Splinter got up, lack of sleep was starting to bother him, but he paced to stay awake. "You have quite a problem," he muttered, "I'd like to help if I can, though I've got no idea what can be done."

Rabbit placed a paw on Splinters shoulder. "We appreciate the offer, but the best thing for you to do, is to go home. That's where your fate is. Our fate is here and even if it's doomed, we just have to learn accept that."

Rabbit turned towards the Chess Board Vaults, where Dora was trying to come up with another plan - but she was so distracted, tired and frustrated that no one really expected any new plan to work.

"It's out of our paws now." sighed Rabbit, as he walked towards the stairs with Splinter following. "I'll find you a guide to the Mirrorwall so you can leave. I hope we don't seem rude, getting rid of you so speedily, but it's for the best. We have less than a week here now…March, give him back his cat."

March approached them from where he'd been listening, Klunk fast asleep in his arms. March had pouted after Dora and Rabbit had rejected his idea of trying to pass Klunk off as CK; and he seemed shorter now, with his ears drooping down behind him.

"Rabbit?"

"Rmmm?" Rabbit perked an ear to show he was listening.

"I've been thinking…"

"No." Rabbit waved a dismissing paw.

"It's not that! Listen Rabbit - Earth. It can save us. If he can leave here and go to Earth and be fine - why can't all of us?"

Splinter blinked and looked from March to Rabbit. "He has a valid question."

Rabbit repeated March's statement to himself and then shook his head. "No, no. WonderLand is home, it's always been home. We can't give it up for some strange place. We can't leave the chess armies, frozen in place to brave this disaster alone. This is our fate, it's meant to be." Rabbit took Klunk and walked ahead of them, still speaking. The cat woke up a bit, and stretched his claws, causing Rabbit to put him down quickly.

"But I do think you'd like Earth perhaps…" Splinter stopped himself. He wasn't sure why he was trying to persuade Rabbit. Certainly, some humans had been great friends to himself and his sons; but they continued to hide from humans overall for their own safety.

Could these WonderLanders adapt to such a life? Living in hiding, trusting very few on a strange planet with so many unfamiliar things. They'd have to learn to defend themselves as well. And there were so many of them too…how could they provide for themselves and remain unnoticed? Splinter had his doubts.

A part of Splinter wanted the WonderLanders to come to Earth, to live and perhaps with their great numbers, change the way humans perceived humanoids. Challenge the human dominance, equal the odds, something like that. Splinter let that part go.

March stepped up beside Splinter, his tall shadow looming on the walls and floor, dancing crazily with the flickering candlelight. "Yes Rabbit, perhaps you'd like Earth. Perhaps all of us would like Earth, and remaining alive. You can decide for yourself I suppose, but I'm going. And I'm telling everyone I see that they can come too. It's not your call who lives and dies around here."

The tension in the room was suddenly so dense, it could almost be seen. Rabbit narrowed his eyes to glare at March. Splinter felt uneasy watching the two squinting at each other, he tried to think of the exact right thing to say to break up the tension without causing a confrontation. He was saved from that effort when another shadow appeared, Dora's.

Dora spoke to March with a voice of pure venom. "I'll tell you why you can't leave. Earth is coming with us."

Rabbit and March went wide-eyed, jaws slackened ears drooping. Splinter felt dizzy, reached out to lean on a wall.

Standing on tip-toe, Dora shook a dusty scroll in Marchs face.

"I'll make this very clear for you. When our world ends, we take the Mirrorwall with us. Mirrorwall is aligned to Earth, locked there. When Mirrorwall ends, chances are it's going to take a chunk out of Earth - if not the whole place - down with us. Six days, four worlds - kaput." There was heavy emphasis on the last word. She turned sharply away from all of them, folding her arms.

"Four worlds?" Rabbit asked after an extended dramatic pause.

"WonderLand, One. Earth, Two. Spirit Plane is attached to us - it's attached to everything - so it's going to suffer damage, that's Three. Latest reports from Oz say they're dead without our trade, that's Four."

"I..I never realized…I thought it was just us…." Rabbit stammered.

March was sitting down now, his ears drooping over his face to hide the expression there. Splinter leaned heavily against the wall, tired and unable to understand how something like this could happen. Rabbit stood gaping beside the stairs and Dora's shadow hung over the candle, her expression unreadable.

Each of them was so filled with racing thoughts and strong emotions, that they failed to notice Klunk had gone off to explore…