Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction / Outlaw Star Fan Fiction ❯ Beyond the Screen ❯ Session 3: Melody on the XGP ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Session 3: Melody on the XGP

"Welcome back, Jim," Gilliam said, opening the door for his young
friend.

"Thanks," Jim said as he walked in. "Um...Gilliam? Do you think you
could do me a favor?"

"Certainly, Jim."

"Well, I have a...guest that I'm trying to keep hidden from the
others. Do you think you could keep them distracted for a while?"

"I'll do my best. Everyone is currently on the bridge, so you might
want to stay away from there."

Jim smiled. "Thanks, Gilliam." He turned back to the door. "Okay, Ed.
We have to be really quiet. There's still a big risk that Aisha will
hear us, so try to stay hidden."

Ed quickly crawled into the ship and popped up behind Jim, peering
over his shoulder. "You mean like a super secret spy?" she asked
hopefully, her eyes shining with glee.

Jim nodded. "Exactly. Can you do that?"

Ed nodded and picked up Ein. "SHHH!" she hissed, placing a finger to
her lips.

Ein stared at her and whined, obviously confused.

Jim grinned and took Ein from her, placing the dog inside his jacket.
"Just hope Aisha doesn't smell as good as she hears," he muttered,
pulling the zipper up over Ein's head. "C'mon, we'll go this way."

They were just a few feet from Jim's room when Gilliam's voice rang
out.

"Suzuka! Going somewhere?"

Jim turned to tell Ed to hide, only to find she had vanished.

Suzuka came around the corner and nearly bumped into him. "Oh, there
you are, Jim. Gene's been looking for you."

"Oh? Really? What for?" Jim asked, trying not to seem too nervous.

"Something about the response time of the grappler arms." She looked
closer. "Are you feeling well, Jim? You look...bulkier."

"Oh, THAT!" Jim chuckled. "Ah, you see, it's uh...a
present...for...Mel! Um...so don't tell her, okay?!"

"Fine," Suzuka agreed, her lips curving into a grin. "For what it's
worth, I think it's very sweet of you."

"Yup, that's me! Sweet! Heh heh..." He kept smiling until she walked
off, then spun around. "Ed! ED!" he hissed under his breath. "Where'd
you go?!"

His answer came in the form of a hand clamping over his mouth. "Ed is
here," a voice whispered in his ear. "But don't give Ed away!"

Jim glanced up, relieved to see that Ed was hanging from one of
Gilliam's maintenance rails by her ankles. "How do you DO that?"

She grinned. "Told you already. Ed is special."

"I see that. Well, my room's right here." He opened the door for her.
"Make yourself at home, I guess."

Ed dropped down to the floor and ran inside. "Woooooooow! Neato!"

Jim closed the door behind him and unzipped his jacket, letting Ein
hop out. "It's not much, but I..." He trailed off, upon realizing Ed
was tapping away on his keyboard and wasn't listening, anyway. She was
so preoccupied that he figured he could safely change into some dry
clothes without causing an incident.

He was almost right. Of course, he had no idea how skilled Ed was with
computers. She was possibly the only person in existence who could
type over 85 words a minute...with her toes. It was a strange ability,
but very useful when you wanted to keep your hands free, or if you
just wanted to see what was going on behind you...which just happened
to be Jim undressing.

Though he didn't realize any of that until she started whistling.
Then, he quickly turned bright red and yanked his pants on.

"Aw! No more show?" Ed asked, sounding extremely disappointed.

"How long were you doing that?!" Jim cried, still very red in the
face.

She shrugged (very impressive while typing with your toes) and smiled
innocently. "The whole time?"

Jim went from bright red to crimson. "You mean...you saw...it?" he
asked weakly.

Ed tilted her head. "It?" she repeated.

"Yes, `It!'" Jim hissed.

"What's It?" she asked. "Ed is confused."

"You know...IT."

