Their rescuer led Higgins and Evans deep in to the jungles surrounding the procession. The tribeswoman in Higgins’s arms had fainted as they left the procession and her limp body quickly proved cumbersome to carry. Higgins gritted his teeth and carried on although he started to fall behind. He knew he’d rather brave the uncertain dangers of the jungle than to face the creatures and certain death that still pursued them.

A blast of energy singed a tree just feet away from Higgins. He stumbled to the ground at the sudden strike. The stumble saved him from the next blast, which blasted just over his head.

Evans and the other woman turned at the sound of the blast. The woman seemed to be of Asian descent and she wore little more than the tribeswoman. She wore a crudely carved skin over her loins, while her bosom remained covered only by the tattered remains of what might once been a shirt. It was secured to her chest by a twin pair of belts strapped over her shoulders. Despite her brief attire, she pulled what looked like a Derringer from inside the skins around her waist.

She pointed the weapon at the charging hordes and the blast which issued from the weapon made the staff weapons seem like pea shooters. The weapon disintegrated the creature it struck.

“Come,” she yelled out towards Higgins. Higgins pulled himself up. He didn’t need to be told twice.

Higgins felt the body beneath him stir as he pulled himself up. He pulled the tribeswoman up as she shrugged off the haze of her unconsciousness. He screamed, “Run!”, but the woman only seemed confused at his language. He yanked her towards Evans and the other woman, and she quickly got the hint that she needed to move.

The two G.I.’s and the two women surged ever forward. Higgins and Evans quickly found themselves falling behind the natural jungle dwelling women. But they did their best to maintain the pace until the Japanese women came to a stop.

“What’s going on,” Evans asked.

“Quiet,” she hissed. Evans, Higgins, and the tribeswoman stood silently as the other woman slowly took in her surroundings.

“We are safe for now,” she said. “The mareps have ended their pursuit.”

“Thank God,” Evans said. Evans dropped to the ground and reclined against the rock. Both Higgins and he found themselves short on breath, but Higgins didn’t join him. He glared at the young Asian woman.

“Who are you, why did you help us, and where did you come from?”

“Vance,” Evans interrupted. “She helped us. No need for the third degree.”

Higgins glanced back at his companion. “She could be a Jap spy sent to keep an eye on us.”

The woman started to laugh. “You think I’m a Japanese spy?”

Higgins glared at her. “I had that thought, yes.”

She stopped laughing. Her eyes met Higgins with a look just and cold and hard as his. “How a fool such as you survived in this world is beyond me.”

Higgins brought up his fists. Woman or no, she would find him ready to fight.

“Put your hands down, American,” the Asian woman said. “I’m not here to fight you. Honestly, I’m not here to fight anyone. And I am no Japanese spy.”

“Prove it,” Higgins said.

“You want proof?” she asked. “Fine then. I’m Chinese and I’m also an American. My father immigrated to your country after my mother and two brothers were murdered by Japanese soldiers. But he was still an archaeologist, so he brought me back to the Philippines to assist him with a dig in a strange set of ruins found there. We were there when the Japanese attacked the islands and I watch my father beheaded by a Japanese officer. He died buying me time to escape in to the jungle. I found a cave and ran inside to hide, only to find myself in this world. That was at least five years ago from my time-keeping.”

“Now I know you’re lying,” Higgins shot back off. “It hasn’t even been three years since Pearl Harbor.”

“Nonetheless, I’m telling you the truth, whether you like it or not.”

“Stop lying!” Higgins moved towards the woman, but Evans stuck his hand out to stop him.

“Hold up, Vance,” Evans said. “You got to remember that this place isn’t our world. Time could flow differently here. Lord knows we haven’t seen that sun up there move from high noon position. I know I believe her.”

“You expect me to believe her just because she claims she’s a chink and not a Jap?”

“No, I expect you to believe her because she’s the only one in this damn world who seems to give a damn whether we live or not! God damn it, Vance, we need all the help we can get. We’ve got a battalion of Nazi soldiers and an army of dinosaur men all out to kill us. I’ll take her help in a heartbeat.”

“Have it your way then, Evans. We’ll take her help.” Higgins turned to the woman and pointed a finger to her. “But I’ll be watching you, chink.”

With blinding speed the Asian woman came forward and grabbed Higgins with both hands. She pivoted as she came in and used the momentum to lift Higgins up and over her shoulder, dropping him to the jungle floor. She twisted the arm behind him and sat on his back to keep him from moving.

“If I wanted you dead, Vance Higgins, I would have killed you by now.” She released the grip on his arm and rose back to her feet.

“And my name is Sun Li, not chink. I expect you to remember it.”

Higgins sat back up and rubbed his soar shoulder. He truly hated this woman.

“Fine, Sun Li. What do you think our plan should be now?”

A blood curdling scream cut their conversation short. The G.I.’s and Sun Li turned to see the ebon tribeswoman whose cries cut through the jungle. She pointed to the darkness of the trees in front of her. Higgins charged over her and put one hand over her mouth.

“Quiet,” he cried. “You’ll attract the attention of something else in this jungle.”

Sun Li scanned the jungle around them. “I believe we already have.”

The cry of a monkey ripped through the trees, and a blindingly fast creature flew through the trees above. Evans, Higgins, and Sun Li looked up to see the creature.

None of them saw the great apes emerging from the jungle around them.