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| Living Extraordinarily | Started by: Sofia_Viacelli on May 02, '13 20:16 |
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In her condo, perched above the busy streets of downtown Chicago, Sofia was curled up on her couch under a blanket which was covered with old photographs and letters. Even on the coffee table, albums and notebooks surrounded a half-finished cup of tea. It was the morning of Sofia's birthday- a date which she had successfully managed to keep under wraps for the last few years. Certainly, she could spend time with friends or treat herself to a vacation; but Sofia had found that she truly enjoyed celebrating her future by remembering her past. Smiling, she picked up a letter that her aunt had written to her while she was in college. A photograph fell from the folded pages as she opened them. It was a picture of Regina with Sonya- the little brown, floppy-eared mutt that had wandered its way to the winery one summer and decided to make it home. Of course, Regina had befriended the dog within a few days; and for the rest of its life, that little stray dog lived like a king. Sofia had read the letter many times before, but this morning, a single line at the bottom caught her eye. "Remember, Sofia- live extraordinarily." Sofia looked up from the letter at her surroundings. No doubt, she lived lavishly. Being the president of a major luxury brand and the director of a lucrative business district offered her a lifestyle that was very nice, but was it extraordinary For all the work she'd done in the world of business and the Family, could she really say that she had done anything that lived up to her aunt's wish for her? Immediately, ideas began to run through her mind. What could she do that would make some kind of impact? Her plan for the day had been to stay home and relax, but now Sofia felt like that would be a shameful waste. If there was ever a day to do something amazing, it was this day. She showered and dressed quickly, then picked up the phone to dial her assistant. "Rachel. I've changed my plans- I'm coming in today. Make sure my schedule is clear, there will be a few expected guests." |
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Whistling a jaunty tune, Alex Hayden walked through the streets of Chicago's suburbs like he owned the place. In a very real sense, he did. As a senior member of Weapon X, there were very few doors that were closed to him. In Chicago, Alex didn't wait in lines or pay for anything he wanted to buy. From a simple newspapers all the way up to a new suit, when Hayden wanted something, people all but tripped over themselves to give it to him. It was the same way with any made guy. It was simple business. Suppose you had two businesses that get into a dispute. One pays the locals wiseguys the proper respect and the other doesn't. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which one was going to come out on top. “Mr Hayden!” a mustachioed man called from his newspaper stand, “Good morning!” “Hey, Geno,” Alex greeted the man warmly, accepting an offered newspaper from him with a nod. “Anything in the news?” Alex asked. He wasn't talking about what was in the paper. Geno was one of his street contacts. There were few who were better plugged into the streets than street vendors and any wiseguy who didn't know what was going on at street level was in trouble “Nothing much,” Geno said, “But, a Ms Viacelli was asking around about you earlier,” “Viacelli? The wine lady?” “Yeah, her family has been making fine spirits for many years, a tradition that goes back to the Old Country. A fine woman, by all accounts,” “Thanks, Geno,” Alex said nodding, “Maybe I'll have to pay her a visit,” Hayden would stop at several other pushcarts, getting a bagel at one, a cup of coffee at another, and a tangerine in yet another. Sometimes he wasn't offered a tangible tribute, but at each he subtly grilled the owner for info and reminded them who they owed their loyalty to. A Family that didn't have a street presence couldn't last, so Alex liked to do his part. Each vendor mentioned Viacelli and how she was asking about him. Given her position in Chicago, it was both exciting and a bit humbling to think that she was checking him out. After making his rounds, he hailed a cab. Maybe it was time to pay Sofia Viacelli a visit. |
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| Reply by: Alex_Hayden at May 02, '13 20:21 | |
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Every year Danny spent this day the same way. He went down to see his dear friend, Sofia Viacelli, at her winery. Sofia always thought that no one knew about her special day. But Danny and Sofia went way back. Danny had grown up around the winery as a little boy. His father, Spiels, had spent many hours with Sofia, trying to become more sophisticated, more than just a street thug that got his way because he was part of the Garcini Crime Family. As he became more polished, he passed some of those traits onto his son. Danny was raised to respect women, make them feel special, and always look for ways to make their days better. Today was Sofia's special day.....her birthday. Every year Danny would go to the winery, hoping to surprise Sofia and taking her on a shopping spree where her every whim was catered to by the shop owners. The only break would be for a formal lunch at the finest restaurant in the city. Every year Danny would show up, wait on Sofia, and realize that she was not going to show up. Rachel was always so sweet about it, telling him that Sofia wanted it that way. She didn't want anyone going to any trouble for her. It became Danny and Rachel's little secret. He would show up, she would tell him that Sofia was spending another birthday away from the office. Danny had a feeling that this year would be a little different. When he showed up at the winery Rachel had a huge smile on her face. "Danny, I don't know what's up, but you need to stick around. Sofia called and she is coming into the office. It doesn't sound like a shopping day, but it sounds like she has big plans. Don't worry, we can keep the shopping trip and fancy lunch between us."
