by Mainak Dhar
When their helicopter landed, Satish ordered his men to fan out and guard the entry points to the airport. The Red Guards had made extensive use of the airport to fly out labor for camps in the Mainland and to fly in supplies for their forces in the Deadland, so the defensive bunkers near the main gate were still there. When Alice checked, the gun turrets the Red Guards had abandoned after the airbase had been overrun by Alice and her forces still worked. When Satish was satisfied that they were in a defensible position, he got on the radio to Danish.
‘Looking Glass, this is White Rook. I have the White Queen with me and we’ve flown in to pay a little visit to Humpty Dumpty.’
The mention of ‘flying in’ gave a surprised edge to Danish’s voice, but he sent a jeep to come meet them, Arjun at the wheel. He ran towards Alice, relief apparent on his face.
‘Thank God you guys are all okay. I was so worried about you being out there without much back-up. Danish filled me in on the battle but what really is going on?’
When Alice and Satish had debriefed him, they saw that Arjun looked quite worried.
‘I don’t know whether Arun and his friends will want to believe that the Red Guards were behind the Biter attacks. He wants to sign a treaty with them.’
Alice was dumbfounded.
‘After all we’ve been through, does he really believe that we can make peace with the Central Committee?’
Arjun came close to her so that the Americans would not hear him.
‘Alice, are you sure you want to take Vince and the doctor in to meet Arun?’
‘Of course, Arjun! He may not believe me but they have just escaped from the Reds and both of saw the battle against the Biters the Red Guards flew in. They’re our best chance of convincing Arun that what we’re saying is the truth.’
Less than an hour later, Arun arrived at the airport for the meeting. He wore a bemused expression on his arrival at the defenses they had set up.
‘Alice, surely you do not think I will try and attack all of you on my own?’
Satish cut in, ‘Given how much trust you have shown in us and the fact that there has already been an attempt on Alice’s life, we thought we’d prefer to meet on our terms.’
Arun looked at Satish with a trace of irritation – and then he was all business again, his smile back.
‘Come on. Let’s meet inside. I have much news to share with you.’
‘Yes, Prime Minister.’
If Arun was irked at Satish’s sarcasm, he didn’t let it show.
Inside, Vince and Edwards related their stories to Arun. When they had finished, Arun looked straight at Alice.
‘I have heard all you had to say. Now, for the sake of Wonderland, hear me out. The Central Committee has proposed a treaty.’
Alice cut him off. ‘How can we even think of a treaty with them after all we’ve been through?’
‘There was a time for war and warriors, and people like you and Satish did more than anyone could have asked of you in serving our people. Now it is a time for peace and for statesmen, and I know more of that world than you do. No enemy or ally is permanent, but only our interests are. If Wonderland is to survive, we must learn to adapt and forget past enmities.’
‘What do you have in mind?’
Arun held up a tablet that had a message from the Central Committee. Someone called Commissar Hu had signed it. Alice scanned it, the disbelief in her voice clear when she spoke.
‘Arun, how can we take their demands seriously? They ask us to stop aggressive actions in the Deadland when they are the ones attacking and provoking us. They ask us to stop all contact with the Biters when you know how much we owe the Biters in our war against the Red Guards. They ask us to open trade routes when you know that means that they will take what they have always wanted: labor to work their camps and farms to feed the Mainland. What do we get in return?’
‘Legitimacy. Alice, let’s face it; the world is in ruins and the only nation still standing is the Chinese mainland. They would recognize us as another nation, and commit to a ceasefire. We would get access to their technology; our people would stop scavenging for food and bare necessities. We could once again start afresh as civilized people.’
‘Does having the comforts of so-called civilized living ever make up for the loss of freedom?’
Arun was now almost pleading with her. ‘Alice, stop thinking in absolutes. You were born after The Rising, but before that nations fought great wars and then worked together driven by pragmatism. We can do the same.’
Alice stared. There was nothing she could say to convince him.
‘My father used to say that our willingness to defend compromises with tyrants as pragmatism is what has led to our ruin time and again. We cannot compromise with the Central Committee.’
Arun sighed. He took the tablet back and said, ‘I was trying to convince you because there are still people in Wonderland who look up to you, and I know how much you have sacrificed for the people here, but I am not asking for your permission. I am the elected Prime Minister of Wonderland and I have already agreed to the terms the Commissar wanted.’
‘Did you even listen to what Vince and the doctor had to say? Those attacks that killed our children were carried out by Biters created by the Reds.’
‘Yes, the attacks were committed by Biters, but there is no evidence that the Red Guards sent them, and as for your last battle, there is no proof of what you say other than your own testimony – and we both know you have a vested interest in making your precious Biters appear clean.’
‘So why did you want us to come here? What do you want of me now?’
‘You have a clear choice. Stay with us in Wonderland and abide by the new rules and I’ll ensure that people don’t pin any blame on you for the Biter attacks. If not, you will be evicted from Wonderland and I’ll ensure that the Central Committee knows that Wonderland has nothing to do with you and your actions.’
