Chapter 9
Floyd spent the next couple of days preparing the protective wall for Lina's beans. She had been trimming the sprouted seeds and then rooting the trimmings to multiply the number of plants. It was going to be a fairly small garden but building the twenty feet of curved wall that Tesla and Mr. Watson had designed involved moving several tons of rock. The drone worked well as a truck but Floyd still had to lift, load and unload each rock by hand. His rock fitting did not compare with Tesla's work but the wall seemed sturdy enough. When the wall was done he began breaking up the soil with the ice axe and mixing in the waste from their ship. It was not pleasant work.
Tesla spent his time pounding and shaping the metal he found into four windmill blades. He used the battery in the electric bike as an electricity source for welding the pieces together. Sparks were flying and Mr. Watson was upset that he was not wearing eye protection, so Floyd made him wear the space suit helmet while he was welding. They salvaged the old gear box and despite the corrosion Tesla was able to clean it up and get it working.
Their evenings were short because the work days were long but still it was the time when the wedding plans were finalized. Tesla would be in the small work space he had created tapping away at the coins while Floyd and Lina talked about what their vows could be. It was going to be a simple ceremony on the ceremonial hill which meant that Mr. Watson would need to use a relay to participate. He had already designed a unit and worked with Tesla on the construction. Tesla would act as the witness and ring bearer. Lina described the long intricate vows that had been used historically by The People but Floyd preferred a much simpler version. In the end they left it up to Mr. Watson to work out a compromise.
The morning of the wedding day was sunny and maybe less windy than normal. They spent the morning transplanting the beans Lina had nurtured into the garden Floyd had made for her. Lina watered them, while telling each little plant to grow well, with the first water from their now functioning well. Lina wanted to cover the plants with a protective cover but they had nothing in their limited stores which seemed suitable. The afternoon was spent cleaning up themselves and their clothes which were getting more than a little ragged. Floyd had rigged up an outdoor shower and with the gentle breeze powering their windmill, he took a real but cold shower. He re-entered the ship and found Lina sitting while Tesla carefully braided Lina’s long golden hair. He asked, "Why is Tesla braiding your hair?"
Lina's tail was twitching with excitement as she replied, "It is the custom of those that lived on this hill that the females kept their hair braided and did not let it down until after the wedding. It is the one thing I can do to honor their customs."
"Fair enough."
Floyd began pushing buttons for some food and fluids. As he finished eating he said, "I figure it’ll take us about an hour to walk to the ceremonial hill so we had better get going."
Tesla was bouncing up and down trying to tell him something but Floyd was not getting it. Lina spoke up saying, "Our Fixer has a surprise for you and we will not be walking."
"What are you talking about? No way are the three of us going to fit on the bike."
Tesla was bouncing and Lina's tail was twitching but they would not offer any more information. Even Mr. Watson was quiet. Floyd did what he did best at times like this; he finished eating and lay down for a short nap. Lina awoke him with a kiss and said it was time. Floyd splashed some water on his face and followed Tesla and Lina out of the airlock. In front of them was the drone they had been using to haul the rocks but now it had a seating platform with seats for three and a couple of small crates. Tesla helped Lina and Floyd aboard and then climbed up himself. Using his miniature controller, Tesla drove them to the ceremonial hill. It was a slow ride but much better than walking.
When they arrived at the top of the ceremonial hill the small relay that Tesla and Mr. Watson had built was sitting at the very top. Floyd had no sooner helped Lina down when the wedding march music started. He could not figure out where the music was coming from because it seemed to surround them on all sides. The more he looked the more excited Tesla became and the more he bounced. Floyd took Lina's arm and started to walk towards the top of the hill. Tesla was running in front of them throwing what looked like flower petals in their path. As they approached the small relay the music came to an end and the sound of Mr. Watson's voice began to reverberate around the hill. He was announcing to all assembled the arrival of the bride and groom. Unfortunately, this was followed by a long monolog on the meaning of marriage and the traditions of the people who had lived here. After he was finally finished he asked Lina and Floyd to face one another. He asked Floyd and Lina, "Are you presenting yourselves at this time to be married under your own free will?'
