[Seven-Minute Semblance] GENIUSFORSALE & VORSTELLUNGEN

Chapter 12 - We Were Out in the Blue

BEHIND THIS MAD FAÇADE IS

Nicholas James.

11. December.
Saturday, 1:00 p.m.
[NEW] Wonderland Org.
San Lorenzo Base.

THE MAD HATTER'S PLAN TOOK A BREAK AROUND CHRISTMAS TIME.

There is nothing in the plan at all, that says on December I should be doing this and that. It's auspicious. I have all December to investigate who Time is.

It's a cold afternoon and Alice and I were studying on the table. She was reading reports which I found boring and too nauseous (there were lots of numbers and dates!) and I was colouring books.

I like the colour orange and blue and green and magenta.

"It says here that..." Alice disclosed, scanning through papers and papers, "Time's last activities were before your dad died, that's 2025, and last September, when she stole Heimdall's list."

I nibbled the red crayon. "What about her first?"

"Hindi tayo sigurado kung kailan s'ya sumali sa org dahil ang tinitingnan ko ay ang documents ng mga official records. Dalawa lang ang nakapangalan kay Time. Isang 2022 at 2025."

"What did she do?"

Alice gently tilted her head and answered, "2022, she started a new drug ring in San Leandro, extending to Mt. Sposa. 2025, she wrote a resignation letter addressed to your dad, but he wasn't able to sign it."

"Why?"

Alice gave me a serious look. Oh right, because my dad died. Yeah, I get it.

"So she's still Time up to this day." Alice sighed. "Tingin mo, paano natin malalaman kung sino si Time?"

I glued my eyes on this cute little fox I was colouring. "Time's cautious of the Mad Hatter's movements. I noticed that whenever I did something that isn't in the plan, she swooped in and gave me a good ol' scare."

"Time knows the Mad Hatter's plans?" Alice furrowed her brows.

I shrugged. "But she knows our movements. She probably knows where we are right now." I rapped the table with my fingers. "She could even have her own men surrounding us."

"Time doesn't have a Table so she hires men outside Wonderland Org. That means there's no way to know the people she uses."

"No, no, no," I waved a finger in front of Alice, "there is a way to know. Capture every suspicious individual around the vicinity and torture them until they spill the truth."

"Cute."

"We could wipe them out. Maybe Time would show up herself."

Alice nodded. "Then maybe you'd finally stop hyperfixating on Time."