"What do you mean, 'His nose won't stop bleeding?'" "Just what I said. Won't stop."

"Well, it'll stop when he dies."

"Sure, except he doesn't seem to be suffering from blood loss. He's doing fine, except the blood keeps coming."

"You have him on fluids and iron, then?"

"Nothing. We're feeding him, sure, but the blood doesn't stop, and we're not seeing any of the health effects we'd expect."

"So, this guy just has an unlimited supply of blood? Pull the other one."

"Also no. We tried taking some from a vein, and he showed typical effects of blood loss after a pint and a half. But we've collected more than twenty pints from his nose since we started observation. It's like his nose just creates blood. It's starting to strain our capacity for medical waste disposal."

"Isn't there something else we can do with it?"

"We've looked into blood donation, but it's not uncontaminated enough. We're looking into options for decontamination. Someone suggested use in food, but it'd never make it past inspectors."

"Crazy. So, now what?"

"We were hoping you'd tell us."

"I have no idea."

"Damn."

"I'm kidding. This guy solves the energy crisis. Build a reservoir for the blood, mix in anticoagulants, and let it run a turbine."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Let the physics wonks tell us why this can't break the Laws of Thermodynamics. Until then, try it. Build a prototype. Measure all energy used to feed him and compare it to everything derived from his nose-generator."

"What about his personal freedoms? At some point, he'll figure this isn't on his behalf any more."

"He can't very well go about his daily life with blood pouring out his nose. Give him a sexy paycheck and all the amenities he can take advantage of. Bring some ladies in here--"

"Why does everyone assume the sticking point will be ladies?"

"Because it always is. Or guys, whatever. But keep him happy, and this man's nose will get us off foreign oil."