Chapter 7:
(Out Past Curfew) 

Have you ever dragged an unconscious body into a vehicle?  Well, it's not very fun or easy. Added to the explosions from earlier, that makes one sore operator dragging what has to be at LEAST 130 LBS of businessman to the alleyway in the back. However, when I saw the car he came in here with, I almost cried in joy.  After all, I expected to be driving in a 5-year-old Toyota Carolla with a questionable stain in the back seat. What I got was a Red 1965 Pontiac GTO in pristine condition. 

After loading Rock into the backseat, I looked at the dash and quickly realized what type of car I was in.
Rally Gauge Cluster? Four-speed Manual Transmission? Someone must really love this girl.

I then grabbed the keys and then decided to start the engine. A loud roar greeted my ears and I realized that this guy had a fucking Tri-Power under the hood.  A glorious AMERICAN V8 pumping out 360 HP at 5,200 rpm.  I guess Jesus truly does love me.

Now, why was I here again? Oh, that's right, gotta bring Rock home in one piece. Not sure why I'm doing it though. After all, it's not like he's paying me to do so. In fact, even shooting at those mercs put my life in danger. Perhaps it's cause I feel bad for him. Or perhaps it's the alcohol talking. Oh well.

Suddenly, Rock started talking in his sleep. 

"Thanks for waking me up Revy."
Revy? Is that the same girl that Bao mentioned?
"You saved my life more times then I can count."
Wow. Someone's romantic.
"I don't know what I would do without you. I don't want to live without you."
Fuck me. This guy must be REALLY drunk right now.
He didn't talk for the rest of the trip though. Perhaps he's just resting up. 

A few minutes later, I arrived at the address on the business card. Making sure to lock the car and dust off the seats, I placed his left arm on my shoulder and walked up the stairs leading to what I can only assume was his apartment.  After struggling to find the key for the door, I unlocked it and stepped inside. To my right, there were four doors leading to what I can only assume were bedroom/bathroom combos. To my left, there was a living room/kitchen that looks recently used. As I proceeded to walk past said living room, I heard the cock of a hammer and the feel of cold metal against the back of my head. I guess I should have seen this one coming.

Then, a booming voice came from one of the rooms.

"Revy? What's going on?"

So the person holding a gun to my head is Revy. Good to know.
"We have an intruder Dutch. Some guy brought Rock from the bar and brought him in."
That's definitely a feminine voice. 

She then poked me with her gun.
"So dipshit. What do you think you're doing here?"

"Just bringing him home. Nothing malicious here."

Revy simply chuckled at this.
"Bullshit. No one from this hellhole does anything out of kindness."

"Well, I'm not from here. Just came in two weeks ago cause I fell on hard times."

Then, a black man came into the hallway. Wearing a green flak-jacket over a green shirt, he wouldn't look out of place in the  Vietnam war or even the Korean one.  He was armed with a sliver Remington 870 Marine Magnum Shotgun. He simply looked at me through his black sunglasses. This must be Dutch.

"So, are you really a friend?"

"Yes, I am sir. The only reason I'm even stuck my neck out is cause I felt bad for him."

As I said that, I could feel a little less pressure on the back of my head. At least they aren't as suspicious of me now.

"You guys mind If I put him on the couch? He's actually quite heavy."

Dutch then nodded to the gunwoman behind me and she removed the gun from my head. Breathing a sigh of relief, I placed Rock on the couch and stepped away half expecting to get shot. Instead, they both followed me in guns still drawn.

Great. I guess this how I die. Trying to save a guy I just met only to be shot by his friends cause I just fell for a honeypot. But then, I saw her eyes. They didn't have the greed normally associated with robbers. No desperation either. Instead, she had a look of concern and worry. That at least meant that this wasn't a robbery. Then, she started giving me orders.

"Take off your guns slowly."
Ok. Standard security measures here. No biggie.
After I took off my guns and placed them on the table, she simply motioned for me to empty my coat.  So, I opened my jacket up and placed the rest of my armament on the table.  Curiously enough, when I pulled out the "book" from earlier, Revy frowned. Or perhaps that's to be expected when you show a female some porn.

Anyway,  Dutch pulled out some handcuffs and told me to place my hands behind my back. We then sat down for a long talk. 

Dutch then started the line of questioning.

"So what are you doing here?"

"Just helping a new friend."

"Friend? None of us ever saw you with him before."

I smiled at this. After all, a nice smile can go a long way to making a relationship.
"You wouldn't believe how quick a few drinks can turn strangers into friends."

Then Revy started questioning me.

"What happened at the bar?"
She seems concerned. Then again, you don't save someone's ass multiple times if you don't care about them.

"A mercenary group called Minotaur Security Services attacked the bar looking for your friend. If I remember correctly, they called him  Mr. Okajima."

The duo only frowned at this revelation. I then continued my explanation.

"Your friend is extremely lucky though. They only sent D squad after him. If they sent any other squad, you wouldn't even have a body to bury or a scrap of his tie to keep."

Revys eyes widened and I could have sworn she teared up a little when I said this.  At least she's distracted now. Time to loosen these cuffs. 

Remember the watch from my notes? You know, the one with the tracking beacon and shiv inserted? Well, as I was talking to them I was also positioning my right hand to grab the shiv from my left wrist. As I worked the shiv into the lock on the cuff on my left hand, I realized that it's surprisingly easy to do this without anyone noticing. The fact that my hands were hidden behind my back was also a blessing.  Better keep the conversation rolling.

