"You asked for enlightenment, so allow me to impart it; from the moment we first met, I've lived two lives," Chang calmly spoke. "Saint by day; monster by night. Just as I have people who report to me, I have people I must report to as well. In particular, one Uncle Sam."

"What the hell is this, Chang?" Balalaika asked. She scanned the room in search of the camera Chang was using, "You've been watching me for what I can only imagine is a year now, lied to me from day one, abandoned me when I needed you most…" Again, stillness fell on the room at nature of Balalaika's comment, "…and now I'm supposed to trust you?"

"If the tables were turned, Balalaika; I'd already be convinced," Chang replied.

That cold smile she so often wore once again graced her lips as she spoke, "You're a fool."

"Maybe," Chang replied. "But you have my word, this is real."

Balalaika struggled to gather herself. Just the sight of the Kapitan in such obvious duress, was enough to stun the Lagoon Company to silence. They'd never witnessed her in such a state, perhaps even assuming that there wasn't enough left in her that was human enough for her to be capable of such emotions. Slowly she sat back down, and calmly spoke, "You've got sixty seconds."

"Eda, Yolanda, even little Rico; they are all Uncle Sam's people," Chang explained. The Lagoon Company again wore their surprise on their faces, while Balalaika merely sat there, her cigar hanging from her lips as Chang continued, "For the past year, they've been watching and keeping track of the Vysotoniki's operations. We know every move they make, when they make it, and who they send."

Dutch lit a cigarette and took a deep drag as he finished Chang's thought for him, "Go in, wipe'em out one-by-one."

"Precisely, Dutch," Chang replied, eliciting smiles from Rock and Revy.

Balalaika laughed lightly as she replied, "You make it sound so easy, Chang. I almost find it insulting that you believe my men would be so easily dealt with."

"And I believe you underestimate how much of their skills were the result of your leadership," Chang replied. "I assure you, they are not the same men you once commanded."

Balalaika fell silent as she contemplated Chang's plan. She leaned forward on her desk and interlaced her fingers before replying, "Chang…" Again a brief silence as she searched for the right words, "…I do appreciate your offer, and I accept your apology, but I think--"

"Inna," Chang interrupted, once again stunning her to a narrow-eyed silence. "Think about who you're lying to."

A wide and dark smile formed on Balalaika's face and again she addressed Chang, "We mustn't go this long without speaking, ever again, baby."

Plans bounced from party to party; the Lagoon Company, Hotel Moscow, and the Hong Kong Triad, planning and scheming as one unit. A half-hour later, a simple plan was formed and Balalaika calmly spoke, "I must admit, this was not something I had seen coming, this morning." Balalaika smiled and stood from her seat. Sergeant Boris slipped her coat over her shoulders and she asked, "Are the four of you sure you want to do this?"

Rock looked to Revy who wore a subtle smile. He exhaled a mouthful of smoke as he replied, "As my wife would say, 'Fuckin'-A'."

"You know this is an idiot's plan, don't you Rock?" Balalaika asked as she reached the door.

"So is taking out a helicopter with a torpedo, but that worked," Dutch replied as he stood.

The Lagoon Company proceeded to the door, and Dutch held up his crew for a moment, "Benny boy, I want you gone for this."

"What?" Benny asked.

"You're the only one going in unarmed and--"

"And nothing, Dutch," Benny interrupted. "I'll stay as far back as you want, but I'm coming with you guys. I've got every inch of Roanapur mapped, I could tell any of you where to go to get away from anyone."

"Benny--"

Surprisingly tough in this moment, Benny again interrupted the boss, "This isn't a negotiation; I'm coming."

Dutch eventually smiled before placing a hand on Benny's shoulder, "You're a good man, Benny. A fuckin' idiot maybe, but a good man."

Benny smiled and Dutch asked Revy and Rock, "You two cool?"

Just before they had supposedly left Roanapur for good, Revy nearly died. While neither of them seemed particularly thrilled with the plan, Revy replied for the both of them, "We'll be fine, bossman." She turned towards the door and finished her thought, "If Chang and Balalaika have this shit sorted out as perfectly as it sounds, this oughta be a fuckin' walk in the park."

-

The flight to Roanapur was on schedule for a 3am landing. Balalaika and Boris sat in a corner of the Lagoon Company's private jet. While Boris had just fallen asleep, Balalaika remained wide-awake. On the opposite end of the plane, Benny was passed out cold, while Rock and Revy sat engaged in what appeared to be one of their late-night conversations. Dutch however nursed a glass of booze in one hand, and transported a glass in the other as he quietly approached Balalaika.

He took a seat opposite the Kapitan and extended the glass of alcohol to her, "Stoli neat, right?"

Balalaika laughed lightly to herself, "If Chang could see you now, Dutch."

"What's that?" Dutch replied as he crossed his legs.

"He used to go on for hours about your lack of hospitality," Balalaika replied as she swirled the glass. "How you never offered him a drink when he came to your offices."

"My mistake for forgetting I was supposed to be running a café," Dutch replied. Again Balalaika smiled while Dutch observed her looking more lost than he'd ever seen. She took a sip at first; followed by the rest of the glass he had poured her, bringing Dutch to ask, "Something on your mind?"

