The next day, Lagoon company
"And now, the fuckin' Columbians are gone too, huh?" Revy said.
Dutch, who had been released by the hospital the day before, answered, but after having lit a cigarette and blown out a cloud of smoke.
"Yup, that's the word on the street," the skipper of the Black Lagoon said, "Abrego's gone along with a couple dozen other guys."
"Wow," Benny said, "Never thought I'd see the day where the gangs were in danger, as in all of them."
"This city always bounces back, Benny Boy," Dutch said, "This latest series of incidents is like a nasty hurricane. Shit gets knocked down and then rebuilt again. There's no changing that."
"Biggest action this city's seen in a while and I'm fuckin' sitting here on the fuckin' sidelines," Revy said.
"Revy," Rock said, "You've actually exchanged shots with the Punisher and were blown up with a grenade. How more involved do you wanna be? He almost killed you. Hell, he almost killed all of us!"
"I want a fuckin' rematch with that motherfucker!" Revy said, "And I want a fuckin' piece of this war!"
"Yeah, well Chang and Balalaika are all that's left of the big syndicates now," Dutch said, "It's their war, now. They either put an end to all this shit or..."
The skipper's voice trailed off.
"Or what, Dutch?" Rock asked.
"To tell you the truth, I don't know, Rock. I have no idea," Dutch said. He pulled another drag on his cigarette and blew out all the smoke. "We've seen some serious ugliness in this town. You've seen it too, Rock. We've seen psychos and terrorists blow through here and cause all sorts of chaos and the city comes out almost intact. If it changes this time...I don't know."
"Well," Benny said, "There is some sort of precedent for stuff like this. When you look at the fall of the Berlin Wall or other strict political regimes or dictatorships. There's always a period of disorder, sometimes violence..."
"Here, without the Triads or Hotel Moscow, the fucking gangs will start popping each other on the streets. This city will become fuckin' Beirut," Revy said.
"Exactly," Benny said, "So far, those who made such attempts have been squashed, but that can't last. And in that kind of context, where does that leave us, as a business?"
"Even in times of utter chaos, people and goods need to be moved," Dutch said, "There's always gonna be work. I just don't like the idea of every street corner turning into OK Coral. Even in this city, there's always some measure of...civility."
"Well, any fuckin' way," Revy said, "I'm tired of this wait and see bullshit! You'd figure Chang or Balalaika would call on us or somethin'!"
"Revy," Rock said, "The way I see it, Chang and Balalaika are probably preparing something huge to trap Castle and whoever those mystery soldiers are. They have to be planning some sort of strategy to put an end to that threat. And like any good operation, it relies on secrecy. It wouldn't surprise if they joined forces for this. They can't afford any leaks. They probably will rely only on their own people this time. No freelances."
"And, knowing Balalaika," Dutch said, "She's probably lookin' forward to tangling with the Punisher. That woman enjoys war a little bit too much."
"Maybe it's just that she doesn't know anything else, Dutch," Rock said, "Nothing else but bloodshed and horror."
"What the fuck would you know about that, huh, Rock?" Revy said.
"In my time here, I've seen more than enough, Revy," Rock said quietly.
"Then maybe you should go back to Japan, back to being a fucking zombie, a fucking slave for rich fuckers who couldn't give a fuck about you!" Revy said.
"Revy..."
"When are you gonna get it through your thick fuckin' skull, Rock? There is no right and wrong, no justice, none of that fairy tale bullshit. No heaven, no hell, no God, no fuckin' satan. There's life and death. You're either a fuckin' predator or you're fuckin' cattle! And if you don't fight for your life, if no one if willing to take your life, maybe that means your life is fuckin' meaningless and you might as well be dead. And people keep talking about war like it's some shitty thing. How many gunfights have we been through? Doesn't every meal, every cigarette, every drink taste sweeter knowin' it might be your last? Knowin' that while you're there drinkin', some other asshole is feeding maggots because he was just too fuckin' slow?"
There was a silence. Revy pulled out a cigarette, lit it and pulled on it.
"And you make it, you make to the top of the fuckin' heap, sometimes you wonder: am I really it? Am I really that bad-ass or is everyone else really a bunch of fuckin' pussies. Then you run into some serious motherfucker. A real stone cold killer and you have to ask yourself: could I take that fucker? Because the only way to stay at the top is to be tested by people on your level. Balalaika, and even Chang, they enjoy being tested. They like proving to themselves that they actually earned their spots at the top, so they welcome a fucking challenge who isn't from some brain dead cocksucker trying to make a name for himself."
"And you too, Revy?" Rock asked.
"Fuckin' right, me too, and you too, Rock!"
"Me?" Rock said.
"Yeah, you too! You came this close to actually killing Frank Castle! You might not be a fucking hitman, but you like other types of challenges! Yeah, you wanna outsmart a guy who spent years outsmarting everyone else, admit it! I saw you smile while you elaborated that plan! Castle doesn't have a lot of weaknesses and you figured them out! You changed, Rock, during your stay here. You're a predator, like the rest of us. Just a different kind. Remember what Chang called you in the hospital? 'Magnificent Bastard.' Chang doesn't throw that kind of shit out lightly, Rock."
"Revy's got a point, Rock," Dutch said.
Rock thought of Revy's words. He knew that they rang true, at least in part. What was he becoming?
There was a silence right after Revy's onslaught.
"I'm gonna go head out for a drink," she said and walked out.
"Don't take it personal, Rock," Benny said, "You know how she gets when she doesn't get to kill anyone for a while. Worse than nicotine withdrawal."
"Yeah," Rock said simply.
Rock got to catch up with Revy.
"Sure it's a good idea, Rock?" Benny asked.
"Like she said," Rock answered, "What's your life worth if you don't risk now and again, right?"
Rock stepped out.
Dutch let out a grunt of pain.
"You okay, boss?"
"My stitches are hurting a bit, but it beats being dead, Benny Boy."
There was a silence.
"I mean what I said before, Benny Boy. If somehow Castle wins this thing? I have no idea what's gonna happen to this city."
In the street, several yards away
"Back the fuck off, Rock, I need to be alone," Rock said.
"No, you don't," Rock said, "Usually, you'd go to the Church and hang with Eda."
Revy looked over at Rock, and smiled.
"Christ, Rock, you're too fuckin' smart for your own good."
"Let's see if I am that smart: Eda, your friend, is gone without a word of explanation. Balalaika, who you call "big sis" and look up to, is not calling you to be part of her plan. And that probably brings up ugly memories from your past, being abandoned or left out. You blame the Punisher for that, hence another reason why you wanna get another shot at him, besides what you said earlier about being tested."
Revy scowled at Rock and then let out a breath. And smiled.
"Ok, smart ass, ya got me," Revy said.
"I feel your pain, Revy, my bosses tried to get me killed, remember? Feels like a lifetime ago."
"It was, Rock. For you, it was. Fuck, maybe for me too."
They let those words hang between them for a few seconds. Then:
"Hey," Rock said, "How about you let me buy you that drink? I mean that's what comrades in arms do, right?"
"Sure, why the fuck not?"
Rock smiled. So did Revy and they kept on walking.