Boogie Wonderland

by Aldrean Treu Peri

Spike survives his confrontation with Vicious. That's only the beginning of the continuing adventures of the Starship Bebop and its crew whose ongoing mission is to explore new cities, seek out new bounties, and ultimately to search for some meaning to life, the universe, and everything. If you've read my previous Bebop stories you might recognize some parts salvaged here! Enjoy!

23. Chapter 23 Winter of Discontent

On Board the Bebop - Docked on Ganymede

Late January

"Ed!" Spike shouted, trying but failing to squirm away from her weight, which had plopped unexpectedly onto his chest, and her probing hands which were trying to pry his eyes open. Well, his eyes had been closed because he'd been pleasantly asleep, but such pleasantries were apparently not meant to be.

"Let Ed see your eyes!" She urged. "Faye-Faye says one is haunted!"

Spike huffed but gave into her demands because life was just easier when he did. You pick your battles and there's no point in picking them all.

Faye was laughing over in the hallway to the kitchen. "I didn't say that exactly," She argued.

Spike's eyes rolled over to her amused form, leaning against the wall with a mug of tea. She'd been sucking down the stuff constantly in her attempts to ward off the cold that had Jet laid up in his room currently. It made sense now why the ex-cop had insisted he was fine to sleep his sickness off in the privacy of his room instead of lounging in the living room where there were others who could wait on him hand and foot. Having Ed take interest in you was a very real and very common risk facing anyone trying to lay peacefully on the couch.

Ed herself had been the first to take ill, bringing home germs from her school - though she'd somehow avoided getting too sick. A cough for a week and a runny nose for that whole time too. But they were all glad she hadn't gotten any sicker - it was disconcerting enough having her hacking the way she had been. They'd all stopped smoking inside so they wouldn't put anymore strain on her lungs. Spike and Faye had done what little they could for the teen - which basically meant letting her call the shots in terms of what they watched - but it had been Jet who had been the overprotective parent fawning over her until he himself had caught her cold.

Ein was curled up with the older bounty hunter at the moment, and he was probably the best nurse that the crew had to offer. With the data dog otherwise occupied and her computer apparently not enough to keep her attention now that she was feeling back to normal, Ed had sought out Faye for entertainment. And, naturally, she had been immediately distracted from pestering Faye by Faye's own diabolical scheming to set Ed on a mission to put an end to Spike's nap.

"One is fake," He told Ed as she frowned doubtfully down at him. "It doesn't see ghosts. But I used to believe my eyes showed me different things at the same time. Past and present overlapping. I was haunted by this feeling."

"Nonsense," Ed remarked on the heels of his explanation. "You'd be a crap shot if that were the case, Spike-person." She abandoned her perch on his chest to climb onto the back of the couch and lay along the length of it like a cat.

Spike's mouth dropped open at her instantaneous dismissal of his words. She wasn't wrong though. He'd never actually seen the past through either of his eyes… just, on his eyelids whenever he blinked or slept. But it had meant something to him - having that connection of vision broken into before-and-after and having his life and heart alike broken into a before-and-after.

Well.

He glanced over at Faye but she was pretending to find something interesting in her mug just to give him a semblance of privacy as he grappled with these new thoughts and residual emotions. She could be a real bitch sometimes but she could also be pretty damn thoughtful when she wanted to be.

Ed yawned near his head.

With a sigh, he hoisted himself up from the couch and walked behind it to give Ed a gentle shove off the back and onto the cushions he'd just vacated.

"Don't sleep up there again, you goof - don't you remember last time?"

Ed grinned at him guiltily even as she closed her eyes. She'd eventually rolled off and had landed with a startled squeal that had brought everyone running, though of course she'd been perfectly fine.

Spike put his hands in his pockets and strolled over to Faye. She looked up from her mug but he loomed in so close that her eyes nearly went crossed trying to focus on his face.

"Look at my eyes, Faye. What do you see in them?"

She tilted her head and furrowed her brow, then settled into a satisfied expression. "I see the reflection of a rather beautiful woman, if you really must know."

He chuckled and leaned even closer, removing his hands from his pockets to rest his forearms on the metal wall on either side of her head so she had to lean her body all the way back against the wall. Mischief danced in her jade gaze as she looked challengingly back at him.

"Well, there's that," He gave her the compliment, "but… I dunno, I was hoping maybe you'd read the dirty intent lurking in the gutter of my mind…"

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Ohhh… that explains it… I'd wondered how your eyes were reflecting my precise thoughts…" And she dipped down out of his arms and eyesight, twisting with a laugh to skip away towards their bedroom, depositing her tea mug on the table as she went. Spike straightened up and hastened after her.

Ed, left behind on the couch, had long since fallen asleep and was soon snoring loudly - which was just as well, since Spike and Faye had a tendency to be noisier than they realized.

xxx

Docked on Ganymede

Early February

"Never point your gun at someone unless you intend to shoot." Spike told her plainly. "I'm sure you looked up gun care and accidents and all that when you were researching all of this, but… well, we don't need anything going wrong."

Ed nodded enthusiastically. "Lots of folks hurt themselves or someone they care about. Always aim for the ground if Ed isn't sure what's going down!"

"And always assume - but never take for granted - that the gun is loaded. You'll want to try and keep it unloaded until you need to use it, but anytime you come across a firearm just assume it's ready to hurt someone." He adjusted her grip on the gun she was holding. "Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you're ready to shoot. And no we aren't going to be using blanks or live ammo today. This is just about getting you familiar with the weight of it and how it feels in your hand. This gun might be a bit much for you, actually. I should have borrowed Faye's glock. But, well, how does it feel?"

"Heavy," Ed admitted. She kept the gun pointed solidly at the ground. Spike had been very stern when telling her that she couldn't dance around like normal while they had lessons. If she so much as bobbed her head, he was going to shut it down until she got serious. "It'll be heavier with the bullets in it too, huh?"

He nodded. "It's good that it's heavy. It's a reminder of the potential cost of using it for its intended purpose. Now, taking that further… When you're ready to shoot something, you need to also be extremely aware of what is behind your target. Is there another person, for example? Bullets don't just stop when they hit someone. You've seen Jet patch me up plenty but he hasn't had to dig around for a souvenir very often."

"Ed doesn't want to hit the wrong target!" She exclaimed.

"Well, as long as you're paying attention to what you're doing I think you'll be alright. You're a pretty observant person, Ed." Spike told her reassuringly. "Okay, see this part here? This is the safety. This should always be exactly like this until you're ready to shoot. But it's important that you don't rely on the safety to keep your weapon from firing. Ultimately it is up to you. You are the last barrier before that weapon is discharged. You are the final safety."

"Know the mechanics. Keep it clean. Always check the barrel for obstructions. The safety is not always a safeguard against accidents. Be sure before you shoot." Ed recited back to him.

Spike smiled. "See, you know what's up. It's all common sense really. Hmm, what else… Oh, uh, Ed…I know Faye is gonna focus on target practice with you when she's feeling better, but… uh, it's even more important to know non lethal shots in our line of work. Having a bounty bleed out because you hit an artery just means we'll be broke and hungry for longer. So, shoot like she shows you when you need to terminally disable someone, but otherwise try to shoot to disarm. It's just as tricky of a shot and if someone gets hit in the foot or hand it stops them just as often."

"Gotcha. No killing if it can be avoided. Maiming is preferred."

Spike blanched at her cavalier words. "Oh jeez. You absolutely sure you want to learn to use guns?"

Ed regarded him seriously. "You and papa taught Ed about being nimbly pimbly and flowing like water. Faye-Faye has demonstrated knife skills and tricks any good escape artist should know. But keeping your distance can be the safest route most often and guns are the best long distance weapon."

Spike looked contemplative. "Well, it could be argued that other long range weapons are just as effective, but they tend to be more work overall. Grenades aren't nearly as accurate because they are designed to cause destruction in a wide radius. Bullets are easier to carry than arrows and a gun can be concealed much better than a crossbow or longbow."

Ed nodded again. "Don't imitate Andy, no matter how cool his costume and weapons look."

Spike shot her an incredulous look. "You thought that was – nevermind. Don't emulate anyone, Ed. Just be yourself. Okay, now - aim out over the ocean, hey? Yeah, just like that. Straighten your arm a bit. Square your hips. Are your feet firmly planted? Okay, now… walk me through everything I've shown you or told you so far."

