Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop.
________________________________________________________________________
CH 1: Watch out for that Woman
The Black Eight Ball was a popular billiards hall frequented by the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate. From the highest crime lord to the lowly lackey, the Dragons loved to spend their after hours drinking and shooting pool there into the dark hours of the night. The owner, dubbed Crazy Joe, never seemed to mind that his business came from one of the most lethal organizations in town. He had had his fair share of shady dealings and loved the fact his boys offered him protection and a share of the profits if he cooperated.
On this particular Saturday night, a group of young, elite syndicate members occupied a section in the back of the hall. People could barely make them out through the haze of cigarette smoke and dim light, and that is what they loved the best about their section. It also afforded them a quick rear exit if any trouble happened to come headed their way.
"Think on your feet is the only way to survive in our line of business, Lin," announced Shin to his younger brother as he sunk the eight ball thus winning the latest game.
Lin, the youngest member of the group at the ripe age of 18, meekly nodded his head. He and his brother could easily pass for twins if not for their age difference. Both had short brown hair and stunning hazel eyes. Despite their similarities in appearance, the two young men had drastically different personalities. Shin was regarded as more of a loose cannon, always questioning his superiors even though he generally obeyed them. Lin was a well-mannered stickler for the rules and eager to learn. He was fascinated by the concept of loyalty.
"Don't let Shin fill up your head with nonsense, little man," said the infamous Spike Spiegel sliding Lin another drink. "Remember…Mao put you solely under my care."
Spike was crime lord Mao Yenrai's protégée and therefore untouchable. He was frequently regarded as one of the best at what he did, equaled only by his partner, Vicious. Coming to the syndicate at a young age, Spike knew no other way of life. At first glance, a person wouldn't think of him as much of a threat with his tall, lanky build and wild, curly mop of dark brown hair. Upon engaging in combat with him, that same person would wish they had never laid eyes on him. He was the ultimate loose cannon that cared little if he followed rules or survived as long as he achieved his goal. Many of his superiors were convinced he had a death wish.
"And it is exactly this man's care that may lead you to an early grave," spoke up Vicious from his seat next to Spike. He chuckled lightly when he saw Lin's eyes momentarily widen in surprise.
Vicious was a silver haired, paled eyed enigma to almost everyone that knew him. He spoke little and always executed a mission perfectly, rarely leaving a soul behind to tell of it. His lethal history in the syndicate was how he obtained the nickname of Vicious. To this day, nobody could really recall what his real name was and he would never say. The only person that might know was Spike, who Vicious had recently befriended, but it was doubtful. How the two men got along was anyone's guess.
"Stop scaring him, Vic!" said Spike standing up to rack up for a new game. "It's not like I'm always reckless. I just like to have fun."
Shin laughed pounding a hand against the pool table. "I don't know how you can call almost dying on a weekly basis fun!" he said retrieving his beer from the table Lin sat at. He gave his brother a reassuring pat on the back. "Don't worry…you'll be fine. If Spike gets you killed Mao will hang him out to dry."
Lin was about to finally respond when he heard a seductive female voice interrupt his train of thought.
"Hey, guys. Having fun?"
The voice sounded like soft velvet as it caressed the men's ears then traveling down their spines. They all turned around in unison to behold the beauty that had crashed the party.
Absolutely gorgeous were the first words that came to Spike Spiegel's mind. He didn't normally pay too much attention to women, but this one seemed to have an immediate captivating effect on him. She was fairly tall and thin with long, silky black hair and fiery emerald colored eyes lined in kohl. She wore a black, leather corset that showed off her ample bosom and a long, elegant, dark red dress slit on one side up to her thigh. He stood frozen by the pool table holding the rack and gaping at her as she stopped by Vicious to glance at him.
"Hello, Faye," said Vicious not even bothering to look at her now.
Before she could respond, Shin walked up to her. "Why, hello there, my lovely lady! To what do we owe the pleasure?" he asked with a wide grin as he took her hand and kissed it.
"Oh, I was just lonely and I heard that Vic was out with some of his friends," laughed Faye flattered by the attention. "I hope that none of you mind if I join in."
As a flurry of "no's" came from the men, Faye momentarily locked eyes with Spike. Her smoldering gaze almost made him swoon. He braced himself against the pool table and grabbed his beer perched precariously on the ledge where he had earlier set it. What the hell was wrong with him? He felt like a damned teenager again. In an attempt to calm his nerves, he downed his entire beer in several gulps.
"So, Vicious, you know this beautiful woman?" asked Shin addressing his sulking friend.
"Yes. She's my ex-girlfriend," replied Vicious as he shot Shin a threatening glare.
"Whoa, whoa…easy there! I take it there's some hard feelings then," said Shin putting down his beer and throwing up his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"That is none of your business," said Vicious suddenly standing and stalking off into the smoke filled hall.
"Don't mind him," said Faye smirking as she turned her attention to the men. "He's being a sore sport about the whole thing. I kind of figured he would. We've only been split up for about two weeks now."
"I didn't even know Vicious had a girlfriend," piped in Lin, finally able to speak.
"Yeah, he's not a very…social guy, if you know what I mean," said Shin rolling his eyes for effect.
Faye laughed. "Oh, he's really not all that bad once you get to know him," she said waving a dismissive hand at Shin.
