The elevator came to a halt, and the doors slid open. The man riding in the metal box was about thirty-ish, with slicked blonde hair... and attractive man, by most standards. He stepped out of the elevator, and the doors slid shut behind him.
As he passed the mirror in the hallway, he stopped to gauge his appearance. He preened himself nervously, then satisfied that he looked about as good as he could, he turned from the mirror and walked the rest of the length off the hallway, stopping as hereached the last door.
He paused as he noticed a note tacked to it. He'd been there a thousand times, but he still felt compelled to check the apartment number. 106. Yes, this was the right place. He began to read.
John,
I'm afraid I had to leave town on business, I'm very sorry, but I have to postpone
our meeting. I'll call you tonight.
-Faye-
John stared blankly at the slip of paper. He was in shock... would Faye really cancel again? He reread the note.
"Postpone our meeting..." he mumbled. Meeting! It sounded like a letter for one of her clients. She hadn't even signed it "with love."
And this was supposed to be a celebration breakfast, in honor of their impending nuptials.
"Some honeymoon this is going to be," he muttered, taking down the note and crumbling it in one hand. He tossed the wad of paper over his shoulder and trudged back down the hall. That Faye... ever the wanderer.
knock! knock!
It never failed, every time he started to relax...
Knock! Knock!
"I'm coming, I'm coming! Keep your shirt on..."
Jet lived on the ocean of Ganymede. The Bebop, once a lively home to five, if
you included Ein, sat by the docks, floating on the waves, a lonely bachelor's abode. It had sat there for almost a year... since Jet's retirement.
He swung the door open, preparing to give whatever door to door solicitor was on the other side a piece of his mind, but as the face in the doorway registered, he changed his mind, sweeping the figure up into a tremendous bear hug.
"Akkk... Watch it, Jet, you're gonna crack my ribs!"
He let the woman go, smiling broadly, "Faye! You know, if you came to see me more often, you wouldn't get this kind of greeting."
Faye grinned and cradled her ribs in mock injury, "I don't know if I can afford to see you more often."
"So why have you been making yourself so scarce lately?" Jet said, sitting her down at the dining room table.
"I've been spending more time at home, I haven't been out as much on jobs. You know I come by any time I'm on Ganymede."
"The little man doesn't like spending time apart?"
Faye turned suddenly sober, and smiled wryly. "Any two people in love would want to be close together."
"Which brings me to my next question."
"Which is?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Just in the neighborhood, thought I'd drop in." She lied.
Jet gave he a suspicious look, but didn't say anything.
Faye swallowed nervously, "So what have you been up to?"
Jet relaxed "Well, I've been doing a little fishing, and tending my trees... you know, I thought retirement would be boring, but I really like just being able to kick back."
"Oh..." Suddenly Faye felt guilty for what almost done. She'd come here to
enlist Jet's help, but now that she saw him... did she really have the right to come howling through the door like a whirlwind and tear this man's new life to shreds, as Kataki had torn hers?"
"And what about you?"
"Well, I just took this new job, it's a really tough target." She couldn't do it, not until she knew for sure; she wouldn't hurt him like that. "I was on my way to Earth to start my search, but figured I should stop in here first, say 'hi' to my old buddy Jet."
"Well I'm glad you did." He said with a smile.
"Me too."
Faye had talked with Jet until dusk, but now she had to move on. The last known sighting in the file was on Earth, near what used to be Las Vegas, so that's where she was headed.
She stood on the dock, and punched a button on her bracelet. Within moments a point of light detached itself from the emerging stars, and began moving toward her. As it approached it got bigger, until a full sized ship came to hover above the dock. It was a midnight blue, mid-sized ship, smaller than the Bebop, but much larger than the Redtail. Two, maybe even three people could live on this ship comfortably, but it would never house the menagerie that the Bebop had.
She traced her fingers along the lettering on the hull. SHADOW WOLF. She'd bought this ship just after Jet's retirement. It felt more like home than that apartment of hers.
