Bullet XI

It was nighttime and Rock went outside to smoke a cigarette and look up at the night sky, thinking maybe that would help him relax and get some sleep.

Rock sighed, releasing a cloud of smoke. This was his fourth cigarette, the last time he had smoked this much, it was when he was nervous to see if he had made it into college...on his second try. He was tired from the little trip to the sewers hours ago, but that didn't stop him from tossing and turning in his bed.

After all, today was the twins' last practice, tomorrow would be the assault. And once it started, there would be no turning back, for him or anyone else. He had been confident and determined when he proposed the plan to Dutch, but now that the moment of truth was approaching, he was beginning to doubt.

It was supposed to be a quick hit and an even quicker getaway... But in the prison there were cameras, in every prison there were cameras, even more so in this one as it was maximum security. His face will be filmed. Her name and face will be stained.

Shenhua was an assassin and a mercenary who only seemed to care about how much money she would get out of this. Fang Jian was a member of a Triad, and only cared about escaping. Benny, Dutch and Revy were real criminals and would not be inside the prison.

And even if they were, they were settled in Roanapur and probably already had several arrest warrants so it wouldn't be a big change for them. Hansel and Gretel didn't even care.

But what about him? What if he ever wanted to go back home? What if he could no longer stay in that city of crime and wanted to go to Japan or another country? He would be a real criminal and would have to live in fear of being caught and locked up in jail. Of course there was also the possibility that everything would fail and they would be caught in the act... even death.

All those questions and possible scenarios in his head kept him from sleeping.

"Hello, police?" -said a voice. Rock lowered his head, it was Revy. She was leaning against the door frame, a can of beer in her hand. "There's a sinister looking man smoking in my driveway, I sent a patrol car, please..."

"Don't mind him officer, he's just a drunk spouting bullshit.". -Rock replied.

"Whoa, someone's in a mood..."

"Can you blame me? I'm tired and can't sleep."

Revy held up his can of beer. "This is a good way to sleep."

Rock simply shook his head. "No thanks, I'd rather not climb a fucking cliff and crawl into the fucking sewers with a fucking hangover."

"That's a lot of fucking stuff."

"Like I said, I'm tired and I can't sleep." -Rock returned his gaze to the sky. "Do you need anything Revy? Because I'm not making any late night snacks."

"Too bad, I was craving some steaks with eggs and rice.". -Revy walked over to where he was standing and stood next to him. "But I can settle for knowing what the hell is wrong with you."

"A sleepless night?"

"I'm no doctor, but it sounds like more than just a sleepless night to me."

Rock again looked down and scratched his head. He didn't know if it was because of his physical exhaustion and stress, or just Revy was being especially annoying tonight, but he was starting to get pissed off. He wanted to be alone and quiet. "And what the hell business is it of yours what happens to me?"

"Ahh. Now do you understand the real pain in the ass to have someone come and meddle in your business?" -Replied Revy with surprising calmness. Normally, an aggressive response from Rock, or any other, would trigger his anger. "Well fuck you if you don't like it, you did the same thing to me a few days ago." -She nudged him lightly. "Now stop being a pussy and spit out what's wrong with you."

"Or you'll shoot me?" -Said Rock, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Or I'll shove this beer can up your ass."

"That would be a waste..." -Rock sighed wearily, giving up on her, and threw away the remains of his cigarette. He was tempted to pull out another, but resisted. He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'm just scared."

Revy raised an eyebrow. "Scared of what, you had a nightmare?"

"Not exactly. I'm scared of what might happen tomorrow, you know, before and after that. aren't you?"

"Nope. I'm cool like that, I'm not afraid of anything I can kill with my guns."

"Ah, I thought so."

"Once you've been in as many life and death situations as I have, you stop being afraid and even sometimes end up enjoying it, but I guess that's not the case with you." -Revy gave him a sidelong glance. "You could simply let the brats go alone and bring the pack along with the Chinese bitch."

"Oh, of course, I know that all too well. The kids already know the way and what to do by heart, I trust them 120%. I can duck out of all this big shit and wait sitting comfortably next to Benny... but that's not my style. I invited you and the kids to this dance, so I have to dance too."

