Chapter 6: Into The Underworld
Dutch reluctantly set his can of beer down when he heard the door, realising that nobody else was going to answer it. When he pulled it open, he saw Wolf there, his arm resting against the doorframe.
"Well, I'll be," he said aloud. "It's not every day you come knocking on our door."
"I need a favour," the assassin said slowly. It was at this point that Dutch noticed Usagi Matsumoto down below, resting against the motorbike that Wolf had taken home with him after the job in Hong Kong. All sorts of feelings and concerns came bubbling up to the surface. The assassin, sensing the oncoming interrogation, scratched the back of his neck and his face went red with embarrassment. "Never a quiet moment in this city anymore, is there?" Dutch said flatly. "Why don't you come inside?" Dutch returned to his seat and the assassin crossed the threshold, shutting the door behind him.
"Hey, Wolfy!" Revy exclaimed, lowering the magazine she had been reading as she lay on the couch. "Grab yourself a beer and put your feet up. What brings you to our little corner of paradise?" Wolf did not sit, and instead stood near the door with his arms folded.
"Can't stay, I'm afraid," he told them. "I'm here on business."
"That so? What, you got someone you want me to take out for ya? Losing your touch, Wolfy?"
"Not my business," he clarified.
"Figured it was something to do with the girl," Dutch weighed in.
"What girl?" Revy asked. Lagoon Company's leader gestured to the window and Revy stood up from the couch, making her way over to the other side of the room and looking outside to spot Usagi. There was silence for a second, then Revy closed her eyes and rested one hand on her forehead. "Jesus-Fucking-Christ."
"Save it, alright?" the assassin snapped. "What's done is done. She's willing to pay, if you've got nothing else to do."
"I figured she'd die in that city after you took her dad out," Revy mused. "Never thought you'd bring her here where the Russians actually live. You realise she'll last maybe a week before Sis figures out she's here?"
"I get it, Revy."
"Plus, you've put a nice little target on your own ass now, too."
"I said save it!" Wolf retorted. "If I wanted your damn opinion, I'd have asked for it."
"Jeez, relax," Revy groaned, returning to the couch and lying down once more with both hands behind her head.
Whatever reservations they held about the assassin's decision, they kept it to themselves for now. He was obviously here for a reason.
"I take it that's the Matsumoto girl down there?" Benny deduced from what had been said already. He had been reorganising the contents of the fridge until now.
"Sure is," Dutch confirmed. "But the bigger question is, what exactly does she want with our services?" The Wolf inhaled deeply and let out a sigh, preparing for their reaction to what he would say next. If they thought little of his decision to bring her back to Roanapur from Hong Kong, they would have a field day with the information that he was going along with her plans to rebuild her father's criminal empire.
"Usagi has put in an order with the Rip-Off Church," Wolf explained. "She wants you guys to deliver it out to the countryside for her. Hasn't told me where, exactly."
"That so?" Dutch asked. Lagoon Company's leader was never one to involve himself in the affairs of others, for the most part anyway, but he couldn't help but take an interest in this. After all he had heard about the Chinese girl from Revy, especially regarding her interactions with Rock, he was surprised to hear she was engaging the services of some of Roanapur's criminal organisations. And a weapons dealer, no less. "The girl planning something, Wolf? Or has she just taken a keen interest in weapons recently?" Wolf cleared his throat awkwardly.
"She's planning something," he told them. "She says she wants to rally her father's old gangs. Thinks they'll answer to her, now that Rahul is dead."
"Shit, really?" Dutch asked. "That's just what we need."
"She has no interest in revenge," Wolf elaborated out of some desire to defend her actions, despite the fact that he did not agree with them. "She doesn't want to start a war. I think she just wants to rebuild Rahul's empire and then return home. With any luck, she'll be long gone before Balalaika even knows she was here."
"Goddammit," Revy moaned. "Girl is fucking asking for trouble."
"Yeah, I told her as much," Wolf assured them. "But she's willing to pay. Don't ask me where she got the money."
"What do you say, Benny-Boy?" Dutch asked. "Think you can spare a few hours out of your busy schedule for a spontaneous job?" Benny made a show of looking at the non-existent watch on his wrist.
"Let me see," he said dramatically. "I was hoping to spend my morning dusting the countertops. And then there's my slow walk around the boathouse in the afternoon. Eh, I guess I can spare some time."
Wolf chuckled to himself for a few moments. Then, he looked around the room quizzically.
"Where's Rock?" he asked, oblivious. It was a secret to almost everyone outside of Lagoon Company that the Japanese man did not spend time with his colleagues anymore. Wolf had assumed that he would be here with the others, as did Usagi, so his absence was rather glaringly obvious.
"Your guess is as good as ours," Dutch said shortly. The assassin decided not to ask any more questions. He left the apartment once they had arranged a time to meet and Dutch sat back in his chair.
"Dutch," Revy began, her eyes closed as she spoke. "You're not really gonna call that dipshit, are ya? You're just wasting your time."
