el.angeleyes-第18部分

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　〃Can　I　confess　something？〃　she　whispered。　〃I　have　never　felt　like　this　with　any　other　man。〃　She　pushed　the　hair　back　from　his　forehead。　〃You　frighten　people；　perhaps　you　don't　know　how　much　you　frighten　them。　When　you　approached　me　that　first　night；　I　felt　paralyzed。　I　couldn't　say　no　to　you。　I　was　terrified　if　I　said　no　to　you　I　would　e　to　work　the　next　morning　to　find　my　job　was　no　longer　there。〃
　〃Didn't　I　attract　you；　even　a　little？〃
　〃Yes；　of　course　you　did；　but　I…　Don't　you　see　that　whatever　I　felt　at　the　time　didn't　matter？　I　did　what　you　asked　me　to　do；　that　was　the　beginning　and　the　end　of　it。　And　then；　later；　in　bed　the　first　time；　I　was　so　frightened　I'd　displease　you。　And　then。　〃
　〃Then。〃
　〃I　discovered　a　whole　other　Valeri　Bondasenko；〃　Irina　said。　〃One　nobody　else　knows　about。　It　made　me　feel…I　don't　know…special　somehow。　In　all　the　vast　sea　of　women　in　Moscow；　you　had　chosen　me。〃
　Valeri　laughed。　〃Is　that　all　there　is　to　your　confession？〃
　〃No。〃　Irina　was　quiet　for　some　time。　She　listened　in　the　stillness　to　the　beating　of　their　hearts；　as　if　it　were　a　language　she　needed　to　decipher。　〃For　an　instant；　I　felt　a　part　of　your　power。　Not　a　reflection；　but　one　with　it。　Is　that　foolish？〃
　〃Not　at　all；〃　Valeri　said；　stirring。　〃In　fact；　your　confession；　as　you　call　it；　makes　me　more　confident　to　confide　in　you。　I　had　been　thinking　of　bringing　this　up　for　some　time；　but　I　wasn't　sure　I　could　trust　my　instincts。〃
　Irina　snuggled　closer　to　him。　〃What　about？〃　She　could　feel　the　power　radiating　from　him；　bathing　her；　warming　her。　Was　it　so　bad　to　want　to　get　inside　it？
　''I　want　to　get　inside　the　head　of　Mars　Petrovich　Volkov；''　he　said；　startling　her　because　in　some　way　she　could　not　yet　fathom　his　thoughts　had　been　paralleling　her　own。　He　was　so　close；　his　lips　brushed　hers　as　he　spoke。　〃Volkov　has　gotten　the　inside　track　against　me　in　the　Congress　of　People's　Deputies。　He　has　lined　up　a　formidable　array　of　party　officials　behind　him；　and　got　himself　elected。　I　still　hold　the　edge　because　of　my　strong　union　and　national　district　ties；　but　now　that　he　is　in　the　Congress；　he　is　beginning　to　make　life　very　difficult。　With　reform　as　the　new　history；　and　speaking　one's　mind　being　tolerated；　certain　people　have　bee　drunk　on　spewing　criticism。　Volkov　is　one　of　them。　He's　making　a　living　directing　it　at　me。　He　appears　to　enjoy　branding　me　a　Napoleon；　claiming　that　I　have　designs　on　being　the　next　emperor　of　Russia。　He　falsely　claims　he　has　no　ego　and　I　do。　That　is　his　problem；　but　he　is　rapidly　making　it　mine。〃　Irina　could　see　his　eyes　glowing　and　her　own　image　filling　them　up。　〃In　order　to　defeat　Mars　Volkov；　I　must　know　what　he　is　thinking。　I　have　learned　through　bitter　experience　that　there　are　things　men　cannot　do　or　do　well。　This　is　one　of　them。　I　need　you　to　bee　my　protege　so　that　you　may　do　to　Mars　Volkov　what　I　have　done　to　you。''
　〃You　want　me　to　seduce　him？〃　Irina　had　asked。　〃I　cannot。　I　don't　have　the　temperament。''
　〃Temperament；〃　Valeri　said；　〃is　forged　through　circumstance。　I　will　teach　you　what　you　need　to　know。〃
　〃I　will　not　prostitute　myself　in　that　way。〃　Irina　had　grown　angry。
　To　his　credit；　Valeri　had　felt　this　immediately。　He　crushed　his　lips　to　hers；　then　smiled。　〃The　joke　is　that　it　is　you；　Irina；　who　has　seduced　me。　Do　you　think　that　you　are　the　latest　in　a　long　line　of　conquests　for　me？　No。　You　know　my　reputation。　I　make　these　things　open　so　that　there　cannot　be　any　misunderstanding　that　my　rivals　might　turn　to　their　advantage。〃
