Chapter Four:
"Come Together"

" ... which has prompted the Earth government to issue an unprecedented 150 million woolong bounty for his capture."

Faye froze when she heard the female anchor say "150 million woolong bounty". Her gaze shifted to the couch where Jet and Spike sat behind Ed, who was huddled on the floor watching the monitor with Ein.

"The man is considered armed and extremely dangerous."

Spike laughed as he leaned back and lit up a new cigarette. "Aren't they all?"

Jet ignored him, choosing to pay close attention to the details of the case. He wanted to know what this mystery man had done to warrant that kind of bounty.

"Dangerous is a mild way to phrase it, Donna," the male anchor replied as the camera focused on him. "The underground habitat of the old Earth city of Calcutta was annihilated two days ago."

Spike leaned forward as the screen filled with images of what was left of the city. Never in his life had he seen destruction such as this. He was certain Jet hadn't either. Sunlight streamed into the massive crater where the surface city used to be and illuminated the lower levels where people had dwelt for the better part of two decades. The carnage left behind, Spike knew immediately that no one could've survived the attack.

Ed hugged her knees close to her chest as she stared at the pictures flashing across the screen. The orphanage Sister Clara ran had moved into that area a few years ago. Calcutta wasn't that far away from the new location. She hoped this man hadn't hurt any of her friends.

Jet shook his head. How could somebody do damage like that all by himself? Who was he? Where did acquire a weapon capable of decimating an entire city? And why would he?

Behind the couch, Faye stared wide-eyed as the pictures, accompanied by the talking heads giving scores of details, continued to click by on the monitor. "We're ... we're not ... chasing this, are we?" she asked, not fully realizing she'd spoken aloud. She looked down to Spike and Jet when they turned. "I ... I mean, I'm prepared to go up against a lot for 150 million woolongs ..." She shifted her gaze to the screen. "But that?"

Spike stared at her. He never thought he'd see the day when Faye passed on a bounty, especially a 150 million one, because she was terrified of the target. Still, he had his own reasons for not wanting to chase it. He'd avoided Earth since their return and planned to continue doing so. Not even that kind of money would get him on that planet.

"We hafta go!" Ed declared as she jumped to her feet.

"What do you mean, we have to?" Faye snapped, her hands planting themselves firmly on her hips. "You're not in charge of anything on this ship, you annoying kid."

"Neither are you," Spike casually put in, leaning back against the couch.

"Shut up!" She glared at the back of his head before she focused on Ed again. "Why the hell would we want to go there when some psycho is obliterating entire cities?"

Ed frowned. "I have friends there." She looked to Jet. "At Sister Clara's orphanage. I hafta make sure they're okay." She raised her eyebrows, her eyes full of hope that Jet would take them to Earth. "Please? It's important."

Jet sighed heavily then looked over to Spike. He knew why his colleague didn't want to go, Faye made no secret of why she didn't and he felt the same as she. 150 million woolongs wasn't near enough to tangle with someone like that. Besides, Spike would be useless on Earth, his mind stuck on that Julia and her demise there.

He shifted his attention to Ed. Unlike everyone else, including Faye, Ed had ties to Earth. She had a second family that she cared about living there, and no way to contact them other than a physical visit. If he said 'no', he didn't doubt that Ed would use her hacking skills to force them to go anyway.

"All right," he quietly said. "We'll go."

"What?" Faye yelled as Ed cried out with joy as she jumped to her feet. "Are you serious?"

"Thank you!" Ed stopped squeezing Jet's leg in a massive hug. "Time to alter course!" She danced around the room, singing gleefully.

Jet tried to ignore the glare he'd earned from Faye and the disheartened one from Spike. Finally, he turned to them. "We won't stay long, okay? Just long enough for Ed to make sure the sister and her orphans are fine." He saw no change in either one's expression. He frowned slightly as his hand dropped to his side. "Look ... I'm the captain of this ship and I'll take her wherever I damn well please."

With that, he left the room and headed for the bridge. Still dancing, Ed followed.

Faye folded her arms across her chest as she scowled. "We should mutiny," she muttered, then looked down to Spike. "We could take him."

Shaking his head, Spike leaned forward and shut off the monitor, mere seconds before the sole survivor of the massacre appeared onscreen.


