Chapter 3
"All right," says Spike. "We know they took the vault. That means they'd need somewhere to hide it. Someplace rather large. Since no one has reported spotting a vault lying around, we've got to assume it's an out of the way place. Also transporting something THAT big is a major undertaking, so there's got to be some kind of records for the equipment they'd need."
"I'd also look at possible places that are close to the site of the robbery." Jet says. "Like you said, it's a big job to transport something like that. It's also very conspicuous. The less traveling they had to do with it, the less likely someone will remember seeing something."
"Ed, can you check on whoever rented or bought any heavy equipment anytime in the week before the robbery?" Spike asks.
"Ed will do it! Ed will find them!" She starts singing, "Find the truck, find the crane, find the lift, find the name! Wheeeeee!!" waving her hands and repeating the song as she works, Ein bouncing around her and barking along.
"We'll leave you to work. Tell us when you get something Ok Ed?"
"Ok Spike-Spike!"
"I better go get us on a course for Mars then."
"Ok Jet. I'm gonna go make sure Swordfish will be able to fly by the time we get there. If you see Faye tell her to be ready to work when we hit Mars."
Jet nods and walks off to the bridge to set the Bebop towards Mars, on the trail of Lupin the Third and his gang. "Hmm. I hope we can get this over with quick. I hate dealing with thieves."
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Two days ago: Ganymede
The officer sat at the borrowed desk and wondered again if all the paperwork was worth being a cop. Not to mention all the corruption that ran through what passed for the system these days. Mom and Grandfather had both been officers, though Mom becoming a cop had stunned everyone. Mom hadn't seen her father much when she was growing up because of his work. She said that if she couldn't see him at home, then maybe if she became an officer too, maybe she'd see him at work. That was so like Mom. Now it was over. Mom's gala retirement party had been two days ago and now she was settling back down on Ganymede. No one had really understood Grandpa's work like Mom did. Most people looked at what Grandpa did and how long he'd been doing it and thought he was obsessed, or at least crazy. After Mom had been an officer for a while she got a chance to work with her father. He wasn't happy with the idea at first, but soon realized that his daughter was not only an excellent cop, but was really serious about helping him with his work. He had feared that she wanted to work with him to get him to stop and come home, but in the end she proved her father's daughter through and through. After Grandfather died in gate accident, Mom tried to pick up where he left off, but in the aftermath there seemed to be no trail to follow. She decided that instead of pursuing what was no longer there, she would be the best cop she could, but she would always watch for the name that Grandfather had chased until the very end of his days. The name that had been passed on at Mom's retirement. The name that, as the Detective checked reports from Mars, appeared onscreen. The name that had been all but dismissed by most people for fifty years. The name of Lupin the Third. With that Ryoko Zenigata grabbed her coat, put on her Grandfather's old hat, and swept out of the station, taking up the chase once again. No one escaped a Zenigata forever. No one.
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Mars
The Bebop flew gracefully through all the myriad lights and animations of the adverts surrounding the approach to the huge crater city below. Water flew up in smooth sheets as the hull cut cleanly through the water, the ship settling to an easy stop near a dock on the edge of town. As the gentle rocking subsided the huge doors on the top deck opened and the Swordfish rolled forward. As it cleared the hangar the engine roared to full life and in a flash of red and afterburner, the Swordfish II leapt from the deck into the sky. As Spike leveled out over the city he thought "I hope this address that Ed turned up leads to something other than another dead end. This whole thing is starting to irritate me." He opens his comm, "Jet. Come in."
"I hear you. What's up?" Jet replies
"Is Faye up yet?"
"Yes. I'm right here." Faye snaps.
"Good. Then you'll be ready when Ed finishes."
"Finishes what Spike?" asks Jet
"These guys not only had to have equipment, but they had to be sleeping somewhere too."
"Ooooohhh." Says Faye. "I see what you're saying. You want Ed to check out hotels and see if we get any matches to the equipment leads?"
"Or at least find out if anyone resembling these guys was staying in the area of the robbery near that time." Jet says.
"Exactly." replies Spike. "Still it's a long shot without a name and those awful pictures. Have you been able to clean those up at all Ed?"
"Not much Spike-person." chants Ed. "The data is very old, and the pictures from the jewel building are even more bad."
"Keep digging. I'm almost to the address." Spike says.
"If Ed finds anything on the hotel angle I'll go check it out." Faye says.
"While you two do that, I'm going to see if I can talk to some people. I might be able to find more info about just who exactly these people are." Jet calls as he walks out of the room. "I'll get in contact with you if I find out anything more."
"We'll do the same. Spike out."
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Hey everyone. I know this one's a little shorter, but I felt it was a good stopping point. Also I've been a bum and wanted to at least post SOMETHING new for you guys. If this was a comic I'd offer some omake to fill the space, but my art's not that good yet...bah. Anyway I'm still working on this story and I WILL FINISH IT! Even I finish nothing else I will finish this!! Ahem...Sorry bout that. I'll be back with more soon.
By a fan for fans. No money making here. (Really! I don't even have a job right now!)
