Scarface Fanfiction: Trouble in Panama

 (Original Scene)

Miami, 1982

“Montana estate, who`s on the line”? Chi-Chi finally answered the ringing telephone, which he`d been avoiding for the past few minutes. “Bring your boss on the phone, I don`t speak to errand boys” responded the mysterious voice, much to his insult. “Tony, somebody wants to speak to you” informed Chi-Chi, to his ‘boss’ who was sitting just a few meters away on his grand throne. “Bring it right here” ordered Tony, following which he pressed the speaker against his ears. “Hello Mr. Montana, how`s business been for you?” inquired the voice on the other end. “Ah, Sosa. It`s you. Business has been good, I`m earning more than ever. I`m telling you, laying Frank to waste was the best decision I`ve made in years, apart from jumping over to the States, of course” laughed Tony maniacally. Just 3 years ago, Antonio Montana had fled Cuba in boats, all of them together carrying a hundred thousand people. A fraction of whom were believed to have criminal records. Eventually, he found trustworthy friends in Chi-Chi and Manalo, the latter of whom he affectionately referred to as ‘Manny.’ The 3 men managed to acquire a green card by assassinating Emilio Rebenga, thereby managing to land in Miami where they found themselves working for Frank Lopez, an established drug lord. Although he took a liking to Tony at first for his gutsy attitude, differences in business ideologies accompanied by Tony`s affair with his girlfriend Elvira, drove Frank to strategize an attack against his faithful aide. The attack was an obvious failure, and it didn`t take long for Tony to kill him and take over his Empire. He further expanded his profits by establishing cordial relations with Alejandro Sosa, arguably the most powerful kingpin in the world. And now, he enjoyed a life which was fueled by money, leisure, intoxication and an undying thirst for blood, in his lavish estate. Such was his journey from rags to riches, summed up in a nutshell.

“Well I`m glad to hear to hear that Mr. Montana, but unfortunately things aren`t the same at my end. You see, some amateur Columbian gunmen are causing us trouble in the sea. Twice this month have our boats been intercepted at Panama, by these goons. It`s already difficult to trespass the international waters, with the navy having a constant eye on any suspicious activity. It`s making business difficult for me, I hope you understand the situation” explained Sosa over the phone. “Look, I`m sorry. But I`m missing the part where it`s supposed to be my problem. Alex, I pay you money to bring the goods. We settled for Panama as the mutual spot. I don`t care if some untrained pirates are giving your men a hard time” expressed Tony, without displaying any concern. The fact that he was speaking to a man way more powerful than him, wasn`t enough to make him flinch in the slightest. This unique trait of his, allowed him to carve his roadmap to success in the most proficient manner, despite the competition that existed in this field of work. “You`re right, Tony. That`s the point. You pay me money for me to bring the goods to you, not to fight armies of hooligans that I encounter on the way. I`m losing both ammunition and manpower. I`m afraid I`ll have to raise the prices by threefold, if you`re not willing to cooperate” warned the leader of Bolivian cartel, whose temper was now on the verge of being violated. “Threefold? You`ve got to be bluffing, are you crazy!” exclaimed a flabbergasted Tony, finding it hard to believe his ears.

“You know what? Alright. I`ll do it. As long as I don`t have to pay you a dime extra! No changes in the deal, do I have your word on that?” he asked in desperation. “Very well, Mr. Montana. If you agree to eliminate these naive troublemakers once and for all, the deal shall continue as we had planned it to be” assured the suave cartel leader. He knew that his distributor in Miami was very cautious about his financial expenditure. Tony may have had the entire city under his influence, but that couldn`t change his willingness to take a bullet, out of greed to save a couple of thousand dollars. And Sosa, being the intelligent businessman that he was, knew of his client`s weakness. “So how do I go on with it? Any information that you may be having, which might come in handy?” gasped Tony, unwilling yet forced to do the job. “My associates have traced the location of their leader, he resides in a bungalow at the outskirts of Miami Beach. That`s also where his army takes shelter too. Be careful, Tony” instructed Sosa. “Save the worry for your feeble squad, Alex! Had your shipmen been capable of handling guns, I wouldn`t have had to step out on the field on their behalf” scoffed Tony, as he slammed the telephone speaker back on to the desk. “What a moron” he murmured to himself in frustration. “Take it easy, angry young man. Who is it that`ll be breathing his last tonight?” questioned Manalo, as he barged into the room. Tony looked up, relieved at Manny`s presence. “What took you so long, were you busy with one of your women again? Your problem is that you love women more than you love money” pointed Tony, upset at Manny`s frequent absence and lack of involvement.