"Ed DOESN'T know, Jim. That's why Ed is asking: What is IT?"

"Okay, let me rephrase the question. Did you see anything you liked?"

Ed grinned, but didn't say a word.

"Oh my GOD," Jim groaned, slapping his forehead. "You SAW it!"

Ed turned to face the computer. "Don't feel guilty, Jim. Ed will let
you see her It sometime."

Jim started to comment, then decided to leave it alone. "What are you
doing, anyway?"

"Accessing your journal," she said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, that's...huh?! NO!" Jim threw himself over the bed, trying to hit
the off switch.

Only it was more like Ed's hand hitting him in the forehead. "Stop!
Ed's just getting to the good part!"

Jim made another desperate attempt, and only succeeded in getting
caught in a very painful headlock.

"Ooooh, what's this? `Today I met Ed online! She seems a little
strange, but I just can't help being hopelessly in loooooove with
her!'"

"What?! That's NOT in there!" Jim cried, struggling to get loose.

"Why, Jim! Are you BLUSHING?" she teased, ruffling his hair with her
hand.

Jim finally pulled away from her and caught his breath. "No, all the
blood was rushing to my head because SOMEONE put me in a headlock!"

"Aw, did Ed give you a boo-boo?"

Jim glared at her. "Of course not. I just-"

"Want Ed to kiss it and make it better?" she interrupted, grinning at
him.

Jim started to say something, then shook his head and sighed. "Why
can't I stay mad at you?"

"You don't listen, Jim. Ed. Is. Special!"

"Yeah, yeah. Listen, I gotta check in with the others so they don't
get suspicious. So if someone knocks on the door, just stay quiet and
hide until they go away."

"Ed will be fine!" Ed turned back to the computer and began typing.

Jim smiled slightly and slipped out of the room, not even noticing
that Ein was right at his heels.

* * * * *

"I STILL say our best showdown was when I personally defeated Iraga,"
Aisha said loudly. "It was one of the MANY times I saved your butt,
Gene!"

"And I keep telling you, the best one was when I beat Leilong in the
duel," Gene disagreed. "But you might not remember that, since you
were the FIRST to go down..."

"AARRRGH! He only took me out first because I was clearly the most
dangerous and therefore the greatest challenge!"

"Or because you were the easiest..."

"GAAAAH! GEEENEEEE!"

Aisha was about to pounce on him when Jim walked onto the bridge.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?"

"JIMMY!" Aisha purred, running over and wrapping her arms around him.
"Surely YOU know which battle was our greatest!"

Jim blinked. "Well, yeah. Everybody knows that. It was when we all
took down Hazanko."

"I TOLD you guys," Melfina said, smiling triumphantly. "Teamwork is
more important than showing off in a fight."

"Well, you two HAVE to say that," Aisha pointed out. "YOU'VE never
faced an enemy head-on like me and Gene have!"

"Hey, I tried to help with that creepy guy at the Galactic Leyline,
but you wouldn't let me!" Jim added.

"That was different. He was WAY too tough for anyone else." Aisha
smirked. "Besides, if you hadn't been there to wake up Gene in time,
we never would've gotten out of there alive."

"Uh, well, we DID die before we got out," Gene muttered.

"But we're alive now, and...what's that?"

Everyone followed Aisha's gaze to see a small dog peeking around Jim's
leg. It was a Welsh corgi, but only Jim knew that.

"Oh, a puppy!" Melfina cooed, gently picking up the dog. "Hi, puppy!"

Ein yipped and licked her cheek.

"How'd he get in here?" Aisha asked. "Gene, did you leave the door
open?"

"No, and no one's left the ship today except Jim."

"Can we keep him?" Melfina asked. "He's so cute!"

"No way," Gene sad firmly. "Any animals on this ship have to earn
their keep. Right, Aisha?"

"GRAAAAAAH! I TOLD YOU NEVER TO CALL ME THAT AGAIN!"

