The Tautology Book Two: The True Dialectic

By Matthew Giesinger

The militias struggle against the attacks of the Damned, the threat of starvation and the vicious radiation of the sun. The Prophet teaches John about the nature of the Joint Security Service's power and the path to unlock the hidden power of the Logos inside him. The group is divided by the discovery of Yuheile's thugs deep in the desert, while ahead of them the Free State awaits with the resistance's last hope, the Logos Machine.

But will the Prophet and his followers find salvation in the arms of the Mormon Free State whose leader seems more inclined to acquire the power of the Joint Security Service for himself?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matthew Giesinger
• Release date: Nov 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310208928

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For My Son

Joshua

The Tautology

BOOK TWO: The True Dialectic

Matthew A. Giesinger

Copyright Matthew A. Giesinger 2013

Published at Smashwords

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The Gospel of John

Chapter 1

I awoke to the sound of distant music. Across from me, Leah was no longer sleeping; the cot was empty and the room was otherwise silent and cold. I sat up on the cot, rubbing my eyes, trying to identify what I was listening to. My nostrils itched with the crisp smell of fire wafting into the long empty room.

I sat up and smoothed out my uniform, which by this time I had been wearing for many days without a change of clothes. I had gotten used to the feeling during the time that I had been incarcerated at the JSS facility. But even so, it was not a pleasant feeling; my skin maintained a thin veneer of grit and sand, and had become coarse and dry.

I wiped my face with my hands and dry washed them, releasing the collected particles on the floor, which was otherwise covered in sand and rocks. I stood up and made my way to the door, rubbing my head slowly, which had been resting on something hard while I slept. In the doorway, I could not see anyone immediately, but I recognized the flashing light of a fire and the smell of cooking flesh. I stepped into the next room, but finding nothing, I followed it to the room that I had seen Franklin in with the children the day before.

In the middle of that room was a small fire, tended to by Hank, who was holding a metal bar with the remains of a carcass on it. It looked to me like the remains of a rabbit. Beside Hank, Franklin sat in a group with Sherah, Leah, the quiet girl, who Leah had told me was named Mary, and the children. It looked to me like Franklin was speaking about something, possibly telling a story. I walked over beside the fire and spoke to Hank.

Need some help? I said.

He shook his head slowly, staring into the golden embers, the fire dancing before our eyes. He didn’t say anything at first, and then he responded:

The way the fire dances, I could swear it was alive.

I looked at the fire and sat down. Is it almost nightfall?

Hank replied: About two hours. We should have a small meal before we get moving. There isn’t a lot of meat here, but it was all that Conrad could find.

I nodded. How are the children doing?

Hank looked at them slowly, and without looking at me responded. The children are fine as long as they believe God is with them. Nothing scares them.

I suppose in a way they are lucky, I replied. Hank didn’t respond. He picked up a stick beside the fire and used it to push one of the burning pieces. It looked like the remains of a bedpost.

I turned to look at Franklin, careening over to listen to what he was saying.

And then the Lord created the heavens, and the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

It sounded like he was referring to the first book of the Bible, and although my memory was poor, I recalled something about the phrasing. I began to wonder what it meant by the Spirit of God. I knew that God was not something material that we could understand in that way, but I had never heard him described as a spirit before. I didn’t want to interrupt, but it seemed like Franklin was finished.

Time to eat, Hank said quietly.

The children immediately became excited and animated, moving away from Franklin toward the fire. Hank pushed back a particularly aggressive little guy with the stick, shaking his head slowly at the little boy.

I’m sorry. But we don’t have much to share.

There is plenty, Franklin replied. Our true food is the word of God. This is only a taste of what is to come.

Hank then began to take the meat off of the pole and distribute it among the children. Before long the meat was all gone and the children looked as hungry as ever. I hadn’t been offered a piece but in all honesty I didn’t mind. The children looked so thin and pale. Their faces showed the age and hardship that they had lived through during their short lives. And the worst of it was that many of them would soon become infected and would die before reaching their prime. As I looked upon the faces of the children I began to understand Franklin’s motivation for his crusade. These were children who would suffer because of the disease. If Franklin was right and the NAU was responsible, that was something that deserved recompense. But, his belief that the disease was caused by the NAU was difficult for me to accept. I didn’t know where I stood in all honesty.

