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Chapter 7
Now, we move from the tortured lives of Spike and Faye, to a different part of the Universe, where yet another part of the puzzle is slowly being fitted into place.
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. . Johnny Builder was lucky. With his hip hairstyle and his rebellious attire he was every girl's dream. When he walked by, every female in the ten-mile radius could not help but swoon. That rugged handsomeness rubbed off on everyone who was ever in close proximity of the great one. In truth, teenage girls wanted him and teenage boys wanted to be him. But the seventeen-year-old hunk was interested in none of the latter. He didn't want pretty blue eye shadow or pink, tinted lips. He wasn't interested in tight mini-skirts or large, firm, developing teenage breasts. He wasn't interested in anything they had to offer. Long ago his heart had gone out to the last person anyone could have imagined. From the first moment that he saw her he knew it was love at first sight. The dream girl's hair was as bright as fire and her smile was to die for. She was vivid and alive, and every glance from her glistening eyes was magnetic. She was quiet around people, she played dumb. Most girls disliked her and most boys didn't know her name. Johnny did know. Her name was Francoise, but she never responded to it.
He would watch her every day from his beaten ship as she slowly walked home. She did not seem to belong even in her skin, and the long skirt of the uniform did not do justice to slender, olive legs dying to peak out. Her natural blush was always intact, and though she seldom wore make up, her face was becoming in the womanliest of ways. The pretty little redhead, Johnny decided, was indeed the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.
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She kept herself afloat when she wanted to cry. She was unsuccessful. She cried a lot these past two years, from the very moment that she first descended into the sunrise. Of all her past misadventures leading to trouble, this was the first time in her life that she had ever realized it. She went away to search for her family. She ended up losing everything.
Even their names became misty in her imagination. It was strange because at one time she vowed never to forget them. But she was a thirteen-year-old girl then, she didn't know how easily one could let go of everything. She still recalled, of course, the tall and daring man in the suit, the kind and aging ex-cop with his metal arm, and of course the exquisitely beautiful woman who knew how to handle a gun. She remembered the bounties and the adventure, she recalled the danger and hidden bond. It was all there, like a taunting, distressing pain. All of that seemed so distant now, so out of the ordinary. Once, she had lived on a garbage lot, and it was all so much better than what she faced now.
She lived in the distinguished suburbs of a large Mars metropolis. Her adopted family was stern and deeply religious. They made her go to school, and confined her to her room during the rest of her time. Her home did not have a computer, nor did she have hope of ever attaining one. Besides that, she was under constant surveillance. Surveillance that did not include her new parents.
It all, her entire existence, traced back to the night her dog died. She had woken up to the sound of footsteps outside of her door. She did not worry at first. Plenty had come and gone through the saloon that she at the moment facilitated. She knew she was closing in on her mark, on her father. She had traced his exploits via Internet for months. Maybe some weeks, maybe some days. She did not know how long it would take, but she was prepared to handle it all.
The footsteps increased and Ein moved inside of her arms. She looked around frantically. She did not know what to do. If Ein had sensed something, she knew it was dangerous. She was even more assured when the sound stopped for a moment before bursting through her door. Before her stood three men with guns. She did not move. She sat staring stoically at them.
"Why are you doing this to Ed?" she asked in her childish tone.
A dark figure pushed through the men. He stared at her, his eyes making her heart jump.
"You're just a little girl."
She stared at him, transfixed by his gaze.
"Where is your father?" He asked her calmly, his deep voice chilling her to the very bone. She remained stiff.
"Where is he?" the dark figure repeated.
She did not reply.
"Where the fuck is he?" He exploded, causing her to fall back.
"My father---" She shook, "why do you need my father?"
"Because your father is supposed to help us with something of a predicament. It's like a treasure hunt, you know? And your father is supposed to help us find the map."
Her father was a mapmaker. Ed knew that. But these men seemed dangerous.
"I don't know where my father is," Ed shook her head.
"You don't know where your father is?" The man asked, a terrible unrest in his voice, disguised by solemnity.
"No," was all she could muster.
"Are you sure?" his fist was twitching. He approached her bed. She shook beneath her covers.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Don't fucking lie to me!" He screamed, his hand flying in the air as he slapped her violently across the face. She fell back, tears streaming from her eyes.
"She's just a kid," one of the men said, and as soon as the figure turned, the poor chap realized his fate. Thoughtlessly, the dark figure shot at the man, and traces of blood spread throughout the room. She screamed, leaning back on the bed and whimpering.
