The Nibiru Effect

Memory 21

Time travel is impossible. Isn't it?

"You're kidding, right?" I ask. "Please tell me you're kidding."

Kara shakes her head. Jonn chuckles.

That can't be good. I have no idea whether or not I believe in time travel, but I choose to keep an open mind. For now.

"Okay," I say. "We're in the past,"—I can't believe I just said that—"but when exactly are we? And how do we get back to our own time?"

Jonn scoffs again, but Kara shuts him up with a well-timed glare.

"Time travel is complex," she says. "We have barely scratched the surface when it comes to harnessing its power. We only know two things for sure. One: We can jump from one passing of Nibiru to the next by using the weak points it creates in Earth's timeline. Two: The only way to jump from one weak point to the next it to use a ring."

"A ring?" I ask. "Like the one my mother left me?"

Kara nods.

"All right," I say. "What are we waiting for? Give me the ring, and let's get the hell outta here."

"It's not that simple," says Kara.

"What do you—" I begin, but Jonn cuts me off.

"We don't have your ring."

A heavy silence follows the revelation.

"Wha... Ho... Where is it?"

"Back in Atlantis," says Kara.

That's the second time someone mentions the fabled city of Atlantis, but I'm far too freaked out to care.

"Kidd was studying your ring," continues Kara. "He was trying to understand how it works. We were going to see him when the portal appeared and brought us here."

I don't think I can handle dealing with the implications of what I just learned, so I choose instead to focus on less worrisome matters.

"Who is Kidd?" I ask.

"He's not what he seems," says Kara.

"What does that mean?"

"It's complicated, but I'll do my best to explain. Kidd is—"

"He's a pain in the ass!" interrupts the grey-haired soldier. "He's a hack, a selfish, good-for-nothing little—"

"Dad!" snaps Kara. I suspect this isn't the first time he's gone off like this. I wonder if this happens every time someone mentions Kidd.

"As I was saying," says Kara, "Kidd isn't what he seems. He may look like a child, but he's older than Jonn."

"How is that possible?"

"Kidd is, among many other things, an inventor. He created smart particles, nano-robots that have revolutionized the way our society functions. But not all of his inventions were revolutionary. After the success of smart particles, he decided to create the world's first anti-ageing serum."

"Did he succeed?"

Jonn scoffs. Kara merely nods.

"He did, but the serum did more than just halt the ageing process. It reversed it, causing him to grow younger."

"Is that why he looks like a child?"

Kara nods.

"He managed to halt the process before it was too late, but now he's forever trapped in the body of a child."

"If you ask me, it's kind of ironic," says Jonn. "A guy named Kidd trapped in a kid's body."

He has a point, but Kara's annoyed expression keeps me from agreeing. I decide to distract her with a question.

"How old is he?"

"Eighty-four."

I should be surprised, but the truth is, learning Kidd's true age is nothing compared to the insanity of the past few days.

"Why hasn't he started ageing again?"

"He can't," says Jonn.

"So he'll never grow old?"

Jonn shakes his head.

"On the plus side," says Kara, "he will never die of natural causes."

"He's immortal?"

Jonn scoffs. "That remains to be proven."

"All we know for sure is that Kidd is the smartest person in Atlantis," says Kara. "If anyone can figure out how your ring works, it's him."

There's a moment of silence before it finally hits me.

We don't have a ring.

"We're trapped, aren't we?" I ask. As much as I want to deny the fact that we're in the past, it's becoming increasingly difficult.

Kara nods.

"We're trapped," agrees Jonn, "but only until I get my hands on Avalon."

"There's no proof she's behind this," says Kara.

"Who else would do this?"

Kara doesn't answer.

"Who's Avalon?" I ask.

"She's pure evil," says Jonn. He clears his throat and spits as if to indicate Avalon, whoever she is, is worth less than a glob of mucus.

I glance at Kara for confirmation.

"Avalon is the woman you saved at the subway station," she explains.

Jonn glares at me but says nothing. He doesn't have to. We all know it's my fault Scar La—I mean Avalon—got away. And, if Jonn's theory is correct, I'm also responsible for our current predicament.

Why couldn't I mind my own business? Why couldn't I let Jonn kill her? Then again, Avalon is the only person—other than my mother—capable of helping me decipher the meaning of my hourglass symbol. Or is she?

"Do either of you know what this symbol means?" I ask, revealing my left wrist.

Jonn and Kara study it, but neither knows anything of use.

"Why would Avalon send us here?" I ask. "For that matter, where are we?"

"When," corrects Jonn.

"Whatever."

"There are many reasons why Avalon would send my father and me here," admits Kara.

"But why send him?" asks Jonn, pointing to me. "He's worthless."

I want to argue that I'm not worthless, but given the circumstance, I prefer to be of no value to Avalon.

"That still doesn't explain when we are," I point out.

"We should explore," says Jonn.

I'm about to agree with him when the blood drains from Kara's face.

"I don't think that will be necessary," she says, pointing at something behind me. Jonn follows her gaze, and his face goes slack. I hesitate for a moment, then turn around.

Standing before me, meremetres away, is a dinosaur.