[Recording Start]

M: Are you up yet?

D: … Yeah.

M: You know exactly why you’re in this situation, right?

D: … Yeah.

M: You can stop worrying, I asked my friends to leave us alone. I have no intention of killing you.

D: …

M: You probably could tell that I’m starting to remember certain things.

D: … Yeah.

M: You don’t seem too surprised?

D: … Well… Would you believe me if I said that I didn’t want to… sell you?

M: I would, actually. Luckily, I eavesdropped on your friend when he told his guard about the details of... your little deal. He’s long gone now, by the way. If it weren’t for my eavesdropping... Dennis would’ve had fun doing whatever he wanted to you. Right now though, neither you or I want that. Depending on what happens, ideally, we could become… partners. I need you to be absolutely truthful in what you say, though.

D: … Let me guess. If you found out about any lies that I might say now, you’ll end up killing all my staff and burning down the hotel.

M: No, but close. It might not even be me who does it, but maybe my friends. That’s the only reason why we found you, after all- even after my friends found and took me back.

D: You seem to like your friends.

M: … Your point being?

D: Just wishful thinking. I wish my friends were as loyal or even half as skilled as you lot.

M: But then you would have no reason to capture me, right?

D: …

M: I’d like to ask you something.

[Rustling is heard in the background]

M: Were you lying when you said that the pins guaranteed protection from your men?

D: No. I was not lying about that. I knew that if you were the way you were when we first met, there would be no chance in hell that I’d be able to capture you, even with an assassin. I wanted to gain trust from you so that I could ask you to partake in a… business opportunity. As soon as I found out that you became an amnesiac, I had to at least try to capture you as part of our contract with our fallen friend.

M: And so, here we are.

D: … Yeah…

M: So what was this ‘business opportunity’?

D: You’ve probably heard from Mendez that I wanted you as an assassin. I didn’t exactly want you as an assassin, but as a ‘cleaner’, if you know what I mean. In this day and age, we have too many competitors. Clearing their bases could provide us with a lot of business.

M: So who are your competitors?

D: .. I’m sure you’ve figured out, The Diamond Star is not exactly partnered with any hitmen or gangs. Most of our business comes from our policy of the building being cardinal grounds. In other words, a place where gang bosses and hitmen alike could meet together without any fear of a set-up. Besides the usual hotel staff, we have a rotation of hitmen, watching each meeting from a nearby rooftop, also owned by us. Our competitors… They aren’t people that run hotels. They run operations in order to destroy our business. They’ve sent people to be killed within our grounds on purpose, trying to pin the blame on our lack of policy enforcement. In this business, no one trusts anyone anymore. The little trust we have been able to build for ourselves is being unraveled quite quickly. That’s why I wanted your help. To put these men out for good.

M: Hmm… I’d like to ask another question.

D: I’d like to stop hanging from my feet soon.

M: Not until I’m done, alright? Hopefully our next meeting will be at a cafe, over a cup of coffee. I want to trust you, but I can’t just yet. Anyways… Why are you wearing a different pin on your lapel than the one I have here?

D: … It’s to mark out who is the director in our business.

M: Are there more variations of pins?

D: … Yes. Standard hotel staff, rooftop snipers, cleared hitmen using the hotel as a cardinal grounds, managers, retired staff and normal guests that can use our hotel as an actual hotel, and finally, me, the director.

M: Hmm…. I don’t think we can work together… but I’d like our organization to use your hotel. If we are to do that, I’d like you to create a new category of pins. Not only for myself, but any of my friends that need to use your facilities. I think we’d also like to use the parkade to enter the hotel, so that our identities remain secret, and so we don’t alert any civilians that are not on the conference room floors. And, most importantly… We are allowed to wear our masks when we need.

D: … Normally I’d say that you’d have to be high up in the underground to even demand this… But I think it’s clear that you guys are no force to not be reckoned with… Okay, I’ll give you your own category. The animals can roam within our hotel. Speaking of which… Why don’t you have a mask?

M: That is not important. What is important is in our organization of masked animals, we are allowed to be separate from the other assassins and Mafia bosses.

D: Sounds fair enough. Just so we’re clear, all other standard rules apply, no matter your unique standing.

M: Sure. Let me write a note real quick.

[Writing is heard]

M: Forgive me for this, Danton. When you wake up, use the instructions on this piece of paper and call someone from this phone. Hopefully, we will meet again in a better time.

D: Let’s get on with it then.

[Two thunks and the slashing of a rope are heard]

M: Alright. To those listening… The instructions on the piece of paper were just for him to call anyone to get him back to Miami. I will meet with him inside the Diamond Star in about a month from now to talk some more. Until then… I have to go find Dennis and Keenan. They said we need to go back to the hotel room to pick up our stuff. Word of our attack reached back to the hotel.