Roanapur Nights

A RosarioVampire and Black Lagoon Crossover

Chapter 22

Officer Diana Rogers didn't pretend that things weren't different. She understood well enough that she was currently the guest of the Russian Mafia. She also understood that her brothers in arms had never found her. For whatever reason, whatever it might be, the Russian Mafia had done more to find her than those she considered friends. She knew that the reason was because there were far too many people that went missing. She also knew that part of it was because there were some dirty cops in the force that were paid to look the other way.

She had hoped that her being one of them would be enough to keep it from happening to her, but instead she had been captured, raped, beaten, and then sold into slavery. The fact that it was actual monsters did nothing to ease her mind. If anything it meant that all of the times that she had feared there were monsters in the world she had been right. It also meant that the woman she claimed as her lifeline was also one of the monsters. Dubbie was about as close to human as they came, but there was no denying that she was a monster all the same.

She was a monster, and yet somehow she felt a connection with the shapeshifter. She wasn't sure what it meant. Maybe it meant that she was bisexual, which that wasn't a surprise at all. She'd experimented when she was in college. She had liked guys before, but after what happened with those monsters that caught her. Being around men was difficult. She felt a true and deep embedded fear. She constantly wanted to run and hide. There was this horrible sense that someone was going to hurt her, torture her, and she wanted to be away from it.

Somehow she had managed to push those thoughts back, and she instead walked beside Dubbie. Her shapeshifter friend was looking at the large and impressive building they were currently in, "I gotta say that this is the nicest place I've been in," she said as she reached over and took Diana's hand, "Was your place back in the states like this?"

Diana laughed a little, "No," she replied, her voice sounding a little mirthful, "I lived in a single room apartment. It wasn't much, but it was mine. To be honest, my parents were afraid of me trying to become an officer. Dad was dead set against it. He kept telling me that it was a bad idea. I didn't want to listen to him, and the first chance I had I entered the academy. It was hell, pure hell, but I pulled through."

She breathed out as she walked beside Dubbie, "I thought that being a cop was going to keep me from experiencing the things we warned about," she said as she shook her head, "Like, I wouldn't be sold as a slave, raped, or any other number of things. That the shield would be the one thing that kept me going. I was wrong, God, was I wrong."

Dubbie stopped and took her hand, "Hey, it's okay," she said as she looked at her, "I'm here, and you're here, and we're good, right?"

Diana smiled, "Yeah, I guess so," she admitted after a moment, "I still don't know what the Russian Mafia wants with me though. It's not like I have a whole lot of information about the police over here, and even with the police back home I'm not some infinite well of information."

"Da, we know," a voice said from behind her. She turned to see the woman that had the scarred face that had met her, "We brought you here for another reason. We are currently going after a monster, one that you have some experience with, and we wanted information on that monster. Anything that you can tell us would be useful."

Diana felt her blood run cold, and she shivered, "You…You're not going to make me have to live through that again, right?"

The woman looked at her and gave a smile, "No," she replied, her voice neutral, "I have no intention of making you experience the savage behavior of it again, but instead I wanted to know what you remember of them. Anything that would give us an edge."

She nodded, "I mean, I guess that I can do that. I owe you for saving me, and if that's all you need then I'll tell you what I remember."

She nodded, "Good, follow me please," she said as she turned and walked, "Oh, and please keep up. Trust me, this is not a place to linger behind. While you are our guest there are some things that are best not seen."

Diana didn't pretend to not understand the warning. She knew that if they had something going on here then it was something that was undoubtedly illegal. Not that it mattered anymore. As far as anyone was concerned back home Diana Rogers was dead. She went missing, her torn clothes were likely found, her cruiser was abandoned, and her pistol was bent to hell and back. She was a ghost to anyone that would remotely care.

She followed the woman that arranged for her freedom and walked into a large room. There she saw something that she was all to aware of what it was. Dubbie was taking a moment to look it over, but Diana knew. She'd never seen one in person, and instead she had studied pictures of one from the old files about the Gambino Family when it was run by John Gotti. The room was a killing room, plain and simple. It was designed so that blood would drain through the floor, and it could be sprayed down to remove most of the blood.

"Wow, this is a huge shower room," Dubbie said, her voice showing the awe of the room around her, "Isn't Diana?"

