The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of Heart no Kuni no Alice and Doctor Who. Some of the elements in the story have been incorporated belong to chaos-dark-lord but I have received permission to use them from Wonderful Wonderful Science and its sequel Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust. There are also references from the M-rated one shots she has published, and are canon in this story.
Regardless of the progress he had made with Erin over the last 25 time changes or so, Elliot was forced and come back to reality when he was reminded just how much patience Blood Dupre had when he wanted someone dead: none. When the Mad Hatter was informing his second-in-command that he wanted both the fourth Outsider and the leader of their most hated and slipper enemy delivered to him on a silver platter, suddenly, a rip in the sky was seen along from Blood's office; and not but a few seconds later, they received a report that the Undertaker, a normally uninterested and neutral party, has already secured the border of his territory in an equally unusual method.
Now, here was the March Hare leading the syndicate's fast vanguard against the faction's barricades, dodging and firing bullets. Elliot 's ears twitched and turned around, aiming his gun before firing rapidly. "Keep moving! We've come this far, and we're sure as hell not leaving without paying these bastards back for all that they've done!" He cried over the smokescreen of gunpowder and debris, swearing under his breath a few seconds later when he barely managed to dodge a few well-aimed snipers from the rooftops.
Given the lack of weaponry upon them, it seemed that the enemy hadn't been able to position themselves completely yet. Upon this realization, Elliot turned to his own forces and gave them more orders. "Keep an eye out for any other vantage points where the enemy can take us out! If one of them is still breathing, either pump them full of lead or incapicitate them! They're bound to know something about the foreiginers we've gotta capture! Got it?!"
"Yes, sir~!"
The second-in-command of the criminal syndicate did not bother responding. He just kept killing and re-loading his guns, advancing through the first barricade without any regard to the death of his own forces, all the while wondering where Erin was. I hope that she's not in this mess. If she is...then I'll really have finish her off. Like I couldn't do in the forest. Or at least make it seem real enough to receive validation from the vanguard, and get her away from Blood's eyes. He gulped at the thought of lying to Blood, but he had to bring Erin to a safe place so that he could figure out some way to prevent her Madness from spreading any further without having the Mad Hatter question his loyalty.
Elliot's forces kept advancing at an accelerating rate. They were able to penetrate the organization's forces by infiltrating a small number of operatives inside of the territory instead of attacking from outside the border, and once the first barricade had been taken over by the Hatters, some of Elliot's subordinates were able to secure a Lullaby card as a hostage to be questioned. But it was a stubborn bitch, remaining absolutely silent until deciding to spit in Elliot's face when he asked about Erin Oswald's whereabouts.
"Our Little Moon will never fall into your hands again, March Hare! She belongs with us, at the side of Our Lady to liberate Wonderland from the Role Holders!" The card who held the Lullaby operative pressed his gun further against her temple further, pulling back the safety back as the fanatical captive tilted her head at the orange-haired male. The woman smirked in a sardonic, smug manner. "I know that you'll kill me sooner or later, so how about we play a game? What do you say?"
"What do you want us to do, boss~? Keep or kill~?" One of the Hatter faceless asked standing nearby, ready to carry out any request that the March Hare had.
Instead of answering the question, Elliot wiped the spit off his face with the back of his hand before leveling an icy glare at the woman. "Where's the Berceuse?"
"Where?" She chuckled. "She is everywhere; the present, and future of Wonderland." The card smiled. "What would someone like me know? Or maybe I can guess if you tell me where the rest of the Hatters are. Your group is too small to take on the entire Lullaby organization~! "
"And yet here we are, pass the first barrier of your forces. How many of them are here?"
The card looked surprised, yet her unnerving grin just grew wider. "Oh, but your group is just a vanguard, isn't it? I guess that means that Blood will be with the main forces after all. But I shouldn't be surprised, I guess. The Mad Hatter is more of a threat to the Berceuse than you ever could be. After all, there's no else in Wonderland who kneels as low as Elliot March."
The orange-haired man felt his blood boil at the blatant insult but steeled the urge to shoot the card and continued the interrogation. "Does your Lady have any other supporters? A Role Holder? Faceless factions that she's paid off?"
"My Lady may have her own pets, but she doesn't need anyone's support. She is everyone's support," The card chuckled again, this time with demented glee. "And unlike your paid cards that fall under the influence of this world, we are willingly to fight by and for the Berceuse's cause without being given a single coin from her purse. But really, how many men do you actually have, Bloodhound? In this vanguard I can't see more than 40 remaining, and with those I can't see they possibly be more than a 100 if at all."
