Ms. Robinson began her mornings the same way every day for the past 15 years. She started her mornings with a quick 5-minute stretch followed by a 30-minute session on her treadmill. After that, Robinson showers and eats breakfast. Then she follows up by going through her make-up routine and daily mantras. On her make-up table is a miniature shrine dedicated to her idol, none other than her mother. She grabs the photo of her mother and kisses it while applying her make-up in the same fashion her mother looks in the image. “There’s nothing and nobody who can stand up to you. I am the master of my reality. When God says to hurry up, I tell him to wait,” she chanted to herself in the mirror. Finally, she gets dressed in business attire and turns on the news. *LOUD ROCK INSTRUMENTAL* “And we return to last night's gruesome scene outside Dragon’s Dynasty restaurant in north Quaker; despite the police’s attempts to push us back, we got to speak to one of the eyewitnesses who were there from the beginning. We got a play-by-play from Quaker’s own Father Ja-”. The news reporter is drowned out by the ringing of a phone. “COUNCILWOMAN ROBINSON!” the voice on the other line screams. “YOU’RE NEEDED URGENTLY AT THE OFFICE. PLEASE GET HERE ASAP!” Ms. Robinson scoffs at this, “Jessie, sweetheart, you know you can’t rush perfection. I’ll be there soon”. She shuts off the TV without watching and heads out to her car. Robinson clicks a button on her steering wheel, and the gates to her home open up.

The streets surrounding the office were jam-packed with news reporters and similar media stations. Ms.Robinson cruised while phoning a subordinate to come to her. She stepped from her vehicle, the assistant pulled off, and the mob rushed her. “Ms.Robinson now that you have officially stepped up to the plate and begun your campaign for Mayor of Quaker, what are your plans to quell the rising violence the city faces?” a reporter stifled out while being pushed and shoved everywhere. Unfazed by the crowd, Robinson speaks up, “Increasing police patrol (with a pay bump for the extra work, of course) and funding more community outreach programs/activities are the two easiest solutions. Perhaps if we give the populace a medium to focus all their pent-up energy, the conflicts between them will lessen (in theory).” The door to the office building was flung open, and a group of security guards came rushing through, cutting through the crowd and surrounding Robinson. Keeping the mob at arm's length Robinson and co entered the building. One of the guards removes her coat, and the lot of them scurry off. As she walked towards her office, all her staff and workers greeted her. They brief her on the chaos erupting that needs her attention. Her advisor rushes towards her: “Ma’am we have something urgent to discuss”. Robinson places her hand on her advisor’s shoulder: “Christina you mustn't fret so much, it’ll give you wrinkles at a younger age”. Christina places her hands on Robinson’s ear and whispers something. Robinson’s eyes widened and her once cheerful attitude turned to an enraged one. “Cancel all my meetings today, if they ask why tell them it’s a family emergency”.

Robinson stomps off to her office. She slams the door and closes all the blinds. She grabs a phone from under her desk and dials the only number saved on it. “Ah, Veronica–” the voice on the line speaks. The voice was cold, void of emotion, almost robotic. “I was waiting for your call but it never came, so I sent your little assistant a message to give to you”. Robinson sits hard in her seat and furiously rubs her brow. “I thought I made it clear when I said that you need to keep away from contacting anyone who isn’t me; you almost scared my assistant half to death. What the fuck did you say to have her spooked like that”? The man on the other line attempts to stifle a laugh but fails. After composing himself, he speaks into the line “Oh nothing, just read of her entire social security number and home address to her, the usual”. He begins to laugh again while Robinson shakes in frustration. “Why did you call?” Robinson says with an angered sigh. “The package was never delivered; it was never picked up either” the other man said. “I was told that your boys would go down into town, meet with the guys flying in from the south, and meet with my boys and exchange products. But. That. Didn’t. Happen.” The man on the line begins tapping something metallic in the background. “I’m known for a lot of things V, my patience isn’t one of them”. Robinson starts to speak up but is cut off. “Oh relax, I’m not angry. Well, that’s a lie, but my anger isn’t pointed toward you”. “I’m not sure if you had a chance to watch the news today”. “Given your profession, I imagine you’ve stayed on top of current events”. “But imagine my surprise turning on the news this morning and seeing the faces of one of your top enforcers and his little cronies getting dragged to the hospital”. The man pauses and the tone of his voices goes from lackadaisical to serious. “I think this was sabotage, someone is poaching on our turf and trying to make us look shifty with the supplier”. Dozens of potential enemies come to her mind. The Czars, the Sicilians, the “Gentlemen”; *fuck* she thought to herself. *The damn Triads could be making noise* was the prominent thought in her mind. The man on the line speaks again. “If I had to take a guess, I’d say the Gaelic mob is trying to get back in business, and this was step one of reclaiming territory”. “So in the spirit of our oh so tender relationship. Allow me to give you some advice. Find out who did this, gag him, and put his body out on display for the whole city to see. That’ll send a message to any retard thinking they can gain some motion here in Quaker”. There’s a pause. Millions upon millions of scenarios are playing out in Robinson’s head. “I need you to do something for me, actually I need two things from you” said Robinson. The office staff continues to type, print, and catalog while their boss and her mysterious colleague make plans for a conflict that the city might not be healed enough to survive. At that, the call suddenly ends, leaving Robinson with more questions than answers. It’s been years since there was any opposition. Who would beat up Grim and his goons; how did someone beat up Grim and his goons? Who’s the new group trying to move in on Quaker? They must be deaf, blind, and stupid, or they have a death wish, and this is a new way of committing suicide.

