Read Parker's Folly for Free Online

reclaim control of the conversation. It was obvious that Parker was a gear-head and JT loved gadgets. If they started talking about technology they could be here for hours.
    “Yes indeed. He made a bunch of these things—an electric, motorized wheelchair that can go from four wheels to two wheels lifting the rider in the process, and it can climb stairs too. Unfortunately, the damn things cost a fortune and they discontinued making them in 2009. Insurance companies and Medicaid didn't want to foot the bill, cheap bastards.”
    “If they were discontinued in 2009 you must have owned it for some time.”
    “No, when they were for sale I hadn't had my accident yet, but you can find nearly anything on the Internet. Managed to pick up a couple of busted ones on eBay. And given a boot full of cash, I managed to get one of the original engineers to build me a working one using the broken chairs for parts. Had him hop it up a little bit, too.
    “I'm one of the few people in the world that has a hot rod four wheel drive without owning a truck,” TK chuckled, “but I don't think you're here to talk about my wheelchair.”
    “Well, no sir,” started Susan.
    “I said call me TK, girl. No need bein' so formal.”
    “TK then. We got a tip that your wheelchair is not the only futuristic vehicle you own. Word on the street is that you are building a rocket ship in your barn.”
    “Ain't a barn, its a dirigible hanger. And it ain't a rocket ship, it's a spaceship.”
    “Dirigible hanger?” said JT.
    “Not a rocket ship?” said Susan.
    “Right” said TK.
     

On Board Parker's Folly, Parker Ranch, Texas
    “Attention, power system test commencing,” announced the ship's voice, followed almost immediately by a cascade of flashing red lights and blaring klaxons.
    “Excessive radiation emissions detected, test terminated,” said the unruffled ship's voice.
    Well, at least the warning system works, thought Jack. “Engineering, Bridge. Dr. Gupta, what just happened?”
    “Well, it would appear that something different happened this time. My readings no longer indicate an excess of muonium. There is, however, a very strange indication of some anomalously heavy hydrogen atoms poisoning the fusion reaction and causing the quantum grid to generate an excess of radiation.”
    “Heavy hydrogen? I was under the impression that the ship's engines required deuterium and tritium to run.”
    “Oh no, this is much heavier than tritium,” said the ship's engineer. “This seems to be heavy enough to be hydrogen 4, quadrium. Or an atom of helium. Really quite fascinating.”
    The Captain sighed silently. To Jack it was a failed system test, to Gupta it was an interesting experimental result. “The fusion process normally makes helium, correct? And you're telling me we are now making heavier hydrogen isotopes instead?”
    “Highly unstable nuclei—hydrogen 4 through hydrogen 7—have been synthesized in the laboratory but their half-lives are on the order of a few picoseconds. What we are seeing are much longer lived atoms. I know the muon beam initiators are not making  positively charged muons anymore, this new problem makes little sense.”
    “Dr. Gupta, could you tell me about the radiation emissions? What effect did this test have on the people in the area and on board?”
    “What? Oh, the radiation—anyone who was in one of the shelters or inside of the ship should be perfectly safe. Beyond a hundred meters it would not be dangerous either.”
    “That's a relief, Doctor. I take it we cannot run the ship under these conditions, could you please get back to me when we are ready for the next attempt? Bridge out.” Great, Jack thought, another delay. TK will not be pleased.
    * * * * *
    In the engineering compartment, Lt. Curtis stood staring at the flashing warning indicators and scrolling columns of numbers on the monitor readouts. Gupta was pacing back and fourth, obviously in deep thought. As she understood the problem, each