Alice could feel Satish reaching for his gun, but she placed a hand on his arm. So it had finally come to this. After all she had done and sacrificed, she was to be sold out in a political compromise. Part of her told her to fight the decision, but she knew that even if she managed to convince some of the people in Wonderland, more than enough of its residents would side with Arun. The only thing worse than a false peace with the Central Committee would be open civil war in Wonderland.
Satish pulled her aside.
‘Alice, you cannot seriously be considering what he says.’
When Alice spoke, she could not look at him. ‘If we go on our own, what will the handful of us achieve in the Deadland? We cannot free those who want to be enslaved. Our best bet is to be in Wonderland so that when the time comes, we can at least be of use here.’
Satish was furious– but deep down, he knew Alice was right.
***
Back at the Ladakh airbase, Chen could see the smirk of satisfaction on Hu’s face as he listened to the barrage of complaints from Li.
‘Comrade Commissar, send me out again. This time I will smash that White Queen and her forces! How can we make peace with those terrorists?’
‘Comrade Li, not every war is to be won with brute force alone.’
But that only made Li grow more agitated, so Hu stepped closer with a conciliatory wave of his arms.
‘Comrade, your raids served their first purpose. The people of Wonderland have a new leader, one we can work with. They no longer simmer in open resentment of us under the banner of the Yellow Witch. There will be once again a time when you and your troops take to the battleground. For now we will open a new front in this war.’
‘What do you mean, Comrade Commissar?’
Hu looked at Chen with a broad smile.
‘Comrade General, our next battle will be one based on lessons we ourselves learnt well in our history. We will smother them with our kindness, and in that dependence will be born the seeds of our ultimate triumph over these savages.’
***
E
ven compared to when the Red Guards had captured her, Alice had never felt so imprisoned. At least then her status as a prisoner was clear and she knew that, given half a chance, she would try and fight her way to freedom. Now she was bound by invisible straps. Instead of physical chains her shackles lay in the fact that she was helpless and powerless to help those she most cared about. She knew that the only way she could still help the people of Wonderland was to be one of them, not an outlaw in the Deadland. So she stayed in her room and watched as Wonderland changed around her.
The first sign of what was to come was Danish radioing her to tell her that the Central Committee had issued a message aimed at not just the citizens of its Mainland but also the people of Wonderland. The message said that after much conflict and bloodshed caused by terrorists and counter-revolutionaries, the democratically elected government of Wonderland had reached out to establish peaceful relations with the Mainland. The Central Committee welcomed this move, as it believed that the last two remaining bastions of human civilization needed to work together and forget past misunderstandings. It apologized for the violence that had been caused by terrorist leaders and renegade Zeus officers and pledged to bring about a new era of prosperity for the people of Wonderland. It went on to claim that the government of Wonderland had pledged to not give refuge to Biters.
To Arun’s credit, he had not tried to defend all that the statement had said, but in the Council building where this had been discussed he had said that the Central Committee was catering to its own domestic audience. Looking at him addressing the large crowd and seeing how they seemed to lap up what he said, Alice learnt an important lesson: people got the leaders they deserved simply because people tended to follow those who projected their own fears and aspirations.
That afternoon, she had an unexpected visitor in the form of Arun.
‘Alice, I hope you are doing well.’
She had no interest in exchanging pleasantries, so went straight to the point. ‘Looks like your plan for Wonderland is well underway.’
‘No, Alice, it’s not my plan alone. It is our plan. We all share in the success of this plan for we will all reap the benefits. Don’t you see that by signing this treaty we have brought peace?’
‘Arun, do you really believe we will achieve peace?’
Smiling smugly, Arun said, ‘Don’t think I spent all those hours in the Looking Glass only fiddling with my ham radio. I’ve seen all the Intranet reports, including the ones the Central Committee pulls down after a few hours. The war here is very unpopular back in the Mainland as well, with people asking why their young men are being sent to die in the Deadland for no real gain. With this announcement, the Central Committee has effectively announced an end to the war here. They will not be able to undertake any large scale military operation without it totally losing them support back home.’
At that moment, Alice saw Arun in a new light. She had believed that he was pushing for the plan only because he wanted power for himself. And perhaps that was part of it, but it was clear that he had thought it through and genuinely believed that he was doing what was best for the people of Wonderland. It was as Danish had said: the road to Hell was paved with good intentions.
Alice did not want to spend much time in the city center where she kept catching people staring at her, some looking at her with scarcely contained hatred and others asking a question with their eyes that they dared not say aloud: why was she silent? The ones who had been with her from the beginning, the ones who had felt the brunt of the fighting, felt that all they had fought for was being given away. But some of her early supporters had been shaken by the Biter attacks, and were no longer sure whom to believe any more. And then there were the more recent arrivals like Arun, who did not owe much personal allegiance to Alice but wanted to create Wonderland in their own vision.
