Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ Unveiled Emotions ❯ Information ( Chapter 3 )

"What are you doing here?" Spike asked as Faye took the lighter that he was reaching for.

"I found some interesting information out," Faye replied as she lit her cigarette.

"Would you let me have my lighter?"

"Hello Faye. Back so soon?" Jett asked as he stepped into the room.

"All right. What have you got?"

"How much are you willing to pay?" Faye asked.

"What?" Spike asked.

"Well, I've still got my debts you know."

"I don't even know if it's worth it."

"What's it about?" Jett asked any Faye looked at him.

"That Mazuka girl and..." she started to say when Spike coughed.

"I don't care. I'm not going to pay money for information on that bitch," Spike said.

"You didn't let me finish," Faye said as she tapped her cigarette into the ashtray.

"I'm not going to listen to anything that has to do with her."

"Not even if it has to do with the target?"

Spike said nothing as he angrily put out his cigarette. Faye smiled smugly and Spike picked up a glass. He looked at it for a moment then glared at Jett.

"You need to relax, Spike. That tea I gave you is made expressly for that purpose," Jett said.

"Apparently the target owns the institution that the Mazuka girl was stationed at. Some people think he deliberately lengthened her stay at the institution so Vicious would pay more to get her out."

"That bastard can pay with blood for all I care."

"But the people the target owed money to didn't like the idea of him manipulating the fee which is why they placed a bounty on him in hopes of taking care of him before Vicious does."

"Does he even know that he was cheated?" Jett asked and Faye shrugged her shoulders.

"If he doesn't know now, he'll find out soon enough. I found out that he's one of the guests at the appreciation party," she said.

"I don't want to run into him. Not now. I'm still pissed about that girl," Spike said and Faye looked at him.

"Who said you had to be at that party? You could be the lookout or something. That way you wouldn't have to deal with Vicious," Faye said.

"That's not a bad idea. We can handle it inside, Spike," Jett said and Spike looked at him.

"You're siding with her?" he asked.

"Yes because I know we need the money. We're broke. The repairs from the last job took all our money."

"All right. If you two want to come up with some glorious plan, then go right ahead."

"You're just upset because she's still with him," Faye said and Spike looked at her.

"I am not," he said and lit another cigarette.

"He must have some compassion for her to go back to him after six months."

"Vicious has the cold heart of a snake. He'll never change. She's a complete idiot for going back to him."

Don't go into denial over that again. You saw how he reacted with her. She can reach him in a way that no one else can. There's obviously more to him than the name Vicious."

"I refuse to believe that."

"Suit yourself."

"Don't go patronizing me either. Do what you feel you need to, but leave me out of it."

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Vicious gazed at the information that he had been given. Rei sat in a corner of the room watching him. The bird shifted its weight slightly as Vicious picked up another paper. It was mid-afternoon and the silence had been going on for hours. Rei didn't mind the silence because she could hear Vicious' mind and she had once again become used to his dark thoughts and motives. He glanced up for a moment and acknowledged her presence then went back to reading the notes. He then picked up the telephone and dialed a number.

"If I have to give you a name then your career has ended. I want you to run some tests for me. You already have a list of subjects. Try them out on the new synthesized drug the pharmacists have been working on," Vicious said and hung up the phone. "You don't approve?"

"I didn't say that," Rei replied as Vicious stood up, his slender body arching as he stretched.

"There was something in that conversation you did not like. I saw it in your eyes."

"There was nothing."

"You know you're the only one that I would let get away with this."

"I know."

"If you were anyone else, I would have your body sold to the highest bidders and your mind sold to someone else."

Rei said nothing as he poured himself a drink. She knew he was right. From his thoughts, she had found herself extremely lucky in the fact that she knew his most personal feelings and she was still alive.

"You've got nothing to say," Vicious commented as he pushed the bird off of his shoulder. It protested slightly as Vicious walked over to where she sat.

