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  “Port delivered solar power should continue to diminish our reliance on coal and petroleum as well as making heating cheap and non-polluting for everyone. It will allow us to use desalination to relieve freshwater shortages. At present, cooling your home heats our planet, but deep space cooling does not. As we burn less and less carbon, decreased global warming should diminish the costs of weather related problems.

  “Pollutants that are created can be easily stored off of our planet as has already begun to happen with radioactive waste. Holding the pollutants in those sites will allow their recovery should we someday need the molecules contained in them. I envision the day when each home will have a “trash port” through which garbage is sent, not to landfills, but to asteroids. The United States alone produces a half a cubic kilometer of municipal solid waste or garbage per year which is a lot. But the asteroid Juno has a surface area on the order of 200,000 square kilometers, so it would take a thousand years for that garbage to cover Juno to a depth of five meters. This should give us some time to work on alternatives.

  “Access to raw materials in our solar system will result in diminished damage to Earth’s ecosystem. Certainly the asteroids will provide cheaper and less destructive access to the mining of metals, but we are also beginning to harvest hydrocarbons from the lakes of Titan. I can conceive that one day we’ll be pumping water from the oceans of Europa or claiming carbon from the atmosphere of Venus. Waldoes will allow us to do this without human risk and will provide employment for waldo drivers who work all over the solar system from the comfort of earth, doing many other things that were heretofore too dangerous for people. This may include the exploration of worlds in other solar systems. I must point out that waldoes can provide the ultimate in ‘work from home’ programs and can be adapted to allow many of the disabled to become productive members of society. Although the D5R subsidiary is the most advanced in the harvesting of space resources, ILX and several other corporations are starting to get into the business and I must tell you that at least one man has now incorporated himself as an asteroid prospector with the intent to find his ‘mother lode’ and harvest it himself in the best tradition of the erstwhile miners of the old West.

  “In the medical fields, most of you are already aware of how ports are improving artificial limbs by leaps and bounds. Ports are also showing promise in the field of artificial organs, supporting failing hearts, acting as an artificial pancreas for diabetics and should soon serve to replace dialysis for failed kidneys. We believe that oxygenation of blood outside the body will soon help individuals whose lungs are failing.

  “Finally, a new subdivision of D5R called Allosci, has been formed to exploit the possibilities of carbon allotropes. Many of you are aware that graphene cabling is being spun out at D5R’s habitat in low earth orbit. Graphene provides us with cables over a hundred times as strong as steel. You probably are not aware that some similar technology makes it quite easy to form diamond and more importantly a composite of graphene and diamond we call graphend. Graphend will certainly allow the construction of structures that have been impossible to imagine until now. To whet your appetite I will pass around this two millimeter rod which has a diamond center and a graphend surface. You can each try to bend or break it. Don’t worry, you won’t be able to damage it.” She passed it to the Brazilian delegation at her right.

  “Or as a flight of fancy, you might consider man’s long lived dream of a car that can fly. This has become plausible with AI control and port-shaft power but we still have the clumsy issue of where to put the wings when we’re done flying.” She lifted out a model of a car, “This little car has inflatable graphene wings. If they are pressurized to hundreds of pounds of pressure…” she paused as wings suddenly extended themselves outward from the roof to either side, “and the car is propelled forward by a compressed air jet…” With a hiss the car skimmed forward off of her hand, dipped a little, then lifted back up to fly around the room. “As you can see, our dream might come true.” The little car-plane circled the room and then landed out in the empty center area between the large circle of desks. “I’m sure that with a little thought many of you will have ideas for graphene balloon type objects that can be rapidly blown up into rigid structures.”

  The young woman flashed a brilliant smile at her audience, then said, “I would stay to answer questions, however, my AI tells me that President Stockton has mobilized almost every member of the American delegation towards my arrest as I leave this chamber.” She nodded at both of the exits where a number of men in suits were jostling with guards in Brazilian uniforms. “President Goncalves,” she nodded to the Brazilian, “I appreciate your offer of protection; however I would prefer not to put your government and my own at odds, so I shall simply leave before the people in the hall become violent.”

  Before Fuller had time to wonder how she thought she would leave when both exits were jammed with American Secret Service, she stepped backward and vanished, a small ripple in the curtain behind the stage the only sign of her disappearance.

