A love affair
Baby, let's keep it out of our feelings
Baby, be fair
Making promises is dangerous
I'm just a phase I'm just your valentine - Rina Sawayama
˚₊‧꒰ა ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Hold The Girl: "Alterlife"
Act I
"I wish she would stop hurting me," a young girl said. She had wrapped her arms around her body and looked down. "It hurts." She sat on the floor of a small dirty room and leaned against a wall. The floor was made out of old cedar and showed wear and tear made by the critters and mites infesting the weathered two-story home. The walls were dingy and water stained.
The clothes she donned were a dirty and mangy sundress, and ill-fitting socks. Her hair had been long once, but its length was now well above her ears. The haircut courtesy of the woman the girl was hiding from.
The girl shook in fear. Her small hand rubbing up and down her leg to sooth the stinging pain that was beginning to subside.
The yelling heard coming from the other room wouldn't stop, the drugs permeating from the other room wouldn't stop filling the room, and the blood, cuts,scars, and bruises wouldn't stop. They never did.
What made it different this time?
The child closed her eyes and leaned against the corner–where both walls met. "Maybe if I disappeared…she wouldn't- she wouldn't be so mad or unhappy."
Sniffling some more, she rubbed at her eyes. "I'm scared."
Tears uncontrollably sprang at her eyes again. "I can't take the pain. I don't want to fall asleep again…my head hurt."
"I know you're in there!" A woman's voice bellowed. The child started to shake in fear.
"Ai hia!" The adult yelled. "I'm gonna break the door down!"
"Help," the little girl pleaded quietly. Her eyes closed. "Jei jei…"
˚₊‧꒰ა ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Faye Valentine didn't say much when she looked at Jet for the first time after Spike left. Why would she? They both knew how everything had gone.
What was everything?
Faye didn't like putting a name to things. Things that'd soon diminish once everyone got sick of each other.
It was how everything in her life was up to this point.
"I'm sorry," Jet said. His voice was a lot quieter than she was used to. Thoughtful and maybe a little somber. Who knew?
Again, she didn't like putting a name to much of anything. Especially when she started to feel it matter.
When things mattered that was when she got the itch to take-off.
If she was willing to admit it, that was when the ones who started to matter to her took off if she wasn't one step ahead.
So, when she heard Jet utter an apology, that was when she had to turn her head away. Because if she didn't, he'd see her glistening eyes and the way she held her knuckles to her mouth. She wouldn't cry again.
She wasn't a baby.
Therefore, she stood up from the yellow couch she'd been sitting on and walked to her room.
Everything was heavy.
˚₊‧꒰ა ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
It'd been a good 5 days before she got the courage to get out of bed and "participate". After she stopped sniffing her nose and holding herself, she decided she wasn't going to feel bad anymore.
It wasn't fair to herself. Nor was it fair to Jet. He hadn't bothered her, and had left her food for the past 5 days, in the front of her bedroom door. While she stayed cooped up in her own misery.
Apparently, he'd gotten a few small-time bounties, despite his leg injury.
And with them both just on the Bebop, it was enough to get 4 pounds of premium beef and more fuel for the Bebop.
So, she decided to start pulling her own weight around.
Who cared about the little girl and the data dog? Who cared about the man with a death wish?
She could carry on with her life and make something of herself.
She could try.
Jet was still in his room that morning, the door closed to indicate so.
With a burst of small enthusiasm, she took Jet's hammerhead and headed to the nearby city that so happened to be Alba. Maybe Jet wanted to avoid the city that was as far away from the enclave that housed the place-that-shall-not-be-named.
Once she landed a bit of distance at a stop, she got started on her mission. She tightened her red sweater about her torso, and put on her shades.
Swallowing loudly and briefly closing her eyes (you've got this, Faye), she started walking in the North direction. Despite taking the cash that was left in the sugar jar in the kitchen, she was still strapped.
"I can't come back empty handed," She mumbled to herself annoyedly.
How would she explain the empty cookie jar?
Maybe she'd never go back to the old fishing vessel. Yet, she had an inkling that she was lying to herself.
