Solomon's Private File #368
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 32 in this story, in the Summer of 2058.
Solomon's Private File #368 "Refusion"
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There was a flurry of activity by physicists and engineers, because
of the fusion reactor I showed in the most recent televised action.
They hadn't seen it, and had to wait for the repeat so they could
record the show and examine it. Then they asked for more information on
it. I didn't respond. Then they demanded it. Then with a lot of noise.
I released the statement, "There have been some requests for more
information on some items from what I showed in my last broadcast
action. I haven't done that before, and I don't plan to change that
policy, or I will be inundated with never ending demands for more
details for everything in existence, and all requesters would bitterly
claim preferential treatment of others in my supplying any of that
information. So, to be fair, I shouldn't do that. You DO want me to be
fair, don't you?" That caused some smiles from newscasters, and a lot
of smiles at home. And very frustrated scientists.
Daren said, "You DID know this would happen." I said, "Thank you for
telling me what I knew." He said, "More prongs with that." Grins. I
said, "Sure. Helps to reduce their demands on me, and if they look
closely at what I actually showed and said, they might learn some
useful things. Want to bet it won't come from the loudest complainers?"
He grinned, and said, "Against you, never!"
I said to Percy, "Think it's time to introduce a different kind of
high capacity energy storage system?" He said, "Got any more stupid
questions?" Pokes. I said, "Can't be from me now." He said, "We've got
identities for patents. Rescue kids. So, what have you got?" I showed
him. He said, "Not like what the GC has. We can actually make this!" I
said, "Well, duh!" More pokes. I said, "The tricky part is making it
safe, and lockable, so it can be charged at a power plant, and shipped
to where it's needed. A small one could power a big house for a year."
He said, "Going to be expensive, with the heavy metals and rare
earths." I said, "But will last for a few hundred years. Could rent
them, and with an exchange program." He said, "I know what you're
doing. This could be used to start a fusion system." I said, "And be
charged by them." He said, "Wait a minute. This could lead to
antigravity!" I grinned, and he poked. We hugged. He's going to set up
some working prototypes, and apply for a patent in a few months. We're
calling it the PowerStone.
I shifted to the lab of a U.S. government funded facility, and
grabbed a man's wrist. I said, "Don't do that. Will cause too many
neutrons to er, wander around. You need to change a setting, and add
some shielding." I gave him some more specific into, and he thanked me
a lot. I left, and he did what he was originally going to do. It's
going to take a long time to let the reaction chamber recover. I showed
his boss what happened. He said, "Are you going public with this?" I
said, "If you don't, yes. State of the art needs it." He said, "We'll
do it. Any complaints, can we use your involvement?" I said, "Yes, with
my review before it's sent." He said, "Good. Thanks." I did something
similar in Russia and France, and with the same results.
Then I shifted to a teenager's basement, and said, "Hold on there!
You set that off, well, don't, unless you want your remains to orbit
the Earth." She said, "Oh! But it's a small reaction." I said, "Fusion
systems are tricky. I know, I've made suns. Much easier than trying to
port them!" She said, "Wow!" I said, "No, louder." She laughed. I said,
"We have some problems. It's not safe to continue this here. Your
neighbors would like to keep their houses. The other problem is, who's
going to believe this?" She said, "Yes. Already been a problem. Parents
want me to have a well rounded liberal arts education, not be a
scientist." I said, " You ARE a scientist, and something more; a very
good person." She said, "Oh!" We hugged.
We waited until both her parents were home, and her younger brother.
I said in the air, "Mom?" She ported in, and they hugged. I gave her
all the info. She said, "Right. Parents are going to be a problem." I
said to Misty, "You're 17. Don't want to wait a year?" She said,
"Somebody else might get there before I do." I said, "Good for the
world, no matter who does it, but we want the true creator recognized
so you can be supported in continuing to develop it, and your future.
And we like you." Grins, and she had some tears. She shut the apparatus
down. Mom and I ported to outside the front door, and I rang the bell.
Her little brother came to to the door, and was wide eyed and
speechless. I said, "Hi Dak. I'm Solomon, and this is my mother, Rose.
May we come in and talk with your parents?" Silence. I gave him a
little poke in the chest. He jumped, and ran in side, yelling, "Solomon
wants to come in!"
His mother yelled, "I told you not to lie to me! Go to your room!" He
bell again. She came to the door, and looked very strange. I said, "We
have something important to discuss with you. May we come in?" She
said, "Oh! Please come in!" She led us to the living room, and called
for her husband. I said to them, "It's about Misty. Please call her to
this meeting." Father said, "We need to hear it first." Mom said,
"There is something I need to hear, first. Dak didn't lie. Your
punishment is unjust. He deserves your apology." Misty had come into
the room. She said, "I'll go get him." The mother clearly didn't want
that. We waited. She came down the stairs with him. They sat. We
waited, staring at the mother. She said to Dak, "You didn't lie. No
punishment." We still waited. She said to him, "I'm sorry I didn't
believe you."
