tc.redrabbit-第13节

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ity　and　no　other。〃
　　　〃Well；　one　can　hardly　knock　them　for　disapproving　Debbie　Does　Dallas；〃　Ryan　suggested。
　　　Harding　nearly　choked　on　his　pipe　smoke。　〃Quite　so。　Not　exactly　King　Lear；　is　it？　They　did　produce　Tolstoy；　Chekhov；　and　Pasternak。〃
　　　Jack　hadn't　read　any　of　them；　but　this　didn't　seem　the　time　to　admit　to　it。
　　　〃He　said　what！〃　Alexandrov　asked。
　　　The　outrage　was　predictable；　but　remarkably　muted；　Andropov　thought。　Perhaps　he　only　raised　his　voice　for　a　fuller　audience；　or　more　likely　his　subordinates　over　at　the　Party　Secretariat　building。
　　　〃Here　is　the　letter；　and　the　translation；〃　the　KGB　Chairman　said；　handing　over　the　documents。
　　　The　chief…ideologue…in…waiting　took　the　message　forms　and　read　them　over　slowly。　He　didn't　want　his　rage　to　miss　a　single　nuance。　Andropov　waited；　lighting　a　Marlboro　as　he　did　so。　His　guest　didn't　touch　the　vodka　that　he'd　poured；　the　Chairman　noted。
　　　〃This　holy　man　grows　ambitious；〃　he　said　finally；　setting　the　papers　down　on　the　coffee　table。
　　　〃I　would　agree　with　that；〃　Yuriy　observed。
　　　Amazement　in　his　voice：　〃Does　he　feel　invulnerable？　Does　he　not　know　that　there　are　consequences　for　such　threats？〃
　　　〃My　experts　feel　that　his　words　are　genuine；　and；　no；　they　believe　he　does　not　fear　the　possible　consequences。〃
　　　〃If　martyrdom　is　what　he　wishes；　perhaps　we　should　acmodate　him。。。〃　The　way　his　voice　trailed　off　caused　a　chill　even　in　Andropov's　cold　blood。　It　was　time　for　a　warning。　The　problem　with　ideologues　was　that　their　theories　did　not　always　take　reality　into　proper　account；　a　fact　to　which　they　were　mostly　blind。
　　　〃Mikhail　Yevgeniyevich；　such　actions　are　not　to　be　undertaken　lightly。　There　could　be　political　consequences。〃
　　　〃No；　not　great　ones；　Yuriy。　Not　great　ones；〃　Alexandrov　repeated　himself。　〃But；　yes；　I　agree；　what　we　do　in　reply　must　be　considered　fully　before　we　take　the　necessary　action。〃
　　　〃What　does　rade　Suslov　think？　Have　you　consulted　him？〃
　　　〃Misha　is　very　ill；〃　Alexandrov　replied；　without　any　great　show　of　regret。　That　surprised　Andropov。　His　guest　owed　much　to　his　ailing　senior；　but　these　ideologues　lived　in　their　own　little　circumscribed　world。　〃I　fear　his　life　is　ing　to　its　end。〃
　　　That　part　was　not　a　surprise。　You　only　had　to　look　at　him　at　the　Politburo　meetings。　Suslov　had　the　desperate　look　you　saw　on　the　face　of　a　man　who　knew　that　his　time　was　running　out。　He　wanted　to　make　the　world　right　before　he　departed　from　it；　but　he　also　knew　that　such　an　act　was　beyond　his　capacity；　a　fact　that　had　e　to　him　as　an　unwele　surprise。　Did　he　finally　grasp　the　reality　that　Marxism…Leninism　was　a　false　path？　Andropov　had　e　to　that　conclusion　about　five　years　before。　But　that　wasn't　the　sort　of　thing　one　talked　about　in　the　Kremlin；　was　it？　And　not　with　Alexandrov；　either。
　　　〃He　has　been　a　good　rade　these　many　years。　If　what　you　say　is　true；　he　will　be　sorely　missed；〃　the　KGB　Chairman　noted　soberly；　genuflecting　to　the　altar　of　Marxist　theory　and　its　dying　priest。
