~ Earth 394 ~
Ellie Jo sat among the walls of Torchwood's facility. She waited patiently, while the TC members tried to sort through the information Jack Harkness had given them.
A few weeks ago, an alien had come to Ellie Jo's Earth. Her team, with Jack's assistance, had been pursuing her ever since. They'd only wanted to help her, to send her back home where she belonged, but the alien - Malaysia- didn't seem to want their help. Every time they came even remotely close to her, she blasted them off their feet and ran off, changing her appearance a few hours later.
Recently, the team had come across some new information, thanks to a friend of Jack's, -- Rose Tyler -- revealing that the last known location of Malaysia was here on Jack's Earth. In Torchwood.
They'd searched the entire facility ten times over, but they always came up empty handed. If Malaysia had been here, she was gone now. (Unless of course she had disguised herself as one of the TC members.)
Malaysia was from a planet known as Planet Nine. The residence could take the form of anyone they wanted, take their memories, take their personalities. Basically, they could take over a person's whole life, if they wanted.
The Niners weren't exactly a peaceful bunch. They were known for violent tendencies. Sometimes they'd even take down entire planets. Which was another reason they needed to find Malaysia immediately and return her to her own planet. They couldn't take any chances. If she was a spy for her people, they needed to get her off this planet and as far away from any Earth as possible. They had to defend their home. No matter what dimension it was in, Earth would be defended.
Esther and Genesis came into the room. Ellie Jo smiled at them. Genesis was her team's leading expert on weapons and combat. She was a hard core Russian with nerves of steel. Long blonde hair trailed down her back, and cold grey eyes glared at everything within a two feet mile. (Though they softened a little when she spotted Ellie Jo, and when Esther took her hand.)
Esther was the team's computer expert. She did everything tech related. The woman was smart and courageous, always so kind and generous to everyone except herself. She had short brown hair and soft brown eyes that looked upon the other two women with a certain fondness.
Ellie Jo always felt her mood lift, whenever they were near her. The two of them were great attributes to the team. (Also, the three of them were in a polyamorous relationship.) Ellie Jo wasn't sure what she'd do without either of them.
She ran her hands through her long, strawberry blonde hair, before looking up at her girlfriends. Sighing, she asked them the question she was dying to know, using British Sign Language.
Did they find anything?
Not yet, Esther signed back.
They're checking the morgue now, Genesis told her.
The morgue? Ellie Jo frowned. That seemed like a rather odd place for an alien to hide. Then again, Malaysia was a shape shifting alien. With so many dead bodies around, she could simply transform into one of them without having any consequences. Although, Torchwood would mostly only have dead alien bodies. They wouldn't do much to help her blend in on earth.
Genesis shrugged and sat next to Ellie Jo. This alien is from their earth. Let's just hope they know what they're doing.
They've been at this for years, Esther pointed out. They must have at least some idea of how to deal with this kind of thing.
True, Ellie Jo nodded. She looked at Genesis. You need to learn to be more trusting.
Genesis rolled her eyes. I trust you two. Everyone else is useless until proven otherwise.
Ellie Jo laughed lightly. She knew that Genesis only pretended to be hostile and hateful towards other people. In reality, she had just as much of a hero complex as Ellie Jo and Esther did. Otherwise she wouldn't have joined the Time Bureau. Genesis just liked to keep herself guarded. But that was perfectly fine. Ellie Jo wouldn't want her any other way, and she knew Esther wouldn't either.
Jack and Savvy came into the room, both looking rather worried.
Savvy was Ellie Jo's best friend. She was a gorgeous woman with curly dark hair and dark eyes. Her pale skin radiated a goddess like beauty. If the woman seemed too pretty to be human...Well, that was probably because she wasn't human. She was an alien from Earth Thirty-Eight, adopted by none other than Alex Danvers.
Jack had the same face as an old enemy Ellie Jo had once heard stories of -- Malcolm Merlyn. But this man didn't appear to have any homicidal tendencies, so Ellie Jo wasn't that uneasy about working with him. (Parallel universes were insane.)
