Comatose Cowboy
Chapter 2 - "Poker Alice Strikes Again"
Jet went to Faye (!) for advice. "Do you know any money lenders in the Tigers from your gambling days?" he asked.
"Oh, no, Jet! Don't borrow money from them unless you're sure you can pay it back immediately. They won't think twice about killing you - and me both. And with as many of them as we've collected bounties on, I don't know if they'd even lend us the money to begin with. There must be some lowlife we can collect on. How much do we need, and how long do we have to get it?" Faye asked.
"One million, and tomorrow." Jet replied, eyes low.
Faye took a sharp intake of breath. "What? Why would you agree to that, Jet? Are you insane?"
"The doctor will disconnect Spike from the life support in about 24 hours if we don't pay. We have no choice."
Faye felt the desperation of the situation overtake her. Just when she thought spike would live and she could relax, the rug got pulled out from under her again. Stupid Jet and that stupid doctor. They should have just taken him to a hospital and taken their chances with the Dragons. At least the hospital won't disconnect you for not paying your bill. Oh, sure they will hunt you down like a dog for the debt until you die, but for the time being, it was still considered unethical to kill the poor for not paying. Hmmm, Faye thought, I must be able to figure something out. Think, Faye!
As usual, her thoughts turned quickly to gambling. If she could just go someplace like Vegas, she could probably parlay what little money they had into something more. It would have to be a lot more, though, and that would require cheating. She knew just what scam to pull from her days as Poker Alice. She would take her 'funny dice' to the craps table and make a few choice bets - doubling her money for a few rounds then move on to another casino before anyone got suspicious. She went to Jet with her plan.
"No way, Faye. It's too dangerous."
"More dangerous than borrowing money from the mob?"
"If you get caught, they might as well be the mob. Those Vegas guys play very seriously. And I can't leave Spike to come rescue you."
"I won't get caught. I know what I'm doing. Give me a little credit, Jet. Besides, with Spike hanging in the balance like this, I can't just sit around waiting for that monitor to flatline or for that doctor to shut him down. I've got to do something. So cough up the last of our money, Jet. If I lose, I'll go to the syndicate for you. But give me the chance to win that money free and clear."
"But you're planning to cheat to win!"
"I said free and clear, not fair and square, did I?"
Faye climbed into the Redtail while Jet got the last 25,000W from the safe. He sure hoped Faye got home in one piece. He really didn't want to think about life without Spike and Faye all in one day.
Faye took off for Earth like she had many times in the past, but this time was different. She usually departed with a 'fuck you all' in her heart, but this time she had someone (2 someones, really) who desperately needed her to return. Faye spent most of her adult past trying to stay free of obligations to anyone. She always found responsibility chafing, like a wool sweater, two sizes too tight. But when she thought of Spike on that bed, hooked up to all those monitors and machinery, with all those tubes going in and coming out of him, and Jet, limping around trying to hide just how badly that leg was hurting him - well, she felt kinda proud, somehow. Not put upon, or strangulated, but capable and worthy. They really needed her in the worst way. And for the first time, Faye rose to the occasion. She would get that money and not get caught.
She landed at the first mark and strolled into the casino. A few men stopped playing long enough to admire her and then went back to their games. Faye stopped at the nearest craps table and put her money on the come line. This was the easiest and safest way to bet until it was her turn to roll. Then she would secretly switch the dice and Voila! Problem solved. She did fairly well, not betting too much (although she had an irresistible urge to bet it all and get it over with) and made small gains until her nest egg had grown to 50,000 W. Then it was her turn to roll. Faye palmed the casino dice, replacing them with her 'lucky' ones and let 'em roll. She wore a small ankle bracelet that controlled whether the dice fell odd or even, so after rolling a seven or eleven, she would keep it on even to insure that a seven or eleven would not come up again until it suited her. This also allowed her to place side bets on snake eyes, sixes and eights that could rapidly increase her winnings.
What she didn't count on was that the new pit boss saw her coming a mile away. His plan was to let her switch the dice and win for a while. Then when she was ready to start doubling her money, confident she couldn't lose, he would pull a switcharoo on her dice and make her lose all of it. This was a game he enjoyed playing with cheaters, although the casino would not approve. They wanted cheaters apprehended immediately, but what they didn't know, wouldn't hurt them. The look on the cheaters' faces when they lost was priceless.
After Faye had won some money with the 'lucky' dice, she started betting it all each roll to save time. The pit boss was waiting for this and made his switch back to normal dice. What he didn't count on was that Lady Luck (the real one!) finally decided that Faye Valentine needed a break. The real dice kept winning. At first Faye thought she was controlling the game, but then she won on a three, then a nine. It finally dawned on her what had happened. They had figured her out and she was about to be taken to a back room and God only knows what would happen to her there. Her mouth went dry and she started glancing at the exits.
The pit boss decided that her winning streak had gone on long enough. She simply couldn't lose, even with legitimate dice. His only choice was to trade her dice back in and call security as if he had just discovered it. He replaced the dice on the next roll. Faye saw him do it! She saw that snakey, shifty eyed son-of-a-bitch switch the dice on HER! But she knew that if she rolled those 'lucky' dice, they'd be on her like stink on shit, so she quickly traded back to the real ones she had palmed on the first roll. As soon as the dice left her fingers, the pit boss stood up and shouted "Security, arrest this woman. She's using fixed dice."
