Hey Y'all. I know, I know. I should be working on TPOTD. I promise it's almost done. I've been doing massive edits to the later chapters as I didn't feel the dialogue really reflected the characters very well. Hopefully all these edits will make the story come out much better. Anyways, this little idea popped into my head the other day and I thought it might make a good one shot. Also, a note for the reader, I base all my stories off the idea that the Anime happened 1996-1998 ish era, based on Balalaika's service in the Soviet-Afghan war, and how old she appears. This particular story is assuming that the Anime happened in 1998, so I can skip over the 2001 terror attacks in the US. I didn't want to try and deal with them in this story in addition to the story. Hope that helps frame everything. Read the note at the end. It will help make sense of the story. I promise!
XXXXXX
It shouldn't be this hard. We... We were...Friends. Yeah, that's what it was. Friends. Or was it something else. At the very least partners, everyone knew that. We had each others backs through thick and thin. Until the day everything changed. And it was that day, four years ago, for the first time in a long time, I wished someone had managed to put a bullet in skull. It would be far less painful than what I feel now.
XXXXXX
Roanapur. November 6, 2002. 1925 Hours. The Remains of the Lagoon Dock.
A lone person sat on what remained of the dock of the once infamous Lagoon Trade and Courier Services, Lagoon Company for short. A small battery radio was at their side, playing an old country station that would often fade in and out depending on where you were in the city. The song that was playing now was "Hurt" by Johnny Cash.
Seemed like only yesterday the four person crew would be loading up onto the Vietnam era PT Boat that had been aptly named the Black Lagoon. At that time, it had been one big happy family. Dutch; the Vietnam Vet leader and owner who kept everybody in line, Benny; the blonde long haired tech guy who was always having virtual conversations with his girlfriend Janet "Greenback Jane" Bai, Revy; the most feared female gunslinger in the city who had earned the name "Two Hands" and had an apparent allergy to reasonable clothing, and Rock; a former Japanese salary-man "Rokoro Okajima" who after being taken hostage by the Lagoon Company, ultimately ended up joining them.
Things were simpler back then. Dutch was calm and collected. Benny was goofy and obsessed with his computers. Revy was always angry and ready to shoot someone. Rock was an idealistic idiot who managed to always get captured by someone. But as anyone who has lived in Roanapur could tell you, life ain't that damn easy.
About a year into Rock's time with the Lagoon Company, the "terminator maid" known few as Roberta, returned to Roanapur on a mission to kill several United States NSA members after a bomb they used to take out a target killed her employer Diego Lovelace. In a rage fueled by drugs and a distorted sense of loyalty to her "Young Master" Garcia Lovelace, she set out to kill any and all individuals responsible for the death of Garcia's father. It was the second time she went on a rampage in the city. No one was able to stop her. Mr. Chang, leader of the division of the Hong Kong Triad in Roanapur, convinced Rock to help Garcia and his new maid Fabiola in their quest to save Roberta from herself, and death. And in the end, it fuckin' worked, amazingly. But it only worked thanks to Rock playing what amounted to a giant game of chess, with human lives as the pawns. And even with the aid of people like Sawyer the Cleaner, Shenhua, Lotton the Wizard, Balalaika and even all of Hotel Moscow, many of the soldiers were either killed or seriously maimed. Even Roberta came out of it missing her right leg, left arm, and three of her right hand fingers. No one really won in that game. Revy ended up furious at Rock for so carelessly playing with people's lives; for stepping out of his twilight and into her darkness. They fought, but it the end, things returned to normal... for a while.
The person sitting on the dock remembers all of this, having been there through all of it. Hell, they did play an important part after all. But look where it got them. They chuckled as they puffed on their cigarette, the smoke hanging around their face as the sun was setting. If they had known this was where that would have lead, they might not have gotten involved at all.
The 6 months following that incident, dubbed the Terminator Maid Incident 2.0 by many, things went as well as they could. One might almost say it was normal, or as normal as it can be in Roanapur. Except for one thing, Rock was being requested for more and more jobs from both Hotel Moscow and the Triad. After the display he put on with the Maid and the US soldiers, both organizations felt that they could use him to get at each other. While they had a "truce", as Chang might call it, both he and Balalaika not so secretly wanted the other out of the city. They began hiring Rock to do a whole assortment of tasks, from translations to "special" book keeping. Each with the goal of using his brain to find the weakness in the other. However, all their efforts would never come to pass in their favors.