When Franklin had finished speaking quietly with the children he drew me aside to speak with me directly. Hank took the children out of the room, playing a game with them that I guessed was something like twenty questions. The kids became excited and began to bound up and down around him.

How did you sleep? Franklin said.

Fine, I replied. I was speaking with Leah. I said.

She’s a very nice girl. Strong willed and a good soul.

I didn’t respond to him, waiting for the conversation to move on. Finally, he said: I want to tell you why you are here, John. It is important to me that you understand where I am coming from.

I nodded to him. He turned toward me, putting his hands on my shoulders. John you are the key to our problems with the NAU.

How do you mean? I replied.

It’s very simple. The source of the JSS’s power is their closed society. The reason that the average JSS maintains his position of dominance is because they have a social hierarchy which every person in the state is integrated into. So long as this hierarchy exists, the JSS will continue to dominate it.

Right, I agreed with him.

It isn’t feasible for us to eliminate the JSS by ourselves. We could destroy the computer but the JSS would still exist and would still maintain their hold on power.

So the only thing that we can do to undermine their authority without massive bloodshed is to tap into the existing discontent among the Afflicted and use this to direct them toward acts of civil disobedience.

You want to produce a resistance movement? I replied.

More subtle, John. You see, the key to the JSS’s power is not the state and it is not the computer. It is the matriarchy. If we can undermine the power of the matriarchy we can destroy the JSS.

How do we do that? I said.

I already mentioned to you that the system is slow. If you can beat it by a few minutes here and there you can upset the established order for brief periods of time. But these seconds and minutes produce disruptions that effect innumerable aspects of the state through the interconnection of its people.

The goal here, John, is not to kill our enemies but to undermine the power structures in place that perpetuate their oppression of the Afflicted.

I shook my head. I don’t see where you are going with this.

It simple. I already told you that unauthorized masculinity is immediately repressed through the action of the JSS in producing a chain of deference that leads to submission. But I have also told you that the social dialectic remains dormant deep in the unconscious minds of many people. If we can tap into this unconscious source, we can produce a chain reaction that overwhelms their ability to re-establish the biological equilibrium.

I don’t understand, I replied simply.

We need you, John, to teach us what you know. That is what I am asking from you. I am asking you to teach others who possess that ability deep within their unconscious minds to draw it out. But more importantly, I need you to teach them how to bury it again.

What purpose would that serve?

If we can teach hundreds even thousands of Afflicted to cast off their infirmity and re-establish their participation in the primitive struggle, it would produce a catastrophic effect upon the JSS’s internal power structure. You see, most of the JSS, I am sure you know, are simply social replicas. They possess the ability to influence events through their social status. If we can upset the order then we can eliminate these grunts from the system. Without these individuals to restore order, the Overseers and higher ups will lose the ability to influence events. Of course they will retain their abilities, but they will lose the ability to act through others. We will be able to isolate them and hopefully prevent them from re-establishing their control.

How does this fit in with Yuheile?

Once the existing hierarchy is destroyed all the Afflicted including those without the dialectic will begin to reassert their biological independence, freed from the artificial equilibrium created by the JSS. At this point, the JSS will be vastly outnumbered and it will become clear to everyone that the disease was not the product of a biological problem, but the result of an oppressive system of control. Yuheile is the perfect primer. As a result of his rhetoric, the Afflicted will begin to see the state as a source of oppression. Once this happens, it will be easy to transfer that sense of oppression to the JSS as well.

