The Package

Chapter five

Roanapur was in chaos as fires burned in the distance, explosions ringing out in the night. Bounty hunters had mobilized trying to claim the price on Shinji Ikari's head, while Hotel Moscow and the Lagoon Company were doing their damnedest to try to get the boy out of the city alive.

"Ooof!" Shinji grunted as they banged their was over a bump in the road, the old car's shocks not providing much protection. The brown haired teen was still trying to get his head around the insanity of this whole situation.

"How are you coping?" Rock asked, the older man looking at him with sympathy

"None of this makes any sense," Shinji shook his head as they screeched around a burning car, "why ME? Why would anyone put a bounty on me?"

Revy was sweeping their surroundings intently, one of her guns in hand as she said, "Might not be about you, kid. Your dad's a pretty powerful man, right? You might be leverage."

"But I don't even LIKE my father," Shinji sighed.

"All right, looks like Balalaika's people have cleared us a way to the docks," Dutch announced from the front seat, "but brace yourselves, it could still get a bit rough."

'Rough' was a understatement, as far as Shinji was concerned. Balalaika's people had successfully ambushed the waiting ambushers, smashing the traps with superior military force. They cruised by burning vehicles and broken bodies, blood splattering the road they drove over. Eerily the other passengers seemed to be entirely unbothered by the carnage, while Shinji fought against the impulse to throw up.

The pulled up to the docks even as a group of bounty hunters burst from cover, charging their vehicle. "Get DOWN!" Revy yelled as she shoved Shinji to the floorboards even as she opened up with the pistol in her other hand.

Shinji heard a yelp of pain then Dutch's shotgun roared, shouting and at least one scream of pain cutting through the night. From outside a male voice called out, "Just give up the kid and no one has to get hurt!"

"You're kidding, right?" Dutch called back, sounding amused by the very idea of surrender. "We're the Lagoon Company, we don't give up a client," he yelled. "I'll make you a counter offer," he said calmly, "get the hell out of here and Revy won't kill you all."

"Hey!" Revy protested, "Who says I'm letting any of them get away?"

Shinji gulped, then looked over to where Rock was crouching nearby. "She doesn't mean that, does she?" he whispered.

"Probably," Rock shrugged, "she really doesn't like people shooting at her friends."

Before more gun-play could resume there was the sound of a soft cough, then another went off seconds after the first. "Silenced rifle," Revy noted flatly as the sound repeated again.

The cellphone Dutch was carrying rang, and he answered it with a wary, "Yeah?" He brightened a bit, "Boris, that was your people?"

With a gulp Shinji remembered the mountainous sized man he had met earlier that day. The man looked like a animated brick wall, and coupled with the scars on his face he was a very forbidding figure. But there seemed to be an other side to him, considering how cheerfully Dutch was conversing with him. Well, Shinji figured it took all sorts...

"What now?" Shinji asked quietly.

"Get to the boat," Benny said as they quickly decamped from the car and hurried up the docks. Dutch lead the way with his shotgun ready, just in case, while Revy watched their backs as they ran along.

"Boris said that they'll run what interference they can to keep boats from launching, but other that that we're on our own," Dutch told them as they ran along the wooden dock, partially built on the foundations of buildings sunk after Second Impact.

"As usual," Rock quipped as they reached the boat. He hauled down the ladder with the ease of long practice even as Benny then quickly clambered up.

"You're next kid," Benny offered his hand, puling Shinji on board. "Get bellow, I'm right behind you," he added, following him down under the deck.

Dutch hurried to the bridge, while Shinji lingered in the background as he, Rock and Revy talked. "Fuelled up," Dutch nodded approvingly as he checked the dials, "let's go."

The roar of the engine heralded a sudden burst of movement as the boat rocketed away from the dock. "Whoa," Shinji nearly fell but managed to keep his feet.

"Revy, Boris mentioned he was disappointed he didn't have a chance to show Shinji how to shoot," Dutch noted as he watched the waters ahead of them.

Revy gave him a wary look, "Yeah, so?"

A faint smile teased Dutch's lips, "He thought you should do it instead."

"WHAT?" Revy yelped.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The man commonly known as Patch was lucky to be alive, even though he didn't feel all that lucky. The ambush at the Yellow Flag failed to get the Lagoon company and worse it sounded like his allies had failed too. That kid Ikari had escaped them, and he didn't know if he could try to catch up with them by boat.

Patch skulked down a alley, not wanting to be seen by anyone form Hotel Moscow or it's supporters. He had heard Balalaika herself was involved, and the icy blond was not happy about their attempt to get Ikari. He hesitated at the exit, looking around, then hurried down the street.

