Chapter 4 – Zaibatsu Pharmaceuticals

Red Valdez, Portland, Liberty City, 2000

The opening ofZaibatsu Pharmaceuticals was a large event. Only six months after Red had received the money from Don Salvatore Leone he was now at the opening of his own business. This opening dinner had all been arranged by his friend Uno Carboni who was twenty-one. Red and Uno were sitting at the table with a pearl white tablecloth waiting for all the employees and media to show up. Uno was an Italian; he must've been the only Italian that helped his friend instead of joining a Mafia. He wore a Mafia-like suit and had slicked back hair and Red had came quite accustomed to his white suit that he had bought the day after he had got the money and now wore it all the time when he was in public.

"Uno, I have to thank you for arranging this dinner for me, if it wasn't for you, there would be no grand opening, just a.. well opening" Red said

"Don't worry my friend" Uno said "you've done a lot of favours for me, and we don't want to dish out the money you received yet, that is solely for business now I'm sure Red"

"Yeah" Red said "when are they gonna arrive, they're late"

"How did you get that money again, it was something to do with the Mafia" Uno said

"It's a long story" Red said

"Well tell it" Uno replied "at least until the media arrive"

"Don't tell the media this though, it's supposed to be an inheritance from my granddad in Cuba, he's also keeping with the story" Red said "remember six months back when I had no money whatsoever"

"Yeah, they were hard times" Uno said

"Well, I took a job as a hitman for any gang that wanted to hire me, I was hired by the Triads this certain time" Red said

"Don't remind me, I'll never forgive those bastards" Uno said "I didn't know they had anything to do with you receiving the money"

"Anyway, they gave me a job for One Million Dollars if I could kill Joey Leone of the Leone Family Mafia" Red said

"This leads to something else doesn't it Red" Uno said

"It does indeed" Red said "anyway I attempted to do this job, I aimed the sniper rifle right to Joey's head from an apartment window, but then Leone's guards came in, knocked me out and took me to Salvatore Leone's mansion, well guess what happened after that"

"It could only be a twist" Uno replied

"Correct, he said I was a pawn so he would let me away alive and gave me One Million Dollars if I stay away from the Leone's and never work for the Triads again"

"So that's the story" Uno said

"Yeah, and I'm glad I did it" Red said "no more murdering and criminal activities

"So you're glad you did it even when the Triads came back for revenge?" Uno asked

"I only got a little beating" Red said

"You got more than that Red" Uno replied

"Well, the cut's turned into a scar, but come on, I think it was worth it" Red said

Suddenly Dr. LaBrat walked through the door in a tuxedo.

"You two are the only ones here? Where is everyone else?" Dr. LaBrat asked

"They're late" Red said

"They should be here any moment" Uno said

Dr. LaBrat wore thin rimmed glasses and had a brown ponytail. He took a seat one seat to the left of Red.

A few newspaper and television reporters with cameras walked through the door.

"May we have an interview for the Liberty Tree" the newspaper reporter asked

"Yes" Red said

"What interested you to go into pharmaceuticals?" the reporter asked

"It has always been a life ambition of mine to go into pharmaceuticals" Red said "and my friend Uno Carboni was willing to help me

"What made you go into pharmaceuticals now?" the reporter asked

"Well I got an inheritance from my granddad in Cuba" Red lied "so that could help me start up this business"

"How did you get that scar Mr. Valdez?" the reporter asked

He remembered vividly how he got the scar, only a few weeks after he got the money from the Leone's he bought a mansion in the hills of Shoreside Vale. A few weeks after they had moved in, Red and Uno were organizing their business, looking at CV's for potential employees, looking at buildings for the new business.

"Hey I need to go to the bathroom Red" Uno said and up he got from the red couch and walked through to the bathroom.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Red waited, they knocked two more times. Red got up off the couch and walked up to the door. He put the chain on and opened the door slowly. Suddenly they burst the chain and five men dressed in blue with baseball bats burst in, grabbed Red and threw him onto the couch and started beating him uncontrollably. It was obviously the Triads coming back for their revenge. Red was in continuous pain.

"You think you can fk with us?" the Triads said "not even doing the mission for the Triads"

One of the Triads brought out a blade and slashed Red's cheek and they all began beating him with baseball bats. The Triad with the blade put the blade to Red's throat. Suddenly his head was blown off blasting blood everywhere; it was Uno who had shot the bullet holding a Colt Python.

"If the four of you don't get out of this fking mansion now, I will shoot every one of you in the face!" Uno shouted

The Triads backed out with their baseball bats and back out the door. Uno followed them through the door to make sure they didn't try to get back. He shut the door and walked to the window, they had driven away.

"Right Red, what the fk is going on?" Uno asked "why did five Liberty City Triads walk into our house armed with baseball bats and blades"

"I was working with them, and I didn't complete a job" Red said

"God, we'll have to get rid of this dead Triad" Uno said

"Where did you get that Colt Python?" Red asked

"From underneath my pillow, I always keep it near me just in case" Uno replied

"Nobody uses a Colt Python anymore" Red said "people stopped using them in the 80's"

"Well you have to thank my Colt Python and I for getting you out of that st" Uno replied

"You should've used a Desert Eagle" Red said

"Whatever" Uno said "I'm gonna phone someone who can get rid of this body"

He picked up the phone, punched in a number and began speaking to the person.

"Hello" Uno said "how are you my friend, good, listen my friend and I are in a spot of bother just now, I was wondering if you could pay your old friend Uno out, you will, good, well we've got a headless Triad in our mansion, could you dispose of him, you will, thank you"

Uno put down the phone and said "He's twenty minutes away but he'll be here in ten"

"Red"

The voice cut right through Red's daydream.

"Are you okay Red?" the reporter asked

"Yes I'm fine" Red said

"You don't mind answering that question do you Red?" the reporter asked "about the scar"

"No I don't mind, I.I got the scar when I fell down the stairs" Red nervously lied

"What made you choose the name Zaibatsu?" the reporter asked

"Uno and I brainstormed ideas for a good name for a business and that's what we came up with"

"You must be the youngest person to start a business in America" the reporter said

"Yes, I'm eighteen, I guess I must be one of the youngest" Red replied

"Do you have any ideas what Zaibatsu pharmaceuticals will produce?" the reporter asked

"Well in fact tonight you will get a glimpse of what Zaibatsu Pharmaceuticals are producing" Red replied

As Red and the reporter had been speaking, all the employees were sitting at their seats for dinner. Dr. LaBrat stood up when everyone had sat down and the room went quiet to listen for what he was going to say.

"Hello, welcome everyone; I'm Dr. LaBrat, the head scientist for Zaibatsu Pharmaceuticals and I would like to show you the first product to be released under the name Zaibatsu Pharmaceuticals," he pulled a packet out of his pocket "I'd like to introduce Equinox, Equinox is not only an anti-depressant drug, but is also an anti-biotic and can cure you against certain illnesses, so I can truly say this is the beginning for Zaibatsu Pharmaceuticals"

Dr. LaBrat took a seat and everyone else gave him a round of applause.