Vicious stood beside Coria, leaning heavily upon her as he struggled to maintain his balance. His breathing was ragged, and concern was written plainly across her face. He switched his weight carefully from her to the podium before him. Tubes and wires led from various machines to his body. It was a painful sight to anyone.

"You are fools!" He spoke hoarsely making Spike's skin crawl with every word. "Spike, I'm-" His eyes closed for a moment and his face contorted in obvious pain. The screen flickered, and Vicious' lips moved but no sound came through the speakers, and then the connection was lost.

Cursing Spike sat back still shaking as Vicious' words sank in, and as the entire situation as he know it fell apart into something else. Something he could not recognized or comprehend without struggle.

"Anybody been that boy I hired?" Asked Jet breaking the silence.

"Not for awhile." Answered Faye standing to leave, and then stopped looking anxiously at Spike. "Don't do anything rash."

"How is he?" Coria asked anxiously of Kirin. The city below was blissfully silent as she gazed down upon it.

"Not good, but he wanted to do it. Don't beat yourself up over it. You couldn't have stopped him without killing him yourself." He sighed heavily sitting on the edge of her desk.

"What's wrong?"

"Seven more vanished today. You must know Telia and I will not leave you. We were as much for this as you were if not more so."

"I thank you for your support. You know, you two are not underlings in my eyes. You are my equals and have equal say in whatever happens."

"Yeah, but do you really want us all to live long enough to look like those outdate fossils Vicious disposed of?"She laughed lightly sitting down and knocking the pile of papers into the floor carelessly.

"Let's have fun while we can then. Enough of these papers. I want action going on. You and Telia will take two ships and take out some of the ISSP's hovering just out of range. I'm tired of them looking down on us."

He nodded turning on his heel and left her to her thoughts in peace.

"Coria," came a voice through her intercom, "we have caught a man sneaking through our supplies."

"Bring him to me immediately."

Before her not long after was the last person she wanted to see at that moment. She strummed her fingers impatiently as her brother was presented to her. Disheveled and beaten he could hardly see through one eyes; his other was swollen shut. He gazed up at her defiantly as he was held in place by two soldiers.

"You are supposed to be on the Bebop! Why are you not there?" She growled low in her throat kneeling before him to meet his gaze equally. "How long have they been unsupervised?"

"Go to hell you crazy bitch and take your minions with you! No longer are you the sister I once knew!" He spat as those holding him shoved him down lower harder.

"Only if you swear to come with me brother dearest."

Hours after the transmission three ISSP ships were destroyed. No emergency transmissions went out, and all crews were presumed dead.

"You two sure you want to go out there?" Asked Jet one last time as he finished reloading the ships' weapons.

"We have to do something." Snapped Spike angrily.

Loaded up and boarded they shot from the docking bay into the danger zone around Mars. Jet stayed behind nervously cursing their foolishness. "I'll be damned if those two hot bloods ever learn."

"A swordfish has entered the battle zone ma'am. And another ship we have yet to get a good look at." Informed Telia's messenger to Coria.

"This begins to irritate." She stood looking out at the battle taking place before her between ships. "Anything else?"

"The swordfish is breaking through the lines toward the surface of Mars. The pilot is either a lunatic or damn brave."

"No, he is neither. He's determined to get through, and he has a purpose. Turn us back toward the surface. I want to be there when he begins to attack the head quarters, and I will be the one to slay him."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Begin evacuation!" Shouted Telia as she and Kirin race behind Coria. Their landing had been chaotic, and the surface wasn't in their control any longer. Loyal troop fled the surface hesitantly, and prisoners were release adding to the confusion already among the soldiers.

Throwing open her office doors Coria slammed them back shut barring them. "You two are dismissed from service."

"What!?" Kirin's eyes went wide with disbelief as he turned to face her.

"Are you insane?" Asked Telia rubbing at the scars on her throat.

"I don't intend for you two to die here. You're both too good for that. All records are clean, and you two have been hired as body guards together on Venus."

"What if we refuse to leave you?" Kirin questioned furiously.

"Too bad. This is your final assignment. You two have been hired on together, and the pay is good. Take one of the larger ships and pile as many innocents into it as possible. That should easily get you both out of here without question."

As their hesitation she pulled her training it on them. Finally, after several moments they acquiesced and left fleeing down hall. She didn't bother latching it behind them.

"Come on Spike, hurry up before someone else decides to try and take me."

Choas, that was what it was. Time slowed as people where shot down outside her doors. Police came and went never noticing the sliding panel to Vicious' room where she waited patiently. She stared down as Vicious as his vital signs slowed and then stopped. The door behind her slammed open and she stood their unfazed.

Spike watched her carefully as she stood there staring no longer at Vicious but at the screaming machines around her. "Damn you. Why didn't you come sooner!?" Angrily ash threw down the machines knocking them down, and shattering them. "You have no sense of time!"

Spinning around she caught him off guard knocking his gun out of his hand. Their struggle was brutal, as they traded swings, and attempted to gain the upper hand over the other. Shouldering him Coria shoved Spike head-over-heels, and pulled the knife from her boot bearing down at him.

"You will die!" Coria's eyes were wide and crazed. He watched as time seemed to slow, and she paused eyes narrowed as she turned back to the bed where Vicious lay. Spike had never heard the gunshot that pierced her heart. He only saw the blood trickling from her wound, and the gun fall from Vicious' hand.

Crumbling to the floor Coria stared up at Spike curiously. "Tell them it's over. I'm in no position to keep this going any longer." Blood trickled from the side of her mouth as she went limp.

Silently Spike retreated from the scene to his ship. "Faye?"

"What?" He was relieved to hear her voice through the communicator.

"Go back to the Bebop. It's over. . ."

A/N: Yes, I am stil alive. Expect a new story for the crew of bebop by late may. The first chapter is already in the works. . . .in my head that is.