I, Neil: An Alice in Deadland Adventure (Alice, No. 8)

by Mainak Dhar

  I stand up and look around me. Biters are much like humans. We need to be led, we seek those whom we think can lead us. These Biters around me have nobody to lead them, nobody to tell them that their lives can be more than they have seen so far. Alice could have done it. She has done it for so many years now. I would have never thought myself capable of it. But now, seeing them in cages, seeing what Appleseed has done to them, seeing the corpses outside the White House, and most importantly, after having seen my dream, I will try.

  ***

  Appleseed has me back in his office. The board behind him is filled with charts and scribbles, and he is typing into a computer when I come in. He looks up at me, but seems so lost in his work that it takes him several moments before he acknowledges my presence.

  'This is fascinating. I thought chemical stimulation was the way, but perhaps electrical stimulation is what we need.'

  I have no idea what he is talking about, but then the door opens and four large soldiers wearing black uniforms come in. They are leading a Biter in, guiding him with a long prong around his neck. I bristle at the sight and start towards them but Appleseed stops me.

  'Wait. We have a deal, don't we?'

  'A deal? I came here so you could learn about me and so Robertson could use me for his purposes. Not this.'

  Appleseed motions for the soldiers to stop and then turns the computer screen towards me. I see a hooded figure sitting on a chair with his hands bound behind him. There is a red patch where his mouth should be. A man steps into the frame and hits him in the face, the dull thud echoing in the small room where they are holding him. He then removes the hood and I see a familiar face staring back at me.

  It is John Ayer. One of his eyes is closed shut and swollen and he is bleeding from the mouth. He winks at me with the other eye.

  'Do what you gotta do, buddy. I can take a fair bit more punishment from these sissies.'

  Another punch rocks his head back as the screen fades to black. Nothing more needs to be said. It is the game people like Robertson play so well. Using threats and deception to get their way. And then they want a return to human civilization. Is this what human civilization was like? Is that what the world will be like once again if people like Robertson have their way? I have heard of Biters being called monsters. Who is the real monster here? I look at the Biter and he is pleading for mercy through his low growls. I walk towards him and look him in the eye. Do I see a monster, or do I see a brother? Am I Neil or am I Bunny Ears?

  I step back as the soldiers push him onto a bed and strap him in and put a clamp around his mouth so he cannot bite. Appleseed puts some wires around his head and pushes a button. The Biter's whole body jerks and shakes again and again as Appleseed keeps pushing the button.

  'Get him into the scan, quick! Let's see if we got the right areas of the brain activated.'

  I keep sitting there, and within a few minutes, Appleseed is back, pacing up and down the room.

  'Nothing, dammit, nothing!'

  I have never seen him this agitated, and perhaps for the first time, I wonder if he is crazy, or if his passion for this has something driving it that is stronger than Robertson's orders. Neil speaks for me, and the words are out before I can form them in my mind.

  'Why is this so important to you?'

  He looks at me, and his eyes redden.

  'Because only then will it have been for something. Only then will it have served any purpose.'

  'What are you talking about?'

  He slams his fist on the table, sending paper flying in all directions.

  'I lost my mother in the Rising. As a young kid, I saw her being turned into a Biter. My dad saved me and got me to safety. I was a great student, and I kept at my studies, telling myself one day we would cure this thing. That was the one thing that kept me going. Then I lost my dad. Do you know who my dad was?'

  He is now looking straight at my eyes.

  I shake my head, wondering how I should know his father.

  'His name was General John Appleseed. He was killed by Alice in your Deadland.'

  The big, bald Zeus general, who had captured Alice, who had threatened to destroy the little freedom we had won. The one who had killed the Queen and in turn been killed by Alice on the day when she became who she is now. When she transformed from a young girl to the half Biter, half human whom we all follow in Wonderland.

  Appleseed is now pacing the room, mumbling to himself, and I think of how many lives have been destroyed by the evil men who brought about the Rising in the first place. Men like Robertson, who are still not content with the destruction they have wrought but are willing to destroy more lives to gain power; men like Tunks, who are driven by vendetta and hate, blinded to the consequences of their actions; men like Appleseed, who are so scarred by it all that they have become more terrible than the so-called terror they seek to fight.

  'Get me on the line with Robertson. I can fix all this for you.'

  Appleseed looks skeptical, but then within minutes, I am looking at Robertson on the screen.

  'I can get Biters to talk for you. You don't need to cut their skulls or inject them, but to do that, I need something in return.'

  He is leaning forward now. I have his attention.

  'You will release John and fly him back to Wonderland. I will appear on your news with my Biters only when I receive confirmation that he is back in Wonderland.'

  'What if you do not deliver after we let your friend go?'

  'As a token of good faith, I can tell you where Adam Tunks' bunker is. We went there before we came to visit you.'

  He blinks, as if not sure whether he should believe me, and then I ask for him to have someone ask John.

  'Tell him that I said it was okay for him to share it now.'

