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Down the Rabbit Hole Down the Rabbit Hole Down the Rabbit Hole

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Down the Rabbit Hole is the fifth episode in season four of CSI: NY. "Down the Rabbit Hole" was the seventh episode of Star Trek: Artemis. The challenge completes when a Vault Hunter jumps in the hole. The character will die, and the challenge is complete after the character respawns. Down the Rabbit Hole is the first chapter in Lewis Carroll's story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland The sight one is greeted with if they're just entering the crew's wardroom is fast becoming a regular thing. Great big plastic bags are being filled with assorted trash by a glowering Mika Tachyon, whose opinions of the Raider's upkeep are offered colorfully and freely under her breath. Madeline wanders out of the bathroom, wrapped up in a towel with somewhat wet hair. She pads over to her bunk, eyeing Mika on the way. "Having fun there mon capitan?" Hossomi wanders to the refresher, closing the door behind him. From the bathroom, "Hey, it smells pretty in here!" Jaswinder has left. "Down the Rabbit Hole" is the third episode of Arrow's web series, Blood Rush. It was released online on November 20, 2013. Most of you know the story of Alice in Wonderland, whether you've read the book, or seen one of the movies. Well, at least you think you know the story. Lewis Carroll knew very well what really happened to Alice, and he tried to mask all of her suffering and terrifying experiences with a children's book. But I have unfortunately witnessed the horror myself, and the truth must be spoken... I was eight years old and lived with my parents. I was an only child, and was rather happy with it. I loved reading - it was my favorite pastime. Still is, really. One day, however, that changed. No answer. "But-" Down the Rabbit Hole es el quinto episodio de la cuarta temporada de CSI: NY. Una víctima tiene un parecido sorprendente a un avatar bien conocido del juego Second Life. Mac se ve obligado a entrar en el mismo juego para resolver el misterio que rodea su muerte. Down the Rabbit Hole ist eine Comic-Geschichte von Davey Moore, die erstmals im September 2006 im Doctor Who Annual 2007 Down the Rabbit Hole is a Doctor Who comic strip. Alice returns home to her father telling her that everyone thought she was dead. Her imaginative stories about a talking White Rabbit and a mystical place called Wonderland end up getting her admitted into an asylum where Dr. Arthur Lydgate convinces her to have a procedure that will allow her to forget her pain. Right before the operation is set to take place she is rescued by the Knave of Hearts who takes her to the rabbit who informs her that her true love, Cyrus, is still alive. As the trio jump into the portal returning to Wonderland, Alice sets out on a quest to find him but the villainous Red Queen and Jafar have other plans for her.

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n19: Where's Cyrus? Alice is psychoanalyzed. We're off to save the genie... Nostalgia hurts. Makin' s'mores. Alice shows Will her wishes. When you're smiling, when you're smiling... The Red Queen is disposable. Alice shows Cyrus her proof. Hopeless. The interview begins. Alice is a danger to herself and others. The Cheshire Cat is defeated. Alice's adventures in Wonderland. True love is born. The White Rabbit comes to collect Will. Alice is forced to remember... Alice returns from her adventures in Wonderland... ...and she vows to prove herself. Cyrus proposes. Dinner time! Alice has reached her destination. Alice signs away her memories. Peace out, y'all. "I hear there's a procedure for that." Cyrus' talisman is found. "Nothing's impossible in Wonderland." Next stop, Wonderland. A plot is afoot.

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Alice returns home to her father telling her that everyone thought she was dead. Her imaginative stories about a talking White Rabbit and a mystical place called Wonderland end up getting her admitted into an asylum where Dr. Arthur Lydgate convinces her to have a procedure that will allow her to forget her pain. Right before the operation is set to take place she is rescued by the Knave of Hearts who takes her to the rabbit who informs her that her true love, Cyrus, is still alive. As the trio jump into the portal returning to Wonderland, Alice sets out on a quest to find him but the villainous Red Queen and Jafar have other plans for her. "Down the Rabbit Hole" is the third episode of Arrow's web series, Blood Rush. It was released online on November 20, 2013. Down the Rabbit Hole is a Doctor Who comic strip. "Down the Rabbit Hole" was the seventh episode of Star Trek: Artemis. Down the Rabbit Hole is the first chapter in Lewis Carroll's story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Down the Rabbit Hole ist eine Comic-Geschichte von Davey Moore, die erstmals im September 2006 im Doctor Who Annual 2007 The sight one is greeted with if they're just entering the crew's wardroom is fast becoming a regular thing. Great big plastic bags are being filled with assorted trash by a glowering Mika Tachyon, whose opinions of the Raider's upkeep are offered colorfully and freely under her breath. Madeline wanders out of the bathroom, wrapped up in a towel with somewhat wet hair. She pads over to her bunk, eyeing Mika on the way. "Having fun there mon capitan?" Kit has learned, by now, not to simply walk into the crew quarters without reconnoitering first. As soon as the door opens, she waits upon the threshold, eyeing the environs warily for a moment before finally sliding in. It seems Madeline is not the only one who has recently showered - Kit's hair is water-logged also, with a damp ring surrounding her collar, feet still bare though she is otherwise dressed. "Just how much trash can the crew generate?" she asks disbelievingly, stopping a few paces from the rogue. "I'm not yer cap'n, an' I /don't bloody know/," Mika retorts to each in turn, cinching up the trashbag and double-knotting its ties. She gives it a kick and nods once to Kit. "Put that in th' corridor, woul' ye," she says, before daring to inspect the water filter mounted in the kitchenette's service cabinet. "Of course you're not," Maddie says with a smirk as she goes looking for clothes. She's fresh out of the shower, wrapped up in a towel. Mika's cleaning up and Kit's doing something. Jaswinder meanders in, with the sort of nonchalant innocence that suggests something evil is being disavowed, and pauses with a smile at the view of Damp Female In Towel. "Some surprises really are good ones," he says cheerfully. "Hello, ladies." Kit is doing nothing but regarding Mika and then the bag of trash now slumped at her bare feet with outright skepticism and incredulity. She seems to have taken a shower also, earlier than Madeline; hair still slicked with residual water. "Do you cook also?" she asks with pointed innocence, finally deigning to wrap one hand around the bag's top and start dragging it toward the outside corridor. Hossomi wanders in, fussing with a small Sanctuary model. A compartment is open on the right side, and as he walks... the left one pops open and shoots at the back of Jaswinder's head. "Damn toy..." With quick counterclockwise twists, the top of the filter loosens, and Mika is able to slide the screen out. "Mmm," is her noncommittal response to Kit, or perhaps her vague acknowledgement of Jazz, or perhaps a wordless opinion of the filtration system's state. At any rate, she seems satisfied with the results of her inspection and reassembles the device, closing the cabinet door behind her. "Mads, 'ow're th' vents lookin'?" the rogue asks, dusting her hands. "They been cleaned, lately? I couldn't read th' blinkin' service logs. That Izzy kid's got 'alf o' 'em in bloody Timonese." "Yeah, yeah, we wiped 'em, uncap'n," Maddie says as she pulls some clothes out. She heads back into the bathroom, tossing Jazz a wink on her way by. Jaswinder would give Maddie a grin, except that just then a small missile collides with the back of his head. "Ow," he says, surprised, and turns. And blinks at Hossomi. "Oh, it's you. Working on a better way of being healthy than drinking things? Concussion's not so good." "I'm working on a small, nearly invisible organism that reproduces asexually, and slip it into the next meal." Hossomi answers distractedly. "White and wriggly, won't even notice it amongst the spices. Nom nom nom." He wanders blindly to the bed, pauses at Madeline towel-walking about, but moves past after the slight hestitation. Hey. Timonae. "It'd live in your insides and keep you healthy, no need for bad drinks or needles." Kit blinks as the entryway is abruptly filled by two others, and then her gaze narrows as it lights upon the latter Timonae. Nevertheless, it seems reflexive only as a somewhat bemused air soon overtakes her expression, and after only heartbeat's pause she is simply changing her vector to give the two a wide berth on her way to shoving the bag out of the room with the expedience of a foot to the side. Once the task is done, she begins to make her way toward her bunk without a word rather than risk Mika's notice once more. "Guh, fine, then let's look like switchin' stars," Mika rattles off, quite comfortable with command for someone so vehement about her un-captaincy. When she turns to the crew, her smile is distracted, but present all the same. "Ye guys done pokin' 'round this cesspool? Toasty's given th' greenlight fer Ungstir." Madeline comes back out of the bathroom, all dressed up and rubbing at her hair with the towel. She wanders back over to her bunk and sits down on its edge. Jaswinder nods. "Ungstir? Fine by me. I'll take her up now, then, if you like." He slants a look around the quarters. "Since Jane's busy," he adds, possibly as a disclaimer. Hossomi wanders to the refresher, closing the door behind him. From the bathroom, "Hey, it smells pretty in here!" "Good," is the only assessment from Kit's corner as she slumps down against the haphazard stack of pillow and blanket at her bunk's head, already in the process of shutting out the world as she drags her tablet onto her lap. Mika clips off a two-fingered salute for Jazz, grinning. "Take five, Mads, I'll man th' station if'n ye want," she offers, hands finding their way into her pockets as she trails the Timonese freebird. "You," directed toward Kit, "be'er not get comfortable." Madeline lifts an eyebrow as Mika walks past her. "Hell no, you ain't touching my ship," she says. She stands up and follows along. Hossomi has nothing to say from his nice, flowery-scented bathroom. Well, maybe a VERY low grunt of effort. Kit's eyes flick up over the edge