Pittsburgh City Hall, the Mayor's Office.
It was midnight.
Leo sat behind his desk, the lamp on it adjusted to cast a low light.
For the past several hours, Leo had been using every conventional channel at his disposal, trying to smash through the invisible blockade.
He had personally called the regional heads of the major pharmaceutical companies.
The operators' voices were polite and mechanical, endlessly repeating the PR line about "adjustments to the logistics framework."
He contacted the health insurance companies.
Their executives couldn't even be bothered to feign concern, simply having their secretaries tell Leo that they, too, were protesting the delays with their suppliers before hanging up.
William Saint Cloud, in his capacity as Governor, issued an executive inquiry to the State Department of Health.
However, the normally subservient Secretary of Health displayed a surprising adherence to principle.
