Through the Looking Glass (Chapters 7-8)
Title: "Through the Looking Glass"
Author: addictd2fiction
Summary: What really happened when Kara's viper disappeared?
Rating: T
Warnings: Crack! / Crossover / AU
Pairing: K/L
A/N: I hate writing fight scenes; does anyone else have that problem? Anyways, enjoy these next few chapters. Special thanks to everybody who reviewed the last chapters!
Beta Credit goes to my friend sassafras1989, whose edits always put a smile on my face.
Disclaimer: I don't own "Battlestar Galactica" or "Alice in Wonderland," or else there'd be more Lee/Kara moments and Cheshire Cat appearances, respectively.
Chapter 7
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat
How I wonder what you’re at
Up above the world so high
Like a tea tray in the sky…
Kara didn’t know how much more of the singing she could handle. They were driving her nuts.
Well, actually, it was just Sam singing, but Lee was humming along and Helo was just saying, “Twinkle, twinkle,” over and over again (which, Kara had to admit, was a little bit funny in his deep voice). Still, she was going to have to kill Sam if this continued, and though she really wasn’t looking forward to it, sacrifices did sometimes have to be made.
Just as the 407th round of singing was about to begin (and though Kara hadn’t really been keeping count, she thought that it must be somewhere around this number), there was a sudden rustling in the bushes to the group’s left. The change in attitude was instantaneous, as Helo crouched into a low defensive position, and Lee and Sam both stepped in front of Kara. As if I need protecting, she scoffed. Still… it was mildly flattering. She’d have to show them that Starbuck wasn’t a fragile girl, though; at least when it came to kicking some ass.
Kara realized she still didn’t have a weapon, and she readied herself to use her fists. If she could take down Apollo during the dance, she could surely wreak some havoc in this world full of strange creatures.
More rustling. The group waited with bated breath, and then…
Sharon stepped out of the bushes. Make that two Sharons, Kara thought. They were dressed in child-like clothes that were blue and red, with three buttons running down from the collar. On the left side of their collars the word “TWEEDLE” was stitched; on the right side of their collars, one Sharon had the word “DUM” while the other had the word “DEE.”
The Sharons seemed momentarily surprised to see Kara’s group, but after a few seconds they began smiling as they stepped forward as one. “Well what have we here? Nohow!” said the first Sharon crossing her arms. The second followed suit, crossing her arms and nodding, “Contrariwise, seems that the Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse have picked up a new friend.”
Both Sharons took another step forward. The men in Kara’s group seemed to relax, but Kara held her defensive stance. Were these Sharons good, or bad? There seemed to be a correlation between toasters and the royal forces here in Wonderland. In her world, Athena was on their side, but Boomer? Kara shook her head.
Lee noticed she was tense. He put his hand on her shoulder, and when she glanced at him, he assured her. “Don’t worry. These two couldn’t hurt a fly.”
The first Sharon nodded. “Tweedledum is my name, and I definitely wouldn’t want to fight you, Alice, nohow.” The second Sharon tilted her head, “Contariwise, I’m Tweedledee, and it’s nice to meet you, Alice.” Both Sharons smiled.
“My name isn’t Alice. Call me Starbuck,” she told them. “I want to try something.” She walked closer to them. Stepping in front of Lee and Sam, she took a step up to Tweedledum. “I’m going to call you Athena…,” and then to Tweedledee, “And I’ll call you Boomer.”
The two Sharons glanced at each other, and then their lips simultaneously curled. “I would rather be Boomer, nohow,” said Tweedledum. “Contrariwise, I think I’d like to be Athena!” said Tweedledee. Kara shrugged. Whatever. She just needed to remember that “Dum” was Boomer, and “Dee” was Athena, and not… contrariwise.
“Whatever, toasters. Now what are you doing here?”
“We’re looking for you,” said Boomer.
“We want to help!” said Athena.
“How do you even know we need help?” Helo said. Kara was surprised Helo had spoken so many words at one time. Sam and Lee seemed a little shocked themselves, but Athena and Boomer smiled.
“The flowers told us,” said Athena.
“The royal guards are searching for something,” said Boomer.
“How can you help us?” Sam asked. He kept glancing over at Helo liked he’d never seen the Dormouse before. Maybe it was because Helo had been awake throughout the entire journey so far. Huh.
“We know where the Queen is,” said Boomer.
“The White Queen,” said Athena.
“And how do we know we can trust you?” Lee asked, coming to stand next to Kara. “You’ve never been staunch supporters of the White Queen and White Knight before. Why help us now?”
Athena and Boomer both sighed, looked at one another, and uncrossed their arms.
“They boxed the Duchess.” “She was our friend.”
“Who is the Duchess? What does she have to do with all of this?” Kara asked. She remembered that Cavil had mentioned her. Maybe she was someone from Galactica as well?
“I think it’s time we let the cat out of the bag,” a voice said near Kara’s ear. She looked up, not really surprised to see Gaius hovering there, grinning that fearsome smile. “The Duchess was a good friend of the Red Queen’s, but she was having strange visions that made her doubt the Queen’s rule. I wouldn’t say she was on the side of the White Queen, but I know for a fact that she distrusted the Knave of Hearts.”
