COWBOY BEBOP - Bottom Feeders Backbeat
Ed stood on the street corner, calmly sucking on a lolipop. The earpiece was so small that her hair
completely covered it. She watched the man carefully from across the street, as he stared back at her
with stars in his eyes. Edward saw he'd taken the bait, and began licking the lolipop just as Faye had
taught her. It seemed to be working, the man almost lost his balance as he started towards her, practically
stumbling across the street as cars honked and their drivers shouted profanity. Ed smiled slightly, putting
even more sensuality into the act. She really loved doing this, luring a bounty to her with something so
simple. Faye had been right, men were easy to control. "He's coming over to Ed." She whispered,
as Jet's voice crackled over the transmitter. "That's great Ed, just remember the plan." Jet replied,
sounding more than a little pleased with Ed's sudden eagerness to help catch bounties. The truth was
that she'd always wanted to help, and the mere thought of catching bad guys made her feel more grown up.
She loved being with them all, on the Bebop. She loved the life of a hunter, it suited her. And the things
Faye had been teaching her about boys made it all even more exciting, she never dreamed it could be so much fun.
The man reached her finally, his eyes still looking her up and down. Ed winked at him playfully, as she slowly
walked away. She glanced back at him, making sure he was following. The man stopped abruptly, suspecting
just a little bit. Edward looked back at him, with what Faye had called 'bedroom eyes'. Ever so gracefully, she
reached back with one hand and moved her index finger, beckoning him closer. He complied just as she knew
he would, taking her hand in both of his. "Hello, little lady," The man said, grinning as his eyes continued to
undress her. "Hello there, you naughty man," Edward said back, her voice dripping with sensuality.
Faye had told her that when you spoke to a boy that way, he would do whatever you wanted him to.
"Do you have a minute? I'd love to show you something.." Ed continued, putting her hands behind her back
in a girlish pose. She kept the lolipop in her mouth, moving it around with her tounge just like Faye had shown her.
"I always have time for a pretty girl." The man answered, moving closer. Ed backed herself up against the wall,
smiling playfully at her target. The man reached out for her, his hand nearing her shoulder. As soon as it touched
her, Edward's hands shot out from behind her back and grabbed it forcefully. She threw the man to the ground,
stepping on his chest as she aimed the silver glock. "Silly ol' man." Ed laughed, grinning childishly as Spike and Faye
appeared from around the next corner. "Little girls are innocent, you should be ashamed." Faye remarked,
her own glock pointed at the man. "Yurino Takagi, wanted for one hundred and thirty two cases of statutory rape."
Spike addresed Yurino, smirking as Ed kicked him in the face. Yurino blacked out instantly, as Ed grinned wider.
"Nice work, cowgirl." Spike complimented, nodding to Ed approvingly. Ed turned to Spike and Faye happily,
thrilled at having bagged her first bounty. "Was Edward seductive?" Ed asked, remembering all the times Faye
had said that seduction is key if you want to catch bounties. "Yeah, you were perfect!" Faye exclaimed, looking
at Ed as if she was the sister Faye never had. Ed laughed, scratching the back of her head basfully.
"What do you mean he's not wanted?!" Faye shouted, standing straight up and banging her fist on the chief's desk.
The police chief winced, bewildered by the woman's mood swing. "Well, as it turns out none of the other girls will
testify." He explained dryly, loosening his tie. This woman was scaring him just a little bit, she had been quiet
up until now. Spike banged his head on the office door, chuckling in spite of thier situation. "But they were minors! The law is the
law!" Faye screamed, pounding her fist on the desk again. Jet stood next to Spike, patting his partner's shoulder sympathetically.
"He was going to molest Ed!" Edward cried, standing next to Faye and pounding her own fist on the desk.
Look, people." The chief stammered, toying with the notion of calling secutiry. Cowboys were all the same, wanting
only money and not caring about the people involved in any given incident. "I'm grateful for you bringing him in,
there'll be a trial of course, the usual red tape. But without a testimony from one of the other girls, I'm afraid there's
no case. The bounty has been withdrawn." Jet shook his head, smiling slightly at the irony. "Ok, well thanks for your time
anyways." Jet stated apologetically, grabbing Spike's jacket and dragging him out the door.
Faye and Ed followed slowly, thier heads hung in defeat. "Did Ed fuck up?" Edward asked Jet, walking up to the
tall man. "How many times have I told you not to use that language?" Jet lectured, tousing Edward's hair.
"It's not your fault, Ed." Spike offered, smiling as much as he could seeing as how the crew had been broke for
a solid week now. Faye took Ed's hand, walking with her in an almost motherly fashion. "Spike's right."
She assured Ed. "It's not your fault the cops are all horny old men these days, there's no justice for women anymore."
Spike looked at the two of them, smirking at Faye's recent attitude change. It was almost like she was practicing
for the real thing. "So what now, Jet?" Spike asked, as they passed a clock in the lobby. With any luck, they could
still find another bounty head and at least start some research on their next hit. "That's it, we're fresh out of leads."
