Dawn of Chrysalis (The Origin of F.O.R.C.E. Book 2)
Page 4
With those words, McPherson shook the manlift scissor beam supports, and Heinbaum and Roemer grabbed the basket railings for fear they'd topple out.
"Cease your inane attempts at levity and do as you're told!" Heinbaum bellowed as he clutched the railing.
Shaking his head at the familiar blustering of the egotistical Heinbaum, McPherson walked to the controls of the overhead crane and rolled the hoist trolley along its track into position above the gravity drive sphere. Heinbaum and Roemer wrapped the canvas belts they'd devised around the glassy orb and signaled for the hoist to lift the module off the fusion reactor.
McPherson gently raised the hoist until the canvas belts were taut. He continued raising it and grinned with satisfaction as the gravity drive unit lifted free from its perch. As the module rose above the top of the reactor, Roemer grabbed the power cable dangling from the bottom of the unit and detached it from the reactor with a twisting/pulling movement. Sliding the overhead crane away from the reactor containment structure, McPherson lowered the module onto a wheeled cart. Heinbaum and Roemer powered the manlift to deck level, clamored from the cage and transported the unit to the laboratory.
Chapter 4 - Bucky
Sitting on top of a work bench, the gravity drive sphere looked like an oversized, empty gumball machine. On closer examination, the elongated neck of the 2 foot diameter bulb nestled within a slot in a rounded pedestal made of a black substance bearing a resemblance to the black crystalline material used to focus the cutter and heat rays. The pyramid of silvery porcelain with its antennae sat atop the center of the black pedestal encompassed within the confines of the glass bulb.
Heinbaum and Roemer frowned at the module. They had each donned pristine white lab coats and white cotton gloves with neoprene palm and finger surfaces that enabled a sure grip on the slick glassy shell. McPherson sat on a nearby stool, twisting his body right then left as he waited in utter boredom for the lab rats to finish their inspections.
"I don't want to cut into the sphere," Heinbaum said as he stared at the mechanism. "The reason I wasn't able to study the module from the Roswell saucer was because the globe was cracked during the crash, and the mechanism wouldn't function.
Crossing his arms and rubbing his right hand across his frown, he continued, "So how do we remove the globe without damaging it? Any suggestions?"
Roemer had been using a magnifying glass to inspect the area of the black pedestal where the neck of the bulb disappeared into the round slot. He'd even levered the globe over onto its side and examined the underside of the pedestal and found no indication of an access plate or locking collar.
Returning the module to its upright position, Miguel said, "The sphere appears to be permanently fixed in place. It's possible the whole module is constructed like a light bulb. You can't remove the glass bulb on an electric light from its permanent junction with the base without destroying either the seal or the bulb. The seal connection with the black base is probably necessary to create a vacuum within the container."
Ceasing his twisting motions on the stool with a frank look of amazement, the Scottish redhead shook his head sadly and announced, "You've got to be freaking kidding me, right?"
When both scientists gazed back at him with blank stares, McPherson continued, "All that high-falutin' education between the two of you and not a lick of common sense."
"Do not attempt to belittle your intellectual superiors!" Heinbaum responded with a smug expression. "While you languish in the mire of your low IQ, we are on the verge of monumental discoveries."
"Yeah, you're on the verge of something Heiny." McPherson growled as he balled his fist and rubbed it against his palm.
Realizing the huge Scotsman was in no mood for trivialities and remembering past confrontations putting fist sized permanent creases in his pristine lab coats, Heinbaum invited, "If you have a better idea, Captain, why don't you amuse us with your pearls of wisdom."
Getting up, McPherson looked around the lab and said in a loud voice, "Ernest, would you mind coming over here and helping me for a moment?"
"Okay," came a reply from the other end of the room.
Ernest Longarrow was the lab assistant to Dr. Heinbaum. Standing 5 feet 8 inches tall with long black hair tied in a ponytail by a leather strap, Longarrow was a Native American Navajo Indian with a Master's degree in Microelectronics from UCLA. His patience while working with the peevish, quick tempered Heinbaum was legendary.
Striding over, Ernest grinned, "What do you have in mind Kemosabe? I can tell from the cunning look in your big ole' eyes that you've got something up your sleeve."
Smiling at the remark, McPherson responded, "I need an extra pair of hands, and I don't trust these two butterfingers," jerking his thumb at the good doctors.
Nodding with a twinkle in his eyes, Longarrow asked, "What do you need me to do?"
Pointing toward the gravity module, McPherson said, "I want you put your hands around the black pedestal and hold it in place."
When Ernest indicated he had a firm grip, McPherson grabbed the sphere in both his hands and exclaimed, "Lefty Loosey!"
With a quick counterclockwise twist, the entire glass globe turned like the cap being removed from a bottle of water. A distinct metallic click came from the black base.
Startled by the unexpected success, Miguel said, "Bravo Captain!"
Heinbaum was less appreciative, muttering, "Well what do you know. Another lucky guess from our resident clown."
McPherson continued revolving the bulb until he lifted it free of the black base and up and away from the pyramid. Carefully lowering the glass to the bench top and securing it so it wouldn't roll off, McPherson stepped back and dramatically clapped his hands together several times as if clearing them of dust.
