Columbia

"Congressman Arnold Palmer slumped in his office chair. The sun was shining outside of his office window on a bright Washington, D.C. morning. Outside, the capitol building lawn shimmered evenly in the sun. Arnold looked out briefly, then back at his computer screen as he sighed thoughtfully. Today was the big day.

He had a meeting set up with Omnicorp, a technology company that specialized in microchips. They were working out a deal to protect Omnicorp's interests on the west coast, and to mitigate any rumors flying around that their company was a monopoly giant. And, sweetly enough for Arnold Palmer, a nice little financial package for the congressman on the side. Lobbying, it was called. Arnold held his head wryly to the side and smirked. What a life.

Arnold's assistant knocked politely on the open office door, beckoning his attention. 'Mr. Palmer, your meeting with Omnicorp is in five minutes. They're just pulling in.' He nodded and lifted his hand, signaling that he understood and waved her off. Her smart ponytail bounced as she smiled politely, nodded back, and left the room. He looked at her rear slightly, then composed himself. It was almost time.

The Omnicorp representative had been intimidating. Congressman Palmer had expected a big show, and sure enough, even for a big and powerful company like Omnicorp, they had pulled no punches. Six-foot-five, powerful, and half Arnold's age, the representative had towered over him during their fifteen-minute sit down. What a strange meeting.

The younger man had glowed confidence, swagger, almost telling him what to do. Arnold shrugged and sat back in his desk chair again, alone now. At least it was over. He could get the legislation passed that they wanted, without too much work or interference from other members of the house. He sighed, pushed some papers into his briefcase, and smiled slightly. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. A day's work, no less.

Arnold stretched and got out from behind his desk. Time to refuel. Jesus, the pressure those companies put on you, Arnold thought to himself. He left his office and went down the hallway, signaling his assistant that he would be out for a little while. He headed to the snack machines on the other end of the hall, fumbling through his wallet for a couple of dollars. He retrieved two reasonably fresh dollar bills, put them into the machine, and studied the machine's selection chart.

What was that candy he wanted? Not too chocolatey, but plenty of energy and nuts. He saw it, studied the label under it, and punched the code into the machine. Payday. C4. The machine tumbled and spun, and with a loud grinding thud, the congressman received his treat in the compartment below."