Read Online Memoirs Of An Invisible Man by H.F. Saint - Free Book Online
Authors: H.F. Saint
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before you get completely tied up with this press conference—”
“Yes, yes. Absolutely—”
“I wonder,” Anne interrupted to my irritation, “if you could tell us how you feel about the conflicting needs of society for expanded energy sources and for protection of the environment, as they bear on the issue of nuclear power?”
That stopped him. But before he could waste much effort trying to figure it out, I intervened.
“Exactly,” I said. “Specifically, we were wondering why in your press release there was no real mention of magnetic containment. So much of the work you’re known for has, of course, been related to the problem of containment—”
“Yes, yes. You’re right. This has nothing to do with containment… Actually, you could apply it to containment, if that were…” He was looking out the window again. Something outside had caught his nervous glance. “There seem to be some people out front constructing something.” A puzzled look came over his face.
“That’s precisely what we want to discuss—” Anne began.
“Those are students, demonstrators,” I interrupted. “They seem, unaccountably, to have some moral or political objection to whatever it is you’re doing here. Which raises the question of just what you
are—”
“Oh, students,” he said, as if that would be a satisfactory explanation for anything whatever. “You’re sure they’re just students? They don’t like it when you take government grants. Protest all the time. But the money is indispensable. All the more reason to raise capital privately. I have to remember to get the name of that book from you. We have to have a strategy for approaching the banks—”
“I believe they plan to shut off power to the building,” I went on.
“Shut off power? Why would banks shut off power? You mean the electric company. I thought we had an understanding for the time being. The trouble is, it’s literally hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. That’s our biggest single problem: the incredible quantities of electricity this work requires. The potential is unbelievable. It’s all a question of capital.”
I wasn’t quite sure whether the potential he was talking about was electrical, scientific, or financial.
“I myself don’t know anything at all about raising money,” he went on, “and the work we’re doing is extremely important — revolutionary — so I’m particularly glad to have this chance to talk to you.”
“Well, we’re extremely interested in the work you’re doing down here,” I said. I hoped the “we” would convey vast financial interests. “By the way, you don’t happen to have a set of financial statements here that I could have a look at, do you?” I thought as a matter of principle I should ask, as long as we were having this inane conversation. I wasn’t getting anywhere in the interview, so I might as well try for something written.
He bustled over to his desk and began burrowing through a stack of papers.
“It’s extraordinary,” he said. He pulled out a battered manila envelope, peered inside, and handed it over to me. “It’s amazing no one has seen it before. The mathematics of it is deceptively straightforward.”
Was he talking about the financials?
“It follows inevitably once you set up the proper mathematical representation of magnetism. Beautifully simple, but when you follow it through, it stands everything on its head. Incredible that no one has seen it before.”
The folder contained unaudited statements from a local accountant. As a show of politeness, I stared at them earnestly for several moments. The most impressive thing which emerged, aside from the quantity of money obtained from the government — was the fact that this man had somehow talked a bank into financing the building we were in.
“The potential is limitless,” he was saying, apparently to Anne’s breasts.
The intercom on his desk buzzed. He picked up the phone.
“Yes, yes.
“Yes, yes. Absolutely—”
“I wonder,” Anne interrupted to my irritation, “if you could tell us how you feel about the conflicting needs of society for expanded energy sources and for protection of the environment, as they bear on the issue of nuclear power?”
That stopped him. But before he could waste much effort trying to figure it out, I intervened.
“Exactly,” I said. “Specifically, we were wondering why in your press release there was no real mention of magnetic containment. So much of the work you’re known for has, of course, been related to the problem of containment—”
“Yes, yes. You’re right. This has nothing to do with containment… Actually, you could apply it to containment, if that were…” He was looking out the window again. Something outside had caught his nervous glance. “There seem to be some people out front constructing something.” A puzzled look came over his face.
“That’s precisely what we want to discuss—” Anne began.
“Those are students, demonstrators,” I interrupted. “They seem, unaccountably, to have some moral or political objection to whatever it is you’re doing here. Which raises the question of just what you
are—”
“Oh, students,” he said, as if that would be a satisfactory explanation for anything whatever. “You’re sure they’re just students? They don’t like it when you take government grants. Protest all the time. But the money is indispensable. All the more reason to raise capital privately. I have to remember to get the name of that book from you. We have to have a strategy for approaching the banks—”
“I believe they plan to shut off power to the building,” I went on.
“Shut off power? Why would banks shut off power? You mean the electric company. I thought we had an understanding for the time being. The trouble is, it’s literally hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. That’s our biggest single problem: the incredible quantities of electricity this work requires. The potential is unbelievable. It’s all a question of capital.”
I wasn’t quite sure whether the potential he was talking about was electrical, scientific, or financial.
“I myself don’t know anything at all about raising money,” he went on, “and the work we’re doing is extremely important — revolutionary — so I’m particularly glad to have this chance to talk to you.”
“Well, we’re extremely interested in the work you’re doing down here,” I said. I hoped the “we” would convey vast financial interests. “By the way, you don’t happen to have a set of financial statements here that I could have a look at, do you?” I thought as a matter of principle I should ask, as long as we were having this inane conversation. I wasn’t getting anywhere in the interview, so I might as well try for something written.
He bustled over to his desk and began burrowing through a stack of papers.
“It’s extraordinary,” he said. He pulled out a battered manila envelope, peered inside, and handed it over to me. “It’s amazing no one has seen it before. The mathematics of it is deceptively straightforward.”
Was he talking about the financials?
“It follows inevitably once you set up the proper mathematical representation of magnetism. Beautifully simple, but when you follow it through, it stands everything on its head. Incredible that no one has seen it before.”
The folder contained unaudited statements from a local accountant. As a show of politeness, I stared at them earnestly for several moments. The most impressive thing which emerged, aside from the quantity of money obtained from the government — was the fact that this man had somehow talked a bank into financing the building we were in.
“The potential is limitless,” he was saying, apparently to Anne’s breasts.
The intercom on his desk buzzed. He picked up the phone.
“Yes, yes.
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