A twist of a cabin door handle and the metallic cabin door creeks open. Rubbing his forehead, Rock steps inside, dressed in a white sleeveless shirt and black gym shorts. He steps into the armory, unchanged aside from a pile on the ground to the left of Rock, the pile consisting of a wallet, a green cell phone, a set of keys, a packet of napkins, a blue lighter, and a grey sleeping bag laying on the ground to the right of Rock, sealed and stuffed with Minh's corpse. The sleeping bag is wrapped in three metallic chains, each chain attached to a round weight, the zipper seal covered in duct tape. Rock glances pensively at Minh's concealed corpse, closes the door, and then turns around, facing the pile on the floor. He reaches down and picks up the cell phone.
Entering into the contact listing on the cell phone, Rock scans the names. His eyes fixate on a pair of contacts that are next to each other, the one on top, 'TN', and the one below it, 'Nguyễn'. Rock pulls his own cell phone out and begins to transcribe the two numbers onto his phone. As he finishes transcribing the 1st contact, the cabin door slides open, causing Rock to hurriedly pocket both phones. Stepping inside, Dutch, dressed in a white sleeveless shirt and black track pants, flinches slightly at the sight of Rock and asks "What the hell you doing here?" Rock quickly crouches and puts his right index finger to his lips, saying "Shh!" Dutch raises his hands in confusion, shrugs his shoulders, and seals the door behind him. Turning back to Rock, he asks "Well? What's up?"
Rock exhales a deep breath and says "I'm picking up Thinh's number from Minh's cell. I didn't tell anyone, but I grabbed a bag of ecstasy on the way out. No one saw me, well, aside from Revy." Dutch glares at Rock incredulously and asks "Well what? You thinking of selling it to Thinh directly?" Rock nods, smiles, and says "That's right." "Are you fucking retarded? Marty promised to sell ecstasy to Thinh. Marty, our client, who just put a lot of money into everyone's pockets. And now you want to undercut him? Are you trying to make me look like an idiot?" Dutch groans, loudly speaking out, causing Rock to "Shh" his boss one more time.
Dutch cringes and speaks out "Are you on some kind of power trip? We are potentially going to make 125,000 in US currency by the end of this week or so, more than 30 grand each. We haven't made money like that since the time Chang hired us to escort that ship full of sex slaves. Why the hell would Thinh even hear you out?" Rock looks to the ground, shakes his head in frustration, and replies "Because Thinh asked me for details about Black Lagoon Company. He specifically asked for the person to contact in case he needed a job. So I gave him your number. I figured that having the most powerful criminal in South Vietnam as a client wouldn't be such a bad thing, given Roanapur's proximity to this country. Sorry about not telling you. I never had the chance until now."
Dutch glares blankly at Rock, turns his head to the side, taps his feet to the rhythm of his thoughts, and suddenly asks "So that was what you and Thinh were talking about at the firing range?" Rock nods immediately and nervously replies "Yes! Yes, yes, yes. Did I make a mistake?" Dutch shakes his head and says "No, you may have made us a lot of extra money in the future. Good salesmanship, I appreciate the forward thinking. That still doesn't change the fact that we are cutting into Marty's business, if you go and sell Thinh those pills."
"Marty has been paying us way above our usual rates. Given who we are up against, it's justified, but still. Remember the last two times we were being paid for way more then we should have been? Luca and those Neo Nazis?" Rock counters, his voice slightly anxious. Dutch laughs and says "So you think that if your boss is paying you too much, you should screw him over? Hey Rock, I'll gladly keep that in mind." Rock rolls his eyes and plants his left hand on his face. After a short pause, Rock asks "How much?"
"5% for me. And 5% for Benny, since you need a driver, and I'm not driving you to Ho Chi Minh City. I'm going to find a beach and treat myself to a nice round of beers, maybe something with a mini umbrella on it. As for you, good luck. Word gets to Marty, I don't know anything about this. Deal?" Dutch smiles and extends his right hand. Rock cracks a weak, slightly annoyed smile, and extends his own right hand, shaking Dutch's. "Deal it is," Dutch calmly replies. He turns toward the sleeping bag and grabs onto the bottom of the bag. Struggling to lift it up, he says "Hey Rock, give me a hand here." Rock nods, transcribes the final number, and then tosses Minh's phone onto the pile of the rest of his belongings. He turns toward the cabin door and opens it, before retreating back to Dutch.
Sluggishly carrying Minh's dead body onto the deck of the Lagoon, Rock and Dutch drop his corpse onto the deck and pant in exhaustion. They are surrounded by nothing but water in every direction, several dozen miles off the Vietnamese coastline. A faint ocean breeze tickles their cheeks as the sun beats down on them, a storm spotted off in the distance. The two turn to the stern of the Lagoon, spotting Revy, dressed in a black tank top and blue corduroy shorts, Ippolito, dressed in his Napoli jersey and grey jeans, and Tuyết, dressed in her sleeveless burgundy shirt and black athletic pants. Revy knocks ash off her cigarette and into the ocean as Ippolito sips on a can of Hanoi Beer and Tuyết hums to herself.
Rock and Dutch lift the sleeping bag up and head toward the end of the stern, propping Minh's corpse onto the deck. "It got the weights tied on snugly, boss?" Revy inquires, taking a drag of her cigarette. Dutch nods and says, panting "Yeah…yeah. He's heavier than he looked." Ippolito finishes his beer and tosses the can overboard. He turns to the sleeping bag and grabs one of the chains with both hands. Tuyết approaches the three and grabs onto another ring of chains. Revy bites down on her cigarette and turns to the four, grabbing the last of the three chains as the five of them lift Minh's corpse off the deck with ease. They approach a section of the rear that lacks a guardrail, a small three step set of stairs leading onto the ocean, and toss the sleeping bag through the space in between. Minh's corpse falls head first into the ocean water, sinking in a matter of seconds.
Suddenly, Benny yells out from the bow, running at them, wearing his red and green Hawaiian shirt and beige slacks, holding in his right arm a sawed-off leg still attached to the cuffs of dark green camouflage pants and a dark grey combat boot. He runs toward the five, holding the leg in his hand, yelling "We forget about Minh's foot." Dutch glares coldly at Benny, and then quickly at the leg. He rips the leg out of Benny's arms and chucks it several meters into the ocean. His demeanor unchanged, Dutch says "Get back to the radar. We had one too many close calls already." Ippolito sighs and shrugs his shoulders, saying "Watch that foot end up in Canada."
