Chapter 2: The Roanapur Militia

Revy made her way to the docks, predictably alone, with nothing but her Cutlasses to keep her company and protect her from harm. Lagoon Company saw no reason to stop her, especially given Chang's promise of a reward. They knew Revy couldn't resist potential money and she would always step up to a good fight. This 'Cat Lady', as Chang dubbed her, sounded like she would be quite the ferocious opponent. Lagoon's gunslinger was itching to stumble across her. Saying that, during her walk to the docks she had time to consider Dutch's words. At first, Revy thought very little of the information Chang was sliding their way, no strings attached. After some thought, though, Revy was beginning to think her colleague was correct. Something was off, and Chang's behaviour in particular was uncharacteristic. What was he planning?

Revy had little time to dwell on it as she passed a large shipping container and spotted a figure in the yard. She instinctively stopped and returned behind the container, placing her back to its cold metal surface and taking her Cutlasses in hand. If this was the assassin, she wanted to get the jump on her. Revy peeked out from behind the container. She was momentarily startled, then annoyed at herself. The stranger's gun was already pointed towards her. She inwardly cursed her heavy-footedness. Upon closer inspection, it was not a woman who stood in the yard. Revy scoffed and lowered her own weapons, coming into full view now.

"Bah, shoulda known it would be you," she grumbled. The Wolf lowered his Desert Eagle, surprised.

"Revy," he breathed. He was still wearing the uniform he donned when he went after Ashur up the Mekong River, that black leather biker jacket and camo combat trousers, though his matching scarf was missing now. Revy looked him up and down, unimpressed. "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are, I bet," she answered. "You here for this Cat Lady?"

"'Cat Lady?! That what they're calling her?"

"So Chang says. What do you know?" Wolf began pacing to the right, coming to a stop several metres from end of the yard and watching the moonlight reflecting off of the ocean water.

"Not a whole lot. Word on the street is she has eyes for the Triad. And that Chang will be paying up if she's taken out." Revy's hands twitched, her guns still gripped tightly. She narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath, her eyes never leaving the assassin.

"How's the maid?" she asked. If Wolf wasn't intentionally hiding his reaction, he would have tripped over himself. He did not answer straight away, but he turned his head to the side.

"What do you care?" he asked. "Last I checked, you didn't really give a shit about her."

"Give me a break, Wolfy. You and I both know you were fucking nuts out there. Ain't every day you go on a killing spree."

"Leave it, Revy," the assassin warned her.

"Or what? The fuck's gotten into you lately? This ain't you, Wolfy."

"Like you'd know." Revy gripped her Cutlasses tight.

"If you feel that strongly about it, we could always use some target practice before the Cat Lady shows. How about it?" Wolf turned to face her for the first time since he walked away from her initially.

"And you call me nuts. So, what, you want to just have a shootout right here in the dockyard?" An idea came to Revy, then, and she holstered her Cutlasses. Wolf wasn't sure if he should be satisfied or confused by that. He holstered his own weapon and waited for her response. She folded her arms and closed her eyes.

"Well, we could settle this the old fashioned way." Wolf's eyes remained fixed on her for several seconds before he started softly laughing at that.

"I don't think you have what it takes." Revy smirked at him, clearly no less encouraged by that remark. She wasn't angry or upset, she was excited. Excited to get her frustration out, sure, but also to finally try her hand at the Wolf. They had traded blows before, but they had never squared off in a proper on-on-one fight before. This would be all kinds of interesting.

Revy was the first to move, lunging at him and appearing to go for the attack. But she had seen him fight before, how he tore people apart with his bare hands. She was not foolish enough to engage him head on. As soon as he assumed a defensive stance, she collapsed to the ground like a sack of potatoes and kicked him in the shin, forcing him to come to one knee. Then, she landed a right hook into his face and he was tumbling in the other direction. Revy could hardly contain her elatedness.

"Cheap shot!" the assassin growled as he clambered to his feet.

Now it was his turn to attack. Revy managed to catch him by surprise and dodge to the left, sticking out her leg and tripping him up. But he recovered quickly. He advanced on her, provoking her to attack again. That was when he ducked and sent a heavy strike into Revy's exposed stomach. The force of it almost sent her lunch back up her throat. The assassin followed this up with an uppercut, catching her in the jaw and knocking her on her behind. She was lucky not to lose a tooth. When she stood up and tried to retaliate, he grabbed the arm she was using to attack and landed another strike into her stomach. Then, he cleaned her off her feet with a swift motion of his leg and she plummeted to the ground with a loud slap. Wolf relaxed for a moment too quickly, allowing Revy to unexpectedly bring her leg up and into the side of his head. While he was staggered, Revy grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and used it to drag herself up and when she was standing she caught him with three consecutive punches to the face.