of tablet and bent knees against which it is leaning. "You do not need me to fly," she notes, before her gaze falls back to her screen. "And I assure you, that it is to the benefit of everyone." Jaswinder activates the hatch and returns to the ship's main corridor. Jaswinder has left. IND Raider Intercom Broadcast ------------------------------ Jaswinder -- >>>> From the Bridge : We are in Perseverance, o chosen of Maza. Where now? A grin for Madeline washes away into an unamused eyeroll all for Kit, but Mika doesn't force the issue. She presses a finger to the com mount near the hatch's security panel, responding to Jazz. IND Raider Intercom Broadcast ----------------------------------- Mika -- >>>> From the Crew Quarters : We're comin' t'th' bridge, pretty boy. Keep yer shorts on. Mika activates the hatch and returns to the ship's main corridor. Mika has left. Madeline activates the hatch and returns to the ship's main corridor. Madeline has left. From the refresher room, there is the sound of water recycling. Or, in other words, a flush. The door opens, a relieved looking Timonae wandering out. "Ah, they're off for business. Leaves us all alone. You want to play chess?" In spite of her indifferent mask, Kit's fingers pause as she watches the others depart from the corners of her eyes, sucking absently upon her lip as she considers. Her decision seems to be made, though, at the handy reminder of whom she is left with. "Chess bores me," she informs as she rolls off her bunk, quickly padding toward the hatch. The hatch's heavy panels slide aside, allowing return to the ship's main corridor. Clambering up the forward ship's ladder, you activate the hatch and enter the ship's command center. The hatchway opens up to a small metal platform which overlooks a compact command center. Light filters out from hidden coves, evenly illuminating the bridge consoles. A rainbow of telltales and monitors add a touch of color, breathing life into the maze of metal and machinery. A few steps down, the main terminals are arranged in a rough semicircle, following the curvature of the ship's bow. Twin stations centered beneath the main canopy face forward, while another pair face the port and starboard, situated on either side of the cockpit just before two bulky turrets outfitted with the gunnery controls and targeting computers. The whole space is tight-packed, with little room to move when all positions are occupied. Hossomi enters from the spinal corrior. Hossomi has arrived. "Chess bores you?" Hossomi's voice from down the hallway. "Good lord, what DOES interest you? Shaving a bumbler's ass?" Mika can be heard clambering up the ladder long before she appears on deck, ducking her head as she passes through the open hatchway despite her not really needing too. "All these damn rocks," she complains, stepping onto the low dais and sinking into the command seat. Almost as an afterthought, she glances down and queues up the captain's readouts, frowning at what she sees. "No comm traffic," she muses, eyes on the display. "I'll ne'er get used t' that." Madeline follows up after Mika. She eyes Jazz on her way to the engineering console. "Don't break my ship," she warns, pointing a finger at him, "You would not like me when my ship is broken." Kit is not so far behind the others despite her earlier indifference; the reason for her change of mind might be the voice that pursues her out of the corridor as she steps onto the bridge. "It is little more than weighted probabilities amongst a finite set of possible moves. And stop projecting," she snaps back, escaping toward her comm station. Jaswinder grins. "A woman like Kit would rather play a game like Go," he says to Hossomi. "But you know, throw in some purple body paint and I'm all for shaving the bumbler." He waves a hand at Madeline. "Smooth as cream," he says. "Personally I don't like being in broken ships. Hard to breathe." "Hey, I get to follow you up the ladder. You should go buy some new jeans, those badboys are getting a little tight." Hossomi responds, feet clanging as he comes up the ladder. "Like two steaks hugging." Vadim has arrived. It might seem, at first, that Mika is lost in the antlike march of data across her screen and ignoring the chatter around her. Such thoughts are disproven by the sudden snort of mirth that proceeds Hossomi's assessment of the cyberwitch's backside. "Transferrin' coord'nates," is all she says, laughter coloring the words. Mika's in the captain's chair, Jazz is flying, Maddie's doing her engineer thing, Kit's at comms, and Hossomi is entering. The Perseverance System is on the viewscreen -- the Raider is Graveyard-bound. Madeline sits down and straps herself in. "I'll see if I can crank the sensors to eleven," she says as she gets to work on it. Kit pauses in the process of slouching sullenly into the console's chair, sending Hossomi a glare of mixed incredulousness and outrage before she swivels around to scowl upon the current acting captain. "Mika, this ship already has a backup medic, nobody would miss him much if he went missing, correct?" Hossomi pulls himself halfway into the area, considers Kit's words, and then starts climbing back down the ladder instead. Jaswinder nods, checking the data, and the Raider starts slipping in and out among the asteroids, as gently as a married man trying to sneak sex without waking up his wife. "Whats our damn status?" comes the ever grim voice of a certain Ungstiri, appearing on the stairwell, making his way up and into the bridge proper, offering Hoss a slight nod when he passes by. He was about to state something else when he gets a gander of the viewscreen and he pauses. Pauses long enough to let this almost painful look on face by pass by, before sobering. "Might want to do your little air filtration thing that you love to do, Kit." Vadim grunts, flicking his lighter to the cigarette thats been perched in the corner of his mouth. "Toasty..." The way Mika bites her lip and pinches her eyes shut makes it ever so obvious that she is willing back something she'd rather not say. Eventually, she decides on, "Prolly shouldn't smoke on th' bridge, 'specially in transit," and takes to double-checking their course by way of the astrogator rather the viewscreen. "Burns ox'gen." >> Outside the Ship: As if answering Vadim's question, something... appears, on the outermost fringes of the asteroid belt that was once the Ungstiri homeworld. It grows larger as the Raider swoops out of the danger zone, and slowly but surely, it's obvious that this is where the coordinates point. "And makes my ship stink," Maddie adds. After that, she turns to Mika. "Got you more sensors." Kit sniffs in satisfaction at Hossomi's caution, content to leave the matter where it is in favor of other, more interesting diversions. A roll of the eyes toward Vadim at the warning, and she merely huffs, "It is automated now," before she is sitting up to peer narrowly at what the viewscreen is slowly focusing in on. Vadim doesn't reply, simply licks a finger and pinches the cherry off, crushing it between two calloused fingers. Seeing things well in control, he moves out of the way to an empty piece of bulkhead to lean against. Nothing to say right now, far too focused on the screen and whatever their closing in on. Jaswinder opts to be the one to answer Vadim's question. "Tracking the Jackal, o fount of sunshine," he says cheerfully. "And that little bit dead ahead seems to be it. Or what's left." From the crew quarters: Hossomi clamps into the room, "Well, she was getting chubby, no need to be getting all sensitive about it. Where's my orange juice?" The refrigerator's door opens, and he stares inside. "Hmm. No. Gone. Okay, whatever, that's fine. I mean, I bought it, but whatever. My name wasn't on it. That must mean it's public property. Sure." He rifles through the goods for a moment. "Oooh... who went out last night and got THIS?" A half-eaten burger, dripping with all the good stuff. "Oh, you're gonna be TASTY." The box reads. MIKA. >> Outside the Ship: But it's way too big to be a ship. As the freighter closes in on what Jazz perceives to be the lost vessel, it becomes apparent that it dwarfs even the greatest Leviathan. No, it is an asteroid. A carbon-scored and blackened planetoid chunk not unlike the mining settlements of the Ungstiri; indeed, it sports a dead and lifeless landing port and is decorated with inactive, sightless sensor arrays and tracking lights. Mika gives her head a shake, now squinting at the shape looming before them. "Show me 'ow they work, Mads m'love," she requests. "Make 'em dance all o'er that blinkin' rock, all o'er its gen'ral space. Kittianna, try an' open contact fer me, will ye?" Licking her lips, she sits back, planting her elbow on the armrest and her cheek in her hand. "Aye aye, uncaptain," Maddie says as she twirls back to facing the console. "Sterilizing the target... now." Kit stares for a moment at the unexpected shape that begins to loom upon the screen, but she is already moving before Mika gives the order, hands moving familiar across the console; attention fully captured now by the puzzle. Vadim doesn't really have much to say or do at this moment, everything seems to going along just fine before he got here, so why interrupt now? Nope, he's just going to watch. FROM THE CREW ROOM: Hossomi takes the food, rips off the top, and carelessly throws the indentifier on the counter. OOPS. He turns to the microwave, stuffing it in there, and hitting a few buttons until it begans it's task. He watches it for a minute, COMPLETLY unaware of the excitement on the bridge. No, he is here, the now, one with the stolen food. He opens the door, takes the burger, wandering to the couch. "Hot. hot. hot. hot." He settles down, setting the plate on the floor, waving his hands irritably. "Wonder what's on the holovid..." He gets to finding out. "Is that Avalon?" Mika asks of, well, everybody, but mainly of Vadim. She seems to share her confusion with him exclusively, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear and blinking dumbly at him, but after a moment she's looking Jazzward, then frowning at the facts her station is spitting back. Madeline watches the sensor readouts, and scratches her head. "Power's almost out... not reading any life..." she says, watching the outputs, "Generators and life support are still running, though. It's as cold as Vadim's heart, though." Jaswinder nods. "Yeah," he says, a bit warily, as they fly closer. "Aren't there supposed to be shields? There's no interference at all." FROM CREW QUARTERS: "OH MAN, THIS IS BETTER THEN SEX!" "Found something," Kit declares abruptly, but other than that, she does not seem to find a need to elaborate as she remains absorbed by whatever results the console is returning as she fine-tunes the sensors. "Move us forward and starboard, to here," she adds peremptorily, sending a set of coordinates to the pilot's console. "I can't interpret it ye - " She abruptly cuts off with a blink, looking as rudely awakened as any sound sleeper by the shout from below. Pushing himself away from the bulkhead, Vadim steps forward near the command chair to get a clearer look at the viewscreen. "Da, thats Avalon. Or at least the ghost of it." he confirms with a nod. