TheScarletChan

Jigen pulled the car into a small alleyway, before turning off the engine, lights, and slinking lower in his seat. Lupin followed suit, and just as he did so, the police cars had turned back around and turned the corner, rushing down the street, not paying the small alley any mind.

“Do you have a place we can lay low?” Jigen whispered to Lupin, and saw as he shook his head.

“Not around here. You got anywhere?” Lupin asked, and Jigen froze.

“Well… yeah, but-”

“Then what are we waiting for, let’s go!” Lupin urged, and Jigen groaned.

“If I may.” Goemon spoke from the backseat.

“Oh, Goemon, I almost forgot you were there!” Lupin laughed out. Goemon gave him a look, “Go ahead.”

“Perhaps we shouldn’t invade Jigen’s privacy?” Goemon suggested.

“Do you have a place to hide?” Lupin asked, turning towards the back seat and giving the Swordsman a look.

“I… well no, but…” Goemon shrunk in his seat, and Lupin chuckled.

“Then it’s settled, Jigen, let’s go!” Lupin pointed forwards, out of the alley, and Jigen groaned once more.

“Fine.”

The Fiat pulled out of its hiding place and drove away, into the night.

~

A town away, the Fiat pulled into a driveway. Jigen sat at the wheel as the other two men got out of the car, his cigarette now a stub. He flicked it into an ashtray, and grit his teeth as he looked at the house.

The lights were on, and he had parked next to her car, so he knew she was here. But he didn’t want to disturb her with this. That’s why he had been hesitant with this job from the start. Sure, it was an easy one that would bring in a fair bit of cash, but it was close to her home.

Knocking on his window broke him out of his angry daze.

“Oh Jigen, you gonna join us?” Lupin asked with a grin. Jigen groaned once more, and swung open his door, almost knocking Lupin over in the process. His hands were in tight fists as he took a few breaths to try and calm himself, even though it didn’t do much.

He walked up the pathway that led to the door, and the other two men followed quietly, except for Lupin’s occasional chuckle. He took a breath in before knocking on the door, in the same pattern he always did. One, then two, then one again. He waited, hearing footsteps approach the door. 

It swung open inwards, and he was met with a familiar smiling face.

“Jigen!” 

“Hey Sweetheart.” The greeting left his mouth before he could stop it, and there was a dramatic gasp from Lupin behind him.

“Sweetheart? Jigen, have you been holding out on us? Who is this?” Lupin asked, and the woman leaned to look around Jigen, spotting the other two.

“Oh, um, come in.” She moved out of the way and the three men walked in, Lupin and Goemon looking around while Jigen stayed with her.

“Listen, I’m sorry but-” He started, but she quietly shushed him.

“It’s fine, I understand. You know I have no issue with you guys laying low here.” She informed with her arms crossed, and Jigen sighed.

“I know. I just never wanted to need to take you up on that offer. It puts you in danger.” He said, hands for once leaving his pockets as he pulled her in for a hug.

“You’re always in danger. And I’m not new to it anyways.” She states, nearly laughing as she returns the embrace.

“Yeah, I know.” He looked down at her and grinned.

She lifted an arm to tip up his hat slightly, the rest of his face being revealed. He chuckled quietly and leaned down to press a light kiss onto her forehead.

“Hate to ruin such a tender moment and all, but are you gonna tell us who she is, Jigen?” Lupin called from the couch, where he had already made himself comfortable.

Jigen groaned, but the woman chuckled and walked towards the couch with him.

“Guys, this is Y/N and she’s my… uh.” He started the sentence confidently, but soon began to stumble over his words.

“Girlfriend.” She finished, and Jigen nodded, pulling his hat down to further cover his face and hide the growing red blush.

“Wow. You know, good for you Jigen. But I never saw it coming. I thought that if anyone here would have a secret girlfriend, it'd be Goemon with how often he disappears. How’d you two meet?” Lupin questioned.

“Well, yeah, but it’s a bit of a story.” Jigen said, a hand going to the back of his neck.

“What else are we doing?” Lupin countered, grinning, knowing that he had won.

“Alright, fine,” Jigen and Y/N sat down on the couch across from Lupin, who smiled excitedly. Goemon was sitting on a chair with his sword by his side, ready for the story.

“So you remember the solo job I did… about a year ago now?” Jigen asked, and Lupin began to choke on his own saliva. 

“You guys have been together for that long?” He yelled.

“No, shush. Do you remember the job?” Jigen got the conversation back on track and Lupin coughed, nodding.

“The one you came back empty handed from.” Lupin said in between coughs.

“I did not!”

“You didn’t have what you were going for, so you might’ve well come back with nothing!” Lupin argues back, and Y/N sighs.

“Boys! Will I need to tell the story?” She interrupted them, glancing back and forth between the both of them.

“Ah, no, sorry. Jigen, go on.” Lupin said, motioning for Jigen to continue.

“Right, well…”

*

Jigen crept through the dimly lit corridors, his gun in hand, ready for any guards that might cross his path.

Two more turns and he was there. The vault, his goal. The Crimson Star Ruby. 

He carefully peeked around a corner, and once he saw it was empty, turned right down the hall. Just one more turn and he was there. Quick and easy. In and out. No one would even know he was there.

Just then he heard sprinting down the hall. In front of him a dark figure ran through a connecting hallway, with four guards quickly in tow.

And they were running away from the vault. Jigen groaned internally, mentally debating what to do, looking back and forth down the hall.

He sighed, running after the person and the guards.

The figure had been cornered, with the four guards pointing their weapons at them. Looking past the guards, he could now tell that the figure was a woman as she turned around.

