"Oh, Shalla. It's the most wonderful gift I ever received—next to you. Thank you." He started to pull her to him when he had another thought. "I can't believe I didn't realize it before. He has the same build, the same catlike walk, even the same gravelly voice. Of course! Falcon is the Black Knight."
Chapter 18
Nervous energy made up for lack of sleep as Aster and Rom headed for Medical the next morning. A nice-looking man in a white uniform introduced himself as Doctor Gemina. He instructed them to lie down on two separate examining tables and relax. Aster mentally laughed at the suggestion that she would be capable of relaxing.
The doctor worked a set of controls and studied the viewer at Aster's head. A foot-wide chrome arch hovering over her head crept down and back up the length of her body. When the arch stopped where it had begun, the overhead light beam came on, radiating warmly down on her. She automatically closed her eyes but soon realized the intensity was much gentler than she had previously experienced.
When their exams were completed, the doctor reported, "You are both in excellent condition. The beam has projected a temporary sanitizing shield around you to protect you from any harmful bacteria you may encounter on your journey."
Aster started to sit up when Doctor Gemina placed his hand over her wrist. "You can't escape quite yet. Aster. I need another few minutes." His hand stayed on her for a moment as he gazed into her eyes with masculine interest. She lay back down wondering why, with all this sophisticated equipment, would he take her pulse the old-fashioned way?
"Ahem!" Rom loudly cleared his throat.
Aster turned her face to him and saw that he was propped up on one elbow, scowling fiercely at the handsome doctor. Gemina removed his hand and a hint of pink appeared on the man's fair cheekbones.
"Yes, uh, as I said, uh, a few more minutes, for the homing device." The doctor was flustered at his momentary lapse in front of the chief administrator. As he pulled open the underbed drawer of implements, he caught the fearful grimace that distorted her features.
"I'll tell you what," Gemina offered. "I'll do Romulus first and you can watch." Her face softened a little but she was still frowning at the items in the drawer. The doctor thought an explanation might help calm her.
Gemina held up a small glass plate for her to see. "Do you see that black speck?"
She nodded.
"That's the homing device. It's only necessary to insert it under the top layer of skin inside the ear canal. I won't even draw blood, I promise." He turned to Romulus and received an uncharacteristic dark glare. With a lopsided grin, the doctor looked him straight in the eye then shrugged his shoulders.
Rom reclined on the table and attempted to smooth his smoldering temper but he kept his eyes on the doctor. Drek! He was doing it again. Getting jealous. If she would just give in and join with him...
Aster watched the two men in fascination, recognizing their little dance for exactly what it was. When she caught Rom's attention, she shook her head at him in mock disapproval and made him laugh at himself.
Gemina placed the device in Rom's ear, using an implement resembling tweezers made of two extremely thin strands of stiff wire. Rom didn't even blink. Aster resigned herself to the necessity of the implant and clenched the sides of the table when Doctor Gemina turned his attention to her.
"The homing device has several uses," Gemina explained. First, you each have your own frequency which can be picked up within five hundred miles by anyone with one of these rings and the knowledge to use it. Homing in on your frequency would bring someone within three hundred feet of you.
"At this closer range, the device's second function as a communicator can be activated." When Aster narrowed her eyes, he gave her an example. "Once you both have the implant, Romulus could use his ring to tune into your frequency and relay his thoughts directly to you."
"Oh, I like the sound of that. Will I be able to talk back?" Aster could imagine all sorts of interesting possibilities arising but Rom squelched them immediately.
"Probably not. It takes innate ability and a lot of mental discipline. There are some Noronians who have never mastered it."
A second later as Doctor Gemina stood near her, Aster felt a tiny prick in her ear and the doctor announced that it was over.
Governor Elissa, Professor Schontivian and a technician were the only ones to see them off from the transmigration station. The governor handed Rom and Aster each an envelope, saying, "We had typical United States identification made up for both of you—driver's licenses, credit cards, and so on—and there's two thousand American dollars in case you need cash. However, I've been assured that the credit cards will be accepted as payment in most places."
Rom gave Aster his envelope to put in her bag with her own. "Thank you, Elissa but, as I told Aster, I don't expect this to take that long."
"I hope you're right," the governor answered with a smile then clasped Aster's hand. "I would like to visit again with you, Aster, after this is over. I wish you both success. The professor and I well be available the moment you return."
Rom took Aster's hand and led her into a glass-enclosed chamber. He pulled her close to him, enveloping her in his comforting embrace then nodded to the technician on duty at the control panel.
Aster experienced a tingling sensation that began in her extremities and crept up to her scalp. Then her stomach dove into a bottomless pit. She clamped her eyes shut and pressed her face against Rom's chest, at least she thought she did. She knew she was still in his arms and yet the physical contact itself was missing. She wanted to open her eyes but her body no longer responded to her mind. She remembered what Rom said about the detachment but she had not expected this horrible feeling of total isolation.
To Aster, a lifetime passed before her feet again touched solid ground and Rom's hands pressed reassuringly against her back. At the same instant they arrived, a mother and her young son crashed headlong into them.