Faye hit another button, and the ship nestled itself into the water. The door slid open and a plank extended to the dock. As she entered her ship, the lights came on, and the door slid shut behind her. "Time to be off."
As he passed the mirror in the hallway, he stopped to gauge his appearance. He preened himself nervously, then satisfied that he looked about as good as he could, he turned from the mirror and walked the rest of the length off the hallway, stopping as hereached the last door.
He paused as he noticed a note tacked to it. He'd been there a thousand times, but he still felt compelled to check the apartment number. 106. Yes, this was the right place. He began to read.
John,
I'm afraid I had to leave town on business, I'm very sorry, but I have to postpone
our meeting. I'll call you tonight.
-Faye-
John stared blankly at the slip of paper. He was in shock... would Faye really cancel again? He reread the note.
"Postpone our meeting..." he mumbled. Meeting! It sounded like a letter for one of her clients. She hadn't even signed it "with love."
And this was supposed to be a celebration breakfast, in honor of their impending nuptials.
"Some honeymoon this is going to be," he muttered, taking down the note and crumbling it in one hand. He tossed the wad of paper over his shoulder and trudged back down the hall. That Faye... ever the wanderer.
knock! knock!
It never failed, every time he started to relax...
Knock! Knock!
"I'm coming, I'm coming! Keep your shirt on..."
Jet lived on the ocean of Ganymede. The Bebop, once a lively home to five, if
you included Ein, sat by the docks, floating on the waves, a lonely bachelor's abode. It had sat there for almost a year... since Jet's retirement.
He swung the door open, preparing to give whatever door to door solicitor was on the other side a piece of his mind, but as the face in the doorway registered, he changed his mind, sweeping the figure up into a tremendous bear hug.
"Akkk... Watch it, Jet, you're gonna crack my ribs!"
He let the woman go, smiling broadly, "Faye! You know, if you came to see me more often, you wouldn't get this kind of greeting."
Faye grinned and cradled her ribs in mock injury, "I don't know if I can afford to see you more often."
"So why have you been making yourself so scarce lately?" Jet said, sitting her down at the dining room table.
"I've been spending more time at home, I haven't been out as much on jobs. You know I come by any time I'm on Ganymede."
"The little man doesn't like spending time apart?"
Faye turned suddenly sober, and smiled wryly. "Any two people in love would want to be close together."
"Which brings me to my next question."
"Which is?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Just in the neighborhood, thought I'd drop in." She lied.
Jet gave he a suspicious look, but didn't say anything.
Faye swallowed nervously, "So what have you been up to?"
Jet relaxed "Well, I've been doing a little fishing, and tending my trees... you know, I thought retirement would be boring, but I really like just being able to kick back."
"Oh..." Suddenly Faye felt guilty for what almost done. She'd come here to
enlist Jet's help, but now that she saw him... did she really have the right to come howling through the door like a whirlwind and tear this man's new life to shreds, as Kataki had torn hers?"
"And what about you?"
"Well, I just took this new job, it's a really tough target." She couldn't do it, not until she knew for sure; she wouldn't hurt him like that. "I was on my way to Earth to start my search, but figured I should stop in here first, say 'hi' to my old buddy Jet."
"Well I'm glad you did." He said with a smile.
"Me too."
Faye had talked with Jet until dusk, but now she had to move on. The last known sighting in the file was on Earth, near what used to be Las Vegas, so that's where she was headed.
She stood on the dock, and punched a button on her bracelet. Within moments a point of light detached itself from the emerging stars, and began moving toward her. As it approached it got bigger, until a full sized ship came to hover above the dock. It was a midnight blue, mid-sized ship, smaller than the Bebop, but much larger than the Redtail. Two, maybe even three people could live on this ship comfortably, but it would never house the menagerie that the Bebop had.
She traced her fingers along the lettering on the hull. SHADOW WOLF. She'd bought this ship just after Jet's retirement. It felt more like home than that apartment of hers.
Faye hit another button, and the ship nestled itself into the water. The door slid open and a plank extended to the dock. As she entered her ship, the lights came on, and the door slid shut behind her. "Time to be off."