At first, Jigen recognized the skin tight black body suit she wore as Fujiko, and scowled, but he quickly realized that this woman wasn’t Fujiko. In one hand she held a laptop, and there was an empty holster on her thigh.

“Hey, how about you pick on someone your own size.” Jigen called to the guards, who turned around, momentarily scared. 

“Who’s this guy?” One asked, and the others shrugged.

“Who cares, they’re both thieves, let’s take them out.” Another speaks, and they lift their guns at Jigen.

The Gunman just grins, firing four times. Each shot hits the underside of the guard’s weapons, knocking the guns up into their faces and easily knocking them out. All four guards fell to the floor, and the woman let out a relieved sigh.

“Thanks for that.” She spoke, and Jigen adjusted his hat, turning back away from the dead end.

“It’s no problem, really.” He spoke, and she looked at him confused.

“You’re going the wrong way, you know.” She commented, and Jigen turned on his heel.

“What?” He asked as she turned towards the dead end wall. 

“Sure, on the blueprints it might look like the vault is somewhere else, but that’s just a trap.” She shrugged, one hand sliding down the wall, feeling for something.

“And how do you know that exactly?” Jigen questioned, and the woman opened her laptop.

“Because I’ve done my research. Not only did I look at the blue print, but I also found the schematics, finding the plans for the electrical systems, plumbing, and even the air vents. There’s tons more electricity flowing here than the supposed vault.” She answered, finally finding what she seemed to be looking for on the wall. She pressed a small section and a keyboard popped out.

“Woah,” He bent down to look at the keyboard, then he realized he was accidentally in her face, “Oh, sorry about that.” 

“It’s no problem, you saved my life.” She said, now placing a small device on the keyboard and plugging something into her own laptop.

“And you kept me from getting captured.” Jigen responded, and she nodded slightly.

“I suppose I did. So we’re even?” She asked, and Jigen grinned.

“Even.” He answered, and she began to focus on her laptop. Jigen leaned across from the woman, half watching her work and half keeping watch. As she typed away, her fingers dancing across the keys, sometimes without her even looking at them, Jigen grew curious.

“Are you a hacker or something?” He asked, and she chuckled.

“Or something,” She echoed back, “You heard the guard, I’m a thief, like you.” She said,  adjusting how she was crouching and balancing her laptop on her leg. It was the same leg that held the empty holster.

“You got a hoster, where’s your gun?” 

“Oh, that. I had it earlier. It got knocked away, my only choice was to run. I got down here, and well, you know the rest.” She chuckled lightly, and Jigen couldn’t help but laugh quietly with her.

“Glad I chose to run this way then.” He stated, and a comfortable quiet fell as she continued to type away.

“Got it,” The keyboard retracted back into the wall and the woman stood up, “So, what do you say to splitting the prize?” She asked as the dead end wall moved backwards before sliding into the wall to the right. She closed her laptop and stood up, looking towards the forming doorway.

“Not a problem.” Jigen responded as the light from the actual vault began to flood the dim hall.

“Well then, come on in…” She trailed off, waiting for a name.

“Daisuke Jigen.” He answered, and she grinned.

“Come on in, Jigen.” She welcomed him into the vault.

He had to suppress a shiver, her voice saying his name echoing in his head. Even though he had known her for all of five minutes, she intrigued him. Her sharp mind, quick wit, and the fact that she was easy on the eyes helped out. He had to quickly walk past her and into the vault. 

She walked after him and quickly headed to what could only be described as the crown jewel of the vault.

“The Crimson Star Ruby.” She stated, in awe.

On the pedestal in front of her was the aptly named Crimson Star Ruby. Unlike normal star rubies, which had six points on the lighter colored star, it had eight points and the star was a deep red color, making it incredibly rare.

“Well, it looks like we might have a problem.” He said, and she looked at him.

“You’re after it too, aren’t you?”  

“I am.” He answered simply, and her shoulders sank a bit.

“I don’t want to fight for it.” She said, and Jigen nodded.

“Me neither.” He answered, but there was a sound echoing through the still open hallway. 

Footsteps.

Rapid footsteps, and a lot of them.

“Looks like we were working on borrowed time.” She said, looking down the hall.

“And it just ran out,” Jigen could already see them coming down the hall, “You take it.”

“What?” “You take it, the ruby. You did most of the heavy lifting anyways. Take it and get out of here.” He drew his gun, reloading from the four shots he had fired earlier.

“I… Alright,” She snatched the ruby from the pedestal and pocketed it before looking around the room, and grabbing a few more things in close proximity, “Jigen listen. There are two secret exits to the vault, one there and the other is directly across from it.” She pointed to one side of the room.

“You take that one. I’ll hold them off and get out when I can.” He said, moving over towards the doorway, and the woman nodded.

“Got it. I’ll see you soon Jigen.” She said, pressing an unseen button besides where she was pointing, and a secret door opened. Jigen was momentarily confused by what she meant, but then he remembered her skills from earlier, and had no doubt that she could find him again.

“See you soon…” He stopped, realizing he didn’t know her name.

“Y/N.” She spoke, and he grinned.

“See you soon, Y/N.” He replied.

She turned away from Jigen, towards the now open door, in hopes of hiding the rising blush. He had just said her name, but it was something about the way he said it… He had interested her, that wasn’t a difficult task, she was naturally curious, but there was something so alluring about him. Maybe it was the air of mystery he had. Perhaps it was his pinpoint accuracy with that gun of his. But whatever it was, it could wait.

She gave him a small wave as she left, one which he returned before the gunfight started, and as soon as she went through the secret passageway, the door shut behind her, and she was gone.

*

“The next morning, she was at my door.” Jigen spoke, finishing off the story. Lupin was avidly listening the whole time, his only comment being when Jigen gave away the Ruby.

