DISCLAIMER: I'm not rich, nor do I get to go to conventions. Therefore, Spike and the Bebop are not mine.
Tilly landed the Redtail smoothly on the surface. She hated Titan. It smelled of death and ozone, the sand dunes rolling away in all directions like freshly dug graves. She had intentionally landed outside the settlement, five miles from her destination. She needed the time to allow the planet to awaken Anatalia. Tilly couldn't be here.
A cruel dry wind swept over the desert, sand stinging her face and hands. Her sunglasses protected her eyes, her long tan coat and black slacks protected the rest of her body. The delicate skin of her throat was kept hidden by the red scarf she wore over a thin black sweater and the wind pulled her hair out behind her. She had debated wearing the old outfit.
She and Julia had always dressed to match, with Julia preferring leather to cotton. It was disconcerting for the mark to be unable to distinguish between two attackers. But Tilly was alone now, and she simply felt exposed in the black.
In the settlement across the dunes, Swift watched her through high-powered army issue binoculars. Her long chestnut curls moves like silk in the wind and her slim figure was shrouded in the clothes of the trade. He had always been partial to grays himself. She moved surely over the sand, a case in each hand, sword strapped to her back. The sheath gleamed in the morning sun at his side. She had come for him too. He had been foolish to think he had completely duped her. Swift should have known the moment Dowe's girl looked into his eyes that she would see all. She would see herself.
Her name rolled through his mind. Anatalia. She was known by friends as Tilly, he knew, but the nickname didn't match the woman he watched. At last, after years of killing from shadows and a tedious week in the presence of a buffoon, Swift would meet his equal on the field of battle. In another life he might have loved her. In this life he could do no more than show his respect by not holding back.
The rules had changed. Vicious would not get his prize.
Shae hid in the bathroom. She had come for him, as he had known she would, and suddenly he wanted for courage. He wasn't afraid of the girl, he told himself. He was nervous about that ghost Vicious had sent as backup.
Shae didn't need backup. He was Dowe, now. The girl was just a nuisance, an irritant. Sand in his shorts.
At the thought of the girl in his shorts, Shae felt the familiar heat spread through his loins. Yeah, that was what he needed. A physical release to relax before the show began. Shae pulled the girl's picture from his pocket and set it against the back of the toilet. Maybe he would try this on the real thing before he killed her. As his hand moved he imagined the girl beneath him, scared and gasping for breath. In his mind's eye she screamed as he pulled the trigger, the gun's kickback meshing with his release. Shae clenched his teeth and the hand bracing him against the wall closed into a fist. He panted and felt no more fear. Let her come. He was ready.
The Swordfish sped silently through space following the Redtail's signal through the gate. Spike had never come this way before. The stories Vicious had let slip were enough to keep him away, and after meeting Vincent and Elektra, Spike had even less interest in Saturn's deadly moon.
Stars and space moved past him in a tunnel of light. Spike still had no clue how the damn thing worked, but anything that got him to Tilly faster was welcome. Images of her flashed through his mind: that first morning on the deck, her crying in his arms, pacing on New Bering. The most recent image he had killed the smile that had begun to spread across his face. Tilly cleaning her father's Desert Eagle. The gun he had always admired Dowe for taming. The weapon of choice for a true killer. The weapon he hadn't found in the black trunk before he left.
Spike's eyes darkened and he clenched his jaw. Why the hell did he care? He was supposed to be living for Julia. Surviving to find her, to find himself in her. But blond hair mixed with dark brown and green eyes flashed blue.
"Damn it!" Spike slammed a hand against the dashboard. He had to get a grip, he told himself. Then he laughed.
Who was he kidding? Here he was, speeding after her like a lovesick kid, and he wanted to try and pretend this was something else?
What about Julia?
Spike really hated the voice at the back of his mind. His eyes dulled and his expression became grim. What about Julia? Julia.
"So, do you think she'll come back?"
Faye was sprawled out on the couch watching Jet and Ed play chess. Ed missed Tilly, and was wearing Tilly's favorite pink blouse to show it. Ein's head rested on Ed's leg and he let out a small whimper now and then. Jet looked up from the board to study Faye's figure. A fleeting thought flashed through his mind that he mentally slapped himself for before answering.
"Yeah, she'll come back. The real question is whether it will be our Tilly, or someone else."
Faye let her head fall to the side and contemplated Jet's words for a moment.
"Here's another question for you. Will Spike still be smitten with her, even if it is our Tilly that comes back?"
Jet stared into Faye's eyes as the full measure of what she meant filtered through. He dropped his eyes to the chessboard in time to see Ed checkmate. He smiled weakly at her shrill of glee.
"I don't know," he answered finally. "But I think things will cool off for a while. She may remind him more of Julia than he'd like, right now."
"Oh yeah," Faye said gently. "I had forgotten she used to be Syndicate, too. History is really repeating itself, huh?"
Jet frowned as the parallels played out before him.
"I wonder if she sees it." Faye continued.
Jet's eyes went wide.
Tilly.
Tilly approached the gates of the settlement walls. The old military base had been built like a fortress to battle the sand. The lone entrance stood black against the rusted walls that stretched for miles in either direction.
