This chapter is a bit longer than the others I've done so far. But I really hope you guys enjoy it. Aside from this being a hobby, it's you guys I write this story for, so thank you for your support!
Disclaimer: Black Lagoon is the property of Rei Hiroe. I do not own it or any of its characters, other than my OC's in this fic.
Forever Changed
Chapter V
Rock wasn't sure how long had passed since he first entered the chapel of the Rip-Off church. Everything felt as if it had stopped. Time no longer mattered to him in the way it might have the day before. Unfortunately everything had changed since the morning.
Eda poured him another bourbon from her seat at the table. She sat there, dressed in her usual nun garb, her Glock holstered under her arm as always. Rock barely watched her however, but instead couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of the old wooden panels that made up the floor of the large chapel. He'd seen enough with his brief glances now and then.
What am I doing here?
Honestly, he wasn't sure what Eda wanted with him this time, but he guessed it didn't have much to do with her usual batch of flirtatious remarks. In fact he had never been to the Rip-Off church without Revy in tow.
Revy…
Even in his half subdued state from his earlier drinking, he still found himself wondering what Eda was up to? He didn't know why, but he picked up on something specific in her actions, and a part of him didn't like that look in her eyes, the one she thought her pink shades might hide. Perhaps she didn't think he would see it? Perhaps she thought he was an idiot? And he had no intention of calling her out. Suspicions aside, he knew it wouldn't be a good idea.
"Something bothering you, sailor?"
Rock looked up. "Sorry Eda. What was that?"
"I'll take that as a yes," she said. "Well, its not like we haven't got any time to kill; the night is still young."
Rock blinked a few times, trying to sharpen the sanded down corners of his brain for a moment.
"I guess I can't argue with that."
"So," Eda said, sliding his refilled glass back to him. "What's eating you up, handsome? And while we're at it, what's with that damn ugly shirt you're wearing?"
Rock had forgotten that he was wearing the shirt, the fabric nightmare of regurgitated colours that now hung pathetically over his slim frame. But now that Eda had mentioned it, he had to take a moment to look down at himself, and what he saw was ridiculous. It was strange to think of it the way he was, but he now saw the shirt as an unwanted skin, a remnant of the terrible night he'd had so far, and that he'd rather forget all together. He would have torn the shirt from his body there and then, but with Eda sitting just across from him that was in no way an option.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Which part?" she asked. "About the shirt, or about what's bothering you? You look like someone just stole your Cadillac and drove it into the river."
"Its nothing," Rock said.
Eda laughed. "Well if you don't want to talk then why did you come back here with me? Besides, that booze you're chucking down isn't free ya know. So you might as well spill it, baby."
Rock felt a slight bitterness slowly creeping up on him. He wondered how Eda would react if he were to tell her everything? Would she laugh herself to death? Maybe, he thought. He took the bourbon and chucked down half the glass in one gulp, wiping his lips with his other hand as the events of the past few hours played through his mind once again.
"So, it's either talk or pay up? Is that right?"
"Makes things more interesting, doesn't it?" Eda leaned forward, keeping her face propped up by one hand, as her fingers cradled her jaw line. "So how about it, Rocky baby?"
"I don't know where to start."
"How about the beginning?"
"Eda… "
"Ok, ok," she raised her free hand. "Serious though, what is the– "
"I called Revy a bitch."
He was certain that for possibly ten seconds, a pin could have been heard plummeting to the ground. Eda didn't say anything in response to what he had just told her, nor did he continue with his intended story; he watched as the nun's mouth hung open for a time, the astonishment clear as a halo as she looked back at him without saying a word.
A single corner of her mouth curled up ever so faintly, just before she took a swig of her own drink. She then looked at Rock with some strange mingling of amusement and – Rock wasn't entirely sure but he thought he had caught it for just a second – pity.
"Boy, there's sure been some trouble in paradise since we last saw each other."
Rock blinked. "Trouble in paradise?"
"So, how'd she take that?"
"Badly," he paused with a sigh. "It all started this morning. We were attacked by some mercenaries on our way back from a job for Mr Chang."
"Oh yeah, I heard about that."
You heard about it?
"I accidentally knocked her into the ocean when we were out on deck," Rock slammed his face into his palm, his eyes squinting against the headache that was steadily getting worse. "I tried to make things up to her earlier. That turned out to be a mistake. We had this big fight at the Yellowflag and I stormed out. Shit, I've really made a mess of all of this!"
Eda tapped her fingers against her cheek, as a faint chuckle poured out of her. Rock wasn't sure what was on her mind at present, as her apparent amusement seemed almost like a mask to shield something else.
"Yeah, you definitely sound a little bruised over it," she said.
He frowned. "How can I not be?"
"I guess. But truth be told, Rock, I'm not sure if I've got the kind of advice you're looking for."
"Eda, I wasn't– "
"Revy's not the kind of girl who'd accept a marriage proposal, so I really don't know what to say, other than you're a brave son of a bitch," she laughed again. "Of all the people to fall head over heels for."
Rock felt the shock enter his veins like ice water. His mouth gaped open as he stared at Eda, the contents of his brain unable to conjure a solid response for what felt to him like an eternity. Apparently her observations were keener than he thought. But then again, she probably hadn't knocked half as much booze into herself as he had.
"How did you– "
"Oh come on, Rocky," she said, sitting up straight. "It doesn't take much up top to see what's been bugging you. Even a blind man could figure it out. So how long have you been making googly eyes at Two Hands?"
Why am I talking about this? Googly eyes? This is a fucking nightmare. Why should I have to feel this way when it's pointless?
Rock didn't want to say any more, but unfortunately he had reached a point where he didn't think it mattered any longer. He was near positive that Eda would at some point exchange words with Revy, and then the real shit-storm would come knocking at his door. But he was too drained to hold back. At this moment in time, he just didn't care.
"She doesn't know," he said.
"So, what are you going to do?"
"I don't think there's anything I can do. She's been acting sort of weird lately anyway." Rock sighed again, and then emptied his glass, trying his best to savour the warmth that clung to his throat and chest.
