A/N - Hey guys! Sorry about the long wait. I hope this action-packed chapter makes up for it!
And as always, thank you so, so much for every read, review, and fav!
Chapter Ten - The Hard Truth
"Emma, stop!" Ruby called loudly. Even with the vibrations of the road zipping underneath them, her phone was pressing into her hip and she could feel it had already buzzed twice. Instinct told her they were both from Graham. "I think Graham's texted me!"
Emma slowed to a full stop, stepping off the bike as she kicked the stand back down.
"What did he say?" She asked breathless, feeling her pulse. Her heart was going a thousand beats a minute.
"'It's a trap. I know you're coming anyway, just be careful. Guards everywhere,'" Ruby read aloud. "The next one is GPS coordinates."
"So they got to where they're going," Emma sighed.
"Look, it's an old factory just outside the town line," Ruby squinted at the photo of the old building, "It's gated."
"That won't be a problem," Emma said, throwing a leg around the bike and motioning for Ruby to join, "We'll go over it."
"Emma," Ruby almost whispered, "What are you going to do when we get there?"
Emma stopped, frozen for a moment as a realization dawned on her, "I'm going to do whatever I have to do to save Regina."
"But you don't kill people," Ruby countered, almost offended.
"I've never had to before," was Emma's simple reply, and they zoomed off toward the edge of town.
When the old factory was visible in the distance, Emma stopped the bike and hid it behind a cluster of bushes.
When Ruby looked at her in question, she explained, "The bike's too loud, it'll be easier if we catch them by surprise. Hope you don't mind the walk."
Ruby shrugged, and they took off down the path, careful to avoid any open well-lit patches of road. Luckily nature had taken over the area with reckless abandon. Trees, bushes, and waist-high grass stretched all throughout the way ahead, and if Emma was seeing correctly, the bushes and grass were just as prominent beyond the gate. It would make for ample cover.
They finally reached the gate, and as Graham warned, there were guards everywhere. Emma counted them. Four on the ground, two at the doors, and one on the riser overlooking the grounds. It was at that moment she wished she had a bow. Taking them out silently would be almost effortless if she had brought one. The silenced pistol and hunting knife would have to do.
She whispered to Ruby, "Let's climb over over there," she pointed to a shed a several yards away, "they won't see us behind that. We can move along the grass from there. Be careful, and stay low."
"Stay low," Ruby repeated, clearly overwhelmed about the task at hand.
Emma saw her reluctance, and offered a comforting smile, "I know this is a lot. But Regina's in there, in the hands of…" she choked for a moment, "Jones and Robin. I'd rather kill all these men here than let her get hurt by those bastards. Are you with me?"
Ruby nodded, "I'm with you."
"Let's do this, then."
Emma scaled the fence with no issue, while Ruby looked like she might topple over a few times, but she managed to make it safely to the other side. Emma was having a hard time not finding amusement in Ruby's lack of dexterity.
Where they were crouching behind the shed, Emma could see two guards to her left posted by the main entrance of the gate, and to her right were the two guards patrolling the back of the building. Good thing for Emma, both areas were overgrown with vegetation. She was suddenly very grateful for all the rain they'd had lately.
"Ruby," she whispered, putting her forefinger to her mouth as Ruby was about to speak. "We need to be really quiet. We're going to take out those guards in the back first."
"Why can't we just go through the front?" Ruby asked. Emma almost laughed. The training for private investigators clearly wasn't the same as tactical assault training from a crime family. She thanked David silently for teaching her everything he taught her.
"There's a guard up high there, and two more at the main door. If we do this right, we can go through the back without needing to deal with them. Now, stay close behind me. Move quietly."
Ruby nodded without another word, her hair bouncing around her face, and Emma shook her head. She reached in her pocket and pulled out two hair elastics and handed one to Ruby. After getting their hair back in control, they crept along the edge of the fence until one of the guards, dressed in all black and carrying an automatic rifle, was a few feet away from them.
Emma turned and nodded to Ruby, who nodded in return, not understanding the silent communication until Emma was already grappling at the unknown man; her arms were crossed over his neck in a chokehold, and she held him low to the ground until he went limp, and she eased him onto the ground gently and pulled him into a thick, tall bush.
