Author's note: Dear lord! I finally managed to finish this chapter. Sorry for the delay, I was sidetracked by other things. I been reading other peoples stories in this site, there's some talent floating around this place. Anyway, with the E3 come and gone I've been making my list for this year's games that I will buy when released. Oh what can I say there's a good bunch in store for us. Bioshock Infinite, Hitman Absolution, Dishonored, Halo 4,X-com: Enemy Unknown (this one is which I want the most) as a veteran gamer that I am I know not to be sway by fanboyism or pre-release expectations. But there's something about this game that makes me all friki. But, Anyhow! Let's start with this thing.
Disclaimer: All this belongs to someone –who obviously is not me- who either posses the copyrights or owns/boss around those who does.
CHAPTER VIII
BUT I DON'T WANT TO WAKE UP JUST YET
Alice opened her eyes, groggily with sluggish difficulty. Only to be blinded by the sudden surge of sunshine that overwhelmed her senses. She squinted her eyes as reflex and chirped her discomfort.
Turning her body to escape the blinding light, Alice brushed the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hand. A quick scan of her surroundings made her realize that she was back at the warehouse in which she had fallen through a hole in the roof while running from the police; on a platform in the second floor to be precise.
She sighed in disappointment "It was just a dream, I should had known. Such a pity it had to end, I was enjoying it very much" she mused to herself.
Fully awaked now, the girl slowly made her way downstairs into the bottom floor and began to look around for a way out of the building. She first tried to have a go at the main doors, but found them barred.
Seeking around for other options, Alice found a broken window that lead to an alleyway at the back of the building. . If she crawled through on her hands and knees Alice believed she would be able to make her escape without hurting herself on the broken glass.
She was about to climb on the sill, when she remembered that she was now a wanted woman. The police may still be searching for her out there. Thinking it to be a good idea to conceal her features, she began to rummage on nearby shelves and containers in search for something that would help her to pass unnoticed.
Despite her efforts, all that she managed to found was a worn, filthy and dusty shawl. It was little more than a tathered rag; clearly not something that she was eager to wear. But beggars cannot be choosers, so she had to make do.
She shook off the piece of cloth out of dust the best she could. The linen must have been gathering grime for years, for it released a surprisingly thick cloud of grey powder that caused her a heavy string of sneezes. Alice cursed inwardly at her luck, complaining at the unfairness of her current predicament.
With the shawl under her arm, she exited the warehouse through the broken window, mindful of not gettting cut on a piece of broken glass. Once outside -and against her best judgment- she donned the old ragged shawl and covered her head with it.
She did not enjoy wearing the garment. It was so dirty… and it smelled. Not to mention it caused her itchiness, but at least it did served its purpose of concealing her features nevertheless. She promptly abandoned the alley and walked into the main street.
Mingling among the crowd, she realized she had reached the entrance to the docks. As expected, there were policemen patrolling around. It didn't seem as if they were actively looking for her; they were rather as if lying in wait, keeping their eyes peeled for anything that they may deem suspicious. Ready for any sign of trouble; Good thing she had been sensible enough to don the shawl, it would keep her hidden from prying eyes as long as she did nothing to draw attention.
Alice knew the docks well; she often came here during the past months in search for work. Inconspicuously, she scurried along the docks until reaching the pier, where she watched the ships that were berthed in there. She decided to take a moment to ponder on her next course of action.
She briefly toyed with the idea of trying to gain passage aboard one of the vessels. But she only carried a modest sum of money inside her purse –That she was wise enough to bring with her, after all she had to buy that bottle of spirits in such short notice, too bad it had to go to waste though- she doubted it would be enough to buy her ticket in, so that option was out of the question.
Still; she could always try to catch a ride as a stowaway, although that idea came with some serious drawbacks. She didn't think it possible to be able to remain hidden indefinitely aboard the confines spaces of a ship. She would be forced to make regular incursions in search for food and drink.
She didn't want to think in what could happen to her if she were to be discovered. A young pretty lady such as herself, trapped inside a ship full of big, stinky and rowdy men in the middle of the ocean, with nowhere to run and who knows for how many months among the seas. She shuddered at the thought.
Well, maybe she was being a little too extreme in her though. Most likely they would just force her to walk the plank. That was almost a guarantee; Mmph...? that only leaved her with the option of trying to work her way aboard a ship.