I was listening and the more I listened the more interested I became in his ideas. I wasn’t totally convinced, but the prospect of teaching others the techniques of the JSS was attractive. If he was right and this ability could reverse the effects of the disease, then it would be the same as curing the sick. If I could use the social dialectic for a good purpose, then that was far more satisfying than returning to the NAU and participating in propagation. The Mormons represented a new and interesting option. They had a separate closed society. They had different ideas and customs. But most of all, it was a civilization, and it represented an alternative to the NAU. As much as I missed my home, my family and Ariana, I still felt a strong distaste for the NAU and its policies. I wasn’t prepared to return to a life dictated by the JSS’s philosophy and ideology. But, at the same time, I continued to be drawn to the social dialectic and the ideas that I had received. I wasn’t prepared to turn my back on these ideas, but I was interested in learning more about Franklin’s views on God.

I didn’t answer him at first, but after a few seconds, I knew that my decision had already been made. I wasn’t prepared to return home. I wanted to find another way, another path that would allow me to effect things for the good, to work to change things for the better.

I will help you, I said calmly.

Franklin smiled, his long lips twisting around his jaw. Excellent.

He turned away from me and gestured toward Leah. She stood up and walked over to stand by us.

John will be staying with us, Leah. I want you to help him with becoming accustomed to our ways.

Of course, William. She smiled at me. It wasn’t warm and bright, but her eyes were deep and serene, mirroring her external calm. She was a woman whose emotions remained below the surface. It was very different than Ariana.

I will leave you two to discuss things. Conrad is waiting for me.

Franklin patted one of the children on the head as he walked past Hank and left the room, leaving me and Leah looking at each other, awkwardly. This arrangement was something of a surprise and I felt that both of us wondered what exactly Franklin had in mind. I tried to keep my demeanour and expression calm. I took it in stride, desiring to be friendly without giving her the wrong impression.

Well, I said, feeling confident. I’m sure there is much for me to learn.

Leah nodded quietly at me. As she stood staring at me, I could see in the dim light that she had begun to blush.

Well maybe you could start by telling me where I can have a bath. I said.

She shook her head. We don’t have the water to waste here. There are reservoirs underground in many areas in the South but even so, it is difficult to get a proper bath.

Well what do you do when you are dirty? I said.

We use the sand and dirt to scrub ourselves when we can. We also use brushes and will use damp clothes if we have the water to spare.

You never have showers or baths? I said curiously.

Sometimes we can. In Rochester there was a place we could bathe. It was a fresh water pool. The women bath together so that we can help each other. The men stay away until it is their turn.

It will take a bit of getting used to, I replied. Not being clean.

You will find many of our ways difficult to get used to at first, she replied. I can see that you are eager to learn. Please sit down, I will get you something to drink and then we can talk.

I nodded at Leah, who immediately left the room, leaving me standing alone by the wall. I sat down slowly in the sand and gravel. The children were playing some kind of game with a ball. They were bouncing it up against the far wall, chasing it. Hank was standing off to the side against the wall, kneeling, laughing as he watched the children.

Leah came back into the room with a bottle of water in her hand. She walked around the fire and sat down next to me. She handed me the bottle and I took it and drank deeply from it. She smiled and put the bottle to her lips, drinking slowly. I waited until she had finished, not saying anything. She put the bottle down on the floor next to her.

She said: The first thing you need to learn, John. Is that you have to pray. We all pray before we eat, we pray before we sleep, and we pray before the day begins. We praise God for what he has given us and we ask him to provide for us the next day.

You see, John, this is very important. Out here, there are no guarantees. We never know how the day will go. We rely upon each other, but most of all we rely on God. He is the one who leads us to provisions and water. He is the one who decides if we live or if we die. We cannot trust in our weapons, or our clothes, or our technology as you people in the North do. We have only God to rely upon. But this is not our weakness, it is our strength. For in faith, we are able to persevere. We are able to continue down what would seem a dead end path with the confidence that he will find a way.

I looked away. I couldn’t understand that level of trust in something that I couldn’t see. It was hard enough for me to trust in what I could see.

I’m not sure I’m capable of that, I replied.

Of course you are, she reached out and took my hands in hers. Listen to me, John. God is good. This is all that he is. He loves us and he only wishes the best for us. A God like Him could never do something to harm us unless it is for our good. Knowing this makes everything possible. It allows us to trust in Him because we know that he is faithful and he will not condemn us.