“How did you find him again?” Goemon asked.

“Oh, that was easy. Once I got to my own hotel room, I just used the city street cameras. It was a bit of a hassle to track him, but once he got to his own hotel, it was easy. Just saw what room he went into, wrote the number down, and went to bed.” She said with a small shrug.

“So what’s you two do then?” Lupin asked, the annoying grin he regularly wore on his face.

“Gross Lupin.” Jigen stated, glaring at him.

“We just talked. About heists we’d both done.” Y/N answered, and Lupin groaned, rolling his eyes.

“Of course you two talked shop. So boring.” Lupin leaned back, practically melting off the couch. 

“What did you talk about?” Goemon asked, ignoring Lupin’s disappointment.

“Favorite heists, most difficult, most dangerous, best haul. Stuff like that.” She responded and Goemon nodded. 

It went quiet for a moment, before Y/N spoke up again. “So, what brought you guys here?” She asked, and Lupin perked up again.

“Heist a town over.” He said, smiling proudly.

“Oh, what were you stealing?” She questioned again.

“A red diamond, bigger than the Moussaieff Red. Ten carats cut.” He stated, fixing his suit jacket as he spoke.

“That’s impressive. I assume that Inspector Zenigata guy found out?” 

“Yeah, that’s why we had to crash here. Apparently none of us own a safehouse out this way.” Jigen glared at Lupin, who just raised his arms defensively. 

The two started to bicker, and after a minute there was a knock at the door. The others jumped, and Jigen’s hand went inside his jacket.

“Are you expecting anyone?” He asked, and she nodded.

“I was actually. I had sort of planned a girls night with a friend.” She said, and the three men each pulled their own awkward face.

“Sorry, I didn’t know Sweetheart, we can leave-” Jigen started, but she shushed him as she went to the door.

“Oh no, it’s fine. You guys actually know her.” She opened the door, greeting her friend with a hug before moving aside so they could see her.

“Fujiko?” Lupin yelled, and she chuckled.

“Didn’t expect to see you boys here tonight. Although I did hear that Zenigata was after you three… again. Decided to hide here for now?” She asked as she walked in.

“Y/N, how do you know Fujiko?” Jigen asked, glaring at Fujiko. “Well, when I first started out as a thief, she sorta took me under her wing. She taught me some of the stuff I know today, we worked together for a while until we didn’t anymore.” She answered and Jigen scowled.

“Cause she backstabbed you?” “No, because I didn’t need her help anymore. We did a couple of other jobs together, but we’ve stayed friends. She’s actually how I found out about the Crimson Star Ruby.” I answered and Jigen froze.

“Hey, she told me about the Crimson Star Ruby after I got injured, so I passed it onto Jigen.” Lupin said, a huge grin on his face. 

Fujiko just shrugged, setting her bag down near the door and hanging up her jacket on the coat rack. Y/N walked back over to Jigen, tapping his shoulder lightly to bring him out of his daze.

“There’s no way.” He muttered as Fujiko joined the group in the living room.

“What do you mean?” She asked, feigning innocence.

“You set us up, didn’t you?” He asked, and she shrugged once more.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Jigen,” She said with a smirk, before facing Y/N, “So is girl’s night still on?”

“Uh, yes, but how about we call it… Thieves' Night! You know, cause we’re all… you guys get it. We can all just hang out while you guys lay low.” She suggested, looking to the others for their opinions. 

“That’s a great idea!” Lupin announced.

“I see no issue with it.” Goemon spoke from his seat.

“Sure.” Jigen said, still glaring at Fujiko.

“Are the snacks in the kitchen?” Fujiko asked, confirming that she was okay with the change in plans. Y/N nodded, sitting back down next to Jigen, “I’ll grab them.” “I’ll come with you!” Lupin hopped up and followed her into the next room.

“I can’t believe you deal with that level of energy all the time,” Y/N spoke, “It’s exhausting even for just a little while.”

“You get used to it.” Jigen responded with a sly grin, and Y/N dug her elbow into his ribs. This made him laugh, pulling her closer and throwing an arm over her shoulders. She practically melted into his side, getting as much contact as she could, because she knew he wasn’t one for PDA.

But when Fujiko and Lupin walked back in, bowls of snacks in hand, Jigen didn’t move away as she expected. If anything, he seemed to relax more. Lupin and Fujiko were enveloped in their own conversation, and Jigen looked at Y/N.

“I’m sorry we ruined your girls' night.” He said, but she just shook her head and sighed.

“It’s fine, really. Fujiko doesn’t even seem to mind,” She looked up at Jigen, reaching a hand up to tip back his hat slightly, just enough to see his eyes beneath the brim, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” He smiled softly, in a way he only did when it was just the two of them.

“We should make Thieve’s Night a thing now.” Lupin spoke, and Y/N looked over.

“That’s a great idea!” She said, reaching forwards for the bowl of chips that Fujiko had put down a few moments earlier.

The group easily fell into a conversation and before they knew it, hours had passed.

“Well, I should be going. This was great Y/N!” Fujiko said as she collected her things and headed towards the door.

“Same time next week Fujiko?” Y/N asked as Fujiko opened the door. She nodded and left, and within the minutes, they could hear her car start and pull away.

“Man, I’m tired.” Lupin said, proving it with a yawn.

“Well, I have a guess room you could use,” Y/N said, and Lupin smiled, “As for Goemon…”

“I will be fine here.” He replied.

“Are you sure, I can figure out something.” She said, and he nodded.

“And I think we all know where Jigen’s sleeping.” Lupin giggles out as he stands, stretching. 

“Hah hah.” Jigen grumbled as he stood, Y/N standing with him.

