Freedom, Equality, Order
By RocketMan
lebotranger@harding.edu

Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, CancerMan, and Mr. X belong to the creative
genius of Chris Carter.
Rating: S, Mulder-Angst, X-File (somewhat)
Conspiracy Related.

Author's Notes: I wrote this because of the heavy studying I'm doing for
my Advanced US Government class. It is a conversation between Mulder and
Mr. X on the validity of the Consortium, along with the correctness of
their practices. Hopefully you will like it, and please write me even if
you didn't. This is a major deviation from what I ususally write. I
never like it when Mulder or Scully aren't USTy or something along those
lines, or even when the others are introduced, i.e. CancerMan, etc.
So tell me if you liked (disliked) this please.

Freedom, Equality, Order (1/1)

"I have a *right* to know!" Mulder hissed at the man standing in the
shadows.

"Mr. Mulder, you have no rights." The black man stressed with scorn
'rights' and tossed it away as trivial matters.

"The United States Constitution guarantees my rights!"

Mr. X scowled at him with the fury of a wiser man trying to lead a
blind, fumbling intellectual down the path of reality.

"Don't you understand, Mulder? The Consortium isn't limited to the
documents that have been so carefully perserved by the people. The
Consortium doled out these 'rights' and can take them away whenever they
choose."

"They can do no such thing!" Mulder said, for once ready to fight on
behalf of the Constitution. "It's preserved by the people, the people
decide what rights are, and which have to be sacrificed."

"And you think that every person living in the United States is
accurately represented? You are truly naive Mr. Mulder."

"Of course they are. They elect their representatives."

"Mulder, if They wanted a person in a position of power, he'd be there.
If they didn't, he'd be gone. Who do you think those elected
representatives are? Ignorant country folk? Highly unlikely Mr. Mulder."

"Then they should be voted out of office. The people have a right to
know that their elected government is screwing them over."

"So eloquent as always." Mr. X said snidely, but with confidence. "Which
of the principles the country was founded on is most important to you,
Mulder? Freedom, equality, or order? You can't have them all."

"We have a balance of each. For two hundred years we've had a balance of
each."

Mr. X snorted and laughed in his face. "You are naive Mulder. Freedom is
denied every second of every day and the people are giving up their
freedoms faster than you could possibly imagine. They trade freedom for
order, Mr. Mulder, and you can do nothing about it but refuse to trade
in yours."

Mulder paled and shook slightly. "And if enough people trade in their
freedom?"

Mr. X's wide midnight face loomed out of the darkness at him, his eyes
were twin moons in the sky of his face.

"Well, majority rules."

Silence.

Fear came across him in rippling waves, riding on the crest of panic and
disgust.

"But if they knew what happened when they traded in their freedom, if
they only knew...."

Mulder's plaintive cry was lost in the swirling abyss of destiny. Order
had become predominant over freedom. The people wanted safety, security,
and happiness. They didn't want to know about the murder, the mischief,
the mayhem that their denial caused.

Equality was fast becoming indeterminable.

Mulder sank to his knees and cradled his head.

"So, then, why are you helping me? What point is any of this?"

"Mulder, these people have become corrupt in their power, in their own
beliefs. The Consortium was established by our *founding fathers.* Do
you understand that? Jefferson, Adams, Washington, Ben Franklin. They
decided that in order to keep every aspect of those rights certain
groups had to be instituted to provide them. It just so happened that
the 'Consortium' grew larger, more powerful than others and took over.
They were the ones that 'provide for the common defence' as per the
Constitution's orders. Their ideas of defense have become wild,
extraneous and dangerous. Someone must stop them."

Mulder shook his head. "I can't do it. One person stopping a two hundred
year old institution? That's equivilant to overthrowing the government."

"Checks and balances Mr. Mulder. You are their check. Their balance.
Your continuing exposure keeps them from going to extremes. You must be
kept alive, Mulder. And some of them realize this. There are so many
subplots within the larger whole that no one is completely loyal to
anyone else. That's why you're not dead. They scheme, rearrange, let you
narrowly escape. It's how they keep themselves in check."

"How can I be any good?" Mulder said, feeling as if his entire world had
coming crashing down around him.

"Focus. Reminds them that they aren't It. They have to answer to
someone. They have to answer to the people. And even though more and
more of the majority are waiving their rights, the Constitution protects
the minority too. As long as there is opposition, they can't be fully
operable."

Mr. X stared at him long and hard, understanding the ramifications of
his words and the potential effect they would have on Mulder.

"Don't become a Player, Mulder. Don't. When you do, you waive your
rights. You say, 'I'm willing to play by your rules.' And you become
another part of them."

Mulder stood and shook off the craziness of what he was hearing.

"No, you're wrong. I won't believe that. There are aliens and deaths and
military things involved with the people I'm chasing after. They subvert
the law, not uphold it. You're wrong."

And Mulder turned his back and walked away.

Mr. X smiled. He had hoped Mulder would think that way.

It guaranteed that he wouldn't become a Player.

If he didn't believe, he couldn't ever become a part of the Game.

And above all else, he couldn't let Mulder in on the Game.

end
how about it?
stick to what I know, huh?
Adios
RocketMan