  A soldier returns within minutes with a piece of paper that he shows Robertson. He looks up at me, wondering what else I have in mind.

  'Destroying Tunks is only half the game for you, is it not? If he falls, another will take his place. You need to establish your leadership over the people and for that you need to show that you can keep the Biters under control. I can help you with that. Come down here, and we will appear on your news together. I will speak of you as the leader to follow, and I will have other Biters speak on camera.'

  'How will you manage that?'

  'Leave that to me.'

  He thinks it over and then he just nods.

  'Your pal will be on his way home, and I'll come by tomorrow night. You better keep your part of the bargain.'

  As the screen fades to black, I realize I have done something no Biter would know to do. I have gambled, or rather Neil has helped me gamble. The next day will show if anything comes out of it other than my own death.

  ***

  TEN

  They have a giant screen set up here, so big that it is visible from any corner of the camp. King tells me that when this venue was used as a stadium, they would show close-up footage of the game being played. Now this is where they show news proclaiming the supposed merits of Robertson's rule. I suppose it is for benefit of the guards and scientists, but all the Biters are also watching, perhaps taking in more than Robertson and his staff imagine.

  A woman kicks off the broadcast, and then the screen fades to show black and white footage of their air strikes.

  'The latest from the war on terror is that a combination of Special Forces and air strikes has destroyed the headquarters of the Whitefish Rockets terror group. Reports are coming in that their leader, Adam Tunks, has been wounded and captured in the operation, though details are still sketchy. For an update, we go to a spokesperson from Washington.'

  I now see a man in a black uniform, looking quite pleased with himself as he takes the questions.

  'Tell us more about how this operation unfolded.'

  'Acting on specific intelligence, we got boots on the ground, and our special forces were able to guide in air strikes to the headquarters and then go in to mop up any remaining resista
nce.'

  'What was the breakthrough that led to this? After all, Tunks and his group have been spreading terror for months.'

  The man smiles broadly before replying.

  'I cannot go into details of tactics and techniques employed, but we had a breakthrough that we exploited.'

  The screen fades again and I can see Robertson, looking very happy.

  'My fellow Homelanders. It gives me great pleasure to announce that one of the most brutal terror groups standing in the way of stability has been neutralized and their leader is now in our custody. The next step in my campaign to rebuild and restore our great country is to reintegrate Biters, and tomorrow I will have a very special live broadcast for you.'

  As the screen fades to black, I sit back against the walls of the cage where I am sitting.

  Tunks threatened Wonderland, and we eliminated him through Robertson.

  The enemy of an enemy is a friend.

  That's what Tunks said. He hoped to use us against Robertson to further his own interests. As a Biter, enemy and friend were clear, but as a human, it seems whom you use and whom you trust can change. Which is better? Which makes more sense to me? Maybe I have been a Biter for too long, but why is that the simplicity of a Biter's life seems better than the many ways in which humans complicate their lives?

  But now I have more immediate concerns. Robertson has already announced that he will be here tomorrow, and I need to be ready. I look around the cage. I have already spent time with each and every Biter in this cage, and none of them can meet my needs yet. I gambled a bit when I told Robertson about getting a Biter to talk. What would a human call it?

  Bait.

  But it was not just a blind gamble. I realized I could speak a bit even when I first met Alice, and uttered her name when we were struggling against her in our underground base. I have seen a few other Biters who can say a word or two. I don't know why that is so, but perhaps some of us are different. I certainly don't know what has led me to remember so much of who I was and to recover so much of my ability to talk. Is it just the time spent with Alice and the other humans like Aalok? Is it something in my blood or brains, as Appleseed would think? Is it because I saw some things linked to my past life in Wonderland that triggered those memories—an old certificate, meeting a girl named Neha? Perhaps I will never know the answer, but what I know is that I don't need a Biter who can remember his past or talk a lot. I just need a few who can say a couple of words, and I am counting on the fact that among the thousands of Biters here, I can find them. If I know how Robertson works, he will be here with cameras broadcasting his latest success, and I need the Biters to talk not for Robertson alone, but for the cameras. So that people everywhere in the Homeland can see for themselves who we are and what we want.

  I motion to the guard outside the cell.

  'I am done here. Take me to the next cell.'

  I enter the next cell and all the Biters all move back a step and gather around me. I scan their faces. Where you see monsters I see those who are lost. Those who have lost everything. They live from one moment to another, the only thing on their mind their immediate survival. Doctor Edwards told me something about a fight-or-flight reflex and how some part of the human brain, something he called reptilian, housed those basic emotions which over the years humans had shielded and covered up. Being a Biter seems to unleash those instincts. Along with those instincts comes the instinct to be part of a pack, to be led. I am now playing that part as I walk among them, looking each one in the eye and speaking in a low voice. The words are simple, but then I am no politician. But perhaps, more importantly, I am one of them.

  'The time will come soon when we will be free. When you will no longer have to be hunted down, when you can live in peace. But to do that, I need you to help me. Will you help me?'

  My question is greeted with a roar of approval so I tell them what I need.

