[FF] One Hell of a Ruckus!

by sasahara17 Tue 15 Jul 2008 - 21:56

Hello everyone! I'm so pumped about my upcoming crossover fanfic (Black Lagoon/Gunslinger Girl/Baccano!) that I've gone and posted this before Chapter one is even finished with proofreading. I'm lame like that, but I'm so excited I couldn't help myself.

Anyway, here's the plan again. I'll post chapters on the forum first, recieve feedback from everone, then add bits to the chapters depending on the feed back (explanations for plot holes, requests for additional viewpoints, more focus on certain events, etc, etc, etc...), I'll make it longer and post it on FF.net.

Think of this as the TV broadcast version, with the DVD release on FF.net. Hows that sound?

-=-

EDIT; Suppose I could put up the brochure for the ship.

-=-

ALL ABOARD THE
'MADAME LIBERTY'

Five Star Luxury Cruise Liner departing Bali for a seven day round trip in South East Asia!
The perfect vacation for families and holiday makers of all ages!

Award winning five star service
Award winning restaurants and chefs
Boasts a three-storey grand lobby
A ballroom and dining hall
$5 million art gallery
700-seat three decktheatre
Swimming pool and Casino
And more!

We'd love to show you new and exciting ways to make memories!

Brought to you by Gandor Brothers Luxury Liners Ltd

-=-

by LoC978 Wed 16 Jul 2008 - 3:13

speaking of... I'm completely in the dark about Baccano. Still plugging away at it though.

by sasahara17 Wed 16 Jul 2008 - 4:48

I was hoping this fic might garner Baccano! more attention actually. I really love this show. Makes me want to go out and learn japanese to read the sourse material. Can see why it might be a hit or miss thing though.

by **emperor** Wed 16 Jul 2008 - 12:16

We'll see it.

by sasahara17 Wed 16 Jul 2008 - 19:30

-=-

The Past, 2006,

---

The rain continued to fall and the girl fell to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes.

“What did I tell you?” The girl behind her said coldly. “You should have listened to me, you stupid dog.” The gun slipped from her fingers and clattered to the ground.

“But…”

“Even now, you still say that?” Disdain. “You’ve seen the truth. There is only one person in this world that can understand us.”

“I… I… why did I…?”

“Pathetic.” And with that the other person left, leaving the young gunslinger to wallow the awful truth that had been revealed to her.

“I’m alone…”

And then the rain continued to fall.

-=-

-=-

The Future, 2009,

-=-

“I deserve this I suppose.” The young boy said. He was dressed in a black suit, suitable for one coming to a cemetery. Crouching beside the headstone on the ground, the boy fought a distinct urge not to cry. Was it because of his guilt, or…?

“Don’t be.” His companion, a dignified older man in a suit with dusty blond hair asserted.

“I waited too long.”

“She wouldn’t have heard you anyway. Cancer is a hell of a thing.”

The boy sighed, his mind mulling over the memories of the girl, he couldn’t help but think of her as a girl, that now lay buried in the ground. “Hard to believe, she’s just… gone.”

“There are worse ways to go. Everyone has to die sometime.”

“That’s rich, coming from you.”

A slight smile graced both their features, a joke only a select number of people would understand. It didn’t last long. Both of them were fond of the person who only died but a few scant week ago. Strangely enough, only one was actually acquainted with her, but both knew how kind the girl was, and both felt for her in their own way.

The young boy’s fingers traced the name on the concrete slab, his hands shaking. “It’s a little late, I know… but for what it’s worth… I’m sorry about your brother…”

-=-

by sasahara17 Wed 16 Jul 2008 - 19:32

-=-

Chapter 1

Two children meet in a fated encounter

-=-

Present Day, 2007, 6:30pm, Lagoon Company dock

---

There were odd scenes. And then there were odd scenes.

Jaws were opened in shock.
Expensive cigars hit the ground.
People were rendered speechless.
Hand phones and digital cameras were snapped open.
A man wondered if his company was about to the sued in a big class action.
The dock owner and his insurance woman of a mafia boss were calculating how much these damages would cost.

This was definately an odd scene.

A crowd of assorted gangsters, Italian civil servants, emergency service personnel and innocent bystanders were looking at the scene before them in a mix of uncontrollable awe and abject horror. Most had seen some weird stuff in their lifetimes, but this easily took the cake. And considering whom some of them were, that was saying something.

Eventually one of them broke the silence. “New and exciting ways to make memories... Heh, your brochure is sure living up to its promise…” The young man joked nervously.

A well dressed gentleman palmed his face. “Urgh. I’m going to have to go see the dock owner. I hope he doesn’t bring an action in court for this. Who owns this place?”

The owner was a little preoccupied. “Fuck… My warehouse… my dock…”

"Oh it's you? Nevermind then."

“Normally, this is where I tell you not to worry about Insurance, but I think this goes far beyond even my considerable powers.” A woman said, stumping out her dropped cigar under her shoe.

"There's no way we can cover this up!" Another woman exclaimed "Lorenzo is going to kill us! No wait, he'd fire us, Jean is the one who'll kill us!"

The loud crash of something breaking could be heard. Possibly the dock crane that was knocked over earlier, but with the number of things just plain wrong with this scene...

“This is far worse than the one we took back in ’02.” A young woman concluded.

An as the sun set the silhouette of a man, hands on his hips in a corny heroic pose, standing triumphantly on the prow of the crashed luxury liner that was sitting on a crushed warehouse and not in the water, signaled the end of this most extraordinary series of auspicious events…

But what on Earth happened to being this about?

by sasahara17 Wed 16 Jul 2008 - 19:33

-=-

-=-

4 Days Ago, 2007

---

“Hello there!”

Beatrice snapped out of her reverie and blinked several times. Did someone just address her?

“What are you doing in the corner all by yourself?” The young boy asked.

Beatrice Hargen, cyborg of the Social Welfare Agency, suddenly felt embarrassed. She was supposed to be keeping watch over Ferro, yet this boy had somehow snuck up right next to her without her noticing! Immediately regarding him as a suspicious character (can’t be too careful with the stakes that high) she quickly gave him a once over… and dismissed him alltogether.

He looked to be about ten years old and was dressed in a brown jacket, over a button up striped shirt and light brown trousers. She noted that he was actually shorter than her, especially if he were to take that flat-cap off. Other than that, short dark brown hair, wide round eyes… altogether an unremarkable character. She guessed he was a normal middle to upper class boy, possibly from a sheltered family. The kind of person Beatrice couldn't be bothered with. Turning her head back to where Ferro was seated on a table on the far end of the deck, Beatrice thought her ‘rudeness’ would be enough to rebuff the boy. Work was more important, especially with someone as dangerous as that person on board.

“Isn’t it lonely all by yourself?” The boy prodded further. “I’ve been watching you for the last few days. All you do is come up on deck and gaze at the people here with that far off look. Isn’t it lonely?”

Beatrice felt her irratation rise. What was she supposed to tell him? The little Italian girl that sat in the corner of the deck was actually an Italian superspy guarding a woman with a ten million dollar briefcase? If only Bernado hadn’t gone off to enjoy himself in the casino, she wouldn’t have to deal with this boy. She was switching shifts with Triela, yes she was.

“Ah! You just rolled your eyes didn’t you?” He giggled.

Beatrice momentarily paused. Was she really that out of it she would do something as mundane as rolling her eyes? Taking her pause as a sign, the boy quickly sat himself beside Bestrice before she could even get in a word. “You’re cute, if a bit quiet. What’s your name?”

Beatrice found herself getting more and more irate. She couldn’t concentrate on her mission. She didn’t know how to deal with this annoying kid. There just had to be a distracting casino on board the 'Madame Liberty’. Had Bernado been here… “Ah! Your lips twitched!”

“Beatrice. My name is Beatrice Hargen. Please leave me alone.”

“Beatrice! That’s a nice name! For a moment there, I thought you didn’t know how to speak English.” The boy beamed brightly. “Still, it wouldn’t do for someone whose name means ‘the bringer of joy’ to have such a blank expression on her face does it?”

“The bringer of joy?” He knew that off the top of his head. Beatrice could actually admit she was impressed by the boy’s knowledge.

“Yup, that’s why I thought it was a nice name.” She didn’t know about bringing joy, but Beatrice was very adept as brining pain and death. Bringer of joy... what nonsence. “Anyway, since you were here all by yourself, I thought I’d join you sometime. Being lonely is a terrible thing, especially since this is supposed to be a holiday.”

Beatrice glanced around the deck. Anyone emen remotely looking like this boy's guardians didn’t seem anywhere close by, so no chance of someone dragging this nuisance away from her. He was seriously becoming a distraction to her mission. Still, if a ten year old boy thought her behavior odd, she must obviously be doing something wrong. Perhaps it might be worth keeping him about if only to allay any suspicions. Yes, that was best. Maybe the reason why nobody had approached Ferro yet was because Beatrice was watching her like a hawk.

Suddenly it occurred to Beatrice how stupid she must have been.