I said, "Rose's charity has a program for selected students that
offers a full scholarship to any good university, including in Tibet,
including all support, and monetary support to the family for housing
and transportation. It supports all the student's expenses, including
lab facilities. We offer this to Misty, now." Dak said, "Wow!" I
grinned at him, and said, "I agree." He grinned. The mother said, "Why
are you doing this?" I said, "Because some exceptional students will do
better for themselves, and the world, in a more intensive educational
program that very few could afford, and might not be able to get into,
without our support. We're kind of famous." The kids laughed. The
father said, "Why Misty?" I said, "She qualifies. She's reached a point
in her studies that if she isn't fully supported in them, she won't be
able to develop her full potential, and that will be a significant loss
to the world." He said, "I don't believe it." I said, "So you think
I said, "Same principle. You don't want to believe she's intelligent
enough for this. Why?" He said, "I just don't." I said, "Is it because
she's a girl?" He tried to hide that from his wife, but she noticed it,
and really wasn't happy about that. I said, "My mother has an IQ of
about 300. Some of our members are even more intelligent, including
girls and women. Tell them they aren't, well, you're very lucky we
hugged. I said, "There are many girls in this program. Some of them
have bad parents." The father said, "Will we be able to choose the
courses?" I said, "In a specific religion, yes. You should know I would
support that. In all else, the program's experts will decide that based
on rigorous testing. With some exceptions. We require a course in
comparative religions, and a course in ethics. We don't want just smart
people, but good people. You're Mormons. She's had a good start in
that. We don't offer this to the morally deficient." They didn't feel
badly about that at all.
Father said, "We'd like some time to think about this." I said, "You
need to decide now. Misty has reached a critical step in her
experiments that needs now to be transferred to a major physics
research laboratory. That's why we're here at this time." Dak said,
"WOW!" I said to him, "You got that right!" He said, "My big sister is
a famous scientist!" Mom said, "Scientist, yes. Famous, in about a
year, I think." He ran to hug Misty. She had some tears. The mother
said, "Where is she going first?" I said, "CalTech is waiting for her."
Mom said to me, "You DO prepare things ahead." I said, "I try." We
hugged. Mother said, "Can we go with her?" I said, "What suitcase would
you fit in?" Mom poked me, and the kids laughed.
I said, "We need to move the experiment directly to the lab. Misty
needs to go with it to explain it to them, so it will be safe. She
won't even notice you, or anything else during that. Neither will the
amazed scientists. You can come with us, if you just watch. Dangerous
place to play around in. Got that, Dak?" He said, "Got it!" I said,
"Like I'm going to believe that." He laughed. I said, "Here's the
contract." I gave them what I had ported to my hand. I said, "One more
thing you should know. I really DO plan ahead. President of LDS knows
said, "You should know that's not my way." He nodded. Then he smiled,
and said, "We're going to have a famous scientist in the family!" The
mother felt the same. She said, "We can pack her things later."
I said, "Misty, I'll port all your gear and notes. Safer." She
nodded. I said, "Get ready to port. Dak, that means shoes. Careful on
those stairs!" Mom said to me, "You were like that." I said, "I think I
was a little more coordinated. Didn't like shoes, though." She said,
"Or clothes!" I said, "Well, they didn't last long with me." She said,
"Or off you." I said, "But so convenient to clean my brushes on." She
said, "Good thing your father could replace them in an instant." I
said, "Not really. Kind of art in themselves." She said, "I have to
agree. Better than what you did to the walls." I said, "Kam did more of
that." She said, "She copied you!" I said, "But in her own style." Kam
said in the air, "I didn't copy. Parallel evolution." I said, "Sure.
Right. Always." She made a rude noise.
I said to the amazed and fascinated family, "Yes, we're a real
family. Weird, too, even to ourselves." Grins all around. I said,
"Ready?" We all stood, and I ported us to the lab. They had been
warned. I said, "Ready for the equipment?" They were, so I ported it
in, and Misty got busy explaining it to them. Her parents were
fascinated. Dak was looking around. He caught me watching him, and
grinned. He came over to me, and we hugged.
A Program Administrator came over to us, and said, "I'm told this is
a significant breakthrough." Father said, "Patentable?" Admin said,
"I'm almost sure of it. All in her name, of course." I said, "It's in
the contract." Father said to me, "I know you would make it fair." I
said, "They've already got a dorm room ready for her." Admin said, "We
have professionals to supervise the underage students." I said, "She
will likely spend a good part of her studies in Tibet. Can't do better
than that." They were all grins. I said, "Her future is so bright, you
might have to wear sunglasses just to look at her." Mom poked me, and
Dak laughed. I said, "I prefer my shorter audience member." He gave me
a big grin.
I said, "She'll be looked after now. We should go back. When she
comes up for air, Rose will send her home to pack." She said, "Now I
know I will." Grins. I said, "You know she would prefer you do it." She
said, "Yes, I know." I said, "I think something needs to be signed."
Father smiled, and asked for a pen. I ported a fancy one to me, and a
clipboard, and gave it to him. He said, "Nice pen!" I said, "For a
special occasion. A gift." He said, "Oh, thank you." He sighed the
contract. Admin took it. We ported back.
I said, "Big day." Dak said, "What's fusion?" I said, "Basically, it
means putting things together so they become one different thing.
Something like mixing chocolate and milk. What they're learning about
there, is how to do it with atoms. I know you know about those. When
they push two of them of the right kind together very hard, they become
a single different element, and release a lot of energy in the process.
Here, I'll show it with these two balloons. Smash them together, they
release a lot of hot air. Hmm, something like politicians." They
laughed. I said, "They're looking to make a new power source of this
idea. The problem with it has been that it takes more energy to make
fusion happen, than it produces, and only in very short bursts. Really
not good economics." Nods. I said, "Misty's discovered a way to trick
the atoms into doing it much easier than before. Sort of like poking
them in the butt, to make them want to move faster. Too bad that won't
work on politicians." Chuckles. Mom said, "It does when I do it." I
said, "I have to agree, and we LOVE watching you do that." Grins.
Dak said, "Am I going to be a scientist, too?" I said, "Who you're
going to be, is YOU. It could be anything. Do what's best for you, but
do it well. Work hard to be your best." He said, "I will, I promise."
We hugged all around, and then left. Mom said to me, "That was
different!" I said, "So it wasn't the pesky scientists who were after
me to lead them by the hand. A unknown teenager was already doing it."
Galya said, "I like that." We agreed.
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