To Every Ending, There Is A New Begining
By: Tiffany Mahala
All things must change To something new, to something strange. - Longfellow
Chapter One: Some Things Never Change (And Some Things Do)
There I stood with blood on my hands. My adversary laid in a heap on the dark roof top I panted heavily and decided to rest on the cool cement. Well actually kinda landed there. I was exhausted. For more than three years it was a cat and mouse game, neither one being the cat or the mouse. It was all over a girl too, can you believe that? The smooth white skin and long flaxen hair of an angel, that's what killed us both. She too was dead, in a literal since. As I caught my breath I could hear syndicate members running up the stairs. I picked up my Jericho 941 and booked it out the only other way I knew of, the elevator shaft. I took my jacket off and wrapped it around my hands and jumped hanging on to the cable as I slid down the twenty some floors to where the elevator rest. No one was there, perfect, but then I heard something even too low for dogs to hear.
"Spike. . . . . Spike. . ."
I looked around and saw nothing still. "Spike. . .Spike" I looked up the shaft to see if maybe someone from another floor was calling me. "Spike. . .Spike. . ." That's when I saw Vicious' body descending to me. His hair was blood soaked and his cloak was tattered. He landed right beside me and I drew my weapon.
"No, no Spike. You got to help me. I want to live. I don't know why but I want to live." he was holding back tears as he grabbed my shirt. "Please" It sounded weird to me to have Vicious want me to help him. I mean I had nearly killed him and he had had thought that I was weak for needing or even wanting someone. He fell to his knees still holding on to my shirt and I dipped with him despite myself. He looked deep into my eyes and he searched for more than a minute to find something of which I can not say. I looked away. His blue eyes had always looked gray before but now they looked more human.
"You're not going to help me are you?" he asked as he let go and tried to stand on his feet. I raised with him to make sure he didn't fall and he looked at me with an unnatural looking smile. He pushed away from me and walked a step or two before falling. All I could do was watch in a sadness unbeknowst to man. I could hear the yes-men walking closer to the shaft and I wandered if he really was as eager to leave as he seemed. Without even thinking I gathered all my strength ran towards Vicious and told him we had to go now to ensure some safety. He agreed and in his stupored state he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and we ran.
I found my Swordfish where I left it and told him to get in. He asked where we were going and I said purgatory. He laughed and as we took off he had passed out. I didn't know where to go and so I took him to the only place I knew of, Bebop.
Luckily, the Bebop hadn't left the Martian vicinity and I was able to catch up fairly quickly. I landed on the deck and I saw that no one was here, which was unusual because Jet had a bum leg when I left. But then again Faye had come back so he probably had to go chase her down. Jet liked Faye more than he let on and I think Faye liked being rescued sometimes. I parked the Swordfish in it's usual spot and lifted Vicious out of the seat. He was still out of it so I carried him in and I layed him on my bed in my room. I rarely slept there anyway. I went to the cockpit and noticed a notepad that Jet must have left right before leaving. It had a couple of doodles and the name of a place on Mars.
"Well, well, well. . .You can't keep a good dog down I guess." I laughed and went on searching for Doc's number I sure as hell wasn't taking him to a legitimate hospital. Too many people were looking for us. Besides Vicious wouldn't want to die in a hospital. I heard something stir from the living room and a couple of high shrieks.
"Spike-person. . . wooooohooooo. . . . Are you in here?", her voice bounced off the walls and annoyed me greatly. I walked into the living room to see her sitting in her usual spot on the floor. Ein barked and Ed turned her golden eyes my way.
"Spike-person!", she jumped up and ran over to hop in my arms. "Where's Faye-Faye and Jet-person?"
"I don't know," I said as I sat her on the coffee table.
"Ed's so happy to see Spike-person." she said, once again jumping into my arms.
I sat her down again and she stayed and then plopped down in front of her computer. I decided to leave her there and go back to try and find that number again. I checked my room first and saw that Vicious still layed where I left him. I hadn't noticed that Jet and Faye had returned and as I closed the door Faye's teary emerald eyes met my unmatched ones. I smiled at her in a smug way and she stammered to say something, only for sounds to come out. When she couldn't verbalize her thoughts she threw a punch, which I dodged, and she stood with her mouth agape. I smiled, shrugged and shook my head as she briskly walked to her room.
