Alice and What Came After: Between the Glass

Disclaimer: I only own the original characters.

Chapter Twenty-seven: Shot Down

An anomaly pulsed in an empty lab. Both Connors stood beside it, one holding a device and the other holding another electronic device. On the fringe, Sarah stood with her father and Jessica.

"Are you ready?" the older Connor asked.

Sarah stepped forward. "Where are we going now?"

"Wonderland… I think."

She took his hand, following him up to the edge of the anomaly. "Okay. Dad, I'll be right back. I swear."

They stepped through together, Connor holding a device in his free hand just in case anything went wrong. And things went wrong, as they so often did when Helen Cutter became involved.


The anomaly in the ARC disappeared, leaving Connor Temple, David Hatter, and Jessica staring at the spot that had once been occupied by a ball of light. The young techno-geek stared at the missing anomaly like a deer caught in a set of oncoming headlights.

"I thought she was coming right back…" Jessica said.

"Me too," Hatter agreed. "Conn, what's the readings say?"

"It was closed… but not by us. Which means, someone else is messing around," he said. "Probably Helen."

"What about your device? Can we use that to get them back?"

"I can try, but the other me had the route set in his device, not mine."

Hatter nodded. "Helen's going to strike here soon. We need to be ready."


Sarah stared at the infamous Helen Cutter. The brunette aimed a handgun directly at her and Connor. She could feel the tension in Connor's body. Their hands were still locked together. She wasn't about to let go.

"Well, well. So we meet again," Helen said. "Sarah and Connor Temple… two peas in a pod. Two anomaly-jumping peas in a pod."

They took a step back together.

"Don't look so afraid, Connor. I'm not going to kill your daughter just yet. I have a few questions first…"

"What do you want, Helen?" he asked.

"You know what, Connor. Give me the device. Now."

"No."

The gun cocked. "Now, you stupid boy."

His hand tightened on hers. Sarah could feel the sweat. "No. I'll never give it to you."

"Too bad. I was hoping we could reach an agreement."

The gun went off, the shot temporarily damaging Sarah's hearing. The bullet blasted into Connor's chest. Sarah couldn't help but scream as he fell down.

Another shot went off, this one at a closer range. A second shot followed, forcing Sarah to crumple beside a man she trusted to get her home. A man she loved like her brother. A man who might be dead.

"I'll take that," Helen said, prying the opener from Connor's fingers. She smiled down at Sarah, who was breathing heavy. "Good night, little Temple."

A third bullet slammed into her torso. Sarah felt her eyes close from the pain.

When she opened them again, Helen was gone.


Bang! Bang! Bang!

Chase and Alice ducked behind a few bushes when they heard the shots. They stayed low, unsure if the shots were meant for them or someone else hiding in the woods. Given that they were in Wonderland, anyone could be a target.

They crept along, trying to get a look at the gunman.

Or, in this case, gunwoman.

Two bodies fell, one of a man, and the other a woman. Both had dark hair. The girl lost her hat when she collapsed.

Alice screamed into her hand. Chase put his arms around her, holding her still.

As soon as the shooter left, they stood up. Alice ran faster down the hill than Chase, who stumbled in his sneakers. She went straight to her daughter's side.

"Sarah? Sarah, oh God, Sarah…"

She brushed the loose strands of dark hair out of her daughter's face. Chase knelt beside her, his face frozen in horror. But Sarah wasn't bleeding.

Alice pulled open her daughter's shirt, revealing a thin vest. There were three bullets lodged in the vest: one in the stomach, one over her heart, and the other in her ribs. Had Sarah not been wearing a vest, she would have bleed out in minutes.

"Sarah, please, wake up."

Chase touched her pale face. "Sarah, c'mon, wake up. It's me… Chase…"

"She's still breathing…"

He nodded. "What about him?"

Alice looked over at the other person. She crawled over there and stifled a scream. "It's Connor!"

"You sure?"

"Yes… oh…"

Chase didn't look. He didn't want to look. There was a good chance that Connor was already dead. He didn't want Sarah to know that. He didn't want her to wake and find her brother lying beside her, dead.

He undid the vest a bit at the top and bottom. He had a feeling she had a few broken bones from being shot. The impact of the bullets had knocked out his girlfriend—ex-girlfriend. But her heart still beat. She was alive despite the bullets meant to end her life.

"C'mon, Sarah, please wake up…"

"He's alive!" Alice called from his other side. Chase let out a sigh of relief. Sarah wasn't alone. Not yet.

"Sarah, please…"

He touched her chapped lips with his finger. God she was beautiful, even lying in the dirt like that, a bulletproof vest covering her pale skin. It had been a long time since she'd let him touch her. He missed her so much.

He couldn't resist. He kissed her.