The terrified young, blond man recounted his tale of "Vash the Stampede" for the female interviewer. His eyes glazed over when he recalled the destruction of his entire city, which left him completely alone.

"Why do you think he let you live?" the woman asked, off-screen.

The man's head lifted, his eyes full of despair that few could ever know and they focused on the woman off-camera. "He told me," he quietly answered. "He told me that I was to warn everyone ... "

"Warn everyone about what?"

"That time is ... running out."

"For what?"

The man jumped to his feet, startling the camera operator thus making the picture on screen waver. "The end! He's going to kill everybody!" he frantically shouted. He looked straight into the camera lens. "It's over! Everything ... everyone ... it's going to be gone! He -"

The screen cut to static then the anchorman, a mix of worry and surprise on his face, appeared in its place. "Uh ... well ... that was Deborah Rogers - "

Ana Linares turned off the monitor then leaned back in her seat. "Crazy shit goin' on out there, Nate," she commented. Her brown eyes flicked over to the captain of the ship and her bounty-hunting partner, Nathaniel MacGruder. Her mouth quirked as she watched him continue to clean his shotgun, like he hadn't heard the news report.

MacGruder peered down the empty barrel of the shotgun. He'd only been half-listening to the news report, to tell the truth. He didn't like thinking of what happened to those people; it only dredged up memories he'd rather keep on forgetting. "When ain't there?" he grumbled in response. With a flick of his wrist, he closed the gun then shifted his attention to the woman. "150 million woolongs is a lotta money, though."

Linares folded her arms as she narrowed eyes at him. She'd known Nathaniel MacGruder for almost 15 years, so she was quite familiar with that tone of voice. He used to get it when he was about to propose some off the wall tactic in a battle simulation. Some days, she missed the military, like today. Others, she was more than happy to be rid of it. The pay was shit.

"You have a mind to chase this one, then?" she casually inquired, already knowing his answer.

A crooked grin appeared on his face. "I'm gonna let somebody else collect 150 million woolongs?" He shook his head as he placed the freshly cleaned and oiled shotgun on the table between them. "I don't think so."

Linares drummed her fingers against her upper arms as her lips pursed. "Are you sure this isn't about the possibility of getting another shot at Spike Spiegel?" During the last two years, Spike Spiegel and MacGruder had developed somewhat of a rivalry. She wouldn't call it "friendly", since every single encounter they had turned into some form of a physical altercation.

The last time, MacGruder had taken a bullet in the shoulder from Spiegel, but not before Spike took one in the foot. MacGruder contended that he wasn't aiming to kill, just to hurt. Linares disagreed, but she kept it to herself.

He busied himself with one of his handguns and pretended not to hear her question. "Shouldn't you be taking us to Mars?"

She lifted an eyebrow. "Why Mars? What's there?"

"Our bountyhead, Linares." He slammed a new clip into the gun then met her gaze. "So why don't you stop askin' questions and do what I tell you?"

"By what keen power of deduction do you arrive at that conclusion?"

"If the guy on the screen meant what he said, where the hell else would this wacko go?" He tapped the barrel of the gun against his temple and grinned. "That's thinkin', Sergeant."

"Sounds more like a wild guess, Lieutenant," she crisply replied. She stared at him. "Are you absolutely positive this isn't about Spiegel?"

MacGruder tossed the gun onto the table. "Shut up and drive, would you?"

With a sigh, she rose to her feet. "Yes, sir."

MacGruder watched as she headed to the pilot's seat. "Why don't you act a little happier while you're at it?" he suggested. He tucked the gun into his holster and smiled broadly at her. "We're gonna save the universe from annihilation!"

"Or help it along," Linares muttered as she punched in the coordinates for the nearest hypergate.


"What

?"

"Why do we have to go?"

Spike's and Faye's reaction to Jet's order came simultaneously and in the same incredulous tone.

"Because ... the last time I left you two alone on this ship you tore it apart!" Jet glanced down at Ed, who ran back and forth, grabbing everything she wanted to take with her to the orphanage. "That's why."

"No, we didn't." Spike jerked a thumb at Faye standing beside him. "She did."

Her eyes narrowed. "You lied to me and tried to cheat me out of my money."

He sighed heavily, a hand slapped against his forehead then it slid down the side of his face as he looked over to her. "I didn't lie to you, Faye. You misunderstood the arrangement! Equal pay for equal work."