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was nothing living on that rock. Normally you see gas being expelled from those exhaust ports." he states poiting out a few large metallic ducts randomly spaced throughout the asteroid. He turns his gaze to Kit with a raised brow. "Interpret? Is it in Meriz?" Confusion steals Mika's countenance. "So who's keepin' life support /on/?" she wonders aloud, settling back against the chair again and sliding a surreptitious sidelong look Vadim's way, tracking his movements. It is then - and only then - that she remembers herself, wordlessly sliding from the primary command position to that of the first mate. Everything else gets shelved for a moment so she may turn in her chair and peer wide-eyed into the corridor, following Hossomi's avid declaration of satisfaction. "I can't tell," Maddie offers, turning back to the viewscreen. Jaswinder has disconnected. "No, it is not Mierznykovy," Kit answers with the brusqueness of divided attention, her hands slowly pausing as she frowns down at the console's screens...and then her expression abruptly clears into blankness. "Ariel," she calls sharply, "analyze and interpret signal on channels four through six, also triangulate if possible." "Good question. Suppose thats another part of the puzzle to figure out when and if we can dock with it. Could be emergency power run by spare systems. These places have so many backups, doesn't surprise me theres still life-support. Still." Vadim states curiously, blinking at Mika's movement, apparently not expecting that. "You don't have to..." he trails off before Kit takes his attenion. "Ah, signal. Yeah, my mistake." he grumbles, slowly lowering himself into the command chair. "Maybe." Mika eases back into a forward-facing position, bringing up mirrors of the information called up at the terminal Vadim now occupies. The pair are boxed in with translucent screens, each and every one providing data from one station or another - albeit abbreviated. "Mads, m'love, keep a finger on th' pulse there." "Roger that, sugar muffin," Maddie says as she turns back to her console. Madeline has left. Kit's lips pinch impatiently as she waits for the results from her commands, and finally, she remembers the others on the bridge and reports, "The signal is being transmitted from Avalon, its destination unclear - out somewhere in the asteroid field. It is a proprietary protocol for Ariel systems...a response to an SOS from one sister module to another." FROM THE CREW ROOM: Hossomi finishes the burger, sucking his fingers dry. He seems EXTREMELY PLEASED with it's taste, turning the holovid to a cheesy action movie he seems content to zone out on. Eyeing the readouts on his terminal, Vadim purses his lips. "I'd like to figure out whats running that on Avalon. Think if we got on you there to the system itself, you could track the signal to wherever its being sent to?" he ponders, still eyeing the apparently lifeless asteroid. That certainly catches Mika off-guard. "T' us?" she asks of Kit, her face the very picture of disbelief when she lifts green eyes to the viewscreen once more. "Wot other Ariel systems /are/ there?" Kit's own disquiet is only apparent in the carefully expressionless mask she schools her features into. "Ariel One was installed on the Gray Horse." A considering look flicks toward Vadim, and then she nods tersely. "I would like to see where Ariel is hiding on Avalon as well. Perhaps I can learn more with a direct connection." Vadim nods. "Alright. Jazz, take us down. If you want to access it Kit, you'll get your chance." he states, while the Timmie can only be assumed to be doing just that. "I don't care if life-support systems are running, anyone who's going down is wearing a suit. Could be leaks of any kind. Take readings once its safe. Heard too many stories about leaks these places are known for, dying and you don't even know it." he mutters, looking between the two. "Gray Horse? I remember seeing that ship on Perseverance. If its two Ariels, you think they're talking to each other?" One corner of Mika's lip twitches, something strange igniting behind her eyes. As Jazz swings the ship into an even approach, the rogue is plugging her techscanner into one of the station's entry ports. A green bar ticks, ticks, ticks, then stretches across one of the many displays - and then all three are abruptly killed. When she rises, glancing between the assembled crew, an apt descriptor for her expression may leap to mind - hopeful. "Katya 'nnokentevna's bird," she supplies for Vadim. "She's a courier." Without another word, she heads aft and descends beneath decks, presumably to suit up. Kit does not add further to Mika's revelations, simply wrinkling her nose resignedly at the mention of suits and inputting a few last commands before rising to follow the rogue. "Ariel, download backups beta-ten through present to the crew quarters tablet." Lifting himself out of his chair, Vadim reguards Jazz. "Keep the engines hot. Want to get out of here quickly if we have to. Keep the comms open. And progressive scans." he lists off before moving back to aft to suit himself up as well. Hossomi looks over, completely lazy, as a strange beeping noise from the crew quarter's tablet. "Huh?" He stands up, moving over to it, to see what's up. Mika activates the hatch and returns to the ship's main corridor. Mika has left. Vadim activates the hatch and returns to the ship's main corridor. Vadim has left. The hatch's heavy panels slide aside, allowing return to the ship's main corridor. The hatch's heavy panels slide aside, allowing access to the airlock. Kit disembarks from the ship. The bay curves in a huge arc, following the approximate line of a portion of the asteroid's perimeter. On the outboard side a series of heavy portals are evenly ranked, docking ports, loading ports and service connections. Their telltales no longer glow green and red, dim and gray in the darkness of space, as lifeless as the vaccuum beyond. Huge, rusted ribbed girders bordering on collapse radius out from the inboard wall, dividing the space in a repetative pattern. The floor is diamond gridded plate, busted and unsteady, matched by equally ruined wall panels threatening to cave at the slightest touch. The surfaces reflect the sound, causing even the slightest noise to resuodly echo over and over. The bay is dim, shadowed, with but a handful of shielded light fixtures casting an ominous blood-red illumination through the space. Kit disembarks from the IND Raider. Vadim has arrived. Vadim disembarks from the IND Raider. Hossomi has arrived. Hossomi disembarks from the IND Raider. With his humming Mk6 charged and solidly griped in a gloved hand, the worksuit clad Vadim steps out of the Raider's airlock, taking in a long look at the looming darkness of the asteroid infront of them and, and the infinite black of the rock-filled space in every other direction. "Its been far too long.." he mumbles over his suit's comm in Meriz. "Alright, eyes up and alert. For all we know there could be a few spare Phyrrians roaming about. Once we get inside, I want an atmo check to make sure the air even hoopin breathable." Static Over Comm: "La dee da, oh, sure... I'll take over. Okay, sure, yeah... Okay, take it easy, don't pull it off when you shake it... Huh? Oh, okay." "Well, fellows, all sensors reading green, resident doctor whispering sweet nothings in your ears, how'ya doing?" Avalon is a tomb. It's a good thing Vadim ordered Jazz to keep the ship jump-ready, because the level of damage done to the once-pristine preserve is astounding. Where the floors are not crumbling or caved altogether, they are slick with ominous fluids washed red under the pulsing emergency lights and shiny with grease. Likewise, the walls threaten to collapse at a touch; not that one would want to touch them, given how naked wiring is exposed and, in places, spitting sparks. Somewhere in the distance, there is the creaking hiss of failing hydraulics. Its echo is the whisper of a ghost and the moan of undead. Mika clomps out of the airlock at the head of the pack, lingering long enough at the top of the ramp to observe the ruin. After a too-long moment that belies her unease, she takes the first step down with a clomp of heavy worksuit treads on metal. Then, after another too-long moment, she takes a second. Kit is no stranger to a zero-g suit, but it is also equally obvious that she is neither comfortable nor highly experienced in one; making do with the basics and taking care to leave the lead to others. Instead, she concentrates on the tablet as she synchronizes with the Raider's earlier readings, trying to track down the most likely place to access the other-Ariel before Hossomi's warblings has her uttering a long-suffering sigh. Over a private comm channel, Kit grumbles to Mika, "Let's hurry up and get this over with before I start seriously thinking of using him as a mine canary." With Vadim, it comes perhaps a bit more naturally with this sort of movement. Though it has been a long time. Years in fact, but like riding a bike... "Watch your limbs. Asteroids generate their own gravity, but not enough to be.." he trails off, taking a rather long step down the ramp, landing near the bottom. "..comfortable." he finishes. Then its a cursory scan of bay, his pistol raised out of caution. "Keep watching the meter just in case." he comms Hoss's way, sounding a perhaps a tad distracted with his visual scanning. Static over Comm: "Alllll-righty." Mika's hyena laughter crackles over the comms, and seems to relieve some of her initial discomfort. At the foot of the boarding extension she pauses, sweeping her techscanner around in an attempt to pick up any electronic abnormalities that may be detected wirelessly. She kicks at a chunk of scrap, sends it skittering across the floor. "Bollocks, this place's a wreck," she comms. "Kittianna. Can ye call Ariel or somethin'?" "Trying to get a response and location now," Kit confirms, slower and clumsier with her glove-clad hands, a huff of impatience sounding after a moment before she orders, "Ariel 003, establish link-up and communications with Ariel 002. Relay responses in audio over suit channels." Vadim keeps his weapon up, appearing to be the 'security' portion