Day 5 to 10 were frustration and failure to the entire science team.
The first prototype was a disappointment.
The motor barely moved—a weak twitch of the armature before the entire circuit shorted out. The coil wasn't generating a strong enough magnetic field, and the electrical contacts kept burning out.
Emery exhaled slowly, staring at the still, useless machine on the workbench.
"We're missing something fundamental."
Callum, arms crossed, frowned at the blackened mess of overheated wires. "I think the problem's efficiency. Too much resistance means not enough current reaches the coil."
Lianfei adjusted her glasses. "That, and the commutator design is faulty. The contacts aren't switching the current properly."
Chen poked the smoking remains of the motor with a stick. "So in short… it sucks."
Feng sighed dramatically. "Another day, another explosion."
Emery ignored them, running a hand through his already-messy hair. They had proven that electricity could create motion, but turning that motion into something useful? That was another challenge entirely.
Then over the next five days, they started with the coil.
The existing windings were too loose, meaning energy was lost before it could generate strong motion.
Lianfei experimented with denser, tighter copper windings, wrapping the coil with precision, ensuring maximum current flow. Chen tested different metals, trying to find the best conductor.
On Day 15, they tried a new design. Callum flipped the switch. The motor twitched.
Then—it spun. Not much. Not fast. But it worked.
The entire team froze. The coil hummed, the armature turning steadily, weak but stable.
Emery exhaled, watching the spinning rotor. "We have motion."
Chen threw his arms up. "I take full credit for this."
Lianfei smirked. "You nearly electrocuted yourself five minutes ago."
"Exactly. Blood, sweat, and suffering went into this."
But even as the motor turned, problems remained.
The movement was weak—barely enough to move a small wheel. The commutator still sparked too much, and the wires heated dangerously fast.
Emery crossed his arms. "Not good enough. We need more power."
The motor needed stability. If it was going to be useful, it had to run continuously without burning out.
Lianfei proposed laminated iron cores—thin layers of iron stacked together to reduce energy loss from eddy currents. The result? Less heat, more efficiency.
Callum refined the commutator, ensuring that current switched precisely at the right moment to maintain smooth rotation. The biggest challenge? Speed and torque.
Right now, the motor spun, but it wasn't strong.
Feng, half-asleep on a stack of blueprints, mumbled, "Can't we just use more coils?"
The room fell silent. Emery's eyes widened.
"More coils… means more magnetic fields… which means more force."
They got to work.
On Day 22, they increased the coil count. The result? More speed.
On Day 23, they reinforced the commutator. The result? Less sparking, smoother rotation.
On Day 24, they tested the power output. The motor could now lift a small weight.
It wasn't just spinning anymore. It was doing work.
Callum wiped sweat from his forehead. "We have torque."
Emery grinned, watching the motor run steadily. "And that means we have power."
A spinning motor was a neat trick but a motor that could replace steam power?
That was world-changing.
Emery sat at the workbench, fingers tapping against the wood. "What can we use this for?"
Lianfei flipped through a list of industrial machines.
"Mills, presses, lathes… anything that runs on mechanical energy."
Callum nodded. "And it's safer than steam engines. No boilers, no explosions."
Chen leaned forward. "But can we make it strong enough?"
And so they started scaling up.
On Day 30, they built a larger motor, doubling the size of the coil and increasing current flow.
It spun with twice the power. Day 32, they attached it to a simple pulley system. The motor lifted a five-pound weight.
On Day 34, they refined the design again. The motor now ran continuously for two hours without overheating.
By Day 35, they had a working prototype that could power a small mechanical press.
Emery watched as the press stamped a metal plate with precision.
It was the first electrically powered machine.
Callum let out a low whistle. "Steam engines just became almost obsolete."
Emery didn't respond right away. He simply exhaled, staring at the motor as it hummed steadily on the workbench.
Not with excitement. Not with pride. With regret.
Because this wasn't just an invention. This was erasing Layla's last creation.
The steam engine—the one she had designed, perfected, and left behind before she died—had been the pinnacle of engineering. A machine that had the power to reshape industry. Her machine.
And now, he had just made it obsolete.
Lianfei noticed his silence first. "Emery?"
He ran a hand through his hair, voice quieter than usual.
"Layla's steam engine was supposed to be the next era of progress. She spent years refining it, improving efficiency, making it something that could change the world."
His fingers tapped against the workbench. "And here we are… making it useless in a month."
The room was silent.
Callum sighed, leaning against a crate. "That's the cost of invention, isn't it? Someone builds something incredible, only for the next breakthrough to bury it."
"I know." Emery exhaled, shaking his head. "But it was hers. And I just—" He stopped himself.
