This is going to be a lengthy post, but bear with it if you can!
Episode #1: THE ESCAPE
In the heart of a dark, dreary city there is an equally drab asylum; home to some of the most deranged and damaged denizens of Black Rock City. The asylum is also home to Alex, a damaged young boy that can’t quite remember why he’s even in the asylum. In his miserable solitude, Alex attempts to remember something, and important event that led to where he is now. Alex shivers, sat on the middle of his bed all curled up in a ball. A sudden flash of a memory appears before him; a large house, a manor. But the manor is burning and a man can be heard screaming out Alex’s name, telling him to run. A clap of thunder from outside pulls Alex out of this memory, much to his annoyance.
Alice sits in her office, writing up a report on Alex. She goes over his case over and over in her head, finding herself less and less interested in Alex’s mental state and more interested in the events the led up to his current state; a fire that led to his father’s death and his mother’s disappearance. Not a single explanation as to why these things have happened. Alice reminds herself that it’s not her job to look for conspiracies, but she can’t help but feel slightly sympathetic for the poor boy. A particularly loud thunderclap bellows through the asylum and the lights begin to flicker. Alice sighs heavily.
The lights go and Alex’s room Is plunged in to darkness. Alex looks around, terrified and confused, hoping the lights come back on. The only light in the room is the slight glow from the electronic lock on Alex’s door. Another thunderclap sounds. In a most unlikely turn of events, despite all the fail safes in place the lock on Alex’s door fails and the door sinisterly creaks open. Suddenly, a white rabbit hops out from underneath Alex’s bed. The rabbit emits a slight glow as it hops towards the door. When the rabbit reaches the door, it turns back to look at Alex and crooks a finger, beckoning him to follow. Without hesitation Alex reaches under the bed, pulls out his copy of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and follows the rabbit.
Alice sits calmly in the darkness of her office. Her calm exterior doesn't do well in portraying her sheer frustration and rage at having been interrupted from her report. Calmly, Alice reaches in to her office drawer and pulls out a torch. Alice marches out of her office in to the darkness. She lets out a banshee like scream, calling for the two security guards. Just like that, her cool, calm façade is shattered.
Alex wanders the labyrinthine hallways of the asylum following the white rabbit every step of the way. But something catches Alex’s eye. A shadow on the wall, a very cat-like shadow points in the direction Alex has come from. Disturbingly, nothing seems to be creating the shadow, but even more disturbing are the human hands on this cat-like silhouette. Alex turns to see what the shadow is pointing at. Facing away from Alex stands one of the two security guards at the asylum. He could easily snap Alex like a twig, whether Alex should give him reason to or not. The white rabbit tugs on Alex’s pants and points towards an open window. The rabbit hops out of the window and with little hesitation Alex follows.
Episode #2: DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
Power has returned to the asylum. The corridors are flooded with the sounds of hurried footsteps as nurses rush to the rooms of various patients in order to ensure their safety. Alice calmly yet briskly walks through the chaos of it all with two particularly large security guards in tow. She quite openly and obnoxiously mocks the state of the asylum, referring to it as a backwater dungeon. Eventually Alice reaches Alex’s room. She commands the guards to wait outside as she enters. Even as she realises Alex isn't there Alice doesn't lose her cool. She sits down on the edge of the bed and pulls out a pair of ornate spectacles. She dons the specs and presses a button on the left arm. For a moment Alice sits in silence, seemingly starring in to space, until eventually she takes of the glasses and exits the room, uttering the words “found you,” as she goes.
Alex runs through the asylum ground, soaked to the bone from the pouring rain. Behind him he can hear the shouting and frantic calls of the nurses at the asylum. Alex reaches the asylum gate, but his luck has run out. Unlike the window back in the asylum, the gate isn’t open and waiting for him. Alex drops to his knees. The book Alex holds begins to shake. Alex looks upon it in confusion and is shocked when a white rabbit slips out from between the pages, the same white rabbit that led him out of the asylum. The rabbit hops off to the left of the gate, beckoning Alex to follow once more. So, without hesitation Alex does so.
Alice enters Director Rosa’s office. Rosa paces up and down, but stops as Alice closes the door behind her. Rose makes it clear that she is already fully aware of Alex’s escape and states that she’ll be sending the guards to bring him back in. Alice has another plan. Alice suggests that she should go to find Alex and treat him outside the asylum, pointing out that he has made little to no improvement in the year that he has been in the asylum. Rosa strongly disagrees with this preposterous idea. Alice ego kicks in here, leading to a rather loud argument. In the end Alice is unable to convince the director, and so she sets out anyway, storming out of the office. Just before Alice leaves, Rosa warns her that she will be sending out the guards and that if Alice is to hinder them in any way she will be severely punished.