They answered, "We are."
"Then I ask you to take each other’s hands."
Speaking to Floyd, Mr. Watson asked, "Commodore, do you take this woman, Lina, to be your wife, to hold and cherish in sickness and health for as long as you shall live?"
Floyd answered, "I do."
Speaking to Lina, Mr. Watson asked, "Lina, do you take this man, Floyd, to be your husband, to hold honor and cherish in sickness and health for as long as you shall live?"
Lina's face was as emotionless as always but her tail was twitching rapidly as she replied, "I do."
Mr. Watson asked Tesla to bring forth the rings.
Tesla stepped forward and carefully unwrapped the two rings. Both were polished to a high luster and appeared as if cast in the finest foundry. Floyd accepted the gold ring and Lina the silver ring. Mr. Watson said to Floyd, "Repeat after me."
"Lina, accept this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity in the name of the God of my people." After repeating the words Floyd gently slid the small gold ring onto Lina's slender finger.
Mr. Watson then said to Lina, "Repeat after me."
"Floyd, accept this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity in the memory of all of my people who have gone before us." After repeating the words Lina tried to place the ring on Floyd's finger but his large knuckle would not let it slide on. Floyd needed to help her.
Mr. Watson then announced, "You have made your vows and under the authority granted to me by my military rank and the traditions of Floyd's God I pronounce you husband and wife." Speaking to Floyd he said, "You may kiss your bride."
The simple kiss turned into a passionate embrace as Lina wrapped herself around Floyd. The only problem was that she was so excited that her tail kept hitting Floyd in the back of his neck. Tesla was so excited he was actually jumping up and down not just bouncing. Even Mr. Watson seemed excited as he congratulated them as the recessional march began to echo from all around them. Floyd was unsure where he was supposed to recess to but as he turned around he saw the drone arriving. When the music was over Tesla unloaded the two boxes and opened them after spreading a tarp out on the ground. The first box contained three containers of their liquid drink and a small vial of a clear fluid. Tesla carefully added a small amount of the clear liquid to his and Lina's container with the rest going into Floyd's. As Tesla passed the drinks out, Mr. Watson said, "A toast to the bride and groom!"
They sipped their drinks and Floyd looked puzzled as he said, "This tastes like a martini."
Mr. Watson began a long explanation of how they had been able to distill the toxin from the algae growing in the lake and how they extracted the pure alcohol. Lina interrupted Mr. Watson saying, "Tesla wishes to make a toast." She watched him perform his pantomime for some time before whispering something in Tesla's ear. She then stood tall and with Tesla raised her glass saying, "Tesla wishes to toast the mother and father of his people and wishes them a long happy life!"
Tesla was bouncing so much he had difficulty taking a sip without spilling his drink. Floyd was quiet for a moment before responding, "I accept your toast and hope that we can meet your needs and expectations. For now, is not the time for worry but the time to celebrate
my chance to live again with the woman whom I love. I would toast her and also my first wife who taught me the meaning of love, which I bring to this marriage."
Lina took her turn saying, "I would toast my husband who did what was thought impossible by arriving in my world across space. I would toast Mr. Watson who kept him safe and Tesla who saved both of our lives."
Their containers were about empty but Mr. Watson spoke up one more time saying, "A toast to the future."
They emptied their drink containers and Tesla opened the second box. The sun had set and the full moon was rising. There was enough light for Floyd to sort of see what they were doing. Soon food, plates, and utensils were spread out and the wedding feast begun. It was just the normal ship's stores but a wedding feast none the less. As darkness became more complete Lina snuggled ever closer to Floyd to stay warm. Suddenly lights began radiating from the drone and with music echoing over the hills Tesla reached into the box and took out what looked like a miniature wedding cake. He handed a knife to Floyd and together he and Lina cut the cake into four pieces. Lina and Floyd fed each other the first bite of their wedding cake and then shared with Tesla. Floyd was pleasantly surprised at the cake's texture and taste. He wanted to ask how they had made it but was afraid he would need to listen to Mr. Watson's long explanation. Tesla must have liked the cake because his was gone almost immediately and he began pointing to the remaining piece. Lina said, "Mr. Watson, Tesla would like to know if you would like him to eat your piece?"