There had to be many ways for a young lady like her to pull her weight and prove her worth. Mopping decks, cooking, cleaning and such, she had a great deal of experience in that department; seeing as how she had to exert herself by taking multiple jobs at the same time to make sure that the orphanage didn't ran out of money.
But that also leaved her with the issue of being the only woman aboard a ship, and she would be in a more exposed situation. Nah, she was confident that she could deal with anyone who dared to make a pass at her. After all she was well versed in the art of using her wits to dissuade a man's interest in her. Every time she went to visit Nan Sharpe at the Mangled Mermaid, she had to deal with her "clients" first; she was very proficient in keeping them at bay.
Oh! Who was she trying to fool? She would never be able to get accepted aboard a ship. She had forgotten how ridiculously superstitious can sailors be, with this goofy belief that having women aboard a ship brings bad luck; Preposterous. She was starting to miss the Normandy. That was understandable, after witnessing such an advanced and elegant vessel; all others looked blase by comparison.
Alice sighed in resignation. She was getting way ahead of herself. She shouldn't worry about leaving the city just yet. There were still matters that had to be dealt with before daring to think on jumping ship.
More specifically; she had to deal with one particular person, Radcliffe. She would not let her family fortune to be seized by that pompous greedy bastard. Alice knew that he would not wait to put his sleazy fingers on it, especially now that her situation was bleak. But she would not allow it, she will not have her inheritance denied from her; even though, with the police chasing after her, her chances to claim what justly belongs to her were now moot.
Well, if she could not claim her family fortune, then she was to make sure no one else could have it either. For her plan to succeed, she needed to get hold over her parent's wills and the documents that marked her as the sole heir, along with the clause that pointed that all the fortune and assets would pass unto Radcliffe in case she was not healthily fit to claim it.
It was decided then; she would have to pay a visit to the good lawyer.
And with that thought she was off again, moving seamlessly among the various stalls that run along the length of the coastal boulevard. Walking closely to one such booth; Alice, quickly and deftly -while the clerk was distracted with some potential customers- procured one of the knifes that were lying around, usually employed to gutter fish and remove their scales.
The blade smelled and the grip was sticky and gooey, it didn't bother her in the slightest. She was used to handle knifes in such conditions. She had, after all, worked in many menial jobs in the past; this even may help her in her devices. People would not be so forthcoming to approach her if she smelled like rancid fish, lessening in some measure the risk of anyone getting too close to recognize her.
At any rate, that would be a side perk. Her real intention for the knife was to ensure that Radcliffe would be in a more agreeable disposition. It was necessary, she knew he would refuse.
The young woman refastened her shawl and slipped into the alleys. It would take her several hours to reach Radcliffe's home, if she moved between shady side streets and alleyways, as to avoid unwanted attention. Fine by her, she would not hurry; it would give her the time to think in the many ways she will deal with the lawyer's unruliness.
"Ok cat, let's get things straight; shall we?" said shepard, trying hard to keep a cool demeanor. Obviously he was distressed by Alice's disappearance; it was so sudden and so abrupt, he almost ended turning the ship upside down in search of her whereabouts. Like many military leaders, he didn't like it when he lost people under his command. True, Alice was no soldier, but he had made the decision of making her part of his crew; hence he was responsible of her…. And then she went missing without a trace. It was kind of a blow to his sensibilities.
He had put EDI into trying to track the girl, even though he knew it may be a wasted effort. The AI's sensors had already proved useless to take a reading of both Alice and Cheshire, according to EDI they glitched and marked error. But EDI proved quite crafty in his search of the girl; instead of taking notice of what her scanners could perfectly read, the little AI paid attention to the places where her sensors failed. The only place where her scanners collapsed was the infirmary where Cheshire was currently in for the moment.
On the rest of her ship, her readings where running smoothly, except for the occasional bug or calibration glitch that needed to be addressed. This meant that the girl was nowhere to be found inside the ship. This news disconcerted Shepard when he was informed by the AI.
A subsequent search of the ship also revealed nothing. Not a single trace of the girl whatsoever. The commander wanted answers, for this purpose he called an emergency meeting of his ground team in the briefing/communications room; so that they may come up with a course of action.
The best bet was to question Cheshire about this recent enigma; though it was suspected that the feline was not one to give clear responses. If he remembered correctly, the cat Cheshire was usually depicted as a shady character that had the tendency of withholding information; often speaking in riddles and vague hints instead of straight answers. Not in the mood for games, Shepard was being very clear in what the rules of the game would be.
