The steady drizzle of rain spread a glossy sheen over the mirrored glass skyscrapers of Wonderland City. Alice brooded, her head bent as she watched the ground, seeing the reflection of the buildings in the shiny black of the street.
She stopped suddenly, taking a long drag from her cigarette. She gave up, admitting to herself that she didn't know what to do. I need outside counsel.
Wonderland placed the call for her.
"Hello?" came the man's voice, remarkably alert considering what he had been through. And his image came on-line. White bandages covered his head and face, though his silver-flecked blue eyes shone like glittering jewels.
"Ryan," Alice said. "Are you all right?"
"I've seen better days."
"I need your advice."
"You need my advice?"
"I don't know what to do with Rox."
"What have you done already?"
Alice told him about locking Roxborough in Wonderland, about torturing him with his own disease, and when she was finished, Ryan sank back into the pillows of the bed he was in.
"I know exactly what to do," he said. "The only thing worse than anything you've already done.
"What?"
"Let him go," he said.
"What? Ryan, are you insane?"
"Send him back to his miserable life."
"But…" Alice couldn't believe that Ryan of all people would want Rox released.
"Think about it, Alice. He hates his life, hates being trapped in the Matrix. It's his clockwork asylum. A mechanical prison of his own creation. All I want is to make sure he doesn't continue his spirit-transfer experiments, and you've already wiped that data."
"I also had his head scientist transferred to Saeder-Krupp."
Ryan laughed. "Perfect."
Alice was silent for a few minutes. She took a drag from her cigarette as she thought about it. Maybe Ryan was right. Roxborough would never be happy unless he was in a physical body, and Alice had taken away his ability to do that. At least for many years.
She looked at Ryan. "All right, I'll let him go. I know his system inside and out now, and I've riddled it with back doors for myself. He'll never be able to lock me out unless he isolates himself so completely that he's totally alone."
"He hates being alone more than anything."
"Exactly."
"Glad I could be of help," Ryan said.
"Perhaps I can return the favor."
"What do you mean?"
Alice had not meant to share her knowledge of Ryan's mission, but she owed him, and Alice made a point of repaying her debts generously. She had accidentally misled him with the bogus Damien Knight information, and she wanted to make up for that. From what Alice knew, which was almost everything, Ryan's mission was far from over, and it was going to get a lot more dangerous very soon. He could use all the help he could get.
"Just be cautious, Ryan. There is data to indicate that Dunkelzahn and Harlequin were long-time associates, perhaps friends, perhaps enemies. Going way back.
"Alice, how do you know this?"
Ryan, come on, I have access to nearly every source of information in the cybersphere. Harlequin is very powerful and quite possibly a long-time enemy of the dragon. He's high on my current list of assassination suspects."
Ryan shuddered. "Thanks for the warning, Alice, but I need to ask his help. Dunkelzahn specified it."
"I know," Alice said. "I just wanted you to go in with your eyes open."
"I appreciate it."
"Get some rest, Ryan Mercury. You'll need it."
Ryan leaned back in his bed. "I'll do that," he said, "Give my best to Roxborough. I just wish I could see the look on his face when he realizes you've wiped all his data."
"I'll record it for you," Alice said. Then she disconnected and felt a thrill of excitement race over her skin as she thought about Rox's reaction. She was anticipating the joy Rox would feel when he found himself back in his own system. Home. And then the severe disappointment that followed when he realized that his hopes for escape from the Matrix were crushed.
Alice smiled the Cheshire grin of the Cat, jumping up and down in excitement. This is going to be so much fun.