Authors Notes : I do not own Black Lagoon
New chapter and not too late too ! I hope you all are enjoying the story !
Also in response to some of the guest reviews ... I have no idea why we're talking about Old Yeller , I honestly do not understand the reference made there .
" So you two are the famous Vampires , huh ? You both don't look like much ..." Verrocchio raised an eyebrow at them .
" We assure you mister , we're both more capable than we look " Gretel stepped forward , carrying her wrapped BAR in hand .
" Now that's what I like to hear " Verrocchio snorted , before grinning at them .
" You said you had a job for us " Hansel asked , he just wanted to get it over with as fast as possible .
" Yes , yes , lets go talk more back at my office , no point doing it out here at the docks " Verrocchio turned back to his men . " Alright boys , lets get going ! "
With that order , his men started to mount up in their cars . Hansel and Gretel both looked at each other , before nodding in understanding .
The twins rode in the car that Verrocchio himself rode in , though they had to put Gretel's BAR away in the trunk since it was too big to fit in the backseat of the car . It didn't matter , if things went bad , Gretel still had her Heckler & Koch MP7A1 hidden in her dress . Though she didn't often use them , mostly since Gretel always preferred to use heavier weapons on jobs , while Hansel preferred more subtler types of weapons .
Hansel and Gretel looked out the window at the streets of Roanapur and was thoroughly disgusted by what they saw . It wasn't as as bad as they imagined it , somehow it was even worse . The streets of a impoverished country somehow looked better than this place . Prostitutes freely roamed the streets , with cops trying to buy them out , even though they were supposed to be the one stopping such activities from happening .
It was a good thing Hansel and Gretel's expectations weren't all that high to begin with .
The car came to a complete stop and they both looked out the window to see they have arrived . Getting out of the car and getting their luggage they head inside , following Verrocchio and his men to the main office . Looking around , they see quite a number of guards around , all armed with guns hanging out from their holsters or just carrying them around . They walked down a hallway , passing by several doors on the way , until they reached a double wooden door .
Stepping inside , the twins examine every detail of the office in the span of just a few short seconds . It was a rather big and nice office , with red carpeting , some decorative flowering , the wallpaper a nice color and a business like atmosphere . But the twins had seen much better offices before on their previous jobs , mostly their target's office .
Verrocchio walked over to the table and sat down in his seat . " Take a seat Gretel and Hansel "
The twins sit down , Gretel resting her BAR on the table , as the men in the room surround them . Most likely a security measure to make sure they don't try anything .
"So Mr. Verrocchio , lets just cut straight to business , why have you brought us here ?" Hansel asked , not wasting any time . " You did not tell you us when you contacted , exactly who we were going to kill , so are you going to introduce us to our targets or ...?"
Verrocchio let out an amused chuckle . " Straight to the point . I like that "
" Well , I guess we better not tip toe around the issue , now should we ?" Verrocchio took out two photos and slid them to the twins , who caught them . They examined the photo seeing that one was the picture of a Chinese man with glasses while the other is of a white woman with scars on her face . " The woman in the picture is Balalaika , the leader of Hotel Moscow , the Russian Mafia branch here in Roanapur . While the chink is a , the leader of the Triad's here in Roanapur . "
" And you want us to kill them ?" Gretel raised her head from looking at the photo .
" No ... maybe not yet .." Verrocchio waved his hand , telling them to listen . " You see kids , Hotel Moscow and the Triads are pretty much the unofficial big boys of Roanapur , reducing everybody else to second rate players ... myself included . I don't want you to kill them , I want you two to weaken them "
" Weaken them ?" Gretel and Hansel said at the same time .
" Yes , I want you start taking out their associates and people critical to their hold here in Roanapur " Verrocchio grinned at them ." And when that happens , I'll kill that chink and Ruskie bitch myself "
The twins looked at each other and back to the photo ,
" Of course , we'll provide you with anything you need for the job , as well 200,000 dollars upon the jobs completion " Verrocchio said , confident in his sources ." So ... what do you two need ?"
" Well , for one , we're going to need a car and make sure all the windows are tinted and license plates are fake " Hansel listed out .
