Ch. 4 Alexis's in Wonderland
By
UCSBdad
Disclaimer: If you own Castle, please raise your hand. Rating: M, sooner or later. Time: After Four of a Kind
Chapter four. Work! Fight! Obey!
They got up the next day to find new clothing and new ID's waiting for them.
"Wide lapels, polyester suits and narrow ties?" Castle said. "Bracken has a lot to account for if he caused this. If I have to wear a pukka shell necklace, I'm not going."
Kate, dressed in a flowery print dress that went to her mid-calf, and a short suede jacket, was looking at their ID's. "According to this, were not married. I'm Katherine Hayes and you are Rick Lang. It seems you're a writer of romance novels and I'm your secretary. How Jameson Rook of you, Castle."
Castle frowned. "Romance novels? How could they do that to me?"
Kate put an arm around him and pressed up against him. "When we get back, you can rip my bodice if you'd like." She said in a low, sexy voice.
"I could start now." He ran his hand through her hair and began moving it downwards.
Kate stepped back. "No time, I'm afraid. We need to go."
They walked out to find Simone, Becks and Rodgers already there and dressed much like the Castles. Simone had kept her name, but Becks and Rodgers were now Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers, government employees.
After breakfast, another woman came to take them to the transfer point. Metford was waiting for them, along with two men dressed in hospital scrubs.
"I have something for you." Metford said, holding out his hand. In it were five tiny devices no larger than the head of a pin "They'll be inserted into your arms. If you get into any trouble on your next missions we can track you and pull you back here. When your mission is done, just tell us to recall you and you'll be back here."
"What if they get pulled out?" Simone asked.
"They won't be. Your arm will be pulled off of your body before these will come out of your arms."
"Is that what they're for?" Kate asked, pointing to the two in scrubs.
"That and something else your planet doesn't have." Metford said with a cheery smile. "We're about to inject a virus into you."
"I do not need the flu." Rodgers said, balling his fists.
"And you won't get the flu." Metford replied. "The virus will implant information in your brain. It'll give you memories of the Earth you're going to without having to learn them the old fashioned way. Once back, you'll be given another injection to remove the unnecessary information." He turned to the two in scrubs. "Inject them, please."
None of them liked the idea, but they went along with it. Soon, they were standing on the red square, and after a flash of blue light, they were in another parking garage. They walked out into another New York City, but a more different New York.
Immediately across from them when they reached the street, they saw a monstrous Jumbotron screen. The screen was white and then a single word appeared, growing larger and larger until the red letters took up the whole screen: WORK! After a second the screen was filled with clips of assembly lines, combines harvesting wheat, construction workers, miners, office workers, and finally the word WORK again.
"Happy workers, relentlessly over-fulfilling their production quotas." Castle muttered.
Then a word in white: FIGHT! The screen was filled with a formation of fighter aircraft, then soldiers parachuting, ships at sea firing missiles, and jerky footage of what looked like actual combat in a city somewhere. Then the word FIGHT again.
Lastly, the screen was filled with one more giant word in blue: OBEY. The video clips were masses of soldiers marching, cheering crowds at some sort of outdoor stadium, more cheering crowds lining a street and then a photo of a smiling Bracken, surrounded by a cross section of society, all looking at him in awe. People of every race, color and creed, people with hardhats, those in hospital scrubs, young, old, all ready, willing and able to obey President Bracken. Finally, there was a close up of a serious Bracken with the words, Our President, under his face.
"That looks like something North Korea would do." Rodgers said.
"I think someone has seen Triumph of the Will. " Castle added.
Kate took his arm and pulled him along. "Come on. The office we're supposed to go to is just down the block."
They hadn't covered half the distance when a young woman in a blue skirt, a red jacket and a white blouse and a large button with Bracken's face on it stopped them. "Excuse me, citizens," She began with a cold smile, "but I don't see your buttons. I hope you support our president. I do hope you're not dissidents?" She said the last word as if it left a bad taste in her mouth.
Rick's virus memories came to his rescue. "Of course not, citizen. My secretary and I were inside and we had our coats off. We neglected to move our pins from our shirts to our jackets when we went outside." Both Rick and Kate pulled a Bracken button from their shirts and put them on their jackets.
The young woman beamed at them. "Excellent, citizens." She turned to Simone who had already put her button on, and then to Rodgers and Becks.
