Voyagers!: Memories of Time's Past

Chapter 10

Voyagers Headquarters

Voyager Tyrell Ross stared glumly at his reflection in the mirror. He was physically tired and mentally exhausted. He knew why this sudden weakness came upon him; it had to do with the time flux. He adjusted his clothes and strode from his complex toward the OCC. It was time to tell Bobby Peters the truth about his existence and why this voyage was extremely important, not just to Harriet Tubman and the history of African Americans, but to himself and Voyagers Headquarters.

Tyrell found Bobby grimly assessing printouts of the latest reports. The scenarios had not changed much; red lights were still cropping up everywhere they shouldn't have. It didn't matter how many Voyagers they recalled and sent to clean up the situation, so Bobby put a halt on that operation. Tyrell also felt bad for Voyagers Bogg and Jones. He had no idea if they were even still alive. As long as the lights stayed red there was a big chance they weren't. However, all omnis out in the field were monitored for activity and it was a big relief that their omni still functioned properly.

He approached Bobby and patted his shoulder. "Hey Bobby, do you have a few minutes, I need to speak to you privately."

Bobby tossed the printouts and shrugged. "Glad to see you awake and refreshed, Ty. Sure, I'm not much use here at the moment, and Tina's out trying to quell the Council. Let's go to my office."

Inside, Bobby sat down and tossed his hands behind his head, he motioned for Tyrell to have a seat.

"What's on your mind, mate?"

"Everything."

"Why don't ya pick one thing to start off?"

Tyrell rubbed the back of his head. "Bobby, I haven't been completely honest with you about my ancestry…but it wasn't because I didn't trust you. I was told from the top brass to keep it secret."

Bobby leaned forward intrigued. "What do you mean, Tyrell?"

"It's about Laini and the baby." Tyrell hesitated.

"Go on, man, tell me, maybe this will help the boys. I'm very good with secrets."

Tyrell stood up and paced the room. He stared gravely at Bobby. "I don't know if this will help. It may just make it harder on them."

"That doesn't sound good."

"I know. Remember how I said Harriet Tubman is my great, great ancestor? Well, the truth is, she's a descendant of me. Well, sort of is…my sister anyway. Let me say this clearly–Harriet Ross Tubman is a descendant from my sister."

Bobby's eyebrows raised and his jaw lowered slightly. "What are you really saying?"

"I'm saying, that the baby Laini is carrying right now is me, Bobby. The Voyagers plucked me out of time when I was eighteen. By then, Robbin, Heine and AnneMarie kindly set up passage for Laini and me on an English traveler ship. I was four years old. My mother wanted to go. Holland held too many rough memories for her. It was headed to the early American settlements where she met her second husband and had a baby girl and a few other kids. He was a good man to all of us. I looked to him as my real father. My sister grew up and married another slave named Ross and the rest of her family line is white Elementary School history for February!"

Tyrell punched his palm and grasped the back of his neck to relieve tension. "I'm sorry Bobby, I don't mean to sound like the bitter black dude here."

Bobby shook his head sympathetically. "No, I understand. I wouldn't blame you for the resentment, you actually lived during that time in history. It makes sense now why you knew Dutch when you first arrived here. I always assumed you picked it up from the colonies. I knew you came from that era."

"Living in those colonies wasn't easy, but Laini was a strong woman. The country for whites was still brand new and we weren't exactly slaves yet. The blacks living then owned houses and fields, made friends with the whites and they even married each other without real problems. Don't you ever wonder why there's not much taught about America until 1776?"

"Sure, because there was nothing going on! Well, you know what I mean, no major world wars, just massive exploration, failed colonies, Puritans eating a big meal with Indians, and a few frays with the natives and French. Pretty much dull between 1600 and 1700."

"I know. Nothing extremely grand-scale until Salem. Still, there will be no real black history if something isn't done about Laini now! If AnneMarie dies, Laini may be killed too. I will cease to exist and that will even rip into the fabric of time here at Headquarters. Everything will be in chaos!"

Tyrell drew in a short breath, his chest constricted. Bobby leaped around his desk and sat him down. He gave him some cold water.

