I'd like to thank all of you who have read this story, and given such
flattering reviews. It is good to know that the effort I put into writing
this fic is appreciated. I also want to apologize for some of the crazy
punctuation that seems to occur in it, but I wrote this on Microsoft Word,
and it does not seem to have transferred the way I hoped it would. Keep
reading, and keep responding!
Cowboy Bebop
Boys are Back
6
"So how will we know this guy's ship when we see it?" Faye asked as she looked around. There were dozens of ships at this port, many of which were of the same design or model as others. She was hoping Hakkou was piloting something unique.
"It's a souped up military vehicle, with lots of weapons and heavy armor plating" Spike said as he also looked around. "Its called The Kraken, maybe he's got the name written on the side of it."
"Weee! Ed find ship! Ed find ship!" Ed squealed as she ran in circles around both Spike and Faye, her arms outstretched as if she were trying to fly, Ein chasing after her, nipping at her heels.
"Why would he need such heavy artillery?" Faye asked, simply trying to break the uncomfortable silence. Spike had been like a cold piece of metal since they had talked the previous night. She had never seen him so dead-set on something, so determined. In some ways it frightened her, and in some ways it made her feel a twinge of jealousy. He had never been so determined when she was in trouble, but Spike seemed willing to sacrifice the universe for Julia.
"He's supposed to be an enforcer, remember? He was made to be muscle, nothing more. Just to kick ass and take names" he took a side glance at Faye, "You saw all the weapons he had on him when he came after you. It fits him perfectly."
Faye went silent, and went back to searching for the ship. They had started their search at the crack of dawn, and it was now late afternoon. Ed had complained that she was hungry a few times, Faye had too, but Spike would not let them quit. The only way he would stop was once they had located Hakkou. Under different circumstances, Faye might have admired his single mindedness, but right now, she was more scared of what would happen once they found Hakkou.
"Spike-person? Spike-person?" Ed said as she tugged on Spike's sleeve. He tried to brush her away at first, but when Ein bit his ankle, his attention was drawn away from his search.
"What is it?" he growled at Ed, trying his best not to yell. Ed's lip trembled, and her eyes grew shiny as small tears began to form. Spike felt the words drain from his throat. He looked over at Faye, as if hoping she could lend him some support, but Faye gave him a shocked look, not believing that he had drawn tears from a child. He sighed, and crouched down to look Ed in the eyes. "Ed..I'm.I'm sorry. What do you want?"
Ed hesitated only a second, before her broad grin returned. "Can Ed have more candy?"
Spike groaned, and sank down onto his butt, feeling his frustration weighing him down. He looked down at the ground, despairing that he would ever reach his goal.but then, inspirations truck.
"Sure Ed" he said, trying to conceal a sly smirk. "You can have more candy.if you can hack out where The Kraken is."
"Ed find ship, get candy!" Ed squeeled as she began to run in circles again. Spike looked over at Faye, who was now giving him a smart looking smile. He winked, and she chuckled.
"Have you found it yet?" Spike said as he peeked over Ed's shoulder.
"Nopey, nopey! Not yet!" Ed said as best she could with two pieces of hard candy stuffed in her cheek, giving her the appearance of a chipmunk collecting acorns.
"Give her a minute, will you lunkhead" Faye said as she sucked on a cherry flavored candy stick. Spike had had to buy her some candy as well, to keep her quite after he had brought some for Ed. She smirked and sucked on her candy stick, wondering if maybe it was making Spike think certain thoughts.
A slight glance in her direction, and a shudder made her realize it was. She smiled triumphantly.
"Lunkhead, lunkhead!" Ed sang enthusiastically as she typed away.
"So, what have I missed?" Spike asked as if he had only been gone for a week. Faye gave it some thought for a moment.
"Well, not a whole lot really. Jet and I tried to stick it together, partners, for a while after you." she hesitated, not sure if she wanted to say "after you died". "But we just lost enthusiasm I guess. So we headed off our own ways. Last I heard from Jet, he was looking up some old friends on Ganymede. And neither of us knew what happened to Ed."