“Okay. You can sit.” Beatrice, for the first time in a long while, attempted to look mildly interested in her new 'companion'. She’d put have to put up with this minor annoyance for a while, but it wasn’t anything too bad she couldn't handle.

“Yes!” the boy exclaimed. “We’ll be good friends, Beatrice.”

Beatrice begged to differ. They lived in completely different worlds. Friendship implied understanding, and there was no why a child like him could even remotely understand her.

Once his usefullness was expended, she'd rebuff this hang on. That, she decided, was certain.

-=-

by sasahara17 Wed 16 Jul 2008 - 19:33

-=-

9 Days Ago, 2007

---

“It’s not often that we deal with a ransom situation,” Olga noted. “Especially, one out of the country.”

“Aren’t you excited Ferro?” Priscillia chimed in. “A seven day cruise aboard a luxury liner…”

“Carrying a briefcase filled with ten-million American dollars.” Ferro pointed out. “It’s not a vacation Pris. This is a very serious situation.”

Priscilla pouted. “Come on Ferro, can’t you say you are even a little excited? It’s a grand luxury cruise liner we’re talking about here? All you have to is make the drop off, and your job is done and you get to enjoy and all expenses paid holiday! Even Olga would spends some time sampling the wine on board. You’re not going indulge, even a little?”

“No.”

Olga and Priscilla gave simultaneous sighs. Trust Ferro to think of nothing but getting the job done.

Four days ago, a prominent Italian senator was kidnapped while on holiday in Bali by an unknown group. Normally, the Italian government frowned upon negotiating with such rouges, but this time the kidnapped man was none other than a good friend of the Minister of Health, a major sponsor of the Social Welfare Agency.

A few ‘exceptions’ had to be made.

The negotiations went surprisingly quickly, and the sum of the ransom was decided upon just the day before; ten million United States dollars. What was unusual was the manner in which the money was to be paid. Strangely, the kidnappers requested an old fashioned handover of the money. Even stranger, they specifically asked for it to be done on a five star luxury cruise liner, the ‘Madame Liberty’. The details of the exact handover were vague, mostly consisting of ‘go there and we’ll contact you’ and a pair of handcuffs, but other than that it was a fairly normal job.

Go to Bali, get on the ‘Madame Liberty’, hand over the money, see if you can find out more about the kidnappers and then come home. The parameters of the mission were fairly clear cut. If all went well, which Ferro was confident it should, then the senator should be back in Italy safe and sound in no time.

Still, she could have done without the while handcuff thing. But orders were orders.

“You know, with an attitude like that, I can see why Lorenzo made you be the one to carry the case Ferro.” Priscilla pouted. “You’re the worst workaholic I’ve ever seen. Even Jean knows when to take a holiday once in a while.”

“I accompany Jose whenever he takes Henrietta to Sicily…”

“Which you spend watching out for mafia and non-existent Padania while Jose and ‘Etta are playing at the beach.” Olga pointed out. Priscilla gave a light cough to cover up the fact she was on the verge of laughing.

Ferro wanted to sigh. She wasn’t that bad was she? Oh, she’s never actually taken a day off since she joined the Agency, but that was because she loved her job. It was in her upbrining really. It felt good working to protect her country from injustice and criminals, and she got paid well to do it. Admittedly, she did like her certain proximity to a certain pair of brothers, one of which was another workaholic, but that was beside the point.

“Ferro, my dear, go out and let your hair loose one in a while!” Priscilla said. “You’re spending seven days on board a five star cruise ship! So what if you spend one day handing over the money? You still have six days to go. You can’t tell me that you’ll spend your entire trip just staying in your cabin having room service and planing how to arrest the felons?”

“Maybe.”

Olga and Priscilla gave another simultaneous sigh. “You’re impossible, Ferro. All that liquor and you won’t even touch it.” Olga lamented.

Priscilla nodded in agreement. “I’d kill to be on a luxury ship with Hillshire and Bernardo, and I’m not even considering the other hot guys I might meet there.”

“This is probably why Lorenzo picked me.” Ferro stated. “It’s a fair bit of money we’ve been entrusted, so we need to be ever vigilant while we’re there.”

Yes, it was a simple job. Take the briefcase, get briefcase to contact, spend the rest of the mission aboard five star cruise ship. It was about as cut and dry as a mission she could get. And when you’re that far out at sea, how hard could it be?

-=-

by sasahara17 Wed 16 Jul 2008 - 19:35

-=-

8 days Ago, 2007

---

“Ten million dollars?!” Had Revy not been sitting down, she would have fallen flat on her ass. Her loud exclamation had everyone in the Yellow Flag snap about in alarm (and not a bit of interest).

“Yeah, apparently some big shot Italian senator… hic… got himself kidnapped in Bali.” Gustavo said as polished off yet another mug of liqueur. “The Italians are going to pay… hic… ten million in ransom money, in a… hic… handover of all things… or so I head.”

Revy instantly deflated. “Or so you heard?”

“Well,… hic… Somehow, word got out of this handover. I can tell you… hic… there isn’t a single information broker out there who doesn’t know about this… hic… fiasco.” Gustavo said drunkenly. ”Hey Chen… hic… you’ve heard about it too right?”

The all bartender of the all too infamous Yellow Flag sighed. “That’s a fishy story, if I ever heard one. But yeah, I’ve heard of it. Like you said, everybody has.”

“Why didn’t they do it some other way?" Revy said. “Isn’t a face to face handover on a ship a bit too risky?”

“Dunno. The kidnappers are a bunch of loons if this is accurate. In today’s day and age, why do a handover? On a ship which is out at sea for seven days no less? The opportunity for the Italians to find out their identities is quite high.”

“Yeah, once the handover is done… bang!” Gustavo giggled. “They’ve comeback looking for their cash, this time with a lot more… hic… firepower! Get their money back... hic... interest!”

“Well there are problems with this I can see…” Rock noted. “… but with the right people, this shouldn’t be too hard to pull off.”

“I would have thought so too, until the Social Welfare Agency got involved.” Chen said.

“Social Welfare Agency?”

“Yeah, word has the Italian government has a black-ops agency that’s dumping a load of crap on the local bad guys. The name finally came out a while ago.” Chen explained. “Supposedly, they have inhuman monsters under their employ. I don’t know. Sounds like a load of bull if you ask me, but that’s what my sources tell me. Inhuman savage beasts. Stories about how they don’t go down no matter how much you shoot them. Stories about how they wipe out an entire roomful of armed men in the blink of an eye. Inhuman strength, speed and endurance… Fuck, I'm waiting to hear the one were one of them leaps a tall building in a single bound and can freeze water with a single glance.”

Rock and Revy gave each other incredulous looks. “Sounds like Roberta.”

“You forgot about the best bit! That the monsters… hic… were children! Modified to extreme levels of evil with genetic mutation… hic…” Gustavo added before he finally passed out from all the alcohol he’d ingested and began to drool on Chen’s marvelous polished counter. Revy Rock and Chen were quiet for a full minute, marveling at the absurdity of that statement.

“… Okay, that last part is definitely bull…” Chen snorted. “But there are rumors of child assassins being used. Normally I’d write off that as fanciful rumors, but with the people we’ve been
getting here… I get a constant reminder of who scary children can be these days every time Eda visits with her brat! Really, taking a kid into a bar... and she calls herself a Sister.”

Revy snorted. “Sounds quite farfetched if you ask me. And brat or no brat, I’d still kick the shit out of them, so sweat.”

“As improbable as it sounds, the Italian Mafia is so fucking scared of them there must be some truth to it.” Chen said. “Anyway, the SWA were negotiating directly with the terrorists, and so they’re the ones bring the goods. If Italy’s finest are going to be the ones transporting the money, I’d bet my nuts they’ll slaughter all the kidnappers once they get their senator back. Getting a good look at the kidnappers goes a long way.”

“You’re awfully forthcoming with the beans today.” Rock observed.

“Yeah, normally I’d have to start waving my cutlass around before you’d even talk.” Revy chimed in.

Chen shrugged. “Dunno, these guys in black came in and paid every broker in town to regurgitate this drivel. Most of us smile took the money and then forgot all about it. I myself thought it was a prank in bad taste at first. It’s even more fanciful than the ones about that monster that went berserk in Jakarta and went around dismembering people a while back. But I did some checking on my own and found that the senator did get kidnapped, with ten million as a ransom.”

“And the handover?” Revy said with growing interest.

“Only thing I haven’t been able to verify.” Chen scoffed. “I did get that a few SWA people arrived in Jakarta yesterday and then caught a flight to Bali. and from the way they were acting, most likely out to blow holes in the kidnappers.” Revy deflated. “Then again, the broad with them had herself handcuffed to this suitcase.” Chen grinned. Revy groaned when she realized what the bartender was doing.

“So, you guys interested?”

“With the way you’re stringing me along, no thanks.” Revy groaned. “who’s stupid enough to go all the way to Bali and risk fucking with the Italian government’s finest over a ‘possible’ ten mil-“

It was then that Rock and Revy noticed that they were the only patrons left in the Yellow Flag, the saloon doors still swinging after the hurried exodus of gunmen, mercenaries and bandits rushed out of the bar. You could hear the sounds of a multitude of engines starting up in outside. It was a wonder Rock and Revy didn’t hear the Flag empty out.

