A/N: 05.23.2020
After one of the roughest weeks I've had in a long time, I'm glad I can get this session out. Writing this story helps me out.
But, time for Spike and Vega to settle things once and for all.
Session XXVI: God's Gonna Cut You Down
"You can run on for a long time … Sooner or later God'll cut you down" ~ Johnny Cash, "God's Gonna Cut You Down", American V: A Hundred Highways, 2006
Cydonia, Mars. Three Hours Later.
Spike landed the Swordfish II about two blocks away from the Red Dragon mansion. Before landing in Cydonia, Spike took a slight detour to completely wrap his mind around what he had to do. Spike got out of the Swordfish and headed for the mansion. Once he arrived at the old residence, he proceeded up the old stone steps, knowing they wouldn't be booby trapped; Vega wouldn't take that route. Vega would want this to be one-on-one, just the two of them.
After all, they were all that was left.
As Spike walked up to the mansion, he remembered how he told the others that growing up with Vega wasn't fun.
That wasn't entirely accurate.
In fact, if Spike would be honest with himself as much as he should've been with everyone else, there were actually some happy days.
An Orphanage on Mars. Years Ago.
Spike and Vega were wrestling each other; Vega having more fun than since he was on top of Spike, playfully hitting him.
"C'mon, Spike!" Vega said. "Fight back!"
"I can't!" Spike retorted. "You won't let me up!"
"I'm not supposed to let you up! C'mon! Fight back!"
"I can't! You're stronger!"
"Crybaby!"
"Boys!" Lyra shouted, getting their attention. "What are you doing?"
"We're just playing cowboys!" Vega replied.
"By standing on top of Spike?"
"I'm not standing on him! He's just bad at the game."
"Well, knock it off!" Lyra ordered. "Leave Spike alone! You always play too mean!"
"Oh, he's fine!" Vega said. "He's just being a crybaby!"
"I am not!" Spike replied.
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Get off, Vega!" Lyra demanded.
Vega grumbled, "Fine!"
Lyra walked over to Spike and helped him stand up, "One day you're gonna be stronger than him, Spike! I just know it."
Spike smiled.
"When you are, you don't have to put up with him. Just hit him back. You have my permission."
"Thanks, Lyra," Spike replied.
"Hey!" Vega shouted.
"You started it!" Lyra fired back.
"You weren't even here!"
"I know," Lyra put her hands on her hips. "Big sisters know everything!" She flicked Vega in the forehead.
"Ow!" Vega said.
"That didn't even hurt! Now, apologize to Spike!"
Vega rubbed his forehead, "Yeah, sorry. Whatever."
Spike chuckled.
"Now, both of you inside," Lyra ordered. "It's time for lunch."
"Fine!" Vega said. He looked at Spike and put on a deep voice, "Well, settle this next time, desperado!"
Spike chuckled, "Fine! Next time, I'm gonna get ya, space cowboy!"
All three of the children laughed as they walked toward the house.
Cydonia, Mars. Present Day.
Spike exhaled. As much as he hated to admit, those were good memories.
Too bad they had to come an end.
Too bad they were so painful to remember. And too hard to forget.
Drawing his gun, Spike opened the front door to the mansion, cautiously. Even though the rest of the syndicate was either dead or arrested and he was certain there wouldn't be any traps, he still didn't want to take any chances.
Spike kept his gun aimed forward and, carefully, traversed through the mansion, until he came to the gallery room with paintings all along the walls and a giant fireplace at the far end of the room. Spike noticed a large Chesterfield chair, facing the fireplace. He saw Vega sitting in the chair, holding a glass of wine in his hand.
"So, you came." Vega scoffed. "I knew you would. It's not enough you ruined everything the order built."
"That happened long before I got here," Spike said. He lowered the gun to his side but kept it pointed at Vega. "You were holding together the little bits Vicious didn't destroy. Hell, that the Van didn't ruin."
"And now Vicious is dead. So are the Van. And Julia's dead. Annie. Mao. Lin. Shin. Tristan. Pearl. Hagen. Kaito. Everyone."
"Don't you talk about Julia and Annie like you knew them like I did!"
"I knew them well enough, Spike," Vega argued.
Spike walked around and saw that Vega had a machete on a small table next to him. Spiked stopped, cautious about his next move though he did raise his gun back up.
"You burned down a dynasty," Vega said, taking another sip of wine.
"It was already burning," Spike declared.
"And you poured gasoline on the fire."
"Someone needed to," Spike said, coldly.
"And now you've come to watch it burn away." Vega scoffed. "Traitor."
"Me?" Spike asked.
"Who else?!" Vega threw the glass into the fire. He settled back in the chair, simmering. He looked up at Spike. "Who the hell do you think you are, Spike? The Red Dragons gave you everything!"
