Stark Estate

Alvin stayed at the Stark Estate for another two days.

He spent every day planted in front of the TV, watching a contest even more nerve-racking than House of Cards.

America had been as lively as a holiday these past two days. It was rare for the big shots to be put on trial, and ordinary Americans were thrilled. Ever since video footage from the first two days had surfaced, protests of every kind had erupted across the country and hadn't let up.

At this point, the Senator and the Vice President had only one option: deny the "evidence."

The Senator flatly denied ever meeting with the Montana congressman, claiming it was all a political conspiracy by the Vice President's camp.

Meanwhile, the Montana congressman had somehow produced a hospital record proving he'd been recuperating at a sanatorium in Montana. A highly respected doctor even came forward to back him up!

The Vice President was even more straightforward. Faced with accusations that he was a "Middle Eastern butcher," he blamed everything on national security secrets, as if he alone represented America's interests. He put on an aggrieved expression, acting as though he'd been willing to accept any punishment!

But the Vice President was also accusing the Senator's camp...

Unfortunately, none of their tactics did them any good. Every half-day or so, someone would leak dirt on one side to the media—"political dealings," "supporting foreign insurgents," "assassination," "tax evasion," and on and on!

Raymond flooded every spare minute of America's TV networks with intelligence, both true and false, making journalists the busiest people around.

The most ruthless of all was Church. He used assassins from the Vice President's camp to kill eight key operatives from the Senator's side, sending the "battle" straight into a full-blown crisis!

It was the worst possible