Cowboy Bebop
Boys are Back
2
Jet Black sighed as he leaned back in his chair. He ran a hand over the smooth dome of his scalp, grunted with irritation. Tracking down bounties through hacking was much more difficult without all the help he had previously had. He now relied almost totally on tips from some of his own web of contacts, and a few of them had already cut off communicating with him since he was unable to repay so many of them.
His thoughts were interrupted by the grumbling of his stomach. He chuckled at himself, and then shut down the computer. It was time for a snack.
Twenty minutes and a plateful later, he was standing on the bridge of the Bebop, a plate of steaming food in his hand. He scooped it into his mouth as he watched the stars roll past him. The universe was a large, vast place. The only thing that now seemed to match it was the empty corridors of the Bebop itself. The loneliness of the ship was something he considered on a regular basis anymore. For a while, he had hated how many unwanted people had attached them to the old ship.now he wished there was someone other than him.
He still saw Faye now and then. Whenever either of them had a bounty head that was more than one person could handle, they would combine their efforts till the goal was achieved. When he was really desperate for cash, he occasionally picked up hitchhikers of the far and open spaces, charging them a small fee for the trip. He sometimes wished Ed was still around, and then searching for his quarries would be a lot easier if he still had her hacking skills to rely on. But, who knew where she was now.
That wasn't entirely true, he realized. She was on Earth, somewhere. He never had been able to figure out why she returned to that desolate garbage dump of a planet. He had once considered trying to find her, convince her to rejoin him on Bebop, but he had thrust the idea aside. She had a right to make her own choices, choose her own fate.
But still.there was nothing wrong with a little visit between friends now and then. And if she decided to help him track a bounty or two.
He smiled at the idea. It wasn't an entirely bad idea, either. It would be nice to see a familiar face again.someone he could trust. He sat down at the controls, and started to set a course.
At the same moment, Jet was the last thing on Edward's mind. All she could think about was the pain that was wracking her body, and the terrible fear that stabbed her heart.
She felt both of these in abundance when he punched her face again, causing her mouth to fill with blood. The force of the blow caused her entire body to convulse for a moment, and the handcuffs rattled behind her as her arms struggle against them.
He stood up, towering over her like a tree over an insect. He glared down at her with his ice-cold eyes, and his mouth turned down in a sneer that implied anything.
"Show me the Bebop, now" he growled at her, and pointed to her Tomato. Ed opened her mouth to try to say something, but all that came out from her lips was a trickle of blood, and a single, pearl white tooth. It fell from her mouth and shattered on the floor.
He crouched down, bringing his eyes to an equal level with hers, and placed his hands on her shoulders, digging his nails into the flesh of her tiny body. "Show me the Bebop, now" he repeated. Ed shook her head limply, and then braced herself.
He tightened his grip on her shoulders and neck, forcing his nails so hard against her skin that more blood trickled out of her. He head-butted her, the blow landing just above her nose almost breaking it entirely. Then he punched her in the stomach, causing the air to blow out of her body in a gasping bellow. He slapped the right side of her face, and then swung his hand back around to slap the other side. "Show me!" he shouted. Ed pretended to be knocked cold, hoping he would give up. He waited for an answer, and then grunted with frustration.
Ed waited, hearing nothing but silence for a moment. Then she heard the unmistakable rattle of a dog collar, and the pathetic whimper that indicated violence. She opened her eyes, as wide as dinner plates, and beheld him crouching down, gripping Ein roughly by the fur on the back of his neck. He was holding a gun tight against Ein's skull, and he sneered menacingly at her. "Show me the Bebop now, or watch him die." He held the gun away from Ein's head, and fired a shot into the ceiling, to show the seriousness of his threat.
Ed moaned, and then nodded her head.
He uncuffed her hands, and shoved her in front of Tomato. He took a handful of her hair, and shook her head violently. "Do it, now."
She tapped away at the keys for a minute or two, and then waited for his reaction. He took a single breath, deep and trembling when he saw the screen. He made a sound that Ed had heard only a few times before; the sound that the other orphans usually made when they first saw a box, tied up with a bow and wrapping paper, implying any number of possibilities.
"Thank you" he whispered. Ed only had a moment to try to prepare herself as she saw him in the reflection on Tomato's screen. He pulled his hand back, and a moment later, she felt the sharp, jarring blow at the back of her neck, and then the world went dark.
