“I suppose you did think of bringing the affair to the attention of ISF headquarters in Geneva, Al. One way round some of the difficulties might have been to have other ISF locations place your orders for you, and then have the material shipped to Sudbury as an internal transfer.”
“Yeah, we thought of that,” Morelli said. “But this is our own matter . . . local. If I’ve gotten into the bad books of the powers that be, I figure we oughta keep it that way. It would do more harm than good in the long run to go dragging the whole of ISF into it. Besides . . . as Brad said earlier today, if they get wind of what we’re working toward, the place would be swarming with them.” He took a sip of his drink and frowned into his glass. “In fact, from the things that have been happening lately, it wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve gotten some kind of a sniff already.”
“I suppose I must agree with you,” Zimmermann said with a sigh. “Were I in your place, I would come to the same conclusions. ISF enjoys an extraordinary degree of independence in its activities, which it is naturally very anxious to preserve. We must not do anything that might prejudice relationships between ISF and government—any government.” The professor reflected upon what he had just said, then shook his head. “No, you are right. We cannot go higher in ISF.”
“Then where do we go?” Aub asked.
“I have been considering that question ever since this afternoon,” Zimmermann replied. “Gentlemen, you have a problem. To solve it, it will be necessary for you to sacrifice at least some of your commendable ideals and come to terms—at least to some degree—with some of the less appealing realities that surround us. I have seen this kind of thing before. Believe me, you will not beat the system. This is only a beginning; it will get worse. Don’t underestimate the people you are up against. Many of them are stupid, but they have power—and that is a fearsome combination. They will destroy you if they can, spiritually if not physically. Destruction is their business.”
“So, what do we do?”
“If you continue to refuse to acknowledge that the power to make or break your project ultimately lies outside your own immediate sphere of influence, it will grow until it overwhelms you. Therefore, you must accept that it exists and will not go away by being ignored. That is the first step. Only when you accept that it exists can you think of using it to your own ends.”
“Using it?” Clifford was confused. “How d’you mean, ‘using it’?”
“Quite simple. You are obviously aware of how much the state commands in terms of resources, finance, and sheer weight of influence. Just think of the difference it would make to your research program if all that were to be harnessed to help it along.”
“But that would be going backward, Professor,” Aub protested. “We don’t need their kind of help. Brad and I burned all our boats getting out of there not so long ago. The whole point is, we want to stay clear of them. We’ve done fine up to now with ISF providing all the resources and stuff.”
“But that is precisely the point I am making,” Zimmermann replied. “Unfortunately, you do not have the luxury of a choice any longer. The sentiments that you have expressed are fine just as long as the decision for you and the system to ignore each other and go separate ways is mutual. But when they begin to take notice of you, I am afraid that an attempt on your part to continue ignoring them will lead only to disaster. You are obliged to react. I am suggesting that, since it appears that you have no choice but to become involved with the government departments anyway, we endeavor to make that involvement constructive to our purpose.” The professor spread his hands in an appealing gesture. “You have to get involved with them. If you don’t, they will just squeeze harder. Use it.”
Clifford stared out through the window for a few seconds, then turned abruptly to face the room.