That settled it.

You could almost see the light bulb going off in Revy’s head.

“Come on Rock! We’re behind everyone! Let’s get back to the offices and tell Dutch and Benny! We have a boat, so we can catch up!” In moments she was out of the Bar. Rick gave a resigned sigh.

“This is going to be bad isn’t it?”

“Don’t look at me.” Chen chuckled. “As long as my bar doesn’t get blown up again, it’s got absolutely nothing to do with me.” Rock gave another sigh. Once Revy got going, there was no stopping her. All that was left was to pitch this crazy idea over to Dutch and Benny, and then it was going to be to be another ‘Greenback Jane’ in the South China Sea. He could feel it.

“Still, I’d be careful if I were you.” Chen said seriously. “Those SWA people aren’t ones to be trifled with. I researched the matter myself, and I found there’s only a maximum of a
two hour window in the entire seven day trip if you guys are planning a head on attack. Any longer or at any other time, and you risk having the coastguards of every nation in the South China Sea and Australia breathing up your ass. Better to have a snatch and grab than try blasting your way in.”

“Anything else?” Rock asked.

“Yeah, I don’t like this.” Chen said worriedly. “The guys who gave this info, seriously wanted it to get out. Something smells, and it ain’t my breadth. I’m betting they want people to unleash hell on that ship. My personal hunch? Their game must be something else.”

Rock nodded. “Thanks Chen.”

“Pah, don’t mention it. Just don’t forget to pay your tabs when you get back with the loot! Try and steal a few paintings while you're at it!” Chen laughed as Rock left, slapping the sleeping Gustavo in the head in a futile attempt to get the idiot information broker to wake up. “I pity the poor bastards who have to carry the money.You’d have to be damn near immortal to survive this!”

-=-

-=-

4 Days Ago, 2007

---

Reflecting on their first meeting days later, Beatrice found surprised she was at how skillfully this young boy she had met only hours ago had managed to get her to open up so quickly. She couldn’t really remember what she said to him in their first converation before she really started prodding, but whenever Beatrice looked back on that day, she knew whatever she had said had spurned this amazing boy into taking action.

Must have been some seriously depressing stuff.

After a few failed but persistent attempts at conversation, the boy had found a topic no cyborg could avoid talking about; her handler. Initially focusing on Bernado, Beatrice’s new friend managed to use that as a wedge to drive oven her shell. Within moments, she found herself talking about how she’d felt about their cruise thus far, her unusual taste in music, her love for swimming and a whole range of other topics. In fact, only when he asked about why she chose to come on the ‘Madame Liberty', did Beatrice realize she had completely forgotten about Ferro!

Curing herself silently, she stole a quick glance to where the suited woman sat, still reading a newspaper while enjoying her third cup of coffee at the café.

“Really? You’ve just following your brothers on HIS vacation?” He laughed. “Mustn’t be much of a gentleman if he leaves his cute sister all alone on the deck!”

Beatrice bristled slightly at the way her new friend had insulted Bernado, but found herself mentally agreeing with him. Bernado was irresponsible for leaving her all by herself, no doubt about that. “So, what about you? Why are you here?’

“Oh me?” he chuckled. “I’m actually visiting acquaintances of mine. They’re part of the crew, so I thought I might as well have a holiday while I’m at it. I’m rarely out of America, so I
had a heck of a time in Indonesia…”

“Friends of yours?”

“Friend of my parents actually. I don't the husband very much.” His grimace wasn’t lost on her. “Still, I’m guessing my folks wanted me to sort out my hatchet with them, so here I am.”

Wasn't he too young to have a hatchet? “So have you? Buried the hatchet I mean?”

“Well, we agreed not to kill each other. That’s a start I guess!” He replied jokingly. “He isn’t a bad guy once I got to know him better,and his wife is pretty sweet…”

“Beatrice, it’s time we-oh!” Beatrice saw Triela, blonde pigtails, trench coat and all, stride up to them. It suddenly occurred to Beatrice that the sun had shifted considerably across the sky. Her ‘shift’ was over. Had it really been that long?

“Sooo…” Triela grinned ear to ear. Suddenly, Beatrice got an odd premonition; a premonition of an endless stream of teasing about to come her way. “Is good old Bice’ getting a social life?”

“It’s not like that…” Beatrice tried, but alas, Triela wasn’t having any of it.

“Oh, looks like one of our supposed 'work crazy girls' actually can interact with people after all!” Triela said happily. “And who might this fine young man be?”

Beatrice turned to the rather amused looking boy beside her and was about to introduce him when it hit her like a tonne of bricks. In all the things she talked with him, never once had he
mentioned his name. In fact, aside from the fact he was visiting family friends on the ship and on holiday, she knew next to nothing about him! Seeing her wide eyed look, her young friend seemed to catch onto her plight.

“My bad.” He chuckled, tilting his flatboy cap slightly to obscure his eyes. “I guess in all the excitement, I forgot to introduce myself.”

Triela placed her hands on her hips in annoyance. “Forgot to introduce yourself? Bice, what kind of friend did you make anyway?”

“I’m really sorry. I’ll tell it to your right now!” he smiled holding his tow hands up in an apology.

“My name is… Czeslaw Meyer. You can call me Czes if you want, everyone does. I didn‘t mean to offend anyone, really!” Czeslaw Meyer… Beatrice filed that piece of information away for further reference.

“Czes, hm?” Triela said curiously. “Unusual name. Where are you from?”

“New York.” Czeslaw replied. “You seem to be very protective of Beatrice, Miss…”

“Triela, Triela Hartmann. I consider myself to be Beatrice’s protective big sister, so I want to make absolutely sure she doesn’t mix with the wrong sort of people.”

Czeslaw gave a quick look at Beatrice before turning back to Triela. Beatrice didn’t miss the amused twinkle in his eyes… and something else. “She never told me she had a big sister figure. It’s nice to see she has once so protective of her.”

“Well, now you know.” Triela replied. “Well, I’ve judged you appropriate boyfriend material! Go get her kid!” The blonde have a heartily laugh.

Had Beatrice not been sitting down, she surely would have fallen out of her seat. She was fighting to maintain her impassive poker face. As it stood, it was an impressive achievement for her to limit her irritation to a slight twitch in her lips.

“Aren’t I a little too young for this sort of thing?” Czeslaw joked.

Czeslaw Meyer. Not a bad name. What was the meaning behind his name, she wondered?

---

---

“Hey.”

“Ah, kid.”

“This is the second time I had to use my real name, on the deck this time. Nowhere near your patrol routes or the bar. I really think there’s someone on board.”

“Geez, that’s another problem…”

“Another problem?”

“Don’t worry your head off about it. I’ll look into it. It’s my turf their intruding on.”

“We haven’t been approached yet, so I’m curious as to what their game is. Besides, having to go around using ‘Czeslaw’ might give me come problems later on if I'm not careful.”

“You wouldn’t have this problem if you used your real name instead of an alias all the time.”

“You’re one to talk…”

-=-

And so, our story begins!

-=-

by sasahara17 Wed 16 Jul 2008 - 19:35

A/N
- Wileama sent in his draft fist, and I was so damn pumped I'd gone off and revised most of the document. I've added plenty of extra bits from the original document tho'...

The blasted thing is so long, I had to break it up multiple times. Sorry about that.

As I've only watched the Baccano! Anime series and not the novel, assume that only the events in the
anime apply to this story (i.e. no novel material).

Anyway, first chapter! Post all complaints, comments and suggestions right here!

-=-

Disclaimer

Baccano! is the rightful property of Ryohgo Narita
Black Lagoon is the rightful property of Rie Hiroe
Gunslinger Girl is the rightful property of Yuu Aida

-=-

And yes, I am aware that Czes and Maiza have that 'love story' in the background. Please disregard that for now : ).

EDIT; To clarify, I'd dealt with that in the Epilogue. As with all stories I write, the ending is the first thing I ever write, so please bear with me.

by sasahara17 Fri 18 Jul 2008 - 0:55

Quick question; which section in FF.net should I put this? On one hand, it's a GSG fanon based fanfic, on the other hand, most of the characters are from Black Lagoon. Besides, there is a distinct death of fics, there. Maybe I should pop by and give it a little 'push'. Might get flamed for it tho'.

Quick Rundown of the planned cast;

BL (7 main, 12 total)
Rock, Revy, Benny, Dutch, Garcia, Fabiola, Roberta, Eda, Balalaika, Shen-Hua, Sawyer, Rotton, Extra Order

GSG (3 main, 7 total)
Bice, Ferro, Hillshire, Triela, Rebecca, Priscillia, Olga

Bac! (4 main, 7 total)
Czes, Claire, Chane, Firo, Luck, Ennis, Dallas

MGS
Johnny (?)

EDIT - Forgot about the villian.

