Chapter 11: Déjà vu
"Resolve to create a good future. It's where you'll
spend the rest of your life."
Charles Franklin Kettering
The second Jet turned off the communicator, he ran down the hallway toward the hangar. "Faye! Where are you?"
Andy poked her head into the hallway. "She went down to the planet for awhile. What's going on?"
"Trouble." Jet grumbled under his breath, then louder, "Come on. Knowing Spike I'll need some help."
Andy followed him into the hangar. "Spike? Isn't he that guy you were talking about not coming back?" She shook her head. "I'm confused."
Jet rolled his eyes. "He has that effect on people."
The two pilots each climbed aboard their respective ships and took off, leaving a suddenly alone Ed to wander the Bebop unaccompanied.
As they neared the planet's surface, Jet sent Andy the coordinates they were headed for. "Just a quick warning.Spike never manages to get through these things unscathed so."
"I should expect to get a chance to practice my meager paramedic skills."
"Essentially." Jet's voice took on a decidedly sardonic tone.
They landed in a field near an old gas station. It was so old it didn't even appear to be open any more and Jet suddenly had his doubts as to whether he was in the right place. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted movement from the interior of a beat up car parked near a payphone. He tapped Andy's arm to get her attention and headed in that direction. Both bounty hunters pulled out their weapons, wanting to be prepared for anything.
They approached the car from behind, Jet coming up along the driver's side and Andy along the passenger's. As Jet neared the window he caught sight of a distinctive mop of green hair. He stepped forward and leaned down to catch a glimpse of the driver's face. Spike's head turned at that movement and he looked up at Jet with exhausted eyes. "Hey."
Jet opened the door and knelt beside him, examining his injuries. "Hey, yourself."
On the other side of the car, Andy pulled open the other door and squatted to check on its occupant. The dark haired man looked up at her in confusion. She smiled. "Hi, I'm Andy. I'll be your rescuer this evening."
The man smiled weakly up at Andy. "Beautiful and a sense of humor. I like that in a woman."
Andy leaned into the car to get a better look at his injuries but she smiled again as she replied. "Careful, mister, I don't even know your name."
"Lucas. My name is Lucas." The man's smile had taken a decidedly dopey tone.
Andy grinned back at him. "Well, that answers the question about whether or not you've lost much blood. You look drunk."
Jet's voice came from the opposite side of the car. His patient was significantly more subdued. "That's pretty typical, Andy."
Andy glanced at Jet as he spoke then looked back at Lucas again. He was still grinning at her stupidly. "I figured."
Jet started to haul Spike out of the car. "Can he walk?"
Andy shook her head. "I don't think so. He's got a gunshot wound in his lower leg and he's lost a fair amount of blood."
Jet nodded as he started hauling Spike toward the Hammerhead. "I'll be back for him in a minute." He seated his burden in a passenger chair and started toward the door.
"Hey, Jet." The other man stopped upon hearing his name and turned to face his passenger. "Thanks."
Jet smiled at the uncharacteristic response. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be back. I've got to go help Andy with your friend." As he hopped off the wing he heard, "Who's Andy?"
Andy glanced up as Jet approached. She stood up and backed away from the car a few steps.
Jet nodded an acknowledgement and moved in next to the car. He addressed its semi-conscious occupant. "I'm Jet. I'm going to carry you to Andy's ship and she's going to take you somewhere where we can get you fixed up." He reached in to carry out the actions he had just explained when a hand on his arm made him pause.
"Where will Spike be?" His face was deadly serious.
Jet studied the man's face for a moment trying to decide how he should answer. "He's in my ship. You're both going back to the Bebop."
He nodded and fatigue once again seemed to claim him. Lucas relaxed against the seat, almost unconscious. Jet took that as permission to carry out his plan. He picked up Lucas as though he were a very young child that had fallen asleep on the ride home from somewhere and carried him to Andy's ship. He carefully set him in a passenger seat and then joined the ship's owner on the ground. He stood staring at the car he just drug his old partner from, deep in thought.
"Faye's not going to be happy is she?" Andy's voice drifted through Jet's reverie.
He grimaced and turned to face the other bounty hunter. "No, I sort of doubt she will be."
Jet soon discovered what an understatement that was. He and Andy had taken off mere minutes before and Jet had resolved to tell Faye what had transpired immediately. He needed her to get back to the Bebop so they could leave, just in case anyone decided that Spike would call his old friends for help.
"He what?!" Jet pulled the earpiece of the communicator away from his ear. "I thought he was gone, Jet. I recall you telling me he wasn't coming back."
"Yeah, that's what I thought too. He's obviously gotten in over his head and apparently that changed his plans." Jet expertly piloted the Hammerhead and spoke into the communicator at the same time. Let it never be said that the Black Dog couldn't multi-task. He glanced back at Spike. "He's barely conscious right now. All I know for so far is that someone tried to kill him and his friend and he must not think he can trust anyone in the Syndicate or he probably would of called them."
Faye's voice came back dripping sarcasm. "Gee, Jet. And here I just thought he missed your cooking."
He frowned. "Don't start, Faye. You eat my cooking. Don't forget that."
She sighed. "I'm on my way back now. I'll meet you there." The line went dead as she cut the connection.
Jet glanced back at Spike again. "I'm really not sure you're worth all this trouble."
Spike smirked weakly. "Don't deny it. You know you love me."
"And again with the patented Spiegal charm." Jet shook his head in mock disgust. "I guess this means you'll live." He received no response. Spike had fallen into a light doze. He found himself sighing in frustration as he once again landed smack in the middle of another Spike Spiegal firefight.
tbc
"Resolve to create a good future. It's where you'll
spend the rest of your life."
