Good Morning...2043?!

Chapter 17 - Old Dog, New Trick [EDITED]

Jonathan POV

Beep beep beep be-click I sighed and sat up, that new alarm clock sounded absolutely ridiculous. At least it gets the job done. I shifted to the right and hopped out of the bed. 'Wow, that bed is the softest thing ever! I feel like I have a new body.' I threw on the olive green uniform from the dresser, quickly putting my American flag patches above the UF ones. 'The US Army may have fallen here, but the United States still lives.'

I thought, before grabbing my webbing, clipping the multiple clips and loops into place. Standing in the mirror, I admired how good my uniform looked after a simple wash. I picked up my M1911 and slipped it into its holster with a satisfying click. 'Belt, check. Gun, check. L-light, check. Extra mags, check. Alright! All good to go!' I tied my boots and opened the door to the hall.

As I made sure to shut it behind me, I saw Adley through the crack in her door. She appeared to be doing pushups, and I proceeded towards the kitchen. 'I wonder what-' SNOOOOOOOORE. My thoughts were cut off by a loud snore, coming from the kitchen. I peeked over and saw Ash and Tammy, both asleep at the counter. Spotting the empty bottle of alcohol in front of them, I quickly concluded what happened.

"Oh hey human, what the holdu-" Fisher limped down the hall, stopping when he saw the same scene I was. "Ugh, damit. Looks like Ash dragged Tammy into her usual 'get so drunk I pass out at the table' routine." I scoffed. "Ash does this regularly?" He simply nodded, clearly unfazed. I sighed and tiptoed into the kitchen, occasionally glancing back towards the two as they snoozed.

Finally reaching the coffee maker, I pressed 'Start' and soon raw black coffee began to flow into the glass pot. 'Man am I glad I studied all those user manuals beforehand.' I had a short flashback of myself struggling to understand how you use an automatic transmission. My embarrassing memory was cut off by the sharp chirp of the coffee maker, signifying that the coffee was done. I pulled the pot out of its slot, taking a whiff of the coffee.

"Mmmmm, black coffee." I poured some into a plain white mug and leaned against the counter, slowly sipping. "Uh, Jonathan, do you want any uhm, creamer or sugar with that?" Fisher sounded uncomfortable for some reason, and I turned to him with a confused expression. "What's that?" His eyes widened, clearly coffee had evolved since my time. "Y-You know, the stuff people use to make coffee taste better?" I shrugged.

"Nah, I've always had it like this. Though when I was in the battlefield without much electricity, we had to do the entire process by hands. Grind up the beans, strain em, make a fire, et cetera." I took another sip from the mug. Fisher seemed relatively shocked. "So you...you never had access to even a coffee machine? Just doing basic stuff was a burden?" I shrugged again, setting the mug down on the counter.

"It wasn't really a burden, I got used to it after the first week. Then it just became kind of an unconscious effort. I could probably do it in my sleep if I wanted to." I gulped down the rest of my coffee and set the mug down in the device known as a 'dishwasher'. "Back at home I had access to most modern amenities, but on the battlefront and whatnot, it was a little more difficult. Course, once the blisters burst and the calluses form, you'll find it ain't so bad."

"Where exactly were you stationed for the most part? Before you met us, that is." I opened my mouth, trying to think up a lie as fast as possible- SNIFF SNIFF "COFFEE!" I yelped in surprise as Tammy leapt over the counter and grabbed the pot, not even bothering to grab a mug, and simply downed the entire pot in a matter of seconds, "Well that takes 'down the hatch' to a whole new level..." I gaped as Tammy then proceeded to put the pot back and start up another one as if nothing had happened. She jumped slightly and turned to me, suddenly aware of my presence.