"Treat you better than me 'cause that's the heavenly key
To unlock the inner strength where my essence will be."- Jun Seba (Nujabes)
Jet and Faye had spent weeks scouring the city for Spike, always coming up empty-handed. Jet was growing restless and considered giving up. In Faye's mind Spike was already dead; he died a long time ago that day he left the ship but she still helped Jet search because in her subconscious there was some ounce of hope that Spike would come back to ship and everything would go back to normal. It was night when Jet and Faye were sitting in the living room, sitting on the unappealing yellow furniture. Jet was on his computer and Faye was fresh out the shower, reading a fashion magazine and drying her hair with a white towel.
"Y'know if we find Spike we're gonna have to stay away from Mars for a while." said Jet.
"Why are we still bothering even looking for that ghost?" said Faye.
"C'mon Faye have a heart, maybe it's easier for women to abandon all hope, but men have to do what's right no matter how bad it may look."
"Yeah that's because men are all stubborn fools who think they always have to save the day, it's pitiful really."
"Maybe it's something deep down inside my gut but I know Spike would do the same for me."
"Yeah but you're not the one always coming back to the ship in bandages and broken bones."
"I've had my few moments of recklessness here and there, Spike never complained."
"Yeah you're so wild and risky as an uptight ex-cop." she said sarcastically.
"Oh so I guess the scar on my eye and my prosthetic arm means I never took any risks in life huh? It was all just smooth sailing for me?"
Faye had a repentant expression on her face and lowered the magazine "Look. I didn't mean in it like that." she said.
"I know I'm old I don't need some young broad telling me how I should or shouldn't handle myself."
Faye scowled and became angry "Yeah instead you tell everyone else how they should handle themselves and live their lives!" said Faye. She slammed the magazine down on the coffee table and stormed off. Jet sighed in annoyance and rubbed his bald head. Age was getting to him; Jet had always hoped that at this point in his life he would have a wife and maybe two kids. They would be living in a nice home, not a mansion (especially with his pay), but something modest. He wanted to live somewhere peaceful where he could sit around after work and trim his bonsai trees, watch his kids play, and have the calming presence of his wife next to him. That image seemed ideal to Jet because it was stable; the only thing he ever asked for out of life was stability. The next morning Jet set out to find Spike again, but without Faye this time.
Spike came out of his safe house; the sun-light blinded his eyes. The janitor's outfit was torn from the arms and the legs; the shoe laces of the boots were frayed. He was a walking nightmare. Spike cautiously walked through alleys and dirt lots; he tried to desperately to look for some real food. He arrived in the back alley of a restaurant and noticed that a cook was throwing out leftovers in the dumpster. Spike hid behind a garbage can and waited for the cook to leave. He ran and jumped inside the dumpster, he had little shame. Spike jumped out of the dumpster and dusted himself off. He noticed that the TV inside the restaurant was playing the news, Spike took a listen.
The news song played "Good afternoon, this is CBC Action News" said the anchor. "First, breaking news today in Mars. A local man went missing today. The neighbors in the complex heard an altercation and called the police. When they arrived his apartment was found empty and destroyed. ISSP says it is connected to the recent height in gang activity that has been impacting the area." The television displayed a picture of Roy and his information. Spike was in shock, his mouth agape. "ISSP says to call immediately if he is seen." said the anchor. Spike clenched his fist in anger and guilt. The anchor continued "They say it's an ongoing investigation, it is part of their crackdown on crime trying to st-" The sound of the TV faded out as Spike decided to take immediate action before Faye and Jet met the same fates. He left the alley and tried to look for somewhere secluded where he could contact Jet.
Spike reached a planetarium that resided on a hill; there was only a nerdy-looking kid on his computer inside. Spike wanted to approach him to see if he could use the machine to contact Jet. As Spike got closer the kid glanced at him and realized who he was. "Hey you're Spike Spie-" he exclaimed. Spike covered his mouth before he could finish his sentence. He looked around to see if had aroused any suspicion but there was no one in sight.
"How do you know my name?" asked Spike.
The kid gasped for air "You're all over the internet! They say that you and some other guys were the one behind that tower attack, mainly conspiracies and underground websites, nothing that the ISSP is willing to share to the public. Jerks." he said.
Spike grabbed the kid by the shirt and lifted his computer "Hey what are you doing?! I don't want any trouble man!" said the kid.
"Here kid I need you to contact someone's ship with this thing. And make sure no one can trace it or listen in." said Spike.
"Well do you know what frequency num-"
"Just look through a MONO transport database and type in the name Jet Black."
The kid typed in the name and was able to pull up the information from a secured database and set up a real-time link through a filter program to call Jet's ship and pushed send.
"Aaaand there." said the kid. Spike pushed him out of the way and said "Thanks kid." "Hey!" said the kid. Spike waited and hoped with ever inch in his fiber that Jet would answer. Jet finally picked up.
"Yeah who is this?" asked Jet.
"Jet…" said Spike.
"Spike?! Is that you?!"
"Yeah it's me."
"Where have you been dumb ass do you how many days I've been looking for you?!"
"I'm inside the Tharsis planetarium Jet, I need you to come pick me up."
"Look Spike you're in deep and I nee-"
"Talk to me about it when you get here."
"Wait Spi-" Spike hung up before Jet could finish. Spike handed the computer back to kid. He then stared him down. "I was never here. You got that kid?" said Spike. "Ye-yes sir." he said nervously.
Jet turned his Hammerhead around to go to the planetarium. Jet was a little bit nervous, he didn't know whether to show Spike that he was glad or show him some tough love or even no love. Knowing Spike and Faye the three of them would just end up barking at each other, pointless arguing that didn't get them anywhere. Jet was always worrying about what was going to become of this whole situation; how's it going to end? Faye called in.