Despite Rock's naive nature and obliviousness as to how the world truly works, he very quickly began to notice the work he was being asked to do centered around each organizations competition. Realizing that he was being used as a pawn to start a war, he became enraged. Furious at this revelation, he kept taking the jobs, using the knowledge he was acquiring to discover how to best end what he felt was a war between children. By the end of those 6 months, his plan was ready. But no one else was prepared for it.
You see, Rock, for the past several months, had been both leaking information and stealing money from Hotel Moscow and the Triad. Both were foolish enough to trust him with the sensitive information and access to their accounts. It was on that fateful day, that the war began. However, unlike what many expected, the war lasted about 2 days. The Triad and Hotel Moscow found themselves at a standstill, with neither being able to overtake the other. But two days was all it took. At the end of the second day, with their forced depleted, they discovered the Rock had managed to hire several mercenary groups using their money. With his own army of highly trained men, he offered Chang and Balalaika a choice. They could accept that he now ran the city and would give him 60% of their profits, along with following his new rules, or they could be eliminated. They tried to call his bluff, but that only resulted in the unplanned demolition of both the Hotel and the Triad office via C4. After that, Chang was forced to leave the city, since the Triad no longer felt he had control of the situation, deciding that the city was a loss and moving out. Balalaika and her men, waged a war against Rock for over a year, having both the skills and the means to defeat him, or so they thought. If it had been anyone besides Rock, they probably would have won. But this was Rock, and he was merciless.
Eventually, Balalaika was forced to play by Rock's rules if she didn't want to end up dead. And thus, the city descended into a period of peace. Rock wouldn't tolerate any injustice of any kind. If you killed someone, you were hunted down and hanged on the bridge. At one point there were 13 bodies hung there as an example. The police were forced to actually do their jobs. However, Rock made it easy for them, offering bonuses to anyone he felt did an exceptional job, and killing those who didn't. The other Cartels even played along. They could still conduct business, but the amount of bodies left in their wake shrunk considerably. If anyone were to look in from the outside, it seemed like Rock was doing a good job.
Despite his "success" however, there were those who felt that he was becoming the very thing he so despised. Namely Revy, who took it upon herself to try and beat some sense back into him. This, as both Dutch and Benny could have guessed, didn't go very well. The short version is that she ended up dumped at the Lagoon office, with two broken elbows and bullets from her own guns in her legs. She survived, but wouldn't ever be as tough as was. Her movements were now more limited,and she couldn't shoot for very long without her arms starting to burn.
This was the beginning of the end for the Lagoon Company. With Rock no longer with the company, Revy permanently disabled, and their biggest clients either run out or no longer needing their services, Dutch decided that it was time to close his doors. Benny and Jane left together to continue their work on Jane's counterfeiting operation in India, with Jane having set up a new headquarters there. Dutch sold the PT boat and to this day, hasn't been heard from. Revy however, decided to go back to where it all began. Benny and Jane helped her get back to New York, where she killed the cop who raped her, along with several others. She only felt rage and needed someone to take it out on. It would be another 2 years before she would admit why she did it. She felt that the cops had started all of this when they forced her to become who she was. If she hadn't become who she was today, then none of this would have happened with Rock. If she was being honest however, she blamed herself for all of this. She was surprised that she got away with killing those men. What she didn't know was her "friend" Eda, who was in-fact CIA, passed on the information about her to the FBI offices, who covered the incident up. They too were interested in the problems of cops raping prisoners and were able to use this to start their investigation into the NYPD. So it really was a win win for them, making them happy to cover it up to protect Revy.
So here things are, 4 years after Rock came into power. The figure on the dock stood up. In the fading sunlight, the shadow revealed the person to be female. The sunlight filtered through her hair, showing off it's maroon color. To the trained eye, one would be able to tell that this was the shadow of the woman who used to go by Two Hands. But anyone who knew Two Hands before, wouldn't recognize her now.
The maroon hair, which used to be long and tied up in a pony tail was now cut shorter, barely hanging past her shoulders. The suggestive Daisy Dukes and black tank top were now gone, replaced by dark blue jeans over her combat boots, a faded pink pull-over hoodie and a black leather jacket covering it. The infamous Cutlasses were still their where they had always been. But they now covered the pink hoodie, and were covered by the leather jacket. What no one would have guessed though was why she was wearing the things she did now. Her arms, while having scars from the beating she received from Rock's men, were also covered in cigarette burns and cut marks. That was without mentioning the gunshot scar on her stomach. She had tried to kill herself in a drunken sorrow, but had somehow lucked out when the bullet deflected off one of her ribs. Someone had found her, removed the bullet, and stitched her up while she was unconscious. But she never knew who he was.