Sitting on a bench in front of a large, circular water fountain, Fred Viapiano takes a drag on his cigarette and scans the trees around him. Sunlight beating down on him, Viapiano arcs his head back, inside the same park that Hansel was shot to death in, courtesy of Balalaika's henchmen. He is dressed in a dark-blue collared polo, black slacks held up by a brown, leather belt, and brown leather shoes. He is wearing his stainless-steel watch and his gold ring, taking occasional glances at the time. He starts singing to himself "La Mia Mania" by Gianni Morandi.
As he is singing, his eyes follow a white, blonde woman dressed in a dark blue business dress, a white collared, buttoned undershirt, and black heels. As she enters the park, he sings "Tu porti un tredici al collo…e un corno nel borsellino (You wear a thirteen around the neck…and a trumpet in your purse). Che tocchi quando qualcuno…ti dice all'alba, buondi'(That when somebody touches…it says 'good day' at dawn)." She is holding a small, brown briefcase and is wearing thin-framed sunglasses, her hair tied into an elaborate knot. As Eda sits down next to Viapiano, Viapiano concludes his singing and knocks ash off his cigarette. After a minute long pause, Viapiano blurts out "You stunatz or something? Missy, we are here to do an exchange, not a fucking job interview."
"Hey! You want me to arrive here in my tank top or my nun outfit?! I am trying to look a little low key, considering the circumstances," Eda annoyingly replies, cradling the briefcase in her arms. Viapiano lets out a laugh and says "That suit…in this park, in this weather, at this time of day, in this city…sorry miss but you might have as well showed up in a suit of armor, heh. But hey, I digest." Eda raises an eyebrow at Viapiano and says "You mean you digress." "Yea. That. Now what you got for me?" Viapiano replies, pointing at the briefcase.
Eda sighs and roughly pushes the briefcase into Viapiano's stomach, causing him to wince. "Hey, watch it!" Viapiano yells out as Eda says "Balalaika has been trying to get this massive casino built in downtown Roanapur. She had the license for the land, the rights to open a casino, and the paperwork to serve liquor, but she had trouble raising money. This has been an issue for the past three years. Chang's Triads wanted nothing to do with this for obvious reasons. That was the same with the Nigerians in Bangkok, as Chang and the boss for the Nigerian mafia, Emmanuel Babatunde Fajuyi, have an agreement going between the two. The Koreans weren't willing to pony up the cash, Balalaika wanted nothing to do with the other organized syndicates outside of Roanapur, and the Colombians and Vesuvio's Sicilian Mob ended up at war with Balalaika. After Vesuvio got shot by those lunatic twins, Ronnie Cuccia brought his crew into Roanapur. Balalaika and Cuccia were getting along…kinda…but Cuccia was stuttering on the yes to the deal. Eventually, your friend Luca came along, and I think Balalaika wanted to do business with him. You already know the rest."
Viapiano glares blankly at Eda and indignantly asks "How the fuck does this help me?" Stretching her neck, Eda replies "The initial construction of the casino was finished to the fourth floor when it collapsed overnight. The Thai foreman for the construction accused a Chinese bricklayer of sabotoge, claiming accurately that the guy was a cousin of the head of the Bangkok 14k Triads, Weiliang Kwok. Balalaika chased Weiliang's cousin out of the country and Weiliang almost went to blows with her. Cooler heads prevailed and the two organizations now keep a healthy distance. In reality, the foreman was billing Balalaika for high quality cement, but was actually using cement so shoddy that it couldn't support my ass. After milking Balalaika for all he can, he waited for the thing to collapse, and then got out of dodge. If you want to know to where, I could give you that, as a second favor. I need to get in touch with my associates in the States. I need them to use some satellites, pull some files, so on. I think Balalaika might want to hear this, could help you in negotiations. Maybe even get that casino project restarted."
Viapiano slightly frowns and nods, impressed with the wealth of information that he just received. He says "I'm assuming the briefcase got more details about this. I'm using up my second favor…call in your GPS." Eda nods and says "Gotcha. It will be done. Remember, this will be favor number two. You only have one more remaining. After that, we are square." Viapiano scratches his jaw and says "Alright lady…we'll be square." Eda walks away from Viapiano, only to suddenly turn around. She raises her right hand slightly and considers saying something, only to stay silent and turn to the park's exit. As she exits the park, Viapiano turns toward the water fountain and cracks a wry smile.
Sitting on the bed in his hotel room in Nha Trang, dressed as he was before, Rock glares solemnly at his cell phone, the phone cradled in his hands. Looking up, he watches the television play a Vietnamese cartoon featuring a bluish grey wolf in a suit walking on two legs next to a display window. The wolf jumps through the window and tries to ransack the store, only to be chased out by animals walking on two legs, including a duck and chicken, each wielding clubs, and a dog dressed in a sleeveless brown set of tights. The wolf runs from the angry mob, only to be run over by a blue truck driven by a tiger in a pink shirt and a white rabbit riding shotgun. The tiger and the rabbit step out, placating the mob and tending to the wolf. As Rock watches the cartoon, he puts his cell phone down on the floor and opens a bag of chili flavored 'Toonies' crisps. Reaching inside, he pulls out an imitation Cheeto covered in sweet chili powder and eats the Vietnamese snack, eying the words "Vi Cay (Chili)" on the bag. He licks his fingers and returns to his cell phone.
Behind him, Revy lies on the floor, doing crunches. She is topless and wearing black track pants. After each completion, she strikes her stomach with significant force. Grunting and wincing with each completion, she mutters "31…32…33…34…and 35." Rock stares at Revy and shrugs his shoulders, asking "Why are you hitting yourself?" "Building endurance, Rocky boy. My abdomen being sore won't stop some asshole from hitting it," Revy replies, wiping sweat off her forehead. She reaches onto the wrinkled bed sheets and wipes her face and chest with them. Cleaning sweat off her breasts, she asks "So, Rock…you going to make the call now?"
Rock grabs a fist full of chili crisps and greedily devours them, licking powder off the palm of his hand. He turns toward the bathroom and enters it, turning on the sink. Letting hot water run, he hurriedly washes his hands with just the hot water, the water slightly stinging him. Rock turns off the water and wipes his hands on a white towel with thin blue stripes. Stretching back his neck, Rock says "Alright, I'm ready. Let's do this." As Revy turns off the television, Rock turns to his cell phone and picks it up. He dials the number listed as 'TN #1', nervously waiting for a response as Revy stares at him, stone-faced. Suddenly, he hears a voice at the other line.