"Sounds like a little dangerous dancing to me, man. I'm not going to lie to you with some 'everything will be fine tomorrow' bullshit, you know you can die, right? Not just you, tomorrow all of us will be at risk of dying."

He merely shrugged. "Well, they call it the dance of death for a reason. And ever since we've set foot in Taiwan we've been at risk of dying."

Revy said nothing, because he was right. She took a sip at her beer, but found it was empty. She stared at the dark bottom of the can, wondering what to say next. She was never someone who was very good with words, especially since she could solve everything by punching and dropping shots.

But she couldn't do that in this situation. Again, with Rock everything was difficult. She didn't even know why he was bothering to do this.

"I guess... I guess you were right after all.". -Said Revy after a while of silence. "Again I ended up dragging you into a big shit storm that's trying to kill us. I don't give a fuck really, but for a regular guy like you, it sure must be hard to deal with this."

Rock looked at her, rather surprised. "Is that an apology from you I'm hearing?"

She nudged him again, this time a little harder. "Don't get smart, asshole. I'm just saying, what, if you want to back out now with your participation in this crazy scheme of yours, no one's going to try to coward you or anything. You don't have to prove anything by risking your life, we and the kids are perfectly capable of pulling this off."

Rock blinked. Oh, so she was just trying to reassure him a little. Kind of a confusing and rude way to do it, but the intent was what really mattered. Revy could be surprisingly nice.

"Well, I wasn't doing this to prove anything in the first place, but I'm happy to hear that. And being completely honest with you, deep down I find this a bit exciting too."

"...You really are one crazy son of a bitch, huh?"

"You're the one who gave me all that craziness. Take responsibility, bitch." -Rock replied, half seriously, half jokingly. He smiled genuinely. "In any case, thank you Revy. Your terrible attempt to help distract me a little from the bullshit I was thinking, has worked. I'm still a little freaked out, but I think I'll be able to sleep tonight."

She folded her arms and looked away. "Tsk. And who the fuck said I wanted to help you? I just saw you here, all gloomy, and I got curious as to what the hell was wrong with you. That's all. Turns out I didn't have to worry about anything, it was just you and your usual faggy shit."

"There, there, there's no need to be embarrassed. I know, I'll fix you that steak and eggs and rice you wanted so badly."

"Fuck you Rock."

"Is that a 'no' then?"

"..."

"I figured."

Fang Jian was a bit anxious. It had already been over a week since Shenhua's last visit, which meant that his days of being more or less "safe" would soon be over. As soon as the guards found out that he wouldn't be able to pay them for more protection and benefits, he would be screwed.

He quickly sat down and picked up the phone, while Shenhua approached taking all the time in the world. "Well, do you have any really important news?" -Fang Jian asked. "Or are you just coming to spout bullshit or threats from Chang again?"

"Not really. But if you're bothered by what I have to say, I could just leave." -said Shenhua, making a pretense of getting up.

Fang Jian slapped the glass separating them, a thick, bulletproof one. "Wait, damn you." -Shenhua sat back down, smiling. Fang Jian sighed wearily. "It's okay, it's okay, I apologize for my little outburst. I haven't been able to sleep very well lately."

"More attempts by your friends to hit you from behind?"

"No, but like I said, I'm running low on funds, and Chang hasn't sent me anything." -He looked at her suspiciously. "Did you talk to him?"

"I did, but as I told you, Mr. Chang is pissed and won't send you any money. But don't worry, you're getting out today. In fact, it will be now."

Fang Jian looked at her with wide eyes. "Leaving now? When you say 'now' do you mean...?"

"Right now. Since, thanks to the chaos and confusion of a riot, which you yourself will generate, you will be able to escape."

"... Are you asking me to start a fucking mutiny?"

"That's right."

"¿Are you crazy, do you think it's as simple as going around asking those idiots up there to get out of control just because I say so?"

"Well it better be, because that's the only way out of here."

"And you didn't think that information was supposed to be given to me beforehand to set everything up?"

"Obviously not."