Her conscience, who was a lot more sound and self-aware, chastised her.
As she continued walking, she stopped at an LED directory stand. Her finger ran down the list of establishments. From massage parlors with "happy endings" to noraebangs that served 50 cent beer, her finger stopped at one name in particular that was pretty self-explanatory.
"Bingo," She said with a smile.
˚₊‧꒰ა ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Faye looked at her communicator, and read over the details regarding JJ Biyu. No one knew JJ's gender. But after winning a game of Chuck-a-luck at a gambling hall disguised as a Buddhist temple, she was able to get in on a betting pool that was leaning toward the favor of the majority. About 75 percent of the pool guessed JJ was a man. The remaining percent were apparently shit out of luck unless one of the 25 percents could actually have the balls to go and see for themselves.
"JJ likes frequenting hostess bars," She said to herself. "Fuck."
With the newly acquired cash and a bit more luck, Faye managed to pop into a nearby boutique that sold all sorts of costumes and women apparel.
Most of the staff didn't bother to greet her (which she didn't mind. She wanted to be left alone. Alas, they were missing out on adding a sale to their commissions).
She went over to the area that displayed hoards of gaudy colored dresses. From bright yellow princess dresses to fuchsia tight slip dresses, she had a lot to choose from. Instead of being picky about it, and spending an hour indecisive, she did what she was best at.
She gambled.
She chose blindly from a rack for petites and went over to shoes.
She was an 8.5 in heels. So, she requested a pair of d'orsays from a bored looking young woman who had an affinity for eye make up.
Once Faye paid for the disguise and walked out into Alba City's polluted air, she walked back to the glowing directory stand.
Eventually she found a decent naming hotel that included the words "cheap" and "clean".
She counted the money in her hand, and using her communicator she checked the balance on her card. She was still sitting comfortably, considering she'd bested the housewife who had a penchant for laughter when she thought she was winning. Coincidentally, the housewife was actually sitting on cash.
Faye took the bus card out of her pocket and walked to a nearby depot.
Considering the fact that a lot had happened in Alba City once upon a time (A murderer, famine outbreak, alleged glowing butterflies, pumpkin parade, and etc.), she didn't (with force) break out into a cold sweat due the possibility of thinking of…them.
JJ Biyu. That was who she needed to worry about. Therefore, she sobered up and listed out what was known about JJ Biyu.
JJ has never taken off their mask.
JJ fights with weapons or doesn't fight with weapons. Very unpredictable.
Gun of choice is a Glock.
JJ never speaks
JJ starts fights
JJ doesn't kill
JJ is wanted for damages and for ATTEMPTING to kill five people.
JJ frequents hostess bars, but has been seen in casinos and churches.
To Faye, JJ was a small potato. Not only would she be a couple thousand woolongs richer after turning in JJ, but she'd earn some respect. Jet wouldn't run out of premium beef anymore, and she'd be a couple steps nearer to her goal.
She just needed to focus.
Finding JJ shouldn't be too hard. With a Glock and decent hand-to-hand combat skills, she'd be able to catch the bounty in no time.
So, 6 hours later Faye was sitting between two business men who liked to smoke, drink, and fondle women. She wouldn't have been particularly bothered about it if she hadn't seen her glass of liquor slightly change color.
Earlier, when she'd first stepped into Wong's Mood (the name of the hostess bar), she was surprised at how vacant it was. Yet, she eventually considered the fact that it wasn't night life hours yet. Salarymen and syndicate joes were still wrapped up in their jobs. Hostess bars were where people came out of the shadows every night.
"We're not hiring," One of the woman said as Faye approached the front counter. The woman was in a short tight-fitting sleeveless black dress. She wasn't wearing makeup. And her teeth were yellow and kind of crooked. She was also smoking a cheap pack of cigarettes. Or menthols, maybe? The smell of her breath brought about the possibility.
"Oh, really?" Faye said challengingly. "I heard someone just quit."
