A Chat Mod's Tale
Liz's eyes shoots open. She's is seen getting up in her small apartment, and making breakfast for herself. She eats it at her one-person table, and proceeds to get dressed for work. At work, she sits in her desk all day, going through paperwork and looking bored. Come dinner time, she uses the Sheriff's Station's microwave to cook a burrito for one, and she eats it alone at her desk before going through more paperwork. She unpins her sheriff's badge and looks at it, throwing it down on the desk. She sighs. Soon, she receives a phone call, and picks it up tiredly. "Hello," says Rena on the other line, "I'd like to report a missing person." Liz looks somewhat excited. "Who are you reporting as missing?" she wonders. "Ricardo Jones," he says, "I haven't seen him in over two days now, I'm getting worried. Last I heard, he was heading to the Mayor's office." "I'll get right on it," she says excitedly, picking up her sheriff's badge and pinning it back onto her jacket.
A brooch is unpinned from ImmaGleek's fancy gown by her mother, The St. Berry Fairy, who insists that it completely clashes with the color scheme of her dress; "Also, I think that corset could be pulled a little tighter." "I'm not sure that's possible…" Imma says, but her mother is soon standing behind her and pulling at the lace, tying it so tight to the point where Imma struggles to breathe. "Much better," Berry comments. "Yeah… it's great," Imma utters weakly, taking out a hand fan and fanning herself repeatedly. "Hmm…" Berry says, "Something's still missing… Oh, I know! I'll be right back with the perfect necklace." "Yay," Imma feigns, and Berry leaves the room. Imma sighs (as much as she can in the corset) and moves over to the window, watching as her brother – Queso24 – practises sword fighting with one of his buddies. She leans her elbows on the window sill and watches longingly, at which point her mother walks in, necklace in tow. "Imma, dear, what are you doing? Stand up straight; you'll ruin your gown." "I don't care about my stupid dress, mother!" Imma exclaims, "I wanna be out there, fighting, with the boys!" "Don't be silly," Berry tells her, "Men don't go for women who can beat them in a fight. They go for ladies. You are a lady. If you do not act like one, how do you expect to gain a husband and bear his children? How will you get everything you've ever wanted?" "Everything you've ever wanted," Imma points out, "I've never wanted any of that. I wanna… I wanna be a Chat Moderator." "That's ridiculous," her mother tells her, "Now stop daydreaming and put on this damn necklace." Imma looks sad.
Liz looks happy, finally having something to do, as she approaches the apartment of Justine King and Benjamin Leech; she knocks, and Justine answers the door. "Sheriff Knight? What are you doing here?" "I'm here to ask you a few questions about the disappearance of Ricardo Jones," she explains. "I wasn't aware he had disappeared. But I'd be happy to answer any—" Justine is cut off by Ben, who comes to the door and says they don't know anything, proceeding to ask why she thought they would. Liz explains that he was last seen heading to the Mayor's office, but she phoned around and some people saw him heading to the bakery on the day of the kidnapping, and, since their apartment is closer than the Mayor's office, she stopped by first to ask if they'd seen him. "I'm sorry," Justine tells her, "We haven't." "Aw well," Liz says, "Thank you for your time." Ben shuts the door. The sheriff leaves, disappointed, whilst inside, Ben says, "Speaking of the kidnapping, you've not really thanked me for saving you yet…" "What are you talking about?" Justine asks, "I've thanked you many times." "Not properly," he points out, "You know…" his eyes dart towards the bedroom, and Justine looks disgusted. "I thought I'd made it clear that I was saving myself for our wedding night," she reminds him, but he says that special circumstances should allow for exceptions. He grabs her and kisses her, poorly, but Justine pushes him away, feeling violated. "I told you, not yet," she states, keeping him at an arm's length. He sighs, annoyed, as she walks away.