I understand what you are saying, I replied. But then how do you explain the disease? How do you explain the never ending heat?

She shook her head. It is not for me to explain. God has many times pronounced his judgment upon mankind for the sins that he has committed. These events are terrible. But the righteous will live on forever. Dying to the disease or to the heat is a blessing from God because it means that we are free to go to Him.

I wasn’t sure what to say to her. Her reasoning wasn’t complex and the idea of God was something that was intuitive for me. It wasn’t the question of who God was that troubled me; I could understand that from the little I still remembered from my childhood. What troubled me was that I did not have the faith that they did that God had the power to control the outcome of events.

Do you know how God saved Franklin? I asked.

We all know the story. I remember his first visit when I was a child.

How did he do it? I asked.

God told him where to go and what to do. He travelled alone for much of it, by foot, by car. We helped him when we could. We got him supplies and food.

But where did he journey? How did his journey cure him of the disease?"

She shook her head. He told us that God requires that you be born again to be saved. He told us that when you are born again you are freed from the sins of your past. You are freed from the person that you were. You are given a new life - a life which is totally free and disconnected from your past life.

But what does that have to do with his journey?

William told us that you must go through your past, follow the memories of your past life to the points at which your sins converge. You must find the path of the dead man so that you can extinguish his power over you.

The dead man?

Jesus said: Led the dead bury their own dead.

And who is the dead man?

He is you. You must go to your memories. The memories of your past life. You must extinguish those memories to be freed from yourself.

I struggled with understanding what she meant. I was beginning to see that there was more to Franklin’s story than just a simple miracle.

And this journey led Franklin to extinguish his past life?

I don’t truly know the answer to your question, John. I know that Franklin travelled for many years. I believe that he visited his home. I believe that he visited many places where he had once lived, before the disease.

I understand, I said cautiously.

Perhaps in time you will begin to understand as God opens your mind to the truth.

Perhaps, I replied.

She was watching me carefully. I felt self-conscious with her eyes on me as I struggled to understand her way of thinking. I had never even considered that there existed another world beyond this world, a world of spirit instead of the material. It was not something that you heard very often in the NAU. In fact, although I had distant memories of the Bible that included thoughts about spirit, I have never conceived of spirit as something that actually existed. I had never considered that spirit was as material is, one half of a larger nomenclature.

Tell me, about your parents, Leah.

She looked away. My parents?

Yes. You have a family don’t you?

My parents are long dead.

Do you have any siblings?

Only one. She lives in the far east, near the ocean. She has a husband there and children.

Do you see her much?

No. I haven’t seen her for many years. But here, we are all family. I have many brothers and sisters who are not blood. We have to be a family to survive. We must share what we have.

I see, I said.

Do you have a family? She replied.

I did. I haven’t seen them in months. I don’t know if they are alright.

I am sorry, John. But I am sure you will see them again.

I hope so. I said.

Well, John. We will be leaving in less than an hour. I will find you some bread to eat. I would suggest that you prepare because we will be travelling the whole night. You will not have many chances to relieve yourself.

Thank you, Leah. I will.

She smiled and stood up, turning and leaving the room, her dress swaying behind her. I watched her leave, thinking about her words, struggling with what I believed. I had agreed to help these people and I was not even sure if I believed in what they believed. I knew that the more time passed, the more I would come to think like them. I wanted to make sure that I knew what I was getting myself into. I knew that I had to figure out where I stood. I still strongly felt that Franklin’s campaign of terrorism was wrong. But as the time passed, it became clear to me that this was not an ongoing campaign, it was the first step in producing a new kind of resistance, a resistance that was passive. I didn’t agree with the murder of innocents, but I could understand his motives. More importantly, what he was suggesting to me was something that I agreed with. The oppression of the Afflicted was abominable. If it could be resolved peacefully without violence, that is something that I could agree with. I was prepared to see it out, to follow the path that I had chosen, to at least the point when I could determine whether Franklin was telling the truth about his objectives and his purpose.

Leah came back into the room holding a half a loaf of bread. She handed it to me. I took it in my hands and thanked her.