After killing the cops, Revy couldn't find any purpose in life. She had no Lagoon Company, and more importantly, she had no Rock. While no one besides Dutch or Benny would have guessed, Revy did in-fact care a great deal about Rock. He was the one person whom she held any attachment for. As for why, Dutch never found out. As for the truth though, Revy thought Rock was the one person who could get her out of the life she had begun to hate. He showed her that there is more to life than just money and power. But by the time she realized what he meant to her, the influence she had tried to press upon him had taken root. Rock became everything she told him he needed to be if he wanted to survive in Roanapur. She had created this new Rock, and that weighed heavily on her mind. The only thing she could to to escape that pain, was to cause herself more pain. Lots of drinking, self harm, and suffering was enough to numb how she felt about Rock. But you can only ignore the truth for so long. Eventually she finally sobered up and healed up. It was then, she decided to return to Roanapur, to see Rock.
XXXXXX
Revy walked into the building that now served as Rock's headquarters. She walked up to the receptionist.
"How may I help you?" The woman asked brightly.
"I was hoping to speak with Rock. Could you tell him Rev- Rebecca Li would like to speak with him"
"And how to you know Mr. Okajima" The woman asked, eyeing Revy.
"I'm an old friend" She replied, little emotion in her voice.
The woman looked Revy up and down once more, before reaching for the phone.
XXXXXX
Up in Rock's office, he looked over the city he controlled. If someone had told him years ago that he would run an entire city, he might have suggested that they stop sniffing glue. But to see where he had come, was very satisfying. He too had changed his attire since his days with the Lagoon company. He now wore a full suit everywhere he went, a scarf adorning his neck and sunglasses over his eyes. He looked very much how Chang did, only more successful than he had ever been. He was interrupted from this musing by the phone pager.
"Mr. Okajima?" The receptionist's voice sounded.
"Yes?" Rock replied.
"There is a Miss Rebecca Li here to see you. She says she's an old friend"
Rock paused at this, stunned. Revy, here? Surely this was a sick joke by someone who wanted to get at him. But the thought of it actually being Revy, was almost to exciting. Rock collected himself before responding.
"Very good. Frisk her for weapons, then send her up"
"Very good sir"
So Revy finally returned. This should be exciting Rock thought.
XXXXXX
Revy stood in the elevator, on her way up to see Rock. Anyone who knew her before would be astounded to know she didn't put up a fight when the guard's took her beloved Cutlasses from her. But then again, they would be surprised about a lot of things that had happened.
The elevator finally stopped and the door opened, revealing a large office with couches on both sides, a bar on the right hand side, and a desk in front of a large window. Revy stepped out of the elevator into the room. Looking to her right, she saw Rock at the bar, pouring a pair of drinks.
"I almost didn't believe it when they told me Rebecca Li was here. Guess it wasn't a joke after all" Rock smiled at Revy.
"Guess not" Revy replied, no emotion in her voice.
"Would you care for a drink?" Rock asked. "It's Bacardi"
"Yes, thank you" Revy replied.
Rock was stunned. When had Revy ever been this nice to anyone, especially someone she hated. Rock brought over the drinks, handing one to Revy as the pair sat on opposite ends of the same couch. They sipped their drinks for a moment before Rock spoke.
"So... It's been a while. What brings you to Roanapur? Last I heard you were heading to America for something"
"I was, and did. Took care of what I needed to. I was just passing though and thought I might like to see an old friend" Revy replied, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. Upon discovering it empty, Rock pulled out his pack, offering her it and a lighter. She accepted, lighting one up and taking a long drag.
Rock looked at her with a sly expression.
"Why are you really here Rev-"
"Rebecca" She corrected.
"Huh?" Rock asked, very confused.
"It's Rebecca. Revy died the last time I was in this office. And Two Hands died in New York. It's just Rebecca or Ms. Li" Rebecca finished.
"I see" Rock replied. "I guess that makes sense. I mean, I hardly go by Rock anymore if I'm being honest. Mr. Okajima sounds far more professional"
"I see" Rebecca replied, still with no emotion.
"But I'll ask again Rebecca. Why are you really here?"