　〃No　one　knows　about　us。　You　made　certain　of　that；〃　Irina　had　pointed　out。
　〃True　enough；　but　that；　too；　is　for　a　purpose。　I；　too；　have　a　confession　to　make。　After　my　wife　died；　I　found　that　I　had　little　taste　for　sexual　adventure。　We　had　tried　for　the　last　several　years　of　our　marriage　to　have　a　child。　Unsuccessfully。　After　my　wife　died；　I　came　to　see　that　being　childless　was　just　as　well。　In　this　terrible　world；　a　child；　too；　might　be　used　against　me。〃
　He　rolled　them　both　over　so　that　she　lay　astride　him。''I　know　the　danger　inherent　in　what　I　ask　you　to　do；　Irina。　But　when　you　say　no　so　hastily；　you　ignore　the　rewards　to　yourself。〃
　〃What　rewards？　A　reassignment？　Money？　Presents　from　the　Beryozka？　These　things　cannot　tempt　me。〃
　〃Oh；　I　know　that。〃　He　looked　at　her　in　the　semidarkness　and　laughed　again。　〃You　see；　I　felt　something　in　you　from　the　moment　I　first　saw　you。　The　reason　I　can　ask　you　to　seduce　Mars　Volkov　is　that　I　can　understand　the　power　it　will　bring　you。　Most　women　are　content　to　bask　in　the　reflection　of　the　power　of　men；　but　you　are　different；　Irina；　you　are　special。　You　want　the　power　for　yourself。　Now　you　understand　that　I　can　give　you　that　power。
　〃So　you　will　make　pillow　talk　with　Mars；　you　will　get　to　know　him；　and　you　will　report　to　me　everything　you　learn。　You　will　do　it　happily；　Irina。　Trust　me。〃
　Then　the　fear　had　crept　through　her　like　a　worm　burrowing　into　the　core　of　her。　He's　right；　she　thought；　I　love　this　new　world　he　can　open　up　to　me。　No　more　Irina　the　boring　academic；　Irina　the　puter　programmer；　Irina　the　educator　with　ideas　no　one　will　listen　to。
　Now；　entering　Valeri's　kitchen；　Irina　could　smell　onions　and；　startlingly；　shallots　sauteing　in　a　skillet。　She　sat　at　the　small　black…and…white；　marble…patterned　Formica　table　that　might　have　been　at　home　in　an　American　kitchen　of　me　1950s。　Valeri　brought　her　yogurt　from　the　Ukraine；　and　tea　into　which　she　dropped　two　cubes　of　sugar；　a　perquisite　in　the　sugar…starved　Soviet　Union　even　she　was　not　privy　to　on　her　own。
　She　watched　Valeri　carefully　stirring　the　eggs　into　the　hot　skillet。　This　was　another　benefit　of　spending　the　night　with　Valeri：　she　adored　being　served　breakfast。　She　was　an　excellent　cook　in　her　own　right…one　of　the　few　gifts　her　mother　had　passed　down　to　her…and　had　the　cook's　special　appreciation　of　being　served　food　by　another　good　cook。　But　it　was　not　an　unadulterated　pleasure；　because　she　always　felt　a　pang　of　guilt；　as　if　this　small　decadence　indulged　in　while　others　starved　would　weaken　her；　would　somehow　make　her　unfit　for　the　continual　struggle　of　life　here。　She　had　spent　much　time　in　America；　learning　new　educational　methods；　but　also　absorbing　the　Western　way　of　life。　Sometimes；　when　she　was　most　depressed　about　Russia；　she　worried　that　she　had　been　irrevocably　contaminated　by　the　West。　Too　often　she　found　herself　making　parisons　between　where　she　had　been　（Boston）　and　where　she　was　now　（Moscow）；　and　being　despondent　over　Moscow's　shortings。　Her　sojourns　in　America　had　brought　into　question　the　validity　of　the　entire　Soviet　way　of　life。　This　was　her　secret；　her　terrible　burden；　and　she　knew　that　she　must　never　allow　Valeri　to　know　she　harbored　these　treasonous　thoughts。
　She　said；　with　all　the　patriotic　zeal　she　could　foster；　〃What　progress　have　you　made　in　penetrating　White　Star？〃