Liz is next seen knocking on the door to the Mayor's office, and Josh answers. "Sheriff," he greets, "What are you doing here?" "I'm here to ask a few questions about the disappearance of Ricardo Jones. He was last reported as heading to your office two nights ago," she explains. "Well, I can assure you, he never made it here. Whatever happened, it must have happened on the way. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have Mayoral duties to be getting on with. " "Well, can't I ask you a few questions?" she wonders. "I have nothing more to tell you," the Mayor assures, and Liz says it's weird; "It's as though he just vanished off the face of the Earth." "That is weird," Josh agrees, wanting her to leave. "Don't worry, Mr. Mayor: I will get to the bottom of this mystery if it is the last thing I do!" "Great," Josh says, slamming his office door in the sheriff's face. Inside, Valentina is sitting at her desk, asking if Josh is going to kill Elizabeth like he killed Ricardo. "No," Josh assures, "Killing Ricardo was a rash mistake; I shouldn't have done it. If more people disappear, this town is going to figure out that something's up. But still, Sheriff Knight could prove to be a nuisance… we have to think of a way to stop her from investigating." "I could have her taken care of," Val says. "I told you, we're not killing her." "I wasn't talking about killing her… just maybe… having her beaten up a little bit. I know some guys," she explains. "I don't know… sounds risky," Josh points out, but Valentina points out in turn, "People like this Sheriff Knight are far too honorable to give into things such as bribery. Trust me, the only thing people like her respond to is a bit of good, old-fashioned violence."
ImmaGleek wields a sword and charges towards her brother, who too carries a sword; they clash, and the two of them proceed to fight. The St. Berry Fairy soon runs out, screaming, and exclaims that Imma has ruined her dress. Imma looks down at said dress, seeing all the mud and filth on it, but reminds her mother that this is the final day she has to spend with Queso24 before he leaves for Chat Moderation training; "Please, just let me enjoy it," she begs. Berry sighs and heads back inside, and Imma and Queso sit down together. "Thank you for teaching me to throw my sword with accuracy," she says. "You're welcome," he replies, "Could come in handy someday… I'm really gonna miss you, sis." "Not as much as I'm gonna miss you. Who's gonna teach me how to fight now?" He smiles, "Just keep practicing what you know. Soon enough, you'll be good enough to enter your own Chat Moderation training." "You know they don't accept girls," Imma sighs. "That's because they haven't seen you fight yet," he points out, and Imma smiles. She hugs her brother, and tears begin to stream from her eyes. "I really am gonna miss you," she says. "And I, you," he assures her yet again, and Imma sighs with sadness.
Liz sighs with frustration as she heads back to her apartment, not having found a single piece of evidence all day. Suddenly, she is approached by four men, all dressed I black. She looks frightened, as well she should be, and it isn't long before they all begin wailing on her. Liz falls to the ground, having received multiple punches, and receives multiple kicks once she's down there. "Leave Ricardo alone," one of the gruffer ones is heard saying, and the four men vanish into the night. Liz continues crying on the ground.
ImmaGleek cries in her mother's arms, and Berry too has lost her composure. "I… I can't believe it," Imma utters, devastated, "How can… how can Queso have died? He was such a good fighter…" "I know, sweetie, I know…" Berry says, comforting her daughter. They continue to cry in each others' arms, but soon, a bell is heard ringing throughout the town. Imma runs out of the house, wiping her eyes clean, to see a Chat Moderator on a horse, wielding the bell. More and more people emerge from their homes. "What is it, what's wrong?!" Imma demands to know, and the Chat Mod announces that the Wiki is under attack from a fearsome dragon who currently resides atop the mountain, so they're gathering as many men as they can to aid them in slaying it; they are to be leaving first thing tomorrow morning in order to subdue it before it has a chance to attack. He urges all the men in the town to sign up in attacking it, and many of them do so, scratching their names on a piece of parchment with quills. "Can I sign my brother's name on his behalf? He's unavailable currently, but he's a Chat Moderator, so I know he'll be taking part," Imma calls. The Chat Mod assures her that that would be fine, and Imma signs Queso24 on the parchment. Her mother asks her what she's doing, and Imma asks if it isn't obvious; "I'm going to fight in Queso's stead." She goes inside and unsheathes a sword amongst her brother's possessions. The sharp blade gleams in the light.