"Jet where are you?" she asked.
"Listen Faye I need you to head to Ceraunius Fossae, it's an old town North of Tharsis. Stay at the gas station at the entrance of the town. I'll meet you there."
"Wait Jet why do you need me to go over there?"
"Just do it." said Jet.
"Wait before you hang up, I wanted to say that I'm sorry about yesterday."
"It's okay Faye, just get to Fossae." said Jet. He hung up and continued to zoom through the sky.
Faye set off in her Redtail. It took her a while but she arrived to Ceraunius Fossae, a dusty ghost town that had maybe one radio tower. She opened her carton of cigarettes, pursed her lip around one of the cigarettes and pulled it out. She smoked a cigarette and then another. Faye became increasingly bored waiting for Jet. She puffed out smoke with a scowl.
"Well where is he?!" she whined.
She waited awhile longer and then she heard a call coming from inside the Redtail. She climbed inside to answer it but out of the corner of her eye she saw a car speeding up, throwing around dust everywhere, toward her zip craft. The car burnt out, creating a huge cloud of dust, screeching it's brakes and came to a stop. Two men in leisure suits and sunglasses came out of the car and pointed their guns at Faye. She slouched, put her hands in the air and nervously smiled "How can I help you boys?" she said. One of the men said "I need you to come with us miss."
"For what?"
"Get in the car."
"Are you two with ISSP?"
"Something like that, now get in the car."
"No way! Where are your badges?"
The man cocked his gun, Faye quickly ducked behind her Redtail and the man shot at her, but it missed and ricocheted off the Redtail. Both of the men ran toward the space craft when it automatically flew forward and up, impacting both of the men and knocking them unconscious.
Spike exited through the back door of the planetarium and waited by the garden for Jet to arrive. It became silent; Spike was growing impatient. He looked across to another hill when a red laser illuminated in his eyes. It was a sniper. Spike quickly ducked down behind a concrete wall as the rifle fired. A few more shots rang out; Spike covered his head with his hands and lay completely flat. On the other hill the sniper stood up; he was there with two other men who were smoking by their car. "C'mon let's head over there, the guy's ducking down." said the sniper. All three men got in their car and drove off. Spike poked his out and didn't see the laser any more so he made a run for it. As Spike reached the bottom of the hill, the car approached him, he took out his hand gun and fired it a few times; a burst of wind came, blowing around debris everywhere he looked up and saw Jet's Hammerhead. "Spike watch out!" said Jet. Jet shot his tow cable at the car; it tried to speed up but the hook was stuck in there tight. The Hammerhead turned downward 90 degrees and flew upward, taking the car with it; the men inside the car jumped mid-air and landed harshly on the street. Jet unhooked the car and let it drop; he lowered his space craft.
"What took you so long Jet?!" said Spike
"Sorry I got lost buddy." said Jet with a smile. Spike took Jet's hand and climbed onto the Hammerhead. They flew off to go meet Faye; it was cramped in there but Spike was glad to finally be off the streets.
"… It's good to see you Jet."
"Yeah you too Spike-o." said Jet.
"Those guys… they were Red Dragon. I know it."
"How did they know where to find you?"
"I don't know." said Spike. He continued "What's the plan here Jet?"
"I don't suppose you wanna turn yourself in." said Jet.
Spike stayed silent. Jet resumed "You know for the past few months we've been payin' your bills, taking care of your Swordfish, dealing with ISSP. It's all a big mess."
"I never asked you two to care of it. I was supposed to leave and never come back, you know that Jet." said Spike angrily.
"We've always had to deal with you every time you came to the ship a bloodied mess, what's different about this time? Every time you left the damn ship you never expected to come back!" said Jet.
Spike sighed "Where's Faye?" he said.
"We're meeting her in Ceraunius Fossae."
"Fossae? That dirt town?"
"Most of Mars is dirt. Anyway it's out of the way; we need to keep a low profile Spike. No more stunts like what we just flew away from."
"I can't promise you that Jet. These guys are awfully persistent."
"Fine we'll meet up with Faye and head back to the ship, we'll try to figure a way out of this mess."
"Fine. Maybe I can get some actual food in me."
"I'm going to call Faye to see if she's still holding up." said Jet. He called Faye but there was no answer.
"Huh? I wonder why she didn't answer." said Jet. The Hammerhead carried on, heading toward Fossae. As they neared the location where Faye was waiting her ship came zooming out of a huge dust cloud.
"Huh? Is that her?" asked Spike.
"I think so but I don't see anyone in there." said Jet.
Their confused expression quickly turned to shock as the Redtail headed straight toward them. Jet steered his Hammerhead away from Faye's space craft but it scraped the bottom of the Hammerhead. Jet landed near the gas station, not being able to see anything because of all the dust that was masking the air. Spike and Jet jumped out of the Hammerhead and took out their guns. Jet called out for Faye "Faye? Where are you?" he said. Spike and Jet got lost in the dust when Faye pointed her gun at Spike's back. "Drop it!" she said. Spike raised his hands in the air with his eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face.
"Wait Faye!" said Jet.
"Yes my dear?" said Spike.
Faye's jaw dropped and she slowly lowered her weapon. "That voice… Spike?" she asked.
The dust settled as Spike put his hands down and turned to face her "In the living flesh." he said. Faye contained her excitement; her expression quickly changed to disgust as she covered her nose. "That stench! Spike you need a shower!" she said. Spike smiled in amusement "It's really good to see you too Faye." he said. Jet put his hands on his hips and chuckled.