Chapter Nine: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
Nathaniel MacGruder had heard a fair share of bullshit stories in his time, but the one he'd spent the last two hours soaking in ... well, that one took the cake. Time travel, guys with built-in apocalyptic weaponry, and half a dozen other things he'd hadn't even begun to process. After all of that, he had the distinct feeling Spiegel and this Vash character weren't telling him everything.
"I have to be outta my freaking mind," MacGruder muttered as he pressed his hands to the sides of his head. "Some of this actually makes sense. In a screwed up way, that is."
Spike offered his pack of cigarettes to MacGruder. "Believe me, it won't get any easier. Even two years after the fact, I still have trouble."
MacGruder waved off Spike's offer. "I could use a stiff drink." He looked over to his sergeant. "Linares, you got anything on you?"
She stared at him. "Oh, of course, Nate. I carry things like that on me all off the time. Forget useful items, such as weapons and ammo."
"You're being sarcastic, aren't you?" MacGruder replied as he looked at her, thoroughly unamused. He turned back to Spike who sat beside Vash on the couch. "I don't get it. Why is your brother dressing like you and using your name?"
"Yeah, that's a good question," Spike said. "What is the point of that?"
"Is it because he wants you dead?" asked Linares. "Since the Martian Government doubled the bounty, they're not picky about how you're turned in – dead or alive."
"No," Vash softly answered. "It's the same reason he sent the Gung Ho Guns. He's trying to force me to kill - " He stopped before he finished his sentence. 'Kill again'. He avoided eye contact with every person in the room. That was the only part of the story he'd never told them and he didn't want them to hear. "It's his game. You'll surely be a part of it, if he finds you."
MacGruder sat back in his chair. "So then what's the plan? Because you're stuck with us until this is over." He grinned. "And we get half."
"Excuse me?" Spike leaned forward. "I must not've heard you clearly – we're stuck with you?"
"We'd be fools to work alone." He waved a hand at Vash. "Guy's lookin' for his brother, so I say we give him over. Set the trap and bait it. Where's the problem?"
"Well, I - "
"It's more complicated than that," Jet interrupted Vash.
"Oh, really? More complicated than time travel?" He laughed. "You can't possibly outdo that one."
"We're not going to turn him over to the authorities when we find him."
"What? Are you fucking serious?"
"Would I joke about a 300 million woolong bounty?"
Grumbling a few curses, MacGruder stood up. "You're insane! We have this thing practically in the bag, and you don't want to turn him in! Why?"
"We made an agreement with Vash earlier," Jet explained. "When we found his brother, we'd give him a chance to talk with him."
MacGruder stopped pacing. "Do I look like I give a shit? You know what 150 million woolongs would do for me?"
"Buy a better haircut?" Spike suggested.
MacGruder made a move in Spike's direction but Vash was in between them in an instant. He stared at MacGruder, who was temporarily surprised at how quickly Vash moved. He narrowed his eyes. "You don't want to start with me, pal," he warned.
"Nate ..." Linares started.
"Shut up!"
"You shouldn't speak that way to a lady, Mr. MacGruder," Vash evenly admonished.
MacGruder's hands tightened into fists as he gritted his teeth. "You tellin' me how to act?"
"Someone needs to."
"Maybe someone should teach you to mind your own goddamned business." MacGruder followed up the comment by throwing a punch at Vash. He never connected with his target, though. He gasped at his fist which was firmly clasped in Vash's right hand. When he tried to pull it away, he realized that he couldn't move. "What the - "
Vash tightened his grip just enough to show MacGruder he could do damage, if he chose to.
"Nate ..." Linares rose to her feet, looking from MacGruder's fist grasped in Vash's to her partner, who clenched his teeth in pain. "Stop acting like an asshole for two seconds, would you?"
Vash shifted his gaze to Linares. Until then, the woman had been the picture of coolness, as though nothing could ruffle her. His hand released MacGruder's.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, more to Linares than MacGruder.
"Goddamn right you are," MacGruder muttered. He flexed his fingers, shaking his head. Christ, that guy's got a grip on him. Doesn't look like much on the outside ... When he noticed Linares watching him, he turned away.
She looked to Spike and Jet. "If we're able to stop this man from killing more innocent people, we can agree to not turn his brother over to the ISSP." She flicked her gaze to Vash. "Whatever happens after that ... it's on you. Don't forget it."
He nodded in reply. He understood. All too well. It'd been on him for 120 years already in his own time. He was used to it.
"What about that kid?" MacGruder asked, his back still to them. He looked over his shoulder. "Shouldn't we find the rest of her family first?" He chuckled lightly. "Or maybe that's not such a good idea, considering you promised to kill her old man if you ever set eyes on him again, Spiegel."
"Who the hell told you that?"
