Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ Play Me Some More of that Old Blues ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

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

Chapter 10

Filtered light cascaded into the room, highlighting the dust motes that swirled in the air.

A figure stood in the creases of shadow that fell around him.

He held his hands at his sides, loose and pliable. With a sudden thrust, he jabbed at the air, his hands forming fists. Turning swiftly, he executed a sharp kick… and crumpled to the floor with a muffled grunt.

He stayed there a moment, waiting for the pain to leave his muscles. When the tingling subsided, he pushed himself up on his hands and slid against the wall. He glared at the legs braces on the other side of the room.

He loathed his dependence on them.

His head tipped back against the wall. Staring at the ceiling, he found himself doing something he'd never imagined he would do; contemplate his future.

He wouldn't be making a home here, that was a given regardless of the circumstances.

Where the heck could he go?

“You aren't on a planet, you're on Pandora. I regret to inform you that you won't be leaving here anytime soon. In fact, unless you have a personal craft in your pants, you won't ever be leaving here.”

Damn.

Aside from the money card, there was nothing in his pockets. He suddenly realized he was aching for a cigarette.

Opting to remain against the wall a while longer, he closed his eyes. Ever since he woke up, his vision had been bothering him. It was his artificial eye; it no longer interpreted the world around him in the same way anymore. Instead, it saw everything in shades of gray. The idea actually amused him a little; or would have if he weren't so damn tired.

His head tipped back, his breath coming in even beats as he began to dream.

Maybe because of his recent thoughts, his mind wandered back in time. The dream became a memory, and he was the star attraction.

Agonizing pain, exploding fire across half his face. The sound of gunshots, his body striking the ground as a ship passed by overhead.

His head moved as the memories leapt forward in time. His own voice was speaking,

“Thought you should know, he pulled that same trick on Venus about a year ago.”

All it had taken was one mistake. One mistake, and his life was permanently altered. Before he'd lost his eye, he'd been pretty easy-going. That hadn't changed much, but his outlook on the future had. Mao had talked to him about taking over the Dragons. The prospect had definite merit. There were a lot of perks to being a powerful and feared leader. They never made an agreement of it, never shook hands or signed any papers. It was just… an understanding.

That changed when Spike was sent to Venus to collect on an unpaid tab.

Spike opened his eyes.

One eye saw color, and one saw the world like a faded photograph. Grimacing, he pushed himself wearily to his feet. Biting his lip, he attached the leg braces, hating the relief that flooded him as his muscles ceased shuddering. He hated dependence; another reason why he hadn't bought himself a pack of cigarettes yet. If he needed them, he refused to buy them.

Sticking his hands in his pockets, Spike strode to the door. At this place, rent was paid on a daily basis, and his was due in ten minutes.

The strong, cold hand wrapped around the scrawny neck. Small, rat-like eyes bulged like shiny marbles from a withered face. Jet leaned in on his victim.

“I'll ask again, nice like. Where did they go?”

The man twisted his head, but the hold on his neck prevented him from biting again in a manner that was just as rat-like as his appearance. A reedy voice cracked through the air.

“I- I'm, uh telling you bud, I ain't seen where they did get to, hear? I was jus' mindin' my bidness hear?”

Jet growled, resisting the urge to throttle the man senseless.

“You were here, at the docks, the same time my friend decided to take a walk near them. She would have been hard to miss. Now what did you see damn it!”

The ratty man shivered under the heavy glare.

“Nothin! Nothin, guy! Jus' some fellas in suits and one big fella in a big suit is all!”

Jet leaned even closer. “And??”

“And they, they, grabbed some gal dressed like some night lady, dig? An' they then busted ass outta here, see?”

Jet's eyebrow twitched. “Did you happen to see which way they went?”

Eyes watched from the shadows, lurking in the darkness, friends to the hidden places. The sound of water lapping against a distant hull was mesmerizing.

The eyes flicked to the side as a new sound was heard.

Someone was approaching.

There was a heavy, echoing boom as something came to rest on the deck outside. There was a break of silence, them a sharper clank sounded. A door was being opened somewhere above.

The eyes brightened, and the sharp edge of a tooth gleamed in the soft light.

Footsteps now, thudding above, moving closer, closer.

The door across the hall slid open.

Time to attack.

“YEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”

Jet nearly swallowed his tongue.

“Guahhhhh!! What in the hell!!??”

Something thin and wiry wrapped itself around him like a snake.

“Aahh! Ghaaah, E- Edward?”

The flame-haired girl grinned at him manically.

“YEEEAAAYYYYY! JET PERSON IS BACK, COME HOME TO EDWARD!!!!!!!”

Jet stared in disbelief. “Ooohh man, you have got to be kidding me.”

Her hands hurt.

How long had she beaten on that door? She had no idea, seemed like hours.

Least she wasn't handcuffed this time.

Faye almost smiled at that thought. How many times had she been either handcuffed or tied up? Several, especially since hooking up with the Bebop crew.

Huh, some crew. A maniac child hacker, a used-up cop with one arm and a bonsai fixation, a super smart dog, and… and… a walking dead man.

Faye sighed. Yeah, some group. And yet, they always came for her… even when she didn't ask them to. Well, almost always came for her. That time with Vincent, she'd kinda had to get out of that on her own. Still, in some weird way, she supposed that meant they cared. Ok, sure, when Spike saved her from Vicious, he'd made it clear it had nothing to do with her. And when Jet pulled her out of Gren's apartment, it wasn't like she'd really been in danger. Granted, Gren had been in contact with Vicious…

Vicious.

It always came back to him didn't it? Vicious and Spike.

Both of them were dead now.

Faye bit her lip, stilling the slight tremor. `Damn it, I will not cry for that bastard!'

The emotion melted away, leaving behind the familiar emptiness. Emptiness she could deal with. It was nothing new after all.

She laid back on her bed, deciding a nap would be better than nothing, and might help erase some of the pain within her. Her eyes closed as she tried to push Spike from her mind. Her last conscious thought almost made her smile. `Count on me to always bet on the losing horse.'