Mr. Watson had just begun to reply as Tesla picked up the piece and ate it only a little more slowly than the first piece. The cold of the evening had begun to chill them and they were forced to climb aboard the drone and Tesla drove them back to the ship. Later, alone in their berth, Lina began to comb out her hair saying, "I think this custom has merit. I like letting my hair down for you." Floyd turned off the lights and morning did not come as early as normal.
Tesla joined Floyd and Lina for the breaking of the fast and even tried a little of the tea that Lina was drinking. The plans for the dome next to the ship were reviewed and Floyd could not help but groan at the amount of rock that he was going to have to move. Mr. Watson had insisted that the dome be entirely separate from the ship even as Floyd argued that attaching the dome to the ship would reduce the amount of dust they brought aboard. Floyd and Tesla departed the ship leaving Lina to care for her small rock walled garden of beans which she carefully watered as she sang to each plant. She then walked through the miniature field of barley which seemed to be doing well enough without much water. When her outside work was done she returned to the ship and tried to follow Mr. Watson's instructions on mending Floyd's clothes. The videos that Mr. Watson displayed made sewing look easy enough but her hands did not want to cooperate and the repairs were only a marginal improvement. Her frustration was evident when Floyd and Tesla returned to the ship for Floyd's lunch. Floyd did his best to ignore the situation and concentrated on eating. Tesla picked up the needle and thread and showed Lina an easier way of sewing the holes.
Floyd watched the activity and said, "Mr. Watson, those of us who are carbon based are going to need a way of making clothes. Any suggestions?"
Mr. Watson replied, "My database includes multitudes of methods for making clothing, but it would appear that we are lacking the essential ingredient for all of them. It may be possible to use the stalks of the barley for fiber which we can process into a coarse cloth."
Floyd responded, "That sounds really comfortable."
"I assume that your comment was meant to be sarcastic. Some grain fibers like rye make an acceptable cloth. My database shows that the cloth made from the barley fibers would be less ideal."
Floyd asked, "Is there any way to make fiber out of the sludge that is left from our processing of the green stuff we are harvesting from the lake?"
It took Mr. Watson only a moment to respond saying, "Much of the residual carbohydrate is similar to cellulose and it may be possible to convert it to a fiber called rayon. I will need to spend considerable CPU cycles to determine if it is possible with our limited capabilities."
Floyd stretched his aching back and said, "I think that is enough moving rock for one day. I think I will take the airplane up and do a little scouting. Anyone else want to go?"
Lina immediately declined but Tesla was hopping up and down with eagerness. Mr. Watson said, "If you would wear the helmet as per the protocols I would be able to assist you and help record the finding."
"Maybe I’ll let Tesla wear the helmet. I seem to be adapting and breathe pretty well without the oxygen."
Lina stuffed some of Floyd's stockings into the helmet so it would fit on Tesla a bit tighter and watched them depart. She could not help but worry and watched them takeoff on the monitor. She asked Mr. Watson, "Why do they have to fly when it is so dangerous?"
Mr. Watson replied, "It appears to be part of human nature for Floyd's people to seek out the unknown. They have a biologic system built in which rewards them for taking risk. It may not be logical but it is who they are and Tesla seems to share many of the same traits. It is also what allows them to explore the stars."
Lina asked, "How is it that the Fixers and Floyd can be so much alike?
Mr. Watson replied, "I have discussed this with Floyd and he has suggested that nature follows a path of directed evolution which is built into the basic DNA of all carbon-based life forms. If this is true the similarities among carbon life forms across the universe would be expected."
"But where did this DNA code come from?"
Mr. Watson replied, "If you accept Floyd's hypothesis the only solution seems to be the presence of a creator."
"Is this the God Floyd speaks of?"
Mr. Watson responded, "That is my impression. I am not sure if it represents a superior being or random chance, but I have been unable to disprove his hypothesis."
