Chapter 19 - Running Away
"And when I get close, you turn away
There's nothing that I can do or say
So now I need you to tell me the truth
You know I'd do that for you"
"Spike!" Jet called as he, Ed, and Ein made their way down the
steps. "You okay down there?" They found him in front of a closed
doorway, throwing all his weight upon it in efforts to get it open.
"What's going on?"
"That dumb ass wouldn't listen…" Wham! "Went on ahead instead
of waiting…" Slam! "She's probably in trouble!" Wham!
"Hang on, Spike," Jet interjected. "Lemme give that a try before--,"
Wham! "Aw, shit!" Spike stumbled backwards, cradling his arms.
"That's probably gonna bruise before the night is through…" He
ground his teeth in frustration, stepping aside to allow Jet room to get
by. "I don't get it… I know she's bullheaded, but this is ridiculous!
Why would she go in there by herself when she knew how dangerous
it was? Does she need the money that badly?"
Jet, who had been testing the stability of the door by leaning against it,
stopped, looking up at Spike. "It was never really about the money," he
told him.
"Huh?"
Jet frowned slightly. "You mean you guys haven't settled your
differences, yet?"
"Um…"
"Come on, Spike," Jet said disapprovingly. "What's up? Ed told me
you two had kissed and made up."
Spike cleared his throat slightly, turning his head away. "Well… we
did something like that."
Jet groaned. "Damnit… I didn't need to know that…" he replied,
slapping his hand to his forehead.
"Okay, let's just say there's an understanding between us then." Spike
offered, shrugging his shoulders.
"Obviously not," Jet replied, pushing against the large door in front of
them. "Or else you'd understand why she wanted this bounty so badly."
"Aeolis, right?"
Jet shook his head. "The Syndicate." The green haired bounty hunter
eyed him warily, waiting for him to elaborate. "They really screwed us
over; they wrecked our ships, totaled the Bebop - they killed you."
Spike frowned slightly. "If you think about it, we were all pretty much
split up because of the Syndicate."
"Jet," Spike replied evenly. "What happened with the Syndicate was my
fault - nobody else's."
Jet smirked halfheartedly, searching his pockets. He had had some
explosives with him, where had he put them? "You try explaining that
to Faye," he replied. "Because as far as I know, she really took it
personally."
=====
"Who are you?"
His eyes had been vacant, almost as if he was focused on something only
he could see. An animalistic grin made its way across his pale face.
"Vicious."
As the searing hot slab of metal tore through her shoulder, that
moment was all she had been aware of. Though he had not actually
done her any physical harm, Faye feared Vicious in a way she could
fear no other. He had killed Mao Yenrai. He had killed Gren, and
undoubtedly Julia as well. There was no doubt in Faye's mind;
Vicious' soul had been hollow, his heart black as pitch. Being near
him was like standing on the edge of oblivion; encountering him would
surely mean death.
Despite the fear and pain that she felt, as Faye stumbled backwards
slamming into the wall, as the blood slowly trickled down her arm, she
refused to back down. There had been a time when merely hearing his
voice made her want to run away, curling up under a dark rock
someplace, seeing him there made her blood boil. After all, he had
killed Spike.
She couldn't let him get away with that.
"I've been watching you for sometime, Faye." he said, reloading his gun.
"Known as the infamous Poker Alice, scamming casinos from Venus all
the way to Callisto and back. You've also made quite a name for yourself
as a bounty hunter - quite a repertoire."
"What do you want?" Faye gritted, struggling to reload her gun with her
free hand. She had to take him out - fast… before he hurt anyone else.
"Why are you here?"
"I'm here because I've created a successful business from what was left
of the old Syndicate." he told her. "However, with my criminal record
steadily increasing, I knew I would eventually attract the attention of the
ISSP, as well as bounty hunters."
He raised his gun, firing a shot at Faye. Luckily, she was able to dodge
it. The bullet ricocheted off of a water valve, sending steam hissing into
the room.