"Is he dead?"
"No. Just one hell of a nap."
Emma surveyed their surroundings. The unconscious guard was hidden safely in the bush, the guard across the yard oblivious to the two women lurking in the shadows.
Moving forward, Emma got just behind the other guard when she noticed one of the guards from the gate coming in their direction. Quickly rolling under some brush, she held her breath as the two men began talking.
"Where did Davis go? Wasn't he just here?" one of them asked.
"He was, but who knows? Probably taking a piss in the bushes. Whatever. You know what, Luke? This assignment is shit, anyway," the other guard responded, kicking the grass around his legs.
"Look, Roberts. All I know is, I don't want to be around when the Mills come around for their daughter. Those two are so over their heads. I'm starting to think they have a death wish," Luke replied, shaking his head.
"Then why are you here?"
"Same as you. The paycheck," Luke laughed, with Roberts high-fiving him.
Emma needed to get rid of one of them. She knew Ruby wasn't going to lay a hand on any one of these men, and she needed to get to Regina fast. This was taking too much time, and she was growing so impatient she was almost trembling.
Before she could formulate a plan, Ruby shifted and stepped right on a dry branch, sending a rippling crack through the otherwise quiet breeze.
Both of the guards drew their weapons and turned to face the source of the sound when Emma pulled a smoke bomb out of her jacket pocket, disengaging the pin and throwing it between the men as they shouted in unison, "Backup! Perimeter breach, hostiles inside!"
The smoke expanded around them like a cloud, obstructing the view of everything but shadows. Emma squinted, and saw the guard named Luke pointing his rifle directly at Ruby's stomach.
"Fuck!" Emma shouted, lunging forward and swinging her arm up at Luke's face, emitting a sickening crunch as she broke his nose. He staggered back, and even in the haze he made eye contact with her, and adjusted his rifle at her head.
Without warning, Emma turned, ducking down as she went, swinging her leg out, purposely catching Ruby's foot and knocking them both down at the same time as Luke began firing.
Luckily, each shot missed. Before celebrating, however, Emma realized enough time had passed for all the guards to have assembled around them, and she threw another smoke bomb ten feet in front of her, instructed Ruby to stay down, pulled her hunting knife from the inside of her jacket and began moving through the fog.
"I can't see them!" one of the guards yelled, and Emma moved in the direction of his voice. Taking a deep breath and reminding herself why she was doing this, she exhaled as she drove the knife into the man's neck, blood spurting as she extracted the knife and he fell to the ground with a thump.
Two guards were on her as soon as she turned around. The fog was lifting slightly, and she could make out two dark figures circling her. Clearly, they had no idea how to approach her, and she took this to her immediate advantage. As one took run at her, she threw her knife and it whizzed past the hand he raised to block it and the blade connected directly with his forehead.
She turned to the other guard who was now standing in shock, and she drew the handgun from her waist and pointed it at him before he could react.
"Drop it or I'll drop you," Emma said slowly, moving toward him. She felt her heart may break free from her ribcage and she wanted to be sick thinking about the two men that now lay dead at her hand, but she needed to get to Regina.
Regina. Would Regina understand what she had to do?
The guard stood still for a moment, and then a shot burst through the air.
A gut-wrenching scream rang in Emma's ears and she scanned the grounds around her for the source. Her eyes fell on Ruby, who was gripping her shoulder, blood seeping into the shirt surrounding her hand.
Emma ran to her, ducking gunfire, and slung Ruby over her shoulder, running to the same shed they came from before. Emma zipped off her jacket quickly, tearing the shirt she was wearing off over her head and ponytail. She ripped the shirt into strips with ease, and wrapped them around Ruby's wounded shoulder in a tight makeshift tourniquet.
"If that loosens, let me know. We'll have to re-wrap it," Emma explained quietly. She could hear the guards closing in on them. "I'll be back for you. Stay here. Don't move."
She pulled her jacket back on again, and pulled out the last smoke bomb she had. Without another thought, she threw it out where she saw the grass parting for boots. She ran to the fallen guard impaled by her knife, and pulled it out of his face with more required effort than she anticipated. After tucking it back in its sheath, she turned and surveyed the remaining guards to come up with a strategy on how to take them down swiftly and quietly.