Ellie Jo and her girlfriends glanced up at them, frowning in concern.
"We found something," Savvy told them, signing as she spoke.
"What is it?" Ellie Jo asked.
"Uh...You should come see for yourself," Jack said.
Esther gave her girlfriends a weary look. Ellie Jo shrugged and stood up, Genesis following in suit.
Jack and Savvy lead the three women to the morgue. Freezer drawers, where the bodies were stored, aligned the walls. At the center of the room sat a long operation table along with a stand filled with doctor tools.
At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Except for three TC members and the final member of Ellie Jo's team - Talia - the room appeared to be completely empty.
Then, Talia turned and faced the group that had entered the room. Her hazel eyes were glassy, like maybe she might start crying. Her thick black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, which must have meant she was pretty stressed, because normally she preferred her hair hanging loosely at her shoulders.
She didn't say anything. She just stepped out of the way so Ellie Jo could see. Esther gasped when she did. There, laying on the table, was a teenage girl with long brown hair. The girl didn't appear to be conscious, but she looked like she was breathing at least.
That wasn't the most concerning thing, though. Ellie Jo was surprised to see that she recognized the girl. Well...actually she had never spoken to the girl before, but she had seen pictures and read her file.
"We need to call the Legends," Ellie Jo decided immediately.
~ Xavier Xander: Earth One ~
Xavier stood at the center of his study, frowning hatefully. He'd been so close. So close to getting his son back.
Sixteen years ago, a woman named Toni Lewis stole him away. She kidnapped him and sold him to those maniacs. They'd brain washed him. Made him believe that they were the good guys. He had no idea. The poor boy was completely convinced those two morons were his real dads.
Xavier had gotten one of them out of the way, but the other one...Mick Rory. He was always causing problems, keeping Xavier away from his son. If it wasn't for him, he would have gotten him back. He would have won.
Now he was gone. And then there were those girls to consider...
He hadn't even meant for them to get caught up in all this. They weren't his so why would he care about them?
Xavier had discovered them on the night he had decided to get rid of the kidnappers two months ago. Toni had been living in a small town, just outside of Boston. She'd been living there for a little over five years, and Xavier had only found her because some photo he found on the internet. (Social media made everything easier, didn't it?)
At the time, he had just thought Toni was hiding from her mistakes, avoiding the consequences of selling their son off to those lunatics in Central City. He didn't realize she had another kid, until he went to visit her. Xavier had only wanted to know the location of his son. He needed to know where they were keeping him him hostage. He needed to save his boy.
But Toni, the stubborn woman that she was, refused to give him any information. (It was to be expected. After all, she had been the one to organize the kidnapping.) Xavier had to resort to extreme methods for to get what he wanted, but Toni never once gave in, refusing to let him see his son. He'd use his powers, attempting to force the information out of her. He'd even tried a few methods of torture, but the vile woman insisted on keeping family apart.
The little girl had come down stairs a few minutes after the adults had started talking. She was a cute little thing with long brown hair and harsh brown eyes. It was then that Xavier knew. Toni was planning to do it all over again. She was going to sell this child, just like she had done with their son. He couldn't let that happen. He had to protect the kids! So, he did what any good father figure would do and got rid of the problem. After taking a knife to the heart, the wretched woman was no longer a burden for these kids. Xavier had even generously taken the little girl in, giving her a nice cozy bedroom and lots of toys to play with. (She didn't really seem to appreciate any of it though.)
He was still looking for the other girl though. Xavier had discovered her existence, when he had traveled to the city to get some things for the little girl. The other girl was older, eighteen at the most. Xavier didn't even need to see a birth certificate to know that this was another one of Toni's daughters. (Honestly, he shouldn't have been surprised that she had so many kids. She was a whore after all.)
He'd tried to take the older girl away as well, figuring she too had been sold to some freak in the city. But she had run off, screaming. The little brat was ungrateful for his help! She had disappeared a few days later. Apparently, she had her mothers gift of avoiding fate.
