Timothy Keen

This is a first draft of the opening chapter. One look around the low-budget motel room told Leo that he was in trouble. Cheap artwork, probably from China, hung on dark walls dimly lit by table lamps. He was sitting on a wobbly desk chair turned so he could face the two agents accompanying him. The younger one, a tall woman in her thirties with dark hair, had flashed a badge that identified her as a federal marshal, when they appeared at his studio apartment in Baltimore. They had insisted he join them in their SUV. They’d driven for more than an hour before stopping at this dump, supposedly a safe house. It didn’t look very safe to him. The only exit from the second-floor room opened onto an exterior walkway. Not much security there. He wasn’t a high-value asset or adversary, but things hadn’t gone too well during his meeting with President Kraft. Despite his refusal to stop telling the truth, he apparently wasn’t considered public enemy number one. Only a discredited ex-NSA employee with a big mouth. Annoying enough to illegally detain in an undisclosed location – on a budget. He wondered if Ralph Weaver, the director of national security had sent them. Maybe Kraft herself or her minion, Djimon Walker. Ralph had told him about her paranoid tendencies. Yep. Leo was in big trouble. The microwave perched on top of the mini-refrigerator reminded Leo that he had been about to eat lunch when this adventure started. “Can I get something to eat? Maybe a frozen dinner? A Snickers bar from the vending machine ...?” The younger agent focused on her phone. The old guy, who looked at least fifty and always in a bad mood, retorted, “You can wait. We won’t be here long.” The woman looked up and said, “Lunch isn’t a problem, Roger. There’s a Mediterranean place down the street that delivers.” She turned to Leo and asked, “Do you have any cash? We don’t pay ... and you can’t use a credit card.” Leo pulled out the roll of twenties he always carried and peeled one off. “This should cover a protein bowl and a diet-Coke.” He got up and walked over to her as he added, “If it isn’t a security threat, do you mind if I ask your name? I know he’s Roger ...” He nodded towards the white guy, who was now frowning. “Logan,” she stated perfunctorily as she accepted the bill. Leo retook his seat and resumed pondering the meaning of the dabs of paint tossed at the canvas hanging in front of him while Roger and Logan made arrangements for lunch. After several more surveys of the drab room, noting the lingering fragrance of industrial cleaners, he was bored. “Did Ralph Weaver send you guys to pick me up?” Roger scowled and retorted, “We aren’t at liberty to discuss the mission at this time. You’ll get your answers ... later.” Leo scoffed. “Are you shitting me? I’ve had several meetings with Ralph ... I get it now, you were sent by President Kraft on another preemptive strike. Do you even know what I’m talking about?” The ensuing silence was broken only by the air conditioner turning on and the muted sound of afternoon traffic. He knew they were somewhere in northern Virginia because they’d crossed the Potomac River. They had taken his phone, so he couldn’t get his exact location. He chuckled at the thought of Adam showing up disguised as a delivery man, eliciting suspicious looks from his hosts. But what could Adam do if he were to intervene? Nothing. Adam Cooper was a professional assassin, not a freedom fighter or mafia hit man. In fact, it was possible that Adam had sent these two in order to save Leo’s life, but that didn’t make sense because he would have texted his plans, unless he suspected that Leo’s phone had been taken. No. There was no way Adam would show up. He’d been pretty clear about not doing anything to oppose Probation. Whatever else might be happening, Leo’s presence in this dive with two bodyguards was about his anti-Probation views. Logan sat on the queen-sized bed, leaving Roger the armchair by the window. He remained standing by the door, his attention fixed on his phone. Leo wondered what they were both doing with their phones: monitoring communications between different groups involved in the current operation; looking for airline tickets to fly Leo to a CIA black site in Turkey for enhanced interrogation; checking for updates from other members of the deep state; or playing video games. He risked glances to study their expressions for a hint of what was going on. Logan was laser focused, her slim fingers dancing across the miniature keyboard, probably playing a video game. Roger’s expression mirrored the biblical Abraham’s when he was told to sacrifice his son to God – grimacing, frowning, fist clinched, his arm imperceptibly jerking up and down. He was either getting bad news or watching a sports event – he looked like a basketball fan to Leo. This situation was a clusterfuck, no two ways about it. Either these clowns should have already silenced Leo or got him to someplace that was actually safe. But who would want to kill him? He didn’t have an answer to that, unless it might be a far-right, pro-Probation, evangelical group. The FBI was updating Agents Logan and Roger by the moment. Something was going down, and Leo was in the center of it. Blind as usual. A knock at the door interrupted his reflection. Roger put his phone away in an instant and patted his weapon, tucked into a shoulder holster, for assurance. He approached the door warily and opened it as far as the security chain allowed. Logan was on her feet, her weapon drawn as she moved to get a good look through the door’s slitted opening. A voice from outside stammered, “Hi. Delivery ... uh, I’m Bernard, well ... uh, I’ve never collected before, cash I mean, it’s a little weird but ...” There was a minute delay before Bernard continued, “The total is sixty-three seventy-seven, right? Oh ... for Roger, right?” Logan nodded at Roger, so he undid the security chain and opened the