Dodge sat in the faux-leather seats of a diner booth. It was a cold morning on Mars, and it didn't bother him at all. He set his cigarette down in a groove of the ashtray on the table and traded it for a mug of coffee. He took a sip.
The situation was under control on Mars. Dodge was looking forward to a bright future with the Red Dragons. Whatever qualms he had with Lee seemed to melt away in that moment. Dodge actually smiled.
A waitress approached his table. She had a coffee pot in her hand.
"Would you like some more, sir?" said the waitress.
"Yeah, please." said Dodge. With his bionic hand he lifted the mug by the handle so the waitress could fill it.
The waitress poured and Dodge couldn't help but notice the texture of her hand. It seemed off-color with her arm.
"Nice hand." said the waitress.
"Huh?" said Dodge.
"Your prosthetic. I like the look."
Dodge scoffed lightly. He smirked. "Thanks. I like yours too." said Dodge.
"You noticed? Damn, I didn't think the difference would be so noticeable."
"Oh, hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to point it out. But to be fair, you pointed mine out first."
"Yeah, you're right. I was just surprised, though. Shouldn't syndicate guys like you be able to afford the life-like looking ones?"
"Huh. So, what tipped you?"
"The clothes. It's like a uniform for you syndicate guys. You stick out like a sore thumb."
"Y'know, you got a lot of nerve… I like that."
"Nah, I just need to learn to keep my mouth shut."
"Heh. Well, if you wanna know about my hand, this one is a temporary. I have a new one coming soon."
"Cheers, then. You won't be so special anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"Most people go for the ones that look like the real thing. I thought whoever has one like yours must be pretty bold."
"I'm plenty bold."
"No, no, I'm sure you are. You're in a syndicate, so you'd have to be pretty bold to do that kind of work."
"Well, it's not so much about being bold, it's… Perseverance."
"Hmm… So that what you guys call it. Anyways, I better get back to work before my boss notices."
The waitress walked away from Dodge's table. As she continued to walk down the aisle, Dodge turned around to gaze at her.
"Hey." said Dodge.
The waitress stopped. She turned around to look at Dodge. "Yes?" she said.
"Do you think I should keep the hand?"
"I think you should. It looks good on you." she said with a smirk. She continued to walk away.
Dodge scoffed and smirked. He turned back around and looked at his prosthetic hand for a moment. He looked outside the window to witness the sun peeking over the skyscrapers of the city.
Dodge stood out of his booth. He went to the cashier and paid for his meal. He went back to the table he was sitting at, and then left 10,000 woolongs on the table as a tip to the waitress. Dodge exited out of the diner.
Spike and Faye walked side-by-side. They were dead-center in the city, walking by people and businesses on both sides of the street. Spike and Faye each held a brown paper bag filled with groceries in their arms.
Faye took each step with a smile on her face. She looked at Spike who had his eyes closed, and then sighed with content.
"This is good, right?" said Faye.
Spike looked at Faye. "Yeah, I guess so. We'll finally have some food in our stomachs." he said.
"No, I meant you and I."
"Oh. Yeah, that too." Spike smirked.
"Everything just feels so calm right now. Like I don't have to worry about anything."
"We have a ton of things to worry about."
"Yeah, but right now, in this moment, it doesn't feel like it."
"Yeah, you're right."
"Maybe someday we'll be like this all of the time."
Spike stayed silent. He looked at Faye as she walked and gazed at the sights around them.
"What?" said Faye. She noticed he was staring at her.
"I don't know. I guess I'm just happy too, that things are working out for once. I'm not angry with you or even Jet, for that matter."
"I think it's called 'at peace'."
Spike scoffed and smiled. "Yeah, that's it."
Faye stopped dead in her tracks. She looked up to take in the sight of the Basque Industries building.
Spike stopped to look at the building with her. "What is it?" he said.
"This is Basque's building." said Faye. The two spent a moment, beholding the enormous building. It represented all the time and energy spent into finding one mere bounty.
Jet and Bob sat in Bob's patrol car. They were parked in the parking complex across from the Basque Industries building. As per usual, the two of them were smoking with their windows down.
"I can't give up on this one, Bob." said Jet.
"What options do you have left, other than walking into the damn building and demanding to find out where Demetrius is?" said Bob.
"That'd be suicide. I don't know what else I'm left with. I suppose I could try surveillance on them."
"Do you know how impossible that is? They are geared with anti-spy technology, and if they find out what you're up to, then you're dead, Jet."
"Alright, I get it, they're dangerous. That reward makes it worth it, though."