Grinning like a mule eating briars, McPherson looked at Heinbaum and said, "Anytime you need my muddy IQ to solve one of your problems, just let me know Heiny."
"Bah! Your actions with this delicate piece of equipment were reckless. Who knows what damage you may have done to the mechanism? We all heard the metallic click when you twisted the globe free. Close examination will undoubtedly find unnecessary scuff marks in the metallic connections."
At that moment, Roemer, who'd been using his magnifying glass to inspect for any damage to the exposed connections at the base of the bulb and in the groove of the black base plate, said, "It appears the Captain was correct in his surmise about the interconnection of the base with the spheroid. There is no damage."
Grimacing at the futility of his tirade, Heinbaum looked at the red-haired Scotsman and mumbled, "Clever Bastard! You'll make a mistake someday, and I'll be there to enjoy your comeuppance."
Sauntering up to the weasily scientist, McPherson wrapped his arms around the man and declared with a longing stare, "I love you too, Doc."
When he acted like he was going to kiss the scientist on the lips, Heinbaum struggled away from him and exclaimed, "No more kissing! It took me years to recover from the last time!"
"You really know how to hurt a man's ego, Heiny," McPherson said with a hurt look on his face.
"Bah! You silly baboon! Away with you!" Heinbaum shouted as he joined Roemer at the work bench to inspect the exposed pyramid.
With the glass globe removed, two small clips were revealed on opposite sides of the pyramid base. The apparent purpose of the clips was to hold the pyramid in place. At a nod from Heinbaum, Roemer inserted the end of a flat head screwdriver under each clip and popped them loose. Grabbing an antenna on each side of the pyramid, Heinbaum lifted the entire structure up and away from the black base to expose the module's inner workings.
"Well I'll be damned!" Heinbaum exclaimed. "It's a Buckminsterfullerene!"
"Amazing!" Roemer agreed.
"What's a buckmeister full of rain?" McPherson asked as he peered over the shoulders of the wide-eyed scientists.
"No Captain," Ernest said. "The ball shaped construction is called a Buckminsterfullerene. Many people c
all them a Buckyball after Buckminster Fuller who did extensive research into the form. It's a particularly strong molecular structure first described by Leonardo da Vinci hundreds of years ago."
The Buckyball measured 76 millimeters in diameter, approximately 3 inches, and was nestled in a bowl-like depression carved into the black base. Its framework appeared to be made from the silvery porcelain material commonly used by the Chrysallamans in their power modules. Two thin wires of the porcelain connecting to the structure disappeared into the black base to link into the power output of the fusion reactor.
Clapping his hands together impatiently, Heinbaum looked at Ernest and said, "Let's put a little power into the structure and see what happens."
"Now wait a minute Doc," McPherson cautioned.
"We don't know what's going to happen if you power up that gizmo. My goodness, we could all be sucked at light speed to the moon!"
"I believe we'll all be safe, or I wouldn't activate it," Heinbaum replied with a thoughtful look.
"The fusion reactor in the wrecked saucer from Roswell is still working, but the gravity drive was rendered inoperable due to the cracked globe. We have removed our intact globe thanks to your lucky guess. There's nothing to disburse a gravity drive wave so we won't be going anywhere."
Still unsure but having nothing concrete to back up his trepidations, McPherson eased back and nodded his agreement to Longarrow. It took only a few moments to connect a specialized HKG unit with a rheostat control graduated from 1,000 to 1,000,000 volts to the power cord dangling from the lower side of the gravity drive module. Per agreement, Longarrow would increase the rheostat by 100,000 volts each time he was signaled by Heinbaum. As everyone's attention was transfixed on the Buckyball, Ernest turned on the kinetic generator and began feeding power into the module.
Nothing happened at first. An HKG operates in complete silence, but the torrent of electrical power pouring into the fullerene soon became evident. At 400,000 volts the 60 connecting vertices of the structure began to glow with soft, multi-colored hues. At 600,000 volts, the vertices began continuously blinking the colors red, orange, yellow, blue, green, indigo, and violet. It was like looking at a constantly shifting rainbow, and Ernest handed out black goggles for everyone to protect their eyes from the wildly contorting color changes. At 800,000 volts, the blinking vertices turned solid and emitted focused beams of rainbow light which merged in the exact center of the fullerene. A black globular mass appeared from nowhere; at first just a cloud but quickly coalescing into a solid. Just as the black mass was fully formed, the light rays cut off.
Removing his black goggles, McPherson asked, "What's that black stuff floating in the Bucky whatever?"
Suspended in the center in the Buckyball was a slightly undulating ball of black ink approximately 2 inches in diameter. The surface of the ink was shadowy, and no reflection of the Buckyball structure was visible on the pitch-black surface despite the bright overhead ceiling lights.
"Leave the generator running at its current setting. Get me a pipette," Heinbaum instructed. "I need to try and get a sample of that liquid."
Longarrow retrieved an extended length glass pipette fitted with a suction bulb on one end. As everyone looked on, Heinbaum carefully inserted the pipette between the fullerene lattices and touched its tip to the floating ball. Instantly the pipette was sucked from Heinbaum's grasp and disappeared into the black glob.
