Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from Evangelion or Black Lagoon, I'm just borrowing them both for awhile. While this is NOT in canon for either series Black Lagoon fans can assume that Rock arrived in Roanapur not long before Second Impact in Evangelion. Therefore he's been working for the Lagoon Company for about fifteen years.

Neon Genesis Evangelion/Black Lagoon

The Package

Gendo Ikari, Supreme Commander of NERV, master planner and ruler of all he surveyed, felt a headache coming on as he listened to his cousin on the phone. "The boy is WHERE?" he demanded harshly, his glasses sliding down his face comically.

"Thailand," his cousin answered him briskly, "the boy won the trip in a musical competition in town." There was a pause as he added with cold amusement, "You did tell me to encourage his interest in music, Gendo."

'As a means of further isolating him, not...,' Gendo thought to himself irritably, but decided not to dwell on it. Briskly he asked, "When is the boy due back?"

"At the end of next month," the man said smugly, "he's touring with a symphony orchestra there, you know."

Gendo felt his headache grow into a pounding between his eyes. "Fax me the route and information," he said bleakly, "I'll have to take steps."

Kozo Fuyutsuki looked on curiously as Gendo hung up the phone, the gray haired man slightly amused at seeing his normally cool colleague looking so flustered. "Is there a problem?" the second in command at NERV asked Gendo mildly.

Gendo pushed his glasses up, trying to regain his usual poise and get his irritation under control. "The Third Child is out of the country," he said to Kozo flatly as his mind worked rapidly, "and will be for at least a month or longer."

Kozo's eyes widened in alarm as all traces of humor leeched from his face. "Sachiel is due to arrive in two weeks," he said to Gendo worriedly. "What are we going to do? Rei will not have recovered enough by then to pilot..."

"We need to get him back here before then," Gendo said flatly, trying not to think what a disaster it might be if he wasn't there. He closed his eyes as he dredged his memory then mused, "Thailand, Thailand... don't we have a contact out there?"

Kozo looked rather worried as he answered, "Well, we did some business with Hotel Moscow at one point... but do you really think...?"

"She did business with us before," Gendo said as he picked up the phone, pausing only to check the number before dialing, "helping us will ensure there is more business. Besides, I'll pay them whatever we need to."

Gendo had to deal with several flunkies, but once it was clear who he was they quickly bumped him up. There was a moment's wait then a woman's voice came on, speaking English with a faint Russian accent. "Yes?" she drawled calmly.

Gendo took a steadying breath then answered her, "This is Gendo Ikari. WE did some business last year..."

"Ah, Mr. Ikari," Balalaika smiled, you could hear it in her voice as she added, "I have fond memories of our meeting in Hong Kong."

Gendo actually flushed slightly. He had arranged for them to meet in Hong Kong-2 to finish up their business, and he had been rather intrigued by the tall, scarred blond. They had ended up in bed after a few drinks, and he had been quite stunned by her sexual aggressiveness. He's heard of people being called a 'tiger in bed' but she brought that to a whole other level.

"As do I," Gendo agreed as calmly as possible, "but I'm sorry to say fond memories of the past must wait. I need you assistance with something."

"Hotel Moscow is ready to help," Balalaika purred, her voice taking on a dangerous tone. "How may we be of assistance?" she asked.

"There is a individual NERV needs who is currently in Thailand," Gendo said as emotionlessly as he could manage, "we need him retrieved and brought to Tokyo-3 quickly."

Balalaika paused for a moment then asked curiously, "Why not use your own security forces? I'm certain they're quite capable."

"I could send them in," Gendo conceded, "but time is of the essence. I need the retrieval completed in less than two weeks."

"Challenging," Balalaika noted, sounding like she was sitrting back in her chair. "I think I have just the experts in mind, Mr, Ikari." she mused, "May I ask whom we'll be retrieving?"

Gendo puffed out a breath, "My son, Shinji."

"Very interesting," Balalaika mused. "Can we expect any interference?"

Gendo nearly said no automatically, then thought better of it. SEELE needed the scenario to proceed uninterrupted, but the JSSDF had no such obligation to him or SEELE. And if they were even mildly aware of the requirements that Evangelion had to function, they might well try to stop them... "There might be some trouble," he conceded.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Stop it!" Shinji yelped as the brown haired woman yanked him off his feet, his own shorter brown hair falling into his eyes.