It was quick, the way she moved through them. If it was just good training, natural talent, or even enjoyment, Ruby wasn't sure. But even through the pain in her shoulder, she was captivated by the methodical finesse Emma possessed as she swiftly cut each one down.
The first guard made it easy. He began blind firing through the fog, which gave Emma the perfect chance to jump him from behind and drop to the ground with her arms around his neck, effectively breaking it.
The second put up a good fight, and had even managed to knock the gun out of Emma's hand. Emma scrambled to the side to retrieve it, and in the nick of time, aimed the barrel at his chest and fired.
The last two guards tried to ambush her, but Emma just weaved through them, causing them to fire at each other in their haste and confusion.
"Jesus Christ! Are you sure you've never killed anyone before?" Ruby said, bewildered.
Emma looked around her. I bet they had families, she thought to herself. She wasn't proud of it, but she was here to save Regina, she had to remind herself.
"Not all of them are dead… Just most of them. Listen, we need to get inside. Are you okay to move?" Emma asked, bending down to help Ruby up.
"Yeah, it's not too bad. I mean, it fucking hurts, but it's not fatal. How many more of them will be inside?"
"I don't know. I don't think the rest will be as heavily guarded. They're cocky. They probably don't think I could have made it in without being captured by one of these goons." Emma walked slowly toward the front door as Ruby staggered close behind her.
"What happened to your whole 'sneak-in-the-back' plan?" Ruby laughed.
Emma stared at her, head tilted. "You're going to joke now?"
"Right. Sorry. Let's go," Ruby muttered, head down.
Emma chuckled. "Chin up, champ. Can't have you running into walls."
Ruby perked up again, and Emma led the way silently through the main corridor. There were signs to an elevator, and a complete map of the area on the wall adjacent to the entrance. Emma was reading it to figure out where they needed to go when a pair of footsteps caused both women to freeze.
Drawing her gun up, Emma waited for the footsteps to come closer, then she rounded the edge of the hall when they were right next to her.
"Whoa!" Graham shot his arms up in surprise, and Emma lowered her weapon with a sigh of relief. "Ruby! What happened?"
"The guards outside. Safe to say they're worse off than I am," Ruby told him as he inspected her shoulder.
"Look, we haven't got much time and there's a lot you need to know-" Graham started, but Emma stopped him before he cold finish.
"Where is Regina?"
"She's being kept in the last room on the basement floor, but you really should listen to me-"
"Look, whatever it is, it's not as important as Regina's safety. Will it help me save her?" she paused for a moment and Graham shook his head, "Then we save her and talk later. Okay?" Emma continued, quickly losing her patience. She didn't know what Jones and Robin were doing to Regina. She had to act quickly.
"Emma, they're unpredictable. This wasn't called on the Nolan's orders. I heard Jones saying something about how angry David would be about all this," Graham noted.
Emma thought for a moment, remembering the tender exchange they shared the last time she saw her dad. She frowned, shaking her head, "No, I don't think they do anything on David's orders. It's all Mary Margaret. She's orchestrated this. She's just cruel enough."
Emma began walking, and Graham whispered to both Ruby and Emma, "Follow the candy wrappers."
"Thanks, Hansel," Emma quipped, smiling back. It was almost a shame they didn't really need to use them since Graham was sneaking about with them. "Aren't you worried about blowing your cover?"
"No. The cameras and voice recorders are set and I have access to an exclusive feed that's impenetrable and always recording. If I blow my cover, my job is still done. Besides, I think all the guards were outside."
"You're brilliant," Ruby beamed, still impressed at the way he could handle himself the way he did under all the pressure. She nearly peed herself hiding from the guards outside.
Emma was already making her way down the corridor, passing the hallways and edging along the path Graham had left before she stopped at the elevator. It was open, but protected by a wooden gate and mesh fencing to prevent any falling. A control panel sat in the center of it.
"Well, here we go," Emma said as she pressed the button for the basement. Ruby and Graham looked grim. Emma wasn't afraid, though. She was angry. Regina was innocent in all of this, and making her the target because she happened to be the one person she truly loved only fueled her fury. Mary Margaret would pay for this too, she decided.
