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CHAPTER 37
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Aria had scurried along the underground corridors in the direction of the mirrors house that unfortunately was far from her current location bellow the rollercoasters.
She had ambushed some faceless on her way and rediscovered how little she actually felt but how much it bothered her the situation in general. Perhaps it was that she was still dealing with the aftermath or her lost synch and barely copping with rearranging her mental process to focus on herself again, maybe it was the disarray in her thinking process that led her to ponder. In her world she would have sympathize with this foes. In some sort of way she did, they were "la resistance", the kind of groups she more or less liked and supported, and if they wanted to die it was their choice, and that was something she respected; but this world needed to re-use them by repairing their clocks, it was the circle of life and death here and it was not her business. This was not her world. It was not her war. She really didn´t want to kill so much, she never had liked the unnecessary bloodshed, but in this case it was needed, it was them or her and dammed she be if she let them kill her. But then again, she also had gotten herself involved and this world truly needed her; her and Alice. She could be very useful but it was Alice who would stay, no matter what Aria realized she really wanted.
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She had avoided using guns or any loud measures because the noise would have been a dead giveaway of her position. On the contrary she had messed manually with the lights. Darkness in an underground environment was a huge advantage to her as she had her night vision goggles and her proximity sensors. It was similar to that time when she had gone in an "urban exploration tour" with her "friends" from the camorra (she didn´t knew that until later) after she had been nicely partying with some cool guys one evening and the next day she was meeting other "friends and family" for breakfast and she got dragged into a dare… ok, it had been complicated, but she got to know cool underground passages, except that the authorities had tried an operative to arrest them for illegal trafficking and they had to make their way out of the provincial city via the old subway train lines, cellars and tunnels. It had been a close call escaping from both her new "friends" and from the cops. It had been fun.
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-(Just like playing with the twins or when Boris goes to "play" at the castle.)
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She reached a control point. One of the control rooms for an entire section of the park, all tunnels fluctuated to this points, so it was inevitable that she would have to pass through it and various more. At this points there were also stairs to street level, so she´d get signal back or she could even get to the surface.
She got to the door and stopped to check how many people were there. It was not good, she was outnumbered and using a pellet of gas was a bad idea, she had no mask and the doors were not hermetically sealed, plus the rooms had multiple sections, so taking cover was easy for both sides. Aria stopped just outside the door and listened to the bunch of voices that came from inside, for her lectures she knew that there were at least two dozen people inside.
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-You mean she didn´t fall through the trap door!? And where is she then?
-Who knows?, probably hiding or running to the roleholders for help! We need to get her. She knows where her boss hides the things from the lost countries. The blank cards said that if we destroy those and the foreigners die then Wonderland is doomed.
-And about that… It´s amazing that they managed to gather all of us. But why did we all have to come tonight? Just to provide cover?
-As I understand it, it was to make a statement to defy the roleholders. We come, attack and destroy their beloved foreigners and everything we can. The other groups also attacks their places too tonight. We still have Alice and all the observers will make sure that as soon as the roleholders try to make a move she gets killed.
-And what about the other foreigner? I´ve heard that she isn´t that fond of roleholders. Are you sure she did fall in the trap? What if roleholders DO act?
-Last we knew the event is still going on after the park´s electricity failed. They repaired it and the show is still going. We have people in almost all this control points so we can communicate with everyone. No one has seen the other foreigner. But we´ll kill her too in the end. And if someone finds her first you know the plan. Have her try to rescued Alice so that we kill both after getting the info on the things from spades and diamond. She´s a foreigner, so she´ll probably run straight in the trap and then we can get her to tell us where are those items.
-I still think we should have posted people in the corridors too. We put some just before this point in case something failed, but we should have posted more along the way.
-Better have them at the surface for when we blow all this up.
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The people had come close enough together for Aria to try using a self-made hand grenade from the charms bracelet and to use a her UZI afterwards.
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-(To hell with subtlety) - For a world so bend on casual violence it sure had a lack of weaponry she considered.
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She opened the door, threw the grenade inside to where most of the faceless were standing and closed it again to us it as a shield. The explosion blew up around half the people inside and hurt several of the others, some of the bodies and a bunch of debris flew around and one hit the intercom activating it. Aria followed suit surprising them and shooting in a wide arc burst with her submachine gun, moving in a zigzag motion taking cover from those still alive in a tactic mode designed for combat in trenches and bunkers, it was highly effective save for a trio of faceless that took cover inside a mini room full of controls.
