Uri explained. “They provide mechanical energy from heat differentials. The bottom of a two hundred foot well is a lot colder than its opening at the surface. The ultimate source of energy is the temperature gradient between the top and bottom of the well.”
“Not sure I entirely understand,” Nathan said.
“They work just like those drinking-bird toys. Liquid inside flows back and forth as the temperature between the head and tail varies. The liquid, in turn, changes the weight ratio causing the bird to rock back and forth. As long as there’s water in the dish for the bird to cool its beak, it carries on rocking. Some people think it is perpetual motion. It isn’t.”
“I remember those toys,” Nathan said.
“The slow thumping you hear are magnetic plungers going up and down inside coils of wire. A deep enough well usually has an endless supply of water, so it can continue indefinitely. That mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy.”
Nathan was surprised. “There’s that much water under this desert?”
“Yes,” Uri said. “These subterranean streams feed into those where Vegas gets most of its water from.”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
“Found anything?” Kovak asked, poking his head around to where Uri and Nathan were coming out from the side tunnel.
“The power source,” Uri answered. “And you?”
“This tunnel goes about a hundred feet further and exits under some artificial shrubs,” Kovak said. “There’s dried blood everywhere, but nothing visible past the shrubs. No sign of recent footprints either.”
“I want to have a closer look at that strange vehicle,” Nathan said.
They walked back into the main cavern, Nathan and Uri to the vehicle, Obadiah and Kovak to the coils.
“Do you think these coils have anything to do with powering that car?” Kovak asked. Just then, a large spark arched between the coils with a loud snap, causing him to reel back in surprise.
“Don’t know,” Nathan said. He was now on his knees looking underneath the car.
“I think I found the main breaker for the coils,” Obadiah said. “Want me to turn them off and see what happens?”
“Let me move out the way,” Nathan said, standing up and taking a few steps backwards.
Obadiah flipped the breaker and the coils immediately stopped humming. All the strip-lights on the tall tripods were also extinguished. With the sun streaming through the large hole in the ceiling, there was no noticeable difference in the cavern’s available light.
“That seems to be the main isolator for the entire cavern,” Nathan said. “Car is still hovering.” With a light touch, he pushed it a few inches left and right. He then pushed down. It bounced gently up again to its original distance from the ground.
“Besides its black base and transparent canopy, that thing looks just like a huge egg,” Obadiah commented.
Nathan found a release latch on the side, unclipped it and raised the canopy to its fully opened position. The inside was similar to a small sub-compact car with two small seats and a simple dashboard. Instead of a steering wheel, a joystick, very similar to that in small trainer aircraft, extended diagonally from the floor. There was a single foot pedal. Accelerator? Nathan wondered.
On the dash were two rotary controls, one labelled UNIT, the other HEIGHT. There were three units◦– Inches, Yards and Miles. Height ranged from zero to thirty-five. The unit control was set to inches, and the height at fifteen.
“Does this egg look about fifteen inches off the ground?” Nathan asked those around him.
“Looks about right,” Uri said.
“I’m going to try something,” Nathan said, reaching in and setting it to twelve inches. After a two second delay, the egg◦– which now seemed an apt name◦– dropped by three inches. He set it to eighteen and the egg, again after two seconds, raised itself accordingly. He reset it back to its original fifteen inches.
“Okay,” Nathan said, scratching his head. “Anyone want to tell me how this thing works and what keeps it off the ground?”
Uri looked at Kovak. “Think we can get this into your Huey?”
Kovak sized up the egg. “It’s small enough. Let’s give it a try.”
Nathan closed the canopy, and with almost no effort, Uri pushed it through the exit tunnel and towards the helicopter.
“The four of us should be able to lift it in,” Kovak said.
“Why bother,” Nathan said, with a cunning look. He opened the canopy a little, reached in and set the height to thirty inches.
The egg raised itself and they pushed it into the helicopter between the back of Kovak’s pilot compartment and the passenger seats. There was room for Uri, Nathan and Obadiah to squeeze in behind. The egg hovered a few inches above the base of the Huey.
Kovak slid the Huey’s door closed, walked around to the pilot’s side and jumped in. Strapped down, he powered up the engines and when the blades were at maximum speed, engaged the collective.
The helicopter lifted.
The egg instantly dropped to the floor.
Uri and Nathan looked at each other.
“What happened?” Uri asked.
Obadiah laughed. “And you guys call yourselves scientists! Inside the Huey, it’s now more than thirty inches above ground level.”
Nathan felt a little stupid. What Obadiah had just said should have been obvious.
“Ah, you see, Obadiah,” Uri said, with the most earnest expression he could muster. “We may consider ourselves scientists, but we are certainly not versed on weird egg-shaped floaters.”
All three were now laughing.
Above the northern outskirts of the Mojave, Uri reached for his phone and was relieved to see that it was behaving normally again. He sent a quick directive to Groom Lake’s communications centre.
Sitting behind closed doors one level below Groom Lake’s comms room, the security officer read the order which had just come in. He was to deactivate the cameras in Level-2 of Building-3A precisely between the times specified. That included the stairs, the entrance and the elevator corridors. Normally, he would verify such a request with his superior, but considering whom it came from, he would carry out the order without further thought. He was also under instruction not to log the directive.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
With their hands, Obadiah and Uri prevented the egg from pitching back and forth. Having nothing to stabilise it from underneath, it proved to be a little unbalanced, even though Kovak was giving them a very smooth flight back to base. Through its canopy, Nathan, leaning forward, was studying the egg’s interior with childlike curiosity.
They expected the egg to lift a few inches off the floor as the Huey touched down at Groom Lake; adjusting itself to thirty inches off ground level. It remained exactly where it was.
“That sucks,” Nathan said. He couldn’t wait to show this to Emily, but now there was nothing to show. He peeked inside the canopy to see if maybe one of the rotary dials had shifted. They hadn’t.
“It’s related to Kubacki’s cavern in some way,” Nathan said. “Perhaps that funnel-shaped pit. I don’t know.”
“I’ll have a fork-lift take it over to Hangar-12,” Uri said.
Nathan burst into Level-2 with excitement. He didn’t see Emily anywhere. “Emily?” he called.
Gene stood up from behind his partition. “Hi, Nate. I haven’t seen Emily at all today, but I came in later than usual. She’s probably still at lunch.”