“Come on Tony, I`m here now. That`s all that matters” winked Manny, in an attempt to win his friend over. “Some Colombian pest is sending people to spoil our business, Sosa`s boats have been facing trouble in the Panama. They have their eyes set on the stuff that`s meant for us” clarified Tony, painting a clear picture of the threat that awaited them. “Eyes on our stuff? Well let`s go and pluck them out” replied Manny, cracking a malicious smile as he turned around to exit the room. “Chi-Chi, you come with us too. We`ll be needing some of the best weapons, no compromise on the ammo okay?” confirmed Tony. “Right, I`ll also carry a couple of C4 explosives just in case” suggested Chi-Chi, as the men hurried their way out of the mansion. Ernie, Frank`s bodyguard who was now working for Tony, welcomed him at the entrance of the mansion. “Good day, Tony” he greeted his boss. Tony stopped before him, and took a moment to respond with a disapproving stare. “Get your obese self in the car, you inflated chicken!” he demanded this bodyguard of his, whom he had a vendetta against, possibly due to his previous affiliations.  Ernie nodded in agitation, and it was a matter of minutes before the men were seated in a secondhand 4-door car. “Why are we riding in this potato today?” asked Manny, not pleased with the choice of vehicle. “I`d rather risk a potato being blown up, than a Mercedes” joked Tony, managing to get a quick giggle out of the other passengers despite the tense situation. “South Beach it is” sighed Manny on the driver`s seat, as he looked into the front mirror to study Tony`s body language. The mission wasn`t void of danger, in fact it was the complete opposite. These men didn`t know what they were heading into. As Manalo put his foot on to the accelerator, all that they could do was brace themselves in anticipation of what awaited them next...

After a 40-minute drive which comprised of constant swearing and nervous sweating, they had finally made it to Miami Beach. It was barely midnight, and contrary to the loaded up magazines tucked underneath their suits, the streets of Miami Beach were empty and deprived of any activity. The ocean waves had never been this ambient, and the lights around the city had never seemed this aesthetic. With the silence echoing through each of their ears, the calm before the storm was obvious. “There it is, that`s definitely it” mentioned Manny, sighting a flashy bungalow at a reach of not more than a few meters from their parked vehicle.  “Do any of you plan to get down, or should we celebrate the rest of this night in this potato?” asked Tony sarcastically, who was growing impatient to wage a war. The men then stepped out of the vehicle, with their weapons and ammunition masterfully hidden beneath their clothing. “Manalo, take the lead” instructed Tony, as he tapped Manny`s shoulder. Manny nodded, proud at the fact that his friend showed faith in him, which was very unlike of Tony. The squad of mobsters then crouched their way to the entrance gate, so as to not blow their cover. “Two at the front door, they`ve got submachine guns!” updated Manny, who was leading as told to. “I suggest we resort to espionage” recommended Ernie, as he proceeded to pull out a suppressor and attach it to his Heckler and Koch MP5. “I didn`t know I had a coward for a bodyguard” whispered Tony as he stood right up and opened fire at the two men guarding the entrance. The idea of being tactical never struck well with him, for this Cuban enigma found thrill in spontaneity. “Congratulations on messing up, Tony!” complained Manalo, who found it hard to cope with his friend`s method. The sound of gunfire had alerted the Columbians, as a result of which more armed guards emerged out of the mansion`s balcony. “I give the orders here, not you” commanded Tony, whilst firing back at the aggressors.

As they were on the brink of a verbal spat amidst the heated exchange of fire, a sudden realization crossed Tony`s mind. “Ernie, where`s Chi-Chi?” he enquired with concern. “I don`t know, he was right behind me” replied Ernie, who was too focused in surviving the onslaught. Out of the blue, the sound of a screeching tire caught their attention. “Quick, get in!” requested Chi-Chi, who`d been driving the car. “Care to explain what you`re doing there? You`re supposed to fighting alongside us!” shouted Manalo, baffled at the vagueness of the ongoing events. “What, are you having second thoughts about making it for a run? Don`t forget that we`re answerable to Sosa, he`s going to send a hit squad after us if I break my word to him!” reminded a distraught Tony. “No, no! You`ve got it wrong! I`ve planted C4 explosives all across the mansion`s walls. We`re one click away from blowing up the entire bungalow, and eradicating the Columbian threat for good!” yelled Chi-Chi, as he kept honking the car in attempts to persuade them. “Tony, he`s right. The cops shall be here soon, and these bugs just keep coming. We can`t go on for too long like this!” tried to convince Manny. “Okay then!” screamed Tony as the three men rushed towards the waiting car, despite being bombarded with bullets from every corner. Tony and Manny athletically rolled their way through the car`s window. Whereas Ernie, owing to his overweight physique, borrowed a couple of extra seconds. “Do it now, hit the button!” demanded their desperate boss. Chi-Chi drove a few meters away, just enough to still be in the adequate range for the explosion to occur. “

Peace be upon the Columbians!” shouted Tony, as his henchman pressed the remote. The entire bungalow was instantly brought down to ashes, and the fire showed no signs of mercy either. “Enjoy the fireworks” laughed Chi-Chi, at the satisfying sight. “Don`t get too excited, you just risked your promotion there” warned Tony. “We better save the talking for later, or else we`ll be spending the rest of this decade in the county jail” said Manalo, who was sweating anxiously from head to toe. Chi-Chi turned his focus to the road, and the car drove away from the ruins of what once was a potential threat to the ongoing business in Panama…