Echo
Administrator
Keeper of the Multiversal Peace
PM me if you've got any questions!
Posts: 8,659
Characters: Lexi Elendil, Sergeant Valerie Reyes, Katara Shadowdancer, Emilie Golding, Meghan Squire, Dayana "DG" Grace Williams, Jessica Rose, Chiyo, Aniani and Mirati, Xani, Robyn Luxli
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Post by Echo on Jun 26, 2013 16:24:07 GMT
((ooc: This is a parallel Wonderland))
Blonde hair. Grey eyes. A simple, yet Summery, yellow and blue dress with a white belt. Black shoes. Jessica sat wearily on the bus. It was a hot day. Humid too. There was an old man reading the newspaper sitting opposite her. She glanced over the front page. Homeless people were disappearing off the streets. Had been for a couple of weeks now. People thought perhaps they were simply tired of life. Suicidal. Others considered a wealthy beneficiary finding somewhere for them to stay. This wasn't Dickens. No-one did that anymore. With her knowledge of the QA, Jessica suspected something much more sinister. It usually was. She'd sent a report to HQ last week. Wondered if they'd done anything. People were still disappearing. Maybe they hadn't. It was always people no-one would miss. Runaways. Homeless. Orphans. She hadn't mentioned it to Kothar. He'd only have done something stupid. Plus, she didn't really know how to; he'd been dragged away after that rescue mission. HQ had sent people. They'd come to get her. They'd been too late to save her, but they'd come for her, and that was something. Jessica smiled to herself at the knowledge that she was, in fact, wanted. She looked up and noticed the old man had been watching her. She smiled apologetically. He grinned one of those grins that told Jessica she didn't want to know what he was thinking. She got off at the next stop. Decided to walk instead. It's not like the bus was air-conditioned anyway. The old man followed her. Jessica mentally swore in several different languages at the same time. That wasn't what she'd intended. He came up beside her. Walked next to her. Introduced himself. "Robert White" he said, holding out his hand. "Jessica" she sighed, shaking it. Disappointment flickered across his face for the briefest of moments. She looked more closely at him as they talked. "Going anywhere special, Jessica?" Buck-toothed. "Yes, I'm meeting my-" she faltered, just for a second "-boyfriend." It was weird calling Kothar a 'boyfriend'. It just didn't seem the right word. Not anymore. Besides, she was lying. She had no idea where he even was. "Boyfriend, is it? Fair enough. He taking you somewhere nice, is he?" Long white hair down his back, separated into two. "We're going out for lunch." Another lie. "Ohh, very nice. You got all dressed up for him, I see." Waistcoat and pocket-watch. Interesting. You didn't see many of either around here. "I guess..." She'd just thrown on the first clothes she'd come across. "Hoping for something more, are we?" Quite big feet. "I'm not sure that's really any of your business, Mr White." Irritated. "My friends call me 'Rabbit', on account of my teeth." "When did we become friends?" "Just now, weren't you paying attention?" Jessica looked at her watch. "Ok, well I'm running late, so I've got to go now." Robert? Rabbit? He looked at his pocket-watch. "Good heavens, so am I" he declared. He took Jessica by the hand. "What are you doing?" "We'd best hurry along" He pulled her into a side alley. Before she could free herself, a napkin was pushed over her nose and mouth. She could smell the chloroform. Typical. It was always chloroform. No-one had any creativity anymore. 'Not again...' As her head swam into darkness she almost thought she heard someone saying "I'm sorry..."
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Post by Sierra on Jun 27, 2013 10:33:14 GMT
Nikki was sat at her desk in her lab scribbling some odd notes in a book. Her eyes seemed almost vacant as she stared at a toy monkey sat in the chair opposite her. "Yes I know Chimp, but praseodymium sulphate can't be made that way, I've tried several times. The only way to make it is to dissolve the oxide form in sulphuric acid."
In her haste to explain to the toy monkey why his idea wouldn't work, Nikki didn't notice three QA officials walking into her lab, all wearing radiation suits. "There she is, talking to her monkey as usual. Do you have to take her?" asked one of them, a nice man named Grady, who looked after Nikki from a distance. "I mean Nickel isn't the most stable of people to send on a quest."
