The preparations for the invasion of Roanapur happened mainly away from Rock and Revy, but they were told the whole plan. Revy was given command of a strike team, a mix of soldiers young and old who were best compatible with her "personality". Roberta was given command of an arguably more professional group, which fit her better as well. Rock sat in his dark room, poring over books on tactics by the light of the desk lamp, as he was one of the people in charge of the whole force.
He threw the latest book away, nothing in it would help him in dealing with the gangs of Roanapur. He lit a cigarette, blowing smoke up into the air. He leaned back, rubbing his eyes. He looked over to see Revy's silhouette standing in the doorway.
"What are you thinking?" She asked him, sitting down on the bed behind him.
"I'm thinking we're gonna take the city, but in doing so will lose around 50% of our fighting force. And that's if we're careful. They just aren't accustomed to the area. It'd take too long to teach the soldiers to think like criminals."
"Shit, Rock. Eda's never gonna go for a plan with that high of a mortality rate." Revy said, as Rock turned to face her. "How are you gonna pull this off?"
"We'll give her a more optimistic number. Say 20%. We need this to work. We've got no other options." Rock said. "Wait… I've got an idea."
Rock stood, extinguishing his cigarette. "We can't just waltz up to the Bridge as a unit. We need to start sending people in now. Small groups, under the radar. Sneak past the defenses, and attack from within. Maybe three or four strike teams behind enemy lines, while the main force distracts them. The strike teams will open up the gates for the main force. That's how we'll do it."
"Fucking finally!" Revy said, getting up from the bed. "We're gonna see some action again! Let's get our asses out there and fuck 'em up!"
"You know I'm gonna worry about you out there, right?" Rock said.
Revy rolled her eyes. "You know I ain't gonna buy it out there." She said, grabbing his collar and pulling him close, being face to face with him. "I got shit to come back to now. You think I'm gonna let something kill me now? Fat fuckin' chance."
Revy let go of his collar, pushing him away. She left him to his books, shaking her head as she walked out into the hall.
Those… THINGS had stopped chasing him for now. He and Becky stood in front of a mirror. He saw a face, battered and bloodied. That couldn't be his face could it? As he reached out to touch the mirror, it cracked. The right side of his face became deformed, a huge burn scar present. He recognized that the eye wasn't his. The sight of her filled him with rage. Suddenly it wasn't a mirror anymore, and she was standing right in front of him. He let go of Becky's hand, tackling his betrayer and pounding her with his fists like an animal.
After he had beaten the woman to a pulp, he woke up with one thing on his mind.
"Gonna… KILL her…" He mumbled through gritted teeth, ripping out the IV.
Roberta turned on the news. She wanted to return home, but her concern for David and Garcia's insistence made them stay. She sat on one of the beds in their hotel room, staring down at her right hand, on which she had lost her pinky and ring fingers. The sight reminded her of her battle with the Gray Fox unit, and the carnage she wrought across Roanapur. She had been the one who taught David, so she couldn't help but wonder if she'd passed on the monster she was to him. She didn't have to wait long for an answer.
"We've just received breaking news. An escaped hospital patient has gone on a rampage, leaving 12 grievously injured. He was last seen heading towards the docks."
Roberta stood up, her hand covering her mouth in shock. She had to warn the others. Jumping in her car and driving towards them, Roberta realized she unleashed a monster just like her on Roanapur.
A/n – Hello! It's been a while since I've updated this story, so I wanted to give this little chapter to start things up again before we get into the finale. Leave a review telling me what you think of it!
-Rex