ALiCE in WoNDeRLaND
-14-
I paused for a moment outside the house, wondering what in the world I had just gotten
myself into. My moment of introspection was promptly cut off when Miyka'el slammed the
large doors behind him.
"Well," he began, looking around at his team.
I followed his gaze, studying the total weirdos who stood before me. They sort of
resembled the guys I had met what must have been only an hour or so before, but there
were now marked differences. The equipment was the greatest one.
They were decked out, not just with those giant guns, but with several other strange
contraptions and toys. For guys who had grown up in WoNDeRLaND, they sure had a lot
of technology.
I decided to mention this. "Nice guns."
Zione smiled back at me. "Yeah. You should see our big ones."
I totally forgot what I was going to say to them. They had bigger guns? "Huh?"
Aurick shook his head. "Let's get going."
They nodded as one, then proceeded to somehow pack those enormous weapons into their
miniscule backpacks. I watched, open-mouthed, as hordes of equipment disappeared into
a tiny little package. There was no way.
Namdhari saw my expression, and shrugged. "Don't try to understand it, ALiCE. You
should know better than all of us that logic doesn't work in WoNDeRLaND."
He was right. Nothing that had happened in the precious few moments I had resided here
made any sense at all. No wonder I was in a mental home. If I was a doctor, and my
patient kept going on about black cats and white rabbits and hot little boys with super
powers and massive equipment, I'd send her to a padded room in an instant.
I snickered at my inner monologue, and Miyka'el gave me an odd look. Who cares, I thought
to myself. They already think I'm nuts. I may as well enjoy the freedom to be a total
psycho. "So," I said to the boys, picking up the extra pack they had thrown together for
me. "Where to?"
"Where else?" Miyka'el replied, leading the crew away from the house. "To the palace."
That took a second to register. "The what?"
Miyka'el ignored me.
"No, no, no," I interjected, running up to him and standing directly in his path. "We are
not going to the palace."
"ALiCE, perhaps you've forgotten this along with everything else, but we have a job to
do," Miyka'el explained, going right past me. "We have to stop the Queen."
"Why?" I asked, still standing in the same spot.
All five of the guys stopped.
"What?" Zione asked.
"Why do we have to stop her?" I continued.
They all looked at me as if I had grown a third eye. Maybe I had. It had been one of
those days.
"Okay, we're in the midst of a civil war. We have to end it," Namdhari began.
"But why?" I cut him off. "Why do we have to solve their problems? Can't these people
take care of themselves?"
"Do you have any idea how crazy you sound?" Zale spoke up, throwing me completely
off.
"What?" Had I said something wrong?
"We have to do this, because there's no one else. The Queen has technology, ALiCE.
No one else in WoNDeRLaND but us and the Queen has technology. If we don't do
something, she'll destroy it all. WoNDeRLaND, its inhabitants, and who says she's
going to stop there." He had been staring at the ground during his speech, but he now
looked up and met my eyes. "You came from that other world, right? Don't you realize
how serious things can get if we just sit around and pretend as if it's none of our
business? I don't know for sure what kind of person you are, but I'm thinking that any
person would want to save their home planet. Am I right?"
I had no reply. I guess it was a rhetorical question.
"I know you have to be scared. Hell, we're all scared, but it's that fear that keeps us
going. Knowing that we're going to help people. Even if they never know who we are,
or what we did for them, it doesn't matter. We don't need their gratitude to know we're
worth something. Saving the universe, seeing life continue for a little bit longer... that's
all the thanks we need. What I'm trying to say is... this is a thankless job, ALiCE..."
"Whoa," Zione interrupted him. "You're going to tell her?"
Zale made a face.
Zione growled in exasperation. "Fine, I'll tell her. But let's keep walking."
They did just that, and I trotted up to join Zione as he laid it all out for me.
"We're a top-secret task force known as the Villikins. I think that much you already
know. However, I don't think you're taking us seriously."
I stared at him. "What do you mean?"
He sighed. "I can't believe you don't remember," he muttered.
"Remember what?" I asked, annoyed that he was annoyed with me.
They all paused at the sound of my anger. As one, they turned and glared my way.
"Us," Zione replied. "I can't believe you don't remember us."
