GABRIEL (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 4) (2 page)

Gabriel picked up Rebekah to keep her from getting squashed in the stampede. Shara's fear mounted with each minute that passed. The throng kept moving forward but the fiery lava appeared to be coming faster. She had no idea how they would ever make it all the way back to where the raft was hidden before they were overrun by either the lava or the people.

Three weeks ago, when she'd time-hopped for the first time, she'd been full of daring and confidence. Being killed by a volcano over 12,000 years in the past had never been part of her plan.

Chapter 1

Innerworld-Planet Terra (Earth), 2055 A.D.

Shara slid her tall frame a little lower in the chair and pretended to concentrate on the food in front of her. A practiced dip of her head made her straight, shoulder-length hair fall forward, creating an effective, sable-brown veil to shield her expressive eyes. This was one time her kid brother would not get her support. She was going to stay out of this family discussion if it killed her.

"Drek!
But that's unfair."

"Roman Locke!" Aster glared at her son, whose sullen face had taken on a tinge of pink when he realized his slip. "I will not have that language in our home. In fact, I don't care for your attitude at all this evening, young man."

Shara watched Roman sneak a look at their father. He should have known better than to expect sympathy from that corner. Aster and Romulus
never
disagreed in front of their two children, at least not out loud. Beneath the table, Shara gently tapped her brother's shin with the toe of her shoe to warn him to give it up. He was spoiling their weekly family dinner... again. She wasn't surprised when he continued his argument.

"Shara has her own residence. All I want—"

"Shara," Romulus interrupted, "is a grown woman with an established career. You aren't even out of school yet."

Roman's rebuttal was cut short by a sound similar to the tinkling of distant wind chimes.

Shara gasped as thousands of sparks of white light exploded in the corner of the room where the sound seemed to originate. A second later the sparks consolidated into the shape of a person. As the lights flickered out, Shara discerned that their intruder was a very old, bald-headed man. His lavish attire compounded the shock of his abrupt appearance. The long-sleeved, floor-length caftan he wore was striped with a dozen brilliant colors and gathered at the waist by a wide belt decorated with large, rectangular crystals, which glowed from an inner light. As Shara collected her wits, the man swayed and collapsed on the floor.

Romulus reached the still figure first but Shara was right behind him. Quickly kneeling and pressing her finger to the side of the man's neck, she said, "He has a pulse, but it's very weak." She moved her hand so that her fingertips hovered above his temple. Since they both knew her abilities to mind-touch were the strongest of the Locke family, she looked to her father for the required approval.

Before Romulus could decide if the circumstances justified such an invasion of privacy, the man's eyes twitched and slowly opened. Moving his watery gaze over each of the group around him, he settled on Shara. In a strained, halting whisper, he asked, "Where... am... I?"

"You are in my home," Romulus answered in a terse voice before Shara could speak. "More precisely, you have trespassed into the residence of Romulus and Aster Locke. We are the Co-Governors of the Noronian colony of Innerworld, in the inner core of the planet Terra, known to the Outerworld natives as Earth. Who are you and why are you here?"

The stranger's eyes closed and a smile deepened the lines in his leathery face. "I made it. Thank the Supreme Being." When he reopened his eyes, he spoke to Shara again. "Please... if you will... help me to rise a bit... I could breathe more easily. I have so much to tell. And so very little time."

Shara placed an arm under his shoulders and gently lifted him. He was so thin, she could feel his frail bones beneath the silky caftan. When she saw how much effort it took him to remain upright, she continued to support him as he began to explain.

"My name is Lantana. I have come from... the future."

The Locke family's shock was unanimous and their questions came faster than Lantana could respond.

"Time travel experimentation is prohibited here," stated Romulus.

"Why have you come here now?" Aster queried.

Lantana paused to take a wheezy breath. Raising a trembling hand to Aster, he continued. "I wanted to meet you before I died."

Aster raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Me?"

Giving her a small smile, he let his hand drop limply onto his lap. "Yes, you, the Mother of the Transition, the woman who did so much to bring the cultures of Norona and Outerworld Terra into the Cooperative Age. Aster Mackenzie Locke, the first Terran woman to join with a Noronian man and bear children of the future." With those words he nodded at Romulus, Shara and Roman, then returned his gaze to Aster. "In which Terra year did I arrive?"

"Two thousand fifty-five," Aster answered. "What year are you from?"

Lantana sighed. "Then the Transition has not yet begun. I was trying for a later date. I come from a desperate time for both Innerworld and Outerworld, a tragic result of events that never should have happened. But I escaped... to meet you... and seek your help."

"Escaped?" Romulus asked. "Are you a criminal?"

A dry laugh turned into a hacking cough as Lantana tried to answer him. "Yes, I suppose I am. You see, in the future, time travel is still against the law." He ran his index finger over the beveled edges of the crystal rectangle at the center of his belt, and it sprung open like a miniature drawbridge. All four heads leaned closer to inspect the workings inside. "This is the culmination of a lifetime of labor... my tempometer. I began designing it to prove time travel was possible. In spite of the law, I always intended to use it myself before I died. I have admired you for so long, Aster. Your petitions to the Ruling Tribunal of Norona are in every child's history book."

Aster's face flushed with shock and pride. "My petitions were recorded? For history?"

