Alyce's Arc

Chapter 1 of 3

Alyce crouched in the shadows of The Rabbit Hole's main corridor, watching the crowd pass by. Her mechanical leg whirred softly as she shifted her weight. Someone had done this to her—stripped away her flesh and replaced it with metal and circuits. She didn't ask for these parts. She didn't want them. But now she had a mission: find the person who made her this way and make them answer for it. She pushed off the wall and stepped into the flow of people. Her pink mechanical arm caught the light as she moved. The Rabbit Hole was a maze of tunnels and markets, packed with traders and travelers. If someone was turning people into machines, others might have seen something. Heard something. She just needed to find the right clue. Ahead, a large wooden board caught her eye. Colorful flyers covered its surface, pinned in layers. Messages, warnings, requests—people left all kinds of information there. She shouldered through the crowd and stopped in front of it. Her fingers traced over the notes. Most were useless—lost items, job offers, supply trades. Then she spotted one near the bottom. "Strange doctor, ask questions carefully," it read in smudged ink. No name. No location. But it was a start. Alyce tore it free and tucked it into her belt. Someone knew something. She would find them next. The tunnel curved left and she followed it away from the busy market. Her metal fingers clutched the crumpled note. Every step brought a soft whir from her leg joints. She needed a place to work from. Somewhere safe to track leads and store what she found. The tunnel opened into a quiet area where a small hill rose from the dirt floor. A burrow sat hidden in its side, covered with old boards and vines. She pulled the boards aside and ducked through the low entrance. Inside, the space was bigger than it looked. Someone had left behind equipment—screens, tools, wiring. It was perfect. Alyce set the note on a metal table and looked around her new base. From here, she would hunt. From here, she would find answers. The person who did this to her was out there. And she wasn't stopping until she found them. She spent the next hour setting up her workspace. The screens flickered to life when she connected the power. Most of the tools still worked. One corner held a storage crate filled with spare parts—circuits, wires, metal plates. She ran her pink mechanical fingers over them. Maybe she could learn something from studying her own body. Maybe there were clues in how these parts were made. She found a small shed built into the back wall, disguised to look like simple storage. Inside was a workshop with diagnostic equipment. Her heart beat faster. This place had everything she needed. She could scan her mechanical parts here and search for maker's marks or serial numbers. Anything that might point to who built them. Alyce sat at the workstation and placed her arm under the scanner. The screen lit up with data—technical specs, material codes, assembly patterns. She leaned closer. There, in the corner of the readout, was a small symbol she'd never noticed before. A gear inside a circle. It wasn't much, but it was more than she had an hour ago. She saved the image to the system and pulled up her note about the strange doctor. Two clues now. Small steps, but steps forward. The person who made her into this was leaving traces. And Alyce would follow every single one until she found them.