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“Christina! Please come in here for a moment”. The Awkward secretary steps in with fear and stammering, clogging her every word. “Y-yes, Mmms. Robinss-son”? *sigh* “Be a dear and fetch my car for me”. “There’s an emergency elsewhere that requires my attention”. At that, she gets up, squeezes the young girl's face like a loving grandmother, and awaits her car. On her way out the door, she makes an announcement. “Sorry, my loves, but Mama has got to go! Something detrimental to life as we know it has occurred”. Nobody bats an eye at her announcement. This was an occasional occurrence by now. Since they’ve known her, Veronica Robinson, Ms. Robinson, Councilwoman Robinson, or her other alias has always been a bit overdramatic and excentric. They figured today was no different; they didn’t mind; she's always there when she needs to be, and she gets her work done. She is always the center of attention and people love her for it. She always has something to say, and people listen. She has a way of captivating everyone in the room. In her car, driving to an unknown location she dials up someone. “(Spanish) Meet me at the derby”. She calls up another number. “(Greek) Meet me at the derby”. She starts darting and zigzagging through the streets. She arrives and sees two men waiting outside the Quaker city derby; one is dressed in a 3-piece designer suit, the other in sweatpants and a t-shirt. “Care to tell me why you interrupted my R&R”? The man speaking was tall, thin, and looked as if he hadn’t slept in at least a week. It was slight but the thin man had a Hellenic accent. “Don’t be so mean Rico, our dear so-to-be mayor wouldn’t call us here for no good reason”. The man wearing the 3-piece suit seemed to be a bit older than Robinson and the other man. He had long hair tied up in a bun, and the stench of perfume wafting off of him was strong, not as strong as his Incan accent.

Robinson clears her throat before speaking. “Gentleman I’m afraid I called you for business, not pleasure”. “Grim and his boys were attacked and sent to the hospital last night. So the VERY important package full of product and intel wasn’t picked up”. The two men look at each other and then back at Robinson as if to say “Huh?”. “Yes I understand the confusion, had this been just a regular shipment I wouldn’t care either, but this shipment contained something special. Something that could rattle the foundations of this country”. She beckons them to move in closer. The trio speak in hushed whispers and code. The only witnesses to the conversation were the rust and rotting wood of the derby.

“And you didn’t think something of this magnitude was something worth mentioning to us beforehand”, said the sweatpants man. “My associate and I thought it would be a good idea if you two were kept in the dark until everything was set” Robinson retorted. “Ah yes, the mysterious associate that you haven’t given us the pleasure of meeting yet”! The 3-piece man said through gritted teeth. “Look V, we started this little organization together from the remnants of our families and connections and we’ve grown it to something powerful. But this isn’t something you keep from the group”. He exhales, “Don’t let that day job of yours confuse you of your true profession”. “Look I did what I thought was best for us. And as the member who’s in the public eye the most I figured this was the best way to prevent someone catching on”, said Robinson in her defense. Both men flared their nostrils at this. “Whatever, what do you need from us,” one of the men said. “Simple, I want the person responsible found and brought to me. I fear someone might be attempting to gain ground here. Send out a message to your boys and see what they can learn. I want to cut this tumor out before it becomes cancerous”.