A woman anxiously says "Này là ai (Who is this)? Alô (Hello)? Alô?" Rock hyperventilates and glares at Revy, shaking his head. Thinking fast, he says in Japanese "Are you paying too much for your car insurance?" Suddenly, the woman hangs up the phone as Rock breathes a sigh of relief and Revy stares at Rock in confusion. "Wrong number. Asked her if she was paying too much for her car insurance," Rock says, smiling, as Revy cracks a laugh. She says "Hey Rock, maybe if the whole drug dealer thing doesn't work out, you could try sales." Rock takes a step back, smirks, and points at Revy with both index fingers, saying "Hi, I'm Rock Okajima. And this '65 Cadillac has 50 MPG and suicide doors!"
As Revy cracks up in more laughter, Rock deletes 'TN #1' from his phone and turns to 'TN #2'. He stares at Revy and nods at her, causing her to grow quiet. Rock dials the number and waits. Suddenly, Thinh Nguyễn yells out "Cái quái đụ bạn muốn (What the fuck you want)?!" Rock nervously smiles and says "Hey Thinh. It's me Rock. From bla…from before." Thinh replies with "Oh? What this about?" Rock arcs his head back and says "I came across this business opportunity and I am absolutely…ecstatic about it. Very ecstatic. I found this business opportunity yesterday…it…popped up during work. I want to run this through in you person though. You interested?" Thinh laughs and replies with "Very interested actually. Meet me at the place behind the place we met. Meet me around 8 PM. Call me before you get there. And next time, try not to call when I'm having my dick sucked. Thank you. Bye."
Rock frowns and nods to himself, tossing the phone onto the bed. "Well?" Revy inquires, curious. Rock blankly answers "He said he is interested, that he wants us to meet him at the lumber mill behind the warehouse, around 8 PM. And that I should never interrupt him when he is in the middle of a blowjob." "Nice detail!" Revy sarcastically replies, reaching for a black bra, her breasts exposed. Yawning, she says "We should get Benny onboard to drive us. Does Dutch know?" Rock nods and says "Told Dutch. He gets five percent, and Benny gets five percent as the driver. His idea." Revy rolls her eyes and says "Five percent, always with the five percent here, eight percent there. Going to take another eight points to launder the stuff. I thought this work was supposed to be tax-free."
Fastening her bra, she says "Well get Benny and tell him the job. We need to get a car from rental, for a day. I think we drove past a rental place just outside the city." Rock nods and says "Yeah. I'll go see to Benny right now. You get the pills into one of our luggage cases. They are under the bed, next to my M9."
"ARRRGH! BLOODY HELL!" a man yells as he digs scorching hot pliers into his left ass cheek, a square bandage right above the point of entry. Lying on a shower mat in a bathroom, Victor Jaggi pulls a bullet out of his ass, smelling like antiseptic, completely naked aside from his watch. He then immediately presses a square bandage on the hole, with blood trekking out, breathing heavily. He climbs up to his feet and glances down at his chest, staring at the two square bandages on his left rib and stomach. He smirks to himself and speaks to himself "I gotta stop meeting that sheila like that, that's the bloody oath. Argh."
Jaggi kneels onto the mat, picks up two bent bullets, tosses the two into the toilet, and attempts to flush them, failing. He ignores the bullets and lifts the blood-stained shower mat up, draping it over the bath tub. "Ah hell…Holly…Felix, all of them. What a blow. The ratfucks got my tinny and pingers. I'm out of quid. Got to give a ring to Djoko, I bet that cunt is still in Makassar. Get quidded up, gunned up, see if he got work for meself. I sure ain't returning to this giant shithouse. Might even pay a little visit to Leroy in Roanapur, see if that cockroach got something for me."
A white four door Lada Samara cruises through the Hanoi Highway, headed towards Ho Chi Minh City. The driver, Benny, still dressed in his Hawaiian shirt and slacks, turns on the headlights as the sky completely plunges into darkness, rain beating on the windows. Seated behind him is Rock, dressed in his salaryman dress shirt, his grayish green business suit, his grayish green tie, black dress pants, and black dress shoes, scanning his package of ecstasy. Riding shotgun is Revy, dressed in her black tracksuit attire with the red triangle pattern, fingerless gloves, and combat boots. She fidgets in the vinyl upholstery of the car, as the radio, switched onto a Viet Pop station, plays "Cõi Hoa (Realm of the United)" by Lê Hồng Nhung.
Benny glances at Rock and the rest of the rear upholstery and asks "How does it weigh? How many?" Rock holds the bag of ecstasy in his hands and lifts it up and down. After a pause, he says "Half a kilo, I think." Benny lets out a nervous laugh and says "I think that might be enough to get all three of us the needle." Rock rapidly blinks and hurriedly stuffs the bag of ecstasy into a small blue luggage case. "Damn headache, head has been sore all day. I'm feeling a bit dazed," Rock mutters, rubbing his forehead. "Sounds like a concussion," Benny matter-of-factually speaks.
Carefully passing a blue charter bus, Benny asks "So Rock, you have an idea on how you going to do this deal?" Rock nods and says "Yeah. First…Revy, leave the Cutlasses in the car." Revy laughs and says "Haha, you made a funny." "I'm serious," Rock solemnly and quickly replies. Revy snorts and says "Benny's right. Your brains must be scrambled after getting shot in the helmet yesterday. Sleep in the car…Benny and I will sell the shit." Benny jerks his head at Revy and yells "What?!" As Revy darts a dirty look at Benny, Rock interrupts and says "I'm fine. We will not get robbed, and I think it would look impolite to show up armed, knowing that Thinh could be a future client." "Fucking naiveté, I'd say. You're asking to get robbed," Revy blurts out, pointing her right index finger upwards for emphasis. Benny adjusts his glasses and says "I'm not completely dismissing the risk, but Rock is right. Thinh is the least likely to cause problems for us. I'm more afraid of police catching us with such a large amount of party pills."