As does the tip of the hypodermic needle as it enters Liz's arm. "What's the shot for?" Liz asks as Joanna Seer retracts the needle, and Joanna says that Liz got many cuts around her body when she fell, and one can never be too careful when it comes to tetanus. "Thank you for making this house call," Liz says, but Joanna assures her it's no problem. Liz thanks her further for not asking any questions, and Joanna tells her that that's not problem either; "It's my job to help you, not to badger you." She gives Liz one final look-over. "Now, you have a concussion, so I'd advise you to call someone to keep an eye on you and prevent you falling asleep so you don't, you know, die. Is there anyone you can trust to do that?" the nurse wonders. Liz thinks for a moment, and nods, grabbing the phone.
Joe is seen arriving at Liz's apartment once Joanna is gone; he immediately sees her cuts and bruises and asks what happened. Liz bursts into tears, and tells him that she was attacked. Joe is stunned, and asks her who did it, and she explains that she was ambushed by four men outside her home and told by one of them to "leave Ricardo alone". "What the hell does that mean?" Joe wonders, and Liz suggests it means she stop investigating the disappearance of Ricardo Jones. "What? You can't do that… You're the sheriff, if the law can slip by you, who can this town rely on?" "I don't know, but I'm out," she proclaims. "But…" "But nothing. I was beaten up outside my own home and I'm scared, Joe. What if they come back? And if they do, what if they finish the job? No, this is a sign. This case is just… not meant to be gotten to the bottom of." "That's ridiculous," Joe says. "I'm sorry, where you the one who was just kicked to the curb? Joe, this isn't up for discussion, I tried following the case and I got nothing. And it looks like I'm not going to." "Why did you call me over?" Joe wonders, and Liz explains that the nurse said she has a concussion, so he has to make sure she doesn't fall asleep and die. "Right… okay," Joe says, and the two of them simply sit opposite each other in Liz's living room, awkwardly. Soon, Liz bursts into tears, and Joe moves to sit next to her. He puts his arm around her and assures her that everything's going to be okay, stroking her hair and shushing her wails. Liz, with her tear-soaked eyes, looks up at Joe and he looks at her; he uses his thumb to wipe the tears from her cheek… and the two of them kiss.
ImmaGleek, in full Chat Moderator's armor and helmet, treks up the mountain of the Once Upon a Time Wiki along with many other men in armor. "Hey, Queso, why not take your helmet off?" one of the Mods asks. "I don't wanna," she says, "Um… I mean, who knows when and where the dragon might attack?" "Yeah, 'cause you'regonna have such a chance at defeating it," he laughs, "Aren't you a little short to be a Chat Moderator, anyway?" Imma scoffs, "I could take you any day." "Oh yeah?" the man asks, drawing his sword. "Yeah," Imma says, drawing her own. Their swords clash, and it's not long before Imma knocks the other guy's out of his hand and his him on his knees, in the ideal position to behead him. The surrounding Chat Mods laugh at the fallen man, and Imma simply says, "Told you so." "Stop it!" the leading Chat Mod from earlier yells, "How on Wikia do you expect us to be able to fight a dragon if we keep fighting amongst ourselves?! We need to work together if we're to have any chance of—" He is suddenly burned to a crisp. Everyone looks up as the massive dragon flies over head. It lands behind the group, lifts a Chat Mod into its hand and bites his head off. "That's why I keep my helmet on," Imma comments, trying to veil her shock and fear.
