As she had promised in a message to him, Goal showed up in his apartment quite early in the morning on the day of his departure and made him regret ever giving her unrestricted access some months ago.

Women! He simply didn't understand her. Outwardly, Goal seemed in a great mood, laughing and playing with Poisonous. But every now and then she made a scathing comment as if they were fighting. Cletus didn't know what she might be upset about. Maybe she didn't know herself.

"Poisonous is rather agitated today," he said as he set the plague-spit monitor into his travel cage. "He probably senses that something extraordinary is about to happen."

"Or he has heard too many of your narcissistic monologues."

There! She was doing it again. He glared at Goal but she just smiled back sweetly. "I'm sure he actually knows how to appreciate me," he retorted irritably.

Goal only shrugged in reply, just as the doorbell announced some more arrivals. "Those have to be the bots I ordered from Ronny for transporting my luggage," Cletus said, hoping to use this to change the subject.

He was proven right, but the bots didn't need long to gather all his bags and suitcases. Cletus gave them a few more instructions which piece of luggage had to be handled with extra care and a few minutes later he was alone with Goal again.

He went through all his rooms again as if he had to say goodbye to every impeccable piece of furniture. Then he stopped in front of the man-high mirror in his entry hallway, the counterpart to the one in his bathroom. How many times had he stood here and had perfected his appearance?

Cletus sighed. It wouldn't be goodbye for good and what he stood to gain was well worth parting with his stuff. Besides, given his skill, the risk that he wouldn't make it back here was ridiculously small.

His reflection graced him with a confident grin and he turned to link arms with Goal as they made their way to the next elevator.

She hung to his arm like a dead weight. Cletus rolled his eyes. Apparently, she wanted him to miss his mirror more than her. Yet, when they entered the lift that would take them down to the airlocks he caught himself gazing wistfully at Goal. She was wearing a very form-fitting suit of white vinyl and high-heels that made her curves even more pronounced. Unfortunately, the heels also served to emphasize the height difference between the two of them and made Cletus suspect she had picked these shoes just to look down on him. Nevertheless, she was gorgeous, the way she toyed with a strand of hair and smiled absentmindedly. When she noticed him looking at her she leaned back and returned his stare. "Even today you just couldn't bring yourself to put on something practical, could you?"

Before he could catch himself his hand went for his collar that was so wide it almost reached his shoulders and curved upwards like a bowl. Wide collars had been a part of male fashion for a while now with each season trying to surpass the one before, which led to practicability getting left by the roadside. On the other hand skin-tight, sleeveless tops and white bell-bottoms that were quite pronounced around the rear were in fashion as well and he couldn't say he minded.

"And why shouldn't I put on something fancy?" he retorted and couldn't keep from sounding rather grumpy. "I'm an ambassador and don't plan on adapting my outfit to my despicable destination."

She shrugged. "Well, you do have your priorities straight."

The elevator's door opened with a low chime and Cletus had to push himself past Goal who stood closer to the exit but made no move at all.

"Stop dawdling," he grumbled as he stepped out. "When we're finally married…" He fell silent. Aside from a load of bags and suitcases, half of which he couldn't remember packing, the platform leading to the airlock doors opposite the elevator was empty. Likewise, there was no movement on the metal ramps leading down to the docking clamps. "Wait a minute… Where' Mrs. Kinkel? And what's all this luggage?"

Now Goal ventured out of the elevator, too, and smiled widely at him. "Uh… surprise!" She spread her arms as if she was waiting for a fanfare. "I talked Mrs. Kinkel into letting me accompany you to Deponia instead of her."

Cletus needed a moment to realize just what she had said. "What? Are you out of your mind? Your father will never allow it!"

Goal kept up her unfazed smile. "My father doesn't need to find out. So? What do you say?"

She had obviously gone insane. How did she plan to keep this from her father? And what did she think would become of Cletus if Ulysses found out after all? "I say never!"

Now she wasn't smiling anymore. "Really? You may be able to wrap pops around your little finger. But just because he agrees to our engagement, doesn't by any means mean I have to agree to it."

He stared at her, his jaw slack. How could she make him walk right into this trap? "That's blackmail!"

She looked very unimpressed. "You can call it what you like. But if you don't take me with you, you can hold your breath to marry me until you're blue in the face. It won't happen."

"Impossible! This trip to Deponia isn't some jaunt to the beach! I have an important inspection to carry out!"

Goal suddenly looked very worried, but to Cletus' dismay she merely cried. "Oh! I almost for Precious' bathing costume!"

