"Gordon R. Dickson - The Last Master" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dickson Gordon R)

come from a Mr. Lehon Wessel, the local underofficial of the World Bank, in Hilo, to whom Ett had
gone to arrange financing for the medical costs of the revivification.
 тАЬIтАЩm afraid itтАЩs a problem,тАЭ said Lehon Wessel. .He was a thick-bodied, long-legged man in his late
thirties, with hair bleached and skin burned red by the sun. His voice was soft and regretful. тАЬYour assets
and your income simply donтАЩt suggest the means to support the expense of your brotherтАЩs operation.тАЭ

тАЬI know that,тАЭ said Ett impatiently. тАЬI knew that before I came in here. But arenтАЩt there compassionate
grants or special funds from the World Economic Council that could help me out or that I could borrow
from?тАЭ

Lehon Wessel smiled sadly.

тАЬOf course there are,тАЭ he answered. тАЬBut itтАЩs a complicated matter, getting monetary support from them.
And to be frank with you, Mr. Ho, in yourcase any effort like that would be wasted from the start. Such
funds are intended for the exceptional situation and the exceptional individual.

тАЬIf itтАЩs not an exceptional case to have a man commit suicide because of a bad reaction to RIV, what
is?тАЭ demanded Ett. тАЬThat bad a reactionтАЩs an exception all by itself. ItтАЩs as uncommon as the freak good
one that makes an R-Master. And how many R-Masters are there? One in a few tens of millions of the
people who try RIV.тАЭ

тАЬOf course,тАЭ said Lehon Wessel.

тАЬWell?тАЭ said Ett. тАЬCan I apply for the funds, or can 11?

тАЬYou can fill out an application,тАЭ said Wessel.

He gave Ett a thick sheaf of printout forms to be filled in. Ett took them back with him to the hotel where
he was staying and discovered that he was required to be an expert not only on his own personal history,
but on WallyтАЩs. He called up Wessel to protest.

тАЬWhat is this?тАЭ demanded Ett. тАЬNinety-nine percent of this informationтАЩs already available in WallyтАЩs files
and mine, in the CouncilтАЩs central data bank!тАЭ

тАЬOf course,тАЭ said Wessel. тАЬBut regulations require the applicant make out these forms. IтАЩm sorry.тАЭ

So Ett laboriously filled out the forms and returned them to the appropriate offices. After a wait of nearly
two weeks, he was called in by a man who was WesselтАЩs immediate superior.

тАЬCome now, Mr. Ho,тАЭ said the superior, leaning forward confidentially across his desk. He was a lean,
smooth man with neatly trimmed brown hair and a smile that seemed to go and come on cue. тАЬYou surely
donтАЩt want to try to push through these requests for funds? IтАЩm not here to discourage anyone, of course,
but in your own interest IтАЩve got to tell you that your chances of success with this just arenтАЩt there.
Assistance from these sources is reserved only for those obviously deserving.тАЭ

тАЬMy brother isnтАЩt deserving?тАЭ Ett stared at him. тАЬIt was in an effort to make himself more useful to the
world that he had the bad reaction from the RIV that led to his suicide.тАЭ

тАЬOh, of courseтАФyour brother!тАЭ said the other man. тАЬBut it isnтАЩt your brother whoтАЩs the applicant here.
ItтАЩs you. And to be frank, Mr. Ho, nothing in your life record shows any promise that youтАЩd ever be able