Town Border, Storybrooke, Maine, 11:15am
"Sir, we're gonna need you to turn back to town." The sergeant instructed.
"You know who you're talking to, don't you son?" Sergeant Major Hickory inquired, his boots right up against the orange line that had been spray-painted to mark the border. In his left hand was a charred top hat, in his left was a rope that was in turn tied to another man.
"At ease, soldier." A gruff old voice announced, walking up and laughing as he recognized the Sergeant Major. "Hickory, is that you? You son of a bitch!"
"Baldy? Is that you?" Hickory laughed back, walking up to his old, needless to say bald friend. "They put you in charge here? Did Campbell bite the dust?"
"Aw, come on man." He sighed. "What a shitstorm this is, huh?"
"Bah, I've got it under control."
"So whatcha got there with ya'?"
Hickory got in closer, whispering to him. "One of my soldiers, a staff sergeant, she was observing this whole thing for me when she got knocked down into some portal or whatnot by…"
"By that dementor of yours?" Baldy joked. Hickory had forgotten Baldy was an avid fan of Harry Potter.
"Yeah. It gave our Apache one hell of a time, though. It got sucked down into that portal though, so they're a bit disappointed." He thought for a moment. "Anyways, I've got quite a few things with me here."
"Hey!" his prisoner protested. "One of those 'things' is a person!"
"Who's this?" Baldy inquired.
"The guy who owns this hat." Hickory held up the charred remains.
"Well, besides being dapper, what's so special about the hat?"
"This hat opened up the portal that took Staff Sergeant Acadia." He handed it to Baldy. "Take it back to the eggheads; tell 'em to patch it up so this dick," he elbowed his prisoner in the stomach, "can get it to work again."
"I'll get it back to ya' ASAP, Hickory." He set the hat down on a Bradley. "Anything else?"
"Yeah; I'm gonna need a medic crew in here."
"Oh? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong; I just gotta keep that fireball bitch from dying before we can question her."
"What do you think of it all?"
"I saw her throw a fireball; she's a threat. And if my spy is to be believed, what she did back in her dimension makes Kim Jong-un look like a goddamn kitten."
"Christ, and you don't want her to die?"
"Don't twist my words, Baldy. I don't want her to die yet."
"I'll see what I can do about the hat, Hickory. You should get back to town, though. Remember how fast things went to hell in Kabul without a leader?"
"I'll see you soon." Hickory laughed, walking back.
The Safe Haven, Enchanted Forest, 12:00pm
Pattonwas lying prone, right on the outskirts of the forest with a pair of binoculars, watching, and waiting. She didn't want to waste any ammunition on another attack; she'd run out if she kept up an open assault like that, although she didn't think that would be a problem for too long. Hickory knew she was there, and if the eggheads could drop a car on Mars, they could extract her from some other dimension. Besides these reasons not to attack, something was happening.
Emma and Snow were being led to what appeared to be some administrative building, judging from its height and sturdier construction. A tall black man exited the building, wearing plate armor and carrying a sword. Snow seemed to recognize him, judging from the look on her face. What really drove the nail in was that she ran up and hugged him. He wasn't a target Patton thought to herself.
Her attention turned to the two women who had kidnapped them in the first place, the Asian woman and the other one with auburn hair. They were having their own conversation, one much different tempered than Snow and the knight. The auburn seemed angry, judging from her facial expressions, while the Asian was talking to her with what seemed to be a warning of some sort. They're still suspicious she thought to herself. The Asian woman walked off, and Patton unchecked her from her growing list of enemies. But the other one, she turned around, thinking nobody could see, and the Staff Sergeant watched as she drew a dagger, looking at it contemplating.
"Hmm. Suspicious." Patton muttered while the natives invited Emma and Snow to sit down. Seemed innocent enough, but better not take any chances. She withdrew a new toy her unit had just been outfitted with two months before this all happened; it was a remote control car called a Dragon Runner. Nine pounds, fifteen inches long, five inches high and with a camera and microphone sensors, the machine was designed for spying in an urban environment. She could throw it out of a three story building and it would still drive.
The little car sped forward, covered in a thin layer of grass Patton had camouflaged it with, and parked in the clearing right where the town began, switching it from drive to sentry. A little microphone on its front end then listened in on the whole conversation. Apparently, they were eating something called "chimera."
"I don't understand." Snow began. "We were told this land didn't exist anymore; how did you all escape the curse?"
"It is a mystery. The curse struck, and when the smoke cleared, most of us had been torn from this land. But some of us here, in this particular region, were left behind. We don't know how and we don't know why."
Like that new TV show Patton thought. Only in fairytale land…
The knight continued. "Finding this safe haven wasn't easy. It took some spilt blood. But worry not. You're safe here."
"We can't stay," Snow protested, "My husband's back there, Emma's son- my grandson- we have to get back to them. Can you help us find a portal?"
Thanks for remembering me Patton thought to herself. If there was anyone on their side trying to get in, it was either "for science" or they were trying to get her back.
"Leaving is unwise." The knight warned. "The Enchanted Forest is not as you remember it. The ogres have returned."
