Sandecker contemplated the stubborn set of Francesca's jaw. “I firmly believe past is not only present but also future. It would help to know what lies ahead if you told us something about the events that led to your plane trip.”

Francesca stared into the distance as if she could see through time. “It goes back to my childhood. I became aware at a very early age that I come from a privileged background. Even as a girl I knew I lived in a city with appalling slums. As I grew older and traveled I learned that my city was a microcosm for the world. Here in one place were the haves and the have-nots. I also discovered that the difference between rich and poor nations is the earth's most plentiful substance: water. Fresh water lubricates development. Without water there is nothing to eat. With out food there is no will to live, to raise one's standard of living. Even the oil-rich countries use much of their petroleum revenues to buy or produce water. We take it for granted that when we turn on the tap water will flow, but that will not always be the case. The competition for water has become greater than ever.”

“The U.S. is no stranger to water disputes,” Sandecker said. “In the old days range wars were fought over water rights.”

“That will be nothing compared with the troubles of the future,” Francesca said darkly. “In this century wars will not be fought over oil, as in the past, but over water. The situation is becoming desperate. The world's water is strained by the population growth. There is no more fresh water on the earth than two thousand years ago when the population was three percent of its current size. Even without the inevitable droughts, like the current one, it will get worse as demand and pollution increase. Some countries will simply run out of water, sparking a global refugee crisis. Tens of millions of people will flood across international borders. It means the collapse of fisheries, environmental destruction, conflict, lower living standards.” She paused for a moment. “As people who deal with the ocean you must see the irony. We are facing a shortage on a planet whose surface is covered two-thirds with water.”

“Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink,” Austin said, quoting the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem.

“Precisely. But suppose the Mariner had a magic wand could wave over a bucket of seawater, changing it into fresh.”

“His ship would have survived.” “Now extend that analogy to millions of buckets.”

“The global water crisis would be over,” Austin said. “Nearly seventy percent of the world's population lives within fifty miles of the ocean.”

“Exactly,” Francesca said, her mood lightening.

“Are you telling me you have this magic wand?”

“Something almost as good. I have developed a revolutionary means to extract salt from seawater.”

“You must know that desalting is hardly a new concept,” Sandecker said.

Francesca nodded. “The extraction of salt from seawater goes back to the ancient Greeks. Desalination plants have been built around the world, including many in the Middle East. There are several methods, but all are costly. In my doctorate I proposed a radically new approach. I threw out all the old methods. My goal was a process that would be efficient and cheap, available to the poorest farmer trying to scratch a living from the dust. Think of the implications. Water would be nearly free. Deserts would be come centers of civilization.”