Thank God, she replied.

I looked up at the ceiling and she smiled. He isn’t up there, she pointed at the ceiling. He’s in here. She pointed at her heart.

I let my gaze fall down to the stone floor. I closed my eyes and spoke: Thank you God for this food, which you have provided out of your goodness. Please bless these people who have been kind to me.

I opened my eyes. Good? I asked. She smiled. Perfect, she said.

She turned and left the room, leaving me staring at a half a loaf of old bread. I felt its edges and it was difficult to tear. I guessed that it was quite stale. I tore at it aggressively until I managed to take a piece off. I chewed it until it had become a soggy ball of dough, sufficiently dissolved to allow me to swallow it. The remainder of the loaf took me a quarter of an hour to eat. It was not a delicacy by any means but in my stomach I could feel the lump which sated me a little bit. I tried not to remember the way it tasted and the grit of sand between my teeth.

I stood up and dry washed my hands. The fire had been allowed to burn itself out. The children were in the next room with their mothers; I guessed that they getting things ready to go. I was now alone in the room. I went back into the next room, winding my way between chattering children, trying to find my cloak and pack. It took me a few minutes, as I dipped into a few packs, before I found my own. I slung my rifle over my shoulder. I took my backpack onto my back and made my way toward the staircase that led up to the surface. In the next room, Hank was standing with a few of the militiamen, talking. I sat down against the wall as I listened, trying to stay out of the way.

Conrad will be back before nightfall, Hank replied.

The militiaman, who I knew to be named Derek replied: The snake man should not go so far during the day. In the past he has been late to return delaying us.

Hank shook his head. Conrad is doing us a service. Without him scouting we would have no way of knowing if we were walking into a trap.

Derek shook his head disdainfully. He does nothing but bring trouble upon us. He is not one of us. He is not of God.

Hank became angry. Conrad has saved our lives and your life countless times, Derek. Don’t judge him; it is not your place. He has a purpose in this life as we all do.

Derek took his rifle off of his shoulder and gripped it tightly. I will not risk my children for his sake. He is unnatural.

I don’t care, Derek. Either you keep your thoughts to yourself or you can join another group. We can’t afford faithlessness. Your doubt could bring down judgment upon us.

Derek was about to speak but held his tongue. He shook his head and stepped back, leaning up against the wall. It looked like the argument was over. Another member of the militia seemed to be talking to him quietly, nodding in agreement. Hank was watching them suspiciously, but exhaled deeply and walked up the stairwell toward the surface.

A tall blond haired man in his twenties who looked resistant stepped out of the group of the men and walked over toward me, sitting down next to me. He put his rifle against the wall.

I saw you talking to Leah.

I nodded to him. Franklin has asked her to show me your ways.

She is a wonderful woman. I have many times thought that she might be my wife.

I felt hesitant to continue the conversation. The man’s response made me suspicious, and I didn’t much want to get trapped in an argument or even worse a love triangle. I looked away from the man, keeping my expression blank, finally he said:

You need not worry, John. Franklin is close to God and I have faith in him. I would not allow you to even speak with her if he had not said so. But remember outsider that she is part of our family and anything that you do to hurt her will be answered tenfold. His words were calm and he was smiling as he spoke, but it was a clear threat.

You have nothing to worry about, I replied, without looking at him.

Good, he said. My name is Paul. He held out his hand. I shook it.

Nice to meet you Paul.

He didn’t say a word. He stood up and straightened out his clothing, before walking back toward the group of men.

I exhaled deeply. This was not the kind of situation that I wanted to be in. I had been pushed into it by Franklin. I didn’t want to get on the wrong side of anyone in the group, let alone members of the militia. I hoped that Franklin knew what he was doing. I wasn’t sure if Leah was the kind of women to seek me out. I was beginning to feel anxious that things would end very badly.

Franklin came back down the steps entering the poorly lit room. He noticed me on the floor and walked over to speak with me.

Hello, I said.

Hello, John. I notice that you aren’t busy.

Is there something you want me to do? I asked.

