Alice

See also: Galaxy Alice

“	Bullets are better than prayers.	„
	~ Alice in Contra Returns

Alice is a character and one of the protagonists in Contra Returns.

History[]

“	Alice, who lost her loved one in the Alien War, joins the Earth Federation Forces for revenge!	„
	~ Translated description from the official Tencent website

Alice began to learn the art of combat from a mysterious mentor as a young girl. At the age of 16, she joined the Earth Federation government to seek revenge for her deceased parents. However, she was assigned to a desk job instead. It was only two years later that she was transferred to the Marine Corps as a second lieutenant with incredible physical prowess. She swore that she would go to battle for the sake of the ones she loved.

In the year 2626, Europe had been completely rebuilt following its utter destruction by the Commonwealth. It looked like the peaceful days of yore had finally returned. However, deep down, everyone knew that the peace and tranquility they enjoyed could not last for long, and that a storm was brewing on the horizon.

It was seven in the morning, and the land was gently caressed by the rays of the morning sun. The waters of the Thelenbach river took on a soft shimmer, tinged with gold. Also shining in the morning sun was the cross-shaped pendant that hung around Alice's neck.

Alice, wearing a slightly old-fashioned beret, stood under a massive apple tree with her mother. It was a scene right out of a John Constable painting. It was at that moment that she spotted a beetle on one of her shoes. "Ew, gross!" she exclaimed, as she stomped her feet to try and get the bug off. Alice's mother gently picked up the insect and placed it under the tree. Then, she started teaching Alice a song. The sounds of the two of them singing could be heard from across the water...

Ten minutes later, a school bus appeared round the corner. Alice raised her arm and started waving, even though the bus was still some way off. With a big grin on her face, she ran up to the driver's seat to hug her father. Six-year-old Alice studied at a church school where her mother taught history, and her father drove the school bus. Every morning, Alice would reluctantly stumble out of bed as the sounds of her father shutting the front door traveled through the house and the smell of freshly prepared toast signaled the start of another beautiful day. Her dad would first head to the school, pick up the bus, and then come round on his route to pick up Alice and her mother. For Alice, the school bus was like her second home, and her schoolmates were like her brothers and sisters. Cheeky little Alice would raise a ruckus with her friends as soon as she boarded the bus. Sometimes, she would even challenge the older boys at the back to an arm wrestle. Despite her mother's constant nagging about safety and decorum, Alice continued to play as she liked, with the sound of her laughter ringing up and down the whole bus. At times like these, her father would slow down the bus ever so slightly, look at his daughter through the rearview mirror, and just take in the moment.

The kids at the church school often played a game where they would reenact a scene from the Bible. Alice would always play the role of the one who would lead everyone out of darkness, the one who would always find the quickest way out. Her character would always be the bravest one, the smartest one, and the one who would fight the enemy head-on. Alice firmly believed that she was a messenger who had received the word of God, and that her task was to eradicate all evil on Earth and to spread the message of love everywhere she went.

But sometimes, life had other plans. This was something that puzzled Alice greatly. Where was God in those moments? One day, after a trip, Alice decided to walk home instead of taking the bus. She saw a group of suspicious-looking people standing around a small, cowering figure. It looked like a robbery. Alice ran up to the group, raised the cross pendant hanging around her neck, and said in the name of the Almighty:

"Stop now, for God is watching you!" The group started laughing at her.

"Let him go! Take me instead!" she cried. Alice had wanted to bring the baddies to their senses with her sacrifice. "Father who is in Heaven... maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust..." Alice recited her verses as a fist came out of nowhere, struck her, and sent her flying to the ground some distance away. She sat up and continued, "...Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also..."

A grimy hand reached toward the cross hanging around her neck, and she heard a voice saying, "This should be worth some money."

"Give it back to me, you crook!" Alice lunged forward, grabbed hold of the hand, and bit down on it, hard. She was thrown to the ground again. Suddenly, a mysterious person clad all in black appeared and subdued the crooks. Then, they gave Alice back her cross. Alice, who was just about to burst, tried to keep a tight lid on her emotions while also trying to quietly catch up with the mysterious person before they left. However, when Alice turned a corner, they were nowhere to be seen. "Looking for me, Miss?" The mysterious person had suddenly re-appeared from behind her.

"Would you teach me what you did just now?" she asked.

"Would your God be agreeable to that, though?" The mysterious person asked back.

Alice wasn't sure how to answer. Should she love her enemies, or meet violence with violence? At the age of six, this was a question that she could not yet answer. However, she was born to be a warrior. Not only did she have faith, but she was also quick of mind and highly agile. And of course, she knew how to love. This was clearly something that the mysterious person had recognized.

Alice started her regular lessons with her new mentor. Every weekend, she would sneak off to the designated meeting point and take lessons in martial arts and combat tactics.

Then, in the blink of an eye, 10 years had passed.

The aliens launched an all-out attack on the Earth in the year 2636.

Finally, the storm had arrived.

It was seven in the morning, and once again, Alice was standing by the apple tree singing a tune. She was in high school now, but she would still wait with her mom so that they could wave to her dad when he stopped to pick her up. The school bus turned the corner and was coming toward them as always. Suddenly, a bomb came down right where the bus was, exploding instantly. Her mother, shocked at the sight, was unable to move. Alice grabbed her mom's hand and started running, running all the way home. Then, she headed to the basement garage and took out the machine gun that she had hidden there. She was going to fight. Smoke filled the skies above the Thelenbach, and the apple trees were uprooted one by one by the endless shells... In the face of this attack by the aliens, Alice didn't manage to save a single soul. Her grandfather had perished in the Commonwealth war, and now, God had taken both her parents from her on the same day. Alice was grief-stricken.