Rodgers just glared at her, then pulled out his wallet and showed her a plastic laminated card. "Neither I nor my wife need a button to show our dedication to this country." He said coldly.
The woman actually took a step backwards. "Your suffering for our nation is appreciated, citizens." She nodded to all five of them. "God bless the United States of America and President Bracken."
The five repeated the line with as much false enthusiasm as they could manage. Apparently it was sufficient.
"I'm a disabled veteran here, too." Rodgers said. "It can come in handy."
Another five minutes found them in a nondescript office building. A short ride in an elevator brought them to another nondescript office. A receptionist nodded to them. A door opened and they walked through. Inside was a hallway with one door at the end. As they walked to the door, a section of wall opened. "In here." Said a voice.
Inside was some sort of a security center. TV screens showed the building and the surrounding neighborhood from every possible angle. They could hear the muted sound of the city through mics. "The boss is right through the door." One man said, without looking up from his monitor.
Inside was a small, very pretty Asian American woman. "Hi. I'm Carolyn. Just first names here I'm afraid. So, how do you like President Bracken's version of America?"
"It sucks." Castle said. "But if he was elected in 2008, he'll be out of office in 2016, won't he? Presidents can only serve two four years terms, unless this Constitution is different."
Carolyn shook her head. "That part of the Constitution is the same, but Bracken's pulling a Putin."
"A what?" Becks asked.
"President Putin of Russia was limited to two terms as Russia's president. So, he changed the Russian constitution so that the Russian President was a powerless figurehead and the prime minister was in charge. So, in 2016 a powerless US President will be elected and Bracken will run the country as the Chief Secretary of the Cabinet."
"How does he get away with this?" Rick asked. "Is the US a police state?"
"Something like that. Bracken has money, lots of money. He's bought off a number of members of Congress, and backed challenges to those he can't buy. There are no concentration camps, or a secret police, well, not yet. Bracken would rather buy his opponents, or blackmail them, or keep them so busy with income tax audits they don't have time to fight him. And being at war helps."
"War?" Rodgers asked.
"With radical Islam. The military is bigger than at any time since World War Two. We're fighting in the Middle East, North Africa, East Africa and the Far East. Stand up to Bracken and you're giving aid and comfort to our enemies."
"Bracken wasn't so squeamish on our Earth." Kate said.
"Oh, he's hardly opposed to killing his foes, but only when he has to." Carolyn tapped a computer screen, and pictures of various people started scrolling by. "A reporter in New York who connected Bracken to the drug trade, an anti-war activist, a political blogger, an actor who supported one of Bracken's opponents, a congressman from Oregon….The list goes on. Once you start murdering your opponents, it starts getting easier and easier. We brought you here because they wanted you to see what we're fighting against."
"Kate, Becks and I already know. Simone never heard of Bracken. How about you, Rodgers?" Castle asked.
"I never paid much attention to politics, but I have heard of Bracken. Nothing about him being any kind of presidential front runner though."
"He had my mom killed." Becks said bitterly. "I killed him once but he's still alive here. I'd kill all of them if I could."
"Okay, he's a bastard. So why not do something about it?" Kate asked.
Carolyn smiled and shook her head. "Sure, why not try to make all of the hundred or so Earths we have regular contact with into better places? Or better yet, how about the hundreds of Earths that have other problems, like the one Simone is originally from. Maybe we could send an army to conquer all of those other Earths and force them to do things our way." Carolyn frowned. "How well has that worked on your Earths?"
Castle nodded. "Okay, I get it."
"Governments are easy to change, societies are much harder." Carolyn concluded. "That's a lesson that Bracken hasn't learned."
"Okay, we're convinced he's a bastard." Rick said. "Can we go home now?"
"You mean back to the Moon?" Carolyn smiled at him. He didn't smile back.
They headed back to the parking garage to go back without causing a sensation. They were almost back when a long haired young man sped past them, knocking Kate into Rick.
"Watch it, buddy!" Rick screamed at him.
Four armed men in khaki uniforms ran past them a second later, clearly in pursuit of the young man. The man turned to look behind him and ran straight into two more khaki clad men who threw him to the ground. He tried to get up only to be kicked viciously in the stomach.
"Damned dissident traitor!" Yelled the man who had kicked him.
The other men ran up and began to kick the man on the ground as well, all while screaming insults at him.