And who wouldn’t distrust Cavil? Kara thought. “What did she look like?”
Gaius suddenly began morphing, and pretty soon he was standing in front of her as a beautiful young woman, with dark blond hair and light eyes… “D’Anna?!” Kara yelled. “But what sort of visions could she have possibly had that would have upset Cavil?”
Gaius disappeared, and when he rematerialized he was a cat again, sitting on top of a branch and looking down at the small group in the clearing. “Something about five figures, bathed in light.” He began to fade, little by little, until only his mouth was left. “But I really can’t be too sure. You’d have to unbox her to find out.” With that, he began to chuckle, and then disappeared entirely.
“I hate it when he does that,” Kara said, her eyebrows pushed together in thought. She turned backed towards Athena and Boomer. “So tell us. How do we reach the White Queen?”
* * *
A while later, Lee, Kara, and Sam were resting at the edge of a large plain laid out like a checkerboard of dark and light green grass. Sam was picking grass out of the ground and laying it in a pile, while Lee was examining his hat. Kara was staring at the shrinking whiskey with longing. What she would give for some real alcohol! Just a shot… Maybe a bottle. She blinked when an arm suddenly thrust something toward her.
She followed the arm over to its owner. Lee was holding out a knife, hilt-first, so that she could grab it. She took it, grateful, and nodded once at him. Finally, something to defend herself with. “I didn’t think you guys had weapons here,” she said, carefully putting the knife away.
Lee shrugged. “If you can handle a butter knife, you can handle anything. Have you ever seen butter when it tries to fly? Nasty business.”
Kara raised an eyebrow. Lee, laughing a little, got up. “I think I’ll go check on the Dormouse.”
Kara gave a small laugh as well. “He did seem to be talking a little more than usual.”
“The end must be coming!” Lee gave her a bright smile, and then turning, he walked away.
Kara smiled after him until she heard, “What’s that on your arm?” She turned to look at Sam and noticed him examining the tattoo on her left arm. She touched it self-consciously.
“This? It’s half of a constellation.”
“A what?”
“A constellation. Like a… picture in the stars. It’s half of Capricorn.” You had one, too.
As if he’d heard her thoughts, Sam hopped over so he was right next to her. He lifted up his right sleeve, and there on his arm was the other half of the constellation tattooed on his arm. “What does it mean? That we both have one.”
Kara looked away, thinking about New Caprica and all that had happened since then. “I don’t know, Sam. I don’t know anymore.”
* * *
A little ways off, the Dormouse sat with Tweedledee on a fallen tree trunk. She picked at some lichen next to her, and looked over at the Dormouse, who was leaning against the tall stump that was still in the ground. “Why are you so sleepy all the time?” she asked.
He blinked, and then focused his gaze on her. She seemed to shy away a little, but then realized it and looked straight back at him. Both were silent for a minute. Finally, the Dormouse said, “What’s the use of being awake when it still feels like I’m asleep?”
This was confusing to Tweedledee. Of course there was a difference in being awake and being asleep. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, what is there for me here in Wonderland that’s worth staying awake for? When I’m asleep I can think about whatever I want. I can go on any kind of adventure. Sometimes I think I might be a soldier, fighting for some important cause. Sometimes I feel like I’m part of a family. Here I have the March Hare and the Mad Hatter, but really, I’d rather be dreaming.”
Tweedledee didn’t know what to say. “I guess that’s true.” She began picking at the lichen again. “If I didn’t have Tweedledum, I guess I really wouldn’t have anybody.” She glanced back at Helo. “Maybe we can be friends.”
The Dormouse continued to regard her seriously. “I’d like that.”
Tweedledee smiled, and the Dormouse slowly followed suit. From being the trunk of a larger, still-standing tree, Tweedledum glared. She pressed herself closer to the trunk as she heard the Mad Hatter break into the clearing currently occupied by the Dormouse and Tweedledee.
“Time to get going,” the Hatter said, and the Dormouse stood up. He offered his hand to Tweedledee, and the three of them walked off. Tweedledum bristled, and followed at a distance.
Chapter 8
Before rejoining the rest of the group, Tweedledum made a pit stop by a small, glassy lake on the rim of the checkered plain. As she walked up to the water, she regretted what she was about to do, but she knew it was for the best. She couldn’t help what she was; she was born on the Red side of Wonderland. Her loyalty remained there. She loved Tweedledee dearly, but she remembered what her mission objective was here, and she would not fail.
She had not lied to Alice and her comrades. She really did care about the Duchess, and she hoped her friend could be unboxed, but whether that happened or not was not something she herself could control. Tweedledum found herself feeling guilty, and she was angry about that.
As she walked up to the edge of the lake, she calmed herself by thinking about her happy place: a dream house where she would one day live with her loving husband and their child. She couldn’t picture the details of her family members, but she knew the house inside and out. When she was ready, she stepped up to the edge of the water.