“Guest room is the second on the right. Bathroom is right before it.” She informed Lupin, who nodded and yawned once more, heading towards the guest room.  Jigen and Y/N headed over to her own room, both of them immediately flopping onto her bed.

“That was pretty fun.” She said, rolling over to face Jigen. He had placed his hat on the nightstand beside her bed. 

“Yeah,” he responded, trailing off a bit, “Still, I’m sorry we interrupted.”

“It’s fine, really. You guys can crash here anytime, running from Zenigata or not. It’s nice to have company that isn’t Fujiko.” She said with a small laugh.

“About that, why’d you never tell me you knew Fujiko?” He asked.

“Well, I knew your opinion on her… and it never really came up in conversation. Sorry if-” 

“No need to apologize Sweetheart, it just surprised me,” He said, moving a bit closer to her, placing his forehead on hers as they laid there. She closed her eyes and smiled softly, beginning to fall asleep, “I guess I need to thank her though.” He said, and that snapped her awake.

“What? Why?” 

“She definitely set us up.” He stated. She burst out in laughter.

“You think so?” 

“Yeah.” He said as her laughter died down.

“Well, I’m glad she did then.” She said, closing her eyes once more, snuggling closer to Jigen, who put an arm around her waist, holding her close.

Ed and Ein were happily on Earth, Faye had gone who knows where, and… Well it was just Jet and myself left.

We still hunted bounties all the same. Granted, with fewer numbers, we had to take the small fry and were hardly making enough to get by ourselves, never mind the endless list of maintenance the Bebop needed.

But today we bagged a big one. The leader of a gang on Mars that was attempting to take power now that the Syndicate was decimated.

Jet and I helped ourselves to some food and for once, not bottom-shelf beers.

Speaking of the beers, I had just finished off my third.

“Well, I guess I should head to bed. Can’t drink away all our money,” Jet chuckled at that, “Night.”

“Night kid, rest easy.” He said as I left the living room.

“No promises,” I called, entering the hallway.

It’s always so quiet now.

The sound of my footsteps seemed to echo endlessly, no matter where on the ship I was.

When I stopped walking, I was in front of a familiar shut door.

Spike’s room.

We hadn’t cleared it out, not in the few months, it had been since… Everything happened. It was essentially a time capsule. All that was left of Spike was in there.

I stood there, staring at the metal that blocked my way.

I meant to go to my room, how did I end up here?

Options weighed in my head. Do I go in? Do I go to my room?

While I mentally debated with myself, my body seemingly acted on its own, and the next thing I knew, I was inside Spike's room, the door sliding closed behind me.

I had seen his room before on a few separate occasions.

Once when Faye dragged me in there to poke through his stuff while he was out. She was disappointed with how little he owned.

Another time was when I had to wake Spike up for a bounty. He was obviously awake, just pretending to be asleep and ignoring me. So I pushed him out of his bed. He was pissed off to say the least, but awake, so it was a job well done.

The last time was when Ein was in his room and apparently he can’t fall asleep with the corgi in there, so I was tasked with removing him. But I knew he was lying, since the day before I caught him sleeping with the dog on his chest.

But now, the room was empty.

A layer of dust had formed on Spike’s few belongings, giving the room a duller appearance. His bed was well made, as it always was.

I found myself frozen in the center of his room, slowly looking around.

Then a feeling of exhaustion took me over. I hadn’t felt this tired in a while.

Maybe I hadn’t fully processed my emotions since that day?

Maybe I hadn’t realized that Spike was gone. Never to return. He would only live in my memories.

Maybe, somewhere in the back of my brain, some strange optimistic part of myself thought he’d come back.

Even though I knew he had died.

He died in my arms after all.

Tears pricked in the corners of my eyes.

That moment replayed in my head, again and again, tens, hundreds, possibly even thousands of times in a matter of seconds.

Tears rolled down my cheeks, to my chin, gathering there before falling to the floor.

And there I stood, silently sobbing, finally feeling something other than the numb dream-like state I had been in for the past few months.

I moved to the nearest surface, Spike’s bed, and sat, hands over my face, palms growing wet with tears, hunched over.

I have no idea how long I sat there, how long I cried. My eyes were stinging from the salt of my tears, my throat ached from all the held-in sobs, and my back hurt from my posture.

I wiped my hands off on my pants, sniffling slightly, and clearing my throat.

“God I’m a mess,” I said to myself, chuckling dryly.

My voice of reason, which had slowly turned into Spike’s voice, spoke in my head.

“What’s got you like this?”

“You,” I spoke aloud.

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s just my stupid emotions getting the better of me. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re allowed to have emotions.”

“Not in this profession. Not on this ship.” I murmured.

“That’s exactly what got us into this mess you know.”

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t… I should’ve talked to you. To Jet. To anyone.”

“Shut up.”

“What?”

“You’re not the real Spike. You’re my stupid idealization of him. He did what he did because he’s a stubborn idiot who’d prefer to suffer in his own mind than talk to any of us.”

“Kinda like you’re doing now?”

“It’s not the same.”

“Oh really? So what are you doing then?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Then figure it out.”

He stopped talking.

God, I knew it was just me, just my own brain using Spike against me, to finally do something for myself other than wallow in self-pity. But it really felt like I was talking to him, at least for a moment there.

“I’m going crazy, aren’t I?’

Nothing.

Too tired to get up, I kicked my shoes off and laid down on Spike's bed, sleep quickly taking me.

~

The feeling of the foot of the bed dipping down woke me up.

With bleary eyes, I saw Jet sitting there, looking at me, worried.

“What are you doing in here kid?” He asked, and I slowly sat up.

“It’s… It’s a long story.” I spoke, my voice quieter than I expected.

“I’m willing to listen,” Jet said, and I looked at him.

