Cowboy Bebop: Blue

Session #3: Ask DNA

The boy awoke to darkness and the air conditioner blowing down on his head. Axle sat up in the bed and looked around the unfamiliar room for any indication of how long he'd been asleep. The clock on the wall blinked "12:00 PM", it was no help. He climbed off the bed and cautiously exited the room. The boy stood in the strange, dimly lit, hallway. The whole ship was quiet short of the hum of the engine and creaky pipes. Axle took a deep breath and timidly turned and moved down the hall. He squinted as he entered the sunlit living room, rubbing them so they could adjust quickly. He stepped up to the window and looked out to the passing scenery as the Bebop trekked down the river. Axle touched his hand to the thick, glass, warmed from the sun. He couldn't help but to smile, feel a sense of excitement. He was out of that orphanage and was actually going to see parts of the galaxy he had only heard about in stories.

The quiet of the ship and Axle's thoughts were suddenly disturbed by snoring coming from behind him.

He turned to find an attractive, violet-haired, woman, sprawled out on the couch, snoring loudly. Axle slowly and quietly started to make his way out of the room. The sound of broken glass crunching emanated from beneath the boy's sneaker. Faye sprung up in her seat, wiping away drool and smudged lipstick from her cheek with the back of her hand. She ran her fingers through her hair as she yawned, reaching for a cigarette. The woman sat back on the sofa and lit up the cigarette, taking a drag, before noticing the child nervously staring at her.

"You're that kid Jet was talking about. What was your name? Arnold?"

"Axle, Ma'am..."

"Lose the 'ma'am', kid. It's Faye. I'm not nearly old enough to be a 'ma'am'."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't mention it, kid."

Faye took another drag on her cigarette and laid back, crossing her legs, exhaling into the air, swaying her foot from side to side to a groove only she can seem to hear. Or maybe it's just her hangover.

"So, how old are you?"

"Six. Six-years-old."

"I don't remember a whole lot from when I was six."

Faye peeked from behind her thigh, the kid's jittery leg and shy demeanor amused her, but she understood. She remembered back to when she was reawaken to this world. Thrown into a new life, unsure if you should trust these strangers, not knowing where you are going, or even where you really came from. Faye sat up, shoving her cigarette into that same empty beer can, she turned to Axle with the most friendly smile she could muster.

"Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"I hope you like eggs. For some reason we have a lot of eggs."

Jet awoke at his workbench to the sound of chatter and the smell of eggs cooking from the kitchen. He sat up scratching his scalp. He turned on the stool he sat on, picked his boots up from off the floor, and pulled them on. Jet exited the room, moving stiffly through the ship, curious about the commotion, wondering what was happening between Axle and Faye and how mean she could possibly be to the boy. The closer he got he heard something he had never heard from the brash woman, laughter. Jet stepped up by the doorway and peeked into the room. Axle sat at an old, card table, Faye stood by the stove scrambling eggs and making conversation with the six-year-old.

"And then I knocked Teddy Bomber out cold. I mean I really cleaned his clock. All the while your dad and Andy were climbing up the side of City Hall, they were so concerned about their stupid feud that they forgot they were chasing a bounty in the first place. So, Jet and I ended up with the reward and Spike ended up with dozens of cans of some crappy, canned, stew."

"Wow...Is that true?"

"You can bet your ass it is. Think you'd like to be a cowboy too?"

"A cowboy? Like Jesse James?"

"Well, definitely not like Andy."

Axle let out a giggle and a Faye's lips curled up into a genuine smile. "Well, good morning.", Jet said as he stepped into the room with a wave and a jolly smile on his face.

"Faye! Are you cooking? Or am I still dreaming?"

"Don't get used to it or you shall be greatly disappointed."

"You never disappoint me, Faye. I've come to know what to expect from you."

"Well then, you can expect no breakfast for you. It's all for me and Alex here."

"Axle.", The boy added.

"Right. So, why don't you go and trim your silly ferns."

"First of all, they're bonsais and they're not silly, it's an ancient art form. Secondly, I'd like to talk with Axle first. Would that be alright?"

Axle thought for a moment and glanced over at the eggs cooking on the stove top. He was quite hungry, but knew it would be disrespectful to turn down the man that took him in.

"Uh..OK"

Jet left the kitchen and Axle followed closely behind so not to get lost. Jet lead the boy to the hangar. It was cold, but a comfortable cold that the child rather liked.

Jet walked over to a large, structure, covered in a sheet. He grabbed a fistful of the fabric and and yanked it way unveiling the Swordfish II. Axle approached the machine and touched his hand against the cool, steel, savoring the sensation.

"Do you know what this is?"

"A Zipcraft?"

"Not quite. It's a MONO Racer. The Bebop is a MONO Boat, this is a MONO Racer."

"Wow..."

Jet opened the cockpit to the Swordfish and helped Axle climb inside. Axle looked over the instruments and controls, took the throttles in his hands, and smiled at the thought of being a great space adventurer someday and traveling the traverse in this very ship.

"It was your Dads. Someday it just may be yours."

Axle snapped out of his daydream and switched his focus to Jet.

"Really?"

"That's right. He had it a long time. He and that ship had seen a lot of places, all kinds of adventures."

"Jet?"

"Hmm?"

"What was my Dad like?"

"Spike was a hard man to understand. Very...laid back would be the word I'd use. Sarcastic, Headstrong and reckless. He was loyal though and a good friend, even though half the type you wanted to strangle him."

Jet couldn't help but to chuckle at that remark and Axle couldn't help but to smile.

"Jet?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you teach me to be a cowboy?"

Next Time on Cowboy Bebop: Blue...

You're fun and often bubbly, you're certainly the chipper one of the bunch and I bet you're pretty cool the be around. You're probably not fond of commitment, but you're curious and flirty personality is how you get the most of life.

Session #4 Cosmic Dare