I would like you to use the time that you have to read the bible. It is essential that you understand the Bible and know it well in order for you to live among us. Leah can only teach you so much; you will have to learn the rest yourself. If you are going to help us, you are going to have to act like one of us.

He held out a red Bible which I took from him. He said: Read the New Testament. In the pages of that book you will find our customs.

I nodded at him. Thank you, I said.

Don’t thank me, read it. He replied.

Franklin nodded at me and walked away, disappearing into the group of militiamen who were talking quietly. I could hear the children in the next room, where the beds were, chattering, their mothers trying desperately to keep them under control.

I looked down at the Bible and opened it hesitantly. I was not looking forward to reading it, but I supposed it was better than sitting doing nothing. The lighting in the room was poor, cast by a few electric lanterns scattered around the room. It was bright enough for me to read with difficulty. So I started to read.

The time passed quickly; I flipped through a dozen pages before it came time to leave. While I read, the militiamen went up the stairs to the exit while the women and children waited at the bottom with Franklin. After a few minutes, Derek came down and instructed everyone to follow him. I picked up my pack and put the Bible inside, tossing the pack onto my shoulders as I fell in line behind the women. The children’s laughter and noise subsided as they went up the dark stairwell. I could tell that they were too afraid to laugh or chatter. They had to be constantly reassured by the women present, who quietly told them that everything was alright.

Up at the surface, the door opened into the air, with Conrad standing in the light of the pickup trucks. The children scattered at first before they were herded into the back of a vehicle, joined by the women, except for Leah who appeared to be waiting, watching me. Conrad was speaking with the militiamen about something serious, but I couldn’t hear what the issue was. Franklin was standing in the back of a truck and he called out for me.

I walked over to the truck and he bent down to speak to me. He said: I want you to ride with Leah. I’ll let you drive the electric.

I was surprised but pleased to find out that I wouldn’t be sitting on the back of a truck or in the cabin doing nothing. I smiled.

Franklin gestured toward the blue truck which sat running silently behind the truck on which he was standing. I walked over to the truck and tossed my pack into the back. Leah was walking over to speak with me as I climbed into the drivers’ seat. I put my rifle on the floor beneath my feet. Leah said a few words to Franklin and then she came over and got in the passenger seat.

Hello again, I said cheerily.

Good night, she said.

I looked out at the stars above us and nodded in agreement. It is that. I replied.

The stars are beautiful tonight, I added.

They are a reflection of God’s beauty, she said.

God is beautiful? I asked.

He is the most beautiful thing to have ever existed. He is the most perfect being that has ever existed.

Outside, Hank was waving me forward. I stepped on the gas, pulling up behind the next truck. Hank waved and got in the passenger side of the lead truck. It looked like we were all loaded up, so the caravan began to move forward through the debris. I followed closely behind the next truck, checking my mirrors and trying to stay aware of my surroundings. Leah had gone silent as we’d begun to drive.

We moved slowly back toward the highway, winding through the city the same way that we had entered. I guessed that Franklin was driving the lead truck. Ahead of me I could see the children sitting in the back with a couple of the militiamen and the other women. On the back of the truck I was driving more militiamen sat, calmly resting. The remainder of the group was riding on the back of the third truck.

Once we were outside the city, I followed closely behind the next truck as we departed on the highway heading west. In the darkness, it was hard to see where I was going or what was around me to either side, but I trusted that the men ahead knew where they were going.

As we settled in for the drive, Leah locked the side door and rested her back against the door, letting her legs stretch out and her feet rest against my side. I could see in the dim light that her ankles and lower calves were exposed to the light. I felt my eyes drawn to her, but kept my gaze rigidly fixed upon the road ahead.

You are very different from us, she said.

How do you mean?

It is your movements. It is the way that you constantly struggle.

I don’t know what you mean, I replied.

You must watch us then carefully to see. We do not struggle or fight. We speak in submission. We move in submission.

And how is that different from what I do?

You move in aggression. You move in dominance. Your body speaks in a way that you do not.

And is that wrong? I said.

"It is wrong. It is the