Ed took a deep breath. "Okay. So, we start like this…"

xxx

On Board the Bebop

Later That Night

Suffocating heat and a throat that felt like it had been scorched by the sun were the first things Faye registered as she groggily woke up. She was pasted to Spike's side, her face pressed hotly against his shoulder in a puddle of sweat. Her throat was burning and scratchy, her nose stuffed up and her mouth parched. Breathing was a pain and swallowing was nearly impossible. Everything ached or felt extremely unreliable - shaky, jittery, like she'd had far too much coffee all at once. Fuck, she hadn't been sick in so long - that brief stint after Callisto back in '71 was a minor inconvenience compared to this hellish ordeal.

Which was all Ed's damn fault, even though it had been unintentional. She had been keen on the school issue and had gotten herself into one of the schools Jet had himself attended in his youth. And everything had been fine, if boring, for a week or so. Spike and Faye had tackled a few bounties, Jet had taken up with his buddy Horatio to check in on Stella's project, and Ed had gone to school. And then one day Ed had come home with a cough and a runny nose.

Fortunately for the young hacker, that's exactly as far as her symptoms ever got. Jet came down with the sickness next, but had managed to kick the bug after a few rough days - most of which he'd spent hiding out in his room. Unfortunately for Faye, she got all the symptoms Ed and Jet had and pretty much every other symptom Ed's classmates had as well. Ed had joked that she'd won the germ jackpot but Faye had not been amused.

It was nothing terribly serious, not a plague or anything crazy like they'd had to thwart before, just a very robust common cold to contend with. Since recovering, Jet had been wearing a mask and following her everywhere with a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol until she'd finally just taken refuge in the bedroom where only Spike dared to venture.

Spike had naturally shown no concern over getting sick. He'd even shared Ed's damn soup spoon with her when she was coughing up a storm and confined to the ship. Somehow he hadn't caught the bug but Faye was still convinced he'd get taken out by it eventually. No one had that good of an immune system, did they?

Even now he was just laying there, lazily reading next to her in all her naked germy glory. She'd sweated through two of his tee shirts before giving up on being clothed. Not that the lunkhead seemed to mind in the least. His left elbow was propped against her left side, resting atop her ribcage, while she lay curled around the outside of his left arm. He glanced away from the page to look at her and flashed her a grin.

"How ya feeling, sicky?"

She groaned, feeling her face slide moistly along his naked shoulder as she rolled away onto her left side. Behind her, she could hear him set the book aside and then roll to chase her, wrapping his arms around her midriff.

"No, no," She protested weakly. "M'all sweaty'n'gross. Don' wanna ge' you sick too,"

He chuckled at her. "You've gotten me covered in your sweat quite a few times now, Romani. You think that's a turn off? You, with your skin absolutely glistening right now? I could just slide all up your body…" He trailed off, biting gently at the juncture of her neck and right shoulder.

She began to noisily pant through her mouth, unable as she was to use her nasal passages for air. He kept kissing and nibbling at her neck, driving her wild despite how absolutely dreadful she felt. Her body reacted to his lustful presence of its own volition, pressing back into his firm muscles with increasing passion fueling her moves.

"I've heard," He paused to suck at her earlobe. "That orgasming," A fierce tug of the lobe. "Can help strengthen," His hot breath against her neck, pressing open mouth kisses wetly to her already damp skin. "Your immune system."

She giggled, which sounded weird to her ears both because of her stuffy nose and from how muffled sounds were through her ears at present. "Id dat so?" Not that she was gonna argue! Maybe this would be more effective medicine than what she'd tried so far.

"Mm, yeah. Uh, also though, blow jobs are supposed to be super good for alleviating your sore throat." His words were rushed and strangled as she had succeeded in reaching behind herself to palm him through his sweatpants.

"Nice t'wy," She managed to say. "Nod happening while my dose is so clogged."

He tightened his hold on her, bringing his hips rolling up to meet hers. "S'all good, rather fuck you anyway." He admitted with no shame. "Wanna make you feel so good…"

She was hot from the fever but even that didn't make her want to melt as much as his words. "Please do. I feel rotten."

"Some sweet lovin' might be just what the doctor ordered…" He mused before putting all of his attention on distracting her with carnal pleasure.

xxx

On Board the Bebop

The Next Day

Spike frowned down at Faye worriedly. "You sure you're gonna be alright? Jet can take on these bounties solo you know,"

Paler than he'd ever seen her, Faye was somehow also incredibly flushed with color. Her cheeks and nose were ruddy, her chest blotchy, and she was still sweating bullets. There was a veritable sea of used tissues scattered around her and the thermometer claimed she was hotter than ever, absolutely burning with fever. But she shook her head and tried to sit up.

"No, s'fine. Jus' wan' ged oudda dis room," She lifted her arms towards him like a child and he obligingly pulled her to her feet. He helped her shuffle out to the couch and laid her out there before returning to the bedroom. He eyed the dirty bedding and realized that it was too damp from her night sweats to be used to cover her up in the living room.

But when he walked by with his arms full of sheets and blankets to throw everything in the wash, he saw someone had already covered Faye with a blanket. Well, it was obviously Jet since Ein, clever as he was, couldn't drape a blanket on someone on the couch. Someone on the floor would be a different matter - Spike had seen Ein cover Ed with a blanket when she slept on the floor before. Ed was back in school at the moment - she had switched to a different school though, citing boredom at Jet's old school. Spike thought she'd be just as bored at this new one but at least she was sticking with her goal of trying a variety of places.

Faye was already dozing but Spike figured that was for the best. Her fever hadn't broken but sleep could do a lot of good. He still wasn't sure if he should leave her unattended but there wasn't much he could do for her. Unless he hit up a market for some supplies… That was a thought. His medicine kit had been depleted for a while so they were relying on expired medicine from Jet's first aid kit. If Faye was still sick in a day or two, he might just have to haul her to Earth for one of those ridiculous shots that had helped him months ago. Come to think of it, he wouldn't mind dealing with a Faye suffering from the amorous side effects of that…

"Well, I've got the kettle on to make some tea for her before we go. After we turn in this bounty we'll have to stop by a pharmacy," Jet said to Spike as he re-entered the living room from the kitchen.

"I love that you have such utter faith in our skills," Spike said with a grin. "Granted, these should be some easy grabs."

Jet grunted. "We're too broke, Spike-o. Can't even fuel up if we need to go anywhere else. I know when it gets tough like this somehow we've always made it through, even when it was just us relying on ourselves but now with all these other misfits we gotta keep alive? We can't afford to fuck up."

Spike looked askance at his original partner. Jet had been very tense lately, since their meeting with Appledelhi if Spike were to really think about it. It was odd because they'd been responsible for Ed for ages now and it had never seemed to put Jet out much… but now that her own father had laid the duty of keeping her safe on them… somehow that had raised the stakes apparently. The why didn't matter much though, the fact was Jet was stressed out and a stressed out Jet was something that made Spike anxious too.

"So let's go grab some baddies. Fuck it, Jet - let's run down every asshole with a bounty causing trouble around here. Faye's too sneezy to be sneaky so it's just you and me like the old days. Remember how we'd compete sometimes for the most hauls or the biggest payout? I'm game to go up against you again, Black Dog. We're on your home turf. Let's clean the place up a bit before Ed gets tired of school and we bounce."

There came a whistling from the kitchen and Jet moved quickly to take care of the kettle.

"Gon' fix 'im?" A weak voice asked.

Spike looked over and saw Faye was rallying a bit. She'd pushed herself up on shaky arms and was frowning after Jet.

"Ganymede tends to get him down. If I can help him shake this funk though, yeah." Spike moved to sit next to her, adjusting the monitor to browse through the bounties Jet had pulled up on the screen. Faye leaned against his shoulder and peered blearily at the images.

"Gon' need me da backup?"

"You're staying right there til we get back with some medicine." Jet ordered, coming out of the kitchen with a tea cup balanced on a little plate and a wedge of lemon on the lip of it. "I put some honey in and a little booze. It's a hot toddy - grandma's recipe so you know it works."

"Mmkay," Faye murmured agreeably. Jet and Spike shared a concerned glance when she didn't put up a fight about joining them. She huffed. "Oh leave me be, don' be such worrywards," Her stuffed nose made her sound ridiculous but at least she had enough spunk to give them shit.