"She did. Told me about that encounter a few years back." He fully turned around. "So ... maybe we keep the kid with us until this is over. I'd rather not see her lose her father, too."
"Never knew you cared about anyone other than yourself," Spike dryly said.
He ruefully smiled. "You'd be surprised at how much I do care."
Meryl leaned back against the wall, her legs tucked halfway underneath of her on Faye's bed as she watched Rem sleep peacefully beside her. Ever since she'd taken charge of the girl, Meryl couldn't help but wonder if the girl was related to Vash's Rem. Or was it mere coincidence? She couldn't get that expression on Vash's face out of her mind, either. It was as though he'd met a ghost.
Rem.
It couldn't be a coincidence. From the way Vash described his Rem, this child bore a strong resemblance to her. She brushed the loose strands of black hair away from the girl's face. She'd often wondered what Rem Saverem was like since she learned of her. Obviously, her impact on Vash was massive. If not for her, he wouldn't lead the life he did. He clung to her ideals almost like they were Rem herself. If he let go, even for just one second, she would forever slip away.
A light knock on the door roused Meryl from her thoughts. She turned as Faye opened it and poked her head inside. She glanced at the girl then settled her gaze on Meryl. "How is she?"
"Asleep." Meryl placed her feet on the floor. "Did you hear anything?"
Faye stepped into the room. "The other bounty hunters, Linares and MacGruder, they're going to help us find Vash's brother." She leaned against the wall. "They've agreed not to turn him over to the ISSP, too." Her head bowed as she recalled the confrontation between Vash and MacGruder. "Can I ask you something?"
"About what?"
"Vash." She lifted her head and looked Meryl in the eye. "I ... I've been ... wondering." She paused, unsure if she should even ask, but it nagged at her now more than ever. "Do you ... believe he's capable of killing someone?"
Instantly, Meryl's mind flashed back to that day, with Legato. In the next moment, she quietly replied, "Yes. I do." Still, she suspected if he were ever faced with that choice again, and he chose to kill, he wouldn't be able to survive.
Faye's expression softened. She'd asked something that she obviously shouldn't have. Whatever the story behind it, Meryl's answer wasn't a pleasant one for her to say aloud. "Look ... they're going to work out a plan to find Vash's brother. You should be involved."
Meryl glanced at Rem. "I told Vash I would watch her ... "
"She'll be fine by herself. We could have Ed stay with her," Faye offered.
Meryl contemplated her options. She wanted to be as much of a help as she could to Vash, yet baby-sitting a child they didn't even know didn't seem like much help.
She rose to her feet. "Let's find Ed, then."
"You're a hindrance. I don't know why Lord Vicious sent you with me." Lao kept his eyes on the numbers as the elevator rose to the top floor of the Phoenix Corp's building. "And I'm going to make certain he knows that, too."
Shin bowed his head. He knew the work Lao did wasn't for him. For whatever reason, Vicious wanted him out of the building, and sending him with Lao Chan was the quickest solution.
The bell dinged and the doors slid open. As soon as Lao and Shin stepped off of the elevator they were stopped by another man outside of the door to Vicious' private office.
"He's busy," grumbled the man. "He'll see you later."
"He'll want to know what I have to tell him. Step aside." Lao made a move for the door but the guard blocked his path.
"He's not to be disturbed."
Shin glanced from Lao to the other man. He didn't want unneeded bloodshed in their own building. Not because Lao couldn't understand a simple directive from their boss. He began to intervene but shut his mouth when Lao drew his gun.
"Move," he ordered, shoving the barrel into the man's gut. "Or I'll go over your dead body."
The man glanced at the gun, then his jaw tightened when he heard Lao click off the safety. His gaze shifted to Shin, who remained quiet. He looked to Lao and, after a moment, stepped aside.
"Whatever happens to you is your own fault."
Lao tucked his gun back into the holster until his coat. "I'll take my chances." He grabbed Shin by the arm of his coat. "Come on."
Inside, Vicious swiveled around in his leather chair when he heard the door clatter open. He narrowed his gaze briefly on Lao, who practically dragged Shin into the room behind him. "I thought I left instructions to not be interrupted?" he said when the man came to a halt in front of his desk.
"That's what I was told, but I thought you might be interested in knowing where Spike Spiegel is, sir."
Across the room, Knives, who'd been staring out of the window upon the city below, turned at the mention of Spike's name. He was rather impressed a human produced positive results so soon.
"Why didn't you ... acquire him?" Vicious asked.
He pointed to Shin. "You sent him along, sir. I would've been able to do it with my men."
Shin looked away, flushing slightly with embarrassment.
Vicious leaned back in his chair, watching Lao closely. "You couldn't leave him and do it on your own? Spike is only one man, Lao."
"One man on a ship full of heavy hitters – including that bastard Nathaniel MacGruder." He looked to Knives, who now stood to Vicious's left. "And if that brother of yours is anything like you, I made the right decision in leaving it alone."
