The Twins Paradox by Alan Gasparutti (best contemporary novels txt) 📖

going to get my hands on significant amounts of money?” Lucas then asked. “I don’t think the banks are going to want to lend any just now. Do you think you could wangle my bank account?”
“Possibly,” said Henry. “But I’m going to have to ‘amend’ my account too, at some time. And I’ll probably have to do this to a few other accounts as well.”
“Don’t worry about that,” said Lucas. “I’ll sort that out. Besides, it probably won’t look too suspicious as we all have accounts with different banks. Plus we haven’t been with them too long, so we won’t have to go back too far when amending our records.”
“Just be careful,” Henry told him. “The last thing I want is to see you or any other member of my team going to prison for fraud. I probably won’t require the money up front just yet, anyway.”
“Why’s that?” asked Lucas.
“The factory has got to be constructed first,” Henry told him. “I sensed that it will be located at a disused site belonging to the state of California. That should reduce the cost of shares I may purchase.”
“Don’t worry, Major, I’ll be okay,” Lucas told him. “Ramondo can do a bit of ‘amending’ too. The sooner we amend our accounts the better. At least if we start our accounts from a higher point, people shouldn’t suspect too much.”
“Well let me check my finances first – I may not need to sell the whole of the current business,” Henry then said to him. “We’ll see what the others have to say about this too, before you or Ramondo do any ‘amending’. Can you stick to producing Major motors, for now."
"I suppose you'll want to increase production?" Lucas queried.
"I intend to send Robinson and Frickas down to Skipton on a more regular basis," Henry told him.
"How about Gaspar and Gonchaves?" asked Lucas.
"I've got something else lined up for them," said Henry. "I have a feeling that they may end up with their own business. I don't know what though, at the moment, I just have a hunch. In the meantime, I'd like you to do two runs a day to that obsolete quarry in Nidderdale. Replicate more motors."
"We haven't got a car showroom, though," Lucas pointed out. "Where are we going to display the motors?"
"We'll replicate a showroom," Henry told him. "Do like we did when we first arrived at Ribblehead Cottage. Do you remember the state that place was in?"
"It was derelict, broken and full of mice, and God knows what else," Lucas recalled.
"Exactly," said Henry. "If we can sort that place out in one evening, it shouldn't take too long to create a showroom on the current premises in Skipton."
"Would you want us to do it overnight?" asked Lucas.
"Preferably," replied Henry. "I want to take the least risk in people finding out what we're doing. If that means renovating the front of the premises overnight, then so be it."
"I suppose we'll have enough space available for a new showroom?" Lucas queried. "We could build a new showroom somewhere else."
"Let's sort the premises at Skipton, first," Henry told him. "We'll need planning permission. Mind you, I suppose it wouldn't harm applying for planning permission now - these matters take so long to go through in this country."
On route, Henry had a change of idea, though this was just to invite the others to meet them at The Ribblehead Inn. After Henry finished his meal, he informed the others what had been agreed, and that he may have to sell his business. He said that he didn’t want it to be the end of Major Motors, and that they had the option to buy shares in the company.
The others weren’t sure what to think about that. Lucas and Ramondo seemed confident enough to start their own business, but they each agreed they couldn’t do without a more experienced leader like Henry. Some of the older members began to wonder whether they made the right choice in coming to Earth, though they didn’t say anything as such.
Gaspar and Gonchaves were a little happier when Henry informed them about the solar panel installation they could do at Arthur’s house. Henry re-assured them all, however, that none of them would be left behind, and that he would ensure they would be well looked-after.

