Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ Play Me Some More of that Old Blues ❯ Chapter 15 ( Chapter 15 )

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

Chapter 15

His first view of Pandora left Jet with the feeling of desolation. This must be what ancient Earth prisoners must have felt upon first catching sight of Alcatraz. The moon was pockmarked across the surface, and shaped somewhat like a potato. Jet's stomach rumbled at the thought, and he cursed the fact that food had to be the most fitting association. Beyond the tiny satellite, he could see the distant glow of Saturn, surrounded by its rings of stone and space debris. However, the most prominent thing in his field of vision was not the moon, planet, or countless stars. The thing that now held his attention was the many-spoked wheel of the security station that was currently checking the authenticity of his registry and landing pass. His FORGED landing pass, courtesy of Edward. They seemed to be taking an awfully long time.

His comm. beeped, and Jet leaned forward to answer. “Yes?”

“Your registry and S.I.C are cleared. You may proceed. Enjoy Pandora.” The last sentence was said with a distinct note of sarcasm. Jet clicked off without a word as he hunched over the controls.

The only thing that came to mind as he dropped towards the atmosphere was an old memory of he and Spike, sliding into the bowels of forgotten Earth, in search of a treasure that turned out to be junk.

His scalp itched. The prickly new growth of his hair had begun to soften with added length, but it still felt odd. Now he remembered why he'd avoided the barber. Spike shaded his eyes with his hand as he half- limped towards the ship storage lot. The pass-key Hollis had given him should be sufficient to be allowed access. However, if there was a problem, the folded bills in his pocket would guarantee entrance. When Spike had raised a brow at the seeming lack of security within Hollis's own company, Hollis had simply smiled, answering, “You expect perfect employees on a moon filled with criminals?”

Now, the building loomed large before him. A weathered sign on the outside of the building read HOLLIS SHIPPING AND RECEIVING. In smaller print was this disclaimer; `No guarantees on sent or received goods. Payments are non-refundable. $2000.00 woolongs down on any outgoing transactions'. Passing through the first set of gates, Spike approached the single guard at the entrance. Apparently security wasn't as tight at this juncture, for the guard merely glanced at his pass before waving him through. Thirty feet beyond, however, was a different story. The two guards stood at attention as Spike walked towards them. One of them held up a gloved hand. “Present your pass.”

Spike held up the metal disk, which the guard quickly scanned. “What's your business here?” Spike thought about placing his hands in his pockets, then changed his mind when he noticed how tightly the second guard was gripping his weapon. “A package came in for me, I'm here to pick it up.” The first guard looked at him skeptically.

“There is a delivery pick-up at the front of the building.”

Spike was opening his mouth to reply when a voice behind him spoke first. “Not to worry gentlemen, Mr. Drayson is with me.”

The guard visibly relaxed. “Of course sir, my apologies. Go ahead Mr. Drayson.”

Spike smiled as he and Hollis walked past the checkpoint. “Got lonely at home?”

Hollis clasped his hands behind his back. “Actually, I forgot there were two guards here on Mondays, I only gave you enough woolongs for one.

Jet grimaced as he sampled the air of Pandora. Not the worst he'd ever smelled, but certainly not ranking anywhere near pleasant. Almost as soon as he'd docked, security men were surrounding his ship with scanners, confirming that he was the only bio-organism onboard. Another checked for any unregistered weapons, pharmaceuticals, or illegal drugs. Finally, finished with their work, they allowed him to pass. When he arrived at the gate, the guard scanned his landing card. “You have exactly fourteen days on Pandora, at which time you are required to leave. Non-compliance will result in the seizure of your vessel and an extended stay in one out scenic prisons.” Jet glanced at the guard, but didn't notice any humor on his face. “Please hold your hand under the scanner for implantation for your travel chip.” Jet held out his left hand, and the guard ran the device with barely a look. Feigning pain as the scanner passed over his palm, Jet gripped the small chip in his fingers. “Thank you, you may proceed.”

“Thank you my friend.” Answered Jet amiably as he crushed the small device in his hands. As it was, he wasn't planning on leaving by conventional means.

Once beyond the solid and sterile walls of the shipyard, Jet flipped open his comm.

“Hey Ed, any signs of activity around the Bebop?”

The girl looked back at him, upside-down, through her end of the device. “Negative Captain- Jet! The vessel is secure against all pirates!” In the background, Ein let out a short bark.

“Good. Let me know the instant there's trouble, out.”

“Aye aye Captain Jet-person sir!” The image of the girl winked out, and Jet slid the communicator in his breast pocket.

Up ahead stood a small collection of outbuildings; most likely storage sheds for equipment and supplies. There were no guards present within the vicinity, however, an electronic monitoring device blinked serenely from a high alcove, keeping an eye on the immediate area. Hunching his shoulders, Jet strode for the lights of the city.

The noise of the city was absent within the enclosed ship. Mathis fiddled with the dials on the side of the stasis bed. Faye hadn't moved, but his mind kept insisting that she had. A beep forced him to turn his back to the frozen woman. The light on his communicator was flashing.

