Chapter Three: War Ensemble
At the headquarters of Hotel Moscow, four parties had gathered in a small conference room. Balalaika herself as the head of the Russian Mafia branch, Mr. Chang representing the Triad in Roanapur, the whole trio of the Lagoon company, and lastly, the chief of Roanapur's police force, officer Watsup.
The business at hand was highly personal, and there had been no need to summon additional factions to discuss a plan her own forces would've been more than enough to execute. But Balalaika knew that Dutch had been a close associate, if not a friend, to many others besides herself in Roanapur. Thus it was that she had opted for a four-way co-operation with some of the main forces in the city, from both the legal as well as the openly criminal side of the law.
"As you all surely know, ladies and gentlemen, we have gathered here today because of the passing of one of the most vital members of this town's community, Dutch."
The faces in the room took upon a solemn look, not one of them having the mind to interrupt the Russian woman at this point. They remained silent instead, waiting for Balalaika to continue.
"But mourning alone will get us nowhere, and that is why I propose we take active measures to set ourselves as well as Dutch's memory at ease."
At these words, the expressions of the room's occupants began to turn more interested, wondering where the speech was going.
"It is evident that we cannot ignore the outrageousness such as what these impudent excuses of nazis have shown us. Recompense must be sought, and I believe you know very well what kind of recompense I am referring to."
If only moments ago the people gathered in room had shown little but grim seriousness on their countenances, then now the mood had changed altogether. Ominous grins split the faces of many, while to most eager ones were already baring their knuckles. Murmuring words of acceptance or nodding their consent, everybody agreed to Balalaika's words as they knew exactly what the head of Hotel Moscow had in her mind.
"A blood debt must be paid back in kind, and in this case, I believe I speak for everyone when I say that not only on or two of those vile scoundrels will be enough of a compensation for one such as Dutch."
It was all that the men in the room could do to keep from bursting in excited shouts. It was Mr. Chang who decided to speak up first, sitting in is usual style with legs crossed and a burning cigarette between his lips.
"I agree wholeheartedly. To hell with mild revenge alone, I say we take them all down to the very last man." He challenged, his voice laced with cool anger and confidence.
"Precisely", agreed Balalaika, "An extensive destruction of those vermins must be performed, and to do this, I propose that we work together."
As expected, the gestures and expressions this speech received suggested that everyone agreed to the Russian's words very eagerly. Balalaika noted, however, that not quite all shared the enthusiasm entirely.
The remaining Lagoon members, Revy, Rock, and Benny, had been surprisingly quiet throughout the entire affair. Balalaika found this disconcerting, for surely the loss of Dutch must have scathed them the deepest. One would expect them to be the most eager ones to contribute to the conversation detailing what was to be done in revenge, but apparently that was not the case. Balalaika put this to the fact that they must have been shocked, and wondered if her words just the day before had fallen on deaf ears. She certainly wouldn't put it past them, small and informal group as they were; losing a vital member and a friend from their own ranks was a concept they hadn't been prepared for.
But weakness was not to be tolerated, and Balalaika took it upon herself to pull the three of them into the conversation, even by force.
"Lagoon Company", she addressed, "What are your thoughts on the matter?"
All of them raised their heads, but only Rock, used to business-like meetings as he was, found it in himself to make a response.
"I do understand the concept of seeking retribution. With the forces at our disposal, I'm sure an operation of this nature can be executed. However, a company as small as ours, I'm afrarid we do not have much to offer in arms or manpower. Not to mention that I myself am uneducated in the ways of warfare." The Japanese ex-businessman concluded as calmly and politely as he could, nervous as he was speaking about issues he wasn't all that familiar with.
Balalaika nodded, although he recognized Rock's words for what they were immediately. Her objective in the first place had been to see whether any of them were enough in their wits to come up with a coherent reply, and in that regard, an inane speech such as Rock had delivered sufficed.
"Understandable. But we certainly do not need any more of the commodities you listed, manpower we have as well as arms to supply to them. I also recognize yours and Benny's incapability to participate in an operation such as this, but I believe there is one person among you who has the reason as well as the required skills to take part. Or am I mistaken, Rebecca?" The Russian woman concluded in a deep voice, casting a pointed glance towards the redhead.