The woman blew out some smoke before putting out the cigarette in a nearby soda can. "BeBe really can't keep her mouth shut…" she said defeatedly. Unwilling to make eye contact with Faye.
The other woman (the prettier one of the two), who'd been busy punching in numbers on the cash register and staring at a notebook said nicely, "Talk to Chip. He'll hire you on the spot."
"Charlie!"
Faye smiled. In fact, she hadn't known someone quit. Yet, the nightlife entertainment industry had a high turnover rate, so she'd improvised.
"Thank you," She said to Charlie. "He's in the back, right?"
The woman with the cigarettes glared at her, and Faye smirked back.
"Yes," Charlie said. "He's wearing a purple blazer."
Faye nodded in thanks before walking to the back of the club.
She'd almost walked past a small area, that looked like a locker room almost. An older man, who looked a little older than Jet, was writing something down in a notebook and scratching his forehead. "Fuck," He said with a sigh. "We might not make it next month."
Faye knocked on the open door and put on her best smile.
The guy who she presumed to be Chip, looked up and he looked like he was about to yell, when his facial expression turned from annoyed to…admiration (lust?).
Faye recognized that look, and she was going to use it to her advantage. "Charlie told me I needed to see you." She said this in a falsely confused tone. She was going for a naive approach. "Chip, was it?"
The man with stars in his eyes nodded quickly. "Yes, that's me!" He shut the book quickly and walked over to her. "Are you looking for a job?" He asked.
Faye pursed her lips as though she were contemplating her answer. "Ah, I don't–"
"I'll double the hourly wage!"
If she wasn't acting Faye would've immediately shouted out, "I accept the job!"
But she stayed calm and collected, and raised a brow. "Hmm…."
Chip put his hands together as though he were going to say a prayer. "Please, Miss…"
"Grace," Faye lied. "Jasmine Grace."
"Miss Grace," Chip said. "I know you'd be a hit with the guests". Faye knew he meant customers instead of guests.
He was full of shit.
Yet, right now in the present, as she was ogled at by two old men, she could only force a grin. One was more drunk than the other, she would never underestimate Chip again. Apparently, the two richest men in the establishment wanted them all to herself.
"How 'bout you have a drink!" Sakimura (she believed that's what he introduced himself as) said. "It's the best brand here."
Faye smiled politely despite wanting to punch him in the face. "Sure."
Then very smoothly with false clumsiness and the flick of her wrist, she spilt the drink on Mr. Koor, the other man sitting on the other side of her.
His face turned slightly red. He let out a hiss as though he'd been scalded with piping hot water, and Faye saved herself. "Mr. Koor, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed with false remorse. "I'm rather clumsy tonight." She then grabbed a napkin from the dispenser on the table and wiped his torso and lap. She rested her hand on his neck and then shoulder, uhm, innocently.
The rich man seemed to relax at her touch.
Sakimura let out a huff. "Jasmine," He said annoyedly. "Let me offer you another drink."
Before she could come up with another excuse or make another distraction, someone else beat her to it.
Everyone heard the breaking of glass and a shriek. "Asshole!" A fellow hostess screamed. "Get your hands off me!"
The woman adjusted the gaudy colored tight skirt she wore, smoothing out the wrinkles with her hands.
Faye raised a brow.
She could hear Sakimura and Mr. Koor mumbling "dramatic" and "unnecessary".
"You're just a tease!" The sleazy customer fumed. "You should be glad I let you entertain me! I don't know why anyone else would want an ugly bitch like you!"
The hostess let out a huff. Yet, after a beat, no one saw it coming when she picked up the hefty bottle of Hennessee and poured it on top of the rude customer's head. "Who's the ugly bitch now?!"
She then turned around to make an exit but the customer grabbed her arm forcibly. "I won't let you ge–"
The hostess, who wore 5 inch yellow heels, then stepped on his foot.
The rude customer let out a bunch of expletives before his crew of bodyguards held her back. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbow, popped his knuckles, and he slapped her. Not once. And not twice.
Blood spattered.
Faye looked away.
"Dame should know better," Sakimura said knowingly. "We're the only reason this place stays afloat."