"Jet, there's going to be other bounties. I know this one is 25 million, but you'd be better off going after small fries and letting them add up."
"That doesn't work anymore. We need a big hit if we want to make it!"
"Who needs all that money? You? Your partner?"
"Yeah, I could use it. My partner needs it too. He says he's leaving. If he helps me catch the son of a bitch, then the money is rightfully his too."
"Your partner is leaving? Jet, he can't go out there on his own, he won't last a second."
"That's his problem. It's not mine anymore. There's nothing else I can do for him! He wants to leave? Then it's no skin off my nose!"
"Geez, you're all really going through a rough patch right now, huh?"
"No, I'm seeing things clearly for once." Jet raised his binoculars and looked through them at Basque's building.
Jet didn't see anything noteworthy. There was the building, glimmering from the rays of the sun, and people in suits walking around the front. However, he noticed two people that stood out: Faye and Spike.
He watched Spike and Faye for a moment. The pair stared at the building, standing very still. Jet watched them, holding his breath. Through the binoculars, Jet watched as Spike held Faye's hand. She rested her head on his shoulder.
"What?!" said Jet.
"What?! What's the matter?!" said Bob.
In his room, Demetrius lied down on the bed, which had a dingy metal frame and groaning springs underneath the weathered mattress. He looked up to the ceiling, and lost himself in the whiteness of it. His vision became blurred, his mouth was open, and his mind was off into space. His senses were dulled.
Then a blurred figure appeared in his view. Demetrius was startled, and immediately stood up. It was Eleanor.
"What were you doing?" said Eleanor.
"Nothing. Just resting my eyes." said Demetrius.
"It looked like you had your eyes open."
"Alright, maybe I was daydreaming a little."
"Demetrius, you must be more alert. If I can sneak up on you like this, then Lee definitely can."
"I got a handle on Lee, okay?"
Eleanor put her hands in the air to mock surrender "All right, all right, Demetrius. You're the trained assassin." she said.
"Yeah, not anymore." said Demetrius. He lifted up the envelope with his fake identity papers and said, "I'm a trained mechanic now."
"So you don't know how to use these then?" Eleanor lifted the black duffel bag from the wooden floor and swung it onto the creaky bed. She unzipped the bag and took a step back.
Demetrius looked inside of the bag. He saw all the weapons and ammunition inside. He whistled. "Where'd you get all this?" he said.
"I have a guy on the side, he's able to strip the codes off of the weapons so they're untraceable. No one knows about them. Lee won't know a thing." she said.
Demetrius slowly hovered his hand above the bag. He reached inside and picked up the pistol and a clip. He slid the clip into the pistol and then cocked the gun. He raised his arm and aimed the pistol around the room. Eleanor followed the direction the pistol was being pointed in. Demetrius grabbed Eleanor by the waist and pulled her close. She gasped, but immediately calmed down as she stared at herself and Demetrius in the mirror. Demetrius aimed the pistol at the mirror as he held on to Eleanor.
"You and me, we're going to be unstoppable." said Demetrius.
"Hold on a minute." said Eleanor. Eleanor pulled Demetrius' hand away from her waist and stepped back. "You're not going to go all out with this stuff, right?"
"Eleanor, don't worry about it. I'm only going to use this if I have to."
"Okay."
Demetrius put the gun back inside the duffel bag. He gazed at Eleanor. He neared her, and put his hands to her face. Eleanor grabbed his arms, trying to pull them off.
"Demetrius, no." said Eleanor.
Demetrius smirked. "What, I just wanted to thank you for the gifts." he said.
"You can thank me some other way. Not like this."
"C'mon, I thought you said I had a chance."
"Well, I'm rethinking it."
"What for?"
Demetrius and Eleanor heard a car driving up on the gravel in front of the building. They froze. Their breathing became irregular. They heard the car doors open and slam closed. Someone entered inside of the building. It was three men: Lee, Shiro, and Andre. They began walking up the stairs toward the room.
"Demetrius, don't be startled. It's us." said Lee from the stairwell.
Demetrius reached for the pistol he had put back inside the bag. Eleanor held his hand down.
"What are you doing?!" she said in a hushed tone. Eleanor forced the pistol back inside the bag. "Demetrius, stop. He's got you outnumbered. I'll hide until they're gone, okay? There's no need to fight right now."
Demetrius exhaled through his nose. He nodded his head. "Okay. Go." he said.