While this discussion was going on, Floyd and Tesla were flying low along the valley floor, trying to avoid any radar. Tesla started tapping Floyd on the shoulder and pointing to something in the wash. Floyd circled over it and saw a rough metallic object. On the second circle he identified a reasonably smooth area for landing and put the airplane down. Tesla was out of the airplane even before Floyd had completed the shutdown procedure, running towards the shiny object. By the time Floyd caught up with him, Tesla was already digging out the sand around the metallic meteorite. Floyd helped him finish digging the jagged chunk of metal out of the sand. It took both of them to lift it out of the sand, but once free of the sand, Floyd was able to carry it back to their small plane. He figured it weighed 70 kilos which was more than Lina weighed. He was worried about the plane’s ability to take off with the additional weight. They were on flat ground with a little wind. If they could not take off he would need to drop Tesla off and come back for the meteorite. As he started the airplane he was thinking that it would be nice to have seat belts but applied full power anyway. After a long take-off run they were in the air, but he could not rise above ground effect and flew back to the ship at 10-foot elevation.
They were about a mile from the ship when Floyd saw the sunlight reflecting off of something and assumed it was another chunk of the meteorite. When he pointed it out, Tesla became all excited and all but forced Floyd to fly away from the object. Floyd was not sure what was going on but circled around the object and landed the airplane on the far side of their ship. When they had tied the airplane down Tesla ran off not waiting for Floyd who struggled up the hill with the chunk of metal. By the time he had brushed off the dirt and worked the airlock Tesla was busy on his computer terminal.
Lina asked, "What is Tesla so upset about?"
Floyd responded, "The Fixer was all excited when he spotted a chunk of a metallic meteorite and on the way back to the ship I saw another chunk but Tesla got very upset and made me fly around it."
Mr. Watson spoke up saying, "Our Fixer has much bette
r eyes than you do. Here is what he saw." On the monitor was now displayed a small drone which was well camouflaged except for the glass lens. "I have been processing the images that were captured with the helmet camera. The resolution is poor but adequate to show what Tesla saw."
Floyd's initial response was "Ah, shit." This was followed by, "Can you tell if the drone is active?"
Mr. Watson responded, "I have been detecting a very high frequency burst of radio interference which may be transmissions from the drone."
"You can't tell if it is coming from the drone?"
"No, it seems to be a reflection from the mountain range. I would suppose they would use a directional antenna to prevent us from detecting their signal. With enough time and CPU cycles I may be able to decipher the transmissions."
"Well, get on it. We need to know what they are up to."
Mr. Watson explained, "Our power is limited and I will need to reduce the energy load of the ship if I am to be successful."
Floyd looked at Lina before replying, "Reduce heating, but not enough that Lina chills. We need to get her more clothes."
Tesla bounced up from sitting at his console and headed to the storage unit. He returned carrying a large parka with a fur lined hood. Floyd could not help laughing and helped Tesla put the coat on Lina. She pretty much disappeared in the coat but there was no doubt that it would keep her warm. Floyd said, "Well, they remembered the ice ax and a parka but forgot the beer. Go figure."
Mr. Watson said, "Ambient nighttime temperatures are around 15 degrees Celsius so I should be able to keep the temperature around 18 and still fully power my CPU."
Floyd asked, "If they are hostile, what then?"
Lina asked, "Why would The People wish to harm us? They are dedicated to peace."
Floyd tried to be gentle as he replied, "Anything that could possibly threaten the Sanctuary they consider a direct threat and respond accordingly. I doubt it was an accident that the transport quit working when it did, trapping me inside. That was not an act of peace."
Just as Mr. Watson was starting to respond with a description of their limited defenses the ship began to shake. At first Floyd thought they were being attacked but realized quickly that it was an earthquake. Lina grabbed onto Floyd's arm and asked, "Is the Sanctuary OK?
Mr. Watson replied, "On the scale we use on earth it was a medium quake and I would not expect significant damage." He added, "It could be a sentinel event which would favor a much stronger quake in the near future."
Tesla was sitting motionless as if carefully listening and after the shaking stopped he acted as if nothing had happened. Floyd asked, "Can you determine the location of the epicenter?"