Two security guards came and hauled her away, each taking her by an elbow. "Let go of me!" Faye shrieked. "Is this how you treat winners?"
Heads were turning, and game play halted throughout the casino.
"Get her out of here, now!" snapped the pit boss.
Casino security checked out the dice that Faye had thrown. They turned out to be standard casino issue. If she had indeed used trick dice, they would still be on her person.
When they got Faye in the holding room, they gave her a very personal and thorough searching. They found the Glock, but she possessed a license to carry it. No funny dice could be found, so they brought in a female guard to do a strip search. She again found nothing. The pit boss couldn't admit that he had allowed someone to play with tampered dice, so he had to let her go. A totally humiliated but triumphant Faye left the casino 'up' around 700,000W. Good thing she had ditched those 'lucky' dice into the pocket of the gentleman standing next to her before rolling the dice that last time.
Faye felt invincible. It was a rush to have won all that money. Normally she would have stayed and kept playing until she had lost it all again, but the pit boss had actually done her a favor. She walked away from a casino with Woolongs in her pocket. Somebody write this down 'cause it would surely never happen again. Faye was considering what to do next - how to get more money, specifically. She didn't know much about luck, but she knew enough not to push it.
She called Jet on the comm to brag about her day. Jet was relieved to hear that Faye wasn't in custody of the law, or worse, casino security. She had actually won some money, and while she was away, he had gotten an advance tip on a bounty had would be just perfect for her. Some low life had cheated a casino using trick dice and escaped. He couldn't have gotten very far. Jet did some coordinate checking and found that the bounty had just left the very casino Faye was still parked in front of.
"Hmmm, I think I know who that might be," thought Faye. Sure enough, she turned to see a ship leaving the parking lot in a hurry. She put the Redtail in hot pursuit. Faye opened fire on the ship, quickly convincing the pilot to land before he had no choice but eat some Redtail ammo. She immediately recognized the bounty as the guy who had been standing next to her at the craps table whom she had 'reverse pick-pocketed' the dice set on. No matter. A bounty was a bounty was a bounty. And this guy was strictly amatuer hour. Hell, he probably never considered cheating until he found Faye's dice in his pocket. Oh, well. A life of crime just did not pay. Better he learn that early. Faye dropped off the bounty and collected the 350,000W reward. She could return to the Bebop now, confident and happy with herself for the first time in a long time.
Chapter 2 - "Poker Alice Strikes Again"
Jet went to Faye (!) for advice. "Do you know any money lenders in the Tigers from your gambling days?" he asked.
"Oh, no, Jet! Don't borrow money from them unless you're sure you can pay it back immediately. They won't think twice about killing you - and me both. And with as many of them as we've collected bounties on, I don't know if they'd even lend us the money to begin with. There must be some lowlife we can collect on. How much do we need, and how long do we have to get it?" Faye asked.
"One million, and tomorrow." Jet replied, eyes low.
Faye took a sharp intake of breath. "What? Why would you agree to that, Jet? Are you insane?"
"The doctor will disconnect Spike from the life support in about 24 hours if we don't pay. We have no choice."
Faye felt the desperation of the situation overtake her. Just when she thought spike would live and she could relax, the rug got pulled out from under her again. Stupid Jet and that stupid doctor. They should have just taken him to a hospital and taken their chances with the Dragons. At least the hospital won't disconnect you for not paying your bill. Oh, sure they will hunt you down like a dog for the debt until you die, but for the time being, it was still considered unethical to kill the poor for not paying. Hmmm, Faye thought, I must be able to figure something out. Think, Faye!
As usual, her thoughts turned quickly to gambling. If she could just go someplace like Vegas, she could probably parlay what little money they had into something more. It would have to be a lot more, though, and that would require cheating. She knew just what scam to pull from her days as Poker Alice. She would take her 'funny dice' to the craps table and make a few choice bets - doubling her money for a few rounds then move on to another casino before anyone got suspicious. She went to Jet with her plan.
"No way, Faye. It's too dangerous."
"More dangerous than borrowing money from the mob?"
"If you get caught, they might as well be the mob. Those Vegas guys play very seriously. And I can't leave Spike to come rescue you."
"I won't get caught. I know what I'm doing. Give me a little credit, Jet. Besides, with Spike hanging in the balance like this, I can't just sit around waiting for that monitor to flatline or for that doctor to shut him down. I've got to do something. So cough up the last of our money, Jet. If I lose, I'll go to the syndicate for you. But give me the chance to win that money free and clear."
"But you're planning to cheat to win!"
"I said free and clear, not fair and square, did I?"
Faye climbed into the Redtail while Jet got the last 25,000W from the safe. He sure hoped Faye got home in one piece. He really didn't want to think about life without Spike and Faye all in one day.
