It's been a while, but I'm back. Time for another chapter. Faye appearing? Maybe, maybe not. I now have a good idea of what I want to do with this series, but I'm not exactly sure if that's exactly what I want to do with it. It's basically in the 'rough draft' stages. Oh well, as long as it turns out good.
-Kouji Tamino
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Cowboy Bebop: The Second Session
In the restroom of a small restaurant, two men conversed while taking a leak. One was tall an lanky, with high spiky brown hair. He had dark brown eyes, a bony face, and was wearing a brown suit. The other man was short, kind of husky, and had curly brown hair. He was dressed in an orange polo shirt, tan pants, and browns shoes. As they finished up and washed their hands, the huskier man reached into his pocket and produced a scratch ticket. As he started scratching it, the other man sighed audibly in annoyance. "Why do you continuously waste your money with those things? You know you'll never win."
"Who knows?" The husky man replied, smiling. "I may just get lucky…" Scratching the card, the smile on his face became larger and larger as he scratched off each part. As he scratched the final mark, he grinned insanely. "Yes! Yes! I won!" He began to dance around in joy, accidentally knocking the suitcase next to him over.
Both men gasped as it fell to the floor, freezing in the positions they were in for a few seconds, before sighing in relief as they realized that nothing bad had happened. "You dumb ass!" the thinner man screamed, raising his fist. "Do you realize how dangerous that thing can be?"
The bigger man stared at the ground in shame. "Sorry…"
The tall man sighed, picking up the suitcase and walked toward the door, pushing it open. "Just be careful next time…" He growled, trying to snatch the scratch ticket away from his partner. After several unsuccessful attempts, he smacked his forehead. "Just put that thing away. After this job, that chump change will be nothing."
As they walked outside the building, a woman in a red sports car was waiting for them. She had boyishly short dark and unruly purple hair, big 80's style shades red lipstick, and was wearing a blue vest, white bikini top, jeans, and white platform shoes. "What kept you boys so long?" she asked with a smirk.
"Sorry, won't happen again…" the lanky man replied, grabbing shotgun while the his male partner got in the back. He gently handed him the suitcase before turning to his female partner in crime and grinning. "So. Shall we get started?"
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Session 3: Pretty With a Pistol
Edward stood in the shower, staring at the wall. It had been 5 days since that last incident, in which she had reluctantly taken someone's life for the first time. She sighed as she lifted her head, water running down her face. "But it was just self defense, right?" she bit her lip, wiping some loose hair from the front of her face. "Edward isn't a bad person…" She sniffled. "Is she?" Turning off the water, she stepped out of the tub, grabbed a towel, and put it around her self. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she bumped into Dex, who had been waiting for her to finish. "Oof!" she grunted, her towel slipping off. She giggled as it fell to the ground. "Whoops!"
"Gyah!" Dex screamed, wincing. Not like he minded that Ed was flashing him, but still… "Sorry about that!" Unable to resist, he took in what he could of Edward's body. He had a weak spot for women with 'just out of the shower' hair.
"No problem!" Edward replied cheerfully, walking into the kitchen while she was still butt naked. "Edward's hungry…"
"Gyah!" Dex heard Jet scream from the kitchen as he walked into the bathroom. "Edward, put some damn clothes on! You're… not a little kid anymore!" As Edward ran out of the kitchen, Jet growled, peeking out. "And dry yourself off, you're dripping water everywhere!"
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"…What's that girls problem?" Dex asked, coming out of the restroom. "I mean, she's cute and everything, but a bit loopy. Is she…?" He pointed at his head with his index finger and twirled the finger clockwise.
"Naw, it's not that…" Jet replied, sighing audibly and sitting on the couch. "Edward is just what some people call… a free spirit."
"Oh, one of those…" Dex plopped onto the couch as well. "I see. Well, she certainly does seem to be a little 'free' right now, doesn't she?" He replied, raising his eyebrows suggestively.
"Hey, watch it." Jet snapped gruffly, staring at the younger man. "Ed's like a daughter to me."
"Eep…" Dex whimpered, not wanting to unleash the full rage of an angry 'father'. "Sorry about that. I'll try and keep my comments to myself."
"I'd appreciate that." Jet crossed his arms, staring at the television. "…Yo, could you pass me the remote?"
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"Okay, I'm done being naked!" Ed shouted, as if it was anyone's business about her state of dress. "Shower's free!" Now fully dressed, sans any type of foot protection, of course, she walked on her hands towards the kitchen. "Now to forage for something for Edward to munch on! Onward, to the fridge of destiny!"