"All right people," Dutch said as the tall, bald headed black man casually hefted his shotgun, "we've got who we want. Stay here and be quiet, and nobody gets hurt." He looked at the woman, "Come on, Revy."

The three hurried out of the city's concert hall, Revy casually dragging Shinji behind her. "Are you sure this is the kid we're after, Dutch?" she asked briskly, "He don't look like much."

"Well, he matches the photo," Dutch shrugged as the muscular man shoved the doors to the concert hall open, the group running to the running car, a older model ford in decent shape .

The Asian man sitting behind the wheel looked rather dismayed to see the exposed guns they both were carrying. "Dutch, I thought we were going to try asking first?" he sighed, getting out so that Dutch could drive.

"This way's faster, Rock," Dutch said as he slid behind the wheel. "Revy, toss the kid in the back then take shotgun."

"Got it," Revy shoved Shinji in the back, then Rock climbed in, giving the frazzled looking boy a sympathetic look.

"What is going on here?" sitting in the back seat Shinji asked them plaintively even as they drove off, tires squealing.

"My name is Rockuro Okijima," the older Asian man offered his hand, "but everyone calls me Rock. You're Shinji Ikari, correct?"

"Yeah," Shinji shook his hand weakly.

"We are the Lagoon company," Rock smiled wryly as the car hurtled through streets and around traffic towards the sea, "we were hired by your father."

"My father?" Shinji blinked.

"He needs you brought to Tokyo-3 urgently, it seems," Rock shrugged.

"My father...?" Shinji blinked, trying to process that. Since his mother died Gendo had been a cold and remote, sending him off to live with his uncle in the country. And now, out of the blue, he wanted him for something?

Sirens wailed off in the distance, but gradually getting louder and closer to them. "Damn, the cops responded faster than I thought," Revy muttered.

Rock gave a pained look as he looked towards the front and asked, "You didn't threaten anyone when you grabbed Mr. Ikari?"

"Just to get their attention," Dutch shrugged.

Rock ran a hand over his face, "Oh dear." He pulled out his phone and dialed as he muttered, "Better have Benny start the engines..."

Within a few minutes police were in hot pursuit, the old ford rattling as they raced to the docks and Revy leaned out the window, taking pot shots at the police car's wheels. "Oh god we're gonna die," Shinji whimpered, ducking down in the back seat.

"You get used to it after awhile," Rock said to him comfortingly as they skidded to a stop on the city's run down docks. He bodily grabbed Shinji as they swiftly bailed out of the car and ran up the pier to a waiting patrol boat.

The blond haired man stuck his head up through the hatch as he called, "I thought this was going to be a simple pick up?"

"Things got a bit complicated, Benny," Dutch answered as they all hurried on board the boat as police hurried up the dock towards them.

"Punch it!" Revy yelled as they ran into the bridge, the sound of police climbing on board echoing around them.

Dutch dropped into the driver's seat and slammed a leaver, presumably starting the engine. Shinji barely stayed on his feet as they tore away from the dock, the boat bucking as it tore free from the lines securing it. There were dismayed cries above them as police fell into the drink or desperately held on to the ship's hull.

"Think any of them stayed on?" Rock had to ask.

Dutch made a face. "Revy, go check," he ordered, "but if there are any still on, don't kill 'em. Shoot to wound."

"Yeah, yeah," Revy sauntered off, sounding disappointed.

Shinji staggered over to a wall and leaning against it collapsed bonelessly to the deck. He had just been kidnapped, shot at by police and now was on a boat going who knows where... it was all rather shocking to the normally sheltered young man.

Rock noticed his state and walked over, smiling down at him sympathetically as he asked, "Are you all right?"

"No," Shinji answered him miserably, "I've been abducted, shot at... and my cello was left back there, too!" He slumped, thumping his head against his knees.

"We'll try to get it back once the heat dies down," Dutch said calmly as they raced out of the harbor, keeping a eye out for persut.

"Don't worry," Rock patted Shinji on the shoulder as he told the boy, "I'm sure things will go better from now on."

Revy sauntered in as he said that and grimaced. "Do you have to tempt fate, Rock? Now something will go wrong, bet on it."

To be continued...