Leo’s finger tapped lightly on the desk.

"The reason?"

"They have to give you a reason, John. Your poll numbers are rising, you have momentum. They can’t just force a promising candidate to drop out for no reason."

"The reason?"

Murphy let out a dry, bitter laugh.

"The reason is you. The reason is that damn antitrust lawsuit."

"They said the lawsuit over the Pittsburgh Port franchise is turning into a national scandal."

"This isn’t just some local legal dispute anymore, Leo."

"The Republican Party is using this to attack us, calling us a corrupt local Democratic clique and accusing us of crony capitalism. They’re running these attacks on every TV station in the country, twenty-four hours a day."

"They’ve spread this fire across the entire Swing State, and it’s even starting to affect the elections in Ohio and Michigan."

Murphy took a deep breath, repeating the exact words of the party bigwigs.

"The Chairman of the National Committee told me: ’John, we can’t let one rotten apple spoil the whole barrel. To protect the bigger picture in the midterm elections, to hold on to our majority, you have to be sacrificed.’"

"Leo, in their eyes, you and I are that rotten apple that has to be thrown away."

Leo listened without any change in his expression.

’These are all just excuses.’

’If Murphy really had a strong chance of winning, if he were their chosen heir apparent, then no matter how big the scandal, the party machine would have fired up to run damage control and defend him.’

’The fact that they’re choosing to cut him loose can only mean one thing: in the eyes of the Establishment Faction, Murphy is still an outsider, an expendable asset to be sacrificed at any time.’

"John, I want to ask you a question."

Leo cut off Murphy’s venting.

"Did they explicitly tell you what would happen to the antitrust lawsuit if you dropped out?"

"Will that so-called Pennsylvania Free Trade Promotion Association immediately withdraw the suit?"

Silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds.

"That’s the logical crux of it, John," Leo pressed on. "According to them, this antitrust lawsuit has become a weapon for the Republicans to attack the Democratic Party, a cancer affecting the entire midterm election."

"So, the logic should be: as long as we remove you, the lesion, the cancer will disappear, right?"

"But what if the lawsuit isn’t withdrawn? If the court proceedings continue, and headlines about corruption and monopolies in Pittsburgh City Hall are still running every day, do you think a different candidate for Senator would be unaffected? Will the Republicans stop attacking the Democratic Party’s local governance just because you dropped out?"

"As long as that case is ongoing, it’s a scandal for the Democratic Party."

"So, if they can’t guarantee the lawsuit will be stopped, your withdrawal is meaningless. It won’t stop the bleeding at all."

"...They did."

Murphy’s voice grew hesitant.

"The Chairman assured me that as long as I’m willing to drop out and cooperate with Monroe on consolidating support... then for the sake of party unity, to avoid handing the Republicans ammunition, the lawsuit will be ’resolved appropriately’ within a week."

"’Resolved appropriately.’"

Leo repeated the phrase.

"John, use your head."

"That Free Trade Promotion Association is, in name, an independent non-profit organization."

"How can the Democratic National Committee guarantee they’ll withdraw the suit?"

"Unless..."

Leo’s voice turned sharp.

"Unless that so-called plaintiff has been taking orders from them from the very beginning."

"Or rather, taking orders from Monroe, from the inner circle of the Establishment Faction."

"This is a show they’re directing themselves."

"First, they manufactured this lawsuit, putting a noose around both our necks. And now, they’re holding the key to unlock that noose to force you to commit political suicide."

Murphy was breathing heavily on the other end of the line.

’Of course, he’d thought of that too.’

’He’d spent twenty years on Capitol Hill. He’d seen countless dirty deals like this.’

’But what good did knowing the truth do?’

’This was the Democratic National Committee, the Leader of the Senate, the will of the entire party.’

’When this massive machine decides to crush someone, an individual is powerless to resist.’

"I know, Leo. I know it’s not fair. It’s despicable, even."

Murphy’s voice was filled with helplessness.

"But what can I do?"

"If I refuse to drop out, they’ll cut off all my funding, then mobilize all the party mouthpieces to attack me, painting me as a sinner who puts personal ambition before the greater good."

"I’ll lose badly. I’ll be utterly ruined and disgraced."

"At that point, I won’t even be able to hold on to my position as a Representative."

Murphy’s fear seeped through the phone line.

He was a veteran politician, and because of that, he knew all too well the consequences of defying the will of the leadership.

In this system, a traitor’s fate was often worse than an enemy’s.

"So, what are you thinking?"

Leo asked suddenly.

"What?" Murphy was taken aback.

"Forget the threats. Forget the so-called bigger picture."

Leo’s voice was steady and powerful.

"John Murphy, what do you want to do?"

"Do you want to throw your sword on the ground and kneel, right when you’re just one step away from that seat?"

"Do you want to throw your lifelong political dream, your promises to those workers, into the trash?"

"Do you want to suspend your campaign?"

A burst of rapid breathing came from the other end of the line.

"I... Of course I don’t!"

Murphy’s voice suddenly rose, laced with a long-suppressed anger.

"I’ve put everything on the line for this campaign! I gave speeches on muddy construction sites! I attacked Warren like a madman!"

"My poll numbers are rising right now! Just give me one more month, and I can win the primary!"

