Political Maneuvers: A Battle for Power and Survival

The rain drummed against the windows of Senator Catherine Hayes's office as she stared at the manila envelope that had arrived with her morning mail. No return address, just her name typed on a plain white label. Her chief of staff, David Chen, stood nearby, watching her with concern.

"Senator, you've been staring at that envelope for ten minutes. What's inside?"

Catherine slowly opened the envelope and pulled out a flash drive along with a single sheet of paper. The message was brief: "The Meridian Project. They're watching. Trust no one in the Capitol. Meet me at the Lincoln Memorial tonight at midnight. Come alone. —A friend."

Her hands trembled slightly as she inserted the flash drive into her secure laptop. What she saw made her blood run cold. Financial records, encrypted communications, and bank transfers totaling millions of dollars. All connected to something called the Meridian Project, and all leading back to some of the most powerful people in Washington.

"David, I need you to clear my schedule for the rest of the day. Tell everyone I'm feeling unwell."

"Senator, what's going on? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Catherine ejected the flash drive and slipped it into her jacket pocket. "I may have just uncovered something that could bring down half of Congress. And if the wrong people find out I have this information, I might not live to see tomorrow."