Patton had a bit of a double-take and had to playback that last sentence to make sure she heard it right. Ogres? Like, Shrek?
"Ogres?" Apparently Emma had the same reaction. "Like as in fee-fi-fo-fum?"
"That'd be giants." Snow informed.
Christ, this place has everything.
"Ogres," the knight went on, "are far worse. That's why we live here, on this island where it's safe. Please Snow, stay here; there are no more portals left."
Ha! Army Research Lab is working on that.
"I might know of one." Snow replied, thinking.
"You do?"
"Where?"
"Cora's near. I don't feel comfortable voicing my plans; she's powerful."
Okay, so I'll have to add 'Cora' to my hit-list.
"Not anymore," the knight reassured, "the curse stripped her of her powers. But, given her reputation, we've kept her locked up as a precaution."
"Nevertheless," Snow retorted, "I'm not taking chances. Just trust me, I may have a way. Let us go."
"I'll allow it, but on one condition... take my bravest warrior with you. Allow Mulan to defend you."
Man, I LOVED that movie! Patton thought, recalling her childhood memories before being sucked back into reality. She had left her stolen horse- and with it all of her equipment- in a clearing on the mainland, but with no real defense around it. She had to go set up a perimeter; especially since they were starting to go to the mainland too. Still, there was just one more thing left to do with the Dragon Runner.
"Choose wisely," Mulan began, opening up a big crate of weaponry, "we must be vigilant if we hope to survive the journey."
Emma took a dagger, asking "Where's my gun? I want it back?"
Mulan had had enough sense to keep that particular weapon on her person, and Patton didn't get it in her little heist. She held it, turning it in her hands as she examined it.
"Is it magic?" she asked with the curiosity of a child.
"Depends on who's pulling the trigger." Emma joked back, taking it from her.
Damn right, officer Patton thought as she yanked the reverse stick back on the little vehicle and retrieving it in short order, jogging back down the causeway before the trio caught up to her.
Field Hospital, Sector 1 (Main Street), Storybrooke, Maine, 1:00pm
Regina awoke with a start to the sound of stomping boots and helicopters.
"W-What happened?" she demanded, sitting up. She was in a tank-top, with a big gauze pad covering her right shoulder. She was in a tent; albeit a huge one. An IV drip was going into her arm, and she was handcuffed to the cot. Two soldiers stood as still as monuments on either side of her cot, silent sentinels, watching her every move just in case.
"I shot you." The Sergeant Major replied very simply, walking in.
"Why?" Regina demanded.
"You were gonna kill a bunch of innocent people; and my men."
"Where am I?"
"The field hospital."
"Why are you keeping me alive? Why don't you just kill me?"
"As much as I want to shoot you in the face with a howitzer right now, we're still a democracy and you're gonna get a fair trial."
"What did I do? You have nothing to charge me with?"
Hickory smiled, pacing before her. "Really? Where to begin? Arson, at the very least, and if your David Nolan is to be believed, genocide."
Regina smiled viciously. "I almost forgot how precious life is to you hypocrites. You bomb thousands of people in other countries, but when you catch someone from the other side killing, you're all up in arms!"
"We don't kill innocent people; and we don't attack unprovoked." Hickory responded with a steely tone that put even Regina in her place.
"So how long until I get sent to Guantanamo Bay?" she quipped.
"Shut up." Hickory retorted, jabbing a needle into her forearm.
"Ouch!" the queen yelped while Hickory drew a blood sample. "What was that for?"
"For science." Hickory replied deadpan. He flicked another needle, jabbing it into her. "My job isn't to be a morality judge, but let me just say that if everything they say you've done is true, lethal injection is the least you deserve." He rose to his feet. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go talk to someone."
Sheriff's Office, Storybrooke, Maine, 1:20pm
"Having a nice stay?" Hickory asked as he walked in on his prisoner. He folded up a piece of paper and put it back in his jacket.
"Ah, here to see your prisoner, eh?"
"You don't have to be a prisoner if you work with us." Hickory replied, sitting down in an office chair. He rolled it up to the bars. "So, what's your name?"
"Jefferson."
"And where ya' from? Nevermind, don't answer that." Hickory knew it was true, but again there was a part of his brain that flat-out refused to accept it.
"Anything else?" Jefferson replied, exasperated.
"Hey look buddy, I'm only trying to help you. You're making it more difficult on yourself. So, what was the paper you were looking at when I came in."
Jefferson sighed, withdrawing the paper and handing it to the Sergeant Major. "She's my daughter."
"Ah; how old is she?"
"Nine."
"Is she with her mother?"
"Uh, yeah. We, uh, we're divorced."
"Oh, I see. My brother divorced too; I get how stressful that can be." He let that sit for a minute. "Listen, I need your help."
"Sir," Jefferson began in a very honest tone, "I can't help you. Magic's never been my thing, y'know? I don't know if Regina has something in that vault of hers that can help you; maybe try her."
"Vault? What vault?"
"It's in the cemetery. Here, I'll take you to it."