Chapter One: Spike Spiegel And Marsellus Vicious' Wife

Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV, a young, 25-year old tomboyish prizefighter, also known as Radical Edward. Ed sits at a table wearing a black leather jacket. talking to him is everybodys boss Marsellus Vicious. The mob boss sounds like a cross between a gangster and a king.

"I think you are gonna find -- when all this shit is over and done -- I think you are gonna find yourself one smartmouth motherfucker. Thing is Edward, right now you got ability. But painful as it may be, ability do not last. Now that is a hard motherfucking fact of life, but it is a fact of life your ass is gonna have to get realistic about. This business is filled to the brim with unrealistic motherfuckers who think their asses aged forever. Besides, even if you went all the way, what would be? Hacker-weight champion of the world. Who gives a shit? I doubt you can even hack a bank based on that." Vicious said as he lays an envelope full of woolong on the table in front of Edward. Edward picks it up. "Now the night of the fight, you may feel a slight sting, that's hacking pride fucking with you. Fuck hacking! Hacking only hurts peoples computers, it never helps. Fight through this shit. Because a year from now, when you are kicking it in the Caribbean you are gonna say, 'Marsellus Vicious was right.'"
"I got no problem with that, Mr. Vicious." Edward said.
"On the 17th of march, your ass goes down." Edward nods his head: "yes."
"Say it!"
"On the 17th of march, my ass goes down.

Spike Spiegel looks really cool behind the wheel of the Bebop. From the car radio, "Midnight Blue" by Megumi Hayashibara plays. Spike's fishship whips into the near empty parking lot and parks next to a old convertible. Spike knocks on the door. The front entrance is unlocked, revealing the Dapper Dan fellow on the inside: English Antonio. Antonio is not really english, he is an old man from the gates, who has ran a few clubs for Marsellus Vicious.
"Spike Spiegel, our man in Mars, get your ass on in here." Spike, carrying the black briefcase from the prologue between Spike Spiegel and Jet Black, steps inside. English Antonio slams the door.

The spacious club is empty this time of day. English Antonio crosses to the bar, and Spike follows.
"Where is Marsellus Vicious?" he asked.
"He is over there, finishing up some business with the prizefighter, Radical Edward." Antonio answered. Edward shakes hands with a huge figure with his back to the wall. The huge figure is the infamous and as of yet still unseen Marsellus Vicious.
"Hand back for a second or two, and when you see the tomboy leave, go on over. In the meanwhile, can I make you a bloody mary?" Antonio said.
"How about a cup of just plain old red wine?" Spike said.
"Coming up. I hear you are taking Faye Valentine out tomorrow?"
"At Marsellus Vicious' request." Spike said.
"Have you met Faye?" Antonio said.
"Not yet." Spike said as English Antonio smiles to himself.
"What is so funny?" he asked.
"Not a goddamn fucking thing." Antonio answered.
"Look, I am not a idiot. She is the big man's fucking wife. I am gonna sit across a table, chew my food with my mouth closed, laugh at her jokes and that is all I am gonna do." Spike said as English Antonio puts Spike's wine in front of him.
"My name is Antwan, and this shit is between you all." He said as Edward bellies up to the bar next to Spike, drinking his cup of red wine.
"Can I get a pack of cigars?" Edward said to English Antonio.
"Filters?"
"None." Edward said while waiting for the cigars, Spike just sips his wine, staring at him. Edward looks over at him. "Looking at something, friend?" Edward said.
"I am not your friend, palooka." Spike said while Edward does a slow burn toward him.
"What was that?"
"I think you heard me just fine, hacky."
"Spike Spiegel has entered the building. My man, get your ass over here!" Marsellus Vicious said. Spike walks out of his seat, never giving Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV another glance. Edward is now left alone, looking like he is ready to go into the manners-teaching business. Spike, shaking hands with the obscured figure that is Marsellus Vicious. Edward makes the wise decision that is this asshole is a friend of Marsellus Vicious, he decides to let it go -- for now.
"Pack of cigars, $13.40" English Antonio said. Edward is snapped out of his ass-kicking thoughts. He pays English Antonio and leaves.

A woman who appears to have a fondness for earrings. Both of her ears are pierced five time. She also sports rings in her lips, eyebrows and nose.
"...I will lend it to you. It is a great book on body piercing." Julia, Spike and a young woman named Judy sit at the kitchen table of a suburban house in Venus. Even though Spike is at the same table, he's not included in the conversation. "You know how they use that gun when they pierce your ears? They do not use that when they pierce your tits, do they? Judy said.
"Fuck the gun. That gun goes against the entire fucking area behind piercing. All of my piercing, sixteen places on my body, every one of them, everyone of them done with a surgery needle. Five in each ear. One through the tit on my left breast. One through my right nostril. One through my left eyebrow. One through my lip. One in my clit. And I wear a stud in my tongue." Julia said. Spike has been letting this conversation go through one ear and out the other, until the last remark.
"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt. I am curious, why would you get a stud in your tongue?" Spike said interruptly. Julia looks at him and says as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"It is a sexuality thing. It helps fellatio." Julia said. That thought never occured to Spike, but he cannot deny it makes sense. Julia continues talking to Judy, leaving Spike to ponder the truth of her statement.

