Because sometimes I like to surprise you with two chapters in twenty-four hours ;-) Thank you to my beta Queene. You are so patient with me. Appreciate it xx Hope you guys enjoy the weirdness of this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Only Shadows Ahead

Chapter Thirty-Four

The carpet is worn. Threadbare. She swings her legs back and forth, scuffing the tips of her high heels along the carpet. There's hushed murmurs around her but she's not really listening. Typical waiting room conversations.

She leans back, crossing her legs and glancing down at the lace dress she's wearing. It's beautiful. Really stunning — and she doesn't recognise it. Her hands pass over the material as she frowns, wondering when on earth she purchased it. It looks to be expensive. Crisp white in colour, with a sweetheart neckline. It tucks in at the waist and flares out to just above her knees. She fiddles with the fabric for a while, content to play with the satin lining beneath the lace.

There's an abstract painting on the wall opposite. Round canvas, with pinks, blues and teals in deep, swirling brush-strokes. There's a strong sense of deja-vu. She's seen it before; racking her brain to recall where.

The door jingles and someone walks in. It's a media analyst they've worked closely with over the years. She raises her hand in greeting but the words die on her lips. The new addition turns in Linka's direction and her hand wilts in the air. It's not who she thinks it is.

She bites down on her thumb, eyes scanning the waiting room. She can't quite put her finger on it. There's a strange atmosphere here. The air seems hazy and the movements of the people around her are almost sluggish. It's hard to focus.

She sighs, distracting herself with the goldfish across the room. They're housed within an impressive-looking aquarium running along the base of the front counter. She could have sworn it wasn't there when she entered.

Come to think of it, she doesn't remember entering at all.

She doesn't recall where she is or why she's here.

Linka stands quickly, disorientated and something slides off her lap, bouncing onto the ground. She crouches down, fumbling blindly under the chair; patting the carpet until she finds what she's looking for. There's a small object wedged between the chair leg and the wall. Fingers grasping, she pulls out what looks like a novelty ring. Grey plastic with a pink stone sticking out of the top.

She holds it up to her face, confused. She recognises it — but doesn't remember taking it out of her jewellery box. Slipping it into the pocket of her dress (did my dress have pockets?) she approaches the front counter. There's two computers, and a bored receptionist is seated between them. Medical files are piled up and there's a separate room off to the right where another woman is bustling around.

The distant shrill of a telephone sounds and the lady at the desk answers it. Even though Linka is standing right in front of her, the voice seem muted and distorted to her ears, like hearing a conversation while underwater.

Realisation dawns on her. She's in a doctors' surgery.

A curtained-off area is visible in the nurses station and large cabinets are lined up against the wall opposite, no doubt filled with syringes, bandages and other medical paraphernalia.

Palms flat on the counter, she leans forward, intending to ask the receptionist a question but the woman has disappeared. The pile of files is now three times the size it was before.. The computer screen is just visible but the monitor is hollowed out. Empty. Plastic cups and trash are stuffed inside.

She spins around, leaning back against the counter, completely bewildered. Wondering if she's eaten something weird. Hallucinating, or as the Yankee would call it, "tripping".

There's a vending machine over in the corner. A coffee table stacked with magazines in the centre of the room. A tower fan is whirring quietly nearby, moving side to side but the rotors aren't producing any air.

Scratching her head in confusion, she spends a few moments taking in the strangeness of her surroundings.

The round artwork with the pretty colours is gone, replaced by a set of three rectangular canvases. Each canvas has a different coloured pill painted on a fluorescent background. Almost like an Andy Warhol retrospective, except with overtones of Bliss.

Linka rubs her eyes blearily. She steps away from the counter, backing up and hitting the wall. No one here seems to have even noticed Linka's presence. They stare without seeing, going about their business. Oblivious.

A door opens nearby and an elderly man exits one of the specialist suites, laughing and thanking the doctor. He's dressed in a tweed suit and matching cap that looks like it's come out of a 1960's sitcom.

The lunacy of the situation is apparent. Linka steps aside as a woman bustles past, spray bottle in her hand. She's cleaning the surfaces but the liquid exiting the nozzle is bright red. Linka watches on in shock as the cleaner wipes her cloth over the counter and windows, smearing crimson streaks over everything.

The bell on the front door tolls again and Linka drags her eyes away from the bloody cleaning effort. Three figures have filed inside the waiting room. A woman shakes her umbrella and props it against the door. She pushes a pram with one hand and ushers in a little girl with the other.