"Why does that matter?" Elliot answered. "Soon enough, we'll have your organization under our feet and then take back those Outsiders."
"You have no support then? It's only you amongst some dwindling numbers of your small regiment. Blood is on his way with the rest of his syndicate, including those infamous gatekeepers of his. Is that it? Or am I wrong?"
"How the fuck do you know that?" The March Hare snarled. Was there another snitch in their syndicate? Shit.
The card let out a guttural laugh. "You just told us yourself, March Hare. But playtime is over. It's time for us to free Wonderland from the Role Holders, and usher in a new era of liberation!"
Elliot glared at the hostage and turned to his subordinates. "Play with her for a bit. Blood wants this Aria character and Erin Oswald, and we need to get them now." Elliot ordered.
"I don't think so, Bloodhound~!"
Mauve orbs widened in shock as the prisoner struggled, moving fast to get an arm free and shoved something in her mouth. The card's body suddenly convulsed violently, and seconds later went limp. The hostage was dead. The March Hare swore when he saw froth foaming from the corners of her mouth. The Lullaby card look her own life with a cyanide pill. Fuck!
"What do we do now, boss~?"
Elliot stood up and looked ahead at the carnage beyond the first barricade. He had a bad feeling about the card's words and questions. "We keep moving. We have what we need as far as intel goes. Your orders haven't changed: search and destroy."
"Roger that~!"
And that was what happened; Elliot kept moving while more of his comrades were killed from left to right, he did not care. He just needed to get Erin and that monster Aria before anything else fucked up his plans.
Soon after passing through the second barrier of their enemy's territory, Elliot saw that the positions for heavy artillery were half prepared but still unoccupied; this meant that the vanguard were able to attack before the Lullaby could finish setting them up, and by what he was seeing, the faction was preparing total war. However, once he arrived towards the center of the area, his soon gaze fell upon a pair of armed cards escorting a dark-haired woman with bright green eyes away from the center of a small stage. As soon as he recognized them, the March Hare's vision was filled with red.
Erin Oswald was being protected by them. That meager card called Leo. The fucking bastard who tried to take away Elliot's Outsider, and that woman who called herself the 'Winxy Pistol'. Elliot turned back to his men and shouted, "There's our first target! Plow through with everything you've got, use bombs if you have to! Do not let the foreigner get away!"
Leaving his entourage to do their job, Elliot charged through the brawling with his raised weapons. He jumped acrobatically and started firing, then hopped from side to side in order to close the gap between them more quickly. Yet like a synchronized pair of dancers, the foreigner's escorts were able to dodge and counter his attacks with ease and left no room for the March Hare to take advantage of. Soon, Leo had pulled Erin behind him, acting as a shield while the Winxy Pistol continued to block the March Hare's aggressive attacks and prevent him from advancing further on the stage, feats that would be incredible for common low cards.
Eventually, at some point, the Hatters' second-in-command trained his guns on cards, each aimed at the center of their bodies and ready to kill. Although by now he knew that these were not simple cards, the pair had somehow gained the reflexes to almost rival a Role Holder through a heinous and unnatural method, most likely by that avatar of madness called Aria. "Let Erin Oswald go, and I might spare your lives."
Ava, the Winxy Pistol, laughed madly in mockery. "Oh? And who are you to make demands from us? You're not the Lady, and Erin sure as hell as doesn't deserve to be trapped on your web of lies like Alice and Jackie are. She and the Berceuse need each other, like the sun and moon orbiting the universe."
The orange-haired Role Holder glanced at the fourth Outsider, who shrunk back from his gaze behind Leo, bright green eyes wide with fear and caution. Deciding to throw the cards off their guard, he shifted one of his guns at Erin's head.
Bright green orbs widened in shock, and complexion turning bone-white at the familiar sight of a pistol being aimed at her. No matter how often this happens, an Outsider could never truly get used to seeing these weapons. Elliot knew, based on the various interactions and body language he has seen with Alice.
"So if I don't deserve her, and you obviously need her, then what better way to solve this little problem is to get rid of Erin Oswald altogether. After all, we already have those foreigners under our control and you have that monster called Aria. Besides, I've been wanting to test this baby out on an Outsider instead of useless cards like yourselves." Elliot compromised with a grin that was begging for blood. However, the expression itself was forced so as to let these individuals believe that Elliot March was not in love with Erin like they thought he was; he just wanted to get close to his target, and finish off what he started.
