The Keeper stood in the shadows against a support beam against the wall, scratched pocket watch gleaming in his hand and a device in his other hand that had the appearance of a a compass mixed with a watch but with the complexity of a chronometer. He looked up; the Guardian stood in the sewer passage in front of him, in usual brown hoodie, red hair flowing out of the pulled up hood. She had a similar device in her hand as the Keeper's; a watch of scratched silver was in her pocket. She looked up at him.
"You know I'm glad I was selected as Guardian. I always thought the Keeper's outfit was a little queer."
The Keeper gave her a look as he tipped up the brim of his top hat.
"As usual, Gee, your comments are helpful and filled with insight." he said mockingly sweeping off his hat.
"Time?" she asked.
"1:43. You know, you have your own watch?"
She ignored him and looked at her chronometer.
"It's close. Be ready."
They waited in silence for roughly three minutes, heads turning every now and then to look down the sewer tunnel. At 1:46 their chronometers began ticking. Slowly at first then building to a rapid, metallic klaxon. An area of space about five feet down the sewer from them began blinking, almost in rhythm with the building chronometer alarm.
"Right on time," the Keeper said, trudging toward the place, "Watcher called it right this time."
The Guardian followed closely behind, pulling out an orb of energy surrounded by a silver metal; a device given to the first Guardian.
"Wait, damn, something's coming through!" the Keeper exclaimed, throwing back an arm. They dashed behind two support beams on wither side of the passage; the Guardian readied her bell and the Keeper cranked a gear on his chronometer. The distortion of space before them which was now a swirling vortex as apposed to blinking, was called a rabbit hole; a rent in time and dimension. Through them entire worlds lay, all the possibilities, all the "if"s lay on the other side of rabbit holes. Alice Realities they were called. And every so often, a rabbit would come out of the hole. The Rabbit was a grotesque creature from a dark Alice Reality. The creature was once possibly human, but had been twisted into something other. The Keeper had encountered only a few of these types of Rabbits before but he knew they could cause serious damage to the city if not sent back to their reality quickly enough.
"Damn it!" he swore and cranked his chronometer up all the way.
His device sent out a pulse rippling toward the Rabbit; it hit, but the creature merely shrugged it off. The Guardian let a bolt of azure energy out from her orb. The beam had a greater effect, hitting the creature with a small explosion. The Rabbit let out an injured howl then sped past them at such a speed that the two were knocked to the ground by a shockwave.
"Gee, get after that thing! I'm going in!" shouted the Keeper as he slogged up to the portal, splashing through the sewage of the tunnel.
The Guardian's orb turned into a long-barrled gun of the same material, she nodded at her companion then splashed down the sewer after the distant Rabbit. The Keeper sucked in breath then exhaled, cranking back up his device. He stepped into the rabbit hole. The same, well-known feeling of falling; the tingling in his gut, coursed through him as he slipped from one world to another. He stumbled into the Alice Reality and looked up to iron gray skies and walls of fog filling the drab streets of a drab city. Great, it was one of those Alice Realities.
"You know I'm glad I was selected as Guardian. I always thought the Keeper's outfit was a little queer."
The Keeper gave her a look as he tipped up the brim of his top hat.
"As usual, Gee, your comments are helpful and filled with insight." he said mockingly sweeping off his hat.
"Time?" she asked.
"1:43. You know, you have your own watch?"
She ignored him and looked at her chronometer.
"It's close. Be ready."
They waited in silence for roughly three minutes, heads turning every now and then to look down the sewer tunnel. At 1:46 their chronometers began ticking. Slowly at first then building to a rapid, metallic klaxon. An area of space about five feet down the sewer from them began blinking, almost in rhythm with the building chronometer alarm.
"Right on time," the Keeper said, trudging toward the place, "Watcher called it right this time."
The Guardian followed closely behind, pulling out an orb of energy surrounded by a silver metal; a device given to the first Guardian.
"Wait, damn, something's coming through!" the Keeper exclaimed, throwing back an arm. They dashed behind two support beams on wither side of the passage; the Guardian readied her bell and the Keeper cranked a gear on his chronometer. The distortion of space before them which was now a swirling vortex as apposed to blinking, was called a rabbit hole; a rent in time and dimension. Through them entire worlds lay, all the possibilities, all the "if"s lay on the other side of rabbit holes. Alice Realities they were called. And every so often, a rabbit would come out of the hole. The Rabbit was a grotesque creature from a dark Alice Reality. The creature was once possibly human, but had been twisted into something other. The Keeper had encountered only a few of these types of Rabbits before but he knew they could cause serious damage to the city if not sent back to their reality quickly enough.
"Damn it!" he swore and cranked his chronometer up all the way.
His device sent out a pulse rippling toward the Rabbit; it hit, but the creature merely shrugged it off. The Guardian let a bolt of azure energy out from her orb. The beam had a greater effect, hitting the creature with a small explosion. The Rabbit let out an injured howl then sped past them at such a speed that the two were knocked to the ground by a shockwave.
"Gee, get after that thing! I'm going in!" shouted the Keeper as he slogged up to the portal, splashing through the sewage of the tunnel.
The Guardian's orb turned into a long-barrled gun of the same material, she nodded at her companion then splashed down the sewer after the distant Rabbit. The Keeper sucked in breath then exhaled, cranking back up his device. He stepped into the rabbit hole. The same, well-known feeling of falling; the tingling in his gut, coursed through him as he slipped from one world to another. He stumbled into the Alice Reality and looked up to iron gray skies and walls of fog filling the drab streets of a drab city. Great, it was one of those Alice Realities.
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