Debating if Aurora should join in, but that'll be just too cruel.

by **emperor** Fri 18 Jul 2008 - 9:27

Quick question; which section in FF.net should I put this? On one hand, it's a GSG fanon based fanfic, on the other hand, most of the characters are from Black Lagoon. Besides, there is a distinct death of fics, there. Maybe I should pop by and give it a little 'push'. Might get flamed for it tho'.

No worry,you can put it in here.

Your fanart/fanfiction

by sasahara17 Wed 23 Jul 2008 - 23:13

-=-

Chapter 02

The Loveless family just wants a normal holiday

-=-

-=-

Yesterday, 2007, around 6:00 pm

---

“Hey Beatrice! Over here!”

Beatrice glanced around the large dining hall in search of Czeslaw’s voice. She laid eyes on the familiar flat cap, she felt a small rush of excitement… which was quelled immediately when she noticed the company he was keeping. She had really didn’t want to meet those people, and from the looks on their faces, neither did they.

Steeling herself, Beatrice walked up to Czeslaw and the two other people at his table, an apprehensive looking Garcia Loveless and a startled Fabiola Iglesias. “Hey Garcia, this is the girl I told you about. I met her on the deck. She’s a bit quiet so I thought she might open up if she had more friends.”

“.. .Nice to meet you.” Garcia said. “Garcia Loveless.”

“Fabiola Iglesias.”

“Beatrice Hargen.” Beatrice already knew their names, but humored them. Wouldn’t do to tip off the only one on the table who was still an innocent child that there was more to them than met the eye. Czes really did have to make friends with the oddest people. Drawing a seat for herself, Beatrice felt her mind racing a mile a minute trying to figure out how to get out of this mess.

She was ever so thankful that her poker face hid her slight anxiety. Perhaps she was right earlier that day… this was a mistake.

Seemingly oblivious to the hidden-tension around the table, Czeslaw pulled out a pack of cards. “It’ll be a while before the come over to serve us, and even longer before we get served. Anyone up for a round of Old Maid?”

-=-

by sasahara17 Wed 23 Jul 2008 - 23:14

-=-

5 Days Ago, 2007

---

“Bartender, two of the nastiest things you can cook up if you please.”

The mute amber eyed young woman behind the counter gave a gentle smilee and promptly went about making the most potent alcoholic concoction she could come up with. Bernado promptly rested his head on the bar counter in exhaustion. “That definitely shaved of a few years off my life.”

“Tell me about it.” Hillshire agreed.

There were scary things in this life. As secret service personnel they’d all come to accept this. From spiders to getting shot at by Padania, there was no shortage of the moments that made them wonder if they should have gone into a different profession. Having Rosarita Cisneros drag you aside and lay out the rules of the jungle for you definitely ranked a new level in the ‘asshole pucker meter’.

“I can’t believe they’re really just here for a holiday.” Hillshire said.

“I can’t believe we’re still alive after making a fool of ourselves and almost ruining her holiday.” Bernado corrected.

The only upside to that sordid mess was that surviving an encounter with the famed Bloodhound of Florencia, regardless of the circumstances behind said encounter, was something that would look good on their service records. The downside was the fact they would have to live with the memory of said encounter for the rest of their days.

A day after first mistaking her for their contact, a much calmed down Rosarita, or Roberta as she had taken to calling herself, had systematically combed the ship for their presence. She initially located Triela, and after ‘interrogating’ the young cyborg (Hillshire had a sneaking suspicion that Triela decided Roberta was only there to threaten the adults and all to willingly led the menacing maid to their room), she had arrived at their cabin and proceeded to scare the crap out of them.

Literally.

It cost them a set of trousers and underwear, but the SWA handlers go her message. As much as Hillshire knew Triela was a formidable combatant, he had a sneaking suspicion ‘Roberta’ was on a whole different level. Besides, why make an enemy out of the most dangerous guerrilla warrior in the world, when all she wanted was to visit the art gallery?

The chink of glass on the counter signaled the bartender was done. Without a word she deposited the two glasses on the table before them and went about fulfilling other orders.

“We need a raise after this.”

“Just be thankful the worst is over.” Hillshire comforted his friend. “Well, Triela would still tease me for years to come, but as far as this goes I think we’re out of the woods.”

With a clink, the toasted to having survived the ordeal that made them require a change in underwear and set about trying to forget this whole ‘Bloodhound’ debacle. Were they going to have a story to tell the guys when they got back.

Ferro was having it easy.

-=-

by sasahara17 Wed 23 Jul 2008 - 23:15

-=-

Yesterday, 2007, around 6:30pm

---

The food had arrived, and the cards were put aside. And unlike before, there were genuine smiles to go around.

“You’re good Czes.” Garcia said. “You totally wiped the floor with me and Fabiola. Only Beatrice stood a chance against you! Where’d you learn to play like that?”

Their game had gone pretty quickly, with the four of them seemingly evenly skilled at first. It spiraled out of control when Czeslaw suddenly noticed that Beatrice’s poker face actually made her one heck of a card shark, and as if rising to her challenge, he started playing for keeps as well. Garcia and Fabiola, not exactly the best card players alive, were left in the dust.

Still, they were amazed at how good Beatrice, and surprisingly Czeslaw, was. So much so, the initial animosity behind their first meeting was forgotten. The mood around the table had settled down to a friendlier feel, one expected of four children their age having dinner together.

“Here and there. Mostly with a family friend.” Czeslaw said. “You tend to pick up a few things when you have an ‘uncle’ called ‘Luck’.”

Beatrice shook her head. Another ‘family friend’. Czeslaw seemed to have a lot of those. To her, he was this big enigma that drew her in. She couldn’t help it, never before has someone ever managed to catch her off guard.

On their first meeting, Czes had somehow gotten most of her details off where while parting with only a few of his own. He took notice of the her even though she had situated herself in the least noticeable part of the deck she could find. And more importantly, he successfully pried her attention off Ferro, and then managed to hold it for a better part of that afternoon. Nobody had distracted her to such an extent before. For lack of a better term, he intrigued her.

“I don’t think I’ve seen anyone play as good as you two.” Fabiola said. She’d been to a few seedy casinos herself, and the way Czes was playing reminded her of one of the better high rollers she had seen there. And this was a game of Old Maid.

“You flatter me.” Czes said humbly.

“I’m serious, you can Beatrice looked like the pros!”

“Should see me at Texas Hold-Em…”

“Hn?”

“So, you two seem to really like the swimming pool.” Czeslaw pointed out. “From what I hear, you two have been going there ever since we left port.”

“Ah, that.” Fabiola blushed. Garcia have a slight giggle at the embarrassed blush on her face. “I love swimming.”

“Really? Beatrice likes swimming too!” Czeslaw said.

Beatrice found herself nodding. Yeas she had a hobby of swimming, her being one of the few cyborgs that didn’t sink like a rock in water. Unfortunately with the hands off order on Garcia and Fabiola, the one time she considered going to the ship’s on deck pool was promptly shot down when she saw the two laughing there. She couldn’t help but hold it against them for that.

“It’s surprising though, that there are so few people at the pool.” Garcia observed. “I mean, they’re flocking to the casino and the art gallery, but the pool doesn’t seem to have so many people…”

Czeslaw gave a knowing smirk. “Ah, that’ll be the Rail Tracer.”

“Rail Tracer?” Fabiola and Garcia echoed.

Czeslaw smirked. Hook line and sinker.

-=-

by sasahara17 Wed 23 Jul 2008 - 23:17

-=-

San Francisco, 2006

---

“Holy Fuck…”

“That about summed up all my thoughts, inspector.”

The young detective showing her the worst murder seen she’d seen in quite a long time. “This is even worse than that other case I’m currently working on, and that’s really saying something.”

It was on board a luxury cruise liner, the ‘Fabulous Rail Tracer’, named after the American railroad legend of the 1930’s. When the grisly scene was uncovered, it had immediately put to port. The initial scene had the water of the swimming pool a grisly shade of crimson with more than two dozen bodies were found floating in it. As soon as the gangplank was up, the passengers and crew had been offloaded, and the local authorities called in.

“I think the scene is pretty self explanatory, but I’ll give you a brief rundown.” The young cop said. ‘As you can see, there’s blood everywhere.”

“I can see that.” A better question was what blood wasn’t on. The entire indoor pool and all the walls (and portions of the ceiling nearly two stories up) had the grisly red dye. The Inspector had no idea how much blood you needed to get this kind of effect, but with the number of bodies they’d found…

“Well, what you can’t see is that somehow it’s in the water purification system sir.”

“What..?”

“Yeah, in addition to the pool, pieces of the bodies were found in the water tanks. Lord knows how they ended in there.”

“Pieces?!”

The young officer looked sick just thinking about it. “CSI believes whoever did this disposed of some of the bodies by… grinding them into the reclamation valves, sir.” The inspector too suddenly too felt a bit ill. “From our count, eleven of the bodies had their throats slit open, those were the clean ones. Five of them have every bone in their bodies broken, and every major vein opened up. Three of them had portions of their bodies missing, we found them in the kitchen microwa…”

“Enough.” The Inspector said. “I got the picture. Whoever did this was a real psychopath… but extraordinarily strong as well. The victims?”