The last words of the man were unintelligible to Ed. But the dark figure knew exactly what he had said.
"You're just like him---" the man's dying words rang, "You're just like Vicious."
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"You don't want the same thing to happen to you, now do you?" The drawn murderer yelled, looking down at Ed moment's after his killing, "Now tell me, you little bitch, where is your father, where is Radical Ed?"
Her eyes widened and she stared up at him, "Radical Ed?" she whimpered.
"Are you deaf?" he forced.
She shook her head frantically, he placed the gun to it, "Where is he?"
"You don't understand," she cried softly, "I'm Radical Ed."
The gun cocked and the man began to laugh hysterically, "He taught his own daughter to lie this way. Even I couldn't do that."
She closed her eyes, "Ed's not lying."
"Come on, little girl, are you really going to take a bullet for your daddy?"
"Ed is Ed," she whispered, "please, Ed will help you with whatever you need. Just don't hurt Ed."
"Why shouldn't I? You're not telling the truth."
"You want Ed to hack a computer for you? Ed will, just don't hurt Ed---"
"Little girls hacking computers? Did your father teach you that?"
"Ed taught herself," she whimpered, "Let Ed prove it. Ed will do everything, please---"
Some minutes later she was being dragged out, tied up by rope. She struggled for a while when she heard Ein barking far behind her. Then she heard a single shot, and the sounds subsided.
"Fucking dog," one of the men said. At that moment, she knew that nothing was ever going to be the same again.
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The work was impossible, even for Ed. The database was impermeable. Every possible move was blocked. It did not help her when she stared at the blank monitor that a gun was pointing at her back and the mysterious figure lurked throughout the room.
"What's going on?" He asked her forcefully.
"It's blocked, the security is superb. Even Ed can't do this."
"What do you mean?" He screamed.
"There are simply too many dark alleys to cross. It's locked. Something important must be behind the wall."
"Yes," he nodded, "Something very important."
"Ed needs a password, Ed can't get in without a password."
"Password?" the figure asked irritably, "I thought hackers didn't need passwords!"
"The program was made especially against hackers. Someone knew the lengths others were willing to go to find what is on this program. Edward cannot decipher these codes, they are custom made, and only a password, one phrase, all it takes is one phrase, can unlock everything hidden here."
The man turned with irritation to his main man.
"Is it true what she's saying?"
"I don't know, sir," the man reported, "But according to Maxim she's gotten much farther than any of the top minds working for us. Her work is flawless, her signature is unique. If she is not Radical Edward, then she must have at least the same, if not greater, capacity than him."
The dark figure nodded, "And the password?"
"If she says it's impossible, it is most likely impossible."
"But who would know the password?" he demanded, "Who would know the password?"
Ed looked to her side to see a handsome boy walk in the room. He was in his late teens, with light hair and blue eyes. He seemed subservient to her, probably captured in the same brutal way as she was.
"Maxim," the dark figure turned to the youth, "What password is she talking about?"
"The password to the database," he said evenly, "The old order changed many things, but they left one the same. The unspoken password. Only the elders knew it. When the elders were assassinated, it seemed that no other possibility could have existed in opening the database. But then, through careful research, I came onto someone who may have known. He ran the division of the site, he alone knew how to find it. Red Dragons put a lot of faith in this one. After the revolt, he disappeared. There was a bounty on his head for a while. The guy, James Shields, turned up some months later, dead. His wife, she saw the whole thing."
"His wife?"
"Yes, I looked her up. Couldn't find her true identity for a while. She changed her name after her Marriage, called herself Rose Shields. After asking around, I traced back to Callisto. Apparently, she was last seen there, causing a lot of trouble. It appears she's been making a living bounty hunting. Ironically, she traveled on the same ship as the legendary Spike Spiegel."
Ed looked up, her ears flexing to adjust the sound of that name. Spike Spiegel, distant memory of the man whom she had once so deeply admired overcame her. A sudden regret, as well. She wished things went back to the way that they once were. But that couldn't happen. After all, she was all but lost in the asperity of reality. If only her captors knew that she, herself, traveled on the ship. But they couldn't have. She had not left physical evidence then. She had no dreams of anyone finding her. She admitted to herself that she was silly for being so reckless as to leave traces as she went along. She simply never suspected that bad people, instead of good, would follow her trail.
