InuYasha Fan Fiction / Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ Space Hanyou ❯ Three ( Chapter 3 )

Jet sat staring at his displays and cursing his rotten luck. Of all the problems in the wide world, this wasn't one he needed right now. Was it too much to ask that for once things be easy? Just take the bounty head to the nearest local authority, collect your money and move on. What should be complicated about that? Irritated, he snapped the display off and put his head in his hands. Some days it seemed that God just hated them.

 

Spike strolled into the room and gave a quick glance at the darkened consoles. “I thought you said we had company.” His eyebrow quirked slightly when he noticed Jet's morose posture. “Is there a problem?”

 

Wordless, Jet just leaned over and punched up the display. Spike frowned when the sound of an automatic hail began running through the Bebop's comm system.

 

“…prepare to be boarded. You are requested to power down and allow boarding. This pertains to official business of interplanetary law enforcement. Please prepare to be boarded and cooperate with the federal marshals.”

 

“Feds?” Spike asked softly.

 

Jet looked up and nodded. “I know what you're thinking, what the hell are they doing way out here? This sec is at the ass end of nowhere, Spike. They don't even have local enforcement, which is the reason we have to haul prettyboy as far as we do. What the hell do federal marshals want with us?”

 

Spike scratched his head. As far as he knew, he hadn't done anything to warrant attention like that. An idiot knew you didn't want the feds to find you interesting. He could keep a low profile when he had to and always did for better reasons than just keeping his nose out of trouble. As for Jet, he had friends in enforcement from one side of the known universe to the other, there was no way someone wouldn't have clued him in that the Bebop was under surveillance. That left only one person and Spike's eyes narrowed even as Jet came to the same nauseating conclusion.

 

Jet's eyes flashed. “I'm going to fucking kill her.” The bigger man surged out of his chair only to be stopped by a casual fingertip on his shoulder.

 

“Maybe we should find out for sure before you go committing some heinous act against Faye.”

 

“She's been nothing but trouble since she boarded this ship,” Jet snarled. His face was flushed with anger and Spike smiled faintly.

 

“Maybe they'll arrest her.”

 

With a surprised expression, Jet considered the possibility. A life free of Faye's complaining appealed to him, especially if it meant they wouldn't have to bail her out of trouble. “You think so? You don't get feds knocking on your hatch for gambling debts.”

 

Spike shrugged casually, leaned against the wall and pulled out a smoke. “Guess it depends on who she owes.”

 

Sighing, Jet turned back to his displays and started telling Bebop's systems that they were about to receive guests. “They ain't trolling through my files,” he muttered, punching in security keys that should prevent a curious federal marshal from downloading any of their personal data.

 

“They can show me a fucking warrant if they want to dump my memory storage and pick over everywhere we've been in the last five years.” Damn feds, thought they owned the universe, expected local enforcement to just curl over when they demanded something. He didn't like it, but what could he do when a sleek cruiser was pulling up along side and matching your velocity so they could clamp a docking module on your hatch?

 

Still muttering to himself, Jet didn't notice that Spike had ambled away. “They better arrest her.”

 

~oOo~

 

“We got company.”

 

Inuyasha watched the tall bounty hunter frown at his partner's words and pretended not to notice. Some stress in the other guy's voice, he decided. It meant something and the Hanyou intended to find out what. Swinging his legs over the side of his bunk, he leaned over to see if he could reach the comm panel. Just enough to be able to do a little spying, he thought with a grin. The panel had been sealed, no doubt to prevent what he was about to attempt.

 

Morons, like that could keep him out of it. He licked his finger with the tip of his tongue and glided it along the metal casing. Finding the seam, he pushed in slowly with the point of his claw until he felt the metal snap. One of the many benefits of having been born with clawed fingernails several times stronger than surgical steel. He pried the cover off and started fiddling with the connections, muttering to himself about the crew not wasting any money on upgrades.

 

His ears twitched hopefully when a bit of static graced his cell, twisting the wires a little more and hoping the old wiring wasn't going to break off in his fingers. He picked up the trans, couldn't quite get the squawk and settled for tapping into Bebop's in-ship comm instead.

 

Fuzzy static filled the room and he scowled when he realized the speaker system was probably so shot it was only good for short verbal trans. He wouldn't get any more information than that. Listening hard, he could tell that someone was yelling in Bebop's ear, someone was forcing through a ship-to-ship hail and poor Bebop didn't have a choice but to receive. Through the wiring and the static, he was able to discern a tinny human voice repeating its message over and over, some kind of loop.

 

…prepare to be boarded...official...enforcement...federal marshals…

 

Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up when he realized the implications of what he'd heard. Boarding? Federal marshals? Shit, shit, SHIT!

 

He whistled low and scowled at the door, one ear twitching restlessly. Oh they weren't taking this hanyou boy in, no way. Plans were going to change. With a quick twist of his arms, he broke the manacles that were holding his hands together. He reached around behind him and felt where the cable around his waist was joined and shredded it like dental floss.

