Chapter 6: Strike Down Upon Any And All Unrighteousness
The description of Black Bear was enough to lead Roberta to him. It had taken her a day, less even, to pin down his location. The abandoned old metalwork factory hadn't been used in a long time by the looks of things. Its halls were dark and dilapidated, dust and cobwebs caking the cold concrete. Even now, Roberta's skills were unmatched. She took the Dragunov from around her shoulder with one hand and held it steadily as she skulked through the dark corridors of this place. So far, there had been no sign of the assassin. But he was here, of that the Bloodhound was certain. His foul stench carried through the factory, the scent of death and depravity. She knew it all too well. The whole situation brought back memories of her twisted past, flickers of the things she had done in the name of revolution. She still remembered the faces and cries of the men she killed, the women she slaughtered, the children…Those were dark times, though her experiences moulded her into the woman she was today. For that, she was grateful. Out of all of Roanapur's killers and opportunists, Roberta was possibly the most humane and kind-hearted. It was a quality that would spell doom for anyone else but one that kept the good maid alive. She clambered up the first flight of stairs noisily, silently cursing herself once she reached the next floor. If Black Bear was as formidable and well-trained as Wolf claimed, he would be on high alert now. Even the slightest noise would alert him to danger. Roberta stopped suddenly as she listened for any sound of commotion, shutting her eye and focusing on honing in on the Bear's movements. It was possible he was further up. Scanning the current floor of the factory momentarily, Roberta moved up the second flight of stairs, content that he wasn't lower down. Upon emerging, she spotted a faint light in the room opposite. The heavy steel door was ajar slightly. That was clever, an attempt to lure her over there so he could come out and finish her off. She did not fall for it. Aware of the blind spot she was permanently afflicted with, she made a point of looking around her fully to make sure he was not hidden in one of the alcoves of the walls. Gripping the Dragunov tightly, she sidestepped to the left and continued along the corridor. If Bear was smart, which he seemed to be, he would have hidden close to the ajar door, around the corner. Roberta hoped to flank him and take him by surprise, as he seemingly hoped to do to her. She would not fall for his trap so easily. If he thought this was enough to best her, he had no idea who he was dealing with. But he would. Roberta came to a halt at the end of the corridor and peered around the corner to the right. No sign. Again, she continued on, hoping he would be close.
"I could smell you when you walked in here," he called to her from up ahead, his voice guttural and scratchy. It sounded like he was on the move. He was more than likely circling the floor along with Roberta so that she would never catch up to him. If he refused to come out and fight, they could be here all day. "You fucking reek of blood and shit. Who was it that sent you? If it was Hunter, you'd have talked by now."
"I was not sent by your Dead Men," Roberta told him, pointing the sniper rifle forward as she walked in case he decided to double back and jump out at her.
"Then you ought to turn that pretty little ass around and walk out of here," he called as he tried and failed to cock his weapon quietly. Roberta deduced immediately that it was an assault rifle he held. "There ain't nothing for you here, girl. I'm not coming out of here in a million years."
"Is that so?" Roberta asked, more to herself. She turned another corner swiftly and pointed her weapon forward, but Bear was not in sight. As she was making her way around the floor, so was he, keeping her at bay by just enough so he could keep talking. This was tricky, but doable.
"Yeah, it is. So the scary boss dude in black didn't send you after me. Who was it, one of this city's leaders? The Ruskies, huh? Or the Chinks?"
"This would be easier on both of us if you came out and faced me," Roberta told him, a subtle edge to her voice. It was a thinly veiled threat, but one that warned against prolonging this charade. If he was content to keep his distance, he would succeed in doing so for only a short time before she would come for him with unbridled aggression. Judging from the situation along with Roberta's waning patience, the Black Bear had about five minutes of freedom left.
"You ain't big on talking, then," Bear replied, his wavering voice once again suggesting he was still on the move. "You want to protect your employer, I get it. Tell me who you are, then. At least give me that." She smirked at that. If he truly knew who she was, he would likely be rendered catatonic out of fear. Assuming he had heard of her before, which was almost a given, to learn that it was her that had been sent for him would immediately make him regret avoiding her. Of course, she was not here to kill him. But he did not need to know that.
"I am a simple maid," she told him, almost enjoying the back and forth they were having. She could practically smell the fear welling up inside him at the oncoming realisation that she was toying with him, that she was actually far more dangerous than he realised. "In service to the Lovelace family, one of the great thirteen families of South America." She heard him explode with laughter as she turned another corner, again to no avail, though she thought she did spot his leg for just a moment as he stumbled in behind cover up ahead. "Does that amuse you?"
"You're a long way from home, maid," he told her with a sickening tone of condescension in his voice. It almost made Roberta glad that he was so complacent now, sure that she posed no threat to him. Had she been hired to kill him, he would likely be dead already. "But you can dust the shelves in my office if you really want to." That was followed by more laughter. It was baffling how oblivious he was to the danger he was in.