Liz is shocked to wake up in her bed, naked, to Joe dressing in his clothes from the night before in an attempt to sneak out of the apartment, the two of them having had sex. "Seriously?" she asks, "You're one of those." "Sorry," he says, "I got an early shift at the bar; I gotta get to work." "At least one of us has a full day of work ahead of them," she comments. "You could too," he says, but she shakes her head, saying she's done with all that now; she's just going to head to the station and be bored from 9 'til 5. "Alright," Joe concedes, finishing getting dressed, "Oh, and I'm sorry for letting you fall asleep." "It's alright," she assures, "I had fun last night. Made me forget all about…. you know." "Good," he says, "I'm glad. And me too." He proceeds to leave.
Joe is seen sneaking into Rena's apartment above the bar early in the morning; Rena is already in the living room. "Well someone didn't come home last night," he comments, "Did you… you know, get lucky?" "No, I was just… sleepwalking." Rena raises an eyebrow, "You had sex, didn't you? You little slut," he jokes, "Go on, who's the lucky gal." Joe groans, before admitting that he spent the night with Liz. "No way!" Rena exclaims, "You slept with the sheriff?" "I may have," Joe says, and Rena looks surprised, wondering how it happened. "Well… she needed comforting… she was attacked last night," Joe explains. Rena looks even more surprised, and asks why. "Someone didn't want her finding out what happened to Ricardo… I think it may have been the Mayor," he admits. "Why?" asks Rena and Joe explains it makes sense: Ricardo went to see the Mayor and disappeared, Josh hears about the investigation and has Liz beaten up. Rena wonders why Josh would want Ricardo gone, and Joe shrugs, saying that that's something he's less sure about. "But you're sure that the Mayor had Sheriff Knight attacked?" Joe nods; "Who else has hired goons in this town?" "Right… so why haven't you confronted him yet?" "Why do you expect me to confront him?" Joe wonders, and Rena shrugs, saying he's always viewed Joe as a rather headstrong person. "Yeah," Joe says, "You're right." He then turns around, commenting, "I'm gonna go face this monster." ("What about your shift?" Rena is heard calling, but Joe doesn't hear.)
In flashback, ImmaGleek looks up at the massive dragon which threatens her and her comrades. Within seconds, the first ten men to run at it are turned to ash. Imma is horrified. More and more people charge at it and die for doing so. It's about to breathe fire in Imma's direction when she ducks behind a rock and manages to avoid it (those behind her are less lucky). Imma draws her sword and looks down on it.
She flashes to her and her brother in battle practise. He is showing her how to throw a sword, and she does so, hitting the center of a target with her blade.
Imma looks up at the dragon whilst most men on the mountain begin running away. She grips her sword the way her brother taught her and lifts it over her head, making sure to get her aim just right. She lunges, throwing the sword, and soon enough, the dragon is speared between the eyes. Its dead body slides down the side of the mountain, landing in a ditch, and all the Chat Mods look shocked. "Thank you, Queso…" ImmaGleek whispers to herself, and it's not long before all remaining her comrades lift her up above their heads and cheer her brother's name. Beneath her helmet, Imma is ecstatic.
Liz looks happy as she walks down the street; Natalia watches from afar. She looks from Liz to the smoke in the background, enveloping the entire town. "No," she utters, "No!" Liz looks towards Natalia, seeming confused, when suddenly, the smoke envelops her, and Liz becomes a dismembered corpse. Her blood and body parts litter the streets, along with everyone else's, and Natalia screams.
Natalia wakes up in her bed in her apartment with a start, sweating and looking scared. "No," she whispers to herself, "Never again…"
Joe is seen knocking on the door of Josh's office, and Josh answers. "Yes, Mr. Kahn?" "I know what you did and it makes me sick," Joe tells him, but Josh proclaims that he has no idea what his adversary is talking about. "I'm talking about Liz, you son of a bitch. You sent those goons to attack her!" Joe exclaims. "Interesting theory…" says Josh, "And, do you have any proof of this supposed transaction?" "Well…" "No? What a surprise. Do yourself a favor, Mr. Kahn, and don't make accusations without knowing all the facts. Now leave my presence. You annoy me." Josh slams the door in someone's face for the second day in a row, and Joe storms off angrily.