"Jeeeet, she's beginning to scaaare meee…" Dex seethed through his teeth in a singsong voice as he walked in from his room.
"You get used to it after a while…" Jet muttered under his breath. He smiled as he sat on the couch, reading. This was the first time in days that Ed had been so lively. Seemed like she was finally over what had happened.
Ed hand walked over to the Tomato, which was beeping wildly. She did a flip and landed right in front of it on her butt. There was an alert on the screen. Clicking it, she grinned. "Jet-person, Dex-person… Edward got a bounty alert!" As soon as she said that, they were soon all crowed around the computer. The three 'Catches of the Day', so to speak, were the three suspicious characters from earlier. Their names were under their pictures: Saieed Murata, the taller man, Drek Underwood, the shorter one, and the woman was simply called 'Alice'. Ed began to read out loud. "Ooh… 'Wanted for stealing a highly explosive compound. 5 million woolongs for each and 170,000,000 woolongs for all three of them.' Ooh, swooky…" Raising an eyebrow, she pointed at the screen. "But is it just me, or does Alice seem familiar?"
Jet squinted, a frown on concentration on his face. "Actually, yeah…" He began to scratch his head in puzzlement. "But I just can't put my finger on it…"
"So, shall we go bag them?" Dex asked with a grin.
The redhead scrolled down, reading some additional information on the three bounty head's whereabouts. "According to this, they were seen heading toward Mars…" Smirking, she looked up from her screen. "It looks like they're going to try and bust up that huge auction going down in the coming days!"
"And what makes you think that?" Dex asked, rolling his eyes. "What are you, psychic?"
Edward glared at the man, but resisted the urge to maul him. She sufficed for a low, animalistic growl. "Well, Einstein, put 2 and 2 together. Explosives, plus big event where there is bound to be plenty of money and expensive items, equals huge payoff!" She went to the official site and pointed at the bottom of the screen. There was information about the planned events at the auction. "Look here. It says that there is going to be a big party right before the actual auction! That gives them a few hours to get their hands on the items in the safe that are to be bid on!"
"Won't someone hear the damn explosion, though?" Dex asked, not wanting to give in. He leaned on the wall and "I don't know, this all seems to be a bit of a stretch. It's just too convenient…"
"The safe is located deep underground, if I'm not mistaken." Jet explained, eyes closed in concentration. "At the very most, all you'd be able to hear is a small thump and maybe even feel a small, unnoticeable rumble." He smiled, opening his eyes and looking towards the pessimistic man. "I should know, I was asked to help guard the items the first time they did something like this back when I was in the ISSP. Don't be such a downer, man."
"Fine, fine. Gang up on me." Dex said, frowning. "But still, if this thing is really big as you guys are making it out to be, there is no way we'll be able to get in. Admission must cost an arm and a leg."
"Oh, ye of little faith." Jet crossed his arms, chuckling. "Ed, can you get us a couple of tickets for this thing?" He hated take such illegal measures, but they really needed the money. They were down to literally their last couple of woolongs and they had pretty much no real food left. Just some junk food and a few leftover things that nobody really wanted to eat.
"Can do!" Radical Edward shouted excitedly, booting up her hacking program. Reaching around on the floor aimlessly, she grabbed her old goggles, putting them on. Going to the official site, she began searching for a suitable bank account to make her transaction. She had to do this quickly, though. Didn't want anyone to notice that money was being taken from his or her account. After choosing a bank account, she entered the information at the ticket purchase page, also specifying how many tickets were to be purchased. After the transaction was complete, Ed printed out the tickets and quickly shut everything down. "We now have admission to the auction!" She declared triumphantly, removing her goggles.
"Thatta girl, Ed!" Jet said proudly, smiling as he grabbed Dex in a headlock. He began to grind his fist into his forehead. "See? See? What'd I tell you? Ed's got this all under control."
"Ow! Ow!" the younger man screamed, trying desperately to break free. "Okay, okay! I get it!"
Letting him go, Jet chuckled. "Anyway, time to get down to business. Dex, you have any dressy clothes you can wear? If not, I'll check to see if there's anything lying around that you can borrow."
"Thanks, old man…" Dex replied, rubbing his head in pain.
"I am not an old man!" Jet screamed, standing up tall.