Not-Spike’s words replayed in my head, “Kinda like you’re doing now?”

“Well…” I started, and we talked.

The whole morning we talked, going from Spike’s room to the kitchen, where we both made ourselves breakfast. We talked while we ate, even though Jet insisted I don’t talk with a mouthful of food, which I ignored. We went to the hangar and talked there while Jet tuned up Hammerhead. And finally, we were done.

“I’m glad we did this. It feels good to finally get all this out of my system.” I said, a small weight off of my shoulders.

“Me too, but this isn’t gonna fix everything, you know that, right?”

“Yeah… but it’s a step in the right direction. Communication is good.” I countered.

“It is, and you’re right. This was healthy. How about we do this again? And it doesn't have to just be about Spike. It can be anything.” He offered, and I nodded.

“Same time next week?”

“You got it.”

He went back to work on the Hammerhead, and I left the hangar, for the first time in a while, genuinely content.

Spike may be gone, that’s true.

We lived and worked in the Helios as it orbited the planet Pandora. 

There was always fighting down on that planet. Inescapable fighting. Fighting for territory, weapons, and power.

But there was one safe haven we knew of. Sanctuary. Run by a group called themselves the Crimson Raiders, they provided safety to almost anyone. 

Then came the transmission from Pandora, from a group calling themselves the “Children of the Vault” or the COV if you’re short on time. 

Led by the Siren twins Troy and Tyreen Calypso, they gave Helios, and by proxy, Hyperion, two choices.

Join us or die.

Tassiter chose the latter. And boy, the COV wasn’t joking when they said “Or die”.

The very next day, they launched an attack. The Cultist fucking teleported onto the Moon Base, and began killing Hyperion employee en mass. 

Jack and I were wandering around when they attacked. God, I remember it like it was yesterday.

*

“So, what’s your next project gonna be?” Jack asked, and I shrugged as we walked.

“No clue. I’ll probably just go to Tassiter, ask what he wants, and do that. Creatively, I’m a little burnt out at the moment.” I sighed.

“Oh, well if you need my help, I’m always there.” He gave me a light pat on the shoulder. The moment his hand made contact with me, alarms started blaring and red lights were flashing. There was a moment of confusion, from Jack, myself, and other Hyperion employees around us.

“Attention, we are under attack, I repeat, we are under attack!” A voice shouted over the intercoms.

“Under attack? How?” Jack asked the air, the both of us still standing in the middle of the hallway, other employees now rushing around. From down the hall, there was a bright orange glow in the shape of an orb, and a whole crowd of people appeared.

“Shit, that’s how! Jack, come on!” I grabbed him by the arm as the attackers began to open fire.

“Who are these guys?” Jack yelled as we sprinted. 

“I don’t know, why the hell would I know?” I responded as we turned a corner, only to find more of the attackers. 

“Long live God Queen Tyreen!” One of them shouted, before blowing a poor sucker's head off with a shotgun.

“Tyreen? I recognize that name!” I said as we started running the opposite direction.

“Shit! It’s Troy and Tyreen. The Children of the Vault!” He yelled, pulling me into an empty conference room and hiding below the window. He put a finger up to his lips. Screams and a stampede of footsteps passed. We waited, and all was eerily silent, save for the alarms still blaring.

“We need to get to my workshop. There are things I need to save and-” I started rumbling, and Jack put his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to face him.

“No, Y/N. We need to get the hell outta here. We need to get some guns, get to an escape pod, and get to Pandora.” He said, his heterochromatic eyes staring into mine.

“Pandora? Why? That’s where the rest of the COV is.”  I said, and Jack nodded.

“Yes, but there’s also Sanctuary. We can head there and-” Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. It caught mine too.

A spaceship. And written on the side was the word “Sanctuary”.

“We’re fucked.” I sighed, and Jack looked back at me.

“No, no! This is good! We can have them dock here, and just hop right on!” Jack suggested, and I sighed once more.

“I mean, I suppose that could work. But how would we get their attention?” I asked, and the crackle of the intercom was heard once more.

“Attention Hyperion Employee’s, this is Commander Lilith of the Crimson Raiders. We know you are currently under attack and will be docking to take refugees onto Sanctuary. Please open up the nearest docking bay so we can help.”

“Fuck me man, why’s it gotta be everytime I speak I get proven wrong?” I grumble, and Jack smiles.

“I mean, it’s helping us! Right, so we need weapons.” He said, and I peeked out the window into the hall. Still empty.

“Yeah, um, we should go where the COV was headed. Good chance that some got killed by LOADERs and we can loot the bodies,” I said and he nodded along, “Then you head to the docking bay control room and open it up, I’ll go back to my workshop, grab my ECHO and some stuff and make a mad dash for the bay.” I go to stand up but Jack pulls me back down.

“Y/N, are you crazy? Leave it!” He nearly hissed.

“No. I worked so hard to make all that stuff. I’m not just gonna leave it and let the COV get their cultist hands all over it. Plus, it could help us out with the Raiders, you know? Get us trusted quicker.” I said, and he sighed.

“Fine. Call me as soon as you get your ECHO. I’ll hold off the COV for as long as I can but I am not leaving here without you.” He stated.

“If worst comes to worst, you might need to,” He goes to say something, but I interrupt, “But let’s not think about that alright? Right now, we need guns. Come on.” I stood up, and Jack joined me. We peeked out of the door, I looked right and he looked left.

“Found something.” He said, just loud enough to be heard over the alarms. I followed him to the left where we found some guns. Two pistols, a shotgun, and an assault rifle. We each took a pistol, with Jack grabbing a Maliwan and I got a Jakobs.

“You take the rifle. I’ll have the shotgun.” I reached for the Hyperion shotgun when Jack suddenly snatched it. 

