PROLOGUE: BETRAYAL
In 1909 Nickola Tesla, a distinguished inventor who had given us Alternating Current, made a devastating discovery. Through further calculations and use of his highly visual mind he foresaw the effects of his A/C invention one hundred years into the future. What he saw was disastrous.
“George, I must talk to J.P.; there is something dangerously wrong with A/C,” said Tesla, his voiced raised in excitement. This was contrary to his usually cold and intense personality.
George Westinghouse sat on a table in Tesla’s lab looking regal and powerful even with his legs dangling. “Now Nikki, you said yourself that this is 100 years away. Don’t you think that by then we will have figured out a way to solve your little problem?”
“George it isn't ‘my little problem,’ and it will not go away if we set in motion a petroleum based energy source. It’s simple math George.” Tesla began to draw diagrams and figures on the chalkboard as Westinghouse sat transfixed by the implications of what Tesla was claiming.
He continued, “the amount of burnt residue from using petroleum/fossil fuels to generate power will create an inertia greater than the energy generated as pollution and insulation from the sun. Not to mention extracting great quantities of hydraulic fluid the earth uses to connect and support the solid land masses. If the pollution doesn’t choke us the earthquakes will!”
George was adamant and could always be swayed by Tesla’s enthusiasm and confidence. He followed him to the Worlds Fair where they buried Edison’s flickering DC fireflies in a brilliance of AC sunlight. Now, in spite of Edison’s nauseating animal sacrifices on the altar of the “deadly” AC current; in spite of his money and power, and propaganda, Edison lost. The American public demanded Alternating Current!
He and Morgan had figured out how to give it to them; “at a price." Morgan’s oil turned the generators, his machines used the juice. “Perfect!” He thought. “A marriage made of Black Gold, disguised as progress.”
“OK Nikki, meet me at J.P.’s Wednesday afternoon.” George sighed sympathetically.
Inwardly he wondered if his old friend had gone over the edge. He was spending more and more time out in the middle of no where in Colorado Springs. Calls have come in complaining that he is in league with the devil; that he has communion with him nightly. The locals, both two and four legged, were not comfortable with a man who could create lightning bolts at will.
As Tesla road home in the Westinghouse limo he was in deep conversation with his soul. He found himself cursing his visionary power for the first time. He didn’t want to see what he was seeing because he knew what he was seeing, he created.
“I only wanted money for research.
The spirit of discovery is the power of humanity,
not necessarily the use of those discoveries.
I needed money and I had to sell something;
so I sold A/C to Westinghouse. I didn’t know the long term effects. I didn’t know what I now know...”
****
“Ah, Mr. Tesla. Good Day.” The rotund needle eyed monarch said from behind his mahogany edifice; The desk of J.P. Morgan., where world shaping decisions were made every day. “Westinghouse said you have something important to discuss with me.”
“Yes, Mr. Morgan. It’s about Alternating Current.”
“My Greatest success! I am indebted to you gentlemen for making you rich, and me very much richer. Every one will need to use my power and your machines Westinghouse,” said J.P. with a wide grin. The ever present cigar shadowing one side of his mouth so his smile became a sly sneer.
“There is a problem Mr. Morgan,” Tesla said, quietly knowing that what he was about to say will crush the dream of another who believed in him when no one else would.
“What do you mean by problem Tesla?” Morgan said directing his most menacing frown at the scientist.
“It is dangerous. My recent calculations show it will poison the entire planet in 100 years; its not efficient enough to be a global system. It takes too much energy to make energy.” Tesla blurted out these statements with a heavily impassioned accent as if lecturing a stubborn schoolboy.
“That's right Tesla; and my companies provide the fuel that this energy requires. That's why I backed your scheme in the first place.” Morgan said with a self pat on the back.
“Mr. Morgan. Do you understand what I am saying. Alternating Current will destroy life as we know it on this planet in 100 years. There is no mistake in my calculations. We must stop all production of generating facilities. AC is not the answer.”
“What in blazes is the answer then Nikki?” Westinghouse finally said, not being able to hold back any longer.
“I am close, very close, to a whole new principle; high frequency static electricity. I have transmitted power 26 miles without wires. Lit up a dozen light bulbs with no energy degeneration because the source is wherever you tune in.”
Tesla beamed and laid down his trump card. “I have been able to collect and transmit electricity directly from the earth and from the sun. Give me five years and I will create engines that will run off the voltage the energy sources are emanating. I have already filed the patents for
‘Apparatus for collecting Radiant Free Energy from the Atmosphere’ patents #106-107. Everyone will have all the electricity they need anywhere, anytime; for free!”
While Tesla was excitedly putting forth his new and better idea, John Pierpoint Morgan was exchanging hard looks of understanding with Westinghouse. “This madman must be stopped; He will ruin all my plans.” His stare was saying.
Westinghouse, understanding the slight nod from Morgan’s eyes said: “My dear Nickola, the public is demanding light and power now; ever since you harnessed Niagara falls to 'Illuminate the world' in New York. Aren't those the words you used? “Illuminate the World."
