Session 15

THE SHOW MUST GO ON! (part 1)

by jak981125

Note: This story is part of a series. It will make more sense if you read the earlier sessions.

Eight months later...

        Laughing Bull woke up very suddenly from a dream in a cold sweat. For the first time in a long time, he couldn't remember what he had dreamed, but he felt no relief from waking up. The fear was still with him. He felt some sense of impending doom. He looked up at the stars. None of them had vanished or appeared ready to fall. What was going on?

        In Tharsis that night, it was the first Monday of the month. That meant monthly syndicate meetings for the Red Dragons and the White Tigers. All members were required to attend. Once again, these meetings were checked thoroughly for listening devices. A good cop would have given his front teeth to know what was said inside these meetings. No future plans were typically discussed, just progress. Both gangs filed into their respective headquarters. But neither meeting could begin since not all were present and accounted for. The leaders of both gangs had not yet arrived.

        Akira and three other men were standing on the top of a warehouse two blocks away from the Red Dragons headquarters. Akira pulled a remote control out of his pocket. He checked his watch. When the time was precisely 10 PM he pushed the switch. A bomb went off in the basement of the Dragons HQ. It set off several other bombs in a chain reaction. Within moments, the building and everyone inside were destroyed. Akira pulled out a second remote and handed it to a man in white standing next to him. "You do the honors," he said. The man in white pushed the button and across town, the White Tigers meeting suffered the same fate. The man in white was named Esteban. He was the leader of the White Tigers.

        What had happened was this. Since Lin had killed the leader of the Blue Snake, general consensus was that Riley, their new leader, was insufficient to do the job alone. Rather than allow himself to die in a coup he came up with an idea. Instead of one leader, why not start a Van as the Dragons had done? He made the offer to Akira and Esteban to betray their own groups and join him. Together the three of them would form the new Van of the Blue Snake. The bombs had been Akira's idea. The other two men on the roof were Riley and Lobo, Riley's chief thug.

        Riley smiled and pulled out a bottle of champagne and some glasses. "Gentleman, a toast, to our eternal partnership as the new Van of the Blue Snake," said Riley.

        "I've got to hand it to you, Akira, I knew you had been an explosives expert, but what you pulled off tonight was sheer magic," remarked Esteban. "That's not the kind of thing they teach you in school. My hat is off to you."

        Akira sipped some champagne and smiled. "Well I did realize one thing in school," he said. "I found out I don't work well with others." At that moment he and Lobo pulled out some guns and before Riley and Esteban knew what was happening, they were gunned down in cold blood. Akira never even dropped his glass. He took another sip of champagne as soon as they were dead.

        "Are you sure the Snake Clan has approved of our actions?" Akira asked Lobo.

        "Positive," replied Lobo. "They all felt Riley was a wimp and had no desire to have three leaders. Your leadership skills are generally admired among the syndicates of the solar system. We only want you."

        Akira laughed out loud. "From now on there will be only one power on Mars, the power of the Blue Snake Clan."

        The next morning, everyone on Mars was discussing what had happened the previous evening. As of yet, no one knew Akira was still alive or that Riley was dead. They figured this whole thing had been pulled off by Riley. One advantage of living on Mars is the weather service. The precipitation varies but the temperature is usually pretty comfortable all year long. The Bebop crew was enjoying breakfast at an outdoor cafe. Faye was huge by now. She had suffered through a miserable pregnancy. One tough thing was that she had to quit smoking. Although she hadn't smoked for that long, you would think she was being tortured. She also hated maternity clothes. As Jet had predicted, she was wearing the white maternity dress that she couldn't return to the store on Venus.

        "Well it must feel good not to have to look over your shoulder all the time," said Jet to Lau. "You know, I'm amazed the Blue Snake was able to pull that off. Unless they had a traitor inside the two other syndicates, I can't see one of them sneaking into a syndicate headquarters, placing that many bombs, and then making it out alive and undetected."

        Lau sighed. "Yeah, but I still don't want to stick around Mars for much longer. It just doesn't feel like home anymore. I'm from Earth. Would you object to going back, Jet?"

        "I suppose not, if that's what everyone else wants," replied Jet. "I'll miss the climate here, that's for sure. You know, if crime wasn't so much higher on Mars than on Earth, this would make a perfect retirement destination for seniors from Earth."