Danny made some coffee and got comfortable. He couldn't wait to find out what Sofia was up to. |
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| Reply by: Danny_Greene at May 02, '13 22:29 | |
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When Sofia arrived at the office building, she was already out of breath for running- there was not a lot of time to spare. She was dressed for traveling- soft, khaki wide-leg trousers and a white camisole top and white fitted cardigan. Her dark hair was swept up into a bun, while a few locks of hair framed her face. Exiting the elevator, she could see Danny already in the office having a cup of coffee and talking with Rachel. Seeing one third of her team in place excited her, and with every passing second, the plan seemed to fall more and more perfectly into place. She flung open the door to the Viacelli Wines International office and hugged Danny tightly before making her own bee-line for the coffee maker. She started chattering as she poured herself a cup. "I'm so glad you could make it. This is perfect. I don't know why I haven't done this sooner. Anyway, I don't want to go into all this until Alex gets here- you don't know Alex, but you will. Hell, I don't really know Alex in person, but I know of him, and we need him for this." Cup of black coffee in hand, Sofia started toward her office down the hallway. "Danny, you come with me. Rachel, when Signore Hayden gets here, please send him back and lock the front doors." With a wink, she motioned for Danny to follow her. They made their way back to her office in silence. As soon as she closed the door behind Danny, Sofia launched into her story from earlier that morning. She barely even looked at Danny- her eyes darted around the room; even as she was talking to him her mind was working on the plan. Just as she came to the part of the story that brought her to the office, the door knob turned. Sofia watched the door with anticipation. Alex Hayden was preceded by a well-known reputation of respect and influence. She'd been told that he had a commanding presence, but could make anything happen with the nod of his head. |
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| Reply by: Sofia_Viacelli at May 04, '13 01:18 | |
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Alex emerged from a taxi in front of Viacelli Winery. “Thanks, Frank,” Alex said to the taxi driver, slipping him a small wad of bills. Frank was a former teamster who had gotten screwed out of his disability after being injured on the job. The back injury had left him unable to continue to do heavy labor and left him and his wife without income. Things had looked bleak. Then, a mutual friend had introduced him to Alex. Alex had 'convinced' several union leaders to do the right thing by Frank. Then, he'd arranged for him to get a job at Sunshine Cabs. This was fairly simple, mostly because Alex owned the cab company though a cutout. Frank's story was not unique among employees of Sunshine Cabs. Being driven around in cabs that he secretly owned by men who owed him their livelihoods was just one of the various steps Alex used to keep himself secure and hard to track. Taking a deep breath, Alex strode into the office, trying to look more confident than he felt. The more he thought about the situation, the less sure about it he was. Viacelli had obviously wanted him to come, but hadn't wanted to make a big production of having him over. This was hardly a new position for Alex. Few of the people who wanted to be 'friends' with him wanted this relationship to be common knowledge. That was understandable. Still, something about the setup made Alex uneasy “Alex Hayden to see Ms Viacelli,” he told the woman at the front desk. “She's waiting for you in her office,” the woman, whose desk plate read 'Rachel', told him. He nodded and headed into the back. He found the door at the end of the short hall, the plaque on her door read simply 'Viacelli'. Without knocking, Alex opened the door slightly and slipped inside, closing it quietly behind him “Speak of the devil,” Alex quipped, smiling and spreading his hands, “and he doth appear,” |