"Is that so?" Eda raised an eyebrow. "Weird, how?"
"She hasn't been coming down on me as hard lately for one thing. I'd say we've actually been friends for a while now. Even when I seem to piss her off, she either shrugs it off or… this morning for instance; I made some comment, and she looked almost like," he paused. "She seemed stung by it, as if I had really hurt her feelings or something. But now she's acting just like she used to, back when I first joined with Lagoon. It was like she wanted me as far away from her as possible."
He couldn't believe he was telling Eda these things. Normally the thought would never have crossed his mind; the very idea of confiding in someone that he didn't entirely trust seemed ridiculous. He couldn't say for certain why he didn't trust Eda. But there was a vibe she sometimes gave off during her advances to him, and the way she sometimes spoke to Revy; it was almost as if she were trying too hard to conceal something else. It had forced him to wonder on more than one occasion at just what her true motives were for being in Roanapur?
"Rock," Eda's amusement withdrew, and her features took on a more neutral shade. "So you called her a bitch during the little fight of yours, right?" Rock nodded. "And she didn't blow your brains out - didn't knock you senseless. That's got to tell you something, in case you haven't picked up on it already. I would have thought you were smart enough to see that on your own, sailor. You never wondered, not even once, why she's so defensive when I put the moves on your handsome self?"
Confusion suddenly replaced all else inside Rock's head. "Eda, what do you mean– "
"But you've got to remember something else, Rock," she went on. "No matter what fleeting thoughts and feelings a wolf might have in the moment, it's still just a predator, stalking the wilds for its next kill. That isn't something that they've chosen; it's in their blood, as natural to them as breathing is to you. You can't just wean predators off their diet and have them change their nature just to suit you. Revy's been at this a long time. Killers don't change, Rock, at least none I've ever come across. So don't be surprised if it doesn't work out."
Rock didn't need a lesson into the minds of killers. He trod through that death dealing swamp every day. He worked with a killer. Revy was indeed a killer. The people of Roanapur were killers, plus an assortment of other things that he was certain he would never become. That was just who he was, and he accepted it, just as he had accepted Revy. She was family to him now. She was his friend. She was…
He was convinced of one thing: there was no confusion when it came to this, his feelings for Revy. He knew that they were real. He hadn't chosen any of this, but there it was all the same, clear and blinding as a rising sun. It twisted his thoughts along with his guts, causing heartbreak at the knowledge that some things were just never meant to be.
But what did Eda mean? Was she just making conversation, or had Revy really been acting defensively for his sake?
"I know what she is, Eda," he said. "But… there's something else as well. I'd be dead by now if there wasn't."
"Hmmm, maybe you're right," Eda replied, and there was a long silence before she spoke again. "Let me ask you this: how long do you really plan on staying in this fucked up city."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you don't honestly expect me to believe that you're planning to stay here for the rest of your life, Rock? You know just as well as I do that this isn't a good place. People come in at one end and shit comes out the other, eventually anyway. Anyone who stays here long enough will end up just like that – worm food and nothing else."
Rock tapped at the empty glass with his fingers, staring down at the table. "What else am I supposed to do?"
"Go somewhere else. Have a life while you still can. It isn't too late, and you know it."
"I… can't."
"Is it her?"
"Revy?"
"Yeah. Is she the reason you won't leave? It's not like you've got much in common with the scumbags in this dump, so don't tell me its your calling in life to become some hardened crook at the edge of the world. If this city is a jigsaw puzzle, then you're the piece that doesn't fit, sweetie pie."
Maybe you're a piece from another box as well?
He met her eyes again. He couldn't help but wonder at what she was really trying to say. "And what about you? Is this what you always pictured for yourself?"
Eda smiled. "My future was sealed a long time ago, Romeo. There's no other path out there for me, just like everyone else in this city. Sometimes I think I'm just as fucked as the rest of them. But you've still got a chance. You could get out now, do the things you always wanted to do, whatever they might be."
"Sadly, Eda, there's only one thing I want right now."
"That's kinda mushy, Rock."
"Tell me about it."
"You should consider leaving," Eda said. "You're still a decent guy. But this place can change people. A person's only as good as the their environment allows them to be. Try to make sure you know what you want to be before settling down."
"Some people say that I'm already on my way," Rock replied. "All I've been concerned with all this time is my own moral code, throwing it in people's faces time and time again. Even the people closest to me have felt it. And now I finally see what matters, what's right in front of me, and all I can do is watch as it slips through my fingers."
Eda leaned across the table, refilling Rock's glass before she sank back into her chair. "Maybe you've just got a thing for impossible battles? And maybe that's your whole problem, Rock?"
"Maybe," he said. "But in the end, it's all I've got."
The streets of New York were what it all began for her. The place had been her bible. It taught her all the ways of human dirt, and of the gun, of blood and smoke. It was there that she had learned to breath, one day at a time. The streets running with red life were where she dwelt. It was her world.
It was still her world. It was where she belonged.
Thinking was nothing but a growing pain, a ravaged wasteland of possible's and impossible's. There were so many things that once made perfect sense, but were now lost, smashed to shards and cast aside, hidden away from her searching eyes. All that was sprawled in front of her now were questions, a myriad of uncertainties that boiled the fury further to its explosive peak. Only the eruption she had expected hadn't taken place. She gave some thought to whether she might fall asleep before it did.
Revy opened the door, moving slowly into the heavily shadowed space of her apartment. A stale odour that she barely noticed anymore, but strangely knew belonged there, filled her nose. It was the smell she lived within forever, since the gutters, since those pale feathers that cruised the air from their previous concealment of the pillow. It was her life and breath. It was in her blood. But blood, even blood as dark as hers, could apparently be diluted to some extent.
"He did this," she said, as she stopped near her bed, looking vacantly down at the rumpled covering.
He didn't do this.
"He should have just stayed in Japan."
It's not his fault.
"Then its mine, for letting the jackass stick around."
It's not your fault either! It just happened.