Wavy brown hair cut to her shoulders, red lips and a creamy complexion, the scent of perfume wafts past Linka as the woman approaches the counter with her children in tow. The receptionist has magically appeared again. The brunette smiles at the receptionist, talking in warm tones but Linka's attention is elsewhere. She glances down at the little girl.

Blonde hair in a neat pony tail with a smear of chocolate stretching across her cheek. Button nose, clear, green eyes. Clad in a denim dress with pink buttons and black patent shoes, the child peers up at Linka curiously.

She's holding a tattered Cheburashka stuffed toy — the monkey-type character from the very books Linka's mother used to read her during her own childhood.

"Bozhe moy," Linka breathes, and the little girl (Hannah, oh God it's Hannah) seems startled, eyes wide and staring. The little girl tugs free from her mothers hand and approaches Linka, clutching the animal within her fingers. She extends her hand and offers the doll to Linka, smiling.

Linka is stunned — and a little emotional. She grins, wiping tears away and suddenly recalling her own mother's face in startling clarity. It's been nearly twenty years but the pain is still raw and Linka is hit by a sudden surge of grief.

Hindsight is an awful thing. She stares at this little family going about their business. Linka knows who they are, aware that this little girl and her brother lost their mother at roughly the same age Linka lost her own. She wipes her eyes and shudders. Life can be horribly unjust. History has indeed repeated itself in the worst way possible.

Linka crouches down, reaching out towards the toy Hannah is offering but they're already gone. The mother is tugging her young charge towards the hallway, still pushing the pram one-handed. They disappear and Linka hurries after them.

She's practically running to catch up, twisting and winding through endless corridors. The layout of this place resembles a rabbit warren rather than a medical establishment. Each corner she turns, she catches the swish of the little girl's dress, or the spindly wheels of the pram the dark-haired version of herself is pushing. She can't catch up.

She's out of breath now. She rounds another corner and the little girl's dress disappears behind a door that closes softly behind her. The faint sound of a baby crying… then nothing.

Surging forward, she reaches for the door knob and twists, half stumbling as the door swings open from the other side. She falls through the opening and crashes to the floor with a yelp.

She rolls onto her back and pushes herself up quickly, legs tucked up beneath her as she catches her breath.

She's in a small consultation room. There's no sign of her future self or the children, but she's not alone. A timber desk sits in the centre of the room and a woman is seated within a chair on the other side. She's old. Olive, wrinkled skin and dark hair bound into a loose bun.

There's a pencil through the centre.

The stranger is dressed in a doctor's lab-coat and she's smiling, blue eyes sparkling. A mixture of pride and happiness.

Linka's wraps her arms around her knees, open-mouthed as the woman stands — skirting the desk and approaching her slowly. Linka scurries back, staring at the woman as she crouches down in front of her.

The face is withered but the eyes — the eyes are the same. Radiating the same kindness, warmth and compassion they always had. She blinks up at her in disbelief.

"Gaia?"

"Hello Linka," the old woman says softly, extending her hand and cupping Linka's cheek. "Glad you could make it."

"Oh God, Gaia?"

She starts to cry as Gaia's arms envelop her. She breaks down, squirming closer and glad that even in this state — even in this realm — Gaia is blessedly solid and capable of giving much-needed comfort.

Linka glances down and the pretty dress is gone. She's clad in Grace's old jeans and t-shirt again — she's dirty, dusty and her skin is scratched and bruised — hair plastered across her face, stuck to her skin courtesy of the heat and moisture.

So hot. He's not here, I can't find him. Or did I? Oh God, there are so many. Lambert. Kroi. Oh God, Kroi is — I can't get to him. They took them. They took him —

"Oh God, Wheeler!" she gasped, moving to stand but Gaia shook her head. "I have to get back, they have them both —"

"Linka, Wheeler is fine." Gaia gripped her arm and helped her up, guiding her towards an armchair — one that has also magically appeared out of nowhere. "Honestly. The elements have all been returned. Wheeler was able to use his power."

"How do you know," she cried, trembling as she eyed the door nervously. "They took him away, Lambert might have taken —"

"They removed the wrong ring. Wheeler had two in his possession. They took the one around his neck," Gaia explained, gesturing towards Linka's ring on her finger. "They were unaware of the fire ring still in his pocket."

"Are you sure," she gasped, slumping in the seat and looking around wildly. "Is he all right?"

"Yes," she laughed, taking a seat opposite Linka. "Took his captors by surprise, let me tell you."

"Did Wheeler get her… my other ring back?"

"Yes."

"What about Kwame?" she whispered.

Gaia shook her head. "His power has returned, but he is no longer in possession of it."