"It is as you say, sister." Came the brief answer. To Balalaika's liking it sounded far too halfhearted, but that was not an issue to be dealt with right here and now.
"Good" She said curtly and coldly, not hiding her slight displeasure at the other woman's apparent lack of further interest. "Now that we are of the same mind as to what shall be done, I suggest that we move on to the greater details, she said.
At this moment, general Watsup saw fit to join the conversation with a question of his own.
"How long do you suppose the intruders will linger here? They got what they wanted, aren't we in a bit of a hurry if we want to make sure they don't escape from under our noses?" He grumbled lazily.
"General Watsup has a good point", Mr. Chang chimed in, "How much time do we have to put our plans into action before those bastards hightail it to safety?"
"We need not to worry in that regard. It appears our uninvited guests have decided to engage in sightseeing around the nearby port towns, thinking they can safely enjoy themselves after receiving what they came to get. My men have reported them to have been swarming around these areas, and they do not show sings of leaving in the imminent future. Thus although we mustn't sit on our arses forever, I think it's safe to say we'll have another day or two to prepare our move." The blond Russian finished, confidence radiating from her voice and posture.
"That is well then. How about the exact positioning of our forces? It wouldn't do to have us all barge in at the same time and from the same direction, now would it?" Continued Mr. Chang matter-of-factly.
"We will conduct the operation in the dead of night. My men shall take care of the water routes, while the Triad led by Mr Chang shall close in from the land. Any objections?"
"None." Stated the Chinese man with shades, a trail of mischievous satisfaction creeping into his voice. Seeing that their scheme was coming together smoothly and already imagining the havoc they would soon wreak, he began to feel very excited.
"Good. Then let us all retreat for now to make the necessary preparations at our own ends. Dismissed."
And with that, the assembled factions parted for the night.
Revy loaded and ckecked her custom Berettas, while several additional arms and magazines hung from the holsters on her shoulders. This was quite different from her usual light gear, as normally she would rely on her two handguns alone. But for this occasion, Revy was willing to step over her previous boundaries. Thus there were several grenades, small knives, and gas sprayers stocked around her body to accompany her customary weapons. Not wanting the extra weaponry to hinder her movements, the tattooed mercenary tried to not load herself overmuch. But killing she would have to do, lots of it, and thus Revy armed herself as much as she thought her skills could handle.
Rock watched all this silently by the door, standing like a lone orphan not knowing what to do. Due to his aversion towards guns and violence, taking part in what was about to happen was automatically out of the question. Benny was the same, and thus both of them would be left out of this mission. Because of this, as well as seeing how Revy was far from her usual haughty and noisy self, the look upon Rock's face was crestfallen to say the least.
Lost in his thoughts as he was, the Japanese man didn't notice that Revy had stopped putting on her guns and was now standing right before him. Haunted look in her eyes, she directed her gaze at him for a brief moment.
"Move.", came the sole command, her tone dead and cold.
Rock flinched and stepped aside, but he didn't feel comfortable with letting the redhead leave in her current state.
"What exactly is your role on this mission?" He inquired softly, letting a hint of worry into his voice yet careful not to sound too pampering.
Revy arched a bored eyebrow at this, watching the man from the corner of her eye as she disinterestedly sighed her answer:
"Same as almost everyone else's, I guess: just kill any and all enemies on sight."
The Japanese man grimaced, having anticipated a reply of that nature yet asking anyway for the sake of conversation. He decided to probe just a bit further:
"What about Dutch's body? Will you bring it back if you find it?"
"Probably" Revy shrugged as she began to walk away, deciding she was done with the useless questioning.
Rock couldn't find more excuses to hinder the woman any longer, and so all he could do was call an insecure warning at her retreating back:
"Be careful..."
Everyone was in position. The night was dark, the whole world painted in the colors of darkest blue and black. An eerie atmosphere hung in the air, with a slight fog creeping in from the sea. From her vantage point, Revy could see the black suited men of Mr. Chang stealthily roaming around the corners near the harbor. Their steps patted against the cobblestone streets, guns at the ready in their hands.
