Chapter Two

      The android was impressed to see there was a television program for bounty hunters. A man named Aristotle Pakele was wanted for grand theft. He had stolen billions of dollars worth of diamonds while they were in transit from the mines on Triton to Mars. He was close by, but so were other bounty hunters and mobsters anxious to steal the diamonds for themselves. The Bebop landed on Mars and they went to work.
      Faye was noticeably absent when Spike and Juuhatchigou left the Bebop. Jet and Ed relayed information to them over their intercoms. On a tip from an ex-ISSP buddy, Jet lead his friends straight to the prize.
      Pakele sat in a coffee shop. His long, greying beard and wide girth made him an easy target. Spike whispered to Juuhatchigou before she crossed the street. "There's a bounty hunter near that dumpster and probably a handful of yakuza coming up the block. Don't forget the reward is for the diamonds and Pakele, alive. Wait for my signal."
      "No problem." She walked casually into the restaurant. The android was wearing a salmon colored tank top and a pair of bright blue Capri pants Faye had lent her. Juuhatchigou had thought she'd stick out like a sore thumb, but the style here seemed to be consistent. A bell over the door made Pakele visibly nervous as she entered, but her appearance soothed him. Juuhatchigou looked to Spike. Thumbs up.
      "Hi there, this seat taken?" she asked.
      "Hehe, why no, Baby. It's wide open." Pakele grinned a fairly toothless grin. Juuhatchigou smiled seductively at him and reached under the table. Before she could grab him in an uncomfortable place, she heard the click of several guns being cocked. Pakele gasped. Outside, Spike was busy with the Yakuza and the other hunter. Inside, the whole shop was filled with the same kind of people.
      "Sorry, I know you guys saw him first, but this is my first time out. I've got to get him." Juuhatchigou stood up and faced the throng. Dozens of muzzles were aimed at her head. She snorted with amusement. "Pakele, get under the table and stay there."
      "Huh?" he asked, astounded, but did so.
      "Ok, try to get through me."

      Outside, Spike swung his heel into the eye-socket of the last standing adversary and turned his attention to the cafe just as the shots rang out.
      "Juuhatchigou!" he shouted, pulled out his gun and tried to get inside. Before he forced the door open, the sound stopped. Inside, there were bullet holes everywhere. Gangsters and hunters lay over the tables and on the floor, piled up, unconscious, but alive. Pakele twitched under the table. A neat pattern of bullet holes framed the area behind the android. She hadn't let a single one reach the bounty.
      Spike stared at her, dumbfounded. Her fists were still clenched. She relaxed finally and let scores of bullets fall to the ground. "Whooo... haven't had a workout like that in years... At least, I don't think so." She looked to the table. "Hey, Aristotle. You can come out now."
      He stuttered and crawled slowly out from under the table. "Holy shit..."
      "You can say that again..." Spike muttered.
      "Ho.. ly... shit."

      It wasn't until after they claimed the 300K bounty that Spike asked her how she did it. Juuhatchigou looked at him funny. "I told you, I'm a Jinzouningen."
      "Yeah, I know but... I didn't see it. You can really fight... and catch bullets?"
      Juuhatchigou smiled. "You're impressed?"
      "Hell yeah. You're like Superman."
      "I saw you fighting out there too. You know your stuff."
      "I can't catch bullets though."
      "Really?"
      Spike stopped walking. "That surprises you?"
      "Sure, I knew lots of humans who could."
      He raised a suspicious brow.
      Juuhatchigou smiled. "Is there a nice isolated place around here somewhere...?"
      "Why...?" he asked.
      "I could train you."
      "To catch bullets?"
      "Maybe."

*
      Faye took another drag off her cigarette and licked her teeth. "Well, interested, or not?" She sat in a comfortable, black, leather chair in a large office.
      "What's your price?" A man in a suit asked her.
      "70K, chump change."
      "50."
      "65."
      The man breathed deep. "If she's as dangerous as you say she is, why risk getting our men killed? You bring her to us."
      Faye crushed the cigarette out. "You're the android experts. You come get her."
      "70K."
      She raised her brow. "Done."

*

      "Ok," Juuhatchigou stopped, satisfied that this abandoned warehouse was sufficiently out of the way. "I assume you're familiar with Chi energy?"
      Spike nodded.
      "Just let me know when I've lost you, ok? I want you to channel your Chi as if preparing to take a blow or deliver a punch. Channel it down into your hands." She held her hands in front of her and slightly apart to demonstrate. "Concentrate that energy till you can actually see it forming a ball between your hands."
      "What?!"
      "Don't doubt yourself. You can do it."
      Spike sweat a little as he pushed. Slowly to his great surprise, a tiny bluish ball began to form.
      "There ya go! Now cool down and do that five more times." She turned and began walking away.
      "Hey, wait! When do you show me to catch bullets?"
      She looked over her shoulder. "Do it five times today, and ten times tomorrow then ten more times that for the next five days, but never in the ship, obviously. Then I'll teach you something way cooler than catching bullets."

*
      Their next target was a female hacker living in a ship that she was using to control satellites which were primarily used to transfer funds from planet to planet. It was easy for Spike and Faye to board the ship once Ed had disabled the security matrix and Juuhatchigou blazed them a path through the airlock door. As they ran through the entrance, Juuhatchigou backed away from a sparking cable.
      "What's the matter?" Faye asked, panicked that they had stumbled into a trap.
      "Nothing. I just don't get along with that many amps." She followed them towards the cockpit.
      "What would happen if you got shocked?" Faye asked, trying to sound innocent.
      "I'd probably shut down."
      "Would you two quit makin' small talk?" Spike moaned. "We got a job to do."

      They came to the last set of safety doors.
      "Juuhatchi, do the honors?" Spike smiled.
      "Sure sure." She gripped the slight gap between the doors and peeled them away like an orange rind. "Hello!" she chimed. The bounty, an obese woman probably in her late forties, was cowering under the ship's console.
      "Holy Hana! Don't kill me, man!"
      Faye cuffed her. "Just relax and we won't have her rip your arms off."
      The woman fainted.
      "Faye..." Spike grumbled.
      "No problem," Juuhatchigou bent and picked the woman up effortlessly.
      "Man, what can't you do?"
      "Yeah, you're a regular Swiss army knife..." Faye grumbled.

Chapter Three ... there is no chapter three... Here's the outline, since i have no desire to finish it.

Faye sets 18 up, prepares the mobsters to capture her, but the two women have a conversation before the setup that changes faye's mind. 18 tells her that although she's got eternal beauty, she's only got part of her memories and what she can remember is everyone she ever loved died of old age.

Spike and 18 and jet go out on a job. Faye tries to stop the setup, but is too late. The mobsters electrocute 18, immobilizing her. Jet, spike and faye chase, but lose them. Because faye is trying so hard to get her back, the boys don't ask if she had anything to do with it. Ed tracks the mobsters down by searching for large, underworld IT units in the area. They bust in and try to rescue her.

The mobsters have hacked her a bit, and try to use her to fight them. Jet and faye get hurt a little by mobsters, spike yells at 18 to take control. She does and wipes out the mobsters. She has regained her memories and remembers why she shut herself down. The pain of loss was too great. She almost shuts down again but faye begs her to stop.

Back on the bebop, faye, ed and 18 are sequestered off in faye's quarters for hours. The boys wonder what's up. When they emerge, 18 announces she's leaving. She thanks them for their help [the mobsters had heavy bounties and they are now even] and they drop her off on Ganymede. Faye appologises to spike, "Sorry I didn't get a chance to teach you to fly..." [meaning, faye and 18 have somehow switched bodies!]

the end.

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