“Well you did,” emphasized Morgan. “And now no one wants to go back to the dark ages. Sorry Tesla I have too much invested in this “miracle” to change now.”
“Everything is in place Nikki. We can begin delivering energy from Tesla Light & Power Company tomorrow,” said Westinghouse imploringly.
“You are blind fools! I am telling you. A/C is going to choke your grandchildren with waste! The dust from the burnt fuel is going to block the sun and possibly bring on another ice age! Do you want to sell that? You want to sell that? Not me. I will not have my name associated with it!”
Tesla, breathing hard, looked at these American icons of business incredulously and continued: “Just give me 5 years! I have already been able to control a boat with high frequency signals.”
“Listen!” Tesla was wild eyed and frustrated sensing the stone wall of greed he was up against.
How could they begin to understand this man? His mind was so unique he was able to construct an engine out of mental parts right in front of his eyes. He would then start it running and periodically pull it out of his memory to examine for wear and tear.
There was a dead silence in the room. Not a metaphor but an overwhelming reality of death; shattered bonds of trust and hope.
Tesla gazed long and piercing at each man as if looking down from a great height, speaking so softly in the silence it was a shout: “Listen! What I have discovered makes Power stations obsolete. Every citizen, in every part of the world, will be able to extract electricity directly from the ground or the radiant atmosphere. I just need 5 years to develop the engines to run on it.”
Morgan's eyes harden into the steely glint of a predator; a granite mask slid over a racing scheming mind. “Mr. Tesla be reasonable. How about a compromise? We will use the money from A/C to fund the research and development of your New Project.”
Westinghouse clearly relieved chimed in: “Nickola, you know this is a fair deal. Please reconsider. I personally have all my assets, and that includes your royalties, invested in the A/C project. To pull out now would ruin me.”
Tesla new he had lost. There was no moving this forcefield of greed and power. “It seems I have no choice. OK, I will finish the generating turbines, and transformers for the A/C Power plant, but I do not want my name associated with it. I don’t want it to be Tesla Light & Power Co. Change the name and I will agree.”
“Thank you Gentleman,” said Morgan standing up and ending the meeting with a nod; knowing Tesla never shook hands. “George why don’t you remain here and we will throw around a few ideas for the new name?”
As the door clicked behind Tesla's perpetually gloved hand, J.P. Morgan’s eyes locked fiercely on George Westinghouse.
“I want you to understand very clearly what I am about to say. No matter what Tesla’s been to us in the past, I now think him a lunatic. There is no way in hell I will let him give energy away!” Morgan’s voice became deadly calm and clear. “Tesla’s not going to get one penny from me or anybody ever again”
“I owe him 1 million in royalties for his last invention,” said Westinghouse.
“You don’t have it. Understand,” Morgan yelled slamming the lid down on his oval rosewood humidor. “You owe me a lot more than that and I take precedence. Really you are broke and in debt up to your eyeballs to me. If it wasn't for me you wouldn't have all those machines, wires and contraptions to sell that run off Tesla’s current. Before Tesla asks you for his money tell him how broke you are and that you will only be able to honor your debt to him when A/C Electric starts bringing in revenue.”
Morgan sat back down behind his mahogany throne tapping his fingertips together three times as the gravity of the moment warped the room.
“Tesla is finished. I am going to paint him as a crazy crackpot in all the papers in the country. No one will loan him a dime. There is no way in hell he is going to bugger this deal,” said Morgan waving his hand in a gesture of dismissal!
***
The rest is history. We are dealing with the problem of pollution not just from the sake of petroleum but from nuclear waste as a means to generate electricity.
Tesla's genius was that he was not only a theoretician he was also an engineer. He came on the scene and built motors for the existing DC energy source that were better than ever before. He then noticed how inefficient DC current was because the power of DC diminishes as it travels from the source. So he developed AC; and the motors to run off that current.
Because he was a progressive scientist, he then found an even more efficient way than Alternating Current to provide power and light to humanity. Unfortunately the greed for money and the hunger for personal power betrayed humanity for 100 years.
It is not to late to follow the suggestion of Tesla. It’s our energy source that is the problem. It consumes to much, pollutes to much and is inconvenient. Now is the time to build Tesla's subtle energy engines. Not for use with AC, but with a DC that is so efficient, that AC will be obsolete. The same energy that sends out TV signals can be used to run an airplane, car or lawnmower.
Just build better, more sensitive engines.
BETRAYAL\par \par \par
THE BEACON
by Martyn St-Michael
PROLOGUE: BETRAYAL
In 1909 Nickola Tesla, a distinguished inventor who had given us Alternating Current, made a devastating discovery. Through further calculations and use of his highly visual mind he foresaw the effects of his A/C invention one hundred years into the future. What he saw was disastrous.
“George, I must talk to J.P.; there is something dangerously wrong with A/C,” said Tesla,%2