Hatter and Alice Journey into the Netherworlds

By Ldynwaitin

Chapter Thirty Four – No One Gets Left Behind

"We must hurry," Jack panted. They had been running for hours, they knew lights-out was due soon. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Daisy come to a stop and Pitney actually jump off her. He rushed up to a large grouping of pillars, twenty steel columns stood in a tight circle. In the center was a large metal door. Its color rusted to a dark brown. Pitney motioned for Jack to come to him.

"Need you to open," Pitney told him. He pointed to the door knob. Jack could faintly see a small heart painted on the knob. "You need to touch Prince Jack, only royalty is allowed to open any door. That Queen's way of keeping us from getting to the top. You her blood, you can open door for us."

Jack grabbed the knob and turned it, he instantly froze as he heard his mother's voice say, "What is written on the object I hold dear, that sits upon my table. To lie to me would mean your death, so tell me if you're able."

Jack saw a knife poke out of the door right at his chest. He tried to pull back, but was unable, his hand was stuck on the knob. He had to think quickly. They didn't have much time. Once he grew up he never entered her room. But he did recall going there as a child. He closed his eyes and tried to think, it had been so long ago. He remembered one time going there, he was playing with a ball. His mother was of course screaming at him to not to break anything. He remembered seeing her go to the table next to her bed. She sat on her bed and touched an object. It was a small glass object.

"Blast!" Jack cursed. "I just can't recall seeing what she was touching, I've always tried to block out my childhood."

"Please Prince Jack," Charlie urged him. "You have to remember, just try to empty out all the bad things, and think of the good." Charlie quickly shook his head, "Sorry, I forgot I was talking about your mother. Yes, perhaps you can think of someone else in the room that was good to you."

Jack didn't have to think, that was his father. In all the years his mother treated him so mean, his father never said a foul word to him. Latching onto his father's memory, he tried to recall that day again. He ran into the room following the bouncing ball. He saw his mother cursing him, but behind him he saw his father. His gentle eyes smiled at him. His mind opened up as he tried to recall more. He saw his mother sit down, she reached over and stroked an object on the table. His father motioned Jack to leave, that his mother was in a bad mood. As he left he heard his father say,

"My dear, you pay more attention to that stupid glass heart than to your own son."

"I was a gift from my mother!" she angrily spat out. "She gave it to me the day she died. Her last words I had engraved on them, 'A head is only pretty, if it is rolling on the floor.'"

"I got it!" Jack declared. He gripped the knob tight and loudly said, "A head is only pretty, if it is rolling on the floor."

Immediately the knife pulled back into the door. Jack found he was able to released the knob. Taking a step back he heard creaking and wheels turning. Then a loud moaning sound. Pitney moved behind Daisy as the door's knob disappeared. The door then slid down, there before him he saw a familiar inkiness.

"It looks like the shaft Hatter brought us down here in." Jack took a step forward, he felt a strong breeze tugging at him, threatening to pull him in.

"Door open," Pitney said. "It locked for many years. I think you need to go first Prince Jack, to prepare what ever up there to take a Battalion of lost Knights."

Jack agreed, he had no idea where the top of the shaft ended. He would need to be there to make sure any guards that might be left there would not be alarmed at the knights that would be following him.

"Moxie, come with me," he insisted. She rushed up to him. "I wanted to go last, but I think Pitney is right. Up there is my world, I have to make sure you'll all be safe when you arrive. Wait a few minutes and start sending the men up."

Jack now addressed the white rabbits, "I'm counting on you to make sure they all get up there."

"Never fear, sire," Rankin assured him. "We'll get them all there if we have to use a plunger to shove them up that shaft."

Jack laughed, "Lets hope it won't come to that." He stood in the doorway and braced his hand at the edge as the strong wind tugged at him. "You ready?" he asked Moxie. She wrapped her arms around his waist, "Let's go."

Grabbing her, they both leaped into the shaft. They quickly felt the rush of air, and struggled to breathe as they were whisked up the shaft. Their hair and clothes whipped around them as they felt the wind carry them upwards. They suddenly came to a stop just in front of an open doorway. They leaned forward and was briskly pushed through the opening. They both fell on the ground, quickly standing, Jack tried to figure out where he was.

He was standing in a huge, empty room. Tall windows stood to his left. He ran to the window and looked out. He could see that the sun was nearing the horizon, soon it would be dark. He tried to get a bearing on where exactly they were. Moxie joined him. They both studied each building until they saw something familiar. He smiled as he looked down. "This used to be where they originally housed the looking glass. My mother moved it when she built the casino." He pointed to the south, "If I have my bearings right, I believe that The Red Phoenix, if it is rising, will show up in that direction."

