Chapter 38: Dance No More

The torpedo boat came to a stop out in the Gulf of Thailand, near the Buddha statue. Dutch was anticipating some of Alejandro's people to follow them out on smaller vessels, but there had been no movement yet. Right about now, the New Order had probably just finished searching the apartment and boathouse only to realise Revy had fled. Soon, they would attempt to follow Lagoon Company and they would be forced to fight or flee once more. Dutch could guess which one Revy would rather do. She had a thirst on her like no other, a desire to take the fight to Alejandro.

"Benny," Dutch said into the earpiece. "Keep an eye on that radar. I want to know as soon as these assholes have started to make a move. Don't let them get the jump on us."

"You got it, Dutch."

"Man…what a mess. So, this is the guy Revy pissed off in Venezuela."

"Yeah," Rock confirmed. "Alejandro. We knew he'd come for her eventually, but…hmmm…" Dutch ignored Rock as he became lost in his thoughts.

"Where is Two-Hands, by the way?"

"In the crow's nest, I think," Rock said. "She wants to keep an eye out for them in case they follow us. I think she's hoping they will." Dutch sighed.

"Yeah, I get that feeling, too. Ain't seen her this stir-crazy in a long time."

"It doesn't make sense, Dutch," Rock said all of a sudden, but Lagoon's leader got the feeling he was talking about something else, so quick to dismiss the topic of Revy's mood. "The vehicles they were using looked like they belonged to the cartel. It's like their hunt for Roberta all over again."

"Abrego?" Dutch asked, confused. "I thought the cartel wanted this guy dead."

"They do. That's why it doesn't add up. The New Order wouldn't have access to equipment like that on such short notice, and the vehicles they were using had Colombian licence plates. It's like Alejandro was given control of the cartel's resources. But that would mean…" It hit him all of a sudden and he finally realised what was going on. It didn't make much sense even now, though. He had a call to make. "Dutch, that summit of the city's leaders…that's today, isn't it?"

"Last I heard, yeah. At the Club Prestige."

"We need to contact Balalaika. I know how to bring the New Order crumbling down."

"Right now?" Dutch asked, incredulous. "We're kind of sitting ducks out here, Rock."

"It's important," Rock insisted. "I know how the New Order have been sneaking around. Balalaika will want to know, too." Dutch didn't question Rock's motives regarding this. It was safe to say he wasn't doing it out of the goodness of his heart.

"You keep this up, and the only way that woman is going to be able to repay you is with solid gold."

He grabbed the mouthpiece of the ship-to-shore radio and attempted to contact Hotel Moscow. Luckily, they answered quick enough.

"Miss Balalaika," Dutch began. "I'm sorry to bother you so suddenly, but we've got a bit of a situation."

"It's no trouble, Dutch," she told him. "Although, I do have a previous engagement shortly and I'd prefer not to be late, if it can be avoided. Everything alright?"

"Miss Balalaika," Rock began. "I have some information you might be interested to hear. Information about the New Order."

"Oh? That's an unexpected surprise."

"It's about Alejandro. We've just been the victim of an attack by the New Order and they tore our boathouse to shreds. They were using SUVs armed with manned turrets. But the licence plates were all Colombian. That would usually imply they had been imported by the cartel, from head office. The last time that happened, Abrego was hunting down Roberta. Balalaika, I think Abrego is working with Alejandro. Playing both sides for his own reasons." Dutch turned in the seat to look at Rock as if he was crazy.

"Are you certain? I must admit, that doesn't make a lot of sense, Rock. Abrego is a slippery little weasel, but he would have no reason for joining forces with a known traitor. His superiors back home would have his head."

"I know," Rock said confidently. "But it's the only logical explanation. How else have the New Order been able to remain hidden for so long? With Abrego's help, they could have moved around undetected and blended in as part of the cartel. Alejandro must have struck them some kind of deal."

"You're sure of this?" Balalaika asked, reluctant to take him at his word unless he was certain. "Positive?"

"Positive," Rock told her, bending the truth only slightly. He had to admit there was a chance, however small, that he was mistaken. But there were too many details that pointed to an alliance between the New Order and the cartel. "I think Abrego contacted the cartel's head office in South America to request weaponry so he could equip the New Order to come after Revy. That would have been Alejandro's condition of their agreement. But Abrego must have wanted something else in return."

There was a moment of silence.

"I think you might be onto something," Balalaika agreed, suddenly convinced. "Abrego told his superiors he was gearing up for a conflict of some sort, that is the only way they would agree to arm him. And it would explain why the cartel's numbers have noticeably increased recently. He's planning to use the New Order to seize power in Roanapur…"

"And Revy's death was the price of their partnership."