The hunt begins.
Boys are Back
2
Jet Black sighed as he leaned back in his chair. He ran a hand over the smooth dome of his scalp, grunted with irritation. Tracking down bounties through hacking was much more difficult without all the help he had previously had. He now relied almost totally on tips from some of his own web of contacts, and a few of them had already cut off communicating with him since he was unable to repay so many of them.
His thoughts were interrupted by the grumbling of his stomach. He chuckled at himself, and then shut down the computer. It was time for a snack.
Twenty minutes and a plateful later, he was standing on the bridge of the Bebop, a plate of steaming food in his hand. He scooped it into his mouth as he watched the stars roll past him. The universe was a large, vast place. The only thing that now seemed to match it was the empty corridors of the Bebop itself. The loneliness of the ship was something he considered on a regular basis anymore. For a while, he had hated how many unwanted people had attached them to the old ship.now he wished there was someone other than him.
He still saw Faye now and then. Whenever either of them had a bounty head that was more than one person could handle, they would combine their efforts till the goal was achieved. When he was really desperate for cash, he occasionally picked up hitchhikers of the far and open spaces, charging them a small fee for the trip. He sometimes wished Ed was still around, and then searching for his quarries would be a lot easier if he still had her hacking skills to rely on. But, who knew where she was now.
That wasn't entirely true, he realized. She was on Earth, somewhere. He never had been able to figure out why she returned to that desolate garbage dump of a planet. He had once considered trying to find her, convince her to rejoin him on Bebop, but he had thrust the idea aside. She had a right to make her own choices, choose her own fate.
But still.there was nothing wrong with a little visit between friends now and then. And if she decided to help him track a bounty or two.
He smiled at the idea. It wasn't an entirely bad idea, either. It would be nice to see a familiar face again.someone he could trust. He sat down at the controls, and started to set a course.
At the same moment, Jet was the last thing on Edward's mind. All she could think about was the pain that was wracking her body, and the terrible fear that stabbed her heart.
She felt both of these in abundance when he punched her face again, causing her mouth to fill with blood. The force of the blow caused her entire body to convulse for a moment, and the handcuffs rattled behind her as her arms struggle against them.
He stood up, towering over her like a tree over an insect. He glared down at her with his ice-cold eyes, and his mouth turned down in a sneer that implied anything.
"Show me the Bebop, now" he growled at her, and pointed to her Tomato. Ed opened her mouth to try to say something, but all that came out from her lips was a trickle of blood, and a single, pearl white tooth. It fell from her mouth and shattered on the floor.
He crouched down, bringing his eyes to an equal level with hers, and placed his hands on her shoulders, digging his nails into the flesh of her tiny body. "Show me the Bebop, now" he repeated. Ed shook her head limply, and then braced herself.
He tightened his grip on her shoulders and neck, forcing his nails so hard against her skin that more blood trickled out of her. He head-butted her, the blow landing just above her nose almost breaking it entirely. Then he punched her in the stomach, causing the air to blow out of her body in a gasping bellow. He slapped the right side of her face, and then swung his hand back around to slap the other side. "Show me!" he shouted. Ed pretended to be knocked cold, hoping he would give up. He waited for an answer, and then grunted with frustration.
Ed waited, hearing nothing but silence for a moment. Then she heard the unmistakable rattle of a dog collar, and the pathetic whimper that indicated violence. She opened her eyes, as wide as dinner plates, and beheld him crouching down, gripping Ein roughly by the fur on the back of his neck. He was holding a gun tight against Ein's skull, and he sneered menacingly at her. "Show me the Bebop now, or watch him die." He held the gun away from Ein's head, and fired a shot into the ceiling, to show the seriousness of his threat.
Ed moaned, and then nodded her head.
He uncuffed her hands, and shoved her in front of Tomato. He took a handful of her hair, and shook her head violently. "Do it, now."
She tapped away at the keys for a minute or two, and then waited for his reaction. He took a single breath, deep and trembling when he saw the screen. He made a sound that Ed had heard only a few times before; the sound that the other orphans usually made when they first saw a box, tied up with a bow and wrapping paper, implying any number of possibilities.
"Thank you" he whispered. Ed only had a moment to try to prepare herself as she saw him in the reflection on Tomato's screen. He pulled his hand back, and a moment later, she felt the sharp, jarring blow at the back of her neck, and then the world went dark.
The hunt begins.