　　　〃That　is　so；〃　Alexandrov　agreed；　playing　his　role　as　his　host　did…as　all　Politburo　members　did；　because　it　was　expected。。。　because　it　was　necessary。　Not　because　it　was　true；　or　even　approximately　so。
　　　Like　his　guest；　Yuriy　Vladimirovich　believed　not　because　he　believed；　but　because　what　he　purported　to　believe　was　the　source　of　the　real　thing：　power。　What；　the　Chairman　wondered；　would　this　man　say　next？　Andropov　needed　him；　and　Alexandrov　needed　him　as　well；　perhaps　even　more。　Mikhail　Yevgeniyevich　did　not　have　the　personal　power　needed　to　bee　General　Secretary　of　the　munist　Party　of　the　Soviet　Union。　He　was　respected　for　his　theoretical　knowledge；　his　devotion　to　the　state　religion　that　Marxism…Leninism　had　bee；　but　no　one　who　sat　around　the　table　thought　him　a　proper　candidate　for　leadership。　But　his　support　would　be　vital　to　whoever　did　have　that　ambition。　As　in　medieval　times；　when　the　eldest　son　became　the　lord　of　the　manor；　and　the　second　son　became　the　bishop　of　the　attendant　diocese；　so　Alexandrov；　like　Suslov　in　his　time；　had　to　provide　the　spiritual…was　that　the　proper　word？…justification　for　his　ascension　to　power。　The　system　of　checks　and　balances　remained；　just　more　perversely　than　before。
　　　〃You　will；　of　course；　take　his　place　when　the　time　conies；〃　Andropov　offered　as　the　promise　of　an　alliance。
　　　Alexandrov　demurred；　of　course。。。　or　pretended　to：　〃There　are　many　good　men　in　the　Party　Secretariat。〃
　　　The　Chairman　of　the　mittee　for　State　Security　waved　his　hand　dismissively。　〃You　are　the　most　senior　and　the　most　trusted。〃
　　　Which　Alexandrov　well　knew。　〃You　are　kind　to　say　so；　Yuriy。　So；　what　will　we　do　about　this　foolish　Pole？〃
　　　And　that；　so　baldly　stated；　would　be　the　cost　of　the　alliance。　To　get　Alexandrov's　support　for　the　General　Secretaryship；　Andropov　would　have　to　make　the　ideologue's　blanket　a　little　thicker　by。。。　well；　by　doing　something　he　was　already　thinking　about　anyway。　That　was　painless；　wasn't　it？
　　　The　KGB　Chairman　adopted　a　clinical；　businesslike　tone　of　voice：　〃Misha；　to　undertake　an　operation　of　this　sort　is　not　a　trivial　or　a　simple　exercise。　It　must　be　planned　very　carefully；　prepared　with　the　greatest　caution　and　thoroughness；　and　then　the　Politburo　must　approve　it　with　open　eyes。〃
　　　〃You　must　have　something　in　mind。。。〃
　　　〃I　have　many　things　in　mind；　but　a　daydream　is　not　a　plan。　To　move　forward　requires　some　in…depth　thinking　and　planning　merely　to　see　if　such　a　thing　is　possible。　One　cautious　step　at　a　time；〃　Andropov　warned。　〃Even　then；　there　are　no　guarantees　or　promises　to　be　made。　This　is　not　something　for　a　movie　production。　The　real　world；　Misha；　is　plex。〃　It　was　as　close　as　he　could　e　to　telling　Alexandrov　not　to　stray　too　far　from　his　sandbox　of　theories　and　toys　and　into　the　real　world　of　blood　and　consequences。
　　　〃Well；　you　are　a　good　Party　man。　You　know　what　the　stakes　in　this　game　are。〃　With　those　words；　Alexandrov　told　his　host　what　was　expected　by　the　Secretariat。　For　Mikhail　Yevgeniyevich；　the　Party　and　its　beliefs　were　the　State…and　the　KGB　was　the　Sword　and　Shield　of　the　Party。