She continued looking until a face suddenly appeared in front of her: the Knave of Hearts. He looked angry, and she could tell he was extremely unhappy by how harsh his voice sounded. “Tweedledum,” he rasped. “What news?”
“We have encountered Alice and her friends. We are leading them along the edge of the Checkerboard now.”
“Excellent. Good work, my dear. I look forward to rewarding you upon your return to the Red Palace.”
With that, the Knave’s face faded from the pool, and Tweedledum backed away quickly before turning around and sprinting away from there. If one of the others saw her near the Pool of Tears, they would question why she was there. After all, only someone worthy of true despair could communicate using such a method, and as far as anyone knew, she was happy with her twin and her life. She sighed and made her way back to the main group.
* * *
Kara was practicing throwing her knife at various trees as they walked. She was more of a shooter herself, but she had to be prepared, and target practice while moving was always fun. She threw her knife again and it hit the center of a tree trunk. As she was walking to retrieve it, something whizzed by her face and embedded itself in the trunk right next to her blade. Astonished, she turned around to see that Lee had thrown his knife as well.
“Oh, I see. Trying to discretely kill me, huh?” She smiled as she pulled her knife out of the tree. She tensed as Lee came up directly behind her and reached over her shoulder to grab his knife. As he put his hand on its hilt, he left his arm there directly over her shoulder, effectively trapping her against the tree. She spun around to face him, still caged in.
“Well, maybe you deserve it. You’re really turning Wonderland upside down just by being here.”
Kara laughed. “Oh really? And here I was thinking I was saving all your asses. Bow down to the mighty Alice.”
Lee leaned in closer. “I thought you weren’t Alice.”
“Well, I thought you were the CAG, but you’re just some guy in a really lame hat.”
“I would make a great CAG, whatever that is, for your information.”
“You’re like the worst CAG in the history of CAGs, sir,” she teased. He smiled, and she realized how close they were standing. She suddenly felt guilty thinking of a similar conversation she’d had with the Lee back home, her Lee. She pushed him back some, and he moved, confused why she was so being so serious all of a sudden.
“We should keep moving. The others are getting a big lead on us,” she mumbled. Before she could walk more than two steps, Lee grabbed her hand, halting her. She looked back at him.
“No take-backs, Kara. I’ll never take it back. If you ask, though, I’ll deny it and say you were dreaming.” With that, he smiled and walked past her.
What? “Wait, Lee.” He halted. “Do you remember? How can you know these things when everyone else seems to have forgotten?”
His look turned serious. “I don’t know… I just have these memories whenever I look at you. Lots of feelings.” He held out his hand, and she took it with one of hers. “And when I’m near you, when I touch you…”
“Yeah?” she breathed.
“I just… It’s like…” His grip tightened around her hand, and Kara felt herself being drawn closer…
When all of a sudden a clanking noise that didn’t sound too far off interrupted them. They barely had time to turn to the side as the Red Guards crashed through the thicket, circling them as the Knave of Hearts walked into the clearing.
* * *
Up ahead, Sam was a little anxious. He was tossing his red-and-black ball, and he couldn’t stop thinking about how the mark on his arm matched the one on Kara’s arm. He felt like he knew her, but he couldn’t place anything about her. There was just something about her that drew him in. He felt like he wanted to help her, that he wanted her approval… Like he wanted her love. But he didn’t feel like any of that would be reciprocated. There was just something about her, and he couldn’t put his finger on it.
He glanced over at the rest of the group. The Dormouse - Helo, Kara kept calling him - was actually wide-awake and listening attentively to Tweedledee, or Athena. Tweedledum - Boomer, he corrected himself - seemed to be sulking behind them, alternatively glaring at the ground and at her twin. She also seemed a little skittish, and whenever the flowers would whisper loudly or the wind would shake the leaves, she jumped a little. How odd.
Kara and the Hatter were somewhere behind them. The Hatter seemed to be taking his role as escort extremely seriously, Sam had noticed, and he hadn’t gone off about why a raven was like a writing desk since their unbirthday celebration. That too was odd. It seemed Kara was changing things left and right simply by existing.
All of a sudden the flowers stopped whispering. The rest of the group didn’t seem to notice, but Sam did. He may have been hyperactive and extremely excitable most times, but he was also observant and careful. Maybe he wasn’t as good a fighter as the Hatter, but he did try the best he could when it came down to protecting those he cared about.
“Wait. Everyone be quiet for a minute.” Sam held out his arm as the rest of the group paused in their walking. There was a moment of silence, and then…
Then they heard it. The movement of the Red Guards, and they were too close to be avoided. “How did they find us?” Helo asked, glancing around him.
Before Sam could answer, they heard a yell of outrage. That sounded like Kara. And then Sam was running towards the sound, followed by Helo, Athena, and Boomer. It seemed this skirmish would not wait.