"I refuse to accept this!"

"But..."

Murphy’s tone quickly softened again.

"But they were very clear. Leo, you have to understand, my biggest asset in this campaign right now is actually you."

"It’s your five hundred million US Dollar bond, your revitalization plan, your ability to mobilize people on the ground in Pittsburgh."

"And the target they’re attacking right now is also you."

"They say you’re the source of the corruption, that your port deal is illegal. If I don’t cut ties with you, I’ll have to carry this baggage into the election."

"There’s no chance of winning that way."

Leo listened to Murphy’s analysis.

Murphy might seem weak at times, but his assessment of the situation was accurate.

Those people in Washington were smart.

As long as they took out Leo, Murphy’s campaign platform would become a river without a source, a tree without roots.

’Forcing Leo out was really about purging Murphy.’

’Killing two birds with one stone.’

"This is a classic internal party purge."

Roosevelt’s voice rang out.

"They’re cleaning house."

"But there’s one thing I find strange, Leo."

"Where is Sanders?"

Roosevelt pointed out the crux of the matter.

"Murphy is the man Sanders is backing. You’re the one running Sanders’s model project." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Now the Establishment Faction is making a move against you two, forcing Murphy to drop out. That’s a direct slap in the face to Sanders."

"Sanders should have been slamming his fist on the table by now."

"Why is it Murphy calling you, and not Sanders?"

"And why hasn’t Murphy mentioned Sanders’s position at all during this entire call?"

Leo’s gaze sharpened.

’Yes.’

’If the Democratic Party leadership really held a meeting and decided to force Murphy out, it’s impossible that Sanders, as a major figure in the Senate, wouldn’t have been there or wouldn’t have taken a stance.’

’If Sanders had agreed, Murphy should have said, "Even Daniel wants me to drop out." If Sanders had opposed it, Murphy should have said, "Daniel is helping us push back against the pressure."’

’But Murphy mentioned nothing.’

’There was only one possibility.’

"John."

Leo spoke into the phone.

"After you got that call, did you speak with Senator Sanders?"

There was a noticeable pause on the other end.

"...No."

Murphy’s voice sounded weak.

"I... I was too panicked."

"Besides, I figured since it was a joint decision by the Chairman of the National Committee and the Majority Leader, it must represent the consensus of the leadership..."

"So, the first thing I did was call you to get your opinion."

Leo sighed inwardly.

’At his core, he was still that backbencher who feared authority.’

’When the whip of power cracked, his first instinct was to kneel, completely forgetting the giant standing behind him.’

"Foolish!"

Leo said sharply.

"John, hang up the phone right now."

"Then, even if you have to drag Sanders out of bed, you must contact him immediately."

"You need to tell him, word for word, what the National Committee told you."

"And you need to ask him one question."

"Ask him: ’Is this your will as well?’"

Leo spoke rapidly.

"If Sanders says yes, then call me and tell me."

"But if he says no."

Leo paused, his eyes turning fierce.

"If he says he knew nothing about this, or that he doesn’t agree with this decision."

"Then this is the Establishment Faction trying to bypass Sanders and create a fait accompli by intimidating you."

"They’re betting that you’ll break down from fear."

Murphy was stunned on the other end.

He’d been so intimidated by the titles of those bigwigs that he’d completely lost his basic political judgment.

"You’re saying... they’re bluffing me?" Murphy’s voice trembled with disbelief.

"It’s very likely."

"Don’t forget, Sanders still needs you to help him expand his territory in Pennsylvania. He has no reason to abandon you at this point, unless he’s also under irresistible pressure."

"But regardless, you must confirm his position first."

"That’s the bottom line."

Leo glanced at the clock on the wall.

"It’s 2:10 AM right now."

"You have ten minutes to contact Sanders."

"Find out where he stands, and then call me back."

"Understand?"

Murphy swallowed hard.

"Un...Understood."

"Go."

Leo hung up the phone.

Silence returned to the office.

Leo leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

’In truth, he already knew the answer in his heart.’

’After soaking in that Washington cesspool for decades, even the hardest stone would be worn smooth.’

’Sanders may be known as the conscience of the Progressives, but he didn’t get to where he is today just by shouting slogans. It was through countless compromises and trade-offs.’

’To preserve the flame of the Progressive movement in Congress, sacrificing a Mayor who hasn’t fully established himself and a Representative facing a tough race is a more-than-worthwhile trade in politics.’

’Reason told Leo that Sanders would compromise.’

’But he still wanted to take the gamble.’

’He was betting on that small, unpredictable variable in human nature.’

’He was betting that the stubborn old man hadn’t gone completely senile yet.’

’He was betting that the idealist who once gave speeches in the cold wind in the public square still had one last bit of fire in his bones—enough to flip the table in this filthy swamp.’

’If Sanders compromised too, then this game would truly enter hell mode.’

’But if... even if there was just a one-in-ten-thousand chance that Sanders didn’t compromise...’

’Then this power play orchestrated tonight by the Establishment Faction would become the fuse that ignites a civil war within the entire Democratic Party.’

"Mr. President."

Leo murmured in his mind.

’What do you think he’ll choose?’

Roosevelt did not answer.

He was also waiting.

Waiting for that fateful echo from Washington.