Fang Jian sighed again as he gripped the bridge of his nose hard, hard enough to leave a white mark there. "Right. Let's assume for a moment that I go along with your ridiculous and absurd plan. How do I start the riot? How will I be able to escape amidst the chaos and confusion, if I'm going to be locked up there?"

Shenhua held up one of his fingers. "One; the riot will start under the promise of freedom, tell everyone that, if they go crazy for a while, some friends of yours will come and break down the prison walls so they can escape."

"Is that what will happen?"

She ignored him and held up another of her fingers. "Two; you will come here, as this will be the place of exit being the most vulnerable area."

Fang Jian almost laughed. Vulnerable zone? The visitor's room was almost at the entrance, where the guards maintained a strong presence. He had toured the place so many times that he knew the corridors and turns of the prison better than those of his own home.

"In the miraculous event that they listen to me and the riot starts... How the fuck do you intend for me to get here? Because may I remind you that I'm housed on the second floor, beyond the general population."

"Weren't you supposed to have bought guards?"

"Yes, because they're corrupt, not stupid. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if one of these sons of bitches has already ratted us out."

"They won't." -Assured Shenhua confidently.

Fang Jian raised one of his eyebrows. "And how the hell do you know that?"

"Because you said it yourself, they're corrupt." -Shenhua turned to a guard, and smiled at him. "So they expect a good payment for helping you, don't they buddy?"

"...How much are we talking about, Miss?" -said the guard.

"About $100,000 dollars, for you and anyone else who helps us. An amount you'll never get here, even if you worked all your life.". -She replied. "You don't even have to do anything complicated, just take this idiot, let him spit out some nonsense and then bring him back here. After that, you should just look the other way while we take him away."

The guard seemed to debate for a moment, which Fang Jian quickly took advantage of. "I'm a member of a Triad, and good friends with the boss, and since you've done me so many favors, I'll make sure he gets you a good position there, or a much better job. You can even bring a few friends from here if you wish."

"See? You won't have to put up with this stinking prison anymore, and surrounded by imbecilic and even stinkier prisoners. It's a good deal."

After hearing that, the guard nodded. "Yes, it's a good deal. I'll do it, but it's in their best interest to keep their word."

Shenhua smiled again. "Oh, of course. I promise you'll go on to a better life."

The day was calm, not even a cloud in the sky. The ocean was the same, just barely shaking the Black Lagoon a bit. Dutch thought it was an ideal day for relaxing fishing, or a prison break. Although he would have preferred everything to happen during the night for more security, but then again, the whole operation was improvisation after improvisation.

Even the escape routes Benny planned wouldn't do, since he'd be sailing a second boat, which wasn't even a boat to begin with, but a speedboat, small and nimble, ideal for getting the hell out of there as fast as they could while he and Revy stayed behind, making quite a racket.

And even if Benny was in the Black Lagoon, it wouldn't do either, because there would definitely be a lot of very pissed off people chasing them. Dutch should have guessed that it would all end in 'coming in with smoking guns and blowing stuff up', along with the classic hit and run tactic.

Keeping it all simple seemed to always be the right thing to do.

"How much more Dutch?" -Rvy asked, for the fifth time. He was a little surprised at the patience she was showing.

They had been parked for quite a while, as they were to wait for Rock and the twins to enter through the sewers and for Shenhua to give the signal. Though they had no idea what that signal would look like, nor did they have any idea if Rock and his kids were able to enter or not.

"Just a little longer, baby. Gotta waits for the signal." -Responded Dutch with perfect calm.

"Well, I don't see any fucking signal."

"Because there isn't one yet. Just wait, soon you'll be killing Chinese like you're in fucking Vietnam.".

Minutes ticked by and still no signal. Revy grew increasingly impatient, pacing back and forth across the deck of the ship from one end to the other, like a hungry animal in a cage. Dutch could almost hear the sound of his teeth grinding.

Dutch thought showing enthusiasm wasn't wrong, he just thought Revy was showing too much. He couldn't blame her though, she had been out of action for quite some time.

"Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me." -Dutch blurted out suddenly, more to distract Revy than anything else. And it worked, because she looked at him with a raised eyebrow, stopping her pacing for a moment.

"I didn't know you were a religious man.". -Said Revy.

