Chapter 6: The Vegetable Garden Car

It seemed as if they were in a staring contest. Neither Amelia nor Alrick could blink. For her it seemed like her dream manifested before her eyes, after so many failed tries, even if this Alrick had long, uncombed hair. For him it was difficult to even make sense of the situation, but he still kept a mischievous smile on his face.

Jam decided to step in. "Bro, please don't hurt her!"

Amelia gave the net launcher to Jam. "Strap it to one of your arms and keep it out of your brother's reach. I don't want him to get what he needs to gain an advantage over us."

Jam took the weapon and strapped it to his armor's left arm.

Alrick stopped smiling, then stared at Jam with half-closed eyes. "Oh, look. It's my replacement."

"I am no one's replacement!" Jam said.

"Then why did you stay behind with her?" Alrick asked. He took a moment to gaze upon Amelia's body, mostly focusing on her tank top. "Hey, I can't blame you. Even for her age, she still looks quite … dishy." A dirty grin formed on his face.

Jam's jaw dropped. "Dude, she's your mom!"

Amelia crossed her arms and scowled at Alrick. She wanted none of that Oedipus stuff.

"Yeah, right," Alrick said. "Enough with the pretending, Jam. I know you're playing along to fool me. After all, I did find you not wearing your armour next to her atop that tree. Wouldn't surprise me if you were romancing her already."

Jam grimaced at him. "What the hell, bro?! She may have the look, but just knowing that she's my mom kills any spark of attraction I could develop toward her!"

Amelia zipped up the top piece of her suit while saying, "I know this is confusing for you, Alrick. You have all these memories of a life you've never lived, and nothing else to go by when it comes to who you are. It is my responsibility to help you make sense of all of it. So, please, let me fill you in on what happened prior to the moment you woke up on the train."

Alrick pointed at her. "You're just trying to get rid of me so you can live the rest of your life with your coworker!" He pushed Jam away with force.

"Ahem! Excusez-moi!" Samantha said, standing next to Alrick's armored feet.

Alrick looked down at her. "Huh? A french cat?" He giggled in exactly the same way Amelia remembered her Alrick used to giggle.

Samantha gave him an icy glare. "If you push my deceased friend's son like that again, I will give Amelia another Alrick to mourn."

Amelia pointed at her. "You, stay out of this!"

Her son said, "There isn't another Alrick. I am Alrick, and I'm back for revenge."

Amelia let out a growled sigh while putting her hands on her head. "You are not the one who should be taking revenge. If anyone deserves to be angry with me, it's the real Alrick. But he's dead, and nothing's going to change that."

"Keep telling yourself that," Alrick said.

"Just trust me for a moment!" she said. "I can show you everything that happened. But first we need to get out of this car and find an unpopulated one. I can't risk having the denizens steal any tape devices I have on me."

"You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

Amelia pointed at her belt. "See this thing? If I really wanted you gone, I could have just disintegrated you with it. What I want is to show you the truth, then you can decide for yourself if you want to believe in it or not."

Alrick stared at her, trying to see if he could find any hint of ill intention. Either she was really good at manipulation, or she genuinely wanted to help him. Unable to figure her out, he said, "Fine. I'll listen to your tale."

Amelia smiled at him. "Then let's go find a safe place where we can talk about this."

The four travelers ended up in a vegetable garden car, where all plants were ripe for the picking.

Amelia took it upon herself to make salad for her companions. She brought out a butterfly knife and sliced the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and lettuce, then added a bit of oil that she carried mainly for frying eggs. Once the salad was ready, she put the red plastic bowl at the center of their group and said, "Dig in if you fancy some."

Jam, now in human form, was the first to grab some lettuce and tomatoes with his hand. He ate them, then said, "Tastes good. Definitely better than the stuff we used to eat before we've met you."

Alrick grabbed some salad too and ate it. With his mouth half-full, he said, "You may not be able to properly cook anything other than pancakes, but you always did nail the salads."

Amelia chuckled. "Actually, I've improved my cooking skills. After spending time with my daughter, I've baked cakes and pies, learned to make a mean roast, and I no longer burn eggs."