Eleanor zipped the bag back up. She picked up the bag, holding it tightly in both arms. She walked toward the window. Demetrius opened the window for Eleanor, and so she stepped out onto the fire escape. She walked down the stairs of the fire escape to the window of the room below Demetrius' room. She leaned the bag against the brick wall, opened the window, and dropped the bag inside. Eleanor stepped into the room, closing the window behind her. She looked around the empty and dusty room. She saw a closet and went toward it. She dragged the bag against the floor and then shut the closet door. In the darkness, she opened the bag up and grabbed the pistol Demetrius had loaded. She gripped it tightly, and put her back against the wall.
Lee, Shiro and Andre reached the top floor where Demetrius' room was. They walked into the room to find Demetrius standing in the middle of it with his arms crossed.
"Hello, Demetrius. How have you been?" said Lee.
"Fine." said Demetrius.
"Good to see you're staying put. We're not going to have any trouble, right?"
"No."
"Good. Well, to update you: we're not out of the frying pan yet. Things are getting better, though."
"How long?"
"How long what?"
"How much longer do I have to stay here?"
"I don't know, Demetrius. Not too much longer. However, in the meantime, I don't want you try anything. So, we came here to set up surveillance to keep a closer eye."
"What?!" Demetrius readied his fists.
"Relax. We're not going to put any in your room. That'd be too cruel. This only a preventative measure."
"Lee. You're walking on thin ice."
"You're not in any position to threaten me. You know what happens if you leave here. You'll be caught, put in a worse prison than this."
"That's starting to sound tempting."
"Do it, then. Ruin this for yourself."
Lee stared down Demetrius. Demetrius didn't blink. They stood in a standstill. Shiro and Andre stayed by Lee's side. They almost seemed to brace themselves. However, Demetrius never moved. Lee kept his stance because he wanted to be extremely careful.
"Shiro, start setting up the cameras. Andre, search the entire building, see if you find anything suspicious." said Lee.
"Where do I start, boss?" said Andre.
"Start with this room. Then search through all the others.
"Alright." Andre searched around the room. He turned over the mattress, looked in the closet, under tables, in the cabinets, yet he could not find a thing. Andre stepped out of the room and went into the hallway. He began the search of the other rooms.
Shiro tapped Lee on his shoulder. "Sir, I can start setting up. Are you going to be okay alone with him?" he said.
"Shiro, I'm perfectly capable of handling him," said Lee, "Go set up the cameras."
"Okay, sir." Shiro stepped out into the hallway and grabbed a stepladder leaning against the wall. He set up the ladder against a corner wall. He grabbed a duffel bag with the equipment, and began installing the camera in the corner.
Meanwhile, Andre exited out of the first room he started searching. He went into the next room across in the hallway.
Eleanor breathed heavily in the closet. She heard the entire conversation between Lee and Demetrius above her. She knew Andre was making his way toward her. She didn't want to have to shoot Andre because then Lee would react and most likely shoot Demetrius. Then it would be her. It would ruin everything. She thought quickly, and realized she needed a distraction. She quickly grabbed her phone from her jacket pocket and dialed a number.
On the Bebop, Spike practiced his Jeet Kune Do in the console room. Down the stairs, Faye was in her bathrobe. She had just taken a shower.
Jet parked his Hammerhead inside the hangar of the Bebop. He stepped out, and walked through the small door, into the Bebop. He stood on the walkway that hovered above the main room. He saw Faye.
"Oh hey, Jet. How did things go with Bob?" said Faye.
Jet crossed his arms. "Things went fine. How did things go with Spike?" he said.
Faye became surprised. She laughed nervously. "What do you mean?" she said.
"Is there something you two aren't telling me?"
"Jet?"
"I saw you two in front of Basque's building this morning!"
"What?! What did you see?!"
Spike stopped in the middle of his breathing exercise. He heard Jet and Faye shout. He wiped the sweat from his brow. He put on the blue shirt that was laying on the yellow seat next to him. He walked down the stairs, but didn't make it all the way down. He stood still in the middle of the staircase and watched Jet and Faye.
Jet and Faye went quiet and looked at Spike.
"What's up?" said Spike.
"I'm just trying to figure out what's going on on this damn ship!" said Jet.
"Huh?"
Faye sighed. "Spike, Jet saw us." she said.
Spike scratched his neck. "Saw us?"
"Yeah, you two seem awfully close now." said Jet.
"Think whatever you want, Jet." said Spike.
"You two are grown adults, it's none of my business. However, there is a schism on this ship. And now, I think Faye is taking your side."
"I'm not on anyone's side!" said Faye.