"Nothing just happens."
Your problem is you always feel better when you've got someone to blame. That's why you're so pissed off right now.
"Shut up."
The world had opened up to her with a slow breeze when she had ejected herself from the Yellowflag, a wind that was surprisingly cool. Though it hadn't done a thing to chill the heat that flooded her body and mind.
Her hand still throbbed, and the pain might have been somewhat suffocated if she had allowed any large supply of alcohol to enter her system. The only problem with such an obvious strategy was this: she had managed to take down only four and a half glasses of Bacardi. During the entirety of her stay this had been all she had cared to pour into herself. Dutch had noticed; she'd seen him glancing over every so often, after she'd returned from the back of the Flag, working her fingers with a needle and thread through the skin of her damaged hand. The wound wasn't too bad, but it hurt like a son of a bitch.
She guessed that Benny must have given Dutch the full report while she was patching herself up. Stupid blonde techno-dick should mind her own business, she thought, when seeing the look that Dutch had given her when she came back. His expression had been neutral enough on the outside, but behind those ever-present sunglasses of his she thought the look might have read something like 'Tomorrow there's gonna be a conversation, girl.'
Normally she would have rolled her eyes at the memory. That look had come her way enough times before after all; the look that signalled that he was anything but happy with her, and at some point he would want an explanation. Maybe Rock would talk, but she was in no good mood to chat with anyone. Her lips were sealed, and if anyone tried to un-seal them, then they'd be catching a one-way trip to oblivion.
Maybe they'd be luckier. Fuck me! What the hell am I supposed to do about this?
In that moment, as her body turned and she slowly sank onto her bed, she came to the realisation that she knew absolutely nothing. Nothing at all. She didn't know the feelings that had entered her thoughts weeks ago. She didn't know those feelings now, even as they rose to their clearest and most deadly, wafting with alien air across the scarred tissue of past memories, overlapped by new recollections that – until the sharp alarm of understanding hit her full force in the chest – were at one time so much less prominent. They were at their peak now, powerful and all consuming and terrifying.
She didn't know her own heart. And at the same time she did know it. She knew what those stirrings had meant, what they truly meant. She couldn't bring herself to try, to even attempt to physically react to them, even if she knew how.
She hated it, this virgin territory that was assaulting her mind, her certainties of what her life meant to her. The world had changed over night, becoming one titanic grey area that she couldn't even fathom for the life of her. Maybe it hasn't changed? Maybe it's just a big fat lie? Nevertheless, the world she was currently in had no place for her. She felt like a ghost, haunting a world long abandoned of its so-called clarity.
Within the next few seconds, she had a cigarette dangling from her lips. She lay back on the bed, staring up at the cracks in the ceiling, and thought of how they resembled her own mental wanderings. Could she ever truly make sense of what was happening? As she remained in the dark, within the tiny box of her room, she run down the short list of things that she had right in front of her.
Cracked ceiling, check.
"Blood."
Broken air conditioning, check.
"Bullets."
Smashed window blinds, check.
"Blood and bullets."
What else?
"Death."
Bullet riddled walls, check.
"Blood and bullets and death."
Trash covered floor, check.
"Booze."
Booze and blood and fuckin' bullets and fuckin' death, check.
"Smokes."
Smokes and booze and blood and bullets and fuckin' more bullets and death, check!
"Death. Death. Death. Death. DEATH!"
Rock.
"Rock… "
So it was official, she thought. She considered herself to be well and truly fucked. A rat's nest of total shit was what she had to hold close. Did she really believe this? Was she out of her body for a moment, looking at the rotting carcass of her own life, looking down on it with pity, with disgust?
"Fuckin' Rock!" she snarled in the dark. "I should… he's a– "
Shut the hell up for a sec. How is any of this his fault? It's not like the idiot knows. It's not like you've told him.
"Oh yeah. And what fuckin' good would it do? What does it even matter in the end?"
Maybe it would matter if you–
"No!"
You won't even consider it? You want to be the demon all your life?
"That's what I am."
Well fuck me Rebecca, you might be right. But maybe you're not all the way right? Jesus, its almost like you're two fuckin' people or something. Haha! How retarded is that?
"Shut up!"
But then it's not like that, is it? You're just a god damn head case is what you are. God only fuckin' knows why he hasn't ditched your sorry ass already.
"Because he'd be fucked without me."
Or you'd be fucked without him? Be honest for two seconds, will you. If he hadn't come along when he did, you really think you'd still be breathing now?
"I said shut the fuck up!"
How can you tell yourself to shut up? You really are a fuckin' mess, Two Hands.
"Yeah, tell me something I don't know, bitch!"
She finally took a long drag of her cigarette, blowing out clouds of smoke as she saw the feathers fluttering about once again, floating throughout the blackened corners of her room. She saw him. She saw the beer bottle, swinging through the air, and the following pain that shattered its way through her head. She recalled it all; the beating she took that night, and the torment of his sick fantasies that soon followed. Even now she felt every sting, every horrible groping touch of his hands. She nearly choked on the memory of it. Even if revenge had been granted her, and it had, nothing could ever sate the burning thirst for long.
It was the way of the world, and the monsters that existed within it. One either became a more dangerous creature, cutting itself away from the leagues of the weak and the powerless, or one was swallowed whole, devoured and forgotten by all.
And then he appeared, the white-collar businessman from Japan, and everything had changed after that. All the various reasons to keep breathing had slowly blurred before her eyes. And now she was truly lost within her own mind. She couldn't even begin to understand how this had happened, how something as insignificant as a remark of disgust towards a shirt could hit her so hard. Why did she even care, she wondered?
What does it matter why you care? You just do. So you've got two choices Rebecca: either you kill him, or deal with what you're going through and fuckin' see it through to the end. Win or lose. Seriously, what have you really got to lose anyway?
"I… "
Exactly.
"Fuck off! Just fuck off!"
Footsteps. The quiet thudding of boots falling onto stairs. Revy's thoughts were cancelled as her ears perked up, her head snapping towards the door. Someone was sneaking up to her room.
