Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ Play Me Some More of that Old Blues ❯ Chapter 20 ( Chapter 20 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 20

Spike stared down at the woman in his arms. Her shock had been expected. He also wouldn't have been surprised by a slap, punch, or gunshot to the back. What he hadn't bargained on, however, was to have her pass out seconds after whispering his name.

He didn't have time for this.

“Faye, hey, wake up!” He shook her, mindful of the wound in her gut. Her lids blinked heavily as she slowly came to. As she saw the face looking down at her, she shook her head, as though to clear it.

“Spike? Spike… how… but Vicious… and we looked for you, and then the report from ISSP…” Her eyes shimmered and she bit her lip to keep back the tears. A chocking sob broke from her as she stared into his face. “How could you leave us? I know you and I weren't exactly best friends… but, Jet? Do you know, do you have any idea how much he suffered?”

Spike couldn't respond as he stared at her. He was more than a little shocked to hear genuine concern in Faye's voice as she spoke of the older man. Her eyes studied him unflinchingly as she sought answers he couldn't give. Her face fell when he didn't speak, and she turned her head away.

“How can this be real?” A single tear ran down her face as she closed her eyes. “No, it's just a dream…”

Spike smiled wryly. “One thing I've come to realize Faye, this is definitely no dream.”

At the sound of his voice, she jumped. True wakefulness seemed to rush through her as she struggled to get away from him. “Let go of me you bastard!” She shoved at him with her bound hands as she tried to push him off her.

Spike chuckled as he propped her up against the wall. “Now that's the Faye I remember!” She was able to sit ok, but standing and walking was out of the question with the weight of the boots dragging at her. Spike frowned. There was no way he could carry her… even if he'd been in perfect shape…

Faye saw the sudden glimmer in his eye.

“What?”

He looked at her, smiling. “I think I have an idea.”

Jet's eyes narrowed as he stared at Caulder. Behind the older man, his son still lie on the bed, seemingly dead to everything.

“You're lying.”

Caulder shook his head, clasping his hands behind his back. “I assure you, Mr. Black, I'm telling you the truth. And, I deeply regret the pain this has caused you and your shipmates. Had I known…”

Jet growled. “Had you known? You did know, and you went ahead and did what you damn well pleased anyhow! What I want to know is what you plan to do to make up for it! Now according to you, I've got two friends out there, in danger. Now are you gonna help me get them back or not!”

“Are you sure these are turned up as high as they can go?”

Spike pressed himself against the wall as he gasped for breath. He nodded as he waited for his respiration to slow. “Yea.. yeah. They aren't designed to be anti-gravity you know.”

“Not exactly designer-wear either.” Said Faye, studying the leg supports attached to her calves. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Spike carefully push away from the wall, limping heavily as he kept one hand on it for support. She felt the tears close to the surface again. `Spike is alive' kept running through her head… a mantra that was part giddy amazement, and part depthless sorrow. Would anything be different now? Would `he' be different?

His head dipped in weariment as he partially recovered enough to drag himself forward again. Faye was also limping as she straggled along behind him. Her ankle was on fire, and though they helped, the leg braces didn't completely prevent the boots from pulling at her feet. At every sound, the two of them would stop and wait. Faye was unarmed, but Spike still had his pistol. He was well stocked with rounds, and Faye was relying on him to keep her out of trouble.

Well, she'd worked with less and still come out ahead.

They were close to the ship's entrance when Faye stumbled again, this time going to her knees. Her teeth clenched as she doubled over.

“Hey, hey, you alright?” She felt Spike's hand on her shoulder, but couldn't respond through the pain. His hand went to her wrist and pulled her bound hands away from her wound. It was bleeding again.

“Can you still walk?”

Faye looked up at his face, noticing the room had grown hazy all of the sudden. “I don't know…” Barely had she finished speaking when she slumped to the side.

Spike shook her to no avail. “Damn it!”

Gripping the pistol, he stood again, easing his head around a corner. There was still a lot of gunfire outside, but at least the explosions had died off. He glanced quickly at Faye, assuring himself she'd be ok for a moment. He couldn't move her on his own, he needed help; and the only help he could think of was somewhere outside the ship. Holding the pistol in both hands, he peered around the corner again… and jerked when someone from outside suddenly ran up the ramp, straight towards him.

Mathis was surrounded by gunfire. After the explosion, he'd dropped the pistol, and suddenly found himself pushed outside with the General and his men. Next thing he knew, he was stuck, unarmed, in the middle of a war. The General was nowhere in sight, and Mathis was suddenly aware of his vulnerability.

“Screw this!” He cried as he ducked and dodged through the melee. The ship waited for him like a sanctuary. If he could make it there, he'd be fine. He could close it up, secure his cargo, and make a break offworld. The other bidders would be more than happy for a second chance at what he offered. He just needed to get the hell out of here first.

He winced as a stray shot clipped his arm. Thankfully, the pain subsided quickly as his modified body began healing the injury. Just a few more meters to go…

Spike had little time to react as the other man burst into the ship. Following the tried and true method of strike first and ask questions later, he swung out with his leg and caught the man in the forehead, knocking him flat. Unfortunately, the move sent a blaze of pain up his shin and into his knee, effectively crippling him. Stumbling against the bulkhead, Spike saw the other man recover quickly and pull himself to his feet, eyes wide as he focused on his attacker.

The look in his eyes… Spike could swear he'd seen it before.

“Who the hell are you!” Shouted the other man as he glanced around himself. Spike painfully forced himself straight, allowing his shoulders to hang loosely in feigned nonchalance.

“A ghost from the past.” Without another word, Spike shifted his weight, waiting for the other man to move first.

Mathis studied his opponent while he rubbed the bruise on his cheek. He seemed familiar somehow. The light was questionable at best, but he was sure he'd seen those features before. A bundle on the floor behind the other man moved slightly. Mathis focused his eyes on it, recognizing what it was a second later. His confusion about how Faye had made it this far in the boots was erased when he saw the leg braces. In that same moment, his memory triggered, and he suddenly realized whom it was he faced.

“Spike Spiegel… welcome back to the living.”

The red-haired girl was sleeping. Across her stomach lay a small brown dog, also asleep.

A tiny beeping sound echoed about the room. Yawning, Ed sat up, pulling her goggles off her eyes.

“Nnneaaaahhhhh….” she said as she tapped at her laptop. There was a thread of static, and then the bearded face of Jet Black filled the screen.

“Edward!”

“Hmmm?”

“Change of plans. I need you to enter an escape heading into the Bebop's navigational controls. It looks as though our rescue mission has developed a new wrinkle.”

Ed tilted her head. “New plan?”

Jet glanced to the side, then back at the screen. “There could be a lot of ships with a lot of heavy artillery coming after us, we need to get away, fast!”

The redhead grinned hugely as she stood, saluting briskly. “I am on it Captain, you can count on Edward!”

Jet leaned in close to the flickering screen. “This is important Ed, I need you to follow my instructions precisely.”

Ed squatted, her hands hovering over the keys. Her face grew oddly serious for a moment as she studied the older man. “Is something wrong Jet-person?”

Jet sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. “Ed, we might…” he paused, looking into her intense golden eyes. “No, nothing's wrong. In fact, if you do this right, Jet-person might just bring you back a souvenir.”

Ed gasped. “A souvenir for Edward? What is it what is it??”

Jet smiled oddly. “Something we've been missing.”