"So, you're telling me you're not planning on leaving with him?" said Jet.
"I'm still thinking about it."
"Faye, I can't go in alone on this bounty."
"She doesn't have to risk her life for anything, Jet." said Spike.
"I'm leaving it up to her." said Jet.
A phone started ringing. It came from Faye's phone, which was on the table next to her. Jet and Spike looked at the phone, confused. Faye reached for the phone and answered it.
"Hello?" said Faye.
"... Angela?" said Eleanor.
Faye's expression became shock. "Eleanor? Hey, what's up? I thought you were gone already." she said.
Jet became shocked too. He walked down the steps into the main room. He went up to Faye and listened closely to the phone call. Spike went down the steps too, and stood opposite of Jet to listen as well.
"I'm not gone yet."
"What's that? You sound really quiet."
"I can't speak up. Look. I'm in huge trouble. I need you to distract someone."
"Distract who?"
"I can't say who they are, but you'll see them once you're here."
"Where?"
"Write down this address…"
Faye reached down for the notepad and pencil on the table. Eleanor told her the address, and Faye wrote it down. Jet closely watched her write it.
"Okay, I got it," said Faye, "Tell me what I need to do."
"Come here immediately. I mean like right this second. Distract them, announce your presence. This place is an apartment building, pretend like you're looking to rent or something."
"Pretend like I'm looking to rent?"
"Yeah, you're an actress, right?"
"Uh, yeah."
"This is your new role, okay? Improvise."
"Okay, I can do it."
"I'll offer you double what I paid last time."
"Double?"
"Yes. Now hurry!"
Eleanor ended the call. Faye removed the phone from her ear. Jet and Spike stared her in silence. Faye looked at both of them.
"So? What?" said Faye.
"You're going!" said Jet.
"Faye! It's over!" said Spike.
"Hold on a minute!" said Faye, "Let me think…"
Jet pointed his index finger at her. "Faye, this could be huge! She's obviously caught up in something! Whoever else in that building could be the key to figuring what's going with that company!"
Spike pointed his finger at Jet. "And did you ever think that this could be a trap?!" he said.
Faye growled and pushed both of the men back. "I'm going! No matter what it is, you two need to back me up. Now, come on!" Faye went to her room to get changed.
Spike and Jet growled at each other. They ran to the hangar and started up their ships. They cleared the way for Faye. Faye ran into the hangar and got into her Redtail. She started up the engines and blasted out of the hangar. The three of them raced through Ganymede's sky.
Lee and Demetrius remained in their standstill. Demetrius was breathing in held-back rage. Lee was calm, and kept a devilish smirk on his face.
"I'm trying to do right by you, Demetrius." said Lee.
Demetrius wiped his mouth. "You've kept me here for so long. It's like being back in those sewers, hiding from Basque." he said.
"You have a bed. You have light. You're fed."
"Maybe all I want is to be left alone."
"You're a strange one, Demetrius. You could have so much going well for you if listened to others."
Demetrius scoffed.
Shiro began installing another camera at the other end of the hallway. Andre had finished searching all the rooms on the floor, and began going down the stairs to the next floor. He swung open the first door. He searched through it, turning over old furniture and rummaging through closets.
Eleanor could hear Andre going through the rooms. She was breathing so nervously and began sweating. She gripped the gun in her hand tighter. She continued to listen to the conversation between Lee and Demetrius above.
"Listening to others is what got me here." said Demetrius.
"No. You started, but then you stopped. This is what happens." said Lee.
"You're gonna regret this when I get out of here."
"Don't make me laugh, Demetrius. You're going to stay put and when I let you go, no one's ever going to hear from you again, understand?"
"Yeah, I wonder if anyone will hear from you either."
In the closet below Eleanor began lightly banging her head against the door. In a hushed tone she said "Demetrius, shut up, you idiot!"
Shiro moved down to the next floor and began installing another camera in the first corner next to the stairs. Andre exited out of the room he had just searched. He went into the next room. He was three rooms away from Eleanor.
Jet and Spike parked their ships a mile away from the apartment complex. They stood outside of their ships. Spike leaned against his Swordfish with his arms crossed. Jet had his finger pressed on his ear, steadying the earpiece.
Faye parked her Redtail around the corner of the street. She saw Eleanor's sports car around the same area. She got off her ship, and began walking toward the complex. She pressed her ear to speak into the microphone.
"Okay, I'm nearing the building," she said, "I saw Eleanor's car parked around the corner."