"And your speeches, like the one you made to convince the Tribunal that you and Romulus should be joined." Lantana's expression contorted as he seemed to be searching his memory. "By this time, have you not already delivered your petition requesting permission for Innerworld's people to begin making contact with certain Terran leaders of Outerworld?"

"Yes, I have, but that was over a year ago and they never responded."

"Aah, then it is yet to come. You will hear soon. And do not be discouraged by the Tribunal's caution. When they review your suggestions for a universal trade agreement, they'll come around."

Aster stuttered in confusion. "But I haven't even... that is, I was only thinking of—"

Romulus touched her shoulder. "I don't think it's wise to know too much of our own future."

Lantana grabbed Romulus's arm and pulled himself closer. "You're wrong. It's vital that I tell you... and you
must
help. I don't have the strength or the time left to find someone else. My life will end before this day is through."

Shara automatically renewed her support of him when he slumped backward once more. His show of defiance obviously drained what little energy he had. For a moment he was deathly still then he drew in a ragged breath and spoke again.

"In my time, there is an evil Terran leader in Outerworld, Khameira Chang Sung. Everyone thought he was just another religious zealot. No one realized until it was too late that he possesses powerful mental abilities. His followers are mindless in their devotion to him. One day he was merely a Chinese farmer. Ten years later he controls all of the Asian continent.

"Because of Khameira's ambition, there was a third great war on Outerworld. Powerful weapons were used which ravaged the surface and decimated the population. Khameira still lives, but he rules a dead planet from a protective underground shelter. It will be thousands of years before the atmosphere will be cleared of all poisons. And in the meantime our people are trapped." Exhausted, Lantana closed his eyes.

Shara gave him a slight shake to rouse him again and demanded, "What do you mean, trapped?"

Romulus added his own question. "Why wasn't he stopped? Surely the Tribunal would have approved interference with Terran culture in the face of such a threat."

Lantana's body trembled as he attempted to summon enough strength to continue. "Sadly, Khameira's abilities blinded the Noronian emissaries in place on Outerworld as effectively as he had hidden the truth from the Terrans. By the time Norona was notified, the tunnels to Innerworld were already destroyed, sealing us inside the planet. Even after the atmosphere stabilizes, there are so many explosives buried in the surface, it will be impossible for Norona to safely rescue us for centuries."

Shara observed her parents communicating mentally and guessed by the expression on Aster's face what was being discussed. As a Terran, Aster was skeptical of strangers and was obviously questioning the veracity of what they were being told. But Romulus would be reminding her that Noronians lived by a code of honesty. Lantana's words should be accepted as truth.

"When will all this take place?" Romulus asked, his brows narrowing in concern.

Lantana tried to respond but was gripped by another hacking cough for several seconds. When he caught his breath, he was so agitated that his words ran together. "You mustn't know the date. All could be lost. You would leave warnings that might create an entirely new problem. Or worse, Khameira could completely change his plan, altering history or creating a separate timeline. The effect of time travel is still theoretical. No, you must do as I say to save Innerworld. Khameira must never be born. Unfortunately, he was raised in an anti-tech community. I was unable to locate any birth records for him, so the simple solution of preventing his mother from conceiving him is not viable."

Shara shook her head, thinking she must have misunderstood. "How would we be able to prevent his birth if we don't know who his mother is and we don't warn future generations?"

Lantana shifted against her arm to face her directly.
"You
can do it, Shara. Your work makes it possible... without violence."

"My work? I'm a genetic researcher, not a diplomat."

"Yes, yes, I know. You are also well known in my time for your discovery of the memory molecule within the deoxyribonucleic structure."

Shara was almost afraid to ask but curiosity won out. "You mean my theory is correct? It
is
possible to trace an individual's direct ancestry, as well as the accumulated knowledge of all the generations, back to the beginning of life, through the DNA?"

Lantana nodded. "I was not certain precisely what time I would arrive here, so I brought a copy of the monograph you wrote—or rather, will write—regarding your findings." He pulled a thick sheaf of papers out of a large pocket in his caftan. "I was not certain if my information chip would be compatible with the readout units of your time, so I printed out the portion I deduced would be most helpful for you to move up the completion of your research."

He reached back into the pocket and handed her an envelope. "Inside is the chip and a lock of Khameira's hair. By analyzing it, you will find the genetic identification of his ancestors. Khameira claimed to have Noronian blood. His mental abilities seemed to confirm that." Another coughing spasm prevented him from continuing for several minutes.

Finally he held Shara's gaze with his and spoke in a raspy whisper that sent a chill down her spine. "Go back. Back to the beginning on Norona. Find the rebel who was Khameira's ancestor." His bony fingers grasped her hand and squeezed. "You
must
prevent that one from being exiled to Terra. Then all will be well." His fingers released their hold as his head fell back on Shara's arm.

After a moment Shara searched for a pulse but found none. Quickly she touched his temple then shook her head. "Nothing." As she lowered Lantana to the floor, Romulus left the room.

When he returned, he said, "A team is on their way from Medical. They'll revive him so we can question him further."

Shara tried to participate in her family's speculations, but she was too torn by her own conflicting emotions. Sadness for an old man who died in her arms, fear of the future he described and elation that her theory would be proven correct were all secondary to an overriding sense of anticipation. A trip back in time would be an unprecedented event. She could be fundamental in saving the planet, justify her entire career
and
learn the truth about her own ancestry, all in one glorious adventure.