Chapter Five
"Alice, don't be foolish."
Alice snorted and shook off Jack's hand again. "Where is Charlie?" she repeated. "He can find Hatter. He can find anyone."
"You can't just go walking around Wonderland," Jack insisted. "It's not safe for you out there. There are still people clinging to the old ways out there, and they will see you as nothing but a source for Tea. Especially once they see that." He took Alice's arm and she glanced down as he twisted it so her forearm was facing up. A familiar green tattoo was dark on her skin and her heart jumped.
"Where'd that come from?" she asked, jerking her arm out of his grip and running her fingers over the blemish on her skin. "What'd you do to me?"
"The Glow doesn't come off, Alice," he said, still the ever-calm king. "You can't see it in your world, but it never goes away. Now that you're back on this side of the Looking Glass, it has resurfaced. Which means that if you go out into the city, there will be people after you. Please, you have to stay here."
"No," she said firmly. "No, I have to find Hatter. Now tell me, where is Charlie? Is he still living in the forest? Or did he move here?"
Jack sighed and rolled his eyes. "I will tell you on one condition," he said. "You don't go out there alone. If I let you leave this place, you're taking some of my men with you."
"No," she protested before she had even considered why.
"Then you're not leaving," Jack said as if that settled things.
"You're going to stop me?" Alice challenged, raising an eyebrow.
"If that's what I have to do to keep you safe, then yes," he said unconcernedly. "I will have you detained if I must."
Alice narrowed her eyes dangerously. "You wouldn't dare."
Not breaking their staring contest, Jack raised his voice and shouted, "Suits!" The door burst open with a crash that made Alice jump slightly. All of the Suits from the hall rushed in, weapons drawn. "I give these men one command," Jack continued as if there'd been no interruption, "and you will be confined to this room until I say otherwise."
A flicker of movement caught her attention; the Eight who'd brought her had lowered his gun slightly, a look of shock crossing his face. It only lasted a split second, but it gave her an idea. "Please, Jack," she tried one last time. "It's Hatter."
Jack's expression softened. "I know, and I am truly sorry," his voice was so sincere it almost caught her off guard, "but your safety is still my first priority."
Alice sighed in defeat and then pretended to have a sudden epiphany. "I'll never be able to find him with a whole ton of these guys following me around. We'd be caught and killed. So just one then."
"One?" Jack laughed but his expression came across more as concerned. "You expect me to let you wander around Wonderland with just one Suit for protection?"
"If it's a really good one, yes," she replied calmly. "Someone you can trust, who's been by your side the whole time." She paused to let the words sink in, and triumph curled in her stomach when she saw a hint of something give in his blue eyes. "Someone like," she spun and pointed, "him."
"Me, Lady Alice?" Eight asked in surprise, his gun dropping clean to his side.
"I can defend myself," Alice barrelled on before anyone could object. "What I need is someone who knows Wonderland. He worked in the Rebellion, he's got a clear head, and he's clever. He's the sort of guy who can get me across Wonderland safe, without drawing attention, and you know it."
Jack's jaw was locked but behind the stoic facade she could tell that he was considering it. Finally he let out an irritated huff. "And if I say no?" he posed.
"Then I will escape and go on my own," Alice said simply. "You know I will. I got pretty good at that while I was here."
"Fine," Jack said, clinging to some semblance of his regal nature even while he was clearly frustrated. Airs and graces, she remembered Hatter calling it. He fixed his gaze on Eight. "You are to accompany Lady Alice to visit the White Knight. No detours, keep a low profile, and keep her safe, no matter the cost. Understood?"
"Yes, your majesty," Eight replied and bowed.
Alice stepped forward and hugged Jack. "Thank you," she said and she felt some of the tension leave his arms as he returned the gesture. "I'll be back in a few days. You'll see."
"You had better be," he said but there was something like fondness in his eyes. Alice gave his hand one last squeeze, and then turned and followed Eight out of the door. They didn't talk until they had stepped into the lift and Eight had hit the 'down' button.
"Why me, Lady Alice?" he asked abruptly.
Alice looked up at him and smiled. "Because I have to find Hatter and I think you're the only one who will actually help me with that," she answered. "And because you won't stop me when I do something Jack wouldn't like."
"Why do I have a feeling that part is going to start really soon?" Eight asked, slightly exasperated, and Alice chuckled. "Very well, milady. To the Forest of Wabe then."
"No, not just yet," she said. The lift stopped and the doors dinged faintly as they opened. "We've got one stop we need to make first."