Layla was gone. And now, even her greatest invention wouldn't stand the test of time.
Feng, for once, didn't crack a joke. "Doesn't mean her work was useless."
Chen nodded. "Engines evolve, but they don't vanish. If she hadn't created it first, would we have even gotten here?"
Lianfei adjusted her glasses. "You're not erasing her, Emery. You're carrying on what she started. She wanted a better future, didn't she?"
Emery sighed again. "Yeah. She did."
He looked at the motor, watching it turn with quiet, effortless precision.
Layla had built the foundation. And now, he had built what came after.
But was he ready to leave her invention behind?
With now the creation of a functioning electrical motor, they were about to merge the dynamo with the electric motor
The first step? Making Layla's steam-powered dynamo more efficient.
"The problem with Layla's system," Emery explained, rolling out blueprints, "is that it's losing energy at every stage. The steam engine converts fuel into motion, which then spins the dynamo to generate electricity. Each step wastes energy.
But if we integrate an electric motor directly into the system, we can reduce that loss—meaning higher efficiency with less fuel."
Callum frowned. "So, instead of just using steam to generate electricity, we use electricity to assist the steam engine?"
Emery nodded. "Exactly. Instead of the dynamo working alone, the electric motor will work alongside it—stabilizing the rotation, reducing friction losses, and generating more consistent power."
Lianfei adjusted her glasses. "We'll need a way to regulate the energy flow. If the steam pressure fluctuates, the motor needs to compensate, or it'll short-circuit."
Feng snorted. "Translation: if we mess this up, the whole thing might explode."
Chen groaned. "Why is everything we make always one step away from killing us?"
Emery ignored them, already sketching modifications. "We'll need to improve three things:
First the dynamo efficiency: Reduce friction and resistance in Layla's generator to waste less mechanical energy.
Then, Hybrid Energy Control: Create a switching mechanism that lets the motor assist the steam engine when needed but stop when unnecessary.
Finally, Voltage Stabilization: Ensure the system doesn't overload when power demand fluctuates.
The first major issue was mechanical friction. Emery's original dynamo used a simple belt system to transfer motion, but belts slip over time, causing energy loss.
Emery replaced it with a gear-driven system, ensuring:
- More stable torque transfer
- Less slippage and wasted movement
- More consistent electrical output
Once installed, they ran a test.
The old system had 50% efficiency—half the energy was wasted due to friction and slippage.
With gears? 72% efficiency.
Lianfei raised an eyebrow. "That's a massive jump."
Chen crossed his arms. "Still not perfect, but hey—less of a fire hazard."
The next challenge? Making the motor and steam engine work together.
Lianfei proposed a relay-based control system:
- If the steam engine slows down, the motor provides a boost.
- If the steam engine runs at full power, the motor shuts off to avoid wasting electricity.
Callum frowned. "So, we're making the first automatic power regulator?"
Emery smirked. "Exactly. The motor will only assist when necessary, preventing energy waste."
They built a basic electromechanical switch, using the relay to detect steam pressure levels.
If steam pressure drops, the relay activates the motor to keep rotation stable. If pressure is normal, the relay cuts power to avoid excess strain.
Test run? Successful.
Chen blinked. "So the machine… self-regulates?"
Feng whistled. "That's creepy. But also kind of genius."
The biggest hurdle? Ensuring the system didn't overload.
Layla's dynamo had voltage fluctuations—the power output wasn't stable enough for delicate applications. A sudden surge could fry circuits, while a drop would kill the motor.
"We need a capacitor" Lianfei said.
"Something to smooth out the electrical flow."
After testing multiple materials, they built a basic capacitor system using layered copper plates. This will absorb excess charge during surges then release stored energy when voltage dropped and keep the motor running smoothly
The new hybrid system ran 40% more efficiently than before, using less coal and producing more power.
The upgraded steam-electric hybrid was finally ready.
Emery stood at the workbench, hand on the switch.
"Layla's engine was great," he murmured. "This will make it even better."
With a deep breath, he powered it on.
The steam engine roared to life, pistons pumping, the dynamo spinning. But this time—when the load increased, the electric motor kicked in seamlessly.
The result? Faster startup, more stable power output and Lower fuel consumption
Callum leaned against the wall, watching the machine hum smoothly.
"So… we just made the world's first hybrid power system!?"
Emery exhaled, rubbing his face. "Yeah. We did."
Lianfei smiled slightly. "You didn't erase her work, Emery. You just made it… evolve."
He didn't answer. Because this time, he didn't have to.
Layla's engine wasn't obsolete. It had become something greater.
The Next Hurdle: Telegraphs and Lightbulbs
With the hybrid system complete, new problems awaited.