Bugsy’s Town

La Costa Nostra, the classic Italian mafia, is rather infamous for staying out of the super community as much as they can. Partially, this is possibly just due to the families more conservative nature and partially, this is due to watching what Enhanced types did to other groups.

Unfortunately, the South American Cartels have not followed that pattern. In fact, they are one of the organizations pumping money into illegal research to create their own Enhanced super-criminals. This is in spite of the fact that they regularly have to fend off their own creations attempting to take over their markets and organizations.

This is further complicated by the Cartels complete disregard for any traditions regarding cape culture, which has led to a rumored “Special Relationship” between Supers and Cartels. Short meaning, Heros and ‘respected’ villains aren’t held to the same standards when fighting against the Cartels as they would be in other places. The term Red Cape is reserved for complete psychopaths, like Chimera, and frequently Enhanced connected to the cartels.

Andrew Fitzgerald, “Analysis of Public Service and the Heroic Age.”

After a rather fraught, if entertaining, ride through early evening in Las Vegas, and a fine dinner of beef wellington and smoked salmon, they were lounging in the hotel room when there was a knock on the door. Penny answered, and Louise Carpazo entered the room with a briefcase.

Dressed business casual, she wore a sports jacket over a silk shirt and skinny jeans, all of which were obviously expensive, with high heeled boots. "I'd have tried to wait to eat with you, but I know what the strip is like at night. It's good to meet you, Ms. Summers, Ms. Ward, and you Mrs. Ruan."

Solaris stood and shook her hand, “It is lovely to meet you as well, Mis Carpazo. Please take a seat, make yourself comfortable, it’s not like this is still regular business hours”

"No, I suppose not, but for the high rollers, or other types of big clients, you make time. Especially ones with your storied history with my family." She smiled as she sat. "I know you were given the short form explanations of your finances at this point, and have had a chance to look at them?"

“Yes, I was quite pleased with the state of the portfolio, though I admit I’ve been dealing with my business concerns bit by bit. There are a lot of odds and ends after almost a century.

"Yes, and I admit, I'd like to trim some of them." The accountant admitted. "If something became a problem for your portfolio or holdings both your bankers and I were draconian in cutting off the dregs, but you have a few investments that, while profitable and technically of value, just aren't performing how I think they should and don't quite fit in with the rest of your portfolio."

"Then there's your real estate holdings, sorry as they are. I didn't include the accounts for the sale or lease of properties, those funds are sitting in long term, low risk investments. I almost sold the Hamptons property but wasn't certain you'd want to give that up and even the empty ground is valuable.”

“With the lovey home I’ve been setting up in Islip if we can turn a profit, I’m fine with selling off the Hampton property. If I remember correctly, it was a decent plot of seafront land. I don’t really need a permanent vacation home there now.

"St. Nicks, which technically does business as Kennecott Science and Technology Center, or KSTC, is still very active and called St. Nicks by those who know it. They are heavily involved in several universities. Frankly, your biggest issue is you are losing massive amounts of money to taxes each year due to not having enough to claim counter to your income. A nice problem to have, but one that irritates your accountant."

Solaris nodded, “Well I can start increasing my charitable donations to help balance those out. I already am working on an event with the MLB. And I am sure I will find other causes to patron.”

"We can also set you up a HSA and 401 K... and you have salaries going out from your personal corporation, the shell company I set up, which includes all of the staffs payroll, health coverage and 401k deposits. You're very giving. And yes, I already set up the medical and dental, I'll bring the paperwork for everyone after you know if you're doing any new hires here."

“Thank you for handling that. I was rather getting lost. “

"I do this a lot. I'm not just an accountant. I've taken our services into assisting with both personal finance and business set up for small and midsized businesses.”

"Your estate has a law firm on retainer, they have offices in New York, London, and Chicago with relationships with practices around the country. Just seemed a good idea to have."

"Penny, can you forward that information to Tracy". She got her phone out, Penny and Granny did the same taking the number down. “How much have they had to deal with, While I was away."

"Fairly standard attempts by different corporate entities to get control of stock or other resources. Nothing that was even remotely successful. I don't think any made it to court." She replied. "Some copyright claim stuff, when media sources attempted to use you without your estates permission."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Well, that is good, I rather shudder to think of some of the things people would want to do with my image. That was bad enough back in my time, now with as fast as everything is it would be so much worse."

The accountant sighed. "That’s the side show, though. For what is important we can talk about tomorrow in detail. I'll send a car around to take you to my offices so we can go over the books in detail, then you'll know everything. After that we can start making plans for where you want to move financially going forward. Right now, you could just enjoy your existing passive income, but I suspect that's not what you want to do."

"No. It isn't. The truth is I have no idea how long I will live; I haven't physically changed since my enhancement and I'd rather live comfortably than not. Also, my parents raised me to be productive. They would roll in their graves if I just became a wastrel."

"While one would argue your record suggests you don't really need to justify yourself any further if you don't want to, I understand the goal. But no hurry, time can be taken to figure out the best plan for you and what you desire to achieve."