Jet answered, frowning. "And we don't even have enough cash to make it through the next warp gate." Jet added,
as the crew left the police station. "If we don't find something here on Venus, we're stuck." Jet finished,
putting their grim situation in painfully blunt terms. Ed's stomach growled at her, as her body sagged.
"Ed is fucking hungry..." She exclaimed, laying out flat on the ground. "Edward!" Jet bellowed, glaring back at
her. It made him uncomfortable to hear Ed repeating all the less tasteful words that escaped the crew's lips.
"Sorry, Jet-person." Ed apologized, staying as limp as possible while Jet put her on his massive shoulders.
Spike frowned at the scene, they were all hungry, and tired and disapointed. Lately it seemed like every
bounty had some kind of hitch attached to it. "If we don't catch a break soon, we'll have to cook Ein."
Spike joked, putting his arm around Faye as she leaned on him. She seemed as weak as the rest of them, perhaps
weaker. She'd always had a big appetite, but lately it seemed to have almost doubled. "That's a good idea."
Faye offered, closing her eyes briefly. "Hey, you two!" Jet spat out, carrying a sleeping Edward on his shoulders.
"Eating the dog is NOT an option. Don't forget he finds most of these bounties people!" Spike laughed,
assuring Jet that it had been temporary insanity brought on by hunger.
"Alright, this officially sucks." Jet admitted, stitting slouched at his computer. There was nothing, absolutely no
wanted persons anywhere on Venus or the surrounding area. "Heh, want me to go find the mutt?" Spike offered,
stretched out on the couch with Faye laying on top of him. She was sound asleep, Spike realized as he
smiled at her. Ed was playing with Spike's hair, tying some of it's many strands into locks. "Ed, these will come out
after, right?" Spike checked, not wanting to have to pick knots from his head all day. "Sure they will!" Ed replied,
laughing as she finished another one. "Any ideas, Spike?" Jet asked, turning around in his chair to face the others.
"Yeah, I think we should eat the dog." Spike answered, a wide smirk appearing on his face.
"I mean about finding work!" Jet growled, annoyed that Spike was taking the joke so far.
"Ein is -not- food!" Edward declared, yanking back on one of the locks she'd made in his afro.
Spike grunted in pain, sitting straight up and catching Faye before she slid off the couch.
"Hey!" Spike yelled at Ed, holding his hair protectively while the other arm held Faye's slumbering form.
Jet laughed at Spike's hair, there were three of four parts of it near the top that were tied neatly and sticking straight up.
He looked to Jet like some kind of giant bug, or maybe an alien complete with antennea.
"Spike, sit over closer to the TV, the reception's gone bad." Jet joked, laughing as Spike raised an eyebrow.
He felt the top of his head cautiously, his eyes going wide as he reached the locks.
"I'm gonna go find a mirror..." Spike said in defeat, slowly laying Faye out on the couch as he got up.
"She looks wiped out, must be lack of food." Jet commented. Spike looked at Jet stoically, then shifted
his gaze to Faye Valentine. "Yeah, must be." He lied as he walked out the door.
Spike though he knew exactly what was with Faye recentely, and it wasn't just hunger.
"Aww hell." Jet grumbled at last, going to another site on his computer. "It's hopeless, there's no one
to catch around here right now." Ed walked over to Jet, watching him as he surfed through the internet.
"So what do we do?" Faye asked sleepily, finally waking up. "Only one thing we can do." Jet answered,
turning to face Faye. "We get actual jobs. Real work." Faye rubbed her eyes in shock, not believeing what
she was hearing. "I must still be dreaming." Faye concluded, laying back down. "There's a crackshot
contest tomorrow, Faye." Jet informed her, disrupting the illusion that it was all a dream.
"A shootout? Like marksmanship stuff?" Faye asked, suddenly very interested. "Yeah, and it's paying
5.000 wulongs. In a pinch that will at least get us to a warp gate, and some food." Ed climbed onto Jet's desk,
staring at the computer screen. "What does Ed get to do?" She asked enthusiasitically, thinking that having a
job would get her that much closer to being a real grown up. "There's a gymnastics competition tonight, Ed."
Jet told her, reading the details. "It says independant competitors are encouraged, think you can handle it?"
Edward nodded vigorously, grinning in her usual insane manner. "It's 800 wulongs if you win." Jet continued,
trying to find a job that Spike couldn't possibly screw up, if such a thing even existed. "Hey! There's a
bonsai-trimming contest the same day!" Jet exclaimed happily, anticipating a chance to prove he knew what he
was doing with those little trees. That would put a stop to Spike's jokes if anything could.
*400 wulong cash for first place, not bad." Jet continued, having trouble finding anything he could picture Spike
suceeding at. "What about Spike?" Faye inquired, voicing the question that Jet was trying to answer.
"Well, you know Spike, he's bullheaded." Jet replied, searching down to the smallest jobs available on Venus.
