The next day on The Bebop Spike was sitting in the Swordfish in the ship bay of the hangar. He turned it on once again and twisted the handles and it revved without any problems. Jet was standing next to the Swordfish with his arms crossed. He observed it to make sure there was no leakage or faulty mechanisms. Jet raised his arm and gave Spike a thumb up. Spike nodded his head and turned off the Swordfish. Spike climbed off of the ship and stood next to Jet.
"Well I guess it's good to go." said Jet.
Spike scratched his head. "So uh… how much cash we have left?" he asked.
"Enough to get by for a while." said Jet. He then bent over to grab his toolbox from the floor and started walking toward the staircase.
Spike walked with him. They began walking up the stairs. "Did you pay the guy back already?" he asked.
"No yet."
"What about the other guy?"
"No."
"What about-
"No Spike! I'll get to that today, all right?" said Jet as they arrived to the entance.
"All right, all right." said Spike.
The hydraulic door opened and Spike and Jet bent over to fit inside. They walked down the steps into the main room and sat down on the couch. Jet began typing on the keyboard of his computer that was sitting on the coffee table and Spike turned on the television and put his feet up.
Later Jet left in his Hammerhead while Spike slept on the couch.
Donna and Bob exited out of a police car. In the police car across from them Sergeant Durant and two detectives exited out as well. They had arrived at the dry docks; there were metal structures and frameworks that ran miles across the whole area. There were dozens of ships and vessels under paused maintenance and abandoned construction sights. Donna looked around and noticed a shanty house that sat on the other side of a line of railroad tracks. She pointed and said "Is that it?"
"That should be it," said Sergeant Durant, "Detectives, see if you can pick up anything over there."
One of the detectives took out his tracking device and pointed it in the house's direction. The device was silent so the detective moved ahead over the railroad tracks and got closer. The rest of the officers followed him and kept their eyes on the house.
"I don't know I'm not picking up any readings." said the detective.
Donna put her hand on holster. "I say we go in." she said.
"Donna hold on." said the sergeant.
"No she's right, if he's in there he's probably disguising his vitals. The only way to find out… is to go ahead in." said the other detective.
Donna moved forward cautiously with both hands on her gun, pointing downward. The sergeant and Bob took out their weapons. The detectives and the sergeant moved forward with Donna as Bob stood back and looked around. Donna put her hand on the knob of the dry door and turned it slightly. They held their breath as Donna opened the door wide. Donna entered in with her weapon pointing straight. The detectives shined their flashlights to illuminate the dark shack. They looked inside and found no one in there. The detectives went all the way in and began searching the place to see if they could find any evidence.
"Damn, what if the tip was fake?" asked Donna.
"It's all we have." said the sergeant.
Bob looked to his right and saw a man approaching them on the tracks. "Hey, sarge someone's coming." said Bob.
Donna and Sergeant Durant turned around and walked toward Bob. They looked down the tracks and saw a man limping toward them.
"Hey stop where you are!" shouted Donna.
The man stopped and stared at them. He continued walking forward and walked off the tracks to reach the officers.
Donna put her hand in the air and halted the man. "I said stop!" she shouted as she began walking toward him. The detectives came out of the house to see the situation. The sergeant and Bob went after Donna as she began running on the gravel.
"Shapiro, hold on!" said the sergeant.
The man put came to a stop and put his hands in the air. As Donna reached him she stopped and took a look at him. She saw that was just an old homeless man.
The old vagrant was confused and startled. "What… what's happening? What do want from me? I didn't do nothing." he said.
Donna took a sigh of relief. "What are you doing all the way out here?" she asked. Bob and the sergeant caught up and stopped behind Donna.
"I walk, I walk a lot everywhere." said the homeless man.
"Is this is where you're living?" asked Donna as she pointed her finger at the old rusted house.
"No… I don't think so… Well I can't remember I have a bad memory." said the homeless man.
"Well do you know who does?"
"Maybe… I don't really know."