Jet took a drag from his cigarette. "Okay. Do you see anything near the building?" He said.
"Yeah. I see one black car."
"Make note of the license plate number."
Faye stood hesitantly in front of the apartment complex. She took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm going in."
Jet looked back to Spike. "She's going in." said Jet.
Spike exhaled through his nose. "Nothing better happen to her."
Faye entered through the double door, pushing it open. She looked around the dim and dusty lobby. Her boot clicks echoed through the hallways and stairwell. She put her hands on her hips. "Hello!" she said. Her words echoed out through the building. Lee, Shiro, and Andre all heard her. They were alert. Demetrius became visibly nervous. Eleanor heard Faye's voice, and it was like music to her ears. She smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.
Andre stepped out of the room he was searching. He went toward the staircase. He listened closely to Faye. He removed his gun from the strap on his torso. He gripped the gun, held it close to his body and faced it downward, and then began walking down the stairs. Shiro put down the equipment and tools he was working with, and did the same as Andre. They walked down the winding stairs, all the way to the bottom floor.
Lee was in the hallway of the top floor, outside of Demetrius' room. He listened to Faye's distant voice. He also heard Andre and Shiro's steps down the stairs. Lee stepped back into the room. He mad dogged Demetrius.
"Who is that? Is this for you?" said Lee.
"I have no idea what's going on," said Demetrius," but I'm not the one who left the front door unlocked. Could be anyone."
Lee exhaled from his nose. "Stay here." Lee walked out of the room and down the staircase.
Eleanor heard what Lee said, and then head him walking down the stairs. Eleanor knew that they all were hooked by her bait. She took the opportunity to exit out of the closet with the duffel bag. She lugged the bag toward the window. She went out onto the fire escape and climbed up the ladder to Demetrius' window. She tapped the window lightly. Demetrius turned around to see her. He opened the window.
"What's going on down there?" said Demetrius.
"A distraction that worked." said Eleanor. She dumped the bag inside the room. "Keep this here. They already searched the room, they'll never suspect that the bag is here."
"What if they come back another day and check?"
"I'll be back before them. I'm coming back tonight, Demetrius. I am getting tickets, we are leaving tonight, okay?"
Demetrius nodded his head. "Okay. Thank you."
Eleanor gave him the phone. "Keep this, in case of an emergency."
Demetrius placed the phone inside the bag. "I'll be waiting. Now, go. Get far away from here before Lee comes back."
Eleanor nodded her head. She climbed down the fire escape. Demetrius closed the window, and then carried the duffel bag. He put it away in the closet. He looked back out the window and saw Eleanor walking away from the building in a brisk pace.
Down the stairs in the building, when Andre and Shiro had reached the bottom floor, Andre saw that the person was a woman. Faye wasn't a threat in his mind. He put his gun back in its holster and motioned Shiro to do the same. Andre and Shiro approached Faye, appearing to be unarmed.
"Can we help you, miss? said Andre with a smirk.
Shiro remained silent. He kept an extremely cautious stare at Faye.
Faye smiled at the two. "Hello there, do you two work here?"
"Sort of." said Andre.
"Well, I live around here and see this building all the time. This is the first time I saw a car on the outside."
"So what's so special about that?" said Shiro.
"Uhh, nothing. It's that my current rent is incredibly high. I've just been looking for a new place."
"Well, this place isn't open to rent."
"I can help you find another place." said Andre, raising an eyebrow.
Faye laughed. "Well, that's awfully kind of you." she said.
Lee made it down the stairs. They all turned to watch him as he approached them. Faye sealed her lips. She was immediately frightened by Lee's presence. She did not know who he was, but she could tell that he was dangerous. The way the two men stood straight for him, she could tell that he was in charge.
"Can I help you, miss?" said Lee.
Faye became nervous. "Uhh, I was just looking to see if you were opening up this place. I'm looking for a new place." She laughed nervously.
"Hmm, well this place isn't open to rent."
"Is it being renovated or something?"
"No, it's not. That's sounds like a great idea, though. Isn't that right, men? We could fix this building up and run it like real apartment."
Andre nodded. Shiro didn't make any movements and stayed completely silent.
"Oh, well. Just thought I'd stop by and see. I better be going now." Faye began to walk away, but Shiro grabbed her by her arm. He turned her around. Faye growled and angrily threw his hands off of her. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" she said.
"What's your name? You seem familiar." said Shiro.
Faye was visibly stunned. "Umm, my name? It's uh… Angela." she said.
"Angela? Hmm… that name doesn't ring a bell." said Shiro.