        Just then, Ein's ears perked up. He started to growl in a tone of rage they had never heard him use before. "Ein, what's wrong boy?" asked Ed. "Don't you want to go back to Earth?" She leaned over to pet him. Just then, a gunshot rang out. The bullet hit Ein in the rump. He squealed in pain. "Ein!"

        Ed tried to reach out and grab Ein, but Jet grabbed her and pulled her back. Lau knocked the table over on its side. He dragged Faye behind it, and Jet dragged Ed behind it. Ein limped over to join them. Lau and Jet pulled their guns out, looking for the shooter. They couldn't spot him, but a nearby police car had. The shooter had fired out the window of a nearby sedan. As soon as he noticed the police were approaching, he took off, with the squad car in hot pursuit.

        "Honey, are you OK?" asked Lau. Faye nodded weakly, but she certainly didn't look OK.

        "Ed, how about you?" asked Jet.

        "Ein's hurt!"

        "I didn't ask about Ein, I asked about you."

        "Edward is OK."

        "What the hell was that?" asked Faye. "Don't tell me they waited something like two years to nail us for Roscoe, did they?"

        Ein started to whine loudly. "OK boy, we'll get you some help," said Jet. He was not unsympathetic to the dog, but his concern had been for Ed, who had come perilously close to being shot. "I have to get Ein to a vet. What are you two going to do?"

        "I'm taking my wife home right away," replied Lau. "She doesn't need this kind of stress right now." He reached over and stroked Ein's head. "Sorry boy, no one should have to..." All of the sudden, something occurred to Lau. "Jet, can I speak to you privately for a moment?" The two of them walked off to the side.

        "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Lau.

        "That it seems weird for them to aim at a dog?" replied Jet. "Yeah, I'm thinking that."

        "Jet, they were aiming at Ed."

        Jet nodded. "What cowards! If I ever get my hands on those punks..."

        "You're not going to get your hands on anybody," interrupted Lau. "I'm taking Faye back to the Bebop. As soon as Ein is patched up, you join us and we're getting the hell off this planet right away. Something isn't right here."

        "Good plan," replied Jet. "Let's move quickly but quietly."

        The two of them rejoined the girls. "Faye, let's get you back to the Bebop," said Lau. "Ed, you and Jet are going to go get Ein fixed up and then you'll join us. Don't say a word to anyone about what just happened here."

        Ed nodded. She and Jet walked away without a word. Lau lead Faye over to a bus that was boarding. They had taken a bus there, so they had to take public transportation back.

        "What do I look like, a vet?" asked Doc angrily, as he tried to pull the bullet out of Ein. "If any of my patients hear about this, they'll never come back."

        "Look, I appreciate this," replied Jet. "I won't tell anyone about this. And I'd appreciate it if once again you would forget we were here."

        "Don't tell me even your pets are ticking off the syndicate now?" asked Doc. "Honestly, if I had a wulong for every enemy you guys have made over the years, I could retire comfortably."

        Ein yelped as Doc finally fished the bullet out of his backside. "It's OK, Ein, Edward is right here," replied Ed. She was near the point of tears. She would have been far more frightened if she knew she had been the target. Doc sanitized the wound and wrapped dressings around it.

        "Make sure he doesn't try to gnaw at those bandages," said Doc.

        "He's a pretty smart dog, I doubt he'll do that," replied Jet. "How much do I owe you?"

        "Nothing," replied Doc with a smile. "How can I charge someone who was never here?"

        "Oh thank you, doctor person!" cried Ed. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed.

        "Well little lady, that's payment enough for me."

        Meanwhile, Lau began to regret not taking a taxi. The bus he and Faye had boarded was extremely crowded and there were no seats available. Lau was hoping that someone would at least give up a seat to Faye, but no one even offered. Poor Faye looked like she would pass out any minute. Lau wanted to get her off the bus and hail a cab, but there was no chance of that. They were packed in like sardines. Lau was giving serious consideration to threatening to beat on anyone who refused to give his wife a seat. As if that wasn't bad enough, he was incredibly nervous. Someone had shot at them. How was he to know whether or not the threat was over?

        Jet and Ed had been smart and taken a taxi back to the harbor. Jet made Ed get down below window level the whole time they were driving. He kept looking this way and that to make sure no one was following them. They made it back to the Bebop long before Lau and Faye.