Spike sent the information on the monitor to the computers on his and Jet's ships and gave his original partner a nod. "Good to go," He pressed a kiss to Faye's temple when she turned away to avoid his lips. Her attempts to keep him from getting sick were entertaining but he figured it was nicer to just let her win since she wasn't feeling good. He'd make up for all the kisses she'd managed to steer clear of once she was back on her feet and feisty again. He'd make up for those missed kisses and then some, dammit!

"Ein is around here somewhere, he'll probably keep you company while we're away," Jet told her before ducking through the round door.

Spike stood up and followed after the other man. "Feel better soon, Romani." He called to Faye, getting a halfhearted over the shoulder wave from the gambler before he too ducked out of the living room.

xxx

"Ughhh my sinuses," Faye complained to herself, drooping over the steaming cup of tea Jet had offered her. She couldn't tell if it had been minutes or hours since the guys had left, but judging by the heat of the teacup it hadn't been very long at all. It was hard to gauge anything with how off balance and awful she felt though. She set the cup down with a shaky hand, feeling too hot to want to drink the beverage. Instead she carefully arranged herself on the couch, shivering and sweating beneath the blanket Jet had covered her up with, and began drifting in and out of consciousness.

Time slipped by as she merely existed in discomfort and distress. Ein wandered by to check on her a few times as he made his rounds of the ship, searching for any floor crumbs and half-heartedly hunting the rats on board. There was little the data dog could do for her and Faye tended to recoil from his attempts to lick her hands whether she was conscious or not.

At some point, pounding on the door to the Bebop reached Faye. Not audibly, there was too much distance and too many walls or corridors between the exterior and interior of the vessel, but the intermittent repetition of reverberation was filtering into her fever dreams and filling her with annoyance. She gradually came to awareness on the couch of the Bebop and winced as she realized the dull thump was occuring in real life as well. When it continued unabated she came to the conclusion that she must be the only one on the ship available to answer. If it was Jet locked out and banging on the door, she'd give him such a tongue-lashing. It couldn't be Spike because he would have managed to break in if he'd somehow forgotten the door code.

Grumbling angrily under her breath, she managed to stand up and move through the ship, keeping her eyes mostly closed and leaning heavily on the walls as she went. Her head was throbbing with pain from the sinus pressure and whenever she moved her head too quickly dizziness threatened to take her down. For that matter, her head reeled when she looked around too fast with just her eyes. She felt cold and clammy but also overly warm and knew she was pouring buckets of sweat. She had to be what with how dehydrated she felt.

Whoever was knocking was about to get a furious diatribe on the importance of using a goddamn comm device to set up an appointment because this coming to the door shit was not something she was okay with. She was sick as a dog and shouldn't have to deal with this! Where the fuck was everyone else, for that matter? It hurt too much to try and use her brain to remember when she'd last seen or spoken to anyone else.

Reaching the exterior access hatch - or, main door that wasn't the hangar doors - she emerged from the cool interior of the ship to find the deck in front of her void of life. Puzzled, she slowly peered around, and then saw something sitting on the metal of the deck several feet in front of her. With a frown, she pulled the access hatch door closed behind her - right before Ein, who'd appeared at her heels, could escape outside because no way was she in any shape to try and wrangle an excitable dog back inside - and then she crept cautiously forward to investigate.

The thing was flattish, roughly hand size, faintly shiny in the wan light of the sun, and was making a soft tick-tick-ticking which alarmed her until she realized she was looking at a pocket watch. She was hearing the gears at work as it kept time. It made her think suddenly of Peter Pan and Lost Boys and "never grow up!" and a vengeful pirate with a hatred for this very sound.

But why was it here? Where had it come from? What was the point of it all? It looked fairly old - perhaps from a pawn shop or antique store. Why anyone would bother keeping time with something like this was beyond her, but she wasn't one for keeping track of time by any method.

"Huh." Faye uttered.

Sudden rapid footsteps across the deck in her direction had her moving too quickly - it felt like slow motion but her head was so stuffed and befuddled - and she had to look down to avoid throwing up from the immediate nausea. There was just so much mucus in her stomach that had been draining from her sinuses all day.

A shadow fell across her.

"So you're her. The replacement. I guess I can see it. The hair maybe anyway. Your eyes are too bold though. You're clearly too wild to be controlled." A woman's voice, but not one she recognized. Her tone sounded distasteful at best, though Faye felt oddly complimented by that last bit.

Faye tried to look at this newcomer and instead came face to face with a familiar looking spray bottle and, moments after, a spritz from said bottle. Fuck. She'd used similar devices on bounties and knew exactly what was next: blackout. Dammit. She tried to make sense of what was happening but her thoughts were so slippery and her eyelids seemed weighted down…

xxx

Ed entered the Bebop with a skip to her step and an enormous backpack strapped to her back that hardly seemed to affect her stride. It wasn't even all the books that were required - some she'd left in the locker she'd been assigned at the school itself. Was it to help children build up physical strength? Or to keep them from being able to run around all wild? She wasn't sure how much of what the school insisted on was for the benefit of the child and how much was instead for the benefit of the educators and other overseers.

Ein came running up to her as soon as she got into the ship, barking madly. He was extremely agitated and it made Ed instantly anxious. It didn't seem like anyone else was on board, which was somewhat puzzling. She knew Faye had been feeling under the weather for the past day or two, so at the very least she'd expected her sister to be laying around whining about her head or her nose or her watery eyes. Having recently been sick, Ed understood the inconvenience of it all and was doing her best to be sympathetic.

The silence on the ship aside from Ein's barking was ominous. Even Ein's barking held a note of disquiet that Ed was disturbed by.

"What do you mean someone took Faye-Faye?" She asked the dog, ditching the backpack so she could race further into the ship and find her computer. She accessed the camera feeds of the ship and began playing back the various videos to ascertain exactly what had gone on while she was stuck in school all day.

Using some of the prize money from her races, Ed had indeed invested in a slew of cameras and had put them up in almost every room of the Bebop she had access to. Out of respect for her crewmates - and an extreme lack of interest as to what happens in their locked bedrooms - she had kept the recording devices confined to public spaces on the ship. Which included the ventilation shafts because Ed remembered well the incident with the pudding monster.

She frowned as she skipped past Jet and Spike-person leaving - presumably to get some work done - and Faye sleeping fitfully on the couch. It was an hour or two later when she noticed a figure approaching the ship from one of the exterior cameras out on the hangar deck.

It was a slight woman, with dark hair short like Faye-Faye's, and an angry yet resolved expression on her face. Ed couldn't tell what color her eyes were from the video because the woman did not ever look towards the cameras. She was wearing a ragged jacket with stains on it, a dress with a frayed hem that hung on her thin body, and a pair of… tattered combat boots?

Ed watched as the woman glanced around the deck and bent over to set something that glittered in the sun on the floor of the Bebop's launch deck. The woman moved quickly after that to the access hatch and started pounding on the door with all her might.

Ein whined and lifted his nose towards the other camera feed and they both watched as Faye struggled to wake up and then grumpily stumbled through the ship and to the door, tailed by Ein.

The woman must have heard Faye's approaching footsteps because she ducked out of sight as Faye opened the door and emerged. It took a moment for Faye to see the object the woman had set down but she smartly closed the door behind her before approaching the oddity. That was good. Ed didn't want to know what the woman would have done if she'd had access to the inside of the ship. On the other hand, it would have been better if she'd let Ein out with her to protect her from this odd stranger.

But then Ed's blood went cold when the woman went straight to Faye, said something, and discharged a knockout spray in Faye's face. The woman let Faye collapse to the deck and stood over her quietly for a long minute. Ed could see the woman's hands curled into fists at her side, shaking with emotion, and then saw when she squared her shoulders and moved to pick Faye up. Interestingly, she chose to use a fireman's carry to haul Faye from the hanger. Clearly the woman had some hidden strength that her frail stature and thin limbs belied.

Ed watched as the woman, struggling somewhat with Faye's deadweight, reached the dock and then moved beyond the view of the cameras.

