388
DAVID ZANE MAIROWITZ
pride for she had none, surely. He banged her head on the wooden
porch till she lost consciousness and he threw her in a hedge.
When Mother Munch discovered her there, she would not talk.
She was tranquilized, put to bed and, in the night, he broke in where
she slept and climbed on her, smacking against her insides like a steam
hammer. Afterwards, he injected some morphine and cried on her
hair, wiping his eyes and nose in
it.
He told her of his electrotherapy,
designed to squash his fury, but it had come to nothing. All his life
he fought for the mastery of his body. His control had failed,
his
will had gone rotten, he was afraid of killing her. She didn't care. Why
didn't she fight him? Did she love him? She didn't know. He would
teach her to stand up to him. He would teach her pride. What did
she think? Nothing.
In
the light, Mother Munch discovered him in Perfidia's bed and
threatened him with Authority. It was the last the two women had
seen of one another and the elder, some years a widow, found her
solace in the charting of astrological bodies in their pilgrimage across
the arcs and chains of the heavens. This way she could no longer pro·
claim, only guess.
In
this new gift, she uncovered the safety of the
Moment, a clear picture rising before her in the day, and waived her
rights at last to the frantic future.
Perfidia cracks under the strain of this morning-after and her
body's stress. Kropotkin makes an example of her before the others,
demonstrating how she has been assigned the most momentous task
of all and hasn't one-half its necessary resources. She sits in a frothing
heap as he stands over her, lecturing the Brigade on their habits.
They are all fat and beneath the contempt of the Movement. From
this day, they are to consume twice the normal protein or give up
the struggle. Carbohydrates are to be cut to a minimum and the
working day is to be divided into clear thirds, bodily upkeep, weap–
ons practice and careful reading of the classic texts. Intercourse, also,
must be kept to a minimum, as it will drain the vital energy banks.
At the same time, sexual frustration is to be avoided as it makes for
muscular imbalance. Narcotics are out of the question, as well as
alcohol. He will only lend his service and his proficiency to a dis·
ciplined Movement. He then suggests a meeting to strip Perfidia of
her role and replace her with a more capable Comrade. She turns on
him like a scorpion. His teeth are waiting for her reblltlal. They
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