I nodded, but knew that the agent talked only about those who were LINKed. Crime still ruled my universe. However, I couldn't deny that the majority of the population lived better than ever since the war, thanks to the programs of the new religious governments. Despite the restrictions, the government worked, which was more than could be said for its last incarnation.
"Angelucci is a menace. I thought you understood that, Ms. McMannus. You have a history of being more reasonable than the rest, more honorable, more concerned with the truth."
That's what I told myself every day since Daniel's conviction: the truth was more important than loyalty. I took my oath to serve and protect seriously during my days on the force. That, to me, was the distinction between an honest cop and a dishonest one. Though the system became tougher and tougher to support in good conscience, I held on to the tenet that truth and justice were at the core of it all. Believing was how I lived with myself.
What if the FBI agent was right about Michael? I didn't know that much about his motivations. If I hadn't guessed that he was a LINK-angel, he would never have told me. My head ached.
"The LINK." I clutched the bead to my heart. "He promised me the LINK."
The agent nodded encouragingly. "Illegal biotech is an international offense. As a decorated tech-cop, I would've thought you'd know better. What on earth would make you cross that line, Deidre?"
I shook my head. The feds had more enhancements than the average cop, how could he know what made me consider it? He'd never lived without the LINK, in the dark, surrounded by the silence of one's own thoughts.
"What did they want from you?" he asked.
"Michael wanted my help..." Looking into the agent's eyes, I stopped. If I told the agent that I suspected that Michael was a LINK-angel, what then? If they were true to their bargain, I might be let off. But, what would happen to him?
Letourneau would never let this go to court. He would use the same influence that got Danny into Christendom court to stop this one. If Letourneau was the perpetrator behind the angel hoax, then he surely wouldn't want
to have Michael busted for LINK-crimes, because that would implicate him.
"Your help with what?" the FBI agent probed. He inched closer to me.
I looked down at the silvery bead in my hand. Something was screwy with this scenario. The uselessness of the bead seemed a clear indication that Michael and Jibril had set me up. If Michael was in cahoots with the FBI, then why did the agent keep stressing that they wanted Michael, not me?
"Deidre, you were saying something." The agent stood next to me. His shadow eclipsed the artificial light. In the sudden darkness, I shivered.
There was no way to tell what was the right thing to do. I had to act on my gut feeling. The question was: Did I betray Michael like I had Danny? Could I live with myself if I made the same mistake again?
"No," I said out loud. "Find another informant."
SATANISM CHARGED IN SENATE RACEThe California Senate race eclipsed the presidential campaign briefly today when the incumbent Reverend-Senator Cliff Jacobs (New Right Collation) denounced his opponent, Raven Starwater (Earth Powers Collective) as a Satanist.
"The 'Earth Powers Coop' are a bunch of hippie-freak Satanists who smear the sanctity of this High Office," said Jacobs before a supportive crowd. "If Ms. Starwater looked into her crystal ball, she'd see who's going to win this election: good always triumphs over evil."
In a press conference at Earth Powers headquarters in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, Reverend Starwater denied allegations that her organization has ever tolerated an unrecognized religious group, such as Satanists. For her own religious beliefs, she said, "My citizenship card is valid. The United States Government has validated the nature of my 'goodness.' The Reverend-Senator is not qualified to judge the validity of my religion." (hot-link here to entire speech by Rev. Starwater.)
Earth Powers is a cooperative of New Age spiritualists. The organization achieved governmental accreditation only last year, thanks in part to the controversial Taft-Pallis Act. Taft-Pallis guarantees accreditation to any religious group, regardless of numbers of members, which can prove a long history of practice in America or a belief in one God. The Act was ratified due to pressure from the American Indian Movement (AIM), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the American Catholics.
Despite the Act's stated favoritism toward Original American rights, it was the Wiccans of Massachusetts who were the first to register under this Act, claiming their history of practice in America can be substantiated by the Salem witch trials. As more and more formally outlawed groups discover ways to prove a history of practice, the Act has fallen under harsh criticism. Presidential candidate Etienne Letourneau (New Right) has vowed to find a way to "strike a blow against this regressive Act and make America safe from the lunatic fringe."