"So anyway, the girl was Faye Valentine. I tried looking for her, sent some of my people to talk to her old shipmate. He said she left soon after Spiegel. Spiegel, himself, died, taking Vicious with him. We spoke to the old man about that too. All he could say was one word, 'Julia.'"
Ed looked up, tears streaming to her cheeks. But she did not make a sound.
"I know that story. Spare me, please. I saw his death with my own eyes." He had, indeed, been one of the few that watched Spike's descent down the fateful staircase. He had heard his final word. Bang.
Maxim nodded, "Anyway, what the old man said made some sense. It was around that time, maybe a little later, that Shields was first traced to his mysterious companion. I spoke to many witnesses, they all described the same woman. A real babe, sad, but beautiful."
The conqueror sat, still listening to the discourse.
"I don't know what happened to them during that year," Maxim continued, "but when I found them again, they were already married. It was too late to reach them, though. Shields was already dead, and the woman disappeared."
"You think he might have told her? The password?"
"I've almost no doubt about it. I didn't know him personally, but from what I've heard, he'd never let a secret like that die. He was the sort of man who preserved tradition, and whom better to have it live on in than the woman he loved?"
"So we look for her? This Faye Valentine?" the dark figure asked.
"Yes," Maxim nodded, "This may be our only option."
He approached Ed, looking down at her. She looked up into his blue eyes and for a moment felt a tingly sensation of safety. She was almost fifteen, and for the first time in her life, she began to feel herself maturing. Ed liked this boy, who looked so serious as he studied her. His gaze was far more sympathetic, and she wondered what such a beautiful creature was doing working for the Red Dragons (she knew now, without a doubt, that Spike's old syndicate was involved in this.)
"What do you suppose we do with her?" Maxim asked, his gaze not leaving hers.
"We kill her," the conqueror replied swiftly.
Fear reappeared on Edward's face and Maxim sensed it.
"Kill her?" Maxim asked, "Kill Radical Edward? With all do respect, sir, I do not think Master Carigula would approve."
That name must have meant a lot to the dark interrogator, for he lessened his composure, "And what do you propose we do with her?"
"Hide her, keep her hidden from any outside intrusions."
"What?" he exclaimed irritably, "Keep her in a dungeon?"
"No," Maxim shook his head, "if we do that, we'll soon have many problems on our hands. I suggest that we blend her in, adopt her into a civilian home, send her to school. She knows enough about hacking and technology, but the girl had never gotten real education. I suggest that the Red Dragons provide this privilege to her, I am sure she would make a useful employee in her not-so-distant future."
Edward widened her eyes as she looked at him.
"You want that," he smiled, "Don't you? You want to become a part of the great Syndicate."
She knew that had she said no, death was certain. So she could do nothing more than nod her head.
"Yes," she whispered, "I would absolutely love that."
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Edward was sixteen now, and she was growing up fast. Every Saturday she was being called to the town Headquarters for her training. Her adopted parents knew not to question that call. They had gotten good money to obey every command of the faceless men who always watched them.
Ed was becoming a larger part of the Syndicate day by day. Or perhaps, the syndicate was becoming her. Ordinarily, a child of her age would not get the same treatment. She would not be taken seriously or trained by the greatest masters of all. She would not be so well considered or revered. But Radical Ed had plenty of potential, and the Syndicate recognized it.
While she hated who they were, while she despised the very existence of their corporation, Edward could not help but admit that a part of the Syndicate she treasured. She was experiencing the roots of one of her greatest mentors, and she was in love with one of its best men. She could already distinguish the many similarities between him and his predecessor, between Maxim and Spike Spiegel.
She knew that she had fallen in love with Maxim at first sight. His worldliness, his belief in her, it all propelled her to excel. She loved that he respected her, that he glorified her. She loved that he took her seriously, she loved that he had once rescued her. It made her love him even more when she first realized that he did not love her.
He had taken advantage of her love. Some months before, while alone with him inside of his office, she could not help but use the moment of their togetherness. Somewhere between chewing bubble gum that he had offered her and crossing her legs in a musky female way, she declared her emotions to him and even dared to peck him on the lips. Whatever surprise he could have felt at first immediately subsided as he took her forcefully by the chin and pushed his tongue down her throat. She melted inside of his arms, she shivered at her own inconsistency. He proceeded to move his hands down her blouse and fingering her small breasts. Ed was unused to this attention, it made her feel uncomfortable, but she let him persist with it. She loved that he wanted her. No one had ever really wanted her that way before.
