Here's another part from chapter 4, after they've agreed to make gravity-powered electric generators.
With that question settled, Terence immediately resumed his previous train of thought. “So, smaller, stationary generators, 20 to 50 Kilowatt, suitable to power a home or small business to start with.” Practically jumping out of his chair, he began to pace. “Steel frame and other parts we can do already as custom jobs here. We need to start reclaiming the copper out of the scrap that comes in. We'll need a building for development and assembly!” He went on in a lower voice as he continued his planning, still pacing. Alice indicated this was common by carrying on the conversation with Peter without skipping a beat. “There is a huge potential source of income in the use of generated electricity!” At Peter's puzzled look, she continued. “Electricity is energy. Just like you pay a farmer for food to fuel your body, and an employee for their efforts in your business, electrical energy comes at a price. We pay people to mine coal, and we pay people to make the bio-diesel. If we used coal or diesel to generate electricity, people would pay us for the energy they used, so we can pay the other people who made it happen.” She paused to see if Peter was following along so far. “The equation is different with gravity power, though. Apparently, we don't have to keep supplying more fuel?” She paused again, and Peter nodded. Terence jumped in, “Unlimited fuel! Endless electricity, once it is turned on!” Alice chimed in, “We supply the power, then we just sit back and let the money roll in!” Grinning, Peter said, “So, when do we start?” Terence replied, “We already have! Planning and designing are the first steps! And eating! For people, there must always be fuel!” Laughing, Alice said, “Will you join us for supper? We should eat out, to celebrate! Apparently, someone...” She rolled her eyes with a grin at her husband, “... is feeling hungry!” Peter asked, “A restaurant? Wow, this must be a big town, a city!” “Oh, we have several restaurants here. Canton, a city of industry, that's us! Of course, Terence's favourite, and also the best place, is the farthest away. Since we haven't arranged transportation in advance, we will make do with a closer one...” She trailed off, blinking, as she saw Peter beaming from ear to ear. “Please! Allow me to provide the transportation!” Terence jumped from his chair again, wild-eyed. “You mean..!” Mimicking him, Peter jumped up. “Yes!” Now it was Alice's turn to jump from her chair. “This will be such a great advertising opportunity!” Eager for the experience, Terence and Alice practically ran out the door. Peter followed, almost bumping into Alice as she turned back to lock the door. They assembled side by side on the road, facing away from the mill. Peter said, “First you're going to feel a little funny, like you're about to fall. Just don't turn your head for a bit until you get used to it. Ready?” Both nodded, then consciously held their heads still and spoke an affirmative. “Here we go.” To exclamations from both, he held them with their feet still on the ground. When he saw their breathing start to slow a bit, he slowly lifted them just a hand span off the road. At this, Terence started whooping and Alice laughing. “Now I'm going to lift us higher.” As they rose, Peter noted their arms also rose, and that they were holding hands. He paused just above the treetops. Their free arms were stretched up above them. “Last step, then we'll be on our way. I'm putting a wind shield around us.” He oversized it, expecting they would probably be breathing heavily for much if not the whole trip. Suddenly, the breeze that they hadn't even noticed was gone. Not even the sound of the leaves rustling in the trees got through to them. Terence said softly, “Wind shield! Of course!” With a smirk, Peter asked, “Which way to our fuel?” Alice pointed to the left so he turned them gently to face that direction, and started them forward and upward. Alice had put her free hand to her mouth as soon as they began moving, so Peter asked, “You feeling all right?” “Yes! I am so much more than 'all right'!” “Good! Can you keep pointing, and point down when we get close, so I can bring us down?” Alice, pointing, said, “I don't know how long I'll be able to hold my arm up...” Then she realized that it was no trouble at all to hold her arm up! “Terence! Weightless!” Terence lifted his free arm up again as well. “Of course!” He almost whispered. “No gravity!”
With that question settled, Terence immediately resumed his previous train of thought. “So, smaller, stationary generators, 20 to 50 Kilowatt, suitable to power a home or small business to start with.” Practically jumping out of his chair, he began to pace. “Steel frame and other parts we can do already as custom jobs here. We need to start reclaiming the copper out of the scrap that comes in. We'll need a building for development and assembly!” He went on in a lower voice as he continued his planning, still pacing.
Alice indicated this was common by carrying on the conversation with Peter without skipping a beat. “There is a huge potential source of income in the use of generated electricity!”
At Peter's puzzled look, she continued. “Electricity is energy. Just like you pay a farmer for food to fuel your body, and an employee for their efforts in your business, electrical energy comes at a price. We pay people to mine coal, and we pay people to make the bio-diesel. If we used coal or diesel to generate electricity, people would pay us for the energy they used, so we can pay the other people who made it happen.”
She paused to see if Peter was following along so far. “The equation is different with gravity power, though. Apparently, we don't have to keep supplying more fuel?” She paused again, and Peter nodded.
Terence jumped in, “Unlimited fuel! Endless electricity, once it is turned on!”
Alice chimed in, “We supply the power, then we just sit back and let the money roll in!”
Grinning, Peter said, “So, when do we start?”
Terence replied, “We already have! Planning and designing are the first steps! And eating! For people, there must always be fuel!”
Laughing, Alice said, “Will you join us for supper? We should eat out, to celebrate! Apparently, someone...” She rolled her eyes with a grin at her husband, “... is feeling hungry!”
Peter asked, “A restaurant? Wow, this must be a big town, a city!”
“Oh, we have several restaurants here. Canton, a city of industry, that's us! Of course, Terence's favourite, and also the best place, is the farthest away. Since we haven't arranged transportation in advance, we will make do with a closer one...” She trailed off, blinking, as she saw Peter beaming from ear to ear.
“Please! Allow me to provide the transportation!”
Terence jumped from his chair again, wild-eyed. “You mean..!”
Mimicking him, Peter jumped up. “Yes!”
Now it was Alice's turn to jump from her chair. “This will be such a great advertising opportunity!”
Eager for the experience, Terence and Alice practically ran out the door. Peter followed, almost bumping into Alice as she turned back to lock the door.
They assembled side by side on the road, facing away from the mill. Peter said, “First you're going to feel a little funny, like you're about to fall. Just don't turn your head for a bit until you get used to it. Ready?” Both nodded, then consciously held their heads still and spoke an affirmative. “Here we go.” To exclamations from both, he held them with their feet still on the ground. When he saw their breathing start to slow a bit, he slowly lifted them just a hand span off the road. At this, Terence started whooping and Alice laughing.
“Now I'm going to lift us higher.” As they rose, Peter noted their arms also rose, and that they were holding hands. He paused just above the treetops. Their free arms were stretched up above them.
“Last step, then we'll be on our way. I'm putting a wind shield around us.” He oversized it, expecting they would probably be breathing heavily for much if not the whole trip. Suddenly, the breeze that they hadn't even noticed was gone. Not even the sound of the leaves rustling in the trees got through to them.
Terence said softly, “Wind shield! Of course!”
With a smirk, Peter asked, “Which way to our fuel?”
Alice pointed to the left so he turned them gently to face that direction, and started them forward and upward. Alice had put her free hand to her mouth as soon as they began moving, so Peter asked, “You feeling all right?”
“Yes! I am so much more than 'all right'!”
“Good! Can you keep pointing, and point down when we get close, so I can bring us down?”
Alice, pointing, said, “I don't know how long I'll be able to hold my arm up...” Then she realized that it was no trouble at all to hold her arm up! “Terence! Weightless!”
Terence lifted his free arm up again as well. “Of course!” He almost whispered. “No gravity!”