Rebecca sighed before answering.
"Closure" She replied.
"Closure?" Rokoro asked.
"Yes. It took 4 goddamned years, but I finally see how things truly are"
"Oh?" Rokoro asks, again surprised by this new Rebecca.
"Yes. I see now that everything that ever happened to you was my fault. I was the one who insisted we take you for a ransom. I kept trying to force you to see the world as I did. I created who you are today. And rather than create the person I wanted, I created the exact opposite. All those times I threatened to kill you, I should have been threatening to kill myself"
Rokoro was floored by this. Nothing could have prepared him for this version of Rebecca. Though, if he thought about it for half a second, the fact she was going by Rebecca should have been clue enough.
"So ho does your visit today get you closure?" He finally asks.
"I wanted to ask you one last time to give this up?"
"Why?" Rokoro asks.
"So you can leave this city and come with me. I see now that all I ever needed in this life was you. I was just too stuck in my past to see it. Had I been able to look past it; if I had listened to you, then this all could have been avoided"
Rokoro stayed silent as Rebecca continued.
"After I killed the cops, there was nothing for me. I tried drinking the pain away, I tried causing more pain, I even tried to end it all, just so I didn't have to feel anything" She lifted her hoodie just enough for Rokoro to see the scar on her stomach. His eyes went wide at this.
"But none of it worked, and in the end, all my thoughts came back to you. The reason I was so hard on you, the reason I was so mean, was... was... because I love you. I just didn't know how to show it. I thought it would make me weak, that it would be the death of Two Hands. But I see now that Two Hands had to die if we could ever have a chance of being together" Rebecca finished.
Rokoro was stunned again. This was everything he had believed when he was going be Rock. She now finally realized it. Yet now, their roles were reversed. He was the crazy one, she was the normal one. The perfect reflection of how things used to be.
"Rebecca" Rokoro began, taking her head in his hand, before bringing his lips down to meet hers. They kissed for a moment before they broke.
"You are all I need in life"
Rebecca smiled at this confession from Rock.
"Do you really mean that?" She asked, rather sheepishly.
Rokoro stood up and walked to the desk. Pressing a button on the phone, the receptionist picked up.
"Yes Mr. Okajima"
"Initiate Ghost Protocol"
"Are you sure?" The receptionist asked, shocked that she was hearing this.
"Yes. Authorization Code: 7323222"
"Understood Mr. Okajima"
Rock walked back to where Rebecca sat, offering his hand to her.
"We have exactly 25 minutes before this building explodes. We best be leaving"
"What?" Rebecca asked.
"The Ghost Protocol is something I set in place should I ever want to leave this behind. It will destroy the building and disband my forces. I was saving it for a day like today. Like you said Rebecca, all I ever needed in life was you. I thought this was the way to make you see how I felt. Obviously I was wrong"
"Well then. I guess we better head out" Rebecca finished, taking Rock's hand and rising to give him a hug.
"I'd love to start again, Rebecca. A million miles away from here. I know we can find a way"
"Far away from this empire of dirt" Rebecca replied, still hugging Rock.
From a far away building, a man stood with a pair of binoculars, watching the exchange between Rock and Revy. He looked up from them, his round sunglasses shimmering in the rising moon light atop his dark skinned face and bald head. He smiled, knowing that finally the two had resolved all their differences. He would send a letter to Benny and Jane, letting them know of the good news.
"Amen, Hallelujah, and Peanut Butter"
A/N: Ok Guys. Wow. This turned out way longer than I ever expected. But it just kept flowing onto the page. No editing, almost no hesitations in terms of ideas. Now as for the why. I wanted to write something for the "purists", those who don't like OC's in stories. I myself am super critical of OC's. They need to be done well. Val in TCFTBL, TMOTR, and TPOTD has been a fun but difficult character to write as I want to remain true to the source material for the other characters.
I'm sure there will be someone out there who feels that this is all completely out of character for both Rock and Revy. That was intentional. This was the last straw for both. They are broken with little chance of coming back. Hence why they are going by different names. I have no plans to continue this, just kinda wanted to do a show closer type of deal where everything wraps up. And yes, this was inspired by Johnny Cash's "Hurt", one of my favorite songs. And yes, Dutch was the one who saved Revy's life when she shot herself, if that wasn't obvious at the end. Also, the access code for the Ghost Protocol is Rebecca in Alpha Numeric (Keypad). if
-NightSteed Out