"The Constabulary." Kate whispered, using her virus gained knowledge. "Bracken's new uniformed Federal police."
"His bully boys, you mean." Rodgers said under his breath.
A crowd gathered around the man on the ground, now bloody and confused from the kicks. The crowd was calling him a traitor, a coward and liar, among other things. One young woman ran up and kicked him in the face. The crowd cheered her and one of the policemen high fived her.
"Let's get the hell out of here ASAP." Rodgers said, as they turned into the garage and disappeared,.
When they woke up the next morning back on the Moon, they had new clothing.
"Desert cammies?" Castle said, smiling as he watched Kate dress.
"And we each have a Glock. 9mm Glock 17s. And spare magazines."
They walked out of their bedroom to find the other three similarly dressed and armed. Metford came in and smiled at them. "Today you'll be going on your first mission to rescue an Alexis Castle. It should be an easy one, but I think you're quite well equipped for it."
"Bullshit." Rodgers snarled.
"I beg your pardon?" Metford said, surprised.
"If we're going somewhere that we need weapons, we should be properly equipped."
Metford bridled at what Rodgers said. "My people have insured me that what you have is sufficient."
"That's based on your Earth's extensive combat history, I suppose?" Rodgers made no effort to hide the sarcasm and disdain. "I'll tell you what we need, and you'll get it for us."
Several hours later they were outfitted with protective vests that Metford assured them were superior in every way to those available on their own Earths. Rodgers, Kate and Becks carried the C7 rifle, the Canadian built version of the US M 16A3 rifle, complete with both an optical and a laser sight. Rick and Simone carried Benelli 12 gauge shotguns. All still carried the Glock pistols as well as extra ammo, water and a medical kit.
Rodgers looked them over. "Now we're ready to go."
The walked to the transfer room and were again injected with a virus to give them background of the Earth they were headed for.
After a blue flash of light, they found themselves standing on a beach, in hot muggy weather. It was just about dawn.
"Okay. I'll go over what the virus gave us just to make sure." Rodgers said, taking the lead. "We're on an Earth much like our own versions of Earth. Specifically, we're on the shores of the Sea of Cortez, in Baja California, Mexico. The place is enough like her Earth that this Alexis Castle may not even know she's been moved. Metford says they got two sets of DNA coming here. One was Alexis' and the other was probably her kidnapper. There are about a dozen young people partying in an abandoned vacation home about three hundred yards up the beach. We go in, grab Alexis and get out. Any questions?"
They stopped atop a sand dune some thirty yards from the house. It was not only abandoned, but trashed. All the windows and doors were gone and one wall, the one closest to them, was mostly gone. The roof sagged on that side.
"We'll head for the back of the house and see what's inside." Rodgers whispered.
They ran almost noiselessly on the sand and stopped at the back of the house.
"Pot?" Kate whispered, sniffing the air.
Rodgers nodded, then looked in through a hole in the wall. "I count a dozen people, all asleep or stoned. Half are men and half women. Alexis is by the front with some dark haired guy. I don't see any weapons, but that doesn't mean they don't have any."
Becks spoke. "I see three cars on the other side of the house. That's how they got here."
"Okay, we go in through the open wall, grab Alexis and go."
"If Alexis is asleep, maybe I should be the one to grab her." Kate said. "She knows I'm a cop. Probably."
Rodgers nodded and in they went.
"Alexis? It's me, Kate Beckett. We're taking you home. Get up." Kate grabbed the redhead and tried to pull her to her feet.
"Who the hell are you?" Shouted the man she was with, coming awake.
"Pi?" Castle yelled. "I might have known it was you." Castle headed for Alexis. "Pumpkin, it's me."
Alexis screamed and kicked Castle as hard as she could in the balls. He doubled over with pain. As Kate turned to Rick, Pi kicked her in the kneecap, knocking her down. When she looked up, Pi had a gun to Alexis' head.
"One move from any of you and I kill her." Pi said.
"Pi!" Alexis screamed. "What are you doing? You love me."
Pi started edging to the door, keeping Alexis in front of him and his gun to her head.
Rodgers aimed his rifle at Pi. "You shoot her and you're dead, too, son. Think about it."
Pi laughed. "You won't take that chance with her life and the people I work for scare me a lot more than you do."