"All soldiers are religious men; I've never seen an atheist one behind a foxhole. And well there, Rev', you know a passage from the bible."

"Not really. I heard that once in a song, later I found out they got it out of the bible." -She shook her head. "I'm not surprised, everything written in there is crazy and scary."

"What do you mean 'crazy and scary'? If it's written there about the message of Salvation."

" Yeah, besides how everyone is going to hell. When I was a kid I read a little bit about the Apocalypse once, and it's some really crazy scary shit. I wonder what whoever wrote that must have been smoking."

"...Well, it's just that part is loaded with symbolism. A kid couldn't understand it, you should read it now that you're an adult."

"No thanks, I have enough nightmares without adding more."

Suddenly, a loud noise echoed in the air, like some kind of scream. It was from the distant prison-island.

"Oh, looks like we got a signal there.". -said Dutch. "Although I don't know if it's because the riot started, or because capturing Rock and the kids."

"I wouldn't know, whenever there's a riot or a breakout, it always sounds the same fucking alarm." -said Revy, who had experienced both events a couple of times in his years in prison. "But I'll beat the shit out of that asshole if he let himself get captured. Now come on, speed this thing up, me and my baby want to play."

While one stretch of the road was a bit narrow for Rock, the children were able to get through just fine without any complications. However, they didn't hold back with their complaints the whole way, even though they had done so the days before. Rock endured them all in silence, because he had no one to complain to.

"I think we need to change our agreement, Boss.". -Said Hansel, once they entered the engine room.

"You can't alter deals once made.".". -Responded Rock, panting a little as he took off the backpack he was wearing. Between climbing with a bulletproof vest on and carrying the backpack full of explosives, blessed C-4 that didn't go off easily, it was more exhausting than usual for him.

However, the kids were perfectly fine despite carrying the same backpacks... Once again, Rock didn't know if it was because the kids were strong, or because he was useless.

"Yeah, but I don't think I can go back to eating chocolates after this. I mean, I buried my arm up to my elbow in something suspiciously soft that was on the floor, and then I had to wash it in something else suspiciously similar that was in the water."

"...You've got a point there.". -Admitted Rock.

Gretel was the last one up. She now had hair just as short as her brother, Rock had been surprised by this, only to discover that she normally wore a wig. Gretel took it off because she didn't want it to get dirty. "I don't know what you're complaining about, if on many occasions you ended up smeared with blood and guts."

"Blood and guts are one thing, shit is quite another. There are a lot of differences."

"It's part of having a new life, get used to it." -said Gretel, crossing her arms. Without her wig, she was even more like her brother, if not for her clothes and tone of voice, she could easily pass herself off as Hansel.

"Who signed the contract? Because no one mentioned that we'd have to travel all the way to another country to crawl in the shit..."

"That's the trap of the fine print."

"What a perverse and corrupt system!"

"You two are too relaxed.". -Said Rock, glancing outside. Revy was not exaggerating when he said there were many armed guards. It was a frightening sight. "I don't want them to get distracted, do something stupid, and get us killed for it."

Gretel looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Aren't we supposed to say that, Boss?"

"Very funny..."

"And when are we supposed to blow up the prison, Boss?" -asked Hansel, who had been setting a few explosive charges all over the room. "In fact, how the hell are we going to do that? We can't climb the walls like we're a masked superhero."

"...Why a masked one?" -Gretel asked, cocking her head to one side.

"A superhero who doesn't wear masks, isn't a superhero. He's just a regular hero."

"In any case, I haven't thought about that yet.". -Responded Rock, not taking his eyes off the surroundings attentively. "In the meantime, we have to stick to the original plan and go all the way to the visiting room when, I don't know... the riot starts, I guess?"

"I'm worried." -said Gretel.

"You don't have to, I'm sure I'll figure something out."

"Now I'm more worried!"

Just then, a deafening alarm sounded, startling the three of them. "What the hell is that!?" -Rock exclaimed.

"Looks like an alarm!". -Responded Hansel, futilely covering his ears.

"Why is it going off all of a sudden!?"

"I don't know Boss, I'm no alarm expert!"

"What do we do!?"

"I don't know Boss, I'm not leading!"