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A few days later, the big night arrived. Our trio of anti-heroes, although that term would fit Dex more than it would the other two, were decked out in their best. Edward wore a dress Faye left behind, a sexy black tight fitting strapless dress with faux-fur trimmings. She had matching high-heeled shoes, long gloves that extended a couple inches above her elbow, and was wearing her hair in a bun. Jet was dressed in his usual all cream colored suit and hat and black shoes, while Dex had on a blue suit with black shoes, matching tie and light blue dress shirt. "…I dunno, do you think we look rich enough to be in a place like this?" Dex asked jokingly as they arrived, a grin on his face.
"…Smart ass." Jet muttered, not in the mood for the other man's crap. "Let's just get this over with." He looked towards both of his younger partners. "Now, look. No fooling around, no fighting, no bullshit. Just look the trio, and contact the rest of us when you find them through the communication devices you have on you. Don't, I repeat, DO NOT try to apprehend them on your own." He tossed a quick look to Dex.
The blonde raised an eyebrow. "…Why the hell are you looking at me?"
"Because we all know that you'll try to take all the credit and betray us." Ed said knowingly, giving him a mischievous smile.
"…Shut up."
"We've got to get this done before the guards catch on to what's going on." Jet continued. "Otherwise, they catch them, and we lose the bounty." And with that, they headed in…
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Meanwhile, the 'Bomber Trio' was preparing their plan. After ambushing the guards responsible for protecting the safe and tying them up, they got to work, carefully laying down a white, powerful explosive compound. It is highly explosive while unexposed to air. Once air touches it, however, it is completely harmless. Drek opened up a case of power tools, while Saieed brought out a large top hat shaped plastic container with a small hole in it. Alice set up a fold up ladder, and Drek began to drill down the container over the compound. After it was securely fastened, they hooked it up with a machine designed to suck out any air pressure from a sealed container.
Alice walked over to the tied up guards, pulling out a gun. "Sorry boys, but we can't have any witnesses." Pulling the trigger, she ended their lives quickly with a few shots to the head. She frowned, sighing. "Rest in peace."
After they finished setting up, they headed up the stairway. Their truck was parked outside of an elevator, which required keys to use. Having snatched the keys off of the guards, they now had access to this elevator. Inside the suitcase that the compound was in, there was a button and a switch. The button must be pushed and held down before flipping the switch, otherwise there will be no reaction. Walking up the stairs a bit, they sat on the steps. Alice opened up the suitcase, pressing down the button and flipped the switch…
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During the party, Edward continuously gave Dex grief by posing as his girlfriend every time she caught him flirting with other women. "Damn it, Dex!" she screamed, stomping over to him angrily. "Quit screwing around with other girls!" Her bottom lip suddenly quivered, and her eyes shimmered. "…What, do you not find me attractive anymore? I… I love you!"
Dex began to sweat nervously as he was glared at by everyone near him and Ed, hearing cries of "Asshole! Home wrecker! Scum! Pig!" from the ladies and "Jerk! Selfish bastard! Dick! How could you cheat on such a hot piece of ass!" from the guys.
"H-hey!" Dex screamed, Ed tightly hugging his arm. "This isn't what you think! This girl is psycho!" He began to get booed and hissed at as Edward began to cry. "Oh god, I do not need this…" He muttered quietly to himself.
Suddenly, there was a small rumbling. Only a few people took notice, but our cowboys and cowgirl smiled knowingly. "See, what'd I tell them?" Jet whispered into his com-device. "You feel that? I think it's time to move in."
"Wait, how the hell will we get in?" Dex asked. Suddenly, the lights went out and a fire erupted.
Jet chuckled. "That's how. Meet me at the entrance to the stairs. Hurry, while the guards are still distracted by all the chaos."
After sneaking their way past the befuddled guards, they ran down the steps. "Was it just me, or was that too easy?" Dex asked, running behind Edward and Jet.
"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Jet replied simply, taking out his gun. "Come on, let's hurry!"
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As the trio began loading the items into their truck, they heard a sudden gunshot. Drek, a bit freaked out, dropped a priceless vase on the ground. It hit the floor and shattered. Saieed, infuriated, socked him in the face. "You clumsy, fat idiot! You're always dropping something or knocking it down!"
"I'm sorry, Saieed…" Drek muttered timidly, looking away.