Spike scoffed, "Yeah, right. Everything… except a way out."
"Is that what you wanted?! Out?! With Julia?! She was more in than you'll ever realize! You think she would've been happy? Working some regular job? Living in that fishing town on Ganymede for the rest of her life?! Living as some housewife on Venus?! With you?!"
Spike stared at him, silently for a while. "Maybe she would have. Maybe she wouldn't. I'll never know. But… I don't need to anymore."
"Oh, yeah." Vega sneered. "Your new woman."
"Her name is Faye."
"Faye. I'll be sure to carve her name in your corpse. And vice versa."
Without another word, Vega jumped up and moved Spike's gun out of the way before Spike could fire. Vega kneed Spike in the gut but Spike punched Vega in retaliation. Vega followed up with another kick, knocking the gun out of Spike's hand. Spike hit Vega with a spin kick, catching Vega across the cheek. Vega stumbled back and picked up the machete.
Spike and Vega stood in a face-off. Spike glanced over at his gun, but he was far more concerned with Vega and the machete Vega was carrying.
Vega roared and charged at Spike and Spike answered with a charge of his own. Spike punched Vega then kicked him. Vega recovered and tried to swing the machete at Spike but Spike caught Vega's arm, mid-swing. Spike punched Vega in the face and forced them both to the floor, near the fireplace. Vega managed to throw Spike to the ground and get on top of him. Spike held Vega's arm to keep Vega from cutting him, and, in act of desperation, Spike grabbed a burning wooden log from the fireplace and whacked Vega across the face; Spike immediately let go of the log after he threw it.
The flaming timber landed on the rug in the room. The fire spreading seconds later.
Spike ran and picked up his gun and opened fire on Vega, who, on instinct, moved out of the way. When his vision came back, Vega continued his erratic maneuvers to rush at Spike. With Spike not being able to get a clear shot, Vega crashed against Spike, knocking the gun to the floor again. Vega tried to swing the machete at Spike but Spike hit Vega's arm, causing him to lose his grip on the blade and drop it. They fought with each other with their martial arts skills and pure grit.
The fire grew around them, climbing the walls and beginning to spread out of the room.
But Spike and Vega didn't notice.
After a series of attacks, Spike and Vega kicked one another, causing them both to fall back. As they both tried to get their breath back, they took notice of the flames spreading around them. Spike saw his gun and scrambled toward it. He looked to see Vega had picked up his machete and was rushing out of the room; Spike got up and chased after him. Just as Vega reached the front door, Spike opened fire, grazing Vega across the left shoulder. Spike tried to fire again but his clip was empty. Gritting his teeth, Spike ran, full-speed, at Vega.
The impact from the shot knocked Vega off-balance and he stumbled out of the door. That pause gave Spike time to catch up. Spike increased his speed as much as he could and, with everything he had, crashed into Vega, causing them both to fall out of the door. After they both hit the ground, both men rushed to get back to their feet as quickly as possible. Vega tried to slice Spike but Spike blocked the machete with his gun. Spike headbutted Vega, breaking his nose in one strike. Spike headbutted Vega again, this time catching him just above the right eye. The second headbutt drew more blood from Vega and loosened his grip on the machete, causing it to fall to the ground. Spike punched Vega then hit Vega across the face his gun, followed by Spike sliding the machete away to keep it out of Vega's reach. Vega was off-balance from the attacks but quickly refocused. Vega swung and kicked with all he had but Spike managed to dodge all of the attacks.
Spike couldn't tell why this fight felt so different. While Vega was every bit as dangerous as Vicious, Spike was nowhere near as injured as he thought he'd be. Despite the fact Spike had to fight through a small army before he got to Vicious, at the church and the Red Dragons' former headquarters, that didn't make Vicious any less dangerous of an opponent.
Vega deployed a knife he had hidden. And went to thrust into Spike's chest.
Spike saw it. And blocked the strike with gun, deflecting the blade off the metal barrel.
Spike punched Vega as hard as he could and, suddenly, all became clear.
Faye.
Spike could see her face so clearly. In different moments in their lives.
Their first meeting, their first grudging instances of camaraderie, little moments when he felt like they were friends, before he left to confront Vicious.
When he woke up on Ganymede and she was the first face he saw. Just like after his confrontation with Vicious at the church.
Her in the dress at the casino.
The moment she yelled at him before admitting she was in love with him.
Their first kiss.
The night they first made love and the morning after.
The moment she was stabbed by Vega. Their talk on the Bebop, after leaving Europa. The moment he felt like she was gone as Jolton rushed her into surgery.