"Like it or not, Rock is still a part of Lagoon Company, Revy. And I don't remember giving him shore leave. I'll tell him where to meet us." Revy was tense as she listened to those words, but she couldn't say she was surprised. Despite the conversation that had taken place between her and Rock that day, she knew there was no avoiding him completely. Sooner or later, they would have to meet face to face for jobs. She supposed it was best to get it out of the way early on. But that did not assuage the feeling of dread within her at the idea. Dread and red hot rage, overflowing like an active volcano at the memory of what he had become, how easily he had cut ties with them all. It made her sick to her stomach, but she wouldn't let that feeling linger. He had no right getting inside her head like that. She wouldn't let him distress her, not after everything they had been through together only for him to throw it all away.
Revy turned over on the couch to face the backrest and expelled these thoughts from her mind. After Dutch made the call and told Rock where to meet, Lagoon Company piled into the car around four in the afternoon and made their way to the Rip-Off Church. As it happened, only Rock was there, leaning against the wall with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He did not even take notice of their arrival, only looking up from the ground when the car doors flung open and his three colleagues emerged. Dutch approached him first.
"Hey, Dutch," he greeted the big man half-heartedly.
"Rock," Dutch responded. "Wasn't sure you would even be here when we arrived."
"I have an obligation to Lagoon Company," he said a bit robotically. "I wasn't going to turn down a job."
"Glad to hear it," Dutch told him. Before the other two could approach and say anything to him, they all heard the engine of a motorbike and Wolf pulled up beside Lagoon's car, Usagi sitting behind him. They both stood up from the bike and made their way over to the others. Rock's attention instantly went to the Chinese girl, who he had long ago assumed was doomed to die in her home city.
Revy was the first to head inside, not giving Rock so much as a glance before leaving him there with the rest. Dutch and Benny, sensing the awkwardness, went to the edge of the yard and pulled out a cigarette each. Wolf followed Revy indoors and waited for Rock and Usagi to finish whatever words they had for one another. Left alone and with relative privacy, Rock's eyes feasted on the sight of Usagi before him, alive. It did not fill him with any particular joy or happiness, but it was a complete shock that she was in Roanapur. It didn't take him long to figure out that it must have been the Wolf that managed to sneak her aboard Hotel Moscow's ship. After all, he had been assigned to assassinate her father. It was not much of a stretch to assume that he had gone to the Matsumoto residence shortly after to ensure Usagi's safety. A foolish, impulsive decision to be sure, but one that Rock could understand. A brief smile appeared on his face and he lifted the cigarette to his lips again.
"I didn't expect to see you alive," he told her frankly. "And now you're here…in this city." Usagi studied him for a moment. She was no fool, even if she had been before. Something was definitely different about Rock. The same, however, could be said of her, and Rock picked up on that instantly. A fleeting image of a certain Japanese schoolgirl entered his mind, but his natural mental defences banished it soon after.
"Rokuro," she greeted him. The smile on her face was somewhat put on, reserved. "It is…good to see you again. The last time we spoke, I thought it might be the last time. I am glad to be proven wrong." Rock listened to her intently, but he gave her no response, save for one last drag he took of his cigarette before dropping the butt into the dirt and stepping on it. "Do you remember our conversation?" Usagi asked when she realised he had nothing else to say to her. "I do. Every word, in fact. I didn't understand it then, but I see it now. You knew what was going to happen, didn't you? You weren't simply in the area, as you had me believe. You were there on business. Of course you were. And you knew that there would be war, one way or another." Rock looked up from the ground and his eyes met hers. Yes, he remembered their conversation, too. It had been his way of saying goodbye in case he never saw her again. In some strange way, it felt like the real Rock, the one who had sat down in her home on that day, never would.
"When you know Balalaika like I do, you come to expect the worst," he explained. "If you're smart, you'll keep your head down in this city. You might have escaped Hong Kong alive, but it's different here. If word reaches her that you're here…you won't be so lucky." He stood up straight, then, and made his way inside.
Usagi, taken aback by that conversation, followed him gingerly. Once inside, she took a seat across from Sister Yolanda, who was accompanied by her young apprentice, Rico. The boy was here mainly to sort through the paperwork for the old nun and to see to the heavy lifting of the equipment that had been ordered by Usagi. Eda, peculiarly, was absent. Wolf stood behind Usagi's chair, with Revy to the left and Rock to the right. Yolanda took a drink of her tea and then set the cup down before clasping her hands in front of her.
"My, my, aren't you the sweetest little thing that's ever crossed our threshold," she said in jest. "And quite the list of equipment we have for you, too. We wouldn't be hoping to stir up any trouble, now, would we?"
"Can it, Yolanda," Revy snarled. "Hurry it up, already. We got places to be."
"Calm yourself, Rebecca," the old woman said softly. "I'm only teasing the girl. Rico, the list, if you would, my dear."
"Of course, sister," the annoyingly chipper boy responded. He produced a sheet of paper and unfolded it in front of him. "Let's see here," he began. "We've got a Type 59 handgun, ten of 'em, actually. Fifteen cases of nine millimetre rounds, four boxes of fragmentation grenades, three-"
"Rico," Yolanda interrupted him. "Why don't you hand the list to our guest, here? I'm sure she can tell us if we've left anything out." Embarrassed, Rico's face went red.