"Your thoughts speak clearly though," Rei said as she stood up.

"Perhaps, but I have no time for that now. It is time that I meet Stinger in the training room. I need to keep my reflexes up and a Regal Taliban can get quite deadly, especially at stealth fighting."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Stay on the grounds," he said and kissed her deeply. He ran his hands over her rump for a moment then turned away from her.

"I'll be back in a few hours. Be careful...pl...ease."

"I will, Vicious."

He gazed at her for a moment then walked out of the room. He laid a hand on his sword as the door closed behind him. He thought about her and pictured her in the nude. His eyes narrowed as he allowed his thoughts to become more explicit for he knew she could hear him. He thought of how he would really like to treat her at night as he walked down the silent hall.

"You've got a killing look on your face. Who is it this time?" Stinger asked as he lit a cigarette.

"What are you doing out of the room?" Vicious asked as he pulled his sword out of its sheath.

"I got tired of waiting in there. So who's on your death list now?"

"No one new. I was just....thinking."

"Oh. Fantasizing."

"What?"

"I'm right, aren't I? No use trying to cover it up. You were thinking about her."

"We've got work to do. You can be replaced you know. I think I would enjoy slicing your head open to see what little brains you have inside of it."

"Yeah, I know I can be replaced. I know the score. Don't think I'm not keeping count, because I am. But, do you really wanna kill me? I mean, where are you going to find another male of my species with my credentials?"

"Just go into the room and shut up or I may make my fantasy of slicing your face off a reality."

"All right. I'm going. You certainly didn't get to the position you're at today by being amiable, did you?"

************************************

Rei sighed as she opened a door. She stepped back, half-expecting a dead body to fall out. she shook her head at her irrational fear and stepped inside the room. she switched on the light and gazed around. She was in a gallery. She glanced around at the paintings in awe. They were all extremely beautiful and extremely old. She knew that Vicious was old-fashioned, but she had not been aware of his aesthetic sense. Well, that was not exactly true. She knew he was cultured because of the clothes he wore. But she had not been aware at how deep the culture ran.

She heard a scream of silent pain and looked up. She ran to where the scream had come from and tried to turn the handle. Angrily, she banged on the door.

"Let me in! What happened?" she demanded. "I heard that! What did you do to him?"

"You are very annoying," Stinger said as he opened the door.

"What did you do to him?"

"I just miscalculated a block, that's all," Vicious said as he stepped into the doorway.

"Where did you get hurt?" Rei asked.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."

"Besides, you can't heal. You're a permanent eavesdropper," Stinger said and Rei opened her mouth to protest then saw the logic in his statement.

"Like I have any control over that. How did I get it anyway? I know I didn't have it before," Rei said and Stinger glanced at Vicious.

"That's your area," he said and Vicious glared at him.

"I know that," he hissed and Stinger stretched.

"You gonna tell her?" Stinger asked.

"Would you shut up?" Vicious asked.

"What's he talking about? What did you do to me?" Rei asked.

"When you were taken to the doctor for testing you were actually there to prove a theory. Max was the one who told me about your species' ability to use telepathy. My doctors had come up with a theory that a low dosage of Red Eye would trigger your telepathic trait. We used you because you lived on Sentinal 8 and because you were available. I don't see why this shocks you. It's not out of my character, is it?"

"No. No it's not," Rei said and Vicious' gaze grew cold.

"As I've said, I could have very easily raped, killed, and left you in that trash can you were going though."

Rei fell silent and Stinger nodded his head.

"That wouldn't have been anything new for him," he said and Vicious turned on him.

"Shut up. You are in less of a position to talk than she is. Unlike her, nothing will hold me back when it comes to killing you."

"You're going to have to get faster, then."

"Stop it. You really are pushing him Stinger. He's not going to threaten much longer. He will take action pretty soon," Rei said and Vicious turned away from them.

"I'm going out," he said and looked at them. "Stay in the house and stay away from her."