Xavier had tried saving his son a few weeks ago, but, as stated before, Mick Rory had gotten in the way. He'd brain washed his son. The poor boy was so completely and utterly lost.
Xavier was only trying to save them. He was only trying to pluck them from the dangerous lives that they lead. But did they care? Did they appreciate his efforts? No! Instead, they ran away from him, making the job harder than it needed to be. It was almost as though they didn't even want to be saved. Ungrateful brats.
Xavier growled in annoyance, tossing a book across the room. He needed a plan.
But what could he do? He had no way of finding the other girl, and his son was too far gone. How could he possibly get them back?
He paced around the room for a moment, trying to think. There must be something he could do...
From upstairs he could hear the little girl banging against the bedroom door. (He had to keep her locked in, when he wasn't there to watch her. Otherwise, she'd try to run out the front door. He couldn't very well let her get hit by a car, now could he?)
Xavier cringed. It was hard to think with all the racket. For a moment, he considered yelling up at the girl to be quiet. Then, inspiration struck. She could help him. He could have her bring the others to him. She could tell them the truth, that it was safer here than with those lunatics. All he had to do was convince her to do so. (She was a very stubborn child and rarely did what she was told.) He also needed to find some insurance to make sure she didn't run away like the others had. Xavier shrugged. He'd just have to come with her to see that all went well.
~ Roni/Regina: Hyperion Heights ~
Eight Years ago/Seven Month Ago
At first she didn't remember the conversation she had had so many weeks ago. She had forgotten about it, until the post card came. (What? She was a busy woman! There wasn't enough time to worry about some Legends, when there were several evil witches out there ruining people's lives. Not to mention, she had to find a way to break the latest Dark Curse without killing her own son...All the drama was just impossible to keep up with.)
Roni had just come out to her granddaughter Lucy as the Evil Queen. They'd spent the rest of the week plotting ways to save Henry and break the curse. (Oh, and Roni had to run the bar on top of all that...Regina really missed being the mayor of Storybrooke. Life was so much simpler then...)
The postcard had come the night after Regina's sister, Zelena, was almost murdered. (Or Roni's sister, Kelly, if you prefer their cursed names.) That whole night had been a mess. Evidently Hansel had some vendetta against the Wicked Witch of the West. (Not the Hansel from Storybrooke, though. Another one. With a different story. It was all very confusing.) He'd almost killed her, but fortunately, Zelena could take care of herself. She managed to hold of the homicidal fairy tale character, until the police came to take him away. Later, they had a little chat and heart felt goodbye, before Kelly ran off to marry the love of her life. (She deserved a little happiness after all this time.)
That night was when she found the postcard. Roni wasn't sure how they'd managed to send it through time, but she had honestly stopped asking for explanations a long time ago. It made all the crazy easier to deal with.
Twenty-five years ago a man by the name of Rip Hunter appeared in Storybrooke. Long story short, the gang found a dangerous magical weapon - a wand. Rip Hunter took the weapon back home with him, to his Time Bureau. Then, about a week ago, he reappeared (for him it had been twenty-five years, though for Roni it had been merely eighteen) with Snow White ( she was from eight years in the future) spewing some junk about the weapon being used for evil, and how only a special wielder could use the wand, and something about the Legion of Doom. Yada, yada, yada. Someone bad was trying to take over. He needed their help. The usual crap.
Regina, along with Weaver/Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin, had helped Rip and Snow form a plan. Snow and Rip would take the wand and hide it in Gold's old pawn shop. Regina and Rumple would search for the wielder. (Before she had gotten side tracked, Regina thought maybe it might've been Anastasia, but seeing as how she was back at the Enchanted Forest with her sister, she doubted that was the case now.)
Rip believed his old team would eventually learn of the wand and come looking for it. He thought maybe they might end up here in Hyperion Heights, but so far no strangers had come to town. In any case, Rumple and Regina were to lead them to the wand, when they had found the wielder. Snow promised she'd sent a postcard, when it was time to take action. Though, Rip had taken her back to the future shortly after the meeting, so Roni wasn't sure how they'd managed. Perhaps, the two had time traveled once more? But then why not send it to her in the future, when the latest curse was already broken?
