Chapter 04

## Chapter Four

This is the fourth chapter of the *Banana Fish* manga.

## Summary

Marvin prepares to move Ash and Skip but Shorter finds their location to attempt to rescue them from Arthur who is involved as well. The police including Jenkins and Charlie have also arrived and Marvin responds by aiming his gun at Ash. Marvin then murders Skip when he tries to help Ash then flees via car with Ash pursuing in another nearby car.

Golzine hears what transpired from Arthur the latter of which has a plan to take care of Marvin and catch Ash as well. The further arrangement is for Arthur to take over Ash’s gang territory.

Ash finds Marvin’s apartment and entering he finds Marvin dead. He has been shot and as Ash spots his own gun nearby he realises this is a trap. Police have arrived as Ash states he did not kill Marvin.

Charlie and Jenkins are at the police station when Ash arrives. Evanstine joins them and takes Ash in for questioning. He brings magazines containing child pornography that Ash was forced to take part in when he was younger as well as playing a video in an attempt to infer it was the motive for killing Marvin.

Afterwards Charlie and Jenkins think how they can help Ash especially after that incident. After his attempts to anger Ash after he lost his friend Skip and framed for a murder, Evanstine calls Golzine to confirm that Ash has been blamed for the murder and being sent to prison.

Before this, Ash recovers from his injuries in hospital. Charlie visits him offering his condolences for what happened to Skip, he wants to know what is going on. They know Golzine is behind Marvin and suspect he also has a hand in some strange suicides recently.

Dawson informs Golzine that it cannot be replicated, the sample that was stolen was created by accident.

Ibe is visited by Charlie as he shares that they are to return to Japan after visiting Max tomorrow. Charlie asks for him to delay the flight, he needs their help with Ash, specifically Eiji’s help. Eiji who was recovering from his injuries hears Ash’s name and enters the room. Eiji asks why him, it is because he saved Ash, and Charlie thinks he might listen to Eiji since Ash endangered himself and Skip to rescue him.

Eiji does visit Ash in hospital where they ask one another how they are feeling. Ash comments that he did not know he could pull a trick like vaulting over the wall to escape, but then easily tells from Eiji’s fumbling words that Charlie sent him, also that Eiji is a lousy liar when he tries to say otherwise. Guessing that Eiji was also told about Ash’s past, he then tells Eiji he envy’s him, being able to jump a wall like that.

Stepping outside Eiji has tears in his eyes after his interaction with Ash. Jenkins informs Ibe and Charlie that there is an official order from the D.A himself to send Ash to prison pending trial, with Evanstine involved, Jenkins notes that strings are being pulled somewhere way over their heads.

Eiji remains deeply upset thinking that Ash knows he is going to die to the point where he has already come to terms with it. There was not a way Eiji could tell Ash to leave it up to someone else, Ash gives the impression he himself knows better than anyone he cannot win.

With it set that Ash is being sent to prison over juvenile detention, Jenkins and Charlie can only arrange for Max Lobo to be spoken to in order to look over him, and Charlie joins Ibe and Eiji in their visit to Max.

At the prison meeting room Max happily greets Ibe when the three arrive. As Ash is transported to prison, Max is tasked with protecting him from Golzine’s men inside jail. Though hesitant, Charlie needs more time to find out what Ash has to be targeted by Golzine, and Eiji also makes the request for Max to help Ash, he saved his life.

Unknowingly to the guards, Ash has acquired some chewing gum for himself as he is led to meet warden Weisenberg. He has seen his file and tells Ash in the old days he would have gotten the electric chair for sure. Ash is taken away before the warden reveals he brought him in for people concealed inside the room to get a look at him.

Led to his cell, Ash and Max meet where Ash returns his greeting and question on his age with how old he is, addressing Max as ‘pops’. Max is aghast, he is only thirty three, but that still makes him a pops in Ash’s book as he shares that he is seventeen. Ash also recognises his name as a newspaper columnist as they discuss books.

Showing Ash around the prison, Max advises him not to walk around alone with the many prisoners staring at Ash. In the cafeteria, a prisoner called Garvey sits opposite Ash and steers the conversation to asking why doesn’t Ash move into his cell, they can have a lot of fun together. When Garvey touches Ash’s hand he immediately cracks the serving tray over Garvey’s head, ending with booting him in the face.

Guards break up the fight and send Ash to solitary confinement, where Ash has managed to acquire a fork. Max considers the situation now that even more people have their eye on Ash.

Dr. Meredith cannot make sense of the drug sample he was given. Brandish confirms the test results are not like any known drug as Dr. Meredith checks on Griffin who he is looking after on behalf of Ash.

Awake in his holding cell, Ash wonders what Banana Fish is, whether a person or a code name. Whatever he is up to, Ash vows he will not let Golzine stop him. He remembers when he was eleven, when Marvin showed him to Golzine and ever since they caught him he has been waiting all this time. Ash feels the only way he can be free is to fight him. With Skip as well, Ash feels no matter what kind of hand Golzine plays, he will make it, he will win and survive.

He is released where Max finds him before calling Charlie on the prison phone as he updates that he needs to do something quick. When he returns, Ash is missing as Max asks a person called Rob where he has gone.

Wondering about Griffin and Dr. Meredith, Ash thinks to move them to a safe place. So long as thy have that stuff they are in danger from Golzine. He is then approached by Garvey with his thugs and Max comes across them leaving the library when he hears where they went. Finding Ash unconscious with his hands bound on the floor, Max takes him to the infirmary.