Faye nodded whimsically, stretching as she stood up. "Aha! This might be good, oh..." Jet stopped midsentence,
reading the job's requirements. "What did you find?" Faye asked suspiciously, cocking an eyebrow as she
lookied over Jet's shoulder. "Ummm well, it's definetely something he could do." Jet explained slowly,
nervous that Faye was so close to him. He doubted she'd approve, but it was a sure thing for Spike.
"Male escort, 200 wulongs a night." He said finally, expecting to be smacked for even suggesting it.
But for the moment, food and fuel were more important than Faye's paranoia about Spike.
"That's definetely somehting he could do." Faye agreed quietly, walking off. Jet was relieved no violence
had resulted from his discovery, but worried all the same. Spike seemed truly commited to Faye, but
with Spike you never knew what he'd do next, until he'd already done it. "It's just for a night or two, right?"
Faye questioned, stopping at the door. Her voice held genuine concern, but no actual fear of what would happen.
"Yeah, of course Faye." Jet assured her, rubbing his temples. His headaches seemed to be premontions that
someone on the ship was about to cause trouble. "As soon as we have enough to leave orbit, we're gone."
Jet added, hoping Faye wouldn't worry about it. "Ok, I'll go tell him." Faye stated, walking through the door.
Jet stayed seated, beathing heavily as he got a very bad feeling. "Please, just this once." Jet pleaded to Buddah.
"Just this once let nothing go wrong."
Faye squeezed the glock's trigger again, smiling slyly as the last bottle was shattered. A perfect score,
something only one of the other contestants had managed to get. It would come down to the two of them,
and some other test of skill. Her opponent wore a cowboy hat, which clashed horribly with his red sequenced
shirt and ripped blue jeans. As he tipped the cowboy hat up with one finger, his eyes peered out at
Faye strangely. It was as if he was complimenting her skill, and at the same time assuring her that she could not
win against him. "Bang." Faye whispered, pointing her index finger at him. The challenge was on, just her
against Mr. Cowboy. Across the city, Edward was awaiting the results of the gymnastic finals.
Everyone had been so talented, but she had gone the extra mile and done backflips across a balance beam
as thin as she was. Ed was confident that she'd at least win the second prize of 400 wulongs, which would have to do.
Jet had been eliminated in the trimming contest, clipping his first attempt too close to the roots. The little tree had
died, and Jet was sent away as hungry as when he'd arrived. "I sure hope the others do ok." Jet lamented,
spotting a bar about a block away. Spike was putting his looks to good use, charming the pants off every woman
who called. He had ditched his usual blue suit for a tux, bow-tie and all. He hated it and felt like a big hairy penguin,
but they needed money badly. Spike shot a glance at his watch, as his current date put his arm around her shoulders.
It was three in the morning, the others had to have been done by now. He wouldn't need to hang around after this last woman
was done with him. Of course he'd avoided sex or anything close, Faye would have his hide for that and who knew what
kind of things women this loose could have? Spike suspected he might be enjoying the ease of his assignment a bit too much.
Most of the women he'd 'escorted' throughout the night had been at least decent looking, but this one was a total
knockout. Long muscular leags, gorgeous features, breasts that weren't huge but incredibly rounded just the same.
And she radiated a sense of complete independancy and strength, as if she only did this kind of thing for fun and didn't need
a man for anything. Spike was oddly attracted to her, just a little. It was almost as if they had something in common, some
obscure detail their lives shared. Spike couldn't put his finger on what exactly,and he didn't really care. All he cared about
was getting paid and the hell off this planet, and going someplace where they sold food with meat in it. As the car took a
sharp turn, the girl was suddenly thrown into Spike's lap. "What the hell are you doing?" Spike shouted to the driver, banging
on the shilded glass between the front and back of the car. The car was stopped abruptly, as the driver got out. Spike could hear
other cars, screeching to a halt just outside. The woman looked scared, terrified even as she buried her head in Spike's
chest and shivered. "Hey, what is it? Are they after you?" Spike asked her, moving her head as he grabbed the jehrico tucked in his
pants. No matter what, Spike could never, ever do anything normal without something going wrong.
The back door creaked open, as an armed man poked his head inside. "Virtue? what are you.." The man had no time to finish,
before Spike kicked the door into his face, swinging it wide as he jumped out of the car. The woman was in tow, clutching
Spike's arm as if it were life itself. More men were waiting outside, at least twenty from what Spike could see. Some were unarmed,
and sported white coats. They looked almost like doctors, and they were watching the woman very carefully.
"It's time to go, you must come back with us." One of the white coats insisted, grabbing the woman's arm. She swung violenely
at him, as if she were an animal fending off a vicious predator. Spike kicked the man's chest, before one of the others
bashed his head with a gun butt. "You shouldn't interfere, just take a walk pal." The man warned Spike, holding
a fairly nasty submachine at him. "Oh, BIG mistake guys." Spike shot back, kicking the man's gun away as he sprung to
vibrant life. He took out the labcaot wearer that held the woman first, yelling for her to run while he held off the goons.