        "Where the hell are they?" grumbled Jet. He began to pace back and forth nervously. "They left before we did, for crying out loud. The longer we're on this planet the more danger we're in."

        Ed had been watching him, but suddenly closed her eyes and grabbed her head. "Jet, please stop pacing. You are making Ed dizzy just watching you."

        Jet tried to sit down and relax, but it was nearly impossible. He was scared stiff. Ein sat in a corner by himself quietly whining. He was in a lot of pain, but more than anything, he was whining out of sympathy to Jet. Dogs can sense fear and anxiety and Ein hated to see Jet so wound up. He really was a sweet dog. Just then, the communicator rang. Jet nearly jumped twenty feet in the air at the sound. He raced over and switched it on. "Lau! Is that you?"

        "No, it's Bob."

        "Bob, this isn't a real good time," grumbled Jet.

        "Jet, this is an emergency," replied Bob. "I'm in Tharsis right now. Fatty River is with me. We have to talk. Can you meet me in half an hour?"

        "No," replied Jet. "As soon as Lau and Faye get back here, we're taking off of this planet right away."

        "Jet, did something happen?" asked Bob.

        "We got shot at by some Blue Snake members," replied Jet. "All of us are OK except our dog. I have to get my people to safety."

        "Jet, did you hear about last night?"

        "Yeah, Riley bombed the..."

        "No, that's not it," interrupted Bob. "Jet it was awful. More than just a coup." At the word "coup" Jet tensed up. It brought back all sorts of horrible memories from the last time Bob had told him there had been one. "Akira took over the Blue Snake. The members mutinied against Riley and brought Akira in as the new leader."

        "But what about Akira's loyalty to the Dragons?"

        "What loyalty? Akira bombed every single one of them last night. Then he and Lobo killed Riley and Esteban. All morning long, Blue Snake personnel have been going around killing people. Two cops, one politician, and all members of the fallen syndicates who were not present last night have been killed. I guess it's a good idea for you to go back to Earth. It's just that, I was kind of hoping..."

        "What kind of moron am I?" interrupted Jet. "I could have just kept us on Earth after the contest, and none of this would have happened."

        "So I guess you're not in the mood for doing something crazy then," said Bob. "That's a shame. We could have used you."

        "What are you talking about?" asked Jet.

        "After last night the Martian government saw a chance to get rid of all the syndicates once and for all. They put some huge bounties on the Blue Snake members. In fact, I think all of them have a bounty. Me, Fatty, and some others have been going around all morning, rounding them up and collecting some big bucks."

        "You trying to get yourself killed?" asked Jet.

        "They can't kill us if they're all behind bars," replied Bob. "That something crazy I mentioned was phase two of our plan. After the initial round of arrests we made, Akira called everyone back to headquarters so he could plan out his next move without having to worry about us grabbing his soldiers. We're thinking about raiding his headquarters tomorrow night."

        "You really do have a death wish," replied Jet.

        "What can I say?" replied Bob. "We were inspired by Spike."

        "And look what happened to him."

        "Well, we'll be better equipped and have superior numbers. We'll take anyone who surrenders alive. The rest die. But we have to be sure to catch every single one of them to insure our own safety afterwards."

        "Even if by some miracle you guys pulled it off, they could still take out a hit on you guys from behind bars."

        "And I could also get hit by a bus tomorrow," replied Bob. "Someone has to stand up to these guys. You and I know it won't be ISSP. Come with us."

        "No."

        "Are you just going to run?"

        "Bob, I can't go through it again. I just can't. I nearly lost it after last time." Jet switched off the communicator.

        Ed walked over and put a hand on Jet's shoulder. "Jet, Edward thinks maybe you should have listened to Bob person," she said quietly.

        "When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it," replied Jet angrily. Ed's face fell. She walked away with her head down. Jet got up and walked over to her. He took her face in his hands and made her look at him. "Ed, I'm sorry. I had no right to talk to you like that. I just can't risk my life or Lau's. That's all." He gave her a big hug.

        Just then, a cab pulled up outside and Lau emerged from the back. He helped Faye out of the car and supported her as she limped back to the Bebop. She looked horrible. Her ankles were badly swollen and she was very pale.