Knives grinned. Oh, this was too easy. Fate had worked in his favor yet again. First, with the time period and now this. Let him enjoy his time with his precious garbage. He chuckled darkly. It makes what's to come all the more miserable for him.
"I don't know what the hell you're laughing about. This only makes my job harder." Lao glared at Knives when the man continued to chuckle. "Two ex-soldiers, one ex-cop, one half-crazy woman and Spiegel – if you think you can do it - "
Vicious held up a hand. "We won't need to do anything."
Lao's brow furrowed in confusion. "Sir?"
"I have an idea that will ultimately bring him to us."
Lao glanced from Vicious to Knives. What exactly had they been discussing before he'd arrived? "If you don't mind my asking, sir, what's the idea?"
"I'll inform you later. Until then ... leave us."
His hands tightened briefly into fists. After a moment, he sighed. "Yes, sir." With a respectful bow, he backed away. Shin followed suit.
Once they were gone, Knives moved around to the opposite side of Vicious' desk. He placed his hands flat on the polished mahogany and leaned forward. "What is this plan of yours?" he inquired, a partial smirk on his face.
"I attempted to bring him to me once before. I wasn't ... forward enough, though."
Knives lifted an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure your next ... attempt will be successful?"
"Because ..." He folded his hands together. "... it's the one thing he's never been able to walk away from."
The expression on Knives' face didn't reveal his annoyance with the cryptic response. Still, he refrained from doing what he normally would in such a situation. No. He would humor this human. And see if his "idea" panned out.
"Nate?"
MacGruder turned slightly when he heard Linares. She stood about ten feet away from him on the deck of the Bebop, her arms wrapped around herself to ward off the early evening chill. "What're you doing out here? I thought you and Black were working on a plan with the blond guy, whoever he is."
"We have some ideas." She approached. "It'd probably help if Spike wasn't doing the same thing you are."
"What's he doin'?"
"Standing on the dock down there, smoking a cigarette and staring off into space." She stopped beside him. "I noticed you didn't tell them."
MacGruder took a drag off his cigarette, then flicked the butt into the water. "Tell them what?"
"You know what ... it's why Dubois happened."
"Oh. That."
"You realize his story about the generators, the ships ... it's all true. Where he says he's from -" She paused when he continued to avoid eye contact. "Do you know how this changes things?"
He shrugged. "How? People are still dead."
"I'm talking about the future, not the past. We know their plans weren't in vain."
"Doesn't justify the murder of almost a thousand people." He finally looked at her. "Is that what you're trying to do, Linares? Make me feel better about leading an assault on a bunch of poorly armed colonists because the government needed that material for their research? Is that it?"
"That is not what I'm saying."
"Those people are dead. I could've prevented it, but I didn't. Orders were orders. I don't care if the future turned into a paradise because of that research. They never had a chance. Now I'm stuck living with it."
"Nate!" Linares yelled as he walked away. When he didn't stop, she ran to catch up to him. "Would you hold on?" She clamped a hand on his shoulder and forced him around. "I wasn't trying to excuse what we did, there's no excuse for it. It's just that ... " She couldn't find the words for how she felt. Even though so many were killed, it had helped to secure a future for the rest of humanity.
MacGruder shook his head. As he looked to his right, he saw something peculiar. Spiegel was having a chat with some kind of courier. He saw Spike accept an envelope from the man then look it over.
"What's going on here?" he murmured.
"Huh?" Linares followed his gaze. Spike had opened the envelope and read the note contained inside of it. A moment later, Spike crumpled the paper then tossed it aside. He stood there, staring at the darkening sky for almost a full minute before he started to walk away.
"Where's he goin'?" MacGruder wondered as Spike vanished from sight.
Faye leaned back on the sofa, her arms draped over the back of it, and she continued to stare at one of the few remaining pieces of evidence that Nicholas D. Wolfwood would ever exist. His cloth-swathed cross remained propped in the far corner of the room, where it had been since Vash and Meryl joined them on the ship. If anyone else were in the room, she would've kept ignoring it.
Everyone else had disappeared in the last ten minutes. Jet, Spike, Vash – all of them. No one wanted to admit they didn't have a damn clue as to how to move forward. Whatever idea MacGruder had Spike didn't like. Whatever plan Spike formulated Vash didn't like. It was pointless. They were on the verge of annihilation and couldn't find any common ground.
What would you have done? she wondered as she stared at the cross. A faint smile appeared on her face. Whatever Spike wanted to do, of course. Those two were more alike than either could imagine. Trapped by their pasts. When Wolfwood broke away from his, he'd paid for it with his life.
MacGruder leaned into the room, peered around for any sign of Vash or Jet, then he entered. Faye was there. She was the one he wanted to see, anyway. If anybody would go along with this, she would.