"Sarah, please…"

She coughed, rolling onto her side with his help. He rubbed her back as she coughed.

"Sarah…"

"Chase? What are you…? Where…?" she asked, her accent as thick as ever.

He kissed her again on the lips, silencing her questions. She was alive. Sarah was alive and kicking, literally, since she shoved him away moments later.

"What the 'ell?"

He smiled. "Mouth to mouth?"

"Like 'ell!"

That's my Sarah…


Becker rallied his men to defend the perimeter. The priority of the ARC's military team was to protect the core team of scientists. Connor, Hatter, Cutter, and Abby were to be protected at any cost. Lester insisted on it in order to keep Helen from getting her hands on any delicate information.

They continued their daily work, with Jessica taking turns observing the various team members. It was a day after Sarah and the older Connor disappeared when Helen finally struck. Her clone army overwhelmed Becker's men and slipped into the ARC.

The clones rounded up all the team members and brought them to the central room. Helen smiled at her group of captives.

"Oh good, you're all here…" she said. "Now it's time to separate… Dr. Page and Lester in one group, Jenny in another, and ooh, Connor and Abby need to be separated as well. Connor can stay here. You two, Hatter… Cutter. As for you…"

Helen walked over to Jessica, staring at her. "Who are you?"

"No one important."

"Fine. Kill this one."

"No!" Hatter shouted, struggling in the hold of two of the Cleaner clones. "Don't you touch her!"

Helen looked at the clone nearest Jessica. "Kill her. She's useless."

The clone grabbed Jessica by her neck. She clawed at the hand strangling her. Hatter cursed and fought across the room as she slowly lost air. Her legs kicked in the air.

"Stop it! Let her go!" Hatter shouted, his fist tingling.


"What's with the bullshit mouth to mouth?" Sarah asked.

"I couldn't help it. I've missed you," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her again. "I've missed you so much…"

He caught her hand instead. "Look, where's Conn?"

"He's out cold."

"That bitch."

"Who?"

"Helen…" Sarah went to sit up straight and hissed. "She shot us…"

"Who's Helen?"

"Don't worry about it," she groaned. "Ah, fuck it hurts…"

"Take it easy… you were hit three times…"

"I can't! Dad's in trouble!"

Her mother looked over. "What? Your dad… where is he?"

"He's trapped in London. In the past. With me—well, alternate me. Jessica." She sat up this time, her face twisted in pain. "I have to get back there!"

"Calm down," Chase insisted. "Settle…"

"I can't!"

He wrapped his arms around her. "You have to. I need you to calm down before we can help Hatter. Connor's hurt…"

"Conn?"

Chase helped her over to Connor's side. Her mother gave her a quick little hug. "Oh, Sarah…"

"Mum, I'm so glad you're okay."

Alice just smiled at her. "Me too."

The three of them turned their focus to Connor who was still unconscious.


Hatter broke free, lashing out at the men holding him back from his daughter. A few quick punches and they were down for the count. Across the room, Jessica stopped kicking.

With his sledgehammer fist, he punched the man strangling his daughter in the stomach. The clone didn't seem to register the pain. Neither did Hatter. He kept fighting, his fists swinging as he fought to free his daughter.

In the background, he heard Helen laughing. He didn't care.

Jessica fell in a heap. He went to her side, prompting her to breathe. He started chest compressions when another clone attacked him. He ended up in a chokehold.

"Oi! Leave him alone!" Connor shouted, jumping a nearby clone.

It was controlled chaos as the ARC team lashed out at their captors. Helen stood in the center of the fighting, watching as Hatter fought to survive. But she didn't count on his extra-powerful hand. No one outside of Wonderland ever did.

He fractured the clone's arm in his bid for escape. It worked. The Cleaner dropped him.

On the floor, he checked Jessica. She was breathing slowly.

Hatter picked up a discarded gun. "Oi! Over here, you bitch!"

Helen looked over at him, a smirk on her face. "What are you going to do with that?"

"Kill you."

Before she could speak again, Hatter fired once. "That's for making Sarah disappear."

He stepped closer, firing a second shot. He moved in for the kill with his bare hands. "That's for messing with my family. For hurting my daughter. For threatening my friends."

Helen laughed, despite the blood dotting her chest. Hatter punched her in the mouth. Blood dripped down the corner.

"You'll never hurt anyone again…"

Hatter didn't stop punching her until long after Becker, Cutter, and Connor pulled him off. Even then, the Madness was in full swing. He kept struggling to finish beating Helen.

It was Jessica who ended it with a blow from a gun.

He passed out cold on the ARC's floor beside Helen's lifeless body.

Author's Notes:

As voted on by you, the readers, Helen has been killed by Daddy Hatter! Questions, comments? As always, please, please review! We're almost at the end, my friends!