The phenomenon happened so quickly and unexpectedly that everyone was caught off guard.
McPherson stepped back slightly and muttered, "Whoa! Did you see that?"
Longarrow exclaimed, "Doc! Are you okay? Where'd the blasted thing go?"
Heinbaum and Roemer stared at the undulating ball for a few moments and then looked at each other and nodded.
"Damned clever lizards. Wasn't expecting that," Heinbaum whispered.
"I still don't believe it even though I'm standing here looking at it," Roemer agreed.
"Would you two bewitched devil worshipers mind telling the rest of us what you're talking about?" McPherson asked in a hushed tone.
Without looking away from the undulating ball of darkness, Roemer whispered, "What you are witnessing is a controlled artificial black hole. A compact gravitational force so powerful not even light can escape its grasp. Black holes have a compact mass capable of deforming spacetime. You're looking at the Chrysallaman secret of light speed travel."
***
Three days later General Thomas James Blunt strode down the 'G' wing corridor of the Nevada facility towards the Heinbaum labs in answer to an invitation he'd received from Roemer. The veiled excitement in Roemer’s voice had intrigued Tom. When the quantum physicist had indicated there'd been a breakthrough on light speed drive research, the decision to cancel other military planning conferences for a trip to the lab had been easy. Light speed capable spacecraft were essential to the protection of Earth and any new discovery was top priority.
Tom was 6 feet tall and weighed 200 lbs. He had the square jaw line of his father and his mother's bright blue eyes. His sandy brown hair had darkened over the years and was beginning to be streaked with gray. He was the commander of FORCE and had led the counterattack that defeated the Chrik invasion. Five days had passed since he left Doug Jenson, Becky Chang and Whatsit on the VrrSilliac Xur with orders to select civilian Chrysallaman scientists to provide advice and expertise to Humans in the design and construction of interstellar space vehicles. The last word he'd received from Doug indicated their choices had been made and the process begun to awaken the lizards and introduce them to their new best friends.
As he approached the laboratory door labeled 'K', Tom heard the raised voice of Heinbaum and grimaced at the thought of having to referee another confrontation between Heinbaum and McPherson. They acted like an old married couple who'd been together so many years they each knew all the foibles and eccentricities of the other and used that knowledge with gleeful abandon to annoy and harass. Nevertheless the combination of intellect, insight and pure determination of the two men had led to the discovery of breathtaking advances in science. Smiling wryly and shaking his head with a 'here we go again' look on his face, Tom twisted the door handle and entered the room.
"Marvelous! Stupendous!" Heinbaum was singing as he skipped in a circle as if he was dancing an Irish Jig.
Roemer, Longarrow and McPherson were standing with their backs to Tom, clapping their hands together and stomping their feet in a beat matching Heinbaum's awkward gyrations and chanting, "More! More! More!"
Tom was so startled by the display he simply stood in the doorway and stared. Heinbaum's head finally turned in his direction, and his beady eyes lit up.
"General! Wonderful! Please come in," Heinbaum said.
Roemer, Longarrow and McPherson stopped stomping and clapping but the smiles on their faces never wavered. Walking over to join them, Tom said, "The last time I saw you anywhere near this happy Dr. Heinbaum was when you discovered how to make a K-wave transceiver."
The K-wave transceiver was the accidental byproduct of Heinbaum's massive ego. Heinbaum had decided he needed a symbol of his genius to carry at all times. Thinking a nice ring made from the silvery porcelain material from which the helix core of the Kinetic Generator was constructed would be the perfect token to represent his magnificent brain power, Heinbaum set to work. A few days of dedicated work and he crafted a beautiful, interconnected circlet with the appearance of a twisting double helix chain. Wearing the ring, Heinbaum would flutter his fingers and bend his wrist at different angles trying to draw people's attention to the shiny bauble.
One day, while testing the output of one of his Kinetic Power Helices with an oscilloscope, Heinbaum's ring finger accidentally came in contact with the helix coil. Feeling a mild electric tingle around his ring finger, Heinbaum had gazed toward his hand just in time to see the wave line on the oscilloscope jump wildly. Intrigued by the dancing wave line, Heinbaum had continued experimenting with the circlet design until
he developed a way to modulate the wave signal. The K-wave transceiver was the result. The communication signals were untraceable and couldn't be jammed by any known method.
A K-wave communication wasn't line of sight, and nothing had been found that would stop or dampen the signals. Using K-wave transceivers, one person standing in China could speak to another person standing in France as if they were right next to each other.
"General, the insights of these men," Heinbaum began as he gestured at Roemer and McPherson, "when guided by my brilliance is nothing short of inspirational!"
A huge thump in the middle of Heinbaum's back sent his glasses sliding down his nose so far they threatened to fall off his face. Tom was pretty sure some droplets of hair grooming oil splattered off Heinbaum's head into a mist around the man's face when his head snapped forward from the friendly blow.
"Attaboy Doc! You tell 'im!" McPherson urged with a big grin, but his narrowed eyes indicated he was tired of the weasel taking all the credit for important advances.