His eyes flew open, and his scream died in his throat.

For the fifth night in a row he woke up with his sheets soaked in sweat. He gave a ragged breath, and sat up, glancing about the room to assure himself that he was still in his hotel.

He shook his head, and collapsed back onto the pillow to stare blankly at the ceiling. It was always the same. He was alone, isolated, and she was calling to him. `Father says it's time,' he could hear the sing-song voice in the back of his mind. He shuddered.

He'd called Jet, the only person he knew who would even try to help him, the closest thing he had to a friend. But what could Jet possibly do?

Corbin sighed, and closed his eyes. This time he didn't dream about being summoned, this time he saw only black.

Faye glanced at the paper in her hand, then at the number on the door.

"Well, this is it," she said, then added under her breath, "I can't believe I'm doing this."

Jet had phoned her the night before to ask her for a favor. She happened to be orbiting Venus at the time, the same planet that Corbin had taken up temporary residency on, and he wanted her to drop in on him, make sure he was alright. She'd been about to make a sarcastic comment about Corbin's well-being, and her lack of concern about it, but something in Jet's voice had stopped her.

Jet was afraid for Corbin.

And suddenly, so was she. She told herself she was only here because Jet asked her to come, but she knew that was only an excuse. If that had been it, she could have just sent Irma, this was the type of thing that assistants did. She was here because she wanted to be, and she hated herself for it.

She brought her hand up and lightly wrapped on the door. No answer. Her brow furrowed as she tried again, and put her ear to the door.

This time she heard a faint rustling inside, as Corbin threw the bedding off of himself.

She smiled slightly, and knocked one more time.

"I'm on my way!" she heard him wrestling with his clothes. Sounded like a losing battle. She smiled smugly, and knocked a fourth time.

"Shit..." the muffled curse, and then stomp, stomp, stomp, as he came to the door.

He swung it wide, ready to hurl poison tipped verbal daggers at the person on the other side, and ended up swallowing them. He looked confused for exactly one moment, then he was suddenly collected, casual, confident, he leaned against the door frame, shirtless jeans unzipped, hair a mess, and still managed to look cool. He gave her a bitter smile.

"What do you want?"

Faye raised one eyebrow, "you fully dressed, for starters."

"Disconcerting?" he asked.

"Disgusting."

He exhaled sharply through his nostrils, in half-amusement. "I was in the process of dressing, but the way you were pounding, I thought for sure it was a matter of life or death. Now I'm sorry it wasn't."

She curled her lip in disdain, as she brushed past him, into his hotel room.

"Oh, sure, come right in," he said, shutting the door behind her, and leaning against it.

"I'm only here because Jet asked me to come check on you. I don't know why, you seem fine."

He sighed wearily, he was beginning to tire of her acid tones, and really beginning to tire of pretending to be `too cool to care.' perhaps if he'd gotten a good nights sleep this week, he would be in better shape to spar with her, but at the moment, he just wasn't up to it. He wanted her out.

She sat down on his rumpled bed, and pulled a cigarette from the pack on the night stand. She made it a point not to ask for it.

"Well, there you go, I'm fine, you can go now," he said, taking the cigarette from between her lips.

She watched as he put his mouth over that space that moments ago, had been occupied by her own, and couldn't help but blush. She felt like she'd just been kissed. Was she happy about that, or angry? The whole thing made her head hurt.

He exhaled. "Did you hear me, you can go now."

She stood, trying her best to look unshaken. "Jet's worried, said you didn't look well."

He smirked, "what difference does it make to you? You've made it perfectly clear that you don't care about me." He swayed, and almost looked like he was going to collapse. Faye reached out to him, but he seemed to recover almost immediately, and brushed her hand away. "I'm just tired, that's all..." he mumbled.

"Right..." she didn't sound convinced, "Jet wanted me to try to talk a little sense into you, but you seem unmoveable." she stood, and he opened the door wide for her. He shut the door behind her, and she fell back against it.

She reached her fingers to her lips, and tears began to well up in her eyes. What was she doing? Her heart belonged to Spike... despite the fact that he'd treated her with total disdain. She hated herself, her treacherous heart. And she hated Corbin for making her feel this way.

She drew a ragged breath, and began to walk to the elevator. This trip had been totally unproductive. Perhaps she'd try again, when she had time to collect herself, and he'd had time to sleep.

The second he had her out of the door he put the cigarette out. She had a way of disturbing his peace, and it was an hour before sleep finally found him, but when it did, it didn't have any mysterious voices, or strange women.

And then.

"Come on, Number 26, Father says it's time."

It took him a moment to realize that he wasn't dreaming.

"Huh?"

She laughed, lightly, it sounded the a butterfly, flapping its wings. There was a weight at the foot of the bed. He opened his eyes to see a woman crouched cat-like at his feet, her long red hair cascading over her bare shoulders, her bangs nearly hiding her aqua colored eyes. Her long, slender limbs bent around her, wrapped in leather. She had obviously been recently engaged in physical activity, since her white cotton tank top clung to her sweat dampened skin.

He recoiled from the sight of her. She was a vision from a dream, she didn't belong anywhere outside of his mind. He felt the needle prick of fear at the back of his neck.

She laughed harder at his reaction, then sprang up, arching gracefully into a back flip, and landing lightly on the floor.

"Nice to see you're awake, Number 26."

He couldn't suppress a shudder at being called Number 26. It brought back memories of the lab. "Don't call me that."

She smiled, "That's right, you prefer... what was it?" She pulled his ID from her pocket, obviously stole from the jeans he'd left on the floor while he slept. She squinted at him. "Corbin? Doesn't really suit you, does it?"

He was on his feet in an instant, and snatching the laminated card back from her. He was instantly felt uncomfortable about his state of undress. He didn't want to stand there in his boxers, it made him feel vulnerable. He turned his back to her as he pulled his jeans over his hips and zipped them.

"Who the hell are you?"

He got down on his knees, reaching beneath the bed for his shirt and shoes.

"You know the answer to that question."

He pulled his shirt over his head, before pulling a cigarette from his pack and lighting it. He gritted it between his teeth while he sat on the bed and tied his shoes. "No I don't," he said, between clenched teeth, "otherwise, I wouldn't have asked."

"I'm your Eve." she said seductively.

"No you're a psycho," he said, jumping to his feet. He took her by the arm, and pushed her out the door. "Tell Father he can go to hell." he slammed the door behind her.

There was a two second pause, which seemed to last forever, then the door exploded as Eve put her fist through it.

"I don't think so," she said, stepping over wood shards as she re-entered the room, "Father says it's time, you are to come with me."

Corbin stumbled back in shock, but recovered quickly, "what the hell are you?" he asked, instinctively crouching down into a defensive posture.

She smiled, "I told you," she said, advancing, "I'm Eve."

She blocked the doorway, the only other way out was a window and a fifty story drop. He made his decision instantly, and with speed he didn't know he possessed, somersaulted over the bed, grabbed the gun off the side table, fired three shots into the window, and went crashing through.

Eve rushed to the window after him, hissing a curse. She could hear hotel security on their way, she'd already made too big a scene. With a hurried glance over the edge. She turned and was gone.

Corbin breathed a sigh of relief, and pulled himself up from over the ledge he was hanging from..

Perhaps it was time he went back to the Bebop. He had a feeling he could use a little help.