Here's where all the plans begin to come together...and Faye tries for some reconciliation. I'd love to hear your thoughts as we delve deeper into this crazy rescue ;) And, as always, thanks to all my readers!

Session Twenty Seven

Jet ran a hand over his head and stared at his computer screen for what seemed like the thousandth time. After calling Bob in on a few more favors, he'd convinced his old friend to give him access to the ISSP building database. Everyone who built something on any of the planets was required to go through ISSP's County Division (a name that had stuck around since Earth times) to get the proper permits to build. In a city as developed as Tharsis, even the Syndicates would have gone through the permits office to build their extravagant above-ground towers and penthouses. Of course, they did it all under legal-sounding names and business ventures, but ISSP's County Division never asked too many questions anyway. Jet had the blueprints to the current Dragon Tower pulled up on his computer screen, and was comparing them with paper copy blueprints of the old Dragon Tower he'd dug out of Spike's room.

"Ok, Ed, where did you say they had Leon again?" he looked over at his phone, which he had propped against an ashtray so he could talk to Ed.

"Currently?" she chirped from the phone screen.

"Yeah."

"Let me do a look-see," she sang, disappearing from Jet's view. He heard furious typing in the background, along with some oohing and aahing from Ed.

Jet's third cigarette of the night dangled between his metal fingers, slowly burning up. He'd called a rather exhausted sounding nurse at the hospital earlier to speak with Ed. The nurse sounded relieved that he was going to occupy Ed's time for a few hours.

From what he'd seen of her on his screen, Ed was already up and moving around, even if it was lacking her usual speed. She wasn't hooked up to any tubes or wires this evening and it appeared that she'd wrangled someone's desk and turned it into her center of command. Ed kept whizzing in and out of Jet's field of view (in a rolling chair, he guessed) and he caught glimpses of Tomato and other computers all hooked up to each other.

"Ed, tell me you haven't stolen a nurses' station," Jet muttered, facepalming.

Ed zoomed back into his field of view. "Edward, steal?" she fluttered big amber eyes at him. "Never!" Ed crossed her heart. "Jet and Faye Faye and Spike person taught Ed better than that."

Jet had to laugh despite himself. "Right, so you requisitioned a nurses' station?"

"That's the word!" Ed pointed a finger gun at Jet through the screen. "Ed figured she'd put it to better use than the nurses anyway. They were just doing boring stuff like answering the phone and looking at records, nyah." Ed stuck out her tongue like she'd tasted something bad.

Jet took a draw on his cigarette to hide his smile. He'd have to cross Tharsis General off the list of hospitals he could take injured crew members to. After Ed, they probably wouldn't trust anybody from the Bebop in a ten-foot radius of any hospital equipment.

Oh well, we got bigger fish to fry.

Ed zipped out of view again. "Here we go, Jet," she said. "Ed has Leo's position."

"Hit me."

"Eleventh floor," Ed said. "It looks like some kind of private suite for fancy-pants broo ha ha."

"Um, right." Jet wasn't sure what fancy-pants broo ha ha was, but when he found the corresponding room on the blueprints he guessed that was an accurate description of it. It was the largest room on the eleventh floor and it seemed to have been built for visiting guests of honor at the Dragon Tower. "Why would they put Leon there?" Jet muttered. Especially if they're just going to kill him in two days. Jet hadn't mentioned that part to Ed yet because he didn't want to worry her more.

Ed showed back up on-screen and shrugged. "Ed thought they would put him in the dungeon."

"Me too, Ed," Jet muttered, scanning the rest of the eleventh floor on the blueprints. Most of the floor was taken up by office space or conference rooms - a floor Jet imagined the Dragon would use to host important guests so that they could be close to any meetings they had to attend. So why put Leon there?

"Is there anyone with him?" Jet asked.

"No," Ed shook her head. "He's alone. It looks like he's...having tea?" Ed sounded puzzled.

"Wait, you can see him?"

"Of course Ed can see him," she answered like it was obvious. "Ed hacked the Dragon's security cameras. Ed can see live-feed from the Dragon and heat signatures too."

