The Edge of Time

By Mike Middleton

Kate and Luke who run a roadhouse in remote Central Australia are finding it hard to attract staff when a stranger turns up. Knowing little more than his name, and the fact that he is physically strong, they employ Thomas as a casual worker to help with cleaning, gardening and serving in the store. While Thomas does the work well, Kate finds him enigmatic. He is good with numbers, but poor with spelling. His knowledge is limited but he learns quickly. He seems nave but asks deep questions.

On the other side of the world, in Saint Petersburg, Russian ex-cosmonaut and university lecturer Viktor Kamensky is challenged by Toby, one of his overseas students to break out of the reclusive life he had been living since the death of his wife and unborn child eight years earlier. With Tobys encouragement, he attends a reunion in Prague and agrees to speak at a summer conference in Hobart, Tasmania.

Meanwhile, Kates daughter Ruth comes home on university vacation, meets Thomas and develops a friendship with him. She encourages him to spread his wings and share his ideas more widely. Thomas scans the Internet for conferences and finds an early photograph of Viktor Kamensky whose appearance is almost identical with his own. This catches him off guard and he tells Ruth that he is a clone of Viktor, grown on another planet, and on a mission to Earth. Ruth is distressed. Has she fallen in love with a man who is mentally ill? She devises a plan to prove to Thomas that his similarity to Viktor Kamensky is coincidental, and that he must learn to overcome his delusional tendencies.

Ruth travels with Thomas to Hobart. They meet Viktor Kamensky and a critical set of challenges emerge, challenges that have the potential to change the way humans live their life on planet Earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jan 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479761937

Book preview

The Edge of Time

Mike Middleton

Copyright © 2013 by Mike Middleton.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-800-618-969

www.Xlibris.com.au

[e-mail]

502363

Contents

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

To Declan, Thomas, Toby, James, Jessica, Lachlan and Matthew

whose generation has the world in its hands.

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge:

• Leigh Middleton, my son, who, with me, conceived this novel as we drove through Central Australia,

• Andrew Manley, whose intelligence helped frame the story,

• Mike Buist, whose pragmatic realism kept my feet on the ground as I developed the plot,

• Glenn Pullen who encouraged me throughout.

Others who lent support included Kay Pallett, Helen Jewell, and especially my wife Helen.

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

. . .

And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;

And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things…

(Gerard Manley Hopkins, God’s Grandeur)

‘To return to mother Earth after a mission to the space station is a joy beyond words but I feel as if I have left part of my spirit, part of my very being, forever among the stars.’

(Viktor Kamensky, Russian Cosmonaut)

‘Welcome to the bio-cosmic research seminar,’ said Dileon, the chair for the gathering.

The fifteen researchers stopped their informal talking and settled expectantly, their blue limbs nestling comfortably into the padded grooves of their soft furniture.

‘We are gathered to hear the latest report from our frontier team which has been researching the planets of nearby stars. Commander Nashada has agreed to present the findings of the team. We will then be suggesting some further action and seeking volunteers.’

‘Thank you, Dileon,’ said the commander, sliding smoothly into the illuminated area.

‘This research report is about K 143/3, the third planet of a medium-size star situated at fifty-five cryons distance from here in sector alpha thirteen. The research is in two parts. The first is a literature search and the second a recent field visit.’

The commander paused and activated a three-dimensional holograph of K 143/3. There was a murmur of admiration from the group.

‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ Nashada continued.

One of the researchers pressed a limb groove button, and a light flashed briefly.

‘Kyopi, do you have a question or a comment?’

‘Sorry to interrupt, Nashada. Is the focus on this planet because of its beauty or is it a random choice?’

‘Thanks for the question, Kyopi. No, it’s not random. I’ll explain.’

Nashada switched off the image and paused, taking a deep breath.