"I like you, Dutch; but it's going to take a lot more than one glass of Vodka to get me to have this conversation."

"Not interested in conversation. This is nothing more than me, asking you, how you're doing."

Balalaika smiled and handed the empty glass back to Dutch, "Go get some sleep, Dutch. It just might be your last chance for a good night's rest." Dutch stood, and as he walked away, Balalaika again spoke, "Thanks for the drink."

Dutch turned back with a smile, "You're quite welcome."

-

"Are you alright?" Rock asked his wife, in their quiet corner of the plane.

Speaking with Revy when Rock first met her was no easy task. Speaking with her now that they were a dyed-in-the-wool, married couple, was every bit as difficult. Where he used to struggle to get her to open up to him, now whenever her emotions boiled to the surface, the floodgates opened and she was an anxiety riddled mess. Now working on her 12th cigarette since they boarded the plane, her left hand shook slightly as it passed over the scar on her abdomen.

"Revy?" Rock asked.

"Huh?" Revy replied.

"Are you alright?"

She took a drag and replied, "I'm…" She searched for the right words as her body lightly shuddered, "…I just want to go home."

Rock's heart broke at her words. He would do everything he could to protect her once they landed, but he knew in Roanapur, bullets has their way of finding their targets, one way or another. He reached his arm around Revy and pulled her closer to him, her head eventually resting back on his shoulder, "We'll get through this, Revy. I promise."

-

Outside Bangkok International airport, Eda sat back on the fender of a limousine. Her nun's habit, bright pink sunglasses, and last but not least, her longslide Glock, present and accounted for. A large pink bubble emanated from her lips, slowing before it burst. She chewed the bubblegum back into her mouth and continued on chewing.

Opposite her, the doors to the terminal slipped apart and through walked Balalaika, Boris, and the Lagoon Company.

"Hey, Two-Hands!" Eda shouted.

Revy looked up at Eda, along with the rest of the group. It took a few moments for everyone to process Eda. She was just as they had remembered, though she was a completely different person. Not thinking of her actions for a second, Balalaika drew her Stechkin on the nun.

Eda didn't move or flinch as she stared down the barrel and asked, "Where's your army?"

Balalaika cocked the hammer of her weapon and replied simply, "En route."

Eda remained motionless and confident. Finally she broke the silence and tension, "If you want to shoot me, go ahead; but good luck getting out of here."

Lagoon remained alert, in preparation for whatever might come next as Balalaika spoke, "All those years I wondered why Chang was so intent on dealing with that so-called church of yours. The two of you had us all fooled, didn't you?"

Eda smiled proudly and asked, "So what's it gonna be? You wanna shoot me, or do you want your city back?"

Balalaika smiled slightly and decocked her Stechkin, "Lead the way, nun."

The group funneled onto the wrap-around bench seat in the limo. Eda lit a cigarette and laid out details of the Vysotoniki's operations within Roanapur.

"We've all seen a lot here…" Eda explained as she faced Balalaika, "…but the way they do things, it's different than anything you've done in the past."

"How so?" Rock asked.

Balalaika slowly turned to face Rock, her anger at him asking her question for her, written on her face. Immediately he apologized, "Sorry."

She turned back to face Eda, and again Eda explained, "They all seem to exhibit some form of post-traumatic stress disorder. Remember 'Rambo'?"

Revy was quick to nod, which brought Balalaika to ask, "Enlighten me, Rebecca."

"You've never seen 'Rambo'?" Revy asked. Balalaika shook her head 'no' and Revy explained, "A vet comes home and can't leave the war behind, so he brings it with him; turns a small town into a fuckin' warzone."

"And that was just one man," Eda added. "I'm sure I don't have to remind you just how many of your men led that little rebellion a year ago."

Balalaika's eye narrowed as she replied, "No you don't. So what's your plan, nun?"

Eda retrieved a sheet of paper from beneath her habit and handed it to Balalaika as she explained its contents, "A list of every stop their pickup boys make; when, how many they send, and what weapons we've made on them." As Balalaika perused the list, Eda continued, "They kill fifteen to twenty a day, Inna…" Again, the use of her name immediately brought her eye to meet Eda, as the nun continued, "…women and children like they're nothing."

"Save me your sob story, bitch," Balalaika coldly replied.

"Let's be clear about something, Mrs. Balalaika…" Eda drew her Glock on the Kapitan, which brought Boris to draw his Tokarev on Eda, "…I don't like you. If I had my way, I'd drop an army into their headquarters and clean this little town up the old fashion way. However, Chang is unfailingly insistent about giving Roanapur back to you." A twisted smile formed on Eda's lips as she continued, "I can only imagine the things you must have done to him, to get him this bent out of shape over you. Personally, I don't give a fuck how wonderful a lay you were…" The Lagoon Company wore their surprise on their faces, while Balalaika's eye narrowed as Eda finished her thought, "…if you want Roanapur back you are going to play ball with us."

Eda snapped her gun upright, though Boris kept his trained on Eda. Confident in her control of the situation, Eda asked, "Wanna put that thing down, comrade?"

Boris' eyes narrowed on the nun as Balalaika calmly spoke, her instruction buried in her tone, "Sergeant."

Boris put his gun away just as the car slowed to a halt.