When they got to the bottom, she immediately heard voices in the hall. They were coming from outside the last room. Emma and Ruby quickly hid behind a wall.
"How much longer do you think it'll take for Swan to get here?"
That was Jones' voice.
"If what we know is true, and Emma loves her, she'll stop at nothing to play hero. You have to admit, there is some genius to this whole plan."
And that was Robin's,
Emma let out heavy breath and was grateful Regina was away from them, for now.
"Yeah, just don't let her get the drop on you," Jones added.
Robin laughed, holding his stomach, "Yeah, right. Like she could ever get the best of me."
Emma was tempted to shoot him right there. Deciding against it, she moved to get a view of the two men instead. Seeing the door, she realized there was no way she could sneak past them. She looked to Graham and pointed her head in their direction.
Catching her signal, Graham stepped out and greeted the men, intent on distracting them.
"Welcome back, mate!" Jones shouted.
"How are the guards?" Robin asked.
Graham swallowed. "They're fine. No sign of them yet. We'll know when they get here."
"Alright, then," Jones reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a flask. He took a long swig of it and offered it to Robin, who did the same.
Robin shuddered, the burn of rum shaking him from the inside out. "Let's go have some fun."
"You go get ready. I've got to pee."
Robin nodded and moved to the door where Regina was.
Where Regina was waiting for Emma to save her.
As soon as Jones turned the corner to go to the bathroom, Emma began walking toward the room with the black door Robin just entered. He hadn't closed it completely.
Emma crouched beside the door, peering in through the slight crack. She couldn't make out much, but she could see a shape moving around. It was only when she heard a piercing scream that she put all caution aside and all but dove into the room.
Robin was standing above Regina, who was tied to a chair with not only a rope, but a chain was wrapped around her, too. Emma came up behind Robin, pulling him down to the ground, landing on top of her with a thud. She caught a glimpse of blood on the knife in his hand, and in that moment he elbowed her in chest, knocking the air out of her lungs.
Gasping for breath, she staggered as she stood back up. Robin was standing next to Regina again, smirking.
"Emma!" Regina gasped, finally making eye contact with her hero.
Her savior.
"Hey you," Emma smiled, not missing the smirk on Robin's face growing as Emma saw the gash on Regina's upper lip. He reached his hand around Regina's neck and held his knife to it. Emma stared him down for a moment, realizing she didn't have enough time to pull her gun before Robin could kill Regina.
"You're predictable Emma. That's your downfall. Just give up now," he said.
"I'm not as predictable as you think, asshole," finally returning his smirk, she turned her attention to Regina, "Tip over! Now!"
Emma rolled to her side, watching as Regina did as she was told and landed sideways still tied to the chair. She watched, confused fora brief moment as Regina undid her ties with no effort, even unlocking the chains with a key in her own hand.
Robin, not having expected the shuffle, moved back momentarily to sidestep Regina and faced Emma with a menacing growl. He didn't catch Regina springing free of the chair so when her foot connected with his back and shot him forward into the table standing between Emma and himself, he thrashed about wildly, throwing the table and anything within his reach around the room in a blind fury.
Dodging the objects, Emma made her way so she was positioned between Robin and Regina, her knife already pointed at the man, ready in her shaking hand.
"You really have it in you to kill me?" Robin scowled.
Emma inclined her head toward the windows, "Why don't you ask your guards out there. And they did far less to me than you have."
Robin thought about this for a moment, catching a dark shadow cross Emma's eyes. She would kill him, absolutely, he realized.
Instead of running, he faked a turn, trying to divert Emma's attention, but dove directly at Emma instead. She had thought he'd do as much, and latched on to him and rolled him onto his stomach. Regina was knocked back from the force of their contact, and connected firmly with the wall, momentarily stealing her breath and dropping her to her knees.
Catching a glimpse of Regina pale and breathless on the floor, Emma left Robin where he lay and moved to check on her girlfriend.
"Regina! Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"
Before Regina could respond, Emma saw the reflection of Robin standing behind her in Regina's eyes.
She felt a sharp pain split through the side of her face, and everything sounded like a badly tuned radio, hissing, buzzing, and crackling through her ears. For a second, she knelt over, thinking she was about to be sick, but the echoes faded and she turned to see Robin holding his gun to Regina, who was still kneeling on the floor beneath him.