It was obvious this lady was in a heap of trouble, and ladies in distress were Spike's weak spot.
To his surpirse, the woman didn't run, but attacked the first man she saw and grabbed his gun. She mowed down
one afte ranother, her face growing into an ever intensifying mask of rage. Between her and Spike, the men were simply
outgunned, wounded and half-dead alike ran off into the night. Spike turned, meaning to ask if the poor woman was alright.
He was met unexpectadly with a kiss, a very mature, very strong kiss. "Thank you." The woman said simply, before
running off before Spike's very eyes. As she left, Spike caught a glimpse of her torso, the spandex of her shirt torn by a
bullet. The wound underneath did not bleed, or at least it was not like any kind of blood Spike had ever seen.
Spike hadn't come out of the fray undamaged either, one leg was bleeding badly at the thigh. He limped over to one of
the abandoned cars, and climbed inside. His brain said to go find Faye and the others, before he bled to death. His
instincts, the things he always ended up obeying, said to follow the girl.
Jet was more than just a little distraught, as he swooped in low with the Hammerhead. The whole street was covered
with damaged cars, dead bodies and a lot of shell casings. Whatever had gone on here, Jet knew Spike had somehow
been involved. He was supossed to meet the others right here on this street. "Damnit, here we go." Jet grumbled,
slowing the ship down to a crawl as he followed a blood trail. If it was Spike's, there wasn't much time. That much blood
meant bad news for whoever was losing it. "Did you find him?" Faye's voice boomed over the ship radio, she sounded
more curious than worried, but Jet knew better. "I think so." Jet said plainly, seeing a hunched over form down below.
"What were those guys after?" Spike asked, as the mysetery woman stared at him blankly. There were a few wires and
a purple gel visible from the hole in her body, which leaked out slowly. She seemed to be in no pain, but it could be
she was just too scared to feel anything right now. Spike could see she wasn't human exactly, her head and arms
had small lines in a few places. Most likley access panels of some kind, she was an android. "They want to take me back."
The woman said suddenly, her voice carrying a sultry monotone quialtiy to it. "Back to that place..They want to hurt me
again, to punish me." Spike blinked, not understanding any of what she'd just said. "Take you back where? What did they do?"
Spike asked, taking glances from side to side as he leaned against the wall. His leg had stopped hurting and gone numb,
and he coudln't see so well anymore. "You are injured." The woman spoke again, crouching to inspect Spike's leg.
"No, it's ok.." Spike lied, trying to turn away. The woman ripped the spandex shirt from her body, exposing her naked
chest. "Hey, don't do that I'm fine." Spike protested, trying to push her away. The woman pushed back hard, pinning
Spike to the wall as she wound the shirt around his thigh. "The bleeding will stop now." The woman assured him, standing up
again. Spike turned away sharply, as the Hammerhead's running lights flooded the dark street. When Spike looked back
to thank the woman, she was gone. "Spike!" Jet's voice boomed over the ship's speaker. "I'm alright!" Spike called back,
still feeling woozy as he limped to the ship. He couldn't stop thinking about her, the woman that wasn't really a woman at all.
Faye marched proudly out of the hangar, brandishing crisp looking bills. "Well well, what do you know boys?" Faye
teased, as Edward trotted beside her, grinning as her hands showed bills as well. "Looks like the only ones who can earn
real money around here are the ladies." Faye bragged, She and Edward had won their respective contests, while Jet and
Spike ahd both cashed out. Spike was stretched out on the rec room couch as usual, staring up at the ceiling fan as he
gazed off into thin air. "What's wrong with you? How did you manage to get hurt by being an escort?" Faye questioned him,
waiting for ananswer with hands on her hips. Spike looked dreamily at her, smiling as he touched her face.
"I saw a dream, Faye. I met someone just like me." Faye blinked at him, then narrowed her eyes. She didn't like it when
he started talking like that, it always led to confusing things she couldn't understand. "How were they just like you?"
Faye probed, fearing that he'd met another psycho he'd either beat up or die trying to. "She wasn't real, but she's not fake
either." Spike answered, still looking up at Faye as his finger tapped her eyebrow. "She's somewhere inbetween, just like
this eye." Spike withdrew his hand, covering his left eye with it as he turned over on his side.
Faye wanted to ask what it meant, but she was afraid to. Spike always said cryptic things and got weird around
poeple that were dangerous, especially the kind that aren't really alive. Whenever he compared himself to people like that,
Faye started to get really afraid.
SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY...................................................................... ............
SPIKE: This is something else.
FAYE: What are we going to do?
JET: What -can- we do? It's pretty tricky Spike.
EDWARD: Ed will think of something!
SPIKE: Maybe this is the one?
FAYE: It's hopeless, Spike.
SPIKE: Yeah, it's finally here. The end.
FAYE: Don't even say that!
JET: Well it's true after all. In the next episode, armageddon's comin' down.
