Hi! To all those who are revisiting this story, I have FINALLY managed to correct all the grammatical errors that run amok throughout this tale. I shall be putting up the revised chapters a few at a time, so, if you find a chapter that doesn't look exactly like it did before, that is the reason. I think I'll get the rating and disclaimers over with and start right away...
Rating: M (Rating changed due to violence and morbidity, including death and disturbing scenarios and imagery)
Disclaimer: The only character I own is the March Hare character seen in the "Real World" chapters. His origins and character will be explored further in future Batman fanfics. Otherwise, I OWN NOTHING. NOTHING! Also, seeing as I have put the "soundtrack" to this story up on my profile, I have removed Looking-Glass by Hypnogaja's lyrics from this chapter and the epilogue. I do not own it, nor any of the songs or pieces of music on said soundtrack, and have listed their respective owners and sources beside them on the list.
Notes: This story is dedicated to Gareth Paul Barsby, whose YouTube video Batman: Dark Wonderland inspired this fic's creation. I hope the author enjoys it.
Let's "start at the beginning, and, when [we] get to the end...stop!"
Chapter I: Won't You Join the Dance?
On May 3rd, at 1:00 a.m., Jervis Tetch, alias Mad Hatter, and Deever and Dumfree Tweed, aliases Tweedledee and Tweedledum, escaped from Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane.
At 5:00 p.m., Tim Drake disappeared.
The next day, May 4th, at 6:00 p.m., the following note was delivered to the Drake family.
Your son has volunteered to play Dormouse at our Tea Party. Unless you want him to lose his head, I recommend you do one of the following: A.) deliver exactly 13 thousand dollars cash to the address on the envelope, or B.) INFORM BATMAN. Waiting impatiently, Mad Hatter.
Leave it to Jervis Tetch to send a semi-polite threat.
Needless to say, the second option was chosen. Of course, Batman already knew about the situation – he'd been searching leads the moment it was reported Tim Drake was missing.
Why wouldn't he? Tim was, after all, his current ward…and the newest Robin, the Boy Wonder, the "Watson" to Bruce's "Holmes."
(Bruce Wayne…Batman's alter ego: billionaire playboy and philanthropist by day, Caped Crusader against crime by night.)
In less time than it takes for a game of Speed to end, the Batmobile was tearing through the streets of Gotham as night fell. The crescent moon cast a thin, eerie glow on the pavement.
The address led Batman to an abandoned library.
Just the Wonderland Gang's style…
He would need to be cautious…they were expecting him.
At first, though, all seemed to go well…the Tweedles were nowhere to be seen. The Hatter was nowhere to be found.
That left only the Hare…the only member who had not been captured, and doubtlessly the one who had helped to free Tetch and the Tweeds. The victim of a cruel experiment by the mad scientist Dr. Milo, the Hare was part human, part brown hare, able to speak, react, and communicate like a human, but with the overall appearance and relative speed and strength to a hare.
While this may sound ridiculous at first, it actually made the March Hare quite deadly.
Batman stalked down the bookcases…every fiber primed for flight or fight. The library shelves were empty…the whole place smelled like dust and mildew. The windows were broken or dirty, sending only the scantest light into the room. Night vision lenses installed in the cowl of the Batsuit quickly fixed this, and made movement and stealth much more easy.
There was only one other door in the library…up a flight of stairs, beyond the last bookcase, fiction M-Z…the old manager's office.
This is all too easy…
The door was unlocked.
Much too easy…
The Tweedles – each dressed in a grey derby hat with a black band, a purple waistcoat, and a green shirt and trousers – stood beside a chair, and in that chair sat Tim Drake…hopefully unconscious. The Tweed twins broke into gruesome grins.
"Allo, Bats," said Dumfree, in that phony cockney accent both he and his twin used when in costume.
"Come fer the boy, 'ave ye?" sneered Deever.
Without a word, Batman whipped out a single bat-o-rang.
"Oy!" snapped Dum. "No need fer that!"
"Nohow," agreed Dee. "Just come 'ere and get 'im! We won't put up no fight whatsoever."
"Won't you?" growled Batman, in a spine-tingling voice that would strike fear into any crook. He threw the bat-o-rang (impact variety – made to stun a foe with its heavy, blunt-edged form when thrown), and as it arced around, both of the Tweed twins crumpled to the ground.
Easier still…
He took a few steps toward Tim…
He bent down, and placed two fingers to his throat.
No pulse…
Wait a second! This wasn't flesh!
THWACK!
Something thick and heavy collided with the skull beneath the cowl. Stunned and disoriented, Batman collapsed.
"Batman!" called a voice.
Tim…!
"Pick him up," came a disturbed, British accented voice…this time, the accent was genuine.
Two arms wrapped under the armpits of Batman and lifted him up, each in red sleeves…
And ending in fur-covered hands…more like paws than actual hands…a wooden mallet in one of said hands…
March Hare…
Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter, the source of the up-down voice, sneered, revealing his enlarged front teeth. His hazel eyes glittered under the brim of his pine green top hat with the black ribbon hatband, a 10/6 card stuck in the brim. His gray gloved hands were stuck in the pockets of his dark brown waistcoat. About his neck was a red bow tie with black polka-dots, and underneath his coat he wore a black-&-red checkered vest. His bottom half was clad in black shoes with spats and brown trousers, along with red-&-black striped socks.
"'It Is So KiNd Of YoU tO cOmE…aNd YoU aRe VeRy NiCe!'" quoted Tetch, his already dark-sounding voice taking on a strange, up-down melody as he quoted a poem of his passion. "Normally, I would ask you to join me for some tea…but, you ARE fifteen seconds late, so I'll just cut to the chase…"
Having said this, the Hatter snapped his fingers. A thick, muscular leg connected with a nerve point in Batman's back. He groaned and fell to his knees. The Hare, dressed in his red waistcoat, orange bow tie, and brown shirt and vest, smirked as he hopped up to the Hatter's side. He took up a hatbox and handed it to Tetch.
"Stop!" shouted Tim/Robin. "I swear, when I get out of this, I'll…!"
"Shut your trap," growled the March Hare in that oddly young voice of his, shoving a handkerchief into Tim's mouth like a gag. The Hatter opened the box and took out a tall, gray stovepipe hat with a black hatband. With a smile, he pulled the card out of his hat and placed it into the hatband…
One of his hypno-chips…
"Let me show you my latest design...'iT's My OwN iNvEnTiOn...'"whispered Tetch.
The pain was gone, but before Bruce could react, the hat was shoved over the pointed "ears" of his mask, and the wiring of the chip-card went to work.
Everything seemed to swirl out of proportion…
The sound of Tim's muffled protests and the Hatter's twisted laughter seemed to become more and more distant…
Then came blackness…the feeling of vertigo…a sensation like falling…
And total, deathly silence…