* * *
Kara was infuriated. Just a minute ago, she was finally about to get some answers from this world’s Lee. Before that could happen, though, Cavil and his stupid-looking centurions had crashed the party. Cavil was dressed in some ridiculous get-up, and he was holding an extra shiny sword. The centurions all seemed to have numbers and card suits painted on their armor, which looked absolutely ridiculous. However, now was not the time to dwell on that, as all of them had their weapons pointed at her and Lee, and Cavil looked pissed.
“Finally,” Cavil breathed. “You’re here. Alice.” He circled around her and Lee, and she felt Lee pull her a little closer. She considered elbowing him, because godsdamnit she did not need protection, but she felt like she shouldn’t fight her allies at the moment. That, and she was a little freaked out by Cavil’s close observation. He was obviously spending too much time around Leoben.
“Now, my dear,” he said, stopping in front of her. “I will make this short and simple for you: you will take us to the Looking Glass immediately, or I will kill your friends slowly and painfully.” He leered at Lee before glancing back to her.
“My name,” she growled, “is Kara, not Alice. And I don’t have a clue what the frak you’re talking about, Cavil, but I don’t think I want to be your partner in this dance.”
“Come on, now. We can do this the easy way,” he pointed his sword at her and inched it near her neck, “or the hard way.” With that, he quickly flicked his sword to the side and severed one of her dress straps. The dress began to sag off her shoulder, and Kara yelled in outrage, holding the clothing up with one hand and brandishing the knife with the other.
“Go frak yourself!”
Cavil smiled sadistically. “I was rather hoping you would want to do this the hard way. More fun for us. Guards!”
As Cavil raised his hand to give the order, Sam suddenly burst onto the scene, followed closely by Helo. Then mayhem erupted around them.
Sam kicked a centurion in the head, knocking it over into another one. As another thrust a pike at him, he parried it with a knife, grabbing a pike from one of the fallen centurions. He thrust the knife into his belt as he used the pike to spar with other oncoming enemies, and when they’d get close enough, he would yank it out and gouge it into their red sensors. At one point, Kara noticed him take the pyramid ball he’d been playing with and nail a centurion in the head with it. She would have laughed if she could have spared the energy.
Helo was fighting with what appeared to be a mallet. Kara had no idea where it had come from, but she wasn’t inclined to care at the moment. With mighty swings, he was able to take down a few centurions at a time, but he was slow in bring the mallet around, and were it not for the two Sharons, he would have been overwhelmed.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kara could see Athena and Boomer double-teaming their enemies. Since they looked exactly alike and were very quick, the centurions were finding it difficult to keep track of them. It also seemed like they weren’t making as much effort to attack them, which was good news for both girls and Helo as well. Kara made a mental note of that and stored it away for later.
She herself was fighting back-to-back with Lee and against Cavil and the centurions closest to them. The centurions weren’t that much of a problem; they seemed to be far weaker in this world than they were in her own, and for that she was grateful. Cavil himself didn’t seem like the most stellar fighter, but he did have that shining sword. She could also feel her dress slipping lower and lower, and she knew that pretty soon these frakkers would be seeing more of Kara Thrace than she wanted them to. Only Sam and Lee (and she supposed Gaius and maybe Leoben, come to think of her past) would ever have the privilege of that!
The only advantage she seemed to have was the fact that Cavil didn’t actually seem to want her dead. He was mostly looking for an opening to slash at Lee, and after Kara realized this, there was no way she was going to provide it. So she maneuvered them so that Lee was facing the centurions at her back and she was facing Cavil.
Everything seemed to be going fine for the first few moments, and Kara felt a thrill of adrenalin shoot through her at the close-range fighting. She was clumsy at first, but she started getting better with the knife. If I had a sword like Cavil’s, she thought, I could really do some damage!
But just as quickly as everything had started to go well, things deteriorated just as fast. Sam suddenly screamed as a pike caught him in the arm, and he was nearly overwhelmed. Helo, diving towards Sam, left the relative safety offered by Athena and Boomer, and he entered the fray. Kara couldn’t see them anymore.
Suddenly, she felt Cavil’s sword slice her above the knee. She grimaced, and stumbled, which Cavil promptly took advantage of. Reaching over her, he managed to maneuver Lee away from her, and within a few seconds had his shining sword pointed against the Hatter’s throat. “All right, Hatter,” Cavil taunted. “Ready to lose your head, then?”
Lee gritted his teeth. “But don’t you know, Knave? I’ve already lost it.” With that, he laughed, and as the Cheshire Cat had said, he sure did sound mad.
Kara, now bleeding profusely from her leg, screamed, “Stop! Let them go.”
Cavil smiled at her as the fighting seemed to slow down. “I think you already missed that chance, my dear.”
Just as Cavil raised his sword, a sudden bright light broke through the trees, followed by a barrage of arrows and stones. The Red Guards all stepped back, momentarily confused, and Lee took advantage of the pause, by swiping away the sword with his own blade.
Nearby, Kara heard Helo say, “The White Knight.” When she looked up, she saw none other than Admiral Adama entering the clearing, wearing white armor, and pointing his sword at Cavil.