Charles Franklin Kettering
The second Jet turned off the communicator, he ran down the hallway toward the hangar. "Faye! Where are you?"
Andy poked her head into the hallway. "She went down to the planet for awhile. What's going on?"
"Trouble." Jet grumbled under his breath, then louder, "Come on. Knowing Spike I'll need some help."
Andy followed him into the hangar. "Spike? Isn't he that guy you were talking about not coming back?" She shook her head. "I'm confused."
Jet rolled his eyes. "He has that effect on people."
The two pilots each climbed aboard their respective ships and took off, leaving a suddenly alone Ed to wander the Bebop unaccompanied.
As they neared the planet's surface, Jet sent Andy the coordinates they were headed for. "Just a quick warning.Spike never manages to get through these things unscathed so."
"I should expect to get a chance to practice my meager paramedic skills."
"Essentially." Jet's voice took on a decidedly sardonic tone.
They landed in a field near an old gas station. It was so old it didn't even appear to be open any more and Jet suddenly had his doubts as to whether he was in the right place. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted movement from the interior of a beat up car parked near a payphone. He tapped Andy's arm to get her attention and headed in that direction. Both bounty hunters pulled out their weapons, wanting to be prepared for anything.
They approached the car from behind, Jet coming up along the driver's side and Andy along the passenger's. As Jet neared the window he caught sight of a distinctive mop of green hair. He stepped forward and leaned down to catch a glimpse of the driver's face. Spike's head turned at that movement and he looked up at Jet with exhausted eyes. "Hey."
Jet opened the door and knelt beside him, examining his injuries. "Hey, yourself."
On the other side of the car, Andy pulled open the other door and squatted to check on its occupant. The dark haired man looked up at her in confusion. She smiled. "Hi, I'm Andy. I'll be your rescuer this evening."
The man smiled weakly up at Andy. "Beautiful and a sense of humor. I like that in a woman."
Andy leaned into the car to get a better look at his injuries but she smiled again as she replied. "Careful, mister, I don't even know your name."
"Lucas. My name is Lucas." The man's smile had taken a decidedly dopey tone.
Andy grinned back at him. "Well, that answers the question about whether or not you've lost much blood. You look drunk."
Jet's voice came from the opposite side of the car. His patient was significantly more subdued. "That's pretty typical, Andy."
Andy glanced at Jet as he spoke then looked back at Lucas again. He was still grinning at her stupidly. "I figured."
Jet started to haul Spike out of the car. "Can he walk?"
Andy shook her head. "I don't think so. He's got a gunshot wound in his lower leg and he's lost a fair amount of blood."
Jet nodded as he started hauling Spike toward the Hammerhead. "I'll be back for him in a minute." He seated his burden in a passenger chair and started toward the door.
"Hey, Jet." The other man stopped upon hearing his name and turned to face his passenger. "Thanks."
Jet smiled at the uncharacteristic response. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be back. I've got to go help Andy with your friend." As he hopped off the wing he heard, "Who's Andy?"
Andy glanced up as Jet approached. She stood up and backed away from the car a few steps.
Jet nodded an acknowledgement and moved in next to the car. He addressed its semi-conscious occupant. "I'm Jet. I'm going to carry you to Andy's ship and she's going to take you somewhere where we can get you fixed up." He reached in to carry out the actions he had just explained when a hand on his arm made him pause.
"Where will Spike be?" His face was deadly serious.
Jet studied the man's face for a moment trying to decide how he should answer. "He's in my ship. You're both going back to the Bebop."
He nodded and fatigue once again seemed to claim him. Lucas relaxed against the seat, almost unconscious. Jet took that as permission to carry out his plan. He picked up Lucas as though he were a very young child that had fallen asleep on the ride home from somewhere and carried him to Andy's ship. He carefully set him in a passenger seat and then joined the ship's owner on the ground. He stood staring at the car he just drug his old partner from, deep in thought.
"Faye's not going to be happy is she?" Andy's voice drifted through Jet's reverie.
He grimaced and turned to face the other bounty hunter. "No, I sort of doubt she will be."
Jet soon discovered what an understatement that was. He and Andy had taken off mere minutes before and Jet had resolved to tell Faye what had transpired immediately. He needed her to get back to the Bebop so they could leave, just in case anyone decided that Spike would call his old friends for help.
"He what?!" Jet pulled the earpiece of the communicator away from his ear. "I thought he was gone, Jet. I recall you telling me he wasn't coming back."
"Yeah, that's what I thought too. He's obviously gotten in over his head and apparently that changed his plans." Jet expertly piloted the Hammerhead and spoke into the communicator at the same time. Let it never be said that the Black Dog couldn't multi-task. He glanced back at Spike. "He's barely conscious right now. All I know for so far is that someone tried to kill him and his friend and he must not think he can trust anyone in the Syndicate or he probably would of called them."
Faye's voice came back dripping sarcasm. "Gee, Jet. And here I just thought he missed your cooking."
He frowned. "Don't start, Faye. You eat my cooking. Don't forget that."
She sighed. "I'm on my way back now. I'll meet you there." The line went dead as she cut the connection.
Jet glanced back at Spike again. "I'm really not sure you're worth all this trouble."
Spike smirked weakly. "Don't deny it. You know you love me."
"And again with the patented Spiegal charm." Jet shook his head in mock disgust. "I guess this means you'll live." He received no response. Spike had fallen into a light doze. He found himself sighing in frustration as he once again landed smack in the middle of another Spike Spiegal firefight.
tbc