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Chapter 7: Morning, Starshine
---------------------------
The scent of fresh eggs and bacon wafted from the kitchen into every corridor of the Bebop. It was morning. Jet was humming happily as Ein raced around with Ed, who had a frying pan over her thick flaming curls. She was also wearing a ratty yellow blanket, adorned with small knitted chickens racing across the front. She made a racket while chasing Ein awkwardly around the old couch in the main lobby.
"Meow-Meow! Ed will catch doggy Ein and serve him for breakfast with Piyokos!" She giggled maniacally and crawled over the couch, sniffing the area like a predator. Jet, in the other room, told them to hush up and quiet down with their silly antics.
Ein didn't think it was so silly. He whined and hid underneath the couch, shivering slightly, as Ed approached.
"Ed knoowwws where you are, doggy Ein! Ed will find you and--"
She stopped in mid-sentence as Ein jumped over her prowling hands and raced torwards the other room. She scratched her head, dazed. Before she knew it, Ein had sped off into his own little corridor. She sighed in disappointment and fell over on the couch, feet sticking up in mid-air. The ceiling was so boring.
"Jet-person?" Ed said with a bored expression on her face, "Where is Lunkhead and Faye-Faye?"
From the other room, Ed could hear a soft reply in tune with the sizzling of the bacon. "Sleeping, I guess. I don't get those two. They're even harder to understand than you, you crazy kid."
Ed beamed at the comment and sped off into another room, looking for something, ANYTHING to amuse her. She dashed about and waited for something interesting to happen. A few seconds later, she anxiously headed over to her laptop. There was always something going on in the cyber world, after all. It was too enthralling to ignore.
--------
An unfamiliar white room.
He opened his eyes softly, and felt the light-headedness sweep over him. Everything was painfully bright, including the windows, and the ceiling. The eternally vacant walls. The white sheets of his bed. The metallic rods of the bed supporting the fluffy, cloud-like mattress.
His thoughts drifted away suddenly. He moaned in confusion until he heard the faintest traces of footsteps echoing through a distant hallway. He sat up in his bed, still feeling floaty and disoriented. Even when he shook his head, the feeling would not subside. Too many sedatives?
A door opened and an arc of light flowed into the room. He squinted and saw the glint of the auburn eyes he knew best. Her face was still angelic as always, and her hair always curled around her like an amazing gold centerpiece. She smiled softly and looked at him, standing only a few inches away from him.
"How does it feel?"
Spike closed his eyes and shifted his weight suddenly. A sharp pain cascaded over his back. He winced and looked up at Julia.
"I feel kinda funny."
Julia chuckled gently at him and sat in a metallic chair, observing him quietly. Spike's reaction and mind processes seemed to slow down, he felt time fly out the window and voices seemed longer and distended. Even his voice sounded strange to him. There was a different quality to it, something he lacked.
"No, silly, I meant to be alive."
Spike stared at her in confusion. Her voice was fading away, and her hair quickly became a blur of gold. So hard to focus, he felt himself slip away like stars fading out of existence.
"Hey, stay with me." Her voice became worried and urgent as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Spike, stay with.."
Spike tried very hard to focus on Julia's form, her strange eyes, the white room. But it suddenly felt scary and strange. Like it was the first time he ever crossed the street without his mother, or a walk outside as a child to truly see things the way they were.
"What the hell did you do.. did you do to...me." He closed his eyes and felt his consciousness beginning to slip from him like grains of sand falling from tree branches. He sighed and held on the best he could.
"Spike." Julia was gone suddenly, in a flash. He was in a different room, only this time it was dark. Faye's room. It was the scene from earlier, only this time he didn't walk away. This time he stared at her, still shocked and unable to think of anything to say.
"Spike, do you like what you see?" Her voice was sultry, soft, and her emerald eyes narrowed and probed into his soul. He felt his throat tighten and his breath quickening. He felt the pang of loneliness inside of him, and he saw Faye reaching out to him in a way he had never imagined before. It didn't seem like Faye at all.
Not even Julia could do this to him.
"Spike, do you..
..Do you feel like..
GETTING UP FOR BREAKFAST?!"
Everything disappeared. He jolted up from his bed, eyes opened wide. He glanced around wildly and saw Faye standing by the door, her hand on her hips and sighing. For a while, he stared at her and Faye quickly became unsettled.
"Get up!" She said finally on an annoyed note, and walked away from him, tending to her own business. He shook his head and slipped on his blue slacks while fumbling with his emerald locks. There were small strands of sweat on his forehead, and his eyes seemed strained.
Throwing on his yellow shirt and sloppily adjusting his black tie, he stood up and looked out the window. Thick, blank outer space.. as usual.
