"They can’t command Warren," Roosevelt said, his voice cold. "But they can read his signals. And what’s more, there was a key catalyst that made all of this happen: Aston Monroe’s panic."

"Think back to Warren’s speech in Scranton."

"Warren painted Murphy as a radical socialist, which actually helped Murphy consolidate his left-wing base. But then he turned around and attacked Monroe for being weak."

"Monroe panicked. He realized Warren was raising Murphy’s profile by attacking him, and he worried that this would make Murphy a real threat in the primary. So, he used all his resources within the party to send a warning to Washington."

"He told the National Committee that if they didn’t intervene, Murphy would win the primary."

Leo frowned. "Even if Monroe raised the alarm, and that explains why the Democratic Party is forcing Murphy out, it still doesn’t answer the core question."

"How could they guarantee the lawsuit would be dropped? Did they communicate with the Republican Party?"

"Communicate? Leo, you’re oversimplifying politics."

Roosevelt scoffed.

"There’s no need to get on the phone. It’s a tacit understanding built on common interests."

"What was Warren’s goal in filing the lawsuit? To disrupt Murphy’s campaign. Once Murphy drops out, the threat is gone. He’d have no reason to keep spending a fortune fighting a case against a non-existent opponent."

"The Democratic Party leadership is well aware of this."

"I’d even bet that some intermediary in Washington has already whispered in the ears of the leadership on both sides."

"The Republican Party wants Murphy dead because he can steal their blue-collar votes."

"The Democratic Party wants Murphy dead because he’s disrupting the Establishment Faction’s succession plan."

"In that moment, Warren, the Democratic Party, and the National Committee were all sitting at the same table."

"They reached a consensus: just get rid of Murphy, get rid of you, and all these damned problems will be solved. Warren drops the lawsuit, the Democratic National Committee cleans house, and everyone has a bright future."

"Once it’s done, Warren has one less dangerous opponent. He figures he can easily beat Monroe to win re-election. The Democratic Party gets to purge the radical elements from within its ranks, guaranteeing Monroe will make it to the general election and ensuring their platform remains pure and controllable."

"This is a Washington win-win."

"The only losers... are you, Murphy, and Pittsburgh."

"And that’s why they dared to make you that promise."

"Because in this deal, you’re the sacrifice. Murphy is the sacrifice."

"And they are the guests feasting on that sacrifice."

Listening to Roosevelt’s analysis, Leo felt a wave of nausea.

This was more despairing than facing a straightforward enemy.

The hunters on both sides wore different colored clothes and shouted different slogans, but when faced with the same uncontrollable prey, they tacitly lowered their guns, exchanged a smile, and then tightened the net together.

"One of your own who’s hard to control and might flip the table at any moment," Roosevelt said darkly, "is far more difficult to deal with than an opponent who has a clear stance and plays by the rules."

"For those in power, order is more important than victory."

Leo finally understood.

The root of the problem wasn’t in Pittsburgh, or even in Pennsylvania.

The root of the problem was Sanders.

What they really wanted to crush wasn’t him, Leo Wallace, a mere Mayor, but Sanders’s budding power at the local level.

They were making an example out of him.

Just then, the phone rang again.

Leo took a deep breath, steadying himself.

He answered the call.

"Leo..."

Murphy’s voice came through again.

"I just... contacted Sanders’s office."

Murphy paused for a long time, as if gathering the strength to say the words.

"And what happened?" Leo asked, though he already had a sinking feeling about the answer.

"He didn’t take my call."

Murphy let out a bitter laugh.

"Marcus answered. He told me the Senator is in a meeting right now. He’s very busy, with no time to deal with these local matters."

"Busy?" Leo sneered. "It’s the middle of the night. Is he busy giving a speech on Capitol Hill?"

"No, Leo, you don’t understand."

Murphy’s voice dropped.

"Marcus gave me the inside scoop. This time, Sanders can’t even fend for himself."

"What do you mean?"

"The entire Progressive caucus, people in both the House and Senate—anyone facing a midterm election this year has come under attack to varying degrees over the past week."

Murphy began to list off the reports circulating in Washington.

"A Progressive Representative from New York had her district suddenly redrawn. It was packed with a huge number of conservative voters, and it was the Democrats in the State Assembly who did it."

"That candidate in Ohio who supports the Green New Deal—a tax issue from ten years ago was exposed yesterday, and he dropped out of the race immediately."

"A Progressive Representative from California—his main donors suddenly pulled their funding en masse and threw their support behind his primary opponent."

"This isn’t an attack on just us, Leo."

There was fear in Murphy’s voice.

"This is a purge."

"A systematic, nationwide purge targeting Progressive forces."

"The Establishment Faction has made its move."

Leo was shocked.

"Are they insane?" Leo demanded into the phone. "The midterms are right around the corner! The Republican Party is lying in wait! And they’re conducting an internal purge *now*? Don’t they want to keep the majority?"

"Leo, you’re still too naive."

Murphy sighed on the other end of the line.

"In the eyes of those bigwigs in the White House and the National Committee, what’s happening right now doesn’t even count as a crisis."

"To them, this is just a simple replacement of candidates within the Democratic Party."

"If I drop out, Aston Monroe takes my place. The name on the ballot changes, but the ’Democrat’ label after the name doesn’t."

"As long as the candidate is still a Democrat, as long as he gets to Congress and listens to the Whip’s orders and pushes the button to vote, that’s good enough."

"Compared to a Progressive thorn in their side, backed by angry crowds and ready to cause trouble over new policies, they clearly prefer an obedient, rule-abiding member of the Establishment Faction—someone who might lack charisma but is perfectly safe."

"That’s their political calculus."

Leo fell silent.

He looked out the window at the night sky, feeling as if his whole world was collapsing.

He thought he was fighting for his party’s victory, fighting for the interests of the workers.

But in the eyes of those bigwigs, he was just an unstable variable, a mistake that needed to be corrected.

Roosevelt’s voice broke the silence.

"Whether it was the tumultuous passage of the Regional Economic Recovery Bill in the House of Representatives, or the momentum you’re building now, it all made the Establishment Faction feel that the Progressives are uncontrollable."

"This midterm election is the perfect opportunity for them to make their move."

"Under the banner of unity against the Republican Party, they’re culling all the disobedient thorns in their side to restore the party’s internal ecosystem to a state they’re comfortable with."

"So..."

Murphy’s voice became very soft, as if drifting from far away.

"Sanders compromised, too."

"To protect the core flame of the Progressives in Congress, to keep the entire faction from being uprooted, he had to make a trade."

"He had to give up some of the outer territories."

"We... are the territory that was given up."

"Marcus relayed Sanders’s ’suggestion’."

Murphy used the word "suggestion," but his tone held only the weight of a command.

"He suggested that, for the sake of the bigger picture, I end this campaign gracefully."

"He said this was the price he negotiated with the Establishment Faction."

"As long as I drop out, the antitrust lawsuit will be dropped. They won’t make any more trouble over it, and if you work hard, you can still hold on to your base."

"You can keep your position as Mayor, and I can keep my seat as a Representative."

"We can survive."

"Even if it means surviving like dogs."