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Alice was alone.
At first, that was all she knew; that she was alone, and she was afraid.
She didn’t know where the sky had gone, or the sun or the trees. She didn’t know why the ground was so hard or why she was being kept behind cold, hard wires. She didn’t know why there was a horrible plastic thing tied around her leg, with symbols on it that she didn’t understand. She didn’t know where her friends had gone, or if they were ever coming back.
Alice hopped away from the cold wires, shrinking back into the corner of the cage they had left her in, trying to be brave, trying not to shake, but it was no use.
Alice was alone.
She was alone, and she was afraid.
“Alright, little lady, hold still for me. This won’t take long.”
The voice came from somewhere above her as hands reached down into her cage, grabbing her and lifting her out, even as she tried to get away.
“Oi! She’s a fighter, this one!”
Alice twitched as something came at her – something long and sharp and shiny. She let out an angry cry and pecked at the hand holding it.
“Ouch! Bloody hell!”
“Alright there, Barty?”
“Yeah, yeah. I still got her. Can you hand me another syringe?”
Alice twitched, still trying to get away as the long, sharp, shiny thing came at her again.
“Easy, love.”
Alice let out a little cry. The prick from the long, sharp, shiny thing was quick, but it still hurt.
“There you go,” the voice said, as the hands set her back inside her cage, “it’s over now.”
Alice shuffled away from the voice and the hands, back into the corner, where she sat breathing hard, feeling dizzy and lightheaded, like the world was coming apart. For a moment, she didn’t know if the eyes she saw were real.
They came from another cage, a cage much like hers; two sets of bright yellow eyes that studied her while the big black birds they belonged to tilted their heads, watching her, making strange sounds, subtle tic tic tics that came from the back of their throats.
They sounded mean.
They sounded hungry.
Alice backed further into her corner.
At least she was safe. At least they couldn’t get to her in her cage.
“How’s she looking?”
Alice looked up. There was a face now; a big face staring at her from the other side of the wires.
Alice didn't move. She stayed in her corner, shivering; wishing she was back in her nest.
“She's alright,” said the voice that came from the face that was staring at her. “Looks a bit queasy, but they all do after the first dose. She’ll perk up.”
Alice chirped. She didn't mean to, but she did. It was a sad chirp; a frightened chirp.
The face looked concerned. “It's okay, little lady. I promise it will be okay.”
Alice didn't know how long she slept. She was hungry when she woke up. Thankfully, there were some seeds in a little bowl and water in a metal straw.
Alice hopped across her cage. She felt better. She felt stronger, but something still wasn't quite right.
It was then she heard it, a quiet tic tic tic, coming from outside of her cage.
The big black birds were watching her again.
She had heard them last night, calling to her when everything was dark, cackling and laughing, inviting her to come out and play.
Alice hopped toward the edge of her cage, staring at the big black birds, at the gangly younger one with the eyes that twitched and the older mangy one who cawed and cried like she had gone mad, who rubbed her face against the wires of her cage and plucked out her own feathers, cackling as they fell to the floor.
Tic tic tic . . .
Alice backed away as the big mangy black bird stared at her, tilting her head and cackling again.
Come on, little sparrow.
Come out and play . . .
Alice shivered. She wondered how long the black birds had been there, in this place, in their cage. She wondered how many times the shiny thing had pricked them. She wondered if that was why the mangy one was so crazy; if it was the sharp shiny thing that had made her mad.
“She’s a killer, is what she is! And she’s too bloody smart.”
The voice had come from across the room. The men were back; the men in the long white coats. One of them was staring at the black birds; looking right at the big mangy one.
“So’s he," said the other man. "Look at him in there with her. He’s a killer, too, just like her. I can see it in his eyes. Damn twitchy things.”
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” said the man called Barty. “We’ve made them too smart. We should be keeping them all locked up.”
“Right, yeah, try telling that to the board. You know how they are. They want results.”
“Well, we’ve got them alright.”
“Come on, Barty. Let's go. I think it's time to see what that little lady of yours can do.”
Alice shrank back into the corner of her cage as the hands reached for her again.
The sky was back! Alice didn’t know how, but the sky was back. She could see it, waiting for her. She just couldn't get to it yet.
They had put her in another cage. Alice tilted her head, trying to understand.
“Give her a second, Barty. She’ll work it out.”
Alice’s eyes were still on the sky. It was there. It was right there, but how to get to it?
It was then that she saw the openings in the wires.
Alice almost bolted, but she didn't. She didn't trust what she saw.
“Come on, little lady.”
“Give her a jolt, Barty.”
“No, no, not yet! She's almost got it.”
Alice stared at the openings for another moment, then darted for the one on the right. She was almost through it when something knocked her back, a horrible shock that made her shriek.
“I told you, Barty. I told you she wouldn't get it.”
Barty frowned. He leaned down and took a closer look at Alice.
Alice was still shaking, trembling from the horrible shock that had come from the ground.
“Sorry, love. It's alright. Here, try again. Look at the symbols and try again.”
Alice didn't understand. The symbols? What symbols?
But then, she saw them, right there, above the openings. One looked like a door, above it was something else: EXIT, whatever that meant. The other one, the one she had already tried to go through, had a door with a line through it, and nothing more.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Alice hopped forward.
“There! See! Look at her! She's working it out!”
Alice tilted her head, staring at the opening again. This time, when she darted for it, she made it through.
Alice took off as soon as she was out of the cage, taking flight and soaring up into the air.
She was free!
Or, so she thought.
Alice let out a sudden cry as her body hit something clear and solid, a pane of glass that separated her from the sky. She flew away from it quickly, looking around in a daze.