Ed stood on the street corner, calmly sucking on a lolipop. The earpiece was so small that her hair
completely covered it. She watched the man carefully from across the street, as he stared back at her
with stars in his eyes. Edward saw he'd taken the bait, and began licking the lolipop just as Faye had
taught her. It seemed to be working, the man almost lost his balance as he started towards her, practically
stumbling across the street as cars honked and their drivers shouted profanity. Ed smiled slightly, putting
even more sensuality into the act. She really loved doing this, luring a bounty to her with something so
simple. Faye had been right, men were easy to control. "He's coming over to Ed." She whispered,
as Jet's voice crackled over the transmitter. "That's great Ed, just remember the plan." Jet replied,
sounding more than a little pleased with Ed's sudden eagerness to help catch bounties. The truth was
that she'd always wanted to help, and the mere thought of catching bad guys made her feel more grown up.
She loved being with them all, on the Bebop. She loved the life of a hunter, it suited her. And the things
Faye had been teaching her about boys made it all even more exciting, she never dreamed it could be so much fun.
The man reached her finally, his eyes still looking her up and down. Ed winked at him playfully, as she slowly
walked away. She glanced back at him, making sure he was following. The man stopped abruptly, suspecting
just a little bit. Edward looked back at him, with what Faye had called 'bedroom eyes'. Ever so gracefully, she
reached back with one hand and moved her index finger, beckoning him closer. He complied just as she knew
he would, taking her hand in both of his. "Hello, little lady," The man said, grinning as his eyes continued to
undress her. "Hello there, you naughty man," Edward said back, her voice dripping with sensuality.
Faye had told her that when you spoke to a boy that way, he would do whatever you wanted him to.
"Do you have a minute? I'd love to show you something.." Ed continued, putting her hands behind her back
in a girlish pose. She kept the lolipop in her mouth, moving it around with her tounge just like Faye had shown her.
"I always have time for a pretty girl." The man answered, moving closer. Ed backed herself up against the wall,
smiling playfully at her target. The man reached out for her, his hand nearing her shoulder. As soon as it touched
her, Edward's hands shot out from behind her back and grabbed it forcefully. She threw the man to the ground,
stepping on his chest as she aimed the silver glock. "Silly ol' man." Ed laughed, grinning childishly as Spike and Faye
appeared from around the next corner. "Little girls are innocent, you should be ashamed." Faye remarked,
her own glock pointed at the man. "Yurino Takagi, wanted for one hundred and thirty two cases of statutory rape."
Spike addresed Yurino, smirking as Ed kicked him in the face. Yurino blacked out instantly, as Ed grinned wider.
"Nice work, cowgirl." Spike complimented, nodding to Ed approvingly. Ed turned to Spike and Faye happily,
thrilled at having bagged her first bounty. "Was Edward seductive?" Ed asked, remembering all the times Faye
had said that seduction is key if you want to catch bounties. "Yeah, you were perfect!" Faye exclaimed, looking
at Ed as if she was the sister Faye never had. Ed laughed, scratching the back of her head basfully.
"What do you mean he's not wanted?!" Faye shouted, standing straight up and banging her fist on the chief's desk.
The police chief winced, bewildered by the woman's mood swing. "Well, as it turns out none of the other girls will
testify." He explained dryly, loosening his tie. This woman was scaring him just a little bit, she had been quiet
up until now. Spike banged his head on the office door, chuckling in spite of thier situation. "But they were minors! The law is the
law!" Faye screamed, pounding her fist on the desk again. Jet stood next to Spike, patting his partner's shoulder sympathetically.
"He was going to molest Ed!" Edward cried, standing next to Faye and pounding her own fist on the desk.
Look, people." The chief stammered, toying with the notion of calling secutiry. Cowboys were all the same, wanting
only money and not caring about the people involved in any given incident. "I'm grateful for you bringing him in,
there'll be a trial of course, the usual red tape. But without a testimony from one of the other girls, I'm afraid there's
no case. The bounty has been withdrawn." Jet shook his head, smiling slightly at the irony. "Ok, well thanks for your time
anyways." Jet stated apologetically, grabbing Spike's jacket and dragging him out the door.
Faye and Ed followed slowly, thier heads hung in defeat. "Did Ed fuck up?" Edward asked Jet, walking up to the
tall man. "How many times have I told you not to use that language?" Jet lectured, tousing Edward's hair.
"It's not your fault, Ed." Spike offered, smiling as much as he could seeing as how the crew had been broke for
a solid week now. Faye took Ed's hand, walking with her in an almost motherly fashion. "Spike's right."
She assured Ed. "It's not your fault the cops are all horny old men these days, there's no justice for women anymore."
Spike looked at the two of them, smirking at Faye's recent attitude change. It was almost like she was practicing
for the real thing. "So what now, Jet?" Spike asked, as they passed a clock in the lobby. With any luck, they could
still find another bounty head and at least start some research on their next hit. "That's it, we're fresh out of leads."