When all the preparations were finally done, the teams began to close in. Moving with a slight crouch, Revy hurried along the troops of Mr. Chang towards the ill fated and, for Revy, all too familiar Nazi ship.
The blond Russian woman gave a signal with her hand and the attack began. One of Mr. Chang's men, who'd been hiding close to the Nazi ship, fired a rocket launcher and effectively destroyed the ship's propellers and other vital parts.
The ship itself now immobilized, next in line was the command bridge. As the leader of Hotel Moscow roared the command, dozens of small anchors were shot up from the water. One after another the men in dark green uniforms climbed their way to the deck, swiftly moving towards the boat's command centre. There the Russian troops destroyed any and all communication devices, leaving the nazis with no hope to call for help or start the engines.
It was only now that the first nazis were beginning to wake up to the situation and gather up their gear. Their switching to battle mode was slow and clumsy, however, as the attack carried out by the two criminal organization leaders was too quick and effective for them to adapt in a matching speed.
With all the battling parties aware of each other, the first sounds of actual combat began to rise. The pursued nazis grabbed onto the closest guns they could find lying around, and soon the angry buzzing of submachine guns rang all around. Corpses of the fallen men from all sides began to litter the ship and its vicinity, while Aryan, Chinese, and Russian blood alike flowed freely on the decks and colored the sea.
As the battle proceeded, Revy found her movements to be heavier than usual. But it was not due to her heavier gear alone, she realized. She was on a quest for vengeance, with powerful allies on her side. But a vengeance against people, who, she grimly admitted to herself, had not committed the act for which they were now ruthlessly being slaughtered. These were not the men who had killed Dutch, as much as she would have preferred it that way. No, she was participating in a manhunt that was organized to punish others for an act she herself had actually committed.
Roughly shoving these thoughts to the back of her mind, Revy concentrated on the moment at hand and let the euphoria of battle sweep her worries away. With the barking commands of Balalaika and Mr. Chang in the background drumming in her ears, Revy plunged into the midst of chaos and set aside all thoughts, letting her body move on its own accord. But no matter how hard she tried, Revy the Two Hand did not reach her usual standard of killing that night.
The outcome of the battle was already beginning to shine clear, with the men of the two crime syndicates butchering the confused and, from Revy's and Dutch's earlier raid, already lessened nazis.
Balalaika walked calmly amidst the turmoil, carrying the legendary machine gun of her homeland's design leisurely in her hands. Her usual heavy dark green overcoat hung from her shoulders like a cape, sweeping the floor as she went. The heavy boots she wore echoed on the deck, dipping in the pools of blood and leaving crimson footprints in their wake. After a while she arrived at the door which was marked as that of the highest commander's and kicked it open with the power of a ferocious beast.
Inside, she found the commander hunched among his men, who were desperately trying to help their superior by firing at the sudden intruder. Balalaika disposed of them with ease. She fired at the chandelier on the ceiling, and the enemy commander's subordinates were crushed underneath the dropping ornament.
Balalaika walked up to the now barely alive Nazi commander, yanking him to his feet with such force his neck almost snapped. "We left a precious comrade of ours here earlier. If you do not want to die the most slow and painful death the arts of Soviet torture can muster, I suggest you tell me where he his", spoke the Russian woman in an icy monotone. The hapless fellow couldn't do but stutter something about the lowest decks, but that was all Balalaika needed. Without even a mockery of a thank you, Balalaika smashed his head against the nearest wall.
As Balalaika descended to the lowest decks, in did not take long for her to locate what she'd come to find. There, in a far corner of the dusty and clammy space, was a large human shaped bundle. As she neared it with gradual and measured steps so as to not disrespect the dead, she felt another surge of cold anger rush through her veins. Seasoned warrior as she was, it didn't take her much effort to suppress it, but it was there nevertheless. The body of Dutch now lay at her feet, wrapped in the red, white, and black of the old German swastika flag, as if to spite the man who had led a life so against their despicable beliefs.