"I'll take your word for it. You know, I didn't catch your name yet, Miss…" Shin trailed off.
"Valentine. Faye Valentine. Pleased to meet you all."
Shin quickly introduced everyone, including himself. When he got to Spike, he noticed his friend looked a little…nervous. This struck him as extremely odd.
"So, you're the one and only Spike Spiegel," said Faye as she sauntered over to the pool table. "Hmmm…I expected you to be a bit…bigger, the way they talk about you." She playfully ran one of her fingers up his arm then stopped at his bicep to squeeze it lightly.
While she did this, Spike glared down at her with an intense expression, mainly due to the fact he was startled she was so straightforward. She was probably just teasing him, but he could never be quite sure with women. They generally tended to baffle the hell out of him. He quickly broke eye contact and pulled his arm away from her grasp.
"Can you play?" he asked turning away from her.
"Of course," answered Faye leaning on the pool table. "Pretty damn good, actually."
"Good. Pick out a stick. I'll buy you a drink," said Spike making a hasty retreat to the bar.
Shin giggled under his breath trying not to laugh out loud as he elbowed his brother lightly and leaned in close to him. "Did you see that?" he whispered. "Spike actually ran away from a woman!"
"A rare spectacle, that's for sure," laughed Lin. "He normally doesn't pay any mind to one even if she's breathing down his neck."
"Hey, guys," called Faye from beside the table, stick already in hand. "You gonna join in? If you do…then we can bet on who wins."
***
Spike was awoken by a loud, irritating knocking at his door. The fact he had a slight hangover from last night didn't help make the sound any more pleasant. He groaned miserably as he pulled him self out of bed and made his way to his apartment's front door in his boxers. If it was Shin, he would wring his neck.
"What the hell do you want so goddamned early?" said Spike in a scratchy voice as he threw open the door and squinted at the rising sun. When his vision adjusted he saw two large men in suits standing in front of him.
"Spike Spiegel, you've been summoned to an immediate meeting with the Van," said one of the bulky men.
"Am I in trouble or something?" asked Spike groggily rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
One of the men chuckled. "Oh, no, quite the opposite. Please, get ready. We must leave soon. We'll be waiting for you in the limousine in front of the complex."
"Yeah, sure…be right there," mumbled Spike slamming the door in their face. He stumbled into his room, stubbing his toes on some miscellaneous objects and muttering curses. He took a quick shower and dressed in his usual street clothes, jeans and a t-shirt. With his hair still dripping wet, he ran out the door grabbing his jacket on the way. It was smart to never keep the Van waiting.
***
Much to Spike's surprise, when he arrived at the most luxurious floor of the Red Dragon's that housed the Van, he ran into two friends.
Vicious and Faye stood outside the massive, glossy black French doors that led to the Van's "office". On the doors were two massive Red Dragon emblems announcing the importance of the room inside. He smiled at his friends, but only Faye smiled back. Vicious seemed to be ignoring both of them as he silently awaited orders. All three knew better than to talk while in their current situation.
Both doors soon ceremoniously opened before them and they solemnly walked in. The enormous room was mostly open space with a tiled floor that made up a large painting of many frolicking Chinese dragons. There were Romanesque pillars lining the room to the left and right of them with fine silks draped elegantly between the pillars to hide whatever lie beyond. In front of them were three simple, antique chairs that they seated themselves in. A raised platform with pillars dividing it into three sections stood proudly at the back of the room. There was trimmed velvet draped around the outside of this platform and light colored silk covering the sections. Soon, an ominous light illuminated the platform softly from behind and three squat silhouettes became visible.
"Welcome, Vicious, Spike Spiegel, and Faye Valentine," came the voice of one.
"We have an assignment of grave importance for you," spoke another.
"You must infiltrate the White Tiger Syndicate and retrieve a very important Leader," said the third.
"He is one of ours and has been kidnapped by the White Tiger's during a staged negotiation," spoke the first again.
"He is being held for a ransom, but we feel no obligation to pay. We would rather our top agents retrieve him," said the second.
"Top agents?" questioned Faye looking confused.
"Do not underestimate your skills," said the third. "We have been carefully observing your progress and believe that you three are the best qualified for this job."
"Do you accept?" asked the first.
All three answered with a "yes". No one in the syndicate refused the Van. That much was crystal clear.
"Very good," said the second. "Please meet with the agents outside the doors and they will bring you to the briefing room."
The three nodded and stood. They bowed to the Van, as was procedure, and left the room. Before the men led them away, Vicious pulled Spike aside.
"I need to tell you something before we go any further on this mission," said Vicious with a grave expression.
"What is it?" asked Spike worried by his friend's odd behavior.
"Watch out for that woman," said Vicious as his pale eyes bore into Spike's. He looked away and followed Faye and the men.
Spike lingered for a few seconds longer. What could Vicious have possible meant by saying that, he wondered.
Author's Note:
So, how was it? My first attempt at an alternate universe fic that is based mainly on Spike and Faye. The idea came to me suddenly at work and I was so excited to write it! It just seemed to flow. I hope that's true of future chapters! Let me know what you think ^_^
(oh…I wasn't sure if Lin or Shin was younger…but I assumed Lin was younger since Spike made a comment in Jupiter Jazz about him being all grown up now)