Title: Unknown Session # 1: Identity Crisis

Chapter: 1

Author: The Infamous Kid Pixie

Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop. Don't sue me.

Author's Note: Come on know, ya'll, I feel neglected here! I haven't been reviewed since I first posted this story! You're horrible for my self esteem, you know that? Ah, well, whatever. I could go off on a rant, but I won't subject you all to that. Just enjoy the story, and if you want to, review it. God knows I'd appreciate it.  Anyways… Um, yeah. I can't think of much else to say, so I'll quit bothering you all. Here's the story.

Unknown Session #1: Identity Crisis

Chapter 3

            Faye was the first to speak.

            "How…?" She muttered. Mickey's smile grew warm again and she shrugged her shirt back onto her shoulder.

            "I'm surprised none of you knew. I thought I botched the job pretty badly, but no one seemed to be able to tell," she said.

            "Quit being so cryptic and tell us what's going on!" Jet commanded. Mickey grinned even wider, but didn't answer.

            "There'll be a time, doncha worry!" she giggled, and snatched the clothes Spike had thrown at her earlier. Then, before anyone could stop her, she had run into the bathroom and locked herself in. Faye bolted after her, but the door was sealed tight.

            "Mickey! Open the door! You have got to tell us what's going on! Mickey!" she screamed, pounding on the door. Spike stepped in, pushed Faye lightly to the side, and shot the lock. The door slid open, revealing Mickey.

            Except Mickey wasn't Mickey anymore. She was the tall man from Jupiter. He was smiling, but it wasn't the cold smile he wore on Jupiter. It was an expectant smile, as if he were waiting for something.

            "Well?" he prompted, "Have you guessed it yet?"

            "You're a skin crawler…" Faye muttered, blanching.

            "Very good. I'm still Mickey, but I like this form better than my normal one. It's stronger," the man commented.

            "Skin crawling isn't even possible; it's a fairy tale," Spike grumbled.

            "No, you're wrong. You see, I was exposed to a lot of radiation at one point in my life due to an explosion. So my skin and bones can warp into new forms. Rather handy in my line of work," Mickey explained.

            "What do you do, anyway?!" Faye cried. She had lost any and all composure at the time a seventeen year old girl melted into a twenty something man.

            "I am a professional thief. I steal things for people, and they pay me. That's why I have a bounty on my head in the first place," Mickey replied. She, or now he, walked over to the couch and stretched lazily onto it. He'd had enough sense to change back into his original clothes so he wouldn't tear the smaller ones.

            "That's the matter at hand. We know what your connection to the bounty is now. And we can turn you in," Spike said through a cocky grin.

            "Don't think so," Mickey shot back. "You see, when you turn me in, I won't be the man the bounty's on. I'll be little girl Mickey. The bounty isn't on her. And they won't believe that I'm a shape shifter, either. There's no test that'll prove it, and the stories of bounty hunters aren't exactly credible."

            "We'll shoot you if you don't go along with us," Spike curtly replied. He smiled sardonically. "We are, after all, bounty hunters."

            "Shoot me," Mickey answered carelessly. "I'd rather be dead than in prison."

            "You're worth more alive to me at the moment. You're lucky," Spike answered.

            "No, I just happened to have delivered an effective stalemate. You can't kill me, but you won't let me leave here, either," Mickey said.

            "You said you had a bounty placed on you because you were a thief, Mickey," Faye said. "If you have the time, I'd like to know what the full story is."

            "I've got all the time in the world. I can't leave remember?" Mickey grumbled. Faye began to apologize, but Mickey stopped her. "It's OK, never mind. I was hired by some gang to root out information on some other gang. I took the form of one of the gang's members and stole the list of names of gang members. Evidently this guy, the real one, not me, betrayed the gang leaders and murdered them later, but that's irrelevant… what's with the face, Spike?"

            While he was talking, Spike had stiffened visibly. He shook his head slightly when Mickey noticed, stating simply, "Got a chill."

            "Oh. Well, anyway, the gang was smart and knew that the information was stolen by a thief outside the group. I was sloppy and failed to make sure that the man didn't have an alibi. He did. The whole group was together that night. I also made the mistake of walking into a camera monitored area in this form. The leaders set of a bounty on my head. I guess they were trying to tie up any loose ends; they found out who had hired me and slaughtered the whole gang. They knew I'd seen the list, so to ensure secrecy, they bribed the police to activate my bounty," Mickey told them. Spike shifted his weight to the other foot.

            "Just out of curiosity, Mickey," he said, "what was the gang you pillaged the list from called?"

            Mickey thought for a second, tipping his head back. "I don't remember for certain," he replied, "but I think it was called the Red Dragon Syndicate."

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A.N.: How's that for a cliff-hanger? I apologize for any sloppiness in this chapter; I only slept about three hours last night. I keep having this weird dream where I'm speaking Latin to people in a room. I don't even know Latin! The only reason I know I'm speaking Latin is because I talk in my sleep and one of my friends (or somebody, I don't remember) told me I was. Weird, no? I've always believed in reincarnation, and that just sort of settles it, right there. Oh, geez, I'm rambling. Well, review for me, please! Thanks!

Ja Ne!

*~Kid Pixie~*