"Well, you have to admit, Aisha, there are some similarities," Melfina
said, holding up Ein next to her face. "See? You've both got fur and
claws and-"

Aisha silenced her with a glare. "I am NOT an animal! I am a delicate
flower of the Ctarl-Ctarl Empire!"

"Must be a Venus fly trap," Gene said under his breath.

"I HEARD THAT!"

"GOOD!"

Suzuka chose that moment to return. She looked at Gene and Aisha
arguing, sighed and shook her head. Then she noticed Ein in Melfina's
arms. "Was that the present you got for Melfina, Jim?" she asked.

Jim mentally kicked himself. "Uh...well, I..."

Melfina's eyes began to water as she looked down at him. "Oh,
Jim...you did this...for me?"

Jim started to speak, then stopped himself. "Um..." He trailed off and
shrugged. "I guess so."

Melfina kneeled down and drew him into a big hug. "Thank you so much!"
She planted an affectionate kiss on his cheek, then stood up. "I think
I'll call him...Harry!"

Jim groaned and resisted the urge to slap himself. It was then that he
realized he'd left a fellow hacker alone with his personal computer.

* * * * *

Ed wasn't hacking. Not really. She was just...investigating.
Technically, she hadn't done anything illegal (yet) by pulling up
files on the Outlaw Star. She read all about the ship's exploits,
including the time it almost won the Heiphon Space Race.

She was just thinking about leaving her mark on Jim's computer when
someone cleared their throat.

"Hi again, Jim," Ed said, not looking up.

"Y'know, you could've checked to make sure it was me."

"Ed did," Ed replied. "Ed put one of Gilliam's drones outside to watch
for intruders."

"...you hacked into Gilliam's systems?"

"Not hacked. Asked nicely. Ed has some manners."

"Oh." Jim peered over her shoulder. "Then what are you doing now?"

"Stuff," Ed answered, pausing to glance back at him. She didn't see
any reason to tell him about the webpage just yet.

"Is something wrong?" Jim asked. "You sound...different."

"Typing isn't as fun without Ed's goggles. But she left them at home
so you could see her Beautiful Eyes." She grabbed Jim's face and
stared into his eyes. "Loooook into Ed's eyeeeees!" she said in a
spooky voice.

Jim pulled away, trying to hide the red that was starting to appear in
his cheeks. "Here," he said, pulling some spare goggles out of his
pocket and placing them on her forehead. "I've got plenty of them."

Ed put the goggles on and grinned. "Thanks, Jim! Now Ed can hack!"

"Hey, wait a minute!"

"Shhh! Ed is hacking!"

"No, Ed is NOT. Gilliam wouldn't appreciate it."

Ed shook her head. "Gilliam is asleep. MPU is in charge!"

Jim blinked. "WHO?"

* * * * *

"GILLIAM!" Gene shouted.

"You bellowed, sir?" a voice asked.

"What? Who are you? Where's Gilliam?"

"Gilliam is currently in sleep mode. I am MPU. May I help you?"

"You can start by telling me what the heck this thing on my door is!"

"That is a Navajo coyote, sir, not a `thing', as you insist on calling
it."

"Whatever. I want it OFF."

"Quite impossible. I have drawn each shape according to each crew
member's attributes. You, sir, are a coyote."

Gene frowned. "Oh, really."

"Yes. The coyote is wild and free, roaming wherever he pleases. He can
easily overpower those greater than him, because of his sharp mind and
undeniable courage."

"Well...that DOES sound like me," Gene chuckled.

"Hey, GENE!" Aisha came running down the hall, stopping when she saw
the design on his door. "Oh, so you're a coyote, huh?" She grinned
toothily.

"What are you so happy about?" Gene asked warily.

Aisha only grinned wider. "MPU, tell Mr. Coyote all about MY spirit
animal."