Mr. Watson said, "It seems to have arisen in the mountains but I cannot localize it without seismographs deployed in different directions."
When the shaking stopped Tesla went to inspect their windmill. The blades were spinning very slowly and the dome seemed intact. The walls of their new addition did not fare quite as well and much of the top two rows of stones had shifted. Floyd joined him and by the time darkness was upon them the circular wall was looking pretty good again. After eating Floyd asked, "Is there any way to strengthen the dome we’re building?"
Mr. Watson launched into a long monologue about using structural steel and tie downs to improve a building's resistance to earth movement. Floyd finally interrupted him saying, "Is there anything we have the capabilities of doing which would strengthen the dome?"
Mr. Watson replied, "There is nothing in my data banks which would indicate the capability you are requesting. It would seem proper fitting of the stones is the most important aspect and once completed the dome should be stable." He then added, "It may be best if you left the stone fitting to Tesla."
Floyd was about to respond and noted that Lina had fallen asleep sitting on the floor of the ship. He picked her up and said, "Looks like those of us who are carbon based need to sleep. We leave you to your CPU cycles."
In the morning Lina refused to eat and complained of being very tired. She sat with Floyd while he finished his coffee. It was unusually quiet because Tesla was already out working on the wall and Mr. Watson was busy trying to make sense out of the reflected radio waves. Floyd asked Lina, "Do the women normally have trouble with morning sickness and fatigue with pregnancy?"
Lina replied, "It has been so long since one of The People has been pregnant that I do not know. I do remember reading a story of long ago that talks about how The People had to carry one of the women who was pregnant on the great migration over the mountains. I do not know why she needed to be carried."
Floyd asked, "What caused the great migration?"
"It was a hard time which we now think was caused by debris from our fateful asteroid passing near our orbit. Those with differing beliefs were expelled from the cities in order for some to survive. Some of those expelled crossed the mountains and started their own villages like the one here on the hill."
Floyd was quiet for some time before replying, "Not so different than the origin of my country." Floyd stood and stretched his back saying, "I had better get back to work or Tesla will run out of stones." He added, "I wish you would not work too hard on your plants." Lina's tail twitched in acknowledgement but she did not otherwise respond.
When Floyd and Tesla stopped for a midday meal he was met by Lina whose tail was twitching. She took him by the hand and led him to the storage compartment she was using as a greenhouse. She proudly pointed to two small sprouts which were just opening up. Floyd's puzzled expression did not register with Lina but when he read the labels and realized she had sprouted a couple of coffee plants he let out a "Whoop!" He danced Lina around the tiny space and said, "There is hope for my morning coffee after all."
Mr. Watson spoke up saying, "I would not celebrate yet. It will be at least a couple of years before any beans can be harvested. Even with the hormonal treatment coffee is slow to produce."
Floyd responded, "Might be true but these plants represent hope, which is otherwise in very short supply." He hugged Lina one more time before heading to the food dispenser. He pushed the buttons for his usual tube of mush but nothing happened. He asked Mr. Watson, "Is there something wrong with this damn machine?
Mr. Watson replied, "The machine seems to be operating properly but the operator seems to have failed to read the warning that the item requested is out of stock."
"How much longer before we are out of ship's stores?"
Mr. Watson explained, "The heavy exertion you and Tesla have been doing has required a significant increase in your caloric intake. Lina has advanced enough in her pregnancy that she needs more calories but refuses to eat them so that you have enough. At the present rate of consumption, you have less than a month of adequate nutrition."
"How long before the barley is ready for harvest?"
"If the weather holds it will be about ten weeks before the barley is ready for harvest."
"And the beans?"
Mr. Watson replied, "The beans will reach maximum nutritional value in about four weeks."
"Sounds like we are going to get pretty hungry around here."
Mr. Watson responded, "I, of course, am not dependent on carbon fuels so will not appreciate the condition you call hungry. I would suggest that you spend more time harvesting the green goo as you call it. Following fermentation and distillation the residue is mineral deficient but otherwise represents adequate nutrition."
