The tears I'd been fighting back poured over as I looked to Hatters body laying lifeless on the floor as the old women yelled "you shot Hatter?" "we don't need him anymore, the ring is our ticket out of here" Dodo preached, Alice suddenly pushed Dodo to the ground and grabbed my hand, pulling me with her as she ran. I then heard a gun shot and turned slightly "Leave them alone." Hatter voice chimed menacingly "Or believe me, the next one will be aimed at your head!" I smiled through my tears and went to run to him but Alice grabbed my hand once more and dragged me with her.
When we reached the bus Alice started pressing buttons as I said "we have to go back! We have to help Hatter" but she looked passed me to the sound of running feet, I turned to see Dodo head for us, but before he could reach us Hatter full body tackled Dodo.
Alice and I both shouted in union "Hatter!" "Its the blue button!" he shouted, Turning his attention back to Dodo, Hatter landed a solid blow across the man's face, though he was soon repaid in kind and thrown off of Dodo, rolling quickly to his feet. Hatter collided with the wall, "Go Jackie! Hurry up and press the blue button!" His voice came out strained he aimed his fist directly for Dodo's face, but connected with the stone instead.
The pillar sprayed ships of stone and dust as Hatter snarled "Lucky." Dodo, retaliated by kneeing him first in the stomach, and then in the face, sending Hatter flying backwards onto the floor. As I watched this and turned to Alice as she went for the blue button, I ran from the bus to help Hatter hearing Alice scream my name in protest. Dodo pinned him down and proceeded to bludgeon his face with one of his massive ham fists. Suddenly, I screamed "GET AWAY FROM HIM" and a purple shudder entered the air, throwing Dodo half way back across the pathway. I stood in shock then turned to see Alice helping Hatter up.
I ran to his over side and helped carry him hurriedly to the bus while Alice asked "how did you do that?" I shook my head and said "not a fuckin clue" Alice let him fall to the floor of the lift as she hurried towards the drivers seat, looking for the blue button and pressing it without a moment to spare while Hatter sat clutching his chest.
"How bad is it?!" Before I even realized what was happening, I was straddling him and pulling at his shirt, I froze "Body armour?" Alice said almost disbelievingly as she looked on to us. I gave a sigh of relief and asked "you expected to get shot?" he smiled lightly and said "I always expect to get shot" I gave a small laugh in response "You're not even wounded!" Alice said, kneeling down, slapping him on the chest where he'd been shot, making him cry out even louder.
"You lied to us!" I cried out, my relief drained out by anger "I was trying to help you!" he rasped "By selling my necklace?" I demanded furiously as I stood "Well I didn't know it was the Cats Grin Amulet did I?!" He winced "Well you could have asked before bringing us here!" Alice shouted. "You wouldn't have come." Hatter said, "You're damn right we wouldn't! He almost killed us!" Alice continued "Yeah, well, after he shot me!" Hatter snapped, opening his shirt and pointing just to remind us who, of the three of them, had been shot "Don't!" I commanded, and he fell silent "Tell me the truth, what is the Stone of Wonderland?" Alice asked "It's a big deal." Hatter replied, "It was mined by the ancient Knights to power the looking glass. The door that connects our world to yours."
"Knights?" I asked, anger fading a little to be replaced by curiosity.
"They were all wiped out a long time ago by the Queen. She took the Looking Glass and ,of course, the stone." he explained, wincing as he spoke. "How did Jack get a hold of it?" he asked as Alice stared at her ring, clearly wondering the exact same thing. The lift shuddered to a stop and the door opened out onto the narrow sidewalk where we had first arrived.
Alice stormed off first Hatter and I following her at a calmer pace. As we walked I asked "Hatter, what was that? That thing with Dodo? You know the… purple… shuddery, thing?" he looked to me and said "that was one of your gifts. You see Chester, the Cheshire Cat, could do all sorts of things because he had that" he pointed to my necklace "that amulet, when worn by someone within Chester's bloodline, gives the wearer certain gifts, invisibility, force field, energy blasts, that's what that was back there, plant growth and manipulation, Healing, immortality, replication, that means you can copy your gift and give them to people, and I think that's it" I stop in my tracks and say "wait, immortality? That cant be right, my grandad died a few years ago! And I think I would have noticed if I had any of these before" Hatter stands in front of me and says "Wonderland gifts don't work in the oyster world. that's one of the reasons Chester was banished, he wouldn't give the Queen what she wanted, immortality, and she couldn't kill him so…" I nodded in understanding, then laugh "now I know why grandad always made the Cheshire Cat into the hero, when he read wonderland to me as a kid" Hatter gave a small laugh as well as we picked up the pace to try and catch up with Alice.
"Where do you think you're going?" Hatter demanded as we finally caught up to her
"Anywhere but here." she snapped, clinging to the tree and carefully avoiding looking over the edge. I rested on the wall as I watched her "There are 'no-go' areas in this town." He said, annoyed. "Well I don't believe this is happening!" Alice cried, sounding stressed and confused. "This place! You people!" she shouted, "This is all too weird!" she cried. I looked up and said "I think it's kinder magical myself" earning a smile from Hatter and a frown from Alice. "Look, just calm down." he insisted "I'm going to try and get you home, okay?" Hatter tried to use a soothing voice "Oh really." She said disbelievingly, moving around the tree once more, forcing him to follow after. "Yes! Really, I could-" he let out a huff of annoyance as he had to turn around again to try and catch her. "Could you just...keep still!" he said, very obviously annoyed as they finally came face to face again.
"And what's in it for you?" she asked bitterly "Let me guess, you want your usual cut up front?" "I don't blame you for being angry." Hatter said defensively. "I acted..." hmm, what was a good word "impetuously..." He offered "like a prick" I muttered but he looked at me as to say he heard, his face full of sorrow "Selfishly!" Alice shouted at him "You acted selfishly!" "Whatever word you wanna...use. Just let me make it up to you!" he insisted, looking back and forth between us "Alice, Jackie, this is a dangerous place. Trust me, you're going to need my help."
Alice gazed at him, somewhat calmer now as she took a breath, as I said matter-of-factly "trust is earned" Hatter shrugged "then I'll to my best to earn it" I looked to Alice raising my eyebrows, asking silently what she through "Fine. But if I think that you're lying to us, I will beat you within an inch of your life." she said in a warning tone "Right." He muttered Alice stared up at him for a moment longer before nodding slightly and stepping back. "Right!" Hatter said with a grin as I walked to his side with a small smile, rubbing his hands together. "We'll stop by my shop first to grab a few things and make our plan."
"Lead the way." I said with the same butter couldn't melt smile, he returned my smile and turned on his heel and began leading the way back to his shop.