The Nibiru Effect

Memory 20

A groan escapes me as I regain consciousness. My head throbs as though someone bashed me over the head with a rock. My eyes flutter open, and I catch glimpses of swaying branches. The sound of rustling leaves reaches my ears. I inhale deeply, cringing as the hot, humid air fills my lungs.

I wait until I'm strong enough then sit. My vision blurs for a moment, but then my eyes focus, and I'm staring at a familiar face.

Salt 'n' Pepper.

"I told you he wasn't dead," he mutters. It's not until he pulls away that I see who he's talking to.

Barbie.

The sight of her lures a smile to my lips.

"Hey," she says, returning my grin.

"Where are we?" I ask as I stand. My legs feel like Jell-O, but I ignore the unsteadiness and focus on my surroundings.

I'm in a jungle. That explains the swaying branches and hot air I noted earlier. I also take into account the cacophony of caws, squawks and shrieks that fill the air.

"What are you doing here?" demands Salt 'n' Pepper.

What am I doing here?

"I asked you a question," grunts the hulking soldier.

"Leave him alone," says Barbie.

"What?" asks her father. "It's a legitimate question."

"Maybe," agrees Barbie, "but you don't have to be so insensitive. Can't you see he's overwhelmed?"

I stop listening when I realize Salt 'n' Pepper has changed since the last time I saw him. His hair is now so short I can't make out the white hairs from the black ones. His beard stubble is gone, and he now wears cargo pants, capped boots, and a t-shirt that's way too tight for him. Strapped to his right leg is a large hunting knife.

Barbie is just as beautiful as I recall. Her lustrous blond locks are pulled back into a ponytail, which helps show off the delicate curves of her face. Her eyes seem even bluer than before, though that may be my imagination. She wears a plain t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Both cling to her flawless form with surprising snugness.

It takes a while, but I eventually manage to tear my gaze from Barbie's intoxicating attire. Desperate to distract myself, I go over my measly possessions. I wear a white t-shirt and matching cotton pants. That's it. No shoes. No socks. I can't tell if I'm wearing underwear, but I'm not about to check.

"What are you doing here?" asks Salt 'n' Pepper.

"What my father meant to say," says Barbie, "is 'would you mind telling us how you got here?'"

I can sense the grey-haired soldier glaring at me, but I ignore him. Focusing on Barbie, I explain everything that happened since I jumped through the portal to escape the train. I tell them about the white room and Kidd's insane story. The only detail I leave out is the odd encounter with Scar Lady.

It's not until I'm done telling my story that I realize something.

I'm not insane.

I should be relieved, but the truth is I now feel worse than when I thought I was mentally ill. So much has happened I no longer know what's real and what's not. The only thing I know for sure is that my mother wants to meet me. Not that it matters now.

"What about you?" I ask, desperate for distraction. "How did you get here?"

"Our story is quite similar to yours," says Barbie. "Only we weren't given a choice. The portal appeared just as we were leaving our home. We had no way of avoiding it."

"The next thing we knew," concludes Salt 'n' Pepper, "we were in this drowned jungle."

Right on cue, a massive mosquito—and by massive I mean as big as a tennis ball—flies out of the jungle and lands on his arm. He doesn't even look at it. He merely crushes it with one powerful slap and wipes away the broken limbs and body fluid.

"The worst part is we don't have any guns." He taps his knife, indicating it's our only weapon.

Being stranded in a jungle is bad; being stranded in an unfamiliar jungle with only a knife for protection is worse.

"Do either of you know where we are?" I ask, but Salt 'n' Pepper and Barbie are now deep in conversation.

"Excuse me," I say, but neither the soldier nor his beautiful daughter acknowledges me. I try again, only to be ignored.

"That's it!" I snap after nearly half a dozen failed attempts. "Someone better tell me what the hell is going on or... or..."

My voice trails off when I notice my companions are still ignoring me. I'm just about to give up when they raise their voices.

"He deserves to know," says Barbie.

"We can't trust him," disagrees Salt 'n' Pepper. "He could be working for her."

"I'm telling him," says Barbie, putting an end to the discussion.

Salt 'n' Pepper grunts and crosses his arms.

"I'll do my best to answer all of your questions," Barbie tells me, "but I think it would be best if we introduce ourselves first."

"That would be nice," I admit, though part of me will miss thinking of the grey-haired soldier as "Salt 'n' Pepper."

"I'm Kara," says the former Barbie. "This is my father, Jonn."

"That's with two 'N's," says Jonn. "Don't you forget it."

I ignore him and introduce myself.

"I'm Will." I would normally use my full name, but since neither Jonn nor Kara offered theirs, I decide to keep mine a secret. At least, for now.

Now that we're all friends—well, sort of—it's time for me to get some answers.

"Where are we?" I ask.

Jonn chuckles.

"What's funny?" I wonder.

"The question you should be asking is not 'where are we,'" says Kara, "but rather 'when are we?'"

What the hell does that mean? I'm about to ask when Kidd's insane story about time travel comes back to me. It would explain a lot, though I'm terrified of the implications such a revelation carries.

"Are you saying..." I begin, but fear keeps me from finishing the question.

"That's right," says Kara."We're in the past."