Alrick choked on some lettuce. "Daughter?!" He glared daggers at Jam.

"Don't look at me like that, bro!" Jam said as he shrank away. "She's talking about our sister. The kid isn't mine, I swear!"

While Samantha sat next to the salad bowl and refused to touch any of the food, Amelia tried to clarify what she meant. "Hazel is one of your many sisters, but the only one who can shapeshift between human and turtle form. She was created out of a ghom, just like you and Jam were. I'm not sure if she has a father or not, or if she has one or two mothers. I know it sounds complicated, but this is what happens when you try to scan a memory tape and children start messing with your scanner."

Alrick squinted at her. "What is this memory tape I keep hearing about?"

"I will show you after I finish eating my part of the salad," Amelia said. "Please, can we just have one family dinner without arguing? It's all I wish for right now."

"Fine," Alrick said. "I am kind of hungry. But after this, you will tell me everything, or else ..."

Jam stared at his brother with concern after hearing the way he worded that.

After the salad was all gone, it was time for Amelia to tell her story. She brought the tape extractors and the tape reader out of her backpack. "While I extract a new tape from my head, I will tell you what kind of person you are dealing with here."

The brothers and the cat watched her put the extractors on the top of her head. The tiny robots scratched with their stubby legs at her hair, causing the tape to form and come out.

"After Alrick's death, I would have ended my life if it hadn't been for this train," Amelia said. "I boarded it hoping to find aliens or any higher power that could help me bring my Alrick back."

"And you got him, but you refuse to accept him," Alrick muttered.

Amelia scowled at him, but continued as her tape poured down. "I've traveled from car to car, asked the denizens about who was in charge, and some of them told me to head to the locomotive to speak with the Conductor. As I continued my journey, I came across the tape car – the place where passengers are analyzed and receive their numbers before they get sent to other cars."

"That place can be a nice source of entertainment too, if you want to sit and watch people's tapes," Samantha said.

"That's where I came across some cassettes stored in a rack," Amelia said. "I found my name on one of them, and noticed that some porter robots placed the cassettes inside a slot below a giant screen. I've inserted mine there, and I ended up trapped inside my own memories, once again tormented by the loss of my Alrick. When I woke up, I saw a robot the size of a football, and I was amused when he told me he is the Conductor. He explained the purpose of the train and how he can create cars that have their own worlds and rules of physics, making them places where anything could happen. I begged him countless times to build a car with the place where I used to live, and where my Alrick was still alive. He told me to stop sniveling and face reality, then he ordered the Steward to shove me into a pod and send me back to restart my journey through the train cars."

Amelia's tape extraction was complete, but she didn't put it into the player yet.

"Once my pod landed, I broke its interior devices and swore to return and force the Conductor to do as I demanded. I've made deals with the slugs from the black market just like you two did. Then I've built my mech with my pod as its head, and went straight to the locomotive. I ripped One out of the control board and imitated the tune he used to control the Steward, making it my servant. I threw One into the snow car, which was the latest car at that time. Then I sent it away so he'd have a hard time returning to the locomotive while I took over and appropriated all the technology of the train. From there I've tried and failed numerous times to recreate my town and my Alrick. A passenger convinced me to stop the madness, but way too late. I've caused so much damage … You weren't the only ones who ended up suffering. I've turned many denizens into ghoms, and my team and I managed to turn back most of them. However, two gorilla children who got in my way before I turned them into ghoms flew off the train and are now part of the wasteland's fauna."

"I am appalled by what you have become," Alrick said. "Moreover, I am surprised your number isn't higher."

"Oh, it was higher," Amelia said. "It went all the way up to just under my chin. I've worked hard to make amends, fixed what I could fix, accepted what I could not." She looked at the 33 in her palm. "Now I guess all that's left for me is to solve your problem and offer you a better life, possibly in the U.K. if we can all get off this train. If not, maybe the gravity turtle college car could make a good home for you."

Alrick raised his arms. "They tried to kill us there!"

"Back then there was a misunderstanding. Now they'll have no reason to hunt you down again, because my deceased coworker signed a peace treaty with Emperor Aloysius."