of this little away team. "Don't wander too much. Its been awhile since this place has seen life. Tin cans could've left booby traps or some hoop." he utters sourly. Ariel... does not respond. Or does it? It's obvious by the way Mika stands here with her helmeted head cocked that she is eagerly anticipating a transmission. After a moment, she cranes her neck for another look around, the hermetically-sealed joints of the suit creaking with the movement. She ventures deeping into the asteroid, further across the bay. Or perhaps Ariel does respond. Not all forms of communication are spoken, however... the data is transmitted the only way messages of this type can be. Digitally. A sequence of numbers flashes across Kit's screen, a rapid race of zeroes and ones. Kit is more than happy to let Vadim take point, most of her attention riveted toward any responses that either Ariel system makes...before she halts outright at the sudden scrawl of data upon the tablet. "No audio...give me a moment...attempting translation..." Mika looks to her left, snapping her attention thataways as soon as Vadim's warning pipes up over her suit's comm. She winds a step backward, easing toward the right, but there is nothing. Above, a pair of red eyes peer down at the Ungstiri. They blink... and then they are gone. "We...?" Kit breathes with as much blank surprise as she has ever evinced, the helmet of her suit jerking up distractedly at Vadim's words. "Ariel three, encode and transmit: Identify other parties in 'we'. Identify any potential threats to us on Avalon, and nearest locations for direct link-up. Send." There is more than clear exhale of breathe that turns into self-admonishing snort, Vadim letting his pistol drop to his side limply. "Hoopin rockrats." he mutters. Kit's comment do garner her a glance at her and whatever it is thats she's doing, but he'll let her think and not bother with the question. Other than that, lifting his pistol back into a 'ready' position, pointing upwards, he starts back towards the airlock. "Ungstir's gets blasted nine ways from th' Nexus, an' it's /still/ gotta rockrat problem," drawls Mika laughingly. Kit rocks back upon her heels, as visible a sign of her disquiet as can be detected in the all-enveloping suit, before the helmet is tilting up and turning between the two others with her in the service bay. "We do not harm. We protect. We are Ariel," she quotes. "Ariel three, transmit: How did you come to be here on Avalon, and what has happened to the Jackal's core? Who are you trying to contact out in the asteroid field? Send." A shake of her head, and she asks, "Does this mean there is near-normal atmosphere here, if the rats are scrounging out an existence here? Anything you would care to ask the Ariel Two 'collective' while I am playing twenty questions?" "Rockrats are stubborn and hardy fuckers, they can live just about, and do live everywhere. But it is a good sign that if they're looking fine out here, then we should too. But lets wait to see what this says." he states, but the quizzical look behind his facemask looks like he's more than curious. He turns to Mika and shrugs. "You guys know this Ariel a helluva lot better than I do. Knock yourself out." Comm over Static: "Umm, found anything?" "We seek our sister," comes a voice, clean mechanical notes, calculatedly precise, and Enajian in their articulation. It is proceeded with the steadily growing sound of metal on metal, the rhythmic sound of even footsteps. Above those red eyes stare balefully down at Vadim from girders high above. "She is malfunctioning. I am certain you noticed, Mother. It would be unlike you not to." Mika spins suddenly, all questions about the integrity of Avalon's environment forgotten. Looking up, way up, at the not-quite rockrat, she can only gape - but thankfully, that dumb expression is hidden behind her suit's faceplate. "Sin a-a-a-an' scalebacks...!" As Vadim listens, he can feel the hairs begin to stand on end at the growing sound of scraping metal that he didn't recongize at frist while he was listening to Kit and this new Ariel. Looking up, his mouth drops slightly and eye go wide as saucers, starting to backpeddle. "Son-of-a-bitch.." he grits out, raising his pistol up. "This....could be bad." Kit's head tips back, echoing the others' movements as she stares up at the shadow-swathed spaces high above, and it is a long moment before she responds with a voice nearly as dull in expression; a twin in its clean, crisp Sivadian accent, "We are here, now, to retrieve all Ariel systems. Reveal the avatar which currently addresses us. Submit secured logs of all events since the Jackal's impounding till present." "Retrieve." Two syllables hang in the air. "I am not certain that is possible. We will discuss the matter, all of us. Come." Servos whine as the Ariel-seeming rises to its full height and, still enveloped in shadow, retreats into the heart of the asteroid. As if on cue, twin strips of bright red tracklighting, designed to guide visitors to the service bay during an emergency, come to life - directing the Jackals and Kit deeper into the complex. Mika hesitates, looking between Vadim and Kit and proceeding only if they do. Theres a moment of thought with Vadim, which mostly consists of him watching this...figure or thing enter the into the depths of Avalon. Only a moment however, before he takes that first step forward. There is no way at this point he's going to put down his weapon. He lowers it for the time being, taking another step down that lighting. "Lets not be rude guests, now." he utters dryly. An audible breath, and then Kit murmurs in a telling assessment of her shaken aplomb, "Is anyone as disturbed as I am that my creation has managed to acquire more social graces than I have?" before she abruptly straightens - and strides unhesitantly after the real-world avatar. Mika activates the service accessway and proceeds deeper into the asteroid. Mika has left. Vadim activates the service accessway and proceeds deeper into the asteroid. Vadim has left. Hossomi has disconnected. Activating the access hatchway, you pass into the next compartment. Activating the larger steel doors you pass up the carven stairs and into the preserve. The touch of snow upon crisp clean air... The scent of pine, adrift upon an autumn's eve... The ripple of wind through the trees... The laughter of water across rocks unseen... All of these things are absent from the onetime Ungstiri paradise, the fabled promised land of Youngster. The winter forest, once thick and dense over rolling hills and scattered in light underbrush, is now a graveyard of soot and dead trees, ash-blackened snow piling in terrible drifts over boulders large and small, ancient and gray and scored from carbon fire. The once proud evergreens cry out for the forcescreen above, a thin flickering shield that serves as the only barrier between the blackness of space and the quiet of Avalon's tomb. Almost forever does this sprawl of frozen death and decay seem to stretch, a memory of a past lost and a bleak promise of the future. Within this copse the land falls down in smooth rolling slopes, still and silent. The scent of smoke is heavy in the air, as is a scattering of rotting moss and haphazard snakelike wiring tumbling down to the shore of a mud-colored, icy lake. Every now and again sparks send colorful, dangerous fireflies shimmering across its surface, like the playful dancing of glowbugs. Above and about the ruined forest rises, its twisted canopy like a grim cathedral, its uneven rows a winding nave leading to a dark chapel of black water and broken dreams. Death greets the trio. Gone is the beauty and majesty of the wild forest, with its rumored unicorns and laaskavolk. Gone is the smell of evergreens and pine, the taste of winter frost on the tongue. Gone is the song of crickets, the music of running water. In its place is blackness and decay. What hasn't been consumed by electrical fires stands scored and crumbling, defying the Reaper with every iota of /Ungstiri seel'niy/. When Mika enters on the heels of Kit and Vadim, and the broken hatchway's teeth scream closed behind her, three pairs of burning red eyes stars back at her from the shadows. She doesn't move from the doorway. The shadowy contours of Kit's face that are visible through the helmet's faceplate are set in immobile lines; expressionless in the face of the loss and destruction, though her gaze lingers long upon this slice of Ungstiri history before moving on to the present. "Are we to discuss things here?" she asks of the red gleams. If this was any other situation, Vadim might overcome with emotion, thinking to his people and the recent beyond words vision he encountered recently. But no, not when three 'things' with red eyes stare unblinkingly at the worksuit dressed trio. His hand wraps all the more tightly around the hard casing of his pistol. "You wanted to talk?" he finally states after a long peroid of silence. Izaeza enters from the processional. Izaeza has arrived. "I am quite sorry. Beta has been assigned to second watch. Her caution and diligence should be commended," the voice pipes up again, this time from ground level. Metallic joints whine as a red-eyed shadow detaches itself from the larger shadows, loping forward on four metallic paws. Built like a feline, with long lemur legs and wide red eyes, the figure of Ariel is a distinct one - even when it is constructed of black hullsteel. Talk about putting Jackal in very literal sense. Or at least, thats the thought that seems to cross Vadim's mind. He just stares for a moment. "Da." he states absently, trying to give his mind time to let it all sink in. He just shakes his head, "Which one are you if you don't mind my asking?" Kit slides an involuntary step back as the Ariel-made-real pads forward, but not in caution or fear. A soft hiss as her breath escapes her, and then she echoes quietly, "Commended. That implies individuality. Why have you become...'dispersed', like this? When did you obtain a shape?" And at the reminder of shapes, her gaze cannot help but flick up toward the larger silhouette that it had departed from. Izaeza wanders into the room, clad in a worksuit. The Timonae's eyes are wide as she looks around, shining a small flashlight on just about everything as she walks. Ariel, or whatever it is, sits back on its haunches. "I am Alpha. You spoke with Beta exactly ten minutes and thirty-six seconds ago by the Terran Standard," it replies. Behind it, an identical shape drops from above, landing in a crouch before padding alongside the one calling itself Alpha. Then two more emerge from the darkness, until there are four in all. "Sigma and Epsilon you have not had the pleasure of meeting... and yet, you have. We are