The people, all of the people, have it made as the Americans say."

"Except for freedom," Simonov said doggedly. "These groups are springing
up everywhere, spontaneously. Thus far, perhaps, our ministry has been
able to suppress some of them. But the pace is accelerating. They aren't
inter-organized now. But how soon they'll start to be, I don't know.
Sooner or later, someone is going to come up with a unifying idea. A new
socio-political system to advocate a way of guaranteeing the basic
liberties. Then, of course, the fat will be in the fire."

"Ilya! You've been working too hard. I've pushed you too much, relied on
you too much. You need a good lengthy vacation."

Simonov shrugged. "Perhaps. But what I've just said is the truth."

His chief snorted heavily. "You half sound as though you agree with them."

"I do, Kliment."

"I am in no mood for gags, as the Yankees say."

Ilya Simonov looked at him wearily. He said slowly, "You sent me to
investigate an epidemic, a spreading disease. Very well, I report that
it's highly contagious."

* * * * *

Blagonravov poured himself more vodka angrily. "Explain yourself. What's
this all about?"

His former best field man said, "Kliment--"

"I want no familiarities from you, colonel!"

"Yes, sir." Ilya Simonov went on doggedly. "Man never achieves complete
freedom. It's a goal never reached, but one continually striven for. The
moment as small a group as two or three gather together, all of them must
give up some of the individual's freedom. When man associates with
millions of his fellow men, he gives up a good many freedoms for the sake
of the community. But always he works to retain as much liberty as
possible, and to gain more. It's the nature of our species, I suppose."

"You sound as though you've become corrupted by Western ideas," the
security head muttered dangerously.

Simonov shook his head. "No. The same thing applies over there. Even in
countries such as Sweden and Switzerland, where institutions are as free
as anywhere in the world, the people are continually striving for more.
Governments and socio-economic systems seem continually to whittle away at
individual liberty. But always man fights back and tries to achieve new
heights for himself.

"In the name of developing our country, the Party all but eliminated
freedom in the Soviet Complex, but now the goals have been reached and the
people will no longer put up with