That wouldn't do. Ed needed to see where this woman took her friend. She glanced down at Ein and then cracked her knuckles and set to hacking into nearby camera feeds to track the woman down. She briefly considered contacting Jet and Spike but decided to find some answers before alerting the men. Given their tendency to rush headlong into danger it would be better to have some idea of what lay ahead of them before letting them loose on the world.

xxx

On the Bebop

A short time later…

Spike had jumped from his ship before Jet had even managed to land his Hammerhead on the deck of the Bebop, but Jet understood his rush. Faye had looked absolutely miserable when they left earlier. He doubted she'd look too happy when she saw the nonsense Spike had acquired at the market to help her feel better, but maybe she'd humor the other man. Jet meanwhile had opted to get actual medicine from the pharmacy instead of mummified creature remains. Traditional medicine was no doubt effective from time to time, but why bother with that when you could get the good stuff that science had engineered to work?

Ed was talking a mile a minute when Jet finally reached the living room, which was strangely void of Faye's presence. Spike was standing in front of the couch, looking with narrowed eyes at the monitor screen and not visibly reacting to the things Ed was pointing out to him. Although, even stock still as he was, Spike radiated a dangerous energy. He seemed like a dog straining at the end of his chain just waiting to be let off. A cold fury had transformed his face into something that Jet did not like one bit. Jet tuned in to listen to Ed's worried words and felt a pit grow in his stomach.

"Oh great, she got kidnapped again? How many times is this now?" Jet groaned. Spike fixed him with a strange look. It made Jet uncomfortable. "You're going after her?" It wasn't even a question, of course, but Jet didn't know what to say in response to Spike's blank expression.

"I'm going after my woman. You can go after the other one if you want." Spike growled. In his voice was a fierce resolve, a merciless promise. Jet had heard the tone before, when Spike had gone gallivanting off after the whispered rumor of a simple name, years ago on Callisto.

His words had been the exact same, only this time… Faye's role had changed. It wasn't Julia he was chasing anymore. It was Faye. And the circumstances were different too. There had been no kidnapping on Callisto. But while Spike had been ready to unleash his wrath on whoever had been impersonating Julia then… he clearly had murder on his mind when it came to tracking down the folks responsible for this situation now.

"Other woman? Wha-" Jet looked down at the computer screen, feeling uneasy.

Spike gestured brusquely to the computer screen and then stalked out of the room towards the workshop and hangar.

Jet felt his heart stop. The pit in his stomach became a chasm.

A web page was opened to a Ganymede police sheet - not a bounty listing, but a collection of pictures of people wanted for altercations where drugs were present. Alisa's image was there. Barely recognizable. Her hair was greasy, stringy. There were circles under her eyes and her face was pale aside from some patches of raw skin here and there. Her eyes burned with emotion but her lips were slack giving her no readable expression.

Ed handed him a pocket watch. Not the one he'd thrown into the harbor after his last encounter with Alisa, but one that looked similar enough. She had wanted him to know it was her.

"This time… not so much Faye-Faye's fault," Ed told him seriously. She pulled up a video clip from the hangar's camera feed showing the two women on the deck earlier. Faye, pale but blotchy, looking about as rough as Alisa, whose demeanor suggested the influence of drugs rather than being run-down from fever like Faye herself.

"Ah fuck."

Jet felt a shiver run down his spine. Alisa had kidnapped Faye. Taken her hostage perhaps? The why was a mystery - Jet hadn't even realized his ex had known who his companions on the Bebop were. The how was much easier to understand, given how under the weather and unable to defend herself Faye had been. Under any other circumstances, she would have mopped the deck with Alisa without breaking a sweat. And now, Spike was charging off on a rampage… one that was obviously justified yet still gave Jet pause.

It was Alisa, after all. His own once beloved Alisa. Though she looked like a stranger in that image and in the video. A shadow of the beautiful woman he had once given his heart to. What had happened? What had brought her to this desperate attack on his crew? What did she want by taking Faye? She'd left no note, sent no message to indicate she wanted anything from them. All she'd left was the pocket watch so he would have no doubt as to who was behind this. What could be her intent?

Spike had stormed from the living room and certainly was long gone by now. He hadn't waited for a reaction or response from Jet and truthfully Jet wasn't sure what he could have said. Wasn't sure what to do in fact. Guilt wracked him for so many reasons.

Where was Spike even going though? Did he know where Alisa had taken Faye?

Jet took a deep breath, girding himself for what he had to do. "Ed. Where's he going? Where did Alisa take Faye?"

The young hacker eyed him for a moment. "Faye-Faye still has a tracker in her boots. If she's wearing them, he'll be able to find her. Ed sent the coordinates to the Swordfish." She frowned and then seemed to reach a decision. "Ed will send them to the Hammerhead as well."

"Thanks kid. We'll be back. With Faye." Jet promised gruffly. Promises were something he was loath to make, but this was one that he intended to keep. Whatever happened, they were going to get Faye back safe and sound. He wouldn't permit any alternative.

xxx

En Route to Almathea (One of Jupiter's Smaller Moons)

Edward pushed her zipcraft as fast as it could go without putting it at risk of breaking apart. She still had no spacesuit and so she had to be careful not to destroy the only thing keeping her alive out here in space - but she also couldn't tolerate going any slower than maximum speed.

She felt harried, rushed, like there was a clock ticking down to destruction and if she could only go fast enough then perhaps she could stop everything from going horribly wrong.

As it was, she was terrified she was already too late. It took so much time to get from place to place, even using the Dark Gates as she was. Oh the others would be so shocked. She doubted Faye or Jet knew much about the Dark Gates, and even Spike likely wasn't too familiar with them despite his time in the Syndicate. No, it was one of the many questionable discoveries Ed had made while deep diving on the net over the years.

There was so much information available at your fingertips if you just knew where to scratch. And Ed had no compunction over hacking into anything and everything. In fact, the more supposedly secure or unknown a system was, the more Ed was determined to investigate until she'd turned over every stone and knew every secret.

She'd uncovered plenty that would haunt a normal person. And while she was often revolted or enraged, she also found herself being galvanized to make a positive difference the more she learned. Page Two of the ISSP crime log for instance. It was the stuff the others hated to research and assumed Ed was blessedly ignorant of. Not in the least. Ed knew all about those evil deeds and the type of person who perpetrated them - or organizations in quite a few cases. It filled her with a fury that she converted into determination. And she had learned a trick from Faye-Faye about how to deal with the sorrow that inevitably accompanied all that awfulness… she could hide her tears in the rain or in the shower. Let all that emotion escape to be washed down the drain. Shed tears for the people who were beyond help, and then in the wake of all that sorrow… she filled the emotional space with optimism. With firm resolve.

She would live for them. Smile for them, embrace all the joys of life for them. And for the folks still alive, still facing such terrors and tragedy… she would continue to build her Doomsday List. The names of all the people who would one day face justice at the hands of her comrades. She knew all of her shipmates - even Ein - would be grimly satisfied by taking out these evils. They were always careful to try and keep civilian casualties to a minimum - they didn't want to cause any more pain than the world already did. They just wanted to stop the bad guys and maybe collect some cash for their efforts.

But Ed had always known it wasn't about the woolongs. Sure, they needed money to survive and get around the galaxy, and they all pretended that was what drove them. But Ed knew better. It was what had drawn her to the Bebop in the first place. The way they'd let some bounties go. The way they'd try to help wherever they could. They were actually shit at coming off as assholes, all things considered, but Ed didn't bother to point that out. Let them enjoy their ruse if it makes them feel better.

This mission wasn't about the lost souls or vengeance though, not really. Or, hopefully not at any rate.

After the guys had taken off, Ed had raced to the hangar and launched immediately. She had given Jet and Spike different coordinates on purpose. It was wrong of her, no doubt, but she was trying very hard to keep them both from doing anything they'd regret. Not that either man had acknowledged regrets very readily if at all, but Ed didn't want anything haunting their hearts or weighing on their minds. They carried enough scars and guilt already.

Breaking through the Gate and steering towards the tiny moon, she hoped she would be on time.

xxx

Outpost on Almathea

The old man sat calmly inside the tent, not even twitching as Ed came barreling into the small space. She'd been directed there by a lady over near the main part of this particular outpost. Her target was a man who drifted amongst the stars, checking in periodically on all the outposts his people had established in the galaxy. It was a man she had never met but of whom she had heard much talk - and like any of the folks who the Bebop encountered regularly, Ed liked to keep track of their whereabouts and doings just in case they ever needed a helping hand in return. She considered herself more of a guardian angel than a spy. She liked to know where everyone was but she didn't intrude on their lives.

