Alice and What Came After: Between the Glass

Disclaimer: Nope, nothing.

Chapter Twenty: Caterpillar's Clue

"Alive?"

Jessica felt her heart skip a few beats. Was it possible that her father was still alive? All of the stories and rumors she'd heard over time insisted that the Mad Hatter died before she was even born. He disappeared into the wilderness, presumably murdered. The King of Hearts ordered his death.

Across from her, Caterpillar looked up through his eyeglasses. "Yes, my dear Miss Hatter. Your father is alive."

"Where is he? Where's my dad?"

"He's been spotted a few times across Wonderland. The most recent sighting was at the Looking Glass. He just missed being captured by a group of Suits."

"Is he okay? My dad?"

Dad… I like that name. Dad. Not "father" or "Your Highness"… just plain dad. I could get used to that…

"So far, there's no news about his condition. Given his unique situation, no news is good news. No news means he is most likely still alive and unharmed."

"How do I find him?"

Caterpillar took her hand in his. "Just listen to your instincts. Trust in yourself, Miss Hatter. You will find your way."

She frowned. "But I don't even know what he looks like!"

"He will know you. After all, you are Alice's daughter. He'll know who you are…he's a smart man, the Hatter."

"But—"

He pressed a cool piece of metal into her palm. "Take this. As long as you have it, there's no way he will be able to deny who you are."

Jessica uncurled her hand to stare in wonder at a small ring. A large diamond was set in the middle, flanked by sapphires. An engagement or wedding ring. The stones caught the light with ease.

She slipped the ring onto her left hand. It fit perfectly.

"Who's ring was it?" she asked, looking up.

The Caterpillar was gone.

"Ahhh!" Connor yelped, jerking against the leather straps holding him down.

The electric current traveled through his entire body, shocking him. It jolted him, further damaging his wounded right hand. He screamed again.

Two identical men crossed in front of him. One of the men carried a cattle prod. At least, Connor thought it was a cattle prod. He wasn't entirely sure what it was.

Frankly, he didn't want to know. He just wanted to get out of this strange room and find his sister. His plan had been to get caught—not get tortured. Even death would be better than being trapped with these two freakshows.

"They called themselves Dr. Dee and Dr. Dum," his mother said one night after dinner. "They were identical twins with a sick bent. They love torture and mind games. With me, they put me in the past—in my old house. Back when my father disappeared. I felt like a little girl again as they forced me into his study. Once there, the floor gave way.

"All I had left was one board… one slender board that slowly fell down the empty space. They kept asking about the ring… the Stone of Wonderland. I lied to them about where it was to buy to time. I didn't have a plan…" Alice admitted, looking over to their father.

"I didn't either. But we did it—we got out of their trap. But I had to face them again. All I had was memories to keep me going. Memories of your mum. I fought them for her. I endured their twisted games and cattle prods. I even broke free and faced my old friend, Mad March. It's all about inner strength and having something worth fighting for," Hatter said.

Another shock jolted Connor back to the present. He screamed again, a mixture of pain and shock.

Laughter rang in his ears. The demented twins. Drs. Dee and Dum.

Torturers. Murderers.

Connor knew their plan. He knew what the doctors planned to do. They meant to kill him. Even if they had their fun first, their ultimate goal was his death. If they made the connection to his father, they would draw out his death.

Just like they planned to kill my dad all those years ago. Slowly and painfully.

The two newfound allies went over Damon's usual schedule. They discussed the formation of the guards and the different Suit shifts. They spoke about escape routes and other odds and ends.

"Right, that should be a good start." Kyle stood up, stretching a bit. He'd been sitting in conference with his half-brother for close to three hours.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Chase asked, still on edge over his decision to overthrow his brother.

"It has to. Damon murdered my sister. He's going to destroy what's left of Wonderland. Hell, he's already wiped out parts of it completely."

"He has?"