Hearing a whooshing sound, Jack turned around, he saw several knights looking very puzzled. "Excellent," Jack walked up to them. "This room is not large enough to hold all the men. I'll need you to come with me to explore the building and make sure it is empty. That will change quickly."

"Yes, sire!" two Knights saluted him. Moxie remained at the door, telling the appearing knights to start filling up the room as Jack left to make sure they were alone. Searching the entire building he was glad to find it was empty. As he returned to the room he saw it beginning to fill up, he smiled as he saw Pitney coming through carried by one of the knights. "Daisy insisted on staying longer," Pitney said. Jack looked down at the hedgehog. He looked so tiny now, so helpless. "Don't worry, Pitney. I promise that you are under the protection of my crown."

Pitney bowed his head, "I know you be better ruler than mother. I just hope you get chance." He walked up to the window. To small to see out Moxie picked him up and sat him on the windowsill. He worriedly looked out at the city, waiting to witness the destruction of his home.

Below Lieutenant Philbert hurried his men through the doorway as quickly as possible. He wasn't sure just how many the shaft could handle at a time. He choose to do a count of ten before sending the next two Knights. And so it went, two hours later they managed to send up about two thirds of the knights, that was when the lights went out. Daisy screamed in fear, for she knew that once the Lights went out, the Bazards would not be far behind. The White Rabbits immediately turned on their torches.

"Never fear," Sir Knorthrop tried to calm her down. "I told Otess to send every Bazard to Red Phoenix once the lights went out. They are not our concern right now, we need to get these men up before Allric begins his plans to destroy the Netherworlds."

They hurried the men along, counting to ten before sending the next. They were down to the last twenty men when the lights suddenly flicked on and off.

'Quickly!" Northrop shouted. "That's the signal, he's begun, hurry or we'll all die."

Philbert counted a quick ten and sent two men through. As the last two Knights jumped into the shaft they felt it. The ground beneath them shaking so hard it knocked everyone off their feet.

"We have to hurry," Lieutenant Philbert shouted. "I don't know how long that shaft will last." There was seven left. Lieutenant Philbert, the white rabbits, Daisy, Charlie and Reggie. He refused to leave until the end. "You go first," Reggie told Philbert.

"I'll go with him," Sloan shouted. They stumbled to the door and jumped in. Ten seconds later Daisy grabbed Barret and flew through the opening. Now there were three left. They knew one would have to go alone.

"You go, I think I should be last," Reggie insisted.

The ground below them was shaking so bad they had a hard time standing up. A huge crack snaked through their legs and moved into the darkness. "We have a saying," Rankin shouted. Both he and Charlie grabbed him. "No one gets left behind." They stumbled to the door and jumped in. They felt a rush of air under them, they began to climb up the shaft, but it was going to slow. They would never make it up in time. They all had to hold on tight as the shaft walls actually shook hard. They became alarmed when they began to go down, until they felt a tremor that shook them to their souls. They felt a whoosh of air below them move up, it pushed them up and out of the shaft. They fell on the ground, several knights rushed to help them up, until they also fell.

Everyone had to hang on as the ground beneath them shook so hard they felt sure the building would collapse around them. Plaster began to rain on their heads. Jack struggled to reach the windows. Pitney had fallen off the sill. Seeing large cracks in the glass of the windows Jack ran to Pitney, picked him up and rolled to the side. The glass in the windows cracked, thick large shards of broken glass shattered on the floor. Carrying Pitney, Jack rushed to the window. He searched for a sign, then he saw it, in the distance at first it was a giant dust cloud. As it began to settle they saw a bright red glow. When the tremors subsided, the glow died down. They couldn't believe it. Even as far as they were, they could see the tops of the twin giant knight pieces that sat on either side of the Red Phoenix.

Placing Pitney down, Jack leaned out of the window. He leaned so far Lieutenant Philbert had to grab him by his belt to keep him from falling out. Jack desperately searched to his right. Then he saw it, the tops of his mothers old castle, it now stood on the same level as the new Wonderland. He prayed that all the open areas in the Netherworlds did the same.

"How did he managed to make them all rise?" Jack said.

'Not rise, Prince," Pitney corrected him. "They where they were all time. It your Wonderland that fall on top of Netherworlds. It go down, Netherworld not go up." Jack quickly realized that the Red Phoenix did not rise up, it was shielded as his Wonderland was brought down upon the Netherworlds.

He now knew that if any of the Netherworlders managed to get to an open area they would be on top as well. Sadly he also realized that they no longer had a home, he would need to reach them and assure them that he would find them a new one. But he knew, first things were first. It was vital that he go to the Red Phoenix and stop Allric's war before he went any further.

