“Because I think he sensed that while I was not outwardly religious, I do feel deeply about good and evil.”

He shrugged, obviously embarrassed to be talking about himself so openly, then looked up at the stars for a long moment. “Ironically enough, though it would surprise some of my former associates to hear me say so, I believe in God. And I also believe in a devil. Oh, not in the sense of some horrible demon who peeks into windows to frighten little children, who wears a red suit and has a forked tail. No, I picture him to be much like us, only brilliant, cunning, enormously talented, and totally dedicated to evil. I guess I’m like C. S. Lewis in that regard. Maybe Satan is a fallen angel who now, knowing that he can never succeed in dethroning God, devotes every thought, turns every purpose to frustrating God’s will for us.”

Once again he stopped, peering into Eric’s face with intense earnestness. “So what has Satan and evil got to do with all this in Shalev? Normally we think of good men and bad men in classical, almost Hollywood terms. The good guys wear badges or calvary uniforms or Superman capes, while the bad guys are dark, with twisted faces, hiding a perpetual sneer behind a bandana or a gun.

“But let me tell you something I’ve learned from seventy years in this old life. Most of the truly evil men in the world do not wear masks or carry guns and knives or slink through the back alleys of the world. They wear custom-made business suits and fifty-dollar ties and meet around polished conference tables.”

“Like C. Major Denison?” Eric asked softly, beginning to understand.

“Precisely! And the fact that he has created much that is good and eliminated much that is bad in no way lessens the fact that he’s a deeply evil man. Even God, with all his incredibly majestic power and infinite knowledge, chooses not to force men to be good. And the reason is clear. When man has no choice but to do good, there’s no point in calling him moral. Men cannot be good without making that choice themselves. They can be made to act in good ways, but they cannot be good.”

He shook his head wearily. “The Major can spout on forever with his high-sounding motives, but this society is as evil as any that has ever stood upon the face of the earth. And we can’t just walk away and leave it intact, to prey upon others. We must try and bring it down.”

“And you really think we can do that, Cliff?”