Jet pawed at his wrist monitor, which was beeping very loudly and very shrilly in the quiet of his room. He rolled out of his bed, grumbling, and plodded down the hall towards the control room, only half awake and wishing he was still fully asleep.

His monitor kept beeping, telling him something had pinged the Bebop's signal. Someone might be reaching out to contact him, possibly from ISSP. Jet figured no matter who was sending the message, it was probably best if he was the one to receive it. Spike hadn't been very forthcoming about why they were here on Earth, or about his feelings on Jet's cop connections.

Well, he hadn't been very forthcoming about his feelings in general. Even after last night's breakdown, Jet was no closer to understanding Spike than before. Watching Spike cry had been bizarre and a little bit embarrassing, but mostly scary as shit, which is why he'd gotten the hell out of there.

Faye was about to leave too, but ultimately decided to stay behind with the nutcase. Jet figured it was just as well; maybe she could lure Spike into a fight, and he'd snap out of it. But when she came into the hold an hour later, she seemed calm.

"He's sleeping now," she said. Jet resisted the urge to ask several questions, ranging from How did you get him to stop crying? to Is he sleeping in your bed? and, probably the worst, Are you going to join him?

Not that Jet was jealous, he wouldn't touch that bag of crazy in a million years. If Spike wanted Faye, more power to him. And if she wanted him, even better. Jet really couldn't care less, honestly, he'd be relieved. If those two idiots got together, maybe they'd stop fighting every thirty seconds, and he could finally get some damn peace.

So instead, he'd just motioned for her to follow him to the control room, where they worked together to activate Jet's earlier coordinates and get the Bebop into hyperspace. He snuck a glance at Faye while she studied their course, wondering how she felt about going back home to Earth. But she'd just shrugged and walked back out to the hold before flopping down on the dusty yellow couch. Jet joined her, and they sat in silence for a few moments.

She turned to him. "So you got tricked again, huh?"

Then, it was like a dam broke, and they couldn't get the words out fast enough, talking for the next few hours like they were the oldest and closest of friends. The old and close part, that was right, but neither he nor Faye would say the same about being friends. Still, he found it strangely easy to talk with her, and her with him, if the way she was dumping exposition about the past two years of her life was anything to go by. Turns out, she'd had quite a ride, not to mention some ungodly good luck.

"So, I got beat up and put in solitary," he groused, "while you got a penthouse apartment and job security. How's that work?"

Faye shrugged. "You played by the rules, Jet. I didn't." She said it jokingly, but it hit him hard. She was right. He had played by the rules, and still was, really. Maybe that's why all her interactions with Spike had gone infinitely better than his.

He wanted to talk with her about Spike, get her perspective. He was such a different man than they'd both known on the Bebop, and Jet was still struggling to come to terms with that. Faye, though, seemed to have taken those changes in stride. The whole crying thing hadn't appeared to faze her in the least. He was about to ask her about it, but she stood up and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"Well, Jet, it was weirdly great catching up with you, but I'm going to bed."

"Sounds good, Faye. I'll be up for a while longer, make sure we land okay."

She just yawned and threw a lazy wave over her shoulder. Jet wondered if she was going off to share a bed with Spike, or if she'd curl up in some abandoned corner of the ship, Ed-style.

Ed. God, he missed that weird little girl. She was the one bright spot on the ship, always laughing and always happy to see him. He wondered if they'd find her somewhere on Earth, maybe roaming around the craters with her dad and her dog. Jet had really missed Ein too. Out of everyone on the Bebop, he'd been the best listener by far.

Jet got to his feet and stretched, before trudging back to the control room. He sat there for the rest of the night, watching the monitor as the red dot of the Bebop inched farther and farther along its trajectory.

The touchdown had been no problem, just a little bumpy. He slapped the dash when they landed, proud of his girl for pulling through after being dormant for so long. He heard a curse from somewhere to the left, followed by the sound of someone falling over. Observation deck. Gotta be Spike, then.

And it was, Jet happening upon him a minute later, sweaty, shirtless, and sprawled on the deck floor. Jet figured he'd probably gotten knocked over by the turbulence, but he couldn't bring himself to feel bad about it.