Maxim took her home that evening and after feeding her chocolate ice cream he lured her into bed. His hard nakedness felt strange against her, and she twisted and turned, trying to understand what he was doing to her. The experience was both, painful and interesting to her. She could not distinguish anything except him, inside of her. She did not lay flat on the bed, she moved, she tried not to faint from the shock. All the while, he whispered rad things into her ear, things that made her blush.
When it was all over, when he got off of her and walked to the window, she lay back down on the pillow and traced his nude outline with her eyes.
"No one needs to know about this, Ed," Maxim said after a while.
"I wasn't going to tell anyone," she smiled, smelling his hair on the pillow.
"Good," he said, "good."
"Is this going to change things?" She asked.
"It won't," he shook his head, "This was a one time thing. Ed, do you understand what that means?"
She sat up, "One time thing?"
"One time thing," he repeated.
"Maxim, you are the first man I had ever been with," she struggled.
He turned, his eyes were foreign. He was no longer comforting. He had become something else entirely. "Forget about that then," he flatly declared, "It will never happen again."
"But it's already happened!" She screamed, tears gathering at her eyes, "Maxim, we can be together forever, we can! Maxim I love you so much!"
He turned away.
"Maxim!"
"Why don't you understand?" He screamed, "You are just a child, you have no comprehension of these things."
"You're only four years older than me, Maxim! What do you know that I don't?"
"Have you ever heard of Spike Spiegel?" he screamed.
She stared at him; no matter what, she knew she couldn't tell the truth.
"No," she whispered.
"Spike Spiegel is the example they always use when they warn us," Maxim began the discourse in his usual, beautiful, informative tone, "He was a great man, he was our mentor, though few admit it. Well, this Spike Spiegel, this promising fighter, this extraordinary man, he fell in love with some girl. No one really took it seriously, you know? Well, it turned out that the girl was the lover of another man, this one was named Vicious. In the end, the girl ended up dying, and the two killed one another over it. You want the moral of this story?"
Ed shook her head. Quietly she began to dress, taking care not to move too frantically. In time, she was out the door, merging with the gray, rainy world outside of Maxim's dark apartment.
He watched her leave, the young and frail little girl, the only person he had ever known to be truly alive. She was like a light, slowly extinguishing.
"I've wanted to kiss you since the first time I saw you," he said to the emptiness. He could not think of anything else to add.
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Presently, Edward was walking home from school, holding her books near to her heart. Her mind was not at ease. For months since her encounter with Maxim she felt devoid of all emotion, drained, crushed, destroyed. More than ever she missed the old times, the times that were now long gone. Something was missing in her life, and she didn't understand what it was.
She could feel someone watching her, and it was no surprise when Johnny Builder's ship pulled up to her.
"Hey there," he said to her.
"Hey," She looked up at him.
"You're from my school, 'aint ya?" he asked playfully.
"I am," she smiled.
"You need a ride home?" he asked her.
She looked at the handsome boy's face. He was such a good boy. She always wished she could fall in love with a good boy.
"Is your ship fueled?" she asked him with adventure written on her face.
Ed suddenly understood what she was lacking all this time. She was lacking her past. She no longer wanted to be part of the syndicate. A sudden thought came into her mind: somewhere out there, Faye Valentine was still alive. And so was Jet. She wanted to find them, to reunite with them. Only then would her unhappiness cease.
"I would like you to give me a ride," She smiled, "But I'm not sure you're up for it."
"Home?" He questioned in confusion.
"No," she shook her head.
"Where, then?" he questioned.
She grinned, "Nowhere in particular---Earth, maybe? Venus?"
He stared at her.
"So, what do you say?"
"I'm not sure," he shook his head. She began to walk away. He could not see her go. He was too infatuated with this beautiful stranger.
"Wait!" he screamed after her.
She turned.
"Get in," he smiled.
She quickly did as was told, strapping herself with the seatbelt. The ship soared as it began to fly to the beautiful "no-place-in-particular."
"So, what's your name, anyway?" Ed asked him as she stared at the ground diminishing behind them.
"Johnny," he said shyly, "I know your name is Francoise."
"Call me Ed," she corrected.
"Ed? I never knew that was a girl's name."
"Trust me Johnny," She smiled, "There's lots of things you don't know."