"I wonder what that was all about?", I said as I shoved my hands in my pocket and fished out a cigarette and lighter. I found my way back up to the cockpit and there was Jet smoking, looking out the window.
"You know, you could have called me on the comm when you got here.", he said. I looked down and then back out to the red ball we were now fleeting. His cigarette smoke was whirling around his hand and then slowly traveling over to meet with the window.
"I didn't want to distract you from going after Faye.", I said with a smirk and he laughed a bit.
"Somethings never change, huh?" . He crushed his cigarette under his large boot and sat in the pilot's chair. "Are you okay? I don't think Faye noticed but there was a lot of blood on the side of your ship."
"Yeah, I'm okay, but I gotta call Doc to see if he can fix up Vicious." I stared out into the blackness and I could feel Jet's eyes on me to see if I was joking or not. When it was evident I wasn't he shot up and walked down the metal steps towards my room. I just stood there listening to the Bebop hum, cigarette in hand. I turned toward the stairs when I heard the clanking of shoes and Jet's eyes met mine.
"What the hell do you think you're doing with Vicious on the ship?" he whispered so as to not let any of the rest of the crew hear. "I thought that guy had it out for you?"
"I don't know what I was thinking. There was something in his eyes, I don't know. Maybe I'm subconsciously holding on to the past, for whatever reason." I didn't want to look at Jet because I knew my eyes would show some kind of weakness so, I turned back to the black void outside the window.
"Don't you think he's just as dangerous as before? And that after he gets patched up that he'll be back after you?", Jet wanted desperately to hear some kind of reassurance from me. But I couldn't offer any.
"Don't you know the old saying, Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? or was it He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare; And he who has one enemy will meet him everywhere." I turned to walk towards the stairs and he stopped me.
"Do you have a plan?"
"Now you know me, I work better under pressure." He chuckled uneasily and I proceeded down the stairs and corridor towards my room.
"I hope you're right.", he yelled down the hall.
All things must change To something new, to something strange. - Longfellow
Chapter One: Some Things Never Change (And Some Things Do)
There I stood with blood on my hands. My adversary laid in a heap on the dark roof top I panted heavily and decided to rest on the cool cement. Well actually kinda landed there. I was exhausted. For more than three years it was a cat and mouse game, neither one being the cat or the mouse. It was all over a girl too, can you believe that? The smooth white skin and long flaxen hair of an angel, that's what killed us both. She too was dead, in a literal since. As I caught my breath I could hear syndicate members running up the stairs. I picked up my Jericho 941 and booked it out the only other way I knew of, the elevator shaft. I took my jacket off and wrapped it around my hands and jumped hanging on to the cable as I slid down the twenty some floors to where the elevator rest. No one was there, perfect, but then I heard something even too low for dogs to hear.
"Spike. . . . . Spike. . ."
I looked around and saw nothing still. "Spike. . .Spike" I looked up the shaft to see if maybe someone from another floor was calling me. "Spike. . .Spike. . ." That's when I saw Vicious' body descending to me. His hair was blood soaked and his cloak was tattered. He landed right beside me and I drew my weapon.
"No, no Spike. You got to help me. I want to live. I don't know why but I want to live." he was holding back tears as he grabbed my shirt. "Please" It sounded weird to me to have Vicious want me to help him. I mean I had nearly killed him and he had had thought that I was weak for needing or even wanting someone. He fell to his knees still holding on to my shirt and I dipped with him despite myself. He looked deep into my eyes and he searched for more than a minute to find something of which I can not say. I looked away. His blue eyes had always looked gray before but now they looked more human.
"You're not going to help me are you?" he asked as he let go and tried to stand on his feet. I raised with him to make sure he didn't fall and he looked at me with an unnatural looking smile. He pushed away from me and walked a step or two before falling. All I could do was watch in a sadness unbeknowst to man. I could hear the yes-men walking closer to the shaft and I wandered if he really was as eager to leave as he seemed. Without even thinking I gathered all my strength ran towards Vicious and told him we had to go now to ensure some safety. He agreed and in his stupored state he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and we ran.