Lee slapped Shiro upside the head. "You'll have to excuse Shiro here, he doesn't understand proper etiquette around a lovely woman such as yourself."
Faye calmed down slightly. "Well, thank you."
All four of them remained silent. Everything in the lobby was absolutely quiet, almost deafening. The only thing that broke the silence was a creak from upstairs. It was Demetrius moving around in his room. The wooden floors above creaked and groaned. Faye noticed this, but did not mention it.
Lee heard it too. He exhaled. "Well, miss, you can be going now." he said.
Faye nodded her head. "Okay, thank you. Sorry for interrupting." she said. She turned away. She walked slowly to buy more time for Eleanor.
Andre then came up next to her. He walked alongside her to the door. He smirked. "Hey, do you need someone to walk with you? This neighborhood is a little dangerous." he said.
Faye pushed him back with her index finger. She smiled. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm pretty dangerous myself."
Andre stopped in his tracks. He stood with his mouth agape. He watched Faye as she exited the building. He waited until she was far away enough. He turned to Lee and Shiro. "Did you see that broad?!" he said.
"Andre, put your tongue back in your mouth. You have more rooms to search." said Lee.
"Alright, fine." Andre stuffed his hands in his pockets. He walked through the lobby and went up the stairs.
Lee and Shiro stayed back. They watched Andre walk up the stairs. Shiro turned back around to look out through the glass entrance doors. He still had a sneaking suspicion about Faye, and was put off that Lee didn't press harder.
"What do you make of that woman?" said Shiro.
"Well, let's hope her story is true." said Lee.
"It's kind of a coincidence that she came at the same time we're here to see Demetrius."
"We searched Demetrius' room. There's nothing in there. He would've had to make the call with us here, but I've been watching him the entire time."
"Maybe he has someone watching the building? We don't know anything, sir. He could have been walking in and out of this building. Or someone else could have."
"He might have risked that…"
"What do we do?"
"I don't want to be hasty. That woman could have been a coincidence. Let's go up and see what he has to say for himself."
Lee and Shiro walked up the stairs. Shiro continued to install the camera in the corner of the wall. Lee slowly approached Demetrius' room. He walked in, and remained silent.
"What was that?" said Demetrius.
Lee cracked his neck. "Just someone passing through, I assume. Unless, you orchestrated it that way?" he said.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that it was quite a coincidence that someone interrupted us. No one's ever shown up here before."
"Yeah, quite a coincidence, I'd say."
"You didn't call them, did you?"
"You've been watching me the entire time, how the hell would I have called them in?"
"Maybe you knew we were coming?"
"How would I do that too?"
"I don't know, Demetrius. In our line of work, though, you never what people are capable of."
"So, what then? You think I'm conspiring with someone?"
"If you were, you would never tell me. So, there's no use in interrogating you. So, I'll keep my eye on you."
Demetrius and Lee entered another standstill. Once again, they stared directly into each others' eyes, clenching their fists.
Meanwhile, Eleanor was pacing rapidly down the street, away from the apartment. She ended up at her car. She got inside and started the engine. She dialed a number into the car phone and sped off.
Faye was near her Redtail. She opened up the pod, when her ship's phone began ringing. She answered.
"Hello?"
"It's me."
"Did I do good?"
"Yes, yes. Thank you so much. I can't thank you enough."
"Oh, good, I'm glad."
"I'm going to pay you, don't you worry about it."
"Where can we meet?"
"I can't meet you anymore. We can't be seen together or else they'll know. I'll send you the money electronically, I already pulled up your info."
"Okay, thank you, but who were those guys?"
"I can't tell you. I'm sorry. Someday, maybe I will, but not now. I have to go."
"Hey, wait!"
"I'll always know how to find you, don't worry." Eleanor disconnected the call.
Faye remained still for a moment as she heard the dial tone. "Eleanor?!" she said. Faye tried calling back, yet the call could not be completed. Faye kicked her console and growled in anger. She slumped back into her seat and put her hand to her head. She sighed and then used her console to call Jet.
Jet and Spike stood with their backs turned to each other. Their arms were crossed, and it was obvious that were absolutely upset with each other. Yet, their faces were inches away from each other as they gathered around Jet's ringing phone, once it had started to ring. Jet answered.
"Faye! What happened?!" he said.
"Are you all right?" said Spike.
Faye tapped her head on the console. She sighed and looked into the camera. "It's a bust, guys. I don't think we're going to see Eleanor ever again." she said.
"What?!" said Jet.