"Psst!" He crept further into the room. "Hey ... Valentine."
She blinked when she heard someone say her name. Swiveling around on the sofa, she found MacGruder behind her. "What?"
"There's somethin' going on." He glanced at the half-crumpled piece of paper in his hand.
She arched an eyebrow. "What is?" She stared at the paper when MacGruder shoved it in her face. After a moment, she shook her head and accepted it. "What's this?"
"Just read it."
Sighing, she unfolded the paper and began to read. Her expression changed with each sentence – from surprise, to confusion, to shock and, finally, ended with subdued anger. Her gaze lifted from the note and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Where did you get this?"
"Spiegel threw it away."
"You saw him do it?"
"Yeah. Tossed it aside right after he read it. Then he left."
Her eyes widened as she jumped to her feet. "He left?"
"About five minutes ago." He watched her pull on her red jacket then check the clip in one of her guns. "I take it we're following him?"
"Somebody has to stop him from making a huge mistake."
"And that somebody has to be you, huh?"
She glanced at him but didn't say anything.
"Aren't you going to tell Jet?" he called out as Faye headed for the door.
She turned. "No. Jet doesn't need to know. I won't be gone long. Not long enough for him to notice I'm gone, anyway."
MacGruder shook his head then glanced over his shoulder at the cross propped up in the corner. He wondered what the story was behind that and why it bothered Valentine so much. With that, he followed behind her.
"You're not going alone!" he called out.
Ed clicked away on her keyboard, surfing the Net as she hummed a tune. She'd been in Faye's quarters with the strange girl the other two bounty hunters had found in the rubble near the spaceport. She'd also become curious about Ramona Saverem. Vash was enamored by her, she wanted to know why.
She turned up very little on the Saverem family, however. The father was reportedly part of the Red Dragon Syndicate before he mysteriously disappeared over ten years ago. The mother, Laura, wasn't connected to the Syndicate in any way, shape or form. A simple woman who'd led a crime-free life. The two children were average – nothing particularly special about either of them.
Pulling off her goggles, Ed frowned. Why did Vash have such an interest in this girl? He couldn't possibly know her, so what was it? She sighed as she looked over to Ein who sat on the floor beside her. The dog cocked his head to one side and barked.
A moment later, the door opened and Vash leaned inside. He smiled a little at Ed, then checked on Rem. The girl was still asleep. She'd been through so much, no wonder she was exhausted. His gaze shifted back to Ed. "Are you all right in here?"
She shrugged then went back to toying with her computer.
Frowning, Vash entered the room and squatted down beside her. "What's the matter?" When she only ignored him, he pushed the keyboard away until it was out of her reach. Finally, she looked at him. "Are you mad at me?"
A half-shrug.
"Did I do something?"
Ein barked.
Vash turned to the Corgi, noticing the dog wagged his tail at Rem. Then it made sense. Ed was envious of the attention he showed to the other girl. "It's Ramona, isn't it?" It was more of a statement than a question.
"Who is she?" Ed quietly asked as she avoided eye contact with him.
"Someone who needs help."
"And that makes her more important than me?"
He placed a hand to the side of Ed's face and turned her head so she would look at him. "No, it doesn't make you any less important, Ed. She's a little girl in trouble. Like you were, when I first met you."
"Does she remind you of somebody else?"
His hand dropped from Ed's face as he glanced over his shoulder to Rem. "Yes. Someone who was very important to me when I was in trouble. And when I wasn't."
"Is she still around?"
Vash's head bowed and he sighed heavily. "No, she's not. She ... died, a long time ago."
Ed nodded. She knew what he meant - 'she hasn't died yet, but she will'. "You don't want to see something like that happen to her?" She gestured to Rem on the bed.
"No. I don't want anything to happen to you, either."
She frowned slightly. "Will your brother really kill everyone?"
"If I don't stop him, he will."
"Can you?"
Vash blinked, surprised by the blunt question. He would have expected it from Spike or Faye or even Jet, but not Ed. She'd always had a blind faith in him. Apparently, she'd changed in the last two years as well. Instead of answering her question, he held open his arms.
After hesitating, Ed wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. She felt better when he returned her embrace. She'd missed him so much. If only she'd been able to stay on Gunsmoke with him, he probably wouldn't be so sad now. Or maybe she would've ended up like the priest man. She saw how upset Faye was over that, she wouldn't want Vash the same way over her.
"Are you scared, Vashy?" she asked in a hushed tone.
He closed his eyes. Memories of the Gung Ho Guns, Knives, July City, Rem, Meryl and Milly, along with Legato, flashed through his mind in a instant. His eyes opened.
"Yes, I am," he whispered.
"Me too."
End Chapter Nine
Song Title Used: "Someone To Watch Over Me" - George & Ira Gershwin