"Greetings to you, dear child." Laughing Bull said. His eyes were somber and wise.

She felt immediately comforted in his presence, but had no time for pleasantries or small talk.

"Ed came to you, Grampa Bull, for advice. Lunkhead comes to you when he needs guidance so Edward thought maybe…"

The old man interrupted her rapid-fire rambling. "Wild Monkey has never needed to be shown the way. What does your heart say?"

"That men don't always know how to handle women the way another woman does." Ed muttered darkly.

Laughing Bull sighed. "Some stars fade before their time. Living is not for the faint of heart. It breaks most souls in fact. Not all lost souls are doomed, however. We must remember that we are often not in a position to judge the fate of another." He regarded her seriously. "Do not partake in the darkness, Wild Monkey. Find the higher path."

Had he seen the intent in her heart? To take on the remorse herself? It seemed that way. And it seemed as if he didn't think that was the proper course to take. But she couldn't let Spike kill Alisa and neither could she let Jet shoulder that guilt. So then what was the answer? Laughing Bull seemed to think she already knew but her only solution thus far had been to take the weight of Alisa's fate off either of them by assuming that responsibility herself.

She couldn't be hasty about this - she had to consider alternatives to any of those outcomes, but she didn't have much time before the guys would realize her misdirection and take steps to find Alisa on their own. Already she would be facing the consequences of misleading them when Faye's very life was at stake.

Flashing Laughing Bull a tightlipped smile, she turned to leave the tent, throwing a hand up in farewell and thanks. With that over-the-shoulder casual goodbye along with her lanky form and mop of hair silhouetted against the setting sun outside she bore a very strong resemblance to Spike at that moment.

"Great Spirit, guide their souls."

Laughing Bull's parting words weren't for her but she heard them anyway and felt a rush of appreciation for the old man and his faith in her. He hadn't given her any clues, nor guidance, and yet she felt soothed by her visit.

xxx

Fausse Route Road on Ganymede

Spike was beyond furious. His anger burned whitehot in his chest and his hands trembled with the need to unleash his rage on someone - anyone - but preferably the woman who had taken Faye. Although, surprisingly, that woman wasn't the only one he was mad at right now.

He couldn't believe Ed had sent him bad information. She knew how important it was to try and recover kidnap victims as soon as possible - the more time that went by, the less likely the victim would be in good shape or even alive. And she adored Faye… why would Ed send him on a wild goose chase when he needed to be rescuing his woman?

It made no sense and the lack of logic was the only thing that was currently keeping his fury with her at bay. Once he managed to save Faye, he'd give Ed a chance to explain herself. What came after that was unknown. But what came after the next few hours was equally unknown. He refused to think about any outcome other than saving Faye. That was the only way to change the future from the blank void it resembled in Spike's mind at the moment. Without Faye, what would he fill his future with? No. He shut that line of thinking down. There was no going on without Faye. There was no room for anything in his heart or his mind except the certainty that he was going to get her back. That's all there could be.

Spike had reached the source of the signal Ed had claimed was for the tracker in Faye's boots but it had been a deadend. Some stupid drone that had smileys drawn in marker. Ed's work for sure but it had stunned Spike and made his blood run cold when he realized he was no closer to his love. He'd smashed the drone and it hadn't made him feel any better.

When he'd jumped back into his zipcraft, he'd been puzzled by Ein's furry face on the viewscreen but with no clue what to do next he'd answered the hail. Ein had barked at him a few times, to which Spike had scowled as a response, and eventually the dog's face disappeared to be replaced by an image of new coordinates. Spike could still hear barking off screen, but a fragile new hope had sprung to life with the coordinates he was instantly plugging into his navigation controls.

Whatever Ed was up to… she'd be hearing from Spike later. But if Ein had just managed to give him the actual lead to Faye's location… well, that good boy would be feasting on steak for days.

xxx

Plage de Clochards

Jet was perplexed. The location his ship had led him to - from the information Ed herself had sent him - had been an abandoned warehouse. It was situated between a derelict dock on the beach and the sprawling campus of the ISSP Academy where Jet himself had gone for training. Specializing in all three aspects of law enforcement - city, sea, and sky - it had been a huge part of Jet's life for many years. He'd caroused through the warehouse district with his fellow trainees any number of nights, drunk on alcohol and also drunk on their own aspirations. They'd been invincible and often sought out the bums in this area for some stress relieving fights. Well, some of his comrades had wanted to fight the bums, Jet himself had insisted they tackle gang members instead. Bums barely had any fight in them, but the gang members were always just as young and reckless and full of a need to prove themselves. Besides, busting knuckles on their skulls could mean the difference between those punks ruining someone else's life or spending days recuperating and being unable to cause a ruckus for anyone else.

He wondered if Ed had gotten the tracking information messed up somehow or if Faye had been moved from here - though if that was the case, where were her boots? Where were signs of anyone having been here at all? At a loss, he'd wandered from the warehouse and made his way towards the beach instead. He hadn't had any luck trying to raise Ed on the comms but he didn't want to just leave this area if it was the right place to look.

The beach was equally empty of any sign of life, which was unusual. It was typically home to all sorts of vagrants due to the lack of police presence and the ability to fend for oneself by fishing off the nearby dilapidated pier. Once upon a time it had been bustling with activity when the rich folks had first started to colonize Ganymede, but as cities had sprung to life and spread further and further inland - and begun building bigger and better beaches to cater to their luxurious lifestyles - it had been given over to the passage of time and to the downtrodden folk who had nowhere else to go.

The lack of anyone present made Jet very uncomfortable. What had happened to the bums and tramps who had made a rough home here? Perhaps they had moved inland to the alleys and low income neighborhoods, or perhaps they'd been rounded up by the authorities… or perhaps they'd been taken like Faye and Spike to compete in the games on the asteroid. Jet knew quite a few homeless had been stolen from Mars and Venus, but he hadn't even thought to check on planets beyond the asteroid field. This was a concern to address later however. Jet had other priorities today.

There was no way Ed could have realized the significance of this location to Jet himself. It had been only a few miles away - at the Homard Promenade - that he had taken Alisa on one of their very first dates. He had been far too broke to afford to treat her to the ritzy boardwalk over on the West Side. That one had all sorts of amusement rides, fancy restaurants for watching the sunset, entertainers eating fire or performing skits or whatever they could come up with. To be honest it seemed far too busy and far too crowded with patrons for Jet's tastes, and Alisa had always been happy enough with the simple life.

The beach itself had been where he first met Alisa, when she had stolen away from her own college campus in the company of a dozen or so giggling girlfriends. They'd all been feeling the pressure of their courses and of the expectations laid on them by well-meaning parents and guardians. So the girls like to get away to the beach, to dip their feet in the water, and to entice the young police recruits. Sometimes they'd dare the boys to try swimming out to the floating islands but only a fool tried to impress the ladies that way. Ganymede was made up of the great city isles and also thousands of islands so small you could spit across them, places where fishermen tended to live and where most of the youth who chose the naval career were raised.

Curiously enough, Jet had never been a fan of the sea aspect - give him life on the surface or life in the sky out in the stars, but not on or under the sea. It was baffling to most everyone he met, especially considering how even the great city isles were mostly underwater - existing like icebergs with only a fraction of their potential above the choppy water surface. But he had always enjoyed the edge of the world, where the sand or city met the water. Something about that contrast had always been appealing even if he wasn't comfortable being out on the open ocean exposed to the elements and at risk from storms.

The sky was mostly overcast today, not much chance of wild weather this near the city, and so he turned his thoughts from his own idiosyncrasies and back to the memories of Alisa. Perhaps recalling his past with her would aid him in understanding what she was up to now and why she'd taken a member of his crew.

With the absence of life and only rotting docks in his immediate vicinity, he turned and began walking toward the Homard Promenade, which extended for two miles into the ocean. It looked as desolate as everything else here on the cusp of the water's edge, but he felt drawn to it.