" Done and done "
" We may also need ammunition , we brought plenty of our own weapons and ammo , but we may need more as the job goes on " Gretel looked at her BAR , it tend to use up a bunch of ammo at once and ammo ain't exactly cheap these days .
" Of course " Verrocchio nodded .
" Also ..." Hansel began " One final thing we're going to need is more information "
" Huh ?" Verrocchio raised an eyebrow at that ." What do you mean by that ?"
" Exactly what I said " Hansel spoke in a business tone . " If you would like us to complete our job , than you're going to need to provide us with a lot more information than just a few photographs . While we are knowledgeable in reconnaissance , we aren't intelligence gatherers . "
Verrocchio eyed the two of them critically . " What exactly would you need to know ?"
" Everything if possible " Gretel said on behalf of them " Information is key after all "
" We want to know our targets history , where their base of operations are , what kind of men do they have working under them , the weapons they use , places their men go to and frequent , outposts and stations where they have their men . We want to know what their favorite ice cream is , if it is possible." Hansel listed out .
Verrocchio thought about it for a moment , before nodding ." Alright fine, we'll get you your info "
The twins stood up from their seats and gave a respectful bow . " Thank you ... "
" Christopher , show these two to their room " Verrocchio ordered and one of the men stepped forward . " We have prepared accommodations for you two to stay here "
The twins nodded before following the man out of the room and back into the hallway .
They passed by a several doors , until they stopped at one that was about 50 paces from Verrocchio's office .
" This'll be your room , don't make a mess " The man took out a key and unlocked the door .
They both stepped inside and scanned the room , much like they did with Verrocchio's office . The room itself wasn't exactly large , but it wasn't small either for the two twins . There was only one bed and a single window , along with a wooden table and a chair . There was another door in the room that led to a small bathroom , so at least they could clean themselves .
" Thank you mister-" They were about to thank the man when he slammed the door on them , not wanting to be around them anymore .
They both shrugged it off , they were used to this kind of behavior . Hansel and Gretel put their bags down by the table . Hansel took off his black coat and rested it on the chair , before lying down on the bed , tired from the day they had just gone through . While Gretel moved to see out the window and look down on the streets below , the streets themselves being empty and dark .
" Guess this is the start of a new job , eh fratele meu ?" Gretel asks pulling down the blinds with her fingers .
" I suppose so sora mea ..."
" What do you make of Verrocchio ?" Gretel asks , she didn't really like the man all that much , though it was mostly based on a gut instinct .
" I feel like he's the kind of man that would double cross us in a split second , if we don't play our cards right "
" You may be correct ... but he has money to spend and we need money "
" So true sora mea ..."
" I wish we didn't have to do this fratele meu ..."
" I know sora mea ... I know ..." Hansel sympathized with his sister , she never liked killing and neither did he . But it was the only they knew how to survive . " The only thing we can do now , is just wait for the info to come in ..."
Gretel only nodded in agreement ...
And so they waited ...
( A few days later )
Its been a few days since the twins arrived in Roanapur and they've been ... relatively busy . They both agreed to memorize the map of the city , so that they wouldn't get lost and at least had a general idea on how to get around . They've also made some orders to get some new guns , specifically sniper rifles that they can carry and shoot .
But other than that , they haven't been up to much , since they couldn't go out , because they stick out like fish out of water and they had no regular clothes with them . They were trying to keep the fact that they were assassins to a minimum , they didn't need some gang member tipping their targets off that there are new killers out on the streets . So they spent most of their time cooped up in their rooms , cleaning their weapons and reading a few books they brought along with them .
Thankfully Verrocchio had the foresight to feed them , so he had his men go out and get them takeout so that they didn't have to go outside and mix with the people of Roanapur .
Night had already fallen and the twins were busy doing their own thing . Gretel was lying down on the bed busy reading some women's and girls magazine , while Hansel was busy cleaning his axe by the table . Hansel didn't usually like using his axe , because blood always got on him when he used it , so he preferred to use handguns and light weapons .
A knock on the door , interrupted both of their train of thought and the twins looked at each other . They were always very cautious when living somewhere , being assassins they've made their fair share of strong and powerful enemies . Hansel got up from the table , grabbing his Glock 17 and holding it behind his back as he approached the door carefully .