“No, you’re the better shot, you take it.” He said, loading the shotgun.

“Jack-” I started, and he stopped me.

“Now’s not the time. Take it and go. Haul ass over there and then get back. I’m not going anywhere without you.” His eyes bored into mine. I had seen him serious before, but that was entirely different. I nodded, grabbing the rifle and loading it, before turning away. I took a few steps down the hall before stopping and turning back to Jack.

“See you in a bit.” I said, and he smiled.

“See you in Sanctuary.” He turned and began jogging down the hall, and I went the opposite way. 

It wasn’t too far to my workshop, but I tried my best to dodge any encounters with the COV. There was the occasional shout, what they were saying, I had know clue. Bodies, both COV and Hyperion littered the floors. I turned a corner, the door to my workshop in sight. 

But so were a small group of COV. They were in a fight with some Hyperion security, so I tried to sneak behind them, attempting to slip into my workshop unseen, but some crazy asshole in the group saw me.

“You’re gonna be my new meat bicycle!” He shouted at me as I scrambled through the door. I locked it behind me, and it slid in his face. I could hear his fists pound on the metal, but he wasn’t getting anywhere with that.

I fell backwards, staring at the door, panting. I could hear my heartbeat thrumming in my ears, and I forced myself to calm down. Slowly standing up, I looked around.

My ECHO. I need to find it.

I jogged over to my desk and began to sift through the mess. I found the side bag I adore and slung it over my shoulder. Inside was my ECHO, which I clipped to the waist of my pants and called up Jack.

“Y/N! You made it to your workshop.” Jack exclaimed, sounding hopeful.

“Yeah, but not before some COV fuck saw me and said I was gonna be a meat bicycle, whatever the hell that mean…” I muttered to myself, sifting through the contents of my desk, collecting anything that I would miss or needed, “How's the docking bay going?”

“Oh, uh, it’s going,” He said, and there was a gunshot, “I got in contact with that Lilith chick. They can’t bring in the ship until this area is clear, they don’t wanna risk their people.”

“Damn it,” I grabbed a thumbdrive off my desk, which contained my most recent blueprints, and pocketed it, “Listen, I’m almost done here. I think I can slip through the vents into the room next door and get out that way. Then I’ll head over to you and help clean things up.” 

“Sounds like a plan,” Another gunshot, then a grunt of effort, “Get here quick.”

“Got it.” I hung up, looking around the room. Anything else I would miss? I mean, yes, but it’s nothing I can carry. Time to move I guess. I passed the door, which that group seemed to still be distracted with, and made my way to the vent. It just went to the next room over, nothing crazy, it was five feet long at most.

I yanked on the grate, which fell off surprisingly easily. I slid my bag through, before crawling in. It was small and dusty but I didn’t care. This was life or death. I’d live with some dust on me.

I pushed on the other grate, which came off with the same ease as the first one, and pulled myself out on the other side. It was a storage room. I picked my way through it and found the door. It silently slid open, and I glanced at where the COV was. They were still focused on the other door.

I didn’t even bother closing the door to the storage room, not wanting to risk them hearing me. I slowly snuck out of that hall, and once I turned the corner, I was sprinting down the halls, jumping over corpses and avoiding puddles of blood. As I ran, the alarm turned off, and I could hear the sounds of fights all around. I kept moving, gunshots fading out as new ones faded in, until I was close enough to the Docking Bay where I could hear Jack’s fight.

“Son of a-” I heard him yell as I got to the doorway. If we weren’t in a life or death situation, the scene in front of me would almost be comical.

Jack stood at the control panel, a cultist jumping towards him, with other cultist bodies littered at his feet and all over the room. He was stepping backwards when he tripped over a corpse, and began to fall. The cultist was screaming as he jumped. I drew my pistol, and fired once. 

The bullet struck the cultist in the head, sending him limply across the room with the momentum of the shot. I gave Jack a look as I walked over, as he pushed himself up, sighing and muttering to himself.

“I could’ve handled that.” He grumbled, and I snorted.

“Sure Jackie, sure. Anyways, ready to open the docking bay?” I asked, and he wiped his hands off.

“Yeah yeah, gimme a minute.” He stood at the console and began pressing buttons. There was the whirring of machines as the Docking Bay doors opened, a barrier of energy protecting the inside from the vacuum of space, yet weak enough for people and ships loading bays to pass through. I leaned back on the console looking towards the door. 

I heard a near stampede of footsteps grow closer and closer.

“Uh, Jack?” He looked over at me, “I think we need to call Lilith.” I said, pointing to the door, where a new wave of cultists began to pour from.

“Shit!” He shouted, pressing a few more buttons before a crackling came over the small speaker embedded in the console.

“Is the Docking Bay open?” The same female voice from earlier, Lilith asked.

“Yes, but we’re not gonna be able to keep this place clear for too long, they just keep coming.” I said, shooting the first cultist that came my way.

“Who is this?” She asked and I groaned.

“Y/N, a friend of Jack’s.” I groaned, and narrowly dodged a tackle from a cultist.

“He mentioned you, listen, we can’t come in until you’re clear over there, we’re not risking our own-”

“Lilith, it’s not gonna get clear! They’re teleporting onto Helios, you don’t get your ass over here now, and there’s gonna be no one left on this base!” I shouted, shooting another cultist.

“Alright, we’re coming. It’ll take a minute, hold it down there until we dock, then get your ass and the ass of anyone else there in Sanctuary.” She said before going silent. 

“Jack, we’re on our own for a bit, but they’re coming!” I shouted to him, and watched as he leapt out of the way causing a cultist to fall out of the Docking Bay and into space. 