Carlos, late-40's, is a old man with a wild and woolly appearance that goes hand-in-hand with his wild and woolly personality. Carlos has been selling drugs his entire adult life. He has never had a day job, never filed a tax return and has never been arrested. He wears a red dresscoat with a bowtie. Three bags of heroin lie on Carlos' bed. Carlos and Spike stand at the foot of the bed.
"Now this is Panda, from Jupiter. Very good stuff. This is Bava, different, but equally good. And this is Choco from the Hartz Mountains of Mars. Now the first two are the same, forty-five an ounce -- those are friend prices -- but this one..." he pointed to the Choco. "...this one is a little more expensive. It is fifty-five hundred woolong. But when you shoot it, you will know where that extra money went. Nothing wrong with the first two. It is real, real, real, fucking shit. But this one is a damn madman." Carlos said.
"Remember, I just got back from Mars." Spike said.
"Am I a bitch? Are you in Jupiter? No. You are in my house. Young men who know the difference between good shit and bad shit, this is the house they come to. My shit, I will take the Wine challenge with that Mars shit any old day of the goddamn week."
"That is a bold statement."
"This is not Mars, Spike. This is a seller's market. Beer is fucking dead as the gates are almost. Heroin is coming back in a big fucking way. It is this whole eighties retro. Bell bottoms, heroin, they are as hot as fuck." Carlos said as Spike takes out a roll of money that would choke a gopher to death.
"Give me three hundred worth of the fucking madman. If it is as good as you say, I will be back for a thousand worth." He said.
"I just hope I still have it. What do you think of Judy? She has not got a boyfriend ever since she quitted Big Shot, wanna hang out and get high?" Carlos said.
"Which one is Judy? The one with all the shit on her face?" Spike said.
"No, that is Julia. That is my wife"
"I am on my way somewhere. I got a dinner engagement. Rain check?"
"No problem?" Carlos said as Spike takes out his case of the works.(utensils for shooting up.)
"You do not mind if I shoot up here?" Spike said.
"Me casa, su casa." Carlos said in espanol.
"Mucho gracias." Spike takes his works out of his case and, as the two continue to talk, Spike shoots up. "Still got your swordfish?" Carlos asked.
"You know what some fucker did to it the other day?"
"What?"
"Fucking keyed it."
"Oh man, that is fucked up."
"Tell me about it. I had the goddamn thing in storage for ten years. It is out nine fucking days -- nine days and some dickless piece of shit fucks with it."
"They should be fucking killed. No trial, no jury, straight to execution." Carlos said as he cooks his heroin.
"I just wish I caught him doing it, you know? Oh, man I would give anything to catch him doing it. It would of been worth his doing, if I could just catch him, you know what I mean?"
"It is chicken shit. You do not fuck with another man's vehicle." Carlos said as the stabs the needle into Spike's vein. The blood spurting back into the syringe, mixing with the heroin while Spike pushes his thumb down on the plunger.

Spike walks up to the driveway leading to Marsellus Vicious' front door. When he gets to the door, he hears music on the other side, and a note in plain view taped to it. He rips it off.

"Hi Spike,
I am getting dressed. The door's
open. Come inside and make
yourself a drink. - Faye Valentine."

Spike neatly folds the note up, sticks it in his pocket, takes a here-goes-nothing breath and turns the knob.