Eight did a quick double-step to catch up with her once she started walking. "Where's that?"
Alice glanced around at the Suits loitering in the lobby and didn't respond. She waited until they were outside of the building and beyond the earshot of anyone who might report back to Jack. "The old Tea Shoppe," she said. She didn't miss the look of surprise that crossed Eight's face. "There are some things stowed away there that I want to grab first."
"If you say so," Eight said, falling into stride with her and adjusting his tie. When Alice glanced sideways at him, she noticed that he no longer looked wary. There was light and excitement in his expression, the same look she'd seen on his face that made her trust him in the first place. It was a familiar spark of adventure, the one that had glowed behind Hatter's eyes and that had kept them both alive.
"What's your name?" Alice asked curiously. Eight lifted an eyebrow. "I don't really want to keep calling you by your number. Do you have a proper name?"
"Rory," he said with a smile. "Rory Capricorn. And I must say, Lady Alice-of-Legend, it is a real pleasure to know you."
Hatter woke up panicking before his brain even fully registered why he was so afraid. He was back in the first room, the one of black-and-white swirls. Still in his underwear, judging by the chill. Back in the stiff-backed chair with the leather straps holding him in place. Only this time there was a thick band across his forehead, keeping him from so much as looking around, and another one pulled tightly across his mouth.
The panic took over ten-fold. He couldn't move and he couldn't even so much as call for help. He was trapped, helpless and defenceless. Just like back then; just like when the Chemists had taken him away. Keep calm, he told himself harshly. You're not there. Think of something good. Alice. Think of Alice.
Even focusing all of his attention on Alice – the gray-blue of her eyes, his favourite blue dress and cranberry nylons, her teasing smile – he still couldn't stop himself from being scared. And that made him angry.
"Are you ready to talk yet?" The voice made Hatter grimace beneath the band of leather and he growled deep in his throat. "I didn't think so." Her heeled boots clicked loudly on the marble as she walked around to stand in front of him. She had traded out her dress for a pair of black pants and a fitted tunic that made her look, if possible, more sinister. She looked like a warrior. "Do you like my new addition?" she asked, tracing her fingers across the strap on his mouth. "You do an awful lot of talking, but never seem to say anything. So this is how it will work now. You will give me the answers that I want, when I want, or you won't talk at all. Understood?"
Hatter could tell she was taunting him with the question, since he couldn't possibly answer her. So he simply stared her down defiantly. The Unicorn gritted her teeth and abruptly backhanded him. The straps on his head stopped him from rolling with the hit and the whole thing jarred his neck and left his cheekbone stinging from the silver ring on her second finger. She leaned in and braced herself on his arms, putting her face right in his. "Understood?" she repeated venomously. Hatter still gave no indication that he'd so much as heard her. "Last chance," she warned. "Do you understand me?"
When Hatter still gave no recognition, she lifted her hands from his arms. He was about to let out a breath of relief, because she'd been leaning on a cut on his forearm, when she placed her palms on his shoulders and pushed. The pressure on his mutilated left shoulder seared like fire and he screamed. It was muffled through the leather, but it echoed in his head until it blocked out everything else. Just pain and screaming.
It felt like hours when she finally let up. She straightened and her palm was red. She'd broken the medical seal and he was bleeding freely again. "Now, let's try this one more time," she said conversationally. "Do you understand me?"
Hatter stared back through watering eyes. Anger flashed through the Unicorn's face and her hand reached for his shoulder. After a second of hesitation, he dropped his gaze. Submission. He could feel her satisfaction.
"That's more like it," she cooed and instead of grabbing his shoulder, she caressed his cheek almost affectionately with her blood-streaking hand. He couldn't shy away so he closed his eyes against the pseudo-intimate contact. "Now you're ready to answer my questions. We'll start with an easy one. What is your name?"
She reached out and undid the buckle, and the strap across his mouth fell away. Hatter stretched his jaw before answering. "David." He couldn't explain why exactly he gave that name, except maybe to spite her. It worked, because she jabbed her thumb into the hole in his shoulder, making him yelp.
"Your real name," she demanded. "Your family name, not your stupid Oyster name."
"Hatter," he relented. "David Hatter."
"A direct descendent of the Mad Hatter, correct?" she said. "The Mad Hatter of the old legends."
It took him a second to respond, because he had never heard of his grandfather referred to as part of any legend. Except maybe from when he'd met the original Alice-of-Legend, but that was only in passing. As far as he'd known, his granddad had just been a mad old haberdasher. "I wouldn't know," he said. "Never met 'im. For all I know, Mum coulda been makin' up stories. She never was very right in the 'ead."