Chapter 7
Now, we move from the tortured lives of Spike and Faye, to a different part of the Universe, where yet another part of the puzzle is slowly being fitted into place.
.
. . Johnny Builder was lucky. With his hip hairstyle and his rebellious attire he was every girl's dream. When he walked by, every female in the ten-mile radius could not help but swoon. That rugged handsomeness rubbed off on everyone who was ever in close proximity of the great one. In truth, teenage girls wanted him and teenage boys wanted to be him. But the seventeen-year-old hunk was interested in none of the latter. He didn't want pretty blue eye shadow or pink, tinted lips. He wasn't interested in tight mini-skirts or large, firm, developing teenage breasts. He wasn't interested in anything they had to offer. Long ago his heart had gone out to the last person anyone could have imagined. From the first moment that he saw her he knew it was love at first sight. The dream girl's hair was as bright as fire and her smile was to die for. She was vivid and alive, and every glance from her glistening eyes was magnetic. She was quiet around people, she played dumb. Most girls disliked her and most boys didn't know her name. Johnny did know. Her name was Francoise, but she never responded to it.
He would watch her every day from his beaten ship as she slowly walked home. She did not seem to belong even in her skin, and the long skirt of the uniform did not do justice to slender, olive legs dying to peak out. Her natural blush was always intact, and though she seldom wore make up, her face was becoming in the womanliest of ways. The pretty little redhead, Johnny decided, was indeed the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.
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She kept herself afloat when she wanted to cry. She was unsuccessful. She cried a lot these past two years, from the very moment that she first descended into the sunrise. Of all her past misadventures leading to trouble, this was the first time in her life that she had ever realized it. She went away to search for her family. She ended up losing everything.
Even their names became misty in her imagination. It was strange because at one time she vowed never to forget them. But she was a thirteen-year-old girl then, she didn't know how easily one could let go of everything. She still recalled, of course, the tall and daring man in the suit, the kind and aging ex-cop with his metal arm, and of course the exquisitely beautiful woman who knew how to handle a gun. She remembered the bounties and the adventure, she recalled the danger and hidden bond. It was all there, like a taunting, distressing pain. All of that seemed so distant now, so out of the ordinary. Once, she had lived on a garbage lot, and it was all so much better than what she faced now.
She lived in the distinguished suburbs of a large Mars metropolis. Her adopted family was stern and deeply religious. They made her go to school, and confined her to her room during the rest of her time. Her home did not have a computer, nor did she have hope of ever attaining one. Besides that, she was under constant surveillance. Surveillance that did not include her new parents.
It all, her entire existence, traced back to the night her dog died. She had woken up to the sound of footsteps outside of her door. She did not worry at first. Plenty had come and gone through the saloon that she at the moment facilitated. She knew she was closing in on her mark, on her father. She had traced his exploits via Internet for months. Maybe some weeks, maybe some days. She did not know how long it would take, but she was prepared to handle it all.
The footsteps increased and Ein moved inside of her arms. She looked around frantically. She did not know what to do. If Ein had sensed something, she knew it was dangerous. She was even more assured when the sound stopped for a moment before bursting through her door. Before her stood three men with guns. She did not move. She sat staring stoically at them.
"Why are you doing this to Ed?" she asked in her childish tone.
A dark figure pushed through the men. He stared at her, his eyes making her heart jump.
"You're just a little girl."
She stared at him, transfixed by his gaze.
"Where is your father?" He asked her calmly, his deep voice chilling her to the very bone. She remained stiff.
"Where is he?" the dark figure repeated.
She did not reply.
"Where the fuck is he?" He exploded, causing her to fall back.
"My father---" She shook, "why do you need my father?"
"Because your father is supposed to help us with something of a predicament. It's like a treasure hunt, you know? And your father is supposed to help us find the map."
Her father was a mapmaker. Ed knew that. But these men seemed dangerous.
"I don't know where my father is," Ed shook her head.
"You don't know where your father is?" The man asked, a terrible unrest in his voice, disguised by solemnity.
"No," was all she could muster.
"Are you sure?" his fist was twitching. He approached her bed. She shook beneath her covers.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Don't fucking lie to me!" He screamed, his hand flying in the air as he slapped her violently across the face. She fell back, tears streaming from her eyes.
"She's just a kid," one of the men said, and as soon as the figure turned, the poor chap realized his fate. Thoughtlessly, the dark figure shot at the man, and traces of blood spread throughout the room. She screamed, leaning back on the bed and whimpering.