The detectives came up to him; one of them flashed a mug shot of Demetrius Bardon. "Have you ever seen or come in contact with this man?" asked the detective, "He's 6'5, weighs 186 pounds, and has this distinct scar under his right cheek. In this picture his hair is shaved but he may have grown it out since then."
The homeless man squinted to look at the photo of Demetrius. He scratched the side of his head and said "Yeah, he seems familiar."
The detective took out a notepad and pen. "Try to remember, it's very important." he said.
The homeless thought very hard to the point that his face was strained. Once he came to a realization he opened his eyes wide and snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! I remember! That's Clive! He looks cleaner in this picture." he said.
The detective began writing as the others paid close attention. "Okay where did you see him? How long ago did you see him?" asked the detective.
The homeless rubbed his chin with his hand while he tried to recall. "Hmm… I know I always see him around here somewhere," he said, "He's always handing me some food… but I don't remember when was the last time I saw him."
"Do you know what he looks like now?"
"Well like how he does in the picture obviously."
"Exactly like in the picture?"
"Well no his hair is long."
The detective finished writing down in his notebook. "Okay thank you, that's good enough." he said.
"Wait… are you guys cops? What did he do?" asked the homeless man.
"Nothing that concerns you," said the sergeant, "Thank you for your time sir."
The detectives turned back around and began surveying the area again. The homeless man continued walking along the tracks, but kept glancing back at them. The sergeant had gathered Donna and Bob.
"So what are you thinking sarge?" asked Donna.
"This is the most that we have and I say we work with it." said the sergeant.
"You thinking a stakeout?" asked Bob.
"Yes, and I think you and Donna should be the ones to do it while the detectives continue to search some more." said the sergeant.
"All right we'll do it." said Donna with a smirk.
Lee, Shiro, and Dodge were standing inside of the abandoned bar with other Red Dragon members and Gene Kleinman drinking scotch at the bar counter. Lee talked to Dodge privately in the corner of the room.
"My team and I will land in Ganymede in a couple of days," said Lee, "While I'm gone I want you and the other enforcers to lay low unless I say otherwise. Protect the lawyer too they'll be looking for him soon I'm sure."
"How are we going to need Kleinman?" asked Dodge.
"We don't need him, but he's going to open his mouth to Blue Snake if we don't keep him around."
"So we're keeping him hostage?"
"No we're doing him a favor, they'll kill him once they find out he helped us."
"Fine by me."
"But when he opens his mouth and he's in a ditch somewhere they'll come after us next and I can't have that happen just yet."
"All right. When will we hear from you?"
"After Basque and I talk."
"Did that lady really set up a meeting? She didn't seem too happy on the phone."
"That was fear Dodge, believe me we'll have them eating from our hands."
"Okay sir." said Dodge as he nodded his head.
"No more complaints right?" asked Lee.
"No sir." said Dodge.
Lee and Dodge shook hands. Lee turned around and walked toward a group of seven men and Shiro. He motioned his hand and said "Come on, let's go."
The men followed and Shiro stayed still while he focused on the pages of a black leather book that was on the bar counter.
Lee looked back as he was exiting the door. "Shiro." he said bluntly.
Shiro became aware and closed the book. "Yeah, yeah I'm coming." he said as he followed Lee and the team out the door.
In the afternoon on Ganymede Faye walked outside of the arena where they held the horse races. She sighed and threw a stack of tickets into the trash bin next to her.
She went to a restaurant and sat at the round patio tables outside. The tables all had a black, metal design and white umbrellas with red stripes going through the middle. She ate a bowl of soup while she read the newspaper for the statistics on the horse races. She brought the spoon up and slurped the soup. "Hmm…" she said with her mouth full.
Faye closed the newspaper to expose the front cover and set it down on the table. On the front in big bold letters the headline read:
GANYMEDE POLICE ANONOMOUSLY INFORMED ON DEMETRIUS BARDON'S WHEREABOUTS
She didn't pay any attention to the headline and continued eating. She brought the bowl closer to her face and drank from it. Faye put the bowl down and when she heard a little girl happily giggling. She gazed at a family as the father put the girl up on his shoulders and the mother laughed along. Faye's expression became dreary as she reminisced on her own memories. It was immediately interrupted as her phone rang. She growled angrily as she answered it.