Revy smiles viciously and glares at Rock, saying "Alright…alright. No Cutlasses. Anything happens, I'm gonna blame you. That fine with you?" Rock blinks and says "Alright, fine." "How are you going to sell him the stuff?" Benny asks, exiting the highway. Rock raises his shoulders in confusion and says "I…negotiate a price and sell him the stuff. What else to it?" Benny cracks up into laughter and says "Rock, do you even know the street price for ecstasy in Vietnam? Here's a tip I learned from my college days back in the States. You buy only one pill for a party. That will be enough. Cost went for around eight bucks for the flat ecstasy stickers. For pure pills, I'd imagine a bit more. Maybe twice more? And that's the cost when it hits the streets, so they will need to be able to turn enough of a profit to justify the risk."
Rock coughs and says "Good thing I didn't make them and just picked them up from those Australian smugglers." Benny raises an eyebrow and asks "Australian smugglers? Were they the people on that boat that Thinh mentioned?" Revy sadistically smirks and says "Oh yeah! Five of the fucks. You'd never guess it, but bossman was Victor Jaggi." "VICTOR JAGGI?! I thought that monster was dead!" Benny exclaims, stunned. "He's dead now. I shot him off a ledge, got him in the stomach. Olympic swimmer or not, no way he survived that," Revy boasts, pleased with herself. Benny grimaces and stretches his neck, visibly uncomfortable. After a pause, he asks "Does Dutch know?" Revy shrugs her shoulders and says "I haven't gotten around to telling him." Rock blurts out "Same here. Can you lower the volume on the radio? I need to give Thinh a call, tell him we're close by."
Exiting the Lada Samara, in front of a lumber mill, Rock and Revy set their eyes on the reddish-brown painted two-floor building in the back and to the right of a white-colored silo connected by catwalks to various other structures. A fleet of gray Kamaz 5460 flat-nosed trucks attached to white semi-trailers covers the rear flank of the reddish-brown building. Gripping onto the blue luggage case with his right hand, Rock turns around to Benny and says "I'll call you when we're done. While we are gone, can you go to a drug store and get some painkillers and something to wash it down with? Thanks." Benny nods and says "You got it, man. I'm going to make trips around the city in the meanwhile, so the cops don't get suspicious. Call me when you're done. And good luck." Rock and Revy both respond with "Thanks," as Benny nods and drives off, leaving the two of them behind on the empty street.
The two step into the lumber mill, which seems virtually abandoned. Slightly wet from the rain, they slowly walk toward the reddish-brown building, with Revy holding her hands in her pockets. Rock spots this and says "Get your hands out of your pockets. They are going to think that you are armed." Revy looks up, shakes her head, and says "That's kinda the point." After a few more steps, she shrugs her shoulders and removes her hands out of her pockets. A couple steps after that, she blurts out "I need a smoke." Rock nods and says "Same here. I'm hoping Thinh will let us smoke in the office." "We can smoke now, the fuck's the problem?" Revy replies, slightly annoyed. Rock shrugs his shoulders and says "I don't know. I think it be more polite to ask if we could smoke there…I'm probably over thinking this deal." Revy smirks and sarcastically quips "Probably?"
The two approach the front door to the building, spotting a security camera fastened near the door frame. They each exhale a nervous sigh as Revy bangs on the door with her right fist. After a short pause, the door swings open, revealing a Vietnamese man with faded eyebrows, a five O'clock shadow, trimmed, short black hair, and thin, round, gold-framed glasses. He is dressed in a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and grey sneakers, and is holding a cigarette in his mouth. Eying the blue luggage case in Rock's right hand, he says "Come in."
Rock and Revy follow the Vietnamese man into a dimly lit hallway with a caged generator on the right and an opened supply closet on the left. A red lit emits from a lamp on the generator, shrouding the hallway in a ghastly reddish hue. Behind Revy and Rock, Quyen, hidden behind the door, closes the very same door, dressed in a white and blue horizontally striped, buttoned t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and grey sandals, her left arm and shoulder in a sling. As Rock and Revy jerk their bodies in surprise, Quyen smiles and says "Hey. Got to search. Sorry."
Revy glares at the Vietnamese man, points, and yells "If that fuck so much as touches me…!" The Vietnamese man calmly says "The name is Hùng, and please shut the fuck up. Quyen, kiểm tra cho vũ khí (check for weapons)." Rock lets go of his luggage case and faces the generator, placing the opened palms of his hands on the cage. Revy sighs and follows suit, as both of them slightly spread their legs. Hùng proceeds to frisk Rock for weapons on his person as Rock says "This is a waste of time. I didn't come here to cause trouble." "Yeah, yeah," Hùng mutters as Quyen begins frisking Revy. Shortly afterwards, Hùng says "Mọi vật sạch sẻ (All clear)." He turns his attention to the luggage case as Quyen says "Okay, you good."
Hùng unzips the luggage case and pulls out the bag of ecstasy pills. He raises and lowers the bag, getting a sense of its weight, and says "Okay, looks good. We'll take you to Thinh." He jolts his head to his right, pointing at a nearby staircase. After an awkward pause, Rock realizes that he must go in front, and obliges, as Revy follows suit. Hùng, holding the package of ecstasy, walks behind Rock and Revy, as Quyen stays put and awkwardly fishes out a cigarette from a pack of Craven A's using only her right hand.
As Rock takes his first step onto the stairs, he overhears music faintly coming from the upper floor. He exhales a breath of anxiety and walks up the stairs, as Revy and Hùng calmly follow. Reaching the second floor, Rock notices three hallways, one to the left, one to the right, and one in front. On the hallway in front, a wooden door stands shut on the right wall, appearing to be the source of the music. Hùng overtakes Rock and Revy and approaches the door, knocking on it twice with his left palm.
The door swings open and Hùng steps in, with cigarette smoke and Vietnamese rock music seeping out. Rock and Revy step in and find Thinh sitting on a leather seat behind a wooden desk covered in papers, throwing a dart at a dartboard, dressed in a black V-neck t-shirt with shortened sleeves, dark blue stonewashed jeans, and beige tennis shoes. He says "Tôi thắng (I win)" and smirks at Loan, who is sitting behind him, dressed in a black, blue, and red buttoned flannel shirt, grey shorts, and black and yellow sneakers. Loan is holding a cigarette in his mouth, taking a drag, as Thinh holds one in his left hand. A small black radio plays "Nếu Mình Yêu Nhau" by Mai Lệ Huyền. As Hùng props the bag of ecstasy on the desk next to an ashtray, Loan groans and mutters in Vietnamese "Why do I keep seeing this stupid bitch?"