Which bring us to the present: Commander Shepard inside the conference room; backed by his teammates and about to interrogate the Tiger-striped mangy feline.
"You and Allice appeared inside Purgatory; practically out of nowhere, just like that." said Shepard, giving facts in a serious tone. "We don't know where you came from, we don't know exactly how you do the things you can do and we certainly don't know what your intentions are… Now, I like to consider myself an understandable man and Alice didn't struck me in any way as a bad sort of person. In fact, from what I could gather while talking to her; she is a very strong-willed caring young woman. I may have thought her a little weird due to her odd demeanor, but once I got past that, I started to develop a certain liking to her." He mused, thinking about the young maiden. "So I decided to ignore all suspicions regarding the two of you and your motives. I figured you both could be great assets for my team; Hell, your skills are really something else. But my tolerance has a limit and that limit is greatly strained when people suddenly starts vanishing on thin air"
Shepard slammed both fists on the oval table and leaned his body towards the cat; looking him to the eyes intently. "That is not normal; it is not something that should happen to a young girl. So I hope you can understand why I am getting upset when something like that happens inside my own ship." He put emphasis on the word own. "Especially if it has the potential of harming my own crew" he said referring to the drive core overload. "So I would really appreciate if you could shed some light into this mystery by answering me two simple questions. What the HELL happened? And WHERE did Alice go?" he demanded with barely concealed anger.
But despite his cross mood and threatening stance, the mangy cat was not fazed in the least. The smile remained and his answer was preceded by a haughty chuckle. "Of course commander; I assume it must be pretty challenging for you to cope with such unusual occurrences. Common minds often seem unable to grasp the idea of the places that Alice treads into." He tilted his head to a side jauntily "To address your question commander. The answer is really simple. She just woke up"
"What do you mean she just woke up?" replied Shepard bewildered by such answer, not believing a word of what he had just heard. "What are you not telling us?"
Cheshire scoffed at the Commander's obstinacy "Do you always believe thay they are hidden meanings behind what other people say?" he questioned with irritation "Sometimes they just mean exactly what they imply. I assure you commander; I'm not fooling you around. I know you don't trust me, I am very aware of my reputation; I confess, I do favor the employ of riddles to convey my words and I reserve the right to mislead whenever it amuses me. I like to give challenges to people and let them to figure out and sort things for themselves; it does make for an entertaining learning experience. But in this particular case, commander, I'm facing all of my cards up on the table." His demeanor turned serious and focused "Shepard; I am being entirely honest with you, something rare from my part, indeed. But what I say is true; Alice has awaked from her dreaming and she is now back, at the old, dull and boring London of the 19th century."
Miranda was unable to hide her skepticism; Odly enough Mordin didn't think that notion to be that outrageous, mumbling through a variety of theories and explanations to himself at a fast pace. It seemed that he was fascinated with the girl's abilities.
"How is that possible?" Miranda questioned in disbelief "She was right next to the commander. Is impossible that she had traveled thousands of light years back to Earth in an instant and at the same time being able to travel hundreds of years back in time, just like that; Time travel is nothing but a groundless theory with no plausible way to be applied in reality. It's the stuff of stories and movies, it only works as a recurrent ploy for works of fiction, the kind that sci-fi authors write about" she stated rather adamantly.
Cheshire sighed in dismay, if he were not so proud; he would be rubbing his temples right now. He quickly took a moment to collect his thoughts, it helped that he took a long breath.
"I will try to the best of my abilities to put it into simpler terms for the sake of all of you." He finally said, being a little too condescending towards Shepard and his team. "Though it will be like trying to explain colors to a blind man. So I don't expect any of you to fully understand what Alice is capable of"
"How so?" Shepard inquired.
"(Sigh) Alice is special, that much has been obvious enough. But what do you don't know is what degree of special she really is." pointed Cheshire, raising a claw.
"Your point being?" replied Miranda with a pushy tone. It only made Cheshire to snap back at her.
"How many young women have you met, that can turn themselves the size of a mouse?"
….
There was no answer to his question, only an uncomfortable silence.
Cheshire smile returned with a vengance, seeing as how Shepard and Co. were unable to rebuke his claims. "I suspected as much." He laconically declared. He would have said more, if it wasn't for Mordin that was showing the signs of a long winded explanation.
