Stray Rabbit
The lab Mathias used was safely tucked away in the basement of an abandoned building. Much like everything else in the Sprawl it was a lab held together with gum and shoelace. Everything from the dollar store or when there was no choice, hand made. It was in chemistry he didn't like to take risks or chances.
Fans worked overtime pushing the fumes and air and he squeezed every bit of life he could out the respirator filters. After tonight he was going to need a new set. Without them, he was in deep shit.
Mathias worked late into the night, a one man drug making army, he filled liquid gel pills, pressed narcotic powders in various shades into fun pill shapes and infused wafers imprinting a red smiling devil with hallucinogens.
He didn't know how late it was when he was done but by then he was tired. After cleaning and packing and locking everything up he was ready for some well deserved sleep. Mathias yawn and he took the familiar route home, giving how late it was the street where dead, the only sound being the occasional car the hummed by. For anyone else they might be paranoid of getting mugged. For Mathias it was Thursday.
It was cold, and Serena was hungry, beyond her stomach gnawing in protest it had stopped growling a day or so ago and now just her belly just sat there like a big, dead rock. The sprawl wasn’t like the city. There were no vending machines, and after near getting an arm lopped off by the man who sold apples from a stand for stealing, she was afraid to try again. The Sprawl sucked, Diners stopped throwing away food, many of them actually incinerating it rather than giving someone the chance at a free meal. Bums scared away patrons, they’d say.
She had the Puppy’s knife still, but she couldn’t stab someone, not really, could she? No, but even after a few nights, she stopped caring. Someone was coming. He walked, he didn’t stumble, so it wasn’t just some drunk who likely had even less than she did. He walked with purpose, and from the sound of it, he was alone. She waited til she saw the red leather of his jacket, a jacket which no doubt had to have something she could use. Credits.
Desperate, she dashed into the man and fumbling for his pocket.
Mathias was quick. His hand around her wrist tightly yanked her hand out of his jacket pocket. “The hell kinda ham handed bullshit you think your pulling mouse!” Mathias said harshly, making sure she wasn't holding anything important.
Serena had found something better than a cred stick, and her hand held tightly to it, something squishy, like bread, wrapped in paper. Food! She hadn’t expected it, but a cred stick wasn’t edible. This, this was! “I’m a rabbit, not a mouse! Lemme go, lemme go!” She pleaded, trying to twist her arm free.
Mathias held tight to the squealing girl. “Hey, that’s my dinner!” He said trying to extract the sandwich from the girl's grip without crushing it further.
Serena looked up at him with pleading eyes, her stomach back alive like a zombie, protesting at the thought of found, then lost again food. She looked at the wrapped package, but the red jacket man wasn’t letting up. “I’m hungry,” she said in a pitiful voice.
Mathias exhaled realizing Cyd was right. He was a sucker. “Awe hell …” He grumbled and let go of the kid's wrist. He had been on that side with everything even less than certain then they already were. Sometimes a sandwich made all the difference in the world and no one had been forgiving or kind enough to him and family when they really needed it. So what if he went without one night. “... Keep the damn sandwich.” He said in a gruff irritated tone.
Serena took a bite, then another but stopped, breaking the sandwich in half, and after eyeing them briefly, offered one of the halves back to Mathias. “Cause you're bigger and need more food,” she said, holding it out towards him.
Mathias stuffed his hand in his jacket pocket and shook his head. “Have at it. Have a full belly for once.” Mathias said off offhandedly. “And get better if you plan on lifting from people's pockets, kid. You kinda suck.” He added as he started to walk towards home.
“Hey!” She called after him, pausing to swallow a big bite of sandwich. “Can I practice on you?”
Mathias paused, raising an eyebrow, the audacity and … frankly the innocence behind that statement stunned him for a moment. “Practice … pickpocketing … on me?” He repeated, not sure if she was messing with him or not. Also the fact she hadn't already ran off was another surprising event.