Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ Play Me Some More of that Old Blues ❯ Chapter 12 ( Chapter 12 )

 

Chapter 12

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Ed was sleeping, a snoring Ein by her side. In the dim light, the only sound was the rickety fan spinning swiftly, sending down a soft breeze. The large man sat on the couch, elbows on his knees and a cigarette burning between his teeth. The good news was that he now had a fairly good idea where Faye had been taken. Ed had managed to locate the testing site for Mechatronics. The bad news… it was on Pandora. Only ships with the proper clearance were allowed anywhere near that moon. Even then, you were required to jump through a lot of hoops; and Jet's connections at ISSP were not that good.

 

Frustrated, the ex-cop stood to his feet. He needed more information, a lot more.

 

Kneeling by the sleeping girl, Jet prodded her side with one finger. “Hey, hey Ed, you awake?”

 

“Neeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh….” She muttered, a dopey smile stretching her face as she rolled on her back.

 

“Damn it Edward!” Jet grabbed her shoulders and hauled her upright, setting her before her computer. “Come on, wake up!”

 

Ed sagged bonelessly before Tomato, giggling, her eyes still shut. As Jet reached over to grab her goggles from the floor, the girl flopped on her side, twitching once. Grumbling, Jet fitted the goggles over her face. Then, propping her up again, he reached out and flicked Ein in the ear, waking the dog instantly. “See what you can do with her.”

 

Barking once, Ein jumped in Ed's lap, licking her face enthusiastically.

 

“Weeeheeeheeeheeeeeeeee!!!” Ed snapped awake, jumping up to spin with Ein. Unfortunately, her goggles were still attached to the computer, and she snapped back to the ground with a THUD.

 

Jet bent over her anxiously. “Hey, kid, you ok?”

 

Ed grinned up at him. “A, OK CAPTAIN!!!”

 

Sitting up, she spun back around to face her computer. “What are your orders sir!?”

 

Rubbing his head, Jet leaned in to the computer. “I want to know everything you can dig up on Mechatronics, starting with Richard Caulder.”

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It smelled wonderful! Spike inhaled the scent of cooking food with the intensity of a starving man, which he very nearly was. His mouth began to water as he followed Hollis into the modest home set back from the street. Considering the conditions most of the populous lived in, Bill Hollis's home was nearly a mansion.

 

“Sweetie, I'm back! I got a guest, there enough food to feed us all?”

 

The good-natured laugh indicated to Spike that there would be plenty to go around. A handsome woman appeared from the kitchen, wiping her damp fingers on a cloth. Bill swept her up in a quick hug before turning to introduce her to Spike. “Darlin', I want you to meet Mr…. uh, Mr…”

 

“Spiegel, Spike Spiegel.” Replied the younger man.

 

Hollis smiled, “Spike, meet the woman of my dreams! This is Leona.” The woman blushed, smacking her husband in the chest.

 

“Don't be an ass Bill!” She said, smiling. She turned to Spike, curiosity piquing her features. Never the less, she allowed him his privacy. “Does soup sound ok to you?”

 

Spike's stomach rumbled before he had a chance to answer. Leona laughed. “I'll take that as a yes! Bill, would you mind showing our guest to the dining room? I'll be right out with dinner.”

 

Bill turned to Spike. “Right this way!”

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The soup was like heaven.

 

The broth was heavy and thick, seasoned with salt and butter. Chunks of carrot, potato, and shellfish swam in the golden depths. Besides the soup, there was also a large platter of yeasty bread, delightfully rubbery in texture. A bowl of dark fruits, similar to green olives, completed the meal.

 

Spike couldn't even remember eating food this good before. He was on his second bowl of soup before he remembered he was supposed to avoid solid food. Looking into the broth, he mentally shrugged. `Looks like liquid to me…'

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After dinner, while Leona cleaned up, Bill led Spike to another room. It was a den or study of some kind. Books lined two walls, while a large screen dominated the third. On the fourth wall hung a giant blueprint of a building. “My first company, started ten years ago on Mars.” Spike hid his surprise with a mask of nonchalance. “We started out as just a simple operation, mostly delivery runs for the larger operations on the planet. For a while, I even made deliveries for a few of the syndicates. However, that was always like playing with fire. The last thing I needed was to discover I'd been unknowingly smuggling weapons or hazardous materials.”

 

Spike turned his attention away from the drawing. “I can't believe they'd let you cut off relations without retaliation.”

 

Hollis sat down in a heavy chair near a desk and indicated for Spike to take a seat as well. When both were settled, Hollis sighed deeply. “No, you're right. Two days after I ended the contract my warehouse was leveled by an explosion. I lost five men in that blaze…. one of them was my son.”

 

Spike's face remained stoic. “I'm sorry.”

 

Bill waved his hand. “It wasn't like you would have had anything to do with it.”

 

Spike remained silent. Ten years ago. He would have been about 17, and just starting his career. He could remember a lot of assignments that involved `persuasive measures'. And yes, sometimes that involved destroying a few businesses. However, Mao had been adamant that lives must not be taken unless it was absolutely necessary. But Spike was also partnered with Vicious, who had not been… delicate when it came to dealing out justice.

 

Bill bent to retrieve something from a drawer. “He would have been about your age now.”

 

He handed Spike something in a frame. It was a photograph of a young man, arms resting on the steering wheel of a car. His hair was dark, and his smile was lazy as he looked out the side window. Spike handed the picture back. “He was a good-looking kid.”

 

Bill nodded. “Yes he was, took after his mom that way.” Gazing at the photo for a second, Bill finally returned it to the drawer, closing it up inside. Spike didn't ask why it wasn't on display, but simply leaned back in his chair, allowing the weight of exhaustion to slip over him. Bill sat across from him, behind his desk. His eyes were hooded, missing the good humor that had seemed almost permanent until now. Finally, he looked up at Spike, his gaze narrowing in intensity.

