaction as she knocked seven shades out of the thug and left him in a heap on the ground.

He allowed her another headstart before walking over to the man. "Hey buddy, you ok?"

The thug groaned and nodded slowly. "Just got jumped. Three black guys." He groaned again as he slowly sat up. "Can you believe that?"

"I really can't," Jon answered, before kicking him squarely in the jaw. The thug's eyes rolled back into his head as he slumped onto his side.

The kick felt great but it meant Jon had to hurry to beat Quin back to his house.

 

[volchan]

Quin was petite all around, but she still had a solid stride. She wasted no time getting back home, and slipped quietly inside so as not to alert Jon. Taking off her shoes and tossing her jacket over the coat rack, she then slunk her way to her own room and fell back on her bed, her legs hanging over the edge as she stared up at the ceiling. Her hands had a slight tremble, but her expression was straight. The nerve of that asshole...he was lucky she hadn't brought a knife with her.

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Jon didn't make it back before Quin, immediately noticing her jacket on the coat rack. He shut the door quietly and moved upstairs. He could hear movement in her room which meant she was back safe and hopefully in for the night. With a tired sigh he went to his study and began preparing the report about the night.

 

[volchan]

Quin was still lying on her bed when she heard Jon walk past. It seemed she hadn't been noticed leaving, which was good. He got a little too parental at times; especially when she would go out on her own.

She laid there for a little while before sitting up. She had too much to do to lie around, and resting usually meant thinking about things she'd rather push away. Leaving her room, she took her bag of stolen goods with her into the basement, cataloging them and putting them in their rightful places for future use.

Picking up a list of 'to-dos', she glanced over it for a moment before humming under her breath.
“Maybe I could start on the generator....or would that be too big.” She muttered to herself, taking another glance at the things around her. She had little gadgets and gizmos, but they weren't what she would need for her final product. No, that would take a long time to finish; especially with the other hard-to-acquire items she would need to gain access to first.

Sighing, she slumped into her rolling chair and pulled out the bag she'd taken off of the dealer earlier. She needed to relax and focus her mind, and this stuff was usually pretty good at helping her do that. Pulling a pipe out of her desk drawer, she crumbled a little of the stuff into it and lit it, taking a big puff.
“That's the stuff...” She sighed, smiling a little to herself and closing her eyes. She felt her body loosen and her mind go a bit fuzzy as some tingling sensations rushed over her. It was pleasant.