"Lieutenant, order your men to prepare for battle. We need to get to the Red Phoenix as quickly as possible."

"It shall be done, sire," Philbert saluted him. He called for several of his sergeants to spread out the word through the building. Jack squatted down next to Pitney. He could see tears welling up in the eyes of the old hedgehog. He had just lost everything, his house filled with all his wonderful magical items and memories. It now lay crushed under hundreds of tons of steel and stone. Jack gently lay his hand on Pitney's shoulder. "When this is done, I shall need an advisor, do you know of anyone that can do the job? He must be smart, and wise."

Pitney wiped his eyes dry, "Hard to find both in one man."

Jack gently smiled, "How about a hedgehog."

Pitney nodded his head, "If you don't mind getting yelled at."

"If I make a mistake, I don't want you to hesitate to tell me."

Pitney stuck out his small paw, Jack curled two fingers in his palm. They both shook. "Good, now I want you to stay here. I can't have my advisor killed in the heat of battle."

Pitney opened his mouth, but Jack stood up. "No arguments, I'll make sure to leave several Knights to guard you. Don't worry Pitney, I will be back."

Pitney sat on the ground, he was so tired, he had never been so tired in all his life. "I wait here, just make sure you bring back that old Dodo. He stoopid pain in butt, but he only pain in butt I can tell that to."

Jack laughed. "Agreed, I'll keep an eye out for him."

Lieutenant Philbert informed Jack that they were ready to leave. Jack looked at his companions that journeyed with him into the Netherworlds. "I suppose there's no talking you out of coming with me."

"Nope," Moxie and Daisy said together.

"I have to go with you," Charlie said. "Hatter and Alice are my friends, they've saved me before, it is now my task to do the same."

Sir Knorthrop walked up to Jack, "I have a score to settle, I pray that you will give me that chance." He searched hopefully into Jacks' eyes.

"I won't lie, I feel a little trepidation having you with us, but so far you have proved you wish to help. Don't make me regret my decision."

Sir Knorthrop came to a full salute, "I swear you will not regret it."

Jack saw the three White Rabbits standing off to the side. He slowly walked up to them. Throughout his journey into the Netherworlds these three men saved him and the others numerous times. He smiled proudly at them. Rankin grinned back, "I hope you don't think we'll be kissing your butt like those Knights."

Jack shook his head, "Wouldn't think of it."

"Guess we need to finish what we started," Barret said.

"Hate keeping something unfinished," Jack agreed.

Sloan pulled out his last gun, he only had enough bullets left for two rounds. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Jack was about to give the order to go, when he remembered something. "Lieutenant Philbert, your silversmith, did he make the items that I asked for?"

The Lieutenant called for the silver smith, he rushed up to Jack, in his hands he held ten shiny items. "I'm sorry sire, this was all that I could make, I'm not sure if they are exactly what you wanted me to make."

Jack realized there was only one way to test them. "I hope you don't mind, Pitney, but you're the only one here that could tell me if they work."

Sighing Pitney clenched his fists, "Try Prince Jack, I tell if good or not."

Jack took one of the whistles that the silversmith made and blew into it. Pitney slowly shook his head, "Not as painful as the other."

The silversmith stared at the whistle, "Sorry sire, but what exactly was I suppose to be making?"

"This whistle has the properties of creating a sound that only an animal can hear."

The silversmiths' eyes opened wide with revelation, "Well why didn't you tell me sire. Here, let me make an adjustment." He took the whistle from Jack and using a pair of needle nose pliers made a small adjustment on the opening in the hole. He then handed it back to Jack, "Here you go sire, this should work much better."

Pressing the whistle to his lips, Jack blew. Again he heard nothing but air coming from the whistle, but the reaction from Pitney told him that the silversmith did his job right. Pitney planted his hands over his ears and moaned in pain. "That better," Pitney shouted. "Even better than other whistle." Jack quickly stopped blowing.

"Well done," he praised the silversmith. "Make the others the same and hand them out to those in the front line. They are to be used when battling the animals."

"Thank you sire," the silversmith saluted him. "It shall be done."

Satisfied that they now had a slight advantage, Jack led the knights out the door and towards the streets below. Pitney asked one of the knights left to guard him to lift him up. He looked out the window. He saw Jack exiting the building, leading the knights towards Red Phoenix. He looked up and saw a sight he had not seen for over one hundred and fifty years. He saw the moon and stars hanging in a clear night sky. After all that has happened or will happen, Pitney thought seeing this wonderful sight again, was well worth it.