Jet answered, frowning. "And we don't even have enough cash to make it through the next warp gate." Jet added,
as the crew left the police station. "If we don't find something here on Venus, we're stuck." Jet finished,
putting their grim situation in painfully blunt terms. Ed's stomach growled at her, as her body sagged.
"Ed is fucking hungry..." She exclaimed, laying out flat on the ground. "Edward!" Jet bellowed, glaring back at
her. It made him uncomfortable to hear Ed repeating all the less tasteful words that escaped the crew's lips.
"Sorry, Jet-person." Ed apologized, staying as limp as possible while Jet put her on his massive shoulders.
Spike frowned at the scene, they were all hungry, and tired and disapointed. Lately it seemed like every
bounty had some kind of hitch attached to it. "If we don't catch a break soon, we'll have to cook Ein."
Spike joked, putting his arm around Faye as she leaned on him. She seemed as weak as the rest of them, perhaps
weaker. She'd always had a big appetite, but lately it seemed to have almost doubled. "That's a good idea."
Faye offered, closing her eyes briefly. "Hey, you two!" Jet spat out, carrying a sleeping Edward on his shoulders.
"Eating the dog is NOT an option. Don't forget he finds most of these bounties people!" Spike laughed,
assuring Jet that it had been temporary insanity brought on by hunger.
"Alright, this officially sucks." Jet admitted, stitting slouched at his computer. There was nothing, absolutely no
wanted persons anywhere on Venus or the surrounding area. "Heh, want me to go find the mutt?" Spike offered,
stretched out on the couch with Faye laying on top of him. She was sound asleep, Spike realized as he
smiled at her. Ed was playing with Spike's hair, tying some of it's many strands into locks. "Ed, these will come out
after, right?" Spike checked, not wanting to have to pick knots from his head all day. "Sure they will!" Ed replied,
laughing as she finished another one. "Any ideas, Spike?" Jet asked, turning around in his chair to face the others.
"Yeah, I think we should eat the dog." Spike answered, a wide smirk appearing on his face.
"I mean about finding work!" Jet growled, annoyed that Spike was taking the joke so far.
"Ein is -not- food!" Edward declared, yanking back on one of the locks she'd made in his afro.
Spike grunted in pain, sitting straight up and catching Faye before she slid off the couch.
"Hey!" Spike yelled at Ed, holding his hair protectively while the other arm held Faye's slumbering form.
Jet laughed at Spike's hair, there were three of four parts of it near the top that were tied neatly and sticking straight up.
He looked to Jet like some kind of giant bug, or maybe an alien complete with antennea.
"Spike, sit over closer to the TV, the reception's gone bad." Jet joked, laughing as Spike raised an eyebrow.
He felt the top of his head cautiously, his eyes going wide as he reached the locks.
"I'm gonna go find a mirror..." Spike said in defeat, slowly laying Faye out on the couch as he got up.
"She looks wiped out, must be lack of food." Jet commented. Spike looked at Jet stoically, then shifted
his gaze to Faye Valentine. "Yeah, must be." He lied as he walked out the door.
Spike though he knew exactly what was with Faye recentely, and it wasn't just hunger.
"Aww hell." Jet grumbled at last, going to another site on his computer. "It's hopeless, there's no one
to catch around here right now." Ed walked over to Jet, watching him as he surfed through the internet.
"So what do we do?" Faye asked sleepily, finally waking up. "Only one thing we can do." Jet answered,
turning to face Faye. "We get actual jobs. Real work." Faye rubbed her eyes in shock, not believeing what
she was hearing. "I must still be dreaming." Faye concluded, laying back down. "There's a crackshot
contest tomorrow, Faye." Jet informed her, disrupting the illusion that it was all a dream.
"A shootout? Like marksmanship stuff?" Faye asked, suddenly very interested. "Yeah, and it's paying
5.000 wulongs. In a pinch that will at least get us to a warp gate, and some food." Ed climbed onto Jet's desk,
staring at the computer screen. "What does Ed get to do?" She asked enthusiasitically, thinking that having a
job would get her that much closer to being a real grown up. "There's a gymnastics competition tonight, Ed."
Jet told her, reading the details. "It says independant competitors are encouraged, think you can handle it?"
Edward nodded vigorously, grinning in her usual insane manner. "It's 800 wulongs if you win." Jet continued,
trying to find a job that Spike couldn't possibly screw up, if such a thing even existed. "Hey! There's a
bonsai-trimming contest the same day!" Jet exclaimed happily, anticipating a chance to prove he knew what he
was doing with those little trees. That would put a stop to Spike's jokes if anything could.
*400 wulong cash for first place, not bad." Jet continued, having trouble finding anything he could picture Spike
suceeding at. "What about Spike?" Faye inquired, voicing the question that Jet was trying to answer.
"Well, you know Spike, he's bullheaded." Jet replied, searching down to the smallest jobs available on Venus.