Koor snickered. "Good thing Miss Jasmine here has class," He said while nudging Faye in the side. "How 'bout a drink?"
The hostess' screams continued to be heard, but Faye tuned it out. She smiled at Koor and began to charm her way out of drinking the polluted glass of liquor–
Crash!
Thunk!
The hostess' wails stopped when not only the breaking of glass was heard but a knife landed into the wall.
The weapon landed right next to Faye's head.
Poker Alice turned her head sharply to the perpetrator.
It was as if it were in slow motion when the masked assailant leaped from table to table before stopping on the one where Faye and her two customers sat.
The figure stood defiantly and stared down at Faye. They crouched down and took the knife that stuck out next to Faye's head.
The figure donned a mask. So it was hard to decipher their intent. They wore a gray hooded leather fisherman's vest, black cargo pants, and black combat boots. It was hard to identify the sex of the individual because of their layers.
Regardless, without notice, they reached into Sakimura's shirt pocket and took out a brown bottle. Without herself knowing, Faye's eyes widened in alarm.
Sakimura grabbed for the bottle but the masked individual quickly threw it up in the air. And with one gunshot, down came glass confetti.
Sakimura and Koor shot up in their seats, faces red and snarling. But Faye remained seated and seemingly unperturbed. Her eyes no longer wide.
The whole establishment was still. Chip, who stood a couple feet back with a flip phone at his ear, looked aghast with his mouth wide open. Charlie was presumably crouched behind the front counter quaking in fear, and a majority of the other hostesses were glancing at the back room, but still with their assigned customers.
The music had been paused, but the air conditioning still sounded from its unit.
Faye studied her manicure while also anticipating the unknown figure's next move.
She glanced at the figure again and her breathing hitched.
The figure held the screen of a dingy mobile phone in front of Faye's face, waving it side to side tauntingly. The screen read: I'm who you're looking for. – J x2
What the–
"Ughhh!"
Just as Faye shot up from her seat, the customer with the mean jabs ran at JJ from behind but JJ gracefully dodged the lad, grabbed the back of his collar, and rammed his head right into the table.
His bodyguards rushed towards the bounty but JJ put a hand up as if to say "halt!" They naturally acquiesced by subconsciously hesitating.
"Fuck it!" Impatiently and with a growl Faye broke the top off to the bottle of booze sitting on the table and without warning, proceeded to advance on JJ.
That was when all hell broke loose.
JJ let out a loud and very deep laugh. Boisterous. Hard to tell their gender. They jumped back onto one of the tables. This time, with much practiced grace, they stuck their hand inside their vest's pocket and produced an expandable baton that was banned in many places on Earth. As the baton expanded, they kicked some drinks off the table.
Faye threw the glass at JJ.
The bounty dodged effortlessly.
As most of the men advanced on the mysterious figure, the individual performed a tumble over their heads effortlessly.
The assailant's full attention was now on Faye. They beckoned her with their hand, as though they were saying, "come at me!"
Faye smirked. Without further ado she striked but missed. As a result, JJ kicked her into the wall. The kick was so powerful, Faye could feel her back crack.
Young and limber, Faye was grateful for adrenaline and got up quickly. JJ shook their head, unimpressed.
Faye took out her Glock. "You're going down!" She yelled.
JJ shrugged.
Another yell was heard. This time it was the big guy who liked to slap women around. Along with his bodyguards, he attempted to put JJ in a chokehold. Yet, JJ was faster.
With the expandable baton, JJ hit their knee-caps and jaws.
Snaps, crackles, pops, and expletives were heard.
Faye wiped the blood from her nose and gripped her gun. With practice, she'd gotten a fixed eye on her target right away.
To Faye's credit, JJ misstepped, barely avoiding the bullet as they tripped onto the ground.
Faye stomped her foot. "Fuck!" As drinks toppled over and guests ran out of the establishment, the sound of police sirens were growing louder.