The next day, Henry went to look on the web for Leeds/Bradford airport, where he checked the departures for Tenerife. Though there were no regular flights, there were several holiday excursion flights each week, mainly on Wednesdays. He contacted each travel company, and managed to arrange a cheap flight for Gaspar and Gonchaves to catch, so they could go to install the solar panels that Arthur had requested.
Before they flew out, Dermot queried the installation with Arthur. Arthur was a little surprised, as he thought Dermot had been asleep when he and Henry discussed the matter on the plane to Gatwick, but didn’t deny the case. He agreed with Dermot’s suggestion that solar panels could be installed in the observatory. It shouldn’t require a great deal of planning permission, as the observatory was located high on Tenerife, near the dormant volcano of Mount Teide.
By the time Gaspar and Gonchaves arrived at Arthur’s, it had been agreed with Henry to install solar panels on the observatory, too. This was in Henry’s interest, as he received the payments for the work, as it was his staff from his business, and paid his staff their share.
Gaspar and Gonchaves took their replicator with them, and measured the size of the panels needed for Arthur’s installation. They replicated the panels high in the wilderness near Mount Teide. It took less than a week before the solar panels had been installed, and the electricity and gas had been disconnected from the mains and reconnected to the new power supply of the solar energy operator. This worked like the SEB on the solar car.
Gaspar and Gonchaves relaxed for a few days before they went to sort the solar panels required for the observatory. This required larger panels, and so it took over a week to fully install and reconnect the energy supply for the observatory.
While they were installing the panels, coaches from various hotels on Tenerife passed the observatory. The work carried out was being noticed and reported around the island. Members of the local council looked at what had been agreed, and thought a little more about it. Hotel managers were hearing about this, too.
It was while Gaspar and Gonchaves were back at Ribblehead Cottage, the following week, that Arthur rang Henry to inform him of a request to carry out similar work on a hotel on Tenerife, and whether Gaspar and Gonchaves could be released to carry out the work.
"I’ve been sending them to Skipton, to help Lucas and Ramondo replicate new digital cars," Henry told Arthur. "I can release them to Tenerife, though, as I'm not aware of any other schedules they currently have due."
"It's not really urgent," said Arthur. "Apparently, one of my colleagues had been speaking to a hotel manager, who is interested in having a similar installation. The hotel hasn't said the work is due by any specific date."
"Interesting," said Henry. "Do you know if it's a large hotel?"
"I don't really know," Arthur replied. "I can have a word with my colleague."
"It sounds like word is getting about on your island," Henry said to him. "Can you go back to your colleague, or better still, to the hotel manager, and tell him that my men will be available in a few weeks. See what the manager says."
“’Will do,” said Arthur. “All this extra workload should help your bank balance, and any shares you’re going to purchase in the new company over in California.”
“I certainly hope so,” Henry said to him. “I’m not a greedy man, like some other people on this planet, so I will ensure my men get their fare dues.”
“You may not need to sell your business, after all,” said Arthur.
“We’ll see,” replied Henry. “I intend to sell some of it, if only to Lucas and Ramondo, as they’ve had a lot of the input.”
“How is the business coming along, by the way?” asked Arthur.
“I’ve arranged to increase our volume of cars,” Henry told him. “I also intend to open a new showroom, for the increase in volume.”
“Well I’ll wish you the best of luck,” Arthur said to him. “I’ll have to go now. I’ll try to find out a bit more about the hotel manager. I’ll let you know how I get on, cheerio.”

It didn’t take long to set up the new car showroom. Henry went on the internet to advertise this. By this time, he had got to know a good few people, like Greg, the owner of the Ribblehead Inn, who had agreed to buy one of Henry’s digital saloon cars, which were now named D1. Greg had shown the car to some of his friends, who also became interested in the model. Richard Copeland had also purchased a D1, and word was now getting around about the D1 and it’s sporty model, the Green Machine.
Quite a few people visited the new showroom, some came to purchase a new vehicle while others merely came to speculate or view the quality on offer. Amongst the visitors was a reporter for a motoring magazine in Leeds, who was rather impressed with all the models on show. Before compiling the report on them, he requested the RAC to examine the D1 and the the Green Machine, and for the AA to examine the S1 and S2, the similar solar vehicles.
The RAC reports on the D1 and the the Green Machine were excellent and praised the models. They even purchased one of each. The AA reports on the S1 and S2 were both favourable, though they commented whether solar-powered cars were really suitable for the UK. After the reporter examined each report, he purchased a Green Machine, and reported about each model in his magazine.

By the time October came around, sales from the showroom were doing very well indeed. The cars were priced at around £10,000, which seemed very reasonable. Many people were tempted to purchase them, as they did not rely on petrol, which had shot up over the past year. This caused a minor problem in that Henry had to arrange for further pick-ups of written-off cars. He decided to replicate another pick-up truck, and send two more of his staff to Skipton to help with the collection of the write-offs'. He also thought it wouldn't seem right for two future shareholders of a motor manufacturer to be seen collecting written-off cars, particularly at a time when Major Motors was on the up.
Henry was by now receiving quite a few inquiries, as he had given his telephone number on the Major Motors website, though one morning he received a more familiar call.
"Hi Henry, how are you doing?" Professor Frank Marshall asked him, after he had answered the call.
"Oh, I'm fine, thanks, as is the business," Henry said to him.
"That's good, that's good," said Frank. "Producing a few more vehicles?"
"Yes thanks," replied Henry. "We've set up a new car sales showroom and I've had to increase my establishment, and car production."
"Good, good, you may be able to do something for me pretty soon," said Frank. "Things are going pretty well here, too. The final planning hurdle has now been completed, without a hitch. Construction, or should I say re-construction, of the old site into a car manufacturing plant will now commence in a few weeks time."
"That's excellent news," said Henry. "Have you any idea when it will open?"
"Not as yet,