As Rock and Revy sit down on wooden chairs, Thinh turns to Hùng and says in Vietnamese "Thank you. Now go back to running security." Hùng nods in understanding and steps out, closing the door behind him. Thinh turns his attention to Rock and Revy and says "Looks like you got your hands on some really good-looking ecstasy. Looks high quality." He turns to Loan and speaks in Vietnamese "Try one. Let me know how it is."
Thinh opens a drawer and retrieves a switchblade. He unsheathes the blade and makes a cut along the clear plastic bag. He then reaches inside the bag and retrieves a sky-blue ecstasy pill, handing it to Loan. Loan places his cigarette on the ashtray, glares uncomfortably at Revy, Rock, and then the pill, and places the pill in his mouth. He then sits down on a red plastic chair and waits.
Thinh nods and says "Alright. Loan will tell me how it goes. If it works, we can start talking money. If not, we can call it a day." He then smirks and adds "If he starts shoving his fingers down his throat because it's toxic, I'll stab you to death with a brass instrument." Thinh then crushes the cigarette onto the ashtray and chuckles to Rock's discomfort and Revy's boredom. She stares at the ashtray and asks "Can we smoke?" Thinh smirks, extends his arms out, and says "Sure, go ahead. Want a cigar? I got a couple of Dominicans. The small ones…kind of." Rock thinks for a second and says "Thank you. I'll have one." Revy shrugs her shoulders and says "Sure, thanks. Why not?"
Thinh reaches into another drawer and pulls out a case of 'Don Diego' 6.2 x 44 cigars. He opens the case, which is 75% depleted, and fishes out three of the cigars, placing them on the desk. He then fishes out a cigar cutter and a chrome, butane lighter with an ace of spades design from a jean pocket, placing them on the table. Thinh grabs one of the cigars, smells the body of the cigar, nods, and removes its cap. He then carefully cuts the round end of the same cigar, before doing the same to the other two cigars. Thinh then removes the caps on the other two cigars and motions the cigars at Rock and Revy. The two each grab one as Thinh ignites his chrome lighter, lighting both Rock's and Revy's. Thinh then holds his cigar in his left hand and lights it, afterwards placing it in his mouth. The three proceed to take slow drags on their cigars, mingling the harsh cigarette smell with a mild vanilla aroma.
Thinh nods to himself, exhales some cigar smoke, and asks "What you think?" Rock frowns and nods to himself, saying "I like. It's relaxing." Revy tilts her head to the side and says "It's fine but I can't judge. I don't smoke these things." Thinh takes a small, calm drag of his cigar, exhales, and holds it in his hands, nodding at it. He looks at Rock and Revy and asks "What flavors you getting?" Revy shrugs her shoulders and says "I don't know…it's fucking tobacco. What am I supposed to taste?" Thinh slowly cracks up, his laughter intensifying as he points the burning tip of the cigar at Revy. Turning to Rock, he asks "How about you?" Rock grimaces and says "I'm sorry but I am not picking up anything really…I don't smoke these…well…at all."
Thinh smirks, takes another, calm drag of his cigar, and says "I like cigars. I really like them. I like trying them, collecting the boxes, tasting the flavors and looking at the way they're held together. They remind me when I'm doing business with someone, anyone really. You see, cigars have levels, and as you burn through it, you might catch on to different levels, or flavors as they come up. Sometimes you lose flavors, sometimes they intensify, and sometimes something happens, something that shits on the entire experience. Like you cut it bad, or you leave it in a dry place and the oils dry up, or you crush the butt of the cigar against an ashtray and the whole place suddenly smells like dogshit. And what I believe, is that there are two kinds of people on this round lump of shit called earth. Those who can identify the levels in everything and see them immediately, and those that can only see the tiny little tip from the iceberg poking over the surface, or the pyrite chunks right above the oil field."
As Rock and Revy glare silently at Thinh, Thinh smirks and presses a button on the radio, turning it off. Cigar in his right hand, Thinh says "Let's get the update on Loan over here." He turns around to find Loan smirking like an idiot and beginning to sweat. Thinh nods his head at Loan and asks in Vietnamse "How is it?" Loan smiles widely and says "It is working and clean. I think it has caffeine in it. Just a little caffeine and MDMA. Nothing more." Thinh nods and says "Good. Now get out." Loan nods and exits, smiling like a moron.
Thinh turns his attention to Rock and Revy, both of which have just taken drags on their cigars. Thinh says "I sent Loan out to wait off the effects of the pill. Your chemist or whoever gave you the pills, he or she was extremely lazy. The pills have caffeine in them." Rock holds his cigar in his right hand, smells the body of it, and smirks, saying "The pills have only a little caffeine, that is normal. Just clarifying." Revy jerks her head toward Rock and glares at him in confusion. Thinh smirks, slightly tightens his grip on his cigar, and says "Your grasp of the Vietnamese language is better than I thought."
Rock smirks and stretches his neck, satisfied that his bluff worked. Thinh lets out a chuckle and says "You looted the pills from the Van Thirith raid. I'm guessing he was selling them…or smuggling them…" "He was in the middle of a deal with some Australian drug smugglers. The ecstasy was their stuff," Rock quickly replies. Thinh contemplates taking a drag of his cigar, pauses, and decides not to. He asks "How many bags did they have?" Rock quickly answers "I didn't have time to look. Tuyết said over a microphone that Minh was dying, so I grabbed what I could." Thinh arcs his head back and says "So you are telling me that Minh, who was a reliable earner and hard to replace, bled to death because you wanted to get me these?" Thinh grabs the opened bag of ecstasy from the top of the bag and lifts it in the air, saying "These?! I'm flattered. I'm also kinda angry, BECAUSE NOW I HAVE TO FUCKING REPLACE HIM! BECAUSE OF YOU!"
Revy takes a drag of her cigar and replies "Oh piss me a river, alright?! Minh got unlucky, shit happens." Thinh stares at Revy incredulously, leans forward, and gets within a few inches of her face, saying "You think it's easy to hire people into my organization, right? You think that I just hire random bums off the street, putting my trust in them. So you are saying that my judgement is shit and that I'm a fucking retard, am I right? Are you calling me retarded?! Where the fuck did you get the balls to tell me that, huh?!" Rock swallows his saliva and glares nervously, anticipating in horror at Revy's response. To both his and Thinh's surprise, she says "Please get out of my face. You're ruining my fucking cigar. And we were not told that there would be Australians in the mix. It complicated some shit. Now, the fuck does Minh have to do with this deal?!"