It had featured a ferris wheel and a lobster shack at the end which had been fancy enough for their first date. He'd even had a street artist do a sketch of Alisa looking out over the railing at the dolphins - which had been transplanted from Earth's oceans and had had an explosive population growth here on Ganymede - that were leaping out of the water as if putting on a show just for them. It had been a magical evening and it had swayed Alisa into giving him a second date, and then a third… They'd been trying their hand at something beyond friendship because everyone else already assumed they were dating, but they hadn't been at all sure what they wanted from each other. It had been a slow and steady evolution into a relationship that Jet had thought was going to last a lifetime. It seemed built so solid. Then again, even the most well built structures eventually collapsed into ruin so why would fragile human relationships be any more likely to endure?

Sighing, Jet continued marching down the beach towards the promenade. Maybe Ed had just gotten the coordinates off… or maybe Alisa had brought Faye to the warehouse first but then brought her to the promenade instead. He still hadn't seen any signs of footprints or vehicles but that wasn't to say the promenade was not the answer. He had no better idea of where to search and he had to start somewhere. He was a man who liked to think first, reason everything out, and then shift smoothly into action. But his thoughts kept bringing him to the past, to his failed relationship and what could have possibly driven Alisa to such a drastic move, and he couldn't reason anything out from the little he knew. So, a man of action he would have to be.

xxx

Liberty District of Ganymede

Spike was on his guard as he made his way through the narrow streets of an impoverished portion of Ganymede's main port city of Bell Ame. It felt like the right place compared to the last spot he'd been. This portion of the city was rundown and full of street toughs and gangs, which seemed to fit the environment where someone in Alisa's condition would be found. He had seen the clear signs of drug use on her body just from the videos Ed had shown him. His glimpse of Alisa before, when he'd gone after her beau Rhint and then given up the chase for Jet to handle, had not given him much to compare the more recent image against but he doubted she'd been as much of a mess back then. He didn't think Jet would have come back to the ship as… liberated as he had been if that had been the case.

The buildings were all in such disrepair that he hadn't dared to land the Swordfish on any of the rooftops so he had been forced to find an intersection wide enough to park his vessel. It might be towed or vandalized by the time he made it back, but that was the least of his worries right now. This was a terrible part of town and he had already been caught up in two fist fights because a few assholes had decided he looked like an easy mark being a man on his own. To be fair, he certainly looked like he had money in comparison with the crowd he was storming through, but he was just as broke as any of these poor bastards in reality.

After the first few attempts at hassling him, the rest of the folks seemed to realize that Spike was not the sort to be fucked with and everyone was melting out of his way to avoid being the next unfortunate souls to face his wrath. In a way he was grateful to the few who had been too bold or too dumb to avoid him - it had let him unleash some of his animosity on deserving targets and it had helped clear the way for the rest of his passage to the scummy looking three story apartment complex that was his goal.

He tried to calm himself down as he reached the entry to the building and crept inside. After all, it wouldn't do to crash into the place and have the walls come crumbling down on himself and any other occupants. The entire building looked held together by mold and rust and cobwebs more than wood or metal. It felt distinctly unsafe, but Spike passed several huddled individuals in the main corridor. Most took one look at him and pressed back against the walls, trying to merge with the shadows, or else went scrambling clumsily towards the exit that would take them safely from his rampage.

Some remained lumps on the floor and he had no idea whether they simply didn't care about getting hurt or whether they were already dead and beyond caring entirely. It wasn't his concern. None of these people were who he was after and he could do nothing for them anyway. This was Ganymede's problem - Ganymede's forgotten people. It was the same sad shit he'd seen on every rock that humanity had managed to adapt to support life.

There was an uncomfortable silence lingering over this place broken only by the coughs of some of the denizens and the groans of the structure as wind buffeted the outside and swept in through cracks or missing sections of walls. It reminded him a little of the castle he'd explored with Faye on Old Earth, but there had obviously never been any majesty to this place.

At last he came to the end of the hallway. There was a staircase here that was mostly intact, unlike the one at the opposite end where he'd entered which no longer provided access to the higher floors. This one wasn't much less sketchy, but he had no choice because the coordinates Ein had sent him indicated Faye would be found in an apartment at this far end, and the signal that Ein had updated - after Spike destroyed the drone - claimed that his target was on one of the upper levels. The second one, fortunately, because the stairs continuing up to the third were as impassable as the original stairway he'd skirted by.

His heart was pounding in his chest but his senses were on high alert for any sounds that could mean someone else was laying in wait. As far as he knew, Alisa hadn't contacted Jet or the Bebop to discuss terms or ask for a ransom, which should mean that she wasn't expecting anyone to show up looking for Faye. None of it made a lick of sense to Spike, but considering the haggard appearance Alisa had in the video… she might not be in a very sensible state of mind. Drugs could ruin a person in countless ways. Which also might mean she was there and in an extremely paranoid mindset. He had to tread carefully no matter what.

Pausing outside the door, Spike drew his gun and listened intently for a few minutes. He hated to wait but it was smarter to gauge the situation rather than barging in with his gun blasting. He had no idea what the layout of the interior of the apartments was and it might be easy for Alisa to use Faye as a shield - not that that would keep Spike from hitting the right person. He had plenty of experience with killing people who used Faye as a hostage, after all.

But he couldn't hear anything at all. Was this even the right location? He was relying on a dog and though he knew Ein was smarter than your average mutt… no, there was no time for doubts or uncertainty. He was here and this felt like the right place. He could practically sense Faye beyond the door and it was that gut instinct that spurred him to move forward.

The door was locked, but that was no determent. Using one of Faye's lockpicks - he always had a few stashed on his person nowadays - he gained access with ease and slipped silently inside.

xxx

Homard Promenade

Cold determination coursed through Jet's veins as he reached the ramshackle pier. It was only a few miles in length and he could make out a solitary figure standing right at the edge beyond the skeletal remains of the ferris wheel. The person was staring down at the dark waters below. It seemed to be someone of slight stature.

Oh who was he fooling? There was no mistaking who stood on the precipice.

Alisa. Her name itself meant great happiness. She had teased him before about how his name had been so dark… Jet Black… literally the darkest color - and how she was meant to be his happiness, to brighten his life. They had been happy together for a time. But now he wondered if her name had been a bitter burden placed on her by her parents. Had she ever truly been happy with him? Had she been searching for joy all her life? The irony was brutal.

He made no attempt to hide his approach, not that his boots ever let him sneak up very quietly.

He also held his gun steady on her form - though not anywhere that would be a lethal shot because she wasn't his goal. Faye had clearly been taken somewhere else or - god forbid - had been cast over the edge into the sea. He didn't fancy himself a religious man to any degree but he still found himself praying that Faye was somewhere safe. Hell, Faye herself was a wild card - maybe she'd managed to break herself free of Alisa despite how ill she was. If anyone could it would be one of his teammates so he found himself pushing his hopes towards that outcome above all else.

When he was still several yards away Alisa lifted her head from her surveillance of the sea and turned to face him. She held a gun as well, though his stance and grip were firm where hers was shaky. She seemed a wisp of the woman he had once known and still cared for deep down. For good or for ill, it was nearly impossible to expunge love from your heart once it had taken root.

"Alisa. Why? What reason could you have to kidnap Faye from my ship?" Jet asked softly. He didn't want to set her off and she seemed even more unsettled than the last time they'd been standing across from each other like this. "Where is she? What did you do with her?"

She frowned at him and he thought she looked confused. But then she squared her chin and held his gaze with her own furious eyes. "I wanted to hurt you." She replied. "You brought me so much pain. You ruined everything. I didn't want you to be happy. I didn't want you to get to love. Not when it was denied to me. You took away all my choices, always! So I wanted to take away something of yours."

Though she seemed half-crazed, he tried to reason with her anyway. "She isn't my woman, Alisa. And if you wanted me to pay, why hurt her? Why not just come after me?"

Alisa seemed taken off guard by his words for a moment but she recovered swiftly. "She may not be yours, Jet. But you care for her and causing pain to the people you love has always been the best way to hurt you." Alisa responded plainly. "I didn't hurt her though. It wasn't her fault. I wanted to help her… I… no, I wanted to hurt her… but I couldn't…"

"Alisa, please. Where is she? Is she okay?" He wanted to ask what had happened to Alisa to drive her to this desperate act, but that wasn't nearly as important as recovering Faye.