"That's brilliant, Ed," Jet said. "Now we can keep tabs on Leon no matter where they take him."

"Yup, yup!"

"Has he had any visitors while we've been talking?"

"No. It looks like there's one guard outside his door, but there's nobody else on the floor right now."

Jet put his head in his chin in thought. Why would they keep Leon in such a nice room without a heavy guard? The Dragon obviously didn't expect him to run. But Jet knew he'd expect Leon to fight if he were holding him prisoner. So, either the Dragon was sure that Leon wasn't going to run, or they had enough firepower in the building that they weren't worried about him running. So far, it didn't look like the kid was fighting the Dragon. Maybe he didn't think he could? Maybe he thought the Bebop wasn't coming for him and the fight wasn't worth it? Or, God forbid, he thought he'd go out like Spike and he was staying to make a suicide run on The Dragon. Jet shuddered.

Perhaps the Syndicate had convinced him that he'd been abandoned by his friends. Perhaps they were still trying to convince Leon to join them by tricking him into believing there wasn't any rescue. Jack seemed pretty certain they wanted to kill him, but Jack was just a henchman. How much could he actually know? The sinking feeling in the pit of Jet's stomach wouldn't let him discount what Jack said though. It sounded like something the Dragon would do. In fact, it was something Faye had suggested to Leon when they first picked the kid up. Jet and Faye both knew how tenacious the Dragon could be. He wasn't about to take any chances. There was no way he would let that kid stay with the Dragon any longer than necessary.

"...and then we zoom-zoom and pew-pew and ride off into the sunset!"

Jet suddenly realized that Ed had been talking to him this entire time.

"Jet, are you even listening to Ed?" she asked, putting her face close to the screen and raising one eyebrow.

"No, sorry, Edward, I was thinking. What did you say?"

Ed rolled her eyes. "Ed said she had a plan, but Jet didn't want to hear it."

"No, no, I want to hear your plan," Jet said.

Just then, he heard footsteps on the stairs. Out of his peripheral, Jet saw Faye enter the bridge, but he didn't look up from the phone. She stopped at the top of the stairs, like she wasn't sure she should interrupt Jet's conversation.

"On second thought, Ed, I'm going to have to call you back," Jet said.

"Jeeeeet! That's not fair!"

"I need to talk to...someone."

"Is it Faye Faye?" Ed asked.

Jet answered after a moment's hesitation. "Yes."

"Why can't Ed talk too? Ed wants to talk to Faye Faye!"

"Sorry, Ed, you can say hi later." Jet hit the button to disconnect the call, feeling sorry for the nurses who would have to put up with a disgruntled Ed. He'd make it up to her later. And maybe find some way to apologize to the nurses as well.

"Hey," he said, looking up at Faye for the first time. He scowled. She was wearing some of Spike's old clothes, a pair of dark slacks and a button-up with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. She carried Leon's trench coat under one arm and fiddled nervously with a fedora in her hands. She looked taller and...flatter...somehow. She squirmed under Jet's scrutiny of her new look.

"Hi," she finally said. She walked up to the edge of the table and looked down at the blueprints. "Planning a rescue?"

"Damn right, I am."

"Jet, I…" Faye paused and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. And I want to help."

Jet sighed and ran a hand over his head. "You know it's a little hard to trust you right now, Faye."

"I know," she said. Jet looked up at her in surprise. He'd expected her to argue. "I know I screwed up," she continued. "And I know you probably can't forgive me for this yet. But, if you'll have me, consider this my formal apology and my chance to redeem myself. I want in on the rescue."

Jet sat for a long moment in silence. "I don't know why I keep taking you back after all you've done, Faye," he finally said.

"Out of the goodness of your heart?" Faye tried to joke, but she felt like Jet had just stabbed her with a knife and twisted it.

Jet snorted. "I think you've already used your fair share of 'goodness.' Look, Faye, it's one thing to cheat me out of my money. It's another animal entirely when you try to get Leon killed."