The last words of the man were unintelligible to Ed. But the dark figure knew exactly what he had said.
"You're just like him---" the man's dying words rang, "You're just like Vicious."
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"You don't want the same thing to happen to you, now do you?" The drawn murderer yelled, looking down at Ed moment's after his killing, "Now tell me, you little bitch, where is your father, where is Radical Ed?"
Her eyes widened and she stared up at him, "Radical Ed?" she whimpered.
"Are you deaf?" he forced.
She shook her head frantically, he placed the gun to it, "Where is he?"
"You don't understand," she cried softly, "I'm Radical Ed."
The gun cocked and the man began to laugh hysterically, "He taught his own daughter to lie this way. Even I couldn't do that."
She closed her eyes, "Ed's not lying."
"Come on, little girl, are you really going to take a bullet for your daddy?"
"Ed is Ed," she whispered, "please, Ed will help you with whatever you need. Just don't hurt Ed."
"Why shouldn't I? You're not telling the truth."
"You want Ed to hack a computer for you? Ed will, just don't hurt Ed---"
"Little girls hacking computers? Did your father teach you that?"
"Ed taught herself," she whimpered, "Let Ed prove it. Ed will do everything, please---"
Some minutes later she was being dragged out, tied up by rope. She struggled for a while when she heard Ein barking far behind her. Then she heard a single shot, and the sounds subsided.
"Fucking dog," one of the men said. At that moment, she knew that nothing was ever going to be the same again.
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.
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The work was impossible, even for Ed. The database was impermeable. Every possible move was blocked. It did not help her when she stared at the blank monitor that a gun was pointing at her back and the mysterious figure lurked throughout the room.
"What's going on?" He asked her forcefully.
"It's blocked, the security is superb. Even Ed can't do this."
"What do you mean?" He screamed.
"There are simply too many dark alleys to cross. It's locked. Something important must be behind the wall."
"Yes," he nodded, "Something very important."
"Ed needs a password, Ed can't get in without a password."
"Password?" the figure asked irritably, "I thought hackers didn't need passwords!"
"The program was made especially against hackers. Someone knew the lengths others were willing to go to find what is on this program. Edward cannot decipher these codes, they are custom made, and only a password, one phrase, all it takes is one phrase, can unlock everything hidden here."
The man turned with irritation to his main man.
"Is it true what she's saying?"
"I don't know, sir," the man reported, "But according to Maxim she's gotten much farther than any of the top minds working for us. Her work is flawless, her signature is unique. If she is not Radical Edward, then she must have at least the same, if not greater, capacity than him."
The dark figure nodded, "And the password?"
"If she says it's impossible, it is most likely impossible."
"But who would know the password?" he demanded, "Who would know the password?"
Ed looked to her side to see a handsome boy walk in the room. He was in his late teens, with light hair and blue eyes. He seemed subservient to her, probably captured in the same brutal way as she was.
"Maxim," the dark figure turned to the youth, "What password is she talking about?"
"The password to the database," he said evenly, "The old order changed many things, but they left one the same. The unspoken password. Only the elders knew it. When the elders were assassinated, it seemed that no other possibility could have existed in opening the database. But then, through careful research, I came onto someone who may have known. He ran the division of the site, he alone knew how to find it. Red Dragons put a lot of faith in this one. After the revolt, he disappeared. There was a bounty on his head for a while. The guy, James Shields, turned up some months later, dead. His wife, she saw the whole thing."
"His wife?"
"Yes, I looked her up. Couldn't find her true identity for a while. She changed her name after her Marriage, called herself Rose Shields. After asking around, I traced back to Callisto. Apparently, she was last seen there, causing a lot of trouble. It appears she's been making a living bounty hunting. Ironically, she traveled on the same ship as the legendary Spike Spiegel."
Ed looked up, her ears flexing to adjust the sound of that name. Spike Spiegel, distant memory of the man whom she had once so deeply admired overcame her. A sudden regret, as well. She wished things went back to the way that they once were. But that couldn't happen. After all, she was all but lost in the asperity of reality. If only her captors knew that she, herself, traveled on the ship. But they couldn't have. She had not left physical evidence then. She had no dreams of anyone finding her. She admitted to herself that she was silly for being so reckless as to leave traces as she went along. She simply never suspected that bad people, instead of good, would follow her trail.