"What with my success and all, I couldn't have it all thrown to waste if I
were to be apprehended,"
Faye frowned; something wasn't quite right. Granted, if Vicious were
alive, it was obvious that he would track down Spike. However, why
would he want to hunt down the entire Bebop crew? And why would he
reveal his plot in the typical villain-type fashion? It just wasn't his style.
"So, you wanted us to come to you, to make your job easier?" Faye
questioned. "Why the cover? Thanatos Ragnarok? What the hell kind
of name is that?"
"Thanatos is my name," he replied, a little perplexed by her question.
Why was she staring at him as if they had met before? "Ragnarok is just
a title I gave myself when I started this organization."
"Right, and I suppose your old name just didn't get the same effect it
used to after the Syndicate fell through." Adrenaline was pumping
through her veins as she edged towards him, using his distraction to her
advantage.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he laughed, giving her a look
of confusion. "Perhaps you hit your head a bit too hard in that fall."
He raised his gun. "Perhaps its time I put you out of your misery."
"On the contrary," Faye raised her gun, pointing it at his head. "Allow
me, Vicious."
"What?"
A loud explosion blew the door several feet away from the two off its
hinges. The room filled with smoke, Thanatos ran for cover.
She blinked. The old Vicious wouldn't have run from anything short of a
hurricane. The more she thought about it, his voice was not the same as
before either. However, such thoughts were for later - right now, her
160 million was running away.
"Come back here!" Faye screamed, rushing after him. She closed the
distance between them only to be caught off guard as he turned back
towards her, firing at shot at her. She stepped to the side to dodge it;
only the bullet grazed her neck. She clamped her hand down over it,
hoping to apply a bit of pressure. "Damnit!" 'If I keep this up, I won't
be able to catch him…' she thought to herself. Shaking that thought out
of her head, she took off after him. 'I'm not giving up… there's no way
I'm gonna let him hurt Spike again.'
=====
Meanwhile, people in the mall above went about their business unaware
of the events occurring below, the foundation of the building shook.
Naturally, chaos broke at as people panicked, shrieking and screaming
as they ran for their lives.
=====
"Shit, Jet, do you think you used enough explosions? It was only a
frickin' door!"
"Shut up, Spike… It got the job done didn't it?"
"Stop arguing!" Ed cut in, bounding down the stairwell in the direction
of the last round of gunshots they had heard. "Edward thinks we
should help Faye-Faye!"
She was right. The two old bounty hunters exchanged glances before
taking off after her. When they arrived where Faye had last been seen,
they were greeted by a squad of guards, armed to the teeth with guns
and rifles and the like.
"Aw, shit." Edward frowned, earning curious glances from her two
elders. Grabbing Ein, she, Spike, and Jet dove around the corner,
narrowly missing the barrage of bullets coming their way.
"What now?" Jet asked, checking to see if his gun was loaded.
"I think maybe we should curb the cursing around Ed..." Jet shot him a
cross look. "At least we know we're going in the right direction." Spike
replied. He stretched his arm out, firing a few shots. "Ed's armed, right?"
"Yup!" Edward exclaimed, taking the safety off of her gun.
"Tranquilizers." She opened up her bag revealing over two- dozen of
the little green vials from before.
Spike blinked in confusion.
Jet chuckled. "You don't even wanna know," he said with a smirk.
"You guys cover me," Spike replied. "I'm gonna go after Faye."
"You can handle it?" Jet asked.
"I don't have a choice," That angry smirk was on her face. "I can't let
her die, now can I?" Jet frowned. "She'd probably haunt me for the rest
of my life."
"Spike-person shouldn't worry," Edward replied. "Edward and Jet-person
gotcha covered." With that, she tossed one of her vials into the air.
"Hold your breath."
Jet shot the vial, allowing green gas to erupt from it, seeping throughout
the room. "Go!"
Spike did as commanded, using their cover fire to allow him passage
past the guards. He shot off down the hall, gun loaded and ready for
anything. "You better not die on me, Faye," he said aloud, smirking as
he went. "Or else I'm gonna be really, really pissed."