"I take it that you have experience with these guys? After all, they seemed to have targeted your friend with a kill order."

Dutch poured a glass of rum and answered me.

"That's confidential. After all, you don't have any experience with these guys."
 Judging by his tone, it seems like they need someone with experience. Time to nail this interview.

"That's where you're wrong Dutch. I've dealt with these guys multiple times in the past, and I know how they operate. They like having more firepower than any possible target and have at least Thirty 20 man squads ready to go at any time. They use NATO weaponry most of the time but also like using former Soviet-era gunships like the Hind. They deal with executive security, secure buildings for high-value excursions, squash rebellions, blackmail politicians, gather intelligence, and even kill targets."

The duo looked shocked at what I was saying. I guess they thought I was just another heavily armed thug. At least this allows me to unlock the cuff on my right side. Now, let's see if they are gonna try to attack.

"Uhhh"
Seems like Rock is awake.
"Where am I? What happened?"
Revy then looked at him and slapped him in the face.

"You FUCKING IDIOT! You almost got yourself killed for the second time today!"
Now fully awake, he chuckled softly.

"Sorry Revy. Hey, what happened to the guy who brought me here? Don't tell me you shot him."

I then laughed.
"I'm right here buddy. Can you tell your friends that I saved your ass so they won't shoot me?"

Rock then stood up and stretched. As he did, I saw a gleam in his eyes. The type of gleam that one only has when they see an opportunity for profit.

"You know Dutch, I think we can really use someone like him. After all, he took out a whole squad of them when Revy had trouble with three of them."

Revy simply punched him in the gut.

"I told you not to tell anyone about that Rock"
She then turned to Dutch and started shouting 
"We should just kill this guy Dutch! After all, it's not like we need him!"

Great. Seems like I'll have to get violent. But as I was about to leap for my guns on the table, Dutch reached for her gun and flicked the safety on.

"I think Rocks right. After all, he DOES have experience with these guys before. However, I think we need to know a little bit about him first."

Taking my cue, I then started explaining what I did.
"I worked as a security consultant. Some hits here and there, but I primarily worked on physical security. I can tell you that you have a few gaps in yours. No grates, no security cams, no alarm, and not even a second way out. I could join your crew and help you stay on top of everything."

"Any criminal record or warrants?"

"None that I'm aware of. Just some outstanding traffic tickets in Los Angeles and New York."
When I mentioned New York, Revy cringed. Better look into that later. The trio then stared at each other and reached a silent agreement.

"All right then. I guess you are now part of the crew. Don't start anything."

"No problem. I've been looking for a better job anyway."

Dutch then pulled out a handcuff key and started walking towards me. I  smiled at him and tossed him the cuffs.

"No need. I already got out of the cuffs."
They looked shocked at this. To be honest, getting out of Handcuffs is easier than it looks.
"Pro tip, next time you cuff someone, cuff their hands in front of them. Learned that the hard way when one of my partners got killed during an Extraction."

Dutch then handed me a glass of Barcadi and raised his up.  The rest of us followed suit with a nice solid *Clink*
"To the new member of the Lagoon Crew. May he last longer than the last gunman we hired."

"Wait, what?" I said nervously. "How long did the last guy last?"

Revy laughed and reached for another shot.

"One day. Fucker tried to grab my ass so I shot him in the Dick."

"Good to know."

Looking around, Rock then turned to Dutch.

"Should we tell Benny about this?"

"Nah. Let him finish his conversation with Jane. He'll come out eventually."

As I put my guns in their appropriate holsters, Revy grabbed the "book" and proceeded to burn it with her lighter.

"Oh come on! I was planning to read that later!"

"Then I did you a favor. There are better things to get your jollies from."
As I was about to call bullshit, I realized that I needed to move my stuff nearby.

"Hey Dutch? You guys have a place that I can crash nearby?"

"Yup. Third door to the left. Don't worry about rent though. That comes out of your pay."

 Good. That means one last bill to deal with. Better call my (former) boss and tell him I quit. Besides, he never paid me enough for that shit.

I then pulled out my phone and proceeded to turn it on.
As always, that cutesy startup sound played.
(In Japanese) 
Standard Magical girl music in the background.
*Magical girl voice*
"Radical Revy-chan on stage!"
*Confused Male*
"Who are you?"
*Narrator's voice*
"The Magical Girl"

Rock simply spit out his drink when that sound played. Realizing that he probably understood what it meant, I decided to ask him about it.

"Well? Whats it saying?"
The poor guy simply choked on his words.
"Let me guess, it's from some weird Japanese show."

Rock nervously nodded.
"Yeah. That's what it is."

Cool. I guess every time I started my phone, I was actually playing a TV intro. Sounds like something that would catch on back stateside.

"Hey, I'm gonna get my stuff and move it here. Mind if I borrow your car?"

Dutch grinned.
"Go ahead. After all, it's the company car. Just don't scratch it."

He then tossed me the keys to the GTO. In one smooth motion, I caught it in my right hand.
"Don't worry. I would never think of scratching her."

"Rock? Revy? Do you mind going with him?"

Revy frowned but stood up anyway.
"No problem boss"

As we walked outside, I realized what type of shit I stepped in this time. I just joined a crew of sometimes pirates who were targeted by a major mercenary crew and who knows how many others.

Welp. Better as well get to know the people I'm gonna die with.

(Next Chapter: https://pastebin.com/y1w7GHak)
(A Few Thoughts)