The following is a work of fiction. Here is the Table of Contents, which is updated as new chapters are written.
It is the third in a series of sci-fi novels of the type known as
alternate history. What’s different is that this series takes place in
our time, with characters familiar in your real life.
The first book in the series, The Chinese Century, was written late 2004. Its table of contents is here. The second, The American Diaspora, was written in 2005. The table of contents for that book is here.
He was a small, Chinese-American man, in his mid-30s, with glasses and an occidental way of smiling.
Michael Wong settled down quickly, for someone who’d come halfway around the world and landed in what looked like one of the old Twin Towers. He accepted our hospitality, and waited patiently for me to come to the point.
The point walked into the conference room a few minutes later, in the form of my son and a solar panel, recently disconnected from its place on the roof of Always-On Technologies.
“One of yours?” John asked with a smile.
Wong stood up from his chair, and gave the look of amazement most visitors do when they see the Towers. “Where did you get this? We only had one made, at White Sands, by the Department of Energy. They told us it did not work. All I ever saw was a picture. But it had the same white border around it.”
“I suspect this is the same panel,” I said. “And it works fine.”
“Better than fine,” John said with excitement. “It delivers 10 times the power output of conventional panels.”
Wong smiled. “And to think the density of quantum dots was very low,” he said.
“I’ve read about your research,” I added. “Actually, I’ve written about it.”
“We’d like to back you,” added John quickly.
“Back me?” asked Wong. “What do you mean? The intellectual property belongs to the University. I have tried several times to have it licensed, but the government has denied us the right. Sometimes they say it doesn’t work, sometimes they say it’s national security.”
“Why would the U.S. government want to stifle a breakthrough in solar energy?” I asked.
Dr. Wong sighed heavily. “Why would a government wish to deny global warming, fight wars for oil, or do 100 other things this government has done,” he replied. “I can say that, being in a free nation. I could not say that, even in my own labs, for fear of being overheard by the Republican Guard.”
I nodded. The re-election of President Bush in 2004, followed by the economic collapse owing to the Yuan’s sudden re-valuation, had started a chain reaction of events back home. America may still be the home of the brave, but it was no longer the land of the free. The fact that Dr. Wong recognized this fact was a great comfort.
“The science of quantum dots is not a secret,” added Wong. “The real breakthrough is the reagant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and the manufacturing method.”
“Can you re-create it?” John asked.
Wong shook his head. “No. We need the basic research. It’s on my computers at Rice, behind firewalls, accessible only with a thumbprint. Only I and those with Top Secret clearances can get into the file.”
“Not necessarily.” We all turned at that, and I was now the most startled person in the room. Because here came my lovely wife, John’s mother, Jenni. She had been a quiet computer programmer back home, but since moving here she had grown in power, wealth and confidence. She managed the development of a transaction system for her employers back in the States, but it no longer seemed to take much of her time.
“How much have you heard?” I asked.
“Enough,” she said. “Enough to know Branson can get that file. If he really wants it. All he really needs to know is the Internet address.”
I looked at Dr. Wong. He looked at Jenni. “Once we get it, though, I don’t know that you’ll be able to go back,” she added.
Wong removed his glasses then, and fell heavily into a chair. “Before you make any decision, let’s get some dinner,” I suggested. “I know a place over by Witswaterand. It’s a lovely campus, and we’ve endowed a few chairs there.”
“I’m hungry,” said John.
I stood and thought a minute. “We could blow the doctor’s mind at Masutseng or just have something simple at a Nino’s or just go over to Kapitan’s. It’s just after 1, I’m sure they’re still open.
"Of course, there are also some nice places within the Towers. It depends on whether you want to see the city, see the area, or just see a hamburger.”
“A salad would be nice,” said Dr. Wong. Jenni lifted him up by an arm, and we headed downstairs.