But Alisa took no note of his questions. She had a wild look in her eyes like an animal caught in a trap. "Rhint. He needed me. He trusted me. He was the only man who ever let me call the shots. And they killed him! Because of you, throwing him into jail - he died! He was strong, Jet, but he needed me to protect him, not the other way around. You doomed him. Doomed us both. Now you're the one who will suffer pain!" Alisa was shouting at him now, tears tracking down her cheeks and spittle flying from her lips as she yelled. She still held the gun on him as unsteadily as she had that day, years ago now, when he'd arrested Rhint. But she'd shot at him that day and he didn't think she'd hesitate to pull the trigger again today.

A blinding light engulfed the boardwalk. No! Jet threw himself behind the remnants of the lobster shack, trusting that he remembered where it was, seeking cover from the bullets he was sure would start flying. This was like Fad's deception all over again. But Alisa cried out too. She hadn't turned on any lights to distract him - she'd been distracted by it too! What was happening?

"NOOOO! Let me choose my own path this once!" Alisa screamed.

Jet held his arm in front of his eyes, trying to blink away the temporary blindness from the light. He heard a gunshot - several - and while most apparently went wide of whatever her target was, a few struck metal. Jet's stomach and heart both tried to drop to his feet. SPIKE! He'd been wondering in the back of his mind where his partner was, especially since Ed had given them both directions here.

A splash caught his attention and Jet gave up on staying behind cover. He lurched to his feet and ran to the edge of the dock, peering over into the dark waters. He was entirely unprepared for the sight that met his still half-blinded eyes.

Ed's zipcraft was hovering above the water's surface, void of any occupants. Spike and the Swordfish were nowhere in sight. Bubbles frothed up from the depths below and Jet dove without hesitation off the boardwalk and into the turbulent water.

xxx

Liberty District of Ganymede

Alisa's Apartment

The apartment was as dingy and nearly deserted as the rest of the complex. Empty and broken vials were scattered all around along with countless liquor bottles and a disturbing amount of printouts featuring Jet or the Bebop or Faye. There was hardly any furniture in the place, though it was clearly lived in until recently.

Spike swept through with only half his attention taking note of the disarray of the place. There were no threats - no Alisa - and he was able to make his way to the only other room of the apartment in hardly any time at all.

Horror froze him momentarily when he opened that creaky door and discovered Faye in a bathtub inside, laying frighteningly still and silent in a mixture of water and ice. Thankfully there was too little liquid in the bathtub for her to have slipped underneath the water and drowned, but he was desperately concerned about hypothermia setting in. How long had she been in there? What the fuck was the purpose of this? Had Alisa been after her organs? He'd only ever seen this type of scene in the bloody aftermath of organ harvesting but his sharp eyes couldn't see any blood and no visible wounds on Faye either. What in the fuck? No matter, not important.

He holstered his gun, cast his trenchcoat aside, and plunged his arms into the icy bath gathering Faye up and out and into his arms. She gave a shuddering gasp and her eyes flickered open just a crack. Fuck, he hadn't been so happy to see her wake up since the Brain Scratch fiasco.

He awkwardly grabbed for his discarded trenchcoat and wrapped it around her to try and dry her off. She was practically convulsing from the cold - or maybe the shock now of the warmer temperature of the air? He didn't know but it was critical to get her warmed up. Laying her gently on the tile of the bathroom floor, he dashed back into the main room of the apartment and snatched up every piece of fabric he could spot - blanket or clothing or towel, none of it was clean but all of it was dry at least.

He piled everything on top of Faye and yanked her boots off so her feet weren't trapped in pools of ice water. His mind raced over his options. He tried turning on the shower to see if he could fill the tub with warm water instead but the pipes groaned and only offered sulfuric smelling cold water. Hot water in a place like this would have been a luxury that the slum lords no doubt didn't maintain for these tenants, if indeed they were tenants at all. More likely everyone here was a squatter just hoping for a place out of the rain and elements.

"Fuck, the one time I could use a remote for my fucking ship," He muttered angrily.

Faye gave a weak giggle. Surprisingly she sounded slightly less stuffed up. The sound revitalized him and he sat on the floor next to her to drag her into his lap so he could rub her arms and legs briskly to try and help her regain circulation.

Spike was terrified of what might happen if she fell asleep so he spoke to her hoping to keep her awake and aware. "Assholes always after your blood or organs, what the fuck is up with that?"

"Mm, vin-vin-vintage, bbbbaby. Evvvry'bbbody wants vin-vintage." She managed to reply through chattering teeth.

He couldn't help a bark of laughter despite his worry. What a fucking smartass. Fumbling around for his comm device, he stabbed at it to open a channel to any of his shipmates, using the open frequency that they could all pick up on. Ed had long ago set it up to be restricted to just their ships so others couldn't listen in or fill the space with chatter.

"Jet! Ed! Where the fuck are either of you? I need someone to come pick Faye up!" He put the comm on top of the fabrics she was bundled in, settling it on where her lap was, and got into a squatting position so he could heave her up into his arms. If no one was available, they'd need to get to his ship as soon as possible so he could get her back to the Bebop and her body temperature up. If one of them was around, then he'd be able to meet them outside. "Stay awake, Faye. Keep talking to me, hey? You sound a lot better actually,"

Her head lolled to rest against his shoulder, her hair sopping wet and dripping onto his jacket, but she blinked at him and opened her eyes a bit wider. Her green eyes - those jewels which he could never decide if they were jade or emerald - were the brightest thing about her. Her skin was no longer blotchy from fever but not pale either, it was beyond pale… faintly blue in fact, but thankfully that tinge was starting to fade just a bit.

"She-she-she said J-J-Jet never d-d-did know h-how to b-break a fe-ever," Faye explained. "I-I- I think she-she is isn't qu-quite sane. D-d-drugs and he-heart-heartbreak. She kep-kept saying she-she had no ch-choice."

Spike grit his teeth. No choice? Choosing to kidnap someone was definitely making a choice. A terrible one but no one held a gun to her head, clearly. There was obviously only Alisa responsible for this. But… she'd put Faye in the ice bath to bring her temperature down? So maybe she hadn't intended to hurt Faye… but why kidnap her in the first place? Just to get at Jet? He supposed trying to make sense of someone who'd been living in squalor and addicted to… not Red Eye, he hadn't seen signs of that drug in the mess of an apartment. Perhaps something from the opposite end of the spectrum… a depressant of some sort? Bliss, maybe - the drug notorious for reducing people to a stupor of dreams that never failed to shatter into harsh disillusionment when the user came out of the high. It offered comfort but that was a lie.

He somehow managed to get them out of the apartment and down the stairs without incident. The hallway remained clear of obstacles save all the debris and the people who'd been in a daze or worse on his initial trip through. The comm device remained stubbornly silent though, which made Spike nervous. At least one of the others should have replied - though what he would have done if Ein answered he wasn't sure.

The street outside the apartment complex was just as filled with junkies and folks on hard times as before, but this time no one tried to accost him. He would have been hard pressed to fend off any attackers while bearing the weight of Faye's sodden form, but he'd apparently left enough of an impression that everyone stayed their distance even if their eyes tracked his progress down the road.

The Swordfish was a gorgeous sight to behold. And remarkably it was unticketed - although the notion of law enforcement patrolling this area was a fucking laugh - and no uppity gangs had bothered to vandalize his baby. How many strokes of luck was one man entitled to?

"She-she-she s-s-said every-everything went ba-bad after J-Jet g-got Rhi-Rhint ja-jailed," It was hard to tell what with how much her teeth were still chattering, but Spike thought Faye sounded… sad. Empathizing with Alisa and her tough situation. Well, fuck that - people chose how to react and respond to whatever was going on in their lives. Some people chose wrong.

Jet had never been very forthcoming with details about his life with Alisa, but Spike didn't think she was the victim in their failed relationship. She'd obviously made a mess of her own life and wanted to cast the blame elsewhere. To inflict pain in a misguided attempt to alleviate her own. But that wasn't how pain worked.

"HEY! You there, kid - open that pod up for me!" Spike shouted at a scrawny youth who was watching his progress with curiosity. The kid hesitated and Spike growled. "I'll fucking pay you, just open it for me!" Money made shit happen and this was no exception. The kid scrambled onto a wing of the zipcraft to do as Spike ordered and even reached down to haul Faye out of Spike's arms and into the craft without being told. Spike was privately impressed at his strength given how spindly the kid was built. Hopping into the vessel himself, Spike quickly accessed a compartment where he had a few woolong cards for emergencies and grabbed a handful out for the youth.