The young woman visibly winced for a split moment, and for some reason she held her ground and stared right back at the Hatters' second-in-command, even taking a step away from the faceless bodyguard and past the visage of Elliot's gun, to match the March Hare's steady gaze.
Elliot almost cringed at the sight of seeing such an expression. He really hurt her this time, and most likely he forever fucked up his own chances with her to be a life-long partner. The words that came from his mouth felt like acid, intentional to hurt the fourth Outsider and made his stomach churn at seeing tears started to fall down her face.
Having stopped to say such cruel word and think on their consequences nearly put two holes in Elliot's abdomen, courtesy of an enraged card named Leo. The projectiles were deflected of course, but the reminder was enough to make Elliot advance. Yet, before he or the cards could advance further on their respective enemy, a massive silver blur suddenly appeared before them, standing in between the Role Holder and the cards protecting the Lullaby's little moon. The Bandersnatch.
"I'll prey on your afterimage!" The Bandersnatch ruffled his fur and it turned into metal like needles, behind him his tail sways as his claws, oozing a poison that rot and burned the wood under them, dug into the floor. The Frumious Beast hissed, revealing rows of elongated sharp fangs at the March Hare.
The Frumious Beast hissed, revealing rows of elongated sharp fangs at the March Hare. "It's been a long time, rabbit man. We've got some catching up to do." The Bandersnatch's sharp fangs were bared and now he resembled what he truly was, a cruel and powerful beast.
Elliot's posture stiffened further at the remembrance of the large animal and bigger predator. The March Hare fought it at the Spring Festival through a reluctant alliance with a certain well-dressed card, and knew exactly what the Frumious Beast was capable of. Why it was here, he didn't want to ponder on it nor did he had the time for it.
"Enough of your crap. Release Erin, now." The Role Holder growled softly, pulled back the safety of his gun as he aimed it at the Frumious Beast's chest, feeling some deep internal despair at the sight of the despicable creature.
"Are you trying to demand anything here?" The Bandersnatch waged his tail towards the march hare so fast that the movement was a blur. From that, some of his fur began to shoot needle-like projections, landing right where Elliot stood. The Frumious Beast then released a low, threatening growl. "How did that little stunt work for you last time? It didn't, and it sure as hell won't work now." He released a low growl. "And Erin Oswald has made her choice. You can't interfere with a foreigner's decision. Deal with it like a man, fucker."
"Erin belongs to me!" Elliot growled. "No matter where she goes, no matter where she hides, I will always find her." Upon this sudden declaration, his gaze immediately fell upon the fourth Outsider again. However the March Hare witnessed Erin instinctively curled herself closer to Leo's side, who tried to shield her with one hand. Above all else, Erin's face and eyes barely concealed the obvious horror, disgust, and cold determination.
"I'll rip you apart!" The Bandersnatch's fur stood on end and he was ready to pounce when the stage started to quake beneath their feet. The fourth Outsider clung to Leo's side.
"L-Leo! W-What's happening?!" Erin cried.
Ava shot a few rounds at the March Hare shouted, "The portal is becoming unstable. We need to get out of here, now!"
"L-Leo!" Erin screamed when a pillar of light came crashing down onto them and before she was engulfed into the portal.
Just as a pillar of light came crashing down onto the rest of them, the last thought that ran through Elliot's mind was this: how he could truly capture Erin's heart now, when she looked at that bastard in a way she didn't dare look at him? If anything, she looked at him with distrust and even fear.
xRVx
Julius looked around the area that seems to be covered in gunpowder and screaming civilians, narrowly dodging a few bullets while trying to get through the Lullaby comms system via an earpiece he took from a deceased soldier. He couldn't understand what was being said through the comms because it was in a language he didn't knew, yet he was well aware Aria did. In the common language of Wonderland, the Undertaker sent some orders to call Aria while he tried to summon Ace from the front lines, or wherever the hell the knave was.
The faceless on the comms soon informed Julius that Ace was still at the castle because of a revolt, but another new report just came in: the forces of Heart Castle have been divided and a large portion of them were ordered to head this way. Another report came in, revealing that Clover Tower and even the Amusement Park are also heading towards the portal, armed and ready to fight. As if the Hatter's main forces arriving already weren't enough problem already!