“All well known criminals, oddly enough.” The policeman said. “We uncovered plans for them to highjack this cruise ship in their cabins, mostly involved wiping out half the hostages and seeing if Uncle Sam would be willing to pay for the other half. Looks like someone had serious objections to them doing just that.” The Inspector was indeed flabbergasted.

“So whoever did this actually saved the ship. Interesting. Proof.”

“Well, judging from these plans, they actually saved a lot of lives.” The detective said. “We found a lot of guns in the hold and in some cabins. If they’d seen some use, many more people would have died. Still, if someone was going to save the ship, couldn’t they have done it in a less messy way? Murder is murder. We’d arrest someone if we even had a clue of what was going on…”

“Any suspects?”

“None sir, unless you count the boogeyman. Forensics turned up nothing, and most specialists say this isn’t humanly possible. Everybody on the ship has an alibi… which is why we brought you in.” The cop sighed “Some people are even saying the Rail Tracer is back.”

“Is that so?”

“What kind of person could do this? In one night no less?”

“A person couldn’t have done this.” The Private Inspector Celes Victoria (not to be confused with her younger sister in England, PC Seras Victoria) deduced. “What we have here is a true monster, plain and simple.”

-=-

A/N Yes, that is a Celes (Hellsing) cameo... should I keep it, or replace itwith someone like Harry Dresden?

by sasahara17 Wed 23 Jul 2008 - 23:18

-=-

Yesterday, 2007, around 6:40pm

---

“The inspector they brought the case concluded that it couldn’t possibly have been done by human hands and after fruitless searching, they determined that it only could have been… the Rail Tracer! The revived American railroad legend, come to haunt the ship of the same name!”

Beatrice was thoroughly amused that when Czes finished his story, Fabiola and Garcia hugged each other for dear life in fear of this supposed monster. How cute.

“So? What do you two think? Cool Eh?”

“That was freaking scary!” Garcia said through chattering teeth.

“Well, needless to say, everybody’s been a bit queasy about the pools about Gandor Brother’s luxury liners.” Czeslaw laughed. “Relax, it only happened once. Perhaps the boat just sailed too close to the next Bermuda triangle or something. Only the bad people died. We’ll all be fine won’t we? It’s not as if we’ve killed anyone before.”

Garcia and Fabiola shot each other concerned looks before hugging each other with renewed vigor. Czeslaw raised an eyebrow. “What’s up with you two..?”

Beatrice on the other hand, was far more composed. As if she had anything to worry about from this ‘Rail Tracer’. She was a creation of science, so of course she wasn’t buying into this ‘mystical evil spirit’ nonsense. Besides, Czes being a ten year old child, probably blew the story completely out of proportion anyway.

And of course, she had some extra knowledge. From reports compiled from Interpol, it was more likely the fabled 1930’s railroad legend, the ‘Rail Tracer’, was just this really good assassin with a flair for theatrics. If he was even alive, he’d probably be over ninety by now.

Hardly something that wouldn’t worry someone like her.

Still, she found her mouth twitching ever so slightly at the sight of the three children before her. For some reason, this was rather different from hanging out with her sisters. It felt, more natural, less forced.

Beatrice face darkened.

Could it be that she was beginning to open up to these people? She felt he fists tighten. No. This was a mistake after all! He’d managed to convince her to come down to dinner this time, so it was clear to her he’d managed to worm his way past her defenses somewhat. This was a mistake-

“So Beatrice, what do you think about the Rail Tracer?” Czeslaw grinned. “Scary huh?”

“Hm.” She replied.

Yes, she was making the same mistake. Beatrice quickly made her decision. She’d have to leave these people and soon. For their sake, and hers.

---

Yesterday, 2007, around 7:10pm

---

“Yeah, today wasn’t so bad was it?” Fabiola giggled. Food had come and gone, and the foursome had sauntered off to the ballroom.

Beatrice had attempted to leave once she realized where they were, but Czeslaw wasn’t having any of that. He dragged her out onto the dance floor, and although awkward at first, she now seemed to be enjoying herself (her facial expression hadn’t changed one bit though).

Beatrice, although they knew she clearly was an ever present threat, turned out to be good company. After they got past that bored expression of hers, they soon came to realize that she just couldn’t express herself for some reason. Perhaps it’s because of whatever her government did to her she was so awkward? Government assassin or not, Beatrice was just a shy adolescent girl who didn’t know how to interact with other people.

“Czes really is an observant person to realize that. I bet he’ll be like Rock when he grows older.” Garcia noted. His mind briefly wandered to his Japanese friend who he’d suspected was still shadowing that Italian woman. “Still I wonder what possessed him to drag one of those Italian agents here?”

“Could have been worse.” Garcia smiled at Fabiola. “Could be the one who called me an evil genius.”

Fabiola smiled back. “You know what? This is turning out to be a normal holiday after a-“

And then a gunshot rang out.

Amidst all the cries of confusion and fear, Garcia moaned with frustration and Fabiola cursed her big mouth.

-=-

by sasahara17 Wed 23 Jul 2008 - 23:20

-=-

6 Days Ago, 2007

---

When the brochure promised a ‘new exciting way to make memories’, this odd sight currently before her was one she wouldn’t forget anytime soon.

“Here is your Ransom money.”

Roberta was so surprised; she actually dropped the two heavy suitcases she was carrying. They hit the floor with a resounding thump, as if to echo the sound of her hopes of peace and serenity being blown to smithereens.

“Excuse me?” Roberta asked, quite astounded that the ship had barely set off when she was immediately approached by a woman, flanked by two men in suits (and curiously, two young violin carrying adolescent girls) in a suit carrying a metal briefcase in one of the less populated corridors of the ship, offering it to her with those said words. Beside her, Garcia and Fabiola too looked equally confused. They hadn’t even gotten to their rooms yet!

“Ransom money. Ten million American dollars in full.” The woman said in slightly accented English.

Roberta glanced at her adopted family, and both gave her similar looks of confusion, and not a bit of worry. Since the mansion was being renovated, the three of them decided to have a nice long normal visit to South East Asia, free of gunmen, pirates and other such brigands. This obviously did not bode well.

“Madame.” Roberta said sternly. “You must have mistaken me for someone else.”

The woman had the gall to look befuddled. “Err… you are Rosarita Cisneros, the Bloodhound of Florencia, right? Terrorist, kidnapper and murderer?” Roberta resisted the sudden urge to punch something. Why is it every time she came to this part of the world, her past kept hounding her? She would have expected this to happen back in her home country, not halfway across the world in Bali! Garcia showed less restraint and palmed his face, while Fabiola rolled her eyes.

“Madame. I am merely a retainer of the Loveless family.” Roberta re-iterated. “I do not kidnap people. I do not make ransom demands. I am just here to enjoy a holiday with my young master.” She motioned to the smartly dressed Garcia beside her. Garcia quickly straightened up and made himself look impressive as possible, which was quite impressive.

Despite his young age, Garcia was now the master of the Loveless…

“So he must be the evil genius you take orders from. A little young bu-“
“Triela!”

Garcia promptly fell on his rear and looked he’d been hit by a bomb. Had Roberta not been in his presence, she would have flown into an unquenchable rage. How dare they even suggest that her young master would even think of harming another human being! And she wasn’t the only one offended. Fabiola was so mad, she had turned away from the scene in disgust, but Roberta noticed her fists were clenched and her shoulders were trembling …

…wait. Was that a soft snigger?

“Excuse me sirs and madams.” A sudden voice cut in. “I’m afraid you’re blocking this corridor.”

Indeed, a young redheaded steward pushing along a trolley filled with wine bottles was right behind them. Roberta quickly mumbled out a quick apology, scooped up her luggage and moved out of the way. The others quickly did the same. “Why thank you.” The steward noted, before moving to push his trolley, when he paused.

“Wait,” The steward said, examining Roberta closer. Despite the warning bells going off in her head, Roberta didn’t feel threatened by the man’s gaze. Something about him… “There aren’t too many people dressed like you around. Were you the one that helped that old couple get on board the ship?”

Roberta nodded. When they were boarding the ‘Great Sealiner’ an old couple behind them were having trouble climbing the set of stairs to get on board, so Roberta did the polite thing and helped. It was what any reasonable person would have done really. “I didn’t think anyone noticed.”

“That should have been my job.” The redhead smiled warmly. He handed one of the wine bottles to her. “Vintage 1932, on the house. Enjoy your stay here, sirs and madams.” He then tipped his hat at them before continuing on his way.

Roberta looked at the bottle of wine in her hands. Vintage 1932? This must be a pretty penny! She’d have to make sure it wasn’t poisoned or anything before she drank it but… a good omen?

“Hillshire you brainless German sausage! She isn’t the contact!”
“She’s Rosarita…! THE Bloodhound! Most wanted woman in the western hemisphere! What was I supposed to think?”

Roberta shook her head. No. This was going to be a normal holiday, just like they all agreed upon. No guns. No poison. No kidnapping or hostage situations. Normal holiday.

You know what? She was going to pretend this whole ‘here’s your ransom’ episode never happened. Let someone else pick up a gun and start shooting for a change (preferably not here)! Quickly motioning to her two companions, the Loveless trio quickly strode away as dignifiedly as possible from the scene of the unfolding argument.