Alice heads out of the asylum and in to the pouring rain. She puts on the spectacles and presses the button as she heads out of the gate. Alice briefly looks back at the asylum, weighing up her options, but comes to the conclusion that her only option is to go after Alex.
Back in her office, Rosa ponders her course of action. She knows that Alex is a priority and he needs to be brought back at all costs. She picks up her phone and calls one of the security guards to inform him of his mission. When Rosa calls him she finds out that another patient has escaped, a man named Thom Jenniel; another patient that Rosa needed to be kept in the asylum. In a fit of rage, Rosa throws her phone at the wall, causing the phone to shatter. Using the asylum’s built in communication system Rosa calls the security guards to her office.
Episode #3: A MAD MEETING
Alex places a hand on the rusted gate of an abandoned factory. The gate falls off its hinges with a thunderous clang. After recovering from the shock of the noise, Alex looks around in slight confusion. He doesn’t quite remember how he arrived at the factory, but he feels a sense of familiarity in being there. For a moment Alex hesitates, something about the factory seems sinister but a sudden clap of thunder compels Alex to take shelter inside.
Alice steps out of a dingy clothes shop with a couple of bags in tow. The rain is still pouring quite heavily and it shows no sign of letting up. Worried that Alex may not have been able to find any shelter, she dons her glasses to locate him. It doesn’t take long for Alice to pinpoint Alex’s location, so she sets off hastily.
Alex sits in a dusty old office, swivelling in an office chair. He hears someone enter the factory and his heart stops. Without a moment’s hesitation Alex leaps under the nearest desk. The footsteps of this mystery intruder draw nearer. Alex plucks up the courage to peer over the desk. The shadowy intruder gets closer and closer, but Alex is unable to make out the face. Suddenly the room is flooded with the light, followed by a clap of thunder. In the brief moment of brightness Alex is able to recognise the intruder as Alice, his doctor from the asylum.
Alice already knew where Alex was before he stepped out from behind the desk, but she humours him in an act of surprise. The pair have a brief conversation; Alice half reprimands Alex for fleeing the asylum, but then reminds herself that this could potentially work out well for him. Alice presents Alex with the new clothes she’s bought for him. She also presents Alex with a photograph, claiming it was the inspiration for the outfit she chose; a photograph of Alex with his parents.
Alex changes his clothes in privacy. As he is changing he hears some unusual sounds coming from the shadows of the factory. A strange, hunched over man in a ripped up straight jacket shuffles out of the shadows. Alex is too scared to call out for Alice. The man identifies himself as Thom, but tells Alex he may call him Hatter. Alice hears the sound of talking and rushes over, standing between Thom and Alex. Thom briefly mutters about a fire at “the big house”, which instantly grabs Alex’s interest. However, before Alex can question him Thom flees, leaving the pair alone and confused in the dark.
Episode #4: CAT AND MOUSE
Something Thom mentioned about the fire bothers Alex. Thom had mentioned something about a fireworks shop that was related to the fire. However, Thom hadn’t made it particularly clear how this shop was related to the fire. Alex still isn’t entirely sure what this fire means to him or why he feels compelled to find out about it, but he knows he wouldn’t be having dreams about it if it didn’t mean something to him. So, Alex and Alice make their way to the only place that one might find a fireworks shop in Black Rock; China Town. As they leave the abandoned factory, Alex and Alice don’t realise that they are being stalked by a mysterious woman. The young woman laughs slightly at their ignorance and pulls out a phone.
Rosa sits in silence in her dimly lit office, swilling a glass of whiskey with her hand. She appears a little dishevelled as if she hasn’t slept for a while. A new phone lies on her desk, it begins to ring. Rosa downs the glass of whiskey and picks up the phone. A woman on the other end of the call tells Rosa that Alex and Alice have been located. Rosa tells the woman to pursue them.
The giant oriental gateway that separates China Town from the rest of the city is not far off now. Alice uses the walk as an opportunity to question Alex about what he remembers of his parents. Alex tries to remember, but he finds himself unable to recall much of anything. Alice questions further, asking why they are looking in to a fire, not mentioning that she herself knows all about the fire. Alex can’t even answer that.
Not two minutes after Alex and Alice have entered China town two large thugs show up on either side of them. They look a lot like the two guards at the asylum, but these thugs are clearly of Chinese heritage. On a nearby rooftop Alyssa surveys the entire scene. She lightly tosses a firework up and down in her hand. She lights the firework and throws it towards one of the thugs. The explosion provides Alex and Alice with an opportunity to escape. Alex looks back at the woman that helped them escape. She very briefly smiles, but uses a grappling hook gun to zip away before Alex can figure out who she is.