Then, she saw her mysterious mentor again. This time, however, they were not there to give her a lesson on combat tactics or martial arts. Instead, they told Alice a story about God and man. It was a story that told her that the power to end war lay not with God, but in the hands of human beings.

After the mysterious person left, Alice headed to the church. There, she asked God: "Our Father, who art in Heaven: What is love?" But she did not get a reply. "So, what does Your silence mean?" Alice was undeterred. Still, she did not receive an answer. Alice would have to supply the answer herself, instead. Although she loved her parents and the people of the world, there was now no way that she could love her enemy. If she had to love them, then she would do so by killing them.

Alice walked out of what was left of the church, determined to join the Earth Federation government. She would use everything in her power to protect the people she loved. She would go to war! The hiring interview was a breeze, and Alice didn't even have to undergo a physical. Her excitement, however, was dashed on her first day at work—it turned out that what she had landed was a desk job with the Earth Federation. All she was to do, day in and day out, was shuttle documents between the various offices. Instead of the combat uniform she was expecting, she received a prim-and-proper skirt-suit combo, topped off with peep-toe mules. Alice was dismayed. Each time Alice walked the office corridors with a stack of documents in her arms, she'd draw the eyes of the people she walked past, as if she were some graceful animal at the zoo. The men, in particular, had a look in their eyes that said: "I sure wouldn't mind taking this sweetheart home with me. After all, someone's got to make the morning coffee!" But this wasn't something Alice wanted at all.

She went to look for her mysterious mentor, hoping that they could help her out. However, their door was shut and locked, and her mentor was nowhere to be found. Perhaps this time she had to rely on herself.

Her opportunity to shine came soon enough, however. A Red Falcon spy who had tried to enter the documents room was discovered and taken hostage. Alice, who happened to be on the scene, rushed over, raised the cross hanging around her neck, and said in the name of the Almighty:

"Stop now, for God is watching you!" This was followed by raucous laughter.

Alice took a step forward, and carried on: "Let her go! You can take me instead!" The spy reached out with one hand, grabbed hold of Alice, and soon had their arm around her neck.

"Hmm...What's this? Your faith? And how much is that worth?" The spy asked as they reached for the cross on her chest, but Alice soon stopped them in their tracks:

"You crook!" In a flash, Alice had subdued the intruder and handed them over to the officers who had just arrived on the scene.

Alice's superiors agreed that she could transfer to a combat unit once she met the physical fitness criteria.

As she began her training, Alice said to herself: "Filing paperwork? Not my thing!"

Two years down the road, Alice had reached an incredible level of fitness. Then 18 years old, she was spotted by Colonel Bahamut and was transferred to the Marine Corps as a second lieutenant.

At the base, Bill came up to Lance and said to him lightly: "Hey, we have this beautiful chick with us today. She's a transfer from the office. I hear that she used to make the coffee there." Lance raised his head for a look. Alice walked into headquarters in her combat fatigues. She looked at Sheena as she dashed into the room: "That kid in the bunny ears is adorable! I guess she's an up-and-coming warrior, too?" "Oh! Is that a doggie? Awww! Who's a good boy?!" "Hmm. I should watch out for those two tough guys over there, though..." Alice carefully examined each and every figure in this new space. It was important if she was going to have to fight alongside them. She wrapped her fingers more tightly around the gun in her hands. She had been waiting for this day for two years now. Actually, make it twelve. The day had finally arrived.

And she only had to wait three days before her first battle. "Follow my lead..." Bill had cocked his head toward Alice in a show of amity, but the words had barely left his lips before Alice leapt out in front and... BOOM! She opened fire and took down an enemy. Alice continued to push forward, counting her kills along the way. "Two... Three... Four... Five..." Lance, too, was taken aback by what he was seeing. After all, all he had seen of Alice until now was the cheerful and well-mannered girl from around the base, not this one, loading and firing her weapon in quick succession with deadly coolness and precision. "Six... Seven..." The shots from her gun reflected off the metal cross around Alice's neck, like banners during a crusade. She was no longer just firing rounds at her enemies, but cries of anguish at the suffering of the world.

"Dude, she was TERRIFYING", Bill unloaded on Lance later. "She must have suffered some kind of past trauma or something. Hey, what are you doing?" Lance, still focused on the task at hand, made the last few turns of the screw on the motorcycle before looking up. "Bingo!"

"Cool, cool. But isn't it a little... girly?" Bill asked as he looked at the modifications Lance had made.

Lance had even modded his beloved motorcycle as a gift to Alice. "It goes with that hat of yours. Give it a try!" Lance said as he flashed Alice something resembling a smile. Alice mounted the motorcycle and checked herself out in the rearview mirror, pushing down her beret with glee. It was like she was looking at her younger self again. "Welcome to Team Contra!" said Bill as he purposefully ran his fingers along Lance's beloved machine, and Alice reciprocated with a megawatt smile.

On Sundays, if she wasn't on a mission, Alice would be at the church. She would also lend a hand with whatever charity event was going on at the time, like handing out food or other supplies to people in need. Her compassion was reserved for her friends and family. Her enemies, however, would only ever look down the business end of her gun. At times like this, though, she was back to being the humane and devout believer from before. Each time the congregation dispersed, she would stay behind a little longer to speak with the Lord, and each time she did so, she did it with a clear conscience and nothing else on her mind. She firmly believed that she had made the right choice, and that all she had to do now was keep at it, so long as she could have this moment of respite. Her actions are guided by a single, powerful image in her mind: that one day, the waters of the Thelenbach would be back to their former, tranquil state yet again.