Chapter 21: 21

 'How much did you drink last night Boss?'

Michael had been tasked with driving the Gimp Mobile around today with Krieger riding shotgun, as Ronson was back at the companies warehouse co-ordinating the other crew as they rearranged the place; moving old stock and preparing new shipments and orders.

Kreiger was slumped down in the passenger seat with her hoodie up over her head and her comedy sized sunglasses on covering half her face. Michael glanced at her out the corner of his eye to watch her actually take some painkillers. He had never seen either Krieger or Ronson take painkillers or any other medication before, thinking that their cybernetic augments and blood teaming with military grade nanomachines would take care of something as trivial as a hangover. 

'Enough. I drank enough. Where we going first?'

'Err, Fat Tony's.' Michael replied. Krieger groaned and slumped even further down in her seat.

'Fuck sake it's too early to be dealing with the mob.'

Fat Tony was nothing like what his name would suggest. Anthony "Fat Tony" Romano was a Capo for the local Romano Family Mafia; headed by his older brother Nico. Fat Tony was in fact a lot more svelte than what everybody thought thanks to a gastric band he had fitted the previous year. Tony wasn't a fan of all the modern technologies and stuck to the old school tested human surgeries, not the newfangled alien developed aids that to be honest; just worked better. He didn't even have a neuralmod, just a plain old holowatch. And while Fat Tony was now Slimmer Tony, he was still called Fat Tony. Oh the irony. He had always been okay with Krieger, but she couldn't handle the severity of his soldiers and guards sometimes.

Michael stopped the garish Plymouth Barracuda outside Fat Tony's home; a moderately sized Mediterranean style villa just short of an hours drive away from the outskirts of the port. Two soldiers dressed in sharp suits who were guarding the front door walked over to greet the Captain and the Cook.

'Sir, Captain Krieger is here with your delivery.' One of the soldiers spoked in to his holowatch. He mumbled and nodded as he was receiving his orders through his earpiece.

'Of course Sir. Please, follow me when you're ready.' The soldier said to Krieger and Michael. The pair went to the boot of the car and carefully removed two large wooden crates labelled "FRAGILE" all, carrying one each with as much care as possible. The soldier guided them through the entrance of the villa, past a few more threatening looking mafia guys and through in to possibly one of the most extravagant but functional kitchens ever. Fat Tony was hovering over the huge range cooker with his sleeves rolled up and wearing a chefs apron.

'Cassandra, it's good to see you again.' He wheezed out in his New Jersey-esq drawl as he glanced up from stirring something crackling away in the large pot he was tending to.

'You too Tony. Got your delivery.' Krieger raised the crate she was carrying and carefully laid it on the counter of the huge marble island in the middle of the kitchen. Michael followed suit and laid down his crate.

'Fantastic.' Tony turned the heat down on the cooker hob and wiped his hands on his apron. He made his way round to the wooden crates, pulling a rather intricate looking flick knife from his pocket which he then used to jimmy open the crates wooden lids. 

'Cassandra, you've outdone yourself again.' Tony beamed as he examined the crates contents. He rummaged around the crates, moving the sizal that was used to protect their contents before lifting a large bottle from one of them. Michael eyed up the bottle, noticing it was a Double Magnum in size and there was another bottle in the crate also. He figured there were four Double Magnum bottles in the crates.

'Ornellaia 2010. My wife is going to be over the moon with this.' Tony said as he admired the bottle. 'I'm so glad I asked you to source this for me, that idiot Da Costa didn't want anything to do with me.'

'Have I ever let you down Tony?' Krieger asked him.

'No, you never have. And this is why you get my repeat business. I nearly used Da Costa once, he turned up with his shiny teeth and his slicked back hair, trying to tell me he had mob connections back in Lodi New Jersey as if that would sway me and he tried over charging me. I found out he had no mob connections back on Earth at all, but his family owned a sofa store. Needless to say, I told the fucker where to go.'

Krieger snort-laughed.

'Oh my God Tony that's amazing! I never knew that!' Krieger cackled. 'Oh just wait till I next see him.'

Michael smiled alongside his boss, glancing over to Tony to see him pointing a rather large kitchen knife in his hand.