Another official from the main office nodded, "We need someone, the Queen of Hearts is trying to take over all four regions of her world."
"So send someone else!" Grady announced, he cared too much about Nikki to see her get hurt. "Why her? And why a scientist? Surely you have questers?"
The third man nodded, "We do, but we're not sending her because of what she does, we need her because of who she is." The second man quickly explained, "We're sending her to Wonderland, that place is crazy, and so is your girl. She's perfect for it."
Grady didn't look happy at the thought but nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Fine." Grady pulled out a gun that looked somewhat like a tranquiliser gun, he shot one dart at Nikki, which hit her in the arm.
Nickel's eyes cleared as she saw the area around her properly. She shook her head and pulled the dart from her arm. She spun around and saw Grady accompanied by two strange men. She jumped up and ran over to them, hugging Grady tightly. "Grady! I missed you." She promptly slapped him on the arm. "Why haven't you been to see me?" she demanded.
Grady smiled, "Because you've been insane and wouldn't have realised I was here anyway."
Nickel chuckled, even in her lucid state she never believed his jokes about her sanity. "What's going on? Who are these guys?"
Grady looked from Nickel to the officials, "They want to send you on a quest."
Nickel frowned, "Why me? I'm only a scientist."
The third man smiled back at her, "We're sending you to Wonderland, we think you'd be perfect for it. Get yourself ready, we leave immediately."
Nickel laughed and mock saluted the man, "Yes sir!"
While Nickel walked back to change her lab coat for one that contained small samples of every element she knew to be useful, the officials turned to Grady. "How long will that shot last?"
Grady shrugged, "Every time it lasts a little shorter than the time before, I can definitely give you three days, perhaps four. After that, I have no clue. Though parts of her insanity will leak through her mind. From now on she's a walking insane time-bomb."
The officials nodded their understanding, "We hope to have her back by then."
Nickel made her way back to the group and followed the officials out of the lab. They led her through HQ to a portal room. "Here's where we leave you Nikki." "Nickel," she corrected them. "Whatever, make sure you don't leave behind any traces of those chemicals you have in your lead lined lab coat. You're there to stop the Queen of Hearts in as peaceful a way as possible. Good luck."
Nickel looked suspiciously at the portal as it opened in front of her, she had no idea what going through it was going to feel like. With a shrug she jumped through, hoping to land somewhere soft on the other side.
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Echo
Administrator
Keeper of the Multiversal Peace
PM me if you've got any questions!
Posts: 8,659
Characters: Lexi Elendil, Sergeant Valerie Reyes, Katara Shadowdancer, Emilie Golding, Meghan Squire, Dayana "DG" Grace Williams, Jessica Rose, Chiyo, Aniani and Mirati, Xani, Robyn Luxli
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Post by Echo on Jun 27, 2013 12:18:45 GMT
Jessica's mind cleared. She'd been having the strangest dream. Something about things disappearing through a mirror. A voice had apologised, but what for? What had happened? She kept her eyes closed. For now. 'That one wasn't even my fault' she decided. She sighed internally. The post-chloroform headache was setting in. She wondered how long she'd been out. No more than half an hour, probably. She hadn't inhaled much. Still, small amounts of chloroform this often? Her liver wasn't going to be pleased. She wondered if she'd have permanent damage. Why couldn't people just cut off her air supply or something? Why did everyone use chloroform? No imagination in abductors these days. She opened her eyes. Wished she hadn't. So often her own mind was nicer than reality. Then again... She was on her back. On the floor. In a large room. She got up slowly. Looked around. There was a mirror at one end. Ornate. Gold edging. A golden heart fashioned in the center on the top. Pride of place. Was it the one in her dream? She shook her head and looked at the rest of the room. There were cameras everywhere. Trying to be hidden. Failing quite dismally. And doors. Lots of doors. In the middle of the room was a glass table. On the table was a key. She sighed. She could see where this was going. She picked up the key and walked around the room, trying each