"Ed stay on Earth!" Ed added.
"She found her father, again." Spike added, rather sourly. He rubbed his forehead. Just mentioning Ed's father made him remember the head butt he had received the last time they had met.
"Ed had a father?" Faye asked, her candy stick almost dropping from her mouth.
"HAD is right." Spike added, his eyes narrowing.
"What do you mean?" Faye asked, getting a feeling she was about to hear something she did not want to. Even Ed slowed down in her typing, although her head did not turn to look at them.
"I told you, Hakkou thinks if he wipes out everyone and everything that had anything to do with me and Vicious, that he will be absorbing out lives for himself. He wants to erase us to make room for himself. He's already got a good start on me."
"Are you saying."
"You're old boyfriend in jail.Jet's ex-wife on Mars.Ed's father on Earth. He tracked them all down and killed them, one right after the other. That was how he caught Ed. Ed had been following him, but she could never catch up to him because he was always on the move. But the moving stopped, and she eventually caught up. Only she found Hakkou instead of her father, waiting for her."
"Ed.is that true?" Faye asked the red haired child, her heart aching with sympathy for the first time in a long time. Ed only nodded her head, still not looking away from her computer screen.
"I guess he's setting his sights a little higher, now that he tried for you." Spike muttered. He walked over to the bag of hard candies laying on the bed, and plopped some into his mouth.
"Ed found it! Ed found it!" Ed squeeled, causing Spike to jump, and almost choke on the candies he was sucking on.
"Where?" he said, between coughs, as he leaned over her shoulder to look. Faye also hopped from her seat on the bed, and peeked over Ed's shoulder to see.
"He just used a jump gate, and it looks like he's heading toward Earth again."
"Earth? What could he want back on Earth?" Faye muttered.
Spike stood, silent with thought for a moment. Then, his jaw dropped, his eyes widened, and his face went pale. "Spike, what is it?" Faye asked when she saw how he reacted.
Spike opened his mouth, as if to speak, but then closed it again, and resumed his look of hard determination.
"We have to hurry up and get to Earth, now!"
The chase is on, Cowboy.
Cowboy Bebop
Boys are Back
6
"So how will we know this guy's ship when we see it?" Faye asked as she looked around. There were dozens of ships at this port, many of which were of the same design or model as others. She was hoping Hakkou was piloting something unique.
"It's a souped up military vehicle, with lots of weapons and heavy armor plating" Spike said as he also looked around. "Its called The Kraken, maybe he's got the name written on the side of it."
"Weee! Ed find ship! Ed find ship!" Ed squealed as she ran in circles around both Spike and Faye, her arms outstretched as if she were trying to fly, Ein chasing after her, nipping at her heels.
"Why would he need such heavy artillery?" Faye asked, simply trying to break the uncomfortable silence. Spike had been like a cold piece of metal since they had talked the previous night. She had never seen him so dead-set on something, so determined. In some ways it frightened her, and in some ways it made her feel a twinge of jealousy. He had never been so determined when she was in trouble, but Spike seemed willing to sacrifice the universe for Julia.
"He's supposed to be an enforcer, remember? He was made to be muscle, nothing more. Just to kick ass and take names" he took a side glance at Faye, "You saw all the weapons he had on him when he came after you. It fits him perfectly."
Faye went silent, and went back to searching for the ship. They had started their search at the crack of dawn, and it was now late afternoon. Ed had complained that she was hungry a few times, Faye had too, but Spike would not let them quit. The only way he would stop was once they had located Hakkou. Under different circumstances, Faye might have admired his single mindedness, but right now, she was more scared of what would happen once they found Hakkou.
"Spike-person? Spike-person?" Ed said as she tugged on Spike's sleeve. He tried to brush her away at first, but when Ein bit his ankle, his attention was drawn away from his search.