Diana shook her head, "It's not a shower room Dubbie."

The scarred woman looked at her, "Ah, as a former officer I suppose you know what it is?"

She nodded, "I studied the Gambino Family, and I saw pictures. I've never been in one before though."

The scarred woman smiled at her, "Well, unlike Mr. Gotti, I tend to ensure that there is no evidence left. Still, I brought you here because this is where we will be bringing the monster. Once it is here we will use what you tell us to deal with it. It is that plain and simple."

She looked at her for a moment, and then she nodded, "I want to be there," she said, her voice harder than she imagined it would be, "I want to be there, and I want to watch you gut the fucker."

The woman nodded, "That will not be an issue. I want you there," she said as she studied her, "Call it my act of kindness, but I believe that you seeing the one, or at least one of his kind, suffering will do you some good."

"Diana?" Dubbie said, "You… You really want to watch something like that?"

She looked at her friend, and she could see the slight bit of fear in her eyes, "I'm sorry," she said after a moment, "But yes, I want to see it. I need to see it. I need to know that he's dead, and that he can't hurt anyone anymore. God, I need it. I don't think that there's a part of me that even wants to try to say that it's wrong. Because, honestly, it's not."

She could see the confused look from her friend. She could almost sense the disappointment. It bothered her, and she couldn't lie and say that it didn't. It bothered her because she didn't want her friend to think that she was someone that purposefully sought out the darkest parts of herself. She didn't want Dubbie to believe that she was a whole different kind of monster. She didn't like the fact that as humans they tended to be worse monsters than some of the monsters she'd met. Orcs so far had been the most like humans.

It was not above her notice how horrible the orcs had been. She had suffered by their hands. She had suffered their tender mercies, and she knew how closely they reflected humanity at its worst. God help her; she wanted to see them suffer as well. She wanted to see them tortured and forced to eat their own entrails. Maybe that was wrong, but she didn't believe so. No, she knew it was wrong, but the part of her that knew it was overshadowed by the part that wanted this thing to suffer.

She took another look at Dubbie, "I'm sorry," she said, her voice firm, "I really am, but what they did, what they'll do, I can't allow them to do it again."

There was a slight cough, "And we will ensure that the one we have never has the chance to do it again," Balalaika said as she stood there, "I can promise that the one we will be dealing with will never again harm a living soul. I can also promise that there is every chance that we will be able to use his death to ensure that no other dares to do the same here."

There was no mistake in the words, "You're going to record it, aren't you?"

There was a moment that she paused, "Of course," she replied, her voice soft and even, "We are going to record it, and we will distribute it. There is no denying that, and there is no denying what else we will do. The monsters of this world will know that those who play in Roanapur face the consequences of their actions."

There it was, simple as that. They had every intention of showing the monsters of the world that Roanapur was not a city to be taken lightly. She could respect that. There were similar sentiments in some of the cities back in the states. Places where the law was more of a guideline than it was a hard and fast state of being. For those that lived here it was likely the way things had always been.

Officer Diana Rogers, no, it was simply Diana Rogers, was stepping into a world she had worked against before. It was a step that she understood would leave her changed. Of course it already had. She was not the same as she had been, and she wouldn't even state that she would ever be the same again. She was changed, she was different, and she would embrace it. That was the only thing that she could do now.

"Diana," Dubbie said, her voice wavering a little, "Please, I know you."

There was a moment of hesitation from their host, but that moment past, "Tell me," she said, her accent thick, "If you had the ability to face the one that killed your parents, raped your sister, and then killed her, and finally tied you down for the crows, would you be so willing to simply walk away?"

Dubbie stood there, her eyes wide in surprise, "Oh, did you not know that your video has already been through here?" she asked in a voice full of honest surprise, "I would have assumed that you would have guessed that it was sold at the black market and finally made its way here. I have it saved, placed back, and I am currently looking into the one that made their way into your home. Not for your vengeance, but for our safety. Someone that could get the drop on shapeshifters is someone we do not want wandering around."

She shivered at the response, "No," she said, her voice tinged with anger, "I'd want to see him executed, I'd want to see his intestines pulled out through his ass, and I'd want him to see them rot there as he bled out and died," she said her voice getting almost frantic, "And I'd hope that Diana would talk to me, to try to get me to focus, to understand that seeing them die for the purpose of dying wasn't right."

