Chapter Sixteen: Realm Above the Clouds
Emma stepped out of the TARDIS as soon as it finished materializing upon their next stop, and she was met by the sudden grim atmosphere that surrounded the police box, which appeared like a toy left in someone's backyard – a backyard littered with human skeletal remains, both large and small. Hook, River, Snow, Mulan, and Aurora soon followed her out of the TARDIS, discovering the horrid visage along with her.
"What happened here?" Emma asked.
"It's where the final battle was." Hook explained before going right to business. "Here's the plan: we wait for the giant to fall asleep. When he does, we'll sneak past him into his cave. It's where the treasures are…where the compass lies."
Emma nodded along with the plan. "And then?"
"And then we run like hell." Hook concluded.
"You seriously expect us to wait for a giant to fall asleep?" River asked Hook.
"You have any better ideas?" Hook questioned to her.
Mulan then stepped forward with a white bag. "This will do. Power made from poppies. All he has to do is inhale it." Emma was just about to take the bag from her until she pulled it back. "I'm the one who is going in."
"Like hell you are." Emma contradicted.
"All due respect, I'm the best-equipped to go." Mulan stated.
Snow stepped into their conversation and said, "No, that would be me. I'm the most experienced in this group."
"How many wars have you been through?" Mulan asked.
"My share," answered Snow, sounding a little offended.
"It should be me." Aurora declared.
"You? You haven't fought in a battle." Mulan indicated.
"Does there have to be a résumé for confronting giants here?" River sarcastically inquired to the Chinese warrior.
"This is about us getting home to our loved ones." Snow reminded them.
"Which is why it should be me that goes," said Aurora. "I have no loved ones. If I fail, you can still go on."
Having enough of the dispute, Emma put her foot down, boldly telling the women, "It's me. I'm going, and I'm not gonna fail."
River nodded in agreement with the idea. "No offense, but I have more faith in Emma than the rest of you on this one."
Her comment was none too pleasing with Mulan, Aurora, and especially Snow, who strictly told River, "She is new here."
"So you've been telling us a lot lately." River indicated. "But this girl – your daughter – is the one who broke the curse. Without her, you'd still be a hopeless romantic schoolteacher, clinging to love like it's the last bread crumb." Snow wanted to snap back at River for her insulting remark. However, she knew that River spoke the truth about Emma, which was why she so reluctantly remained silent while Emma accepted the white bag from Mulan. As she joined Hook's side, River told them, "We'll be cloaked out here in the TARDIS. The moment we see you come out, I'll get us ready to depart."
Hook amusingly grinned. "Cloaked? As in invisible?"
River smiled over the pirate's amusement. "It seems the Doctor hasn't shared all of his tricks with you, has he?"
After sharing smug glances, Hook and River went their separate ways with their respective parties. Once River, Snow, Mulan, and Aurora were back inside the TARDIS, Emma and Hook looked on with surprise as the police box suddenly became invisible, as if it had departed from its current spot.
From inside the cloaked TARDIS, River switched on the view screen above the control console for her and the other women to see all that was going on outside. Aurora and Mulan were both surprised by the additional capabilities of the TARDIS. "This box truly is a wonder to behold," uttered Aurora.
River tried not to let herself be distracted from the image on the view screen while hearing Aurora voice her astonishment, yet she couldn't suppress a smile. Together with Snow, Mulan, and Aurora, they watched Hook and Emma lure the giant out of his home and knock him out with the poppy powder. The impact of the giant's massive form hitting the ground briefly shook the TARDIS's structure, momentarily knocking the women inside off their feet. Once they got back on their feet and returned their eyes to the view screen, they found only the unconscious giant lying at the entrance.
"They did it," said a relieved Snow. "They're in."
"All we can do now is wait," said River, before she solemnly added, "and pray."