End of Chapter 20
"And when I get close, you turn away
There's nothing that I can do or say
So now I need you to tell me the truth
You know I'd do that for you"
"Spike!" Jet called as he, Ed, and Ein made their way down the
steps. "You okay down there?" They found him in front of a closed
doorway, throwing all his weight upon it in efforts to get it open.
"What's going on?"
"That dumb ass wouldn't listen…" Wham! "Went on ahead instead
of waiting…" Slam! "She's probably in trouble!" Wham!
"Hang on, Spike," Jet interjected. "Lemme give that a try before--,"
Wham! "Aw, shit!" Spike stumbled backwards, cradling his arms.
"That's probably gonna bruise before the night is through…" He
ground his teeth in frustration, stepping aside to allow Jet room to get
by. "I don't get it… I know she's bullheaded, but this is ridiculous!
Why would she go in there by herself when she knew how dangerous
it was? Does she need the money that badly?"
Jet, who had been testing the stability of the door by leaning against it,
stopped, looking up at Spike. "It was never really about the money," he
told him.
"Huh?"
Jet frowned slightly. "You mean you guys haven't settled your
differences, yet?"
"Um…"
"Come on, Spike," Jet said disapprovingly. "What's up? Ed told me
you two had kissed and made up."
Spike cleared his throat slightly, turning his head away. "Well… we
did something like that."
Jet groaned. "Damnit… I didn't need to know that…" he replied,
slapping his hand to his forehead.
"Okay, let's just say there's an understanding between us then." Spike
offered, shrugging his shoulders.
"Obviously not," Jet replied, pushing against the large door in front of
them. "Or else you'd understand why she wanted this bounty so badly."
"Aeolis, right?"
Jet shook his head. "The Syndicate." The green haired bounty hunter
eyed him warily, waiting for him to elaborate. "They really screwed us
over; they wrecked our ships, totaled the Bebop - they killed you."
Spike frowned slightly. "If you think about it, we were all pretty much
split up because of the Syndicate."
"Jet," Spike replied evenly. "What happened with the Syndicate was my
fault - nobody else's."
Jet smirked halfheartedly, searching his pockets. He had had some
explosives with him, where had he put them? "You try explaining that
to Faye," he replied. "Because as far as I know, she really took it
personally."
=====
"Who are you?"
His eyes had been vacant, almost as if he was focused on something only
he could see. An animalistic grin made its way across his pale face.
"Vicious."
As the searing hot slab of metal tore through her shoulder, that
moment was all she had been aware of. Though he had not actually
done her any physical harm, Faye feared Vicious in a way she could
fear no other. He had killed Mao Yenrai. He had killed Gren, and
undoubtedly Julia as well. There was no doubt in Faye's mind;
Vicious' soul had been hollow, his heart black as pitch. Being near
him was like standing on the edge of oblivion; encountering him would
surely mean death.
Despite the fear and pain that she felt, as Faye stumbled backwards
slamming into the wall, as the blood slowly trickled down her arm, she
refused to back down. There had been a time when merely hearing his
voice made her want to run away, curling up under a dark rock
someplace, seeing him there made her blood boil. After all, he had
killed Spike.
She couldn't let him get away with that.
"I've been watching you for sometime, Faye." he said, reloading his gun.
"Known as the infamous Poker Alice, scamming casinos from Venus all
the way to Callisto and back. You've also made quite a name for yourself
as a bounty hunter - quite a repertoire."
"What do you want?" Faye gritted, struggling to reload her gun with her
free hand. She had to take him out - fast… before he hurt anyone else.
"Why are you here?"
"I'm here because I've created a successful business from what was left
of the old Syndicate." he told her. "However, with my criminal record
steadily increasing, I knew I would eventually attract the attention of the
ISSP, as well as bounty hunters."
He raised his gun, firing a shot at Faye. Luckily, she was able to dodge
it. The bullet ricocheted off of a water valve, sending steam hissing into
the room.
