"Asimov, Isaac - Robot City 05 - Refuge - Robert Chilson 1.1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Asimov Isaac)

As strong as their prejudice against Spacers.

"We might have been better off back on Robot City," Derec said.

"Maybe we can get back to civilization from here," Ariel said.

"Good thinking. R. David, is it possible to take ship from Earth to the Spacer worlds?"

"Yes, Mr. Avery. Ships leave Earth at least weekly, and often more frequently."

Mr. Avery! And he had called Ariel "Miss Avery." They glanced at each other and with one accord decided not to mention it.

It seemed obvious to Derec that this robot was accustomed to seeing Dr. Aver), come and go in the instantaneous fashion possible only to Key wielders. It had accepted that "Avery" could come and go in such fashion. Seeing them arrive in the same way, it came to the logical but wrong conclusion that they were "Averys," though they were obviously not "Dr. Avery."

"The first thing to do, then, is to get to the spaceport," Derec said. "Does that door lead to the outside?"

"One moment, Mr. Avery, if you please. It would not be wise for you to venture forth without preparation."

"What sort of preparation?" Derec asked. The robot was right; this was Earth.

"First, you will need a complete prophylactic regimen against the diseases of Earth. These are many and varied, and you have no natural immunity."

Frost, that was so. They looked at each other in alarm.

"However, the problem is not so great as most Spacers believe."

The robot stirred, opened a drawer in the wall and produced hypoguns, vials, pills. Grimacing, but needing no urging, they submitted themselves to their use.

"Take the pills when next you drink. If at any time you have any physical sensations of illness, you must notify me at once. It will be necessary to diagnose you immediately for treatment."

Derec and Ariel nodded solemnly, more than a little nervous at the thought of Earthly diseases.

"You will also need identification, ration slips and tags, and money," said R. David decisively when that was done. Moving clumsily, it opened the door to the closet in the sitting room. It was jammed with things, from a book-viewer and boxes of records to compact duplication devices.

Derec recognized these as Spacer-made, and surmised that it would be no great feat to duplicate Earthly ID symbols.

In this he was correct. R. David lowered the blank thing on the wall--a folding table--and spent an hour or so producing numerous bits of plastic and metal bearing their pictures, long numbers, various obscure statements about them, and of course a complete ID workup, including fingerprints, footprints, retinal scans, corneal images, ear pictures, and blood analysis.

"Dr. Avery procured comparatively large sums of Earthly money when he first landed," R. David explained. "He traded rare metals for it. Of course, money as such is of little value on Earth, as it can only be used to purchase nonessentials such as book recordings. Food, housing, clothing, and so on, are rationed."

"Frost," said Ariel nervously. "I wouldn't want some poor Earther to starve because I got his rations."

"There is no danger of that, Miss Avery. There is ample margin. It does no harm to anyone to provide you with Earthly ID, as Dr. Avery has more than paid for the consumption of Earth's scarce resources with his rare metals. Rationed items are available in amounts and qualities con-

trolled by the individual's rating."

"Rating?"

"One's position in Earthly society. I understand that things are not greatly different in any human society, but on Earth such things have been formalized to a much higher degree."