door slowly. He removed a thin wad of bills from his jacket pocket and said, “Here’s seventy. Keep the change –” The door burst open, propelling Roger into the coffee table. He lost his balance and fell backward, arms askew, the money floating in mid-air, as he struck the armchair and fell in a heap. Several shots rang out from Logan’s position at the bathroom door. A shadow slithered into the room at floor level, and a single soft retort sent Logan to the floor, firing wildly several more times before the pistol dropped from her limp hand. The shadow rose to human height and the pistol fired once at Roger, who was struggling to extract his own weapon from its shoulder harness. He fell back, eyes closed, the gun dropped to the thin carpet. Leo froze in his chair, waiting for the shot he wouldn’t hear, the bullet that would end his search for the truth about the Federation and the Primordials. The shadow materialized into a familiar shape and face. “Let’s go, buddy. We don’t have all day because the cops are already on their way.” Leo needed a minute to wrap his head around this. Adam had just killed two federal agents ... but why? Leo was in no danger, or at least not immediately. Why kill two people who were just doing their job? That was no different than when he’d killed two innocent NASA contractors for the sin of being the first to receive a message from the Federation. Anger exploded from his chest. “You fucking asshole! Why did you have to kill these guys? I guess you just get a kick from it, you sociopathic son of a bitch!” Adam went to Logan and felt her wrist. “She has a pulse. So does the other one, I’m sure. I shot them with a tranquilizer. No big deal. After my experience with Sukka and Gan, I won’t kill again except in self-defense. Got it?” Leo leaned over Roger and took his wrist, feeling a steady pulse. “We have to bug out ASAP!” His mind reeling, Leo followed Adam through the door, wondering if he was still working for President Kraft ... maybe the Chinese. They joined some other nervous residents on the balcony and pretended to be confused, as they made their way to a gas station next door. Adam led the way through some overgrown shrubs and stopped at a white sedan. He opened the rear passenger door and motioned for Leo to get in the front seat. Leo slid in and turned to the driver. “I was so worried about you, Leo. Your horoscope said you were in grave danger ...” Gan put the car in gear and continued as they sedately pulled onto the busy street. “I convinced Adam to save you –“ She looked into the rearview mirror and said to Adam, “Thank you so much. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, and our guardian angel. Don’t you think so, Leo?” Leo briefly felt like the luckiest man alive, having a friend like Adam and a girlfriend like Gan ... maybe she was more like a fiancee? Then the moment of feeling good was gone and he was on a fool’s errand, endangering Adam and Gan in his paranoid delusion. He turned halfway and started to thank Adam, but he was cut off by Adam. “No need to thank me. You’d have done the same thing, in fact you’re risking your freedom and life to try to save the world. I mean the Peacekeeper hasn’t stopped you, so maybe this is what you’re supposed to be doing, right? But I don’t think the same destiny applies to me, so I arranged for a berth for you two aboard a container ship bound for Venezuela –” “I have your passport and I packed a bag for us, Leo,” Gan interjected as they crossed the Potomac River into Maryland. “I’m coming with you.” The good feeling flickered, so he said, “I would kiss you but I don’t want to get in an accident. You’re the best, Gan, and I ... well, what I mean is that I have to get in touch with The Sons of Earth. I’d been avoiding it because they’re probably on the UN’s terrorist list. But you don’t need to come. There’s no reason for you to –” She smiled smugly and said, “Try to stop me.”

1. Leo Flores must save Earth from a galactic plague. 2. Life in the universe was catalyzed by a primordial entity that has no identity, personality, or memories. It has no objectives, but it enjoys being alive, occupying hosts and living vicariously through them. Once it had filled the Milky Way with life, it was attracted to the new life forms it had created. Unfortunately, this primordial force doesn’t create life on an inhabited planet; instead, it destroys life and moves on to the next source of life, like a moth drawn to a candle. The primordial has thus annihilated a galactic civilization that lasted a billion years. There is only one source of life left in the Milky Way – Earth. The primordial has concentrated on Earth, sharing the minds of humans, sometimes making them brilliant physicists or politicians, more often driving them insane. It cannot be seen, contacted, influenced, or coerced. Blind to its destructive effects, the primordial will go down with the sinking ship then drift into the universe and begin the cycle of regeneration and destruction again. No power in the galaxy can stop its relentless pursuit of feeling alive. 3. Peacekeeper; Beyond Space; Primordial 4. The Forge of God (Greg Bear, 1987) This is my best comparable book. It involves an Earth-threatening alien, as well as an alien savior. Both are robotic. Greg Bear focuses on the emotional journeys of his characters whereas, in “The Edge of Space”, I concentrated on their intellectual voyages. This story will turn more towards their conflicting feelings. However, there is no overt public threat to Earth in “Peacekeeper”; instead, looming total planetary death is not well known. Thus, my story is less about the world’s response to an imminent catastrophe than the uncertainty associated with the sudden appearance of the Federation. Coincidentally, neither Greg Bear nor I introduce the aliens; I don’t because they are extinct, represented by an artificial lifeform that turns out to be the true villain. I was surprised at the similarities (I read this after developing the concept of Peacekeeper). Spin (Robert Charles Wilson, 2005) is set in contemporary earth and involves the interference of machines to save civilizations on the verge of collapse. This is analogous to the Probation program offered to earth in "The Edge of Space" and implemented by the Peacekeeper after all life in the galaxy has been exterminated. 