The Nibiru Effect

by G Sauvé

  There’s a moment of silence before Kara repeats her original question.

  “Why are you helping Avalon?”

  Arko hesitates for a moment before answering.

  “I loved my sister. Losing her almost killed me. It felt like a piece of me had been torn away. For the longest time, I blamed Avva—”

  “Avalon,” corrects Jonn, having recovered from the unexpected bout of grovelling.

  “—but one day,” continues Arko, ignoring the grey-haired soldier’s interruption, “I learned she was trying to fix her mistake by altering the past. Unlike some”—he glares at Jonn—“I fully grasped the potential of such a discovery. Desperate to bring my sister back from the grave, I vowed to do whatever I could to help Avva.”

  “She killed Anna,” growls Jonn.

  “I know,” snaps Arko, “but, unlike you, I was willing to do whatever it took to bring my sister back.”

  “It’s not what she would have wanted,” says Jonn.

  “You didn’t know her like I did,” snarls Arko. “She was my sister!”

  Jonn doesn’t insist, which allows Arko to continue his story.

  “In order to help Avva, I had to find her. I approached Kidd and told him just enough to convince him to help. Together we came up with a way to lock on to Avva’s ring. After that, it was a just matter of waiting for her to return to Atlantis.”

  A tear rolls down Arko’s cheek. I almost feel sorry for him, but no amount of regret can make up for the atrocities he helped Avalon commit. Because of them, hundreds of korrigans and arkanes are dead. And more are dying every day.

  “My plan was simple,” continues Arko. “I would wear the bracelet Kidd and I invented and wait for Avva to return to Atlantis to see if her actions in the past had altered the present. Once she reactivated her ring, my bracelet would lock on to its signal and transport me to whatever time she went. All I’d have to do is locate her and offer my services.”

  “What happened?” I ask.

  “Jonn happened. He figured out what I was up to. Thinking I was trying to avenge my sister’s death, he insisted on coming with me. I refused, but he wouldn’t drop it, so I went to our commanding officer and told him what we were up to. I thought he would order us to stand down, but he approved our mission and gave us a leave of absence. Desperate to get rid of Jonn, I went to the Atlantean Council, hoping to convince them to overrule the military’s decision. I failed. Not only did they agree Avva had to be stopped, but they decided Jonn and I were the best candidates for the job. Even worse…”

  Arko stops talking and glances at Jonn. No words are spoken, but it’s obvious they’re having a silent argument. It lasts a few seconds and ends with Arko admitting defeat with a slight nod.

  “…they insisted Kara join the team,” finishes Arko, though I suspect the sentence was altered as a result of the silent conversation that just took place.

  “That’s not what happened,” says Kara. “I wanted to go. It was my decision.”

  I should probably be surprised, but I’m not. Jonn is Kara’s only family. It’s only normal she would want to accompany him. What I don’t understand is why Jonn agreed to it.

  “I tried refusing,” he explains, no doubt sensing my judgement. “She wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  Once again, I’m not surprised. Kara is nothing if not determined.

  “What happened next?” I ask after a while.

  “Locating Avva was easy,” says Arko. “The hard part was revealing my true motives without Jonn and Kara learning my secret. For a while, I tried to get close to Avva, but I soon realized that was impossible as long as Jonn and Kara were still around. I considered killing them, but I couldn’t risk it until I was certain Anna could be brought back.”

  “I don’t understand,” I admit. “What difference does it make when you kill them? They’ll still be dead.”

  “Not necessarily,” says Arko. “By altering the past, we won’t just save Anna; we’ll reset the entire timeline. Once that happens, everything that occurred after Anna’s death will be erased, bringing everyone who died back to life.”

  It takes a moment for my brain to process this information. As insane as it sounds, it makes sense. Sort of.

  “I couldn’t kill them yet,” continues Arko, “so I resorted to sabotage. It worked for a while, but one day Jonn caught me in the act. After that, I had no choice. I went to Avva and told her everything. She was suspicious at first, but she soon learned to trust me. We’ve been working together ever since.”

