Alice Unbound

by Colleen Anderson

  “Eleven-oh-six at night.” She watched him with curiosity.

  “Holy shit!” Gabriel raised both his arms above his head.

  Absolem sputtered, “This is, without a doubt, the most rude place I have ever visited.”

  “My watch says nine-oh-six,” said Gabriel. “So, I wasn’t in a different place. I went forward in time.”

  “Pardon?”

  Maya approached and then checked her cellphone against his watch. She nodded, and shouted, “Holy shit, indeed!”

  “I feel as though your rudeness is coordinated and intentional,” said Absolem, indignation radiating from his face. He patted his body and produced another cigar from a skin wrinkle. “Wait, you said you moved forward in time?”

  “Yes,” confirmed Gabriel.

  “But if your watch is two hours behind this young lady’s, then you stayed still while we went forward.”

  “It might seem that way, but I arrived in my future in only a few seconds of my subjective time, meaning you lived through two hours while I jumped forward.” Gabriel exchanged glances with Maya.

  “So…your machine is a time travel device?” said Absolem.

  “No, I told you,” Maya said exasperated, “it’s a teleportation device.”

  “As in…?”

  “As in moving objects and people across distances.”

  “Then why am I here?”

  Maya asked Gabriel, “What do you think?”

  Gabriel didn’t have an answer. Instead, he asked Maya, “What were you looking at?”

  Maya pulled him to the microscope.

  “Absolem’s blood. The most peculiar thing you’ll ever see.”

  “Peculiar?” said Gabriel.

  Gabriel glanced at Absolem, who nervously turned the cigar between his fingers. The caterpillar also had fingers! Gabriel stared at them, fascinated. What was Absolem and where had it come from?

  “His genome,” Maya resumed, “does not exist in any database. And that’s not the most intriguing aspect.”

  Well, obviously. He didn’t think anybody else had ever seen a creature like Absolem in human history. With the exception of the fictional Alice, of course.

  Maya said, “His genetic information isn’t stable.”

  Gabriel touched her shoulder and whispered, “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that one moment Absolem is something, then the compositional structure changes. His genetic map moves from one configuration to another every few minutes or so. None of them exist in our world.”

  “He is not of Earth,” murmured Gabriel. “And yet, he has a humanoid face and speaks English.”

  Gabriel turned to Absolem and brushed his fingers across the creature’s surface. His coarse and rough skin was solid enough. The caterpillar spoke a very educated version of English.

  Trying not to flinch when looking into the caterpillar’s eyes, Gabriel asked, “What did you say the gas or smoke was, exactly?”

  “It was the result of what I smoked.”

  “Yes, but what were you smoking?”

  “What else, my dear sir?”

  “What else than what, Absolem?” Gabriel felt feverish and faint, but he wanted clearer information. The danger intensified from so many unknown facts.

  “My mush… Oh, no.”

  “What?” Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest. “What was it?”

  “I thought it was my mushroom, but I remember now. I tried a brand-new elixir with my hookah.”

  Out of patience, Maya shouted, “What was it?”

  “Three parts red and two parts grey, of what once twas grime, and one part of the ivory shine.”

  “Can we have a clear answer for once?” Gabriel exploded.

  “No, wait,” said Maya. “It sounds like a chemical formula.”

  Gabriel waited for her to share her thoughts. She was way better at chemistry. He stepped closer to a crate and collapsed on it, closing his eyes. He felt weirdly tired and it was so hot that he removed his leather apron.

  “So, the three parts red should be a red substance…”

  “Why, blood, what else?” said Absolem, annoyed. “Sometimes I wonder what happened with young people…”

  “Three parts blood?” Gabriel murmured.

  “Whose blood?” Asked Maya.

  “The Jabberwock’s, of course. This was his elixir. The most potent one known, as the jabberwock’s the most amazing creature of them all.”

  “All right, so you smoke the blood of a fictional character…” Maya tried to keep her voice neutral.

  “No, it makes sense,” said Gabriel, his voice hushed. “The jabberwock is a…uh…”

  “A chimera,” Maya suggested.