She was still dressed, still wearing her holsters; slowly she drew one of her Cutlass toward the door. Her eyes narrowed as she waited, readying herself to leap from the bed. Her anger only rose at knowing she had a robber coming her way. She couldn't believe it; someone was actually going to try and steal from her. It was either that or some idiot looking to make a reputation for themselves by trying to kill the best gun in the city. It wouldn't have been the first time.
Come on and try then, cocksucker. Your death song's awaitin' right here!
The footsteps ceased as they reached the door. And for several seconds nothing happened. Revy wondered how someone who moved so loudly could ever think they stood a chance at taking her down? Whoever they were, they were about to learn the hard lesson of what happens when someone crosses paths with a bigger shark in the water.
And then the door came off its hinges, splinters flying through the air as it collapsed into the room.
Bullets skimmed passed her head, blowing out the window behind her as she sprang from the bed. Both 92's were drawn and returning fire as her instincts took over every movement she made.
The first gunman went down as soon as the door collapsed to the ground, a jet of blood shooting out from his neck as he fell to his knees. And then there were two more in the hallway, hiding on either side of Revy's door.
Her current position was a dangerous place to be; she was boxed in, and she knew that her attackers might not be alone. On the other hand her room was still coated in darkness, and the idiots that were now trying to kill her had decided to switch on the light in the hall before kicking her door in. Whoever they were, it didn't take a genius to understand that they weren't exactly the brightest bunch in the world.
Revy found herself almost pitying these people. She stood still, right in front of her bed; ready to move when she needed to. A cool wind brushed against her back from the now destroyed window.
You bastards are gonna pay for that. You're both gonna be checking out before you touch the ground.
As fused into her murderous zone as she now was, she did however scold herself for not hearing their approach from the street; it was a mistake, a simple one that could have easily got anyone in a city like Roanapur killed. All her dwelling on the past few hours, about Rock, had dulled her instincts by a faint fraction. It wasn't much, but it could have proved to be enough in seeing an end to her.
For a second she considered trying the window, as the duo blind fired into the room. But as she darted to the left she threw the idea out before her next breath. The room was three stories from the ground, and while she had no doubt that she could survive the drop, it would leave her momentarily unguarded from bullets.
Those two dick-cheeses might have buddies down stairs.
It would be better to take the two down before assessing the situation below. One way or another, she had no intention of backing off; the night had crushed any promise of calm she might have hoped to hold on to, and now she wasn't going to stop until her renewed bloodlust was quenched.
Revy grinned as one of the men abandoned his cover, opening fire with an old M16. She fired off a single round, the bullet puncturing his forehead with a delicious pop before he dropped into a large heap in the doorway.
Damn. Who the fuck are these guys? Killing's definitely not their thing, that's for sure.
"God, fuck!" the last man hissed from his hiding spot.
Revy waited, satisfaction coursing through her veins as she kept her guns raised. The last man didn't leave his cover, but she couldn't mistake the glorious sound of the nervous breaths that rattled their way out of him, almost shuddering through the walls, beckoning her to go forward and rip the life right out of him. In all of this she couldn't prevent her savage smile from widening.
"Come on in, chicken shit," she goaded. "Don't by shy. What's wrong, too rough for you? Bet you go in for those sissy little gentle types huh, all slow and soft? Come on. I've got something for you, baby; it's the best present you've ever had. It's called a big fuckin' hole in the face."
"Fuck you, slut!" he yelled back.
"Awww, don't be frightened," she chuckled. "I bet you and your boyfriends thought you found yourself some easy prey tonight, didn't you? Well fucker, your friends' grey matter is decorating the floor. There's no prey in here. There's only a vicious bitch of a wolf whose gonna bleed the living fuck out of you. You've got no where else to go, little piggy."
She could hear it, the gun shaking in his quivering fingers. Whether he knew it yet or not, whether his grasping hope of survival hadn't yet lost its desperate grip, he was already done. The grim reaper was out in force again, and he was about to collect yet another soul that Two Hands would joyously prepare for him.
No matter what she did or where she travelled, she still enjoyed this, almost hearing some wannabe mad dog idiot piss himself when he realised that he had bitten off more than he could chew and was struck head on with the certainty that his number was up. Some people would just never learn, she thought. Although she could hardly complain about this fact, since the dance of guns and destruction had been her drug of choice for the longest time. She was an addict and made no plans to stop any time soon. She wasn't sure if she could, even if she wanted to.
"What, got nothing to say?" she continued, hoping he would lose his cool and take his chances. "You want me to come out there and introduce you to your fuckin' brain, sugar?"
What happened next was so unexpected that at first Revy didn't move. As it turned out there were in fact other people downstairs. However the one thing that she had been certain of was that they wouldn't have risked killing their own men. She had been wrong about that, and knew it the instant she heard something small coming through the window, bouncing softly onto her bed a microsecond later.
Oh fuck me!
Her body began to move before the gaping of her eyes, before the cold gasp that pressed between her parting lips. She was running at fall speed for the door, almost taking off from the ground in the sheer velocity of her strides. The other man was still waiting, but was no doubt soiling himself rather than waiting her out.
The entire time that she had held her guns up she felt her hand ache from its previous injury; it wasn't quite bad enough to throw off her aim, fortunately. Even as she leapt through the doorway – twisting her body sideways in the air and taking aim – her gun never faltered as she fired, forging a large bloody crater out of the eye socket of the unsuspecting imbecile that had frozen himself to the wall outside the room.
And then the explosion arrived; it boomed to life within her room before she ever had the good fortune to touch the ground. Revy was thrown down the hallway. She landed roughly against the uncarpeted floorboards, grazing her elbows with the release of a painful grunt, yelling into the air.
She began to lift her head from the floor. She didn't bother to look behind her; she already knew that her room was completely beyond salvation; the brainless gunmen – if one could ever refer to them as gunmen – had finished the redecoration of what her drunken nights had started some time ago.
Hell no! These guys are gonna pay for that!