　　　Oddly；　Andropov　realized；　this　Polish　Pope　surely　felt　the　same　about　his　beliefs　and　his　view　of　the　world。　But　those　beliefs　weren't；　strictly　speaking；　an　ideology；　were　they？　Well；　for　these　purposes；　they　might　as　well　be；　Yuriy　Vladimirovich　told　himself。
　　　〃My　people　will　look　at　this　carefully。　We　cannot　do　the　impossible；　Misha；　but…〃
　　　〃But　what　is　impossible　for　this　agency　of　the　Soviet　state？〃　A　rhetorical　question　with　a　bloody　answer。　And　a　dangerous　one；　more　dangerous　than　this　academician　realized。
　　　How　alike　they　were；　the　KGB　Chairman　realized。　This　one；　fortably　sipping　his　brown　Starka；　believed　absolutely　in　an　ideology　that　could　not　be　proven。　And　he　desired　the　death　of　a　man　who　also　believed　things　that　could　not　be　proved。　What　a　curious　state　of　affairs。　A　battle　of　ideas；　both　sets　of　which　feared　the　other。　Feared？　What　did　Karol　fear？　Not　death；　certainly。　His　letter　to　Warsaw　proclaimed　that　without　words。　Indeed；　he　cried　aloud　for　death。　He　sought　martyrship。　Why　would　a　man　seek　that？　the　Chairman　wondered　briefly。　To　use　his　life　or　death　as　a　weapon　against　his　enemy。　Surely　he　regarded　both　Russia　and　munism　as　enemies；　one　for　nationalistic　reasons；　the　other　for　reasons　of　his　religious　conviction。。。　But　did　he　fear　that　enemy？
　　　No；　probably　not；　Yuriy　Vladimirovich　admitted　to　himself。　That　made　his　task　harder。　His　was　an　agency　that　needed　fear　to　get　its　way。　Fear　was　its　source　of　power；　and　a　man　lacking　fear　was　a　man　he　could　not　manipulate。。。
　　　But　those　whom　he　could　not　manipulate　could　always　be　killed。　Who；　after　all；　remembered　much　about　Leon　Trotsky？
　　　〃Few　things　are　truly　impossible。　Merely　difficult；〃　the　Chairman　belatedly　agreed。
　　　〃So；　you　will　look　into　the　possibilities？〃
　　　He　nodded　cautiously。　〃Yes；　starting　in　the　morning。〃　And　so　the　processes　began。
　　　
　　　CHAPTER　3　…　EXPLORATIONS
　　　〃Well；　Jack's　got　his　desk　in　London；〃　Greer　told　his　colleagues　on　the　Seventh　Floor。
　　　〃Glad　to　hear　it；〃　Bob　Ritter　observed。　〃Think　he　knows　what　to　do　with　it？〃
　　　〃Bob；　what　is　it　with　you　and　Ryan？〃　the　DDI　asked。
　　　〃Your　fair…haired　boy　is　moving　up　the　ladder　too　fast。　He's　going　to　fall　off　someday　and　it's　going　to　be　a　mess。〃
　　　〃You　want　me　to　turn　him　into　just　one　more　ordinary　desk…weenie？〃　James　Greer　had　often　enough　fended　off　Ritter's　beefs　about　the　size　and　consequent　power　of　the　Intelligence　Directorate。　〃You　have　some　burgeoning　stars　in　your　shop；　too。　This　kid's　got　possibilities；　and　I'm　going　to　let　him　run　until　he　hits　the　wall。〃
　　　〃Yeah；　I　can　hear　the　splat　now〃　the　DDO　grumbled。　〃Okay；　which　one　of　the　crown　jewels　does　he　want　to　hand　over　to　our　British　cousins？〃
　　　〃Nothing　much。　The　appraisal　of　Mikhail　Suslov　that　the　doctors　up　at　Johns　Hopkins　did　when　they　flew　over　to　fix　his　eyes。〃
　　　〃They　don't　have　that　already？〃　Judge　Moore　asked。　It　wasn't　as　though　it　were　a　super…sensitive　document。
　　　〃I　guess　they　never　asked。　Hell；　Suslov　won't　be　around　much　longer　anyway；　from　what　we've　been　seeing。〃
　　　The　CIA　had　many　ways　to　determine　the　health　of　senior　Soviet　officials。　The　most　monly　used　was　p