"Even so, I don't think they can ever forgive us for throwing a pack of ghoms at them," Alrick said.

"The turtle people were all alive when my coworker and I arrived there, so they probably won't be too angry about that incident."

Alrick stared at the tape. "Are you going to explain what that tape does?"

"I won't just explain," Amelia said. "I will show you." She inserted the tape into the player and started it up.

A white flash of light engulfed all four members of the gang.

They found themselves in a white-walled room with large, static-filled holes with cracked edges.

"Where are we?" Alrick asked.

"I'm trying to find the oldest memory I have," Amelia said. She concentrated, causing the surroundings to take the shape of a classroom. It was in her primary school, and her classmates were all made of static except for one: kid Alrick. Kid Amelia was also there next to him, looking sad after getting a low grade from her teacher. A jar of jam was on the two's desk.

Alrick looked around. "Why are all the other children covered in static?"

Amelia looked at the essay paper held by kid Alrick and saw the date. "This memory is from 1963. A lot of time has passed from then till now, so I've forgotten what the other children looked like."

"Well, I still remember them," Alrick said.

The kids all gained faces, colors, and details.

"This is exactly how I remember this place too," Jam said. "It's no wonder I couldn't figure out where I used to sit in the classroom; I was never there to begin with."

Amelia looked at Alrick – the one who was her son – and said, "You can influence my tape!"

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked.

"I guess it's to be expected," Amelia said. "I used my old tape to create you. Your memories are compatible with mine, so you can fill in the missing pieces."

"Ooh! This is my favorite part!" Jam said, gaining a stupid smile on his face.

Alrick grinned at the teacher. "Ow yeah!"

The teacher sat on her chair and … Prrt! She shot up and grabbed the whoopee cushion off her seat, showing it to the class with a scowl and saying something – it was unclear what – to one of her pupils. The incident amused kid Amelia and the rest of her classmates.

"She blamed Mark for it!" Alrick said through his laughter.

Present day Amelia had a smile on her face too, but then she remembered that her Alrick was gone, so a frown took over. "Let's see what other memories I can find. Maybe they'll help me get my number down too."

The surroundings became bright white before darkening and showing her a bunch of floating photos representing the most cherished moments of her life. In almost all of them she was with her fiancé.

"Haha! I've been besting you at video games ever since we were teenagers!" Alrick said while pointing at the picture showing a teenage Alrick with an evil grin and a teenage Amelia who looked very tensed up. "Oh, here's one with our first dance lessons! And there's that Christmas when we got that tall tree and I had to step on a chair so I could put the star on its tip. And that time my chocolate ice cream fell. Hmm, our college graduation day. Not really the most pleasant of memories. I was very nervous there."

"That was when I wiped Alrick's face with my turtle pattern handkerchief," Amelia said while the picture showed that moment as video. "My scanner kept mixing that pattern into my creations. It is the reason why you take the form of a tortoise denizen. The machine must have thought the handkerchief's turtles were a solution to stress."

"Why do you keep referring to my past self as if I was another person back then?" Alrick asked. "I am still here! I remember all of this! I remember it better than you do!"

The memory of Amelia proposing to Alrick played in the background.

"Because you're not him!" Amelia said. "This is what I'm trying to show you! These aren't your memories. They are mine."

The memory warped into a wedding where Amelia wore a white dress while Alrick wore a tuxedo. The priest – covered in static – said, "You may kiss the bride."

Amelia stared wide-eyed at the scene before her. "This … never happened."

"And after how much you've hurt me lately, it'll never happen," Alrick said, changing into his tortoise appearance while tears formed in his eyes. He tried to leave the tape, but he hit an invisible wall. He put his armored hands on the barrier. "You've trapped me in here! I knew it!"

"It's not me doing this! It's the tape! It thinks you're me, so it won't let you go until you solve the problems stemming from your past."

"This isn't right!" Alrick said. "I'm not you! I am me! We are two separate entities!"

Jam tried to get out of the tape too, but was met with the same invisible wall. "Looks like I'm trapped in here as well."