His partners Jack and Sonja were both dead, cut down by Revy as she had been breaking out of the bar. Nina had seemed to disappear, and Patch had no idea where she went. It meant that he was completely on his own, at least until he reached a safe place. Patch skirted a streetlight then scurried forward, glad that safety was only meters away...

"Well, fancy seeing you here," a voice purred from behind him.

Patch made a choking noise as he dropped to the street and drew his gun, spinning to face whomever was behind him. As fast as he was she was faster, her pistol pointed between his eyes with rock steadiness. "Eda?" he squeaked.

The nun had ditched her habit somewhere, and was in shorts and a t-shirt. It would have been a sexy and distracting sight if she wasn't holding that gun on him. "Patch, we have to talk," she smiled down at him coldly.

"I talk easier when people aren't holding guns on me," he tried bravely.

"Tough," Eda drew back the hammer of the gun pointedly. "How did you get word that fast about the Ikari bounty?"

"I have contacts...," Patch started, only to have Eda snort in disbelief.

Eda waved the gun slightly as she said, "Don't try to kid me, man. I had the news locked down tight in Roanapur, so I want to know who told you."

Seizing her momentary distraction Patch wrenched her gun aside with one hand then tried to break past her. With a startling sort of speed Eda kicked his legs out from under him, slammed him down onto the road and somehow ended up with her knee in the middle of his back.

"Now, that wasn't nice" Eda noted calmly. She dug her fingers into his hair and yanked back, making him moan in pain as she hissed, "Who told you?"

"All I know is a name," Patch squealed desperately, "Koji! He's Japanese, smokes! Other than that I don't know! Really!"

Eda blinked at that name, then jabbed him firmly. "Kaji?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's it!" Patch nodded as much as he could with her keeping a death grip on his hair, "That's all I know!"

Eda let his hair go and Patch breathed a sigh of relief and even began to hope he might survive. He was still relieved a second later as the blond calmly blew his brains out. His body slumped to the ground as Eda stood up, frowning to herself thoughtfully.

Eda knew of Ryoji Kaji, at least professionally speaking. He was a agent officially working for NERV, but there were rumours about him. He might be taking money from both NERV and the Japanese government, and possibly other parties. But why would such a man be trying to kill a kid like Shinji Ikari?

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The Lagoon kept close to the shoreline as they sailed away from Roanapur. They'd travel faster in open water, but there was a greater chance of running into a patrol boat too. While officially the waters they were sailing in were under international law, the region was rife with pirates and other similar craft. The lawlessness following Second Impact had never really gone away in less developed parts of the world, and Thailand was one of the worst.

The slow trip, however, gave Dutch and surprisingly Rock enough time to talk Revy into showing Shinji how to shoot. Personally Shinji wasn't thrilled with the idea, but he had to admit it would be nice to defend himself rather than be protected by the crazy people with guns. He was also faintly surprised by how Revy calmly ran him through a weapons safety lecture first.

"I never had this kind of training when I picked up a gun when I was younger," Revy mused thoughtfully as she set up some cans on the deck for them to shoot, "I just kind of picked it up. It wasn't until Mr Chang took me under his wing that I got a real education..."

She shook herself, visibly, then Revy settled down to teach Shinji the basics of gun use. The swaying of the boat didn't help his aim, but eventually Shinji found himself shooting the tin cans with fair regularity. Revy even praised him a bit, in a offhand way.

"I don't think you're a natural, but you don't need to be for most things," Revy said bluntly, "practice can make up for a lot. You play cello, right?"

"Yes?" Shinji asked meekly, not sure where she was going with this.

"Well, you probably weren't that good when you started. But with practice, you got good enough to go on that tour, right?" Revy shrugged.

"Yeah," Shinji acknowledged. He smiled wryly, "Too bad I lost me cello."

Revy actually looked a bit sheepish as she said, "Sorry about that."

"Oh well, things can be replaced I guess," he said as Shinji successfully shot another can off the railing and into the water.

They shot for awhile, then Revy fitted him with a holster for the gun. It hung uncomfortably on his hip. And to be honest Shinji felt a little foolish wearing it. "Yes, you have to wear it," Revy cut off a protest as they stood bellow deck, "you never know when you'll need it."

"I feel like a character in some American movie," Shinji muttered, shaking his head as he tried to get the gun to sit comfortably on his hip. "Do I need to practice quick drawing too?"

"Please no," Revy shuddered, "you'd probably accidentally shoot a hole in the ship. Or worse, yourself."

To be continued...