Mysteries Within
Chapter 4: Unwanted
Daytime rose in the big city, the flocks of busy people flooding back into the city to continue their daily sessions of shopping or work. It had caught Faye's attention at first sight, but she decided not to point it out to Jet. Sure enough, Jet had found out her little secret despite her hesitation to tell him. It was a big shop, with a glass window display and constant commotion in the background of the window. There it was, a brand spanking new pink apron on display with the words "Kiss the Chef" written in bold black letters running up and down it. Never had Faye seen Jet so full of enthusiasm.
"A…sale on pink aprons? Jet... get real."
For the split second Faye turned towards him to talk, he had disappeared from sight. Not even doubting the power the pink apron had on Jet, Faye rushed into the store, arms flailing in the air and she rampantly searched for the eager man. Jet was staring at the aprons price, astonished at how cheap they were selling the apron.
"Its like a steal, Faye."
"500 Woolongs? Jet, do you have any money on you?"
Jet shot Faye a definitive glance, expressing his feelings towards her rude comment. It was obvious to Faye that he was flat broke, and he knew it.
"But…its beautiful. Life is so unfair…"
Jet was still distracted by the beauty of the apron as Faye wandered off to the counter of the store. She really had no business being at the store in the first place, but she figured she may as well look around while she was there. The man at the front desk had the television on in front of him, the screen connected to the ceiling for easier access. "Big Shot" was on the television screen, with the usual gossip for the bounty hunters and civilians alike. Faye, not having seen the show in so long due to the poor ratings shut down, decided to watch a little bit. Just until Jet snapped out of his pathetic apron trans.
"Welcome amigos!" said the usual co-star of the show, a black guy with a Spanish accent.
"We're back! Yes, thanks to our wonderful fans, and boy do we have some good bounties today!" That was the voice of the other co-star, a blonde haired cowgirl named Judy.
"Our latest bounty comes from a man wanted for five murders, drug smuggling, and even one account of ship hijacking. The price on this man's head is high, at 30 million Woolongs!"
"30 million Woolongs? That's sure going to make some lucky person happy! So who is this mystery man?"
"Well Judy, he is believed to be a bounty hunter himself, and even worked on the police force before this. His name is Jet Black."
Her jaw dropped towards the ground as she stared at the poorly taken mug shot of Jet. Crudely created and adjusted on the screen, she could immediately tell that it was a fake. Nevertheless, she screamed at the top of her lungs for Jet to come and see what was before her. He jarred in his dream-like state, hearing the high pitched screech of her voice. Faye was the distracted one this time, her eyes never leaving the screen as Jet approached from behind her. Wondering what the hell she was looking at, Jet decided to gaze at the screen.
"What is this? And they got my bad side, too." Jet was furious at how botched the mug shot was. "Why would anyone want to do this to me? Why would anyone want to frame me, and how do they know all this about me?"
" Five murders Jet? I only thought it was three…" Faye said with a smirk. Jet didn't return the gesture, still pondering on what the hell to think of all this.
"With a bounty THAT high on my head, there's no way I can escape all the bounty hunters forever. I bet it was one of those Syndicate bad asses…ought to kill the lot of them."
"Lets just keep cool, and maybe the hit will go away…or something."
It was obvious Jet couldn't keep cool about this situation. He was now framed for crimes they both knew he didn't commit, but one question still remained. Who could have created such a diabolical scheme such as this?
Down into some unknown corridor they ran, keeping out of the keen eyesight of a good bounty hunter. Never once had an incident had been planned out against Jet in his entire life.
"We should be safe here, even though its still day…" Faye couldn't manage to finish her sentence. She froze up, as if she had heard or saw something strange.
In the distance, the in tune whistle of a man came into hearing. It was melodic, steadily getting louder as the seconds flew by. Jet froze up also, finally on the same mind track as Faye was currently. The heels of a horse hitting the ground was all the two could hear, despite all the chatter on the streets.
"The whistle…the sound of horse footsteps…it can only be one person."
"ANDY!" The two exclaimed simultaneously.
Never was there a man that could be so quick and concise at his job than Andy the cowboy. The man towered over the two figures of Jet and Faye, offering a tip of his white hat to the lady. Off the saddle of the horse Andy flipped, landing on his two feet on the ground in between Jet and Faye. Eyes of the young cowboy examined Jet up and down, as if to strike at any given moment. The smile from his face opened up wide, as the words managed to escape his mouth.
"I know you…" came the unexpected response from Andy.
"Uh…yeah. Say, didn't you give up your bounty hunting job?" came Jets reply.
"How can I give up the one thing I was made for doing? I had to go back. Now…I think you know why I'm here."
Jet felt his stomach twist into many different little knots as his eyes gazed off for good escape routes. When Andy said nothing for a good while, Jet simply shook his head in agreement to his last question.
"Well, where is he?" said Andy.
"Where is who?"
"Jet Black. Did you see him come by this part of town?"
Jet was amazed at how brainless this man truly was. Did he not realize that HE was in fact Jet Black, or was he just playing dumb? Jet had no other choice but to tell him the truth, even if it meant giving himself away to the police.
"Actually, I did Andy. He went down the road, to some run down hideout to get away from all the attention. Just make a left down the street when you see the cleaners, you should be able to spot it easily."
"Well shucks, thank you kind sir. I'm off to collect the bounty on his head, wish me luck!" With that, the whistle circulated back into the air.
Andy was stupid enough to believe the ridiculous lie that Jet had told him to get Andy off his ass. Both sighed in relief of the situation, not wanting that damned cowboy as one of their pressures. He was enough trouble as it was trying to keep him out of their way when they were hunting bounties.
"I…can't believe his ignorance. Well, that should buy us enough time to get a good disguise and continue our search for Spike." Jet managed to crack a stiff smile towards Faye, as she reciprocated with an equally calming smile.
"You know Jet, you won't be as lucky the next time around. Why don't you get your head out of your ass. I have a purple wig back on the Bebop for you to wear, so you don't have to worry about that. Oh, and while your at it, you may want to shave that beard of yours."
Past the residence and buildings of Mars they went, to the landing point of that banged up ship of Jets. Jet opened the door for Faye, like the gentleman he wasn't, and immediately headed to the room that Faye so often slept in. A big wooden chest rested near the bed wall, top opened and the contents exposed. Jet sifted through strange materials he had never seen before, like Faye's thongs and bras. None of it appealed to him at this moment as much as the wig dig. There it was, in all its glory, Faye's purple wig. With a quick snatch of the wig, Jet made a bolt for the bathroom just outside Faye's bedroom. Faye was on the couch relaxing, as she noticed Jet wasn't coming out of that bathroom for quite some time.
"I hope he didn't fall into the toilet…"
A/N: With that, the mysteries continue on further. Don't you just love it? I have decided NOT to schedule the release dates for any one chapter, and therefore will decide the release date depending on the reader's curiosity. Sound good? Looking forward to your reactions! Thanks.