　Valeri　delivered　a　rude　expletive。　〃That　bastard　organization　of　minority　dissidents。　They're　like　ghosts。　Can　you　believe　it？　White　Star　has　remained　hidden　from　us。　This　should　be　impossible　in　our　country。　My　guess　is　that　they　are　somehow　being　supplied　by　the　West。　How　else　to　account　for　our　failure　to　discover　even　one　of　their　cells？　〃
　'　'It　seems　to　me　that　you　don't　even　know　if　they　exist。''
　〃Oh；　White　Star　exists；　I've　no　doubt　of　that。〃　He　gave　a　short　laugh。　〃We；　the　government；　are　the　only　ones　adept　enough　at　propaganda　to　create　a　phantom　organization。　God　knows；　we've　done　it　often　enough。〃　He　waved　a　hand。　〃No；　no。　The　only　real　question　is　whether　or　not　White　Star　is　responsible　for　the　wave　of　nationalist　uprisings　in　Georgia；　Uzbekistan；　the　Baltics；　even　the　Bashkir　Autonomous　Republic。　In　every　case；　the　rioters　are　well　led　and　are　even　better…armed：　handguns；　machine　pistols；　even　mortars　are　being　mon。　They　are　being　supplied　by　someone。〃
　〃Isn't　Ufa；　the　site　of　that　recent　awful　dual　train　disaster；　in　Bashkir？〃
　Valeri　nodded。　''Over　two　hundred　people　died　in　the　crash。　But　it　wasn't　an　accident。　It　was　sabotage。　A　cadre　of　Red　Army　generals　was　on　one　of　those　trains。　They　were　bound　for　a　top　secret　military　base　in　the　Urals。　All　of　them　were　killed。''
　〃Sabotage？〃　Irina　said。　〃I　had　no　idea。〃
　〃Nor　has　anyone　else；　beyond　a　select　few。〃　Valeri　cleared　his　throat。　〃The　truth　is；　an　alarming　spate　of　terrorist　acts　has　been　proliferating　since　Chemobyl。　An　internal　investigation；　made　immediately　secret；　proved　that　the　nuclear　event　at　Cher…nobyl　was　a　deliberate　act　of　sabotage。　It　was　the　first；　but　it　was　a　disaster　of　such　dimensions　that　it　should　have　put　us　on　notice　that　these　people　are　quite　serious；　and　quite　mad。　However；　bureaucracies　are　the　same　the　world　over：　overstaffed；　underutilized；　bloated　with　inertia。　And　never　more　so　than　here　in　Russia。''
　〃My　God；　what　you're　telling　me　is　incredible。〃
　〃Unfortunately；　you're　not　the　first　to　say　that。　It　took　me　some　time　to　convince　the　president　of　the　need　for　an　antina…tionalist　task　force。　And　that　I　should　be　put　in　charge　of　it。〃
　〃But　White　Star　is　supposed　to　be　posed　of　Ukrainian　nationalists；〃　Irina　said。
　Valeri　considered　the　rest　of　her　unspoken　question。　〃It　is　true　that　White　Star's　leadership　is　Ukrainian　and　so　am　I；〃　he　said　at　last。　〃But　we　want　two　separate　things。　My　loyalty　is　to　the　state。　Theirs　is　to　themselves。
　〃Now；　however；　it　appears　possible　that　White　Star's　membership　has　became　more　eclectic。　It　might　even　turn　out　to　be　the　first　pan…minority　nationalist　group；　embracing　the　Georgians；　Estonians；　Latvians；　Lithuanians；　even　the　Moslem　minorities。　That　would　naturally　exponentially　increase　White　Star's　power；　and　its　danger　to　us；　the　state。
　〃These　people　have　no　idea　what　it　is　they　want。　Anarchy。　Chaos。　Not　a　better；　more　cohesive　dialectically　consistent　whole。　If　they　gain　autonomy；　they　will；　like　as　not；　begin　warring　with　each　other。　They　are　primitives；　misguided。　Who　better　than　me…a　Ukrainian；　a　member　of　a　Soviet　minority…to　show　them　the　dangerous　error　of　their　ways？''
　Irina　did　not　know　whether　she　felt　admiration　or　disgust。　Perhaps　it　was　a　bination　of　both。　She　suspected　that　there　was　a　measure　of　truth　to　what　Valeri　said。　Dissidents'　motives　were　often　muddled；　because　they　stemmed　f