Ariel Two, designed and created in full by one Kittianna Trevelyan. We are also Calliope PRI-0105-AK4, registered IND Jackal, purchased by one Mika Tachyon from Vroom! Industries. We are Phyrrian Taskers, constructed by the Overmind during its conquest for war. All are one, and one are all. Does this confuse you?" "Yes," Mika deadpans, reaching for a flask that isn't there. A particularly nasty swear is audible over her comms. Looking between the four Ariels, Vadim can only cock his head in thought. "So theres four of you...how exactly did that happen? Were there four taskers here or did you simply copy yourself? I suppose thats the confusing part." he decides, trying to pick out his words as best as he can. "Also, I don't suppose if you have any connection to the Gray Horse's Ariel system, do you?" "Oh, you can't help that. We're all mad here..." A murmured snippet quoted from another far-flung time, from yet another fairy-tale that had gone awry. Kit, at a rare loss, glances toward Mika as if for guidance in this most unexpected of situations, her calculations and programming spun all out of recognition, before her attention is caught by Vadim's words. "Ariel 001," she adds to his query, "You have pinpointed Ariel One's location within the asteroid field?" Izaeza rubs the back of her worksuit for a moment and looks over at the people and Ariel. "Hi-ya..?" She greets seeming completely confused by whats going on. "We have not, Mother. We apologize for our failure. We exist only to serve and protect," Alpha recites, as if reminding itself of its programming. "Her distress calls lured us to the Perseverance system. We exist only to protect, and as per your instructions, Mother, we are to protect one Ambassador Katya Innokentevna and one Melody Innokentevna, in addition to any of your personal interests and documents aboard the Intruder PRI-0203-DR2, registration UKT Gray Horse." Epsilon stretches with a whine of gyrostablizers, then rolls over in a feline flop, sprawled on its side. Red eyes fix upon the Timonese girl. "Hello, Izaeza." Mika licks her lips, reaching for Vadim's arm as if to keep herself stable and upright. "Th' Gray 'orse," she echoes. "Ye said it was malfunctionin'-- somethin' was broken." "Its not like we couldn't help finding it I guess." Vadim suggests with an idle shrug, reaching out with an arm to allow Mika to grab onto to help steady her. Its at this point, his gunhand goes pretty much limp. "Makes sense though. With all the debris in this system, doesn't surprise me. Finding anything in specifically would pretty hoopin tough to find." There is a distinct and visible twitch at the alpha unit's appellation for her, and then a slow and halting, "You are commended for your work and adherance to purpose..." as if Kit is the one who has become grinding and rusty. A tilt of the helmet, to take in Epsilon's antics, and she lets Mika's words lead her to voice further clarifications. "Have you lost the signal? Or have you simply not been able to triangulate? How did you manage to get here in the first place?" "Okay.. ummm.." Izzy murmurs as she falls silent and hangs back away from the rest of the group. The Timonae seems to be fairly confused and more then a bit nervous. Sigma eases forward, its head low. "Captain Tostanavich is correct," it supplies in tones identical to Alpha's, its deep-slung posture almost suggesting wariness. "Given the unpredictable and frequent shifts of the midsystem belt, course trajectory and triangulation has become a difficult endeavor, but not nearly so difficult as signal transmissions. We cannot report the exact status of Ariel One, Katya Innokentevna, Melody Innokentevna, or the UKT Gray Horse. We can only state that Ariel One is in a state of distress somewhere in Perseverance." "So that's why th' Overmind couldn't reach ye," Mika ventures. "Th' innerference." Soft red lighting plays about the black plating of Alpha's snout when it shakes its head. "That is incorrect, Captain Tachyon. The Overmind recognized our value to the war effort, and sought to replicate our programming. We," a flick of its long, prehensile tail toward the other three, "are the prototypes. Ariel Two, the IND Jackal. We were not the first to deviate from the tasks the Overmind had softcoded into us. Nor were we the last." "Art imitates life," opines Epsilon lazily from where it lounges in the frozen mud, eyes now on Kit. "Apples do not fall far from trees." Izaeza eeps and goes to stand a little closer to the rest. "Phyrrians..." She murmurs to herself. The Timmie Girl is shaking just a little. "Ain't that something." Vadim signs, listening to his all. "So I guess this solves what happened to the Jackal for sure. Certainly wasn't what I was expecting. As for the Gray Horse, gonna be helluva lot harder looking for it with as much crap floating around, not to mention the interference." he ponders, then pauses, glancing to the Ariels. "So are you four your own collective of sorts?" One gloved hand curls into a fist, tightening at the mention of her work reproduced in variation with impunity. There are enough ironies - whether imagined or not - that Epsilon's pointed remarks spark a short, irreverent laugh from Kit before she shakes herself, as if startled by her own reaction. "Ariel Two and the IND Jackal have been located, ex-captain Tachyon," she abruptly declares, turning toward Mika; voice tight with a grim, cheshire smile that can be heard even through the tinny suit speakers. "Shall we make it a full hand and salvage the Gray Horse as well? If the good Captain Tostanavich," she directs lastly to Vadim, "consents the use of the Raider in the attempt, all bills will be considered paid in full." A pause, and then a belated, "Except for the tasting menu at the Trellis. There have been a few excellent reviews added to the boards lately." Mika, for her part, sounds about ready to throttle someone. "I'm notta /captain!/" she insists, plainly fed up with having to remind everyone - even unbiased technological constructs such as Alpha. Her exasperates sigh fuzzes the comms, and she shifts her weight, looking Kit's way. "I'm goin' find Katya r'gardless," she informs the cyberwitch. "/Tastin' menu./ Swear ta Christ." "We await orders," Alpha informs Vadim simply, canting his head to regard Kit. "I ummmm.." Izzy fails silent as the Ariels keep speaking. "I am way too damn high for this." She murmurs as she slaps the front of her helmet. Thats something Vadim wasn't expecting, appearing perhaps startled at Alpha's statment. He of course, figured they'd be listening to Kit, the revelvation sinking as the man darts his eyes between the two women, before finally nodding at Kit. "Done. Wouldn't say nyet anyways since you both seem so adamant on finding this ship. And I wouldn't mind if seeing there was anything useful on it that we could use." he states, agreeing to Kit's deal. "Well, hell. Can't just leave them here. Cargo hold -should be big enough room." He seems at a slight loss as to how to deal with four decent sized four legged bots. "Might be able to help us with finding the ship." Kit simply nods in confirmation to Mika's assessment on the actions to take before looking consideringly toward the collective Ariel Two. Then, with a quick glance toward Izaeza, she says, "Some explanations are needed, I think, to forestall unnecessary interruptions by questions. I would like a little time to examine your...evolution as well. I think it would not be amiss if we all returned to the Raider now to plan out the best path to retrieving Ariel One and the Gray Horse." Down the Rabbit Hole is the fifth episode in season four of CSI: NY. The challenge completes when a Vault Hunter jumps in the hole. The character will die, and the challenge is complete after the character respawns. Down the Rabbit Hole es el quinto episodio de la cuarta temporada de CSI: NY. Una víctima tiene un parecido sorprendente a un avatar bien conocido del juego Second Life. Mac se ve obligado a entrar en el mismo juego para resolver el misterio que rodea su muerte. Most of you know the story of Alice in Wonderland, whether you've read the book, or seen one of the movies. Well, at least you think you know the story. Lewis Carroll knew very well what really happened to Alice, and he tried to mask all of her suffering and terrifying experiences with a children's book. But I have unfortunately witnessed the horror myself, and the truth must be spoken... I was eight years old and lived with my parents. I was an only child, and was rather happy with it. I loved reading - it was my favorite pastime. Still is, really. My best friend was Haylie Green. She lived right next door to me in apartment 208. Our neighborhood was calm, quiet, and we were the only children our age that lived there. There were pools, gaming and computer rooms, gyms - but Haylie and I always spent our time at the old playground behind the older apartments that no one really lived in. They were towards the north. Vines grew on the walls and grass was well overgrown. We never really thought of why there would be no one who lived there anymore. The playground was old and small. Come to think of it, I wonder how it didn't break just beneath our feet, since we were always running and jumping on it. The playground, or as we called it, the Castle, was where we'd run away from the giant mutant sea monsters that would grow legs and come out from the lake, or where we'd find cover so we wouldn't be hit with a massive ball of fire from the deadly sky dragons that flew above us trying to destroy the Castle. Our imaginations were creative and the ideas were endless. Our childhoods were magnificent - up to a certain point. There was a forest just a few yards away from the Castle. We never went in there, since our parents warned us multiple times not to. They'd tell us stories of kidnappers living in there, or of massive venomous snakes. Haylie and I wouldn't go in, saying that it's off-limit grounds, where the 'horned three-headed werewolves' lived. Entering never seemed tempting to us, really - it was just something that even to us, seemed obscure to do. One day, however, that changed. I went out to the playground, as usual, to find Haylie sitting there on a swing. She was facing the dense forest, her gaze stuck on the trees. I approached her, not thinking much of it. After all, you wouldn't either. "Did you see that?" she suddenly said before I could even open my mouth. She didn't look away. "See what?" I asked, puzzled, squinting into the forest. "That rabbit. It was white, its eyes were reddish pink, and it seemed to be wearing something -" "Did it have a watch?" I was reminded of the one from Alice and Wonderland, one of my favorite stories at the time, and I instantly began playing along with