"Whoa, that was weird." He said to himself, and brushed it off for the time being. Well, most of it. Now he felt even awkward around Faye. Good thing her apparent massive hangover destroyed most of her memory of last night. Great, like we need any more tension...
Women. He shook his head.
He sauntered over to the breakfast table and took his seat, sitting with the rest of the crew. Ed was gobbling down her food with abandon, meanwhile Jet was looking over various documents on the bounty Ed had printed out during her bout with boredom. Faye ate her food, looking a bit distant from the rest. Her mind drifted into her own private musings while she ate.
"Food." Spike said with a thankful note, poking the eggs and chewing on them hungrily. It had been a while since the Bebop crew actually ate any food besides Jet's ancient rations and the occasional Bell Peppers and Beef - without the beef, of course.
"Well, we've got some record now." Jet looked up from his food and stared at Spike, who was practically shoving the food down his throat. He raised his eyebrow and sighed.
"They're on Mars. They've been running through the whole galaxy, but they've been particuarly fond of staying on Mars as a rest-stop between their murdering. That's our best ticket, Spike."
Spike nodded and looked at Jet in approval. Ein also a barked a reply, and everyone shrugged in unison. They guessed it was also Ein's signature of approval as well.
"That means I get to go gambling!" Faye suddenly shouted and grinned. "And I roll in heaps and heaps of dough!" A look of selfishness washed over her face as she imagined herself rolling in mountains of sprinkling woolongs.
"Faye, don't get any ideas." Jet grumbled, but she ignored him. She was oblivious to much else except to her desire to be rich.
"Yeah, didn't you try and gamble in Ganymede with our very last 3 woolongs?" Spike raised an eyebrow and she gazed at them both innocently.
"No, that was strictly business with an associate of min-"
"-- ED-ED GOT NO PRESENT FROM GANY-MEDEEE!" Ed wailed out suddenly, and Faye stared at her guiltily.
She shoved through her yellow vinyl pockets and came up with the photograph Spike had seen earlier. His expression changed as he saw the familiar picture. Quietly, Faye handed over the photograph to Ed and she smiled.
"Wow! Thanks Faye-Faye!" Ed smiled widely and began dancing on the table. Alarmed, Jet began to shout at the child for endangering the dishes and other precious silverwear they desperately needed.
Spike slouched back in his chair and closed his eyes.
"I don't get kids."
Chapter 7: Morning, Starshine
---------------------------
The scent of fresh eggs and bacon wafted from the kitchen into every corridor of the Bebop. It was morning. Jet was humming happily as Ein raced around with Ed, who had a frying pan over her thick flaming curls. She was also wearing a ratty yellow blanket, adorned with small knitted chickens racing across the front. She made a racket while chasing Ein awkwardly around the old couch in the main lobby.
"Meow-Meow! Ed will catch doggy Ein and serve him for breakfast with Piyokos!" She giggled maniacally and crawled over the couch, sniffing the area like a predator. Jet, in the other room, told them to hush up and quiet down with their silly antics.
Ein didn't think it was so silly. He whined and hid underneath the couch, shivering slightly, as Ed approached.
"Ed knoowwws where you are, doggy Ein! Ed will find you and--"
She stopped in mid-sentence as Ein jumped over her prowling hands and raced torwards the other room. She scratched her head, dazed. Before she knew it, Ein had sped off into his own little corridor. She sighed in disappointment and fell over on the couch, feet sticking up in mid-air. The ceiling was so boring.
"Jet-person?" Ed said with a bored expression on her face, "Where is Lunkhead and Faye-Faye?"
From the other room, Ed could hear a soft reply in tune with the sizzling of the bacon. "Sleeping, I guess. I don't get those two. They're even harder to understand than you, you crazy kid."
Ed beamed at the comment and sped off into another room, looking for something, ANYTHING to amuse her. She dashed about and waited for something interesting to happen. A few seconds later, she anxiously headed over to her laptop. There was always something going on in the cyber world, after all. It was too enthralling to ignore.
--------
An unfamiliar white room.
He opened his eyes softly, and felt the light-headedness sweep over him. Everything was painfully bright, including the windows, and the ceiling. The eternally vacant walls. The white sheets of his bed. The metallic rods of the bed supporting the fluffy, cloud-like mattress.
His thoughts drifted away suddenly. He moaned in confusion until he heard the faintest traces of footsteps echoing through a distant hallway. He sat up in his bed, still feeling floaty and disoriented. Even when he shook his head, the feeling would not subside. Too many sedatives?
A door opened and an arc of light flowed into the room. He squinted and saw the glint of the auburn eyes he knew best. Her face was still angelic as always, and her hair always curled around her like an amazing gold centerpiece. She smiled softly and looked at him, standing only a few inches away from him.