‘Let’s begin with the literature search. As some of you know, K143/3 is the third planet we have found that has signs of life. K143/3 was first observed by one of our drones about 200 of its orbits past. We saw that its pattern of life was different from the other two planets. Like those two planets, it had primary life forms that got energy directly from the light of its star. But it had secondary life forms too, like here on Lanretia. These life forms rely on the primary forms because they can’t use light directly. Any questions at this stage?’

‘Yes, Nashada. I’m new to this. From space, how does the drone detect secondary life forms?’

‘Legna, the cameras on the first drone recorded large creatures moving in the oceans and evidence of linked colonies on the land surface.’

Nashada waited to see if there were any further questions. There were none.

‘Now we come to the heart of the matter. This is the only planet we have found resembling ours. Its history may teach us something about ourselves. We have just sent another drone to K143/3. The planet has changed dramatically. Where there was no radio wave activity in the initial probe, the second one found a complex set of transmissions. Where there was initially no evidence of any activity outside the planet’s atmosphere, now there are machines in orbit. Visually, there were obvious changes. The atmosphere was less transparent in places. The secondary colonies were illuminated on the night side. Visuals of the daytime side showed a significant degradation in the pattern of primary forms. Because the secondary forms rely for their existence on the primary forms, we are deeply concerned about the causes of the degradation, not only for that planet but potentially for ours too.’

The light moved back to Dileon.

‘Thanks, Nashada. The purpose of this seminar is to seek volunteers who will investigate K143/3 and report back to us. Who is interested?’

Chapter 1

It wasn’t the early morning desert chill that surprised Thomas most. They had warned him about the cold and had trained him to cope with it. Nor was it the lightness he felt in his barefooted step—his work on the centrifuge had prepared him well. What threw him was the space. As the planet turned to the east, the Earth-sun emerged into the paling blue horizon, revealing an endless expanse of flat red desert. Low tufts of spiky grey-green grass threw pointy shadows to the west on the red earth that was luminous against the purple sky. The time sling had delivered him pre-dawn to the east of the sealed highway, and he was now striding southwards along the road’s western edge.

Stopping, he looked towards the western horizon. The Earth-sun warmed his naked back. He saw the long shadow he cast across the desert surface. He had never seen such sharp shadows. He felt a strange mixture of fear and elation. The fear was of the unknown. Despite all his training, there was so much he had to learn. The last quarter of his life had been directed towards this day. There was now a new meaning and even the chance of being an insider rather than an outsider. While he carried his secret, though, he knew that being a true insider would be impossible. In order to carry out his mission, he had to keep a part of himself away from others. Thomas kept looking around. He had the eerie feeling that he was being watched. But he could see nothing except desert.

They had given him a recording device. It was a tiny chip, just under the skin inside his collarbone. He could switch it on by hunching his shoulder. They would be able to listen to it when he returned. He stopped and voiced his first entry.

Day One. On the planet. The injection wore off, and it felt good, like someone was with me at first. Walking now. No humans yet. Very different. Can see a very long distance. Easier to walk. End.

Thomas knew there would soon be vehicles moving along the road. He had seen them on the visuals, but he was, nevertheless, apprehensive. How would people view him? His trainers had assured him that he was a very acceptable human being—tall, well built, and handsome. He’d had his head hair cut short and his facial hair shaved. However, he was naked. They had told him they hadn’t dared clothe him for fear of exposing him to questions he wouldn’t be able to answer. There was no way they could duplicate the cotton or wool or synthetics that were manufactured on Earth, and they did not want to risk the chance that humans might discover and analyse the clothing. What they hadn’t told Thomas was that they were also uncertain about the effect the transfer might have on his mind. They believed if he said he had come from another planet, humans would treat him as deluded unless there was some evidence. And clothes could be that evidence. They knew, as did Thomas, that the nakedness could be a problem. But Thomas was quite relaxed about it. Lanretians didn’t wear clothes. Apart from recent pre-mission practices, he’d never worn clothes before either, and he didn’t believe humans wore clothes all the time. Why would they? It wasn’t always cold. In any case, he felt sure that he’d quickly be able to find some Earth clothes to wear.