"So anyway, the girl was Faye Valentine. I tried looking for her, sent some of my people to talk to her old shipmate. He said she left soon after Spiegel. Spiegel, himself, died, taking Vicious with him. We spoke to the old man about that too. All he could say was one word, 'Julia.'"
Ed looked up, tears streaming to her cheeks. But she did not make a sound.
"I know that story. Spare me, please. I saw his death with my own eyes." He had, indeed, been one of the few that watched Spike's descent down the fateful staircase. He had heard his final word. Bang.
Maxim nodded, "Anyway, what the old man said made some sense. It was around that time, maybe a little later, that Shields was first traced to his mysterious companion. I spoke to many witnesses, they all described the same woman. A real babe, sad, but beautiful."
The conqueror sat, still listening to the discourse.
"I don't know what happened to them during that year," Maxim continued, "but when I found them again, they were already married. It was too late to reach them, though. Shields was already dead, and the woman disappeared."
"You think he might have told her? The password?"
"I've almost no doubt about it. I didn't know him personally, but from what I've heard, he'd never let a secret like that die. He was the sort of man who preserved tradition, and whom better to have it live on in than the woman he loved?"
"So we look for her? This Faye Valentine?" the dark figure asked.
"Yes," Maxim nodded, "This may be our only option."
He approached Ed, looking down at her. She looked up into his blue eyes and for a moment felt a tingly sensation of safety. She was almost fifteen, and for the first time in her life, she began to feel herself maturing. Ed liked this boy, who looked so serious as he studied her. His gaze was far more sympathetic, and she wondered what such a beautiful creature was doing working for the Red Dragons (she knew now, without a doubt, that Spike's old syndicate was involved in this.)
"What do you suppose we do with her?" Maxim asked, his gaze not leaving hers.
"We kill her," the conqueror replied swiftly.
Fear reappeared on Edward's face and Maxim sensed it.
"Kill her?" Maxim asked, "Kill Radical Edward? With all do respect, sir, I do not think Master Carigula would approve."
That name must have meant a lot to the dark interrogator, for he lessened his composure, "And what do you propose we do with her?"
"Hide her, keep her hidden from any outside intrusions."
"What?" he exclaimed irritably, "Keep her in a dungeon?"
"No," Maxim shook his head, "if we do that, we'll soon have many problems on our hands. I suggest that we blend her in, adopt her into a civilian home, send her to school. She knows enough about hacking and technology, but the girl had never gotten real education. I suggest that the Red Dragons provide this privilege to her, I am sure she would make a useful employee in her not-so-distant future."
Edward widened her eyes as she looked at him.
"You want that," he smiled, "Don't you? You want to become a part of the great Syndicate."
She knew that had she said no, death was certain. So she could do nothing more than nod her head.
"Yes," she whispered, "I would absolutely love that."
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Edward was sixteen now, and she was growing up fast. Every Saturday she was being called to the town Headquarters for her training. Her adopted parents knew not to question that call. They had gotten good money to obey every command of the faceless men who always watched them.
Ed was becoming a larger part of the Syndicate day by day. Or perhaps, the syndicate was becoming her. Ordinarily, a child of her age would not get the same treatment. She would not be taken seriously or trained by the greatest masters of all. She would not be so well considered or revered. But Radical Ed had plenty of potential, and the Syndicate recognized it.
While she hated who they were, while she despised the very existence of their corporation, Edward could not help but admit that a part of the Syndicate she treasured. She was experiencing the roots of one of her greatest mentors, and she was in love with one of its best men. She could already distinguish the many similarities between him and his predecessor, between Maxim and Spike Spiegel.
She knew that she had fallen in love with Maxim at first sight. His worldliness, his belief in her, it all propelled her to excel. She loved that he respected her, that he glorified her. She loved that he took her seriously, she loved that he had once rescued her. It made her love him even more when she first realized that he did not love her.
He had taken advantage of her love. Some months before, while alone with him inside of his office, she could not help but use the moment of their togetherness. Somewhere between chewing bubble gum that he had offered her and crossing her legs in a musky female way, she declared her emotions to him and even dared to peck him on the lips. Whatever surprise he could have felt at first immediately subsided as he took her forcefully by the chin and pushed his tongue down her throat. She melted inside of his arms, she shivered at her own inconsistency. He proceeded to move his hands down her blouse and fingering her small breasts. Ed was unused to this attention, it made her feel uncomfortable, but she let him persist with it. She loved that he wanted her. No one had ever really wanted her that way before.