Then suddenly, I did.
***
-14-
I paused for a moment outside the house, wondering what in the world I had just gotten
myself into. My moment of introspection was promptly cut off when Miyka'el slammed the
large doors behind him.
"Well," he began, looking around at his team.
I followed his gaze, studying the total weirdos who stood before me. They sort of
resembled the guys I had met what must have been only an hour or so before, but there
were now marked differences. The equipment was the greatest one.
They were decked out, not just with those giant guns, but with several other strange
contraptions and toys. For guys who had grown up in WoNDeRLaND, they sure had a lot
of technology.
I decided to mention this. "Nice guns."
Zione smiled back at me. "Yeah. You should see our big ones."
I totally forgot what I was going to say to them. They had bigger guns? "Huh?"
Aurick shook his head. "Let's get going."
They nodded as one, then proceeded to somehow pack those enormous weapons into their
miniscule backpacks. I watched, open-mouthed, as hordes of equipment disappeared into
a tiny little package. There was no way.
Namdhari saw my expression, and shrugged. "Don't try to understand it, ALiCE. You
should know better than all of us that logic doesn't work in WoNDeRLaND."
He was right. Nothing that had happened in the precious few moments I had resided here
made any sense at all. No wonder I was in a mental home. If I was a doctor, and my
patient kept going on about black cats and white rabbits and hot little boys with super
powers and massive equipment, I'd send her to a padded room in an instant.
I snickered at my inner monologue, and Miyka'el gave me an odd look. Who cares, I thought
to myself. They already think I'm nuts. I may as well enjoy the freedom to be a total
psycho. "So," I said to the boys, picking up the extra pack they had thrown together for
me. "Where to?"
"Where else?" Miyka'el replied, leading the crew away from the house. "To the palace."
That took a second to register. "The what?"
Miyka'el ignored me.
"No, no, no," I interjected, running up to him and standing directly in his path. "We are
not going to the palace."
"ALiCE, perhaps you've forgotten this along with everything else, but we have a job to
do," Miyka'el explained, going right past me. "We have to stop the Queen."
"Why?" I asked, still standing in the same spot.
All five of the guys stopped.
"What?" Zione asked.
"Why do we have to stop her?" I continued.
They all looked at me as if I had grown a third eye. Maybe I had. It had been one of
those days.
"Okay, we're in the midst of a civil war. We have to end it," Namdhari began.
"But why?" I cut him off. "Why do we have to solve their problems? Can't these people
take care of themselves?"
"Do you have any idea how crazy you sound?" Zale spoke up, throwing me completely
off.
"What?" Had I said something wrong?
"We have to do this, because there's no one else. The Queen has technology, ALiCE.
No one else in WoNDeRLaND but us and the Queen has technology. If we don't do
something, she'll destroy it all. WoNDeRLaND, its inhabitants, and who says she's
going to stop there." He had been staring at the ground during his speech, but he now
looked up and met my eyes. "You came from that other world, right? Don't you realize
how serious things can get if we just sit around and pretend as if it's none of our
business? I don't know for sure what kind of person you are, but I'm thinking that any
person would want to save their home planet. Am I right?"
I had no reply. I guess it was a rhetorical question.
"I know you have to be scared. Hell, we're all scared, but it's that fear that keeps us
going. Knowing that we're going to help people. Even if they never know who we are,
or what we did for them, it doesn't matter. We don't need their gratitude to know we're
worth something. Saving the universe, seeing life continue for a little bit longer... that's
all the thanks we need. What I'm trying to say is... this is a thankless job, ALiCE..."
"Whoa," Zione interrupted him. "You're going to tell her?"
Zale made a face.
Zione growled in exasperation. "Fine, I'll tell her. But let's keep walking."
They did just that, and I trotted up to join Zione as he laid it all out for me.
"We're a top-secret task force known as the Villikins. I think that much you already
know. However, I don't think you're taking us seriously."
I stared at him. "What do you mean?"
He sighed. "I can't believe you don't remember," he muttered.
"Remember what?" I asked, annoyed that he was annoyed with me.
They all paused at the sound of my anger. As one, they turned and glared my way.
"Us," Zione replied. "I can't believe you don't remember us."
Then suddenly, I did.
***