The day was now divided between hauling and stacking rocks in the morning and harvesting the green goo in the afternoons when the sunshine made the water more tolerable. Floyd was mostly in charge of the heavy manual labor of lifting rocks and dragging their sieve through the water. It was repetitive, hard work and after about a week he said, "There must be some way we can pump the goo and filter it rather than dragging the sieve."
Mr. Watson replied, "It would be logical to just use a high volume pump to raise the water
up and then let it drain back through the sieve by gravity. Unfortunately, we have no such equipment."
Floyd said, "How about one of those Stirling engines? We could use solar energy as the heat source. Maybe Tesla could figure out how to make one."
Mr. Watson responded, "The Stirling engine is simple in principle, but I doubt that even our Tesla could manufacture one with our limited capabilities."
"Show us some drawings."
Tesla was totally engrossed in the diagrams of different types of Stirling engines and when he studied the simple two-piston version he started bouncing up and down. Floyd said, "Looks like Tesla is interested. I’m tired and going to bed. You two can stay up and work if you want but I need to rest if I’m going to work this hard." When Floyd awoke he found Tesla fast asleep in the cockpit which was strewn with drawings. He let Tesla sleep and joined Lina for the breaking of the fast. She was eating a little better but not as much as Floyd thought she should. There was no use trying to force her to eat more, just bringing the subject up caused her tail to rise straight up. Only a quarter of the food choices had any remaining supplies but it all tasted pretty much the same anyway.
After Floyd finished his coffee Mr. Watson spoke up saying, "Our Tesla is living up to the name you chose for him. I think his plan is workable."
Floyd responded, "So do we stop what we are doing and work on the pump?"
Mr. Watson replied, "The successful completion has a probability of only 63.27% and it would seem unwise to forego the present efforts."
Floyd stretched his back and found relief with the popping sounds it made. "More rocks and more goo … not what I signed up for."
"My calculations indicate that the total volume of rocks that you have moved should be adequate to complete 89.43% of the dome except for the final capstone. We do not yet have enough of the algae to produce sufficient calories to sustain you until the barley is ready for harvest."
"How is the fermentation process working?"
"If we had better distillation equipment the process could be speeded up but for now we have achieved our maximum production capabilities."
Floyd gave Lina a kiss on the forehead and said, "Well, I will get to work moving the 10.6% of the rocks that we still need. Maybe we should let Tesla sleep."
Floyd had worked out a pretty good system. He drove the drone up to one of the old foundations and knocked over the upper section of the wall. He would then stack the larger rocks on the drone followed by a couple of layers of smaller stones. The drone would only occasionally struggle with the load and if the rocks were stacked properly they would stay in place until Floyd un-stacked them outside the dome. It was mid-morning before Tesla joined him and started fitting rocks. Floyd said, "Looks like you were up late planning."
In response Tesla started bouncing and took out a drawing from one of his many pockets. Floyd had only a minimal understanding of how the Stirling engine worked with a closed system but Tesla's drawing looked like it might work. He asked, "What fluid will you use in the heating cycle?"
Tesla pointed to the ring on Floyd's finger and then pretended to be sipping from a glass. Floyd said, "Seems a waste of good moonshine but using alcohol makes a lot of sense. We should be able to concentrate the sun's energy enough to easily boil the alcohol and we have the cold water of the lake to condense it. A good plan."
The complement got Tesla bouncing again and he almost knocked the pile of rocks over on Floyd. "Slow down, my friend, the rocks are supposed to go up not down." The fitting of the rocks was much more critical now that they had begun the taper of the dome and for once Floyd got ahead of Tesla. Floyd's biologic clock was telling him it was time to eat. Tesla ignored Floyd's call for lunch and kept working while Floyd entered the ship. Lina was waiting for him and let him wash up a bit before presenting him with a bowl of mush. Floyd looked at it and asked, "Is this lunch?
Floyd's tone must have been a bit incredulous because Lina's tail drooped as she replied, "It is the first batch of the new nutrient from the green goo."
Floyd tasted the mush and said, "Reminds me of grits." After a few more bites he said, "You know, if we fried this up like a fritter it might be pretty good." He started looking through the supplies until he found the small electric fry pan that had been included. He told Mr. Watson, "You may need to cut back a bit on your power use. I am going to try cooking this goo stuff."