Revy was then on her feet, her steps only shaky for just a second as she raced toward the staircase. She stopped when reaching them, peeking down to the next floor. She knew that if these bastards had any sense they would have to come up to check that their handy work had actually gotten the job done. When they finally decided to reveal themselves she was going to kill them all. No exceptions, no mercy. A blood bath like they had never witnessed was coming their way.
She considered heading back to check the corpses she had just created, to see if their guns were still intact. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing the smoking heap of bodies resting just a little way from her door, as grey clouds wafted out from the dark of the room; the blast must have pushed them further into the hall, as it did her. Their weapons were probably still useable. She had already fired off a handful of rounds and had no new mags on her. With any luck their friends – who so far couldn't be heard – wouldn't be too great in their numbers, she thought.
Ah come on, Rebecca. Since when do things ever go the way you want them to? No, that would be too easy! Then again, I doubt there's a fuckin' army waiting for you either.
Since the shooting had started she hadn't once given much thought to what these people really wanted. She had her doubts about this being a simple robbery. Someone wanted her dead. She understood that now. They wanted to kill her, and nothing else. So why then, she wondered, had someone sent such utter moronic bottom feeders to do the job? They were the very measure of stupid, making her question the brain behind the so-called operation; they obviously weren't too bright themselves, to throw out such ineptness at a rapid rate.
Just like those jerk-offs during the boat attack… hmmm?
The sounds of shooting recaptured her attention, several loud shots burst out from somewhere below. She thought that they were coming from the ground floor.
Revy frowned. "Now what are those clowns up to?" but then realisation struck her fast, when she finally recognised the sounds of a large Smith & Wesson, followed by the wailing of the soon to be dead. "So Dutchy, come to the rescue huh?"
Knowing that the cavalry had arrived got Revy moving again. She bolted back toward her room, ignoring the dancing flicker of small flames within the smoke drenched ruin as she checked over the bodies of the unfortunate mercs. They all seemed to be using the same model of machinegun. She retrieved an undamaged M16 from the ground, and checking its magazine before holstering her Cutlass'; she didn't think there was any sense in wasting her primary weapons just yet.
With that done with, she headed back to the stairs; the cries of gunfire continued; from the sounds of things Revy guessed that Dutch had come prepared, as the powerful eruption of a Remington pounded into her ears. His apartment was only a short distance away, so she guessed that the initial gunfire had been enough to get his attention; he must have figured where the shots were coming from, she thought. Despite her urge to slaughter the remains of her attackers, she knew that having some back up was never a bad thing.
With the stock of the M16 tucked against her shoulder, she raised the weapon as she quickly descended the staircase. She hadn't seen anyone else yet, so she thought that they were all tied up with Dutch's arrival.
Don't worry boys, because I'm about to add to your shit-storm of problems. Fuckin' A!
Just then someone entered her view from the bottom of the stairs; a hairless white man, draped in a dark green military style jumpsuit. He saw her just as it became too late, the split second before she ended him with three shots to the chest. He sank to the floor without ever being able to pull the trigger of his gun, drying most pathetically. A regular person might have felt the barest morsel of sympathy for them. Although to Revy, unawareness whilst in the heat of danger was unforgivable.
How many people had ever succeeded in combat because of blind idiocy? The answer was none, she thought. To her, these people deserved whatever happened to travel their way; any person who might decide to shed a tear over their demise was a damn fool.
She hit the bottom of the stairs, leaping over the large heap of a corpse as she came into the hallway of the first floor; the ground floor was still echoing with sounds reminiscent of a war zone. Revy was more than anxious to become a part of the carnage. She moved towards the next stairway, but had to dive to the right as another grimy looking gunman emerged into the hall. He fired off several rounds from a handgun, but she was already out of the path of each bullet. She landed in a light roll, bringing the M16 up ad emptying a short burst into his throat. She watched as he dropped his gun, as blood showered from his destroyed neck; a gargling cry bubbled red from his dying lips as he writhingly hit the floor, struggling for life for a few more seconds before saying goodnight to the mortal coil forever.
"Way too easy," Revy said.
Another man screamed his last below, and Revy was then running again for the ground floor. She stopped just at the bottom of the next stairway; a small lobby area lay off just to the right, out of her current field of vision; it seemed that the remainder of the fight was happening there.
Revy didn't know how many were left, but the sounds of Dutch's shotgun letting out fearsome rounds was enough to get her blood rushing all the more. He was about to kill off the last of them, and the beast inside of her couldn't allow that to happen.
Sorry boss-man, but that last life belongs to me!
Poking her head out into the lobby, Revy spotted a number of downed mercs, all marked with open red wounds. The front doors were destroyed, by what appeared to be a great deal of machinegun fire and buckshot.
Another merc was thrown backwards from a round that hammered into his chest, tiny dots of dark red stabbing into him as he crashed down in a breathless sack of former life. It was then that Revy caught sight of Dutch, strolling through the doorway with a cigarette between his lips, his Remington raised and firing again; his next shot struck at the shoulder of the last man standing, forcing his body to violently twist to the sound of his scream as he went down.
"Fuck!"
Revy made sure she cursed loud enough for Dutch to hear before she came out into the lobby. The final merc was rocking from side to side as waves of pain shook through his upper body. And then Revy emptied the entire mag of the M16 into his face, turning his head into the bursting fountain of blood and bone and brains, ripping it all to crimson shreds.
"You cool, Revy?" Dutch lowered his shotgun, blowing out a cloud of smoke.
"That one was mine, dip-shit!"
"Oh, well I'm sorry," he casually replied. "Next time you can bail your own ass out."
"I was fine," she growled.
She then looked down at the tremendously gullible and now tremendously dead mercenaries, and she couldn't help but admire the scene that Dutch had written for them.
"Nice work though."
"Glad to see you're still breathing," Dutch said. "But I don't think any of us are getting any sleep tonight by the looks of things," he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, taking one out and handing it to Revy before giving her a light. "Anyway, we need to get back to the office right now."