"I must agree with Cheshire in this regard, Commander." He began "It is possible for an individual to travel great lengths of distance in a matter of seconds, similarly to the technique Biotic Charge commonly employed by frontline biotic infantry like the Asari Commandos or Alliance Special Forces. In essence; is a replication of a Mass Relay main function of propelling objects through immense distances, only on a much smaller scale. There have been recordings of Vangards traveling hundreds of meters in the span of milliseconds. So theoretically, a highly powerful biotic would be able to travel through several light years away almost instantly. Granted, young Alice is no biotic, but there are some similitudes in their abilities and she already has proved to be quite talented. It is unknown for me to measure how powerful she really is, but I can safely assume that she is in some level never witnessed before. –long sniff- I personally, I'm pretty excited to see what her true limitations are" he replied with a smile, clearly overjoyed about the possibilities of these new findings.
Miranda was still trying to wrap her mind aroud the subject "But how? For that to happen her abilities had to surpass those of every Asari matriarch know to date. How can someone so young be that powerful?" she said with a hint of awe.
Cheshire chuckled in amusement "Well? Allow me to explain if you will" he said, gathering the attention of everyone in the room "Now, you know about wonderland, isn't it?" he asked, and received nods as confirmations "You see Alice was able to create an entire world inside her head, that in itself is a great achivement, but now she has grown in skill tremendously, so much that she is now able to bring snippets of wonderland into the waking world. Truly there is not limit to what Alice could accomplish if she just put her mind to it. Compared to her; we are nothing but specks of dust, floating aimlessly in the void while she's the bright star that burns the most in the sky" he said with vehemency.
"Ok, we get it already!" interrupted Shepard, having enough of Cheshire's allegories "Alice is special, one-of-a-kind person; that much we had already figured it out by ourselves. Seeing as how she does the things she does."
"Oh, really?" Replied the cat smugly while raising an eyebrow."I'm not sure you really understand what that entails, commander. She is the one who gave me life, not only to me but also to the entirety of wonderland. One day, none too different from any other, she had a thought, a random one at that, which she came up for no specific reason at all. But the thought grew and became an idea and that idea turned later into a dream; and from that dream all of wonderland was created. First there was nothing and then we existed because of her… I can't stress enough the amount of talent that is required to perform such a feat. I am because she wills it so; this miscreated facade in front of you" he said motioning to his emaciated appearance "the dreadful looks and disturbing presence, they are the way you see because she wants them to be this way. My whole being, wonderland itself, are nothing but subjects to her whims" said Cheshire with an unbridled passion.
Shepard stayed silent for a minute. He really didn't want it to think in the implications presented by Cheshire's statement. For a girl like Alice to hold that kind of gift… it was beyond him.
He set those thoughts aside and adressed the feline once more "You still haven't answered our question." He pointed out.
The cat waved him off "Questions, questions, questions. You're so full of them, what a bore! How about if you answer some of mine for once, on that note; why is an island like the letter T?" he asked in a mocking demeanor.
"Enough games!" Berated Shepard; slamming his fist in the table surrounding the QEC. "How could she have traveled so fast through two places not only separated by distance, but also by time?" he asked befuddled.
"You're assuming that Alice moves through places, as if it were like walking down the street or strolling through the park." Said the cat eerily "That is only partially correct, commander. And I meant it literally, for it is only a part of her that makes the transition".
Another one of Shepard's companions joined the conversation; this time was Jacob, who couldn't keep on with so much bizarreness. "What are you saying?" he asked to the feline "Is Alice able to be in two places at once?" he raised 2 fingers as to make his point.
"Sort of" replied the macilent beast "Her mind is the one that wanders and traverses through the most grandiose places you could ever imagine; her body on the other hand, is just an empty vessel that remains behind"
Miranda again voiced her disbelief "Are you now implying that she can make astral projections of herself with her mind?" she inquired with a stumped expression "And that she can make said projection travel through space and time? Of all ridiculous explanations; you have to come out with the one that sounds the most ludicrous" she berated.
"It's also not possible for cats to speak; yet here I am. Also! how can you explain that I can do this?" replied Cheshire haughtily before he started to disappear right into thin air with a crazy laugh. Slowly, piece by piece he started to fade. Only his stripes, smile and eyes were left; soon those were gone too and only a floating disembodied smile remained, mocking at everyone by his mere impossibility.