In her peripheral vision Faye saw a hostess grab some cash that sat on the table she'd sat at with Sakimura and Koor. It was the hostess with the yellow crooked teeth, still donning the little short black dress. What was different was the purple wig, red lipstick, and pricey black stilettos she was donning due to happy hour.
As Faye made eye contact with the woman a bullet grazed Faye's arm.
JJ.
Faye bit down on her lip in pain and turned around.
The bounty pointed at Faye in acknowledgement. The individual then gave the callous guest and his bodyguards a few more kicks before running toward Faye.
She was ready.
With a menacing smile she shot.
JJ kicked the Glock out of Faye's hand. Once more they beckoned Faye for hand-to-hand combat.
Faye popped her knuckles, moved her head side to side to alleviate some stiff muscles, and ripped the skirt to her tight-fitting jade colored cheongsam, it now above her knees. She then ran at the shit-starter and performed a strike.
JJ easily missed it. They maneuvered effortlessly, dodging each of Faye's attacks.
After awhile of doing that, Faye was punched in the stomach and kicked in the shin.
She tried standing up but the assault had taken more out of her than she realized.
With a bullet grazed arm, dislocated shoulder, broken rib, bleeding nose, and a momentarily lame ankle, she could hardly stand up straight. Her vision was shaky.
JJ became two people.
Faye's eye twitched as she watched two JJ's twirl around, mocking her with a wave every now and then.
Faye spit on the ground and stood up straighter.
Quickly, she glanced around the room. There wasn't anyone here. Not even the big guy with the heavy hands and his two bodyguards.
She briefly thought of Chip. What the hell would he say to her? Would he have her arrested for all of this? Nah. Faye was taking down a bounty after all. The police would tell him so.
Yet…why did she care about Chip? Faye Valentine was always on the move. She'd managed to evade arrest several times, still counting.
Faye got into position and made a move. She managed to kick JJ, and that's as far as she got.
Sirens were loud and wailing.
Which meant that police were about to infiltrate the premises.
JJ ran out of the second entrance.
Without much thinking, Faye ran to the back door near the dressing room. It had an exit.
Although she had a feeling her foot was fractured, she found she could still run all on her own.
˚₊‧꒰ა ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Meanwhile, young men and women were crowded in Alba City's Square Park. A man who donned a t-shirt with the words, "ISSP and HGP HATE LOVE, PEACE, AND TLC!" stood on top of a platform facing the big crowd.
The man spoke into a bright yellow megaphone that had flashing LED lights blinking on it. Despite it being about 11:00 pm, everyone in the square was wide awake.
"Are we going to stay silent?" The man asked, the bandana on his head lightly flapping away on top of his head. "When the suffrage we deserve is vanquished by those who wish to silent us?"
The crowd was silent. But naturally no response was needed.
"This is the first night we have gathered here to peacefully demonstrate to the higher-ups that we want a democracy. In the last 2 years we've dealt with the changes and harm that have racked this city into the worst version of itself it is today.
"The Inter-Solar System Police has strong armed many of us into revoking our complaints. They've demanded via push back, and threatened with the cuffs and bars that cage anyone into thinking they don't have a right to be heard.
"Can we say we're safe here in Alba?! Does the youth here in Alba feel safe? If they don't have a voice, what does that mean for the future generations?!
"Out of all areas in the solar system, Mars is still breaking the margin of obtaining justice in the inhabitants' best interest, worldwide. Just yesterday, another child went missing, and everyone knows where that child went. Everyone knows. Even here, publicly, it pains me…it makes me ANXIOUS to utter the names of the individuals who put them there."
The man's face had grown noticeably pale. If anyone were to have been closer to him they wouldn't have missed the sweat dripping down his temple, or the way his body shook. He'd put the megaphone down by his side.
The crowd was silent.
After about a minute the speaker straightened his posture. His breathing had stabilized, and he raised the megaphone to speak again.
"The name of that scum is the–"
Pop! A gunshot was heard. Followed by another gunshot.
"Ah!" The leader of the protest grunted. "Shit!"
He'd been hit in the right shoulder. Before he could even blink, he was hit in the arm.
Pewww!