"So what the fuck is going on?"
Revy didn't like what she saw for just a moment, that faint hint of concern inside Dutch's voice, just hiding beneath the first layer of calm exterior. She knew well enough that when Dutch was worried about something, then it was only smart to treat a situation carefully, or at least as carefully as she was capable of achieving, which wasn't much. But she wasn't a fool; a world like theirs called for alertness and sharp instincts, and she wasn't planning to treat this new predicament lightly.
"I didn't say anything back at the Yellowflag, but I had a little chat with Chang about our friends out at sea," Dutch explained. "He brought up some pretty interesting things over the phone."
"So," Revy took a short drag of her smoke before going on. "What did the big man have to say?"
"Let's get back to the office, and then we'll go over it. I already called Benny; he should be on his way right now. But we don't know where Rock is."
Revy turned from her observation of the newly made massacre, staring Dutch dead in the face. "What the fuck do you mean, you don't know?"
"We couldn't find him. After dropping you here we checked his room but he wasn't there. We should probably check in again on our way back."
There was no way for her to know at that moment whether or not her thoughts were in any way visible on her face. The things she felt mingled together so furiously that she wasn't sure where one began and the other ended. She thought it might have started with worry, but ended with boiling rage.
Damn it to fuckin' hell, Rock! What the shit are doing, wandering off?
"Hey, Two Hands," Dutch's voice brought her back to the world. "What is it?"
"Nothing," she murmured.
"I see," she saw his eyebrows raised above the cover of his shades for a moment. "Ok, we haven't got the time to stand around like this. Someone's gunning for us and now we– "
"So who is it?" she was beginning to lose patience. "Spit it the fuck out, Dutch."
"Once we get back to the office, then we'll talk about it. For right now lets get the hell out of here and see if Rock's finally decided to drag his ass home."
She wasn't happy about this; she wanted answers and her fuse was officially lit with a burning vengeance. But she relented with a reluctant nod. They then stepped over the piles of bodies and exited out into the darkness of the early hours.
Tossing the useless machinegun into the road, Revy concentrated on smoking as she and Dutch hastily walked in silence toward Rock's apartment. In all the hail of bullets her blood hadn't recovered yet from its sizzling flow, and something told her that the flow wouldn't recede for the rest of the night. However something else entered her mind, raising her tension to new heights, stretching out to her very limits and beyond.
What was that shit-for-brains thinking? Where has he run off to at a time like this?!
Rock's decision to wander about the streets of Roanapur during the dark half wasn't the best idea he could have had. But he wasn't stupid; as much as Revy would scold him she knew that he possessed more brain cells that any average criminal in the city. If only his emotions didn't get the better of his intelligence, she thought. The night had apparently done a real number on the both of them; that was pretty much obvious now, but if it got Rock killed then she – and she couldn't believe she was thinking this, but it was true – wouldn't be able to forgive herself for letting it happen.
Fuck! Agghh! I fuckin' hate that prick for doing this to me!
"Something on your mind, Revy?" Dutch broke her thoughts.
She woke from her daydreaming once again, viewing the calm but curious expression of her employer. She also noticed that people were now gathering near the blood-drenched apartment building, where her smouldering room stood in ruinous extinction. Chief Watsap would no doubt be knocking on their door soon enough, since it was Lagoon's money that rented the room upstairs. She ground her teeth again at the thought; talking to that glutinous badge was a promise of more pain in her head as well as her ass.
"What do you mean, Dutch?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about, Revy," he said. "I've let this shit slide so far, but I can't go on ignoring this for much longer. Sooner or later, this needs to be resolved, so I need the both of you to get it in gear."
It was here already, the talk she never wanted. "Dutch, for fuck sakes– "
"Now I know its not really any of my business, but here's what I don't get; you two are inseparable pretty much twenty four fucking seven; its my theory that Rock's probably the closest thing you've ever had to a friend, which is hell of a lot more than I ever prayed for, hell its practically divine intervention. So now what? Now you're pissing each other off, just like when Rock first joined; only now he's moping around, acting like some lovesick schoolboy, and you're either depressed or you're acting like Hannibal Lector with a stick up his ass."
"Kind of a fucked up exaggeration, don't ya think?" Revy paused, as a frown cut across her brow. "Wait a damn minute! Lovesick schoolboy? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"You've gotta be kidding me, girl," Dutch shook his head. "You really haven't noticed anything? I gotta say the two of you are as bad as each other."
Revy was ready and willing to stop in her tracks and begin punching answers out of Dutch; so far no one and nothing had been capable of making any sense to her throughout the whole day. She wanted to know what was going on, and spilling a little blood to uncover these things was something she had no scruples over.
"Don't fuckin' play games, Dutch. What's Rock said to you?"
"He hasn't told me a damn thing. You don't need verbal confirmation Revy, not when you've got eyes in your head. I'm surprised you haven't picked up on it already, because it's been giving me a serious fuckin' headache. The way I figure it is we get back to the office, and I'll fill you all in on what Chang told me. And then maybe you and Rock can talk this shit out before someone ends up getting killed."
Talking to Rock had been the last thing she had wanted to do, considering the events of the night. The strings of her concentration, of her ability to function around the ex-businessman, had been severed one by one over the course of a few hours. But now this new piece of information had been mercilessly dropped onto her head. Things had just taken a strange turn.
"Ok, so why don't you tell me what you think is going the fuck on with him, Dutch?"
"Isn't it obvious, Revy?"
Revy flung her spent cigarette to the wind. "I wouldn't be asking if it was, god damn it!"
"Look Revy," Dutch said. "You ask him. I don't want to be anywhere near this thing with you two. Just make sure you wrap this up before our next job. I don't need my employees at each other's throats when we're supposed to be working. Doesn't do much for the reputation if we fuck things up in the middle of a job because of domestic bullshit."
She felt that she could have screamed at Dutch's lack of revelation, although understanding was finally beginning to take shape. If someone were to call her an idiot at that moment, then she would still place a round in their kneecaps for it, but she might also agree with them at the same time. Perhaps there had been signs that she should have picked up on her own. But then she supposed it was sometimes easier to see these things from the outside, something that she couldn't always do.