"What is it?" he growled at Ed, trying his best not to yell. Ed's lip trembled, and her eyes grew shiny as small tears began to form. Spike felt the words drain from his throat. He looked over at Faye, as if hoping she could lend him some support, but Faye gave him a shocked look, not believing that he had drawn tears from a child. He sighed, and crouched down to look Ed in the eyes. "Ed..I'm.I'm sorry. What do you want?"
Ed hesitated only a second, before her broad grin returned. "Can Ed have more candy?"
Spike groaned, and sank down onto his butt, feeling his frustration weighing him down. He looked down at the ground, despairing that he would ever reach his goal.but then, inspirations truck.
"Sure Ed" he said, trying to conceal a sly smirk. "You can have more candy.if you can hack out where The Kraken is."
"Ed find ship, get candy!" Ed squeeled as she began to run in circles again. Spike looked over at Faye, who was now giving him a smart looking smile. He winked, and she chuckled.
"Have you found it yet?" Spike said as he peeked over Ed's shoulder.
"Nopey, nopey! Not yet!" Ed said as best she could with two pieces of hard candy stuffed in her cheek, giving her the appearance of a chipmunk collecting acorns.
"Give her a minute, will you lunkhead" Faye said as she sucked on a cherry flavored candy stick. Spike had had to buy her some candy as well, to keep her quite after he had brought some for Ed. She smirked and sucked on her candy stick, wondering if maybe it was making Spike think certain thoughts.
A slight glance in her direction, and a shudder made her realize it was. She smiled triumphantly.
"Lunkhead, lunkhead!" Ed sang enthusiastically as she typed away.
"So, what have I missed?" Spike asked as if he had only been gone for a week. Faye gave it some thought for a moment.
"Well, not a whole lot really. Jet and I tried to stick it together, partners, for a while after you." she hesitated, not sure if she wanted to say "after you died". "But we just lost enthusiasm I guess. So we headed off our own ways. Last I heard from Jet, he was looking up some old friends on Ganymede. And neither of us knew what happened to Ed."
"Ed stay on Earth!" Ed added.
"She found her father, again." Spike added, rather sourly. He rubbed his forehead. Just mentioning Ed's father made him remember the head butt he had received the last time they had met.
"Ed had a father?" Faye asked, her candy stick almost dropping from her mouth.
"HAD is right." Spike added, his eyes narrowing.
"What do you mean?" Faye asked, getting a feeling she was about to hear something she did not want to. Even Ed slowed down in her typing, although her head did not turn to look at them.
"I told you, Hakkou thinks if he wipes out everyone and everything that had anything to do with me and Vicious, that he will be absorbing out lives for himself. He wants to erase us to make room for himself. He's already got a good start on me."
"Are you saying."
"You're old boyfriend in jail.Jet's ex-wife on Mars.Ed's father on Earth. He tracked them all down and killed them, one right after the other. That was how he caught Ed. Ed had been following him, but she could never catch up to him because he was always on the move. But the moving stopped, and she eventually caught up. Only she found Hakkou instead of her father, waiting for her."
"Ed.is that true?" Faye asked the red haired child, her heart aching with sympathy for the first time in a long time. Ed only nodded her head, still not looking away from her computer screen.
"I guess he's setting his sights a little higher, now that he tried for you." Spike muttered. He walked over to the bag of hard candies laying on the bed, and plopped some into his mouth.
"Ed found it! Ed found it!" Ed squeeled, causing Spike to jump, and almost choke on the candies he was sucking on.
"Where?" he said, between coughs, as he leaned over her shoulder to look. Faye also hopped from her seat on the bed, and peeked over Ed's shoulder to see.
"He just used a jump gate, and it looks like he's heading toward Earth again."
"Earth? What could he want back on Earth?" Faye muttered.
Spike stood, silent with thought for a moment. Then, his jaw dropped, his eyes widened, and his face went pale. "Spike, what is it?" Faye asked when she saw how he reacted.
Spike opened his mouth, as if to speak, but then closed it again, and resumed his look of hard determination.
"We have to hurry up and get to Earth, now!"
The chase is on, Cowboy.