He glared at her. "I said it isn't a jaunt to the beach! Anyway, how often have I told you to stop calling that animal 'Precious'?"

"Well, what would you suggest? Princess? Mindy?"

She was mocking him. No doubt about it. But he wouldn't lower himself to play this game. "None of those! He's called 'Poisonous'! After all, he is a highly poisonous plague-spit monitor!" Goal had never taken the danger his pet posed seriously enough. But he couldn't help but tell her about it again in his most dramatic tone. "One lick of his tongue, and – BAM! Could bring down a fully-grown elephant, no problem."

"And despite that, you were planning to take him to Deponia, but not me."

Cletus put his hands on his hips. "Believe me, there are many more dangerous things down there. Bacteria. Radiation. Tetanus. And there isn't an antidote in the whole of Elysium that can help against Deponian gangrene. By the way… did I pack the antidote for monitor plague-spit?"

"Tadaa!" Goal pulled out a little bottle of pills and placed it on the suitcase in front of Cletus. "You see! I could come in very useful down there."

"By carrying my things around without permission?" retorted Cletus. "Everything must be safely stowed for my trip to Deponia. The roads down there are paved with danger. Junk avalanches. Shrapnel storms. Ponds of acid. Fallout…"

"Insurgent Deponians," Goal put in.

"Oh give it a rest, will you. Those stories are nothing more than urban legend. And my inspection will prove precisely that."

"Ha! So what's with those lights you can see at night?"

Cletus rolled his eyes. That argument again. Luckily, he had a retort ready for it. "They are from the Organon. Are Ulysses' men supposed to prepare the detonation of the planet in darkness? They'd fall over their own feet."

"Hmph. I'm still skeptical."

Of course she was. Rightly so, unfortunately, but he could hardly admit that. "My travelogue is sure to convince you otherwise. You. The Council of Elders. And everyone else. These rumors are purely the product of general anxiety. I mean… We're detonating our home planet in order to catapult Elysium right across the cosmos to Utopia. Who wouldn't be nervous?"

For the first time a hint of uncertainty flitted over Goal's face. "Hmm. Yeah, but…"

"Enough chitter-chatter," Cletus interrupted her, hoping to change the topic now. He reached for the pill bottle and tossed it towards her. "Catch! And pack this away."

Her reflexes worked perfectly well, but to his annoyance she simply dropped the bottle into the nearest bag.

"Does that mean I can come?" she asked hopefully. "Oh, do say yes!"

"Why should I take you with me? So you can cause even more chaos?" He made another attempt to dissuade her. "Just look at how you stuffed the antidote in there! Which bag is that anyway?"

"The one with the rat traps."

"Rat traps?" Cletus rolled his eyes. "You've got to be joking! There isn't a single living thing down there!"

"Not even a rat? I'm sure there'll be mice. Or wombats. And platypi."

"No! There aren't!" Cletus insisted even though he wasn't all that sure anymore this was a good idea. After all, his mission was to confirm there were no human survivors. But he was also wholly unwilling to give in even a bit. "Stop trying to distract me. The antidote belongs in the pharmacy bag. If only because it causes such heavy-duty flatulence."

Goal merely raised an eyebrow and even Cletus had to admit his protest wasn't very convincing. He was running out of arguments, especially those that Goal wouldn't simply ignore. He sighed. As long as she hadn't agreed to marry him Goal was in the better position here. "Whatever. If you want to come along, you'll need to put on some sturdy shoes."

She beamed again. "So that means I can come, yes? Oh Cletus! Perhaps you aren't the self-obsessed monster that everyone thinks you are, after all."

And another snide remark. Although he just agreed to take her along. Cletus pressed his lips together and refused to retort in kind. "Yes. Those idiots simply have no feeling for perfection," he said, acting as indifferent as he could.

Goal only laughed. "I'll be right back."

With that she got back into the elevator and left Cletus behind.

"I'll regret this," he murmured. If only Goal wasn't quite so hot. And also the Prime Controller's daughter. But that package made every risk worthwhile.

Goal took her sweet time with coming back. Cletus had spent a while standing in front of the elevator and thinking about his situation. Then he started pacing, crouched down in front of Poisonous' cage, tried to soothe the monitor, got hissed at and started pacing again.

Soon the highboat would arrive. Ulysses had told him he'd go on another short visit to Deponia but today he'd return and stay in Elysium for a few days.

If Goal showed up just as her father returned… Of course he could pretend she was only here to say goodbye to him, but considering her mood she might choose that moment to do something stupid just to get him into trouble.

