deep-seated theistic concepts.'
'And there are as many concepts of God,' Corbin added, 'as there are human beings.'
'
,' Tom chirped, 'you'd have to destroy the concept in everyone at once. Otherwise it might re-emerge and God would live again.'
'Not only that'-Corbin strode around the room like a hyped-up fight promoter-'you'd have to provide enough intellectual ammunition to prevent people from backsliding. Something to battle their doubts with. Thought, after all, is the enemy of faith.'
'You could use television. It's been used to hypnotize the masses for half a century.' Tom was enjoying this as much as Corbin.
The stocky man ran his fingers along his chin. Touching the sore spot made him wince. He glowered at me. 'TV's no good. Doesn't reach all the people. You've got to lower everyone's brain waves into a theta dream state all at once. As if they were dozing off. Yet leave in enough alpha wave state to enable them to alter their gestalts.'
'Same as the ancient initiation rituals.'
He smiled at Tom. 'Hmm. Isn't that so...' He nodded in my direction. 'Know what we're talking about?'
'Alpha, theta-it's all Greek to me.'
'Haw. Haw. Funny man. We're talking about brain wave frequencies.' He looked at me with his small, buried eyes and shook his head. 'A tough guy like you wouldn't care, would you?'
'I'm not tough. You said so yourself. I'm just a soft, sensitive guy who can't take rejection.'
'Take a walk and never come back.'
'I presume this concludes our audience?'
Corbin glared at me. 'I've given you a warning and offered you my help-'
'Is that what it was? Sounded like a lecture to me.' I headed toward the door.
'And you refused to come clean. Whatever you're trying, Ammo, you're up against stiff opposition. You can't do it alone.'
'We all die alone,' I said. 'To kill, the only partner I need is my target.'
'You're looking in all the wrong places.'
I kept walking.
Tom stopped me with one lovely hand on my arm. 'You can't leave without asking why he calls this the St. Judas Church.'
'Watch me.'
Tom was insistent. His fingers tightened with surprising strength around my arm. The friendly smile never left his lips. 'Because all the apostles betrayed their Lord, but only Judas felt bad enough about it to kill himself.'
'Gee,' I said, grasping Tom's wrist and squeezing until I felt cartilage grind, 'and all these years I thought Judas should be a saint because he was instrumental in granting God's greatest wish.'
'Wish?' Corbin said.
'To feel what it's like to be human. To feel what it's like to die.'
Corbin's jaw dropped as far as it could in its condition. Score one for me. Tom laughed.
I took one last look at that beautiful face and turned to go. His voice carried down the steps as I departed.
'How's that for meeting your theological match?'