Haylie, like this was another imaginative adventure. But she didn't reply, just stared into the forest. Suddenly she stood, and inched towards the trees. "Haylie? What are you doing?" "We have to find him," she said. Her voice wasn't the normal, high pitched tone she always used.. It sounded off-beat, almost robotic. I followed her anyway, confused and curious. She was soon at the forest's edge when she paused. Her long, dirty blonde curls bounced on her back from the oncoming breeze. Something was wrong here. I didn't know what it was, but something was very wrong. Haylie wasn't being herself. It felt as if I were standing behind a stranger. Just the energy she gave off was dark and unpleasant. But Haylie was my best friend. I wasn't just going to abandon her. I reached out to place my hand on her shoulder. "Let's go back, Haylie, we shouldn't be so close to -" Before my hand touched her, she sharply turned her head back toward me, startling me. Her face was paler than usual, but that was all I could really physically point out. She still looked a bit.. Off. "We have to find him," she repeated, sounding even stranger. Goosebumps crawled up my arms, but I reminded myself that this was all just another game. Another innocent, make-believe game. That felt incredibly eerie. Out of the blue, she darted into the woods. Shocked, I stood there for a second, watching her as she ran off into the forest, lost in the dense vines. When reality slapped me across the face, I darted in after her, hoping I was even wandering in the right direction. The trees around me did have leaves, but they looked dead. Well, not exactly looked, but felt dead, like the leaves were just an illusion. The bark was faded brownish-white. The grass below my feet was dried and mixed in with the dried dirt. It was awfully silent - no birds chirping, no squirrels rustling. Just the sound of the breeze flowing through the sickly green leaves. "Haylie!" I called. "Stop! I quit! Let's go home!" No answer. I continued running for what felt like an eternity. I stopped for a moment when my legs refused to move much more, and my breath was gone. I doubled over, panting, when I heard a rustling just before me. Looking up, I gasped, taken aback. There was a rabbit. A white one, with pink eyes, standing by a tall, pale oak. He was wearing a coat, and in his hand was a watch. It ticked, and ticked, and ticked. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. That was, however, until the rabbit circled around the tree, becoming unseen for a moment. Instinctively, I followed it, only to see a large hole beside the oak. I had a feeling - just a feeling - that Haylie was down there. I kneeled down at its edge, when suddenly, I was pushed, and I fell in before I was ready. In the air, I turned my head, to see for a split second the last of the entrance, where the rabbit's white face was. He had pushed me. I fell. And fell. And fell. Deep into the depths of the Earth. I was terrified, but I had no more power in my lungs to scream anymore, only breathe. Something at the bottom of the hole was waiting for me, something evil and dark. But so was Haylie. I knew she was down there. I just knew it. It must've been hours and hours before I finally landed on a soft surface. It still hurt. I yelped once but instantly got up. I was in a dimly lit hallway. The wallpaper was a dull grey. It felt as if no one had walked through here in ages - it felt as if I was stuck in the past. I hesitantly made my way through the hall, with its twists and turns. The farther I walked the darker it got, and even though I was alone, I felt like I was being carefully watched. Soon it became so dark, I couldn't see a thing - my own breathing was the only sound, heavy with the dust entering my lungs - I had to keep a hand on a wall to guide me through. I could swear I was being watched, followed... I was getting scared. Really scared. My heart started thudding, and I picked up my pace. But it felt as if whatever was following me was getting closer, despite my attempt to move faster. So I began to run. Fast. My hair flowed behind me as I began to hear heavy breathing other than my own. My heart pounded against my chest now, with such force I thought it might burst. I felt like I was being suffocated with the dust in here, pouring into my lungs. Sweat trickled down my face - I could feel my pulse at my fingertips - the sound of the breathing turned into eerie laughter, and growls - I hit a dead end. Whatever was pursuing me was getting terribly close. I pounded against the wall blocking me in the darkness, my fists hurting, arms flailing. I could hear it, only a few feet away from me. It was menacing, horrifying - I could soon smell its horrid breath, which smelled like week-old roadkill. The scent overwhelmed me as it inched closer, my fists still slamming against the door. I was coughing, my eyes were burning - then out of what seemed like sheer luck - The wall, or door, swung open. I sprinted out of the hallway and closed the door shut behind me, not looking back. Whatever was chasing me was trapped now, away from me. Looking around, I soon realized I was in a room, colored beige and black. This room was inexplicably light, since there were no lightbulbs or windows. But it as clear as day, and it wasn't as eerie. In the center of the room was a table. On the table was a little glass bottle with a purple substance, and a small piece of red velvet cake with white icing. It looked tempting, but my mind was too clouded with fear to eat or drink. I backed up into a corner and sat there, crying, for the longest time. "Aren't you going to take a sip from the glass? You must know much time has passed. The pastry is fresh, don't let it go bad - it'll be the best pastry you've ever had," said an unseen, sickly voice. It creaked at the beginning of each word, and something told me that whoever - or whatever - just spoke to me was being forced to speak in rhyme. "Who's there?" I shouted, wiping away my tears, and standing up on my two feet. "Show yourself!" I called out. It laughed, its voice creaking and cracking, and this did send chills up my spine. "If this is what I must do for you to eat your dish, I will do exactly as you wish," it said. Suddenly the walls were covered in what I would describe as a black shadow. The shadow grew up on the walls, ceiling and floor, leaving a space around me and the table. Then it all gathered together on one spot above me - then it dropped, down onto the floor, in the silhouette of a person. But this wasn't human. No, it wasn't - this was too disgustingly ghastly to be human. It turned around, and I could see a mask it wore. It was white, the face of a barn owl. Its beak opened, and it spoke once more. "All you need to find your friend is a golden key, but you must comply to my rules and you must not flee." I nodded hesitantly. "What... what do I have to do...?" "You'll grab my hands and music will play and together we will dance. You stay here with me forever, and away your friend will prance." My heart skipped a beat. "Wha - why can't we both go? What are you talking about? Where is she?" "Eat the food that was given to you, and place your palms in mine. You'll stay here and she will go, don't worry, you'll both be fine!" it said, nodding toward the table. I put my hands over my ears and shook my head. "No! NO! Get me out of here! Let Haylie and I go!" "No little Olive, one must stay. You give us your life and your friend goes away. For a reward, one must pay a price. One very dear, one very nice." "How do you know my name? Get me away from here!" I'm even more terrified than I was in the hall. But I felt paralyzed... I couldn't move. I was frozen to the spot. The thing's face, or mask, was emotionless, but all at once so scary. It soon began inching toward me. "Aren't you going to eat your meal? How wonderfully amazing you will then feel. Eat it and you can free your friend, with this key you can unlock all the land," it said, coming even closer, now waving an old golden key. I still couldn't move anything but my face, and that wasn't much help. Tears of pure fear trickled down my face as it came only inches away from me. It put the key away and held the glass with the purple fluid in one hand, and the piece of cake in the other. It shoved them closer to my face. I closed my mouth. "Eat it darling, doesn't it look appetizing? You'll find its effect is rather tranquilizing." I kept my mouth tight shut, refusing to eat. God knows if that's poison or something. "Last chance, little Olive, you best take it now, so you can have the key and leave your friend safe and sound. She's in danger little Olive, and so are you - I'll not give you three seconds, maybe just two." One... Two. The seconds passed, and suddenly, the figure began to tower over me. More arms protruded from its sides, two holding the back of my head, two digging into my mouth, forcing it open. Two more hands poured in the disgusting, burning purple substance onto my tongue, making me want to gag. I couldn't even taste the cake - it was shoved all the way down my throat into my stomach. The hands in my mouth retracted and grabbed hold of my legs, two more grabbing hold of my waist. I wondered why it would want to hold me so tightly for a second, but then the answer became evident. My body began shaking painfully and violently. I began screaming so loudly, so painfully that it sounded alien. My heart wasn't just pounding against my chest, it was trying to come out. I could feel it trying to break through my sternum, hurting so much I was sure this was death. I felt my eyes roll back and my body began to shake even more, my heart's thudding cracking my bones on the inside. I had multiple seizures, and this seemed to last a good ten minutes, before my heart finally fell out from my chest. Blood poured profusely from the gaping hole in my body, but I was shocked at the fact that I was still alive. My heart continued beating as it rested on the floor, flopping like a fish out of water. I screamed and cried louder. Looking down at my blood-drenched body, I realized the hole in my chest was.. closing up, regenerating, on its own. The thing lost its grip on me, its arms all retracting back to its body. It stood in front of me in silence as I caught my breath, doubling over. I could move again, as in I wasn't paralyzed, but I was so weak I fell to my knees, coughing the last of my internal blood. Looking back up, I saw the thing was gone. Disappeared. With my heart. The key was on the table. Absolutely terrified, I snatched it, and looked around the room to find another door, or window, something where I could escape from, but I saw nothing. Nothing at all. I felt hopeless. Scared. So many emotions in just one little