Regardless, the postcard came that night. Roni found it mixed in with the rest of her mail. It was a small cardboard card with a picture of Storybrooke's clock tower on the front. (They'd had some epic battles there, indeed.) In big, golden, curly letters, the name of the town -- home of the first Dark Curse -- was printed on the card. On the back was Roni's address, along with the return address -- Snow White's. Next to it was a message, written in Snow's perfect penmanship: It's time.
Regina sighed and placed the card on the counter. She began to pour herself a drink. There were just too many problems to deal with at once. As she downed the first glass, Weaver stepped into the bar, holding up a similar postcard of his own.
"It looks like our friends in the future have been busy," Rumple noted.
"Yup," Regina nodded, rubbing her temple. "But first we need to break this curse and save Henry."
"Agreed," Rumple said.
"Have you found anything on this wielder we're suppose to be finding?"
He shook his head. "Henry hasn't written anything about them. Whoever they are, I'm guessing he doesn't know anything about them."
"Which puts us right back at square one," Regina sighed. "Searching for someone without even a trace of who they might be."
Rumple nodded slowly and came to sit at the bar. "There aren't many magical items that can surprise me," he said. "I know about nearly every one ever created."
"And?" Regina asked, leaning on the counter in front of her.
"This one surprises me," he said.
"So, you haven't heard of it?"
"The wand itself? No. But I have heard of a few magical items that could do the same thing," Rumple told her. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a folded up paper. When he had unfolded it and smoothed it out on the counter, Regina could see an image of six colorful looking necklaces.
"They're called the Zambezi Totems," Rumple said. "Legend has it they were once used to stop a time demon."
Roni grunted. "Please, don't tell me we're going to have to fight demons, now. We've already been to hell and back. I don't think any one wants a repeat of that."
"No," Gold shook his head. "I believe all the demon problems have been take care of. At least all the ones we need to worry about...But I do believe these totems are connected to the wand."
"So, all we have to do is find the totems, and we'll find the wielder," Roni nodded, standing up right again.
"Precisely," Weaver said.
~ Darhk-Savages: Seattle ~
It was a quarter til noon, when Nora finally arrived at the house. Cassie was had begun to worry. She knew her wife could take care of herself, but that didn't stop the dark images from forming in her mind, the ones with Nora bleeding out on the side of the street or trapped in an unknown location. (They were both women of dangerous pasts. They had been quite a few enemies over the years.)
Cassie was sure she could learn to cope. She'd managed to stay sane after learning her father was an evil bastard, after the Legends had killed him...But they had a daughter now. Faye wouldn't be able to handle losing either of her parents. She talked as if she could take anything, but Cassie knew better. She knew she was really quite fragile when it came to things like this. So, she worried, until she was sure she was going crazy.
Then, her wife finally returned. She looked rather disappointed, though.
Cassie frowned. "They didn't take them?"
Nora shook her head and sighed. "I didn't find Sara," she said. "Just Zari Tomaz and those hawk warriors you told me about."
"Hm," Cassie mused. She picked at some lint on the sleeve of her shirt. "You know it's kind of funny...My father spent eons hunting those two, trying to tear them apart, ruin their lives. Now, I'm asking for their help...I find that a bit ironic..."
Nora laughed lightly. "Well, at least you never attacked them," she told her lovingly. "They'll have nothing to hold against you. Their resentment will be towards your father, not you." She shrugged. "Plus, it's been twenty-five years. They should be over it by now."
Cassie knew she wasn't just talking about her father's rivalry with the hawk warriors or Cassie's failure to see who he really was. She was also talking about her own mistakes, her -- quite literal -- demons. They'd both been horrible people, they'd both ruined so many lives due to their fathers reign of terror. It was one of the many things that had brought the two together so many years ago.