  “Yes.”

  She asked, “Do you feel sick?”

  “No, just tired and…very hot.”

  Maya placed her hand on his forehead. “You’re feverish. I need to get you some ice.”

  “Not yet. The rest of the chemical formula…” Gabriel looked at Absolem, and said, “So, three parts jabberwock’s blood, one part grey that once was grime.”

  “Yes, that’s correct.”

  Maya pulled her hair into a ponytail and tied it with an elastic she kept on her wrist. “You’re killing me. What’s the grey part?”

  “Why, a bit of ash, of course,” replied Absolem.

  Gabriel asked, “Two parts grey?”

  “Yes, soaring ash from burning the feathers from the jabberwock’s wings, and crawling ash from burning some of its shedded skin.”

  Gabriel continued to unravel the clues, “And one part ivory something?”

  “A melted jabberwock’s scale, of course.”

  “Why three parts red? Is it the quantity that matters or…?”

  “Is it the same blood in all parts, Absolem?” Maya asked.

  “Why no. That would be silly.”

  Maya smiled patiently and tapped her foot.

  Absolem put his cigar back into his skin wrinkle and explained with an irritated voice, “One part of the jabberwock’s dragon blood, one part of its hydra blood, and one part of its spider blood.”

  Gabriel sighed. “That’s why his genome is the way it is…”

  They now knew every component, and yet didn’t know how time travel was possible or what had happened to transport the caterpillar.

  “All right, we may have the reason for your problem,” Maya said, “but let’s make sure. I discovered something I call the Chimera virus in Absolem’s blood. The pathogen eats away at his native blood cells, perverting his molecular structure.”

  She held Gabriel’s chin, gently, and looked him in the eye, trying to make him focus. Then she rolled up his sleeve and prepared a needle and a test tube. She inserted the needle into his vein, attaching the test tube and drawing blood. Gabriel felt so weak that he could barely keep his eyes open.

  Maya said, “My theory is that this elixir has done something, allowing its flesh to connect to our teleportation system. When we started the experiment, Absolem was sucked into the gate. It’s probable that Mr. Bones is now in Wonderland in Absolem’s place. So, we didn’t build a teleportation device that moved objects and people from one place to another. Instead, we built something that moves objects and creatures from one world to another.”

  She pulled out the needle, disinfected Gabriel’s arm, and put a bandage on. “He probably infected you when you inhaled the smoke. I’ll check to see if it’s the same strain.”

  Maya placed a glass of water in front of Gabriel: “Drink. Stay hydrated. You’re still feverish.”

  “I don’t have the Chimera virus, Maya. I slid through time, which…”

  Gabriel tipped the glass and emptied it with two deep gulps. He’d been thirsty. He rose, then slid forward into the time vortex.

  The vortex was beautiful and colourful, soft and gentle. It smelled of cardamom and sounded like a cat’s purr. He breathed with ease and allowed himself to be carried, finally feeling cool and relaxed. He hadn’t asked what the elix
ir was for, but considering the effect it had on Absolem, he imagined it didn’t know either. How could it impact a creature’s DNA, but more importantly, how would it affect his?

  Gabriel reappeared in the basement lab. A giant cocoon was fastened to the heating pipes. Maya slept, her head resting on the table, next to the microscope. Gabriel walked on uncertain legs, and leaned on the wall.

  “You’re back,” Maya’s voice soothed him. “Sit, rest. Are you hungry?” She pulled him to a chair and he collapsed without comment.

  Gabriel looked at his watch – 9:21. “Since the experiment started, I’ve only lived through about fifteen minutes, so I’m not hungry.”

  Maya nodded. She placed another glass of water in front of him and said, “Drink. I don’t know how much time we have so please, listen carefully.”

  “Sure, baby. Shoot.”

  “I need to stop this infection before I lose you.”

  “What do you mean lose? You think I’m going to die?”

  “Not necessarily. This time, you jumped ten hours in time. That is five times more than the last one. Assuming this factor of five applies to each instance, the next time you’ll jump for fifty hours, that’s more than two days. By the seventh jump, you’ll be gone for twenty years. That means I’ll lose you.”