A laser dot appeared in the center of Pi's forehead. The sound of the shot in an enclosed space was deafening. Pi's corpse dropped to the floor.
"Pi!" Alexis screamed, bending over him. She came up with Pi's pistol and took a shot at Rick.
Rick saw the flash from the muzzle and felt the bullet go by his head, before she could shoot again, Becks slammed the butt of her weapon into Alexis' arm, then disarmed her.
"Pumpkin! Why did you shoot at me?" Rick cried, anguished.
"You're not taking me back. You're not. I'll die first, you bastard." She screamed at Rick.
"Alexis, what's wrong?" Kate asked.
"Detective Beckett?" Alexis asked.
"Yes. What is it?"
"Arrest that bastard." She pointed at Rick.
"Why?" Kate asked, mystified.
"Why? He's been raping me since I was fourteen."
"Who the hell are you dudes?" A male voice from behind them said. The other people in the house were awake and at least semi-alert.
"We're the people with the guns." Becks said, keeping them covered. "Ask your pal over there what that means." She motioned to Pi.
"We'll go somewhere else and settle this." Kate said. "Alexis, you're going to have to come with me."
"As long as I don't have to go back to him." Alexis said, spitting at Castle.
They left the house and moved almost a mile where they found hill with good cover and good fields of fire all around.
Kate and Becks sat with Alexis between them. "Your father raped you?" Kate asked.
"I did not." Rick burst out.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Castle, not now."
"You did, you bastard, and you know it." Alexis said venomously.
"Alexis, look at the man over there and then look at the man with the beard." Kate said.
It took a few seconds, but Alexis saw it. "Shit! He has a twin brother?"
"Now look at me and the other two women."
Alexis saw it at once. "Who the hell are you people?"
Kate explained, as best she could, who and what they were.
"He's not my dad? Neither of them are?"
Kate shook her head. "Rick loves you as much as he loves me. Rodgers lost his daughter Alexis. You, his you, was killed in 2001 and he's missed you terribly ever since."
"You married…him?" Alexis sounded like she didn't believe Kate.
"Yes. Does that surprise you?"
"He…My Dad, anyway, he got you in bed, but then he lost interest. Just like he always did with his conquests. He stopped following you after the second Nikki Heat book came out. The last two books didn't sell very well. Dad made Nikki into a dumb slut to get back at you."
Kate smiled at the girl. "My Rick would never do that. I love the Nikki Heat books."
"Glad to hear that." Rick said under his breath. He was still very upset at what had happened to this Alexis.
"We have to get out of here." Rodgers said. "We're accomplishing nothing standing around here."
"Where are we going?" Alexis asked suspiciously.
"You'll never guess.' Rick said. "But it'll be so cool."
They asked for a recall and in a flash of blue light, they were back on the red square on the Moon.
"Is this the right Alexis?" Metford asked anxiously.
Rodgers shook his head. "No, her Rick's a writer, not a mathematician."
Metford frowned. "Well, we'll send her back then."
"Whoa!" Rick said quickly. "We can't do that. We gotta keep her." They explained to Metford what had happened to Alexis in her own world.
Metford shook his head. "There's nothing we can do about it. She has to go back. We can't have people all over the worlds knowing that there are an infinite number of worlds. You shouldn't have told her about this."
All five of them, as well as Alexis, tried to convince Metford to let her go to some other Earth, with no luck.
"After you talked us into allowing Ms. Renoir to go back with you, a policy change came down. That will not happen again. No exceptions."
"Can she at least stay the night here?" Rodgers asked. "She's had a hard time, she could use a good meal and a good night's sleep. What harm would it do? She's suffered a lot for something that's not her fault."
Metford was wavering, so the others added their voices to Rodgers'. Metford gave in. "She can stay one night. But tomorrow she goes back to her own Earth." He turned to Alexis. "Remember, young lady, if you tell anyone about this, you'll be regarded as mentally ill."
Alexis laughed bitterly. "A psych ward would be an improvement."
Another room was made up for Alexis and the six of them ate a very gloomy meal together.
When they went to bed, Rick and Kate were still trying to figure some way to keep Alexis with them.
The next morning, they found Becks and Simone eating breakfast when they came out.
"Where's Rodgers and Alexis?" Rick asked.
"Rodgers took her back to her own Earth early this morning." Becks said sadly. "We didn't know about it until after they were gone."