"Yeah what is it?" asked Faye as Jet's face came up on the screen.
Jet was flying in his Hammerhead as he looked down at the console and spoke. "Faye you wouldn't happen to have any cash would you?" he asked.
Faye scowled. "No Jet, it's my share," she said, "I don't have to give you a single woolong."
Jet grumbled to himself as he saw Faye's dirty look on the screen. "Fine. Sorry I asked." he said angrily.
Faye sighed and thought to herself for a moment. "All right, why do you need it?" she asked reluctantly.
"I'm making all the payments and I'm running completely low."
"Well I don't have a lot."
"I don't need it right this moment, I just need you to save what's left or we're going to starve to death. Understand?"
"Okay, fine."
"That means no casinos, no horse races, no lottery machines, no nothing."
"Yeah, yeah Jet I'm not some little kid you know."
"All right, just making sure."
Julia was leaning on a railing. Spike walked behind her and then leaned next to her. He gazed at the side of her face, appreciating the magnificence of her beauty. She noticed and turned to look back at him. He shot a smile and she smiled back. But in that moment Spike remembered in the back of his mind he felt fear.
Julia and Spike walked to the front of a brick apartment building. Spike's face was melancholic and his demeanor was distant. Julia was ahead of him; when she felt the emotional distance between them she stopped before the entrance to the apartment building.
"What's wrong?" asked Julia.
Spike lifted his eyes to look at her. He said "I don't know… I feel like… never mind."
"It's okay," said Julia, "I understand." She ran her fingers through Spike's wild hair and she embraced him. Spike didn't react but he tried to enjoy every moment if it. Julia released and brushed back her blonde hair. Spike went ahead of her and opened the door. The door swung open and the sinister crow screeched and it flew into the air. There was Vicious standing at the top of the small staircase. Julia and Spike's eyes met Vicious' dark figure that stood above them. Vicious smirked like the devil.
Spike stood in The Bebop in the main bridge. He looked out the windows to the city and the docks that stretched for miles. The sun bathed his face and breathed in to feel its warmth. He brought a lit cigarette to his lips and inhaled the smoke. He blew out a cloud of the tobacco and rubbed his face with his hands. Spike felt light as a feather and nauseated; he put the cigarette out in the ashtray next to him and left the main bridge.
As Jet glided through the Ganymede sky his console received a phone call. He listened to it ring for moment and then he answered.
"Yeah?" asked Jet.
"Hey Jet you know how I was telling you about Demetri?" asked Bob.
"Yeah I remember."
Bob was in the dry docks. There was another police officer handing him two cups of coffee while he held his cell between his shoulder and his ear. He reached into his pocket to give the officer money. "Headquarters got a tip yesterday on where he's been living," he said, "Thanks for the coffee Tom."
"Really? From who?" asked Jet with a lightly surprised look on his face.
The officer got back in his police car and started the engine. Bob walked away with the cups in one hand and his other hand holding the cell to his ear. "We don't know he called from a payphone." he said.
"I bet ISSP is flying off the walls huh?" said Jet with a smirk.
"A little, but I actually got assigned to stake him out."
"They assigned a bum like you?"
"Hey take it easy, I didn't really want to do it but Shapiro insisted."
"You mean Donna?"
"Yeah she really wanted a case, but Basque's number one hit man is a little too much of a case if ask me."
Jet cleared his throat. "Why are you telling me this Bob?" he asked.
"Just a tip, I don't think he's going to show and when he doesn't they'll finally put a bounty on the bastard." said Bob.
"I already said I wasn't too keen on bounty hunting Bob."
"Yeah I know you said that Jet but the kid at the front desk told me you turned some small-fries the other day, I thought you had a change of heart."