I slung the rifle off my back and opened fire on the cultists as they ran into the room. Many of them dropped, but a few took the shots and kept on moving. I kept getting pushed back in the room, until both Jack and myself were at the energy barrier.

“Exactly how long did Lilith say?” He shouted, the blast from his shotgun hitting a cultist right in the chest, dropping him there.

“That’s the thing, she didn’t!” I yelled back, and heard him groan. I shot another crazy masked man that was running at me, and he fell. I went to shoot another, and my gun just clicked, “Jack I’m out.” I said, and Jack turned to me.

“Me too.” He turned the shotgun around in his hands, holding it like a club, and I did the same with my rifle. 

“Let’s go motherfuckers!” I shouted, hitting the nearest cultist with the stock of my gun, knocking him down. Behind us, there was a strange sound. I half turned, seeing Sanctuary’s loading bay back through the energy field.

“Y/N, Jack, get on!” I heard the familiar voice of Lilith, and saw a red headed woman talking, and connected the dots. She had her own people fire on the cultists, giving us the time needed to get on the ship. The Loading Dock doors closed, and we were safe, we were off of Helios.

I sat down on the floor, trying to get my breathing under control. Jack sat down next to me. He leaned against me as the red headed woman, Lilith, crouched before us.

“Welcome to Sanctuary.”

*

That was three years ago. Time really flew.

I showed Lilith what I had, the blueprints I made, and that gained us some trust.

We have been fighting the COV off constantly, and both Jack and myself slowly rose up in the ranks of the Crimson Raiders. We met the Vault Hunters Lilith worked with. They were a strange but tight knit group. Multiple Sirens, Amara, Maya, and Tannis, with Lilith’s Siren powers having gotten stolen by Tyreen. 

Me and Jack were the only Hyperion employees that made it off Helios, and the Moonbase soon crashed into Pandora after that. Both Jack and I are fairly sure Tassiter died, and you know, good riddance.  

“Y/N?” I jumped slightly. 

“Uh, yeah?” I looked over, seeing Jack. 

“You alright?” He asked. “Yeah, I’m fine.” I gave him a small smile.

“Okay… You were just… Kinda staring out into nothingness.” He sat down next to me.

“Sorry I was just… reminiscing I guess.” I shrugged and he looked at me.

“About what?” He asked, opening a bag of pretzels I didn’t even notice he had.

“Life before we were here. Back on Helios. I was thinking of that day actually.” I laughed a bit.

“Why?” “I… I don’t really know. These past few years… They’ve gone by so quick, I hadn’t even noticed. Three years of my life, just, gone,” I said, leaning back, “Sorry, I’m getting weirdly deep. What’s up?” I turned to him.

“I wanted to give you this. Found it on a scouting mission with Morticai,” He digs around in his pocket, and his eyes light up when he finds what he’s searching for, “Close your eyes and open your hands.” “Jack, seriously?” I sighed, and he nodded.

“Yeah seriously. Trust me, you’re gonna love it.” He says with a sincere smile. I roll my eyes, but close them, holding a hand out.

“I swear to god, if it’s Skag shit again, I’m ejecting you.” I grumbled, and I heard him chuckle as the couch shook slightly.

“That was one time.” He shot back, and I scowled at my approximation of where he was.

“That’s far too many times to be handed Skag shit. Now just gimme what you have or I’m opening my-” I felt a small object drop into my hand.

“Look at it.” I opened my eyes, looked down at what he had put in my hand.

It was an arch on a chain. Looking at it closer, it had a clasp, and the arch was the Vault symbol. 

“A necklace?” I asked, looking back at him.

“I bought it for you a few days before everything on Helios went to shit. Lilith sent me and Mordecai to the wreckage of Helios. I found it there, still intact. I never got the chance to give it to you then, so I thought I’d give it to you now, considering we’re sort of Vault Hunters now.” As he spoke, I lifted the necklace up, the charm swinging gently with the slight shake of my hand. 

The charm, at first glance, appeared to be black, but as I peered closer at it, I saw something swirling in the darkness. I tapped it with my free hand, and the swirling lit up purple.

“Jack, this is made of eridium.” I said, looking back and forth from the charm to him. He looked down at it, watching the glowing purple fade.

“Huh. I guess it is,” He said, not at all sounding surprised, “Well, do you like it?” He asked, as I opened the clasp and put it around my neck, the Vault charm sitting just below my collar bone. I grinned down at it, then looked back at Jack.

“I love it!” I practically tackled him, enveloping him in a hug as he fell to his back on the couch. 

“Jeez you two, just fuck and get it over with.” I heard a familiar Irish accent say. I peeked up to find Zane and Amara walking into the room. Zane sat across from Jack and I, and Amara stood with her arms crossed.

“Seriously, I’ve had to watch you two dance around each other for three years. That might as well be psychological torture,” Amara said, and I felt my face heat up. I glanced down at Jack for a moment, and I saw his cheeks getting red. 

Slowly, I got off the couch, standing beside the couch. Jack sat up, giving me a strange look. Quickly, I grabbed his arm, running from the room and dragging him along with me. We ran upstairs, and into my room at the back of the ship.

“Jet, what’s up with them?” I had asked.

“Faye watched the tape. She’s trying to remember where it was taken. As for Spike…” Jet had paused, drawing in a breath, “We got ambushed by the Syndicate the other day. Someone helped us, said something to him, but I didn’t hear it. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.”

I stood in the circular doorway to the living room, watching as Spike sat on the stairs leading toward the cockpit, not the couch as he usually does. There was a trail of smoke, and he was leaned over, his shoulders slowly rising and falling.

“Are you just gonna stare at me?” He spoke up suddenly, and I suddenly felt very awkward for watching him like this.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, walking to him. He moved over on the stairs, allowing room for me to sit down, “So, Spike, you’ve been… quieter than usual. You alright?”

