Asher snorted in derision at the answer, which made Mike all the more willing to go for his Hail Mary attempt later on.
“Well, I’d like for Mr. Asher to show me how I’m wrong. Had a government existed already when the crimes he mentioned happened, would they have been prevented? If Mr. Asher thinks so, what’s his proof?”
“Would you like to answer this Mr. Asher?” the moderator asked.
“Yes, I would. The problem with this thinking is that it’s based on the idea that human beings can control themselves. History has proven that they cannot. Laws are established to keep man from moving to his nature.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Mike scoffed. “This is exactly my point. Crime happens no matter what laws are in existence.”
Asher knew that he’d made a mistake and he tried to interject but the moderator wanted to move on.
“Mr. Wilson, this has been a lively debate but we’re running out of time. Before we have our closing statements, would you like to ask your question of Mr. Asher?”
Mike nodded and opened up a manila folder he had on his lectern. “This will need some background before I ask him the question,” he said to the moderator. She nodded and he smiled at her. It was the first time she’d allowed him any leeway during the entire debate.
“The biggest problem with this town and the idea that we would elect leaders is that we are all new here. Everyone has come from different parts of the country. We all come from different walks of life. We have no real way of knowing if people are being honest. And that is why I’m leery at the idea of establishing a government in the way that Mr. Asher would have it.
“And I include myself in that assertion. You folks don’t know me either. I’m glad we’ve had the chance to be seen and heard by the people of Blue Creek tonight and hopefully they’ll have a better idea of who we are and what we stand for. But that brings me to the question. It has come to my attention that Mr. Asher has associated himself with some people, who I think do not represent the mainstream thinking that we have in this country and here in Blue Creek.”
With these words, Asher’s face turned bright red for a moment. Unfortunately for him, the camera caught his reaction.
“It has come to my attention that Mr. Asher has been in consultation with a man named Charles Henry. If you’ll remember, Mr. Henry was part of the self-appointed committee that is organizing this push for government. My concern is that Mr. Henry has a very shady political past and has some views that most people would find disturbing…”
Anna swore under her breath and looked over at Charlie. Her face had gone ashen white and she suddenly wanted to vomit. Charlie was on the edge of his seat now, his elbows planted on his knees.
“…Mr. Henry was involved in some violent groups during the 1960s and 1970s. He was a member of the Students for a Democratic Society, and it has since been proven that it had ties to the Soviet Union during that time. Mr. Henry became disillusioned by SDS and wanted to join the Weather Underground. If that sounds familiar it’s because Barack Obama associated himself with a Weather Underground member named William Ayers.
“The Weather group bombed the Pentagon and was responsible for many deaths, including the robbery of an armored car and death of a policeman. Although Mr. Henry was not accepted into the group, the mere fact that he wanted to join that group says a lot about him.”
“Charlie?” Anna said pleadingly, prodding his shoulder to get his attention.
“Shhh!” he said, slapping her hand away. “I’m trying to listen.”
“Mr. Henry had files with the FBI and the CIA. It has been verified that Mr. Henry left the United States and went to Cuba where he met Fidel Castro in person. The FBI file mentions the fact that Mr. Henry was also trying to get into the Soviet Union, although it doesn’t specify what his motives were.”
“How the hell did they find this out?” Anna exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.
“This isn’t good. I hope this kid is up to this,” Charlie said, swallowing nervously.
Patton’s posture was similar to Charlie’s, but his was due to eager anticipation, not apprehension.
“We know that both Henry and Asher are associated with these two people,” Mike said, holding up photos of Anna and Travis. “The woman is Anna Radinski. She is a registered member of Microcosm and was officially accepted as an official participant of the Blue Creek experiment. However, this young man is not. She was also a member of the committee. His first name is Travis, but my campaign wasn’t able to discover his last name. He is here without permission. What he is doing here is only a matter for speculation at this point…”
Jennifer yelled, clapping her hands and grinning at Patton.
Patton returned the smile then returned his attention to the TV.
“This young man has been seen with both David Asher and Charles Henry since this campaign has begun. Also,” Mike said holding up a grainy photo taken from Patton’s security video, “he was part of a group that illegally broke into a Blue Creek resident’s home.”
Charlie swore viciously. Not just angry at himself, but angry with Travis and Anna and Asher for letting this slip away. His greatest nightmare was coming true.
“So my question is, Mr. Asher, who is this Travis character and why are you associated with a man who used to be involved in the SDS and Weather Underground?”
TV viewers could see David Asher swallow visibly and tug at his shirt collar. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead. He swallowed again and then tried to smile.
“That was two questions,” Asher said chuckling. The joke fell flat and he knew it. He was trapped. “Well…” the pause went on for a brutally painful few seconds. “However you received this information, I can tell you that I don’t know anyone named Travis or Charles. I know a woman named Anna, but that has nothing to do with this campaign.”
The moderator tried to stop the carnage but Mike beat her to the punch.
“So if a video and photos surfaced of you meeting with this Travis what would your response be?”
Asher swallowed again and reached for his cup of water that was on his lectern. He felt like an animal in a trap.
“I would say that if such a video or picture existed then it would be a coincidence that I met him… look,” he said, gesturing awkwardly with his hands but beginning to feel a surge of confidence come back. “This is ridiculous. My question is if there are videos of me and people I may have met, why were they taken in the first place? Isn’t that illegal behavior?
“And furthermore,” Asher continued, speaking over Mike Wilson’s attempt to interrupt, “I think that this is political gamesmanship, pure and simple. Mr. Wilson and his people are trying to link me to some shady characters in a desperate ploy to derail my campaign. I’d say show us the video and the pictures if you really have them. There is an innocent explanation I’m sure. Look, we’ve all come here, like Mr. Wilson said, from different parts of the country. We’ve been here for less than a year. There are thirty thousand people and you’re accusing me of consorting with shady characters. It’s kind of James Bond isn’t it?”
Some members in the audience cheered and laughed at the last part and the moderator had to silence them. It was a good retort, Patton thought. However, Asher didn’t know that Patton wanted him to call their bluff. They already had an interview scheduled for TV the next day, exclusively with just Mike Wilson. They would then upload all of their videos to the microcosm.org website. Asher had gambled, not knowing his opponent had four aces.