Quickly pulling out her gun, Alice began to shoot at their pursuers. "Damn it, guys! Grab something and get out if here! I'll catch up with you!" Without even batting an eyelid, they quickly grabbed the most expensive looking thing they could and ran off like a bat out of Hell. "You could have at least, acted like you didn't want to leave me behind, you bastards!" She screamed as Dex and Jet ran after them. "There are two of them! And was that Jet! Damn my luck is bad today!" She screamed again as a bullet missed her head by a few inches. "Gyah! Three! And what are you trying to do, kill me!"
"Wait, you know Jet-person?" Ed asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Jet-person?…" 'Alice' asked, her shades falling down her face. "Oh my god, Edward?" She smiled. "My, you sure filled out, didn't you? Hey, is that my dress?"
"Faye-Faye?…" Ed's jaw dropped, before frowning. "What the hell are you doing, Faye-Faye?" She huffed, stomping her foot. "Why are you with the bad guys, HUH?"
"Ed…" Faye said softly, looking away. Her face was pretty much the same, just a tad older and more adult looking. "I… got tired of trying to pay off my debt through bounty hunting. It…" she turned back to the younger woman, frowning angrily. "It wasn't getting me anywhere! So I… had to turn back to crime… I'm sorry, Edward…"
The hacker shook her head, sighing. "No, I'm sorry that I have to bring you in, Faye-Faye…"
At that moment, both women held up their guns and shot at each other.
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Meanwhile, Jet and Dex were heading up the elevator. Evidently, the keys had been absentmindedly left in during the confusion. "Wouldn't it be technically be faster to use the stairs? We'll never catch up to them this way!"
"Well, I suppose it is a faster way…" Jet began, arms crossed and staring at the ground, hat over his eyes. "…if you want to get arrested." he continued with a smirk.
Dex stuck out his tongue. "Now who's being a smart ass?"
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As Drek and Saieed waited for their female partner to arrive, the latter growled in annoyance, smoking a cigarette. "Where the hell is Alice?" He looked over to his other partner, a grin on his face. "Hey, if she doesn't get here soon, wanna ditcher h--" He gasped, backing away and frantically grasping for his gun. His shaky hand pulled the trigger, missing. "Wh-what are you doi--?" he was silenced as he was shot several times in the chest, dropping his gun and falling to the concrete.
Drek stared at Saieed's dead body with a grin on his face, holding a smoking gun. "That's what you get for always making fun of me… IT'S NOT NICE!" He then followed that up by blowing more holes into his dead partner until the gun ran out of ammo. Tossing the gun to the ground, he fell to his knees. Grabbing Saieed's gun, he pointed at his own temple and fired.
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As the gunfight between Faye and Ed continued, they soon ran out of bullets. Running towards each other, they engaged in a fistfight. Ed, using a combination of moves she saw Spike use and her own techniques, had the upper hand. Dodging most of Faye's punches, she grabbed her arm, spun her around, and elbowed her in the face. Faye fell to the ground, wincing. She looked up at the girl pleadingly. "Please Ed, just let me go…"
"No can do, Faye-Faye…" Edward said sadly. "You're a bad guy now, and we really need the money."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Edward…" Faye said softly, reaching down to her foot and pulling a small gun from her shoe. Tears running down her face, she shot Edward in the chest. As the other woman fell to the ground, she stood up, closing her eyes. "Sorry, kid… But I've come too close to paying off my debts to get caught…" She took one last look at Edward before running off.
As Ed fell backwards, her eyes widened in shock, she thought for a moment. 'Right… Faye-Faye taught me that move…' Just then, everything went black.
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A little while later, she awoke on a sofa. Looking around, she groaned in pain. "What happened?…" She was bandaged up and back on the Bebop.
"Sorry Ed, we lost all three of the bounties…" Jet said, smiling sadly at her. "One killed the other before killing himself, and the girl disappeared…"
Ed grimaced. 'Faye-Faye… How could she do that to me?'
"We're glad you're all right, though…" Dex added, smiling at her. "How do you feel?"
"Sore…" Ed muttered. She was not having a good week. Killed for the first time and was betrayed by a woman she used to idolize. She didn't have the heart to tell Jet about her revelation. "And hungry. Got anything to eat?" Stupid. Of course they didn't they lost the bounty, so…
"Actually, yes we do!" Dex exclaimed proudly. "I found a winning scratch ticket on the fat dude! We used part of it for new medical equipment, and the rest for food and bills and what not."
Jet shrugged. "So at least it wasn't a complete loss…"
Ed smiled a bit. "So… what do we have?"
Cheer up, Space Cowgirl…