"Entire villages gone. Whole families wiped out. And now I've heard rumors that Damon wants to bring Oysters back for emotion-harvesting. Plus he's started a few other unsavory enterprises. Human trafficking and prostitution for starters. We can't allow him to rule Wonderland, Chase. We have to stop him."

"What's human trafficking?"

"It when people, usually females, are taken from their homes and sold into slavery. Sometimes it's just across town lines, sometimes it's between worlds. It's like prostitution—sex for money—except these people are forced into it. They have no choice."

"How do you know all this?" Chase asked. He'd read about both in novels smuggled in from the other side of the Looking Glass.

"I've been around. I've seen the victims of his policies. I even knew some of the missing girls' families. While you sit here with your hands over your eyes, I'm out there in the world. I know the little people. The ones that Damon would rather kill."

"I'm sorry, Kyle… it's just what do we do about it? How do we stop Damon without ending up dead?"

"Just stick to the plan. I'll contact you."

Damon Heart headed up to check on his grandmother and Miss Ana of Diamonds. He went upstairs along. The group of Suits who usually followed him sealed off the stairs to the next level. There was a second set of Suits patrolling the hallway in order to secure the blonde temptress.

But his men weren't there. Instead of orderly patrols, chaos had broken loose.

He strolled down the plush hallway with a purpose. His jacket flapped in the breeze he created.

"What is the meaning of all this… commotion?" Damon demanded of the first Suit he encountered.

"Your Majesty! It's bad news, I'm afraid. Ana of Diamonds has escaped…"

"Where is the Queen of Hearts?"

The Suit looked down at the floor, quaking a bit in his shoes. "Dead, Your Highness. Her Majesty was brutally slain."

"What?"

He swept passed his lackey and into the suite occupied by Ana. A few more Suits filled the room, one of which had his upper body hanging out the window. In the center of the lavish room, lying on the rug in a pool of blood, was his grandmother.

Her head lay a few feet away, completely detached from her body.

Ana's bloody clothes were in a heap. The little blonde bitch was gone.

"Find her!" he roared.

"Yes, Your Highness," the Suits agreed, looking embarrassed. "We'll find her."

"If by some miracle, you bring her back alive… put her in the game room."

They nodded in deference to their leader and splintered off from the bedroom suite. Once they were gone, Damon picked up the head of his grandmother, his mentor, his advisor.

"She will suffer for this," he said softly. "I'll make her wish over and over again for death. But I won't give it to her. She'll stay alive until I'm finished with her. Then I'll kill her, just to bring her back."

Author's Notes:

Spooky, eh? I couldn't resist making Damon's dealings a bit darker. And he was rather close to his grandmother. She was almost a mother to him.

In other Alice-ish news… there's an indie film released last year called Malice in Wonderland that reminded me a bit of Alice more than other adaptations I've seen. Wonderland's very upside-down and Alice (a blonde American lost in London) ends up there with a lorry-driving motor-mouth named Whitey (a hat-wearing, criminal version of the White Rabbit—very much like our favorite Hatter). He's her guide through the insane underworld. There's the Ugly Duchess (who uses cameras to keep an eye on all of Wonderland), Hattie (a female Mad Hatter who runs a brothel), Harry (the King/Queen of Hearts), some amusement park workers (including the leader, Gonzo, who is like Mad March to Whitey if Whitey was Hatter), and even a trial. There's a drug trade too, but not like Tea. It's worth a watch – Netflix has it.

I'm sick, so I'm watching a lot of TV – mostly Netflixed stuff and Doctor Who and Torchwood, but today I flipped on the regular cable and I'm rewatching Lifetime's adaptation of Patricia Cornwell's At Risk and The Front. And soon enough, I'm cocking my head at the screen staring at one of the actors. The guy who plays Monique Lamont's (the D.A.) assistant of sorts is none other than the Ten of Clubs, minus the dorky hat!

Anyways, that's enough rambling from me. Sinus infections are not good for my brain or my eyesight. Hopefully in the next few days I'll be back to myself. Thanks for reading and please review!