Want to catch up? Find the rest at here at my LJ :)
Reviews always appreciated!
Author: addictd2fiction
Summary: What really happened when Kara's viper disappeared?
Rating: T
Warnings: Crack! / Crossover / AU
Pairing: K/L
A/N: I hate writing fight scenes; does anyone else have that problem? Anyways, enjoy these next few chapters. Special thanks to everybody who reviewed the last chapters!
Beta Credit goes to my friend sassafras1989, whose edits always put a smile on my face.
Disclaimer: I don't own "Battlestar Galactica" or "Alice in Wonderland," or else there'd be more Lee/Kara moments and Cheshire Cat appearances, respectively.
Chapter 7
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat
How I wonder what you’re at
Up above the world so high
Like a tea tray in the sky…
Kara didn’t know how much more of the singing she could handle. They were driving her nuts.
Well, actually, it was just Sam singing, but Lee was humming along and Helo was just saying, “Twinkle, twinkle,” over and over again (which, Kara had to admit, was a little bit funny in his deep voice). Still, she was going to have to kill Sam if this continued, and though she really wasn’t looking forward to it, sacrifices did sometimes have to be made.
Just as the 407th round of singing was about to begin (and though Kara hadn’t really been keeping count, she thought that it must be somewhere around this number), there was a sudden rustling in the bushes to the group’s left. The change in attitude was instantaneous, as Helo crouched into a low defensive position, and Lee and Sam both stepped in front of Kara. As if I need protecting, she scoffed. Still… it was mildly flattering. She’d have to show them that Starbuck wasn’t a fragile girl, though; at least when it came to kicking some ass.
Kara realized she still didn’t have a weapon, and she readied herself to use her fists. If she could take down Apollo during the dance, she could surely wreak some havoc in this world full of strange creatures.
More rustling. The group waited with bated breath, and then…
Sharon stepped out of the bushes. Make that two Sharons, Kara thought. They were dressed in child-like clothes that were blue and red, with three buttons running down from the collar. On the left side of their collars the word “TWEEDLE” was stitched; on the right side of their collars, one Sharon had the word “DUM” while the other had the word “DEE.”
The Sharons seemed momentarily surprised to see Kara’s group, but after a few seconds they began smiling as they stepped forward as one. “Well what have we here? Nohow!” said the first Sharon crossing her arms. The second followed suit, crossing her arms and nodding, “Contrariwise, seems that the Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse have picked up a new friend.”
Both Sharons took another step forward. The men in Kara’s group seemed to relax, but Kara held her defensive stance. Were these Sharons good, or bad? There seemed to be a correlation between toasters and the royal forces here in Wonderland. In her world, Athena was on their side, but Boomer? Kara shook her head.
Lee noticed she was tense. He put his hand on her shoulder, and when she glanced at him, he assured her. “Don’t worry. These two couldn’t hurt a fly.”
The first Sharon nodded. “Tweedledum is my name, and I definitely wouldn’t want to fight you, Alice, nohow.” The second Sharon tilted her head, “Contariwise, I’m Tweedledee, and it’s nice to meet you, Alice.” Both Sharons smiled.
“My name isn’t Alice. Call me Starbuck,” she told them. “I want to try something.” She walked closer to them. Stepping in front of Lee and Sam, she took a step up to Tweedledum. “I’m going to call you Athena…,” and then to Tweedledee, “And I’ll call you Boomer.”
The two Sharons glanced at each other, and then their lips simultaneously curled. “I would rather be Boomer, nohow,” said Tweedledum. “Contrariwise, I think I’d like to be Athena!” said Tweedledee. Kara shrugged. Whatever. She just needed to remember that “Dum” was Boomer, and “Dee” was Athena, and not… contrariwise.
“Whatever, toasters. Now what are you doing here?”
“We’re looking for you,” said Boomer.
“We want to help!” said Athena.
“How do you even know we need help?” Helo said. Kara was surprised Helo had spoken so many words at one time. Sam and Lee seemed a little shocked themselves, but Athena and Boomer smiled.
“The flowers told us,” said Athena.
“The royal guards are searching for something,” said Boomer.
“How can you help us?” Sam asked. He kept glancing over at Helo liked he’d never seen the Dormouse before. Maybe it was because Helo had been awake throughout the entire journey so far. Huh.
“We know where the Queen is,” said Boomer.
“The White Queen,” said Athena.
“And how do we know we can trust you?” Lee asked, coming to stand next to Kara. “You’ve never been staunch supporters of the White Queen and White Knight before. Why help us now?”
Athena and Boomer both sighed, looked at one another, and uncrossed their arms.
“They boxed the Duchess.” “She was our friend.”
“Who is the Duchess? What does she have to do with all of this?” Kara asked. She remembered that Cavil had mentioned her. Maybe she was someone from Galactica as well?
“I think it’s time we let the cat out of the bag,” a voice said near Kara’s ear. She looked up, not really surprised to see Gaius hovering there, grinning that fearsome smile. “The Duchess was a good friend of the Red Queen’s, but she was having strange visions that made her doubt the Queen’s rule. I wouldn’t say she was on the side of the White Queen, but I know for a fact that she distrusted the Knave of Hearts.”
