Chapter 1: World on Fire
Rock emerged from below deck as the sun began to rise. Its light flooded the land and brought the full filth of Roanapur into view. It was a thug's city these days, full of the lowest form of scum. Only two organisations existed here that were in any way involved in actual organised crime. The Triad and Hotel Moscow were two of the most powerful criminal syndicates in Thailand and they effectively ran the city. Otherwise, the city's criminals were little more than petty thieves, troublesome murderers and vile rapists. The class of villainy here had devolved over the last while. It almost would have made Rock sad to think about if he wasn't still adjusting to the fact that he was one of the criminals living here. As the sunlight swept over him, he removed the trench coat he so often wore now and hung it over his shoulder. Lagoon Company had spent the better part of five months living off of their wealth and doing minor, low-risk jobs for Mister Chang and Balalaika. There was not much else to be done in Roanapur. Though there had been a frightening shortage of jobs a while ago, that had since changed. There was plenty of work to be had in the city now. Everything had finally returned to normal. Even so, Lagoon hadn't worked in some time. Their last job and the pay that came with it satisfied them for the time being. Soon, they would return to normal, Dutch had promised that much. Rock heard commotion behind him, turning to see Benny putting on his glasses and buttoning his shirt. He had just woken up, apparently.
"You're up early, Rock," the tech wizard grumbled, his voice slightly hoarse. "Something troubling you?"
"Not particularly," Rock answered. Little troubled him these days. It was a stark contrast to how he had been when Lagoon first took him on. Back then, every little problem that plagued Roanapur would have gotten under his skin. Now, he was more apathetic towards the city's plights than anything. He was more accustomed to living here. That was a disturbing thought, one he was not completely comfortable with. But he did not dwell on it. It never did well to let that issue bother him. "Are the others awake yet?" They had been aboard the boat all night. The vehicle hadn't been taken out of the boathouse in months. Dutch had brought the others out to the water with a few beers to relax. It had been a nice night.
"Nope, just me," Benny answered. "Dutch should be up soon, you know him. If past experience is anything to go on, Revy won't see the light of day until about three in the afternoon." Rock chuckled as he reached into his pocket and produced a cigarette. Once Dutch had arisen, he took the Black Lagoon back home and left it safe and secure in the boathouse. He accompanied Rock into the city. The Japanese man had no plans, in actuality. He just roamed the streets more and more these days, exploring its alleyways and taking in the goings on. They stopped at a café to rest their feet.
"So…what's the real reason you came with me?" Rock asked.
"Hm?" the burly Dutch grunted, feigning confusion.
"I doubt you came out here just to grab a cup of coffee." Dutch sighed as he adjusted his sunglasses.
"To tell you the truth, Rock, I was worried," he admitted. "I don't know what it is you do when you take your little walks into the city. I was just making sure you weren't getting into any trouble."
"You don't have to worry about me," Rock assured his boss, separating his chopsticks and greedily slurping up his bowl of noodles. Dutch remained silent for a few moments as he studied his companion. While he was certainly less vocal about Rock's changes than Revy, he was no less concerned. Rock was a much different man now than he had been when Lagoon Company first boarded his ship in search of a suspicious disk that contained who-knew-what. The transformation Rock had undergone was dramatic to say the least. That was not to say that he was a worse person now. On the contrary, he was still a perfectly pleasant man to speak to. He just concerned himself less with the well-being of others and more with the survival and profit of his own familial group. Once Rock had finished his food, he noticed the mixed expression of concern and boredom on Dutch's face. "I'll be alright Dutch. You don't have to add me to your list of worries."
"Who says I've got a list?" Dutch asked jokingly.
"You know what I mean." The bald man grunted, glancing around the area dismissively.
"Yeah, I know. Just take care of yourself, kid. I don't want to have to get a call off Balalaika or Chang telling me you got your skull smashed against a wall." On that note, the two of them rose and started back towards the apartment. The rest of the day would likely be rather uneventful. It seemed strange to think about, but Rock actually felt like he was ready for things to go back to normal. He wanted regular work again. The money wasn't something that concerned him, considering Lagoon had gotten more than enough from their last job to keep them living comfortably for years. But it was driving him insane doing nothing at home all day or taking part in pointless, pedestrian jobs from Hotel Moscow and the Triad. Rock wanted excitement. He wanted the thrill he had felt that day when he joined Lagoon Company proper, when they had almost been gunned down by mercenaries from the Extra Order. When they returned home, much of the conversation reverted back to prospects of going to the Yellowflag that night to get viciously drunk. The novelty of that had worn off some time ago for Rock. There was no enjoyment to relaxing at the bar anymore seeing as it was one of the only things they did now.
"You coming, Rock?" asked Revy as the other three prepared to leave.
"Again?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head. "I think I'm still recovering from three nights ago, if I'm honest." Dutch veered back into the apartment at the sound of the phone.
"Oh, come on!" Revy exclaimed. "Don't be such a pussy."
"You can't use that as your argument for everything," Rock whined as he threw on his trench coat and headed for the door.
"Damn, you guys aren't gonna believe this," Dutch told them, causing them to come to a halt.
"What's up, Dutch?" asked Benny. Lagoon's leader smirked knowingly.
"You'll never guess who just called me about a job." The three others remained silent in anticipation of what was to come. "Garcia Lovelace. This isn't going to be good."
