Faye just wondered what this guy could have done to merit ten and a half million woolongs. He didn't look too tough in the pictures she'd seen. And he hadn't killed anyone, so why was his bounty so high? Any time someone had a large bounty for a small offense, it was because of the danger factor in bringing them in. And she didn't like the sound of that, especially by herself.
Damn it, Spike, would you just heal already? Faye thought as she tried to stay far enough away to be inconspicuous.
"Where's Faye?"
Spike grunted with pain as he pushed himself up to a sitting position with his elbows. If he was awake, he hated lying down, at least when he was alone.
Jet stood and looked out the window. "She's out after a bounty head. Small-time hacker with a big bounty. She said she could handle it alone."
"And you trust her not to just split when she gets the guy?"
"She promised," Jet said over his shoulder. "Besides, she knows the safest place for now is the Bebop." The Red Dragons knew who Spike had been working with.
"But there can't be much of the Red Dragons left," Spike argued. "Some soldiers, maybe…"
"One of their Capos is in the best position to take control," Jet interrupted. "ISSP gave me some info on the guy." Jet took a printout from inside his book and handed it to Spike. "His name is Shinjo Sasaki. A rival of Vicious with a little more subtle approach."
Spike examined the photo and profile of the man. Spike had been out of the syndicate for more than three years now, but he still knew who most of the heavy hitters were. This man, however, Spike did not know. His profile had no record of him after his birth until two years ago, when he was wanted somewhere on Earth for armed theft.
"This guy prefers to let his thugs do the dirty work," Jet went on. "He's never been implicated personally in any murder, but ISSP thinks he's bumped off a few people in the underworld himself."
"That would explain the fast rise," Spike said. "I've never seen this guy, Jet. Never heard of him."
"You've been out three years," Jet said. "The syndicates don't operate the same anymore. The elders of the Red Dragons got soft before Vicious took them out, so it doesn't take as long to come up through the ranks anymore. And who knows what he's done that isn't in that report. ISSP says the syndicates were on the verge of war anyway, and now that the Red Dragons are down, everything is up for grabs."
Spike looked at his partner and wondered how the hell Jet knew so much about the syndicates. "Sounds like you've been doing your homework, Jet."
"You've been asleep four days," Jet said, picking up his book. "I haven't had anything to do here but read."
Faye kept her distance behind the man as she followed him in the rain through the streets on Carces. Faye kept her sunglasses on and smoked a cigarette. There sun was usually blocked out by clouds on Carces, caused by the mixture of the old gases of Mars' atmosphere and the increased oxygen near the asteroids caused by the hyperspace gate accident. The nitrogen level in the air on Carces was so high that it often rained. This rain will burn your skin if you stay out in it long enough, Faye reminded herself. I better get this guy before this place ruins my hair.
Serj was about thirty feet ahead of her. He was carrying a briefcase with both hands as he walked nervously through the street. He looked as though he was afraid the case would explode if he dropped it, Faye thought. Whatever he had hacked out of the Transit Authority database must have been in there. The bounty said Serj had stolen some information about the toll money collected from the hyperspace gate. Such information was worth a lot to the syndicates, Faye thought. That explained the size of the bounty. Increased chance of danger with the syndicates looking for this guy too.
Serj looked around nervously as he walked. He knew someone who wanted him dead was surely close. Maybe everyone did. When you were on the run, you had to suspect everyone was after you. He mostly kept his head down, turning his head slightly as he looked around him, still not noticing the young woman in yellow and red behind him. He ducked into an alley and walked faster. If anyone is after me, I should try to lose them, Serj thought. Faye nearly had to run to catch up with him, but he didn't notice her.
Serj turned down another alley and came to the door of a small shop. Faye ducked behind the corner as she watched him go inside. She pulled her pistol from her ankle and made sure it was loaded. She also looked around before she slowly opened the door and headed into the building.
Serj dodged hanging chimes and other crafts as he walked to the counter of the antique shop. A middle-aged woman looked up from filing her nails to notice the nervous man. "Can I help you?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah," Serj replied, avoiding eye contact. "I need to see Layne. Layne Cantrell. My name's Serj. He's expecting me."
The woman looked at a scrap of paper on the counter before nodding. "Go on back. His office is upstairs to the right."
Serj walked up the stairs and turned down the hallway to Cantrell's office. It was Cantrell wanted the evidence against the Red Dragons. Cantrell was actually on the payroll of the Mohishau syndicate, who had picked the perfect time to plot a smear campaign on a rival syndicate. Cantrell was supposed to tell Serj where to take the evidence and collect his fee. Cantrell was a money launderer an informant for the syndicate, but he never dealt with any syndicate members in his shop. He was just the messenger.
Serj approached the door, which was opened slightly, and knocked. "Hello?" Serj said, pushing the door open just enough to see the man Cantrell sitting upright at his desk, with blood dripping from his cut throat into his coffee.