The Nibiru Effect

Memory 12

The subway station is deathly quiet. No whistling from invisible bullets. No crackling of electricity from mysterious portals. Not even the faint buzz of neon lights. It's as if the entire world was muted. But then a strangled sob reaches my ears and I realize not all is silent.

Barbie is crying. Tears fill her beautiful blue eyes, but not a single one escapes the shimmering pools of sapphire.

"What's the big deal?" I ask, hoping to put an end to her misery—and my guilt along with it. "Can't you just open another portal?"

Barbie shakes her head.

"I don't have a ring," she says.

I think of the ring Scar Lady fidgeted with before the portal opened. Apparently, the two are linked.

"What about those fancy bracelets?" I ask, nodding to the silver bracelet that lies among the rubble.

Barbie hesitates.

"You can trust me," I say, though I can't blame her if she chooses not to believe me. After all, it's my fault Scar Lady and Angry Dude got away.

"The bracelets lock on to the ring's signal," explains Barbie. "As long as we're wearing them when the portal closes, we will be transported to wherever it leads."

I'm not sure what that means, but it seems to indicate portals are some sort of advanced mode of transportation.

"So, you're trapped here?"

She nods.

"Can't you take a cab?" I ask, desperate to assuage my guilt. "Or a bus? Or a plane. Or a ship. Or—"

Barbie cuts me off with a chuckle. The outburst of joy is so unexpected I lose track of what I'm saying.

"You're kind," says Barbie. For some reason, she doesn't seem to blame me for her current predicament. I don't know who she is, she's unlike any girl I have ever met.

"Every portal is different," she explains. "I don't know where this particular one led, but even if I did, reaching it would be impossible."

I'm trying to come up with a solution when Salt 'n' Pepper groans. He tosses and turns for a second, then jumps up, fists raised. He looks around, no doubt in search of enemies. When he finds none, he calms down.

"What happened?" he asks.

"They're gone," says Barbie. "They opened a portal and fled."

Salt 'n' Pepper looks confused.

"Why are we still here? Why didn't we—" He breaks off mid-sentence when he notices his bracelet is missing. It takes a moment, but he finally puts it all together.

"What happened to your bracelet?" he asks.

"I removed it," says Barbie.

"Why? Now we're both trapped here."

"I couldn't abandon you."

The grey-haired soldier is about to retort when he notices me. At first, he's confused, but then he remembers what happened and his anger flares up again.

"You!" he growls as he takes a step toward me. I shuffle backward, my hands and feet brushing aside the pieces of shattered stone.

Salt 'n' Pepper marches on, muscles bulging.

"Dad!" cries out Barbie as she rushes forward. "Stop!"

I ignore the juicy nugget of information I was just given and pry myself off the floor. Meanwhile, Barbie does her best to slow her father. She grabs his arm, but he shoves her aside. I expect her to fall, but she merely stumbles.

"It's not his fault," insists Barbie, trying to reason with her father.

"Yes, it is, and he'll pay for what he's done."

I can't blame him. I am responsible for everything that happened. Nonetheless, I'm not about to let him pummel me without at least trying to reason with him. If it comes down to it, I may even fight, though we both know how that will end.

I keep shuffling backward as the madman advances. I'm just about to try to negotiate with him when Barbie yells.

"Watch out!"

At first, I think she's speaking to her father. By the time I realize her warning was meant for me, it's already too late. I take one final step and hit nothing but air.

I don't have to see it to know I have reached the edge of the boarding platform. I flap my arms in a desperate attempt to right myself, but gravity has grabbed hold of me and refuses to let go. It pulls me backward, off the platform and onto the tracks. The fall lasts longer than expected, and I manage to right myself in midair.

I land on my feet, but the lightning bolt of pain that lights up my right ankle sends me crumbling to the ground. The good news is I missed the third rail. The bad news is my ankle is sprained—or broken.

I look up and see Barbie and her father standing high above me. Once upon a time, the platform stood a mere meter above the tracks, but it now stands at more than twice that. I guess the tracks got upgraded during the recent renovations, which means returning to safety will be a challenge.

I try to stand, but pain explodes from my ankle. I crumble, landing far too close to the third rail for comfort. I try again as soon as the pain wanes, but the result is the same.

There's no way I'll get out of here on my own.

"We have to help him," says Barbie. She stands on the edge of the platform, peering down at me.

"Do we?" asks Salt 'n' Pepper, appearing next to her.

"Dad!"

"Fine. Let's help the kid responsible for getting us trapped here."

He jumps down, landing next to me with a heavy thud. I half expect him to finish me off, but he grabs me by the waist and lifts me like a rag doll.

"Thank y—" I begin, but the final syllable dies in my throat when he sets me back down, and pain once again erupts from my ankle.

"Sorry," mutters Salt 'n' Pepper, but I can tell he isn't. In fact, I'm pretty sure he did it on purpose.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so.

"Stop messing around," says Barbie. "Lift him up."

Salt 'n' Pepper doesn't even try to conceal his smirk. He uses his Herculean strength to lift me and waits for his daughter to grab hold of me. She tries, but the distance separating us is too great. We keep trying for nearly a minute before finally giving up.

"There must be another way," says Barbie.

"I have a suggestion," offers Salt 'n' Pepper, but neither Barbie nor I ask what it is. For some reason, I get the feeling his proposal involves leaving me there.

A heavy silence settles upon us as we struggle to find a solution. I'm just about to give up when I remember something.

"There should be a set of stairs at the end of the platform. We just need to reach it, and we can climb out."

Barbie's face lights up. I expect her to run to the end of the platform to verify my claim, but she instead propels herself over the edge of the platform and lands next to me with a soft thud. Moments later, she and her father are helping me to my feet. With their help, I can stand without having to put any weight on my busted ankle. Now, all we have to do is reach the end of the platform.

That's when I hear it. A distant metallic squealing. It takes a moment before I recognize it. When it finally dawns on me, my eyes grow wide with terror.

"What's wrong?" asks Barbie.

I answer with a single word.

"Train."