"But something happened in there, all right… Let's talk about this back on the ship." said Faye. She ended the call.
Jet and Spike immediately entered their ships and flew off.
Much later that same day, Shiro finished setting up the cameras throughout and outside the apartment building. Andre cleared all the rooms, and found nothing inside them. Shiro and Andre went back up to the room with Demetrius and Lee. Lee kept his cool, and his hands were in his pockets. Demetrius sat on his bed with his arms crossed. The two of them did not ever break eye contact.
Shiro cleared his throat to get Lee's attention. Lee turned to Shiro, and said "All finished?"
Shiro nodded his head. "I can activate the camera system now. We'll have a live feed back at headquarters." he said.
Andre stepped in. "Nothing in the rooms as far as I know." he said.
Lee exhaled with a satisfied breath. "Great job, men." Lee turned back around to look at Demetrius.
Demetrius kept his arms cross. He scoffed. "You all done, now?" he said.
Lee smirked with his teeth. "Yes, we're done here. Yet, this is just the beginning for you and me, Demetrius. If you were ever up to anything, I'll know all about it now."
"You didn't find shit in this building. And you think your cameras are going to stop me?"
"I'd actually like to see that happen. You are very entertaining to watch in action. Yet, the show must always end. If you leave this place, you still won't get far from me."
Demetrius sealed his lips. "Alright, Lee. Your mind is really made up. I can't change it. Just so long as you don't put a camera in my room, I guess it isn't that bad."
"Oh, so, you'll stay put, then?"
"I'll be a good fugitive. Just do right by me."
Lee raised his hand in the air. "You have my word, Demetrius. I'm glad we can leave here on a good note." Lee put both hands behind his back. "We'll be seeing you." Lee motioned his hand toward the door. Shiro and Andre stepped out ahead of Lee, and Lee followed them out.
Demetrius watched them leave the room. He smirked, and put both hands behind his head. He rested against the wall, and felt as calm as before Lee and the Red Dragons walked in. He knew that Eleanor would be back for him later. The cameras didn't matter; all the recordings would catch is the both of them leaving. Demetrius knew he had won, and Lee was too late and wouldn't be able to do a thing.
Lee, Shiro and Andre got inside the car. Andre sat in the back, and stuck his head between Shiro and Lee who were in the front.
"You don't think he's going try anything, right?" said Andre.
"He won't now." said Shiro.
"You never know anything with his type," said Lee, "I don't trust him one bit. The cameras are in place, however. We'll know everything from now on."
Andre scratched the back of his head. "So, be ready then?" he said.
Lee nodded his head. "Always be ready."
On the Bebop, the team was in the main room. Faye and Spike sat next to each other on the yellow couch. Jet paced back and forth across from them. Faye had just explained to both of them that when she went into the building, she had pretended to look for a place, and met three men. She also said that Eleanor was not going to be able to be contacted in the future.
Jet thought about all of this. He was also trying to ignore what he discovered about Faye and Spike. Jet rubbed his bald head and sighed.
"Faye, do you have any idea what those three men were doing in that building?" said Jet.
"No, Jet. They were doing something upstairs, but there was no way I was going to be able to get up there." said Faye.
"I can't imagine why Veidt called you to distract them… She must have been inside the building!"
"Yeah, no duh! The biggest question, now, is what was Eleanor doing inside the building?"
"But those men, they have to be the key to all of this!"
Spike cut in. "Look, the men and Veidt obviously have some sort of fight going on, and now I don't think we're ever going to find out." he said.
"Of course not! Not with that attitude!"
"You're really not going to quit this?"
"Why would I now! We've just made a breakthrough! You want us to give up now?"
Faye put her hands in the air, as if to put a barrier between Jet and Spike. "Alright, I've heard enough. We all know each other's feelings on the matters, so arguing isn't going to get us anywhere." she said.
Jet crossed his arms and stood still. Spike sunk back into the couch, crossing his arms as well.
Jet scoffed. "Well, I didn't know what you two were feeling, that much is certain." he said.
"What are you trying to say?" said Faye.
"I'm saying that you two kept whatever's going on between the both of you a secret. I don't like being left in the dark, y'know."
"What does that have to do with all of this, Jet?! What goes on between Spike and I is none of your business!"
"It does when it interferes with the mission."
Spike stood up from the couch. He stuffed his hands in his pocket. "Now, I get it. You think I don't want to go through with this bounty because of Faye." he said.
"It would explain a lot."