  My mind is still reeling from the recent revelations, but I’m starting to understand why Avalon and Arko are willing to go to such lengths to accomplish their objective. Of course, there’s much I still don’t comprehend.

  “Why pretend being controlled by Avalon?” I ask.

  “That was Avva’s idea,” admits Arko. “She wanted to have a little fun with Jonn and Kara before she killed them.”

  “What about me?” I ask.

  “You just got in the way.”

  At first, I think it’s Arko who spoke, but then I realize the voice belongs to a woman.

  It’s Avalon.

  The raven-haired woman emerges from behind Arko and places a hand on his shoulder.

  “You did well,” she says as she slowly circles him. Arko tries hard to conceal his disdain for the woman but fails miserably. “But now that you’ve completed your part of the plan, you’re useless to me.”

  I don’t immediately understand what this means. It’s not until she snatches a spear from one of the arkane guards and drives it through Arko’s chest that it finally makes sense.

  I watch, wide-eyed, as Arko drops to his knees. Blood spills from his mouth and rolls down his chin. His eyes are wide and filled with fear and confusion. He crumbles to the ground, convulses for a moment, then grows still.

  He’s dead.

  Memory 77

  Arko is dead. I stare at his body for the longest time before accepting the fact that he’s not coming back. Jonn and Kara seem equally stunned. He may have betrayed them, but he was only doing what he thought was right. Not to mention the fact that he was a close relative. He was an uncle. A brother-in-law. A friend. But now he’s none of those things. He’s dead.

  It takes a while, but Jonn finally explodes.

  “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?” he bellows.

  He yanks his knife from its sheath and, ignoring the spears that stand between him and his target, lunges forward. Spearheads whistle through the air, but Jonn skillfully dodges them. He takes one step after another, each one bringing him closer to the object of his wrath.

  Avalon isn’t afraid. She stands her ground, an amused smile curling her lips.

  An arkane steps between Jonn and receives a powerful right hook for his troubles.

  Jonn takes another step. Two more and he will reach Avalon.

  Another arkane intervenes but gets taken down by a well-placed kick to the privates.

  The grey-haired soldier takes yet another stride. One more and he will be within striking distance of Avalon. He’s just about to close the gap when three arkanes jump him.

  Jonn dispatches one of his attackers with a well-placed jab of his knife, but the other two quickly overpower him. Within seconds, he’s being forced to the ground. Moments later, no less than seven arkanes are upon him. In seconds, he’s been disarmed and bound.

  “That’s better,” says Avalon as Jonn is pulled to his feet and shoved back into the circle of spears where Kara and I remain captive. “Now let’s talk.”

  “I have nothing to say to you,” growls Jonn.

  “Are you sure?” she teases. “I’m willing to answer any question you may have.”

  Jonn is too proud to ask the question that’s on all of our minds, but his daughter isn’t.

  “Why did you kill him?” asks Kara. She’s crying, but I see no tears. Arko may have betrayed her, but she still cared for him.

  “He served his purpose,” says Avalon with a noncha
lant shrug. “Also, he was beginning to think too highly of himself. I couldn’t let his inflated ego stand in the way of my plans.”

  “You didn’t have to kill him,” growls Jonn.

  “What else could I have done?” asks Avalon. “Told him to go home? Come now, we both know death was the only option. And, once I fix the past, he will come back to life, along with everyone else.”

  “I suppose you plan on killing us too,” says Jonn.

  Avalon nods. “Of course. Why else would I have gone through the trouble of luring you here?”

  “Let’s get it over with,” says Jonn. “There’s no point in delaying the inevitable.”

  Avalon chuckles.

  “Where’s the fun in that?” she coos. “I’ve been looking forward to this moment for a very long time, and I’m going to enjoy every sweet second of it.”

  Avalon’s motives are pure, yet her good intentions must have gotten skewed somewhere along the way because she now acts like a complete maniac. She isn’t doing all this out of mere righteousness. She’s enjoying it.

