Main Characters in On the Edge of Time

Dr. Liam Zhang is the scientist who formally uncovers the Altuli threat. In 2276, he discovers multiple causal loops and begins investigating evidence that history is being deliberately manipulated. His work provides humanity with some of its first concrete proof that forces are interfering with the timeline and helps lay the foundation for the Agencies’ efforts to understand and confront the growing threat. By 2289, his investigation has connected the existence of multiple causal loops with the mysterious Altuli, transforming what had been a scientific mystery into an urgent threat to history itself. Zhang’s breakthrough represents the culmination of generations of scattered research into Temporal Energy, causal loops, and other unexplained temporal phenomena.

Dr. Eileen Fisher is a pioneering physicist whose research into time-reversal symmetry could significantly advance humanity’s understanding of the fundamental laws of nature. When unexpected changes to history threaten the funding needed to continue her experiments, the Agencies take an interest in preserving her work. Fisher eventually becomes known for experimentally demonstrating time-reversal symmetry, making her research an important milestone in the scientific path toward understanding temporal phenomena. Her breakthrough occurs in 2142, during the turbulent era of the Great Collapse, when scientific advancement continues despite widespread political and social instability. Protecting her achievement without introducing unintended changes to history becomes a delicate challenge for the Agencies.

Dr. Akari Makino is a brilliant physicist whose investigation of unusual causal loops leads him toward an unexplained source of temporal energy and some of humanity’s earliest evidence that something is interfering with history. Fascinated by the implications, Makino devotes much of his life to understanding the phenomenon. In 2235, he detects evidence of a causal loop and begins an investigation that will occupy much of his career. His research continues for nearly eighty years, gradually connecting seemingly isolated temporal anomalies with the possibility that history itself is being deliberately altered. When his investigation draws him dangerously close to the time stream, the Agencies become involved in locating him and determining exactly what he may have discovered.

Dr. Jean Laurent is a gifted physicist whose unconventional theories of retrocausality are largely dismissed during his lifetime. Convinced that cause and effect may operate in ways conventional science has overlooked, Laurent continues refining ideas that could fundamentally change humanity’s understanding of time. By 2099, he has fully developed his radical theory of retrocausality, although nearly a century will pass before science can demonstrate that his ideas have merit. His work becomes an important intellectual bridge between early theoretical speculation and the experimental temporal science developed by later generations. His theories eventually inspire researchers such as Janet Johnstone, making the preservation of his scientific legacy increasingly important as alterations to history threaten discoveries that once seemed secure.

Dr. Janet Johnstone is a physicist who builds upon Jean Laurent’s theories of retrocausality, using increasingly sophisticated experiments to investigate whether information might travel backward through time. Her work places her at the forefront of a field that could transform humanity’s understanding of causality. By 2123, Johnstone is conducting a series of experiments inspired by Laurent’s theories, bringing concepts once regarded as speculative physics much closer to experimental science. Her research takes place during the Global Corporate War, a period in which major scientific and commercial interests are competing for influence over rapidly advancing technologies. When Johnstone disappears into the timestream during a critical stage of that research, the Agencies are tasked with locating her and determining what happened inside her laboratory.

Jessica Ulm is Dr. Janet Johnstone’s talented laboratory assistant, whose expertise in programming and experimental systems makes her an important part of Johnstone’s research. Her unexpected disappearance leaves behind few answers and raises questions about what occurred during the team’s experiments. Although she initially appears to be a secondary figure in a much larger scientific mystery, her technical abilities and unexplained absence make her increasingly important to the Agencies’ investigation. Her familiarity with advanced temporal research gives her skills that could prove valuable—or dangerous—far beyond the laboratory in which she began her career. Discovering where Jessica went, and why, may reveal information extending far beyond Johnstone’s experiments.

Dominic Manzaro is a brilliant late-22nd-century researcher developing an experimental device capable of interacting with the time stream. His work could dramatically expand humanity’s ability to understand and manipulate temporal phenomena. After his laboratory is destroyed, nothing more is officially heard from him, although conspiracy theories persist that he successfully developed a functioning Time Stream device before the disaster. Even stranger rumors claim that Manzaro somehow appeared in the mid-22nd century, decades removed from where history expected him to be. These stories transform him from a missing scientist into one of the timeline’s enduring mysteries, leaving the Agencies to determine whether his disappearance was an accident, an experiment gone wrong, or evidence of something much larger.

Natalie Gent is a gifted but reckless engineer whose fascination with temporal technology pushes her well beyond the boundaries established by the Agencies. After gaining access to an Agency device, she begins making unauthorized jumps through history, creating disturbances that cannot simply be ignored. Clever and resourceful, Natalie is difficult to predict because her actions are driven as much by curiosity and independence as by any larger plan. Her technical knowledge makes her particularly dangerous because she understands temporal equipment well enough to operate outside normal Agency procedures. Tracking her becomes increasingly challenging as she moves through the timeline, forcing the Agencies to determine how best to contain the situation before her experiments create lasting damage.

Maya Laybach is Dominic Manzaro’s brilliant protégé, an ambitious researcher with a deep interest in the possibilities of temporal science. Intelligent, idealistic, and willing to question conventional assumptions, Maya becomes increasingly fascinated by the idea that history itself might be improved rather than merely protected. Her connection to Manzaro gives her an unusual perspective on temporal research and exposes her to ideas that challenge many of the Agencies’ assumptions about how the timeline should be treated. Rather than viewing time solely as something fragile that must be preserved, Maya is willing to consider whether carefully directed change could produce a better future. Her convictions eventually draw the Agencies’ attention, making understanding her motivations just as important as determining what she is doing.