On the other hand she was clever enough to know she could only come along if Ulysses didn't catch on.

A jarring signal made him flinch. The highboat was approaching.

The docking maneuver was impressively quick and almost completely automated. Cletus had hurried over to Poisonous again, who flitted around nervously in his cage. "Don't worry Poisy-Pussy," he whispered. "Daddy will take care of you."

The monitor's tongue, dripping from plague-spit, shot forth between the cage's bars and barely missed his arm. Cletus hastily retreated, lost his balance and ended up on his behind. "Stupid toad!"

"Attention! Prime Controller on Deck!" Argus' voice boomed behind him.

Cletus got to his feet as quickly as possible and cursed himself for getting distracted at the worst moment. Prime Controller Ulysses stood next to the airlocks, his arms folded and part of his face hidden because of his helmet. But the part that was visible to Cletus through the tinted visor showed plenty of disapproval as it was. Behind him was Bailiff Argus in almost the same pose like a much more slender and shorter version of the Prime Controller.

"That'll do, Argus."

"Ulysses!" Cletus greeted him without being able to quite hide the nervousness in his voice. He discreetly brushed away the dust on his pants and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

Ulysses raised an eyebrow. "Inspector. Would you be good enough to tell me what's going on here?"

"Erm… yes. Well…"

"Stop stuttering and stand up straight. I thought we'd agreed that everything would be ready by the time I arrive."

Cletus got a hold of himself and at least his voice back under control. "It is."

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to dispel Ulysses' skepticism. "Thus far you've given me the impression that you're a reliable man, Cletus. Do yourself a favor and don't spoil it. As you know, my daughter's hand is conditional. The Council of Elders must never find out Deponia is inhabited. Where is your assistant? You were going to introduce her to me."

Cletus swallowed again. So much for playing it cool. "Oh… my assistant… She forgot something. Women…"

Ulysses made another step towards him. "Forgot? Heavens, Cletus! I thought she had a brain implant. You vouched for her! But I assume she has been made privy?"

"If she… Ah yes. Of course. C-completely privy. Everything's tickety-boo. There's absolutely no cause for concern."

"I hope not." The Prime Controller sounded anything but satisfied, but he waved his bailiff over. "Argus? Make sure the assistant has the ascension codes loaded into her implant."

"Very well, Prime Controller," Argus replied glancing at Cletus.

"Keep an eye on the civilians. I'm going for a shower." Ulysses shivered with disgust. "It's about time this horrible, dirty old planet got blown up once and for all." He pushed the button for the elevator and the doors immediately hissed open as if they didn't dare make the Prime Controller wait. "At ease!" he said in Argus' direction and then they were alone again.

Cletus would have liked to breathe easier now but he guessed that would be too early.

"What's wrong, Cletus? You seem nervous." Argus' static-distorted voice came from behind him.

He suppressed a sigh and turned around. "That's an understatement. Goal says she will only agree to our engagement if… if I allow her to accompany me."

Argus' laugh was unpleasantly loud. "Not even engaged, and you're already under the thumb."

Cletus folded his arms and glared at him. "You find that funny?"

"Why not? You'll talk her out of it, won't you?"

"You don't know her like I do."

That made Argus go all serious again. "Heavens, Cletus! Ulysses will…"

"Ulysses must know nothing of this," Cletus interrupted him. He lowered his voice. "I just have to keep Goal in her cabin. As long as she doesn't see a Deponian, then everything will be fine."

Argus gave him a scrutinizing look and shook his head. "I still don't like it."

Cletus didn't either but he simply had no alternative to taking Goal along. Especially now that he had already agreed, she would never forgive him if he tried to take back his word. And thanks to her brain implant she wouldn't forget about it either.

Wait a second… The brain implant! That could be it! "What if you make a backup of her memories while you load in the ascension codes? Then, if needed, we could reset her memories."

The bailiff pondered his suggestion. "A backup of her consciousness?" he repeated. "That might work."

Cletus smiled. In the pit of his stomach something clenched but he was determined to ignore the feeling. Again he had to think about what he had heard from Ulysses. He is going to hurt you, Goal. Mercy isn't part of his design. But this time he didn't let that stop him. Goal had backed him into a corner, left him no other choice when she blackmailed him. It wasn't his fault if this was the only way they could be together.

And when she finally returned and was so wildly resolved and enthusiastic, even when he told her Argus had to extract her consciousness cartridge to store the ascension codes on it, he no longer felt any pricks of conscience. Not even when she lay unconscious in his arms and he handed Argus the cartridge.

After all, it was for her own good.

