Island Worlds Read Online Free PDF Page B

more crowded all the time and the people on it are starting to blame the folks on the island for the hole in the bottom of the goddamned hull!"
    "Go home and sleep it off, Robert," Murdo said. "You're just embarrassing everybody. McNaughton Enterprises will be supporting the Earth First proposal."
    "That's McNaughton-Ciano Enterprises, in case you've forgotton, Murdo. And if you think our company is going to support this hysterical garbage, then you and I are going head-to-head." He stormed down from the podium and crooked a finger at Thor as he passed. In the hubbub of the assembly breaking up, Thor left. He retrieved his cape and found Bob standing by his Harley.
    "You see why I said you have to get offworld quick?" Bob asked. "Wait six months and you might not be able to go. Or if you do, it'll be as a hireling with more strings on you than a marionette." He waved his printout of the protocols. "Item One makes you a civil servant. Item Four makes you a broke civil servant."
    "You're talking as if you expect that nonsense to pass!" Thor said.
    "It'll pass, count on it."
    "But, if I leave before I finish school and get my degree, I won't have any position waiting for me when I get there. The scientific stations aren't interested in anybody without an advanced degree."
    "Then you may have to ship out as a laborer. There are worse things to do at your age. It really is a place where you can work your way up on guts and ability. I'd go right now if I could get a new ticker. But even if you can't go up with your degree, you might be able to protect some of your goods." He handed Thor a small card. "Look this guy up. He's an old friend of mine, name of Richard Swenson. He's a Norwegian, crazy as hell, but he can give you a way to protect some of your money. I'll talk to him tomorrow."
    Thor put the card in his pocket, along with his emigration permit. "Thanks, Bob. If you think it's that urgent, I'll talk to him. Tell me something, if you think this thing is inevitable, why did you put on that scene back in there?"
    Bob grinned. "Because now they have a villain. They can focus on me and maybe they'll leave you alone while you're making your arrangements. You're going to be under enough pressure, Thor. You're the future of the corporation and it's important to them to get your cooperation in this business. He straddled the bike and kicked it into life. It purred quietly, unlike the old hogs. Even with an I.C. engine license, noisy vehicles were strictly forbidden. Thor shook Bob's gauntleted hand. "See you, kid." Thor watched the taillight careening down the perilous mountain road. Bob was handling the curves with the ease and skill of a sober man one third his age.
    Thor made diplomatic farewells. Karen didn't deign to show up to see the guests off. He had been planning to drive back to New Haven after spending a few days in Denver, but he had changed plans. He'd follow Bob's suggestion and spend a while getting a feel of the real world. It had not occurred to him that he had been living in an artificial environment until tonight. As soon as he was on the Interstate highway, he set the car's autopilot for Los Angeles. He cranked the seat back to horizontal and went to sleep.

TWO

    He woke up on the outskirts of L.A. His eyes were gummy and he had a bad taste in his mouth. He was slightly hung over from the modest amount he had drunk at the party. He'd never had a strong tolerance for alcohol. He stopped at a charging station and found a restroom where he could wash his face and brush his teeth. The attendant behind his bulletproof barrier looked askance at his classic car and formal clothes. He pulled the razor out of the dashboard, then put it away. If he was going to be moving among the hoi polloi, an unshaven face might be good protective coloration.
    There was a lot of L.A. to choose from. The Greater Los Angeles area stretched from Chula Vista to San Luis Obispo. Huge stretches of the megalopolis were Hispanic, and large