"How does it feel?"
Spike closed his eyes and shifted his weight suddenly. A sharp pain cascaded over his back. He winced and looked up at Julia.
"I feel kinda funny."
Julia chuckled gently at him and sat in a metallic chair, observing him quietly. Spike's reaction and mind processes seemed to slow down, he felt time fly out the window and voices seemed longer and distended. Even his voice sounded strange to him. There was a different quality to it, something he lacked.
"No, silly, I meant to be alive."
Spike stared at her in confusion. Her voice was fading away, and her hair quickly became a blur of gold. So hard to focus, he felt himself slip away like stars fading out of existence.
"Hey, stay with me." Her voice became worried and urgent as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Spike, stay with.."
Spike tried very hard to focus on Julia's form, her strange eyes, the white room. But it suddenly felt scary and strange. Like it was the first time he ever crossed the street without his mother, or a walk outside as a child to truly see things the way they were.
"What the hell did you do.. did you do to...me." He closed his eyes and felt his consciousness beginning to slip from him like grains of sand falling from tree branches. He sighed and held on the best he could.
"Spike." Julia was gone suddenly, in a flash. He was in a different room, only this time it was dark. Faye's room. It was the scene from earlier, only this time he didn't walk away. This time he stared at her, still shocked and unable to think of anything to say.
"Spike, do you like what you see?" Her voice was sultry, soft, and her emerald eyes narrowed and probed into his soul. He felt his throat tighten and his breath quickening. He felt the pang of loneliness inside of him, and he saw Faye reaching out to him in a way he had never imagined before. It didn't seem like Faye at all.
Not even Julia could do this to him.
"Spike, do you..
..Do you feel like..
GETTING UP FOR BREAKFAST?!"
Everything disappeared. He jolted up from his bed, eyes opened wide. He glanced around wildly and saw Faye standing by the door, her hand on her hips and sighing. For a while, he stared at her and Faye quickly became unsettled.
"Get up!" She said finally on an annoyed note, and walked away from him, tending to her own business. He shook his head and slipped on his blue slacks while fumbling with his emerald locks. There were small strands of sweat on his forehead, and his eyes seemed strained.
Throwing on his yellow shirt and sloppily adjusting his black tie, he stood up and looked out the window. Thick, blank outer space.. as usual.
"Whoa, that was weird." He said to himself, and brushed it off for the time being. Well, most of it. Now he felt even awkward around Faye. Good thing her apparent massive hangover destroyed most of her memory of last night. Great, like we need any more tension...
Women. He shook his head.
He sauntered over to the breakfast table and took his seat, sitting with the rest of the crew. Ed was gobbling down her food with abandon, meanwhile Jet was looking over various documents on the bounty Ed had printed out during her bout with boredom. Faye ate her food, looking a bit distant from the rest. Her mind drifted into her own private musings while she ate.
"Food." Spike said with a thankful note, poking the eggs and chewing on them hungrily. It had been a while since the Bebop crew actually ate any food besides Jet's ancient rations and the occasional Bell Peppers and Beef - without the beef, of course.
"Well, we've got some record now." Jet looked up from his food and stared at Spike, who was practically shoving the food down his throat. He raised his eyebrow and sighed.
"They're on Mars. They've been running through the whole galaxy, but they've been particuarly fond of staying on Mars as a rest-stop between their murdering. That's our best ticket, Spike."
Spike nodded and looked at Jet in approval. Ein also a barked a reply, and everyone shrugged in unison. They guessed it was also Ein's signature of approval as well.
"That means I get to go gambling!" Faye suddenly shouted and grinned. "And I roll in heaps and heaps of dough!" A look of selfishness washed over her face as she imagined herself rolling in mountains of sprinkling woolongs.
"Faye, don't get any ideas." Jet grumbled, but she ignored him. She was oblivious to much else except to her desire to be rich.
"Yeah, didn't you try and gamble in Ganymede with our very last 3 woolongs?" Spike raised an eyebrow and she gazed at them both innocently.
"No, that was strictly business with an associate of min-"
"-- ED-ED GOT NO PRESENT FROM GANY-MEDEEE!" Ed wailed out suddenly, and Faye stared at her guiltily.
She shoved through her yellow vinyl pockets and came up with the photograph Spike had seen earlier. His expression changed as he saw the familiar picture. Quietly, Faye handed over the photograph to Ed and she smiled.
"Wow! Thanks Faye-Faye!" Ed smiled widely and began dancing on the table. Alarmed, Jet began to shout at the child for endangering the dishes and other precious silverwear they desperately needed.
Spike slouched back in his chair and closed his eyes.
"I don't get kids."