Your timing is impeccable, Demetri. I just opened a bottle of wine.
Demetri
Did you do it?
Alberto
What?
Demetri
Don't play dumb with me!
Demetri
That car accident that has left Leon fighting for his life. Don't tell me you know nothing about it!
Alberto
Calm down, Demetri. You followed Bernardo all those years, yet it seems his wisdom never rubbed off on you.
Alberto
I don't like being accused of something I didn't do, and more importantly, I don't like it when a man who needs something from me carries himself like that.
Demetri
Tell me everything you know.
Alberto
No, no, no. That accident? I don't know any more about it than you do.
Alberto
But I want to tell you a story, a story I don't tell very often, a very personal story. So, please pipe down and listen well, alright?
Demetri
...
Alberto
A long time ago, I had a 'fratello'.
Alberto
We had a great relationship. We grew up together, sharing some of the dumbest moments of our youth. However, over time, a rift started to grow between us.
Alberto
I started learning to manage the family business and understanding the rules of Siracusa, but my fratello, sadly, wasn't interested in any of that.
Alberto
He was interested in Victorian literature, Leithanian music, and Siracusan plays. He spent most of his time in those silly theaters.
Alberto
The year I first took over the family business, I found his corpse in our parking lot.
Alberto
When I found him, I was enraged. I knew he was offending people, saying stupid things. I could have taken revenge, but I let it go.
Alberto
Do you know why?
Demetri
Because you're a cold-blooded mafioso?
Alberto
Haha, I take no offense to your crudeness... but that's not quite the right answer.
Alberto
It's simple. Far too many people misunderstand the meaning of famiglia.
Alberto
Mafiosi are not 'duty-bound' to each other. They invest in each other and must work hard to protect those investments. Those with a common purpose and the determination to stand together can truly call themselves mafiosi.
Alberto
The moment my fratello chose a different path, he was no longer an associate of my famiglia.
Demetri
What are you trying to say?
Alberto
I do not like to debate with other people. Business is all about finding mutual understanding.
Alberto
If you truly care about avenging your fratello, you should go to City Hall and ask for their help. Here, with me, it's strictly business.
Alberto
Well, that's about all the time I have now. My calendar is all booked up. I have to go meet a client.
Demetri
...
Demetri
I will handle the matter with Leon. It has nothing to do with you.
Demetri
Don't let me catch you stepping over the line.
Alberto passes a row of wine racks and returns to the long tasting table.
He hates to be late, but sometimes, with certain clients, you have to make them wait for just a little bit.
Alberto
You're a tough woman to meet, Signorina Lavazza.
Alberto
If memory serves, I've sent several invitations to you in the past. Even getting you to show up here today was a big surprise.
Eirene
...
Alberto
I know why you're here.
Alberto
You want to hand over the truck that caused the accident, along with its cargo, to me.
Eirene
Yes. That's correct.
Alberto
Transferring your own issue into an issue between the famiglie. That's smart.
Alberto
And that is why... I have to say no.
Eirene
But, Alberto, why?
Alberto
This thing has nothing to do with Famiglia Saluzzo.
Alberto
I'm sure you know that City Hall has been watching us closely, ever since the thing in Volsinii. Why would we want to poke the bear now?
Eirene
But this is a rare opportunity for you, no?
Eirene
In just a year's time, almost every major district in Nuova Volsinii will have a Venezia Trucking sales center or repair station.
Eirene
But if you have evidence that shows they are smuggling contraband, you can negotiate with them, or you could hand it over to City Hall, to smooth things over.
Eirene
Whichever option you choose, it will work out well for you. Am I wrong?
Eirene
All you need to do is ensure that the Truckers' Union does not get involved with the events that occurred last night. That shouldn't be too hard for you.
Alberto
Why did you choose the Saluzzos?
Eirene
I beg your pardon?
Alberto
The Medicis' investment firm, the Leotis' pharmacies, the Genoveses' sugar mills, the Roccas' steel factories... There are countless families that have entered Nuova Volsinii by way of their front businesses.
Alberto
You have many different options.
Eirene
To me, they're all the same.
Eirene
Us truck drivers just want to find new lives in this new city. We can't make sense of it all, nor do we care to. We do not care what happened in the Grey Hall, which famiglie have gotten stronger, which have gotten weaker, etc.
Alberto
Which is why my answer is so important to you.
Eirene
...
Eirene
I grew up in Sicilia. I haven't seen my parents since I was a child.
Eirene
The manager of a supermarket took me in when I was about 10 years old. He already had a daughter, but he treated me like his second one.
Eirene
A little over a year ago, one of the smaller, local famiglie set fire to our supermarket, over a very minor dispute. As a result, my little sister contracted Oripathy.
Eirene
Later, I heard that small famiglia was completely wiped out by another larger famiglia that had entered Sicilia, simply because they refused to cede their territory. That larger famiglia's name? Saluzzo.
Eirene
That is the only connection we have to the famiglie. That's why, when I got desperate, I thought of the Saluzzos.
Alberto
...
Alberto
I only have one small request.
Eirene
Tell me.
Alberto
I hope that in the future, the Truckers' Union will be able to do some favors for Saluzzo Vino, favors that only the union can provide.
Eirene
...
Eirene
No—no no no. I—I think you've got us wrong.
Eirene
You get a bargaining chip, and in return, you help us solve a problem. That sounds like a fair trade, right?
Eirene
The Truckers' Union will no longer have any dealings with Famiglia Venezia, and it won't establish any kind of relationship with Famiglia Saluzzo. You can't...
Alberto does not reply.
Eirene shakes her head forcefully. She will not let her mind get carried away.
