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Chapter 5: Lone Bird's Call
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Ganymede was too full of surprises. Bustling people, obnoxious shouts. Spike frowned as the noises made his head ache like none other. It reminded him of earlier when Jet was yelling his head off at the misfortunate Edward. He cringed but continued further, trying to destroy the horrid racket with some light-hearted humming.
Faye. He noticed her in front of him suddenly, walking about with her usual haughty steps and seductive manner. He looked away from her quicky, and he wasn't sure exactly why. The words "forbidden territory" echoed through his mind, as he instead observed the manners of others.
"We're not finding anything." He muttered and stretched out his arms. They had been searching almost half of Ganymede for hours in search of some sort of clue. Every trace they could find Jet looked at and they investigated. Nothing. As soon as they came, they left, and he knew it. Spike intuition was never wrong.
"Quit whining." Faye waved her arm in a laid-back manner. "We'll find something. I know we will!"
Faye was persistent. She hated to be wrong, too. The thought of that lunkhead being right bothered her immensely. There had to be something here. This trashy dump. Why did Jet live here, anyway?
"I agree with Spike." Jet said finally, looking at the both of them. "Ganymede was meaningless. There's nothing here. We have absolutely no leads where they are or why they were here. It's just one big mystery."
"They wouldn't come here for nothing!" Faye snapped, and glanced around the busy streets. "You sure one of your syndicate buddies maybe decided to hide out here?"
Spike's expression changed suddenly. He looked sideways, averting his gaze from Faye. "No."
Faye glanced at him for a few seconds in surprise, and shut herself up. The one word answer was unsettling to Faye and to Jet. She watched him turn around and walk in the other direction, against the flow of the crowd. He was going back to the ship.
Jet raised his eyebrow. "What is up with Spike? One minute he's all eager to come here, and now.."
"..Just let it be." She sighed and gently pulled the sunglasses from her emerald eyes for a moment. "Men are such babi-- Hey, Jet, did you see that?"
Alarmed, Faye took her gun out of the holster and pushed a bystander out of the way. She was running like hell. Jet noticed that a man in a black coat with slicked-back raven hair was in an alley, observing Spike as he walked by. The gaze in his eyes seemed far from friendly.
"Dammit Faye!" Jet started, but stood there helplessly. "Come back! Your gun's not even loaded!" But it was too late, the femme fatale was gone down the block in a flash.
The strange man, who seemed extraordinarily young, noticed Faye approaching and took off after Spike. He was much faster than Faye, and well-trained, leaping over insane obstacles. Spike seemed to sense the man way before Faye did, and he was already trying to confuse him. Faye stopped at the corner, gasping for breath. She looked to the side to notice a series of alleyways criss-crossing in scattered directions. Her lips curved upwards.
"Hmmm..."
-------
Like an agile cat, Spike swerved effortlessly around the bustling crowd as the man took chase after him. Finally, he found his roadblock after swerving into a dead-end alleyway. Shocked, Spike turned around and glanced wildly in several directions.
Before he knew it, the man had pushed him against the wall and rammed a gun to his forehead. A chesire grin crossed Spike's face with his eyes closed. "You're quicker than I used to be."
"Spike." the voice said with a firm tone, "Spike, open your damn eyes."
The voice hit him like a million tons of concrete on his head. His eyes snapped open and he stared into the familiar piercing violet orbs that he knew too well.
"Lin?" he said, his breath quickening, "Lin, what are you doing here?" His eyes were wide as Lin's grim expression didn't waver in the slightest regard.
"I was supposed to kill you." He said flatly, and the gun slowly lowered to his side. His breath was quickened as well, knowing his fate for disobeying. "Get the hell out of here. Just go."
"I want to know about Julia, dammit." He grit his teeth and didn't hesitate to take his own gun out of his pocket. "Tell me why the Syndicate is involved with Julia."
"Vicious knew you would be coming." Lin said, his gaze softening. "He knows you are a bounty hunter. Although the Syndicate presumes you dead, Vicious knows otherwise. He knew that the instant you heard he name Julia you'd come running like a blind mouse to Ganymede."
Spike's expression didn't change one bit, his anger just increased. "I don't care about that shit, Lin. Tell me why Julia's involved!"
Lin put the gun in its holster and bowed his head. "Spike, even I don't know why Julia's with Vicious. Nobody knows why."
