Cowboy Bebop: Blue

Session #2: Diggin

The Bebop docked on the river. The waves of the water rolling and crashing against the siding of the ship. The Hammerhead descends from the silent, night, sky and lands on deck before rolling into the hangar. Jet cut off the engine and opened the cockpit. Axle clung to the bounty hunter's back and slept peacefully. Drool running from the corner of his mouth and down Jet's back. Jet secured the child's arms around his neck and climb from the ship, picking up a duffel bag containing Axle's belongings. Jet slowly entered the living room of the Bebop being careful not to wake the boy.

Faye lounged on the sofa . A lit cigarette between her fingers, staring blankly at the television on the weather channel. She took a drag and tapped the ashes off onto the floor behind the couch. She turned her attention to Jet standing in the doorway watching her. He sighed at the sight of the proud woman wallowing in her sorrow and walked away. Carrying Axle down the hall and turned into his bedroom. Jet laid Axle on his bed and sat the duffel bag on the floor. Jet watched Spike's son sleep and asked himself one question. "Is Axle afraid of the dark?" He reached and clicked on an old lamp at bedside. He watched the youngster sleep and snore lightly for a moment. Imagining that's how Spike must have looked at six-years-old before exiting the room.

Jet reentered the living room lighting up a cigarette of his own. He approached a window and looked out on the city of Mars Mullo, exhaling smoke through his nose. Faye sat up on the couch and lit up another cigarette. Taking a drag on it.

"Who's the kid? You're not going to make it a habit to take in strays are you?"

Jet doesn't respond. He just keeps looking out over the river through the smoke rising from the cigarette.

"He's not another kooky computer hacker, is he?"

Jet turned away from the window and went and took a seat on the couch beside Faye, digging out his cigarette in the dirt of a bonsai that sat on the rusting, aluminum, coffee table. He picked up a bottle of whiskey Faye had sitting on the table and took a long swing. Jet slammed the bottle back down with a cough as the liquor burned so good in his chest. Faye picked the bottle back up and took a sip.

"What the hell am I doing...Have you ever taken a leap of faith, Faye?"

"Huh?"

"Have you ever just done something for someone you were just so unsure of and afterward you just pray you've done the right thing?"

"My entire life is a leap of faith. I take chances for people and I get burned. I try to keep my leaps at a minimum and with caution."

"I wish I could do that. I always try to be as cautious as I can...as smart as I can, but I always end up going out of my way for my comrades. My loyalty shall be the end of me."

"Are you talking about the kid? Who is he, Jet?"

"His name is Axle. He's Spike's boy."

Faye's jaw dropped. Her cigarette fell from her lips and the whiskey bottle slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor. Jet glanced over at the woman, still flabbergasted by Jet's statement.

"You owe me some whiskey."

"When you say his 'boy', you mean like...his son?"

"Mmhmm...", Jet grunted as he lit up another cigarette.

"Wow...I never knew that about Spike. I never would have guessed that about him, considering he always said he hated kids."

"There's a lot you never knew about Spike. There's a lot I didn't know about Spike. I could count on him not to shoot me in the back and that was always good enough for me."

"What's he doing here? What are you going to do with him?"

"Hell if I know, Faye...It was Spike's last request to me. I can't deny him that."

"You were right, Jet."

"Huh?"

"Your loyalty will be the end of you."

Next Time on Cowboy Bebop: Blue...

You see life as what it is and you're proud of it. You know that plans don't turn out how you want them, but you're not going to blame life for it. You're resilient and full of life and always ready for what's next.

Session #3 Ask DNA