“Jet told you, didn’t he?” 

“I mean… yes?” 

“I thought so,” He sighed, “I’m fine. Just thinking.”

“I know, and that’s what worries me,” I let out a dry chuckle, “I mean, Spike Spiegel thinking? When has that led to anything good?” 

He laughs quietly, holding the half smoked cigarette between his index and middle fingers, “I guess you’re right, sorry to worry you.” I look over at him, and there’s a small grin on his face. He has small bags under his eyes, and his hair is a fair bit messier than usual.

“Just… just know I’m here to listen, Spike. I’m not great at advice, but I can always listen.” I gently place a hand on his shoulder, and I can feel him tense slightly, just for a moment. He places the cigarette between his lips and nods. I know he’s not going to take me up on that offer, and I’m nearly tempted to reprimand him for that. 

But I don’t.

It’s the weakness of everyone here. We don’t talk, don’t express our emotions. Four adults, and none of us know how to show emotion except for arguing with each other like children. It’s laughable.

I give him a small smile, which is painfully forced, pat his shoulder once, and get up. Walking away, I feel like I’ve done him a disservice, that I could say more, I should say more, but I know it will be a fruitless endeavor. 

Leaving the living room, I make a sharp turn into the kitchen and dig through the cabinets. There they are. My chips. I grab the back and my soda from the fridge. 

The only reason they aren’t already open is because I threatened the others with disembowelment if they touched my snacks. I walk back out into the hall, turning towards the living room once more, and see that Spike is still sitting there, now looking down as he runs a hand through his fluffy hair.

I sigh softly, turning the opposite way and heading off towards my room. 

And there was nothing but silence. It was suffocating. Every step I took felt far too loud, like a crash on an empty highway at night. My ears strained for the sound of bare feet or paws against metal, but I knew they wouldn’t come. 

Finally, I got to my room. With the press of a button, the door slid open. I threw the bag of chips on my bed, opening the soda, hearing it hiss as some gas leaves the bottle. I take a few small sip from it, sigh, and close it near immediately after. 

I moved the chips, placing them and the soda on my nightstand before laying down. I stared up at the ceiling, and the whir of the air coming out of the vents slowly lull me to sleep.

~

A few hours later, I woke up, groggy. I once more strained my ears for any evidence of Ed and Ein, hoping that the duo leaving had just been a dream, but to no avail. I sighed at myself, feeling a little stupid to hold onto the hope that this is all a dream, knowing that it’s not.

It’s not all a dream.

I push myself off my bed, leaving my snacks for later. I wander the halls of the Bebop, settling in the entrance of the ship, looking out into the city, and the wonderful sounds that now fill my ears instead of the crushing silence. 

There’s the waves lapping on the side of the Bebop, the roar of other ship’s engines as they take off, the crash of the water as they land. To the left, the sun dips below the horizon, oranges, pinks, and yellows painting that side of the sky as deep blues and black takes over, slowly yet surely. 

In the distance, the dark silhouettes of skyscrapers look like mountains looming. Neon signs begin to turn on, and lights shine onto billboards advertising movies or ramen shops. 

Heavy footsteps approach. 

Jet.

“Hey, you alright?” He asks, sitting down next to me. I chuckle dryly.

“I asked that to Spike just a few hours ago.” 

“I don’t doubt it. He’s just…”

“Lost in thought?” I questioned, and Jet nodded, smiling, but not happily.

“Yeah. There’s a lot on his mind right now.” 

“I know, I’m just worried about him. He’s a quiet guy, sure, but now? I could hardly get a couple of sentences out of him.” I replied, looking down. 

“Don’t worry too much. He’ll figure himself out, always does.” Jet gives me a light pat on the shoulder, once again akin to how I tried to offer a listening ear to Spike earlier. Jet gets up, taking in a breath of fresh air and looking around. He then turns and heads back inside, his footsteps slowly fading until they’re gone, replaced by the lapping of the waves.

I continue to sit there for god knows how long. The sun is beyond set when I realize I’m still just sitting there. I sighed to myself, standing up and wandering once more. 

I hear shouts echo off the metallic walls. 

“And now you’re leaving just like that,” I heard Faye say, “Why do you have to go? Where are you going? What are you going to do? Just throw your life away like it was nothing?” Her voice rose as she yelled, sounding accusatory. 

“I’m not going there to die, I’m going to find out if I’m really alive. I have to do it Faye.” Spike responds, and it goes quiet for a moment. 

The gunshots begin to ring out. One, two, three, four, five. And then they stop.

From shockingly loud, to unbreakable silence. And I run. I run to where I know Spike is going if he’s leaving. 

I see a head of green hair as I round a corner, and I sprint towards him.

“Spike, wait!” I yell, chasing after him. I run into the hanger, and he’s climbing into the Swordfish, “Wait, just for a minute! I’m not trying to stop you, just listen to me!” He pauses, his back still to me.

“What?” I hardly hear him say.

“I don’t know what’s going on, why you’re leaving… but please. Promise me you’ll be careful.” I nearly begged.

“I don’t think I can promise that, I’d be lying to you.” He answers, still facing the Swordfish.

“Then promise me this. You’ll try your damnedest to come back here after whatever you’re doing, please Spike, that’s all I ask.” My throat tightens, my words break, and I can feel tears welling up in my eyes, beginning to blur my vision.

“I promise that I’ll try to come back.” He says, half turning towards me. I can just barely see the side of his face. I nod to him, and he climbs into the Swordfish. I take a few steps away, now in the doorway of the hanger. The bigger hanger door opens, and Spike speeds away.

He’s gone.