The kid looked stunned but began hiding them on his person, casting furtive glances around at the other people in the area. "Thanks, mister!" He shouted as Spike fired up the Swordfish's engines. The kid dashed off a heartbeat later, disappearing down an alleyway. Surprisingly, no one tried to follow to rob him. Which was good - Spike would have opened fire on anyone who tried just to alleviate more of his still-burning anger. Alisa had no idea how lucky she was that she wasn't in that apartment building. Even being Jet's ex wouldn't have saved her life.

"Hang on, baby, gonna get you home and warm in no time." Spike promised Faye. He cranked the heat in his ship to the max and set an auto course for the Bebop, then gathered her back into his arms. "Hey, hey, stay awake, c'mon - tell me more about your adventure today, why dontcha? Give me a reason not to go kill Alisa."

Her eyes were fluttering and she grimaced. "Mi-might've… might've saved my-my life. She-she sa-said my fe-fever was da-danger-dangerously h-high…" She admitted.

Spike pressed her hands to the heater vents to try and warm up her digits. "Hm. Maybe at first but leaving you to freeze would've killed you eventually."

Faye moaned. "H-ha-hate co-co-cold,"

He pulled her hands from the vents and held both in one of his, using his other hand to push aside the now wet and gross fabrics he'd wrapped her in. Even the trench coat got discarded on the floor of the Swordfish. His pants became damp almost instantly from her clothes but he was too overheated himself to even notice the discomfort.

The comm, buried under the fabrics, was muffled when someone finally answered and he hastily smashed the button on his ship to switch to his vessel's comm. Ed's face appeared, looking for some reason also soaking wet. Her hair was plastered to her face and her nose was bright red. Fuck, was she sick again too?

"Found Faye-Faye!" She rejoiced immediately.

Spike had no time for her typical nonsense. They were nearly back to the ship. "Ed! Get the tub filled with lukewarm water! We're gonna need to slowly warm Faye up."

Ed saluted. "Gotcha! Ed will put more water on boil so we won't run out of hot to add."

He was still confused on why she'd misled him in the first place, but as long as Faye pulled out of this with no issues… well… "Thanks, Ed." He muttered, switching off the comm, though Ed had already dashed from the screen to do as he'd requested.

They were finally in sight of the Bebop and Spike sighed in relief. Faye, still limp in his arms, glanced out the windows and managed a smile. "H-home s-sweet h-home,"

xxx

On Board the Bebop

Hours Later

Faye was ensconced in the blanket fresh out of the dryer, not tucked into bed like she probably should have been but instead on the mattress from the bedroom which had been dragged into the living room. Ed had brought all the mattresses into the space and all the blankets on the ship and she'd made a nest for everyone to cuddle in.

Jet was in the kitchen at the moment fixing more hot tea along with some dinner but while cooking was necessary it was also clearly an excuse to continue avoiding everyone else.

Spike was sitting on the mattress with his back against the couch and Faye tucked in front of him. They were both freshly showered and wearing the only two pairs of sweatpants he had. She wasn't shivering anymore and wasn't sweating through every layer of clothes either, though her throat was still killing her, her nose hadn't stopped running, and her cough made Spike's chest hurt just to hear judging by the wince he made every time. But the thermometer indicated that her fever had indeed been broken and she'd been stuffed with Jet's pharmacy medicine and Spike's… more traditional method of medication.

"You're lucky my nose is still wonky," She had told him when he presented her with the concoctions he'd made. "If I could taste this shit any better I'd probably throw it up on you." She had admitted to puking on Alisa not once but twice from all the phlegm she'd had roiling in her belly from it dripping down her esophagus.

Ed was in front of Faye, not leaning against her the way Faye was leaning against Spike, but curled into a ball and radiating heat. It was actually rather pleasant to be sandwiched between both messy haired hot-blooded individuals - especially since Ed was freshly bathed as well and had opted to use - rather unfortunately - an entire bottle of Faye's favorite shampoo. Ed had claimed she'd done it so Faye-Faye would be able to smell it on her since she loved the scent so much. It was… an interesting excuse for having clearly poured too much out, but Faye could indeed detect just a hint of the aroma if she bent down and buried her face in Ed's hair.

Ein was in the kitchen keeping Jet company and presumably hoping for food items to fall to the floor so he could eat them up. Faye thought that was just a cover for the dog wanting to be there for Jet who was certainly having as bad of a day as Faye herself had. Ed was napping at present but she'd regaled Spike and Faye with quite a story while they'd all been setting up the bedding and snuggling in for a rest.

She'd admitted to sending Jet and Spike on wild goose chases but had been nearly in tears trying to explain why while Spike had glowered at her. Faye wasn't at all surprised by Ed's rationale once the young hacker had managed, between sniffles and hiccups, to explain. Spike's ire was devastating and Faye privately suspected he still had intentions to track Alisa down and make her pay. While Jet hadn't been with her in years, that type of brutality inflicted on his ex could have made things very uncomfortable between the two men. It was obvious that they were at odds already due to this and that outcome would have only made things worse. And Ed's worry about Jet taking it upon himself to end Alisa was just as valid of a fear. Jet was not the type of man to be hesitant about doing what was necessary to protect his family, even if it shattered his own heart beyond repair and devastated him with grief and guilt.

Faye had tried to argue on Ed's behalf as well. There was no way any of them could have known if she was alive at any point after she'd been kidnapped, so realistically the fact that they had been misled might not have mattered in the long run. Since Alisa had taken it upon herself to try and help Faye with her fever, Faye was feeling a bit sympathetic towards the other woman. She wasn't sure what she herself might have been driven to do if she'd had a man she loved incarcerated and then murdered while in jail, to say nothing of the debts Alisa had owed to some bad people who had forced her to play by their rules in a dangerous game. She'd mumbled to Faye about being talked into selling drugs to pay back her loan, about being so lost and confused and depressed that she had dabbled with the drugs at one point and… well… that had been the start of her true descent into despair and madness. She had gotten hooked on Bliss, on experiencing rapture and being reunited with Rhint only to have that dream dashed every time she sobered up and returned to reality. It was an awful cycle to be caught in and she had begun to try and cast blame elsewhere for her situation. It seemed all too easy to trace her troubles back to Jet's arrest of Rhint, but that was because she hadn't taken things further back to where it had actually begun to fall apart. The loan shark was undoubtedly her first mistake.

Spike had little if any sympathy for her plight judging by how unmoved he had been by Ed or Faye's explanation. It was probably why Ed refused to admit where she had taken the woman after she'd saved her from Jet and from a plunge into the sea after trying to commit suicide. Faye hoped that Ed kept that secret to herself and also knew enough to hide any trace of the woman from records accessible on the internet. Spike was not much good at hacking into medical records but Jet had some skill there. Still, Faye was reasonably sure that Ed would have considered all of this when she'd made the risky move to intercede between two armed and unstable individuals on that lonely dock at the edge of the sea.

Jet hadn't said a word to anyone since he'd gotten back. He had taken the last shower, using what couldn't possibly be warm water, and had then disappeared into the kitchen to get started on the tea and dinner. Faye had noticed this tendency of his before actually. Whenever things got out of control and he felt adrift and unworthy of the company of others, he would put himself to use as if to prove he had value and was capable. It was something Faye understood intimately well because she had done the same from time to time. Her method involved bagging bounties or trying to win at gambling, but to each their own.

She wasn't sure what to say to Jet about all of this. She certainly didn't hold him responsible for the deranged acts of a misguided ex, but he might expect her to. So for now she was going to let the matter drop. She was safe, she was home, she was actually feeling a bit better all things considered, so everything else could be put off for now. She just wanted to indulge in this calm moment, soaking up the warmth and the love.

And when Jet finally came out of the kitchen with dinner, she'd make him join them in the blanket pile even if he tried to avoid it. If nothing else, she could guilt him into it easily enough. A dirty tactic but sometimes you had to play mean to accomplish your goals and Faye had only one goal now: to fix shit between everyone. She was under no illusion that it would happen tonight and figured it would be a painstaking process at best… but dammit, they had been so good before all this. They could heal from this. They'd healed from everything else that had ever hurt or broken them, after all. Bad things happened sometimes - that's just how life works - but though they were all out of sorts right now… this too would pass.