Two large disks, rotating in opposite directions, had been fixed together, with metal vanes attached to them. The base was connected to two Leyden jars, and two wires extended upward from the jars, ending in a pair of discharge spheres.
As Nadi cranked the handle, thin blue arcs intermittently leaped between the discharge spheres, crackling without pause as a faint scent of ozone drifted through the air.
Both Hesta and Victoria relaxed.
"What is that? Do you recognize it?" Hesta asked.
"A Wienhorst Machine, I think," Victoria replied. "A small high-voltage power source for early X-ray tubes. It was phased out long ago. These days, it's mostly used as a teaching tool—like this."
Several more children ran over to the handle. Jahadorei wanted to try it too, but she was too embarrassed to compete with a group of children who did not even reach her shoulders.
Jahadorei tried to distract herself, only to notice Hesta and Victoria heading outside together. After thinking for a moment, she followed them.
"A lot of our technology is far ahead of the curve. We basically don't share it with the United Government; the Mother City authorizes it directly and supplies it directly," Victoria said, stopping at the entrance to the dome tent. "Those solid-state batteries from earlier, for instance—it would be accurate to say they haven't been mass-produced. We're the only ones using them on a small scale in the entire world. At present, no factory in the Habitable Zone should be able to supply them reliably."
"Is that still the case now?"
"Nothing should have changed," Victoria answered. "Why do you ask?"
"I just suddenly thought of District 14..." Hesta trailed off, then suddenly noticed Jahadorei nearby. She turned to look at the girl. "What is it?"
"Children's stuff." Jahadorei glanced at the