I don't own Cowboy Bebop and I don't own the song "Look to Your Orb for the Warning"



-A few months later...

"All right, Spike, that's it, now ease up a little on the throttle."

Spike had been learning to fly for a little over a month now. So far he was doing pretty well. In fact, he was doing extraordinarily well, piloting had come naturally to him. All his life, things had come naturally to him, he supposed it was because he was adaptable, he had to be.

" Well, that's enough for today," came Doohan's voice over the intercom. "I don't think there's anything else I can teach you." His voice held a slight chuckle as he said this.



~Going down now~



" All right, I'm landing," Spike said as he lowered the nose of the plane.

When they got back to Doohan's shop, Doohan went into the kitchen and walked back out again with a birthday cake. Spike regards him curiously, "What's that for?"

"Happy Birthday," was his answer.

Spike raised an eyebrow, "It's not my birthday."

Doohan shrugged, "You told me your birthday was in June, so I picked a day."`



~The mountain screamed three times today

I guess it thought it'd like to play~



Spike began laughing and after a few moments Doohan began chuckling also. Then, from across the room, the vid screen turned on revealing and gizzled man in his thirties. "Oh hey, Doohan. My RWD needs some repairs and I was wondering when I could bring it in."



~How much does one have to pay~



Doohan scratched his chin for a couple of moments, "How about tomorrow? I don't think I have anything scheduled."



~To fry a peak and melt away~



The man nodded, "Alright, around noon okay?"



~Launching titan's breath mine~



"Yeah, that's fine. Hopefully my lazy assistant will be up by then." He shot a pointed glance at Spike, who shrugged and put a piece of cake in his mouth.

The man's eyes widened as he got a good look at Spike. "That your new assistant, Doohan?"



~The sweating measure lands on time~



Doohan nodded, "Yeah. Why?"

"He's got a bounty out on him."

Spike started choking on the piece of cake he was eating.



~And the old man, down by the river~



"For what?" Doohan asked, gruffly but worriedly.



~Well he walks up and he walks on down~



"Supposedly he took out about 15 Black Tiger syndicate members."

Doohan turned around and asked Spike, "You do that?" Spike nodded.

Doohan rubbed his temples, "Geez..."



~To the spaceship that's parked at your doorstep

And it's waiting to take you away now

Goin' down now

Goin' down now~



Session 8: Look to Your Orb for the Warning



Doohan glanced up from a mechanics magazine when Spike walked in carrying a duffel bag.

"Where you going off too?" he asked.



~Looking for the rate that crowed~



Spike set the bag on a chair and started hunting around in the cuboard for some food that would keep. "I need to get out of here. Now that there's a bounty on me, they're going to find this place." He nodded at the silent vid screen. "He'll talk."



~He's hooked up down in Mexico~



Doohan shook his head, "Not Greg. He's a good guy, he wouldn't rat you out if he knew you were staying with me."



~Slap my nerve now give me more~



Spike, having found a couple boxes of cereal and some soup cans, slung his bag over his shoulder, preparing to leave. "If not him, then someone else will. The bounty must have been significant for him to have remembered my face," he sighed and his gaze became harder. "Besides, they're not going to give up until they find me."



~It's my disaster friend, not yours~



Doohan frowned, "Who is this 'they'?"

"The Red Dragons. Only they could have known what happened that night.." Spike pulled out a cigarette and lit up.

Doohan looked shocked, "The Red Dragons? The crime syndicate on Mars? Geez, kid, I even know about them and I live out in the middle of the boonies! You weren't kidding when you said you were in trouble!"

Spike sighed, Doohan shouldn't have to get involved in this. He was right, he did live out in the middle of nowhere, and Spike was pretty sure he knew the reason. Doohan by nature was fairly antisocial, prefering, instead of human companionship, to work on his machines. He didn't like most people and so he lived far away from any major cities, only going to them every once in while for supplies that couldn't be shipped out to his shop. That was why he had to leave. Doohan would have to have nothing to do with the syndicate. Spike just hoped that being acquainted with him hadn't put his friend's life in danger.