Spike's eyes had become that of a ravenous beast. His eyes probed into Lin's and he trembled slightly. Julia. With Vicious.
"Are they.."
"No." Lin said instantly, "They're not. I think Julia's a prisoner, not a--"
"-Enough." Spike muttered, "Doesn't matter. You don't know anything, just like I do. And you come saying you were going to kill me. What the hell is on Vicious's mind?"
"Spike, there's something I have to tell you. I think you'd like to know.. Why do you think that you have no---"
A shot rang through the alley and Spike jumped. The bullet cleanly ran through Lin's stomach, and he made a choking noise, collapsing on the ground in an instant. A precise shot.
"LIN!" A strangled scream came from Spike's throat, and he ran over to his fallen comrade. The shot was too clean, to perfect. The Syndicate was near.
"Spike.." he gasped out, struggling to maintain his last few heartbeats. "Spike, just run away.. You don't want to know anymore.. You don't want to know what you.." His eyes closed and he gasped out his last breath. He fell limp in Spike's arms immediately.
He looked up somberly and saw Faye at the alley entrance, staring at him and Lin with a dazed expression on her face.
"Spike.. I.."
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Faye?! Get out of here! There's Syndicate members around!" His voice was full of rage as he stood up and glared at her.
"They're gone, Spike." She crossed her arms and stared at him. "They didn't want to kill you. I think Vicious is playing a game of cat and mouse."
Spike stared at her. "Next time, Faye, stay out of it. This is none of your business." He shuffled in his pockets for some cigarettes, his hands trembling. Faye looked at him with sympathy as he busily searched for his lighter in one of his pockets.
Dammit, Spike.. She felt the faintest trace of tears dying to form in her eyes, Why do you have to be so cold? I was just trying..
Her eyes became hard as he looked back up at her and a ringlet of smoke puffed out of his cigarette. "Want one?"
Faye said nothing. "What are you going to do with Lin?"
"Let him rest in peace." Spike said finally, and walked out of the alleyway. "Let's go."
She sighed as Spike walked away and Jet ran up to him from around the block. He shut himself out, yet again.
She stared at Lin's corpse for a long time before walking up to Jet and Spike.
Chapter 5: Lone Bird's Call
---------------------------
Ganymede was too full of surprises. Bustling people, obnoxious shouts. Spike frowned as the noises made his head ache like none other. It reminded him of earlier when Jet was yelling his head off at the misfortunate Edward. He cringed but continued further, trying to destroy the horrid racket with some light-hearted humming.
Faye. He noticed her in front of him suddenly, walking about with her usual haughty steps and seductive manner. He looked away from her quicky, and he wasn't sure exactly why. The words "forbidden territory" echoed through his mind, as he instead observed the manners of others.
"We're not finding anything." He muttered and stretched out his arms. They had been searching almost half of Ganymede for hours in search of some sort of clue. Every trace they could find Jet looked at and they investigated. Nothing. As soon as they came, they left, and he knew it. Spike intuition was never wrong.
"Quit whining." Faye waved her arm in a laid-back manner. "We'll find something. I know we will!"
Faye was persistent. She hated to be wrong, too. The thought of that lunkhead being right bothered her immensely. There had to be something here. This trashy dump. Why did Jet live here, anyway?
"I agree with Spike." Jet said finally, looking at the both of them. "Ganymede was meaningless. There's nothing here. We have absolutely no leads where they are or why they were here. It's just one big mystery."
"They wouldn't come here for nothing!" Faye snapped, and glanced around the busy streets. "You sure one of your syndicate buddies maybe decided to hide out here?"
Spike's expression changed suddenly. He looked sideways, averting his gaze from Faye. "No."
Faye glanced at him for a few seconds in surprise, and shut herself up. The one word answer was unsettling to Faye and to Jet. She watched him turn around and walk in the other direction, against the flow of the crowd. He was going back to the ship.
Jet raised his eyebrow. "What is up with Spike? One minute he's all eager to come here, and now.."
"..Just let it be." She sighed and gently pulled the sunglasses from her emerald eyes for a moment. "Men are such babi-- Hey, Jet, did you see that?"
Alarmed, Faye took her gun out of the holster and pushed a bystander out of the way. She was running like hell. Jet noticed that a man in a black coat with slicked-back raven hair was in an alley, observing Spike as he walked by. The gaze in his eyes seemed far from friendly.