He stood watching the colours change as his part of the planet turned further towards the Earth-sun. He wondered at the freshness of the air and how it filled his lungs, making him a little light-headed. He was struck by the wonder of it all. He hadn’t expected the sky to be so blue. He hadn’t expected to be able to see so far across the surface. The atmosphere was unbelievably transparent and the colours clear-edged, like crystal. He turned to face eastwards where the Earth-sun was now above the horizon. He made the mistake of looking directly at it. Gasping in pain, he covered his eyes. It took him a few minutes to be able to see clearly again. He made a mental note.

Apart from his own breathing and the earlier padding of his feet, he hadn’t been conscious of any sound, but now he heard a drone in the sky above his head. Looking up, he saw ahead of the sound two thin white clouds spearing towards the north. Focusing on the leading edge, he could see the jet. It was the first sign of human life. It must be flying from somewhere like Adelaide perhaps to Darwin or beyond. He had studied the geography well in theory. Now it meant something in practice.

Suddenly, he realised he was not alone. The hairs on his neck tingled as he sensed a presence to his right. He turned slowly. A fur-covered creature nearly as tall as him was stood looking at him. Thomas wasn’t sure what to do.

‘Good morning,’ he said.

The kangaroo tilted its head quizzically and bounded away. Thomas frowned briefly and then, relieved, allowed himself a chuckle. He resumed his silent walk southwards, moving in long, easy strides. The landscape changed little, except that there were now some low bushes here and there. He knew from his briefings that the land was like this for hundreds of kilometres in every direction. He saw rare signs of animal life. There were some birds in the distance, to the southwest. A small creature reared itself on the road in front of him. He stopped and peered at it. He’d learnt about reptiles and seen them on visuals, but the reality evoked a fleeting panic; he was no longer in the comfort zone of passive observer and learner. Now it was real. How should he react? His uncertainty was resolved when the lizard slithered away into the desert.

It was getting warmer. There was no breeze. The road ahead of him was a long grey narrowing ribbon, stretching as far as the eye could see. Where the road met the horizon, he could see shimmering as the planet’s surface began to warm, and the resulting heat currents disturbed the atmosphere. Then, in the shimmer, he saw movement, a change. Was there something on the road? It looked like a small black square. He slowed to look at it more carefully. The road was definitely changing. The shimmering square was growing larger. He stopped completely and listened. Yes, he could hear a vehicle. He had anticipated this first meeting with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Despite all his preparation, he wasn’t sure what to do. Would they stop and talk to him? If so, he felt his English language would be good enough to understand a simple conversation at least.

He stood by the road waiting. As it approached, he realised it was moving very fast. It was dark blue, shaped like the cars he’d seen on the visuals. When it got closer, the driver slowed down. There were people in the car. They wound the windows down and made signs with their fingers as they passed. They yelled words he’d not heard before. ‘Dickhead.’ ‘Weirdo.’ ‘Poofter.’ Thomas waved at them and forced a smile. They continued, speeding up and sounding their horn. Thomas felt disappointed and uneasy. Day One. Seen my first humans. In vehicles. Going fast. I do not like the first contact. I am walking further away from the road now. End.

He knew from his briefings that by the time the Earth-sun was high in the sky, he would come to a settlement where there would be humans who were not in vehicles. That would be the real test of his English.

During the next hour, there were other vehicles. Two that came from the north were long trucks divided into sections. They were travelling fast and didn’t slow down, but they did sound their horns. Another smaller, slower moving red truck with cargo on its tray passed him, but he wasn’t sure whether anyone in it had seen him. Two large chunky-looking cars came from the south. Thomas later learnt that such cars were called ‘four-wheel drives’. Neither stopped, though one did sound its horn, and the people shouted something to him that he didn’t recognise.