Goal looked angry. Her eyes were slits, her lips pressed into a thin line and her arms were folded. Usually that was a sign for Cletus to seek cover, but since they had been given just one cabin he lacked space for that.

"You could have said something," she growled at him.

"It was Argus' decision not to allow us on the bridge," retorted Cletus. "If you want to be mad at someone, be angry at him, not at me."

She made a noise that sounded like a mixture of a sigh and a grumble. "All my life I've been dreaming of this moment. And now it's like I'm going to miss it! I wanted to see Deponia get closer. Wanted to finally know for sure if what I read about it is true. About the continents, the polluted seas, the old cities. Instead it feels like solitary custody."

"Solitary?" he repeated, somewhat offended. "You act as if I wasn't even here."

"That's not what I meant. But you never cared about Deponia."

Cletus snorted. "And yet you wouldn't be here now without me."

She ignored him and paced again between the door and a small desk. Just as she turned towards him again a jolt went through the highboat. "The docking maneuver," Goal breathed. "Cletus, we're there."

"How delightful," he replied dryly. Yet his own heart was beating faster, too, even though it wasn't due to hopeful expectation and more because of nervous fear Goal might find out the truth right now. The longer she remained unsuspecting the better. After all, he couldn't let her lie around without her consciousness cartridge for more than two weeks. And deleting her memories over and over might be detrimental as well.

He watched her pace again and listened to the sounds of metal on metal as the highboat settled into its final position. At last the door opened and Argus came in with one of his men.

Back home on Elysium he had never seen one of the Organon soldiers which made it even more unsettling to be in a place that was swarming with them. The soldier was wearing a uniform reinforced by metal plates similar to the one Argus had, but without a cape and with dark grey gloves instead of Argus' wine red ones. But what made Cletus feel uneasy the most was that he wasn't able to see the man's eyes. Argus' tinted visor allowed him to see enough of his face to guess his expressions. But the common soldier's visor was blackened over the eyes although he suspected the man could look through it just fine the other way. Only a narrow strip of the visor was transparent from the outside and showed the long, straight bridge of a nose which only told him the helmet's wearer was no machine but human in the widest sense of the word.

While Cletus was still staring at the two of them Goal put down her foot and folded her arms. "At last! I have to say I'm not used to being treated this way, bailiff. And then you also make me wait for so long."

Argus watched her silently for a moment, but Cletus wasn't sure if his gaze was amused or cold. "You are welcome to file an official complaint once we're back, Miss Goal."

She wouldn't really do that so her father didn't learn she had gone adventure hunting against his will. At least that was what Cletus hoped.

"However that may be," he put in. "Since we managed to land on the planet in one piece we maybe should…"

"That's why I'm here," Argus interrupted him and ignored Cletus' angered face. "We're now in Porta Fisco. So, if you could maybe bestir yourselves, we could get off the highboat and into our cruiser in time to keep to the schedule."

That made almost all of Goal's anger dissipate. "Does that mean we'll get to see the city? Yes?"

Argus looked from one of them to the other. "Well, as we leave the highboat, we'll shortly go outside on the Upper Ascension Station before reaching the cruiser's hangar."

Cletus felt cold sweat pour down his back. Was it possible to see traces of the Deponians from there? He wished he had talked about it with Argus but now that Goal was present he no longer could do that. "Outside?" he repeated. "Isn't that very dangerous? Because of the toxic atmosphere and… and radiation… and so on?"

Argus stared at him as if he had lost his mind.

Cletus swallowed his annoyance and tried again: "I mean, you surely have some protection available for the terrible dangers awaiting on Deponia."

The bailiff narrowed his eyes, but at last he gave Cletus the answer he had wanted. "We'll find a helmet or two. With an air filter. And of course protective gear." He cleared his throat, but the crackle of his electronically distorted voice reminded Cletus of derisive laughter. "It'll surely fit you well, Inspector. So you are a bit safer from the terrible dangers."

Goal wasn't exactly happy about having to wait even longer when Argus and the soldier left again. But at least now she wasn't as angry as before but instead very excited and impatient. Cletus thought it absurd to look forward to getting to see trash but he let it pass without comment.

Luckily, this time it didn't take as long until someone showed up again. Argus himself wasn't among them but three soldiers with Organon gear stood in front of their door. Cletus couldn't say if the one, who had accompanied the bailiff before, was one of them, but they had been instructed sufficiently and he didn't have to explain what they needed again.

