Angelo shook his head. ‘Brother, I admit that I didn’t take you for a jobber. But I have bad news for you. You can’t sell them to me; you can’t sell them to my competitors; you can’t sell them anywhere.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because there aren’t any retail customers.’
‘Huh?’
‘Haven’t you heard of the Hallelujah Node? Didn’t you notice I didn’t have any customers? Three fourths of the sand rats on Mars are swarming into town — but they’re not buying, leastwise not bicycles. They’re stocking up for the Asteroids and kicking in together to charter ships. That’s why I have used bikes; I had to take them back on chattel mortgages — and that’s why you can’t sell bikes. Sorry — I’d like to do business with you.’
The twins had heard of the Hallelujah, all right — the news bad reached them in space: a strike of both uranium and core metal out in the Asteroids. But they had given it only intellectual attention, the Asteroids no longer figuring into their plans.
‘Two of my brothers have already gone,’ Angelo went on, ‘and I might give it a whirl myself if I weren’t stuck with the store. But I’d close and reopen as strictly a tourist trap if I could unload my present stock. That’s how bad things are.’
They crept out into the street as soon as they could do so gracefully. Pollux looked at Castor. ‘Want to buy a bicycle, sucker?’
‘Thanks, I’ve got one. Want to buy a flat cat?’
‘Not likely. Say, let’s go over to the receiving dock. If any tourists are coming in, we might find another sucker to unload that thing on. We might even show a small profit — on flat cats, that is.’
‘No, you don’t. Fuzzy Britches is for Buster — that’s settled. But let’s go over anyway; our bikes might be down.’
‘Who cares?’
‘I do. Even if we can’t sell them, we can ride a couple of them. My feet hurt.’
Their shipment was not yet down from Phobos but it was expected about an hour hence. They stopped in the Old Southern Dining Room & Soda Fountain across from the Hall of Welcome. There they nursed sodas, petted Fuzzy Britches, and considered their troubles. ‘I don’t mind losing the money so much — ‘ Castor started in.
‘I do!’
‘Well, so do I. But what really hurts is the way Dad will laugh when he finds out. And what he’ll say.’
‘Not to mention Hazel.’
‘Yes, Hazel. Junior, we’ve just got to figure out some way of picking up some money before we have to tell them.’
‘With what? Our capital is gone. And Dad wouldn’t let us touch any more of our money even if he were here — which he isn’t.’
‘Then it has to be a way without capital.’
‘Not many. Not for real money.’
‘Hazel makes plenty credits without capital.’
‘You aren’t suggesting that we write a television serial?’ Pollux sounded almost shocked.
‘Of course not. We don’t have a customer for one. But there must be a way. Start thinking.’
After a glum silence Pollux said, ‘Grandpa, did you notice that announcement in the Hall of Welcome of the Mars chess championship matches next month?’
‘No. Why?’
‘People bet on ’em here — same as race horses Earthside.’
‘I don’t like bets. You can lose.’
‘Sometimes. But suppose we entered Buster?’
‘Huh? Are you crazy? Enter him against the best players on Mars?’
‘Why not? Hazel used to be Luna champion, but Buster beats her regularly.’
‘But you know why. He reads her mind.’
‘That’s precisely what I am talking about.’
Castor shook his head. ‘It wouldn’t be honest, Junior.’
‘Since when did they pass a law against telepathy?’
‘Anyhow you don’t know for certain that he does read her mind. And you don’t know that he could read a stranger’s mind. And it would take plenty cash to set up a good bet — which we haven’t got. And besides, we might lose.
‘Okay, okay, it was just a thought. You produce one.’
Castor frowned. ‘I don’t have one. Let’s go back over and see if our bikes are in. If they are, let’s treat ourselves to a day off and go sightseeing. We might as well get some use out of those bikes; they cost us enough.’ He stood up.