Faye took off for Earth like she had many times in the past, but this time was different. She usually departed with a 'fuck you all' in her heart, but this time she had someone (2 someones, really) who desperately needed her to return. Faye spent most of her adult past trying to stay free of obligations to anyone. She always found responsibility chafing, like a wool sweater, two sizes too tight. But when she thought of Spike on that bed, hooked up to all those monitors and machinery, with all those tubes going in and coming out of him, and Jet, limping around trying to hide just how badly that leg was hurting him - well, she felt kinda proud, somehow. Not put upon, or strangulated, but capable and worthy. They really needed her in the worst way. And for the first time, Faye rose to the occasion. She would get that money and not get caught.
She landed at the first mark and strolled into the casino. A few men stopped playing long enough to admire her and then went back to their games. Faye stopped at the nearest craps table and put her money on the come line. This was the easiest and safest way to bet until it was her turn to roll. Then she would secretly switch the dice and Voila! Problem solved. She did fairly well, not betting too much (although she had an irresistible urge to bet it all and get it over with) and made small gains until her nest egg had grown to 50,000 W. Then it was her turn to roll. Faye palmed the casino dice, replacing them with her 'lucky' ones and let 'em roll. She wore a small ankle bracelet that controlled whether the dice fell odd or even, so after rolling a seven or eleven, she would keep it on even to insure that a seven or eleven would not come up again until it suited her. This also allowed her to place side bets on snake eyes, sixes and eights that could rapidly increase her winnings.
What she didn't count on was that the new pit boss saw her coming a mile away. His plan was to let her switch the dice and win for a while. Then when she was ready to start doubling her money, confident she couldn't lose, he would pull a switcharoo on her dice and make her lose all of it. This was a game he enjoyed playing with cheaters, although the casino would not approve. They wanted cheaters apprehended immediately, but what they didn't know, wouldn't hurt them. The look on the cheaters' faces when they lost was priceless.
After Faye had won some money with the 'lucky' dice, she started betting it all each roll to save time. The pit boss was waiting for this and made his switch back to normal dice. What he didn't count on was that Lady Luck (the real one!) finally decided that Faye Valentine needed a break. The real dice kept winning. At first Faye thought she was controlling the game, but then she won on a three, then a nine. It finally dawned on her what had happened. They had figured her out and she was about to be taken to a back room and God only knows what would happen to her there. Her mouth went dry and she started glancing at the exits.
The pit boss decided that her winning streak had gone on long enough. She simply couldn't lose, even with legitimate dice. His only choice was to trade her dice back in and call security as if he had just discovered it. He replaced the dice on the next roll. Faye saw him do it! She saw that snakey, shifty eyed son-of-a-bitch switch the dice on HER! But she knew that if she rolled those 'lucky' dice, they'd be on her like stink on shit, so she quickly traded back to the real ones she had palmed on the first roll. As soon as the dice left her fingers, the pit boss stood up and shouted "Security, arrest this woman. She's using fixed dice."
Two security guards came and hauled her away, each taking her by an elbow. "Let go of me!" Faye shrieked. "Is this how you treat winners?"
Heads were turning, and game play halted throughout the casino.
"Get her out of here, now!" snapped the pit boss.
Casino security checked out the dice that Faye had thrown. They turned out to be standard casino issue. If she had indeed used trick dice, they would still be on her person.
When they got Faye in the holding room, they gave her a very personal and thorough searching. They found the Glock, but she possessed a license to carry it. No funny dice could be found, so they brought in a female guard to do a strip search. She again found nothing. The pit boss couldn't admit that he had allowed someone to play with tampered dice, so he had to let her go. A totally humiliated but triumphant Faye left the casino 'up' around 700,000W. Good thing she had ditched those 'lucky' dice into the pocket of the gentleman standing next to her before rolling the dice that last time.
Faye felt invincible. It was a rush to have won all that money. Normally she would have stayed and kept playing until she had lost it all again, but the pit boss had actually done her a favor. She walked away from a casino with Woolongs in her pocket. Somebody write this down 'cause it would surely never happen again. Faye was considering what to do next - how to get more money, specifically. She didn't know much about luck, but she knew enough not to push it.
She called Jet on the comm to brag about her day. Jet was relieved to hear that Faye wasn't in custody of the law, or worse, casino security. She had actually won some money, and while she was away, he had gotten an advance tip on a bounty had would be just perfect for her. Some low life had cheated a casino using trick dice and escaped. He couldn't have gotten very far. Jet did some coordinate checking and found that the bounty had just left the very casino Faye was still parked in front of.
"Hmmm, I think I know who that might be," thought Faye. Sure enough, she turned to see a ship leaving the parking lot in a hurry. She put the Redtail in hot pursuit. Faye opened fire on the ship, quickly convincing the pilot to land before he had no choice but eat some Redtail ammo. She immediately recognized the bounty as the guy who had been standing next to her at the craps table whom she had 'reverse pick-pocketed' the dice set on. No matter. A bounty was a bounty was a bounty. And this guy was strictly amatuer hour. Hell, he probably never considered cheating until he found Faye's dice in his pocket. Oh, well. A life of crime just did not pay. Better he learn that early. Faye dropped off the bounty and collected the 350,000W reward. She could return to the Bebop now, confident and happy with herself for the first time in a long time.