One of the Organons helped Cletus put on the uniform, the other two took care of Goal. He would have been able to do this without help, though. The helmet fit perfectly and even though he had to take off his white vinyl suit first because his collar wouldn't fit under the armored uniform he would have preferred being spared the Organon's reaction. He may have been unable to see the man's grin, but he was sure it was there.

He had been right about his assumption that the helmet's part that looked black from the outside was transparent from the inside. Nevertheless, the Organon emphasized he wasn't to dial into their radio network, but as the activation switch for that need to be pressed with his tongue Cletus could very well forgo that. The gear may have been breathtakingly clean for Deponian standards and the helmet's inside smelled of disinfectant but the mere thought of someone else's saliva sticking to the switch made him pull a face.

Goal had more problems putting on the uniform. She may not have a collar the size of his and a more slender frame, so she could keep her suit under the uniform but she was also quite a bit taller than Cletus and the Organon soldiers. The helmet didn't fit nearly as well either and she insisted on sticking with her own pants and boots. The Organons on the other hand insisted in wrapping all exposed parts in fabric until Goal could hardly move anymore. Cletus was amazed she stayed so calm through it all especially since the two idiots started giggling whenever they repeated that this was necessary for their safety. But by now Goal was probably ready to get through anything as long as she could finally go see the planet.

And then they were done at last. Accompanied by their little escort they took an elevator to the highboat's airlocks. Then the heavy security doors opened and they were standing on a platform high on the Upper Ascension Station.

In front of them lay Porta Fisco. Cletus was impressed despite himself. The city was bigger than Elysium, that much was clear. Like a forest of columns skyscrapers reached high even though none of them came close to the Ascension Station. Some had collapsed or consisted of nothing but a steel frame but even that made the sight no less impressive. Once this city had housed the seat of the Council of Elders and many considered it Deponia's capital.

The sky looked far bluer than he had expected even though the horizon between the houses shimmered in an unhealthy greenish tone. He couldn't see the ocean beyond the city but the wind carried strange smells of decay and wet moldiness to them that the air filters were of little use against.

Next to him Goal was lost in the moment and dreamily took in the sight. But suddenly he noticed Argus stomp towards them. The bailiff got right in their faces and pointed in the direction he came from. "If you are finally finished admiring the architecture we could be on our way at last. The cruiser will leave in four minutes whether you're aboard or not."

Cletus reached for Goal's arm and was relieved when she didn't resist and went right along.

They rode another elevator downwards within the Station until they reached the level of the monorail. Argus got more impatient with every passing minute and wouldn't let them take a closer look at the cruiser's outside before ushering them inside. All Cletus had time to notice was that this monstrosity was made of metal and wasn't much wider than the rail. That didn't mean it was all that small considering the monorail itself was several meters wide, too. But more than width the impressive space the cruiser occupied was due to its height. It reached high into the sky and widened a bit up there. It sure didn't look aerodynamic. Instead it looked terribly ugly.

Oh well, when he was inside, he no longer had to look at it.

Cletus dropped down on their bed and sighed contently. He hardly dared believe it but he had really made it through the day.

They had returned the protective gear so it could be "cleaned and disinfected". Cletus approved of that but also saw it as a welcome excuse to restrict their movement. This was absolutely necessary when it came to Goal and concerning himself… Well, his curiosity was very limited anyway.

The cabin they had been assigned was even smaller than the one on the highboat but it had everything they needed to survive a few weeks: a double bed hidden in one wall that could be folded out, a wardrobe and a big drawer, as well as a small desk and chair behind a partition wall. A couch and a big dining room table would have been nice additions but at least he'd never again think of his apartment as small. And when he'd move into a bigger one once he would have finished this mission… Cletus grinned complacently.

Goal sat down next to him on the bed and watched him with a grin that was just as wide as his own. "We're really here," she whispered.

He folded his arms behind his head and glanced at her. "Yes, right in the trash. Congratulations!"

She laughed and lay down beside him. "Right in an adventure," she corrected him. Cletus only snorted.

They lay side by side for a while in silence, then Goal started playing with a strand of his hair. "Thank you for taking me along."

He didn't look at her but neither did he push her hand away. "It's not like you left me any other choice."

She chuckled, leaned over and kissed him. "But if you took Mrs. Kinkel with you, you wouldn't have as much fun tonight."

Now he returned her gaze. He couldn't remember ever seeing her so happy. So full of energy and anticipation. He put a hand on her cheek and answered with a kiss of his own, stronger and more urgent, as he rolled on top of her.

And while they celebrated their engagement closely intertwined the thought came to him that it'd be such a shame if she found out about him and he had to delete the memories of this evening.