MARGARET KENT’S OFFICE, BRITISH PARLIAMENT, LONDON
M argaret Kent had her acquaintances gathered around her. The Cheshire, Carolus Ludovicus, and a crew of Red mercenaries. She sat back in her chair, imagining she would be Queen when this was all over. It was simple, really. She would get the keys, chop off the Queen of Hearts’ head, and play football with it in a festive celebration broadcast on live TV.
But it was a long road to freedom.
“Mr. Tick and Mrs. Tock offered Alice the deal, and she took the bait,” Margaret said. “It’s only hours, and the Six Impossible Keys will be ours.”
“Meow.” The Cheshire moaned happily, still disguised in Jack’s body, which made him look weirder.
“Don’t meow in my office.” Margaret groaned. “This is Parliament, not a barn.”
Carolus laughed next to the Cheshire. He had just gotten his Lullaby shot, a sedative that kept him calm enough not to kill anyone, or to look for Lewis Carroll to kill him.
Margaret actually felt nauseated, having a man looking like Lewis Carroll and another looking like Jack Diamonds in her office. It seemed so wrong, but she didn’t want to give it much thought now.
“My point is that sending Alice into the future is taking place at the Inklings,” she said. “It’s your job to surround the place, and make sure to get the keys by force when she wakes up.”
“What if she tries to trick us?” Carolus asked.
“Then you bring her to me. We’ll torture her until she tells us where the keys are.”
“Could I volunteer to do the torture?” the Cheshire said. “I’d like to see the look on her face, being tortured by Jack, the love of her life.”
Margaret smirked. “Nasty idea. Brilliant.”
“We’ve always been two messed-up individuals,” the Cheshire said.
“Me too,” Carolus said eagerly.
“One happy family.” Margaret rolled her eyes. “Wait and see how much we’ll want to kill each other when we find the keys.”
“Meow.” That was Carolus this time.
Margaret glared at him.
“You said you don’t want the Cheshire to meow, not me,” Carolus said.
“Your meow sucks,” the Cheshire said.
“Yeah?” Carolus said and stared him in the eyes.
“Yeah,” the Cheshire retorted. “It lacks cat subtlety.”
“What the hell is that?”
“Something, only cats, can do,” the Cheshire said.
“Like grinning?” Carolus grinned, mustering a Lewis Carroll look. Which really irritated Margaret.
“Your grinning would scare only a child,” the Cheshire argued. “Mine makes a soldier piss in his boots.”
“You mean a cat piss in his boots. Want to punch me in the face to show me how to grin and meow? Ha!” Carolus began to lose his temper.
“Seriously,” the Cheshire said. “You’re nothing without a pill, thinking it’s a man. You’re a ghost of a man at best.”
“Girls!” Margaret rapped her hand on the desk.
“He started it ,” Carolus grunted.
“What?” The Cheshire rolled his eyes. “Is this high school on mushrooms all over again?”
“You never went to school,” Margaret shouted. “Stop it, and let’s talk about the Inklings.”
“What about it?” the Cheshire said.
“I heard rumors it has a secret tunnel you can use to escape,” Margaret said. “So go make sure Alice won’t escape when she wakes up.”
“Will do,” Carolus said.
“Aren’t you coming?” the Cheshire asked Margaret.
“No.” She sat back in her comfortable leather chair, tonguing a pen in her mouth. “I have to tell the Queen about my plan with the keys.”
“She doesn’t know yet?” Carolus asked.
“Not yet, and there is a reason for it ,” Margaret smirked.