Stunned, the Wolf raised his arms to block any subsequent hits and Revy took the opportunity to kick him in the chest. He moved back several metres but did not fall. Lagoon's gunslinger ran at him, but he was too quick, even in his stunned state. He blocked her first punch and intercepted the second, holding her arm at bay. With his free hand, he grabbed the fabric of her crop top and lifted her into the air as she struggled against him. Left with few other options, Revy looked down and aimed her kick just right. The toecap of her boot launched into the assassin's testicles like a torpedo and he roared in pain. Wolf may have been the better hand-to-hand combatant overall, but his fighting style was very by the book. Revy knew how to fight dirty. The assassin released Revy and he came to his knees, curled into a ball with his two hands between his legs.

"That's what ya get, Wolfy!" Revy gloated. "Make all the fancy moves you want, those balls of yours are like two big fucking bullseyes!"

"You fucking whore," Wolf wheezed.

"Learn to fight a little dirty every once in a while."

"That's not fair," he groaned, still on his knees. "Not like I can sucker punch you in the vagina."

"Well, you could," Revy corrected him. "It just wouldn't do you much good." Wolf got a laugh out of that, at least.

Once he had regained his composure, he climbed to his feet and the two opponents locked eyes. That had been therapeutic, to some degree. While nothing had been spoken about and the shared animosity and awkwardness remained regarding recent events, the fight had been their equivalent of a counselling session and tensions began to slowly dissipate. They nodded at one another in shared respect. Wolf was the first to spot the new arrivals. A figure stood atop the shipping container, dressed in black. A second, much smaller, approached from the side with a chainsaw in hand. And the third predictably held two kukri as she stepped into the light.

"And here comes the circus," Revy mocked. "Didn't expect to see you out here, Chinglish."

"Ah, but you come for Cat Lady too, no?" Shenhua asked. "Chang offer money for her little Chinese head. But I could maybe bring him yours instead. Think he know difference?"

"Funny," Revy said drily. "There ain't nothing here, anyway. Waste of damn time coming out here."

"And Wolfy Boy here too?" Shenhua continued. "Chang really want her dead, huh?"

"Yup. He thinks she'll be coming after him before the week is out. He's just pissing his pants, if you ask me."

"Speak of the devil," Wolf said aloud, looking to the road just off the dockyard. Indeed, a car had just pulled up, and the back window rolled down to reveal Chang himself. Shenhua, Revy and Sawyer all approached the car while Wolf stayed in the yard and Lotton did not move from his spot on the shipping container. Wolf had to laugh at how blatantly in the open he was for someone who was supposed to be tracking a dangerous assassin.

"Ladies," Chang greeted them. "So nice to see you all out on account of me. Seen anything interesting yet?"

"Jack shit," Revy told him bluntly. "You sure your info is solid?"

"All I said was that this Cat Lady had been spotted near here," Chang advised her. "It's entirely possible she's moved on since then. But a little birdie told me the best and brightest Roanapur's darkest corners have to offer are coming out in force tonight. There are even a few newcomers, from what I hear."

"You're shitting me," Revy answered. "And here I thought Roanapur had a reputation. Didn't think we'd be seeing anyone new ever again."

"Agreed," Chang said. "But it seems this little bounty hunt is attracting quite the bit of attention. If I were you, I'd head to the Yellowflag. That's where you'll be likely to find out more. Happy hunting, you five." And then the window went up and Chang's driver took off. Revy was beginning to see it, now. Something was off.

"That was oddly specific," Wolf told them.

"He's acting fucking weird," Revy mused, her hand on her chin. "If I find out he's tricked us into some wild goose chase…"

"Chang? I doubt it," Shenhua weighed in. "Boss man always deliver on the rewards. He not waste his own time." Revy was not so convinced. Nevertheless, there was work to be done. If there were assassins and bounty hunters gathering in the city, the Yellowflag would be the place to go and gather intel. Hopefully, somebody there would know where to find the Cat Lady.