“I
thought the race to find the parts of the Machine was only a recent
development.”
“Oh,
yes, the race. However, the determination to be ready for when the pieces came
out of hiding has been going on since the Machine was disassembled. Our
ancestors learned then it was impossible to destroy a single fragment of
crystal.” He winked at her. “Which is why that intriguing box of dust you
delivered to us has been driving Vulcan and her team to distraction.”
“Theo
thought it might be lubrication or something like that,” she said, as she led
the way down the corkscrew stairs, two levels, to the main deck.
“Lubrication
for what? The emerging theory is that there are really no moving parts.”
“How
can a machine not have moving parts? How can it do anything if it doesn’t move?
What kind of energy does it need, to do what it’s supposed to do? I just
assumed it used the same kind of energy that made the Zeus guns work, or the
lights, or all the incredible devices that make the light bulb and steam engine
seem rather clunky and filthy by comparison.”
“That’s
just it. Energy. The crystal doesn’t require energy, so much as it generates energy, and that energy opens
the way, moves the material of space and time, to allow travel through time.
The more the Machine comes together, the bigger the clumps of it, the more
frustrating the whole conglomeration becomes. Because it defies what we know
and understand of science and engineering.”
“Vulcan
must be thoroughly delighted with the puzzle,” Ess murmured, pausing at the
doorway into the main deck area.
“We’re
taking bets on how long it takes for her to pull out all her hair, and how she
will do it, a strand at a time or in great clumps.” He reached around her for
the latch. “Care to place a wager?”
Ess stuck her tongue out at him. Ford just chuckled
and thumped her on the shoulder as she pushed the door open.
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