Final Chapter: Deliverance
As Revy drifted back to consciousness, she found herself in the same dark basement where, unbeknownst to her, Rock and Benny had been held just few hours before. Both of her hands were chained to the wall above her head, restricting her movements heavily. A lingering headache throbbed at the back of her head, and as Revy sat in the darkness alone, she had a lot of time to think of all that had happened over the past few days.
She thought about Benny. The technology expert of their small delivery company had been the thorn in her flesh long before the Japanese ex-business man had joined them. In time she'd gotten over her apprehension towards the blond newcomer, and since then she'd easily grown to accept him as a part of their team. Benny had always been the mellow man around, never feeling drawn towards the violent ways of Dutch and Revy. Benny had also been the odd man out, preferring the company of computers and machines to that of fellow humans. During the entire affair of Dutch's demise, Benny had acted like the one who had himself together the most. He hadn't broken down in tears in front of them like Rock, nor had he thrown violent tantrums at the slightest of provocations like Revy. In fact, the bespectacled blond man had been the most reasonable one of them all. He had been the one to try to tame Revy when she was at her worst, directing them on their first course of action when they'd begun to regroup. Idly Revy wondered if, with his calm and collected exterior, he'd hid his sorrow from their eyes and dealt with his agony alone.
She thought about Rock. From the beginning, Revy had never grown quite accustomed to the soft man's presence. Although she'd been the one to take him hostage and proposed him to join them, she'd realized later on that she didn't know how to really deal with him. True to his nature, he'd been the first one out of them to make an attempt to bring them back together after Dutch's death. Revy had effectively quenched his willingness to do so again by the verbal beating she had given him. He had, however, never given up on expressing that he really cared. He had been there to speak for them when Balalaika had summoned them together, and he had shown his concern over Revy's wellbeing on numerous occasions. But no matter how hard he tried, she'd always brushed him aside without a second thought. Looking back, Revy felt a slight tinge of guilt over her interactions with the man.
She thought about Dutch. From the moment the two of them hooked up all those years ago, she'd felt a sense of connection and respect towards the black war veteran. Both of them were apt with guns, both of them shared for the most part the same views on the world, and both of them had similar ideas about how things needed to be done. It never grew nowhere near to outright idolizing, but her acknowledgement of the man went deep enough so as to recognize him as the leader of the company she worked for willingly.
And she had killed him.
A newfound shock washed over Revy as she thought about the event for the thousandth time. The memory had turned into a blurry and disgusting image in her mind. A single, horrific moment in time during which she'd committed the most outrageous miscalculation of her life. And all that the damage required to be done was a single bullet and a simple lie afterwards. Truly, she began to muse half-jokingly and half-seriously, she should've taken out a page or two out of the diplomatic Japanese man's book somewhere along the way. The thought was so ludicrous and ironical that she couldn't help the gurgling hiss of laughter that bubbled up from her throat.
Her amusement bordering on hysteria was abruptly brought to a halt, however, as the door on the wall across from Revy opened and in walked her own angel of death.
When the woman had entered and nothing happened for a while, Revy slowly resigned to lifting her eyes to the familiar scarred face, lined by rich cascades of brilliant gold hair.
"So you're awake", commented the Russian woman, her tone surprisingly emotionless.
Revy decided to ignore the observation, deeming that no answer of hers was required.
Balalaika sighed and went to retrieve a folded metallic chair that leant against a wall. Bringing it a few paces away from Revy, she took a seat and the silence continued.
"An explanation, Revy, will not do you any good at this point. But we are old acquaintances, so if it eases your mind to give me one, I will listen", the blond Mafia leader finally spoke, her voice soft and without the barest hint of malice or hatred.
Truth be told, Balalaika was tired. From the moment she'd first heard about Dutch's demise, a piece of her heart, if only the slightest one, had yet again been torn away. Honest and straight-backed companions such as the Afro-American war veteran were few and war between in this business, in this corner of the world, and in this day and age. Although nothing too special, she had developed a strong camaraderie with the man, and having lost him had really been a blow to her, even if she herself didn't know its whole magnitude at first.
What had drove her so fiercely onward on those first moments after she'd heard the news, was the sheer rage and conviction to seek retribution and justice for the deceased. But after the punishment on the supposed culprits was done, her moment of respite had been brief. The true events behind Dutch's death had been revealed, igniting the flames of rage within her tenfold. And now, when all was truly said and done and the truth had been brought to light, she discovered she didn't feel the least bit elated about it. Her close comrade had been killed by another one, and what was left for her to do was to see the matter to its end. Now all she wanted was to get it over with promptly and without additional fussing.
Balalaika met the other woman's gaze. It was calm and dispassionate, yet the posture of her head and the tightening around her chin gave her just the slightest hint of defiance and pride.
Since the redhead gave no signal that an answer was forthcoming on her part, Balalaika gave an understanding nod and inquired, just to make things sure:
"So there will be no hard feelings?"