 

Ignorant humans, stupid cowboys, get themselves picked up by a goddamn federal marshal. That was all he needed, he'd had every intention of relaxing at his leisure until the Bebop got within range of a welcoming population center. Now he was going to have to dive for it in the damn boonies. Inuyasha bent down and crushed the bands around his ankles, peeling the reinforced metal like foil.

 

The door would require a bit more subtlety, he thought. He could probably just kick it down, but he didn't want his captors to be alert to his freedom just yet. Not until he was long gone and away from unfriendly enforcement hands. Inuyasha tore off the door's control panel, whose idea of welding was that? Humming vaguely as he tinkered, Inuyasha cut and spliced together wiring and rerouted the security keys.

 

Not his fault they didn't spring for a more expensive system, this was something he could do in his sleep. Inuyasha grinned as he twitched a wire and the door slid soundlessly open. And his brother thought he'd slept through all his electronics training. Just because it bored him to tears didn't mean he hadn't learned anything.

 

The truth was that was the secret of his many escapes, it wasn't his strength or his cunning, although he congratulated himself on having been born with a sizable quantity of both. It wasn't even his charming personality that had gotten him out of lockups throughout known human space. His personality tended to help him get into lockup more than out.

 

No, it was the simple fact that there wasn't a system he didn't know how to bypass or a lock he couldn't pick. Miroku said he was lucky more often than not, but Inuyasha blew off the comment as simple jealousy. They weren't taking him in, not today, and not ever.

 

“Hope someone on this boat has some transport worth stealing,” he muttered, poking his silver head out the door and making sure the coast was clear. He really didn't want to be within firing range when that marshal figured out he'd given them the slip. It would certainly put a crimp in his style.

 

~oOo~

 

The woman's face was expressionless, a tinge of distaste in her large dark eyes. “Major Kagome Higurashi,” she introduced herself and didn't offer to shake hands.

 

Jet scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. He knew the type, career officer, by the book, smart and probably ruthless as all hell. Higurashi held her hands behind her back as she stepped confidently on his deck.

 

The federal marshal looked around her and allowed herself a faint smile. “Thank you very much for allowing us to board.”

 

“As if I had a choice,” Jet snorted, glaring at the woman. “You wanna tell my why I rate your attention? As far as I know, my ship is clean and I've got logs to prove it.”

 

Major Higurashi didn't look amused at the tone in his voice. “The Bebop is not our concern. I only came aboard because you've taken on a very dangerous criminal. I wish to verify his identity for myself.”

 

“Oh that's it,” Spike said sarcastically. “You just want to look at him, you aren't going to take him into custody?”

 

Her eyebrows raised. “If you have indeed captured the Hanyou, I will take him into custody immediately.”

 

“The hell!” Jet swore, angry. “You aren't taking him anywhere before we get our bounty. We tracked him, we picked him up and did the work. I'm not letting him go without getting paid for him.”

 

The major pursed her lips and shot him a narrow gaze. “You will be paid, I assure you.” She ran a curious fingertip over one of the docking consoles and grimaced with distaste at the sooty dust on her pristine glove. Filthy bounty hunters.

 

Spike caught the annoyance in the marshal's gaze and found himself starting to actively dislike this Kagome Higurashi. Her imperious attitude was grating on both his and Jet's nerves. She was tiny, she looked like she was barely out of school, but carried herself with a willful confidence.

 

“Yeah, we'll let you take him. And when you get back to your base, wherever the hell that is, you'll fill out the forms and requests to have our bounty paid to us. After the paperwork is requested and reviewed in triplicate, we might actually see a payment after only what, six months? We get paid immediately if we log him into an enforcement center. You're more than welcome to follow us in and take him from there.”

 

“Do you have any idea how dangerous this person is?” Higurashi demanded, her hands on her hips. She looked from one face to the other, quite annoyed they'd even think of denying her. “He's escaped more times than I care to count. This time he's going to be in MY custody. I have no tolerance for sloppy cowboys who can't secure a prisoner.”

 

“He's plenty secure below deck,” Jet rumbled. “If you want to look at him and make sure we've got the right guy, be my fucking guest. But you ain't taking him off this ship, not until I see twenty million in my account.”

 

Higurashi sighed, her lips pursing in disgust. “Very well. I have no such warrant that states I can take him against your will. If he's secure enough by my standards, I have no problem with following your ship to the nearest enforcement center so you can collect your bounty. Please now, show me to his cell.”

 

Jet blinked, he hadn't expected to win this one. Feds invariably started to lean on you when they wanted something. No being nice about it, maybe the woman was just doing her job. He saw a steely glint in the major's eyes and felt all sympathetic feelings vanish.

 

“If he's not secure enough for my peace of mind I will immediately call for that warrant and let's hope your logs are cleaner than your ship,” she said coldly.