~ 2166: twenty-five years ago ~
Nora had assumed the cell would be dark, cold, maybe even a little damp. Like the place Mallus sent her whenever he'd take over. It was the only imprisonment fit for a monster, after all. But, instead, when the Time Bureau agents shoved her into her cell, she was surprised to find it was quite bright. It wasn't exactly cozy, but it wasn't the most uncomfortable living quarter she had ever seen. There was a bed in one corner, a sink and toilet in another. A shower sat at the back of the room. It was big enough that she could pace around without feeling to entrapped but still small enough to make one just a little claustrophobic. The wall opposite of the shower was invisible, kind of like that room on the Waverider that the Legends used for their own prisoners. (They called it the brig. That cell was even more wretched than this one.)
She sat alone for days, contemplating about whether or not she should use the time stone Ray had given her. If she even deserved the second chance he was giving her. She was a monster. A demon. And he was too kind for his own good. (Someone should have taught him better...) Still, Nora didn't exactly fancy the idea of spending the rest of her days locked up in here. If there was a way to make things right, a chance to correct all her wrongdoings...Well, she had to take it, right?
So, on her third night in the cell, when the guards weren't looking, Nora Darhk raised her time stone high into the air. She thought of a time period in which her past would never catch up to her, a place she could start all over. East London...One hundred fifty years in the future.
A bright light surrounded her, and in an instant the cell began to fade away. In the blink of an eye, her surroundings transformed. She was now standing in the middle of ruins. Futuristic tech was scattered all around. In the distance tall buildings rose, but they looked as though they might be under construction. Pillars peeked out from the tops of them. The grass was dead. (There were some patches of green, but mostly it was an ill yellow color.)
People were busy picking up the robotic parts and planting seeds in the dry soil. No one seemed to notice Nora's sudden appearance. At least if they did no one said anything of it...except for one. A blonde woman with intense eyes, piercing her like knives. The woman wore a long cloak and battle armor. At her side hung a sword. Instantly, the woman grabbed hold of the weapon and glared daggers at Nora.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
Nora held up her hands in defense. "I don't want any trouble," she told the woman. "I just came to..." She choked. "I just came to get away..."
The woman nodded slowly. She seemed to know exactly what she meant. Slowly, the woman lowered her hand from her sword. Her eyes softened. "I can help you find a place to stay," she promised. And after a moment of consideration, she added, "I'm Cassandra."
"Nora," Nora introduced.
Cassandra smiled softly. "Cute. Follow me." She turned swiftly and lead Nora down a narrow path.
Nora frowned, as they walked. "Are you the leader here?" she asked.
Cassandra shrugged. "I guess," she said. "My father tour this place apart, and even though it's been two years, we're still picking up the pieces." She fell silent, and Nora thought that was the end of the conversation, but after a moment, she went on. "He was an abusive tyrant. He lied to me. He killed people...And now I'm just trying to make amends."
Nora nodded slowly, as she spoke. She swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat and blinked away the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. "I can relate..."
~ Today ~
Cassie stood and embraced her wife, wrapping her arms tightly around her. "Let's hope. Because, if not, we are screwed."
~ Henry Mills: Storybrooke ~
Thirty minutes before the Legends arrive in Seattle
The black holes opened one by one without any sort of explanation. People from every land came to the center of town to help clear them out. (Or at least try to.) Whenever anyone ventured too close, they were sucked in, never to be seen again. They'd taken at least half to population of Storybrooke, now. However, for every person that was taken, another person was spit out from the portals. (Because that must've been what they really were.)
Not all the newbies were friendly. In fact, most of them attacked the locals, either out of fear or resentment. (Some of them were convinced they'd been kidnapped.) They kept shouting something about, evil metas, whatever that meant. None of them seemed like particularly dangerous foes, but there were a lot of them. So, the locals banned together to defend themselves, while the best witches of the lands gathered to attempt to close the black holes.
The Seven Dwarves ran around, clocking people in the head with their axes. (With the less pointy ends, don't worry. Storybrooke had a strict no killing policy.)