If he'd been kind to Spike during last night's episode, it was only out of shock. Jet was still angry at him for bringing Vicious on the ship. Despite what Spike had confessed to him, Jet remained wary. A slighted maniac was still a maniac. And, arguably, worse. Add in the fact that the man who betrayed him was on board the same ship, and, well, it didn't really get more dangerous than that.

Jet wanted to laugh, though. The two most dangerous criminals this side of the galaxy. And I've seen both of them cry.

Spike looked up at him, annoyed. "Your junky-ass ship messed up my kata."

Jet shrugged. "Don't see how that's my problem."

Spike clambered to his feet. Jet's eyebrows shot up, clocking the wicked scar carved into Spike's chest. Spike noticed and grinned. "Wanna touch it?"

"Hell yeah." Jet bounded forward and ran a hand over it, awestruck. "Spike, this is…awesome."

"I know, right?"

Jet dropped his hand and stepped back. "Look, about earlier..."

Spike's mouth twisted and he looked at the floor. "Jet, you don't have to say anything. I don't really know what happened either."

"I was going to say it's fine, Spike. We all have feelings, and they gotta get out somehow." Spike just fidgeted awkwardly. "This thing with Vicious though," Spike's head shot up, "not so fine."

"Jet, I hate to tell you this, but you're not really in control of the situation. He's here, on board, and that's it. You don't have a lot of leverage."

Jet suddenly wanted to punch him, hard, but he thought better of it. Spike was right; he was the one calling the shots, not Jet. Because Jet played by the rules, and Spike never had. So instead, he just sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"I know that, Spike. I'm just saying, and correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like you want to put an end to this fight as much as I do. And I've been giving you chance after chance, I really have, but this is the last one. I get that you're Head of the Dragon now, and your priorities are different, really, I do. And I still want to be your friend. But the thing is, Spike-o, I can't be your friend if I can't trust you. So no more lies, okay, kid?"

Spike bit his lip, then nodded. "No more lies. That's a promise."

He seemed sincere enough, and Jet felt a little bit better as he stumbled off to bed. They were back on track again, and hopefully, this time, it would stick.

He was brought back to the present when a loud crash sounded from within the control room. The beeping on his wrist monitor stopped abruptly. Jet swore and ran the rest of the way, now fully awake.

Vicious was standing over the control panel, frowning. The monitor, which seconds before had been intercepting a signal, now sparked and fritzed out of control, probably due to the fact that there was something sticking out of it. Vicious' katana, to be exact.

Vicious looked over at him. "It wouldn't stop beeping."

Jet wanted to scream.

"Did you at least read the message?"

"Just said 'R.E.' over and over."

"R.E.?"

"Red Eye. The coordinates they broadcasted from just confirmed where the plant is."

"Plant?"

Vicious studied him with those empty gray eyes, and Jet felt unnerved. "I guess Spike didn't tell you shit."

"You can say that again," Jet huffed. "Can you please get your sword out of my computer?"

Vicious turned and blinked, as if just realizing the katana was there. Jet winced at the sound of breaking glass as Vicious pulled it free. He held it in his hand and Jet tensed, worried he'd start swinging. After seeing the damage he'd done to Spike up close, Jet wasn't eager to be on the receiving end of that blade anytime soon.

He put a hand on his gun, but Vicious just walked right past him and out the door, mind clearly elsewhere. Jet shook his head; this reminded him of the time Spike had broken the Betamax weirdo's VCR. He still got calls from that guy occasionally, not that he ever answered them.

Jet surveyed the damage. The monitor would have to be replaced, obviously, but everything else seemed to be functioning properly. Still, he'd missed the message, and the coordinates of whoever had sent it, so he'd have to ask Vicious. Not a prospect he was looking forward to. He sighed, trying to mentally prepare himself for what would probably be a very awkward conversation. He wondered if he'd have to chase Vicious down.

But when he turned, Vicious was standing right behind him. Jet jumped. "Christ, you're like a ghost."

Vicious just stared at him. "Spike isn't here."

"No? Guess he must have gone out then, we've been docked for a while."

