The Texas Twist Read Free

all that power comes pouring out.”
    â€œMore than the lasers put in?” asked Fabrice, well, tartly.
    â€œAnd what,” asked de Havilland, not at all appreciating her tone, “would be the point of building a closed energy system if it weren’t net plus?” He turned to Holton. “Do you pay her a lot? You’re not getting good value.”
    â€œHe’s getting great value,” Fabrice said, “and I’ll tell you why. Because you slipped ‘closed energy system’ by us like it’s an assumption that doesn’t need testing. If the system’s not closed, if it’s drawing energy from elsewhere—”
    â€œâ€”then it’s a so-called ‘perpetual motion machine’ and I am a charlatan, is that it?”
    â€œYou said it, not me.”
    â€œLook here—” He was perhaps on the point of uttering “bonbon,” but as he saw Fabrice actually ball her fist, he refrained. “—madam, you are free to inspect this lab, the apparatus, isolate any part of the process you wish. You won’tfind an outside energy source because there is none. I know you won’t be satisfied until you snoop around, so please, be my guest.”
    Fabrice sniffed. She circled the lab bench, closely examining all its components. Dropping to her knees, she checked underneath, looking for, but apparently not finding, hidden electrical leads. She cast a jaundiced eye on the cooling units, the lasers, and, finally, the glass cube. “There’s energy coming in here, of course,” she mused, “to power the electromagnets. But even accounting for that.…” Her voice trailed off. She took a beat, then suddenly demanded, “What breaks the dam?”
    De Havilland shot her a smug smile. “I thought you’d never ask.” He crossed to a tiny, burnished aluminum box. “Think of this as an atomic autoclave,” he said. “It sterilizes atoms.”
    â€œWhat does that mean?” asked Holton, enthralled.
    â€œIt halts the orbits of electrons.” De Havilland opened the box and withdrew a vial full of translucent goo. “So when this gets in contact with that,” he pointed to the ingot, “all these electrons,” indicating the vial once more, “they’re set free. They go in there and go nuts, according to the template laid out by the lasers. So that’s a shaped charge, and you understand about shaped charges from atomic bombs, where if the explosives aren’t aimed correctly at the plutonium, the whole thing won’t go boom.” He walked them back to the glass box, tilted the vial, and let a dribble of goo slide down. “You have to go slow,” he said with a wink, “otherwise, boom. But if you do it right…” A dash of goo hit the cold metal block. It sizzled and disappeared, and the lights inthe lab grew noticeably brighter. “…one of these will power a house.” He looked at Holton. “With your investment I can build dozens, prove the concept, move to manufacturing, and get us both very, very rich.” He hesitated, then with great effort and forced bonhomie, extended his hand. “So what do you say, ‘partner’? Shall we do business?”
    Holton ran his tongue over his dry lips.
    Said Fabrice, “Are you kidding me?”
    Nick strode quickly to her side and whispered harshly, “Don’t queer this.”
    But she brushed him aside. “Come on, Sterling, this is ten ways wrong. I shouldn’t even have to explain it. Let’s go.”
    She steered Holton toward the door. De Havilland moved to block her. “You’re standing in the way of science,” he growled.
    â€œYeah, and commerce,” added Nick. He backed away slowly until he reached the desk.
    â€œAll I’m standing in the way of,” said Fabrice, “is bullshit. ‘Too much juice go boom,’ for Pete’s sake. Step aside.