  I am now done with four cages and have met hundreds of Biters. They will all support me when I need them, but I have not yet found those who can help me in the most important part of the day to come. The part that will determine whether we succeed or not—for I fully plan to kill Robertson when I get the chance, but changing the minds of the people in the Homeland, getting them to see us as something more than monsters, will require the Biters here to do more than kill. I enter another cage and begin talking to them, but I don't seem to be getting through. Then Neil whispers to me. He has an idea, one I had not thought of.

  I call for Sam King and he arrives, not looking too happy at being woken up in the middle of the night.

  'I need a tablet through which I can talk to Alice.'

  He looks at me as if I have lost my mind.

  'Now?'

  'Yes. You do want me to be ready when Robertson comes tomorrow, don't you?'

  He appears a few minutes later, carrying a tablet. He has called the Looking Glass and I can see Danish on the screen. The old man breaks out into a broad grin when he sees me.

  'Neil. Am I happy to see you! John just landed and has been telling us all about your adventures.'

  I know now that John is safe. At least Robertson has kept this part of his bargain.

  'Can you get Alice on the tablet fast?'

  Then Alice is there, looking at me. I wonder if and when I will see her again. If I will ever get back to Wonderland and the people who have become my friends.

  'Alice, I need your help.'

  After talking to her, I pass the tablet to King. He hesitates at first with my request but then I ask him if he would rather get permission from Robertson by waking him up at this time or explain himself the next day when I tell Robertson that I failed because of King.

  As his men hook up his laptop, the giant screen flickers to life. All eyes, human and Biter alike, are now on it. We are all looking at Alice.

  'To all of you whom I see in cages, know that a cage is not a place for a human being. And that is what all of you are. Humans. What all of us are. What I am. My father used to tell me that the easiest way in which men make people hate each other is to play up the differences between them. That is what so many of those who would lead us have done, and continue to do. I grew up thinking Biters were inhuman monsters, as did many others like me. Then I learned more about the Rising and learned that there was more to our world than you may learn through the news channels of those who rule us. I became who I am today and learned that humanity does not lie in how you look or the label people stick on you, but in who you are inside.'

  Every single Biter is staring at her, and the guards are now looking at each other. For those living in the Homeland, Alice was an inspiration and a heroine when General Konrath was in power, but Robertson has tried to ensure that she is not in the news. Wonderland is portrayed as some distant land where Alice is creating her own strange experiment, not something that could happen in the Homeland. Now his soldiers will see for themselves what and who Alice really is. Appleseed is also now on the grounds and his eyes narrow as he looks upon the person who killed his father.

  'We have spent many years hating and fighting each other. I have lost family and friends and I have killed many, and sometimes we must fight. But at times, it is important to ask why we hate and why we fight, and now I speak to the soldiers and scientists among you. In the early days of the Rising, people fought to protect their families, but who are you fighting for now? Why are you enslaving all these Biters and waging war among yourselves? After all we have gone through, should we not ask ourselves why we fight and for whom?'

  Many of the soldiers are now whispering among themselves and King is making no attempt to stop the proceedings.

  'My father used to serve the nation you all call home—a nation that he called the United States of America. He used to tell me that what made that nation great was that liberty was guarded not by politicians, armies or pieces of paper, but by the vigilance of each and every ordinary citizen. Ask yourself if you are truly fighting for freedom or bringing in another tyrant.'<
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  Almost every soldier is looking around uncertainly. In the past few moments, things have changed. Those who were holding us prisoner are questioning if they themselves are free, and when those questions start being asked, there is no going back. Appleseed storms back to his building—at least he is one who does not seem to be affected by Alice's words.

  'Tomorrow is the day you choose whether you want to be free. To all you Biters, give voice to what is on your minds. If you do not scream out your desire, why would anyone grant it to you? My old friend, Neil, is there among you, and he is living proof that being a Biter and being a human are not mutually exclusive. Freedom is never granted, it is wrenched from the hands of tyrants. Tomorrow is your chance. Good luck.'

  There is pin drop silence in the camp as the screen fades to black.

  ***

  Last night I slept longer than I ever remember doing, and I dreamt. I dreamt of wide open plains where Biters roam free. I dreamt of large cities where humans rebuild their lives free of tyrants like Robertson. It is not the same as Wonderland, and perhaps without Alice here it will never be, but at least there is peace. Humans and Biters give each other space to discover their destiny in their own ways. And I also saw where I fit into all this.

  I was leading a huge group of Biters. More than anyone could count. More than enough to fill the plains. To that same city and the chasm in the ground.

  When I woke up, all the Biters were kneeling.

  It has been just a few minutes since I woke up and now I am pacing up and down the cell, thinking of the day to come. Someone approaches. It is King, and the uniform he wears is not the black uniform of Zeus, but the uniform many of the resistance fighters loyal to General Konrath wore last time I was here in the Homeland.

  'Neil, I need to talk to you. Let's take a walk together.'

  That is another change. He just referred to me by my name.