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-So… After you tried to kill me… You want ME to risk MY life running to find out where you hid Alice and try to rescue her? FOR FREE!? - Aria said walking toward the small room where the remaining faceless had taken cover. She had taken cover too.
-Excuse me!? She´s going to get killed! We have people observing the roleholders right now. If they move we´ll kill her! –One of the faceless answered from behind the door quite surprised.
-And I should care because…? Wait I don´t. You though I would simply run to find her out of the mercy of my heart? HA! Sorry to inform you that the only "mercy" in me is in the word "mercenary". If you want to hire me for that, it will cost you.
-But you are a foreigner too! – The faceless really couldn´t comprehend what was happening. They were trying to look at her trough a tick glass window in the heavy metallic door that was slightly open.
-So?
-Her life is precious to you!- It was impossible to comprehend that the foreigner was not acting like a foreigner should.
-No, its not. I don´t really give a crap about her. I may not have any reason to want her dead but I also have no personal reason to help her either – Aria knew that Alice was on her way with her team and a plan formed in her head. She then very melodramatically added- How lovely. Let a foreigner running amongst danger to try and save the other foreigner!
-May I propose a third option? Aria my dear, I will hire you to find Alice and get rid of her – Joker´s voice sounded through the intercom.
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Aria immediately detected the source of the voice. The intercom had activated when a body hit it and it had remained transmitting everything; she didn´t knew for how long. A bunch of insults could be heard from the other end of the line. That meant that Joker and the other roleholders were still in the VIP section of the auditorium and probably fighting or about to.
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The guys at the other side of the small room was trapped and were very scared. There was nothing they could do but listen and see through a small window. Aria motioned her index finger to her lips to tell the faceless to keep quiet; she considered that she could get a profit out of all this…
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-Huh? Joker? Is everyone there?- Aria sincerely was surprised by that. She considered that Joker was planning something too. Since she wanted to find out she played along in the conversation.
-Yes we all are! Aria where are you?- Nightmare´s voice sounded. He had been dragged by Pierce whom Boris told to go and get via the door he had opened early.
-First of all please don´t get out of there. They are observing you. At the first sign of you trying anything they will kill Alice and blow up my chances of getting away... literally, probably blow everything where I might be and blowing me too along with it. – She then paused to let that sink in their thick skulls. Then she went on business mode -…. And how much would you be willing to pay for this mission Joker? Better yet. What do you offer? I´m afraid mere money from you is not enough to interest me. - Her response had been equally unsuspected to the roleholders and to the listening faceless.
-But weren´t you about to get yourself hired to do just that? – Joker was having fun but at the same time he was angry. Someone had dared to mock the rules a third time during an event. That was why he was there and why his other self was roaming around near the amusement park and already on his way.
-My dear… let me think… I know! What about one undeniable request from me in whatever terms you decide-Among the surprised jells of indignation at her even considering his offer White answered. Then he added for the roleholders – Lets not be rash, if anyone moves from here Alice dies faster. Also it would break the rules
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Insults were thrown Joker´s way. Not that he cared.
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-Now you´re talking business. If no one decides to propose a counter offer I might as well be tempted to accept… -Aria was quite surprised by what the jester was proposing.
-YOU SHAMELESS ROUGE! UNGRATEFUL URCHIN! HOW DARE YOU! YOU! …! YOU MOCKING MERC! … FINE WITH YOU! I offer you the same! One undeniable request in whatever you say, by whatever you mean following all the terms you desire –Peter said (screamed) – STOP WASTING TIME AND GO AND HELP MY DEAR ALICE!
-Aria please, Alice could be hurt!- Boris said.
-Si ClArO!... AlIcE CoUlD bE Hurt…. And she is going to get killed too. – Aria didn´t knew why but this was bothering her.
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She wouldn´t deny thatBoris plead had ticked her off. They had at the very least heard some of the gunshots and how she had talked to the faceless there. The roleholders knew that she was not in the best of situations and she was already hurt; she could still taste blood at the back of her throat and smell the blood that had scurried from her nostrils when she de-synched, the pain in her back and legs from the fall, or in her eyes from crying blood after losing her synch in such a way; even if her state was not that serious, it didn´t help either or meant she was alright at all.