door. Just play along. It can't possibly be worse than what you've been through before. Of course the key only worked in the very last door. Wasn't that always the case? She felt the peacock-blue wood before unlocking the door. It led to a long corridor. There was another table at the end of it. Jessica could see a little bottle on the table. Cameras lined the walls. Definitely a trap. She didn't really have much choice though. Jessica walked the length of the corridor. Either the corridor was getting smaller, or she was getting bigger. Either way, she was almost bent double just to fit into it by the time she got to the other end. It was angular, like the ceiling in her room below the roof when she was sixteen. The bottle had some kind of red-brown liquid in it, and a label around its neck. She read the label. "Curiosity killed the cat" she read aloud. What was that supposed to mean? Something slammed behind her. She closed her eyes slowly. Despairingly. Turned to look. Opened her eyes. The ceiling had snapped shut like a clam. Definitely a trap. And she'd walked into it. Typical. She sighed. Surveyed her surroundings. She could almost stand upright in the very middle of the room, where the point was as the four triangular sides came down around her. It was like crouching in a very small pyramid. An automated voice spoke to her in the tiny room. Room? More like a cell. "Well done, little Oyster!" Male. Delighted. Oyster? The whole room shook a little. Jessica wobbled. Kept her balance. "You've passed the test!" What test? The room began moving. It was like trying to stand up on a particularly unstable train. She decided kneeling down was going to be safer. Small holes in the walls started appearing where the cameras had been. Jessica looked through one. She was flying. Or, rather, her cell was flying. She could see water below her. A city in the distance. Lots of neon colours. Lots of hearts. "Welcome to Wonderland!"
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Post by Sierra on Jun 27, 2013 12:44:54 GMT
As Nickel emerged on the other side of the portal, her head spun. "Well that went slightly better than expected," she said aloud.
After the dizziness past, Nickel got to her feet and looked around her. The road she was on was checkered black and white, like a chess board. The buildings on either side of her were bright and colourful, with pink and orange neon signs flashing in the windows.
Directly above her head, Nikki noticed an arch with the words, "Welcome to Heart City!" written across it in foot-tall pink letters.
"Well I suppose if I'm to find the Queen of Hearts, I'm in the right place." Nickel said to no one.
"Who are you talking to?"
Nickel spun around to see where the voice had come from, and saw a broad grin, floating in the air to her left. "Myself, evidently." she replied.
"First sign of madness, didn't you know," the grin replied.
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Echo
Administrator
Keeper of the Multiversal Peace
PM me if you've got any questions!
Posts: 8,659
Characters: Lexi Elendil, Sergeant Valerie Reyes, Katara Shadowdancer, Emilie Golding, Meghan Squire, Dayana "DG" Grace Williams, Jessica Rose, Chiyo, Aniani and Mirati, Xani, Robyn Luxli
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Post by Echo on Jun 27, 2013 13:48:41 GMT
Jessica watched the world go by through the little holes in the walls. This was a far cry from the Wonderland she knew. The Wonderland of stories. This was something else. She had to get out. Now. She felt the walls. Solid. Horribly solid. The floor? Even more so. Well, it was built to contain the average human. She wasn't exactly average though. The recorded voice started speaking again. "Due to your test results, you will be placed in the entertainment sector of Her Majesty's workforce. The Clubs, in particular, should enjoy you." Oh good. That was reassuring. As long as the Clubs liked her. Wait, 'enjoy' her? What did that mean?! This was not good. No time like the present. Jessica felt the edges of the wall that had trapped her. She decided that was the most likely to come away. She was right. A few moments of heaving with all her might and the trap opened. It was so sudden she almost fell away into the ocean below. She looked around. Her cell, and more than a dozen others shaped like shells, were chained to a giant mechanical bird of sorts. Being carried towards the city. She could hear the engines thrumming. She didn't think. She just jumped. She didn't notice the last camera, watching her every move.
