“Don’t strain your limited vocabulary, Mister Lessing. Let’s just agree that we both have things to lose by rocking the boat right now.”
“Screw that!” Goddard growled. “You’ll be in PHASE custody inside of twenty minutes!”
“I doubt it.” They could see Korinek’s fingers dancing over objects on his desk, though the camera angle prevented a clear view of what they were. He was doubtless marshalling his response.
“We will go public with Jonas’ death,” Mulder said. “You’ll see it on Home-Net as soon as we can get it out. You can reveal ‘Dom’ if you want. We’re strong enough to withstand that. We used him to get our message across in the most palatable, charismatic way we could, like an ad-campaign. Americans will understand that! You used ‘Outram’ to deceive the people while you made major, secret changes in policy. There is a difference.”
“We can also reveal your Nazi past, Herr Müller. Wasn’t your grandfather one of the big fish who got away: Heinrich Müller, the head of the Gestapo?”
“What does that matter now?” Mulder made an angry gesture of dismissal. “What does anything matter after Pacov and Starak and all the horrors committed by you non-Nazis… or anti-Nazis… or Jews, or… or whatever you call yourselves.”
“Let’s just say we like the status quo. No sweeping changes in our executive boardrooms.”
“We will make those changes. We have come too far to be stopped. You, however, have reached the end of your tether. The world is tired of deceptions and machinations and manipulation by a power-elite. We… our ethnos… will prevail.”
“Just watch Home-Net for the next thrilling installment!” Wrench warbled.
Korinek made no answer. His image shimmered and disappeared, leaving them blinking in the golden, afternoon dimness within the eery, empty penthouse.
An existing order of things is not abolished by merely proclaiming and insisting on a new one. It must not be hoped that those who are the partisans of the existing order and have their interests bound up with it will be converted and won over to the new movement simply by being shown that something new is necessary. On the contrary, what may easily happen is that two different orders will exist side by side and that a Weltanschauung is transformed into a party, above which level it may not be able to raise itself afterwards. For a Weltanschauung is intolerant and cannot permit another to exist side by side with it. It imperiously demands both its own recognition as unique and exclusive, and a complete transformation in accordance with its views throughout all the branches of public life. It can never allow the previous state of affairs to coexist.
The same holds true of religions. Christianity was not content with erecting an altar of its own. It had first to destroy the pagan altars. It was only in view of this passionate intolerance that an apodictic faith could grow up. And intolerance is an indispensable condition for the growth of such a faith.
It may be objected here that in these phenomena which we find throughout the history of the world we have to recognize mostly a specifically Jewish mode of mentality. That may be a thousandfold true; and it is a fact deeply to be regretted The appearance of intolerance and fanaticism in the history of mankind may be deeply regrettable, and it may be looked upon as foreign to human nature, but the fact does not change conditions as they exist today….
But a genuine Weltanschauung will never share Its place with something else. Therefore it can never agree to collaborate in any order of things it condemns. On the contrary if feels obliged to employ every means in fighting against the old order and the world of Ideas belonging to that order and to prepare the way for their destruction. These purely destructive tactics, the danger of which is so readily perceived by the enemy that he forms a united front against them for his common defense, and also the constructive tactics, which must be aggressive In order to carry the new world of Ideas to success— both these phases of the struggle call for a body of resolute fighters. Any new philosophy of life will bring Its Ideas to victory only If the most courageous and active elements of Its epoch and its people are enrolled under Its standards and grouped firmly together In a powerful fighting organization. To achieve this purpose It Is absolutely necessary to select from the general system of doctrine a certain number of Ideas which will appeal to such individuals and which, once they are expressed In a precise and clear-cut form, will serve as articles of faith for a new association of men. While the program of the ordinary political party is nothing but a recipe for cooking up favorable results out of the next general elections, the program of a Weltanschauung represents a declaration of war against an existing order of things and against present conditions: In short, against the established Weltanschauung.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Wednesday, October 5, 2050: 0945 hours
“Nothing?” Goddard asked.
“Nothing,” Lessing confirmed. “Nobody’s seen anything of Korinek. Probably too soon for him to react anyway.”
“Just as well. Gives us time.” The other man looked at his watch. “Reminds me that somebody’s got to go out to Dulles Airport and pick up Grant Simmons and his crew.”
Wrench rolled off Lessing ‘s sofa and sprawled full-length on the mustard-colored carpet. “Why don’t you and Lieseget an interactive TV? I’m tired of watching reruns of the heroic life and ignominious death of Jonas Outram.”
“When’s the funeral… memorial, or whatever you call it?” Goddard grumbled.
“Tomorrow,” Wrench answered. ‘The President’s office confirmed his death last night. Korinek made his lame excuse about ‘national need,’ and Home-Net and Omni-net then devoted four hours of prime-time to roasting him for his deception. Yama-Net hasn’t said much; they’re waiting to see which way the axe crumbles and the cookie falls, as they say. At least Dee-Net’s a pile of rubble, up in Montreal. They won’t be chiming in.”
“Korinek still hasn’t revealed our little secret about ‘Dom.’” Goddard stretched lazily. “Why, no one seems to know.”
“Probably figures nobody’d believe him after the Outram scam. Or maybe he’s waiting until he can get his act together.” Lessing held his Belgian automatic pistol up to the light and wiped away an imaginary speck of dust. “When he’s got his toadies in Congress primed, his subpoenas drafted, and his military doggies in line, we’ll hear from him. Believe it.”
Goddard snorted up a chuckle. “What did Byron Lee do when Mulder told him Outram was thumbed? The old fart must’ve puddled his panties when he found out he was the President of the United States!”
Wrench laughed too. “He dithered, of course, but he promised to make a manful… or wimpful… try at filling Outram’s size thirteen’s.”
Lessing wanted to get out, breathe some air, and see some new faces. He laid his pistol down next to its cleaning kit and asked, “Where’d Liese go?”
“Upstairs,” Goddard tilted heavy eyebrows skyward. “With Mulder.”
“So who’s picking up Simmons, then?”
“Not me!” Wrench protested. “No way! Let somebody else do it. No more hanging around airports for old C. H. Wren!”
“You going to make Liese go again?” Lessing inquired pointedly. She’d been handling much of the Party’s logistics while the menfolk sat and planned, and sat and argued, and sat and watched TV — and mostly just sat.
Wailing: the soldier’s curse.