Opening the door very carefully , Hansel relaxes when he sees its one of Verrocchio's men standing there , holding two files .
" Did I catch you two a bad time ?" The man asked , not sounding genuinely concerned at all .
" No , its fine , what is it ?" Hansel asked , keeping his gun ready .
The man held out the two files to Hansel ." We compiled all the information we could regarding Hotel Moscow and the Triad's leaders on such short notice . "
" Thank you mister ..." Hansel took the files away from him .
" Mr . Verrocchio also added a list of addresses where the Triad's and Hotel Moscow's men frequent , as well as outposts and station they have set up " The man explained to them .
" Alright , inform Mr. Verrocchio that we'll be beginning our job later tonight " Hansel saw the man nod in understanding , before closing the door on him .
Hansel waited until he could hear the man walk away , before letting out a sigh , walking back to the table and throwing the files neatly onto it .
Gretel lifted her head up from her magazine ." Who was that ?"
" One of Mr. Verrocchio's men , the information we requested finally came through " Hansel placed his gun down and took the files into his hands , walking over to the bed and sitting next to his sister .
" Okay , what are we dealing with ?" Gretel asked sitting up on the bed , eyeing the files .
" Lets find out shall we ?" Hansel opened up the file that had Miss Balalaika's picture clipped to it , reading off its contents . " It says here that before joining the mafia Miss Balalaika was an ex- captain military captain in the Soviet Union "
" She's ex-military ?" Gretel asks .
" It appears so and a good one too , apparently she got the nickname Balalaika for her fine marksmanship , she isn't going to be easy to deal with ..." Hansel grew worried as he read the file .
" What about Hotel Moscow ? What does it say about them ?" Gretel leaned over her brother's shoulder to read .
" Well ,it says right here that Hotel Moscow is composed mainly of former Red Army Paratroopers and that they served ... under Balalaika herself during the Soviet War in Afghanistan ?" Hansel interest peaked at that ,as he continued reading on . " It also says that Hotel Moscow employs a number of Ex-Spetsnaz soldiers "
" Spetsnaz ?" Gretel repeated the word ." Isn't that Russian Special Forces ?"
" The very same ... I'm starting to understand why Hotel Moscow is such a powerful player in this city " Hansel said worriedly . Fighting against gangsters was one thing , but fighting against former Special Forces Soldiers is another matter entirely .
" What about the Triads ?" Gretel inquired , grabbing the file and looking through it .
" Not much is known about their leader , a Mr. Chang , just that he was an Ex-Cop in Hong Kong before going dirty and climbed up the ladder and now he's here " Hansel read through it . They could probably take care of Mr. Chang's associates no problem , but it was Hotel Moscow that was the problem .
As soon as they start their attacks , Miss Balalaika is going to be on the warpath for their heads .
" Should we just quit while we're ahead ?" Gretel suggested , they were used to taking on high risk missions , but this was insane .
Hansel thought it over in his head and weighed their options . On the one hand , the the job was extremely dangerous but if they completed it , they could lay low for a few months without having to do any jobs . But if they scrapped the job now , they wouldn't get paid and have to live like beggars .
" No sora mea ... I don't think we can quit now ?" Hansel let out a sigh as he said this .
" Why not ?"
" Because for one , we don't have much money left and that isn't going to last long at this rate . And secondly , even if we did quit the job now , Verrocchio was the one who arranged for our travel here to Roanapur , he's not just going to let us leave without completing the job "
" So we have no choice but to do this ..." Gretel said sadly .
" Yes ... I'm afraid so ..." Hansel put a hand on his sister's shoulder . " But don't worry , I'm sure we'll be alright "
" If you say so fratele meu ..." Gretel said , feeling a little better .
" There's also a list of outposts and stations , as well usual places where the Triad's and Hotel Moscow frequent " Hansel memorized the addresses given to them . " We'll head out later at midnight tonight , okay sora mea ?"
" Okay , fratele meu , lets get this done ..."
It was time for the first blood to spill ...
And that is the end of the chapter ! I hope you all enjoyed it !
See you all in the next one !