"None at all." The almost immediate answer carried an air of both challenge and resignation, heralding that the short exchange of words was reaching its end.
"So be it, then", Balalaika concluded, mirroring Revy's finality and sternness with her tone.
The sound of the closing door echoed in the darkness for a while after Balalaika had left.
The moment of liberation had come for Rock and Benny as abruptly as their captivation. After the guards had roughly interrogated them for a good while over information they did not possess, they had ceased their beating to go wash their hands clean of all the blood. During this morbid pause the news for their release had come. None in the ranks of Hotel Moscow had offered them the least of explanations, and all they had to go by were the words of Balalaika that the matter had been solved. The Russian woman did not even appear to be sorry for them, stating only that she regretted the misunderstanding. They had, however, been offered proper medical care and taken back to their own office.
But just when they had dared to hope that the matter with Dutch had been brought to a closure, they now found themselves filled with as many questions as they had bruises on their bodies.
First of all, there was the issue with Revy. Neither Rock nor Benny knew anything about her whereabouts, for the woman had not come back to them after the mission with the nazis was completed. Ironically in fact, the most curious detail they now knew about her was what they had learned during their own interrogation: that Mr. Chang had accompanied her after the annihilation was over, and that the man had lied about where he'd taken her. But even though this piqued their anger and interest, it did not explain why Balalaika was so eager to know their female companion's location and why, after having extracted nothing of value out of them, she'd let Rock and Benny go.
In short, both men were utterly lost as to what in the world was going on.
"What do you suppose has happened?" Benny asked his companion in an incredulous voice, tending a pack of ice to a large bruise on his cheek.
"It's really hard to tell, since Balalaika wasn't in the mood to share any of her information with us." Rock answered carefully, trying not to prick at an equally nasty cut just below his lower lip.
"Well she sure as hell made it clear we weren't in any position to ask her", Benny snorted, his tone carrying a justified note of bitterness.
"The thing is, she told us that she'd contacted Mr. Chang, who said he'd taken her to us." Rock offered, trying to soothe the other man.
"Well, the man was obviously lying. What the hell was he trying to hide anyway, and why?" Benny huffed, the mention of the Chinese man only serving on infuriate him further.
Rock seemed to ponder this for a moment, while Benny took a seat on the couch and sat sternly, a mixture of malice and thoughtfulness adorning his features. The situation was a complete enigma to them. Finally they seemed to reach the same conclusion, and as Rock spoke up, it seemed that Benny had already guessed his words.
"I guess there's no other way to find out; we must contact Mr. Chang."
Benny jumped to his feet, taking a few quick strides towards the phone and beginning to dial the Triad leader's number.
After a few minutes of uneventful silence, Benny put the phone back in its place and turned towards Rock with growing frustration emanating from his words.
"Its no use, he isn't picking up."
"It's only to be expected, I guess. After all, if there's some bigger picture behind this that he's got mixed up in, I figure he'd be too busy to take many phone calls." Rock reasoned, having not been too hopeful from the start.
"That's true, I guess. But what the heck are we supposed to do now?" Benny seethed, chewing furiously at his lips.
The two fell once again into thoughtful silence. Both of them had been brutally tortured by the organization they considered their ally, and the only question they seemed to be interested in was Revy's location. Which they did not know. And as suddenly as they'd been taken in, they'd been released for no apparent reason. Something was going on, and Rock didn't feel like it was something he or Benny should miss out from.
"For now, I think we should go to Mr. Chang's place, just to make sure we're not able to reach him in any way." Rock answered after a while.
Benny nodded curtly, having expected no less.
"I'll go get the car."
"You guys look terrible." Mr Chang exclaimed dramatically, sporting a feigned look of horror on his face.
The two men of the Lagoon company were in no mood for lithe small talk. After driving to the Chinese Triad leader's hideout, Rock and Benny had discovered that the man was indeed there. The reason he hadn't answered the phone, however, was nothing but plain crankiness due to his peculiar nature.
Now the only thing Rock and Benny wanted were answers, and they wanted them immediately.
"What's going on?" They demanded sternly in unison.
The Chinese man sighed heavily, dropping his disguise of nonchalance.
"It's going to be an ugly story, boys. You sure you wanna hear it?"
The glares the two men sent him told that he wouldn't have even needed to ask.
"Okay, I guess there's no sugarcoating it, then. Revy was the one who killed Dutch, Balalaika found out about it, and, by the looks of it, decided to have a chat with you two."
A shocked silence fell over the men like a heavy cloak. Rock and Benny stood aghast, obviously having trouble processing the words they'd just heard.
"C-could you repeat that?" Rock finally managed to stammer out.
"Look, I don't know the full details myself, but the thing is that by some bizarre accident, Revy ended up offing Dutch." Mr. Chang explained impatiently, not wanting to be bombarded with further questions as the truth sank in for Rock and Benny.
But his fears were unfounded, for the two remaining men of the Lagoon Company were hardly paying him attention anymore.
So it had been Revy.