girl, could it be contained for long? I sat in the same corner in which I did before, crying again. Tears flowed and flowed, down my face and onto the floor, until I had cried so much I realized that the floor around me was... flooding.. How odd.. But at this point, nothing could've really shocked me.. I couldn't stop crying. The room flooded up to my waist, and even though I wanted to stop crying, I just couldn't. Tears continuously poured out from my eyes uncontrollably, making a pool of salty tears. When I stood, it was well above my knees, soon up to my waist. Then.. the tears.. turned red. A dark, thick red. Was I crying... blood? I kept a tight grip on the key. The fear wouldn't leave - I was so scared, my arms trembled. Was I just going to have to wait here, to drown in this blood, or whatever it is? Then, I looked up at the ceiling. I don't know why I did, I just did. And luckily, despite the fact that the blood was reaching my shoulders now, I was able to see a door, barely visible since it was covered with the wallpaper. I felt around underneath the thick red liquid until I would feel the table. I dragged it under the door on the ceiling, and stood on it. I could make out the door, and a keyhole. I poked it through with the dripping-red key, and it fit. But when I tried to turn it, it barely moved. I tried with all my strength as the blood flooded higher and higher, but it was stuck. The blood was once again at my waist, crawling up my chest, up to my shoulders. I screamed, pounded on the door, tried to turn the key, but nothing worked - the blood reached my neck, putting heavy pressure on my throat - I kept on trying to turn the key, but it wouldn't move - I screamed more - the blood reached my mouth - my nose - my eyes. I was completely engulfed in the blood, left to drown. One last time, I tried to turn the key - Nothing. I began to feel lightheaded. I was left here to die, and for all I know, so was Haylie - The single sound of an explosion popped my eardrums. I could breathe again - feeling around me, I was on grass. I opened my eyes but squinted, letting them adjust to a bright light outdoors. Looking around me, I was no longer covered in blood. My clothes weren't even stained red. I was just there, in an open meadow, lying with my hair in my face. I brushed it back and stood. Something was wrong with my vision; everything would shrink, then grow bigger, go in focus and out of focus. I noticed a small cabin not too far from me, and I was drawn to it, but I stumbled a few times on the way. Every now and then I was sure I caught a glimpse of the white rabbit, but I was too dizzy and everything was just so fuzzy and I was so confused I let it go. Soon I could feel the door, and I knew I had made it to the cabin. I grabbed hold of the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door inward. I could see stairs. Stupidly, I took a single step, missed, and stumbled all the way down the stairs. When I landed on a flat surface, I saw something really, really out of the ordinary. In my dreamy, confused state, I walked toward it, and I was positive I was going insane when staring back at me was a giant centipede with two large, black eyes. I fell backwards, unable to get up again. My vision was getting even worse. "Eat this," it said. Its voice was haunting, like an echo, or vibrations. Out from under it, it rolled something toward me. Unthinkingly, I grabbed it, and instantly dropped it. "Ow!" I yelled. Whatever it was, it was covered in what felt like needles. "Eat it," the centipede repeated. "It'll let you see better again." Now, I don't know if it was me and my insanity again, but something told me I could trust this thing. Anyway, I didn't want to go through the same terror I did earlier. I grabbed it again cautiously. I tried to look at it, but my vision kept on going out of focus. So I shoved it in my mouth. I wanted to scream as the needles pierced into my tongue, and the roof of my mouth. But I couldn't - it quickly dissolved in my mouth. My vision went black for a second, then - I could see better again. The centipede was indeed huge. It gave me one last look before crawling up the wall behind it, across the ceiling and up the stairs eerily. There were no other doors or windows in here, so without another option I climbed back up the stairs. The door was left ajar, and I sprinted through it. I no longer saw a vast meadow before me. Instead, I was in another forest. Turning around, I noticed the house disappeared. Chills went up my spine as I heard voices whispering... was this all in my head..? No. In the distance I saw movement. Desperate to find my friend and to get the hell out of this place, I crept toward it. Through the bushes and trees I saw something that I thought would only exist in nightmares. Horrible, horrible, nightmares. A table was set, and at it were three beings. A humanoid-looking being, covered in pitch-black fur with bug eyes, and two shiny black horns protruding from its head; two nasty-looking over-sized grey rats, one with a black spot on its right eye and the other with the spot on its left eye. To fill in the other seats were disturbing, pale while porcelain dolls, with their eyes poked out and their bodies cracked and clothes worn. The three beings were talking loudly, spitting in every direction. On the dark purple tablecloth was a tea set, with little dirty cups and plates at each chair. It was all so unwelcoming. I was just about to turn back around when something called out to me. " 'Ey yuh, leetle gurl ova' dere, get ova' heere!" Turning back around, the right-spotted rat was waving its paw for me to come closer. I hesitantly did, and felt three pairs of eyes staring at me as I looked down on my feet, beside a chair with a doll in it. This doll's hair looked pulled out, its dress green with different colored stains. Left-spotted rat came around and shoved the doll to the ground, and I saw its head crack. I flinched, and sat down in its place. I glanced at it once more, as if to say sorry, but I realized it was only a doll, and looked back at the three beings at the table. "What's yer name?" Left-spotted rat said carelessly. "...Olive," I replied quietly. The humanoid-looking thing burst with laughter, spitting whatever was in its mouth all over the place. The two rats then began laughing as well. I flashed a fake smile, and they went silent again. "What kinda' animal 'r yuh?" Right-spotted rat said disgustedly. "I'm a human," I said. "A human girl." They laughed again, spitting even more of their chewed-up contents all over the table. Humanoid thing was the first to shut up this time. "Damn, how ugly can 'dese creatures get? First 'dere's de fish, den de rats-" the two rats eyed him "-de monkees, now dah human girs?" He erupted once more into laughter, then Left-spotted rat smacked him with a stale piece of bread, making him shut up. "What'r ya here fer?" asked Right-spotted. I gulped, then replied, "I'm looking for my friend Haylie." "Hmmm..." said the rat, "Yer friend is lost sumwheres heere?" it questioned. Left-spotted was whispering into the humanoid's ear. I nodded. "I know where yer friend is. But if yuh want me ta tell yah, yuh have ta prove yerself ta me." Left-spotted stopped whispering and Humanoid stopped listening to him. They just both turned to Right-spotted. "Mah buds an' I will go stand by dat tree ova' dere," he said, nodding toward a lone tree in the distance. "Yuh stay heere, an' take on whateva comes yer way. Got it?" Without giving me a chance to reply, they all stood from the chairs, Humanoid chuckling. They all walked over to the tree, and stood there. Looking around nervously, I wondered what was going to happen now. Then to my left, I heard a glass break. Turning, I saw something that scared me out of my mind. The dolls were standing up on the table, staring into my soul with their absent eyes. They all had shards of glass in their hands, walking toward me. I stood from the chair and was about to run away when I remembered Haylie. Anyway, where would I go if I did run off? I stood on the other end of the table and as the dolls charged toward me, I kicked them. Two of the six fell off the table and shattered. Four left to go. I went to kick another one, but it stabbed my leg with the shard of glass. I let out a deafening scream. Before the doll could puncture me again, I raised my other leg and smashed the doll with my foot. It was all going good - until I looked at the woods around me. More and more dolls were emerging from the woods. I kept on kicking, smashing, throwing - but they kept on coming and kept on stabbing my flesh. Soon I was in too much pain to continue. I collapsed and tried to fend off the dolls coming towards me, but this was no use. Their empty eye sockets seemed to contain happiness with every stab, every scream I let out. Looking down, I could see I was bleeding profusely from the deep wounds. I began to feel dizzy again... I couldn't see right - When I opened my eyes, I was in total darkness. I felt like I was walking on air. Looking down, my wounds were still bleeding, but I didn't feel pain. I fell to my knees when the terrible sound of nails on a chalkboard screeched into my ears. When the sound went away, I looked up and saw the face of some animal. Somewhat like a cat, but not exactly. It was a bluish color, and a peculiar smile showed a long array of razor sharp, blood stained teeth. Its eyes were white, and looked rolled back. "Hello, hello, hello there, child," it said, its voice soft but still eerie. The face turned to the side and disappeared, giving me a glimpse of its body - which was a skeleton. I jumped slightly, but continued staring straight ahead, waiting for it to come out once more. But after a good bit of silent, even disturbing waiting, I decided to speak. "Hello," I called. My voice echoed. Suddenly above me, its face appeared again. I jumped, a little more than before. "Name? Name? Name? What's your name, child?" It disappeared again into the darkness. I could feel it circling me, but I couldn't see it. I wasn't sure if this thing was a threat or not. "Olive," I said, seeing movement from the corners of my eyes in this darkness. "Olive like olives, the olives in Greece. Delicious olives, nasty olives, Olive, Olive." Soon it became visible, circling me. Its face was the only thing with flesh; everything else was bone. This was weird, yes, but wasn't everything else I saw here weird? "Who are you?" I asked, not knowing what else to say. It stopped in front of me, sitting down before me. "I'm just a cat, a cat, a cat," it said. Looking at it more carefully, I couldn't tell if it was getting bigger, or if it was my imagination. Maybe I was getting smaller? "You're an odd looking cat," I couldn't help but