  People stood in consternation, trying to see where she’d gone. Several of the Secret Service men finally shouldered their way through the entrances and rushed the stage, leaping off the back of it where she appeared to have gone. Later Fuller heard that they looked under the stage and behind the curtains but saw no one. Many people in the room took this disappearance as evidence that Donsaii did have means to port people, but was simply not sharing it. Perhaps it was part of the dangerous technology she said she was suppressing?

  Goncalves returned to the podium and banged her gavel. “President Stockton, will you have your men return to their stations, or must I have them arrested?”

  Muscles twitched at Stockton’s jaw a moment, then she spoke to her AI. Moments later the agents reappeared from behind the curtains and left the room trailed by the Brazilians who had been trying to stop them.

  Goncalves turned back to the room, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sure we are all grateful to Dr. Donsaii for the insights she has just provided to us. We all need to take account of these technologies and the effects they will have on our economies and our world. While many of us are no doubt worried about the ripples their introduction will bring to our economies,” she chuckled, “perhaps tsunamis—I’m sure none of us want to deny the world their benefits.

  Goncalves, looked around the room, “I have an announcement. While Dr. Donsaii spoke to us, one of my aides sent me a notification that the Nobel Peace Prize has just been announced. It is being awarded to Ell Donsaii for her roles in stopping Comet Hearth Daster, as well as the roles of her technology in relieving the drought in Ethiopia this summer.” She paused to look at Stockton, “There is no doubt that the awarding of this prize is also intended as a message to the United States. A gentle reminder of just how much the rest of this world values this young woman.” Goncalves smiled broadly back and forth at the stunned attendees. “As you know, Dr. Donsaii already has a Nobel prize in physics. I hope you will join me in applauding this additional well-deserved honor, even if she herself is no longer present to hear it.” As Goncalves began to clap the room rose to its feet to join her in a standing ovation.

  With the exception of Edith Stockton and her delegation…

  Epilogue

  Grandmother Emmerit studied her grandson, glad that he’d gotten that wild hair of his in control for his wedding. He looked quite handsome in his tuxedo. She smiled, her son, Roger’s father, was acting as best man and he looked pretty good too.

  The music started and everyone turned to watch the bridesmaids enter. The first two entered without any excitement but when the maid of honor entered a sudden susurrus of excitement swept the church. Grandmother Emmerit felt at a loss. What had everyone so excited? Finally she nudged her daughter in law, “What’s going on?”

  “Emma’s maid of honor is Ell Donsaii. It was going to be a secret with her wearing a disguise, but she’s shown up as herself. I hope it doesn’t take too much away from Em
ma’s day.”

  “Roger’s old girlfriend the gymnast girl?”

  Her daughter in law gave her a little grin, “Yep, the gymnast girl. She’s wanted, so she won’t be able to stay for the reception, but Emma wanted her to be here as herself for the wedding.”

  Wanted? Grandmother Emmerit thought, What for? It seems pretty rude not to reschedule whatever she was wanted for in favor of her friend’s wedding.

  The matriarch considered asking, but bridesmaids in place, the music changed and Emma appeared at the back of the church.

  She looked stunning…

  The End

  Hope you liked the book!

  If so, please give it a positive review on Amazon.

  Try the next in the series, to be published someday soon.

  Author’s Afterword

  This is a comment on the “science” in this science fiction novel. I have always been partial to science fiction that posed a “what if” question. Not everything in the story has to be scientifically plausible, but you suspend your disbelief regarding one or two things that aren’t thought to be possible. Essentially you ask, “what if” something (such as faster than light travel) were possible, how might that change our world? Each of the Ell Donsaii stories asks at least one such question.

  “Wanted” asks what might happen if you utilized the properties of ports to shear between molecules on a dimensional level, cutting through objects instantly. Such technologies (disruptors) have been explored previously in science fiction but it’s hard to ignore the tremendous destructive potential such equipment would provide the wielder. With no defense, they would have tremendous potential for evil.

  Graphene’s tremendous tensile strength has been a feature in previous Ell stories, but here we consider what an inflated graphene structure might be like. Not bouncy like a balloon, it isn’t very stretchy. Think of a basketball or a car tire, but way harder. With hundreds or thousands of pounds of pressure inside you would have a very rigid structure. A rigid structure that could be deflated down to a tiny size because of the thinness of its graphene wall.

  Wouldn’t ports be wonderful tools for fighting fires?

  Even better, wouldn’t it be great to be able to put radioactive, industrial, household and other waste somewhere far away?

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to acknowledge the editing and advice of Gail Gilman, Nora Dahners, Allen Dietz, and Elliot Hamilton, each of whom significantly improved this story.