Alice and What Came After: Between the Glass
Disclaimer: Elements from SyFy's Alice belong to SyFy and Nick Willing. Other bits belong to Lewis Carroll. Rex, Sid, Nancy, anomalies, Helen and other Primeval bits belong to ITV/Impossible Pictures. I'm only responsible for Sarah, Connor, Damon, and Chase.
Chapter Five: Changed
At the Looking Glass Hall, Hatter found no Suits or operators. The entire building appeared to be deserted. Thick layers of dust coated the floors. Cobwebs filled other spaces as well. He blew several out of his face, swatting at the sticky webs in order to get further in the hall.
The Looking Glass had lost its shimmer.
Hatter pried open the box that usually contained the Stone of Wonderland. It was empty.
He cursed, slammed the box shut. It crumbled and broke at his touch.
He kicked the remains of the box as he stepped toward the mirror. He powered it on, playing with switches. There was still a tiny bit of juice remaining. It started the mirror with a whir.
Hatter touched the shimmering surface tentatively.
"Freeze!" another voice called.
He turned, seeing a few red-suited Suits with machine guns. They advanced toward him.
"Put your hands up, Hatter!" one of the men ordered.
Hatter followed their orders, raising his hands over his head. He took a step backward, his back almost brushing the mirror.
The group of Suits approached. There were eight of them and only one Hatter. He might like to play with the odds, but there was no way he was playing these. Not when his children were missing.
He touched his hat, tipping it to the Suits before falling backward through the mirror.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Alice pushed open the door to the Tea House. She couldn't hear anything. Usually Dormouse's snoring carried like a passing freight train. Even Ratty had his own noises, sometimes a mixture of squeaking sounds thanks to all his time spent down at the docks.
Dead silence was rare in Wonderland. It caused Alice to shiver.
"What's wrong?" the blond man at her side asked.
"I don't know. It just… it doesn't feel right."
Chase stepped in front of her without a word. Alice knew it was part chivalry, part concern for her safety—both as his queen and Sarah's mother—and a little bit of male bravado. She appreciated the small gesture even though she as more than capable of defending herself.
She followed him inside the deserted tea shop. They passed empty chairs. Alice took the lead, breaking into a run.
"Connor? Sarah?" she called.
The only time Ratty and Dormouse left their posts was when a Hatter was in the tea shop. Otherwise the two men stayed put, taking turns with Charlie. If they were gone, then Connor or Sarah had to be there.
She burst into Hatter's office. The grass had grown taller, brushing against her knees.
"Connor? Sarah? Where are you?"
Chase trekked across the grass toward the desk. "The mirror's gone…"
"What?"
He knelt down near where it usually stood. He held up a large piece of shattered glass. "Just like the other one."
"It broke? How is that possible? Where is Connor? Where is Sarah?"
Chase shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe it broke after they came through. Maybe before."
"Before? Then where are they?"
"No one knows what exactly lies between the Glass. No one who has ever been stuck out there has lived to tell. If they're stuck, I don't know what we can do."
Alice's brave face seemed to falter.
Dead… no. They can't be. What about Dormie? And Ratty? Connor or Sarah had to be here. They had to be here…
"Dormouse. We need to find Dormouse."
"What's he going to do?" Chase asked.
"He swore, along with Charlie and Ratty, to protect the tea shop for Hatter. At least one of them would always be on guard unless a Hatter told them otherwise. The only way they would leave their posts is if Sarah or Connor came through that mirror."
"Where would they go?"
"I don't know. We need to find Dormouse. Ratty isn't very coherent most of the time. Dormouse couldn't have gone far. He's probably asleep again."
While Alice was right about Dormouse not going far, she couldn't have predicted that both men, her last hope for information, were both shot dead in the Hatter's barn.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"2010? So I haven't even been born."
"Well, that's the other bit I forgot to mention…"
"What other bit?" Sarah asked.
"While I did find records of your parents, they weren't yet married. Carol Hamilton reported Alice missing in 2010 and so did David Hatter's work. They've been missing for months."
Missing…no…
"They went back to Wonderland in 2010. For Jack's, my mum's ex-boyfriend, wedding. It was so my dad could travel back and forth. But they were only gone a few days."
"I'm sorry…"
Sarah closed her eyes, trying to control her temper. "Help me, Connor. I need to get to New York. I need to go through the Looking Glass. Something's wrong. Unless I fix it… Connor and I won't exist. We're already fading. That's probably why I can't reach him."
"Wait… you think you're going to disappear?" Connor looked confused.
"If we don't… we're not going to be Hatters. Well, technically we'd still be Hatters… but our dad would be dead."
"How do you know?"
"Call it a gut instinct. Jack Heart tried to trick my mother into marrying him. He also tried to kill my dad. If he succeeds… Wonderland as we know it—as I know it—will vanish. If the Queen of Hearts comes back to power… everything will change. Even your anomalies."
A small device attached his belt started beeping.
"Speaking of anomalies, we've got one."
"What? Where?"
"Come with me," Connor Temple said, grabbing two guns. He tossed one to Sarah, who caught it with ease. He unbarricaded the door, slowly looking out into the hallway.
Sarah heard a sharp whistle.
"All clear. Let's go."
She followed, trusting this past version or alternate version of her brother. Maybe it was because he reminded her so much of Connor, her Connor, that she trusted him. Whatever the reason was, she was counting on him to help her get back to Wonderland before it was too late. If it wasn't already…
Sarah took a deep breath and followed him to a waiting truck.
Author's Notes:
Hah, two in a day! Go me!
Anyways, questions, comments, suggestions—let me know!