~And the old man, down by the river~



Spike realized that Doohan was still talking. He didn't say much, but when he did he didn't stop for a while.



~Well he walks up and he walks on down~



"Why do you think they're after you?" Doohan asked.

Spike shrugged, "I have no idea." He started heading out the door, anxious to leave.



~To the spaceship that's parked on at your doorstep~



"Wait," Doohan said, "I've got a birthday present for you."

Spike looked at him, a smile on his face, "But it's not my birthday."

Doohan threw up his hands. "Didn't we just go through this?!" He led Spike out towards the garage.



~And it's waiting to take you away now~



"I was going to wait, but since this'll help you out now, I might as well give it to you now."

Spike regarded him curiously, what was he talking about? a ship?

"She's yours," Doohan said, pointing at the Swordfish II.

Spike looked shocked, "Mine? But you love this ship!"



~And the last one, it's down by the river~



Doohan smiled, "You've been a good assistant, Spike. Even though you often did more harm than good."



~Where he gets up and he walks on down~



Spike smiled, remembering how angry Doohan would get when Spike would kick one of his 'precious babies', trying to get it to start working.

"Anyway, you're a good kid. I'm sure those Black Cats or whatever they were deserved it," Doohan said, patting Spike on the shoulder.



~To the spaceship that's parked on your doorstep~



Spike laughed, "Thanks, Doohan. I really appreciate it."

As Spike prepared to take off, he heard Doohan say, "Make sure you come in every few years or so for a check up, so I can see how you're treating her!"

~And it's waiting to take you away now~



When Spike was flying out in space towards Mars, he thought to himself about how he really was going to miss Doohan.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Mars...

Spike landed on top of an apartment building near the Red Dragon head base. After staring out at the city that had spawned him for a few moments, he headed down the fire escape, into the building. Once he was inside, he headed to apartment 183 on the first floor. Vicious had always been weird about things like that. He always wanted to be near an exit. You'd almost think that he thought that he was going to get caught in some kind of freak accident or something. But if you knew him and what he did for a living, you knew that this was not the case. He merely wanted to be able to kill the guy who had set his building on fire without looking to hard for him. That was Vicious for you. Kind of paranoid to say the least.



~It's down by the river, it's always this way now~



Spike rang the doorbell and after a few moments Vicious opened the door. He smirked, "I thought that the bounty would send you back here."

Spike shook his head, "Only you, Vicious. Only you would set up a bounty for me, just so you could drag me back here."



~It's down by the river, it's always this way now~



Vicious laughed, stepping back so Spike could enter the apartment. "I've got good news for you. The Van is considering making you a member of the syndicate. If you prove yourself to them, you could be near the top of the order within a couple of years."

Spike shook his head, "That's why you dragged me back here? So I could join your silly syndicate?"



~Goin' down now~



Vicious smirked, "Come on, Spike. You know you love it. You liked killing those Black Tigers. You're just what the syndicate needs, powerful and new blood."

Spike looked doubtful, "I only killed them in revenge. Even now I regret it. That's why I left."



~Goin' down now~



Vicious put his hand on Spike's shoulder and smiled what appeared to be a genuine smile, "What have you got to lose, Spike?"

These last words caused Spike to stop. What did he have to lose? He had no real ties, no family, no goals. His entire life seemed to consist of drifting from place to place. He had no purpose in life, perfect for syndicate functions.

"All right," he said, looking back up at Vicious. "I'll join."



~now, now, now~



When they got to the Red Dragon headquarters, Spike got a good look at the people working there. Even though they were working for a dangerous major syndicate, they seemed relaxed, happy even. Is that what family is like? Spike wondered to himself. He looked at Vicious who was leading him through the building, up to the top floor. Will he be like my brother? My comrade in arms?

Spike shrugged, figuring that he was making too much of a big thing out of this.

"All right, I'm going to go in and arrange a meeting with you," Vicious said before entering the tall double doors where the Van was stationed.



~down down down~



After a while he came back out, "They'll see you now."

When Spike walked in past the doors and looked at the three ancient men sitting before him, he felt a shiver go through him. Later he thought that he had seen his destiny then, and he wasn't all too sure he liked it.