The violent tides had slowly shifted the course of her mood, and now curiosity had spike within her brain; it didn't entirely envelope her anger, but had pushed it aside just enough for her to think properly. She didn't have anything concrete just yet, but even if it killed her she was going to get some answers.
Where is he? Where the fuck is he? The dumb ass better not be… I hope he hasn't…
"Rock! That stupid arrogant little shit! When I get my hands on him– "
"Why don't you settle down for a second, Revy? Maybe he came back to the office?"
"Yeah, right," she said. "He's probably face down, drooling into some gutter whilst some fucker's going through his pockets!"
"Well in this town that's not the worst thing that could happen."
Rock hadn't been in his room when they stopped by, forcing Revy to curse for the rest of the walk. By the time they reached the office they saw that Benny must have already been in the building; the Plymouth was parked just outside. Revy guessed that the sight of no now bullet holes across the car's tired shell meant that Benny hadn't been met with trouble of his own.
No, obviously those bastards just wanted to wreck my place!
"So am I right in thinking those shit heads have got something to do with the retards out on the ocean?"
"That's my thought," Dutch said. "Someone sure seems to wants us out of way. Damned if I know why this time."
"Well they sure ain't gonna last long here. Those morons were a serious waste of guns; more like shooting dead fish in a barrel."
"Easier actually. But the one thing they seem to have is numbers. Whoever's paying them just keeps on throwing them at us like they cost nothing. That could still be a problem down the line."
Revy huffed as they walked through the door, ascending the stairs toward the office. For some reason the staircase seemed so much longer to her; though she thought it was just a sign that her impatience was working overtime?
"Bring em' on," she said. "Those fuckers trashed my place; all my guns and ammo are screwed."
"We've got extra here, Revy."
"Not really the fuckin' point, is it?"
"Yeah, they sure are a pain in the ass," Dutch replied. "And it's only day one. But I doubt they've got much more to show us at this point."
Revy's eyes narrowed at his words. She couldn't help wondering: if it's really that simple, then what's with the look on his face? She had seen it on the way to Rock's, that faint strain behind the coolness of Dutch's well-maintained shield of stoicism. What did he have to tell them? She couldn't help but imagine. Over analysing a situation wasn't something she had ever been one for indulging in. She guessed that she had Rock to thank for that.
It would be no use to ask anymore, not until they were all together. But where's Rock? It was going to be a problem if they all needed to be present for what Dutch had to say.
"If he doesn't show up I'm gonna kick his balls out of his ass!"
"Hopefully he'll turn up sooner or later. If he isn't upstairs we'll just fill him in when he comes back. It's not like anyone knew this was going to happen."
"Yeah, I guess."
Revy began to feel some of her frustration erode with the passing seconds. She stepped ahead of Dutch as she shoved the door open, marching into the office, stepping in so hastily that she saw Benny shoot up from one of the couches, as if expecting an attack at any second. The surprise swiftly wore away from his stubble-covered face, and Revy rolled her eyes at the wave of relief that seemed to wash over him.
Shit, someone would think he'd been attacked tonight!
"Hey, you two," he said, with a faint wave of his hand.
"Hey Benny boy," Dutch replied. "Everything cool on the way over?"
"Not a peep out of anyone. It's too quiet out, Dutch"
"That doesn't sound good."
"Are you guys ok?" Benny asked. "What the hell happened?"
As Dutch was talking Revy's eyes moved towards the opposite couch near the window, and a frown harshly yanked her face in several different directions; her previously diffused temper now stood on a knife's edge once more.
"Eda," she heard Dutch say from behind her.
"Eda! What the fuck?"
The blonde – and currently highly amused looking – nun sat on the opposite couch, her legs crossed over each other as she nursed a glass of scotch. A comatose Rock was slumped next to her. Anger boiled inside Revy, nearly burning her chest as she saw how Rock's unconscious head was leaning into Eda's shoulder, using it like a makeshift pillow.
Fuckin' bitch! That fuckin' scank… the fuck?!
"Hello boys and girls," Eda said with a smirk. "I thought I'd return this handsome sailor. I'll let you guys think of a way to pay me back."
"These two were already sitting there when I got here," Benny said.
"What the hell happened to him?" Dutch asked, moving further into the room.
"Its possible he may have drank a little too much," Eda said, glancing down at Rock's sleeping face with a smile. "He was sure in a bad way when I found him. You know anything about that, Two Hands?"
What is she doing with Rock? What's he doing with her?
Revy didn't know what to think. Possibilities were laughing and skipping through her battered mind, taunting every inch of her as they slowly pranced their way along. Paranoia wasn't something she felt comfortable with, and it now beat its horrific drums into her as she saw Rock's head resting on Eda's shoulder.
"Fuck! And to think I actually thought he might be in trouble," she huffed more than said. "What a fuckin' jerk-off I am."
"Jerk-off?" Eda said. "I always wondered why they called you Two Hands. Guess that mystery's finally solved."
Without so much as a thought, Revy pulled one of her Cutlass from her holster, directing it toward the nun's head. "That's pretty funny coming from a nun who's as fuckin' celibate as a porn star's ass."
"Revy," Dutch warned.
Eda didn't do anything, or even speak in response to the threat. However Revy saw the smile drop from her face; the dangerous edge glowed through those ridiculous pink sunglasses of hers. If Revy fired her gun, Eda wouldn't hesitate to fire back.
So what if she does? Let the bitch draw; I only need one shot. Get you're fuckin' shoulder away from his bead, you slut!
The office, for at least ten solid seconds, was suffocated by the tense silence, a silence that was almost tangible as Revy's trigger finger itched like never before. All she wanted at that moment was for Eda to pull her Glock, and then fate would take care of the rest. She couldn't believe her own rage at the sight of Rock, resting unknowingly against Eda. She thought that the bitch might have even put him that way before their arrival on purpose. The urge to stamp out a life had not been stronger for in some time, and the reasons for this actually frightened her.