I found my Swordfish where I left it and told him to get in. He asked where we were going and I said purgatory. He laughed and as we took off he had passed out. I didn't know where to go and so I took him to the only place I knew of, Bebop.
Luckily, the Bebop hadn't left the Martian vicinity and I was able to catch up fairly quickly. I landed on the deck and I saw that no one was here, which was unusual because Jet had a bum leg when I left. But then again Faye had come back so he probably had to go chase her down. Jet liked Faye more than he let on and I think Faye liked being rescued sometimes. I parked the Swordfish in it's usual spot and lifted Vicious out of the seat. He was still out of it so I carried him in and I layed him on my bed in my room. I rarely slept there anyway. I went to the cockpit and noticed a notepad that Jet must have left right before leaving. It had a couple of doodles and the name of a place on Mars.
"Well, well, well. . .You can't keep a good dog down I guess." I laughed and went on searching for Doc's number I sure as hell wasn't taking him to a legitimate hospital. Too many people were looking for us. Besides Vicious wouldn't want to die in a hospital. I heard something stir from the living room and a couple of high shrieks.
"Spike-person. . . wooooohooooo. . . . Are you in here?", her voice bounced off the walls and annoyed me greatly. I walked into the living room to see her sitting in her usual spot on the floor. Ein barked and Ed turned her golden eyes my way.
"Spike-person!", she jumped up and ran over to hop in my arms. "Where's Faye-Faye and Jet-person?"
"I don't know," I said as I sat her on the coffee table.
"Ed's so happy to see Spike-person." she said, once again jumping into my arms.
I sat her down again and she stayed and then plopped down in front of her computer. I decided to leave her there and go back to try and find that number again. I checked my room first and saw that Vicious still layed where I left him. I hadn't noticed that Jet and Faye had returned and as I closed the door Faye's teary emerald eyes met my unmatched ones. I smiled at her in a smug way and she stammered to say something, only for sounds to come out. When she couldn't verbalize her thoughts she threw a punch, which I dodged, and she stood with her mouth agape. I smiled, shrugged and shook my head as she briskly walked to her room.
"I wonder what that was all about?", I said as I shoved my hands in my pocket and fished out a cigarette and lighter. I found my way back up to the cockpit and there was Jet smoking, looking out the window.
"You know, you could have called me on the comm when you got here.", he said. I looked down and then back out to the red ball we were now fleeting. His cigarette smoke was whirling around his hand and then slowly traveling over to meet with the window.
"I didn't want to distract you from going after Faye.", I said with a smirk and he laughed a bit.
"Somethings never change, huh?" . He crushed his cigarette under his large boot and sat in the pilot's chair. "Are you okay? I don't think Faye noticed but there was a lot of blood on the side of your ship."
"Yeah, I'm okay, but I gotta call Doc to see if he can fix up Vicious." I stared out into the blackness and I could feel Jet's eyes on me to see if I was joking or not. When it was evident I wasn't he shot up and walked down the metal steps towards my room. I just stood there listening to the Bebop hum, cigarette in hand. I turned toward the stairs when I heard the clanking of shoes and Jet's eyes met mine.
"What the hell do you think you're doing with Vicious on the ship?" he whispered so as to not let any of the rest of the crew hear. "I thought that guy had it out for you?"
"I don't know what I was thinking. There was something in his eyes, I don't know. Maybe I'm subconsciously holding on to the past, for whatever reason." I didn't want to look at Jet because I knew my eyes would show some kind of weakness so, I turned back to the black void outside the window.
"Don't you think he's just as dangerous as before? And that after he gets patched up that he'll be back after you?", Jet wanted desperately to hear some kind of reassurance from me. But I couldn't offer any.
"Don't you know the old saying, Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? or was it He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare; And he who has one enemy will meet him everywhere." I turned to walk towards the stairs and he stopped me.
"Do you have a plan?"
"Now you know me, I work better under pressure." He chuckled uneasily and I proceeded down the stairs and corridor towards my room.
"I hope you're right.", he yelled down the hall.