 

Grumbling, Jet led the marshal away. Spike watched him with a mild disinterest. Just because she was unpleasant didn't negate any of her authority. He glanced up and noticed a visual watching him. “You get all that, Faye?”

 

She didn't answer, but he heard the clump of her feet as she came out of her hiding place. “Why did you think she was after me? I haven't done anything that would get me arrested.” Spike just looked at her until she flushed.

 

“Nothing that bad that I'd have a federal marshal on my case,” she amended hastily. Faye looked in the direction Jet had taken their guest. “If it wasn't for the money, I'd say hand the son of a bitch over.”

 

Spike couldn't resist a grin. “And here I thought you were getting along with him.”

 

Her black look was worth it, Faye flushed angrily and ground her hands into fists. “I told you, it wasn't like that! He's a total pig, you wouldn't believe what he thought he was going to do. Even tied up he managed to get his hands on me.”

 

“You didn't exactly look unwilling,” Spike commented dryly. “Not my place to tell you how to live your life, Faye.”

 

She just glowered at him for a moment and spun around. “Think what you want, I don't really give a damn.”

 

Jet was busy entertaining himself with thoughts of getting this prissy marshal off his ship. Once she got a good look at their bounty, she'd know they had the right man, safe and sound. Then he could relax and enjoy the rest of the trip. One good thing about having a cruiser follow them was that they wouldn't have to deal with any guff from the local constabulary or customs as they made their way in. Federal authority always superseded local authority. He wondered if she could get him out of the docking fees, it seemed like everyone was out to gouge them one way or another.

 

“He's down here,” he finally rumbled, catching Higurashi's eye. “Most secure cell on the ship, I modified it myself.”

 

“Is this part of your modification?” Major Higurashi asked sweetly, pointing at an open door and a patched security console.

 

Jet stared, son of a bitch! “He was here a half hour before you boarded,” he started to protest.

 

“I believe you,” she answered in a dry voice. “If nothing else proves his identity, this little jailbreak does it.” Her attention turned to a comm she drew from her belt.

 

“Lieutenant Sango? Please draw weapons and join me on the Bebop. Our hanyou is running at large on the ship and it looks like we might be in for a lively time with him after all.”

 

“Yes ma'am,” came the crisp response.

 

Jet scowled. “Weapons? You ain't shooting up my ship, lady. He's worth a lot more to me alive too.”

 

“As he is to me,” Higurashi shot back, matching him glare for glare. “Do you have any idea how many marshals have been searching for this man? Did you not read his file, he's extremely dangerous and deviated.”

 

“Yeah,” he said tiredly. “Aren't they all?”

 

Kagome Higurashi looked at him thoughtfully. “Maybe you don't really understand. Don't you know who the Hanyou's father is?”

 

Jet was confused. “I know he goes around claiming to be half youkai. Is there more to his bullshit story than his file says?”

 

She grit her teeth, frustrated by his ignorance. “I take it you don't believe youkai aliens exist?”

 

“Oh, I believe they exist,” Jet answered promptly. “I just meant that I don't believe this guy is one. If you'd seen him passed out naked on the floor...”

 

“Spare me,” she said, holding up her neatly gloved hand. “In any case, yes. His father is what is termed to be a youkai alien. A monster from the old fairytales. A ruthless, shape changing, powerful alien. He's also known for his reputation as a pirate as well as his obsession with powerful vessels.”

 

“Wait a minute.” The light was dawning in Jet's brain. “I've heard of this guy, you aren't talking about the pirate Inutaisho? Man, they've been telling tall ones about that guy for years. I didn't even know he was for real, let alone alien.”

 

“Believe it,” Higurashi said soberly. “And every bit of intelligence we've gathered on him suggests that your bounty head is truly his youngest son. We've been trying to pinpoint Inutaisho's bases for some time now, but we haven't had any luck getting the coordinates. With his son as an informant, or as barter, we might actually have a chance of capturing him.”

 

Jet wasn't normally one to buy into a cop's story, having told his share over time. There was a ring of sincerity in the marshal's voice, she didn't look like she was playing him. She looked like she believed every word of her tale with all the conviction in her heart.

 

“I don't know that we want to get mixed up in something like that,” he said quietly.

 

She nodded. “I can understand that. As soon as he's recaptured, I'll take him off your hands.”

 

He wasn't that desperate to stay out the feds' way, or about to lose his mind out of fear about some half mystical pirate. “No way, Major. Our deal still stands. Do whatever you have to in order to secure him, but he's gonna stay here.”

 

“Assuming we are able to capture him,” she drawled. “If I or my lieutenant are the ones to bring him down, we're taking him where we please. However, if your people take him...” she let the sentence trail off suggestively.

 

Jet grinned and thumbed his comm. “Spike, Faye,” he said, grinning. “Time to get to work.”