"Well I am looking for some extra cash but like you said yourself Basque's number one hit man is a little too much."
"Come on Jet I've seen you and your crew take down some heavy-hitters, I know I don't say it often but the work you do is pretty admirable."
"Well I'll think about."
"When you change your mind give me call, you always know I have some extra info."
"Thanks Bob." Jet then hung up the call and put his attention back to the sky.
Bob put away the cell in his pocket and opened the door to the police car. The police car sat off to the side on a concrete hill of the dry docks, hidden. Donna was in the driver's seat looking down at the shack with hi-tech binoculars. As Bob sat down in the passenger's side Donna put down the binoculars and grabbed a coffee cup from his hand.
Bob shut the car door and took a sip from his coffee. "See anything?" he asked Donna.
"No the whole area's a lifeless graveyard." said Donna.
"I already told you I'm positive he's not gonna show."
"You're just saying that because you don't actually want to work."
"Think whatever you like Shapiro, guys like him are too smart to show back up."
Donna took a sip of her coffee and scowled in disgust. "What the hell Bob I said I wanted it with no cream and no sugar." she said.
"Oh sorry, I forgot you take it black," said Bob, "I can take it back and get you another one if you want."
"No it's fine Bob, I'm a grown woman I can handle a nasty cup of coffee."
Bob shrugged his shoulders and switched the window down. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and placed one between his lips.
"Who were you talking to on the phone just now?" asked Donna.
"Jet."
"Jet Black?"
"Yeah know any other Jets?" said Bob as he ignited his lighter.
"No, but why were you talking to him?"
Bob lit the cigarette with his lighter and then put the lighter away in his pocket. "Telling him about Bardon." he said.
"What?! Bob you know we can't be giving out that kind of information."
"Relax, it's Jet."
"I know he was a cop once, but he isn't anymore."
"Yeah he's a bounty hunter; information is more useful in their hands." said Bob as he blew a cloud of smoke out the window.
"It's things like that that give ISSP a bad name."
"I know the whole sad story. ISSP is just one big bad word, what are we going to do about it?"
"You can start by taking this a little more seriously."
"Well if I was taking it seriously, then I would get in your way right?"
"That was a joke Bob, of course I need back-up when he shows."
"I already told you this guy's not gonna show and even if he did-
Donna and Bob then both turned their attention to the area below. Donna picked up her binoculars and peered through them. She saw movement near the shack. "Speak of the devil," she said, "Not gonna show huh? What do you call that?"
"Donna don't get excited, we're not even close enough to see who it is yet." said Bob.
Donna exited out of the police car and lightly shut the door.
"Donna!" shouted Bob quietly as he followed after her.
Donna slowly made her way down the concrete hill with Bob treading behind. When they reached the bottom Donna began sprinting toward the shack. Her boots pounded against the gravel and she jumped over the railroad tracks. She stopped in front of the shack.
"All right dirtbag! Hands up!" she shouted.
There were two frightened boys with their hands in the air. One of them nervously dropped a spray can to the floor.
Bob reached the scene, panting. "See Donna it's just a couple of runts spraying graffiti crap on the shack." he said.
Donna growled angrily. "All right scram," she shouted, "beat it before we take you both in."
The boys nodded their heads in agreement and ran away. Donna angrily kicked the spray can.
"What, you upset because it wasn't him?" asked Bob.
"No I'm upset because I'm starting to think that you're right." said Donna.
"Hey look, maybe I'm being a little pessimistic okay? Maybe he'll show up one of these days, but you know as well as I do it's very rare for suspects to show up on day one."
"Yeah, yeah I know." said Donna as she walked back to the car.
The sun descended on Ganymede. Spike woke up on the couch in the main room of The Bebop. He sat up and stretched his arms. He stood up and walked toward the staircase to the main bridge. Up in the main bridge Spike looked outside the windows again. There he saw the Redtail and Faye sitting on the runway with her legs dangling off the edge.