"What with my success and all, I couldn't have it all thrown to waste if I
were to be apprehended,"
Faye frowned; something wasn't quite right. Granted, if Vicious were
alive, it was obvious that he would track down Spike. However, why
would he want to hunt down the entire Bebop crew? And why would he
reveal his plot in the typical villain-type fashion? It just wasn't his style.
"So, you wanted us to come to you, to make your job easier?" Faye
questioned. "Why the cover? Thanatos Ragnarok? What the hell kind
of name is that?"
"Thanatos is my name," he replied, a little perplexed by her question.
Why was she staring at him as if they had met before? "Ragnarok is just
a title I gave myself when I started this organization."
"Right, and I suppose your old name just didn't get the same effect it
used to after the Syndicate fell through." Adrenaline was pumping
through her veins as she edged towards him, using his distraction to her
advantage.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he laughed, giving her a look
of confusion. "Perhaps you hit your head a bit too hard in that fall."
He raised his gun. "Perhaps its time I put you out of your misery."
"On the contrary," Faye raised her gun, pointing it at his head. "Allow
me, Vicious."
"What?"
A loud explosion blew the door several feet away from the two off its
hinges. The room filled with smoke, Thanatos ran for cover.
She blinked. The old Vicious wouldn't have run from anything short of a
hurricane. The more she thought about it, his voice was not the same as
before either. However, such thoughts were for later - right now, her
160 million was running away.
"Come back here!" Faye screamed, rushing after him. She closed the
distance between them only to be caught off guard as he turned back
towards her, firing at shot at her. She stepped to the side to dodge it;
only the bullet grazed her neck. She clamped her hand down over it,
hoping to apply a bit of pressure. "Damnit!" 'If I keep this up, I won't
be able to catch him…' she thought to herself. Shaking that thought out
of her head, she took off after him. 'I'm not giving up… there's no way
I'm gonna let him hurt Spike again.'
=====
Meanwhile, people in the mall above went about their business unaware
of the events occurring below, the foundation of the building shook.
Naturally, chaos broke at as people panicked, shrieking and screaming
as they ran for their lives.
=====
"Shit, Jet, do you think you used enough explosions? It was only a
frickin' door!"
"Shut up, Spike… It got the job done didn't it?"
"Stop arguing!" Ed cut in, bounding down the stairwell in the direction
of the last round of gunshots they had heard. "Edward thinks we
should help Faye-Faye!"
She was right. The two old bounty hunters exchanged glances before
taking off after her. When they arrived where Faye had last been seen,
they were greeted by a squad of guards, armed to the teeth with guns
and rifles and the like.
"Aw, shit." Edward frowned, earning curious glances from her two
elders. Grabbing Ein, she, Spike, and Jet dove around the corner,
narrowly missing the barrage of bullets coming their way.
"What now?" Jet asked, checking to see if his gun was loaded.
"I think maybe we should curb the cursing around Ed..." Jet shot him a
cross look. "At least we know we're going in the right direction." Spike
replied. He stretched his arm out, firing a few shots. "Ed's armed, right?"
"Yup!" Edward exclaimed, taking the safety off of her gun.
"Tranquilizers." She opened up her bag revealing over two- dozen of
the little green vials from before.
Spike blinked in confusion.
Jet chuckled. "You don't even wanna know," he said with a smirk.
"You guys cover me," Spike replied. "I'm gonna go after Faye."
"You can handle it?" Jet asked.
"I don't have a choice," That angry smirk was on her face. "I can't let
her die, now can I?" Jet frowned. "She'd probably haunt me for the rest
of my life."
"Spike-person shouldn't worry," Edward replied. "Edward and Jet-person
gotcha covered." With that, she tossed one of her vials into the air.
"Hold your breath."
Jet shot the vial, allowing green gas to erupt from it, seeping throughout
the room. "Go!"
Spike did as commanded, using their cover fire to allow him passage
past the guards. He shot off down the hall, gun loaded and ready for
anything. "You better not die on me, Faye," he said aloud, smirking as
he went. "Or else I'm gonna be really, really pissed."
End of Chapter 20