Liz is seen sitting in the Sheriff's Station, looking at all the boring paperwork sitting on her desk. She sighs, but her sad face conveys shock when Joe barges in. "Um… yes?" she says, startled, and Joe tells her that she can't give up. "What?" "You have to continue searching for the truth, and not just about Ricardo." "What are you talking about?" Liz wonders, and Joe tells her that Mayor King sent those people to beat her up. "No… why would he have—" "Think about it," Joe tells her, "He's obviously behind Ricardo's disappearance – possibly death – after all, he was last seen heading to the Mayor's office. You go to question him about it and suddenly you're attacked. Who else has the kind of power to make that happen in this town?" "I really don't think that Joshua King would have—" "Really? You don't think he's capable? Everyone in this town is afraid of him, and there's a reason why. He's ruthless," Joe points out. "That's true, but—" "Liz!" Joe exclaims, "You can't let him win!" She frowns, "Say that the Mayor is behind this… I've already lost. By now he would have covered up any piece of evidence I could have used to convict him… it's too late." "Still, say you'll reopen the case," Joe insists. "There's really no point in…" "Just say you'll reopen the case," he begs, and Liz concedes; "Alright… the case remains open." Joe smiles, "One way or another, that smug bastard is going down eventually." "I doubt I can do much to contribute," Liz says, but Joe shakes his head, "Don't say that… I've come to know you this past week. When you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything."
"This is Queso24," says MaryPierceLopez in flashback, "He singlehandedly defeated the dragon that was plaguing the Wikis." ImmaGleek is brought before the Bureaucrats, Rena Charming and Lady Junky, the latter of which thanks her maid and tells her she can go. "Stand forwards, Queso24," she then says, and Imma does just that. Rena tells her that she shall have the opportunity to act as their personal bodyguard, for they can think of no one better. Imma is overjoyed, but tells the sysops that she cannot accept such an honor without being totally honest with them. Lady wonders what she means, and Imma tells them that her name isn't Queso24; "It's ImmaGleek… and I'm a girl." She removes her helmet, allowing them to visually confirm the fact that she's a female, and everyone in the throne room looks stunned. "Well, this changes everything," says Lady, "We must schedule a Chat Mod-hood for you." "Wh-what?" Imma asks. "You didn't expect us to dismiss you simply because you lied about your identity, did you? The fact of the matter is, you slew a dragon by yourself. Even some of the greatest Chat Moderators in history are unable to say that for themselves. We can't let an amazing fighter such as yourself go to waste. No, I insist that you live here as our official protector." "Your majesty," ImmaGleek says, bowing, "It truly is my honor." "And to celebrate the fact that you, ImmaGleek, have proven that a woman is as worthy on the battlefield as any man… I decree that Chat Moderation training programs with henceforth be accepting female students." Imma looks even more thrilled to have caused this, and Rena tells her, "Thank you for slaying the dragon. We can truly think of no one better to take care of us."
"So, has that bitch been taken care of yet?" Val asks as she enters Josh's office. "Yes, she got your little gift last night, as far as I can tell," he replies. "Excellent," Val says, "So that's that then." "Not exactly," Josh tells her, and she wonders what he means. "Joseph Kahn suspects that I had something to do with what happened to the Sheriff," he explains, but Valentina shrugs; "So what? What can he do…" "Never underestimate your enemies, my dear… I made that mistake once, and it cost me a great deal." "Alright," says Val, "So do you want him dealt with in the same way as the sheriff?" "No," Josh tells her, "If he gets beaten up after confronting me, then that will only confirm his suspicions that I am behind it. Which he already knows, of course, but still… we don't want to be giving him ammo to use against us. No, you're just going to have to think of some other way to deal with him. Are you up for the task?" he asks her. Val smiles evilly and assures him, "I'm sure I can think of something."