And who wouldn’t distrust Cavil? Kara thought. “What did she look like?”
Gaius suddenly began morphing, and pretty soon he was standing in front of her as a beautiful young woman, with dark blond hair and light eyes… “D’Anna?!” Kara yelled. “But what sort of visions could she have possibly had that would have upset Cavil?”
Gaius disappeared, and when he rematerialized he was a cat again, sitting on top of a branch and looking down at the small group in the clearing. “Something about five figures, bathed in light.” He began to fade, little by little, until only his mouth was left. “But I really can’t be too sure. You’d have to unbox her to find out.” With that, he began to chuckle, and then disappeared entirely.
“I hate it when he does that,” Kara said, her eyebrows pushed together in thought. She turned backed towards Athena and Boomer. “So tell us. How do we reach the White Queen?”
* * *
A while later, Lee, Kara, and Sam were resting at the edge of a large plain laid out like a checkerboard of dark and light green grass. Sam was picking grass out of the ground and laying it in a pile, while Lee was examining his hat. Kara was staring at the shrinking whiskey with longing. What she would give for some real alcohol! Just a shot… Maybe a bottle. She blinked when an arm suddenly thrust something toward her.
She followed the arm over to its owner. Lee was holding out a knife, hilt-first, so that she could grab it. She took it, grateful, and nodded once at him. Finally, something to defend herself with. “I didn’t think you guys had weapons here,” she said, carefully putting the knife away.
Lee shrugged. “If you can handle a butter knife, you can handle anything. Have you ever seen butter when it tries to fly? Nasty business.”
Kara raised an eyebrow. Lee, laughing a little, got up. “I think I’ll go check on the Dormouse.”
Kara gave a small laugh as well. “He did seem to be talking a little more than usual.”
“The end must be coming!” Lee gave her a bright smile, and then turning, he walked away.
Kara smiled after him until she heard, “What’s that on your arm?” She turned to look at Sam and noticed him examining the tattoo on her left arm. She touched it self-consciously.
“This? It’s half of a constellation.”
“A what?”
“A constellation. Like a… picture in the stars. It’s half of Capricorn.” You had one, too.
As if he’d heard her thoughts, Sam hopped over so he was right next to her. He lifted up his right sleeve, and there on his arm was the other half of the constellation tattooed on his arm. “What does it mean? That we both have one.”
Kara looked away, thinking about New Caprica and all that had happened since then. “I don’t know, Sam. I don’t know anymore.”
* * *
A little ways off, the Dormouse sat with Tweedledee on a fallen tree trunk. She picked at some lichen next to her, and looked over at the Dormouse, who was leaning against the tall stump that was still in the ground. “Why are you so sleepy all the time?” she asked.
He blinked, and then focused his gaze on her. She seemed to shy away a little, but then realized it and looked straight back at him. Both were silent for a minute. Finally, the Dormouse said, “What’s the use of being awake when it still feels like I’m asleep?”
This was confusing to Tweedledee. Of course there was a difference in being awake and being asleep. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, what is there for me here in Wonderland that’s worth staying awake for? When I’m asleep I can think about whatever I want. I can go on any kind of adventure. Sometimes I think I might be a soldier, fighting for some important cause. Sometimes I feel like I’m part of a family. Here I have the March Hare and the Mad Hatter, but really, I’d rather be dreaming.”
Tweedledee didn’t know what to say. “I guess that’s true.” She began picking at the lichen again. “If I didn’t have Tweedledum, I guess I really wouldn’t have anybody.” She glanced back at Helo. “Maybe we can be friends.”
The Dormouse continued to regard her seriously. “I’d like that.”
Tweedledee smiled, and the Dormouse slowly followed suit. From being the trunk of a larger, still-standing tree, Tweedledum glared. She pressed herself closer to the trunk as she heard the Mad Hatter break into the clearing currently occupied by the Dormouse and Tweedledee.
“Time to get going,” the Hatter said, and the Dormouse stood up. He offered his hand to Tweedledee, and the three of them walked off. Tweedledum bristled, and followed at a distance.
Chapter 8
Before rejoining the rest of the group, Tweedledum made a pit stop by a small, glassy lake on the rim of the checkered plain. As she walked up to the water, she regretted what she was about to do, but she knew it was for the best. She couldn’t help what she was; she was born on the Red side of Wonderland. Her loyalty remained there. She loved Tweedledee dearly, but she remembered what her mission objective was here, and she would not fail.
She had not lied to Alice and her comrades. She really did care about the Duchess, and she hoped her friend could be unboxed, but whether that happened or not was not something she herself could control. Tweedledum found herself feeling guilty, and she was angry about that.
As she walked up to the edge of the lake, she calmed herself by thinking about her happy place: a dream house where she would one day live with her loving husband and their child. She couldn’t picture the details of her family members, but she knew the house inside and out. When she was ready, she stepped up to the edge of the water.