"I'm glad I could entertain you," Roberta told him as she slung the Dragunov over her shoulder and reached to her belt for a grenade. If she pulled this off, he would be forced to run towards her and she would have him. But she couldn't toss the frag just yet. If her memory was correct, he was currently mere feet from the stairs to the floor below them. If she threw the grenade now, he would have a perfect escape. No, she would wait and continue this back and forth until he was backed into a corner, no obvious escape routes near him, before pouncing.
"Hell, that's the funniest thing I've heard all year," he told her, still laughing. "And they-whoever they are- sent you to take me out." His footsteps started tom slow down, then, as he neared the far end of the corridor he was in. "What a stupid mistake to make. You might want to tell your employer to keep looking when he's on the market for assassins." He had stopped moving entirely, now, made far too confident by the knowledge that Roberta was a maid. She needed to act now if she was going to put her plan into action. By now, the flight of stairs was a few feet up ahead, about halfway between her and Bear. If she threw the frag, he would have nowhere to go but further around the floor. She ripped the pin from the grenade with her pinkie as she held it between her thighs, grabbing it immediately and tossing it ahead. It bounced off the wall and made its way towards the dark assassin. His screams of panic were audible as he scrambled in the other direction. Roberta seized her chance. Wasting no time, she turned around and legged it around the corner towards him. The second she reached the next corner, she halted and took the Dragunov in her hand. The frag exploded with a thunderous crash as steel hit steel and Bear was thrown towards his undoing. With the butt of the Dragunov, Roberta smashed the assassin in the face and knocked him to the ground. His hands instantly went to the source of the pain as blood streamed down his face from his now broken nose. His eyes were watering, too, and the black beanie he had been wearing had flown off of his head entirely. Roberta reached down and with one arm of steel, grabbed the front of his tank top and dragged him into the air until his feet were off the ground. The military paint that had been on his face was now steaked and messy. He finally lowered his hands and looked at her through the blood and tears. And there he was. Roberta couldn't suppress the disgust and anger she felt as she looked upon his face, the horrible, twisted visage of the depraved assassin they had been hunting. It was tempting to beat him further until he was unrecognisable, but Wolf wanted him alive. Roberta was sure Bear would meet his end soon anyway. She was patient. She could wait to watch him die. "You don't look like a maid to me," he blubbered, one of his teeth clearly loosened from the impact of the rifle. He dislodged it with his tongue and spat it at Roberta. "Who the fuck are you?"
"It's over, Black Bear," she told him, making a point of putting disdainful emphasis on his name as she lowered him to his knees.
"Go fuck yourself," he spat at her. She grinned at him as she took the rifle in her hand and slapped it across the side of his head, knocking him out. It was easy enough to pick him up and put him over her shoulder, despite his size. All that remained now was to return him to Wolf. The assassin would be glad to finally have Bear brought to him, though Usagi would understandably be horrified to see the man again. That could pose a problem. Perhaps the assassin's apartment wouldn't be the best spot to bring Bear. Roberta would worry about that later. For now, she just needed to get out of here. As she made her way downstairs and searched around for the main door, she thought she heard voices from outside. In Roanapur, gunfire was a common occurrence. Firefights happened every day and people died hourly in the streets. For that reason alone, she hadn't taken notice of the gunshots earlier. But now, there was definitely a voice outside, and it was getting louder as she approached the double doors.
"…only gonna end one way," the voice said, muffle though it was. "Even if you don't do what I say, there's three very angry ladies ready to come in and tear ya a new asshole, mate." This was followed by another voice, one Roberta thought she recognised. Regardless, she was sure this stranger had been sent by the Dead Men. For that reason alone, he needed to be disposed of. Hunter wanted Black Bear dead as much as anyone else. Roberta had been sent to make sure they didn't get there first. She was alone in here, about to face off against possibly multiple enemies. That put her at a disadvantage. But if the other voice belonged to who she thought it did, he would be accompanied by a particularly ferocious killer, one who, if she was so inclined, would fire at any of the stranger's allies as soon as Roberta went for him. She dropped Bear down and laid him up against the wall, laying her rifle down across from him. With the strap, she tied the assassin's hands together and connected them to the pipes behind him. If he awoke, it would sicken him that he would not be able to reach the weapon. That done, she grabbed the handle of the doors and pulled them open with a creak. The light from outside was piercing but the source of the voice immediately caught Roberta's gaze. "Ah, the Bear finally decided to join us, did he? Then come on out, ya sick old fuck. Let's see what you're made of." Roberta wasted no time. She instinctively launched herself from the darkness and pinned the suddenly panicked man to the ground with her legs, beginning to wail on him with her fist. She hadn't even gotten a good look at who the others were, but that plum-coloured hair caught her eye. It was Revy, alright. Roberta just hoped the gunslinger would have the restraint not too shoot her.