Chapter 507 - 235: Court Trial
...
Across the street, inside a black command vehicle.
Leo Wallace watched the chaotic scene on the monitor.
He heard the shouting from outside.
"Wayne is in," Ethan said in a low voice. "Just as planned, he provoked the judge and started a conflict."
"Good."
Leo nodded.
"This is the path he chose for himself."
"If he wants to be a knife, he must be prepared to be broken against the bone."
Leo picked up his phone.
"Sarah."
"Here," Sarah’s voice came through the receiver.
"Take the recording of what Wayne just said and edit it."
"Add subtitles, pair it with Erin Quinn’s photo and close-ups of those claim denial forms."
"I want this video on every media outlet we can reach within ten minutes."
...
Philadelphia, in an executive suite at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
The space had been converted into Leo’s temporary command center.
The front pages of major newspapers were scattered across the carpet, and the TV screen was showing footage of Luigi being escorted into the courthouse.
The room was filled with the tense atmosphere of a battle about to begin.
Ethan was typing away at several laptops in a corner, while Sarah was constantly fielding calls from Pittsburgh and the media.
Leo stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down at the streets of Philadelphia.
His phone rang.
"Leo."
Murphy’s voice came from the other end of the line, carrying a sense of weary exhaustion.
"It’s unstoppable."
Murphy said.
"The medical Lobbying Group has gone crazy. Just now, the Senate Judiciary Committee finished its closed-door meeting. The Senators have yielded."
Murphy took a deep breath.
"The Senate is about to hold a final vote on the ’Key Infrastructure and Medical Personnel Safety Protection Act.’ According to the current vote count, they’ve already scraped together sixty votes, enough to break a filibuster."
"They’ve ignored your threats, and they’ve ignored the Wailing Wall in the square."
"They’re going to officially designate Luigi Randall a domestic terrorist."
The hand Leo held his phone with was steady.
Listening to the news, his face showed no sign of surprise.
This was within his expectations.
The fortress of capital wouldn’t crumble because of a few photos and a few tears.
Putting himself in Stern’s shoes, Leo knew that he too would never believe a mere Mayor of Pittsburgh could incite public opinion across all of Pennsylvania.
In fact, he truly couldn’t do it alone.
But this wasn’t a one-man fight. It was an entire, meticulously designed plan.
"Let them pass it," Leo said in a deep voice.
"What?" Murphy was stunned for a moment. "Leo, once it passes, Luigi is finished. The FBI will take over the case. He’ll be sent to Guantanamo or a supermax prison. All our efforts so far..."
"Let them pass it."
Leo repeated, his tone more forceful.
"John, don’t you see it yet?"
"The more desperate they are to pass this bill, the more it proves they’re afraid."
"They’re trying to use a piece of paper to hold back a flood."
Leo looked out the window.
"When all of America sees that the CEOs of these insurance companies can arbitrarily deny claims, let patients die, and face no jail time, while a young man who tried to fight back is branded a terrorist by these Politicians."
"That anger will turn into gunpowder."
"The more they protect those Vampires, the more ferocious the public’s fury will become."
"That’s the very fuel we need."
Listening to Leo on the other end of the line, Murphy subconsciously wanted to argue back.
But the words died on his lips, and he swallowed them.
"I understand, Leo," Murphy sighed. "I’ll let Sanders’s people know to stop wasting their efforts."
Leo hung up the phone.
Just as he put down the phone, a different, private cell phone began to vibrate.
The name Aston Monroe flashed on the screen.
Leo took a breath to compose himself and answered the call.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Governor."
"Leo, congratulations."
Monroe’s voice sounded somewhat cold and grim.
"Governor Bob Campbell is very interested in your bill."
"Perhaps your bill will be able to pass without my help after all."