"Tell him I went to the plant. I wrote the coordinates down." He thrust a paper at Jet, who took it cautiously. Vicious' handwriting was nothing like Jet would have thought; it almost looked like calligraphy.

"You're going alone?" he asked.

"Spike isn't here," Vicious repeated, like that answered everything. Jet supposed it kind of did.

"Well, I can come. If you want." He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. Why did I say that?

Vicious considered for a moment before pointing to Jet's gun. "Any good with that?"

"Better than most."

Jet had little time to reflect on what the hell he'd gotten himself into, as Vicious spun on his heel and headed for the Bebop ramp, which was already deployed. Jet figured that meant Spike had definitely gone out, and maybe Faye as well. Maybe they're doing something together. They'd be an odd couple, there was no doubt, but Jet also thought that if they could reconcile their differences, maybe they'd finally notice their similarities. Like how they both managed to give Jet a heart attack about three times a day.

Speaking of heart attacks…

Vicious stalked ahead of Jet, navigating easily down the ramp and over the rocky terrain below. Jet was surprised, and a little uneasy; he figured Vicious would have been a little less dexterous after being in a coma for so long. The coordinates Jet had read put their destination about six miles from where they'd landed, and the way Vicious was moving, they would make good time.

Jet studied him, a strange amalgamation of sharp angles and comfortable simplicity. His katana, drawn and gleaming wickedly in the sun, stood at odds with his clothes; soft, loose things Jet had assumed he'd borrowed from Spike.

Still, it wasn't hard to imagine Vicious in the suit and coat that seemed to be the uniform of a Red Dragon. Jet was willing to bet he'd worn them before, and, a chilling thought, he probably would again. He and Spike seemed to be on good terms, the best of terms, even. Jet was bitter, of course, that their friendship had resumed so easily while his own was hanging on by a thread.

And I've never tried to kill Spike. Jet shook his head. After his talk with Spike last night, he was beginning to see that Spike and Vicious were more similar than he'd thought, and even their differences seemed to compliment each other. They were connected, Jet realized, in a way that he and Spike never would be, bonded by the threat of mutual destruction.

They'd must've tried to kill each other enough times to figure it out. As long as they were content to cycle through the motions, they'd continue on as they always had, at each other's throats or at each other's mercy. Seemed like they were in the mercy half, but Jet was ready to put a bullet in Vicious the moment that changed, Spike's friendship be damned.

Jet and Vicious walked in silence for the better part of an hour, traversing the dusty ground and sidestepping loose rocks. They skirted giant craters, and Jet couldn't help but look down into each of them, feeling a twinge of disappointment when he found them empty. I wonder if Ed's even still on Earth.

Vicious pulled up short, and Jet, lost in thought, almost smacked into him. They'd come to what looked like a ghost town, abandoned long ago by former residents of Earth. They'd passed several of these places on the way, towns leftover from the old days. Some people still lived in them, but most were used for more illicit operations. This one looked truly abandoned though; the wind whistling eerily through the empty ruins.

"Why'd we stop?"

"Hide."

"What?"

But Vicious had already slid into the nearest building, a ramshackle house with smashed windows and no front door. Jet scrambled after him, swearing as he tripped over a fallen shutter. Vicious scowled at him, and he shrugged helplessly.

They stood in the shadows, and Jet noticed Vicious, despite moving so smoothly, looked a lot worse for wear. He was ashen and drenched in sweat, and his breaths, though quiet, were coming short and fast. Jet thought back to yesterday, when he could barely stand, and was silently impressed with his performance so far.

"You okay?" he asked. Do I care, though? Well, he did, a little bit, if only because he'd be the one to carry Vicious' bony ass back to the Bebop if he passed out. Or I could just leave him here. A tempting prospect, but probably not the best move, considering he and Spike were just starting to be friends again.

Vicious just nodded and motioned for him to shut up. He pressed against the wall, gripping his katana. Jet just watched mutely, confused as to why they were even hiding in the first place. He hadn't heard anything, and, as far as he could tell, this town was deserted. Though, upon further reflection, he realized the coordinates they'd been sent would put them only a few hundred yards away from where they were now.