  Her words sank in. Gabriel didn’t have much time to solve the problem. Even if, for him, every jump cost him only a minute or so, the world would keep revolving. In ten minutes of his subjective time, he would likely jump to a time when no one would know who he was, or what had happened to him. Eventually, the Earth would die. His life would soon become a series of trips through a vortex, followed by a ten-minute break here (or wherever), followed by another vortex, until he arrived in a time where he would die by asphyxiation, or poisoning, during the ten-minute break, maybe before he’d die of hunger or thirst.

  “We need the antidote, Gabe. And as always, it can only be with a sample from the original carrier. In this case—”

  “The jabberwock.”

  “Yes.”

  “But, that’s madness,” said Gabriel. “The Jabberwock lives in Wonderland.”

  “And we have a teleportation system connected to Wonderland.”

  “And the jabberwock is a huge, ferocious monster.”

  “Absolem told me that we can hire a Jabberwock hunter. That’s why I tried to send him back, but it didn’t work.”

  “Right… Is that a cocoon…”

  “Yes. Absolem began weaving it an hour after you jumped. When I suggested the theory, he insisted that his kind is the apex of their species, and that they never turn into butterflies. Apparently, butterflies come from flowers in Wonderland.”

  “What if the caterpillar-cocoon-butterfly metamorphosis was latent in his DNA, and has been awakened by the Chimera virus?”

  “That’s my working theory. Anyway, as I said, I used the teleportation device on him and it didn’t work.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s still here, or was…”

  “All right, what protocol have you tried?”

  “I tried the exact protocol with the same parameters as in our trial with Mr. Bones.”

  “But that’s for inanimate objects.”

  “Yeah, but it still brought Absolem here.”

  “You’re right.” Gabriel leaned his head on his hand. “What if we use the teleportation system on me?”

  “As if it’s not enough that you slip through time without any control.”

  Gabriel shrugged. Maya had always been level-headed. He’d chosen well, with her. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t have the opportunity to watch their relationship progress.

  “Anyway, I tried the teleportation device on him again, using the second protocol for living things. Still, nothing happened. A lot of lights and sparkles, but Absolem stayed.”

  Gabriel heard Maya’s answer as though it drifted through his dreams.

  “Gabe, stay awake!”

  He jolted awake. Why was he so tired?

  “Sorry, so you tried a second time.”

  “Yeah, so I thought perhaps because Absolem is a fictional character, of sorts, the device doesn’t recognize him.”

  “But we touched him, Maya. He’s real, tangible…”

  “I know, crazy. So…” She hesitated.

  “What did you do?”

  “I tried the experiment on myself.”

  “Maya!” He sounded harsher than he wanted. The idea of her in danger gave him a bad feeling. “It’s not ready for human trials.”

  “Well, anyway, it didn’t work on me either. I’m still here.”

  “How were you supposed to return if it worked, huh?”

  “I left you a note. Gabe!” She stopped him, exasperated. “There’s no time for this. The program doesn’t work anymore. So, I’m out of ideas. I don’t know how to save you.”

  Only now he noticed her voice cracking, fighting not to cry. And he didn’t have the strength to make it better. If there was no solution to reach Wonderland, they’d have to find another way to at least slow down his time-sliding. They might—

  The vortex sucked him in. He howled with frustration at the colours.

  He dropped from the vortex onto the same chair he’d been leaning on, right before he’d jumped. He exhaled loudly and rose.

  Absolem’s chrysalis still adhered to the heating pipes and wall. By now, the caterpillar probably didn’t exist, on its way to becoming a butterfly. He sighed and turned to his laptop, and froze. Absolem smoked a cigar a few steps away from the cocoon. Gabriel looked around – Maya was absent.

  “Welcome back, sir. You’ve arrived as your lady predicted.”

  “What are you doing here? No, more importantly, where’s Maya?”