Now everything began to fall into place. Why the woman had been so freaked out right after she came from the Nazi ship. Why she had had the most trouble adjusting to the new situation, why she had been constantly on the edge, and why she had seemed disinterested and insecure about everything regarding the vengeance for Dutch.
Of course, one could only stand it so much with a burden such as Revy had carried.
In the midst of their feelings of shock and betrayal, however, no anger entered their minds, so overwhelmingly scandalous the news were to them.
"Where do you suppose she is now?" Exclaimed Benny as they finally remembered they were in the middle of a conversation with the Chinese man.
"From the fact that you've been set free, I would assume Balalaika has already found your comrade and perhaps dealt with her as well." Shrugged Mr Chang, though a faint hint of regret could be seen through his carefree act.
Catching the ominous premonition in the Chinese man's words, both Rock and Benny made to dash out from the place, already planning on paying a visit to the Russian woman.
They didn't make it far, however, as Mr. Chang shouted a command and instantly two armed men in black suits blocked their way.
"It's useless, you two. Revy has made a huge mistake, both in the way that she killed Dutch and in doing so, she made Balalaika along with Hotel Moscow her enemy. Now it's a matter that can be settled only between them alone. Your intruding will likely just get you killed." He reasoned, understanding their plight and trying to make them see things as they were.
Mr. Chang's effort wasn't appreciated, however, as the countenances of the two Lagoon members were taken over by defiance and anger. But by the time they made to answer, their resolution had already been dimmed by comprehension.
"So you would leave her in the hands of those maniacs just like that?" Rock growled, clinging to the diminishing feelings of rage inside of him.
Despite the look in the Japanese man's eyes which suggested that he wasn't entirely sure of himself anymore, Mr. Chang decided to respect their evident agony with an actual answer.
"Like I said, it's now an issue between them alone. None of us are in the position to be judges in this affair, and from what I've grown to know Revy, I think she would agree to this as well."
Rock and Benny stood rigidly in place, still slightly shaking from anger and frustration.
"Come now, let us all sit down and wait for a contact from Miss Balalaika herself, I'm sure she'll clarify the situation sooner or later."
Their shoulders slumping in resignation, Rock and Benny decided to heed the Chinese man's advice.
Outside, the day had begun to wane. Even through the tinted glass of one of the Hotel Moscow's cars, Revy could see that the daylight became more scarce by the minute. The entourage was very small and informal, with Revy and a few of Balalaika's subordinates in one while the Russian woman herself along with Sergeant Boris occupied the vehicle driving in front of them.
Before setting out on this drive, Revy had been offered a final meal. The glass of water she'd had to wash it down had been a bit weird in taste, but it had been nothing to complain about. Oddly, she'd began to feel a bit light headed soon afterwards. Thus when the guards had come to collect her from the basement, she hadn't posed the slightest question or resistance. As they drove all the way through the vacant roads of the outskirts of Roanapur, Revy had slipped into a careless daze where she felt nothing, no expectation, no dread, no urge to fight - nothing.
Revy's state of awareness rose slightly as she realized the car driving in front of them had come to a halt, consequently causing the driver sitting in front of her to press down the brakes as well. At a sign from Balalaika, who had gotten out of her car along with Boris, the men in the same vehicle as Revy swiftly opened the doors and stepped out. Soon she could hear, and feel by the sudden gust of air, the door right next to her open, and the guard standing there motioned for her to get out.
"We're here", she distantly heard Balalaika calling over to her.
Revy did as she was told. Awkwardly she rose to her feet, which where slightly wobbling due to the long time she'd spent without using them. The odd feeling of exhaustion weighed down upon her as well.
Once outside, Revy found the evening to be peaceful and quiet. The sound of the serenely streaming nearby river hummed in the background, while the wind blew with pleasant warmth. The scenery surrounding her was bathing in the pastel colors of twilight, and when Revy directed her gaze upwards, the found herself staring at a cloudless, vast expanse of sky that oddly resembled a purpling bruise by its color.
The guard standing behind Revy ushered her forward, holding her hands behind her back in a firm yet not painful grip.
"Bring her here..."
"Hold her steady..."
"There's no need to use such force..."
The orders rumbled all around her, but her hazy mind didn't bother to grasp on any of them. She let herself to be led without resistance until she stumbled on something on the ground. Lowering her gaze, she could make out a wooden box laying at her feet.
Her curiosity slightly piqued, she decided to take in her surroundings more carefully. When she saw the rope dangling some ways above her head, everything became clear.
But whether it was the fact that she truly recognized the gravity of her actions and accepted the due justice, or the powerful sedative Balalaika had administered in her drink beforehand, Revy did not feel anything. Only a slightest touch of relief rose in her heart at the certainty that her nightmare was soon to be over. She stole one final look at the magnificent void opening above her, suddenly deciding that this was as close to heaven as she would ever get.
Leaving the woes of the world behind, the woman stepped onto the dais set before her, rising to meet the waiting noose that swayed gently in the wind.
The End