Without a sound, Vicious whirled out of the doorway, ready to attack. He paused, lowering his katana, and cocked his head.

"What the fuck."

Jet stepped out of the house to stand next to him. "What is it-"

"JET-PERSON!"

Ed was running towards them, and Jet felt like his chest was going to explode.

"Ed!" He opened his arms and she leapt into them, giggling. "What are you doing here?"

"Edward sent the signal to Jet-person, and he found us!" It was then that Jet noticed Ein on the ground nearby, yipping happily. Jet set Ed down and looked her over, scarcely able to believe she was really there.

"Woah! You must've grown a foot! You're taller than Faye!" Other than that, Ed seemed to look the same, her orange hair still sticking out in every direction and her trusty goggles jammed on top of her head.

She clapped her hands. "Faye-Faye! And Spike-person! Bebop crew, just like new!" she sang, twirling in a circle. She ground to a halt and looked confused. "Bebop crew…does not know you…" She pointed at Vicious, who was still staring.

Jet didn't like the way he was examining Ed, like she was some prey he might like to hunt. And then eat. He stepped in front of Vicious.

"Ed, this is Vicious. He knows Spike."

Ed nodded wisely. "Friend-person."

"No, no," Jet said, worried she'd gotten the wrong idea, "not a friend. He's just traveling with us for a bit." And that was true, because, even if Spike was in charge, Jet was planning to drop-kick Vicious, sans oxygen, into outer space the moment he stepped out of line.

But Ed shook her head and tugged on his arm, trying to make him turn around. "Friend-person," she repeated. Jet turned.

Vicious was sitting cross-legged on the ground, Ein in his lap and licking his face. Jet did a double-take, because he could've sworn Vicious was smiling. Then, it got even weirder, because he started laughing. He was petting Ein and laughing, and Jet felt like his brain was going to explode.

Yeesh, even his laugh gives me the creeps. It was a low and harsh thing, and Jet thought it sounded too dark to truly come from a place of happiness. He laughed like a murderer, like someone who'd never been innocent in their entire life. Ed didn't seem put off though, because she plopped down right next to him, reaching out to scratch Ein behind the ears. Jet felt like he'd just entered a parallel universe.

Vicious looked at Ed. "You sent the message."

"R-E, come find me! Ed sent it; Ed missed her friends. But now they're here! Hooray-hooreer!" She waved her arms excitedly and grinned up at Jet. He smiled back.

"R.E." Vicious repeated, confused.

"Radical Edward, of course!" Oh, of course. Not Red Eye. Vicious narrowed his eyes at Ed, and Jet, truly worried now, interrupted.

"Ed, where's your father?"

Ed tilted her head up to look at him and pulled her goggles over her eyes. "Father-person is up in the sky, said bye-bye! Ed stayed on Earth in case Bebop came back! And it did, it did, yay!"

She stood up and skipped in a circle around Jet. He wondered how long she'd been alone here, and if her father had any plans to come back. Although he doubted he'd be able to get a straight answer from Ed if he asked.

Vicious lifted Ein out of his lap and stood. Ein barked unhappily on the ground and pawed at his leg, but Vicious ignored him, turning to face Ed. "Have you ever seen anyone around here before? Maybe some men, ones with guns."

Ed bounced up and down on her toes and pointed to the biggest building in the town. "Ed saw them, they were mean. Mean and lean, fighting machine!" She punched at the air; Jet stepped back to dodge her flying fists. "But they're all gone now, no one home. Spooooky, scaaaaary ghost town," she intoned. Vicious blinked at her, and Jet snorted a laugh. He was used to Ed-speak by now, but Vicious was obviously a novice.

Vicious started walking towards the building, and Ed followed. Jet caught up to them, Ein tailing behind and sniffing the ground. "What exactly are we looking for?"

"Red Eye plant," Vicious replied. "Coordinates put it right there." He gestured to the building with his katana.

"But Ed sent those coordinates," Jet said.

"Yes, but our source sent the same ones before we left. That's the plant."