'Who's the kid?' Tony asked, shaking the knife ever so slightly before going back to chopping stuff.

'Oh let me introduce you. Tony, this is Michael Nakamura. He's our Ships cook and extra huscle. Michael, this is Anthony Romano.'

'It's a pleasure to meet you Sir.' Michael bowed his head.

'And you too son, manners as well I see you've been brought up properly.'

'That's all down to my mother Sir.' Michael said bashfully, with a subtle hint of sadness. 

Tony smiled at Michael and decided not to press any further after noticing his expression. He summoned one of his soldiers who was lingering nearby who just nodded and left for a brief moment. He returned with a small white envelope with "Cassandra" handwritten on it in incredibly neat and fluid cursive script. The soldier then passed the envelope to Krieger then retreated to his lurking post.

'There's a credit chip in there with our agreed amount, along with a little bonus.' Tony said to Krieger with a slight grin.

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'Tony that is unnecessary I keep telling you this.' Krieger groaned at the man.

'And I keep telling you that I reward good work and you've gone above and beyond this time. So be humble and just take the chip okay?' Tony said a little forcefully.

'Okay then, I won't argue. Thank you Tony.'

'You're welcome Cassandra.'

'We'd better go, we'll leave you to your wine.' Krieger said.

'Sure thing. You have an appointment to get to am I correct in remembering?'

'Yes I do.'

'I won't keep you then.' Tony signalled again to his lurking soldier. 'Please escort Cassandra and young Michael here out. But before you go Michael, taste this for me an tell me if it needs anything.'

Tony gestured for Michael to come over to the stove as he pulled a teaspoon out of a nearby drawer and handed it to him. Michael took the spoon and dipped it in to the pot Tony had been tending to, giving the mixture a taste. Tony took another spoon and tasted the mixture himself.

'Maybe just a pinch or two of dried oregano. And a touch more black pepper.'

'Fantastic. Sounds good.' Tony said. He did as was recommended and threw in some more cracked black pepper and dried oregano. Michael just smiled and bowed his head again before wandering over to Krieger who was waiting by Tony's lurking soldier.

'Be seeing you Tony.'

'Be seeing you Cassandra.'

Krieger and Michael got back in to the car after being escorted out of Tony's villa. Michael started the car and made his back on to the main road.

'Well, that was an experience.' Michael mused. Krieger just laughed at him.

'Get used to it, Tony's one of my main clients he sends a lot of work our way.' She said whilst lighting a cigarette. 'Usually personal stuff for Tony but he pays well.'

'Can I ask how much you got for that job?' Michael tentatively questioned his boss.

'One hundred and ten thousand credits. Including the bonus.'

Michael nearly lost control of the car when she said that.

'What the fuck?!'

'Yep. That was one of the most expensive Italian wines you could buy back on Earth. Those bottles were about fifteen thousand credits each. Plus the import and transport fees from Earth to here, my fees and Tony's little bonus on top.' Krieger slid the credit chip out of the envelope she had been given and retrieved a portable credit transfer unit from out of the cars glovebox. She tapped the credit chip on to the reader then placed her left finger on to the reader, her eyes flashed in varying colours for a second or two over her ocular HUD showing the transfer.

'Well that's gonna keep the company going for a while. Here stick your finger on that.' Krieger held out the credit transfer unit in front of Michael who carefully laid a finger on the reader. His ocular HUD flashed up showing that his boss had just transferred him five thousand credits.

'Woah! Wait what?!' Michael exclaimed.

'Dude calm down, just giving you some of the bonus you're the only one that offered to come with today. It's only fair.'

Michael knew not to argue with his boss, so he didn't. He just simply said "Cheers Boss" and carried on driving. He carefully drove to the apartment building where Krieger and Ronson lived in order to pick up his Vice Captain as he had been asked to take the pair to their appointment. Their appointment being their military funded health check, augment and nanomachine tune up that was stipulated they have after the big lawsuit against the EMA and Dr. Bishop. Michael was asked to drop them off at this really posh, swanky clinic in the nicer part of New Edo, go do something for a few hours then return to pick them up and take them home so they could "recuperate." He'd soon see what was about to happen.

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