He smiled, looking over to Emma, proud of finally getting the best of her, she assumed.
"Should I kill her first? Or you? Or we could have some fun first, if you'd prefer," he motioned to his pants, and Emma only saw red.
Making a split-second, irrational, and completely irresponsible decision, Emma slipped her hand behind her back and folded her fingers on the grip of her pistol. If she was quick, she could drop him before he pulled the trigger on Regina. If she hesitated or missed, they'd all wind up dead.
Taking a steadying breath, Emma closed her eyes for a second, and then brought them up to Regina. Regina almost smiled, as if she knew exactly what Emma was planning. It made Emma feel brave. And lucky.
She swung her arm out when Robin began to fake a yawn, and with the stifled thump of the barrel, Robin opened his eyes widely and clasped his hands over the center of his chest. It was a direct hit to the heart, and he fell to the ground, and with one final gasp, he said "Congratulations, Emma. You're... a true... killer now. Feels... good... doesn't… it..."
A chill shot down Emma's spine. She knew it was supposed to get under her skin and shake her. But the worst of it was that all of it was true. Her hands were covered in blood now, both literally and figuratively. That wasn't a pleasant feeling. She shivered.
"Emma?" Regina asked, walking to her slowly.
"I'm fine. Robin was going to hurt us. I had to do it," she said, almost robotically.
"Robin deserved a lot more than that, Emma. But are you okay?" Regina implored, sensing Emma's imminent guilt and grief.
"I… I don't know. I don't feel right, but this is a life-or-death situation we're in, right? Probably just circumstance or something. I'd feel a lot better if we got out of here, though," Emma said, nodding to Robin's body by their feet.
Both went for the door, and after finding their way back to the elevator they saw Ruby and Graham gagged and cuffed to the railing.
Emma wasted no time, pulling the knife once again and cutting them loose.
"Now where do you think you're going, love?"
All four of them froze, knowing exactly who that voice belonged to.
Emma didn't stay still for long, suddenly not having much in the way of fear, she turned and walked directly to Jones, who was smirking and laughing quietly.
"What is your endgame here? I mean, I'm all for a good game of cat and mouse, but really? What are you and Mary Margaret playing at?" She folded her arms, refusing to show any vulnerability.
"Oh, dear Emma. You should have listened to Graham. I assume he tried to tell you, but in your rush to save your beloved, you ignored him. If you hadn't, you'd already know what this is about," Jones stepped closer, directly into Emma's space. She didn't back away.
"What is this about, then?"
"You. Always you. The darling Emma Nolan. Or now we say Emma Swan. The one daddy dotes on, and mommy merely pretends to tolerate. You are a nobody, Swan. Always have been. You came from nothing, in the middle of nowhere," he saw Emma's eyes flash in confusion, then puffed out his chest to say the next part, "I, however, come from everything you believe you're entitled to. I am the true Nolan heir. You were merely a consolation prize, love."
Emma stepped back for a moment. She only managed to get more questions than answers. She felt like screaming, but held it down.. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
"You haven't figured it out by now? I'm Mary Margaret's son. And you… Well, you are the abandoned child that David begged Mary Margaret to let them keep. You're just the family pet, but I'm the family," he sneered, then began laughing.
Emma knew he was telling the truth. It all fit. She really had been living a lie her entire life.
She turned to Regina, who was staring wide-eyed and mouth agape, and flashed a smile at her.
"I love you," she said quietly, and Regina's eyes changed to fear. Emma hadn't said those words to her before, but it was the brilliant smile directed at her that deeply unsettled her.
Emma turned back to Jones, "Let them go and I'll come willingly. It's me you want anyway, and you know you can't take me armed."
Jones considered his options for a moment, then nodded. "If they send the cops or come back for you, they're dead. Are we clear?"
Reluctantly, Ruby and Graham nodded, and Regina just stared blankly.
Emma watched as Ruby whispered something to Regina, and she eventually nodded after a few seconds.
"I love you, too, Emma," she heard as she handed her weapons over to Jones and let him tie her hands together. He led her back down the hallway to the room where Robin's lifeless body still lay, and Emma could have sworn she heard a choked sob as the door closed behind them.