Alice, Ebony, and Veronica are where we left them, in a cafe' in Baltimore discussing the ins and outs of the Ascension War. Ebony notices that two of the coffee bar's patrons are taking a more than passive interest in their conversation. Being the young and forward lass she is, she confronts their noticible eavesdropping with a teenager's wit - "Do you mind? We're talking here." - and learns that they both are players in the War.
And again the group gains an ally in the form of NagaRom, Virtual Adept. But what was to be a quiet conversation soon turns into a perplexing piece of the mystery in which they had become involved.
The cafe' seems to melt away from their vision, replaced with a soothing, grassy field surrounded with forest. And Alice, Ebony, Veronica, new friends Kate, Stephen, and NagaRom are confronted by a very large rabbit in a waistcoat, clutching a watch. The rabbit begins screaming at the group, "You're too late! They're waking the Red King! You're too late!". Before they can question any of these events, the scene melts back to the cafe'.
Still smarting from their group hallucination, they are dealt another blow. Stephen's nose begins to bleed and his form begins to fade from existence. With little time to contemplate this before their contact arrives at the train station, the group piles into NagaRom's automobile and heads off.
Sirens blare in the distance as the car takes off towards their destination. A quick look behind them reassures that the police are not in pursuit of the new cabal. The glance back also reveals that the police have stoopped in front of a bank and are arresting a short man in a top hat with a very large card in the band.
The car pulls up in front of Penn Station and Alice and Veronica make for the door. Ebony and Naga remain in the car deciphering the documents received from Heraklatus. Kate begins to step out of the car when a large explosion rocks the building. Veronica and Alice are thrown back to the car. Kate, Ebony, and Naga are quick to ascertain the condition of their comrades. As they leave the car, an apparition which Naga recognises as their contact Giger approaches.
"Run, Run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me!", the hologram screams and is cut short by NagaRom disrupting its connection. The Montrealer train they were supposed to meet has exploded. Their contact, Giger, has been intercepted. Heraklatus is assumed incarcerated. And Wonderland seems to be invading the real world. And the sun has yet to set on the new cabal's first day as a group.