"Oh my! Excuse us." The woman quickly pulled her child away from Aster and Rom.
"Mommy, did you see that? They just appeared out of nowhere. Wow! I bet they beamed in from outer space!"
The woman smiled apologetically at them. "Young man, I'm going to have to stop you from watching so much television. Your imagination is getting out of hand." She gave him a sharp yank to get him to stop staring at the couple. Before the little boy turned his head away, Rom gave him a conspiratorial wink and the child happily winked back.
"Are you okay?" Rom asked, squeezing Aster's hand.
"I think so." She looked down at her feet then counted her fingers. "That was definitely weird. I can see that we made it but it's still hard to believe."
"Next time, try to relax. It'll be much easier." He quickly surveyed their location. They had arrived in the Palomar Observatory's photographic museum. A handful of tourists were making their way up to the Visitors' Gallery in the dome. "Do you see a directory anywhere?"
"No. There's a gift shop. Maybe someone in there can direct us."
Romulus approached a young girl sitting behind the cash register. "I wonder if you could give us some assistance?"
She dropped the book she was reading and gaped at him.
"We're looking for one of the scientists who works here, Doctor Catherine Houston. Would you be able to direct us to her?" Rom smiled warmly at the girl.
As if she had not heard any question, the salesgirl sat forward, supporting her chin on her hand. "Like, are you a movie star or something? You look so-o-o familiar, like, really."
"No, I'm no one you would know but I would like to find Doctor Houston. Do you know her?"
"Oh, for sure! Everyone knows Kate. But visitors are supposed to, like, stay in this part of the observatory, okay?"
Rom held the girl's eyes with his as he spoke in his deepest voice. "We're not visitors. We're friends and we want to surprise her. I would really appreciate your help." A minute later he had the directions he needed and was leading Aster away from the gift shop.
"I don't think I will ever get used to that," Aster commented jealously as they walked away.
"What?"
"You'll get what." Aster nudged his ribs. "Her tongue was hanging out exactly like Cherry's when she's ogling you."
"No kidding. I didn't notice." He said the words very seriously but Aster saw the bright green glint in his eyes and jabbed him again. Rom tucked the annoying elbow firmly under his arm and kissed the back of her hand. "Just so you keep ogling me, that's all that matters. Anyway, I figure that makes us about even after I had to watch that adolescent doctor drool all over you this morning."
Following the numbers over the doorways, they entered a small room with a neat desk that looked like it might belong to an assistant. There was no one around, however, and Rom tried the door behind the desk.
"Walter, did you find that—" A heavy-set, gray-haired woman was writing on a chalkboard and glared over her bifocals. "You're not Walter. I'm sorry, but the tour does not include my workroom. If you go back down the hall the way you came, I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding the Visitor's Gallery." She turned back to her calculations.
"We're looking for Doctor Katherine Houston," Rom said to her back.
The woman angled her head without shifting position. "And why would you be looking for her?"
"We have vital information concerning the safety of this planet."
She turned slowly around to face them, her expression clearly revealing her annoyance. "I am Doctor Houston and I am extremely busy with a very real problem at this moment. Perhaps you could find someone else who has a bit more time to listen to your story."
Rom fed her the bait. "Does this problem you're working on have something to do with a shift in Jupiter's gravitational pull resulting in the change of a certain planetoid's orbit?"
The scientist was obviously stunned. "How could you know about that? I only discovered it myself yesterday when I was reviewing the computer analysis. I haven't mentioned it to anyone yet and we have the most advanced technology on this planet. Have you hacked our server? Is that it?" Her panic was controlled but evident.
Before Rom could answer, a slender, middle-aged man entered the workroom. "I have the file you asked for, Kate. Oh, I didn't know you were expecting anyone this morning." He nervously pushed his glasses up on his nose with his finger and ran his hand over his crewcut.
"I wasn't, but it's all right, Walter. They are... acquaintances."
Walter wondered at the fretful expression on Kate's face. She had been so insistent on not being disturbed earlier. Since she did not seem inclined to introduce him to her guests, he placed the file on her cluttered desk. At that moment it occurred to him that something might be amiss. Not wanting anything to happen to Kate, he surreptitiously slid his hand over her intercom and opened the channel to his outer office. He would eavesdrop only long enough to assure himself that the visitors were not upsetting his boss.
"Please close the door on your way out, Walter and please, see to it we're not disturbed."
As soon as her assistant was gone, Doctor Houston turned back to Romulus. "You were about to tell me how you could be in possession of such information."
"If I may?" Romulus nodded to the chalk board and Doctor Houston shrugged noncommittally. He picked up the piece of chalk he had seen her using but when he applied it to the board it only made a terrible screeching sound. Promptly dropping the offensive implement, he frowned at the white residue on his fingers. "What is this stuff? Never mind. Could I have a pencil and paper please?"
A half-hour later, he handed the scientist a sheet of paper covered with numbers and symbols. She studied the calculations for some time before frowning up at Rom and Aster over her glasses.