Thinh returns to his seat, smirking. He says "I'm going to factor in the cost of hiring a replacement for Minh when I give a price." Revy laughs hysterically and grabs Rock's shoulder, extremely amused as Thinh and Rock exchange perplexed looks. After forcing herself to stop, Revy says "Hey buddy, I was buying into that 'pissed off boss' routine for a few seconds before it started to suck. Minh croaking had nothing to do with Rock grabbing the pills. We would have cut his leg off earlier had he not been indecisive about it. Eventually we gave him some painkillers and just did it. Then he croaked. Tough shit. Got a problem with that, then take it up with Marty. But you won't, because you know he won't pay because Minh took a dirtnap." Thinh laughs and points his cigar at Revy. He looks at Rock and says "She, I like. You however, I'm still unsure. So let's get back to this. How many pills?"
Rock takes a drag of his cigar and asks "Do you have a scale?" Thinh chuckles and shakes his head, saying "You don't even fucking know! Great salesmanship, hot shit. Yea, I have a fucking scale. I don't have weights though. It's electronic." Rock nods and says "It's okay, bring it out. That's actually more convenient." Thinh opens a drawer, reaches inside, and pulls out an electronic scale, placing it in on the desk. He turns it on, extends his hands, and says "Well?" Cigar in mouth, Rock pulls the scale to himself with his right hand, reaches into the bag with his left, pulls a single orange pill out, and places it on the scale. He then motions for paper and a pencil, to which Thinh obliges, his eyes following Rock's movements. With Thinh watching, Rock records the weight of the pill at 212 milligrams, places the pill back into the bag, and then weighs the entire bag. He records the entire package to weigh 272,155 milligrams. He then performs long division and rounds to a result of 1,283 pills. Rock nods to himself and says "1,283 pills, rounded down. Check the math if you don't believe me."
Thinh points at the bag and says "The plastic weighs some." Rock nods and says "Okay, subtract 7 pills." Thinh glares incredulously at Rock and says "7?! Make it 18." Rock exhales a sigh of frustration and says "You already took one for Loan. Okay, fine…can we meet somewhere around the middle with 13 pills? Make it a nice, rounded number. 1,270 pills." Thinh pauses for a few seconds, and then says "I'm in agreement."
The three nod in agreement, with Thinh and Revy taking drags of their cigars as Hùng screams from beyond the room in Vietnamese "Get the hell out of the room!" Rock mildly laughs as Thinh says "Loan sounds like he is now extremely annoying. The ecstasy seems to be working. I think we could set a nice price for $5 in U.S. currency per pill." Rock takes a drag of his cigar, exhales, and leans slightly forward, saying "I was thinking somewhere in the range of $12 per pill." Thinh smiles, extends his left hand, and lightly smacks Rock's right cheek, saying "You're amusing sometimes." Rock grinds his teeth and stretches his neck, trying to contain his anger, realizing that Thinh is trying to get a rise out of him. After a short pause, he says "I'm serious. You're going to sell the pills for $20 to $25 per pill anyway…in U.S. currency. $12 is a great deal, and you know it."
Thinh glares at Rock, bemused, and musters an extremely high pitched "Heh." After a pause, he says "You really think I can sell ecstasy for $20 a pop in Vietnam. You really flatter me. Next thing I know, you're going to ask if you could suck my dick." Revy smirks and lightly chuckles as Rock darts a dirty look at her. Ever so frustrated, he turns back to Thinh and says "I don't think you are going to sell these pills in Vietnam." Thinh glares blankly at Rock and asks "What makes you so sure about that?" Rock smirks, takes a drag of his cigar, exhales, and says "Because you are expecting a shipment from Marty and his friends. Which means that you can't sell ecstasy in confidence and discretion, as Van Thirith is dead, and no one else but you could effectively distribute narcotics in South Vietnam. Marty would know that you are using multiple sources, and that would at the least…upset him. And being that he is an extremely consistent supplier of narcotics, you can't afford to lose him as a business partner. So yes, just like I can't smack you for slapping my cheek, you can't sell ecstasy in Vietnam unless it is supplied by the 'Ndrangheta. So where else would you sell these pills?"
Rock takes another drag of his cigar, a third of the cigar already gone. He lets a huge chunk of ash fall onto the ashtray as he exhales. Staring at the cigar, he says "I've noticed this black pepper spice a while ago. It's been lingering and getting stronger as I go along. At first, I tasted tobacco, but now I'm getting this wood-like note, kind of like whisky from an oak barrel. I look forward to how the rest of this cigar goes." Revy arcs her head back and mumbles "Hmph." Thinh scratches his neck and says "Good catch. I'm not the biggest fan of that woody taste, but that black pepper flavor is addicting."
Rock shrugs his shoulders and says "I'm the opposite. I find the black pepper thing annoying, but the rest is a pleasure. You mentioned Cuban cigars before. For Americans, it's like a forbidden fruit, just dangling out of reach. But the risks to get them into their homes. Not that scary, but the risk exists. I wonder what the risk, police or otherwise, would be to smuggle this much ecstasy into Cambodia, or the Philippines, or China, or Singapore. 25 years in jail? 50? Hanging or a firing squad? Send it to Roanapur, and you anger FIVE powerful drug lords, one of them being your supplier's partner. Your only hope is to send someone on a plane and out of Vietnam, and do you really trust them to properly conceal more than a thousand pills? You could also do it by boat, but I don't think you have any. I don't think you have a reason to, since you live in Ho Chi Minh City, and your front is a lumber mill business facilitated by a fleet of trucks. And I highly doubt any of your hired muscle has a boat designed to sneak past an armada of coast guards on such short notice, as Southeast Asia takes drug smuggling very, very seriously. And maybe smuggling into Singapore is possible…but I think I know a much better option that you will clearly take."
Thinh stares intently at Rock and asks "Oh yea? What? Who? Where?" Rock grins menacingly and says "California, USA. I'm sure you have a contact or two, who will smuggle these pills into San Francisco, or Los Angeles, or one of the other large Vietnamese communities there. The ecstasy will hit the streets in underground parties, where they will go for $30. For $35. Hell, maybe even for $40 if they are stupid enough. So yes, $12 is what I expect as you could easily offload it for $20 a pill, maybe $25, in a single bulk sale, and with plausible deniability. You won't even have to distribute them. Your American contacts put their people to work, both of us make money with little effort, and we all go happy."