  The basement door opened. Maya stepped inside. Gabriel exhaled, seeing her unharmed. After Maya, Absolem entered through the narrow door with some difficulty. Gabriel stopped breathing, looking in confusion from the caterpillar in the basement to the newcomer. Maya saw Gabriel and cried out. She ran to him. Another Maya entered after the second Absolem. The first Maya embraced him, then she examined him at arm’s length.

  “What’s going on?” he murmured.

  The first Maya looked at the second Maya coming to them with a big smile on her face, while the second Absolem undulating toward the first Absolem.

  “Ah, yes, a lot has happened in the days you’ve been time-sliding,” the first Maya said.

  “Why don’t you fill me in. I only have a few minutes left.” Gabriel collapsed back on the chair.

  “All right…uh, it seems that the teleportation works after all. But differently than expected.”

  Gabriel broke his stare at the two Absolems, avoided looking at the second Maya, and looked into first Maya’s eyes. Nothing seemed right. He asked, “What do you mean?”

  “Remember when I told you that I tried twice to send Absolem back and it didn’t work?”

  “Yup.”

  “Well, it actually worked. I did send him back…sort of. The thing is that the program doesn’t send live organisms away from our reality. It sends replicas. So, the real Absolem stayed behind, but a replica reached Wonderland. And then a second replica arrived.”

  “Then you tried it on yourself and a…”

  “Replica of myself went there, solved the problem, and brought the two Absolems back with a…uh…” Maya uncovered a cage – a little monster, the size of a hound, screeched at him from behind the bars.

  Gabriel stared, fascinated. “It’s a baby jabberwock!”

  “And we discovered the strain in its blood.”

  The second Maya came back with a syringe filled with a transparent fluid. She gave the syringe to the first Maya, who was already disinfecting Gabriel’s arm.

  “We have the antidote!” laughed the first Maya. She injected Gabriel.

  “Ah, guys?” the second Maya shouted. Gabriel turned. The two Absolems advanced toward the undulating cocoon. One of them placed his palm on the rou
gh textured surface. Suddenly, the cocoon blossomed to double its volume.

  “Don’t touch it!” Maya shouted.

  Too late – the cocoon exploded, filling the basement with remains and goo. Where the cocoon had been, a cloud of green mist swirled and expanded.

  An infernal shriek filled the basement, cracking the building’s walls. Gabriel rose, overturning the chair. The basement shook once, twice. A louder shriek; the mist cleared away as though it had been blown by a strong wind.

  A monster rose, stretching two pairs of magnificent butterfly wings, the lower ones ending in claws. A row of spikes ran along its humanoid head, down its feathered bird body. It rose on four pairs of sticky, thorny, spider legs. The monster unfurled to the basement ceiling, nearly twenty metres in height. The human mouth opened, showing tiny, sharp teeth as it shrieked again, shaking the building’s foundations.

  Gabriel shouted, “Fuck!”

  The jabberwock shook its body, and in two lightning-fast moves grabbed the two caterpillars in its huge claws. Its face oscillated between Absolem’s human expressions and the new chimera’s beastly visage. It bit into one Absolem, tearing the caterpillar in half, chewing hungrily.

  “No!” Maya’s scream attracted its attention. It stopped and stared at the second Maya with fascination.

  Some of the building’s electrical conduits had shaken loose. Gabriel grabbed two as the monster released the caterpillars and turned toward the second Maya. The first Maya knocked her twin to the floor as the monster’s claws swiped and missed. Gabriel burst forward and reached the monster’s back as it turned on him. He touched the two wires to its flesh and electricity coursed through it, making it buck and shriek. It tried to strike Gabriel, but the live wire made contact again. The monster jumped back, extended its butterfly wings, and flew upward. With one quick sweep, it blasted through the basement’s windows, raining glass on them.

  The damage was done. They had released a monster into their world. Gabriel dropped the wires and looked toward the two Mayas. The twin will also be difficult to explain. One Maya bent next to the still breathing, intact caterpillar. Silky threads started sprouting from Absolem’s pores. We need to destroy that, before it’s too late.

  “Maya—” Gabriel felt the time vortex taking him. The last image he saw was the new cocoon encasing the dying Absolem, ready to create a new chimera.