  Jonn’s desire to move things along is admirable albeit foolish. We’ve come too far to give up. Not only did we succeed in completing our original objective—locating Avalon—but there may yet be a chance for us to escape. Avalon’s time travel ring is within reaching distance. With a little time and a whole lot of luck, there’s a chance we can steal it and escape this time. The thought of abandoning the korrigans and arkanes fills me with guilt, but their fate will be sealed if my friends and I perish. If we survive, there’s still a chance—a small one—we can help them.

  “I have a question,” I say, desperate to buy us time.

  Avalon’s lips curl into a smile.

  “Ah,” she says, “finally someone with a little sense.” Her dark eyes sparkle as they focus on me. The scar that mars her right cheek seems deeper than before. The hourglass on her wrist attracts my attention, providing me with the perfect question.

  “What does this symbol mean?” I ask, raising my left arm and exposing the mysterious symbol that adorns it. The past few weeks have kept me so busy I barely spent any time trying to figure out how the symbol fit into the equation, yet I can sense it’s the key to everything that has happened to me of late. I’m convinced once I understand its significance, everything else will make sense. Unfortunately, no one seems capable of answering my many questions regarding its origin. And those who can are unwilling to do so.

  “I can’t answer that question,” admits Avalon, a devious smile curling her pale lips. “All I can say is one day it will all make sense. Until then, I suggest you trust your instincts and follow your heart.”

  I’m even more confused than before. Not only did I learn nothing about the hourglass symbol, but I must now figure out whether or not to trust the advice given to me by the single most evil person I have ever met.

  “Can’t you tell me anything?” I ask on the off chance Avalon will slip up and reveal something of use.

  “There’s much I can tell you, but I’m afraid none of it relates to the symbol we both possess.”

  I sigh.

  “Then what good is it?”

  “Not everything revolves around you,” she chastises teasingly. “In fact, the story I’m about to tell has very little to do with you. Nonetheless, I shall direct it at you. Somehow, it seems fitting.”

  I’m not entirely sure what that means, but I choose to play it safe. I nod to indicate I’m willing to listen.

  “Nothing we do in this time will affect the future,” she says.

  A heavy silence follows the revelation. Is she lying? Is she telling the truth? I can’t tell, but one look at Jonn and Kara reveals not so much as an ounce of doubt. I guess they have dealt with her enough to know when she’s deceiving them and when she's truthful. Still, I’m doubtful.

  “I don’t get it,” I admit, deciding to play along. “If none of our actions can influence the future, why are we here? Why bother creating the fire plague? Why kill so many innocents?”

  “We’ll get to that in a moment,” promises Avalon. “For now, let me tell you a story.”

  I don’t respond, which Avalon takes as a sign of consent.

  “I assume you know Nibiru is what allows us to travel through time,” she says. “What you may not be aware of is that the red planet releases massive amounts of energy. Unseen by the naked eye, this energy affects Earth in a variety of ways. Most of these disturbances are minor, but every once in a while, the energy converges and disrupts the course of history in a major way. This is one of those times.”

  Jonn and Kara share a concerned glance.

  “Did you know the Mountain of Fire was once a volcano?” asks Avalon.

  I nod, thinking of the story Korri told me. He is—was—a lava korrigan. He spent his youth living deep within the mountain, shovelling lava. Thinking of him brings tears to my eyes.

  “Well,” continues Avalon, slightly taken aback by my sudden sadness, “did you know the dormant volcano acts as a giant magnet, luring the Nibiran energy to it?”

  I don’t bother answering. What’s the point?

  “Pressure is building beneath our feet at this very moment. Once it reaches critical mass, the mountain will no longer be able to contain it, and the volcano will erupt, causing destruction and devastation for this entire region.”

  I can’t help thinking of the korrigans and the arkanes. First the plague, now this. Can’t they catch a break?

  “When?” asks Jonn.