The sky was real, but she couldn't get to it. The ceiling was made of glass, and there wasn't a way out of the room.
Still, she flew. She went faster and faster, getting as close to the glass as she dared, feeling the warmth coming from the sun. It was all so close, so very very close.
“Look at her go!”
“I told you she would be fast.”
Alice dove toward the ground, then back up toward the glass ceiling, turning in circles and chirping with glee. She was almost free, and she loved it, right up until the moment a net closed over her, and pulled her back toward the ground.
“Alright, that’s enough. We’ll let her have another go tomorrow and see how she does.”
That night, back in her cage all alone, Alice dreamed about the symbols; she dreamed about the sun and flying and finding a way out.
Time passed quickly. Every day, there was more to learn. Every day, there were new symbols and new words.
Something had changed. Alice understood that now. She had gotten smarter and she understood. She understood why they had captured her and why they kept poking her with the sharp shiny things. She knew that whatever was in them had changed her, and made her smarter, and now she understood where she was and why she was there. They were studying her. They were testing her. They were watching her get smarter, and it made them excited.
The puzzles were harder now. One opening in her cage led to another, and another, and another, but Alice could still always find her way out. She was back beneath the glass ceiling now, in the room they called the atrium, flying in circles, enjoying the warmth of the sun.
One day soon, she was going to find a way out. She was smart. She could do it now.
She was still flying when she heard the voices, a sudden commotion coming from down below.
“No! Goddamn it! No! Get them out of here! The sparrow’s still loose!”
Alice saw something out of the corner of her eye, a sudden flash of black wings, and, then, they were on her; the big black birds were right on top of her.
Alice dove back toward the ground, trying to get away, but they were right there, chasing her and closing fast, cackling and cawing as she dove.
Alice could almost feel their talons, when a net came out of nowhere, and scooped up both of the black birds. She barely had time to celebrate before a net closed around her, too.
“That was close. Fucking hell! Who let them in here?”
Alice didn't know. She was still shaking.
They took her back to her cage, gave her some seeds, and left her alone.
She had to get out; she knew that now. She was running out of time. Every day, she was getting smarter, but so were the black birds. The men in the coats didn't know that they had figured out how to get out of their cage.
Alice had watched them, unlatching their cage door and hopping out, flying up to the barred windows and trying to open them. She had watched them try the doors and the vents. She had watched them watch her, tilting their heads and cackling.
Come on, little sparrow.
Come out and play . . .
They were at it again tonight, watching her from across the room.
Tic tic tic . . .
Come out and play . . .
Alice went back to her corner, the one where she still felt safe, but they were still coming, flying right out of their open cage. This time, they were coming for her.
The mangy one flapped her wings hard, taking to the air, circling the room with all its cabinets and cages and equipment before she landed on Alice’s cage, and peered down at her through the bars.
A cackling rumble came from the back of the mangy black bird’s throat.
Come on, little sparrow. Come out and play!
Alice stayed in her corner, staring back at the big black bird, refusing to be afraid.
But she was.
She jumped as the other black bird landed on her cage, trying to get to her through the wires. The mangy one cackled again.
Come on!
Here.
We’ll help you . . .
There was a loud snap as the younger black bird closed his beak over the latch that secured the door of Alice’s cage.
Alice’s cage shook as the mangy one leaned down, poking her beak through the wires above Alice’s head and letting out more cackling cries.
You can be free, if you come with us; if you help us get out.
Alice chirped, wondering if they would understand her.
Help you? How?
The mangy black bird tilted her head. Alice could have sworn she was smiling.
We need your little beak to open the windows.
If you open the windows, we can all be free.
Alice looked toward the windows. She couldn't do that. She wanted to get out, she had to get out, but she couldn't let the black birds get free.
She jumped again as the door to her cage sprang open, as the younger gangly bird stepped aside and tilted his head. Another series of caws came from the mangy one above.
Come on, little sparrow.
We helped you, now you help us!
Alice hesitated, then she hopped slowly toward the open door. Before they could stop her, she bolted, flying past them out of her cage, moving as fast as she could.
When they realized she wasn't going for the windows, they let out angry cries, and chased her.
Alice tried to get away, but they were already right on her, cackling and pecking at her, trying to force her to fly toward the windows, but she didn't go, not even when they scratched at her and pecked harder, tearing at her feathers and drawing blood.
They were still attacking her when she saw a vent in the ceiling with a small hole.
Alice went for it, diving quickly into the hole, squeezing in where the big black birds couldn't follow.
The black birds snapped at the vent, cawing loudly and beating their wings, squawking at her, but they couldn't get through.
They couldn’t get through.
Alice didn't look back. She kept going, heading deeper into the metal tunnel she had found herself in. It was dark, and there were weird noises, but she kept going. She would keep going until she was free.
The sky was real now. Alice was tired, but she didn’t stop until she found a garden; a nice garden full of flowers.
She landed on the edge of a fountain, finally feeling like she could rest.
She bent over, pecking at the hard plastic bracelet on her leg, trying to get it off.
She was still pecking at it when a voice said, “Here, let me help you.”
She almost flew away as the boy reached for her, but she was too tired, and his hands were already on her. Gently, carefully, he used something sharp, and the plastic tag fell away.
“You’ve had a hard go of things, haven’t you? Well, here,” he said, setting her back down, “why don’t you rest awhile.”
He was a nice boy. A kind boy. A boy who looked familiar. A boy she might have known in another life.
Alice looked around, studying the beautiful garden as the boy worked, enjoying the warmth of the sun.
This was nice. This was safe.
This felt like home.