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-There is little I could want from you Peter. So your offer is way less valuable than Joker´s. – Aria responded. Maybe she didn´t like it but she was gonna play this and bit more to see what she could get.
-You´re quite the voracious money whore, aren't you? - Blood looked irritated on the outside, but in truth he was really shocked and desperate. Once again Alice had fall prey to his foes and was in grave danger. And now this whore was trying to get a profit out of it! He really wanted to shot her down for even considering the clown´s offer. – Would the same offer from me satisfy your lust?
-Oh? Insulting me and then wanting to negotiate after? Not very smart. On the contrary I think it will be harder to convince me to help her. I don´t think you care anyways about the girl. All this is your fault Blood there are reasons why Alice left you, one of them probably is because girls don´t like guys who have more dick in their personalities than in their pants.
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Gasps of shock were evident in the background noises, Aria heard along some snickers and a couple of blown out laughs, had it not been because Alice was in danger a shoot down would surely happened (it almost had, actually Elliot and the twins had their guns out already). Aria hadn´t lost sight of the faceless at the other side of the door who also snickered. She was ready to act at a seconds notice.
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-Two against one is not very nice. Ok, I support Joker´s offer with my offer of the same. I can also execute anyone you want me to – Ace happily said just to see how it developed. He made emphasis in the "execute" part. Maybe Aria was aware of his other job or maybe she wasn´t.
-Well I support Blood. I offer it too! –Elliot hasted to say. He couldn´t believe that they were bartering with this. He had heard when she said she was a mercenary, but he hadn´t believed that a foreigner was like that. It might had been amusing if Alice wasn´t in danger. And surely Blood would kill Aria later.
-Brother… the chiky rabbit is making his offer too. Shouldn´t we make ours? – One of the bloody wins said.
-You´re right brother. We should make it fun for sis too.- The other twin joined his brother.
-I add my offer to the save/get rid of her –The twins said in unison. Dee to for the kill and Dum for the saving. They liked Alice, but it was also funny to see what the other roleholder´s reactions were, at this rate all of them would make an offer and the ones that wanted to save Alice were many, so there was no risk of their sis accepting Joker´s offer. They knew the value of a nice payment and understood that there was no way she would refuse the better deal. So there was no risk for Alice.
-If you enter this I do to, for Alice´s sake obviously – Boris countered the twins.
-Chu… please go save Alice. I offer too – Pierce mildly said (he was hiding behind Elliot). But he also considered that Aria might need to run and hide from Blood once this was over.
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At this point it seemed that they were more worried about competing amongst them than for the real situation developing. In the background Aria could hear how some of them were not exactly happy with her intend of profit. But if she was doing this she may as well go all the way. She also noticed that no one of them even asked her if she was fine. Yet they were eager to get Alice out of harm´s way. Aria didn´t even want to think that such things might have hurt her a bit. No, she would turn that uncomfortable sensation into anger. What else could she do?
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-We´re talking business. So I add my offer for you to save Alice. So far we outnumber the other request – Grey had been surprised at her attitude, then he remembered that he used to be like that. He understood that this was not personal, just a business where the best offer would win. It made him somewhat ashamed of his own doings and it pained him that she was so cold about it. It was like a reflection of him. This was business only, but still…
-Would the same from me added to the offer´s pool to save Alice serve to settle this?- Nigtmare said after reading Grey´s thoughts. He couldn´t understand why Aria was doing this. Sure, she was a mercenary, but not a common one, and she might be a bit arrogant and a profit seeker but she wasn´t unjust or excessively greedy (unless her hunger for knowledge counted). There was something else behind this.
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-Aren´t the stakes getting high? Now it would be unfair for those who are putting their offers on the table if not everyone else did so.- She could almost feel the anger and indignation at the other side of the intercom. Like a troll she was having fun by that. But she didn´t care, she just wanted to get done with this. Then they could go and play with their precious Alice and she could deal with her business alone - The thing is you don´t have much of a choice. Either you hire me and I get to Alice and maybe manage save us both, or all this factions kill her. You move from there and they kill her. Not everyone of you enter this and I accept to kill her myself or I run away, she dies and I disappear in which case you can count us both lost. And just to make sure that you fulfill your part of the deal… please swear it by your roles…except Blood. I want him to swear it for his connector….- Gasps of shock were heardat the other end of the wire- I said that I would be here at least until my vial fills, but seriously. Their reinforcements could be on their way. I don´t have that much time to waste. So decide now!