He shortly reappeared after making his point. Once more there were no rebuttals to his claims; so he kept on speaking. "So you see- it is not as ludicrous as you may think. There's nothing that Alice could not do if she so desires it. Forget any notion of reality or sanity when you're around her, she's a walking impossibility. Things happen around her, because she makes them happen. Her light burns and outshines the stars themselves; unfortunately that light tends to attract all manner of attention, especially from the envious, the wicked and the simpleton. It's a sad thing that there exists people that do not wish her to take flight and instead, they do all they can to clip her wings out of jealousy. People can be so vain; Fools all of them! For meddling in things they do not understand." He cursed with great scorn.
Shepard was surprised by that last piece of info. "What are you talking about? Has someone done something to her?" he inquired, worried for the girl who was now under his charge; the fact that she gave him the slip notwithstanding.
The feline replied with a dry laugh. "That would be an understatement. Mmmm…" he mused and brought a paw to his chin in thought "Tell me commander. What did you thought of Alice when you first laid your eyes on her. I know she and I do not have the most beauteous of looks. So I wonder what crossed through your mind when you encountered us. Did you find us grim? Pitiful? Deranged?... Disturbing?"
The commander was momentarily off balance due to the sudden change of topic. Taking notice of Cheshire's body language, Shepard knew the cat was up to something. He decided to indulge him just to see what the cat was keeping under his sleeve, so to speak. "I admit, she does have this creepy feeling about her, like when you look her into the eyes and you only see madness and a promise of great violence bubbling underneath. But that is only for first appearances, I didn't mind much since I'm used to deal with dangerous individuals on a daily basis and she grows rapidly on you once you take time to know her. But enough about her looks; I know you're trying to point at something in here, so spit it out." He ordered.
The cat chuckled in amusement "You are a bright one. Very well I shall stop beating around the bush if that's what you want. It was never Alice's intention to give us this measly appearance. It is because of the interference of others that we have ended wearing such ghastly visage. This is the result of other people harassing her in both body and mind. She has been made an outcast by society because of her gifts, the frivolity and cruelty that I've seen others display to her because they cannot understand how marvelous she truly is, is enough to disgust even me. She has no place among the civilized world" he said with spurn.
Shepard was mildly appalled by this new revelation. He had suspected that something may have occurred to Alice, after witnessing how nervous she was on being in the infirmary. But that people had actively seeking to bring her harm? It was despicable. "Did people been trying to hurt her?" he asked in all seriousness.
Cheshire didn't immediately answer; he shut into himself for a moment with a forlorn look in his face. "Sometimes" he finally replied, half lost in thought.
The commander didn't like this news, if the girl was in the danger then he really need it to find a way to bring her back to the Normandy. But, if Cheshire was telling the truth, how could he bring someone from 300 years in the past to this era? This entire weird situation looked as if it was brought out of a flick.
He suddenly had a revelation. "Wait a minute? If what you say is true; if Alice is the reason of your existence. Then why you remain here with us while she's gone?"
That question was enough to put the cat out of his reverie "You know; that is an excellent question." He conceded "In truth, I have no real answer for that. I'm afraid; I'm as puzzled as you are about this occurrence Commander. When she left, by all means, I should have gone with her too. But, it seems as if there's something anchoring me to this place" replied the feline intrigued.
"Anchoring you?" ascertained Shepard "You mean you're stuck here with us?" He inquired.
"No Commander" denied the feline "I am not limited only to this plane. I could leave and return to wonderland at any time I may feel like it. What I mean is that there is something that is allowing me to retain my influence in this place. It is as if some unknown power is keeping the door open for me to pass at my leisure" he said musing about the issue.
"Hold it" said the commander "Are you saying that there is a gate connecting the Normandy to the London of the late 19th century?" he asked, falling again in the realm of skepticism.
Cheshire frowned a little. "Not to London, Shepard. But to wonderland" he said.
Once more Miranda interrupted "What? Impossible! Wonderland is an imaginary land that exists only in dreams…" she yelled in exasperation, but then she paused for a moment, as if taking in consideration all she has seen thus far. Oddly enough there was this sudden strange glint to her eyes and an eager expression plastered on her face "Is it possible- can it be true that there is a way for us to reach wonderland?" she said in a low voice, fascinated with the idea.