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| Reply by: Alex_Hayden at May 04, '13 01:59 | |
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Danny knew better than to ask Sofia what they were doing. She was in that zone where she would not have even heard him. He had seen it many times before. She was the most focused and determined woman that he had ever met. He had no idea what he was in for that night. But it didn't matter. She knew what the game plan was and he was going to follow it. Danny had a strong personality, but Sofia was one of his weaknesses. He would do anything for her, all she had to do was ask. He was just excited that he finally got to share her birthday with her, even though he had a sneaky suspicion that they would not be celebrating. When Sofia finally paused for a second Danny stood in front of her and grabbed her by both arms. He looked her straight in the eye and finally asked what was going on. "Ok Sofia. Breathe for a second and fill us in. I'm dieing to know whats up!" |
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| Reply by: Danny_Greene at May 04, '13 02:43 | |
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At that moment, Alex Hayden appeared in the doorway. Sofia's expression smoothed over to one quite intense. She took a step toward him, her hand outstretched to shake his. "Signore Hayden, Thank you so much for coming. I will not make you wait long to find out why I have asked you to come. Please, gentlemen, have a seat." She motioned for them to sit in the ivory brocade upholstered club chairs on the other side of her desk. Rather than sitting down behind it, Sofia perched herself on the edge of the desk top, standing between the two of them. She'd been thinking and carefully planning how to begin since the idea came to her. Not wasting another second, she began to explain the situation. "About four hours from now, exactly at noon, a train will leave Union Station bound for Philadelphia On that train will be Lucca diBiase, one of Tyler Durden's favorite men of mayhem. Also on that train will be Goren Enzo- a Russian national that is carrying 12 ounces of chlorine trifluoride." Sofia saw Danny's eyes narrow questioningly. Grinning slyly, she cut her glance over to Alex. "Alex, I think you know how valuable this substance is- and how dangerous. Danny, this compound is more than deadly. As it was explained to me, it makes napalm look like play dough. Of course, Sammy has no need for this, and nobody wants to see Tyler get hold of it; so, we're going to steal it. The going rate for an ounce of this stuff is a half million dollars. I already have a buyer for the whole amount. Each of us will take a million as our cut." There was a bit more, but she paused to gauge the reactions of her would-be accomplices. |
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| Reply by: Sofia_Viacelli at May 07, '13 11:58 | |
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Danny began to stroke his mustache in a way that indicated that he was in deep thought. He had a million things running thru his head. Danny had become very comfortable with his status in Sammy's family. He had the rank of Don. Enough bodyguards to make him sleep well at night. A decent income from his daily activities. He loved to use his gun, but mostly when there was little danger involved. He started to speak...
"Chlorine what?!?! More dangerous than napalm?!?! And who? Lucca?!?! I've heard of him. Bad bad dude. Never heard of the Russian. But he's Russian. Nuff said." Danny again began to stroke his mustache.
"Do I need some special gloves to carry this stuff? And something just doesn't add up Sof." Danny pulled a pencil and piece of scratch paper out of his coat pocket. "12 ounces.....$500k each.....3 of us......who gets the extra $3mil?"
Danny is pretty nervous at this point. He stands up and whispers in Sofia's ear. "You sure you don't want to just go out shopping and to a nice lunch today? My treat."
Danny was about half kidding. He knew Sofia too well and knew she would not go for it. Hopefully she doesn't get disgusted and tell him that she was disappointed and wanted to find a new partner.