"Revy," Dutch spoke again. "This ain't the time for that. I don't want a fucking shootout in the middle of the goddamn office. We've got bigger things going on right now. And Eda, that had better not be my Ardbeg you're sipping down."
"Its Jim Beam, relax," Eda said, nudging Rock off of her and letting him slowly fall against the arm of the couch. "I was just playing, Two Hands. You don't need to get all worked up. I brought him back because he was too drunk to walk. Poor guy would've been sleeping in the middle of some road if I hadn't."
"Pretty fuckin' generous of you, Eda," Revy spat, and after another long pause finally lowered her gun. "So, I didn't see that bike of yours outside– "
"Parked round back," Eda said.
Revy couldn't help but come back to the big question that now screamed at her: what was Rock doing with Eda? They had never spent any time alone before, not to Revy's knowledge. Rock usually spent most of his waking hours with her. So where did this sudden get together come from, she wondered? What could have possibly dragged them both together? She knew that Rock had already been fairly alcoholised before doing his tantrum walkout from the Yellowflag. But how did Eda fit in? Revy couldn't shake the feeling that the nun was up to something, and she didn't believe it had anything to do with her pathetic attempts at seduction.
Revy holstered her Cutlass, moving over to the other couch and taking a seat next to Benny; she lifted her legs, planting both feet onto the small centre table, her eyes never leaving Eda.
"So what happened with you guys?" Eda asked. "You look like you've had yourselves a little ruckus tonight."
"You catch on quick, bitch."
"Eda," Dutch cut in, his patience audibly wavering. "You haven't by any chance happened to hear of a mercenary group that goes by the name of Crimson Spear, have you?"
Eda frowned. " …Afraid not. So what's up with them?"
"A conversation I had earlier on, pointed me to them being responsible for an attack we suffered on our way back from a job. They sent out a five boat assault, and they weren't shy with their bullets either."
Within the next minute everyone was seated, beers in front of them and smokes in hand. Revy was still pissed off about how she found Rock, but slowly she was beginning to open her ears to what Dutch had said so far.
"They sound like something out of a bad movie, Dutch," Revy said, blowing out smoke. "So what else did Chang say? Did he also mention the fact that these merc bitches can't shoot for shit?"
"That's what bothered him. Apparently this little group are newborns; and the thing is – and this got him all confused too – is that no one knows a thing about them, and I mean nothing, save the name. It's like these guys just appeared out of a puff of smoke. But Chang said the source was reliable, so I've got no cause to make judgments yet."
Revy still didn't get it. "How in the hell are they even getting work? It's like they're being paid to just go out and die. These fuckers have got zero skill, zero patience; their sloppy as hell, and their attacks are a joke. It's like someone just picked up random assholes off the street and put guns in their hands."
Dutch nodded. "The guys who trashed your room sure as hell fit that profile. They seem pretty determined though; shame determination is all these idiots have."
"So two attacks, and they haven't even made a dent yet," Benny said.
"Come back to the part where they fucked up my room!" Revy barked in an exhalation of smoke. "I'd say that's a pretty big fuckin' dent, Benny."
Benny raised his hands in defence. "I'm just sayin' Revy; seems to me that we're not dealing with typical mercs. Usually they don't come in droves like this. They seem like a pretty mindless bunch if you ask me."
"Well its never happened like this before," Dutch said.
Revy started to grind her teeth again. "So what are we gonna do about this shit?"
"I suppose the obvious action is to find out who the hell we've had recent brushes with," Benny suggested.
"Like I said earlier," Dutch said. "It might not be a long list."
"But still, its something to go on."
"I don't suppose you guys have considered laying low for a day or two?" Eda spoke, pausing long enough to empty her glass. "I mean if these guys think you're gone at least they'll stop causing trouble in this town, right?"
"They're only after us, as far as we know," Dutch replied. "So all they're gonna do is follow us out of this damn city. We'd just have em' at our backs the entire time."
"And its not like they've rubbed anyone else the wrong way," Revy said, wondering just what Eda was getting at. "Balalaika and Chang aren't gonna waist their energy on this."
"Well if you think you can handle it then I guess that's up to you," Eda sighed. "But if you stayed out the way for a little while then things might just simmer down. Don't tell me you haven't noticed the vibe wafting through the city these past couple of days?"
Revy didn't know if the others had noticed the differences, but she sure as hell had; everything was just too silent during the hours after sunset. And even in the day, there was a strange unease in the air. But even so, she had no intention of running away.
"Fuck laying low," Revy said. "They're not gonna last the week in this city anyway. That's the best idea you've got, Eda? If it is, then thanks; the door's that way."
Everyone looked toward Rock, as a faint groan passed out of him. Revy watched as his eyes slowly began to open, the first thing they seemed to fall upon was her, and an odd fear filled her up in that moment as she looked back.
No one had a chance to speak to him, distracted by the ball of orange fire that suddenly appeared outside, blazing in the distance. Revy sprung from her seat, her beer and cigarette flying through the air as she saw the flames rise up within the window's wide view of the city. Even Rock seemed to stagger painfully to his feet, locked in freakish surprise as everyone gathered towards the window, all transfixed with the sight of the explosion that shined in the night.
"Holy fuck!" Revy gasped.
Benny's voice shook as he spoke. "Isn't that– "
"Hotel Moscow's headquarters," Dutch said. "Yeah."
"Jesus Christ!" Eda exclaimed.
" …S-shit!" Rock slurred.
Revy felt a cold iron grip wrap itself around her heart at the sight, as bursts of flame tore at the building. No real detail could be seen from such a distance, but anyone with a set of working eyes would know that it was bad. Whatever was really going on, she knew that things had just gotten so much worse.
The long wait of the walking dead was finally over. Hell had come to Roanapur at last.
I hope you all liked this chapter, and hopefully you didn't find it to be too long. Thanks for reading so far, and I'll have another chapter written and posted as soon as I can. Bye for now.