She continued looking until a face suddenly appeared in front of her: the Knave of Hearts. He looked angry, and she could tell he was extremely unhappy by how harsh his voice sounded. “Tweedledum,” he rasped. “What news?”
“We have encountered Alice and her friends. We are leading them along the edge of the Checkerboard now.”
“Excellent. Good work, my dear. I look forward to rewarding you upon your return to the Red Palace.”
With that, the Knave’s face faded from the pool, and Tweedledum backed away quickly before turning around and sprinting away from there. If one of the others saw her near the Pool of Tears, they would question why she was there. After all, only someone worthy of true despair could communicate using such a method, and as far as anyone knew, she was happy with her twin and her life. She sighed and made her way back to the main group.
* * *
Kara was practicing throwing her knife at various trees as they walked. She was more of a shooter herself, but she had to be prepared, and target practice while moving was always fun. She threw her knife again and it hit the center of a tree trunk. As she was walking to retrieve it, something whizzed by her face and embedded itself in the trunk right next to her blade. Astonished, she turned around to see that Lee had thrown his knife as well.
“Oh, I see. Trying to discretely kill me, huh?” She smiled as she pulled her knife out of the tree. She tensed as Lee came up directly behind her and reached over her shoulder to grab his knife. As he put his hand on its hilt, he left his arm there directly over her shoulder, effectively trapping her against the tree. She spun around to face him, still caged in.
“Well, maybe you deserve it. You’re really turning Wonderland upside down just by being here.”
Kara laughed. “Oh really? And here I was thinking I was saving all your asses. Bow down to the mighty Alice.”
Lee leaned in closer. “I thought you weren’t Alice.”
“Well, I thought you were the CAG, but you’re just some guy in a really lame hat.”
“I would make a great CAG, whatever that is, for your information.”
“You’re like the worst CAG in the history of CAGs, sir,” she teased. He smiled, and she realized how close they were standing. She suddenly felt guilty thinking of a similar conversation she’d had with the Lee back home, her Lee. She pushed him back some, and he moved, confused why she was so being so serious all of a sudden.
“We should keep moving. The others are getting a big lead on us,” she mumbled. Before she could walk more than two steps, Lee grabbed her hand, halting her. She looked back at him.
“No take-backs, Kara. I’ll never take it back. If you ask, though, I’ll deny it and say you were dreaming.” With that, he smiled and walked past her.
What? “Wait, Lee.” He halted. “Do you remember? How can you know these things when everyone else seems to have forgotten?”
His look turned serious. “I don’t know… I just have these memories whenever I look at you. Lots of feelings.” He held out his hand, and she took it with one of hers. “And when I’m near you, when I touch you…”
“Yeah?” she breathed.
“I just… It’s like…” His grip tightened around her hand, and Kara felt herself being drawn closer…
When all of a sudden a clanking noise that didn’t sound too far off interrupted them. They barely had time to turn to the side as the Red Guards crashed through the thicket, circling them as the Knave of Hearts walked into the clearing.
* * *
Up ahead, Sam was a little anxious. He was tossing his red-and-black ball, and he couldn’t stop thinking about how the mark on his arm matched the one on Kara’s arm. He felt like he knew her, but he couldn’t place anything about her. There was just something about her that drew him in. He felt like he wanted to help her, that he wanted her approval… Like he wanted her love. But he didn’t feel like any of that would be reciprocated. There was just something about her, and he couldn’t put his finger on it.
He glanced over at the rest of the group. The Dormouse - Helo, Kara kept calling him - was actually wide-awake and listening attentively to Tweedledee, or Athena. Tweedledum - Boomer, he corrected himself - seemed to be sulking behind them, alternatively glaring at the ground and at her twin. She also seemed a little skittish, and whenever the flowers would whisper loudly or the wind would shake the leaves, she jumped a little. How odd.
Kara and the Hatter were somewhere behind them. The Hatter seemed to be taking his role as escort extremely seriously, Sam had noticed, and he hadn’t gone off about why a raven was like a writing desk since their unbirthday celebration. That too was odd. It seemed Kara was changing things left and right simply by existing.
All of a sudden the flowers stopped whispering. The rest of the group didn’t seem to notice, but Sam did. He may have been hyperactive and extremely excitable most times, but he was also observant and careful. Maybe he wasn’t as good a fighter as the Hatter, but he did try the best he could when it came down to protecting those he cared about.
“Wait. Everyone be quiet for a minute.” Sam held out his arm as the rest of the group paused in their walking. There was a moment of silence, and then…
Then they heard it. The movement of the Red Guards, and they were too close to be avoided. “How did they find us?” Helo asked, glancing around him.
Before Sam could answer, they heard a yell of outrage. That sounded like Kara. And then Sam was running towards the sound, followed by Helo, Athena, and Boomer. It seemed this skirmish would not wait.
