Children's Games: Part 4

Rated PG for rampant bad language and some rather explicit violence.

Summary: Five years after Spike's death, Faye and Jet find an old friend and new trouble, and the beginning of a new adventure.

Ed snuck back into the hideout that morning. Ein trotted over and gave a questioning look to the big smile on her face. Ed answered with a simple grin of her own. Ein sniffed Ed's legs carefully, until he hit that familiar scent. He started barking excitedly, with a hopeful look on his face.

Ed grinned back at the puppy. She slipped over to the computer and called up a picture of the Bebop, then one of Faye and one of Jet. Ein responded by leaping up into Ed's arms and slurping her face. She laughed out loud in joy with her friend.

The other hackers were giving Ed strange looks as they awoke. They had never heard her be this happy about anything. What in the world was going on?

One of them slipped out of the room to find Alex. "Could you at least get the dog to shut up?"

Alex curiously poked his head into the room. "Ed? What's going on?"

Ed quieted very suddenly as she saw Alex. Ein drooped his ears and jumped out of Ed's arms. The sudden cease of joy made Alex even more suspicious. He glanced onto Ed's computer screen. "What's that?"

Ed tried, unsuccessfully, to block the images of Faye, Jet, and the Bebop. "That's the woman from yesterday," Alex recognized Faye. "You found the guys who are after us?"

Ed killed the power on her computer and stood up. In a flash, she ran past Alex and out of the room, away from the growing stares from the other hackers.

"Ed!" Alex sped after the girl. She was faster than Alex had realized, as he struggled to keep up. "Ed, wait!"

Ed made for the stairs and bolted up onto the roof. Alex had to pause to catch his breath as they went outside. "Ed, stop," Alex asked, "please?"

Ed stopped and turned back to Alex. "Alex?"

In his weakened condition, the sudden shock that came with the simple utterance of his name made Alex fall over. He looked up at Edward in amazement. "You…You talked?"

Ed nodded. "That's why we had to be alone."

Ed sat down, and Alex crawled over next to her. "Why have you been silent all this time?"

Ed looked out into the distance. "I was sad. A friend of mine died. I thought it was my fault. Maybe it wasn't."

Alex put his arm on Ed's shoulder, comfortingly. "Who was he?"

Ed blew out a big sigh. "His name was Spike. He was a bounty hunter. I lived on his ship, the Bebop, with him, Ein, Faye, and Jet for a while."

Alex's eyes widened. "The Bebop? I forgot they'd been around so long."

"They were my family," Ed continued. "But I thought I found my real family, so I left. And then Spike died."

"And those other two," Alex gestured back downstairs. "Those are Faye and Jet?"

Ed nodded. "They told me it wasn't my fault. I guess they're right." She looked up at Alex, her brown eyes piercing into his. "Do you like it here?"

Alex sighed. "I don't really believe in the cause, and I guess that's why nobody really likes me. I just have nowhere else to go. I've also got you." He patted Ed on the head. "I couldn't leave you alone here."

"Then why don't we leave?" Ed asked.

Alex snorted. "It would have been hard enough to leave with David in charge. Tell this to Harold? He's even more of a nut job. They'd kill us."

Ed gave a sly smile. "Then how about we make sure they leave us?"

Alex laughed as he stood up. "Make sure the Bebop takes them in? Ed, if you can do it, I will bow to you."

Alex opened the door, and was immediately greeted by a pistol being held in his face. Harold grinned at him from behind it. "Alex. Couldn't help but overhear…You're selling out?"

Brian and Charles stood behind Harold with two more guns, and peeking his head out from behind the three strong men, one of the hackers could be seen. He grinned evilly at Edward.

Alex held up his hands. "Harold, this is stupid. You don't want to do this."

Harold laughed. "Oh, so I'm supposed to sit back and let you run to your bounty hunter friends and tell them where to find us? I think not. David felt sorry for you two, but I don't. You don't belong here."

"You're right," Ed's words cut the tension of the moment. "We don't."

In a flash, Ed had knocked the gun upwards, taking it off its aim and causing it to go off. The bullet went harmlessly into the sky. Ed's elbow went to Harold's stomach, then she torqued his arm, and spun him into a throw. As Harold landed, the gun went flying. Alex was quick on the ball to catch the gun. While Brian and Charles were still in the process of trying to decide whether or not to act, Alex shot both of them in the legs, disabling them.

The hacker boy dashed back into the building. "Help!"

Ed grabbed Alex by the arm and tugged him towards the edge of the roof. "Time to go!"

"Ed, are you crazy?"

Ed answered Alex's question by leaping off the side of the building. She landed in a roll, and kept right on running towards her scooter, without even looking back. Alex backed up a few steps, then tried to duplicate Ed's move. He landed hard on his shoulder, but got up mostly unscathed. He hopped onto the back of Ed's scooter.

"Are you sure this will take both of us?"

"Only one way to find out." Ed revved the engine and took off into the desert.

Alex looked back at the complex. "They're already getting mobilized. Do we have a chance at losing them?"

Ed shrugged. "Maybe, but I don't want to. We're gonna lead them to the Bebop."