Twin Earth

Chapter 30

"Wait? Wait for what? Surely the time to do something is now?" I remarked in surprise.

"We must wait for the knowledge givers to return. They will know what to do."

"This is ridiculous," I moaned, turning around and rubbing my forehead in frustration. "Are you hearing this?" I asked Rachel, walking over to her. She had gone to look at one of the many screens covered in diagrams and equations and had a puzzled expression on her face.

"Heard what?" she mumbled, without looking up.

"These people refuse to do anything about the sphere decaying. They want to wait for the aliens who created it to come and rescue them. I thought you said these people were smart?"

"Even if we do fix it Tom, it doesn't mean we can get home," Rachel replied, finally looking up. "Have you seen this?"

"What is it?"

"These diagrams. I think they are of this planet. Look, here is Mochuvia and the sphere surrounding it, but look at this," Rachel replied, pointing to a dark mass in one corner that had various equations surrounding it.

"The void?" I suggested.

"That's what I thought, but these equations suggest it's a black hole, but... there's something odd about the maths."

"What are you saying?"

"I think it's calculating the effects of a black hole when there doesn't seem to be one there, but why didn't they tell us what they had discovered. Why say to us they don't know what is beyond the void? It doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe they don't understand their own maths," I quipped, but Rachel frowned. "No, I think they know alright and they're just not telling us, but why?"

"Well, let's find out shall we?" I replied, marching back over to Apo sat at his table.

"No, Tom, wait. That's not what I meant," Rachel pleaded, trying to catch up and shaking her head as I sat down in front of Apo and proceeded to stare at him whilst he was eating a bowl of very red-looking peppers mixed into something that looked like rice.

"So, when were you going to tell us about the black hole?" I asked Apo.

"Tom, do you have to be so rude?" Rachel moaned, sitting down to join us. "I'm sorry Apo, Tom is just..."

"No, it is okay Rachel. Tom is like how we used to be."

"And what do you mean by that?" I exclaimed, pulling a face.

"We did not wish to scare you that is all. When you came through the sphere, we were happy to have humans from Earth visit us again..."

"You've had visitors before?" I interrupted.

"Of course, but not for many thousands of years. We used to travel freely between our two planets, but during the Great War we became separated when the ellipse was closed. It was for our own safety and for the safety of our people back on Earth."

"The ellipse?" I asked, confused.

"Are you... related to ancient civilisations from Earth?" Rachel replied excitedly. "Like Mayan or Egyptian? But how... how did you have the technology to come here?"

"Yes, we were once the same as you. Descendants from ancient Earth's people. Our civilisation was powerful and strong, but also technologically advanced. We discovered Mochuvia through the study of the stars and our solar system. Back then Mochuvia was much more active due to the slowing of the planet's rotation. Bursts of energy and light would escape and become visible on Earth. We called it the time of Great Fire."