In Gotham, on another morning that was neither warm nor bright, the coffee machine burbled. One Hand held a cup beneath it, and when the steaming coffee flowed into the cup, Schiller took it to his chair and let out a long breath.
"Ding..." The bell on the table by the door rang. The doorman placed the newspaper delivered by the newsboy on the table and left. Just as Schiller stood to get the paper, his colleague Anna hurried in with her bag.
"Oh, you're back from vacation?" Anna gave Schiller a once-over and said, "You look much more energetic. Vacations make people younger, don't they?"
"I'd say life outside Gotham makes people younger. Getting more sun is always good for you." Schiller picked up the newspaper, returned to his seat, opened it, and began reading with great interest.
Anna set down her bag, picked up another newspaper, and frowned as she flipped through it. "The headlines lately are either Moscow or Mexico. Damn it, can't anyone talk about something more down-to-earth?"
Before Schiller could answer, Anna continued on her own. "Our CIA is stupid enough to act on the very day he took office. Well, look what happened—they got chewed out. They deserved it."
Anna angrily tossed the paper onto the table. "Don't think I don't know. Some agents tried to sneak into Gotham University and install cameras before. What did they think this place was?"
"You think the CIA did it?"
"Who else?" Anna turned to Schiller and asked, "You don't actually believe one of his rivals was behind it, do you? I think it was entirely CIA mudslinging. How could those people be that stupid?"
"I think it really is possible that another Soviet leader did it." Victor walked in, set his briefcase and umbrella aside, picked