"Dammit Faye!" Jet started, but stood there helplessly. "Come back! Your gun's not even loaded!" But it was too late, the femme fatale was gone down the block in a flash.
The strange man, who seemed extraordinarily young, noticed Faye approaching and took off after Spike. He was much faster than Faye, and well-trained, leaping over insane obstacles. Spike seemed to sense the man way before Faye did, and he was already trying to confuse him. Faye stopped at the corner, gasping for breath. She looked to the side to notice a series of alleyways criss-crossing in scattered directions. Her lips curved upwards.
"Hmmm..."
-------
Like an agile cat, Spike swerved effortlessly around the bustling crowd as the man took chase after him. Finally, he found his roadblock after swerving into a dead-end alleyway. Shocked, Spike turned around and glanced wildly in several directions.
Before he knew it, the man had pushed him against the wall and rammed a gun to his forehead. A chesire grin crossed Spike's face with his eyes closed. "You're quicker than I used to be."
"Spike." the voice said with a firm tone, "Spike, open your damn eyes."
The voice hit him like a million tons of concrete on his head. His eyes snapped open and he stared into the familiar piercing violet orbs that he knew too well.
"Lin?" he said, his breath quickening, "Lin, what are you doing here?" His eyes were wide as Lin's grim expression didn't waver in the slightest regard.
"I was supposed to kill you." He said flatly, and the gun slowly lowered to his side. His breath was quickened as well, knowing his fate for disobeying. "Get the hell out of here. Just go."
"I want to know about Julia, dammit." He grit his teeth and didn't hesitate to take his own gun out of his pocket. "Tell me why the Syndicate is involved with Julia."
"Vicious knew you would be coming." Lin said, his gaze softening. "He knows you are a bounty hunter. Although the Syndicate presumes you dead, Vicious knows otherwise. He knew that the instant you heard he name Julia you'd come running like a blind mouse to Ganymede."
Spike's expression didn't change one bit, his anger just increased. "I don't care about that shit, Lin. Tell me why Julia's involved!"
Lin put the gun in its holster and bowed his head. "Spike, even I don't know why Julia's with Vicious. Nobody knows why."
Spike's eyes had become that of a ravenous beast. His eyes probed into Lin's and he trembled slightly. Julia. With Vicious.
"Are they.."
"No." Lin said instantly, "They're not. I think Julia's a prisoner, not a--"
"-Enough." Spike muttered, "Doesn't matter. You don't know anything, just like I do. And you come saying you were going to kill me. What the hell is on Vicious's mind?"
"Spike, there's something I have to tell you. I think you'd like to know.. Why do you think that you have no---"
A shot rang through the alley and Spike jumped. The bullet cleanly ran through Lin's stomach, and he made a choking noise, collapsing on the ground in an instant. A precise shot.
"LIN!" A strangled scream came from Spike's throat, and he ran over to his fallen comrade. The shot was too clean, to perfect. The Syndicate was near.
"Spike.." he gasped out, struggling to maintain his last few heartbeats. "Spike, just run away.. You don't want to know anymore.. You don't want to know what you.." His eyes closed and he gasped out his last breath. He fell limp in Spike's arms immediately.
He looked up somberly and saw Faye at the alley entrance, staring at him and Lin with a dazed expression on her face.
"Spike.. I.."
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Faye?! Get out of here! There's Syndicate members around!" His voice was full of rage as he stood up and glared at her.
"They're gone, Spike." She crossed her arms and stared at him. "They didn't want to kill you. I think Vicious is playing a game of cat and mouse."
Spike stared at her. "Next time, Faye, stay out of it. This is none of your business." He shuffled in his pockets for some cigarettes, his hands trembling. Faye looked at him with sympathy as he busily searched for his lighter in one of his pockets.
Dammit, Spike.. She felt the faintest trace of tears dying to form in her eyes, Why do you have to be so cold? I was just trying..
Her eyes became hard as he looked back up at her and a ringlet of smoke puffed out of his cigarette. "Want one?"
Faye said nothing. "What are you going to do with Lin?"
"Let him rest in peace." Spike said finally, and walked out of the alleyway. "Let's go."
She sighed as Spike walked away and Jet ran up to him from around the block. He shut himself out, yet again.
She stared at Lin's corpse for a long time before walking up to Jet and Spike.