5. Leo Flores is certain that The Galactic Federation is a farce, and Earth is being colonized by a world-killing pathogen that can’t be stopped or contained. Humanity’s fate is in his hands with help from an extinct galactic civilization. 6. “Inner Conflict”: Leo is in love with a Primordial. He first met Madison when she was a human, with a Primordial symbiote; when Madison was killed, the Primordial took control of her body, keeping it alive and healthy. Leo and Madison fell in love and were pledged to be married, until she died suddenly from a massive stroke. He then meets her in a synthetic Madison body and she explains who (what) she is, while expressing her continuing love for him. His mental torture is increased when the Primordial admits that it is now hosted by a friend of Madison’s with her full support. The Primordial wants to live vicariously through Madison’s friend, and continue its relationship with Leo. With all of this emotional baggage, he also knows that the Primordials are colonizing Earth. That’s all background (developed in The Edge of Space). a. In this story he abandons and then betrays Gan (Madison’s friend and host of a Primordial), to whom he is engaged, because he can’t accept the idea of such an invasive symbiotic relationship with an invader and colonist. His mind is torn, and he soon severs every contact he has with society. He is eventually rescued by the Peacekeeper and learns that only he can save earth from annihilation, but he must do the one thing he cannot do: Leo must accept the Peacekeeper into his mind without reservation, so it can communicate with the Primordial using his bond with Madison. He has to let someone else speak directly to Madison through him; he won’t even be able to tell her he loves her. Will he finally be spiritually reunited with Madison? Yes, but he won’t know it consciously because, if he agrees to the Peacekeeper’s terms, he will be an emotional observer of what occurs. That’s the deal. He accepts it and is spiritually reunited with Madison. He makes up with Gan and everyone is happy ... b. “Secondary Conflict”: Leo is in conflict with society. He is a loner and has been expecting an apocalyptic end of civilization all his life. In this story, he must turn to his friends (after he has left Gan), who reject his wild speculation. He rejects the president’s direct threat of permanent incarceration and, when helped to escape custody, joins a violent, anti-Federation group. He suspects that they’re a front for the Primordials, collecting their opposition in one place for later extermination. He is alone. He is contacted by the Peacekeeper in an ironic twist: they are both alone, and they must become one, not only with each other, but with all Mankind – and their common, immortal adversary. This is the only way to resolve all the conflict: Leo and the Peacekeeper save the galaxy from annihilation; Leo is reunited with both Madison (the Primordial) and Gan (the human with a Primordial guest); Leo and the Peacekeeper accept Human civilization as the only hope for a future .. 7. There are many settings in this story. I’ll describe a few of them . The story opens in an executive office overlooking a park-like campus on a rainy day, then moves to Leo having an argument with his girlfriend, Gan Suwan, in a one-bedroom apartment in Baltimore, Maryland. The action takes place over breakfast at a small table, with an emphasis on coffee (theme introduced in “The Edge of Space”). He visits a friend (Adam Cooper) in Cadiz, southern Spain. They are sitting outside at a small coffee shop. There are people and cars passing by. He visits another friend in a penthouse apartment in New York City, where the conversation is centered on a video game introduced in “The Edge of Space”. They play the game and the scene becomes a 3D video game (a barren planet) in which they argue about Leo’s obsession with an invasion. Leo is incarcerated in a low-security prison where he interacts with several other “political” prisoners in the dining hall, exercise area, and kitchen areas. When he escapes, he travels on a cargo ship to South America, travelling through the Panama Canal. He joins “The Resistance” in Santiago, Chile. This is a warehouse with housing and workspaces separated by low walls. There are lots of people and he moves between different rooms, always on concrete floors. The focus here is on technology, maps, plans, strategy. The mood is anticipatory. Leo and Gan drive a stolen car through Santiago and stop on a narrow street. He buys a notebook computer and they go to a coffee shop, where he contacts Adam Cooper, who promises to get false passports for them. They go to a cheap hotel. One scene takes place in their room, which is furnished with a double bed, desk, and chair. There is also a desk lamp. The window looks out on an alley. Leo meets the Peacekeeper, which presents itself as an elderly man wearing a dark-blue suit but no tie. They are in a spacious office with a large window looking down on a planet similar to earth, but with less water. The penultimate scene is kaleidoscopic: Leo is on a subway; he is with Madison in her apartment; they are fighting in an arena with thousands watching; they are fighting together against a throng in a series of labyrinthine passages; they are making love; they are overwhelmed by a horde of apes in a jungle; they are lying together on a bed, exhausted from sexual activity. The final scene shows Leo and his friends in Larry’s penthouse, looking out on Manhattan