"I'll show you equal!" she growled as she reached out with her hands, intending to strangle him.

"And this is why we're all going," Jet said as he stepped between Faye and Spike.

Faye's hands dropped to her sides and she glanced over Jet's shoulder at Spike who smirked in return. She couldn't put into words how much she couldn't stand the sight of him anymore. He made her physically ill. Her gaze shifted to Jet when she realized he was still talking.

"... we won't be here long, either. So you can keep from killing each other for a few hours, at least. Right?" He glanced over his shoulder at Spike then settled his gaze on Faye. "Right?"

She sighed. "All right," she said after a moment of silence. "We'll go. Besides ... " Her manner became more aloof as she examined her fingernails. "He would've needed a priest by the time you two got back, anyway." Spike had already thoroughly annoyed her over another matter entirely before Jet sprang this road trip on them.

"Historically speaking, I thought needing a priest was your area?"

Her hand dropped down and she saw the disgusting grin on Spike's face. "I'll make you history!" she shouted as she leaped towards him. Jet, though, was still between them and managed to catch Faye before she sailed over his right shoulder. "Let me go, Jet! I'm going to kill him!"

Laughing, Spike stepped back just out of the woman's reach. "Was it something I said?"

Jet's eyes closed briefly as he shook his head. Something had to be done about this ongoing war between Spike and Faye. Not only for the sake of his ship, but for his own sanity.


"Okay ... we're in and we're out," Faye matter of factly stated as she dropped to the ground beside Ed after climbing out of her Red-Tail. She leveled her gaze on the girl. "I don't want to stick around here any longer than we have to." She glanced around. The orphanage itself was still intact, so that was a good sign. "Let's make it quick."

"Do you think he's out there?" Jet asked as he came to a stop by Spike. His eyes scanned the horizon. Part of him, the cop portion, wanted to stay on Earth and find this guy. Not for the 150 million woolongs, but because it was the right thing to do. Mass genocide deserved to be answered for.

Spike lit his cigarette and glanced at Jet. He could read the man's mind - it was all in the tone of Jet's voice, his expression, his posture - he wanted to chase it. "He's probably long gone by now," he murmured. "If he's smart, that is. He would've left."

"He's wielding near apocalyptic power, Spike. Do you honestly believe he's afraid of being found by someone?"

He exhaled smoke as he shook his head. "That's not how I meant it." He saw the curious look on Jet's face. "There are larger cities on this planet for him to hit. Why waste time in the middle of nowhere?" He gestured to the desolate area in which they currently stood. Save for the old city, not much was left. It was either destroyed by falling rock or by the passage of time.

"Could we please hurry this up?" Faye impatiently called out. When neither of them made a move, she joined them. "I'm not here to see the sights or chit-chat about some psycho."

"Then just why are you here, Faye?" Spike asked then blew cigarette smoke practically into her face. "You've been with us for how long now? And I still can't figure it out."

"Aye! Come on!" Ed waved to the adults before she sprinted towards the shack of a building.

Faye glared at Spike as he passed by her. He just couldn't keep that big mouth of his shut. One of these days, he'd find her fist lodged in it. Well, when Jet wasn't around to stop her.


Ed threw open the door and bounded into the room. "Ed has returned!" she happily declared. She grinned when she saw all of her "new" friends alive and well. "Hi!" She waved and smiled even wider when they realized she was actually there.

"Ed!" a few of them exclaimed, running towards her.

"You're back!" cried another.

Faye leaned against the doorway and sighed when she saw half of the kids piled on Ed. The girl was happier than she'd been in months, which was exactly how long it'd been since she'd last visited Sister Clara and her orphans. In a way, seeing Ed with her friends, it reminded her of her own self ... with her own friends ... on that mysterious beta tape.

"They look okay to me," Spike commented as he and Jet joined Faye just inside of the door. He took a drag from his cigarette as he side-glanced at Jet. "Satisfied?"

Wondering what all of the commotion was, Meryl made her way down the hallway until she entered the main room. She froze in her tracks when she saw the group gathered just inside of the door. Quickly, her eyes flicked over to the children and she found Ed. They were there. The crew of the Bebop, they were alive and well and ... there. For the first time in two days, Meryl felt a surge of real hope.

"Aye! Ed, your friend is here!" one of the boys told her once they'd settled down.