Spike realized why he was so careful in this fight. He had someone worth living for.
And he wasn't going to lose that again.
Vega went for a kick and Spike ducked underneath it. He caught Vega's leg then swept Vega's other leg out from under him. Spike tried to load his gun again, pulling a spare magazine from his pocket, but Vega managed to kick the gun and the magazine out of Spike's hand, sending down the steps. Vega rushed to his feet and punched Spike in the face; Spike retaliated with a roundhouse kick to Vega's head.
The strike finally put Vega in a disorientated state.
Spike struck while he had the chance.
If he didn't, it could be his last.
Spike hit Vega with everything he could before finally giving Vega a kick that sent him flying back. Vega sailed through the air until he landed with his back of his neck and his spine hitting the stone steps then he rolled down to the base of the steps. The impact caused a severe stinger, bringing Vega's body to an absolute halt. Spike hurried down the steps, grabbed Vega by the shirt, and drew back for another punch. When he realized Vega wasn't moving, Spike let go of Vega's shirt and stumbled away.
Vega grunted as he found some ability to move. "D…dammit…"
Getting his breath back, Spike looked up and saw the mansion burning to the ground. He huffed. "Good riddance," he whispered to himself. He saw his gun and the clip on the ground, went over, and picked them up. He put a full clip into the gun and pulled the slide back, loading a bullet into the chamber. He stopped and stared at Vega.
Vega gritted his teeth as he glared up at Spike. "You wanna kill me, right?! You hate me that much, right?!"
"I hate you?!" Spike shouted. "Are you serious? You're the one who made it clear that you wanted to kill me!"
"You betrayed me! You took what was mine! You had no right to kill Heinrich! He was mine!"
"The Elders gave that order!"
"Don't you dare hide behind that! You never wanted to listen to them! If orders didn't come from Mao, you didn't care! The Van didn't make you kill Heinrich! You wanted that!" Vega was shaking, even though that simply act brought him pain. "You wanted it," he seethed. Then he screamed, "YOU WANTED IT! YOU WANTED TO DO IT! YOU WANTED THAT KILL!"
Spike shook his head.
"Yeah," Vega said, quickly. "Yeah, you did! You wanted him dead!"
Spike started seething.
"You wanted to do it! Admit it! I wanna hear you say it! I want you to tell me the truth! ADMIT IT! SAY IT, DAMMIT! YOU WANTED TO KILL HIM!"
"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I DID!" Spike yelled. He let out a few hard breaths, calming down. "I did," he whispered. "Because… because he took Lyra away from me, too."
A moment of silence passed between as they remembered Lyra. For a brief second, they remembered her smile and her spirit. Then, the reality that she was gone and what had happened between them returned.
Vega scoffed. "Well, you got what you wanted. You avenged her and now you're out. For good. So, go ahead! Do it!" Using all of his strength and will, he pushed himself up further on the steps.
To give Spike a clear shot.
"Come on," Vega said.
Spike aimed the gun.
They stared at each other in silence for a long time.
"You've got nothing left," Spike whispered. "The order's dead. It's all gone. You're all alone. I'm almost tempted to let you go."
"Like hell," Vega growled.
"I'm serious, whether you wanna believe it or not." Spike shook his head, "But you tried to kill Faye. I can't let that go."
"Screw that bitch."
Spike stepped forward, aiming the gun directly at Vega's forehead. "Watch it."
Vega scoffed and, angrily, shouted, "Really?! Are you serious, Spike? All of this?! Coming after me?! For what? Her?!"
"Yeah. Yeah, she's a big reason."
"What the hell is so special about her?"
Spike thought about it. "Everything."
Vega scoffed. "So you found a Julia replacement."
"She's not Julia's replacement!" Spike growled, forcing the gun against Vega's forehead before pulling back a bit. Spike calmed down, "She's Faye Valentine. And you really… really shouldn't have tried to kill her."
Struggling to do so, Vega pressed his forehead to the barrel of Spike's gun. "Then do it."
Spike gritted his teeth.
"What are you waiting for?! You coward! Do it!"
Spike steadied his breathing.
"You better kill me, now," Vega warned. "Or else… a broken spine won't be enough to stop me from killing everyone you love! Faye! The captain of that ship! Your other friends!"
Spike started to shake.
Vega growled. "DO IT!"
"I CAN'T!" Spike screamed.
Vega narrowed his eyes.
Spike lowered his gun and took a few steps back. He rubbed his head and paced in a circle, as his mind was racing. "The past does matter! You mattered to me, a long time ago! Lyra mattered to me! She always will!" He stopped and focused on Vega, "I'm sorry! Okay?! I'm sorry, Vega! I'm sorry for how all that happened! I'm sorry I couldn't protect Lyra! I'm sorry I let her down! I'm sorry you felt like I betrayed you! I'm just sorry!"