Normal holiday. Stress normal.

-=-

-=-

Yesterday 2007, around 7:10pm

---

“A’ Righ’ Everyone! This is a FUCK UP!”

Upon recognizing the voice, Garcia silently proceeded to bang his head on a wall.

So much for a normal holiday.

-=-

Oh Dear! Whatever Will Happen Next?

-=-

by sasahara17 Thu 31 Jul 2008 - 4:09

-=-

Chapter 03

Revy and Rock just want a quick ten million dollars

-=-

-=-

2 Days Ago, 2007, around 7:10pm

---

“A’ Righ’ Everyone! This is a FUCK UP!”

“…”

“…shit, not again.”

Murmurs of disbelief echoed around the dining hall. Was she serious? She had guns and all, but with a line like that, it was hard to take her seriously. In one of the far corners of the hall, a well dressed blond Jewish man was trying his hardest not to break into fits of laughter. Despite the fact she was now wearing a full body wetsuit and a balaclava, there was no mistaking the bungled entrance of the Lagoon Company’s ace gunman, Revy ‘Two Hands’.

“Revy, you idiot.”

-=-

-=-

3 Days Ago, 2007

---
“So why can’t we storm the ship again?” Revy asked for the hundredth time while cleaning her Cutlasses.

“Right now the ship is within range of three national coastguards of major nations states.” Dutch said again without a hint of annoyance. “The Gandor Brothers have a standing agreement with each nation that if one of their cruise vessels were to be attacked while within their waters, the cavalry would come riding to the rescue.”

“Why didn’t we just bribe the coastguard again?”

“Someone tried that, and the Gandors came down on them like the ex-mafia brutes they were.” Dutch said. “Poor bastard had his shoes cemented and dumped into the water just off Puket. Those Gandors are old school, I’ll tell you that.”

And as with the last hundred times, Revy immediately followed up that with, “And when is this window again?”

“There’ll be a certain place and time the ‘Liberty will be two hours away from any coastguard protection. That’s when we’ll move in. We don’t have the personnel to hold the entire ship hostage, so we’ll just do a quick raid and get out.”

“Great. When does that happen?”

“Not for another day.”

Revy grumbled. When she heard about this briefcase, she had expected a massive shootout with plenty of bullets and profanities flying. What she actually got, was sitting in the cabin of a Patrol boat for what seemed like forever while shadowing the slow moving luxury liner as it went about its business.

What irked her most was that as it was, all the other money grubbing rouges she knew had had the brains to sneak on board as passengers or last minute staff hires, and were probably miles ahead of her in getting to that briefcase. Benny and Rock were one of those people that had gotten on board under fake aliases, and from the infrequent radio calls back to the Lagoon, had identified quite a number of familiar faces among the crew and passengers. No word on the briefcase yet, but it had been a while since he last called.

It was humiliating.

Rock had argued that stealing the briefcase instead of risking a frenzied assault on the ship would me more appropriate and cost effective. She of course, wanting to blow shit up, disagreed. Thankfully before it came to blows, Dutch proposed a bet. Revy and Dutch would do it the gung ho way, and Rock could try his luck at stealing the case with Benny. Winner gets to have a larger share of the loot.

Looks like Rock was winning, if only by a bit.

“What the hell is the glasses bitch doing there anyway?” Revy growled. “I mean, Shen-hua and Sawyer is one thing, but isn’t the Loveless family like, nobles or something?”

“He said he talked to Garcia, and they really are just on vacation. He told me about it while you were asleep.” Dutch said with more than a bit of humor. “In fact, Rock even said Roberta was approached by a bunch of Italians who thought she was kidnapper.”

Revy’s law hit the ground. “No.”

“Apparently, Roberta even got a clear look at the woman who had the briefcase.” Dutch grinned. “Luckily, Garcia didn’t want anything to do with this business, and Rock was gracious enough to leave him alone after that. Still, looks like Benny and Rock have a new lead.”

Okay, Rock was winning by a lot. That bastard!

Revy pulled out a ciggy and lit up to calm her fraying nerves. “All this waiting is killing me!”

Ten million dollars, she just had to keep her mind focused on those ten million dollars.

And as long as Rock didn’t snatch that case in the next day, she’d have all the excuse to go on board and raise hell as much as she wanted. Then she’d be the last one laughing.

---

by sasahara17 Thu 31 Jul 2008 - 4:10

---

Rock on the other hand was too busy assessing the vexing problem before him; how to get that briefcase?

Yes, he’d found the Italian woman he’d been searching for. The woman is a very stuffy black suit and tie, definitely not holiday attire, was sitting on one of the observation tables on the deck. She had the metal briefcase with her… but Rock didn’t dare approach her now, not with that very suspicious looking girl keeping watch.

Rock once again mused how much his association with the Lagoon crew had changed him. There was a time he would have completely disregarded that young Italian girl with the blank bored stare, but now… he knew the moment he saw her she wasn’t someone he wanted to tangle with, not without Revy to back him up. She was the fighter, not him. If he wanted to snatch the case, he’d have to use his noggin.

Thankfully, Shen-Hua and her ‘crew’, if you call the psychopath and idiot she kept company a ‘crew’, still hadn’t noticed this Ferro woman yet. In fact their’ so called ‘plan’ involved checking all the passenger’s belonging, cabin by cabin, under the guise of the cleaning staff. They were obviously on the wrong track since Ferro took that case everywhere with her. He almost felt sorry for them, since he and Benny had a good laugh at the lethal assassin in a laundry woman’s attire.

He also knew that Eda and Rebecca, who came dressed in lavish clothes he didn’t even know they owned, were winning so much money in the casino the greedy faux-nun’d forgotten about the briefcase altogether. He’d even heard security had been called in to check if she’d cheated somehow, but true to form, security hadn’t found anything.

As for all the other rouges he hadn’t noticed, Rock was grateful they had some sense not to start an all out brawl while the ‘Madame Liberty’ was still in Indonesian waters, and therefore under the protection of the coastguard.

Still, at this rate, someone was going to make a move on the briefcase. Preferably before the handover. What to do? Rock really wanted to find out that Ferro woman’s schedule, but his current cov-

“Hey, new guy. Spacing out again?”

“No, just thinking.” Rock said without a beat. He was relieved to say, nothing really did shock him anymore.

“The Garcia kid is ordering room service again. He keeps asking for you, don’t know why. You’re pretty popular for a trainee.”

Yet another reason why Rock didn’t have as much time to carry out his theft; in an awful coincidence, Garcia and company just had to be vacationing aboard this ship. Although Garcia and Fabiola had initially been ‘annoyed’ at first (Roberta had been outright furious), they eventually adopted on a ‘pretend you’re not here to steal something’ approach, and acted like he was just an old friend they accidentally chanced upon on their much needed holiday.

Rock wondered how stressed out the Loveless family had to be for them to blatantly pretend that most of their acquaintances from Roanapur were on board this very ship planning a theft. He really couldn’t blame them.

Rock smiled at the memory of seeing Fabiola make a beeline for the pool as soon as she was able to, Garcia right behind her. They really did need this. “Really Charles? I wouldn’t have guessed.”

“It’s a pity you’re only a part timer. We’ve been receiving compliments from the passengers about your exemplary service.” Charles chuckled. Charles was the head steward, and despite looking like he was only in his late twenties, who’d apparently been an employee for the Gandor Brother’s for years. He was a happily married man, to the ship’s nightshift bartender of all people.

Charles had taken a shine to Rock when he’d first come aboard the ship, and acted like a senior to the part timer. Unfortunately for the well meaning man, Charles attitude did make Rock feel out of place. It reminded him too much of his former life in Japan, what with the ‘sempai’ watching over his shoulder all the time. Rock couldn’t hold it against Charles. Rock hid those feelings well, but the familiarity of it was slightly uncomfortable.

“Is that an indication I’m going to get a raise?” Rock said in jest.

“Nope.” Charles chuckled. “Now off you go.”

“Aye, aye!” Rock snapped off a mock salute. Straightening out his stewards’ uniform Rock set off to collect Garcia’s food again, whistling softly to himself. Well, he still had a day to snatch the case. Eda was gambling, Shen-Hua was hopelessly lost, so for all intents and purposes he was ahead of the game.

All he needed was to get that case.

-=-

by sasahara17 Thu 31 Jul 2008 - 4:10

-=-

2 Days Ago, 2007, around 7:05pm

---

And of course, something just had to wrong with his plan.

Face down on the floor of Ferro’s cabin in a classic police hold with gun to the back his head, Rock only gave a resigned sigh. “Sooo… you were handcuffed to the case all this time.”

Ferro, standing safely away from him, nodded. “You aren’t the contact. This means you’re a thief.”

“Pirate actually.”

His plan to masquerade as one of the kidnappers had fallen through spectacularly. Stage one had gone off just fine. He’d approached Ferro, under disguise of course, and convinced her that he was the contact. She’d taken him to her cabin, where her German bodyguard and blonde kid bodyguard were there ‘just in case’. Brief introductions and all that out of the way, Rock had gotten all the way to the actual handover part… when he released he missed one important detail.