Granny fired tranquilizer arrows from her crossbow, while Emma Swan used light magic, trying to close a near by portal.
Snow White tossed squid ink at a group of attackers, freezing them in their place. King David fought side by side with the two Captain Hooks - Jones and Rogers. All three men had swords, swinging them expertly.
Cinderella - Ashley - gathered all the children she could find. She brought them to her apartment, where she kept them out of harms way and distracted them with movies and games.
Robin and her wife, Alice, were back to back; Robin fired tranquilizers from her bow, and Alice used her imagination/magic to defend herself.
Maleficent and her daughter, Lily, had transformed into mighty dragons. They flew through the air, spraying fire at their enemies. (Not to kill them, mind you. It was only meant to scare them off.)
August - Pinocchio - and Marco - Geppetto - used weapons crafted from wood. (Guns, bows, crossbows, etc.)
The fairies gathered in a rather large group, casting spells and enchantments, waving their wands.
The newbies fought hard, though. They didn't listen to anything the locals had to say. Most people were convinced this strange new land was dangerous and evil. They were scared. They wanted to go home. The people kicked and punched; they shot guns and stole from the locals. But almost none of them were equiped to take on the people of Storybrooke. They were brought down in a matter of minutes.
Though, the people of Storybrooke knew what it was like to find oneself in a strange land without warning. So, they didn't kill them. They didn't lock them up. (Well, maybe the ones that were too dangerous to walk around.) They simply knocked them out and placed them in a room at Granny's Bed and Breakfast. When they woke, they planned to explain what had happened to them. (Though, they were quickly running out of rooms, as the fight and the black holes continued to rage throughout the land.)
Lily's child joined her and Maleficent in the fight, just as another portal opened up. They were sucked in immediately and disappeared from sight. Lily let out a roar of anger, blowing smoke from her nostrils. She landed and transformed into her human form; she dropped to her knees, screaming into the air.
Emma Swan was by her side in an instant, and her mother landed beside her a second later. Emma placed a hand on Lily's shoulder. "We'll find her," she promised. Lily nodded, still sobbing. Maleficent hugged her daughter.
Across town, Regina Mills watched the chaos from the window of her old house. (She used to live in it when she was the mayor of Storybrooke. Now she was the queen, and she lived in the castle at the other end of the town.)
She felt bad, missing the fight, but this was far more important. Her son, Henry, had finally discovered something on the Wielder they'd been looking for for so many years. (It was exclusive. Family business only. The locals didn't know about it.)
Zelena, the Formally Wicked Witch of the West, stood at the opposite end of the room, leaning on the wall. She looked rather bored. (She always did enjoy a good fight.)
Henry stood at the desk, holding up the magic pen of the Author. Lucy, now sixteen, was at his side, a sword hanging on her belt. Cinderella - Jacinda - was on his other side, holding a torque wrench for a weapon.
Zelena sighed. "Are we really guarding you while you write a whole novel?"
"I don't know," Henry said. "Maybe."
He sat down at the desk, slowly put the pen to the paper and began to write. It didn't take long, before words started to form; and soon the words transformed into paragraphs. And the paragraphs formed into chapters. The process took a few days, and the people of Storybrooke grew restless as the fighting throughout the land continued, but the chapters eventually formed into an entire novel. The first sentence read:
The guards body dropped to the ground, as the White Cannary snuck up behind him and wrapped a poisonous cloth around his mouth.
Wattpad was being screwy right now so I'll edit later. (probably just on wattpad though. Fanfic is too complicated) Please point out any mistakes you see in the comments. It really helps, because I'm blind when it comes to typos. Thanks.Also, on my original works account I've made an advice book. If you'd like to take advantage here's the cover so you can easily find it (see picture on wattpad)If you're worried about people judging you or whatever though don't worry. I won't use anyone's names unless given permission.Next chapter we'll get some flashbacks of Rip's first meeting with the OUAT gang, and we'll also have some flash forwards which will explain what the heck went wrong.That's all for now,Toodles!~ Elsie