There was a small laugh, "Ah, so you want a reason behind the death?" their host asked, "Simplicity itself. We plan on using the blood of the orc to help us, and at the same time we are testing our newest recruit. If she can do this then I have no problem bringing her aboard. Here she will have a place to stay. She will be able to work, live, and exist in this city. I can guarantee a kind of freedom that hasn't been seen in her home country since the very early days of its foundation."

She breathed out, "And as such, if she succeeds and joins us she may keep you here as well. I have no problem with that," she stated, "However, know that if you attempt to do harm to any of my associates, if you attempt to stop what we are doing, then I will have to label you a threat. That is not something that you want. You do not want to become noticed by me in that way. Simply exist with your friend. Stay her lover, I don't mind, but do not believe for an instant that you are anything more than a guest."

Diana looked at Dubbie, and she could see the worry in her eyes. She was worried, and rightfully so. She had just been told that she was not to step out of line, and that she was to behave while here. She was basically informed that if she labeled herself a threat then she would be taken care of. It was just like being back with the slavers. The only difference was that she was free to move around. Diana hated that she wanted to do this.

"Dubbie," she said, after a moment, "I'm sorry, I really am, but I'm not the kind of woman you think I am. I was hurt, raped, dozens of times by those things. They did things to me that I never have let happen to me before. Things that I hate myself for. Things that I want to see the world burn for. I was a police officer, and I was someone that believed in the power of law, but that didn't do shit for me before."

She shook her head, "I don't want you to leave, I want you to stay, but I'm not going to simply let this slip either. I'm going to deal with this son of a bitch because he deserves it. I'm going to ensure that he can never hurt another woman, girl, or fuck anyone ever again," she said her eyes looking at her friend, "I want to make sure that he understands how badly he fucked up by doing what he did. I want him to feel every ounce of fear I felt before he dies, and then I want all of them to fucking see it. I want it burned into their eyes, I want it set on replay in their heads, and I want them to know that the next time they look at a girl it would be better to just keep fucking walking. Because they might end up in the same place, with the same experience, and let that be the lesson the bastards have."

Diana saw the way that Dubbie looked at her was one that told more than words. She was looking at her in an attempt of understanding. Finally she nodded, "I get it," she said finally, "I really do, but are you sure that you want this?"

Diana looked at her for a few moments, "I do, I'm not going to ask that you observe it, but please, know that I'm doing it for more than just revenge. There's more to it than that. It's about ensuring that it doesn't just happen again. I know that I can't completely stop it, but I can make the bastards pause."

"Da," Balalaika said as she studied them, "Making them pause is a start. Eventually they will learn that this is a place with a hard and fast rule. Do nothing to bring harm to those under protection here. For us, that is our clients, our people, and those our people care about. It also extends to business associates."

Diana nodded, "I get it," she said as she looked at Dubbie, "Can you accept me after this?" she asked as she looked at her friend, her lover, "Can you see yourself being with me?"

Dubbie finally nodded, "Yeah, I can," she said after a moment, "I can because I get the reason you're doing it, but please don't lose yourself to your hate. It's like a fire, and it can completely consume you."

Balalaika laughed, "Da, hate is a fire, and it leaves scars," she stated, "But it also keeps one warm against the impending storm. Be ready, we will be bringing our newest guest soon."

Diana nodded, and then she followed behind Balalaika as she walked from the room. She felt the presence of Dubbie behind her, and she was so thankful for it. Dubbie had helped her maintain some of her sanity. She had managed to keep her grounded, and she kept her from completely breaking. That wasn't to say she wasn't broken. What the orcs had done more or less had broken her to some degree. She couldn't even imagine sleeping with a man again.

She hated that. She had loved men. She loved the way they felt, what it felt like to have someone attractive to pay attention to her, to ask her out, to feel them giving as much as she did, but it was different now. The thought of someone of the opposite sex scared her. What if it was another Orc? What if the bastard raped her, took her over and over again against her will? She knew that she'd finish breaking. There wouldn't be any way back from that. Dubbie was her comfort, her shield, and hoped that she could be a decent sword.