She’d handcuffed herself to the fucking briefcase, and the contact was supposed to have the key. Rock wondered how he hadn’t realized that little detail until her prompt.

It more or less fell apart after that. “I lost it.” Didn’t quite cut it. And so here he was wig and faux mustache on the floor, and himself at gunpoint. Again. This was getting repetitive. Instead of blind panic, a Rock felt was resignation and disappointment that his plan fell through… and a strange sence of comforting familiarity. Now this felt more like what he was used to!

Good thing Benny didn’t come along. He didn’t think the hacker the same amount of pain tolerance he did. On another note, he had a very strong suspicion that lady with her left hand handcuffed to the case was going to be in deep shit.

“You’re awfully calm for a man with a gun to the back of his head.” The pig tailed blonde girl holding him down pointed out.

“Happens to me every few months, nothing special.” Rock gave in a casual, uncaring kind of reply. Ferro, Hillshire and Triela shot each other skeptical looks. They didn’t believe him. Oh well, who would? “Anyway, I’d recommend getting rid of those handcuffs Miss Ferro.”

“Excuse me?”

“Just a friendly word of advice.” Rock said. “Since I’ve failed at getting a piece of the pie, I figure that I should inform you of the other dozen or so people also out to steal your ten million.”

“What?!” All three occupants of the room shouted.

“Don’t you know? The story about your little mission has been heard from Darwin all the way up to Hong Kong.” Rock took a small pleasure in their shocked places. Just a bit more and he could use his contingency escape plan…

“And you say ‘get rid of the handcuffs’? Don’t make me laugh!” Ferro growled.

“I think you’ll be singing a different tone when Sawyer comes after you with her chainsaw.” Rock calmly informed her. “They just need the ‘case you see. Parts of your left arm could be an unwelcome by necessary souvenir.”

“I’m not buying this crap.” Triela growled. She pressed up her gun against Rock’s temple. He merely rolled his eyes. Her temper reminded him so much about Rev-

Distant gunfire, and the sound that was made was one rock could have recognized anywhere.

“…fuck up…”

“Speak of the devil…” Rock muttered.

“Hillshire.”

“On it.” The German man strode purposely out the door, presumably just to check out the situation. Rock found himself hoisted to his feet and thrown onto one of the empty chairs in the room. Then he was slugged across the face. Despite the flare of pain, Rock’s mind was elsewhere. Even as the childlike killer bound his hands behind his back with some rope, Rock couldn’t help but shake his head.

Why was he always the dammed hostage? He was a pirate and smuggler for crying out loud!

And since Revy started shooting, this could only mean one thing…

“Now I’m going to ask you a few-” Ferro began.

Rock rolled her eyes. “Here we go again…”

“Eh?”

“Look Miss Ferro, I’d really recommend you get yourself as far away from that briefcase as soon as you can. Someone just started shooting, so the nasties are going to start coming out of the woodwork…”

---

“…FUCK UP!”

“…”

Revy felt her face heat up in embarrassment. “…shit, not again.” She could see the quiet murmurs of the confused crowd. She’d been making this mistake ever since that stupid stint in Japan! Quickly re-composing herself, Revy raised her gun again and fired two shots into the ceiling.

“Hey! I’m a mad bitch packing heat! What ‘ah say goes pissants! Everyone on the dance floor get down!” This time they complied. It was then Revy came to an awful realization; there wasn’t a briefcase in sight. It suddenly dawned on Revy that perhaps the ballroom wasn’t the best place to find a luggage with ten million dollars.

She blinked once, then twice, then… “…shit.”

Pivoting on her heel, Revy took off out of the room, leaving a roomful of baffled passengers wondering what the hell was that all that about. As much as she would have liked to secure them, she knew with those gunshots, Shen-Hua and anyone else on board would know the jig was up and come out blasting.

The race was on.

---

“Look, I’m telling you lady. This might to be such a good time to have your hand handcuffed to ten million dollars. It’s going to be hazardous for your heath.” The captive insisted.

Ferro rolled her eyes. This guy was the biggest fool she’d ever met. Admittedly, he was a spectacular con-man, but right now he was spouting some nonsense about how her life was in grave danger, and how someone was going to try taking her arm off. And this chainsaw lady he kept speaking off… really, what kind of a fool did he take her to be?

“Look you can still hold onto the ten million.” He tried again. “You just have to make sure you can ditch the money in case things get too hairy…”

“This is starting to get annoying.” Ferro put her foot down. “This is probably another plot of yours to get the money, so you’d better shut it. I know your face, and I can safely tell you once we get to port, you’re a dead man.” As much as she wanted to dispose of him here, it was probably better to wait until they formally interrogated him to make sure he was withholding any particular information. And she did want to dispose of this chatterbox.

“And you’re a dead woman if you don’t get rid of that chain when the bullets start flying.” He maintained. His head was even more level than Jean’s Ferro would give him that. He probably knew they couldn’t afford to let him live, yet he was just sitting there and talking as if Triela’s gun wasn’t pointed at him. “The people I know wouldn’t bother looking for the key. The second they see your handcuffs, you’d best kiss any chance of ambidexterity goodbye.”

“Those cuffs came from the kidnappers. Only they have the key. We couldn’t open those cuffs even if we wanted to.” Triela supplied.

“Break the chain or something. I don’t know. You just have to find a way to get rid of it in a manner that won’t cost you your arm.” Triela and Ferro glanced at each other again. Triela sighed first. That settled it. Either he was the most persistent con-man they’d ever had the displeasure of meeting, or she’d knocked a few screws out of his head when she tacked him to the floor earlier.

“Listen you.” Ferro sighed. “I don’t know what you’re smoking, but you’d best stop trying me to remove these handcuffs. I am a graduate of Oxford University, so don’t pull this crap on me. Let me re-iterate. First, we can’t because we don’t have the key. Second, we’re not buying your story. Third…” Ferro glared at the Japanese man to drive home her point. “There is no such thing as a chainsaw wielding maniac. Those things only exist in history and B-grade mov-“

She was interrupted by the roar of a chainsaw.

And then the lavish three inch thick wooden door to her cabin room flew apart as this big metal object with a set of metal teeth-like blades tore it’s way though the door. The sudden destruction of the barrier between her and the stuff of nightmares completely froze Triela and Ferro.

Into the room stepped a very intimidating and sickly looking woman, with dark hair and even darker eyes, dressed in an ill fitting laundrywoman’s uniform, with quite a bit of blood splattered on the front. She had the smile of a predator on her face, her lips decorated with black lipstick of all things. And in her hands…

In her hands…

The woman looked methodically around the room, before her eyes went to the metal briefcase. And then it went to the handcuffs that connected the said briefcase to Ferro’s arm. The woman shrugged and revved her terrifying power tool of death.

Triela instinctively fired a round at the woman, who effortlessly deflected the nine millimeter bullet with the huge power tool. “… That shouldn’t have happened.” Triela said slowly, beads of sweat beginning to form on her face. Perhaps it would be a good idea to take her shotgun out of the cupboard now.

Giggling softly, the woman began to advance slowly and purposefully towards the three figures, her eyes focused on Ferro’s wrist.

If you looked close enough, you could see the blood drain out of Ferro's face and her jaw slacken.

O’ dear departed mother in heaven.

A chainsaw maniac.

“Oh, it’s Sawyer.” Three guesses as to who said that and the first two don’t count. “Sorry to say, but told you so.”

-=-

by sasahara17 Thu 31 Jul 2008 - 4:11

-=-

2 Days Ago, 2007, around 7:15pm

---

“Okay boys!” The gruff man shouted. “From the time this baby sets down, We have two full hours to seize the damn ship! Let’s do it in one!”

“Yes sir!”

They were Extra Order, professional private military contractors. They were, in their honest professional opinions, the best soldiers of fortune that money could buy in the South East Asia region. As long as you paid them enough, they would do anything.

Their mission today?

Highjack the ‘Madame Liberty’ and oddly enough, ‘raise as much hell as they could’.

It was an odd request, but since they were paid a few million dollars to do it, they figured they might as well do it. They’d fallen on hard times after their Captain got himself blasted by a Torpedo boat of all things. While in a helicopter. It was something of an embarrassment that had caused their reputations to explode as well. What kind of an idiot gunship pilot loses to a freaking torpedo boat?

They were on the verge of losing their ability to buy disposal underwear when the job offer came through.

It was an audacious mission, not to mention a certified one way trip to hell with no return ticket. There was no objective to speak of other then the battle itself. Only mindless slaughter and fighting, and dragging out pandemonium and chaos as long as their mortal bodies could.

It was a suicide mission, the client said so himself. It was no secret that every money grubbing killer in the South China Sea was going to be there, and pissing them off was a surefire way for a trip to the morgue.

Just the kind of shootout that would definitely put them back on the map.

Captain Gregory Hammond, a seven foot monster of a man and an ex-SAS lunatic, picked the craziest, bloodthirsty or desperate bastards he could find and decided to set forth to go out in his blaze of glory.