Spike went downstairs and opened the hangar halfway. He walked out onto the runway and stood near Faye with his hands in his pockets. Faye brought a cigarette to her mouth and inhaled the smoke. She blew it out and asked "What do you want?"
Spike raised his eyebrow. "I probably shouldn't ask if you lost all your money huh?" he said.
"I didn't lose all of it, not that it's any of your business." said Faye with an attitude.
"Brash now, aren't we?" said Spike whimsically.
"You're really irritating sometimes you know."
"True. You could be a little nicer though."
"I don't the luxury of being nice; with all my debts everything and everyone is some kind of hassle."
"So you're out here because you can't stand being around me?"
"Not everything's about you Spike." said a jaded Faye.
Spike stayed silent for a moment. He stared at a boat that was making its way across the water. He then moved forward and dropped down to sit next to her. He took out a cigarette and lighter from his jacket pocket. He lit the cigarette and put the lighter away as the sun disappeared.
Spike hesitantly asked "So… what's really bothering you then?"
Faye turned to look at him. She raised her eyebrow in astonishment. "Why… do you want to know?" she asked.
"I guess you're right… sometimes I can be a bit of a jerk." said Spike.
"Whoa I never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth." said Faye.
"Well, I said it."
"Do you really want to know?"
"I… well I asked didn't I?"
"It's kind of sudden… I don't really know how to answer." Faye turned her face away and fixed her gaze on the harbor.
"You have been acting kind of weird since I got back… and I've been going over it in my head and I was remembering that last time I saw you. Do you remember what you said?"
"Yeah… my memory came back."
"What was it of?"
"My parents… my home and the people I knew. The way I talked and the way I thought." Faye had a quick flash in her head of the accident. She pictured the window breaking across the moon and the blood rising. Her eyes began trembling and she looked defeated as the memory faded.
"And you said nothing good came of it?" asked Spike as he watched her.
Faye's demeanor strengthened again and she took a deep breath. "Because there was nothing left." she said.
Spike and Faye stared at the water and the lights of the city for a while. Each of them had different memories flooding back and trying to come up with the right words to say. Something neither of them were used to. Faye put out her cigarette on the ashtray next to her.
Faye spoke again. "That's why I've been avoiding it I guess… if there was nowhere to go to then I at least wanted everything be normal again." she said.
"Yeah and I was no help huh?" said Spike.
Faye turned to look at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Look at us hiding from a syndicate and the police, always having to look over our shoulder." said Spike.
"Things still feel normal though. We're still arguing about the same old things and worrying about money all the time." said Faye with a smirk.
Spike scoffed light-heartedly. "Yeah you're right again." he said. Spike looked down to his side as he put out the cigarette on the edge of the runway. Faye thoughtfully gave the ashtray to Spike. They accidentally touched each other's hands when she passed him the ashtray. Clearing his throat, he put the cigarette in the ashtray and set it down.
He looked up at Faye as she continued to stare at him. Their gaze met, they both felt nervous and didn't say a word. Spike swallowed and slowly inched up his hand toward her face. He put his palm to the side of Faye's face. Impulsively Faye got closer to him. They were both breathing heavy and their hearts were pounding. Faye closed her eyes as Spike leaned in. Their faces seemed centimeters apart, their lips were quivering. Spike closed his eyes, as he was about to go all the way a gust of wind blew over them. Faye and Spike immediately opened their eyes and shook back into reality. They looked up to Jet's Hammerhead hovering above the runway.
Faye stood up and moved far away from Spike. Spike kept a straight face and contained himself. The pod to the Hammerhead opened.
"Faye, you gotta move your ship off the runway." said Jet as his voice battled the noise of the engine.
"Yeah, give me a second." said Faye. She turned around and passed by Spike without looking at him. She climbed aboard her Redtail and started it up. The hangar opened all the way and Faye flew her ship inside. Jet jolted the handle and the Hammerhead followed. Spike walked to the side of the hangar to avoid the space crafts. The ships landed inside and turned off. Faye quickly opened the pod to the Redtail and jumped out. She slammed the pod shut and made her way to the staircase. Spike stood close to the stairs but once again Faye looked down to avoid eye contact. He looked up to watch her rise the steps and go through the entrance.
