As Leo and Jane walked out of the house, they were intercepted by Dr. Albert Suez. “Could I show you something? It won’t take a minute,” Suez said anxiously.
Leo nodded, and followed the stocky engineer to a small open shed. As his eyes adjusted, he could make out what was left of his bicycle, but the parts had been disassembled and reassembled into an ungainly machine. The seat, pedals, and chain could be recognized, but the spoked wheel seemed to be connected to electrical apparati of an undetermined nature.
"It's a generator," Suez said proudly. "It generates a small direct current that trickles into rechargeable batteries. The batteries then, can be used for whatever electricity is needed. This one works pretty good, and I can work the pedals for an hour or so, then use the batteries to provide light for an evening of reading.
'Batteries are the future," he went on. "Once we commit to this kind of technology, we can charge up batteries with all kinds of exercise machines, wind machines, tidal movement machines, solar powered machines, water mills, and everything else that moves. All we have to do is bring all these technologies to focus on one idea: recharging batteries.
Jane Early walked directly to the machine and began touching and probing each of its parts. Leo considered the idea of pretending to be interested.
“Take it a lot further,” Suez went on. “Energy is now the fundamental unit of modern life, especially now that we can't just burn fossil fuels to get it. Charged batteries could be the basis of our economy. People could get paid in charged batteries, food could be exchanged for them. They're the ideal medium of exchange because they're small and they're totally useful.”
"Fine," Leo assured the fidgeting scientist. “These days, a lot of people are re-thinking how we get things done, and I'm sure you're working on a good idea, here, but it's out of my area. What do you actually want from me?"
Suez: “I came here because I believed in Anson Johns and his project. I still do believe in it, but it’s no longer as important as it was before. Before, the way he explained it, this remote laboratory held the key to saving and advancing humanity. When you came here, you brought with you the concrete reality that a real revolution is occurring. Now, I’ve come to believe that the possibilities for humanity are truly limitless. I want to be a part of it, and I believe that, given my skills, I could make a contribution, maybe a big contribution. You said yourself that there’s a flowering of new ideas and technologies, and we know that’s the history of previous revolutions. Every day I stay here, I’m missing my chance to be part of it.”
The doctor straightened his shoulders. Now was his chance. He had made his pitch, and now he had to close the sale. "I want you to take me with you when you go. I want to bring my ideas to the Revolutionary Center and show them how I could be used to help re-make society. You wouldn't have to do anything, wouldn't have to sell anything or even back me up. Just take me with you when you leave Sasakwa."
"What makes you think I'm leaving? Everybody else seems to think I'm here to govern for an extended period."
Suez admitted, "I guess I don't actually know anything about what you'll do, but Anson thinks you'll leave, and he's usually right about people. He says you're no more a governor, or even a commissioner, than I am. He thinks you have some other purpose in coming here, some limited purpose, and then you'll go. That's what I think, too. Or, at least, that's what I'm hoping. I hope you leave, and I hope you'll take me with you."
Leo laughed a little, "Won't be going on that bicycle, will I? That's for sure."
Suez tried smiling, but he was discouraged.