"Doesn't look like much to me." But when they reached the building and looked in from the doorway, Jet saw that Vicious was right. Despite the dirt floor and broken windows, there was a full-scale factory inside, hidden from the world by the building's crumbling façade. Workstations were littered with empty vials and various chemicals, the back wall was lined with computer monitors, and strange machines Jet recognized as centrifuges sat on each table. This stuff must cost a fortune.

"Why would they just abandon this?" he asked.

"Because they knew we were coming," Vicious said darkly. He was squinting at the ground inside, like he'd just noticed something.

Ed gasped and pointed to the monitors. "Computer for free, come to meeeee!" Good idea, Jet thought. We can replace the one Vicious stabbed. She rocketed into the room and had made it halfway across when Vicious called out harshly.

"Stop!" Ed froze. "Stay outside," he muttered to Jet. "Get ready to run."

He crept in after Ed, who looked just as confused as Jet felt. Still, she seemed content to wait for Vicious, who had spoken with such authority to both of them that they had no choice but to do what he said. Jet hovered nervously in the doorway with Ein.

Vicious approached slowly, hands outstretched. His eyes were glued to the floor, searching. When he reached Ed and crouched down next to her, Jet saw him examine the ground beneath her feet and exhale, relieved. He stood up and whispered something to Ed. She paled, and Jet's felt his heart thumping in his ears.

"What's going on?" he called.

Neither of them answered. Instead, they made their way slowly back towards him, Vicious standing behind Ed and murmuring in her ear. She looked scared, but determined, and seemed to be hanging on every word he said. He placed a hand on Ed's back, gently steering her this way and that, in a pattern that looked ridiculous to Jet but seemed to make sense to Vicious.

They had just reached the doorway when Ein barked and ran towards Vicious. Ed, crossing the threshold, clung to Jet's side. Her eyes widened when she saw Ein had moved, darting underneath Vicious and tugging at his pant leg. Both Ed and Jet gasped as Vicious swayed, struggling to maintain his balance. Almost in slow-motion, he fell sideways and slammed into one of the tables. Its contents began to smash to pieces on the ground as they rolled in waves off the tabletop. A centrifuge had tipped onto its side and now teetered on the edge, ready to fall.

Vicious looked at Jet. "Fucking run."

And they did, sprinting for their lives, although Jet still didn't know why. They managed to get a good eight hundred yards away before Jet heard an explosive blast.

"Down!" Vicious barked, and they all dropped, Jet moving to cover Ed. He felt a roaring wave of heat roll over their head, and something hard smack into his metal arm. They stayed still for a minute, before Vicious staggered to his feet. "All clear."

Jet stood up and offered a hand to Ed. She popped up, seemingly unhurt (thank God) and stared in awe at the now-decimated structure behind them.

"What the fuck was that?" Jet demanded angrily. Vicious had also turned to look at the smoking ruins, scowling. Other than a few cuts and scrapes, he'd escaped unscathed as well. Small miracles, Jet thought. His arm had been hit by falling debris, but seemed to still be in working order. Vicious glanced over at Jet, just now registering his question.

"Land mine."

Jet gaped at him. He'd heard of land mines back in his ISSP training course, but had never dreamed he'd actually happen upon one. "How'd you know to how do that? To avoid them?"

"The army."

"You were in the military? Where did you fight?"

"Titan."

Jet's eyes widened. "I didn't know that."

Vicious didn't respond. Jet noticed he did that a lot, staying silent to effectively end conversations he had no interest in continuing. No wonder he and Spike got along; he too, could be a silent bastard when he was in a mood. He couldn't even imagine what it would have been like to spend time with the two of them. Jet figured Julia must have been quite the talker.

Julia, caught in the middle. It was absurd to think of Vicious being in love, and Jet, for the life of him, couldn't picture him even liking someone. The little he'd seen of Vicious interacting with Spike had done nothing to convince him he was capable of intimacy. The formula seemed to be question from Spike, grunt from Vicious. Suggestion from Spike, grunt from Vicious. Joke from Spike, grunt from Vicious.

Honestly, he'd spoken more in the past hour than Jet had ever heard, and he'd only said about twelve words.

So, Jet just let the conversation die, and they all began making their way back to the Bebop. Vicious walked ahead of them, Ein trailing at his heels. Jet pretended not to notice the way he would list to the side every now and again, staggering for a few steps before righting himself.

