Read Online Outland (World-Lines Book 1) by Dennis Taylor - Free Book Online
Authors: Dennis Taylor
Ads: Link
acreages…?”
Bill stared in disbelief for a few seconds. “What are you, slow? ”
Matt raised his eyebrows and looked amused. “You have a better idea?”
Bill grinned back at him. “Look, if these are duplicate Earths, then chances are things like mineral deposits will be in the same place. Including gold. Ever hear of the California Gold Rush? Panning for gold? Or closer to home, Deadwood Creek or Pikes Peak?”
“Sure, okay,” Matt answered. “So how do we get there? Doesn’t look like there are highways on that side.”
“There are highways on this side. And the portal hardware is portable, if you have a van.”
People around the table exchanged looks.
“How much gold do you think there was at the Deadwood gold strike?” Matt asked.
Erin replied, “About two hundred and fifty million, in today’s money. Of course, most of that was mined, and I have no desire to swing a pick axe. But there would be at minimum several tens of millions worth of placer gold before you’d have to switch to more intensive extraction processes.”
“Are we sure we want to go down this road?” Kevin asked.
Erin replied, “Ever hear of Kim Kardashian’s half-million-dollar wedding dress?”
Kevin looked offended, and Erin laughed. “Sorry, Kevin, of course you haven’t. Yes , I want to go down this road. Or at least play with the idea. I’d like to not have to worry about how I’m going to pay for next year. Or even this year.”
Bill couldn’t help smiling at Erin’s comment. The life of a poor university student tended to make the advantages of financial security very clear.
“Is this legal?” Kevin persisted.
“Unless we’ve come under Napoleonic law when I wasn’t looking,” Richard replied, “anything not specifically declared illegal is legal. And that isn’t Nebraska we’re talking about, just a place that looks a lot like Nebraska used to.”
“That sounds a lot like lawyering,” Matt commented.
“And who do you think will be fighting both sides of this if it ever goes to court?” Richard asked. “If and when this tech becomes available to the public, do you think various people, groups, and governments will be waiting around to ask permission of the current owners on this side? Not a chance. I think we have a limited amount of time to get in and get ours before it becomes a total war-zone.”
Bill leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. This was getting interesting.
“Can we hope to keep control if it gets out?” Erin asked.
Richard shook his head. “Kevin is smart, but if he can figure out the theory, someone else will too, sooner or later. No offense, Kevin. And the hardware isn’t that complicated once you know what you’re trying to do. It’s all off-the-shelf components and some light metalwork.” This last comment with a tip of his head to Bill, who acknowledged with an ironic wave. “Patents don’t help either. They just prevent people from selling it, not from making it in their basements. No, we are golden as long as no one realizes what we’re doing. Once that breaks, it’s just a matter of time.”
“What about burying it and walking away?” Erin suggested.
Kevin looked chagrined. “You’re asking me to throw away everything I’ve been working on for the last ten years without explanation. And as Richard said, someone else will figure it out. We’re there , Erin. These breakthroughs don’t come in a vacuum. Even Einstein started with other people’s work to get to his theory. Shoulders of Giants and all that.”
“All right, I accept that,” Erin replied. She thought for a few seconds. “Of course, patents will make you a lot of money, and there’s the Nobel prize…”
Richard waggled his hand so-so . “The Nobel isn’t guaranteed, although I think we’d have a pretty good shot. But that’d be mostly Kevin, and might be as much as a decade away”.
“And it’s not really that much money in the end,” Matt
Bill stared in disbelief for a few seconds. “What are you, slow? ”
Matt raised his eyebrows and looked amused. “You have a better idea?”
Bill grinned back at him. “Look, if these are duplicate Earths, then chances are things like mineral deposits will be in the same place. Including gold. Ever hear of the California Gold Rush? Panning for gold? Or closer to home, Deadwood Creek or Pikes Peak?”
“Sure, okay,” Matt answered. “So how do we get there? Doesn’t look like there are highways on that side.”
“There are highways on this side. And the portal hardware is portable, if you have a van.”
People around the table exchanged looks.
“How much gold do you think there was at the Deadwood gold strike?” Matt asked.
Erin replied, “About two hundred and fifty million, in today’s money. Of course, most of that was mined, and I have no desire to swing a pick axe. But there would be at minimum several tens of millions worth of placer gold before you’d have to switch to more intensive extraction processes.”
“Are we sure we want to go down this road?” Kevin asked.
Erin replied, “Ever hear of Kim Kardashian’s half-million-dollar wedding dress?”
Kevin looked offended, and Erin laughed. “Sorry, Kevin, of course you haven’t. Yes , I want to go down this road. Or at least play with the idea. I’d like to not have to worry about how I’m going to pay for next year. Or even this year.”
Bill couldn’t help smiling at Erin’s comment. The life of a poor university student tended to make the advantages of financial security very clear.
“Is this legal?” Kevin persisted.
“Unless we’ve come under Napoleonic law when I wasn’t looking,” Richard replied, “anything not specifically declared illegal is legal. And that isn’t Nebraska we’re talking about, just a place that looks a lot like Nebraska used to.”
“That sounds a lot like lawyering,” Matt commented.
“And who do you think will be fighting both sides of this if it ever goes to court?” Richard asked. “If and when this tech becomes available to the public, do you think various people, groups, and governments will be waiting around to ask permission of the current owners on this side? Not a chance. I think we have a limited amount of time to get in and get ours before it becomes a total war-zone.”
Bill leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. This was getting interesting.
“Can we hope to keep control if it gets out?” Erin asked.
Richard shook his head. “Kevin is smart, but if he can figure out the theory, someone else will too, sooner or later. No offense, Kevin. And the hardware isn’t that complicated once you know what you’re trying to do. It’s all off-the-shelf components and some light metalwork.” This last comment with a tip of his head to Bill, who acknowledged with an ironic wave. “Patents don’t help either. They just prevent people from selling it, not from making it in their basements. No, we are golden as long as no one realizes what we’re doing. Once that breaks, it’s just a matter of time.”
“What about burying it and walking away?” Erin suggested.
Kevin looked chagrined. “You’re asking me to throw away everything I’ve been working on for the last ten years without explanation. And as Richard said, someone else will figure it out. We’re there , Erin. These breakthroughs don’t come in a vacuum. Even Einstein started with other people’s work to get to his theory. Shoulders of Giants and all that.”
“All right, I accept that,” Erin replied. She thought for a few seconds. “Of course, patents will make you a lot of money, and there’s the Nobel prize…”
Richard waggled his hand so-so . “The Nobel isn’t guaranteed, although I think we’d have a pretty good shot. But that’d be mostly Kevin, and might be as much as a decade away”.
“And it’s not really that much money in the end,” Matt
Similar Books