Ed regarded the boy with a curious stare. Her eyebrows arched. "Friend? What friend?"

Meryl opened her mouth to make her presence known but she was shoved aside before she could say a word.

"Ah! My friends! You are here!" Vash exclaimed as he skidded to a halt in the center of the room. He clasped his hands together, the grin on his face broader than ever now, and the hint of tears glistened in his eyes as he beamed at stunned crew. "I knew it would work! Didn't I tell you it would? I'm so happy to see you all!"

The adults were wide-eyed and utterly speechless as they gaped at the grinning idiot before them.

Spike blinked several times before he leaned towards Jet and murmured, "Do you see what I do?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Just making sure."

Ed, on the other hand, gazed up at Vash with wide eyes for an entirely different reason. She was equally as stunned as the others to see Vash, but unlike them, she was overjoyed by it.

"VASHY!" She sprang from the floor with the acrobatic grace of a cat and into his open arms. She hugged him tightly, a little too tightly, as she made a few of his joints crack as a result. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again!" It was then she noticed Meryl in the room. "Meryl!"

Meryl braced herself for impact as Ed let go of Vash and charged her. She felt the wind get firmly knocked out of her after Ed slammed into her at top speed. She gritted her teeth and patted the girl on the head. "Yeah. It's nice to see you, too, Ed," she managed to choke out.

Vash grinned broadly as he turned to the baffled adults. "You don't have anything to say to me?" he asked, rather hurt none of them made the slightest gesture to welcome him.

Without warning, Faye launched herself at him. Her fingers wrapped themselves securely around his throat and he dropped to his knees, gagging, as she applied a significant amount of pressure. Her eyes burned with a rage that she was having trouble keeping completely at bay, but she was drawing closer to not caring. Her fingers squeezed tighter.

"Something ... wrong ... ?" he gasped out as he fought for air.

"You lied to us!" she screamed as her knuckles began to turn white from the amount of pressure she put on his neck. She still held on, even when he grabbed her wrists in a desperate attempt to try to free himself. "You said you'd get us back to where we belong, and you LIED!"

"What do ... you ... mean?" He waved a hand for Jet or Spike to help him. Neither man moved. He was on his own, it seemed. "You're ... here ... aren't you?"

"Yes, I am!" She leaned over, her nose an inch away from his as she stared deep into his wide, aquamarine eyes. "Ten years away from where I should be. Twelve, actually, since we've already lived through two since you sent us back here, you idiot!"

"Faye-Faye?" Ed stopped by them. Her gaze shifted between Vash on his knees to a half-mad Faye choking him to death. They woman was so angry, Ed thought she even saw tears forming in Faye's eyes. Faye never cried.

"Faye?"

She blinked when she heard Spike say her name. A moment later, she looked down when she felt another hand on her wrist. Her gaze traveled up the arm until it rested on Spike's face. He had no discernible expression, just that cigarette dangling from his mouth as he looked down on her.

"Let it go," he quietly finished.

Her fingers loosened and soon Vash was free from her vise-like grip. Gasping, he placed his own hands to his throat, massaging his neck where Faye'd clamped onto him. He coughed loudly, then glanced between Faye and Spike, but refrained from saying anything. He probably couldn't have if he'd wanted to. The woman had nearly crushed his windpipe.

"You all right?"

Vash lifted his head and found Jet offering his left hand to him. After one last glance at Faye, who was reasonably calmer since Spike intervened, he accepted Jet's help. "Oh, it's nothing," he answered, with an uneasy smile, attempting to be casual about the whole incident. "I ... I can understand why you're upset." He looked to Faye. "I did try to get you back to where you belong."

"We're grateful for how far you managed to get us, Vash," Jet put in. "I guess we can actually say 'thank you' now."

Ed attached herself to Vash's left leg and grinned up at him. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," he replied, his smile growing a little wider.

"At the risk of sounding rude ..." Spike paused when he heard Faye snort. " ... what are you doing here?"

Vash looked over his shoulder to Meryl who shifted nervously in place. "Well ... it's kind of a long story ..."

"It's always a long story with you."

"I wish I could say it was an amusing story that brought us here ... but it's not."

Faye's face fell into a frown. "Why do I have the feeling that I'm not going to like this?"

"Because you won't."


End Chapter Four

Song Title Used: "Come Together" - Spiritualized