"What've ya got?" Jet asked Ryo, who was leaning over the computer with a puzzled expression.

"Hmm, it say here that J. J. Astker was a former marine, naval manager, and army private. He's got big training. He'll be a tough one." She looked over her shoulder.

Spike looked over, opening only one eye. "So what? We've taken down guys like this before. It's all a matter of setting traps."

Faye grinned. "We'll have him before you can say 'Gotcha!'"

Jet leaned against the wall and scoffed, with his exasperated expression on. "You know it won't be that easy. This guy's got mental problems. He seems to think he's still in a war or something. His hideout's all the way, the whole nine yards. It's a trench, bomb shelter, radio house, everything a good encampment needs. And you can't starve him out either. Rumor has it that he's got enough food to last him two years," he inserted.

Ryo snapped her fingers. "Then let's give him a war! We'll all gang up on him!"

Spike tut-tutted. "Yeah, right. And before that, let's all go dress like chickens and dance out in the middle of the hypergate. What're you thinking?" he said, upstarting. He leaned forward and glared at her.

"I'm thinking grenades, machine guns, anything to get him outta there. All we have to do is wait. And twenty million Woolongs isn't something to cough at. At this rate, we'll be bringing in the small fries for ten Woolongs apiece of we keep this aloof attitude up." Ryo reprimanded.

"Well then, let's get on it." Spike stood up and walked towards the ship bay as Faye followed. Suddenly, she turned back and looked at Ryo with a smile.

"You got guts, girl. Now let's tie up that bounty! Wheeyoo!" Faye leapt into the air and put one arm up and the other one on her hip, like some schoolgirl.

Ryo and Jet just stared as Faye bounded off the corridor and disappeared.

***

Spike sat in the corner of the bar, watching out of the corner of his eye. He could see Ryo, next to J. J. She was drinking slowly.

He also saw Jet, leaning up against the wall on the opposite side of the room. Faye was covering the door. There was no way their bounty could escape.

Or so they thought.

Ryo then made her move. She flipped out a gun and shoved the barrel up against the underside of Astker's chin. He never faltered. He just brought up his hand, snapped her wrist, grabbed the gun, and stood up, his eyes darting for the exit.

No dice. Faye stood, menacing as she could, with a machine gun clutched in her hand and aimed straight for him. He ducked.

A volley of bullets cascaded through the air as he threw his entire weight against her legs. She fell, and he snapped out of the building. Jet followed, but didn't shoot.

"Jet! What the hell are you doing?! Shoot him!" Faye screamed at him as she was getting up.

Ryo, holding her broken wrist in pain, approached Spike, who was standing in the doorway. "Damn bloody bastard knows jiu-jitsu."

"He's not going far. He's holed himself up in the top story of an apartment building not far from here." Jet had just walked in and helped Faye up.

"Well, let's get him!!!" Ryo braced herself.

***

They were on a stakeout. Spike covering the corner of the hallway, Jet on the other corner, Faye behind the door, and Ryo hanging from the ceiling.

Spike looked at Ryo. This was the position he had first gotten words out of her. She seemed to be like a spider. Ed loved her, after all. They were constantly helping each other hack into one place or another.

They heard a noise on the other side of the door. Everyone snapped to attention, and watched. The door opened a crack and the muzzle of a gun could be seen.

Blam! Blam! Blam! The gun went off three times, and the plaster was blown in. The paint was singed.

Spike leapt out and fired into the crack in the door. A muffled curse was heard, and the hunters knew Spike had nailed J. J.'s shooting hand.

They all rushed in and observed the scene. A bulletproof wall of glass surrounded the entire room, and in the center was a duck blind hideout covered in mail. A single gun was visible from the small opening, yet was being handled shakily. Spike, Jet, and Ryo let fly a line of bullets.

Faye stood in the door, looking around. Suddenly, she screamed and fired at a blank wall.

"What the hell's the matter with you? Faye?! He's over here!" Jet screamed at her while recovering over and over again from kickback.

"No he's not! That's just some kind of distraction! There's the guy!!!" she returned.

They all turned around and say J. J. Astker himself, grinning maliciously from behind a loaded

machine gun. "You thought you all had me. But it's me who has you now. Heh-heh, now you'll all die in

the field. See you in the trenches, comrades!" And he let fly.

Spike fell with a bullet in his arm. The bullets bounced off Jet's metal arm as he blasted away at

the crazed ex-military sergeant. Faye and Ryo had already taken cover and shot at Astker from behind the

blind.

Finally, he fell. His arms and legs riddled with scrapes and a few implanted bullets, J. J. Astker

fell to the floor of his impenetrable base. The crew of the BeBop gathered around, or as much as they

could. Spike still lay on the floor, groaning in pain. Ryo was holding her wrist gingerly.

"D-d-damn you all…" J. J. croaked out before falling unconscious on the floor.

***

Later, Spike sat on the couch, being bandaged by Jet.

"Oh, stop whining. Ryo took it better than you did. See?" Jet reprimanded Spike, and motioned

towards the girl, who was now in a wrist cast and helping Ed the best she could with one hand.

"Ryo helps Ed! We'll find that stupid Mungo Matt on the net and get all his cash!" Ed smiled and

did a little dance.

"You WHAT?! Ryo, please tell me that you haven't been stealing from people to eat?!" Jet

looked on as Spike touched the bandage softly and looked on.

"Just from people who owe me some cash." She smiled uncertainly.

"Great. While you're at it, take whatever that Astker had. He's got no family and we could

certainly use it." Spike grinned at Ryo, and she returned the favor with pleasure.