The doctor grants Ash’s request for a capsule type of medication for a headache, only he pretends to swallow it with a drink as Ash hides the capsule behind his back. Max has brought him some dinner, but is delighted at the prospect that Ash would not want his banana so offers to eat it for him, Ash denies him it by skewering it with his fork.

Hearing Ash mention Banana Fish out loud instigates Max wanting to know where ‘he’ is, and is it why Charlie asked him to protect Ash. For his part Max has spent ten years trying to figure out what Banana Fish is because of a friend he had who died. From his description Ash learns that Max’s friend is his brother Griffin. Though Max is happy that he remains alive and on this incredible coincidence having heard so much about Ash, he is less so. From all the letters Griffin sent him, Ash knows Max is the one who shot Griffin and then abandoned him in Vietnam. Max tells him he has it wrong, Griffin killed his own friends and was locked up, he was not himself and the drug had messed him up.

Ash recollects that his brother trusted Max, he wrote about him in his letters. Griffin said Max was his only friend and Ash shares that Griffin still cannot use his legs. That he is still alive does not mean much, Ash says he would not even recognise Max, he does not even recognise him and Ash states if he ever gets out of here he is going to kill Max.

In the visiting room Max tells Charlie to say that he is out, Ash hates him and he will never help any of them with that. On a separate table nearby with Ibe and Eiji, Ash thanks Eiji for coming. He was happy when Charlie told him Ash wanted to meet him. Speaking, he says it was his fault about Skip but Ash repeats what he told him before that it was not.

Ash asks Ibe if he has heard anything about his gang, only that since Ash left they are out of control and that Arthur is giving orders now. Max finishes his conversation with Charlie just as Eiji tells Ash that it is okay, he will be out of here soon. Ash places his arm around him, he is really glad that Eiji came here to see him. Next time he should come alone as Ash proceeds to kiss Eiji to Ibe and Charlie’s huge surprise.

He says bye sweetie as Ash squeezes Eiji’s behind, before Eiji leaves for the bathroom. In there Eiji takes the capsule Ash transferred to him in the kiss. Within is a rolled up written message for Eiji to contact Shorter concerning what Ash gave to Dr. Meredith.

Arthur and Golzine learn of the visit to Ash and suspecting who they were, Arthur says he can bring Golzine a Japanese cat to replace his lynx.

Dressed inconspicuously, Eiji tells Ibe he is going out to buy some books. He has withheld the details of the message since Ash is counting on him as he makes his way through Chinatown. He asks two people nearby to learn the location of the restaurant as Eiji thinks Arthur even has people here in Chinatown.

Finding the restaurant he finds Nadia Wong before being offered some soup on the house by a man calling himself Chang. He does not know where Shorter is, as a stranger eavesdrops on a nearby table, but does direct him to Dr. Meredith's office.

Thinking Ash is going to be disappointed he could not find Shorter, Eiji makes his way there where he comes across none other than Arthur. He has been waiting for “samurai boy” and Wookie joins him in the trap. With Dr. Meredith and Brandish as hostages they want to know what Ash told Eiji. As he thinks for Ash to forgive him, Eiji divulges he was told to get the thing he gave to the doctor. Dawson is also present, he asks if the white powder was analysed. Now Arthur tells them they know too much so must die, except for Eiji he is to go to Golzine as Arthur tells him he only like young boys. He tells Eiji it would just tear Ash up to see the same thing happen to Eiji, that happened to Ash.

As Arthur continues to crudely state the terrible things that will befall Eiji, to his shock he finds a gun aimed at the back of his head as Shorter tells Arthur that he is the one who is going to slit his own wrists. Shorter advises Arthur’s company to drop their guns or a hole is going to appear in their boss’s head.

They are all then surprised by the arrival of someone else. It is Griffin who has managed to stand and make his way into the room. He is recognised by Dawson, who thought he was dead. Griffin appears to have some notion of the person before him as he mentions Banana Fish and in fear Dawson uses his gun to shoot Griffin in the chest.

In the extreme disorder, Arthur elbows the gun out of Shorter’s hand and having gotten what they came for they all run for it. Shorter checks if Eiji is okay before revealing he knew where he was as he met him in the Chang Dai restaurant. He reveals his disguise as Chang and had to act since Eiji was followed.

An ambulance is called as Dr. Meredith and Brandish try and stop Griffin’s bleeding as Eiji and Shorter learn he is Ash’s brother.

In his jail cell Ash continues to stare at Max, and not saying anything Max asks what is that look for. Losing his temper, after he says if Ash wants to kill him go ahead, he has had enough.

The results of Dr. Meredith’s analysis is seen by Dawson, Golzine, Arthur and Gregory as Arthur explains that Shorter stopped them from murdering Dr. Meredith.

Max arranges for a change in cell as Ash reads his notes he took. Ash recognises the reports on Stephen Thompson, the man who gave him the vial before dying. He in then joined by his new cell mate, Garvey.

Learning of this in the rec room Max is horrified to learn that Garvey has been placed in with Ash. Even though Ash hates him, even saying he wants to kill him Max cannot just forget about him, he is Griffin’s younger brother and cannot just sit by.

Locked in the cell with Garvey, Ash tells him he was after getting to the infirmary and that he is used to dealing with guys like him. Garvey challenges Ash to deal with him, and Ash verbally obliges.

## Characters

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