Maxim took her home that evening and after feeding her chocolate ice cream he lured her into bed. His hard nakedness felt strange against her, and she twisted and turned, trying to understand what he was doing to her. The experience was both, painful and interesting to her. She could not distinguish anything except him, inside of her. She did not lay flat on the bed, she moved, she tried not to faint from the shock. All the while, he whispered rad things into her ear, things that made her blush.
When it was all over, when he got off of her and walked to the window, she lay back down on the pillow and traced his nude outline with her eyes.
"No one needs to know about this, Ed," Maxim said after a while.
"I wasn't going to tell anyone," she smiled, smelling his hair on the pillow.
"Good," he said, "good."
"Is this going to change things?" She asked.
"It won't," he shook his head, "This was a one time thing. Ed, do you understand what that means?"
She sat up, "One time thing?"
"One time thing," he repeated.
"Maxim, you are the first man I had ever been with," she struggled.
He turned, his eyes were foreign. He was no longer comforting. He had become something else entirely. "Forget about that then," he flatly declared, "It will never happen again."
"But it's already happened!" She screamed, tears gathering at her eyes, "Maxim, we can be together forever, we can! Maxim I love you so much!"
He turned away.
"Maxim!"
"Why don't you understand?" He screamed, "You are just a child, you have no comprehension of these things."
"You're only four years older than me, Maxim! What do you know that I don't?"
"Have you ever heard of Spike Spiegel?" he screamed.
She stared at him; no matter what, she knew she couldn't tell the truth.
"No," she whispered.
"Spike Spiegel is the example they always use when they warn us," Maxim began the discourse in his usual, beautiful, informative tone, "He was a great man, he was our mentor, though few admit it. Well, this Spike Spiegel, this promising fighter, this extraordinary man, he fell in love with some girl. No one really took it seriously, you know? Well, it turned out that the girl was the lover of another man, this one was named Vicious. In the end, the girl ended up dying, and the two killed one another over it. You want the moral of this story?"
Ed shook her head. Quietly she began to dress, taking care not to move too frantically. In time, she was out the door, merging with the gray, rainy world outside of Maxim's dark apartment.
He watched her leave, the young and frail little girl, the only person he had ever known to be truly alive. She was like a light, slowly extinguishing.
"I've wanted to kiss you since the first time I saw you," he said to the emptiness. He could not think of anything else to add.
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Presently, Edward was walking home from school, holding her books near to her heart. Her mind was not at ease. For months since her encounter with Maxim she felt devoid of all emotion, drained, crushed, destroyed. More than ever she missed the old times, the times that were now long gone. Something was missing in her life, and she didn't understand what it was.
She could feel someone watching her, and it was no surprise when Johnny Builder's ship pulled up to her.
"Hey there," he said to her.
"Hey," She looked up at him.
"You're from my school, 'aint ya?" he asked playfully.
"I am," she smiled.
"You need a ride home?" he asked her.
She looked at the handsome boy's face. He was such a good boy. She always wished she could fall in love with a good boy.
"Is your ship fueled?" she asked him with adventure written on her face.
Ed suddenly understood what she was lacking all this time. She was lacking her past. She no longer wanted to be part of the syndicate. A sudden thought came into her mind: somewhere out there, Faye Valentine was still alive. And so was Jet. She wanted to find them, to reunite with them. Only then would her unhappiness cease.
"I would like you to give me a ride," She smiled, "But I'm not sure you're up for it."
"Home?" He questioned in confusion.
"No," she shook her head.
"Where, then?" he questioned.
She grinned, "Nowhere in particular---Earth, maybe? Venus?"
He stared at her.
"So, what do you say?"
"I'm not sure," he shook his head. She began to walk away. He could not see her go. He was too infatuated with this beautiful stranger.
"Wait!" he screamed after her.
She turned.
"Get in," he smiled.
She quickly did as was told, strapping herself with the seatbelt. The ship soared as it began to fly to the beautiful "no-place-in-particular."
"So, what's your name, anyway?" Ed asked him as she stared at the ground diminishing behind them.
"Johnny," he said shyly, "I know your name is Francoise."
"Call me Ed," she corrected.
"Ed? I never knew that was a girl's name."
"Trust me Johnny," She smiled, "There's lots of things you don't know."