Tyrell gulped it down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout, man. I haven't told anyone this before."

"You're already feeling it, aren't ya, mate? The time flux is creeping in."

Tyrell pulled at his shirt collar. "Yeah, things must still be up in the air, otherwise I wouldn't be feeling this way. Bobby, I should have told you this sooner."

"No, that's okay, we don't all go spouting out our family origins around here. I just had no idea it revolved around AnneMarie and Bogg. It's pretty amazing."

"I was in shock for a while when this all first started. I think we need to send in a reinforcement, they may need our help."

Bobby nodded tersely. "You're right. Who do you suggest?"

Tyrell rose slowly, feeling a headache coming on. But he was determined. "Me of course."

Bobby smiled dourly. "I can't let ya do that, mate. You're fading on us."

"Because they are in trouble out there whether they know it or not. Bobby, this voyage is obviously very personal to me. You have to send me!"

Bobby groaned and sat back. He steepled his hands under his chin and stared at the ceiling. Finally, he pulled his chair out and jumped up. Tyrell stared hopefully at him.

"Why the heck not? I've already broken who knows how many protocols today, why not one more? Get yourself together man, you're going to help save your mother and the rest…and the present state of Headquarters as we know it."

~O~

Laini stood in front of Heine's home doing chores. She had insisted on trying to earn her keep for her stay. She banged the rugs free of dust, humming softly to herself. After a few minutes she had to stop and rest. When she sat on the step, the baby inside her kicked many times. She clutched her belly. It was painful, but it made her ecstatic, for her little one had been too quiet since the last evening. She closed her eyes and fanned herself as she hummed. She imagined her life before being cruelly taken from home. She missed the simplicity and all her friends and family. Many had been captive with her, and didn't survive the slave ship. After a while, it became moot to even cry for them. The white men in power seemed intent on destroying every last shred of humanity in the black race, treating them as beasts of burden. Laini could only dream of a day when it all ended for good and she wondered about the future brave souls who would risk life and limb to make that dream a reality. She smiled in spite of herself and the baby kicked her harder.

She ignored the pain and rose again to shake out another rug. She heard loud clopping. A black carriage sped past the apartment and the driver, his face concealed, flicked out a dark envelope. The carriage never slowed and she guessed it was heading out to the docks. A bad feeling enveloped Laini. She snatched up the letter and ran inside the house, calling for 'Anni.'

AnneMarie bustled from the kitchen, wiping flour from her face. She and Heine had decided to bake fresh bread and a pie to go with their supper that evening. All the cooking helped take her mind off the strange events. Her nerves were too jostled to sleep. Laini handed it to her and pointed outside, trying to imitate what she saw. AnneMarie read it with shaking hands. It was written on Dida's stationery. She cried out and Heine came running.

"What is it? What's happened?"

AnneMarie shook frightened. "Your brother! He…he has taken Jeffrey hostage and demands that I meet him at the wharf with all the documents! He also threatens to kill Phineas! I can't stand it anymore! I'll give him what he wants, he's mad!"

AnneMarie ran up the stairs to retrieve the documents from the windowsill while Heine clutched the letter. She would have to warn Robbin and Phineas. AnneMarie bounded down the stairs with the papers in a shoulder bag.

"Anne! You cannot face him alone!"

"I cannot face him with anyone else, he will hurt them! I won't risk Jeffrey's life. I don't care about these wretched papers anymore. It's all blood money from my father. If anything, it's the only kind of money Dida deserves. He can have it all."

"Where are you going?"

"To the docks of course!" AnneMarie raced out on foot. "Do not try to stop me!"

"But Anne! Wait for Phineas!" Heine had to let her flee. She looked despairingly at Laini, wishing she could communicate. She put a hand to her chest and then pointed outside.

"I…will…find Phineas." She blurted out. "Find Phineas!" She repeated again and wagged her hand down the road. Then she pointed at Laini and motioned her to sit.

"You stay here."

Laini seemed to understand and lowered herself into the chair. If she had the energy, she would have ran out to find Phineas herself. The impulsive AnneMarie had already gone, and Laini could only pray for everyone's safety.