Chapter 5

"So we have another mystery on our hands." Jet scowled slightly as he walked back to the Hammerhead.

"What's that?" Spike ambled along beside him.

"Why your name was written on the tag in the kid's duster."

"Who cares." Spike stretched and rested his hands behind his head. "I've been wearing that kind of coat for years. The kid probably got it from a resale shop, or some dumpsite somewhere."

"I don't know Spike, I've got a feeling about this one."

**

Sid reeled back as Joseph's fist impacted her face. Her vision watered from the tears she desperately wanted to cry, but that would only encourage him. She could feel her lip start to swell, the blood trickling down to her chin. She steeled herself, but then started coughing again. Joseph took that opportunity to savagely pound his fist into her already upset stomach. It was all she could do not to vomit right there.

"Where's the money?" he hissed.

"I don't have it. It's gone." She stared at the floor and tried to gain composure over her reactions.

"Lying little bitch!" His fist slammed out into her already bruised ribs and she heard a crunching noise as blinding pain flooded her mind.

**

"Alright Jet, lets compare info." Spike said as he sat down on the old faded yellow couch.

"Near as I can tell, the kid's about twelve. She stands about four foot tall, and if she's really lucky might weigh about eighty pounds."

"Wait, what kid?"

"Sid, the one we've been chasing. She just a kid."

"I thought we were after a woman."

"The picture must have been inaccurate. She was probably standing on something at the time. Anyway, she has long black hair, and the most startling blue eyes I've ever seen." Jet sighed sorrowfully thinking about her. "She's like a little wild animal though, I think someone may have knocked her around a bit. She's a fighter though."

Jet looked up at Spike and noticed that he had stopped listening. Spike's eyes were wide and unblinking; the still lit cigarette hung from his lips momentarily forgotten. He froze remembering the little girl he had known four years ago. Jet waved his hand in front of Spikes face.

"Still with me?" Jet said with a concerned note in his voice. "What? Do you know something?"

"Obsidian. It can't be." Spike seemed shocked then shook his head. "Nah, it couldn't be."

"Who's Obsidian?"

"Vicious' little prodigy, but it can't be her. He wouldn't allow her to steal cars, and if anyone to raised a hand to her, he would cut it off." Spike shook his head. "It must just be a coincidence."

Jet shrugged looking unconvinced. "Well, we'll see."

**

"I want that money, and you better come up with it quick." Joseph growled low and dangerously as he kicked her in the knee.

Obsidian dropped like a bag of stones. "I got mugged by a guy. He said his name was Jet."

Joseph kneeled on her back and got down low to her ear. "Keep talking."

"He's tall, taller than you. His left arm from the shoulder down is cybernetic, and he has a scar over his right eye that runs down to another cyberplate." She whimpered from the pressure on her spine. "He snatched my coat and I barely escaped."

"For your sake, you better be telling the truth." He smiled knowingly, "I will be checking this story, but first, I'm feeling like having some fun."

Obsidian's heart froze as he ripped open the front of her jeans. The old familiar screams tore through her throat and into the night sky. Joseph smiled as if listening to an indescribable symphony.

**

"Spike, I'm going out for supplies. I'll be back in an hour." Jet yelled into the cargo area where Spike was doing his katas.

Spike didn't even acknowledge him as Jet turned around and walked out of the room. He felt a bit guilty about spending the girl's money, but they were desperate. Ed had already started chewing on the yellow chair that matched the old faded couch. Jet shook his head and walked off the ship. A short while later, he was walking through a run down twenty-four hour convenience store. He pulled generic food items off the shelves, mostly ramen noodles and some bell peppers. They were a main staple of the menu on the Bebop. Jet walked to the counter and paid the uninterested clerk for the items he had bought. Jet took the bag from the kid that couldn't have been too far out of his teens and started walking back to the ship. He was rolling around the info he had on the kid as he went, hoping to stumble onto something he had missed before.

**

Obsidian's hands shook from pain and illness as she reached for her pants. Joseph had rolled over snoring drunkenly after using her little body. She could feel the bruises from his hands on her throat still. She carefully tugged the pants on only to notice that in his haste he had ripped the button off her jeans. Sid felt a fresh wave of nausea as her mind flashed to the events of moments before. She slid her feet back into her beat up miss matched shoes and wrapped her scarf around her neck, covering the finger shaped bruises that marred her skin. Joseph muttered and rolled over; she froze, fear choking her. Carefully, she got up, hobbled to the door, and slipped out silently. Obsidian didn't know where to go, so she headed for the docks. She knew that territory belonged to the White Tiger Syndicate and Joseph would never dare to go there. Luckily for her, it was only about ten blocks from where she was.

**

Jet was almost back to the Bebop when he caught a flash of red in his peripheral vision. He made a quick right into the alleyway and smiled coldly when he saw the familiar form of Sid, complete with that bright red and white scarf, limping away from him. She hadn't noticed him yet so he had a bit of a head start on her. He carefully set down the bag of groceries and prepared to make his move. Jet crept up behind her using a grace that one would not expect in a man of his size and bulk. When he was within grabbing distance of her he reached out his metal hand and whipped her around to face him. What he saw, shook him deeply.

Someone had obviously worked her over hard, she was bleeding from her nose and mouth, and her left eye was starting to swell shut. Her eyes went in and out of focus until they simply rolled up into her head and she fell over unconscious. Jet scooped up the child in his arms and carried her tiny form back to where he left the groceries. He cradled her in his cybernetic arm while he picked up the bag in the other. She shivered in his arms and her face flushed bright with fever. Spike finished up his workout and had just entered the living room as Jet walked in. Ed poked her head in the room from the room that Faye had been using as a bedroom.

"Oo-la-la! What's that?"

"It's our bounty and she's hurt." Jet dropped the bag of groceries. "Ed I want you to put the groceries away, Spike grab the med kit and follow me."

Jet didn't even pause to see if the two obeyed him, he just walked directly into the bathroom and started running a bath. He balanced her carefully as he put his large hand against her cheek quickly checking her temperature. Jet hissed softly as he adjusted the water to help bring down the fever that was raging inside the slip of a girl in his arms. He carefully unwrapped the scarf from around her neck and froze, staring, almost uncomprehending the obvious signs of near strangulation. Jet was genuinely afraid to finish undressing the girl, fearing he'd find more signs of abuse.

He forced himself to continue, and the sights that greeted his eyes confirmed his worst fears. Purple angry bruises littered her body signaling broken ribs and possible internal injuries. Jet cringed knowing that he would have to remove the torn and ruined jeans from the child, and when he saw the missing button and ruined zipper, a rage filled him like he had not known he was capable of. He forced his hands to keep working and slipped her shoes from her feet, then peeled off her little socks. Jet hesitated seeing traces of blood seeping down her pant leg. He steeled himself once again and began to draw down her jeans. By the time he had finished and seen all the damage that had been done, from her bruised and swollen right knee, to the obvious signs of rape, he was blinded with rage. He heard the door slide open and the usual scent of cheap cologne and cigarettes that seemed to accompany Spike filtered into the room. Jet sheltered Sid from Spike's view.

"Sorry it took so long, I..." Spike started, but Jet cut him off.

"Drop the med kit and get out, and keep Ed the hell out of here." Jets voice was low and more dangerous than Spike had ever heard it. "Spike, I don't care if you have to fly over there and hold him at gun point, get Doc here now!"

Spike backed out of the room without saying a word and ran for the transmitter.