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Aria couldn´t believe how fast they offered something that may doom them. An undeniable request may as well be about anything, even their own lives, and making them swear by for their roles or connector was binding (for what she knew any roleholder that swore anything that way was bound to it or would face horrible consequences somehow).
Knowing that Alice´s game has not ended completely because although she had chosen to stay in Wonderland but she hadn´t form a permanent connection to this world had made Aria suspect that the roleholders may still be more than attracted to Alice. But to get so angry at her as if she had been the one who put the other foreigner in danger was something she didn´t understand. More so because they were risking her for Alice. She knew Ace was trolling and that one of the twins was playing, but it was plain obvious that they cared far too much for Alice. It was pathetic.
Aria felt distaste. Maybe she hadn´t been in Wonderland for as long as Alice, but she had done far more for every territory that Alice ever did, ever would or ever could. Alice was playing the role of the traditional foreigner, a sentimentally troubled girl that was a price and a toy for them, an (unknowingly) living battery and power source for whomever she fell in love with. Aria on the other hand, had managed to improve a lot of things in the countries of Hearts and Clover from the upper administrative level and on her own initiative (like the animal shelter and the arts school and a big library project still on planning). She had made possible less work and more efficient; and she had managed to improve the business for practically all the territories.
Even on a personal level she had been considerate enough to not run away to her world and had even decided to stay until her vial filled so that these people could play their game and use her despite being able to leave whenever she wanted. And here they were! not only discarding her but doing so for a girl that couldn´t do anything but be the traditional foreigner. It wasn´t Alice´s fault. But Aria felt a bit humiliated, all her work rendered useless, her life as expendable as that of any faceless…
But maybe that was the point. Even if Alice was useless in everything else she could love and Aria couldn´t, not in the average human way. She had even made it clear that she wasn´t interested. It occurred to her that they realized that they wouldn´t have her so they could discard her like this. After the last little r.a.b.i.t chase she had been thinking how fun been in wonderland had been; perhaps the other thing her own subconscious had tried to tell her might have been that maybe, just maybe, she wanted to be loved and perhaps develop some kind of a not so ephemerons connection. She had done so with Andrick, didn´t she? Beyond her love for science and the wondrous things that she wanted to research in this world maybe she had been falling prey to the game of hearts without realizing it.
Such assertions were a mere faint breeze now. In the end it didn´t matter. It was over. She had a goal back in her world. She didn´t want to get involved with anyone anymore. She would play this situation in her favor because she could. A dark and oppressive sensation began settling in her, it was somber and heavy on her chest and her being. She wanted to rip it out of her or forget it. She needed to get on the move.
Of course she didn´t even registered the couple lonely tears that escaped her eyes.
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-It´s easy. If I make my way to Alice and get her out of the amusement park or I get rid of her I get a single one undeniable request for whatever I say, by whatever I mean and following all the terms I desire from each person that offered so. –Then she changed her tone to one a TV infomercial would use -Not only that! But as a limited time promotion just for you, and as condition to even accept the job I get paid for everyone that dies tonight directly or indirectly by/for me. That should be a shared expense for all of you. Julius counts how many clocks he gets from tonight and we multiply it for lets say… the average payment for a small assassination and divide it by all of you. I also want a promise that you won't try to kill, hurt main, endanger or whatever directly or indirectly me or the people that works for me tonight in response to this business
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-WHAT! – Was the collective question (with some colorful variants).
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Aria´s voice turned very cold and mechanical, as sharp as the edge of a blade.