"Is he all right?"

Gaia shrugged. "I'm afraid that's now beyond my reach. What little I sensed was due to your proximity to Captain Planet. But they need him alive, and Kwame is as resilient as they come."

"Oh," she said, sitting stiffly within the chair. Her nerves were shot, hands trembling. "Oh, the museum. That was frightening."

"I know." Gaia smiled fondly at her, pressing a button on her desk and sending a hushed instruction into the speaker box. She sat back and Linka clenched her hands in her lap, aware that the Earth Sprit didn't appear to be in any particular hurry.

"Do I have time to be here," she wondered aloud.

"Yes. Wheeler was carrying you out around the time I lost vision."

"So I am not really sitting here?"

"No."

"Where am I, then?"

"Now?"

"Da," she said, gesturing around her. "What is this place? Where are we?"

Gaia chuckled. "You're here."

Linka rolled her eyes. "Bozhe moy, Gaia. Really?"

"Some things never change," she laughed. "You still have an insatiable thirst for knowledge."

"It appears that knowledge did not serve me well in this future," she sighed, and Gaia gave her a sympathetic smile. "It did not get me very far."

"I guess not," she said kindly. "You've had quite a journey, haven't you."

Linka bit her lip and nodded.

"It was always going to be risky. Dangerous. But I've brought you here because it was the only way to speak to you in person. There's a lot you must know before returning. Do you understand?"

"Da," she said huskily. "I —"

A noise of jingling cups came from outside. Gaia looked over Linka's shoulder as the door behind her opened. "Ah, right on time. Tea?"

Another figure bustled inside with a tray and a fancy pot. A man wearing a fedora hat and a very prominent Hawaiian shirt approached, hunched over. His face was hidden from her view. Regardless of her inability to catch a glimpse of him, Linka had the distinct feeling that the man was smiling.

"Forgot the biscuits," he said airily. "Be right back."

"Um… all right," Linka replied, staring at the man's retreating figure as she tried — and failed — to get a look at his face. He disappeared out the door again. "Who is —"

"You developed a taste for tea and biscuits while living in the United Kingdom," Gaia said, pouring Linka a steaming drink. "A very English trait."

"You watched over us?" Linka asked, gripping the fine china in her hands and smiling her thanks. "You could still see us?"

"Couldn't see enough, it would seem," Gaia said sadly. "I could observe but my physical hold on the earth was gone. I'd been recalled years before, but I dragged my proverbial feet, so to speak."

"You refused to leave?"

"My superiors had given up on humans. All I could do was look in on you all from time to time. Just glimpses, really."

"That would have been difficult for you."

Gaia shook her head. "Not as difficult as watching the scene play out on that rainy day in Essex three years ago, Linka."

"You saw it happen? Saw me die?"

"Yes." Gaia's face hardened for a moment. "It shouldn't have happened. I was supposed to remain impartial. Detached. Do my job. Keep order and balance, but what Blight did to you that day…"

"It was the beginning of the end."

"The chain reaction was already in progress. The wheels were already turning. I failed." She raised her chin and Linka saw a fierce determination there. "But I'm making amends."

"We can still set things right in my past, Gaia," she said gently. "It has already —"

"You may be able to help set things right here, in this future you've found yourself in too, Linka."

Linka sat up straighter, balancing the mug on her lap. "How?"

The door opened again and the man returned. He shuffled inside, a tray gripped in both hands with an assortment of delicious European-style cream biscuits. Her mouth watered and she reached for one eagerly.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," the man replied with a wink and she could see his face now. She made a small noise, delighted to see him. The features were the same but the skin was no longer blue, but with pale, even skin-tones. Captain Planet could pass for human, here. "May as well eat up, Linka. You'll be back to scraps tomorrow."

"Yes, but am I technically eating this?" she replied with a grin as he ruffled her hair affectionately. "Apparently I am not here. This is not real."

"No, you're not here." Captain Planet shrugged, sinking into a second chair that had materialised, also out of thin air. "Doesn't mean it's not real. More biscuits?"

Linka nodded, reaching for another. As much as she was enjoying tea and biscuits with her former employer and resident superhero, there were more pressing matters at hand. "All right. What now?"

"Blight's lab."

"Da," she said, wrinkling her nose. She glanced at Cap. "What about you? Have you returned to the earth?"

"Yes. I've been released. My body is recuperating, but I'm in a severely depleted state," Captain Planet said. "The heat down there you experienced was due to my illness. An infection, if you will."

"Why could you not return to the earth when I was first brought here?"