"I didn't try to get him-"

Jet held up a hand to stop her. "Everything you do has consequences," he said. "And those consequences are your responsibility. Even the ones you don't intend. Sometimes, I honestly don't know how you live with yourself at night."

Faye looked at him steadily. "You know, right now, neither do I, Jet. So give me something to do so that I can."

Jet looked shocked. He hadn't expected Faye to feel regret this deeply. "Alright," he said gruffly. "Then there's no point beating this horse into the ground. I take it you have a plan?" he said, gesturing to Faye's clothes.

"I have an insane and crazy idea that might fit into the plan you and Ed are making."

"It doesn't have anything to do with calling the Dragon, does it?" The expression of hurt on Faye's face almost made him regret his words.

"No, it doesn't," she said, her tone final.

"Good."

"Is there any way I can make it up to you, Jet?"

Jet gave her a wan smile. "Not right now," he said frankly. "I've got a lot to think through, you being on the top of the list."

Faye deflated at Jet's honesty, but she swallowed and nodded. "I understand," she said.

"Look, Faye, it's really not me you need to worry about making up with," Jet said. "It's Leon. Assuming we get the kid back in one piece."

Faye went a shade paler. "I know. Which is all the more reason we've got to get him back. I need to tell him I'm sorry. For everything."

Jet nodded, looking serious.

"Does Ed know?" Faye asked.

Jet shook his head. "She doesn't seem to remember anything from the casino after she got shot. But I'll leave that to you to explain. I also haven't told her that the Dragon plans to kill Leon."

Faye nodded. "Ok," she said.

"So, what's this crazy idea of yours?" Jet asked, lacing his fingers in front of him and trying to relax.

"Well," Faye said slowly. "I'm the one who got Leon into this mess, so I want to be the one to get him out."

Jet's eyes slowly widened. "You're going to switch places with him, aren't you?" he asked.

Faye nodded. She put the fedora on her head, tucking her hair up under it. Then she slipped into the trenchcoat. "Do you think it'll work?" she asked.

Jet tilted his head, studying Faye for a long moment. He had seen Faye transform herself into a lot of people before, but never a man. And never someone who looked so much like Spike. With a wig and some makeup, he imagined she'd do a pretty good impression of Leon so long as they didn't give the Dragon a chance to study Faye up close. But in the chaos Jet knew their rescue plan would entail, he figured this crazy scheme might actually work.

"Well...it's a long shot," Jet said. "But I think that you might be able to pull it off. We'll need to find you a wig," he said. "And you'll have to work your makeup magic on your face. But this might actually be the missing piece to the puzzle Ed and I are trying to solve."

Despite herself, Faye smiled under the hat. "Then let's call Ed and get Leon back, shall we?"

Ed picked up almost as soon as the phone rang. "Jet, you son of a-" she stopped mid-yell when she saw Faye standing behind Jet. "Oh, hi, Faye Faye!" Ed waved, grinning. "Why are you dressed all funny?" she asked. "You look like Spike person." She screwed up her nose. "How come Jet didn't let me talk to you?"

"I'll fill you in later, Edward," Faye said. "But right now, we need to make a plan."

"Oh! Ed has a plan!" Ed said, giving Jet the stink eye.

"Right," Jet said, putting a hand to his neck. "Sorry I hung up on you, Ed. You can tell us your plan now. I'm all ears."

"Ok, like Ed was saying before, we should get someone on the inside of the Dragon tower by pretending to have them join one of the other Syndicates. Jet said the Dragon is playing tea-party with the Snake and Tiger in two days, so there will be lots of confusion with people arriving at the Tower all at once. We should be able to send someone inside sneaky-sneaky. Then, they find Leon. Once they do that, Ed disables the cameras and they run like hell to where Jet has the Bebop waiting outside the tower. We pick up Leon and then disappear into the sunset!" Ed pumped a fist in the air.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Ed?" Jet asked.

"What?"

"You're in the hospital."

"You can just pick up Ed on your way to the sunset." Ed smiled.

Jet chuckled. "You always make everything sound so easy, Ed."

"Well, if you think it will be, then it is." Ed winked.