"I am looking forward to working with you. Your grandfather was amazing, and it looks like you have the same spark he did. It makes me happy to know the same family has taken care of me all these years.

"Well, I won't pretend mistakes weren't made, but all in all, your fortunes have been well cared for. Real estate aside." She chuckled.

“That sounds like a lot of flukes, usually land is the best of long-term investments. I don't know if it helps but I’m going to be investing quite a bit in restoring the Summer House in England. My PR person is looking at setting up a bunch of influencers to do the work.”

"Yes, but are you planning on living there, or using it as an income property. It would be fantastic as a sight for filming, or for events."

“I plan to keep my room there private, but I am going to use the rest of the property as an income property, I'm also researching how to make the fields more profitable.”

"Always good, but you're more of an urban, world traveler sort from what I was always told."

"I like my privacy every now and then, but for the most part you are right. I travel then I come back to one of my nests to relax until I get to fidgety then I travel again."

"I would make a joke about buying a private island, but you might just do it." She said with a smile. "Well either way, here's what I wanted to bring you here." She pulled a file case out of her shoulder bag. "Details on the grey account. It's taxed honestly, handled directly by one of my staff under my supervision."

Solaris took the file, interested in seeing what Louise and her family had done. "This is the account the personal monies come from, right?"

"That is the account that is attached to your 'corporate' account." She said. "The Super Account, as I tend to think of it."

"Ahh all the odd little expenses heroing can create."

"And ironically, it's filled with real estate." She chuckled. "A couple of warehouses, investments in a few hotels, some small homes that are rented as Airbnbs." She explained. "That, and several offshore investments, essentially serve as passive income for these accounts, and separate from your other more well known business activities. It’s also where the 'undisclosed settlements' for certain uses of Solaris in media has ended up going. NDA's are fantastic that way."

Warehouses. Solaris closed her eyes trying to remember something. "Warehouses. I was going. Oh. What happened to the warehouse in Hong Kong? I have seen on the news China took it back from Brittan and I was curious what happened?

"Oh... OH, that is a major bit of real estate you own, though it's a bit strange." she admitted. "My father negotiated that deal right before I took over. The property was technically sold, but you retained a partial ownership in the building that went up as part of the deal, in the form of four floors, which is a significant amount. One floor is a museum of unusual artifacts, I've visited, and I don't know why you had that many mummies, two floors are leased out to offices, and one floor is currently vacant, though until recently it was also offices. The business in question folded."

“My grandfather bought the land and had the warehouse built not long after Brittan leased Hong Kong. He was gambling on it being a major shipping hub and using it as a place to hide his artifacts from Grandma. She thought collecting dead people’s things was creepy and refused to let it in the house.”

"Oh really?” Louise said leaning forward.

Solaris chuckled. "Father told me about the time Grandpa tried to hold a Mummy unwrapping party at the house, Grandma was so mad she had a maid bring her a broom so she could beat grandfather and his guests with it. She didn't let up till he took the mummy out of the house, then hired a spiritualist to cleanse the property. Father said that Grandma refused for years to go into that parlor."

"She says things like that, and it just blows my mind to realize she doesn't know." Penny admitted. Meanwhile Grandmother Ruan was pulling up something on her iPad and showed it to Solaris. "This is Hong Kong today."

She looked down at the phone. "Oh my... it's like Manhattan!"

"It might be bigger in a way. Its population is desperate for space and building up in a way that even Manahatan doesn't match. And it was returned to China as treaty demanded, and turned into a special economic zone so the communist regime can pretend they aren't as capitalist as everyone knows they are. Chinese Style Communism involves a surprising number of new millionaires over the last couple of decades."

Solaris rolled her eyes. "Of course it does. Well, it's good to know that even if the warehouse is gone some of Grandpa's legacy is still around, along with whatever bits of antiquity he hid there.”

"Lots of minor mummies, odd items from all over the world. Nothing earth shattering or really priceless but interesting. They charge enough to maintain the staff and items."

"That is useful. Perhaps we will add to it when we go through the attic at home. I wonder how much of my stuff has ended or will end up in museums, you should have seen the MLB people when they saw my collection. "

"Your plane from the war is in a museum, I know that." Louise said, thinking. "As is a couple of your earlier heroic uniforms. One each in the UK and the US."

Solaris shook her head. "It’s still so odd thinking about it," All those things are only a few years old to her, but antique to the rest of the world. "Anything else major or is the rest to be handled tomorrow."

"We are good, this was just a quick face to face and some highlights. Tomorrow is going to be dull drudgery, but we should get through it in the morning and maybe bit of afternoon. Then you can enjoy Vegas. We can meet again later to talk over plans you want to start working on.”

"I look forward to it. Once we are done sorting that out am going to purchase a plane whil. Either that or we are taking a train back to New York.

"I'll look into the plane purchase immediately." Penny said. "I don't even know if trains do that anymore. Do they?"

"Yeah, but it's not real efficient." Louise said shaking her head.

"I don't care, the future has ruined the joy of flying. "

"Lord, that must have been a bad flight."

"Only if you’re use to how flights where in the forties and fifties.