Vega's eyes widened.
"But I know Lyra would never want this. I know you know that." Spike stopped, fighting back actual tears. "I stopped by her grave before I got here. Maybe trying to… make peace with what I was gonna do when I got here. I saw the flowers you left. I left some, too."
Vega looked down for a moment. Then back at Spike.
"We've both lived our lives… in the dumbest way possible. I never paid attention to life because I wanted to believe it was a dream. Because if it's a dream… nothing we do really matters. And that's just a load of crap. I've taken advantage of people… of friends. Of family. Didn't appreciate what I had or have because things have to be a certain way for life to seem real." Spike turned his attention away from Vega to stare at the burning mansion. He scoffed. "Those things I thought I needed are gone… and life is still real. What I do have… I kept trying to piss away. Because I used to think it wasn't real. But it is. It's all real. And what I have… what I still have… means more to me than anything."
Spike focused on Vega. "And I won't do ignore it anymore. I don't want to do this anymore. I can't. I'm done. And this time? I mean it."
"So, you're out," Vega declared, angrily. "We already established that. Congratulations. What do you want from me? A celebration? Huh? Or do you want me to sympathize? You expect me to forgive you?"
"No," Spike replied. "But… I can't keep worrying about you. I've spent way too much time staying in the past. And honestly… I just don't want to anymore." He looked down at the gun in his hand, "But this feels almost impossible to do." He looked back at Vega, "Maybe I can't stop seeing that same kid who terrorized and looked out for me when I was a kid. Maybe it's because I feel guilty for not protecting Lyra. Maybe it's because I know she wouldn't want me to do this. Or… maybe it's because I just don't want to and wished it never came to this." He scoffed. "Damn. Even I know how full of crap I am."
Vega took a few breaths and looked down. For the first time in a long time, he felt remorse. He looked back at Spike and, forlornly, ordered, "Do it."
Spike rolled his eyes. "You haven't listened to a word I…"
"You know," Vega said, interrupting Spike, "the one problem with moving on? The people you leave in the past. Because some of them… can't move on. Even if it means they do everything they can to kill a man… that same little kid they once saw as their brother. Someone they hate… without good reason. People who have so much hate in their heart that they never learned how to move on. Unlike you."
Spike narrowed his eyes, confusedly.
"You always have to worry about those people. Worry that they'll come after you. Don't you?" Vega smiled. "But not anymore. Everyone after you… is done."
Vega's tone and the look in his eyes told Spike all he needed to know.
Spike's pain hit him harder than he thought possible. He closed his eyes, regretfully.
"You have to do it, Spike," Vega declared. "You know me. I'll come back if you don't. I don't know any other way to live. And I'm not gonna learn another way. You changed. I didn't. I can't. It's too late for me. I'm too far gone. And we both know it."
Spike hated to admit it.
But Vega was right.
Spike looked back at Vega and raised his gun, aiming for Vega's heart.
But Spike was shaking. The longer he stared at Vega, the harder it was to keep his target. Spike grabbed the gun with both hands to steady it.
But it was still so difficult to pull the trigger.
"You were my family," Spike declared. "Once."
"Yeah." Vega chuckled, bitterly. "I pissed that away, didn't I?" He sobered, "If I see Lyra before I go to hell… I'll tell her you said 'hi'."
"I'm really sorry. For everything."
"Don't be. This wasn't your fault. I'm sorry, Spike."
Spike swallowed the lump in his throat. "Adios, Vega."
Vega couldn't stop the tear that made its way down his cheek. "Adios. Little brother."
Spike fired. Two shots. Two bullets hit Vega in the chest.
The world around Spike went silent. He didn't even hear the bang of his gun. He could only focus on Vega, as Vega closed his eyes and leaned his back.
Vega let out one final gasp and his body lost all tension.
Spike couldn't help but think that Vega looked to, finally, be at peace.
Spike realized he was still shaking. Even more so now, it seemed. He dropped his gun and fell down to a seated position and closed his eyes. He pressed his hand to his face. A single tear escaped his left eye. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."
Spike looked back at Vega's body. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag. He exhaled the smoke.
"See ya…" Spike whispered, "…space cowboy."
A/N: Farewell, Vega.
If anyone was curious, the ending of this fight was inspired by the movie Street Kings. It's a pretty standard action, corrupt cop movie, starring Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, and Chris Evans.
But, Vega is gone and the Red Dragons are finished. What's next for our crew? Stay tuned.
Next Session:
Spike returns to the crew and has a heart to heart with Faye. The Bebop crew decides what's next.
Next Session ~ Lanterns