Eyes in This World

By Ray Melnik

Five humans and one AI are on an extraordinary mission to unlock the secrets of the cosmos. It takes the one among them least able to experience it, to help them understand. In what might be their final chance to unlock the collective knowledge of an alternate reality, they choose compassion for a friend. Five people searching science for the answer; but all of them were finding it within themselves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491707753

Ray Melnik

Just before college, Ray won first place in the National Pen Women Competition for his fictional short story, Distinction, as well as winning second place in the New York Best of City - The Written Word. While attending college, Ray Melnik's course on existential literature opened a whole new world for him with the study of writers such as Sartre and Camus. He pursued a musical career as a singer and lyricist, after leaving college. In the early 1980s he was the lead singer for One Hand Clap and then Fine Malibus, with Steve Stevens, current guitarist and song writer for Billy Idol. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Ray was engineer and co-owner of MANNIK Productions, a recording studio in the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Staten Island, New York. In addition to lyrics, Ray, wrote a monthly column about pro audio for a music trade magazine, American Liverpool. Later moving into the field of technology as a network engineer and then architect, he wrote for the technology panel of a regional newspaper, Times Herald Record, and was the primary writer of articles based on home technology for the website New Technology Home. Ray currently works as a Senior Network Architect in New York City, New York. Previous books: THE ROOM - novel 2007 TO YOUR OWN SELF BE TRUE - novel 2009 BURNISHED BRIDGE - novella 2010 EYES IN THIS WORLD - series ending novel 2013

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Copyright © 2013 Ray Melnik.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The author photograph was done by ntech media design

The cover art was done by Elysium Eight (London) 9.10.2013%20E8%20Logojpg.jpg

The novel is set in Monroe, Washingtonville, Salisbury Mills, Cornwall, Newburgh and Tuxedo Park, New York, in the lower Hudson Valley. The specific places and people in this novel are fictitious. All other landmarks and locations described in this novel are real.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-0776-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-0775-3 (e)

iUniverse rev. date: 09/11/2013

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Prologue Eyes In This World

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

For Angelina; whose friendship enriched my life more than can be measured, and when I needed it most.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks to Danielle Shaw for her creative editing.

Thanks to a silent friend who assisted in the final proofing.

For my children, and the inspiration they give me when writing about the characters love for theirs.

Thanks to Sara for helping me understand that all things are still possible.

Thanks to ntech media design for the author photo.

To Ingrid Michaelson whose songs continue to set the mood for scenes before writing them.

Thanks to Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Brian Greene and Leonard Susskind, whose science writings influenced the grains of truth embedded in the fiction.

PROLOGUE

EYES IN THIS WORLD

As Carl Sagan said, For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love. This has been in the center of all the stories of this series. Without love, life is an exercise void of color. With it, we are given the greatest gift that life can offer. Whether it is the passionate love between two people, the love for our children, or the love we feel for our closest friends, there is no more powerful force in the universe. Nothing touches us more. Nothing holds more value.

In THE ROOM we witnessed the love that Harry had for his daughters. We watched him struggle to find his self-worth again after a divorce, and meet a woman who helped him find it. In TO YOUR OWN SELF BE TRUE we saw a young woman, Kaela, searching for her it in life; that which will make her happy, and a father who reached through the void to show her what he believed was most important. In BURNISHED BRIDGE we saw a man who believes we are the way for the universe to know itself. He risked everything at the loss of love, but the universe had different plans.

In Eyes In This World, love is once again at the center of the story. We learn that that there is no force in any reality more powerful. Five humans and one AI are on an extraordinary mission to unlock the secrets of the cosmos. It takes the one among them least able to experience it, to help them understand. In what might be their final chance to unlock the collective knowledge of an alternate reality, they choose compassion for a friend. Five people searching science for the answer, but all of them were finding it within themselves.

CHAPTER ONE

Friday June 24th, 2022

It would feel strange working during the weekend, but the following day, we’d have tests to run before opening the rift on Sunday. It disturbs my nature, just as it would when I stray from my normal hours. Nonetheless, I had to force myself, and I had even come in at 6:30 AM on this particular day, a substantial half hour earlier than normal. Kaela had been great—given all she’d been going through. The saying goes, ‘Leave your personal problems at the door’, but for her, the worst of those problems had begun within those walls. Despite what I had put her father through in the past, and with Rael’s accident, she was weathering it all fairly well. She was only human, though, and I could see in her eyes how much she missed being with him. Dario still blamed himself for the accident, but it was the cheap clip on Rael’s safety harness that had caused his fall. It was an IC&P lowest bid contract, no doubt. But they were now paying with daily therapy for his leg and sessions to help him regain his memory of the last couple of years of his life. In the few months since it had happened, he’d been staying back with his family. It was hard for Kaela to visit him when he looked at her as if he didn’t know her, and I could see the frustration in Rael’s face as he’d try so hard to remember. I’d seen Kaela outside, standing, just staring across the wetlands at the house where he was.