He dodged the bullet this time as he limped to a place to hide. Gunshots whizzed past him.
One barely got his foot.
Blood.
This was bad.
Really bad.
Others were counting on him to be here. After all, he'd been bringing back a movement that'd originated all the way back on Earth to Hong Kong Island. After all, it was in his DNA to–
He fell to the ground. He was in the midst of the crush, people running and screaming in different directions. He heard someone say over and over again, "My baby! Where's my baby?!"
Shit. Who brings a baby to a protest? Of course, it was meant to be at most, a peaceful protest. Yet, there was always a chance of misfire.
Surrendering himself to be stomped on and blindly discarded, a hand grabbed him. Two hands wrapped around both of his arms and proceeded to drag him away from the crush. The ISSP's military police were starting to swarm the area.
Meanwhile, Faye's eyes widened at the scene. She'd heard the gunshots once she neared the square having stopped to fasten the straps on her shoes. Her communicator had been in her right hand, trying to get a signal to access information regarding JJ.
As she'd heard the ding coming from her communicator the shots started. Her first instinct was to run away from the gunshots. That was what her body was starting to do. As she turned around to run, she looked back and there was the elusive figure standing there, with a hand on their hip and a hand on their chest as though they'd been running a marathon.
Perfect.
JJ was unguarded.
Faye went back in the direction she'd avoided. Instead of walking directly towards the bounty, Faye went east. Despite the dark sky the city's lights still illuminated the area. Traffic lights and directory stands still glowed, and fixtures still remained in their gaudy colors.
Swarms of yellow umbrellas descended onto the streets, fleeing the city square. A mass statement.
Utter evanescence.
JJ was still unguarded. Their eyes (given where their head was angled) appeared to be fixated on an area that Faye paid no heed to.
Hidden among the yellow umbrellas, with all the young men and women running in the opposite direction, she had her chance. She walked carefully as she neared her target evenly. Breathing steady. Yet, JJ was faster than her.
"Shit!" Faye cursed loudly. "H- Hey!"
She followed the figure, weaving in and out of the pool of umbrellas. JJ stopped to turn around, and wave.
JJ was mocking her.
With a growl, Faye about reached them but ran into someone.
Shit.
As she toppled to the ground with the stranger, JJ made an easy escape. As Faye looked up, feeling a bruise forming on her forehead (it didn't show yet. It'd take a awhile.), she mumbled a few expletives under her breath.
"Get off of me bitch!" a voice screeched. Suddenly Faye was pushed back as she remembered that she'd fallen on top of someone.
The individual who'd kicked her off of them was an older woman with mousy brown hair and a rather long chin. She wore a jumpsuit with a belt around the waist.
Faye rolled her eyes, but nonetheless got into a defense pose. "You were in the way," She said.
The woman with the chin laughed. "I don't have time for this."
As the woman turned around and walked away, Faye's facial expression went from annoyed to donning a devilish smile. "Patty Menton. Age 40. Wanted for tax evasion and assault. The woolongs are a pretty hefty number, too."
Yet, before she could even pursue Patty, JJ was at it again. Huh?
It was as though the figure had come out of no where. They'd rushed past Faye, already ahead, and about 5 seconds later, Patty was lying on the ground with two cuffed and broken wrists and a nasty split lip. JJ flashed Faye another smile (she was pretty sure they were smiling despite the mask), and easily escaped. Faye was caught off guard after all.
Patty was a gurgling mess. "Y- you will pay, bitch!" The woman cursed at Faye. "I won't let you get away with this! I'm only serving 9 months."
Poker Alice raised a brow in confusion. What the hell?! Didn't she see that it was all JJ's doing?
Before she could even explain herself, the police were already picking the woman off the ground and getting her into custody.
Faye stomped her foot. "Shit."
But her scowl faded away, and her facial expression turned into something mischievous. "I'll get them next time," she said to herself with a smirk. "I know that freakin' much."
Faye then turned back around in search of the ankle strap d'Orsay heels (she'd lost in her pursuit of the bounty), before going to collect the money at the police station.