Thinh glares blankly, chewing his own saliva. He takes a drag of his cigar, exhales upward, and says "You knock the price down to 10 dollars per pill. Make it nice and even. You seem to like that sort of thing." Rock turns to Revy, who nods in approval. Rock turns to Thinh, extends his right hand, and says "We have a deal." The two shake hands as Thinh yells at the top of his voice in Vietnamese "Hùng! Get me 12,700 dollars! American!"
"Okay!" Hùng yells back. Thinh pats the bag of ecstasy with his right hand and holds his cigar in his left, taking a drag from it. Exhaling, he says "Your money will get counted. Good hustle. Want a job? Both of you." "What?!" Rock and Revy simultaneously respond, both in shock. Thinh nods and says "Yeah. Work for me, after the Marty business. I can make you rich before you could blink. No more travel. What do you think?" Revy stares at Thinh with a blank look on her face as Rock musters out "I appreciate the offer, Thinh, but I like independent contractor work. It lets us stay neutral. Nothing personal."
Thinh digs his back into his seat and says "Too bad. I'll get someone else." Thinh patiently waits for the money to be brought up as Rock and Revy stare at each other in stunned silence.
Waiting outside the lumber mill, on a sidewalk, Rock and Revy take drags off their half-finished cigars. Blue luggage case in his left hand, Rock clutches tightly on it and says "$71,000 from the Indians at the apartment, somewhere around $10,000 from this exchange, after Dutch and Benny get their cut. The money Tak paid for that little run around…I think we have, together, just from work that we did ourselves, somewhere around 85 grand to spend."
"What are you thinking?" Revy inquires, pleased with herself as she eyes the luggage case. Rock smiles and says "Back in Japan, Fujiwara, my manager, would sometimes mention how boss Kageyama would take a weeklong vacation in Budapest. In Hotel Gellért. I checked the place online when I was bored…it was very nice. Expensive. I want to do, at least for one week this year, what Kageyama does every single year. We might not live to see 1999. We got a lot of money to burn. Let's actually spend it. That right there…what we just did…that felt good. Even getting that job offer from Thinh." Revy stretches her neck and says "Vacation in Europe, eh? Never done that before. As long as I can find a good bar, I'm game. Maybe a casino. Wonder how much a fake passport would cost from Balalaika." She smirks to herself and grabs Rock by the back of his head with her right hand, grasping onto his hair. In a quick, hungry motion, she brings his head towards hers as they smile and sink into a kiss.
A Lada Samara, headlights off, slowly drives up to them at a snail's pace, the windows rolled down and the radio silemt. Stopping in the middle of the road, Benny glares at the two locked in a kiss and yells "What the?! I…what the…what the fuck?!" Rock and Revy jerk in reaction and turn to Benny, who is glaring at the two with a stone-faced incredulous look. Revy thinks quickly, and musters out "It ain't what it looks like, Benny." Benny raises his shoulders to his head, extends his hands out in exasperation, and says "Seeing is believing. Just get in. Get in. The car. Holy shit."
The two cram into the back of the Lada Samara, with Revy seated behind Benny and Rock right next to her, the luggage case between his legs. Benny sets the car into drive and hits the gas, calmly accelerating as he says "Outhouse on a picnic blanket. Hey, you're lives, whatever floats your boats." Rock digs his face into his hands, cigar still held in the fingers of his left hand, muttering "Oh shit. Damn." Revy grinds her teeth and says "Don't you breathe a word of this to Dutch. I will fucking fillet you, alright?" Benny raises his right hand slightly, as if to swear an oath, and says "Don't worry, I'll keep quiet. Just remember, we usually are in a 50-meter radius of each other. Dutch will find out eventually. Might want to get in front of that." Revy harshly slams her right fist on top of Benny's right shoulder and says "You fucking better."
Benny winces and ignores Revy, as the three ride in silence for several minutes. Suddenly, Benny asks "When this all started?" "None of your fucking business," Revy irritably responds. "Just asking, can't fault my curiosity," Benny replies back, rolling down the rear windows, letting the cigar smoke seep out. Sticking her cigar out of the window and knocking out ash, Revy says "After I rescued Rock from Luca. That's all I'm saying." Benny nods and says "Alright, alright…what's with the cigars?"
Rock sighs and says "Thinh gave them to us, part of a lot of theatrics. Anyway, we got a good deal, I think. $12,700 dollars in total." Benny smiles and says "So that means I get…um…well Dutch and I both get $1,270. So I get $635. Not bad for risking the needle for a few hours. Making me feel like an upscale taxi driver. Ha, seriously, thank you. I bet Dutch is going to be happy."
"You want your pay now or at the hotel?" Rock asks, exhaling a sigh of exhaustion. Benny shakes his head, his eyes on the road, and says "Nah, at the hotel. Waving drugs out in the open would freak out the cops, but waving money around? They'll be at us like flies with hard-ons. Oh, and Rock, I got you some ibuprofen and water."
Faintly visible by the light of the moon, two men rest on lawn chairs on a beach, as nightfall shrouds the Vietnamese island of Phú Quốc. The man on the left, Martin Zappala, reaches into a beer cooler and pulls out a can of Hanoi beer. Dressed in a blue Hawaiian shirt with green and red rose patterns, beige shorts, and brown sandals, he turns to a Vietnamese man in his late 50s, dressed in a bluish green buttoned, collared shirt, dark brown cargo shorts, and black sandals, sporting a brand-new gold watch. The Vietnamese man is clean shaven with slightly thick eyebrows, has a dimple on his right cheek, and has blackish grey short hair, the hair on the sides completely grey and combed back. Marty hands the can of beer over to the Vietnamese man and says "And a beer for Brigadier General of the military command of Kiên Giang Province, Hiếu Văn Phạm." Hiếu Văn Phạm laughs and says "If we weren't on a deserted beach, I would have punched you for saying my name out loud."
Zappala ignores Hiếu's comment and asks "What's the update on Trung Thanh Hoàng?" Hiếu quietly takes a sip of beer, thinks for a second, and says "The Van Thirith shooting has put the Tổng Cục Tình Báo in an extremely uncomfortable position. They have been immediately linked to the Van Thirith shootings, and international media outlets have taken offense to the fact that there were no survivors. I've been hearing the phrase 'human rights violations' thrown around. Seems even gangster get some love. That is secondary to the fact that Van Thirith had political support in some sectors of the Politburo. The same Politburo that determines the Tổng Cục Tình Báo annual funding and 'other sources of revenue'. My sources in the military and the police have already determined that they have figured out the source, yes that source, and are converging to arrest Trung in his house in Đà Lạt. Unfortunately, the military commander of Lâm Đồng Province, a colonel, and the police commander of Đà Lạt…both are unwaveringly loyal to the letter of the law. Our money cannot reach them."
