11

Greenback Jane's beach house

A few days later

Revy stepped forward, pivoting her body as her left fist flew towards the face of Dutch. For a woman of her physical stature, Revy's punches hit hard, and if not for the headgear and protective pads, Dutch may have knocked out. Still, the blows staggered the black badass. Revy grabbed Dutch's head and delivered a high knee, digging her rock-hard joint on the pads.

"Revy!" Rock called out. "Take it easy! You are still recuperating!"

Revy released Dutch. The Lagoon boss nodded in agreement. "He is right; you might get injured again if you force yourself."

"I need to be ready, Dutch," Revy said. "Ackerman is going to kick my ass again if I'm not."

Benny and Jane managed to penetrate the cyber defense of the CIA and obtained the files of the team that nearly took them down. The team is called Task Force Titan, and it was composed of hard-as-nails paramilitary troopers lead by a former 101st Airborne paratrooper Mikasa Ackerman. Revy positively identified Mikasa as her assailant. Dutch tried to negotiate a truce but Mikasa rejected the offer. Revy now knew that the only way to get out of this situation is to fight or die.

"Let's take a rest," Dutch said, removing his headgear and walking towards the house. There is an open ground behind the mansion surrounded by palm trees. This area was hastily converted by the Lagoon team into a training area. While Benny and Jane are busy doing what they do best aside from fucking, Revy and Dutch are busy practicing for combat.

Revy didn't want to rest. She grabbed her bag and went to the beach. Rock followed her as she set makeshift targets out of empty cans. She took a Beretta 92FS Inox from her bag, loading a full magazine and cocking it. She held the pistol in a classic, stable, two-hand Weaver combat grip, aimed at the first target and fired. The can flew as the 9mm hit it dead on.

She then aimed the Beretta on the second can with her right hand. Revy fired again and the second can was hit squarely in the middle.

"Nice shot," Rock said.

Revy shifted the gun to her left hand. She aimed at the third can and fired. Nothing happened to the can. She adjusted her aim and fired again. Again, it was a clean miss.

Rock was dumbfounded. Revy never misses on a stationary target. "What happened, Revy?" he asked. "Is your arm hurting again?"

"No," Revy replied and fired again and again until she emptied the magazine. The can remained standing.

She lowered the Beretta and looked at Rock. "I thought I am the best fighter in the world. I am the best with guns, knives, and bare hands. But that Ackerman, she made me look like a fool!" Revy gritted her teeth in anger.

"Revy, you're being naïve."

Revy looked at Rock, eyes blazing in anger. "What…did… you say?"

"You are acting like an amateur!" Rock blurted. "You are not the best. There is always someone there who is better than you. Now you met your match. Ackerman is stronger, faster and more determined than you. If you keep this attitude, you will never, ever beat her."

Revy's expression soften as Rock's words hit home. "How can I defeat her, Rocky? You are right, she is stronger and faster than me."

"You have to do what your do best, Revy. You have to dig deep, unleashed your survival instincts. It will all come down to willpower. The will to win. The will to survive."

Revy finally understood what Rock is trying to say. "Yes," she said with firm determination. "I will win next time."

Indian Quarter, Roanapur

Sometimes, brute force is not enough. Mikasa is the least patient woman in the world, but even she had to tackle to bureaucracy of Thailand red tape. It took a few days before the Titan team got the permission to enter the room that exploded in the Indian quarter, but with the help of the US State Department, they are now inside Unit 604-C. The room is a total mess; everything is blown to pieces or burned beyond recognition. Firemen hoses didn't help and Roanapur investigators clearly had no experience is thorough forensic work. The team doubt if they could find any trace forensic evidence, but Mikasa insisted on giving it a shot.

"This unit is registered to a Sushmita Kalisa," Nac said as he surveyed the rubble. "Obviously a fake name, we already knew this woman is none other than Greenback Jane, the master counterfeiter. It was confirmed by the Secret Service."

"That explains how they managed to find out our names and contact number," Mikasa commented. "Greenback Jane is also an expert hacker. Obviously she is working for the Lagoon."

"But…it is impossible to break the CIA cyber firewall," Mina commented.

Mikasa chuckled. "It is not impossible, dear. I tried it before."

Thomas shook his head. "All our security measures have been breached by this woman."

"These are no fools, Tom," Mikasa said. "They obviously knew what they're doing. But this would also be their downfall."

"I don't understand, boss," Thomas admitted.

"We find Greenback Jane, we find the Black Lagoon."

Mikasa noticed something on the floor of the room, covered in soot. She carefully wiped the soot off and she saw a picture. It was half burned and almost unrecognizable, but she used her sleeve to remove the dirt and grime. "What do you think, Mina?"

Mina took a closer look at the picture. "I think…it's a picture of a house. A big one."

"I can see palm trees," Tom said as he surveyed the picture. "It could be a beach house."

Mikasa handed the photo to Mina. "Find this house."

"Boss," Thomas protested. "We could be barking on a wrong tree here. For all we know, this could just be a postcard."

"He's right," Mina agreed. "There are thousands of beach houses here in Thailand, boss."

"Just do it," Mikasa insisted. "I have a gut feeling that our targets are hiding in this house. Find it."