Alice rode her bike to the outskirts, passing the abandoned Biter Reservation. On her instructions, Bunny Ears and the others had gone underground, but Alice had clearly felt their sense of betrayal. She did not doubt that Bunny Ears would remain loyal, but many others, once more wild in the Deadland, and perhaps hunted by the Red Guards, would again grow to hate and fear man.
She entered the Looking Glass to find Danish with Edwards and Vince. The two Americans had taken to spending most of their days at the Looking Glass, perhaps because it was the one way they could get a glimpse into what was happening back in their homeland.
'Alice, come over here. The Americans seem to have more servers up and running and there are several webpages now active. Some seem to have disappeared – I think the Central Committee is fighting to block them – but there are some that we can see.'
Alice quickly scanned through what the pages told her. The story they depicted was one very familiar to her, since she herself had lived through such a tale. The Americans were now waging their own war for freedom, much as Alice and her friends had waged in the Deadland. The reports she read spoke of terrible house-to-house fighting in the abandoned shells of what had once been mighty cities, of Red Guard missile strikes that killed hundreds of women and children, and of the continued menace of Biters. The Americans were fighting hard but they had two things going against them. First, with the relative peace in the Indian Deadland, the Central Committee had been able to divert its elite combat-tested units to the American Deadland, leaving the Indian Deadland to a few conscripts. Second, in the American Deadland, man and Biter were still locked in a struggle for survival.
Alice could see the expression on Vince's face, and she wasn't sure she wanted to answer the questions she knew he would have for her. However, it was Edwards who spoke.
'Alice, I can understand why Arun and the others have made the choices they did, but Vince and I need to leave.'
'Why? Where will you go? I thought you wanted to seek us out in the first place.'
Vince got up, looking out the glass windows.
'We were trying to find a place that had become almost legendary among American prisoners. A place where ordinary people were finally fighting back to regain their freedom. A place where a young girl had united humans and Biters in trying to overthrow the tyrants of the Central Committee. This is no longer that place. I cannot sit here and watch as fellow Americans fight and die while the place that inspired their struggle in the first place surrenders to the Central Committee.'
Alice didn't know what she could say or do. She had never felt so helpless before.
'Vince, how do you think I feel? But I cannot abandon these people or Wonderland. I trust the Central Committee even less than you do, but the only way I can really help my people is to be here when I am needed.'
Edwards placed a reassuring arm on Alice's shoulder.
'Alice, Arun is playing a dangerous game. If there is one thing history teaches us, it is that one can never reach a compromise with tyrants, for they inevitably mistake any concessions for weakness. The Central Committee will be plotting and I fear that in marginalizing you and your friends, and in creating a rift between human and Biters once more, they will have gained a critical advantage when they do move against you. I wish you all the best, but I am of little use here. I need a lab to work on my vaccine and Arun will not permit me one. I need to find a way back to America, and perhaps one day we can find a cure.'
Before they could talk any further, Danish tapped on the screen.
'It's a new message from our friend Commissar Hu. The Central Committee is sending a plane-load of goods as a gesture of friendship towards their fraternal brothers of Wonderland.'
Alice knew she had to get Satish, and fast.
***
Without their recon teams deep in the Deadland, they would get little advance warning of what exactly the Central Committee was up to. Alice could see that even Arun looked anxious. A lot was at stake, and if the Central Committee were to launch an airborne assault, it would undo everything. But Alice knew they would be far from defenseless. Within hours, Satish had a plan in place. His men were ringin
g the airport and the outlying areas, armed with SAM launchers. At any sign of trouble, they would shoot down the Red Guard aircraft. Vince had taken off in the captured helicopter to give them some advance warning of what was coming their way, and Arjun had gathered his internal security teams to be ready for any eventuality.
All of Wonderland was on tenterhooks, and Alice and Arun were standing near the airport when Vince's voice came in over the radio.
'It looks like a single transport aircraft. I can't see any signs of other air or ground forces.'
Arun’s relieved sigh was audible.
Within minutes, they saw the faint outline of the approaching aircraft. Despite the fact that it was one airplane, Alice felt herself tense. Red Guard aircraft brought back memories that she wished she did not have, memories of the air strike that had killed her mother and sister and the other survivors from her settlement, and of the strikes that had been launched against Wonderland when she had been captured.
The black plane banked to its right and then came in, heading for the runway.
Alice saw Satish signal to one of his teams and she knew that even as the aircraft approached, several missiles would have locked in on it.
The aircraft landed bumpily on the old runway and came to a rolling halt. Flanked by several men, Arun approached the plane as the ramp behind the aircraft lowered and a solitary man walked out. Alice looked through her binoculars and saw that he was a young officer dressed in the uniform of the Red Guards. He saluted Arun and then offered his hand, which Arun shook. Then he pointed inside the aircraft and motioned to someone inside.
As Alice watched, Red Guards brought out several dozen large crates, which they left on the runway. As she watched, one of them opened a crate and Arun peered inside. She saw a smile form on his face and wondered what the Red Guards had brought with them. Within minutes, the crates had been moved to the side of the runway and the plane had taken off and returned to its base.
