Police Crew, Outside the Asylum
“W hat are we doing exactly?” asked a large officer with beer-belly.
A considerable number of fire trucks had parked on the east side of the asylum, with more of them on their way. They were pumping water into the tunnels.
“We’re filling the tunnels with as much water as we can,” a thinner, lankier officer shouted against the noise.
“There are tunnels in there?” the beer-belly officer asked.
“Turns out they’ve been there for two hundred years or so. Problem is we don’t have a map and don’t know where they lead.”
“So you’re not even sure you’re targeting the right tunnels the Inklings would escape from?”
“Not the slightest.”
“So why do it?”
“Because I received orders. When you take an order, it’s better to do it to please the folks in the higher ranks. Always works.”
“Even if it proves futile?”
“Employers pay employees to do things. Not necessarily the right things. Don’t argue.”
“Well, I digress.” The larger officer held onto the belt barely keeping his flabby belly tight. “This water idea is not going to work. The tunnels might be wider than we think. In fact, I am almost sure they’re wider.”
“So?”
“I heard we’re supposed to nuke the place.”
“You heard right, but the deadline ends in half an hour. It’d take longer to prepare a nuke than that.”
“So whoever ordered the nuking is stupid.”
“Employers always are. Besides, did they really think we’d nuke the place? Really?”
“I agree on that part. Soon the terrorists will either show themselves or die inside when we break into the place. That’s why I’d thought the water was stupid, too.”
“Never mind. In all cases, we’re getting the terrorists today. My cousin died in one of those attacks in Europe last week. We’ll get the terrorists.”
“They’re not terrorists,” the beer-belly man raised his voice against the noise of the arrival of more firetrucks.
“What did you just say?”
“We don’t call them terrorists anymore, remember? They’re Wonderland Monsters. It’s what they call themselves.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. Because today we’ll blow up their Wonderland.”