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-You don´t seem to understand my position right now, do you? You all have many foes and they are going for me and for Alice tonight. They are observing you right now and they most likely heard the explosion and shoots coming from where I am this very moment. I am heavily outnumbered and I have nothing and no one to help me. I'm not even wearing any armor.- Aria growled her words and took a deep breath to calm herself - So far they don´t know I am moving around freely and don´t know what my capabilities are. My best chance of survival would be to quietly make my way out of here. To save your precious Alice I would have to get to wherever she is, and get her useless ass out of danger or out of the way is going to be very hard when the surroundings are crawling with alerted foes that outnumber and outgun me! … I might need someone´s help, money and a life and health insurance can get me that. In any case I would be risking myself too much. Do you understand now? – She had ended up growling again the last part. She took another breath and continued - Not that you give a crap of how hurt I am or will end. But my safety would ensure what you want me to do with your beloved Alice successes - Aria had practically hissed and spat her sentences. Her words were so rash that she managed to make some role holders understand how dire her position was.
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She technically hadn´t lied but she obviously had kept a lot of vital information to herself. She didn´t tell them that she already knew where Alice was heading too, she didn´t tell them about already having support or that there would be no one getting to her current point anytime soon. If they wanted to hire someone under such conditions it would cost them.
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-I agree. By the will of Wonderland and of the country of hearts, WE the king of hearts. Recognize and validate any agreement done with the foreigner tonight. – The king knew that this was way more serious than everyone else suspected. He was still the king of hearts, and even if no one took him seriously he still possessed some serious abilities and responsibilities, as the king of the country he could create and validate an inviolable vow, a magically enforced oath, not so unlike the one made with a connector. Wonderland needed both foreigners and there was more than Alice´s life in game here. At some point Aria had told him that situation in her world was also dire and she needed to go back or there was a big chance no foreigner were coming again to wonderland before it disappeared. Right now this was for the best, even if Aria had changed her demeanor completely for or because of this incident. It would be until far later that he got aware of an issue from long ago, something that was so terrible that it hadn´t been written down and had only passed by the knowledge granted by his role. Something that had played a part in Spades falling.
-All of you fools, add your offers or state your unwillingness!–Vivaldi ordered. She had been by-standing on purpose and the king´s unusual action had pressed her to act too. Being the only female she knew that something was more wrong than any of them assumed. Had the foreigner been in her presence she, as the queen of hearts, would have felt a strange coldness surrounding the foreigner´s beating heart and known that the door to it had closed but moments before.
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Soon everyone made their offer and grudgingly agreed to her terms. Some hated them and some were completely amused at how she had played everyone at the same time. As soon as they did they felt a burning sensation in the back of their palms, a small reddish mark with a little heart signaled that Wonderland had indeed validated the contract.
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-Aria… why are you asking for all this?- Nightmare asked directly
-It´s just business. My last business with you! So I gotta make it good. You are risking me for Alice, exchanging my safety for hers. If you are using me as a disposable mock I have no reason to treat you all as anything more than cash cows and this but another mercenary job. I WILL show you why I´m not a direct fighter.
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On the other end of the line Aria was angry. She had just answered Nightmare when she felt fire in her hand and actually screamed lightly at it. The king explained to her that the contact had been done and one of the faceless tried to get out of the door and shoot her but she took him out fast, however the shoot impacted on the intercom destroying the connection and sending some shards to her check making her bleed a bit more.
She turned to the remaining faceless in the control room.
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The roleholders heard some shots. Some of them finally noticed how all had been about Alice and no one had even mentioned Aria beyond what she could do regarding Alice. They felt a bit guilty, but it was too late. The connection with her was gone when the shot hit the intercom and they didn´t knew where she was, all the intercoms connected to their plate but there was no way to now which was the other end of the line.
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-Shall we continue with the event? Show must go on, you know… - Joker for some odd reason seemed quite pleased…. Until a couple minutes later he stopped sensing her, the humming sensation of her existence that he had grown used to simply disappeared.
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I wanted this to be the last chap, but it was way to long so I split it. Have it ever happened to you that you think something something you write will be short or too long and it ends up being the opposite? But fry not. We are very close to the end.
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Arias negotiations are not over yet (hint, hint), and she didn´t share all she knew. But you cant blame her, no matter how unfeeling she deems herself it must have hurt how everyone jumped at Alice and ignored her. She aint that nice, so is hard to tell what she´ll do, but I doubt she will forgive them that easily. Quite frankly she can be a real bi****.
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And If you ever get the change to do some urban exploration do so, its really cool (just keep in mind that it might be sort of illegal in some countries or places), there are cities where tours for that are actually offered. At least look out photos of it.
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