        "Where were you two?" asked Jet.

        "On a bus," replied Faye. "We couldn't get a seat and we couldn't get off because it was so crowded. Lau finally lost it and put a few bullets through the roof of the bus. After that, everyone was all too glad to step aside and let us off."

        "I feel like kicking myself in the ass," grumbled Lau. "What was I thinking?"

        Lau helped Faye down onto the couch. While she put her feet up on the coffee table, Lau disappeared into the kitchen. He emerged with two towels and some ice. He wrapped the towels around the ice and put them on Faye's ankles to help with the swelling.

        "Lau, we have a problem," said Jet. "The Blue Snake have made Akira their new leader. He personally killed off all of his own people and all of the Tigers last night with a pair of bombs. Then they killed off Riley and Esteban."

        "We know," replied Faye. "That's all the people on the bus could talk about."

        "I knew he was sharp, but I never saw this coming," replied Lau.

        "Snake people have big bounties," said Ed.

        "Is that so?" asked Lau.

        "Bob called," replied Jet. "He and Fatty are off to get themselves killed. They're going to try to single-handedly take down the syndicate. They tried to get me in on it, but I told them to forget about it."

        "Why? None of us are safe until these guys go down," replied Lau.

        "For once we should let someone else risk his ass on this," replied Jet. "I'm getting us out of here."

        "The last time we ran, it didn't solve anything," replied Lau. "Without your help what chance would Bob and Fatty have? I think they need you. You know this kind of job better than they do. We run back to Earth, they fail, then what? Will there ever be a safe place for us? Who ever said life was a safe proposition?"

        "You want to get yourself killed with a baby on the way?" asked Jet.

        Lau bowed his head. "No," he said at last. "Let's just get out of here."

        "This is for the best, Lau, you'll see," said Jet gently.

        "You'd better be right," said Lau quietly.

        Jet got up to punch in a course for Earth.

        "AH!" It was Faye. "Oh no, Lau! I know I just had a contraction. That couldn't have been anything else."

        "Oh great," replied Jet. "Are you sure? Could you hold out long enough for us to make it to Earth?"

        "Maybe," replied Faye. "I don't really know, I've never done this before."

        "No, replied Lau. "We can't take that risk. What if we get into hyperspace and she takes a turn for the worse? We'll be stuck. I'm taking Faye to the hospital."

        Jet got mad. "This is your one ride off the planet, pal! I'm leaving. You want to stay here, that's your problem. Ed and I are going to Earth and we're going now."

        Ed suddenly started to cry. "Ed doesn't want to!" She ran up and wrapped her arms around Faye. "Don't leave Edward! Please! Edward loves you!"

        Faye wrapped her arms around Ed and tried very hard not to cry herself. "I love you too kid. No matter what happens here, I'll come back and find you, I promise." Ed let go and ran off to her room sobbing. Lau lead Faye into the hangar. They boarded the sedan and headed off for the nearest hospital.

        Jet walked into the control room and angrily punched out a course for Earth. But his finger hovered over the enter button. He hesitated. Finally he slammed his fist down on the panel. He couldn't do it. He walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch. He could still here Ed crying down the hall. He looked at his own hands. They were shaking uncontrollably. Ein limped over to Jet and nuzzled his leg. Jet reached down and patted his head. "It's OK, boy. Everything's all right."

        Faye sat in the passengers seat of the sedan with tears running down her face. "I want Edward!" she cried. Lau reached over and rubbed her shoulder.

        "Somehow, some way, something good will come of this," said Lau gently. "I was an agnostic practically from the day I was born. Isn't it weird that it was Vicious who convinced me God was real? I met you, I met Ed and Jet, I got out of the syndicate...don't you see that there's so much good in the world, even in the times of darkness? What matters now is that I love you and this child with all my heart. That's what my life is all about now."

        Lau pulled up to the emergency entrance of the hospital and parked the car. He helped Faye as she struggled out. They headed towards the door...

        Neither of them heard the shot. The bullet hit Faye right in her big pregnant belly. You could hear her screaming in terror from a mile away.

TO BE CONTINUED...

(c) 2004 Joseph Kerner

jak981125@catholic.org

Disclaimer: I did not create Cowboy Bebop. I wish I had, but I didn't. This is just fanfiction.