Before she could ask any questions, Rom confirmed her worst fears. "Impact will occur in eleven months, thirteen days, unless proper action is taken. Have you charted the planetoid's new orbit yet?"
"I... I started but... who are you?" Kate was bewildered. She pointed to the chart of the solar system she was working on and Rom quickly completed her work for her.
He decided he had her undivided attention now and began his explanations. "My name is Romulus Locke and this is Aster Mackenzie. We are friends who have come to help you and your people avoid this disaster. We will gladly answer all your questions—who we are and how to solve your problem. First, however, I must ask that you agree to complete confidentiality. Can we count on your cooperation, Doctor Houston?"
The older woman looked from Rom to Aster and back, trying to judge them without having all the facts about them. She looked back at the calculations and chart that might have taken her several more days to complete by herself. Without confirming all the information, it appeared to be valid based on what she had already ascertained about the asteroid. It did not take her long to realize the hopelessness of the situation. Earth was doomed to destruction unless someone came up with a miracle. She was certain no country in the world possessed the technology needed to prevent the collision.
Her mind reeled in several directions at once. Could this man truly have some knowledge that none of the world's scientists had? Was this some sort of international blackmail or terrorism? Like most of her colleagues, she avoided getting involved in politics and believed science should not be hindered by its restraints.
In the end, her scientific curiosity got the best of her. "All right, if you're legitimate, I'll be happy to agree to your stipulations. You must realize I'm open to any suggestions. If this all turns out to be an elaborate hoax or something illegal, or you're trying to get me involved in some complicated spy game, then I rescind my agreement."
"Let me begin my explanations with Aster. She's from San Francisco. About a month ago she was on a pleasure yacht in the Atlantic Ocean when it disappeared without a trace. If it would help you believe our story, I'm sure you could verify the circumstances and her identity. Since that time she and the others have been living in my world, in the inner core of the Earth." Rom paused when he saw the scientist's look of utter disbelief.
"You must realize how preposterous this sounds. I have an open mind but I am a scientist first," Kate sputtered. "However, the name Aster Mackenzie is very familiar." She turned to her computer, typed in the name and quickly confirmed who one of her visitors was and that she had, indeed, disappeared at sea. "All right, you have my attention."
"One of the reasons I brought Aster with me was to allow you to question one of your own people about what happened to her, what she has seen and to let her tell you about our culture, which you will soon see is advanced far beyond your own."
Kate sat back and crossed her arms, continuing to look at him doubtfully. "And your world is inside this planet?"
"I am originally from the planet, Norona, in a galaxy you would not be able to locate with any of your charts. We have an interest in the survival of the planet Earth and wish to help you save it from destruction."
"My vanity insists I ask, why me?"
"We maintain a regular vigilance over your world. You are situated in the one observatory in the world that was most likely to have spotted the planetoid. We were assured you are an honorable person, one we could trust with our secret. The only question we have is, will you be able to cut through the bureaucracy and see to it that appropriate action is taken within the time available? As you must realize already, that's going to be a major problem."
"I hardly think that will be the only problem. Redirecting the planetoid is beyond our capability." Kate shook her head as she pondered the enormity of the situation.
Romulus unraveled the facts and solutions he had come to present. "As you can see, the planetoid enters the rendezvous area in three weeks. There is only about a two-week leeway and then you will have lost your advantage."
"But our ships couldn't possibly make it to that location in that short a time. Maybe where you're from you travel beyond the speed of light, but here we've barely conquered hypersonic speed during the space shuttle liftoffs." K
ate's voice became more confident as she quit wondering whether he was legitimate and began anticipating the information he offered.
"My people prefer not to interfere with your culture or development. In this case, however, we have decided to assist you by giving you information which you would eventually discover yourselves, but not in time to save this planet now." Romulus then explained the mechanics, formulas and information needed to increase the speed of Earth's ships sufficiently to reach the asteroid in the time available.
Katherine Houston was a brilliant scientist and a leader in her field. But her expertise was not in rocketry, nuclear physics or engineering. Rom had to go over the data several times before she began to grasp the concept. She made volumes of notes as he spoke but it was still not enough.
Finally Aster had a suggestion. "Rom, if you touched her mind, would she be able to understand better?"
He thought it might be the best way and described to Kate what he wanted to do. Although she hesitated, Kate had heard too much to stop now and agreed to submit to his touch.
With his fingers gently contacting her temple, they communicated on the deepest level. When he took his hand away, Kate sat staring at him with widely dilated eyes. "Good Lord, you've been telling me the truth. I actually felt your honesty. And the fuel, the speed... Why, I understand it perfectly now. Was that your world I saw?" She could barely control her excitement over the experience he had given her. To Aster, she asked, "You've actually been there? Is it really that beautiful?"
Aster smiled broadly. "Whatever you saw could not possibly be as incredible as his world really is. You would have to go there to understand."
"You're going back with him, aren't you?"
Aster smiled and gazed at Rom. "Yes, I'm going back."
Several hours of questions and answers flew by as Rom filled in as many blanks as possible to help the scientist with the job that lay ahead of her and Aster satisfied Kate's curiosity about Innerworld.
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