High up in a Tower of Heart City, the Carpenter watched his monitor, worry etched onto his face. He'd been alerted to the screens when one of the cells had opened mid-flight. He played the clip again and again. The woman that escaped looked horribly familiar. The Queen was not going to like this. He summoned the Walrus. Walrus was a nickname, of course, but Carpenter thought it suited him very well. Walrus was a giant of a man, and violent. It's what made him such a good bodyguard. Carpenter explained. Walrus was worried. Both agreed the Queen had to be informed. They made their way to the Throne Room. It might have been rather a long walk, if it weren't for the walkways between towers, high above the Undercity. Only the Oysters lived and worked in the Undercity. Well, the Oysters and the Lower Hearts. The Royals, and those directly serving them, lived and worked in the Towers, all of which were interconnected by walkways, so as to avoid having dealings with the Oysters. Carpenter's entire job was dealing with the Oysters, but he did it from afar, so he rarely needed to be anywhere near them. The pair were permitted into the Throne Room instantly, once they'd explained their reason for interrupting the Queen's advisory council without authorisation. "Your Majesty" Carpenter said, as both he and Walrus bowed low. Walrus noted that Prince Jack, the King and Rabbit were all present, along with Ace, one of the most ruthless men in the land, and newly appointed the Queen's personal guard. "Explain yourself!" The Queen demanded. "One of the Oysters has escaped." Get right to the point. Maybe she won't be so upset. "Does that matter? Was it a particularly important one?" "Perhaps, perhaps not, Your Majesty." Poor Carpenter could find no other way to explain his fears. "It looks alarmingly like Alice..." The Queen turned on Rabbit. Everyone else watched. "You brought Alice back to Wonderland?!" She yelled. Rabbit stuttered. "I-I-I don't believe so, Your Majesty." "You fool! She will destroy my plans!" The Queen shouted, furious. "All that I have worked for these past years! Think what happened last time!" Everyone knew Alice had toppled the House of Cards the last time she'd visited. The Queen had been in control of all of Wonderland until that. Now, each Suit had broken away. Four different regions, with four different rulers. "Find her!" The Queen demanded of the room in general "Or I'll have all your heads!"
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Post by Sierra on Jun 27, 2013 14:48:38 GMT
"According to Grady, I'm insane, so it would seem to fit wouldn't it." Nickel said back to the floating smile. "Do you know where I could find the Queen of Hearts?"
The smiled broadened and a cat seemed to fade into existence around it. "But of course," the smile said, "She's that way." The cat pointed with its tail.
Nickel looked a little closer and saw that the cat had markings that made it look like it had a patch over one eye and a dagger strapped to its side. She nodded and walked in the direction that the cat had pointed.
"What? No thank you?" the cat floated up to her. "Thank you," Nickel muttered automatically, "I'm Nickel."
"And I," the cat said with a flourish, "am the Cheshire cat. You may have heard of me."
Nickel shook her head, "No, sorry." Her eyes glazed over slightly and she had images of bubbling flasks of blue liquid running through her mind. "Copper sulphate, blue solution. Molybdenum in different oxidation states produces different coloured complexes." she muttered.
"I beg your pardon?"
Nickel shook her head, "I said nothing." She pulled her lead-lined lab coat closer to her body and carried on walking through the bright and colourful city.
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Echo
Administrator
Keeper of the Multiversal Peace
PM me if you've got any questions!
Posts: 8,659
Characters: Lexi Elendil, Sergeant Valerie Reyes, Katara Shadowdancer, Emilie Golding, Meghan Squire, Dayana "DG" Grace Williams, Jessica Rose, Chiyo, Aniani and Mirati, Xani, Robyn Luxli
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Post by Echo on Jun 27, 2013 15:42:39 GMT
Jessica hit the water hard. She'd been a long way up. The mechanical bird had been taking her to the big neon city. Therefore, she was going to swim in the opposite direction. She surfaced and looked around, treading water. A memory rose to the surface of her mind, but she pushed it down again. Now was not the time. At least the days her abductor had sealed her in an airtight room and filled it with water had been good for something. She was really good at keeping her head above water. Now then, shoreline, shoreline, who's got the shoreline? There was a cry from a beach. Not too far away. Not too close to the city. It'd do. Someone was waving at her. She swam for it. It didn't take her long to get there. There was a young boy standing there. Calling to her. "I saw you!" He was saying. "I saw you! You came out of the Jubjub Bird!" "The what?" Jessica asked, crawling out of the sea. She stood up. Shaky. Cold. Dripping wet. "The Jubjub Bird" he said again. "It was taking you to Heart City; that's where the Carpenter gathers the Oysters!" "Oh, that thing..." "The Jubjub Bird, didn't you listen to the engines?" Jessica thought about this. Come to think of it, the engines had sounded like they were going 'jub-jub-jub-jub'. "I'm Mouse" the boy announced "and this is the Briny Beach." Was everyone named after an animal these days? "Jessica" she said. Actually, looking at him, the boy did look rather like a mouse. "Jessica?" Mouse asked. She nodded. He looked almost crestfallen. "I thought you were Alice..." "Sorry. Is she important?" Mouse nodded. "Father says she toppled the House of Cards last time she was here! He says we need her to come back and do it again." "Well, I'm not her." Mouse sighed. "You look so much like her..." Jessica decided it was high time they changed the subject. "What are you doing out here on your own?" "Got tired of the tea shop." "Tea shop?" Mouse nodded. "I work there sometimes. Hatter runs it. Well, Marchie owns it, but he ain't quite all there..." Mouse indicated his head. Clearly Marchie was mad, but maybe this 'Hatter' would be able to help. "Do you think Hatter would be able to help me?" Mouse shrugged. "Can you take me to him?" He nodded. "It's in the Diamond Quarter! Follow me! Just watch out for the Lobsters!" With that, he hurried off down the beach. Jessica ran to keep up. Lobsters?