The Undertaker felt a sinking feeling in his stomach about coil as the anxiety increased by the second. He could feel that something bad was about to happen soon, something that Aria should stay as far away from as possible; but he knew well enough that she wouldn't. When his cobalt orbs scanned the chaotic area, watching the Lullaby faceless kill and die in the name of their lady, using their coordination to counter the greater numbers of the enemy, supporting each other instead of letting their peers be canon folder, he realized something else: these faceless were more than subordinates, more than mere comrades too. The Lullaby were a family. Her family. Children, even. And a 'mother' could never abandon them in their time of need…
Julius shot at a few of the Hatter's cards and reflected on Aria's behavior after the storm. Maybe a family was too much; then again, perhaps it wasn't like that. Aria could merely be protecting her interests. He didn't knew or understood, but he couldn't deny that he did felt envious of these mere cards. And in a way...this is my fault that she's adopted these cards instead of creating a new clock. Even when they believe Aria is a savior of some kind...they're really just a means to an end. Just like me. Except that I am the disposable one' The Role Holder's clock felt heavier at this epiphany, but soon he jolted out of his reverie when static in the earpiece came through, bringing a message from the Berceuse herself.
"Protect the portal at all costs." The Berceuse's distorted voice echoed from the comms. "I repeat, protect the portal at all costs."
Julius immediately logged onto the line. "A vanguard of the Hatters has stormed from inside the territory while their main forces are attacking from the border. They breached the perimeter already." His impromptu report only received an annoyed growl from the Berceuse.
"I'm aware of that already, Clockmaker."
"What about Erin Oswald?" Julius mentioned quickly. "I saw the fourth Outsider within the vicinity not too long ago."
"You have your orders." Not even tasking a second of silence, Aria answered. "Make yourself useful Mortician. Try to keep the other Role Holders at bay. You are the Master of Time, so slow their time down, trap them in a never-ending loop, do whatever it takes. Just don't let them get near that portal. And before I forget, make sure to change daytime to 's the only thing you can serve for, don't you?"
Julius almost flinched at the mockery in Aria's cold and distorted voice, before he logged out of the comms system. Using his Role's ability would only make his Role consume more of what remained of himself, but he'd have to do it. He was about to leave the area until the Undertaker was stopped by a man in a cream-colored suit and an eccentric hat with thorny roses. Blood Dupre. Damn it all!
Both Role Holders pulled out their weapons - Julius with his small pistol and Blood his machine gun - to open fire when a melody suddenly echoed across the battlefield. The Undertaker looked around and saw one card carrying out the tune but with what seemed to be a different song, and then another voice joined, and then another. Soon, there was a song being played from different locations, enhanced by the speaker system installed around the Clockmaker's territory, and although the tunes were random, they all combined in a perfectly harmonious, synched madrigal.
Then, all of a sudden, another and more powerful voice emerged in the choir. The two men looked up to the top of the building that was facing the stage. Standing there was a beautiful woman dressed in armor, darkness surrounding her frame like swirls of black inky mist. But she wasn't alone. There were at least two dozen faceless surrounding her in concentric circles. The ones who were closer to this woman were positioned with sniper rifles while the rest stood closer to the edge of the building, mounting and aiming mortars.
Blood raised an eyebrow. "Well, it seems we have an uninvited guest."
While the Hatter remained oblivious to who this stranger truly was, Julius immediately recognized Aria. She had arrived on the stage at last, just when the skies of Wonderland faded to night-time.
The reflectors of the stage turned to illuminate the armed mercenary as she continued singing, the tune expanding all around the place as the shadows around the foreigner began a feast to devour the darkness around it, expanding while her armor melted down into a curve-hugging cocktail dress as the shadow increased all around her. The only sounds that seemed to echo amongst the bloodshed and bullets were Aria's voice and the reprising melody.
Hello everyone! I sincerely apologize for the long-awaited installation of Red Velvet to be published until now; I've been working a lot and now on the road of recovery from a nasty virus. Thank you so much to the readers who have waited so patiently, I couldn't have come through without your support! And so without further ado, here are a few words from chaos-dark-lord!
Chaos-dark-lord: Do you think Blood will see a good show? And honestly, can you guess what Aria is planning? I know you do have ideas, the real incognita is where Erin is going to end up to and how she'll deal with what we have coming her way. So stay tuned for the next update!