"I must say, Rock, you've put that big brain of yours to good use once again. I do wonder what it is you're hoping to get out of all this. Is the idea of Hotel Moscow being indebted to you payment enough? Or is it the knowledge that Two-Hands might be spared any future attempts on her life if Abrego is allowed to live?" Rock fell silent. He could feel Dutch's eyes on him, anticipating his response. He certainly seemed interested in this.

"You'd better get moving, Miss Balalaika," he said simply. "You don't want to be late for that summit."

"Indeed. Thanks for the heads up, Rock."

"You take care, Balalaika," Dutch told her before shutting off the radio. He proceeded to scratch his head. "Well, colour me confused. I don't much care what trouble the bosses get up to right now, though. We've got our own problems to worry about." There was no response. Dutch waved his hand in front of Rock's face, who appeared to be staring into space. "Hey, Rock. Why don't you go out and get some fresh air? You don't look so ho-"

"Dutch," came Revy's voice through the earpiece. "It's time."

"You've seen them?"

"Seen 'em, smelled 'em…they're coming our way right this second."

"Yep," Benny's voice chimed in. Clearly, she had cut across him. He must have spotted the New Order on the radar shortly after Revy saw them. "Pretty much what she said."

"Alright," Dutch said calmly. "I'm going to swing back around the other side of the Buddha statue and try to dock at Ruang pier. If they think we've docked, they might come ashore."

"And then?" Revy asked. "What happens then, Dutchy?"

Dutch considered what would happen next. On any other day, he would have expected Revy to unleash her Cutlasses on the enemy and get them out of a sticky situation as she had done so often in the past. But something was off about her recently. She was acting particularly eager to possibly go to her death, more so than she had in the past. Dutch turned to look at Rock, but the Japanese man refused to look him in the eye. He remembered when the two of them had come back from Venezuela. Even that seemed like a long time ago.

Hey, Rock…

What is it, Dutch?

Keep an eye on Revy, will you? I know that glint in her eyes. If I know her as well as I think I do, she's gonna need you to talk to her. This is the beginning of something. I just want to make sure she doesn't lose herself along the way.

And what about me? You're not worried I'll lose my way?

Of course I am, Rock. But you know what Revy is like. Let's worry about one loose cannon at a time.

Unfortunately, there was very little Dutch could do about it, now, to alter the trajectory these two broken souls had set themselves on. It was as powerless as Dutch had felt in a good long while. He knew that whatever was going to happen was set in stone. All he could do was sit back and watch.

"That's when you do what you do best, Revy," he said reluctantly into the earpiece. "And we see how many pieces have to be picked up after."

"Works for me."

After taking off to avoid being caught by the New Order, Dutch did as he said and pulled in slowly by the pier. The location itself brought back some rather recent memories of being shot at by the 216. Once they were all ready, they gathered below deck in a common area of the torpedo boat to discuss the situation. Dutch and Benny stood either side of a small table, with Rock leaning against a wall beside the ladder that lead up top, and Revy at the far side of the room smoking a cigarette. She had noticeably let her hair down.

"After we came to a stop, the New Order pulled their vessels in further north," Benny said to the room. "I'm guessing they plan on making their way to our position on foot."

"How many boats did they have?" Dutch asked.

"Only two. Looked to be PCFs or another type of swift boat. But I can't say how many of them showed up at the boathouse."

"There couldn't have been more than ten of them," Rock told them. He was the only one who had gotten a good look at them. "Including Alejandro."

"I'm not going to lie," Benny began, "I was expecting worse. So, what's the plan? They're going to be here in the next few minutes." The sound they heard next more or less answered his question. It was the sound of Revy taking her Cutlasses in hand and readying them for the shootout that would ensue. The air down here became thick and heavy, but Benny could not quite place why. The others, they knew well enough.

Revy did not even wait for there to be a discussion and instead started walking towards the ladder. She was ready to leave and find out what this sunny afternoon held in store for her.

"Revy." The gunslinger stopped on the spot. She had not been expecting anyone to stop her, least of all Rock. His voice tunnelled its way into her head and she was a slave to her own body as it froze on the spot. "You know he'll be ready for you. Alejandro. He'll want you to come and face him yourself."

"Wasn't this your plan, Rock?" she asked, her eyes never moving from the ladder, just as his eyes never came up from the floor. "Take out his people and get him to come for me? Looks like you miscalculated, 'cause he came armed to the fucking teeth."

"You don't have to do what he wants," Rock told her. "There will be another time, another place. I told Balalaika who was helping him. Without their support, he'll have nowhere to hide. The ruling factions will know his every move, now. You can leave it to Balalaika. It doesn't have to be this way."