Ed walked next to Jet, prattling away about how she'd been tracking the Bebop for the past two years and had been very excited to see it make its way back to Earth. Jet was listening, trying to follow her train of thought, but he only understood about half of what she said. Nevertheless, he was happy to have her back. Seeing Ed again made him realize just how much he'd missed her, and Ein.

His bonsai tree came to mind, the joy he got from it. Maybe that's what he needed, something, or someone, to take care of. Having Ed back meant he had someone to be responsible for. Someone that needs me. And that's all Jet really wanted, he realized. To be needed. That's what the Bebop had been about, for so long, ever since the day Spike had climbed aboard, lost and looking for a friend. He'd needed Jet's help, and so had Faye, in her own, peculiar way. Ed too, in the most normal sense, had needed Jet, someone to make sure she was eating and sleeping and not spending too much time on the computer.

They made it back just as the sun set, and Jet was grateful. Getting lost in the dark would have been a nightmare, especially with this strange group. He'd have no doubt Vicious would've already tried to strangle Ed if he wasn't so out of it.

And he really was, walking slowly up the Bebop ramp and failing to notice Ed scampering up behind him.

"Be careful!" Jet called, but Ed wasn't listening, too excited to be back and too eager to start exploring. She shimmied past Vicious, who startled. Jet frowned; from what he could tell, Vicious seemed impossible to surprise. He must be seriously off.

Jet made his way up the ramp much more cautiously than Ed, and Vicious was able to step to the side, out of his way. The paper Vicious had given Jet earlier still laid abandoned on the floor of the hold, so he figured Spike and Faye must not have returned yet.

He could hear Ed yelling, saying hello to the Bebop and all its parts she'd clearly missed so much. It warmed his heart to hear her running around with Ein at her heels; it felt right. The Bebop crew, finally back together. Well, as soon as Spike and Faye got back from wherever they'd gone, anyway. Then they could get going; if he'd correctly interpreted the little Vicious had said, then he and Spike's plan for Earth had been a bust.

Jet snapped back to attention at the sound of Vicious, who had been making his way slowly towards the sleeping quarters. He'd stumbled and was clutching at the wall, trying to stay upright. Jet felt a stab of pity. He jogged over to Vicious and braced a hand under his elbow, hauling him into a standing position. Jet half-expected Vicious to growl at, or, God forbid, bite him, but he just leaned tiredly into Jet's hand, breathing harshly.

His eyes flicked to Jet's.

"Don't tell Spike."

For some reason, Jet nodded. Why he suddenly wanted to help Vicious, he couldn't say, but he suspected his valiant rescue of Ed might have had something to do with it. Vicious sagged against the wall, his ragged breaths loud in the silence of the hold. Jet stood next to him awkwardly, unsure of how to help.

He and Vicious might be on neutral terms now, but Jet still didn't think it was wise to invade his space any more than he already had. You don't pet a wild animal, no matter how friendly it seems. Not that Vicious was friendly. He was about as warm as ice, and Jet wasn't going to be the one to try and break it.

Ed, maybe, but Jet would be damned if Vicious was getting within spitting distance of her. There was nothing he could do about Ein, but he figured the dog was smart enough to make his own decisions. Or dumb enough not to know any better.

As if sensing Jet's thoughts, Ein trotted back into the hold and straight up to Vicious, tail wagging. Ed wasn't far behind, but Jet moved to intercept her. It was then that they all heard footsteps on the ramp, and Ed ran to see who it was.

"FAYE-FAYE!" she screamed, and Jet groaned, plugging his ears. He loved Ed, but he'd forgotten how loud she could be. Ein sat on the floor, licking at Vicious' boot. He took a deep breath, gathering himself, before straightening up. He was still propped against the wall, but to anyone that hadn't just witnessed him almost collapse, it looked more like casual than necessary. Jet glanced at him and mimed zipping his lips. Vicious just gave him that same dead-eyed stare. Not a big joker, this guy.

Faye's voice floated back up to them, a little bit hopeful, but mostly confused.

"Ed?"