"No, you know it's true," she said smoothly. "You can hear it, can't you? The madness, ticking away in your brain. Words and phrases and images that make no sense. The legacy of the Hatters."
"Look, I dunno what you're afta but–"
The snap cut through the room as she slapped him. "Don't interrupt me," she snarled. Gritting her teeth, she secured the leather strap back into place, tightening it an extra notch so that the leather cut into his skin. His split lip broke and dripped blood into his mouth. "Maybe you're telling the truth. Maybe you don't know what I'm asking for. But that doesn't mean it's not in your head somewhere. You're a Hatter. I just need to find a way to get it out."
Hatter narrowed his eyes, scrutinising her in awe. This woman was completely mental. What was she going on about? "A long time ago, your ancestor made an enemy of a powerful person," the Unicorn continued. "Someone tied into the very core of creation. There was a curse placed upon him until he had learnt his lesson."
It suddenly all clicked into place in Hatter's mind. All of the old stories that he'd heard, of the tea party that never ended and the clocks that never ticked. The Unicorn smiled at the look of comprehension in his eyes. "Yes, you know of whom I speak," she said. "The man who froze your ancestor in place for thousands of moonsets. It is said that they eventually repaired their differences, and the Mad Hatter passed into the void as his friend. The sole possessor of the secret; the location of Time. Knowledge that is hidden away in the minds of the lineage. In your mind."
None of this made sense. Those were only stories, told to frighten the little kids into behaving. Respect your elders or Time will have its revenge. His mum had rambled them to him as a child, in between fits of madness, but he had never thought of them as anything more than bedtime stories. No one had. Time wasn't a person, it was just a thing. A thing, like air or sound or death.
But this woman believed the stories were real, and she thought that he knew where Time was hiding. That somehow his grandfather had told him where to find Time, even though they had never met. That's why she had brought him here. To find Time. But why?
The Unicorn drew his attention again by setting her hand on his chest, above his fiercely beating heart. "So tell me, Hatter. Where can I find dear old Time?"
"I dunno, honest," Hatter said the moment the strap had fallen away again. "Granddad never told me anythin'. I never even met 'im. He died the–"
"The day before you were born," the Unicorn finished for him. "I know."
"So even if he'd known, he couldn' 'ave told me," Hatter pointed out.
The Unicorn toyed with the buckle from the loose leather strap almost playfully. "I never said that he told you. I said that the answers were in your mind. You Hatters aren't normal, even by Wonderland standards. The madness is in your minds; in all of your minds. The knowledge is in your mind, we just need to get it out."
"What do you mean?" he asked, but before he could say anything else she had put the strap back into place.
"We just need to go a little deeper into your head, dear Hatter," she said and brushed her fingers through his hair. He growled at the touch, the same gesture Alice used when she was comforting him. It brought Alice to the forefront of his mind and renewed his resolve. He wouldn't break. He would stay strong; stay the man who was good enough for his dear, brave Alice. He wouldn't disappoint her.
"You will respect me," she said and the fingers in his hair fisted painfully. "Which means that first you will fear me."
She walked around passed him and when she came back she was carrying something else that made the panic explode back to the front of his mind: a syringe. Suddenly he was a small boy trapped by the Chemists again, watching them experiment on him with drugs from the Oysterworld. They were jabbing him with needles, making his blood burn like fire, and there was nothing he could do to stop them.
Just like there was nothing he could do to stop the Unicorn. His muscles ached with the effort of trying to pull himself free, but it was a worthless attempt. She burrowed the needle deep into the crook of his elbow and depressed the plunger, filling his veins with the yellow liquid.
"A lovely little concoction, this," she said casually, tracing a finger along the gleaming silver when she'd withdrawn it from his skin. "Pure, undiluted Fear. Mary Heart wasn't the only one who was draining the Oysters, although she went about it the stupid way. Why transfix people with the Good when you can dominate them with the Bad? And I've discovered that injecting it increases the effect. It doesn't get watered down in the stomach."
It had only been seconds, and already he could feel it taking hold. His heart was racing in his ears and his stomach had knotted up into a metal fist. The terror that he felt at his situation had duplicated, over and over. Darkness was teasing at the edges of his vision, blinding him to everything but the horrors in his head. Alone – alone in the dark, with the needles and fire and experiments.
"Have fear," the Unicorn's voice hissed in his ear. "Dissolve into the Fear, Hatter, and know that it was my doing." That was the last thing he heard before his last link with reality faded and he was trapped in his own head.
