Disclaimer: I don't own anything Bebop. Though I would be cool if I did. I do own the original characters in this fic though. Does that make me cool?

A gunshot. Explosive, loud, and brief. It's there, and then it's gone. All that is left is echoes and memories. Life is like a gunshot. It burns brightly for a split second, and then it's over. Some gunshots ring louder and brighter than others, but each is significant in its own way. What we choose to do with our lives while we still have the chance is the important part. Will we muffle our gunshot or let it cry out for everyone to hear and see? Will you live life to the fullest, or worry about past mistakes that you let consume everyday of your life? Will you look back or look forward? Sometimes you have no choice.

Bang.

---------------

Jet sat in the darkened cockpit of the Bebop. He had one hand across his stomach and the other stroked his brow as he slouched in his chair. Jet sat in the darkened cockpit of the Bebop and contemplated the possibilities; what could have happened in the future. If only Spike hadn't run off to find his woman. If only Ed had stayed and not left to find her father. If only Faye…

Jet shook his head. It had been four days since Spike left and Faye still refused to leave her room or accept any food. He had walked by her door several times and seen her plate messed over, but no real amounts of food had been eaten. The ship was eerily quite. Dead. Jet had tried to go about things as if nothing was wrong at first. He tended to his bonsais, tried to find bounties, and waited for Spike to return as always. But, reality sank in. Spike wasn't coming back. The Bebop sat in a Mars harbor and collected fines for parking. The damages done to the hull were half-repaired and neither Jet nor Faye had the energy to finish the job. Jet fought back a single tear, but it found its way out and onto his cheek. He quickly wiped it away and leaned forward onto the control panel.

Faye lay in the fetal position on her bed and stared at the cold, bare wall of her room. She had not moved from that spot in four days, save to eat sparsely and go to the bathroom. She was an empty shell of who she had been. Everything was a duller shade than previously. She saw the world as an evil and uncaring place where no one could find true happiness. The man she loved was gone. He had left her for another woman, one who apparently had something Faye lacked. What could it have been? What was so special about Julia? A single tear rolled down Faye's cheek and onto the large wet spot on her pillow. Was that the last one? Were there any more tears left? Was there a reason to cry anymore?

And so they sat…alone on the Bebop…

-----

Sheets of rain blanketed Shima, the capitol city of Mars. IT began two days ago, and showed no sign of letting up. It was one of those days when no one wanted to go outside. One of those days where you just wanted to stare at the rain from inside and fall asleep to the sound of raindrops hitting your window. Gary felt this way. He took a long drag from his cigarette and cursed as he let the hazy smoke escape his lips and nose. He hated being in the rain, especially on a day like today. A sound startled him and he spun around to find Hiro walking up to him.

"Your lucky I don't shoot first and ask questions later," Gary spat.

Hiro chuckled. "And if I were the target, you'd be dead by now."

"Heh. And then he would have got you when you checked in."

"Yeah, yeah. So we'd both be dead. Any sign of him?"

"Can't see a damn thing in this rain. Even if he did come by, I wouldn't know."

"I hear that," Hiro said as he lit a cigarette. "This is a wild goose chase."

"Yeah," Gary smiled as he blew smoke. "But you don't hear me complaining."

"Nor me. Beats real work."

Something passed across the street, snapping both men out of their lethargy and focusing them on the task at hand.

"What the hell was that?" Hiro asked with a cig in his lips.

"Dunno, but we'd better check it out," Gary said, drawing his pistol.

The two shadowed the figure for a block or so, using the rain to partially conceal them from view. The figure ducked down an alleyway with Hiro and Gary close behind. The alley was littered with trashcans and empty crates from various buildings, all drenched from the rain. All three came to a dead end, with the figure facing the wall. Gary and Hiro approached cautiously and when their guns ready.

"'ey!" Gary nodded. "What're you doin'?"

The figure stood still and continued to look at the wall.

"HEY!" Hiro shouted, raising his pistol to eye level. "My friend asked you a question, now turn around!"

Slowly, the figure turned. It was a young man wearing a hooded trench coat. His head was bent so that his eyes were covered, but stray strands of crimson hair floated around his face. His lips were thin and cold, blank and lifeless. He stood like a man ready to fight, with both arms out slightly away from his body and hunched like some sort of beast. Both Hiro and Gary now had their guns fixed on the stranger, curious as to what his intentions could be. The raindrops seemed to slow as they stood with their gaze fixed on him…and he on them. They could hear their heartbeats. Low at first, but the more they stared the louder it got. The sound grew to a pounding, thumping in their ears. And then it stopped. Suddenly, the stranger straightened up and pulled back his hood. His eyes were narrow and ice blue, while the rest of his head was thin and pointed. His hair would have fallen just below his shoulders if it weren't tied back in a ponytail. He studied the men for a moment, and then his visage changed into a complete opposite. His eyes opened a little more and a goofy, teethy grin crossed his lips.

"I was wondering when you guys were going to notice me," he laughed. "I've been walking in front of that spot for almost thirty minutes."

"Th, that's him!" Hiro said with surprise. "That's the guy. The one we're looking for."

The stranger chuckled. "Yeah, I'm the one. And now you have me. But let's see if you can keep me."

Before either Gary or Hiro knew it, the stranger had dived to one side and was hiding behind some crates. The two men opened fire, taking cover themselves. The stranger only giggled slightly and pulled a grenade from his coat. Rolling it down the alley, he was rewarded with screams of surprise as the flash grenade exploded. With Gary and Hiro momentarily blinded, he ran past them and down the street. In seconds, the two men were out of the alley and chasing the stranger. Bullets whizzed by his head as he turned a corner and pulled a gun from his jacket. As Gary and Hiro followed, they were welcomed by gunfire. Gary took one in the arm, but managed to get a round or two off. The chase took the three men to a bridge overlooking the sea. As they reached the middle of the bridge, the stranger climbed onto the side and waited for the other two to catch up.

"Damn you," Gary huffed as he arrived. All three were breathing deeply, but the stranger seemed to be having fun.

"C'mon Gary, you're not that old," the stranger laughed.

"Shut up," Gary hissed. "Now get down from there and come with us."

"You're right. I'm am going to come down."

Smirking, the figure took a step back and fell off of the bridge. Gary and Hiro ran to the side to watch him fall, and that's when they found the presents the stranger had left for them. The figure looked up to see the bridge explode a few seconds before he hit the water.

-----

Jet had fallen asleep on the console when the warning signal went off. Someone was coming toward the Bebop. Jet sat up suddenly, not realizing he had been asleep, and looked at the monitors. There was a man limping his way onto the launch deck of the Bebop. He was wearing a trench coat and his hair was matted against his face by the rain. But, with the rain and the old cameras, it was hard to tell exactly who it was. Jet wasn't about to get his hopes up, but he had to find out in person. Hurrying to the hangar, Jet opened the doors just as the stranger limped up. Even with the overcast, the stranger was backlit against the even dimmer lights of the Bebop hangar. Jet casually walked forward, though he tried hard to contain himself from running. As he got closer, his heart caught up to what his head already knew. It wasn't Spike. It was a guy with red hair in a hooded trench coat.

Jet crossed his arms and frowned slightly. "What do you want?"

"I…have a message for Spike Spiegel," the stranger said.

"Well he's not here."

"I have important information…. pertaining to his quest…"

The stranger fell into Jet's arms, unconscious from the pain. Jet blinked a few times in confusion, and then dragged the stranger inside.