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After Hours Blues
Jet was sitting in the Jazz Escape bar, staring at his drink. He had barely taken a drink since he got there two hours ago. His mind wasn’t on drinking. It was on his partner. His friend.
And if he was even still alive.
Jet couldn’t get over the fact that Spike might be dead. He hadn’t fully let himself admit to that being a possibility yet. But it had been three days. Three days since Spike went after Vicious and the Red Dragons. Faye had been crying since that night. Jet was giving her the space she needed. Though he couldn’t say it, he really didn’t blame her. He thought for sure she would leave the Bebop. But she stayed. Jet almost felt like she wanted to stay. Maybe she even felt at home. It was too much for Jet. He needed to think and he needed to be off the ship. He needed a change of scenery.
Even if it was a place he was familiar with.
The Jazz Escape was empty besides Jet and Chuck, the bartender. Jet noticed it was raining outside; he felt it was an omen. Jet’s emotions were really bothering him, far more than usual, and he wasn’t a fan of dealing with them. And, for reasons he didn’t want to explain, he felt the need to reach out to talk to someone.
Jet reached into his pocket and pulled a slip of paper out.
Written on it was Elektra’s number.
A couple of hours later, Elektra knocked on the door of the bar. Chuck unlocked the door and let her in.
Elektra looked at Chuck, as she lowered her umbrella. “Hey, Chuck.” She walked further inside, leaning her umbrella against the wall next to the door.
“Hey, Soldier Girl,” Chuck replied.
“You stayed open?”
“Only for you and Cop.” Chuck closed the door and locked it back, “You’re my best customers.”
Elektra giggled, softly. “Where is he?”
Chuck pointed at Jet, sitting at the back table with two shot glasses and bottle of brandy.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll be in the back, if you need me. Let me know when you guys are ready to go.” Chuck went back behind the door, walking into his office, and closing the door.
Elektra looked at Jet, who had a blank look on his face. That immediately left Elektra concerned. While she was somewhat used to him being blank faced, Jet also looked borderline depressed. Maybe even hopeless.
Elektra walked over to the table and sat down, “What’s wrong?” She then noticed Jet had a cane and a bandage wrapped around his leg. “What happened to you?!”
Jet moved the second, empty glass he had in front of her and poured the brandy into the glass.
“Jet? You’re… making me nervous. What’s going on?”
Jet refilled his glass. He put the bottle down then took a sip from his glass. “It’s about Spike.”
“Spike?” Elektra asked. “Is… is he… dead?”
Jet looked at her. He slowly shook his head, “I don’t know.”
Elektra silently gasped. She looked at her glass, took a sip, and exhaled. “Tell me everything.”
Almost immediately, Elektra heard the most words she had heard from Jet since she met him. Jet held nothing back, telling Elektra everything he knew. Vicious, Julia, the Red Dragons, everything.
After he was done, Elektra sat back, “Oh, my God.”
“Yeah,” Jet took another drink, emptying the glass.
“I get why you didn’t go after him.”
“I should have.”
“You have a hole in your leg,” Elektra reminded.
“Not my first one,” Jet informed.
“Still.”
Jet tapped his glass on the table. “I should’ve done something.”
“He didn’t want you to,” Elektra replied. “From what I know about Spike… he’s not the kinda guy who wants other people to fight his battles.”
“Doesn’t mean I should’ve let him go.”
“How would you have stopped him?”
Jet shrugged, “I coulda shot him.”
Elektra smiled a bit and huffed.
Jet looked at his glass, “This life was supposed to be easier. It wasn’t supposed to be so damn complicated. Hell, he used to be in the syndicate. I used to spend my life hunting guys like him down.”
“Now… you’re worried… scared… that a man who’s like a brother to you… is gone.”
Jet looked at Elektra.
Elektra then made the brave move of putting her hand on top of Jet’s.
“It’s okay be scared,” Elektra said, softly. “It’ll stay between us. I won’t tell anyone.”
Jet held his gaze on her. “If that idiot’s dead… it’ll be a friend I lost. And I hate that that’s true.” He paused for a moment. “This was supposed to be a business arrangement. Nothing else.”
“Do you even believe that?”
“Maybe if I say it enough.”
“We get comrades in life,” Elektra explained. “Even when you’re not looking. Look at us. What are the chances we would meet in this bar?”
“Yeah,” Jet said, despondently.
“I just don’t think you should hate yourself for caring about him.”
“He’s an idiot.”
“Yeah, I’m not arguing that,” she agreed. “But he’s still your friend.”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
Elektra stared at Jet then thought it over. “Do you know where the Red Dragon operated out of?”
“Yeah,” Jet nodded.
Elektra thought it all over. “If he managed to get out of there alive, which is a pretty safe bet, someone probably found him. Or maybe he lived through it and he went somewhere to recover. Either way, I think we can find him.”
Jet wanted to find some hope in Elektra’s confidence, but he couldn’t yet. “He’s probably already dead.”
“That guy?” Elektra scoffed. “Not likely.” She stood up. “C’mon. We’ll have a look and, if we need more help, we’ll call Faye, too.”
“I don’t know if she can handle it.”
“You don’t know if you can either. And we still need to find Spike.”
Jet took a deep breath. “What if he is already gone?”
“Then you’ll know. And that’ll be better than not knowing for sure.”
Jet nodded, sadly. “Yup.”
“But…” Elektra said.
He looked at her.
“But sometimes… we gotta hope, Jet. Sometimes… it’s all we can do. And that’s what we have to hold on to. It’s all we got left after we lose everything else and we hold on to it. And we keep holding on… until we absolutely can’t anymore. Just hope a little longer, Jet. For Spike. And for yourself.”
Jet considered that. He stared into Elektra’s eyes and he saw she meant every word. He, slowly and gingerly, stood up.
“You good?” she asked.
“I will be,” he answered.
“Alright.” She turned to head for the door.
He gently took hold of her wrist, “Elektra.”
She looked at him.
“Thanks.”
She laughed, lightly, “I haven’t done anything yet.”
“Yes, you did. And thanks.”
She smiled at him. “You’re more than welcome. Now, let’s go.”