* * *
Kara was infuriated. Just a minute ago, she was finally about to get some answers from this world’s Lee. Before that could happen, though, Cavil and his stupid-looking centurions had crashed the party. Cavil was dressed in some ridiculous get-up, and he was holding an extra shiny sword. The centurions all seemed to have numbers and card suits painted on their armor, which looked absolutely ridiculous. However, now was not the time to dwell on that, as all of them had their weapons pointed at her and Lee, and Cavil looked pissed.
“Finally,” Cavil breathed. “You’re here. Alice.” He circled around her and Lee, and she felt Lee pull her a little closer. She considered elbowing him, because godsdamnit she did not need protection, but she felt like she shouldn’t fight her allies at the moment. That, and she was a little freaked out by Cavil’s close observation. He was obviously spending too much time around Leoben.
“Now, my dear,” he said, stopping in front of her. “I will make this short and simple for you: you will take us to the Looking Glass immediately, or I will kill your friends slowly and painfully.” He leered at Lee before glancing back to her.
“My name,” she growled, “is Kara, not Alice. And I don’t have a clue what the frak you’re talking about, Cavil, but I don’t think I want to be your partner in this dance.”
“Come on, now. We can do this the easy way,” he pointed his sword at her and inched it near her neck, “or the hard way.” With that, he quickly flicked his sword to the side and severed one of her dress straps. The dress began to sag off her shoulder, and Kara yelled in outrage, holding the clothing up with one hand and brandishing the knife with the other.
“Go frak yourself!”
Cavil smiled sadistically. “I was rather hoping you would want to do this the hard way. More fun for us. Guards!”
As Cavil raised his hand to give the order, Sam suddenly burst onto the scene, followed closely by Helo. Then mayhem erupted around them.
Sam kicked a centurion in the head, knocking it over into another one. As another thrust a pike at him, he parried it with a knife, grabbing a pike from one of the fallen centurions. He thrust the knife into his belt as he used the pike to spar with other oncoming enemies, and when they’d get close enough, he would yank it out and gouge it into their red sensors. At one point, Kara noticed him take the pyramid ball he’d been playing with and nail a centurion in the head with it. She would have laughed if she could have spared the energy.
Helo was fighting with what appeared to be a mallet. Kara had no idea where it had come from, but she wasn’t inclined to care at the moment. With mighty swings, he was able to take down a few centurions at a time, but he was slow in bring the mallet around, and were it not for the two Sharons, he would have been overwhelmed.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kara could see Athena and Boomer double-teaming their enemies. Since they looked exactly alike and were very quick, the centurions were finding it difficult to keep track of them. It also seemed like they weren’t making as much effort to attack them, which was good news for both girls and Helo as well. Kara made a mental note of that and stored it away for later.
She herself was fighting back-to-back with Lee and against Cavil and the centurions closest to them. The centurions weren’t that much of a problem; they seemed to be far weaker in this world than they were in her own, and for that she was grateful. Cavil himself didn’t seem like the most stellar fighter, but he did have that shining sword. She could also feel her dress slipping lower and lower, and she knew that pretty soon these frakkers would be seeing more of Kara Thrace than she wanted them to. Only Sam and Lee (and she supposed Gaius and maybe Leoben, come to think of her past) would ever have the privilege of that!
The only advantage she seemed to have was the fact that Cavil didn’t actually seem to want her dead. He was mostly looking for an opening to slash at Lee, and after Kara realized this, there was no way she was going to provide it. So she maneuvered them so that Lee was facing the centurions at her back and she was facing Cavil.
Everything seemed to be going fine for the first few moments, and Kara felt a thrill of adrenalin shoot through her at the close-range fighting. She was clumsy at first, but she started getting better with the knife. If I had a sword like Cavil’s, she thought, I could really do some damage!
But just as quickly as everything had started to go well, things deteriorated just as fast. Sam suddenly screamed as a pike caught him in the arm, and he was nearly overwhelmed. Helo, diving towards Sam, left the relative safety offered by Athena and Boomer, and he entered the fray. Kara couldn’t see them anymore.
Suddenly, she felt Cavil’s sword slice her above the knee. She grimaced, and stumbled, which Cavil promptly took advantage of. Reaching over her, he managed to maneuver Lee away from her, and within a few seconds had his shining sword pointed against the Hatter’s throat. “All right, Hatter,” Cavil taunted. “Ready to lose your head, then?”
Lee gritted his teeth. “But don’t you know, Knave? I’ve already lost it.” With that, he laughed, and as the Cheshire Cat had said, he sure did sound mad.
Kara, now bleeding profusely from her leg, screamed, “Stop! Let them go.”
Cavil smiled at her as the fighting seemed to slow down. “I think you already missed that chance, my dear.”
Just as Cavil raised his sword, a sudden bright light broke through the trees, followed by a barrage of arrows and stones. The Red Guards all stepped back, momentarily confused, and Lee took advantage of the pause, by swiping away the sword with his own blade.
Nearby, Kara heard Helo say, “The White Knight.” When she looked up, she saw none other than Admiral Adama entering the clearing, wearing white armor, and pointing his sword at Cavil.
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