The high afternoon sun beat down upon his neck and shoulders, taking Gabriel back to the days before modern transportation. When he lived moment to moment, carrying all his worldly possessions on him at all times, doing his best to obtain a sugary drink that didn’t contain any protein to maintain his strength and stamina. A part of him missed the carefree life he’d had back then. At least he missed it now. Prior to a few months ago, he would’ve said he’d never miss those former years ever again.

Gabriel had had it all. An antique bookstore in Chicago, an assistant whom he loved, though he hadn’t realized it at the time, a best friend, Juan Ortega, and a life full of little worries.

He had money to enjoy the finer things in life, a home to return to, no matter where in the world his dream thief targets took him to, and many places he could call his own

In recent months, things in his life began falling apart, as he’d told Omar. Gabriel had missed a part of Dharma Knight’s dream.

Knight was an up-and-coming scientist whose work focused on genetic engineering of plants. Her work would’ve helped end world hunger, but…it would’ve also led to humanity losing its ability to reproduce.