Her image shimmered in the heat and swirling sand. She appeared and disappeared through the heat waves like a mirage and his mouth watered for her.
Today he would prove himself and become the only Dowe. Shae would earn his place in the Syndicate and gain the respect he knew he deserved.
From the next room, Swift studied her approach. The girl had worn high-heeled boots, and he was sure they had to be sinking into the sand with every step, but she showed no sign. Her expression was blank, no emotions betrayed themselves. His chin rested on the hilt of his sword, using its length to prop him as he leaned forward in his chair. His gray eyes stared out through strands of pale blonde hair. Anyone looking at the two windows would recognize the killer from the buffoon instantly.
A few buildings over, on a landing pad, Spike was hunched over on top of his ship. He had watched the girl as she drew closer to the gate and felt panic swell in his chest. Sweat dripped down his brow and his heart hurt to see her like this. The images of Tilly and Julia merged more fully in his mind. The only difference was the hair and the coat. Spike looked back to Tilly and focused only on the coat. Tan, not black. His gaze shifted to her hair. Coffee waves dancing in the wind, not blonde curls.
Slowly he took in the rest of her appearance. The clothes were without doubt meant to match. He wondered briefly why, but moved on to the differences. Tilly wore slacks and a black sweater, no leather in sight. At her throat, taunting him, was the scarf. Spike swore under his breath as he looked, at last, at her face. What he saw caused his chest to constrict once more. Nothing. She showed no expression, no signs of life. Tilly wasn't there.
Spike took a deep breath to steady his shaking and switched his own thoughts off. Jumping down from the Swordfish, he quickly made his way to the street. Emerging from the building, he spotted two men up the block. One was short and a little on the meaty side, little brawn and no brains. Next to him was a tall man with white-blonde hair in a steel gray trench. Not Vicious, but a killer nonetheless. Spike followed them at a distance, not bothering to hide himself.
Tilly stood at the gates and tried to quell her nerves. She had seen the Swordfish streak past overhead, and cursed herself. She had known he would follow when she chose the Redtail, but she hadn't counted on him coming so quickly. She hadn't even taken care of Shae yet. Reworking her plan in her head Tilly moved past the armed guard that opened the gate for her.
"Identification," he demanded.
Tilly stopped moving and turned her head to face the guard. He flushed under the glare she threw him from behind her dark glasses. Slowly he began to tremble as she stood statue still. When she raised an eyebrow he nearly dropped his rifle.
"Never mind," the poor guard stammered. "Go on in."
Tilly swept past him and moved to the rendezvous point, the place she knew he'd be waiting. Dowe and Tilly had walked this path eight years ago and he had died then. Today Shae's blood would cover the ground. If he kept his mouth shut, she might let him die quickly.
Tilly walked right past him without realizing. Spike watched her body, its language and movement. She moved like a cat or a snake. Deliberately and smoothly, no move wasted, no unnecessary energy lost. The normal feminine sway of her hips was almost gone beneath the weight of her weapons.
Julia's image fled in the face of the assassin before him. Julia had never been able to shut off her emotions, and as such had been a competent agent for the Syndicate, but never a true assassin. Dowe, for all that he could be ruthless, had remained human. Even Vicious had cracked a smile when he and Spike had been back to back against overwhelming odds.
Tilly wasn't there. This woman was someone else.
She moved into the center of the clearing, surrounded by tall buildings all bathed in a red and gray light. She looked oddly comfortable there, out in the open lot. Laughter reverberated, echoing in the suddenly still air.
"Glad to see you could make it," Shae called from his hiding place. Swift had pointed out the stranger following them and Shae had watched him study the girl like a hungry man when she walked past him.
Tilly stood silent, unmoving. Shae would have to come to her. She would take the men one at a time. Spike was here somewhere, but she couldn't look for him now. She had to ignore his presence and focus on Shae. First Shae, then Swift.
She tilted her head at a slight movement in the corner of her eye. Swift. She ignored him and faced forward once more, her eyes scanning the derelict cars and buildings before her for Shae. Slowly she bent her knees and set her cases on the ground. As she straightened her posture she pulled the scarf loose around her neck. The wind returned to billow the red silk along with her hair.
Swift watched her as she waited. Beautiful and deadly. He recognized the scarf. Slowly the material pulled along her throat to float away, dancing on the wind. It landed a few feet away from him, but he stayed put as she ignored it. Shae swaggered out from the building farthest from Swift's location and moved out to face Tilly at last. Swift narrowed his eyes at the man's stupidity. Surely he realized he was no match for the girl.
Spike watched from the shadows as Tilly stood ramrod still in the face of the fat man. Spike was surprised she was here for this guy. He would have bet the other guy was the one.
Shae studied her face and body. The picture hadn't done her justice, and she had definitely grown up. He felt his pants tighten as the heat began to spread through his belly. With a smirk he moved the last few feet for their showdown.
Tilly let her hatred for Shae show in a single clench of her jaw before she tamped down all emotion once again. There would be time to feel later. Now it was time to kill.