Faye nodded whimsically, stretching as she stood up. "Aha! This might be good, oh..." Jet stopped midsentence,
reading the job's requirements. "What did you find?" Faye asked suspiciously, cocking an eyebrow as she
lookied over Jet's shoulder. "Ummm well, it's definetely something he could do." Jet explained slowly,
nervous that Faye was so close to him. He doubted she'd approve, but it was a sure thing for Spike.
"Male escort, 200 wulongs a night." He said finally, expecting to be smacked for even suggesting it.
But for the moment, food and fuel were more important than Faye's paranoia about Spike.
"That's definetely somehting he could do." Faye agreed quietly, walking off. Jet was relieved no violence
had resulted from his discovery, but worried all the same. Spike seemed truly commited to Faye, but
with Spike you never knew what he'd do next, until he'd already done it. "It's just for a night or two, right?"
Faye questioned, stopping at the door. Her voice held genuine concern, but no actual fear of what would happen.
"Yeah, of course Faye." Jet assured her, rubbing his temples. His headaches seemed to be premontions that
someone on the ship was about to cause trouble. "As soon as we have enough to leave orbit, we're gone."
Jet added, hoping Faye wouldn't worry about it. "Ok, I'll go tell him." Faye stated, walking through the door.
Jet stayed seated, beathing heavily as he got a very bad feeling. "Please, just this once." Jet pleaded to Buddah.
"Just this once let nothing go wrong."
Faye squeezed the glock's trigger again, smiling slyly as the last bottle was shattered. A perfect score,
something only one of the other contestants had managed to get. It would come down to the two of them,
and some other test of skill. Her opponent wore a cowboy hat, which clashed horribly with his red sequenced
shirt and ripped blue jeans. As he tipped the cowboy hat up with one finger, his eyes peered out at
Faye strangely. It was as if he was complimenting her skill, and at the same time assuring her that she could not
win against him. "Bang." Faye whispered, pointing her index finger at him. The challenge was on, just her
against Mr. Cowboy. Across the city, Edward was awaiting the results of the gymnastic finals.
Everyone had been so talented, but she had gone the extra mile and done backflips across a balance beam
as thin as she was. Ed was confident that she'd at least win the second prize of 400 wulongs, which would have to do.
Jet had been eliminated in the trimming contest, clipping his first attempt too close to the roots. The little tree had
died, and Jet was sent away as hungry as when he'd arrived. "I sure hope the others do ok." Jet lamented,
spotting a bar about a block away. Spike was putting his looks to good use, charming the pants off every woman
who called. He had ditched his usual blue suit for a tux, bow-tie and all. He hated it and felt like a big hairy penguin,
but they needed money badly. Spike shot a glance at his watch, as his current date put his arm around her shoulders.
It was three in the morning, the others had to have been done by now. He wouldn't need to hang around after this last woman
was done with him. Of course he'd avoided sex or anything close, Faye would have his hide for that and who knew what
kind of things women this loose could have? Spike suspected he might be enjoying the ease of his assignment a bit too much.
Most of the women he'd 'escorted' throughout the night had been at least decent looking, but this one was a total
knockout. Long muscular leags, gorgeous features, breasts that weren't huge but incredibly rounded just the same.
And she radiated a sense of complete independancy and strength, as if she only did this kind of thing for fun and didn't need
a man for anything. Spike was oddly attracted to her, just a little. It was almost as if they had something in common, some
obscure detail their lives shared. Spike couldn't put his finger on what exactly,and he didn't really care. All he cared about
was getting paid and the hell off this planet, and going someplace where they sold food with meat in it. As the car took a
sharp turn, the girl was suddenly thrown into Spike's lap. "What the hell are you doing?" Spike shouted to the driver, banging
on the shilded glass between the front and back of the car. The car was stopped abruptly, as the driver got out. Spike could hear
other cars, screeching to a halt just outside. The woman looked scared, terrified even as she buried her head in Spike's
chest and shivered. "Hey, what is it? Are they after you?" Spike asked her, moving her head as he grabbed the jehrico tucked in his
pants. No matter what, Spike could never, ever do anything normal without something going wrong.
The back door creaked open, as an armed man poked his head inside. "Virtue? what are you.." The man had no time to finish,
before Spike kicked the door into his face, swinging it wide as he jumped out of the car. The woman was in tow, clutching
Spike's arm as if it were life itself. More men were waiting outside, at least twenty from what Spike could see. Some were unarmed,
and sported white coats. They looked almost like doctors, and they were watching the woman very carefully.
"It's time to go, you must come back with us." One of the white coats insisted, grabbing the woman's arm. She swung violenely
at him, as if she were an animal fending off a vicious predator. Spike kicked the man's chest, before one of the others
bashed his head with a gun butt. "You shouldn't interfere, just take a walk pal." The man warned Spike, holding
a fairly nasty submachine at him. "Oh, BIG mistake guys." Spike shot back, kicking the man's gun away as he sprung to
vibrant life. He took out the labcaot wearer that held the woman first, yelling for her to run while he held off the goons.