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Post by Sierra on Jun 27, 2013 17:43:08 GMT
Nickel kept walking through the city, after some time she had noticed one glass building that towered above the rest and so she headed towards it. "And where do you think you are going?" the cat asked her.
"To see the Queen." Nickel replied, "In London, so I can catch the mouse." The cat grinned broadly again, "Oh I do love mice."
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Echo
Administrator
Keeper of the Multiversal Peace
PM me if you've got any questions!
Posts: 8,659
Characters: Lexi Elendil, Sergeant Valerie Reyes, Katara Shadowdancer, Emilie Golding, Meghan Squire, Dayana "DG" Grace Williams, Jessica Rose, Chiyo, Aniani and Mirati, Xani, Robyn Luxli
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Post by Echo on Jun 27, 2013 19:15:11 GMT
Jessica soon understood what Mouse had meant. There were people dressed as lobsters. And whitings, and porpoises and sea snails and turtles and other sea creatures. Dressed as? No. Not quite. Bits of these sea creatures seemed to be grafted onto them. They looked like they were only part-human. They were all over one end of the beach. Dancing. "It's the Lobster Quadrille." Mouse explained "They never stop dancing. Don't get too close." "What happens if I get too close?" "They throw you out to sea and... You become one of them..." Jessica followed Mouse warily past them. He skirted the edges. She was grateful for that. She didn't fancy finding out exactly what he meant.
Before long, Mouse had led her to a road. With black and white paving stones. Checkered. Like a chess board. "Gotta be careful on the roads" Mouse informed her. "Why?" "Gang war, the Reds and the Whites." "Tell me?" It was always helpful to glean some local knowledge. "There's the Red Queen and the White Queen trying to control the roads 'cause they're the fastest way anywhere. I don't think the Kings really care though... Then there's the Card Royals who rule the different Quadrants of Wonderland. They're trying to win as much of it as they can, so there's always a battle going on somewhere..." "Sounds like a lot of royalty..." "Too many" Mouse sighed. "C'mon. Faster we walk, the quicker we'll get there." With that, he sped off again. Jessica had to run to keep up. This kid was fast!
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Post by Sierra on Jun 27, 2013 19:45:03 GMT
Nickel was soon at the door to the Queen's tower. It had a large glass revolving door, and 'nine's stationed at the entrance. The Cheshire cat had disappeared as soon as the tower had come into view.
Nickel barely noticed that she was alone, and wished that Chimp was with her. She walked up to the door and took a step forwards to go through it.
"Halt!"
Nickel looked up to find the Nine of hearts looming over her. "You can't go in there!"
"Says who?"
"I, the Nine of hearts!"
Nickel frowned, "Where does the Queen live?"
"Up there," the Nine pointed.
Nickel reached into the pocket of her lab coat and pulled out the vials of argon and aluminium, a mixture of which would send the victim to a light and inactive sleep. She took a small amount of each and put it into a small conical flask that she always carried with her. She threw the mixture onto the Nine and watched as he floated to the ground.
"Sorry," Nickel muttered as she walked in through the revolving door.
She made her way to the elevator and the Cheshire cat reappeared. "Nicely done."
"Thanks," she replied as she pressed the button for the top floor.
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