"Oh! Of course. Right away, sister." He slid the list across the table and Usagi plucked it up eagerly. Rock, too, surveyed it to make sure everything was above board. That's what he was there for, after all, to oversee the agreement and scrutinise the details of the weaponry that had been ordered. Once they had both finished reading through it, Usagi turned to the Japanese man and he subtly nodded at her to let her know she could proceed with the deal. All the items matched what she was looking for and they were being sold at a fair price.
"Everything appears to be in order," Usagi said calmly. "We'll take it all immediately."
"You speak like a woman three decades your senior, dear," Yolanda told her. "You should enjoy your youth a bit longer before resigning yourself. If I had your figure, I'd be the talk of the town. Rico, be a good young lad and start loading up the merchandise." Suddenly made awkward by the old nun's comments, Usagi nodded by way of gratitude and the young boy headed outside to begin transferring the equipment from the church to Lagoon Company's car.
Once everything was in order, the group exited the building and headed back to Lagoon's apartment, where the equipment was loaded onto the torpedo boat. Then, they all came aboard and Dutch took them out to sea. Usagi still hadn't revealed where they were headed with all the weaponry, but she must have informed Dutch. Sure enough, he soon steered the Lagoon off course and made his way to a river near the border of Cambodia. Dutch actually recognised it. It was the Khlong Prathun, where the priest, Pius, had brought them when he was hunting members of the New Order for the Lovelace family. They didn't journey as far this time, urged to a stop by Usagi less than ten minutes into the trip. Once the Lagoon was idle on the water, Usagi and the Wolf began taking the equipment ashore while the others waited for them to finish whatever it was they were doing. Dutch took the opportunity to relax, laying back on his chair and cracking open a can of beer. The silence didn't last and the door to the command centre opened. Dutch wasn't much in the mood for talking, but he was not going to turn Revy away. She came up behind him and rested one arm on the back of his seat.
"Almost done, now," the gunslinger said solemnly. "Damn quick job for what she's paying us. Easiest five grand we ever made." The amount was small compared to what most jobs would pay, but to deliver a shipment of weapons to a remote location and return home, all in less than a day, it was more than satisfactory. Dutch had made an exception, too, when it was the Wolf who had asked. If anyone else had come to the door, he would either have charged higher or insist they give him further notice. What was more, he probably would have given them Lagoon's phone number to call and advised them they don't take enquiries at the door.
"You wonder where she's getting this cash?" Dutch asked after polishing off half of the can in one go. It was hot today, and Lagoon's leader was thirsty.
"Beats me. Maybe her dad left her his fortune when he ate it."
"Maybe. What are they doing out there, by the way? The girl just came in here and told me to stop near the bank."
"Sounds like she's burying the goods somewhere safe," Revy explained. "I guess she's gonna come back some other time. You know, when she actually has anyone to supply with that gear?"
"An arms dump, huh?" Dutch said more to himself. "Maybe that girl is cut out for this after all. She's got the mind of a gangster and she doesn't even know it."
Arms dumps, more commonly known as ammunition supply points, were hidden caches of weaponry and equipment whose locations were known only to a select few on a need to know basis. While primarily used in several militaries to provide nearby resupply points on the field of battle, various criminal organisations and paramilitaries around the world also availed of them in case they ever needed to arm their members for war. Namely, the IRA, a terrorist organisation in Ireland, the FARC Guerrillas in Colombia, and some European mafias used this tactic to ensure they would always have a steady supply of weaponry to rely on in the event of conflict. Dutch took another swig of beer, but it was hard not to notice Revy's demeanour. Though she was staring out of the window, something was obviously on her mind. Dutch was not an idiot, it was obvious to him what had her on edge.
"You want a beer?" he asked.
"Huh?"
"Something to drink. Take the edge off. You're making me nervous just standing there like some kid who's just seen his first pair of titties."
"I'm fine, Dutch," she said dismissively. "Don't be such a pussy."
"Last time I offer you a drink," Dutch spat back. "For real, though, I can tell something's got you wound up. And I'm not stupid, Revy. You don't have to tell me what's going on."
"Alright, Dutch," she conceded, but he could tell by her voice she was becoming distressed. Naturally, she would rather ignore the issue than discuss it. "I get what you're saying, okay? Now can we fucking drop it?!" There was a moment of silence, the tension higher than it usually would be between them, but Dutch had little energy or interest today to push it further.
"You know what? I suddenly forgot what we were talking about," he said, making no attempt at subtlety. "How about that." More silence followed that, until Revy cleared her throat.
"I'll take that beer now," she said. "If ya got it." Dutch couldn't help but smile. He reached in under the console in front of him and removed a can from the multipack that was sitting there, reaching up over his shoulder and handing it to her.
"You best enjoy every last drop," he told her with exaggerated seriousness. "'Cause it's the last one you're getting off me."