As Spike steps inside, the music that was behind the door, swells drastically. Spike, hands in pockets, strolls inside, checking out his boss Marsellus Vicious' home.
"Hello! I am here!" Spike yelled out as he hears a door open, Spike turns in its direction. He is now inside the room where "The Unforgiven II" by Metallica is playing. Faye Valentine, naked, wrapped in a towel, talks to Spike through a crack in the door. The door shields the front of her body from Spike.
"Spike Spiegel?" she said.
"I am Spike, you Faye?" Spike said.
"That is me, pleased to meet you. I am still getting dressed. To your left, past the kitchen, is a bar. Go make yourself a drink, have a seat in the living room, and I will be out within three shakes of a lamb's tail." Faye said as she closes the door. Before she can fully turn around. Spike still standing where he was, "The Unforgiven II continues beating, looking at the closed door. He contemplates what is on the other side of the door. He walks out, breaking the spell. Spike walks to the bar and pours himself a drink. Faye Valentine's dress selection is taken out of the closet. Spike, drink in hand, moves into the living room. Faye, dresses in her beautiful black gown, with leather bluish gloves, checks herself in the mirror. Portrait of Faye hanging on the living room wall, showing Faye sensually reclining on a chair. Spike looks up at the portrait. Faye cutting a small line of coke on her vanity table with a credit card. Spike sits on a plush, comfy couch, drink in hand. The song abruptly cuts off. Faye comes in and takes the CD out as she walks out of the dressing room, through the dining room, through the kitchen and into the living room. Faye Valentine comes out with a camcorder and videotapes Spike on the couch. He looks up and sees her. "Smile, You are on Faye's camera!"
"Ready to go?"
"Not yet. I am going to interview you first. Are you any relation to Scott Spiegel?"
"Yes, he is my brother."
"Scott Spiegel, the make-up artist is your brother?
"Scott Spiegel is my brother. If he is a make-up artist, I sure as hell did not know nothing about it. But then I have not been to too many christmas dinners lately."
"Now I am gonna ask you a bunch of quick questions I have come up that more of less tell me what kind of person I am having dinner with. My theory is that when it comes to important subjects, there is only two ways a person can answer. For instance, there are two kinds of people in this world, Gundam people and Evangelion people. Now Gundam people can like Evangelion. And Evangelion can like Gundam. But nobody gives a damn about them both equally. Somewhere you have to make a choice. And that choice tells me who you are."
"I can dig it."
"I knew you could. First question, Berserk or Lodoss War?"
"Berserk all the way, no comparison."
"On "Char's Counterattack" who did you like, Char Aznable or Amuro Ray?"
"Char Aznable, of course."
"Are you a "Godsmack" man or a "KoRn" man?"
""KoRn", all the way, though I always wonder how Jonathan Davis always does that creepy vocal voice in their songs."
"If you were "Duo Maxwell" who would you fuck first, Hilde or Noin?"
"Hilde. I never understood Noin attraction."
"Have you ever fantasized about being beaten up by a girl?"
"Sure."
"Who?"
"Lady Une from "Gundam Wing." that schizo who is always near Treize's side. and Julia."
"Who is Julia?"
"Girl from the past, you do not know her." Faye Valentine lowers the camcorder from in front of her face and gets a pretty good idea why Marsellus Vicious feels the way he does. She breaks out in a blinding smile. "Cut. Print. Let us go."

In the past 20 years, 50's diners have sprung up all over Venus, giving Vietnamese restaurants a run for their money. They are all basically the same. Spike's swordfish pulls up to the restaurant. A big sign with a neon figure cartoon surly cool cat kitty in a red windreaker towers over the establishment. Underneath the cartoon is name: Cool kitty Slim's. Compared to the interior, the exterior was that of a quaint English pub. Posters from animes and mangas are all over the wall. Spike Spiegel and Faye Valentine study the menu in a booth made out of oak. Katerina, comes over. "Hi I am Katerina, what can I get you?" she said.
"I will have the steak." Spike said.
"How do you want it, burnt to a crisp or bloody as hell?"
"Bloody as hell. And to drink, a glass of wine."
"How about you, Julie?"
"I will have the Beef with Bell Peppers -extra rare -- and a five woolong shake" Faye said.
"Did you just order a five-woolong shake?"
"Sure did." She said.
"A shake? Milk and ice cream?"
"Uh-huh."
"It costs five woolong?" Spike said.
"Yes, sir." Katerina said.
"You do not put bourbon in it or anything?"
"No." she said.
"Just checking." he said as Katerina exits. Spike takes a look around the place. The groupies are dancing, the diners are biting into their foods, and the anime and manga icons are playing their parts.
"What do you think?" Faye asked Spike.
"It is like a goddamn wax museum with a pulse rate." Spike said as he takes out his pouch of tobacco and begins rolling himself a cigarette. After a second of watching him --
"What are you doing?" Faye asked.
"Rolling a smoke." Spike answered.
"Here?" She said.
"It is just tobacco." Spike said.
"Oh, well in that case, will you roll me one, cowboy?" Faye said as he finishes licking it --
"You can have this one, cowgirl." Spike hands her the rolled smoke. she takes it, putting it to her lips. Out of nowhere appears a zippo lighter in Spike's hand. He lights it.
"Thanks." Faye said.
"Think nothing of it." Spike said as he begins rolling one for himself. Katerina comes back with the drinks. Faye wraps her lips around the straw of her shake.
"Yummy!"
"Can I have a sip of that? I would like to know what five-woolong shake tastes like." Spike said.
"Be my guest." Faye said as she slides the shake over to him.
"You can use my straw, I do not have termites."
"Yeah, maybe I do." Spike said as he takes a sip. "Goddamn! That is a pretty fucking good milk shake." He said.
"Told you."
"I do not know if it is worth five-woolong, but it is pretty fucking good." Spike said as he slides the shake back. Then the first of an uncomfortable silence happens.
"Do you not hate that?" Faye said.
"Hate what?"
"Uncomfortable silences. Why do we feel it is necessary to talk about bullshit this and bullshit that in order to be comfortable?" She said.
"I do not know."
"That is when you know you found somebody special. When you can just shut the fuck up for ten minutes, and comfortably share silence."
"I do not think we are there yet. But do not feel bad, we just met each other." Spike said.
"Well I will tell you what, I will go to the bathroom and powder my nose, while you sit here and think of something to say." Faye said.
"I will do that." Spike said as Faye heads for the ladies room. Faye powders her nose by doing a big line of coke off the bathroom sink. Her head jerks up from the rush. "I said goddamn!" Faye yelled.