Zappala nods to himself and says "So I got to pay Black Lagoon Company for a second job. Ah fuck it…they refuse to do anymore rub-out jobs, so I got to make it look like a kidnapping or something. Shit, maybe that prick will continue to be a useful dumbass. I almost feel sorry for the cocksucker." Hiếu takes a sip of beer and says "I have done my inquiries. Trung's scum of a brother appeared to have ordered Gessa's murder. The tapes you sent correlated with intelligence received concerning Trung's suspension, after equipment was reported missing from the Secret Police armory. Now that the equipment has been used in a serious crime, Trung will certainly be facing arrest. Obviously, since he is, or was, the man responsible for keeping their equipment secured."
Zappala nods at Hiếu and says "Sometimes it's about making something out of a bad situation." Marty continues "Those mercs I hired? They think that Trung is some big shot commander in the secret police. They haven't the faintest idea that he's just some desk jockey keeping seats warm." Hiếu scratches his chest and says "Chù Thanh Hoàng will regret giving a government position to an incompetent relative. Ahh, the dangers of nepotism. He will lose political clout and we can breathe better. Hopefully when the next round of promotions and retirements comes along, I gain a star or two and that soon to be empty position as Deputy Commander Chief of Staff for the 9th region. I would become a theoretical second-in-command for all of the Mekong Delta, and I could use my political influence to keep the police away from our 'recycling plant'. If money will be like it was before, this would all be worth it. Perhaps expansion?"
Zappala sighs and says "I can't promise you that we will get as much shit this year. I mean those Canadian 'recycling' programs were kinda new, so the initial wave is petering out. I think maybe half of what we made last year would be what we will get this year, then level out for a bit. Maybe we come up with some other scam, or angle. All I know, is that when this shitstorm is over, those patsies at Black Lagoon Company are going to be either facing a firing squad or facing up at the lids of their coffins."
A stack of American $10 bills is flung across Revy's and Rock's motel room, hitting Rock in the face. He is dressed in a sleeveless white shirt and black gym shorts, laughing as he picks the stack up and tosses it playfully at Revy. Wearing a black bra and black track pants, she side-steps the stack of money and snickers, reaching into a small brown suitcase full of money. She tosses a few stacks of American currency at Rock as the two engage in an improvised game of dodge ball. The TV is on, showing a news broadcast on a TV channel called 'Singapore News Asia'. A clean-shaven South Indian man with short black hair, dressed in a grey suit, announces in slightly Singaporean accented English "There has been a recent development in the Vũng Tàu dockyard massacre that claimed the lives of twenty four Vietnamese nationals. Two witnesses, that preferred to remain anonymous, claim that at least six armed gunmen assaulted the dockyard while dressed in military uniforms and balaclavas. Several international politicians and diplomats have condemned the shootings, with both the Malaysian and Philippine Ambassadors to Thailand demanding an independent inquiry. It is believed from visual data analyzed that the gunmen were agents of the Tổng Cục Tình Báo, more informally known as the Vietnamese Secret Police. The Tổng Cục Tình Báo, an intelligence agency rumored to have played a part in the Vietnamese-Cambodian War, has been occasionally accused of human rights violations. Breaking news update. This is Edward Chandran, signing off to Sylvia Tan, with a special broadcast from Vũng Tàu."
Rock and Revy cease their game of money dodge ball and turn their attention to the TV set, sitting on their bed. The TV broadcast cuts to a Chinese woman with slightly short dark brown hair, dressed in a bluish green raincoat and holding a black umbrella over her head. The reporter is broadcasting from outside Van Thirith's dockyard, the locale soaked in rainwater as the rain wanes. Behind the reporter, a mob of Vietnamese cops dressed in dark green uniforms block off the entrance to the dockyard, as a few figures move within the dockyard, an occasional flash of light from a camera appearing in the distance.
The reporter nods in acknowledgement at her cameraman and says in Singaporean-accented English "Thank you Edward. This is Sylvia Tan, with an update on the Vũng Tàu shootings, which have now been confirmed to be a police raid. When first asked about the shootings, the Vũng Tàu police department claimed that they had no knowledge of the raid and has sent several officers to investigate. After media silence for several hours, the police department have confirmed that this was indeed a police action, but have refused to confirm or deny that this was the actions of the Tổng Cục Tình Báo. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that the dockyard was owned by a wanted criminal known as Van Thirith. Van Thirith was wanted by both the Thai and Cambodian governments on accusations of weapons trafficking, smuggling, and the murders of three Cambodian border patrol officers and a Thai police detective. Van Thirith was also once linked to a 1989 nail bomb attack on the headquarters of the Indochina Daily, the second most circulated newspaper in Vietnam. The nail bomb attack appeared to have been directed at Chù Thanh Hoàng, the publisher and owner of the Indochina Daily, stemming from an article that featured Van Thirith and documented his criminal activities. The case was ultimately dropped. It is unknown if Van Thirith was one of the twenty-four Vietnamese nationals killed in the attack…although it is believed that all of the victims were business associates of Van Thirith's criminal enterprise. Recently however, it has come to light that Australian investigators have arrived in Vũng Tàu, as reports came in that four Australian nationals were also killed in the raid. The Vietnamese and Australian governments have promised full cooperation in a joint investigation..."
As Revy stares at a stack of $20 bills and says "Hey, I think I see some blood on this cash," Rock glares in utter shock and horror, his mouth wide open. "Revy…you might want to see this…" Rock musters out as Revy looks at the TV screen, leans forward, and yells "Oh c'mon! No, fuck no! How?!" On the screen, a North Indian man with thick combed back black hair tied into a pony tail and a trimmed beard connecting to his hair, wearing a light purple collared buttoned shirt, the top two buttons unfastened, worn blue jeans, and black boots tied with laces, laughs and waves at the camera man. Victor Jaggi steps out of frame as Revy shakes her head in rage and Rock stares in horror. Revy buries her head into her hands as Rock says "I…I think I'm going to be sick again."