"That's where you're wrong. There ain't no other way it could have gone, you understand? You might want everything to play out how you see fit, but I'm done playing games. You say I don't have to do this. But maybe what I don't have to do…," she lifted her left arm and aimed her Cutlass at his head without even looking, "…is listen to you. What has following you into the den of wolves ever gotten me, anyway? Keep your advice to yourself, Rock. The way I see it…you're a fucking dead man already." She turned to look at him. "Bang." Without another word, she climbed the ladder and left the others there.

(***)

After the New Order came ashore, they made for a nearby parking lot instead of coming to the Lagoon directly. Revy had very little trouble tracking them down. When she was ready to begin, she hopped up on an overflowing dumpster and opened fire, gunning down the three unwary guards that had been standing there. The six remaining men hurried outside when they heard the commotion and Revy gunned them down, too, just as quick. There were no dramatics or theatrics, no flair. She was here to kill, or be killed. She hopped down to ground level and slowly started walking into the car park. Despite the fact that there were several vehicles in here, it was deathly quiet. But she knew Alejandro was here.

"Where oh where could the beaner be?" she asked venomously. "Come on out, ya limp-dick old fuck. I promise to give you a quick death. But I might make you piss your pants first, if that's alright." She continued walking, looking around her as she did to see if there was any sign of him. "You reek of shit, you know that? I wouldn't be surprised if your bowels gave way waiting for me. You must be shaking in your boots." Still, there was no sign of him, not even a sound. But it didn't take long for him to try and get the jump on her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him pop up from behind a car and try to take a shot at her. She ducked and the shot smashed through the window of the car behind her, causing its alarm to go off. She took her chance and leapt over the row of cars, letting off a few shots of her own. None of them hit him, but they did cause the window of an SUV to explode and scar his face. He would be less dangerous, now, spooked and injured. She could hear him scurrying around the row of cars to make for the exit. He was attempting to regroup outside so he could try and gain the advantage. That was not going to happen. She half-emptied the clips in her Cutlasses into the cars, causing the windows to smash in Alejandro's direction. When she clambered up onto one of the cars, he whipped around and shot at her, knocking one of her weapons out of her hand. With the other, she fired at him, missing but preventing him from leaving. With her last few shots, she fired towards him, sending his weapon flying in the other direction.

There was no choice now but to settle things the old fashioned way. Within seconds she was on his level and sending a flurry of punches into his body. He tried to block, but he was too slow and incapacitated by the blood in his eyes. After being backed up against a car, he clumsily reached for the broken wingmirror and removed it from its socket, smashing it over Revy's head. This distracted her long enough for him to knee her in the stomach, forcing her into a bent over position. He took this chance to grab her belt with one hand and her top with the other, lifting her into the air and launching her through the air. She smashed through the windshield of a small blue sedan. Before she knew it, she was lying across the two front seats, covered in cuts and bruises. Her rage and bloodlust were too relentless today for that to slow her down. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she shot her boots into the passenger side door, knocking it off the hinges. When she hopped out, Alejandro came forward in an attempt to tackle her. Luckily, she was far too clever for him and she hopped into the air. He ended up smashing through the window of the car behind the sedan.

Revy came down on her feet and nonchalantly strolled over to Alejandro. She grabbed the collar of his shirt, removing him from the other car and holding him up straight. She pulled back her arm and curled her hand into a fist tightly. Then, she planted her knuckles into his face and he was on his back, writhing in pain. She raised her foot into the air and brought it down on his genitals, causing him to jump and let out a wail of agony. There was pain spreading throughout her body and she could feel the blood running down her arms and legs, but she did not care. She was going to really enjoy this one.

"You came all this way just to have pretty little me hand you your ass," she mocked him. "How fucking pathetic. I guess it ain't my time after all. Thought you might give me a good show, but you're no different from all the rest. Just a dumbass punk with no balls." She closed her eyes and there was a flash of white, a feather blowing in the wind on a familiar street. She heard the gunshot ring out and she wondered how soon the day would come when it would be her on the receiving end. "Maybe someday…" she said quietly. Without warning, she lifted her foot from Alejandro's manhood and placed it neatly between his chin and chest, putting pressure on his throat. Then, she twisted. The snap rang out through the parking lot as his life left him. Revy was content to watch him for a few moments, the man who had promised to come for her eventually now dead after a less than impressive fight. All of a sudden, pain spread through her abdomen and she held it with one hand. Perhaps the fight had taken more of a toll on her than she thought. She prepared to leave, but before she could step back out onto the street, his gun caught her eye. She smirked, reaching down and snatching it up. She stuffed it into the back of her shorts and took it like a trophy as she returned to the others.