Back in Cool Kitty Slim's Dining Area, Spike digs into his steak. As he chews, his eyes scan the Hellsapopinish restuarant. Faye comes back to the table. "Do you not love it when you go to the bathroom and you come back to find your food waiting for you?" Faye said.
"We are lucky we got it at all. Katerina seems to be much of a waitress." Spike said.
"Pretty smart." Faye said.
"I have moments."
"Did you think of something to say?"
"Actually, there is something I have wanted to ask you about, but you seem like a nice person, and I did not want to offend you." Spike said.
"Oooohhhh, this does not sound like mindless, boring, getting-to-know-you bullshit. This sounds like you actually have something to say." Faye said.
"Only if you promise not to get offended."
"You cannot promise something like that. I have no idea what you are gonna ask. You could ask me what you are gonna ask me, and my natural response could be to be offended. Then, through no fault of my own, I would of broken my promise." She said.
"Then let us just forget it." Spike said.
"That is an impossibility. Trying to forget anything as intriguing as this would be an exercise in futility." Faye said.
"Is that a fact?" Spike asked as Faye nods her head: "Yes"
"Besides, it is more exciting when you do not have permission."
"What do you think about what happened to Hakim?" Spike asked.
"Who is Hakim?"
"Abdul Shady." Spike answered.
"He fell out of a window."
"That one way to say it. Another way is, he was thrown out. Another was is, he was thrown out by Vicious. And even another way is, he was thrown out of a window by Marsellus Vicious because of you." Spike said.
"Is that a fact?" Faye asked.
"No it is not, it is just what I heard."
"Who told you this?" She said.
"They." Spike answered as he and Faye smiled.
"They talk a lot, do they not?" Faye said.
"They certainly do."
"Well do not be shy Spike, what exactly did they say?" Faye said. Spike Spiegel was slow to answer.
"Let me help you Bashful, did it involve the S-word?" She said.
"No. They said Abdul Shady gave you a breast massage." Spike finally answered.
"And...?"
"No and, that is it." He said.
"You heard Marsellus Vicious threw Abdul Shady out of a nine-story window because he massaged my breasts?" Faye said.
"Yes." Spike said.
"And you believed that?" She asked.
"At that time I was told, it seemed reasonable." he answered.
"Marsellus Vicious throwing Abdul out of a nine-story window for giving me a breast massage seemed reasonable?" she said.
"No it seemed excessive. But that does not mean it did not happen. I heard Vicious is very protective of you." Faye said.
"But did it happen?" Spike asked.
"The only thing Abdul Hakim ever touched of mine was my hand, when he shook it. I met Hakim once -- at my wedding -- then never again. The truth is, nobody knows why Vicious tossed Abdul Shady out of that window except Marsellus Vicious and Abdul Shady. But when you punks get together, you are worse then a sewing circle." Faye said.
"Are you mad?"
"Not at all. Being the subject of back-door gossip goes with the right, I guess." Faye takes a sip of her five-woolong shake, and says: "Thanks."
"What for?"
"Asking my side." Faye said at that moment, Two-Mix's - "White Reflection" about to begin from the jukebox.
"I wanna dance." She said.
"I am not much of a dancer, Faye." Spike said.
"Now I am the one getting gyped. I do believe Marsellus Vicious, my husband, your boss, told you to take me out and do whatever I wanted. Well, now I want to dance." Faye said. Spike smiles and begins taking off his boots. Faye triumphantly casts hers off. He takes her hand, escorting her to the dance floor. The two face each other for that brief moment before you begin to dance, then they both break into a devilish twist. Faye's version of the twist is that of sexy cat. Spike is pure Mister Cool as he gets into a hip-swivelling rhythm that would make Jet Black proud. The other dancers on the floor are trying to do the same thing, but Spike Spiegel and Faye Valentine seem to be strangely shaking their asses in sync. The two definitely share a rhythm and share smiles as they sing along with the last verse of Two-Mix's "White Reflection."