"Maybe one is just an improved model over the other? One a later development, you think?" "Why not?" "That's what I've been wondering. But--no. My studies show that neither has any greater power potential, to any marked degree, that is, than the other. Both structures seem to have almost exactly the same electrochemical potentialities. But for some reason, just the same, they are _different_." "The original designers leave no clue in the book?" "No. Just formulae, and the usual stuff we find with diagrams." "You know, Markten, I've often wondered about whoever it was--" "There you go, forgetting one of the basics of training again! 'Of sole importance is the discovery itself; its origination is a thing of the past, and the past being dead, is therefore of no importance.'" "I remember. But you have confused me, Markten. With these two problems unresolved, can you at the same time pronounce construction a safe venture?" "I can, because neither of the unknowns is relative to the power potential, which I have ascertained to the required tolerances. Neither of them are based on a framework of nuclear physics, anyway. And I have discovered no possibility of chemical reaction which would render anything than a slow oxidation process. "Therefore, youngster, to solve for the two unknown quantities--power source and construction-variation--we must build!" Markten was an Elder, so the trace of excitement in his voice was excusable. His decision was not to be questioned. Yet-- "Markten, I have a peculiar feeling about this." "A peculiar _what_?" "Well, I--" "Are you questioning my preconstruction study?" Markten's tone was suddenly flat, yet charged with authority. "Of course not, sir." "Here are untried, absolutely new diagrams. We must build. That is our purpose. Now, we will begin. The--larger one first, I think." * * * * * They labored on the project for three months. They finished the structure in the large vat first, and Markten left the job of completing the smaller one to his assistant while he drained the larger vat of its original fluid, dried the completed structure, and placed a series of L-type electrodes at various spots on its exterior. "The smaller one came out to look quite a lot different, Markten. I'll have it ready for the first series of charges by the time you have that one going. I don't understand, however, what good the charges will do when there isn't any power source to activate." "Making either of them work might be a problem, but somehow I don't think so," Markten replied. "The whole set-up, devoid of any central power unit as it seems to be, is designed in such a way that electrochemical reactions of some sort should take place with the first series of charges. A few rearrangements of electrodes might be necessary...."