The Prologue
"What's your problem!" Screamed one of the punks. He dragged his bleeding friend away from their assailant. Unfortunately for the pink haired teenager, he had nowhere to run. Behind him was a brick wall and in front of him was a very, very vicious man. The man placed his handgun in the holster lying on his hip and crooked his finger. He beckoned the frightened kid to come near.
"C'mere you piece of shit. Gimme your woo-longs," he ordered. The terrified boy dug into his pockets and threw his wallet at him. The man nonchalantly scooped up the dirty wallet and peered into it. He cursed when he found it almost empty.
"Mugen! Stop bullying people and get over here! We've gotta get some money!" A female voice reprimanded. The teenager looked around Mugen's legs and saw a girl who appeared to be a little younger than him.
"Shut up Fuu! I'm working on it!" Mugen snapped back. Grumbling he tossed the now completely empty wallet back to the teen. The stunned boy watched Mugen amble out of the alley as if no violent act had been committed. He sighed in relief when the girl and Mugen left, bickering loudly.
Chapter One
Spike opened his eyes, frowning a bit, as a pair of fingers jabbed his shoulder. Jet smirked down at him and jerked a thumb towards their small television. The voice of the host on 'Big Shot' trickled under Spike's unruly hair and into his ears.
"Take a look at this Spike-o. There's a guy on here that kinda looks like you," Jet said. The lean man yawned, flipped his legs onto the floor, and gave his attention to the screen. His face scrunched up as he examined the two men whose heads were hanging above some very nice prices. Jet collapsed into the matching yellow armchair across from him, digging into his bell peppers, without the beef as usual.
"I don't wear glasses. And who the hell are these guys anyway?" Spike asked. Jet raised his eyebrows. Spike seemed to be a little peeved at having his nap interrupted.
"The one that looks like you is named Mugen X, and the guy with glasses is Jin Sadukai," He explained. Spike grunted in a noncommittal fashion.
"He doesn't look anything like me. You must be going blind Jet."
"My, my. We're grumpy today aren't we?" Faye purred. She had just entered from the doorway that was located behind the couch. Jet looked up at her curiously.
"I'm surprised you're back so early Faye. You ran out of money that quick?" He jibed. He smirked when a scowl clouded her pretty face.
"The place was rigged!" She snapped at him. This brought a semi-cheerful look to Spike, who was still looking intently at the screen.
"Faye, you're just really bad at gambling."
"Shut up Spike!" She snarled. She pounded down the small set of stairs and began to head towards the kitchen. Just then a flying missile knocked her to the floor and sent both men into hysterics.
"FAYE-FAYE! Did you bring Ed a present? Huh? Huh!" Faye was struggling to remove the hyperactive computer genius off of her and was failing. Ed had her skinny arms wrapped tightly around Faye's petite waist and the side of her face was pressed against the older woman's stomach.
"Get off of me! No! Why would I get a brat like you a present? Get off Ed!" Faye cried. She continued to push at the young girl's shoulders, screaming violent obscenities inside her head. Jet would kill her if she said the things she wanted to out loud.
Jet's shoulders were quaking with laughter. Spike was leaning back into the couch with his head lying on the top of it. His eyes were closed as he laughed at Faye and his mouth was open wide.
"Whew! Ed, you crazy kid. That was the best thing I've seen all week!" Jet exclaimed rubbing his head with his real hand, his plate of bell peppers shaking in the metal hand. Ed then launched herself off Faye and bounced over to Jet. Smiling, he managed to give the beaming pre-teen an affectionate one-armed hug. Spike shook his head. He still thought it a little strange that his partner was so attached to their resident Earthling.
"Hey, Ed, look up these two guys will ya?" He asked, waving a lazy hand at the screen. Ed shot him a stiff salute. Her lips were pursed together.
"Aye-aye! Ed will look up the scala-scalawags! Brrrrrmmm!" She sang and she cartwheeled away to find her computer.
"She's in a good mood today," Spike commented, watching the fluff of red hair disappear down a hallway.
"Yeah, I promised her that I'd get her a bonsai tree," Jet said, lifting some bell peppers up to his mouth. Spike chuckled. He reached out for his cup of luke-warm coffee, which was seated on the small table in front of him, and took a sip.
"She's going to butcher it. She knows as much about those trees as I do, and that's nothing." Jet just chewed his food and washed it down with coffee of his own. He smacked his lips in appreciation of his own cooking.
"Who knows?" He shrugged and chuckled. "She's full of surprises."
Faye was scowling as she picked herself up off the floor. She grumbled about Ed, but the television quickly caught her attention. She bent at the waist to inspect it, giving Spike a lovely view of her bum. He raised his eyebrows in a bored fashion. Jet watched the scene with just a hint of interest. Faye's mood improved as she noticed the high bounties.
"Ooh! These guys are worth a lot!" She cooed, tapping her fingernail against the side of the screen. She cocked her head to one side with interest.
"Hey this guy looks sorta like you Spike," she mused, straightening up. A loud snort could be heard from Jet's direction.
"I won't say I told you so." Spike glared at him in annoyance.
"He doesn't!" Faye looked over her shoulder; she wore an insolent smirk.
"Uh, yes he does. You both have thin faces and mops for hair. He's practically your twin. Except he's better looking," Faye told him. Another snort was heard from Jet.
"My hair isn't a mop," Spike replied with a sigh.
"Hmm, I'm not to sure about that one," Jet teased.
"Shut up Jet," Spike retaliated. Faye grinned and was ready to insult Spike when a high-pitched giggle and a bark announced the arrival of Ed and Ein.
"IIIIIIIII found them! They go BAM! BAM! And SLASH! SLASH! All the time! They're crrrrrrazy, crazy, crazy! They got a friend! Her name's….I don't know what her name is," shrieked Ed. Her face and computer appeared atop Spike's head. The screen of the computer had Mugen and Jin's information plastered on it. Faye rested an elbow on Spike' shoulder and leaned in to read. Her chest was a few inches from Spike's face. His features held a bland expression.
"Well look at this. These two have been screwing around all over Io," Faye said.
"Faye…"
"They've killed lots of people too. Especially Spike's twin."
"Faye, move. I know you want me, but isn't this a little desperate? Even for you?" Spike questioned.
"Please Spike. We both know you're burning up for me." Despite her lethargic tone, Faye did scoot a healthy distance away. Jet shook his head at the two adults' childish behavior.
"C'mon you two," he said rising. "We'd better get started. Ein needs more dog food and I need money for some extra parts."
"And my tree?" Ed piped up. Jet smiled at her.
"Yeah, Ed. First thing I'll get is your tree."