Mr. Sparks

Many years had passed since Theo got too involved with people. The last time he helped them, he was punished for his actions. He spent many years imprisoned for theft. He had stolen from his boss and given it to the people. The idea was to help them. They were cold, hungry, and living in horrible conditions. His stolen gift was able to loft them up from their destitution. Eventually, Theo Sparks was released from his prison. One would think that he would have learned not to meddle in people’s lives, but he had a soft spot for people.

Theo could never help himself when it came to people. He had all these ideas stuck in his head that he needed to get out. He honestly loved people and wanted them to thrive and improve their world. It was always about the fire; he was drawn to it. Where would the world be without combustion?

Left to their own devices, he thought people would be dead already, so, over the years, he’s helped in subtle ways so as not to attract too much attention. He helped Thomas Newcomen with his engine. Theo thought it was clever that people would use a heat source to create steam, which would then be used to power machinery. Theo manufactured a meeting with Mr. Newcomen at a local pub. Newcomen started talking about the trouble he was having. Using steam pressure to push water out of a mine was dangerous. Theo casually suggested that he find a way to pull the water. This simple spark gave the inventor the idea to create a piston system, which could be used to power pumps that pull the water out of the mines. However, Newcomen’s idea became popular and used for all sorts of new machines. Eventually, steam engines pulled railway cars carrying people and goods across entire continents. Theo never had the foresight to realize all the pollution and environmental damage this would cause.

Never one to learn from his mistakes, he helped Étienne Lenoir and then Nicolaus Otto with their engines. In similar meetings, Theo suggested that Lenoir burning fuel inside the engine would eliminate the need for huge water tanks. Soon after, the first internal combustion engine was created. Lenoir’s engine was inefficient, so Theo visited Otto who complained that too much energy was wasted. Theo joked that more fuel needed to be packed in. Otto realized he could compress the fuel before he ignited it, creating a more efficient machine. Of course, people caused more damage to the Earth with this new engine. At first, they just built new train engines and automobiles that replaced horses. More to Theo’s horror, people created machines of war. Tanks terrorized the land while planes terrorized the skies. War became more efficient. Theo was surprised that people had learned to fly. He later learned that Mr. Dalus had helped two brothers from Ohio build the flying machines.

The people were struggling again. They were fighting in their second great war. He heard of the horrific acts of the Germans. What troubled Theo even more was that he knew Easton Heff was working for them. He was worried that whatever weapon Heff could dream up would be the end of the human race. Theo reacted to this news rashly. He decided to help the Americans. They had stayed out of the war until provoked, so he thought they would best use his gift. The Americans had become an industrial giant. They were building tanks, planes, and ships at a pace never seen before. He realized they needed more power. Like before, he met with one of the American scientists. Theo mused about the limited energy of burning matter. If only there was a way to use the energy inside of matter. The scientist left the bar that night eager to work and some new ideas he had. Theo then awaited to see what the Americans would come up with. The power of steam and then the power of combustion changed the world, Theo was certain that the power of the atom would as well.

Theo anxiously awaited the announcement of a new power source using the power from within matter. All of his excitement vaporized along with the citizens of Hiroshima when the Americans dropped the first atomic bomb. Despair and desolation are too positive of words to describe what Theo felt. An anger burned in him. The scientist had talked of needing more energy. Theo never would have helped him had he known they were creating such a weapon. He decided he needed to confront the scientist.

He met the scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, in Los Alamos, the birthplace of the bomb. When the scientist saw Theo, he took off his hat and bowed his head in a mournful apology. Their discussion was brief. Theo expressed his rage and betrayal, “You were given a gift, but you’ve turned it into a curse. You have no idea of the power you have unleashed.”

Oppenheimer’s eyes glare. “Right now, I am the hero. Maybe the future will paint me differently. Better us to have won this race of destruction. We destroyed two cities. They would have destroyed so much more.”

Theo, unaccepting of his logic, “But with this power unleashed, how long will it be before others have it?”

“Lives were saved. The war had to end. I take no joy in my creation. I wish I could abandon it. Maybe the fear of this power unleashed will bring peace.”

“So far, people have advanced far faster at killing than at peace. I should have realized that sooner.”

They parted as kindred spirits joined by their remorse for the future they had created. Theo returned to the Caucasus Mountains where he had been imprisoned for so many years. The unbreakable chains created by Hephaestus still remained. Theo chained himself to the mountain and closed his eyes.

When his eyes opened, an imposing figure stood before him. Theo addressed the figure, “Zeus, I knew you would come.”

“Prometheus, you have learned nothing since you were freed. People are not to be trusted. They know only how to destroy and ruin.”

“I never wanted to believe you,” he replies with shame, “I only wanted to help them. They have so much potential.”

Zeus lowers his gaze and looks at him in pity as he answers, “You shaped them, Prometheus, you above anyone else, should know by now that they are a lost cause. You don’t have to do this. One way or another, they would have found a tool to destroy creation.”

“Unchained, I will only accelerate that destruction. As their creator, their nature is my nature. They do not truly foresee the consequences of their actions.”

“Very well. You’ve made your choice.” As he walks away, an eagle lands on the rocks and sets his eyes on his old friend.”