 

“I suppose you probably wondered why a stranger like me would bring someone they just met into his home. Especially someone from this moon.”

 

Spike didn't speak, only waited for the man to continue.

 

“My wife has always accused me as being a big softie when it comes to anything lost or hurt. If I see a stray dog or cat, I take it in, look after it, and keep it safe until I can find where it belongs.” His eyes were still focused on Spike, and something in his expression made Spike sit up. It was recognition.

 

Hollis continued speaking. “I get a lot of shipments through my warehouse on a daily basis. Everything comes through me; food, liquor, tools, parts, building supplies, vehicles… and even some ships.” Spike felt something tingle in his lower back, but kept his eyes locked on Hollis, waiting for him to make any move that seemed threatening.

 

“One day, about six months ago, this large shipment comes in. There was just one item on the manifest. Not unusual, it happens now and then. Only, the item that arrived was a mono-racer. Now, that was strange. It had all the proper clearance codes, the paperwork had all been approved and stamped… but there was just something, not quite right. You see, the mono-racer was approved to be on the planet, but its current owner wasn't.” Bill folded his arms. “Stranger still, according to the file I pulled up, its current owner was dead.” Bill stared at the man across from him, who sat still as a marble statue. “When I saw you today, I nearly swallowed my tongue. I wasn't entirely certain until you told me your name. Spike Spiegel, former bounty hunter, and former member of the Red Dragons.”

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“I should warn you, the last time I formed a relationship in a hospital it ended very badly.”

 

Christopher Wilde chuckled. “Well, you needn't worry, a date is the furthest thing from my mind.”

 

Faye sighed dramatically. “I really have lost my touch!”

 

Unsure how to respond, Wilde coughed in his hand. Faye smiled, pleased to have given back even the tiniest bit of discomfort she been submitted to for the past… week? Month? How the hell long had she been kept here anyhow? Her sense of time was completely destroyed by the intermittent periods of unconsciousness, not to mention she had no idea if it was night or day. She watched Wilde through the veil of her lashes. For the past few days, he had been stopping in to check her progress, take her temperature, and ask about her general health. Since she quit attacking him and spouting obscenities, he'd gradually allowed her more freedom in his presence, something she'd been waiting for. Now if only that gorilla of a guard would leave…

 

“Miss Valentine, if you'd be so kind…”

 

Faye opened her mouth obediently for the thermometer. After a few seconds, it beeped and announced her within acceptable parameters.

 

“You know, if you really want me to stay healthy, you should let me out for a while. A girl needs sunshine and fresh air! Look, my tan is almost gone, I look as pasty as a fish! What do you say, you could come with! Please?”

 

Wilde glanced at her, a look bordering pity crossing his face. “I'm not sure…”

 

“You wouldn't get a tan under this sun I'm afraid.” Announced a new voice. Faye looked over and grimaced as Andrew Mathis entered the room.

 

Wilde jotted a few more notes before acknowledging the new person. “What can I do for you Mr. Mathis?”

 

Andrew gave Faye an appraising look before taking Wilde by the elbow. “Come with me Doctor, there's something we need to discuss. Jud, stay here and keep an eye on her would you?” Jud crossed his arms and stood just outside the locked door. Faye couldn't help but kick the solid surface in annoyance.

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Wilde and Mathis walked in silence until they reached the main lab. As the pneumatic door hissed shut behind them, Mathis turned around and leaned against the vat that had once held subject B, now deceased. Wilde stood before his superior with both arms hanging at his side. Mathis smoothed his tie. “How are the second-run trials going?”

 

Wilde set his clipboard on the shiny surface of a nearby counter. “Well, so far the results have remained consistent with early predictions on output and yield. There's been a seventy percent increase in productivity in the beta group since I introduced cells taken from a neutral subject. The devices were… amazing! I mean, they literally swarmed the sample, reorganizing the DNA, strengthening proteins and revitalizing neurons and electrons… It was like nothing I've ever seen before. What floored me is that the nano-machines actually seemed to be adding telomeres to the tips of the chromosomes! I mean, think about it! With unlimited telomeres, the cells in the body will just keep dividing… never dying! A person with these nano-machines existing in their body would, conceivably, live forever!”

 

Mathis pursed his lips and stared down at the floor for a moment, as though in deep thought. Finally, he looked up. “That's wonderful, no, extraordinary news Doctor. And I'm very happy to tell you that you'll get to see the amazing results of your work put into practice. Mr. Caulder has just informed me he would like to begin human trials today.”

 

Wilde looked at him, startled. “He, what? But, but the samples… I need more time, we can't start human testing until I've had a chance to…”

 

“Dr. Wilde, you enjoy working here don't you? Then I suggest you do what you are instructed to do! Up till now I've kept my misgivings about your reliability from Mr. Caulder, but now I'm starting to think he made a big mistake in hiring you.”

 

“Excuse me, Mr. Mathis, but I am not one to take lightly to threats. I for one know my worth to this company, and to Mr. Caulder. And I highly doubt he would be willing to risk so much with the little bit of data I've managed to collect so far. I know there is a great more study that needs to be done before I'd even be willing to begin animal testing, much less human trials…”

 

“Apparently you are highly ignorant of what's riding on this! We don't have time for all that! The human trials begin today!”

 

Wilde suppressed his anger by spinning around and placing both of his hands flat on the counter. After a moment to get control of his voice, he spoke. “Who does Mr. Caulder suggest we run our tests on?” He glanced over his shoulder when he didn't hear a response. Behind him, Mathis had removed his jacket and was rolling up one sleeve.

 

“Say Doc, you think I could get a lollypop when this is over?”

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