April 10th, 2010
President John McCain looked to his right, where the Russian President Vladimir Putin stood with him. He was in St. Petersburg, ready to give a speech with on continued operations in Iraq. In order to satisfy the American public, he has decided to forge closer relations with the Russian government, in order to bring the American military operation in Iraq to a close, and to still allow the desert country to stabilize after George Bush's invasion of the country. He looked at the public, and began to speak.
"Good afternoon. It is my pleasure to be able to speak before the Russian public today. Your President has generously given our country a chance to be able to bring peace to the Iraqi nation, without continued bloodshed. Here, we-"
The President's speech was cut off by the sound of an explosion. A grenade, thrown onto the podium, had detonated.
John McCain, along with President Putin and three spectators, were rushed to a nearby hospital. The first to die was Alexei Arsenyev (23), who sustained major burns on his chest. President Vladimir Putin died shortly afterward, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was declared the Acting President of Russia.
Then, 27 minutes after the grenade detonated, President John McCain died of his wounds. Vice President Sarah Palin, watching the news in horror at the White House Situation Room, was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.
The assassin was later found to be a man named Mikhail Kablukov, a St. Petersburg shopowner who had been increasingly disgruntled with the presidency of Vladimir Putin. He had intended to kill President Putin, and had hoped to send a message to the American government to stay away from Russia by killing President McCain. The new President, Sarah Palin, now has to respond to that message.