"All right," says Spike. "We know they took the vault. That means they'd need somewhere to hide it. Someplace rather large. Since no one has reported spotting a vault lying around, we've got to assume it's an out of the way place. Also transporting something THAT big is a major undertaking, so there's got to be some kind of records for the equipment they'd need."
"I'd also look at possible places that are close to the site of the robbery." Jet says. "Like you said, it's a big job to transport something like that. It's also very conspicuous. The less traveling they had to do with it, the less likely someone will remember seeing something."
"Ed, can you check on whoever rented or bought any heavy equipment anytime in the week before the robbery?" Spike asks.
"Ed will do it! Ed will find them!" She starts singing, "Find the truck, find the crane, find the lift, find the name! Wheeeeee!!" waving her hands and repeating the song as she works, Ein bouncing around her and barking along.
"We'll leave you to work. Tell us when you get something Ok Ed?"
"Ok Spike-Spike!"
"I better go get us on a course for Mars then."
"Ok Jet. I'm gonna go make sure Swordfish will be able to fly by the time we get there. If you see Faye tell her to be ready to work when we hit Mars."
Jet nods and walks off to the bridge to set the Bebop towards Mars, on the trail of Lupin the Third and his gang. "Hmm. I hope we can get this over with quick. I hate dealing with thieves."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
Two days ago: Ganymede
The officer sat at the borrowed desk and wondered again if all the paperwork was worth being a cop. Not to mention all the corruption that ran through what passed for the system these days. Mom and Grandfather had both been officers, though Mom becoming a cop had stunned everyone. Mom hadn't seen her father much when she was growing up because of his work. She said that if she couldn't see him at home, then maybe if she became an officer too, maybe she'd see him at work. That was so like Mom. Now it was over. Mom's gala retirement party had been two days ago and now she was settling back down on Ganymede. No one had really understood Grandpa's work like Mom did. Most people looked at what Grandpa did and how long he'd been doing it and thought he was obsessed, or at least crazy. After Mom had been an officer for a while she got a chance to work with her father. He wasn't happy with the idea at first, but soon realized that his daughter was not only an excellent cop, but was really serious about helping him with his work. He had feared that she wanted to work with him to get him to stop and come home, but in the end she proved her father's daughter through and through. After Grandfather died in gate accident, Mom tried to pick up where he left off, but in the aftermath there seemed to be no trail to follow. She decided that instead of pursuing what was no longer there, she would be the best cop she could, but she would always watch for the name that Grandfather had chased until the very end of his days. The name that had been passed on at Mom's retirement. The name that, as the Detective checked reports from Mars, appeared onscreen. The name that had been all but dismissed by most people for fifty years. The name of Lupin the Third. With that Ryoko Zenigata grabbed her coat, put on her Grandfather's old hat, and swept out of the station, taking up the chase once again. No one escaped a Zenigata forever. No one.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
Mars
The Bebop flew gracefully through all the myriad lights and animations of the adverts surrounding the approach to the huge crater city below. Water flew up in smooth sheets as the hull cut cleanly through the water, the ship settling to an easy stop near a dock on the edge of town. As the gentle rocking subsided the huge doors on the top deck opened and the Swordfish rolled forward. As it cleared the hangar the engine roared to full life and in a flash of red and afterburner, the Swordfish II leapt from the deck into the sky. As Spike leveled out over the city he thought "I hope this address that Ed turned up leads to something other than another dead end. This whole thing is starting to irritate me." He opens his comm, "Jet. Come in."
"I hear you. What's up?" Jet replies
"Is Faye up yet?"
"Yes. I'm right here." Faye snaps.
"Good. Then you'll be ready when Ed finishes."
"Finishes what Spike?" asks Jet
"These guys not only had to have equipment, but they had to be sleeping somewhere too."
"Ooooohhh." Says Faye. "I see what you're saying. You want Ed to check out hotels and see if we get any matches to the equipment leads?"
"Or at least find out if anyone resembling these guys was staying in the area of the robbery near that time." Jet says.
"Exactly." replies Spike. "Still it's a long shot without a name and those awful pictures. Have you been able to clean those up at all Ed?"
"Not much Spike-person." chants Ed. "The data is very old, and the pictures from the jewel building are even more bad."
"Keep digging. I'm almost to the address." Spike says.
"If Ed finds anything on the hotel angle I'll go check it out." Faye says.
"While you two do that, I'm going to see if I can talk to some people. I might be able to find more info about just who exactly these people are." Jet calls as he walks out of the room. "I'll get in contact with you if I find out anything more."
"We'll do the same. Spike out."
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------------------------
Hey everyone. I know this one's a little shorter, but I felt it was a good stopping point. Also I've been a bum and wanted to at least post SOMETHING new for you guys. If this was a comic I'd offer some omake to fill the space, but my art's not that good yet...bah. Anyway I'm still working on this story and I WILL FINISH IT! Even I finish nothing else I will finish this!! Ahem...Sorry bout that. I'll be back with more soon.
By a fan for fans. No money making here. (Really! I don't even have a job right now!)