Mr. Watson replied, "The food substance is fully fermented and does not need cooking for proper digestion."
"Yea, but cooking might just make it palatable."
Floyd kept searching and Lina finally asked him what he was looking for. "I need some oil or grease to cook with. Lina went over to the food dispenser and pushed the buttons for butter and a pat of butter was delivered. Floyd took the butter and dropped it into the hot skillet which made the butter sizzle and melt. He then poured the goo stuff into the hot pan and started frying it. He realized they did not have a spatula or other implements for turning his hoped-for flat bread. Using a fork to free up the edges he started swirling the pan until the cake broke free of the bottom and then flipped it just like he use to do camping with the kids. There was only minimal rise in the goo but it almost looked like a pancake. When it was done he flipped it onto a plate and handed Lina a fork. She was puzzled at how to eat Floyd's creation but got the hang of it pretty quick. Floyd had consumed almost 2/3 of the cake and sat back watching Lina finish her portion.
Mr. Watson spoke up saying, "Your brain waves would indicate pleasure with your creation."
"Closest thing to real food since I left Earth, however long ago that was. My compliments to you, Mr. Watson, for something which seems to have worked."
Mr. Watson began a long monologue about the complex chemistry involved but Floyd used the opportunity to close his eyes for a fifteen-minute nap. When Floyd went to check on Tesla before returning to the green goo drudgery he found the Fixer busy piling rocks in a "T" shape in the middle of the dome. It made no sense to Floyd because the dome was designed to be self-supporting. Floyd shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'm heading down to the lake to seine some more green goo."
Tesla began shaking his head and pointing to the rocks. It took a minute for the message to sink in and Floyd had to ask, "You want me to help pile rocks instead of working at the lake?"
Tesla's answer was a brief nod of his head and he went back to work. Floyd did as he was told. He started handing rocks to Tesla who continued the interior "T" shaped support up to their unfinished roof. Darkness was upon them before they finished and Floyd was exhausted. Lina was worried enough that she came out to check on them, but Floyd assured her that they would be in shortly.
They had no sooner entered the ship and Mr. Watson wanted to know why they had changed the design. Floyd replied, "Tesla thought we needed to do it but I do not know why. After moving that much rock I truly deserve a beer or two."
As Mr. Watson yet again tried to explain the reason why Floyd's request was unreasonable, Lina interrupted saying, "I tried making the green goo like you did but it got a little burnt. Do you want to try eating it?"
"Right now, I would eat almost anything."
Lina served him the pancake she had made. It was a little burned and she obviously had trouble flipping it over but it was edible. Tesla sat and looked at his portion watching Floyd use his knife and fork to eat. Tesla's small hands had trouble with the fork and after struggling for a while he just picked it up and started eating. It was the most Floyd had ever seen the Fixer eat. Lina ate a fair amount, less than Floyd would have liked her to eat, but at least she was eating.
Lina asked, "Is this what eating real food is like?"
Floyd had to smile a bit as he told her, "It is like eating real food but on Earth it would have been served with syrup and maybe fresh berries with a side of bacon and a couple of eggs."
"You would eat all of that at one meal?"
"Yup, and enjoy every b
it of it with a cup of coffee."
"No wonder you are so big. That would feed a couple of The People for two or three days."
Floyd turned to ask Tesla why he changed the design but the little Fixer had already crawled into his small bed and was asleep. Floyd asked Mr. Watson, "Tesla must have had some reason for the changes, any ideas?"
Mr. Watson went into a long complicated discussion of geometry and the changes in forces the "T" support created. Floyd finally interrupted saying, "Sounds like he was doing a major seismic upgrade."
Before Mr. Watson could properly respond Floyd was engulfed in a huge yawn and Lina said, "You worked hard, husband. You should get some rest."
Floyd was exhausted from the hard work but sleep did not come easily for his mind kept working on why Tesla had changed the design. Lina seemed not to notice his tossing and turning in the small bed they shared. Her regular breathing finally relaxed him enough that sleep came.