"As you wish, Lady Aisha. The wolf is a versatile spirit, working
effectively both alone and in packs. Its strength is unquestionable
among the other spirit animals. Given enough time, the wolf can
harness and focus its incredible inner strength, which will then allow
it to defeat any and all opponents. Its rival is the wily coyote, and
battles between the two have caused tremendous damage to both.
However, the coyote's cleverness, speed, and courage are forever
destined to be dwarfed by the mighty wolf's abilities, for it has all
three in abundance."

Gene's face was almost the same color as his hair.

Aisha's grin almost covered the whole lower half of her face.

"Will any more information on your spirit animals be needed? Those
were just brief summaries, and I have plenty of-"

"NO, thank you, MPU!" Gene growled.

* * * * *

It had been a good plan. Maybe. But Jim hadn't counted on Ed releasing
MPU into the Outlaw Star's computers.

He certainly hadn't counted on spirit animals...or how popular they
would become.

So popular, in fact, that the rest of the crew had practically torn
Jim's door down just to find out what his was. And for some reason,
the fact that he was a fox almost went unnoticed.

Maybe it had something to do with Ed's website. The one that had
in-depth profiles on the Bebop's crew, and now the Outlaw Star's crew.
They were fairly biased profiles, all things considered, but then, Ed
had written them. She'd also included spirit animals, much to Gene's
disgust.

The only ones that seemed to like their profiles were Aisha and Jim.
Aisha had been described as the "obvious leader" of the Outlaw Star,
and "much more interesting than anyone else." Jim had been called the
"resident genius" several times, as well as "a real cutie, especially
when he blushes." Needless to say, this led to a full investigation by
Gene into what Ed had done to make Jim blush. Not realizing how
sensitive the topic was, Ed told him.

"Ed watched Jim undress."

Jim then had to deny that he had done it on purpose, and the
allegations that he was a closet stripper. Not that anyone necessarily
believed him, but he at least had to defend himself.

* * * * *

"Ed has to go now."

Jim blinked and looked up. "You're...leaving?"

She nodded. "Jet will start to miss Ein, and Faye will start to miss
Ed. Sort of."

"Will you...come back?" Jim asked.

Ed considered that for a moment. "Maybe. Ed might have to steal
another engine part, though."

"Well, Gene says we'll be here for a while." Jim felt he should say
something else. "Um...Ed?"

"Yes, Jim?"

"I...uh...really like spending time with you."

Ed blinked. "Ed likes spending time with you, too, Jim."

"Also...I...wanted to say that...well..."

"You love Ed."

Jim's head snapped up. "W...What?!"

She repeated it, slowly. "You. Love. Ed."

Jim struggled to find his voice and failed.

"Don't worry, Jim. Maybe Ed will tell you the same thing someday soon.
But until then, Ed likes you enough to do this."

As soon as he heard that, Jim got very nervous. Partially because some
action had to follow it, but mostly because Ed had taken several steps
toward him. "Ed...wha...what are you..."

Instead of answering, Ed leaned down a bit (Jim suddenly realized she
was about a head taller than him) and kissed his nose. Then she turned
and cartwheeled out of the room. "Ed will be back for Ein!"

Jim blinked a few times before her words hit him. "Crap."

* * * * *

"Again, please, MPU."

"Certainly, Melfina. The racoon is swift and cautious, using its speed
and cunning to escape hazardous situations. Of all the animals
spirits, the raccoon is known for its highly analytical nature, which
often gives it an unforeseen advantage over predators."

Melfina smiled and gently ran her hand along Ein's back. "Sweet
dreams, Harry."

Ein licked her chin before falling asleep. Being allowed to sleep in a
bed was a very new experience, and one he could quickly get used to.
Besides, Melfina reminded him of Ed, but without all the wackiness.
Also, she was much more affectionate than anyone else had ever been.
Now, if only she remembered to feed him in the morning, he'd be living
better than he had on the Bebop....

Next Session: The Bebop crew storms the XGP...sort of.