Heh.  Loved this.  Wish I'd thought of it.

I sat across from Spike, drumming the fingers of my cyberarm on the 
wooden picnic table, and sighed. "So your trap didn't work. So what? 
You know what they keep saying, he's-"

First clue:  the wooden picnic table.  But I didn't figure it out here.

Without even looking up from the table, Spike's finger whipped up and
pointed at me threateningly. "Don't... even... SAY... it..." 
he gritted out. "I am SO SICK of hearing that!"

Vintage Spike.  That's precisely what he'd say here, IMO.

Only Ein had given us any hint of how difficult this job would be...

Yes, those 'data bears' can be tough to catch.

I was distracted suddenly by two mud-covered hands slamming onto the 
table. I looked at it and almost flinched from the filth-covered
apparition that had come to haunt our table,

Loved this.  Who better than Faye could this happen to?

All of a sudden, her face started contorting under the mud, and I 
realized that she was about to cry... and I started sweating. I've
never been able to figure out how to deal with a woman crying;

Good characterization for Jet.

"Just like you were planning to trick him, eh?" I looked over 
at Spike, scandalized that he would DARE to step on my lines.

Heh.  Liked this to.

And that was where I made my mistake.

Grinning, I said, "Well, you know, they DO say he's smarter than-"

Here's where I got it: who they're after.  Boy, did my face split
into a grin.

Faye stood up after that and brushed ineffectually at the mud covering
her jacket. "Well, I'm gonna go get cleaned up at the Ranger station."

This really gave it away, I thought, perhaps a bit too much.

third, yeah, I chuckled, but this is the TWO HUNDRED AND 
THIRTY-SEVENTH TIME YOU'VE TRIED TO SAY THAT STUPID PHRASE,
AND I'M SICK OF IT!!!"

I stared at him for a moment, mind totally blank, and then I said the 
first thing that came into it. "...You... kept count..?"

Heh.  Not sure I can see Spike counting, but I sure can see Jet
reacting like that if he did.

Ed jumped
up and started running after him, holding her arms out just like an
airplane. "Wait for mee, Ein..! Wheeeeee!!"

Good characterization for Ed, too.

Spike grinned a slow, lethal grin. "Well, well. Looks like your hand's
been caught in the cookie jar, Mr. Yogi. Or should I say... caught in 
the picnic basket?" 

And of _course_ a picnic basket is the one trap that _will_ work...

The bear grinned; an evil, soulless grin to match Spike's worst, and I
shivered involuntarily..

This description of Yogi Bear is really funny to anyone who actually
remembers those cartoons.

Spike grumbled, but he put the gun back inside his coat, just as a 
ranger (whose name I can never remember; he just has one of 
those faces, y'know?

And this brought up a snicker.  Does anybody know?  Is it just
"Mister Ranger Sir"?

He rolled his head in my direction and I was shocked to see 
that he was almost _slavering_ in rage. "I'll kill him! I'll
shoot him and his little buddy too!!! Just you wait; I'll get
you, my pretty!!!"

..."and your little buddy Boo-Boo, too!"

But, seriously, I thought Spike quoting the wicked witch of
the west didn't quite work; it's a little too OOC for him.
Jet might say that, or Faye, though.  And Ed certainly might.

Ed beamed. "I guess that Yogi is smarter than the average bear; poor
Spikey-Spike just doesn't think it's fair!" She picked up the tracer
and started running for the Bebop, Ein just behind her.

Heh.  Good rhyme for Ed, and I loved the "Spikey-Spike".

Although the ending jokes were weak...

Perhaps.  Just give it a few days and come back to the
story; I'm sure you'll come up with something better.

Ha! I know what you were thinking, "What was up with Faye complaining
about not being able to find good clothing in the vending machines?"'

Didn't bother me.

Well, vending machines will probably sell EVERYTHING in the future,

That's what I assumed.

company that I can't remember right now, even after watching the whole
series and the movie in one marathon... 

ACK!  My copy of the movie didn't even arrive yet!  It arrives later
today, having shipped from Japan on the first day available!
How did you see it already?

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