From Ashes by Andy Holmes

Author:Andy Holmes [Holmes, Andy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2022-07-24T16:00:00+00:00

The Machine

Sheldon Axel grew up in Texas. His father was a rancher and his mother ran a bakery. Like most people, they were somewhere between poor and wealthy. Sheldon was the first Axel to graduate from college and his dad was damn proud of him. The job offers were pouring in. Sheldon was a gifted researcher, geologist, and meteorologist.

His father didn’t understand when he didn’t take on any of them. The salaries were astronomical.

“I want to stay home,” Sheldon said. “I can stay in the basement. There is work I need to do here in Texas and a job will tie me down. Give me some time. I have an idea that will change the world and if I can gather enough evidence, finding a suitable investor to fund the project will be simple.”

His father rubbed his leather hands together and beat the dust out of his hat against his thigh. Understanding Sheldon was outside of his mental capacity, but he loved the boy and would do anything for him. “You have a year,” he said.

When Sheldon was home he almost never left the basement, coming up to bathe once every few days and his mother brought meals down to him. He didn’t keep a schedule. He worked furiously into the night until his body collapsed and woke up naturally only to return to the advanced mathematics that was beyond his parents' understanding. The basement was lit by dozens of lamps. Several card tables were propped open and covered with loose leaf paper. Against the wall hung a chalkboard, streaks of white permanently ingrained from the multitudes of equations being scribbled and then erased just as quickly. Jars of dirt, random parts from RadioShack and salvaged electronics littered the floor.

The Axel ranch was remote. The closest neighbors were four miles away and Sheldon’s parents figured this was for the best. If people caught wind of their son’s behavior they’d think he was looney. Most of the kids from his graduating class had gone out and accepted nice jobs and were settling down while Sheldon tinkered away.

A month later, a woman in a pinstripe suit rang their doorbell. Her black Tesla was parked in their driveway. Sheldon’s father did a double-take. No one ever came out here. And never in a car like that.

“Is this 3402 Adeline Way?”

“Yes.”

“The Axel Ranch?”

“That’s right. Can I help you?”

“Not what I was expecting.” The woman tried to look beyond Sheldon’s father’s broad shoulders and into the house. “I’m looking for Sheldon.”

Sheldon’s parents led the woman downstairs into the basement. Sheldon was waiting for them. The basement had been swept and all the papers tucked away. There was only one card table and a single jar full of dirt resting on its surface.

“I’m so glad you could make it,” Sheldon said.

“Let’s get on with it.”

“And who are you again?” Sheldon’s father asked.

“I’m a representative from Archive Investments. Your son reached out to us about his work and he’s made very bold claims which happened to be backed up by some very interesting mathematics.

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