Faye got up from the couch, and stood toe-to-toe with the two men. "Hold on, now. I didn't say one thing to Spike. It's been his decision all along!" she said.
"Yeah, but I'm positive you were a huge influence on his decision!" said Jet. Jet sighed and applied pressure to the bridge of his nose with the tips of fingers. "You can't have feelings when you're on a team. You never think straight! You get all caught up with emotions!"
Faye listened to Jet. She looked down at her shoes, and took a moment to think. She realized that Jet was right in his conclusion. She suddenly felt responsible for Spike's disengagement. She looked at Spike, and he was staring right down at her.
Jet put his hands on his hips. "I'll let you two talk alone." he said. Jet walked toward the hangar door, and went through it. The door closed behind him, and Spike and Faye were left alone.
Faye looked deep into Spike's eyes. "Is that true, Spike?" she said.
Spike dug his fists into his pockets even further. He exhaled through his nose. "I'm not letting anything happen to me, and I am not going to let anything happen to you either… This whole story feels so familiar."
Faye seemed visibly upset and turned her hands into fists. "You think I'm Julia?" she said.
"It's not… It's not like that."
"How else is it, Spike? Do I really mean anything to you or am I just some stand-in for her?"
"Faye, you're not a stand-in. You mean everything to me."
"Save it! If I really meant anything to you, then you wouldn't be so scared! You know the position we're in. We need this bounty, Spike. Now is not the time to back out."
"You know there's a risk, Faye! There's always going to be a risk! And who do you think you are, sending me out on some suicide mission?! You're not the one that has to bring in this guy! It's all up to me, and that's what makes it so easy on you!"
Faye looked at Spike with her mouth open. She dropped her head, like she was defeated. "Oh my… You're right, Spike. I'm sorry. Our situation is just too stressful. We need a way out, though. I don't know what else we can do."
Spike put his palm to her cheek. He lifted her chin, so she could look at him. "This is all my fault, Faye. Both of you are in this because of me. I'll find some way to get you out." he said.
Faye rested on his chest, and Spike put both arms around her. They stood together in embrace for a moment. Spike thought to himself, and even questioned himself on whether or not he thought of Faye as Julia. The thought had never crossed his mind before. Was he just with her because he needed someone else? He knew Faye was special, and she was not like Julia. His thoughts felt so clouded, though.
Faye moved away from him. She pushed her hair back. "I'm going to take a shower." she said.
Spike simply nodded his head.
Faye walked away from the main room. Spike watched her as she left. He then looked to the hangar door. Spike went through the door, and stepped on to the railway of the hangar. Jet was there, smoking a cigarette. Jet was hunched over, with his arms resting on the rail.
Spike approached Jet. Spike reached into his pocket for his own cigarette and lighter. He lit a cigarette, and stood a quiet moment with Jet. The two men didn't seem angry with each other, just at a loss for words. Jet sighed and let out a puff of smoke.
"I get it, Spike. You don't want anything to happen to Faye, and you don't want anything to happen to you because of what it will do to her too. Everything from now, is for the woman. That's how it always goes. However, when you're in a team like this, it's always a bad move. I can't tell you two what to do. All I'm saying is how I perceive this situation. This affects me too, you know?"
Spike took a drag from his cigarette and let out the smoke through his nostrils. "You've taken more bullshit for me, than anyone else, Jet. I don't know why you've done everything for me, so it's not just women. You and I have honor to uphold. I haven't kept up my end."
Jet and Spike stood for a moment. Jet thought about everything he had done for Spike. He asked himself why he did it. Did he do it for Spike or to uphold some noble idea. There was honor to keep, but Jet wondered if Spike was closer to him than that. Spike felt indebted to Jet. Spike only stuck around so long so he could pay back Jet, somehow. The only person Spike stuck by with longer than Jet, was Vicious. Jet must have meant more to Spike too. They both could not explore their situation any longer because of their own stubbornness.
Jet stomped his cigarette against the floor. "We'll figure all this out." he said. Jet went back inside through the hangar door.
Spike gazed at the burning ash falling from his cigarette. He eyes were starry as he contemplated his next move. He knew what is was. Faye and Jet deserved his all. Spike stomped out his cigarette. He made his way down the ladder, and into the work room. Spike grabbed a cap, his overcoat and a navy blue bandana. He threw all of the items into his Swordfish. He got inside and started the engine. Spike flew into the Ganymede night sky. He didn't know exactly what he was getting himself into, but he knew to trust his instinct like he used to. There was something going on at that apartment building, it was the key to everything. He knew he had to go there.