Samantha said, "I'll go outside and keep an eye on you all. If you need me to stop the projection, simply tell me."

"We'll be here for a while," Amelia said. "I must face my memories."

The scene morphed from the wedding that never happened to the real proposal moment when the original Alrick kissed young Amelia.

Alrick the tortoise said, "This tape isn't mine, so these aren't my memories. That is why … I am getting out of here!" He ran through the invisible wall and disappeared.

"Brother?" Jam said.

An unseen force tugged at Jam's net launcher. He tried to pull his left arm back and use his right arm to grab at what was causing that to him, but there was nothing there. His net launcher dissolved.

"Alrick took my net launcher!" Jam said.

"Samantha! Stop him!" Amelia said.

Outside, Samantha kept jumping at Alrick, trying to scratch his face. He blocked her claw attacks with his arms every time. Finally, he managed to strap the net launcher onto his left arm. With a push of the blue button on the weapon's top, he captured Samantha in the blue glowing net the gun launched.

The cat frowned at him. "Why are you doing this? We tried to help you."

"I don't need your help," Alrick said. "All that woman ever does is hurt me. Well, I've outsmarted her this time." He clenched his right fist while towering over the feline. "I'm taking over this train and freeing myself from everyone who has caused me pain."

He ran away, leaving Samantha to struggle inside the net while Amelia and Jam were still staring blankly at the tape's projection.

Jam kept slamming his armored fists into the invisible wall, trying to escape the tape. Seeing no results, he stopped and said, "There's got to be another way out. I hope Samantha doesn't get hurt." He heard sniffling behind him, so he turned around.

Amelia was kneeling and crying while watching a memory of the dreaded phone call she received. Her past self was in tears too.

Jam put his left hand on her right shoulder. "Mom, I understand it was a difficult moment in your life, but sometimes things happen and … we have no control over when and how they happen. It's not your fault."

Amelia looked into his eyes and wiped her tears with her right palm.

The scene changed to the memory of when young Amelia refused to go to Alrick's funeral. A man's voice came from outside the house, saying, "I know it's hard, but it'll be good to go. We're all here for you."

"I never went to Alrick's funeral," present Amelia said while watching her past self, who was dressed in Alrick's hoodie, sitting on the floor, and pressed against a desk.

The memory was stuck on a loop where the rain continued to pour while past Amelia cried.

"You said the tape won't let you go unless you solve the problems stemming from your past, right?" Jam asked.

Amelia wiped more tears away from her eyes. "Yes, but I'm not sure how I'm supposed to solve this. I can't go back in time and take part in his funeral. The train won't even grant me that one small request."

Jam frowned. "Then your problem is unsolvable. Does this mean we'll be stuck in here until we die?"

"Wait," Amelia said. "You're right. My problem is unsolvable." She got back on her feet. "A wise girl named Tulip Olsen once told me that we have to adapt to the changes in our lives, because that's the only way things can get better. There is nothing for me here. I can't bring my Alrick back to life, and I can't turn back the time, but I can try to stop my son before he gets himself killed." Her hand grabbed Jam's, and she smiled at him. She could hear her number make a sound.

He smiled back and said, "There is nothing for me here either. These were never my problems, and I have a brother to save from himself."

They walked together into the invisible wall, which changed into a bright white light before bringing them back to the real world.

Samantha was still squirming inside the net, trying to chew it with no visible progress.

Jam ran to her aid. "Samantha! Did he hurt you?"

"Your brother is a brute," she said. "But you were right; he does hold back when he strikes."

Jam untied the net and released the cat from it.

Amelia asked, "Where did he go?"

"Outside, of course," Samantha said. "You're a bad mother, Amelia. One of your sons is an emotional wreck, and the other named himself after food."

"Hey!" Jam shouted, scowling. "I like my name."

"You can judge my mothering skills after we stop this madness," Amelia said. "Jam! Help us track Alrick down!"

"I gotcha covered!" Jam said, showing the green dot and the red arrow on his armor's screen. "Samantha, hop into my backpack and let's go!"

The cat jumped in, then Jam and Amelia ran for the door that had been forced open by Alrick's fists.

To be continued.