The cat just stared at her with an uncaring expression "Of course there is" he huffed "The fact that something may only be a dream, does not make it any less real. It only means that it exists somewhere else"
Jack shifted a little in her place with discomfort. She had kept quiet since the beginning of the conversation because she was still having a hard time dealing with the memories of her trip to wonderland during her slumber. She had hoped that all she had experienced would had been just a dream, but discovering that Alice and Cheshire had followed her into purgatory, had leaved her with more than her fair share of rattled nerves. She was still a little recalcitrant about that issue, and now having Cheshire hinting that Wonderland is a real place and that they may be a way to reach it… It was disconcerting for her.
Shepard kept pressing Cheshire for more information. "Let's get this straight, you're saying that there is a gateway connecting the Normandy with wonderland –a place that exists only in dreams-. So what kind of gateway are we talking about, is it like some kind of portal or something?" he inquired.
Cheshire tilted his head to a side in thought and pondered that question "More or less. Usually the way to wonderland is barred to all, save Alice and certain- Higher powers. Normally it is just Alice as the one that decides who is or isn't allowed to enter Wonderland. But recently there have been cracks, and unexpected visitors have been seeping into. But this doesn't feel like something like that, No! This feels more controlled, more stable, like some kind of treshold or passage".
"mmmph" Shepard mused "You know all this talk about doors and gateways, makes me remember something. Didn't Alice mention something about a key precious to her?" In that moment, both the Commander and Cheshire felt as if struck by lightning due their dawning realization. Both whipped their heads towards Jack and gave her a fixed stare.
"What?" exclaimed the convict, not liking the way she was being stared.
"Jack, do you still have that Key that Alice was asking from you?" Shepard asked to her.
"Yeah… What of it?" replied the bald woman.
"Could you please show it to us?" requested the commander.
Jack Shrugged "Fine; but I don't know what good it will do" she said before scrambling in her pockets and pulling out the key. The small piece of metal shone brightly with a sparkling piercing light and then it suddenly exploded in a brief, but intense, luminous pulse that covered the entire room in white. It only lasted for about less than a second, but it was enough to force everyone to close their eyes. Obviously, the biotic woman was briefly blinded as she wasn't expecting so sudden overload to her senses.
"Ah! Fuck! What the hell" she exclaimed in surprise and rubbed her eyes in pain, trying to shake off her discomfort.
Chesire though, became intrigued even more about the little piece of metal after this development. "Now, now dear Jack, No need for such coarse language; please allow me to take a closer look at it. I believe this may give us a so much needed breakthrough to this mistery" He directed the biotic woman in a vaguely malevolent tone while staring at her with his maddening gaze.
Slowly with some hesitation; the ex-convict aproached the feline and set the little piece of iron on the table in front of him. The cat gave a curious glance at the item, pondering about something only he knew about. He grasped the key within his paws and started to examinate the impromptu jewelry with scrutiny. From time to time he released some unintelligible mumbles and whispers under his breath, whatever he was doing, it was clear that he wasn't keen to share it with the others.
"Ah yes! I believe this may do the trick" he finally declared with pride before doing… something? To the key; when asked later, none of the people present would be able to accurately describe what they had witnessed the cat doing.
There was this distortion in reality, their surroundings streamed and flowed as if they had become like water, the key being the focal point of all of it. Then there were these tendrils made of dust or particles swirling and strechting around the key. And then the distortion exploded upwards, flooding the ceiling with a multitude of colors.
First, there was nothing they could discern from it, just a haze of rapidly stirring bright hues. But then an image started to coalesce and they were able to see colors and things beyond their wildest imagination.
Through his stupor, Shepard was able to release a faint whisper "Is that?"
"Yes Commander" Finished the cat for him, through chuckles. His profile obscured by the light surrounding him, giving him an eerie prescence. "Wonderland!" he said before entering in a disturbing fit of laugh.
Got nothing to say really, I'm very busy, so I hope you all liked it. Oh yes! Wait a sec. I've reading the reviews and I got to say. You people been pretty much hitting all my highlights. At this rate I will have no more surprises in store for future chapters. But yes, many of those ideas have already been considered beforehand and worked on how to integrate them with the story.
Almost all of wonderland main cast will become recurring characters in this story, just as Cheshire. Yes, I want them on missions with Shepard, So? But yes I been wondering and dabbling in several ideas, most of them crack. Oh yes, they will be a mouthful to have around. But whatever, I'll reveal more in future chapters.
A quick note. I have re-uploaded this chapter to adress certain misspellings that have been brought to my attention from several readers. Thanks for pointing them out.