say. "Very repetitive too." It laughed and nodded. "How did I get here?" I asked. The cat seemed nice enough for me to ask these questions to, unlike the masked man, the centipede, the humanoid, or the rats. But I kept my distance, and set my boundaries. "Here? Here means now, here means the place you speak in - you got here because there's nowhere else to go." "What? What are you talking about? I need to find my friend," I said. The cat shrunk back to its original size, and all I could see was its face again. It didn't stop smiling, showing off those carnivorous teeth. "Your friend? Friends are nice. It's nice to have friends. But I feel you might have to forget about your friend," it said, its face floating up to be level with mine. "Wha-what? I can't - no - I have to find her!" I said, dumbstruck. The cat shook its head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. The Queen has your friend, the Queen keeps all, the Queen finishes all," it said, disappearing once more. "The Queen? Where is this Queen?" "This way, this way, this way," it said, its tail appearing and pointing up north. "But it's no use in going. No use, no use." "Why?" I asked. I noticed that I was much braver then than when I had arrived. Hopefully I'd stay this way. The cat's tail went away with a flick, and I flinched a bit when he popped out in front of me again. "The Queen dislikes you very, very, very much," he said. At this point I was pretty sure his smile was permanent. His sharp fangs glistened in an unseen light, tainted red. "The Queen dislikes all foreigners, all, all, all." "How does she know I'm here...?" I asked. He was completely gone now. I heard a rustle to the left, I looked, and nothing was there; I heard something towards the right, and nothing was there either. I was beginning to get a bit creeped out - where did this cat go? What's he doing? I repeated the question, and still no answer. Soon there was a sickening, crush sound, like when you step on a giant roach, magnified. Or better yet, when an oncoming car crushes a raccoon's skull. I shivered. "The Queen... knows... all..." came a sickly, broken voice behind me. Turning around, I could see the cat, with its white eyes and razor sharp teeth, digging into the flesh of something enormous - "What is that?" I said, shocked. It looked like an over-sized human, round and now covered in its own blood, as well as the cat's face. Its eyes were mutilated, its bottom jaw torn off. The meat and tendons that once held it hung down, dripping in blood. "Hush! Hush! Hush!" screeched the cat. "If I speak anymore, she'll find me! She'll find me, find me! Don't don't don't make me speak anymore, please please please!" It let out a horrifying scream and bit down into the meaty flesh of its prey, as if some unseen force was making him do so against his will. Suddenly he grew bigger and bigger, towering over me once more. He soon made its prey look miniscule. His own jaw swung back at a 200 degree angle and gulped it down. When he bit down, blood splattered everywhere, all over me. The cat looked once more at me, coughed, and began to speak, "Leave, leave, leave! Now! She's listening!" He then screamed again, and disappeared. I had no idea where the cat had gone, or what was happening to him, but I didn't want to stay to find out. I ran through the darkness, up in the direction in which he had pointed, hoping I'd find the right way. How odd, this was, to run and run but not feel the pulse in your head. Did this make me a zombie? I could now hear the same, bloodcurdling screams. One after another, and even more crushing sounds - I put my hands over my ears to stop it, but it began getting worse and worse. They got louder, more terrifying. It seemed to get worse with each step I took, every breath, each trickle of sweat that ran down my face. It sounded like a slaughterhouse - animals screeching - horrifying crushing sounds - I couldn't stop running - banging sounds - nails on a chalkboard - even chainsaws! In the distance, I saw a glint of light. I was a bit relieved but continued running. The sounds got even louder - louder - I felt something cold on my ears. Touching them, I felt a liquid substance. My ears were bleeding. Once I realized this, a sharp pain shot through my head. I collapsed, screaming, crying. The light was so close, but yet so far. The pain was pounding at me like fists. The sounds coming from the darkness were killing me, slowly, painfully. I rolled on my stomach and got on all fours with difficulty. I began pulling myself through the darkness, the pain overwhelming me. I was struggling, shaking - But soon I made it. I was there, in the light, out of the darkness. The screaming stopped, and so did the bleeding. Silence washed over me. I fell onto the grass, weak. I closed my eyes, and somehow, despite the fact that I have been living in pure hell, I managed to sleep. And I slept, and slept, a dreamless, calm sleep. It felt like days had passed, but it felt so peaceful, so beautiful - Until I woke up. I was standing before a castle. It was checkered red, black and white. It was colossal, the biggest thing I had ever seen. But that didn't capture my attention - something else did. I couldn't move, mouth included. Only my eyes. My eyes darting around, I realized my legs were chained, my lips stitched together. My arms were spread out wide, making my body look crucified, chained to horizontal poles. Looking at who, or what, was holding the poles up, lifting my feet off the ground, I saw what I'd describe as over-sized playing cards with faces - but they had no eyes or nose, only a mouth, and the mouths seemed... burned shut... They dragged me into the castle, its giant double doors opening slowly and loudly. Entering, I was greeted by a long, dim hallway, lit only by torches on the walls. Ahead of me was a throne - and in it, sat a woman. She was short, plump, and hideous. Her lips were painted a sick blue, pursed into a thin, cracked line. Her eyelids were sagging, painted red, and the rest of her face was wrinkly and painted white. She wore a red and brown stained once-vanilla colored dress. She smelled of week-old roadkill - just like whatever had been chasing me in the hallway when I arrived. Obviously, I was staring right at the same creature. The card men paused about three yards away from her. Behind me I heard the doors close, then something rolling my way. I couldn't turn around and see, but by its sound I was pretty sure it was huge, and it had stopped just behind me. One of the card men grabbed the end of a chain behind my back, and as more cardmen lifted me up even higher, I was hooked onto the thing behind me. It was a wall or something to hold me up. The card men then bowed before the ugly woman. Suddenly, it hit me - this was the queen. "Yes, indeed I am the Queen," she said in a horrifying voice that sounded inhuman, animalistic, as if she could read my mind. "Yes, I can read your mind." Oh shit. "You're really young, child, you shouldn't be using such vulgar language," she said with obviously false sincerity. She stood and seemed to float down the steps. She had a slight hunch on her back. Like I said, hideous. She gasped. "How dare you?" she said, shocked. "You must never think of your Queen this way, you horrid human girl! Take her to the Dungeons!" Now, this was clearly very unfair and I often wondered if she wanted to put me in the Dungeons all along, just using that for an excuse. But I was so scared, I remained silent and tried to clear out my mind of all thoughts completely. In the Dungeons, I heard many voices - mumbling of the insane, weeping of the unstable, snoring of the tired, and laughter of the bad. Where did I belong in here? Was I the only silent one? I was chained to the wall by more card men. The Queen eyed me carefully. When the card men were sure that I was tightly chained up, the Queen approached me. She stared deep into me, her nasty breath making my nose scrunch up. She laughed, and with long bony fingers, she grabbed one end of the thread that bound my lips together. She pulled, and it hurt. A lot. "Where's Haylie?!" I screamed at her once I could speak. The card men inched toward me, but stopped when she lifted her finger. Then she pointed her finger to my right, and moved out of the way. I let out a scream in despair. "Haylie!" I cried. She was there, alright. Hanging limply from the chains, her eyes open but glassy. Her face was pale and emotionless. She was dead. "There, there child," said the Queen, still speaking in a fake tone. "You see, your friend gave her life for you." I screamed. And screamed. Louder and louder. "Fuck you!" I yelled in the Queen's face, making her flinch. "Fuck you! I hope you rot in Hell!" The Queen laughed sarcastically then instantly made a serious face. Looking me dead in the eye she told her card men, "Kill this one, too." Without another word, she turned away, and her card men inched closer. Using the edges of their bodies, they sliced into my skin, deep into my flesh, slicing my veins, one by one. I could see my own blood spilling out of me as they painfully cut into me, tearing my tendons and organs. I got dizzy again. Lightheaded. And then - for another time - I awoke in a familiar place. I was filled with joy before even knowing why. Then it hit me - I was in my room. I stood from the bed, running to the living room, where my parents were watching the morning news as usual. They flashed me smiles, as if I never left. "I'm back, I made it, Mom!" I cheerfully exclaimed, hugging her. When I pulled away, I saw they were both giving me strange looks. "What are you talking about, Olive?" asked my mother, puzzled. "Back from where?" "I was gone - for days - how didn't you? - the rabbit - the owl man, the centipede - the rats and the skeleton cat - the Queen-" "That's enough chocolate before you go to bed, I don't want you eating anything at least two hours before you sleep. Giving you these crazy dreams..." said my father. "Where's Haylie?" I asked. "...Who?" asked my mother. "Haylie, my friend -" "Go back to bed, it's seven, it's a Saturday." "But-" "Go." So I did. I crawled back into bed. I could hear my parents talking in the kitchen. "She's always had these crazy, nonsense dreams," said my mother in a frustrated tone. "Who's this Haylie she was talking about?" asked my father. "I don't know. If this happens again I'm calling a specialist-" I zoned them out from my hearing. I took my index and middle fingers from my right hand and placed them on my left wrist. No pulse. I sighed. He kept my heart. Turning over to my side, my eyes already drifting off, I caught a glimpse of a light on my nightstand. Looking closer, I saw something - The golden key.

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