He nervously sat down. "Just kidding. What's the plan darling." |
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| Reply by: Danny_Greene at May 07, '13 20:46 | |
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Hayden nodded slowly “I've heard of this Enzo through my contracts in the underground arms trade. He deals mostly in high end military technology. More the stuff that you need to equip an army than what your average criminal would pack,” Alex leaned back and steepled his fingers “There's also been rumors that he's been trying to sell some chemical weapons, but the most I've heard him having was a couple of canisters of mustard gas. I figured that it was something that he'd managed to pilfer from the Germans after the war. You know, a lot of German field officers sold off a bunch of stuff after the surrender. With their economy as shitty as it was, everybody was out for what they could get. You'd be amazed at how much an ounce of gold can get you in those kinds of conditions,” Alex shook his head in dismay “But the Germans didn't have chlorine triflouride. Hell, I don't think even the Allies had something that potent. Most of what I've heard about it has been really theoretical stuff. You'd have to have a really ace chemist working for you to manufacture something like that,” “That's what really worries me. What if Enzo is selling Durden more than just the product? What if he's selling him the means to mass produce this stuff? If so, it could alter the entire balance of power in the American criminal underworld,” “If Durden gets his hands on chlorine triflouride, he'd use it. No sane mob don would use stuff that indiscriminately destructive, but Durden's a mad man,” Alex looks over at Sofia with worry in his eyes “If this deal goes down, a lot of people are going to die,” |
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| Reply by: Alex_Hayden at May 07, '13 22:50 | |
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"Agreed." Sofia replied. "That is why I want to deal with this before it gets out of hand. I got this tip from a client of mine who happens to be a federal agent in the Chicago area, so I have it on good authority. The federal brass don't rank this as a high-priority situation right now, so he tipped me off to see if there was anything we could do. At first I thought only to pass it on to Sammy, but this morning I realized what an opportunity this was." Despite the gravity of the situation, Sofia grinned a little- the sly grin that generally preceded chaos. "As to your question, Danny, the remaining three million dollars will be marked for other purposes, which I will explain later. Right now, we need to make a plan. DiBiase is a goon, which makes me surprised that Durden would send him to conduct business with the Russian. We're either going to have to steal it from Enzo before he makes the sale, or steal it from DiBiase when the sale is made. Either way, we've got two extremely dangerous situations happening simultaneously If we are caught, at any point by Enzo or DiBiase, we are as good as dead. Meanwhile, we will be handling a highly volatile substance while bouncing around on a train." Her eyes look over both men, searching for some sense of their interest or commitment to this idea. She knew Danny would help her no matter what, but Alex she didn't know more than what she'd heard and seen thus far. Was the payout too small for the risk and his time? "Gentlemen, if we do this, a million dollars makes a nice vacation, but we will be doing something extraordinary- something that people in our line of work cannot usually claim to do- saving lives. Danny, you are a smart businessman with a very strong ability to work a deal; and Alex, a master strategist and weapons expert. Between the both of you and my resources, this operation could go flawlessly. Are you in?" |
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| Reply by: Sofia_Viacelli at May 08, '13 13:18 | |
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It was sweet how Sofia was asking Danny if he was going to go through this with her. He was sure that she knew that he had been smitten by her since a very early age. The way she was presenting all of this as if there was a chance that he might go home and wonder how the rest of her day went was part of her allure. She surely knew that he was not going to let her go into harms way without him to give some added protection to her. But she gave him the opportunity to say no. She was always in control and made others feel that they were part of that control. Danny loved that about her. He pretended to think about his options and then blurted out... "I'm in! How about you Alex?" Danny crossed his legs, lit a cigar, and waited on his instructions. |
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| Reply by: Danny_Greene at May 08, '13 18:25 | |
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Alex was silent for a moment, busily working out the angles in his mind “Let's take a step back here for a moment, shall we?” Alex interjected. “Sofia, you voiced your surprise over why Durden would send a common thug like DeBiase instead of one of his more trusted lieutenants. It seems obvious, at least to me, that the reason is a lack of trust. Durden doesn't trust Enzo. They've never done business together and both men run in circles where treachery is common. In fact, I would be very surprised if Enzo is personally involved in this meet. It's likely that he too will send a cut out to handle the exchange,” “The question then becomes how we can exploit this,” Alex leaned forward eagerly. There was nothing he enjoyed more than the prospect of a good mental challenge, especially with this kind of stakes. He couldn't suppress a small grin “The problem with your plan is that an attack on the meet would be counterproductive. Right now, the two men distrust one another. If we swoop in and take the chemical, they will suddenly have a mutual enemy and, hence, a mutual interest. Both sides will have lost a relatively unimportant henchman and some money. There's nothing to stop Durden from making another go at buying chemical weapons and maybe this time we don't get lucky and catch wind of it first,” “What we have to do is turn the two men against each other fully. To accomplish that, we're going to need to hit the meet in a way that makes each side think the other side was responsible,” Alex was silent again, running through lists of memorized facts and numbers “This is doable. Tough, but doable. We're going to need some very specialized equipment and, naturally, we're going to have to keep this very hush hush. No one outside this room can ever know what we've done or else the effect will be ruined,” “If this works, not only will we net a healthy profit and keep this weapon out of the hands of a madman, but we will effectively hobble two of La Cosa Nostra's biggest rivals in America,” “So, yeah. I'm in, too,” |
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| Reply by: Alex_Hayden at May 08, '13 19:07 | |
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