“Mathis.” The picture flickered, then brightened to a steady glow. A mustached man with a stern face stared at him.

“I've finalized the purchase with my superiors. The meeting place has been set for the coordinates that are being sent to you now. As before, the agreed upon price is 40 million.”

Mathis glanced back at the bed behind him, then faced forward again, nodding. “Agreed. I'll rendezvous with you at 1500.” He clicked off the comm., then leaned forward on his knees. He stared at the desk before him, shivering a little as a chill passed over him. Why was it so cold in this ship? A noise startled him and he whirled, his hands clenching. There was nothing there, yet the feeling of some kind of presence wouldn't leave. Something was in the room with him, he was sure of it. The noise came again, on the other side this time, and Mathis shouted, spinning around the other way.

“Damn it, come out of hiding you bastard!” He dug his nails into his arm without even being aware of it. The stasis unit, perhaps… He strode quickly to the bed, acutely aware of the slight static hum it generated. She was the same, no movement whatsoever. He placed his hand on the glass shield, startled to see it smeared with blood. He felt sudden pain in his arm and looked down to see four deep scratches welling with crimson. What, when had that happened? He looked down at the face of the woman again. Was she, was she smiling? Surely she hadn't moved… He smashed his palm against the glass. “Stop it! Stop it right now dammit!” Furiously, he felt around for his access card. He'd put a stop to that right now. It had to be her! She was the one; she was the one making all the noise, the subtle movements. Maybe, somehow, she had been the one to wound him too… He wasn't sure how this was possible; somehow… somehow the stasis unit wasn't working correctly. He'd find another way to secure her for delivery.

Sliding the card into the slot, he entered in the code, needing to do it twice when his finger slipped the first time. As the field surrounding the bed began to flicker, he clenched his fist. He wouldn't be fooled by her again.

Spike ran one hand over the scorched hull of his ship. “How you doin' baby? Long time and all that.” Hollis stood a short distance behind him, examining the paperwork that went with the ship.

“Everything in order?”

Hollis grunted. “Seems to be, I don't see any discrepancies. You'll probably want to look it over in any event, just to be sure anyhow.”

Spike seemed barely aware of the other man as he slowly climbed the ladder set up next to the hatch. It seemed as though years had passed since he last put his hands on the Swordfish. He rubbed at a small scratch near the latch, recognizing the various nicks and dents along the body of the craft. The hatch released with a hiss of escaped air, and Spike carefully levered his body into the seat. Like coming home, his hands moved over the controls, feeling the familiar sensations wash over him again.

“How does it look?” Hollis stood at the top of the ladder, the paperwork shoved into a folded wad in his back pocket. Spike glanced over, an easy smile on his face.

“She's beautiful.” His eyes moved beyond Hollis's face, and suddenly he stiffened, staring in shock. “I don't believe it!”

Before Hollis could respond, Spike was clambering out of the ship again. The older man had to hustle to get out of the way. Without pause, Spike shuffled as quickly as he could towards another part of the hanger. Frowning slightly in confusion, Hollis followed.

Faye shivered, freezing with cold. Her limbs felt heavy, like dead weights. In moments, they started tingling with the sensation of returning circulation. In a flash, horror flowed through her as she remembered feeling this way once before. Where was she, WHEN was she? How much time had passed this time? Was she do start all over, once more, with everyone and everything she'd ever known dead and gone? A face bent over her, and she felt a moment's relief that she recognized the features. Then a frown of distaste formed as she realized who it was.

“What do you want, coming back to gloat?” She wanted to spit in his face, but her body wasn't responding to the signals she was sending it. For his part, Mathis had an odd look on his face. He stared down at her in a strange, almost fearful way.

“Do you know, do you grasp what will happen when they take you from here?” He asked, grasping his elbows in his hands. “You are a thing to them, a means to an end.”

Faye's fingers twitched with returning feeling. “Huh, sounds like fun.”

Mathis seemed startled at her nonchalance, then suddenly smiled. “Fun, yeah, fun. I think you'll change your mind about that when they hook you up to a lightning rod just to see what those little machines inside you will do.” Mathis walked away from her, seeming to search for something. He returned empty handed. “Do you hear it?”

Faye squinted up at him. “What, hear what?”

“I thought, I thought…” He inhaled sharply, swiveling his head around the darkened room. Faye managed to turn her head, trying to pierce the blackness. There was nothing to see within the immediate area. She gasped as a hand suddenly closed around her lower jaw. “Do not play games with me!” Screamed Mathis, tightening his grip until Faye grunted in pain. He lowered his face within inches of hers. “I know what you're doing, but it won't work.” Quickly, he released her, stepping away into the dark. Faye worked her jaw around, still feeling the tingle where his fingertips had imprinted on her face. Her head ached, and she forced herself to relax. Maybe, if she was lucky… Before her thought even began to form, he returned, his agitation gone. In its place was the smooth confidence he had displayed at their first meeting. “Well Miss Valentine, it seems we have guests arriving shortly. I expect you'll be on your best behavior, it wouldn't do for the General to think he was getting low quality merchandise now would it?”

Faye glared into his eyes, making a silent promise.

When I get out of this…