  “It’s impossible to tell,” admits Avalon. “It could erupt in mere hours or a few years.”

  That’s not reassuring.

  “Why are you telling us this?” asks Kara.

  “I want you to understand how powerless you are,” says Avalon. “This time is doomed, and nothing you do will change that. Nothing.”

  A heavy silence follows the woman’s words.

  “When the volcano erupts,” she continues after a while, “it will release the supercharged energy it contains. This devastating force will weaken the very fabric of time and space to the point of tearing. Out of this gash, an asteroid of gargantuan proportions will emerge. It will crash into the Mountain of Fire, obliterating it and causing such devastation the eruption of the volcano will seem like mere child’s play in comparison.”

  “That’s horrible,” gasps Kara.

  “That’s nothing compared to the damage the asteroid will cause in the long run,” reveals Avalon. “Along with destruction and death, it will bring a plague. Far more deadly than the fire plague, this disease will spread at an exponential rate. Within months, half the globe will be affected. Within a year, the entire world will be overrun. Most living organisms will perish. Only the strongest will survive.”

  As devastating as this news is, it somehow sounds familiar. It takes a while, but I finally figure out why.

  “The Chicxulub asteroid,” I blurt out. Everyone looks at me like I’m crazy, but I don’t care. I’ve just realized something that proves Avalon is telling the truth.

  “The Chicxulub asteroid is supposedly responsible for the extermination of the dinosaurs,” I explain. “It’s believed its impact caused drastic climate changes that led to the extinction of more than seventy-five percent of life on Earth. They may have been wrong about the climate change being responsible for this mass extinction, but it doesn’t change the fact that Avalon is right. Nothing we do in this time will affect the future because nearly every living thing will soon be dead.”

  A heavy silence follows my revelation. We’re all thinking the same thing. Everything we did was for nothing. The only upside is that, even if Korri hadn’t perished as a result of my actions, he still would have met his end when the asteroid hit Earth.

  We’re not the only ones affected by my discovery. The arkane guards are nervously glancing at each other. I guess Avalon failed to mention the fact that they were all going to die.

  I don’t realize now is the perfect time for an escape attem
pt until Jonn, still bound, lunges at the nearest guard. He headbutts him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Unfortunately, that’s all he has time to do before he’s overwhelmed. Within seconds, he’s incapacitated.

  Avalon chuckles. She doesn’t reveal why she’s so thrilled, but I suspect it’s because Jonn’s distraction has caused the arkane guards to forget all about the fact that they’re doomed. I consider pointing it out, but I see no point in causing them undue pain. They are merely pawns in Avalon’s game.

  “Why are we here?” I ask. “If nothing we do in this time matters, why bother coming?”

  Avalon smiles.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” she asks. “This was all a big, elaborate game, the goal of which was to get rid of Jonn and Kara once and for all.”

  “Why?”

  “They've been a thorn in my side for far too long. So many of my carefully laid-out plans were ruined because of them. The only way to ensure the success of my mission is to kill them.”

  I’m once again reminded of how evil Avalon is, even if her main goal is, at its core, good.

  “Why not kill them when they first arrived in this time?” I ask.

  “That would have been too easy. They deserved to suffer, to pay for what they put me through. That’s why I lured them here. I spent months setting everything up in anticipation of their arrival.”

  “Is that why you created the plague?” I ask. “You wanted them to see innocents suffer?”

  “Yes,” she admits. “But that was only part of it. I wanted them to fight, to surpass themselves in a desperate attempt to save those that remained. I wanted them to come close, only to fail in the end. I wanted them to see their friend and former partner betray them once again, only to perish before their very eyes. I wanted them to know nothing they had done made a lick of difference. I wanted them to feel completely, utterly powerless. And I succeeded.”

  There’s a moment of silence as I struggle to understand how a person could be so resentful, so evil. Sure, none of what she does to Jonn and Kara will matter if she succeeds in fixing the past as all those who died will come back to life, but why does she hate them so much? It seems as though there’s still much I don’t understand.