I would never tell Kaela, but sometimes I felt relieved to see it affect her. Healthy is a heart that still feels pain. Once we’re numb to it all, it’s over. Whether or not Rael regained his memory, she would be there for him once he was ready to work again. He had fallen in love with her once. He would fall in love with her again.

I’d been silent about the good things happening with Danielle, Max and me. I felt guilty being so happy, but I’d cringe thinking that it almost hadn’t happened. I couldn’t imagine what my world would be like without Danielle and Max. The previous sixteen years of my life had been better than I could have ever hoped for. And, in two days, I would get to thank the man who had changed my life. At least, I hoped my doppelganger was following a parallel timeline, and that he’d be there when the rift was opened. Danielle was my love and my life, and I had so much to tell Kyle, so much to thank him for.

In reflective moments, I’d think of how incredibly strange it was; almost like a dream. It was the little voice on my shoulder, squared. This next meeting would have an automated data transfer, but I still felt a little selfish that in conversation; I wanted to speak less about science and more about life. We’re all two people inside, whether we are willing to admit it or not. One part of us refuses to do something then ten minutes later, we’re doing it. I had faced that other side.

I met my doppelganger using Stasis in June of 2006, when I had been attempting to develop a new source of renewable energy using a regenerative field. What I succeeded in doing was opening a rift between two realities. On the few days leading up to it, all of the data indicated that the field had formed, but without the projected outer skin. The electron cloud still cleared, and the electrons registered as being at two locations in space-time, but I couldn’t make the outer shell. On the day before I was successful, I had been able to keep the field resonating for twelve minutes, but there was still no outer shell. By that evening, I had reached my physical limit and had no choice but to go home and rest.

Wednesday June 14th, 2006

I woke. It was still dark out. The clock read 4:13 AM. I realized I’d been working on the problem in my sleep, and had stumbled upon what could be the answer. Although I was anxious to know if it would work, I still took the time to shower and shave before leaving.

With the roads so empty at this early hour, it didn’t take me long to get there. When I approached the gates at SciLab, I was fumbling to find my ID. I rarely entered this early, so I had never met the overnight guard. I pulled up slowly.

I’m Kyle Trace. Just give me a moment to locate my ID.

I know who you are, Dr. Trace. I see your photo in the company newsletter all the time. Go right in.

The building ahead was obscured by the dark clouds shrouding the moon. The light turned on when I parked in my space out front. I felt anxious as I touched my ID to the sensor on the door. I thought about all the scientists who worked their whole lives without ever making a difference.

There was dead silence in the lab—until I powered up the equipment. The screens displayed running diagnostics, and when all systems passed, the panel flashed rows of green. Once I reviewed the startup logs, I entered the new settings, but this time, there seemed to be symmetry in the numbers. I clicked the link to start the sequence.

I heard two low sounds winding up in pitch as the guidance and acceleration fields attempted to synchronize. Once the optimum levels were reached the first time, the center burst into light, but this time with solid delineation. A dark grey hole formed in the center and then flashed off. As the system attempted to synchronize again, I jumped into the chair, punching away at additional adjustments. The brief readings from the shell pattern showed it to be void of harmonic overtones. I introduced low wave harmonics and they filled the lines between the spikes.

When it reached optimum levels the second time, it burst into the large dark hole encased in the photoelectric shell. This time it settled into a sustained regenerative loop and power consumption dropped to zero.

It was absolutely beautiful. As I approached to take a closer look, the dark hole gave way to what for a moment seemed to be a reflection of the lab and me. But I shuddered when I realized that it wasn’t a reflection at all; my counterpart wore different clothes. When I moved, he remained still.

Amazing, the voice from inside said. Who are you?

Dr. Kyle Trace. Who are you, I asked?

Ditto, he said, and stared into my lab as if he were looking into a storefront window. This didn’t happen last time.

Last time? This was the first time for me, I said.

From the Kyle within: I achieved resonance six months ago, but it contained nothing but vacuum.

You’re already doing trial runs?

"I was exploring the quantum properties of the field surface. This is unexpected . . ."

I’ll open the rift again so our colleagues can see. I’ll reproduce it.

Not for some time. Check your metal integrity monitor. If yours is like mine, the shaft will be disintegrating. It took me months to rebuild the unit. Based on the rate of deterioration, we have 17 minutes left before the hole destabilizes.

And if I shut it down?

It won’t respond. This ride is one ticket per build.

But, for those 17 minutes, we can compile data and talk! I said. "I have so many questions. We can examine what we record later. Do you live on Croton Hill like I