"When you died, control of your element died with you. I was grounded. Stuck in limbo. My body started to simply meld with the materials I was thrown into. I could feel the wind element's return as soon as your feet first touched the earth here, though. I also sensed your presence once you entered the museum and used your ring."

"We heard and felt it," she said, recalling the ground quaking. "But I still don't understand —"

"I was half-in and half-out of both realms. There'd been a split of the elements. I needed a physical reconnection with a wind bearer to reactivate."

"Oh," she said softly.

"Didn't have to whack me so hard, though," Captain Planet grinned, rubbing his chest and giving her a look of mock indignation. "Hurt, you know."

"I had a violent Ukrainian on my heels," she muttered, sipping her tea again. "Speaking of which… I have been dreaming. A lot. Is this meant to happen?"

"Everyone dreams, Linka," Gaia replied but raised her hand as Linka moved to interrupt. "But I assumed there might be a possibility of this happening."

"Why am I gaining her memories?"

Gaia smiled at her. "You both share the same soul. You are effectively the same person. Your memories are merging. It is inevitable that if you are here long enough, her memories will become your memories."

"They started suddenly, I was not prepared for —"

"Your mind had to be clear and free to receive them," Gaia explained. "When did the dreams start?"

She frowned, already knowing the answer. "Around the time I found out about Wheeler," she muttered, choosing to ignore the bemused expressions in front of her. She pulled her hair back and settled into her seat. "I guess I was a little stressed until then."

"You married a fellow ring-bearer," Captain Planet mused and Linka blushed red, rubbing her face self-consciously. "Bet that was a shock for you."

"Da," she admitted. "I am still coming to terms with it. Will I recall everything?"

"Just the main events from your life. The memories she held dear, or the traumatic ones. The ones clearest in her mind."

"Are the dreams only happening to me?"

"No. It will be happening to whomever travelled through the portal with you."

"Bleak hasn't mentioned anything."

"Do you think Argos Bleak would tell you regardless," Captain Planet said, eyebrows raised. "The man is not exactly a conversationalist."

"True," she admitted. "I have to admit, he is growing on me. Like a fungus."

Gaia leaned forward, clasping her hands. "He's been useful, then?"

She nodded. "Da. I do not think I would have made it this far without his help."

"Really?" she said, sweeping her eyes over Linka's face. "You might be interested to know that it's not the first time Argos Bleak has proved useful to you."

"What do you mean?"

"Argos Bleak was your guardian angel towards the end of the Planeteers. Even the others weren't aware of this."

She stared at Gaia, unsure what she meant. "I don't —"

"Why do you think the CIA moved so quickly to get you out? They were notified of a credible threat received from a reliable source."

"What? Did Bleak —"

"MAL was destroyed. In the weeks that followed, someone phoned in several anonymous tips about a contract on your head. A bounty. A plan was underway. Andrei Kroi was planning on collecting."

"What?" she gasped, her face paling. "You mean —"

Gaia nodded. "Argos Bleak broke away from Plunder towards the end. He was killed in retaliation. Paid for it with his life."

"Oh my God," she said softly. "Bleak… Bleak said that he suspected that Kroi had killed him. Ma-Ti had told him."

"They never found the body."

"Probably buried under one of Plunder's project homes," she said, rubbing her temples tiredly. "Oh my God. What a mess."

"There's more, Linka. We don't have much longer together," Captain Planet explained, glancing at a clock on the wall. "We need to talk about your power. If and when you leave this future, the wind element will become unstable again. But there is a way around this — if you choose to do so."

Linka leaned forward, listening carefully. "What can I do?"

Gaia turned to address her. "Both wind rings belong to the same soul. Now that I am no longer there to guide the elements, each ring will need to remain in the hands of a chosen human. Both wind rings currently answer to you."

"So how do I —"

"You'll need to willingly pass on your other wind ring before you leave. Transfer it to someone worthy, or your element will once again overwhelm the earth."

"What happens if someone else dies? If it is not passed on in time? If Kwame's ring, for example —"

"If someone were to die whilst in possession of their element, the process will repeat, only with their own element causing havoc. The safest bet would be to promise it to someone while still in possession. Does that make sense?"

"No," she whispered. "I still do not under —"

"Let's take Wheeler. Wheeler holds the fire ring. If Wheeler has a clear idea in his head of who he'll pass it onto when he dies, this should suffice. A promise. Or perhaps in a few years he can pass it on himself to one of his children." Gaia smiled, reaching forward and squeezing her hand. "Your children."

"There are still so many uncertainties," Linka said worriedly, but Gaia shook her head. "So they will simply need to have their back-up bearer ready in the wings to take possession, in case the unexpected happens?"