Alberto
You're running short on time, Signorina Lavazza.
Eirene
...
Alberto
You just told me a Siracusan story, a good story at that.
Alberto
So, when you choose to solve things the Siracusan way, you must remember: the minute you take a seat at that table, many things are out of your control.
Alberto opens another bottle of wine. He pours the wine in the decanter and waits for it to breathe in the air, a graceful gesture.
Eirene notices that he's no longer looking at her.
Eirene
Signor Saluzzo.
Alberto
Speak.
Eirene
Tomorrow, I'll show you where we've stashed the truck.
Thanks to Columbia's nomadic city construction technology, Nuova Volsinii, combining twelve large plates, still boasts a speed far surpassing that of other cities in Siracusa.
And the Port of Nuova Volsinii, located on the city's outer plate, occupies over 1/10th of the city's usable landmass.
A faint vibration arises from beneath Noemi's feet—the sound of cargo landships from other cities docking with the support layers. It is steady and soothing, like the beating of a strong, healthy heart.
On the ground, containers stretch out like mountains, with trucks moving through the valleys between them. Cargo is being transferred from the support layers by crane for sorting, then transported by truck to various parts of the city.
Noemi still remembers the day Nuova Volsinii commenced operations. Signora Sicilia sent out a citywide message expressing her hopes and dreams for the new city.
This is the freight hub of Siracusa, the engine that shall power the nation's future.
Busy Cop
Noemi, we are very busy today. I wanted you to wait in the office. You're the one who insisted on following me here.
Noemi
I may still be in training, but I can help out. Maybe I can even crack the case.
Busy Cop
Well, I only started in this job three months before you. Neither of us is all that experienced.
Noemi
Papa wants me to settle into this job quickly. It's a decent profession, and serving as a police officer means I'll be able to protect my family's pizzeria.
Busy Cop
OK. OK. You already said all of that stuff to us on your first day on the job. Come on, kid. Don't you have any tact at all?
Noemi
Uhh... hehe.
Busy Cop
Alright. Let's get back to work.
Busy Cop
There are a total of fifty-six repair stations across the city's twelve plates, and the other officers are checking them one by one. We've already dispatched a unit to the Trucker Camp as well.
Busy Cop
The Port of Nuova Volsinii is the last place left. Almost all of the box trucks conduct business at this port.
Noemi
But finding one truck in this huge place? It's searching for a needle in a haystack!
Busy Cop
A fitting analogy, but a bit exaggerated. We've got to get a move on, or we'll be here past sundown.
Busy Cop
Let's start here. You go east, and I'll go west. Remember, we're looking for trucks with any signs of damage. Don't overlook a single dent, ding, scrape, or scratch.
My guy picked up the goods here. He was only halfway out of the city when the accident happened.
Eirene
It happened so suddenly. He was too afraid to drive the truck over to Famiglia Venezia, or back to the Trucker Camp.
Eirene
The truck's cabin got all busted up. The damage was far too noticeable, so he had to turn back. He drove back to this port, the place he knows best.
Alberto
Where exactly is the truck?
Eirene
Over there.
Alberto
That's...
Eirene
The place where all the floats are parked.
Alberto
Floats?
Eirene
These giant floats are modeled after the mythical beasts from Siracusan legends. They're going to be the big surprise of the Carnevale. City Hall spent nearly six months preparing them.
Eirene
They will lead the Carnevale parade across the central avenue and through the entire city. Under the gaze of all the citizens, they will bring the festive atmosphere to its peak.
Eirene
The port officials have covered them with a tarp, so as not to ruin the surprise.
Alberto
The driver hid the truck under the tarp?
Eirene
Yes. Sommer disguised it as one of the floats.
Eirene
I'm not sure exactly which truck it is. Wait for me here. I'll go talk to the dispatcher.
Eirene
...
Eirene
Why are all the floats moving all of a sudden?
Alberto
Signorina Lavazza, are you going to check each and every float? You don't think that's a bit much?
Eirene
No. I'm not going to...
The crane's mechanical arm tears away the tarps, and the Carnevale floats begin rolling out, one by one.
The bizarre, gigantic beasts are exposed to the daylight, starting the grand parade ahead of schedule.
Before Eirene can even react, thick black smoke begins to rise at the end of the procession.
It is the 'wolf,' one of the legendary deities born of the wilderness. When the twin moons are high, the wolves sneak into Siracusans' dreams, invoking their primal nature and teaching them to survive.
This wolf is a symbol of Siracusa, its mysterious legends, its long, bloody history, and the limitless future that this new city holds.
But now, the 'deity' is bathed in flames, and Siracusa's future is slowly turning to ash.
Busy Cop
What's going on?
Busy Cop
Noemi, tell the workers to put out the fire, now!
Noemi
I'm on it!
Noemi
You mean, this is the truck we've been looking for, the one that hit the Acting Mayor?
Busy Cop
That fire is getting out of control. If we wait for them to put it out, there'll be nothing left.
Noemi
You think this fire was accidental?
Noemi
I just think... hiding the truck among the parade floats, then setting it on fire, all just to destroy the evidence? That's both too complicated and blatant.
Busy Cop
Or maybe... that's what they want.
Busy Cop
It's a message, a provocation.
The fire completely engulfs the float, its flickering flames making it appear as though it were alive. The onlookers can almost hear the towering wolf, ablaze, roaring in the inferno.
A gust of wind blows through, carrying the thick smoke, which spreads like dark clouds, enveloping the entire city.
Suddenly, Noemi thinks to herself, 'maybe being a police officer is harder than it looks.'