"Damn it Hansel, be more helpful!"

"But you're supposed to be the adult here!" -replied the boy, indignantly.

"That must be the Chinese bitch's signal!". -intervened Gretel as she saw that those two idiots were getting nowhere. "The riot has started, we must go to the visiting room!"

"Not yet!" -Said Rock, stopping the girl. "Dutch and Revy must first distract the guards who are patrolling outside!"

"And when will that be!?"

"I don't know!"

"And how the hell will Anego and the black bald guy distract the guards!?"

"I don't know that either!"

"You should be more helpful too, Boss!"

"Sarcastic retorts and smart remarks are my business, young lady!"

Then suddenly a voice started shouting something that the twins couldn't understand, as the voice spoke in Chinese. Since it was so loud, it was obvious that it was speaking through a loudspeaker. Immediately after, another loud noise was heard, almost over the alarm. It was like some kind of jackhammer working at full speed, followed by a lot of gun shots and people shouting.

"...It must be them!". -Rock glanced outside again. The guards were quickly heading elsewhere, some barking orders through their Handy radios. "It's our chance, let's go!"

The Black Lagoon approached at full speed, stopping just inside the small dock.

Revy watched as the guards ran into the prison, but a good number remained outside. Past the dock, there were two towers where there were some guards. Seeing them stop there, a man dressed in military uniform and armed with a machine gun spoke to them through a loudspeaker.

"你们这些在船上的人，这里是平民的禁区! 立即退下，否则我们将开火!" (You people in the boat, you're in an area restricted to civilians! Stand down immediately or we will open fire!)

For a bit of a surprise, Revy had previously re-covered his new toy. "Yeah, I didn't understand a word you said, but your mother just in case!" -She pulled back the black tarp, revealing the terrible minigun, the guard's dumbfounded face was better than she had imagined. "Greetings from Vietnam, bitch!"

Without giving him time to react, she pulled the trigger. Although the gun was securely locked in a holder, Revy could feel the recoil of the weapon and how her arms trembled at the power of the gunfire. She had to hold the gun tightly to make sure it didn't deflect, and was able to hit the guard perfectly, sending him flying backwards.

Without stopping firing, Revy turned the barrel of the gun, piercing the tower completely and then moving on to the next one. The other guards finally reacted, and came up firing at point-blank range, but she simply returned their fire.

The shots tore off the arm of one, the leg of another. Yet another took a direct hit, being almost completely torn to shreds. The others quickly sought cover. Although the guards also had bulletproof vests, there was no way to protect themselves against the power of the M134.

A few jeep vehicles arrived at the entrance and several troops quickly got out to defend the prison. One of the jeeps didn't even have a chance to stop, as it took a direct round of gunfire and exploded along with the men inside.

Revy laughed out loud and continued firing mercilessly, ignoring the enemy bullets skimming past him. It had been quite a while since the last time she had had this much fun.

However, barely a minute later, the gun's barrel stopped firing and it stopped, smoking. The minigun was consuming a lot of ammunition at a really fast rate.

"Shit... Reloading here, Dutch!" -Shouted Revy, dropping the gun and reaching for one more long strip of ammo. That was another problem, reloading time.

Dutch nodded silently from the cockpit, then revved up the Black Lagoon. He made a quick turn to get some distance away from the guards' gunfire, but they took the opportunity to quickly make their way to the dock and get into boats that were equipped with heavy machine guns.

"Ready Dutch!"

Again, the Black Lagoon made a sharp turn, this time in the opposite direction. The minigun roared again. Three poor devils who hadn't reached to get into a boat were shot full on, jerking as if electrocuted. The blood that came out of their bodies formed a small red cloud.

The other boats accelerated, rapidly approaching the Black Lagoon. Revy unloaded a round of bullets on one of them without giving them a chance to do anything, but the other let loose a volley of shots.

Dutch heard Revy shout something, but as she kept firing, he paid no attention to her and decided to focus only on trying to maneuver to avoid the fire of the other boats that were coming dangerously close to them.

Fortunately, they were being pursued and were moving away from the prison. It looked like the bait game had worked, Shenhua, Rock and the twins would have to deal with the rest.