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Once upon a time there lived a man on the moon,
One wonderful scientist seeking gravity's tune,
But after an accident he was led astray,
Where is he entirely? It's unknown to this day.
"Now let's see, where was I…" Siebren was having quite a difficult time in Wonderland. There was movement but no footsteps, music but no instruments. Nonsense at every turn and avenue. Only it wasn't nonsense, Siebren knew that. If he focused for just the right moment he'd be able to put it all together. Hold it together!
All the kings horses and all the kings men would be able to put Siebren back together again.
The melody was growing louder with day that went by. Although 'day' was an abstract concept now. Inside Wonderland, beneath the ground and hidden from the sun, there was no light or dark. No passage of time and certainly no clocks that Siebren could read.
"Lose something?" The Cheshire Cat grinned, purple and tricksy. "Are you okay, viejito?"
"I'm alright," Siebren looked around to find her voice. The cat stood behind him, only partially visible, mostly translucent. The cat vanished again and Siebren looked around to find where she would next reappear, trying to track her footsteps over that oscillating ostinato which threatened to swallow him.
"You're just wandering around, man. Where are you trying to get to?"
There she was, behind him again. Had she ever vanished or was she only flickering in Siebren's mind?
"I'm not entirely…" Siebren said, trailing off, "could you help know where I should be? Are we still on the lunar colony?"
"Lunar colony?" The cat's expression dampened. "No, viejito. I told you, you're with us now."
"Yes but I really should be getting somewhere. I'm late for quite an important experiment."
"Sigma, let me take you back to bed."
"No, I really can't be sleeping. It's an important experiment. Could you point me to the exit."
The cat took Siebren by the hand, leading him down gently. It was a great relief to feel the chill of the floor against his feet. Grounded in reality, allowing himself the freedom of not having to exert his control over the harness. He let gravity keep him down while she led him through winding corridors. This place — Siebren's Wonderland that defied all logic — seemed to be unending. Doors led to more doors, to rooms, to empty hallways. It was almost like a fractal, infinite.
Siebren knew well of the infinite.
"I'm Sombra," said the cat, squeezing his hand as she noticed a faraway temper in his eyes.
"Sombra, what an interesting name. I'm…"
They turned a corner and Siebren felt as if he was in space again, the harness he had placed on himself beginning to slip. Like a puppet's strings being pulled, he jerked upwards.
"Where am I?!"
A note and then another note and then a chord. Repeating, rhyming with itself.
"What is that melody!"
"Viejito!" Sombra wrapped herself around him, trying to use the last of her wiry strength to hold him down. "Calm down!" Siebren did not seem to struggle in her grasp, accepting it. Breath came quickly to him, ravenous yet holding back… As if hoping to be soothed.
"I'm late for the experiment," he muttered.
Sombra linked arms with him once he was back down. They walked the rest of the way to the lab in silence.
The caterpillar sat in her chair, a yellow spray projecting from her hand. With a weary gaze, she regarded him.
"There you are."
Sombra crossed her arms. "You can't just let the new guy wander around, Moira! It's not safe, for anyone."
"I wasn't 'letting him wander around.'" Like perfume, the yellow spray diffused into the room and tingled against Siebren's nostrils. There was a strange, almost euphoric factor to it. The doctor smiled. "I gave him a book. I told him to sit and read."
"Ah yes! There are!" Siebren exclaimed suddenly, scaring Sombra off of him. "Alice in Wonderland! I thought I was beginning to go mad. Moira, good to see you again. It's all come back to me now."
They were in the base! Ah-ha! Of course. The base with Talon, the people who had helped him after his accident.
Ah, his accident… Everything was becoming clear now. Siebren had already performed the experiment, he had already…
Siebren faltered. He had already met the infinite universe.
"How long was I gone?"
"Not long enough," Moira sighed. "Get back to your research Siebren, leave me to mine."
"My research, of course." Akande had been so kind to offer him some equipment. Not enough for any further attempts with the event horizon but perhaps some more simplistic studies were in order. "Thank you for returning me, Sombra. It's been wonderful to meet you."
The purple girl's shoulders sunk, she looked at him warily. "Sure…"
She flickered away again and Siebren over to Moira to see if she had noticed it too. Whether she had was inconclusive, she focused on her work.
"You're still floating there," Moira said.
Siebren realised that he had slipped of the harness of gravity after Sombra had left. He considered this.
"Did you enjoy your time away with the faeries Doctor de Kuiper?"
The question had become somewhat of a joke between them since she had asked it when they met. Siebren nodded, eager to play his part.
"They do make lovely conversation."
"And your book?"
"Alice in Wonderland? Well, I was always meaning to give it a read. It's old but… relevant, in today's circumstances."
"Perhaps," Moira agreed, "did you finish it?"
"No, no." Siebren smiled. "I'm nearly at the end though."
"Good."
"That Sombra lady, does she have a tail?"
Moira's expression puzzled. A tight smile formed across her features. She said nothing, waiting for Siebren to elaborate.
"On second thought, I think I was confusing her for something else."
"Grand."
Hoping, mostly manifesting, that Siebren was done with his conversation, Moira returned to her work. A purple energy was now coalescing around her right hand.
"Doctor," Siebren asked. Both scientists watched the beam flicker out. "Do frogs dream of ponds?"
"And away it goes…"
Hold it together… Siebren thought, hold it together.