—xXx—

Chapter 3: Surprise!

—xXx—

Balalaika was a patient woman. As a sniper in the Soviet Army's Vozdushno-Desantnye Vojska (Paratroopers), she sometimes had to wait for days to get an opportunity to kill a target which might not even show up. She was also a woman whom you didn't want to cross. Being a Captain in the army required her to assert her superiority over her male subordinates, hardening her into a vicious warrior. She projected an aura that warned everyone that she was dangerous.

Currently the head of Roanapur's branch of Hotel Moscow was waiting with the representative of the company who was paying her well for a disc containing countless secrets. Kageyama was a cold, all-business man who kept his emotions in check.

Until now.

"Where are they?" He growled in anger. He had business to conduct back in Japan, and was not pleased with the delays in recovering the Disc.

"Relax." Balalaika ordered. "The Lagoon Company have a reputation of getting the job done, no matter what."

"I care little about the reputation of a few pieces of trash." Kageyama declared, not caring about what the present company would say about his statement.

"Do not take the word of Hotel Moscow so lightly, Mr. Kageyama." Balalaika replied. "You would do well to listen to what we have to say."

The group fell into a tense silence as both parties refused to speak any further. Within five minutes, a low rumble of a helicopter could be heard.

All of Hotel Moscow instantly recognized the familiar sounds of a Mi-24 Gunship from their time in Afghanistan. They all checked their weapons making sure they were ready to shoot if they were ordered to. The gunship was flying less than 30 meters off the ground, and as it rose over the horizon, Balalaika's keen eyes spotted the Black Lagoon roaring after it.

"At ease." She barked to her men who all reacted accordingly, having their full trust in the scarred woman.

It didn't take long before the helicopter made a sloppy landing—compared to the soviet military's standards—next to the docks and the assembled group. The PT boat docked with professional ease next the helicopter which was slowly powering down, and less than five minutes later, all three groups were represented at the meeting place.

—xXx—

"Quite the impressive catch you've made Dutch." Balalaika commented as Kageyama left. She approached them with a detachment of her troops as her guard.

"We had a minor problem en route so we figured that we deserved a few spoils." Dutch replied vaguely.

"I see you also picked up a pilot as well." She replied.

"Rock is a recent addition to The Lagoon Company and already has proved that he is a valuable employee." Dutch answered.

"High praise coming from you, Dutch." Balalaika stated as she approached Rock to get a closer look at the young Japanese man. "You don't look like much at first glance, but I see you already have learned a lot. Impressive growth for such a short time in our world."

"Looks can be deceiving." Rock stated, earning a smirk from Revy which did not go unnoticed by the head of Hotel Moscow.

Balalaika examined Rock without saying anything for a minute before turning to speak with Revy. "I see he has one of yours." Talking about the piece that sat in Rock's concealed shoulder holster.

"He's competent with it." Revy replied noncommittally. "At least I don't have to worry about him shooting me accidentally." Her image would suffer no matter what her reply, but it never felt wrong to insult or poke fun at Rock.

—xXx—

Rock let out a breath that he didn't realize that he was holding as Balalaika moved to talk a little more privately with Dutch.

"Nervous?" Revy asked her partner.

"More than I thought I'd be." Rock admitted. "Even after all this time, she still puts me on edge."

"Meh." Revy shrugged her shoulder. "Your not the first, nor will you be the last." She replied casually. "You made a better impression this time though."

Rock chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I did. Landing the chopper was harder than I thought it would be."

"It's a lot larger than the one you learned in." Revy replied. "It's like changing to a larger caliber. A lot is the same, but at the same time it's a whole other ball game."

"Only you would make that connection." Rock mused.

"Revy, you're sure familiar with Mr. Rock." Balalaika interrupted the partners. "Already claiming a stake?"

"Ah fuck no, Big Sis." Revy swore as she shoved Rock to the concrete roughly. "He just appreciates guns. Not many shit-heads care what their piece can do."

"More importantly, what yours can do to me." Rock muttered as he got to his feet. "That hurt."

"You want something to make the pain go away?" Revy demanded, pulling her Cutlass on the Lagoon Company's newest employee.

"No thanks." Rock replied not flinching as Revy prodded his nose with the extended barrel of her Cutlass.

"It seems that Mr. Rock has many surprises." Balalaika commented and then turned to speak to Rock. "Not many can face Two Hands' guns without flinching. I look forward to seeing what surprises you have in store for us in the future."

With that, her business was concluded and Hotel Moscow quickly left in their cars, setting up a defensive parameter around their Captain.

Dutch and Benny came closer to the time traveling duo to discuss their travel arrangements.

"How much fuel do you have in the gunship?" Dutch asked in his baritone voice.

"If we took the external weapons off, and if I flew solo, I'd make it back with a decent safety reserve." Rock answered. "It would be better if I flew at the cruising speed to get the best fuel efficiency, so I'll have to leave an hour or two after than you."

"Alright folks, let's get the rocket pods off this piece of junk and properly stowed down below." Dutch ordered as the crew of the Black Lagoon broke out their tools and began working on the helicopter. It was arduous work as the munitions were much heavier that they looked.

—xXx—

Two hours later, Rock powered up the Mil Mi-24 gunship and in less than five minutes he was airborne and an hour later he was flying over Roanapur as the Black Lagoon was docking at the Lagoon Company's dry dock. There was no possible way to hide the helicopter from the denizens of Roanapur. They heard it flying over the bay, its rotors beating the air and echoing around the surrounding hills. A small crowd of people watched it land next to the Lagoon Company's docks. It would only be a matter of hours before everyone in the dark city knew about the Lagoon Company's recent acquisition.

"That's gonna attract a lot of unwanted attention." Benny grimaced as he looked at the military helicopter. "Dutch, do you think it's worth hanging on to it or selling it to Chang or Balalaika?"

Dutch gave Rock and Revy a pointed look, clearly asking the two their opinion without speaking. Revy simply shrugged, leaving Rock to answer and he wasn't too sure of the answer himself.

"It would be attractive to either organization to have a weapon system like this." Rock pondered The Lagoon Company's options, trying to figure out every possible outcome of every possible decision. "On the other hand, having it in the Lagoon Company's inventory would add considerable weight to any threats or demands we might have to make."

"Let's give her a try before we think about selling it to anyone." Dutch decided. "She looks like she can carry a decent amount of cargo, so we can use her for rush jobs."

"Sounds like a plan." Revy smiled.

—xXx—

Balalaika returned to the Hotel with a minor fanfare from all her men, but her mind was wandering to her business with The Lagoon Company. Their newest employee Rock unsettled her. It was his eyes. His eyes looked like they belonged to her men. Men who had seen war, and the worst the underworld could show them.

So why did some random salary man have those eyes? And why was Revy so familiar with him? Those questions bothered her as she had no answers. And she wanted them.