It was obvious this lady was in a heap of trouble, and ladies in distress were Spike's weak spot.
To his surpirse, the woman didn't run, but attacked the first man she saw and grabbed his gun. She mowed down
one afte ranother, her face growing into an ever intensifying mask of rage. Between her and Spike, the men were simply
outgunned, wounded and half-dead alike ran off into the night. Spike turned, meaning to ask if the poor woman was alright.
He was met unexpectadly with a kiss, a very mature, very strong kiss. "Thank you." The woman said simply, before
running off before Spike's very eyes. As she left, Spike caught a glimpse of her torso, the spandex of her shirt torn by a
bullet. The wound underneath did not bleed, or at least it was not like any kind of blood Spike had ever seen.
Spike hadn't come out of the fray undamaged either, one leg was bleeding badly at the thigh. He limped over to one of
the abandoned cars, and climbed inside. His brain said to go find Faye and the others, before he bled to death. His
instincts, the things he always ended up obeying, said to follow the girl.
Jet was more than just a little distraught, as he swooped in low with the Hammerhead. The whole street was covered
with damaged cars, dead bodies and a lot of shell casings. Whatever had gone on here, Jet knew Spike had somehow
been involved. He was supossed to meet the others right here on this street. "Damnit, here we go." Jet grumbled,
slowing the ship down to a crawl as he followed a blood trail. If it was Spike's, there wasn't much time. That much blood
meant bad news for whoever was losing it. "Did you find him?" Faye's voice boomed over the ship radio, she sounded
more curious than worried, but Jet knew better. "I think so." Jet said plainly, seeing a hunched over form down below.
"What were those guys after?" Spike asked, as the mysetery woman stared at him blankly. There were a few wires and
a purple gel visible from the hole in her body, which leaked out slowly. She seemed to be in no pain, but it could be
she was just too scared to feel anything right now. Spike could see she wasn't human exactly, her head and arms
had small lines in a few places. Most likley access panels of some kind, she was an android. "They want to take me back."
The woman said suddenly, her voice carrying a sultry monotone quialtiy to it. "Back to that place..They want to hurt me
again, to punish me." Spike blinked, not understanding any of what she'd just said. "Take you back where? What did they do?"
Spike asked, taking glances from side to side as he leaned against the wall. His leg had stopped hurting and gone numb,
and he coudln't see so well anymore. "You are injured." The woman spoke again, crouching to inspect Spike's leg.
"No, it's ok.." Spike lied, trying to turn away. The woman ripped the spandex shirt from her body, exposing her naked
chest. "Hey, don't do that I'm fine." Spike protested, trying to push her away. The woman pushed back hard, pinning
Spike to the wall as she wound the shirt around his thigh. "The bleeding will stop now." The woman assured him, standing up
again. Spike turned away sharply, as the Hammerhead's running lights flooded the dark street. When Spike looked back
to thank the woman, she was gone. "Spike!" Jet's voice boomed over the ship's speaker. "I'm alright!" Spike called back,
still feeling woozy as he limped to the ship. He couldn't stop thinking about her, the woman that wasn't really a woman at all.
Faye marched proudly out of the hangar, brandishing crisp looking bills. "Well well, what do you know boys?" Faye
teased, as Edward trotted beside her, grinning as her hands showed bills as well. "Looks like the only ones who can earn
real money around here are the ladies." Faye bragged, She and Edward had won their respective contests, while Jet and
Spike ahd both cashed out. Spike was stretched out on the rec room couch as usual, staring up at the ceiling fan as he
gazed off into thin air. "What's wrong with you? How did you manage to get hurt by being an escort?" Faye questioned him,
waiting for ananswer with hands on her hips. Spike looked dreamily at her, smiling as he touched her face.
"I saw a dream, Faye. I met someone just like me." Faye blinked at him, then narrowed her eyes. She didn't like it when
he started talking like that, it always led to confusing things she couldn't understand. "How were they just like you?"
Faye probed, fearing that he'd met another psycho he'd either beat up or die trying to. "She wasn't real, but she's not fake
either." Spike answered, still looking up at Faye as his finger tapped her eyebrow. "She's somewhere inbetween, just like
this eye." Spike withdrew his hand, covering his left eye with it as he turned over on his side.
Faye wanted to ask what it meant, but she was afraid to. Spike always said cryptic things and got weird around
poeple that were dangerous, especially the kind that aren't really alive. Whenever he compared himself to people like that,
Faye started to get really afraid.
SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY...................................................................... ............
SPIKE: This is something else.
FAYE: What are we going to do?
JET: What -can- we do? It's pretty tricky Spike.
EDWARD: Ed will think of something!
SPIKE: Maybe this is the one?
FAYE: It's hopeless, Spike.
SPIKE: Yeah, it's finally here. The end.
FAYE: Don't even say that!
JET: Well it's true after all. In the next episode, armageddon's comin' down.