Session 4: Bebop Beats

"The police put out a bounty on the owners of the ship," Jet announced. The circles under his eyes were darker than ever. "Thanks to O'Malley. He wants them arrested for claiming to kidnap his daughter Reilly." He gestured to the screen which displayed four pictures.

One was of Paulos, another of Brutus, the third of the CEO O'Malley, and then his daughter, Reilly. The resemblance to Ed was rather striking: the girls were the same age, both had bright red hair, though Reilly's was longer and much more tame, and dark skin, though Ed's was darker. They might have been cousins.

"Shouldn't we be telling Faye this, too?" Spike asked after studying the screen.

"Let her sleep," Jet waved a hand. "She was up all night looking, even if she denies it. She said she went to the races, but her card isn't maxed out."

Spike looked mildly surprised. He finished his cigarette and flicked it into the ashtray on the table, where it continued to smolder. Ein sat at one end, staring at the picture with his intelligent eyes. Ein hadn't left the computer in the six days that Ed had been missing. Just in case she called, he would be there to answer.

Spike suddenly chuckled to himself and leaned back on the sofa. Jet scowled at him questioningly. "It's nothing," he said quietly. "Just used to having the kid look for leads on the bounties, that's all."

Jet smirked wryly. "Well," he said, standing up with a tired groan, "I'm going to sleep for a couple of hours. Wake me if anything happens."

Spike grunted noncommittally as Jet passed. He reached into his jacket and pulled out another cigarette to calm his nerves.

The older man ambled slowly to his room, rubbing his face with a hand. He knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep, but his body needed the rest. It was always times like these that Jet cursed himself for his soft spots. If it had been Spike who had gotten kidnapped, Jet still would have slept like a baby. But Ed-she was another story. She was just a kid, and who knew what she was going through? At the very least, he hoped they treated her well. Or that Ed would talk them to death and escape. But both were unlikely.

He sank down onto his bed and closed his eyes. Just maybe he could catch a few minutes of sleep. That maybe was shot down when his mind began to replay the early hours of the morning.
They had received a message from the number: coordinates. Ein barked and howled while Jet and Faye raced to their ships in the bay and sped off, Jet following in the slower Bebop. But by the time they had arrived, the Jolly Passion and its passengers were gone.

They split up and searched in several directions for hours before giving up. Jet had contacted the police again, who had informed him that they had put out a bounty on the men. But it didn't change the fact that they were too late. Jet didn't know whether Ed had been caught delivering the message. Hell, he didn't know if she was even still alive. The whole situation just made him feel sick. He thanked god that he wasn't a father. Until he suddenly realized that he was, and Ed was his child.

Jet's eyes slid open. He lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. As he thought: he wouldn't be able to sleep.

Faye rolled onto her side and looked at her clock. It was 1:07. Of course she wasn't able to sleep. She was the one who had lost Ed. She was the one who was supposed to watch for her. But she failed, and a child was scared and alone because of her. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye, but she didn't bother wiping it away. She was simply too tired. Faye closed her eyes and let the tears flow, and finally fell asleep.

Spike sat on the couch, listlessly staring at the screen. He studied every feature of the bounties, memorized every scar, pimple, hair he could see. By the time he was through with them, each of those features would be ruined.

Ed hurt all over. Brutus had tied her wrists behind her back again, and then her ankles. He even went so far as to chain her to the wall to keep her in the corner. Then he had left her alone in the dark. No food for Ed, she had thought before drifting into a light sleep.

She was awake now, but her left eye wouldn't open. Each breath she took sent pain throughout her body, and Ed couldn't get comfortable in any position. She had never been so miserable.

The ship jolted, sending a fresh wave of agony through the girl's body. She whimpered loudly, her high voice echoing across the room. The hum underneath her told her that the ship had started moving, and very quickly, too. A vague question formed in her head, but Ed dismissed it when her pain distracted her.

Then she heard faraway sirens. She perked up at that. Sirens meant police. Police meant help. Help meant rescue. Rescue meant home.

But whoever was driving wasn't doing so well. The ship lurched from side to side, dipped and rose at alarming speeds, and jostled Ed every which way. The desperate attempt to elude capture was taking a toll on her already wounded body. Ed curled up and tried to keep from moving so much. Her hope faded with the sirens, but was not completely extinguished. Ed believed in her family on the Bebop.

The police scanner was glued to Jet's hand. He held it up to his ear and listened intently. The police had found the ship and surrounded it, but the Jolly Passion had broken free and sped off. Of course the law enforcement followed, but had lost them in an asteroid field. Spike and Faye had gone off to help-or take over. Ein watched Jet with his ears perked up, as though he were listening to the news, too.

Jet sighed and tossed the scanner onto the table when the search was called off. The Jolly Passion was long gone. "Incompetent bastards," he muttered, folding his arms. He stood up and looked around. When he found nothing to occupy himself, he sank back down and rubbed his head. Just when he thought about taking a walk outside, an explosion rocked the Bebop.

Ein and Jet yelped in surprise. Objects clattered to the floor and swayed with the ship. Jet covered his head. When things calmed, Jet looked up. Something had hit them hard.

"Just my luck!" Jet exclaimed angrily. Ein barked excitedly and scampered off towards ground zero. Jet grumbled under his breath and stormed after the dog.

When he stepped outside to survey the damage, he was surprised to see that his Bebop was relatively fine-just a few dents and scratches. The other ship, however, was almost completely demolished. Jet felt a bit of grim satisfaction at that. But then he noticed something on the side of the faded paint. Two words, barely legible: Jolly Passion.

A/N: So when I updated last night, I thought it was Sunday...But I was wrong. So that means classes actually start tomorrow, so I decided to just wrap this up as quickly as possible so I wouldn't keep you waiting! Because I hate waiting, and I hate to do things I hate to other people. :)

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!