World's End

Page 14

The irony struck me so hard I almost laughed. Fortunately I did not. "How much are your . . . fees?" I asked sourly.

"Ten for the first week's residency permit here in town."

"Ten?"

"Fifteen, for every week after." He looked at me. This time I kept my mouth shut.

"The clearances and permissions for you to actually enter World's End to prospect--or for whatever purposes you claim here--are more complicated. They take

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time, they've got to pass through a lot of hands.... Some of the security people might want to interview you in person--" He raised his eyebrows significantly; I bit my tongue. "Just to get you started, with all the data you're missing, is going to cost you fifty." He put out his hand.

My own hand tightened around my credit disc. "In that case, before I pay you anything, I at least want proof that my brothers actually went into World's End. I expect you can look that up in your datafiles."

"It's not permitted--"

"For a fee." I held my credit out in front of him.

"I suppose I can make an exception. Names?" I gave him their names and my credit, and he went away again.

After another interminable wait he came back. He shoved a printout through at me, as if he knew I would only accept hard copy.

The data told me that my brothers had gotten their permits from the Company, and their clearances, and

-L6

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WORLD S END

their supplies. How much it had cost them was not listed. They had gone into World's End about a month after I saw them. That was all. "Is this really all of it?

Can't you tell me how they were traveling, or which direction they went, at least?"

He shook his head. "You got what you asked for." He handed me back my credit disc.

I glanced at my balance, and grimaced. "I guess I did."

He frowned; my sarcasm was not lost on him, at least.

"When can I expect to get my clearances?"