Episode #5: A STORM OF MEMORIES
The heavens open and a particularly heavy thunderstorm engulfs Black Rock City. Alex’s fear of thunder and lightning leaves him feeling vulnerable and scared, so he and Alice take refuge in the abandoned factory. The sound of rain drums heavily on the roof, echoing through the factory. Out of nowhere, memories begin to flood back to Alex. He begins to tell Alice what he remembers.
Alex recalls sitting in his father’s office as a child, swivelling in the desk chair. The sound of thunder bellows through the factory. Alex is completely unafraid of the thunder in this memory. His father walks through the office, ruffling Alex’s hair as he goes and giving a slight smile. Alex struggles to remember his father’s name, before eventually coming up with Rory. Rory seems bothered by something; there is a tired look in his eyes. Rory goes in to a back room. In the back room, Alex catches a glimpse of well-dressed woman, but Alex can’t make out her face. Still, there’s something familiar about her. Not long after the door closes Alex can hear a particularly loud argument, but can’t quite make out what is being said.
Alex snaps back out of his memory. Alice is impressed by the sudden leap in progress that Alex has shown. It’s not hard for her to join the dots; being in the factory during a thunderstorm sparking off a memory of being in the same situation, albeit in a considerably less decrepit environment. Alice acknowledges this as proof that she was right, Alex needed to be out of the asylum.
More memories come to Alex. This time, Alex remembers the fire. But it’s not like the recurring dream he’s been having. This time, Alex lies on the floor outside the manor and he remembers specifically that the manor was his home. The screams of his father telling Alex to run haunt Alex. But something puzzles Alex. He remembers specifically now that he lived with both of his parents. So, why can he only hear the screams of his father?
Alex returns to the present once again. There are tears in his eyes, threatening to betray his emotions. Alex tells Alice that he remembers how his father dies. But he can’t remember anything about his mother. Alice tells him that his mother, Alyssa, has been missing since the day of the fire. Alex wants to remember his mother more than anything. So, Alex vows to find his mother.
Episode #6: ASSASSIN OR SAVIOUR?
For a change, the sun is shining over Black Rock City, albeit through a cloudy cover. Alice and Alex take the opportunity to go out looking for leads in order to track down Alex’s mother. Little do they know that Alyssa is stalking them in the shadows. Alyssa is particularly interested in finding out who Alice is and whether or not she can be trusted to take care of Alex.
The unusually bright day makes it difficult for Alyssa to stay hidden. She wonders why she chose today of all days to do some recon, but then she remembers how much she’d missed the sun. Alyssa snaps a photo of Alice as she turns her head. With the photo she is able to confirm that Alice works at the asylum. However, she doesn’t appear to be particularly threatening. In fact, it seems that she’s helping Alex. Alyssa is a little confused by this. She knows that Alex was kept in the asylum by Rosa. While Alyssa doesn’t know for certain, she believes this is because Alex may know the truth behind the fire that killed Rory.
In the distance the mystery woman that’s in contact with Rosa watches Alyssa’s movements. She’s almost impressed by the graceful way in which Alyssa floats through the city using her grapple. The enigmatic woman is already fully aware that Alyssa is tracking Alex and Alice, but she has no idea why. Intrigued, the woman sets off to confront Alyssa.
Alyssa stops in a deserted courtyard to catch her breath and compile the data she’s collected on Alice. Alyssa decides she’s learnt enough about Alice to know that for the time being she’s not threat to Alex, but she can’t rule out the possibility that Alice’s link to the asylum could be troublesome. Alyssa’s train of thought is derailed when a woman drops in to the courtyard with a kick directed at Alyssa. In a swift movement, Alyssa gracefully jumps backwards, flipping in the air and launching a throwing knife as she does. The knife just misses its target, but tears the shirt of Alyssa’s attacker. Alyssa lands with a knife at the ready, prepared for anything. The mystery woman reveals herself as Dinah and asks why Alyssa is tracking Alex. Alyssa doesn’t give her a straight answer; instead she asks why Dinah is interested. Dinah laughs off the question. She claims that if Alyssa’s safety cannot be guaranteed if she continues to follow Alex. Then, without warning several thugs drops in to the courtyard, surrounding Alyssa. Before any of them can make a move, Alyssa points her grapple gun and within a millisecond she is soaring through the air.
The sun is setting. From a distant rooftop Alyssa watches Alex and Alice making their way back to the factory. She wishes she could go and see Alex, but she knows it would be far too dangerous. A single tear falls down her face. She wipes away the tear, points her grapple and zips off to her own hiding place, praying for Alex’s safety.
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