As the Earth-sun rose higher in the sky, he began to get tired. He was sweating a lot. And he was thirsty. The rocky surface was becoming uncomfortably hot even on the well-hardened soles of feet that had trekked for days during his training. At his briefing, they had told him about the small settlement to the south. It was a roadside supply station. They couldn’t translate him any closer to it because of the fear of the operation being observed. He began to worry that the settlement was so far away that he would be dangerously tired by the time he got there. He was confident the humans there would have water and food that they would share with him. And maybe clothes! He was beginning to understand why humans wore clothes, at least out here. The sunlight he was used to was nothing like this. He figured he had at least another hour to walk.

Then he saw it. The red truck that had passed him earlier was parked in a turnout bay beside the road. He would have to walk right past it. Day One. Human close. I will need to talk. End.

Chapter 2

The August morning was cold in St Petersburg. Wakened by his alarm clock, Viktor opened one eye and looked at the time. Six fifteen. The sun wasn’t up yet. Frowning, he asked himself why so early. His first lecture on a Wednesday wasn’t until 11 a.m. As he reached to reset the alarm, he remembered Toby. He lay back and groaned. Toby was a young Australian student, who had come to the Aerospace University for four months to work with Viktor on a doctorate. In the three weeks he’d been there, Toby had impressed Viktor with his intellect and his work ethic. Beyond that, Toby’s tendency to be overfamiliar had invaded Viktor’s personal space and challenged his privacy. Viktor recalled their conversation over drinks in the common room the previous evening.

‘You look pretty fit, Viktor. How do you workout?’

‘Oh, I go to the gym, and I sail quite often.’

‘Here?’

‘Yes, on our river, the Neva.’

‘What about in the winter? Doesn’t it freeze over?’

‘Yes, it does for a few months. What about you, Toby? What is your exercise in Australia?’

Toby grinned as he swirled the ice in his vodka.

‘We swim a lot. But it’s warmer in Townsville. Here, I jog most mornings.’

‘Jog?’

‘Yes, there’re great places to run in the morning, before the traffic gets heavy. I run through the park and beside the canal down to the river. It’s when I love St Petersburg the most.’

‘It sounds good.’

‘It is. Why don’t you give it a try, Viktor?’

‘I will think about it.’

‘OK, how about I drop round in the morning to see if you want to come?’

Viktor couldn’t remember actually agreeing. However, some minutes later, as Toby left, he threw a ‘see you at seven then’. Before Viktor could respond, Toby was gone.

The knock came at exactly seven o’clock. Viktor opened the door and was greeted by Toby, cheerful and obviously rearing to go.

‘Good morning, Viktor. All set?’

‘All set,’ nodded Viktor.

He was not used to being treated so informally by his students. As he followed Toby down the stairs and on to the street, he couldn’t make up his mind. Were all Australians like this? Part of him wanted to keep Toby at a distance. His normal routine and predictable life was being upset by the brashness of this young man. Yet in other ways, he found the experience liberating. As they entered the park, Viktor’s long strides kept him effortlessly beside Toby. The trees in the park were side-lit by the rising sun, and there was freshness in the air. Viktor wondered why he hadn’t done this before.

They emerged from the park, crossed a road, and ran along a pathway that snaked through the grassy verge of a canal. A morning mist rose from the water. They passed a young mother helping her toddler feed bread to some swans, while her younger child slept nearby in a pram. They ran on, beneath some pine trees. Toby’s paces were shorter than Viktor’s, and his breathing was getting a little laboured. Viktor began to feel pleased. As if he read Viktor’s mind, Toby made a breathless comment.

‘Jeez Viktor, for someone who doesn’t jog, you’re pretty fit.’

Viktor smiled and quickened his pace ever so slightly to rub in the advantage.

Suddenly, they heard a series of screams behind them. Viktor stopped and turned to see what was happening. He saw Toby sprinting back along the path. Viktor could see what looked like a pram floating in the water. The young woman was standing on the edge screaming hysterically. As Viktor ran back along the path, he saw Toby dive into the water. The woman continued to wail. A small group of people gathered. Toby came up for breath and dived again. Moments later,