Clients want them to raise hell? Gregory and his lads would make that cruise liner the very first hell on earth! The fact their living compatriots would benefit was a bonus, but Graham planned to go down in history as the baddest son-of-a-bitch to have ever hijacked a luxury liner.

Gregory pumped his hand in the air. “Okay boys! Saddle up! We’ve got a commotion to make!” The roar that was his reply definitely got his blood boiling.

And their helicopter descended upon the helpless luxury liner,

-=-

-=-

2 Days Ago, 2007, time unknown

---

“Ha-ha-ha-haha! Did you see that? I’ve never seen a hold up that bad before!”

“…”

“Think so too huh? What kind of amateur runs into the ballroom all by herself, makes the most lame introduction possible and then leaves without securing the hostages?”

“…”

“Really. ‘This is a fuck up?’ man, I almost mistook her for a comedian! What a joke!”

“…”

“Think so too huh?”

“…”

“We still have to kill her though.”

“…”

-=-

Oh Dear! Whatever Will Happen Next?

-=-

by Guest Thu 31 Jul 2008 - 11:51

Triella: Please surrender! You're under arrest of Italian Intelligence Section Two! Please put your hands in the place where we can see them!
Roberta: ...And for what reason should we should complice?
Triella: I told you we're with Ital-
Roberta: (Slightly annoyed)And we're not in Italian soil, we're in INTERNATIONAL WATER, dear ladies.
Henrietta: ...Uh, If you not surrendered, we'll use force-
Garcia: Uh, no, please don't-
Roberta: (Getting more annoyed)-As Young master said, it's not wise to use excessive force in-
Triella:OKAY, THAT'S IT!!! EVERYONE, ATTACK!!!
(gunshots heard)
(brawl fights heard for about 3 minutes)
All:....
Roberta:... Young master, please turn your face somewhere.
(spanks sound heard)
Handlers:....
(another 5 minutes, they can heard sobbing girls)
(The door opened)
(Roberta guiding crying Henrietta and Rico out, their ear is red)
(Fabiola guiding Triella, Fabiola face is in mix of laughter holding and comforting faces)
Triella: ...She... Even... Hilshire... wouldn't....
Fabiola: I'm really sorry for that, it's custom in our places for spanking disobedient childs...,
(Triella is in deep red from embarassment, pain, and rage, her face torn between crying and rage)
(Fabiolla pouring weapon components, apparently all the girls weapon had been disassembled to smallest parts)
Roberta: Dear sirs, I think we need to talk about your girls upbringing education, especially about "gun safety", "proper behaviour in front of others", and "how to control your emotions"
Handlers: ...(sweatdrops)

by Awinnell Thu 31 Jul 2008 - 11:54

you've just jumped into somebody elses waters !

by Guest Thu 31 Jul 2008 - 12:06

Ah, I'm sorry, can't help it ^^;

So that's the reason why my post got deleted lately....

by sasahara17 Thu 31 Jul 2008 - 19:17

Hey, that's pretty funny!

Never will happen in my fic, but still...

Got any more?

by Guest Mon 4 Aug 2008 - 6:21

Well, if you don't mind....

Another stupid jokes:
(Taken place right after Miss Saw-er entering the scene)

(Sawyer rush in)
(Brawl ensues inside the room)
(A loud crash heard)
(Sawyer thrown out of the room, right into the sea)
(A giant green appears)

Giant Green: VICTOR IS ANGRY!!! VICTOR IS MAD!!! NOBODY TOUCH VICTOR'S GIRL!!! VICTOR WANTS THE SAW-GIRL DEAD!!!!

(Meanwhile, somewhere in Rome, Italy....)
Claes: Hmmm, where's that thing?
Henrietta: Hmm? Claes? What you're looking for?
Claes: Well, I'm looking for my radioactive-material container.... Did you see it?
Henrietta: Radioactive-material container?
Claes: Well, (blush)... I... "borrowed" it from experimental weapons section.... I want to know if this paper is true, that by using gamma radiation, we can increase the lifespa, strength of vertebratae....

(Meanwhile, somewhere in North America, in the middle of nowhere, a middle aged man enjoying his drink....)
Bruce Banner: HATCHOO!!
Waiter: Bless you.

(Back to Rome)
Claes: And I forget to return it for two months....
Claes: ....Do you know where it is? Chief Lorenzo will be really angry if I didn't return it on time....
Henrietta: Ummm... You said metal tube container, this size, with black metallic seal inside....
Henrietta: Well, if I didn't mistaken.... Hilshire-san had a thermos for warm drink that shaped just like that....
Claes: Well, that's probably coincidence....
Henrietta: ...He said that it was Triella's gift for his birthday.
(Claes struck in horror, remembering scene several weeks earlier....)
Triella: Hey, can I have this upbeat thermos?
Claes: (Occupied with other things) Sure, have it your way.
Triella: Thanks, you're the best!

( Hulkshire is copyrighted creation of KodokuRyuu)

by **emperor** Mon 4 Aug 2008 - 7:36

Hulkshire!!

by Guest Fri 7 Nov 2008 - 0:05

The story had been updated, check on Fanfiction.net

....
Too bad we can't hope for Nanoha's character addition....

by **emperor** Fri 7 Nov 2008 - 8:08

Too bad we can't hope for Nanoha's character addition....

But she can join in the story,is it?

Razz

by sasahara17 Fri 10 Jul 2009 - 2:21

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but I'd like to post several questions regarding the progress of this fic.

(1) Bice's personality in canon is very different from Bice's personality here. I'm considering re-working existing portions of Ruckus to accommodate this, but I'd like a second opinion first. Is Ruckus Bice fine as she is, or should I make her more canon like.

Number (2) has a spoiler.

Spoiler:

(3) I've just thrown in Satsuki Yumiduka and Sion Eltnam Atlasia from Melty Blood. They're stowaways trying to get back to Japan by hiding in random ships and hoping one is heading north. They're lumped with Aurora (the Bad Luck Trio). How much focus should I place on them?

by **Nachtsider** Fri 10 Jul 2009 - 2:43

The very act of thinking that dredging up an old thread is an offense on this forum and thinking you need to apologize for doing so can get you banned here, so be careful what you say. Razz

Thus far, I haven't had any complaints about how you've handled Bea in 'Ruckus'. For all the attention Yu has given her in canon as of late, she still remains quite the cipher character/personality-wise - who knows what emotions lurk beneath that quiet exterior? I say that keeping her largely intense, methodical, reserved and duty-oriented, but allowing her some show of emotion when required, ought to be just fine.

Number two is something I would not pass up for the world. However, I'd refrain from playing it as a humorous scene - I think it has potential to be a very emotional one, due to the fact that many fans were left aghast by Bea's death in canon. Try describing the sequence in dramatic or poignant language/terms instead, and merely allow the very fact of Bea's miraculous resurrection to grant the audience a smile, then burst out cheering. Some monologue on her part regarding how she feels about this twist of fate and whatever circumstances brought it to pass would be nice.

As for the last item... they're walk-on parts, aren't they? As in, not overly essential to the plot progress? If so, keep them as mere cameos with brief speaking roles. Just Easter eggs, nothing more.

by sasahara17 Fri 10 Jul 2009 - 3:39

Nachtsider wrote:The very act of thinking that dredging up an old thread is an offense on this forum and thinking you need to apologize for doing so can get you banned here, so be careful what you say.

Force of habit, sorry.

Nachtsider wrote:I say that keeping her largely intense, methodical, reserved and duty-oriented, but allowing her some show of emotion when required, ought to be just fine.

That's one vote for keeping Bice as she is.

Nachtsider wrote:Number two is something I would not pass up for the world. However, I'd refrain from playing it as a humorous scene - I think it has potential to be a very emotional one, due to the fact that many fans were left aghast by Bea's death in canon. Try describing the sequence in dramatic or poignant language/terms instead... Some monologue on her part regarding how she feels about this twist of fate and whatever circumstances brought it to pass would be nice.

Atch, put a spoiler there would cha!?

...just joking! The fun part about these types of stories is not knowing the ending, but the wacky stuff that happens in between.

Spoiler:

Nachtsider wrote:As for the last item... they're walk-on parts, aren't they? As in, not overly essential to the plot progress? If so, keep them as mere cameos with brief speaking roles. Just Easter eggs, nothing more.

I was thinking of having them as joke characters. They'll never have a section fo their own, but they pop up everywhere and get shot at by everyone.

Spoiler:

Poverty stricken, misfortune magnet, stowaway vampires (well, one vampire and an alchemist) on a ship bound for hell. Basically, joke characters.

by Guest Mon 13 Jul 2009 - 22:56

Another stupid jokes:(A room signed PRIVATE, With a malicious aura seeping in....)Mercenaries: (rushing in) DON'T MOVE!!! SHOW UP YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!!!(in there we had: Johann Liebert (Monster), Hisoka (Hunter X Hunter), Joker (The Dark Knight), and Youichi Hiruma (Eyeshield 21) playing poker)(Hilarity (and good amount of Nightmare Induced Material) ensues)

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