Pittsburgh City Hall, the Mayor's Office.
Smith and Byers had just left. Leo returned to his desk, opened his computer, and started a video conference.
It was a scheduled internal communication meeting, and he was already ten minutes late.
The screen lit up, splitting into two video feeds.
On the left was Daniel Sanders's serious face. The background was his Senate office, where he was nearly buried under mountains of draft legislation.
On the right was John Murphy, sitting on a speeding campaign bus. Outside the window, the Pennsylvania countryside flew by.
"Leo," Sanders spoke first, his voice hoarse. "I heard you made a big move in Pittsburgh. The so-called Industrial Revival Alliance... word in Washington is you're trying to go independent in Pennsylvania."
"Not independence, Senator," Leo replied calmly. "Expansion."
"I want to show you something. Or rather, give the Democratic Party a big gift."
"Ron Smith, the Mayor of Erie. Joe Byers, the Mayor of Scranton."