"It's an inelegant solution, but with neither myself or Captain Planet to assist, steps like this are going to need to be taken in order to maintain control. I've been unable to make contact until now, but it's imperative that you pass on this information to the others. The rings must always be promised, and passed on down the line."

"All right," she replied. She was becoming sleepy; eyelids drooping. She yawned.

"She's fading," Captain Planet said. "Linka?"

"Da," she said, snapping her eyelids open again and straightening her body.

"You'll need to direct the beams into the displacement equipment. This should feed the local power supply enough for you to access Blight's mainframe and enter the coordinates. You'll have roughly fifteen minutes before the circuits will fry."

"How do I set the —"

"Search through Blight's files for her first successful time jump — the one where she left the message on the mirror. That's where the timeline split in your world. Reverse the polarity. You should end up back where you came from, time-wise. Try for Hope Island's coordinates."

"Do it in daylight, however," Gaia added. "The coordinates will put you dead centre, which will be the Pacific Ocean. Don't want you splashing down at night."

"And make sure the others have cleared the room when you make the jump. I suspect there will be some electrical blow-back." Cap folded his arms. "It'll be a one-way ticket. A successful jump means the equipment will be destroyed."

"All right," she whispered, a little overwhelmed by the task at hand. "How long has it been? How long have I —"

"Around eight weeks," Gaia said. "And eight weeks here means eight weeks there. Time passes concurrently."

"Once you combine my powers, that's it. Your future teammates will no longer be able to summon me." Captain Planet explained. "They'll be on their own. But there's a chance you may be able to restart the electricity grid for them."

"How?"

"You're a hacker. See if you can isolate the corrupt file before you go."

"All of this in fifteen minutes," she said incredulously. "You give me more credit that I'm worth, I'm afraid."

"If you can't do it, you can't do it," he said, quirking an eyebrow. He smirked. "But I've never known you to back down from a challenge."

She yawned again, taking another sip of her tea. It was lukewarm now and she blanched, placing the mug and saucer on the floor.

"One more thing."

"Of course there is," Linka replied tiredly. She curled up in the armchair, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I can't guarantee what you will be able to recall when you return, Linka. Once you're back to your own time, there's likely to be some disorientation. You'll have over thirty years worth of memories crammed into a brain with a twenty-three year-old capacity. The mind can only take so much."

"Great," she said, shaking her head with frustration. "So if I return, I am therefore free to repeat the same mistakes? Dooming everyone to this life all over again because I will not remember anything?"

"They were never your mistakes, Linka and I didn't say you would lose everything," she explained gently. "I just said there will probably be some disorientation when you land. There will likely be confusion. Some short-term amnesia until your brain can sort itself out."

"Anything else?" she asked, blinking in an effort to keep her eyes open.

"You'll most likely encounter some breathing difficulties too. The increase in oxygen levels back home will cause some initial light-headedness. Perhaps loss of consciousness."

"Bozhe moy," she breathed. Her words were jumbling into one another and she was struggling to verbalise her thoughts. "This keeps getting better, Gaia. We are landing in water."

"You've been through a lot, Linka. Have faith. You can do this," she said gently. "Keep the portal open for as long as you think you can. This should alert myself to your impending arrival. I'm hopeful there'll be some extra hands on deck by the time you touch down."

"Another biscuit, love?" Cap asked in his best British accent, but she shook her head, resting her cheek against the armrest.

"Nyet," she replied, closing her eyes. "Thank you."

"All right. I'm outta here," Captain Planet said. She felt his palm rest on her head as he passed. The sound of a door opened. "Doctors advice is to stay well away from shady government operatives and pill-popping Ukrainians."

Linka raised her hand, flopping it through the air. It dropped heavily back into her lap as she mumbled an inarticulate response. She was exhausted. Ready for sleep.

"Would you do anything differently?" Gaia asked. Her voice was closer now, soft and hushed in her ear. "When you return, I mean?"

Linka smiled drowsily."Throwing my laptop through a plate-glass window would be a good start," she murmured.

"Anything else?"

"I do not know." She shrugged, relaxed and sleepy. Her chin lolled against her chest and she felt Gaia's hand passing over the top of her head, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "What do... you suggest?"

"Live."

"Live?" Linka mumbled, her voice barely audible. She breathed out slowly, muscles relaxing and feeling a pleasant warmth enveloping her.

"You've been given a second chance, darling girl. Use it well," Gaia whispered, passing her hand over Linka's face as she finally slumped, head tilted back and lips parted. "Good luck."