Chapter VIII: We Follow Like Alice…

"Off with their heads…slice them, chop them, cut them up! Take a bit off the top of that thick, rotten skull, then sever the rest from the spinal cord, like a knife to a bread-&-butterfly…tearing through the little fibers in the neck…off. Off. OFF!"

"Oh, put a button on it, dove!" snapped the King of Hearts. "We really can't take much more, you know!"

The Queen giggled, eyes rolling about in a disoriented way.

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

The group of escapees were wandering through the Tulgey Woods, the Doctor and the Cheshire Cat leading the way, with Ace directly behind them, the King and Queen, walking hand in hand—or, rather, the King walking while the Queen was dragged behind him—and the White Rabbit taking the rear.

"Once he's set things right here, I think I'll get a phonograph for that broken record back there," Ace whispered to the Doctor.

"Wouldn't that be interesting," said the Cheshire Cat, overhearing Ace's remark. The Doctor reacted in no way, his mind, seemingly, elsewhere.

"Professor?"

The Doctor turned as Ace handed him a small black pen.

The Doctor frowned, patted his pockets, then snatched it away.

"When did you get that, Ace?"

"Swiped it from your pocket when we got out; the switch on the canister was stuck."

The Doctor smirked.

"Ace…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. At least I returned it, right?"

"No, that's not it at all! Actually, I was about to say how incrrredibly astonished I am that you were able to get the timing on that last bit of Nitro-9 absolutely right! Keep this up, and perhaps you'll even figure out how to do it all the time!"

Ace blinked, then smiled.

"Thanks, Professor."

The Doctor grinned and teasingly tapped Ace on the nose, then turned to Cheshire.

"You know, something else astonished me back there…"

"Oh, really? What would that be?"

"How you and the Rabbit managed to get into Card Castle, and then get out along with all of us, without being detected by the guards."

The cat raised an eyebrow, smiling.

"My, my, how funny it is when you are not 'in the know,' Time," he chuckled. "Here, I'll show you…"

The Katoseussian pulled up his sleeve, revealing a small band on his arm, similar to a wristwatch, but with a curious triangle covered in tiny buttons, as opposed to a tiny clock.

"Ah!" the Doctor gasped. "Of course: a Katoseussian Personal Environmental Adaptor and Concealing Unit…a KPEACU, if you will! Mark IV?"

"Actually, Mark V."

"Brrrilliant!"

"Um…English, please?" Ace piped.

"It's a sort of cloaking device used by the Nine Lives Alliance," the Doctor explained. "It makes anything moving within a ten meter radius invisible to the enemy. The Rastons work on movement sensors, so, since they were unable to sense us through the cloaking shield, we all were able to leave unnoticed by the Rastons. And Cheshire and the Rabbit were never noticed when they came in. That's why no one even tried to stop us."

"Because they couldn't see us!"

"Exactly! A remarkable device. I haven't seen one in centuries…then again, I guess that is the point…"

"So THAT'S how you were able to disappear in the story!"

Cheshire tilted his head.

"What story?"

"Forget it, Cheshire," the Doctor said. "How did you get that down here?"

"Well, Time, you may recall that, as the Grand Chz'zhur, I was a commanding officer, head technician, and a skilled tap dancer…granted, the last thing had nothing to do with the job, but it often helped."

"Yes…I will never forget how you stopped that Cerberian assassin using nothing but an old shoe…"

"Indeed. I think he enjoyed my routine…before I ate his nose. Anyway, when they sent me here, I was allowed to bring one item of choice with me."

"So, you chose that?"

"No, I chose this suit I'm wearing; I slipped the device into my pocket."

The Doctor smirked.

"Bad kitty."

"Yes, and I'm loving it, thank you."

"If you two are done having a walk down memory lane," Ace interrupted, "could you tell us where we're going, Professor?"

"Actually, the child has a point," Cheshire agreed, arms crossed. "I don't suppose we're walking aimlessly out here?"

"We want to know, too!"

"A-as would I…"

"Off off off! Chop chop chop! Cut cut cut!"

The Doctor sighed.

"Well, if you all really want to know…I'm actually planning to speak with a friend."

"Professor, this hardly seems like a good point to be making a social call…"

"We agree," the King piped up. "We firmly believe it is in our best interests to be finding a way to take back the castle!"

"Indeed," the White Rabbit peeped. "That, or a good hiding place, at least…"

"As to Your Majesty's suggestion," the Doctor responded, "The castle was lost before you even got it. At the moment, it is in the hands of a lunatic with powers that rival my own. And, as to Sir Black's suggestion, said powers mean that there is really no place to hide anymore; all we can do is run."

"As much as I loathe to admit it, that just means that Ms. Appetizer…"

"It's Ace."

"Whatever…is right," snapped the Cheshire Cat. "The battery on my cloaking device only lasts so long before it needs recharging, and, the instant it goes out, the Rastons will be onto us…perhaps even literally. I may have dropped low on the military ladder, but I still have enough of that in me to say we should retreat and form some strategy to stop the Mad Hatter. There simply no time to…to…"

The Cat trailed off as the Doctor glared right into his eyes.

"Chz'zhur?"

The cat gulped.

"Y-yes?"

"I AM Time. And I say I have enough of myself for what I'm planning. Am I clear?"

The Cat straightened.

"As a crystal, Doctor."

The Doctor grinned, backing up.

"Good. Now, shall we?"

The cat nodded.

"Lead the way," he said.

The Doctor nodded briskly, and then moved forward.

Cheshire mewled, then followed.

Ace walked beside the Doctor, and smirked.

"Professor?"

"Hm?"

"Is Cheshire your…pet, or something?"

The Doctor smiled faintly…but never a word he said.