Air Battle Force by Dale Brown

Author:Dale Brown [Brown, Dale]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2012-07-06T10:57:26+00:00

DEARBORN, MICHIGAN

The next morning

The president of the United States, Thomas Thorn, reached under the floorboards in the rear of the big sports utility vehicle and extracted a large gray case, resembling a footlocker. With photographers snapping away like crazy, the president set the case on the ground, took another case proffered him from Secretary of Defense Robert Goff, set it inside the SUV in place of the first, closed the floorboards, then closed the rear hatch, giving it a slap. Moments later the SUV rumbled to life. The president knelt beside the SUV’s exhaust pipe, touched it, and even put his face uncomfortably close to it, smiling the entire time. The cameramen hungrily snapped away.

Thorn removed a pair of work gloves as he approached the podium. “That, my friends, is how easy it is to replace a Sky Masters fuel cell,” he said. “This vehicle can now travel at legal highway speeds for another seven hundred miles—about twice the range of gasoline-powered vehicles. And its exhaust is completely clean, with nothing but water vapor as its only combustion by-product. It is my intention that every government vehicle purchased from now on will be powered only by non-petroleum-based fuels such as fuel cells, if Congress approves my alternative fuels vehicle purchase program bill.” He turned to the SUV heading down the automobile test track. “There goes the car of the future, ladies and gentlemen.”

And then, as if on cue, the SUV sputtered, coughed a few times, then coasted another few dozen yards before coming to a stop. A small army of technicians and engineers rushed to it, some carrying spare fuel-cell cases. A few moments later, after a change of the fuel-cell locker, the SUV began to move, then began sputtering and jerking ahead. Finally the techs and engineers began ignominiously pushing it off to the side of the track.

“Well, I think that illustrates the status of my bill so far: starting strong, showing a lot of promise, then running out of steam and needing an extra boost,” the president said gamely. “But I am bound and determined not to let a few setbacks stop this bill. Finding alternative sources of energy for America is a priority of mine as well as of the American people, and I’ve resolved to see it through.” The president pointed to one of the reporters arrayed around the podium, indicating he was ready to take questions.

“Mr. President, does your bill supporting and encouraging development of all nonpetroleum forms of energy include nuclear and coal, both of which have the danger of seriously polluting the environment?”

“It does,” the president responded. “I’m confident we have the technology to control hazardous waste and by-products from both forms of energy production, and I want the federal government to encourage such development through increased tax deductions and lowered tax rates on income for energy production using alternative sources.”

“Mr. President, even if this bill passes, it’ll take several years, maybe even decades, for the economic benefits to be felt from some of these technologies,” another reporter said.

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