Jet climbed down from his Hammerhead and reached the floor. He came up behind Spike and asked "What've you been up to all day?"
Spike continued to look up at the steps. "Nothing as usual." he said flatly.
It was past midnight on Ganymede. It began raining on the harbor where The Bebop was stationed and where Donna and Bob's police car was parked at the dry docks. Donna continued to look intently at the shack through binoculars. She saw the area through a night-vision lens but there was no activity. She put the binoculars down and yawned intensely. She turned to see that Bob had fallen asleep with his hand holding a cigarette out the open window.
As rain began to fall inside the car Donna patted Bob's shoulder. "Bob, wake up." she said.
Bob jolted awake and dropped the cigarette onto the ground. He pulled his arm inside the car and rubbed his sleepy eyes. "Was I out for long?" he asked.
"I don't know I've been too busy keeping an eye on the area." said Donna.
Bob began drying off his arm. "Have you seen anything down there?" he asked.
"No it's been silent. And roll up the damn window would you?!" shouted Donna.
"Oh yeah sorry." said Bob. He put his finger on the switch and looked out. He was about to switch the window up when he saw something shining straight across. He squinted his eyes to focus on it and then he heard a pop. A canister shot and flew straight. Bob gasped as he saw it coming. But it happened in an instant; the canister hit Bob in the face and fell into the police car. Bob was knocked unconscious and Donna turned to see the canister releasing smoke.
She gasped and tried to open the door but the smoke worked quickly and made her drowsy. Donna was barely able to get the car door open. With her dazed vision she looked through the windshield to see a hooded figure running past the car. She opened the door all the way and slumped onto the wet ground. The last thing she saw was the rain pattering on the ground.
The figure made its way down the concrete hill with the rain splashing water every which way. When it reached the lower level it began running rapidly toward the shack. It leaped over the train tracks and ran inside the shack. The figure took out a lighter to illuminate the place. It removed its hood to reveal that it was Demetrius Bardon. He set down the duffel bags that he was carrying and removed the tarp that was covering the floor. There was a slab of concrete that was fit inside the floor. He put the lighter away, got on his knees and placed his fingers around the edges. He lifted the concrete and looked down inside the square hole. There was a safe inside with a keypad that lit up with a blue light around the numbers. As the blue light lit up his face Demetrius punched in a code to the safe and opened the door with water dripping off his long hair. He reached inside for weaponry and more duffel bags.
He took out the lighter and shone the place once again. He unzipped one of the duffel bags to expose stacks of paper money woolongs. He stuck his hand inside and rummaged past the money to take a glass bottle of gasoline with a rag. He zipped the bag up and threw all of the items over his shoulders with countless straps. He placed the slab back in the concrete to disguise the floor once again and put the tarp over it. He stood up and grabbed the gasoline bottle. Demetrius backed out of the shack and used his lighter to ignite the rag inside the bottle. He threw the bottle inside the shack. The glass broke and the fire began spreading on the floor. He ran away with all the items, following the train tracks, as the fire began to consume the shack.
The police car was sitting idly as Bob was unconscious on the dashboard and Donna was on the floor. The radio inside the car began dialing in. There was an officer on the other end. "Hello officers?" asked the officer, "I'm here to check in." There was silence. "Hello?" asked the officer again but with a worried tone.
A/N: Well that was the first (somewhat) love scene between Spike and Faye. I have to admit it was pretty difficult. I hope nothing seemed too out of character. But we also have to remember they're both pretty vulnerable right now. This is my longest chapter yet! I had a lot of fun writing this one because:
1. I was able to blend the time frame of the characters for the first time.
2. I always love writing more for Donna.
3. And the introduction of Demetrius Bardon.
Hope you all enjoyed! See you Space Cowboys and Cowgirls!