Swiftly yet carefully Balalaika removed the flag from around the Vietnam War veteran's body. To her relief she found that the nazis had done no further additional damage to her beloved comrade's remains. Despite the stinging smell of decomposing flesh that had begun to emanate from the body, the Russian woman lifted the heavy man in her arms without wrinkling her nose and began to walk away.
Lined on either side by her own men, Balalaika took the burden of carrying the dead man in her arms all the way through. The soldiers of Hotel Moscow took thorough care that no enemy fire hindered her way. The last of the nazis were beginning to fall down as the men of both leaders joined their gradual retreat from the ship. As the Russian commander passed by, the men of both Balalaika and Mr. Chang took position behind her back. She led them out of the ship and carried Dutch's body all the while. Her subordinates fired at the enemy troops behind her back wherever they appeared.
When Balalaika stepped out of the ship, she found outside the night to be swimming in the colors of police car lights. As expected, chief Watsup had brought dozens of his own policemen to guard the outside of the ship as the operation went on. Over the course of the night he had informed all curious by passers that it was "a police operation, please step aside for your own safety, there is nothing here to see". The local police force had been told about the matter beforehand, with a hefty monetary reward insuring they wouldn't intrude on the project.
"I trust that there have been no problems?" Balalaika inquired sternly.
"No madam, everything has gone well according to plan." Answered the corrupt police officer without a care in the world.
"Excellent.", Balalaika acknowledged with a nod and brushed past the man, exchanging no further words with him. With a glance to her side, Balalaika noticed that the purple haired woman had also made it back safe and sound.
"Two Hand", she called, "Will you need a ride home?"
Before the woman in question could utter a response, the Triad leader did the answering for her.
"I can take care of that", chimed Mr. Chang, his voice cheerful due to the successful slaughter that had even offered him some excitement.
"I believe an occasion like this calls for a celebration, and seeing that you, Miss Balalaika, may have other things on your mind", He paused with a solemn glance at the body in the Russian woman's arms, "it may be for the best that I'll be hosting for darling Rebecca tonight. Right, Revy?" He concluded with a cheerful call over his shoulder at the redhead.
"Yeah..that sounds like a plan", and with Revy's somewhat halfhearted agreement, all the parties of the now concluded operation retreated from the scene to their own ways.
Balalaika sat down at her desk, removing the green hat from her head and sighing heavily. The day had been hard and rough, with the operation to avenge Dutch and retrieve his body as the main event. Thankfully it had been agreed beforehand that general Watsup would deal with the aftermath, leaving the leader of Hotel Moscow and the others participating in the operation free for the rest of the night.
When they had arrived back at Roanapur, Balalaika had immediately tasked her specialized subordinates to perform an autopsy and report the results to her as quickly as possible. With her duties now fulfilled, Balalaika closed her eyes and leant back in her chair in a relaxed manner.
You may rest in peace now, Dutch.
Her moment of respite didn't grow long, however, as a knock on the door soon interrupted her in her reverie. "Come in", she called as she fixed her posture.
The door opened, admitting a man wearing a long doctor's overcoat.
"Ma'am. The autopsy has been completed. As was expected by the appearance of the body, the cause of death was a single bullet fired straight to the heart", the man explained his presence.
"I see. And the bullet?" Queried Balalaika calmly.
"We have extracted it, and I have it here with me right now" answered the man, motioning towards the small metallic platter he was carrying.
"Very well. Leave it here, and after that, you are dismissed."
The man nodded and took a few even steps towards her, placing the platter at the edge of the table. Then he retreated, giving a slight bow before turning and closing the door.
Balalaika pulled a single glove from the drawer of her desk and raised to bullet to the level of her eyes, inspecting it carefully.
A moment, then another. Momentarily Balalaika's eyes, so uncharacteristically for her, widened in shock. Her decades spent close to warfare had taught her much about firearms, and she recognized the bullet she held between her fingers instantly. And she knew of only one person in Roanapur who wielded a gun to which the bullet in question matched. Her eyes narrowing, a murderous growl rose from her throat, carrying the name of the person she now knew to be the real instigator behind Dutch's death.
"Revy..."