Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke
A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover
Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The hospital had never experienced anything as catastrophic as this before. Nor had anyone ever anticipated such a precise breach in their network security. It was a Black Swan event and as such there was no emergency plan in place to deal with it. Many were at a loss as to what to do. Although network access was still available, each employee was told not to save new data to the servers for fear that it might be lost or would interfere with efforts to recover the missing data.

Pre-existing procedures were sometimes followed so long as they were still effective without the aid of their computer network. When they weren't, chaos ensued. As a result, new procedures were cooked up on the fly. In many cases they had to be abandoned or adjusted minute by minute to work out problems as the staff went along.

Something as simple as discharge papers took hours to complete. With incomplete access to the computer network, staffers and nurses scurried about making sure their daily rounds and routines were completed properly. Mundane paperwork quickly became major inconveniences that were put aside unfinished and could be forgotten about. Claire or Hartley found themselves reminding the nurses to finish the discharge papers.

It took so long that Claire had to buy food at the first floor commissary just so she, Hartley and Valerie could eat that day. Eventually, everything was taken care of and Valerie was allowed to go home, but they were asked to stop at the admissions desk before leaving. When they got there, Claire and Hartley received another shock.

"I'm sorry to do this, but I need to fill out paperwork on Valerie in case we can't restore our computers," the frazzled lady told Claire. Essentially, they had to go through the entire admissions process all over again. It was an exercise in tedium as page after page of federally mandated paperwork was filled out in painstaking slowness. Claire could feel her blood pressure going through the roof.

When she looked up at the wall clock, Mrs. Kensington realized that it was long past time for school to let out. She imagined poor Tina sitting out front of her high school waiting impatiently for someone to collect her. The harried mother placed a call to her youngest daughter to explain the situation. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Okay, dear?"

"I'm already at the hospital," Tina answered.

"You're what?"

"Yeah, Mr. Winter asked his friend to pick me up," she said. "Where are you?"

"Admissions."

"Oh, there you are."

Claire looked up and could see her youngest wave to her from across the hall. She waved back and hung up the phone. Then she turned to face the man who had been so nice to her and kissed him.

"What was that for?" Hartley asked.

"For watching over us. All of us."

It was a simple gesture that no one noticed, but for Claire it carried with it the weight of immense gratitude for all that he had done for them. Having this nice man around was like having her very own guardian angel. A handsome, strong and caring guardian angel.

Moments later Tina joined them. Ned had brought her up to speed on the drive over. "I can't wait until you come home, Sis," she told Valerie. "It'll be just like old times."

"Yeah, I don't think so, Tink," the older girl replied.

"Tina," the little blonde said. "Remember?"

Meanwhile, Emma began to pester Hartley. "When is this computer genius going to get here?"

"Soon," he answered. "She just needs to clean up a bit."

~O~

Hold up in a darkened room with closed windows and pulled shades, a slim figure sat before a bank of computer monitors. Her hair was platinum blonde and her skin was somewhat pale from being indoors most days. Covering one wall was Star Wars wallpaper originally produced after the first movie arrived in theaters in 1977. She had recently secured it from Mr. Gold for a hefty price.

The rest of her walls were adorned with posters of films and television shows generally associated with nerds and geeks including Star Trek, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Tron, Doctor Who, Firefly and many others. Nearby on the desk was a TI-84 Plus Silver Edition scientific calculator which the girl could operate almost as if by instinct.

In another room was a library filled with science fiction and fantasy novels and accompanying reference books. Alongside them were tomes on programming and web design (in multiple languages like C, C#, Java, Ruby on Rails and more). There were also books and magazines on circuitry, electrical engineering, advanced mathematics, physics and quantum mechanics.

Other spaces were cluttered with old computer systems like an Altair 8800 and a Commodore PET; random circuit boards; mother boards of differing vintages; and video cards from PCI to the current PCI Express standard. An alcove was overstuffed with broken or malfunctioning laptops and LCD monitors in various states of disrepair.

The only common space that wasn't so badly cluttered was the entertainment room where she had every major home gaming console from an Atari 2600, a ColecoVision, and Nintendo NES up to the current XBOX 360 and Sony Playstation 3. Penny, was a true nerd, even down to her favorite The Big Bang Theory t-shirt.

When she received the phone call from Hartley about data loss at the hospital Penny had been busy checking the code of her own version of the Linux computer operating system. She loathed Microsoft operating systems and productivity software, and wanted to code a Linux GUI with the ease of the Mac OS and the broad compatibility of Windows.

Most of her computers ran some flavor Linux or UNIX. She only kept a couple of systems running Windows to offer tech support to the people of Storybrooke. Penny earned a large share of income as a call in technician. Using her computers she could log into almost any PC through the internet and fix most problems.

One of the most unusual things she noticed about being a tech was that she was often able to fix a computer by simply stating, "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" and having the user follow those instructions. If that didn't work then the next common solution was "Are you sure it's plugged in?"

What was unusual was that it mirrored almost precisely the words spoken by a computer technician on the British television comedy series, The I.T. Crowd. That character, Roy, loathed having to say that stupid line over and over again. In one episode he made a bet with his manager, Jen, that he could go an entire day without saying those insipid words. He lost when he had to help a bomb disposal expert with a laptop that froze. The scene was made all the more hilarious when his friend and workmate Maurice Moss asked what operating system the laptop was running. When he found out it was Windows Vista, Moss yelled, "We're going to die!"

The money she made from her work as a tech and a sometimes employee for Hartley Winter more than paid for her rent on the small, single story house where she lived and supported her huge computer budget. Penny rarely had any friends over because of her high intelligence. She was shunned by the community that did not understand her fascination with the intricacies of the Klingon language or the tiny details of each Linux release. It didn't help that Penny had graduated high school early and was now enrolled in internet classes offered by M.I.T., one of the leading engineering universities in all the world.

After hanging up with Hartley, Penny gathered her laptops and placed them snuggly into a large school backpack. She then grabbed a handful of USB drives and a small case filled CD's and DVD's that had on them a number of tools and utilities, including some of her own design just for such an occasion.

Before she was about to leave, she received another call from Hartley. "Penny, did you remember to shower this morning?"

It might sound like a strange question for an older man to ask of a younger lady, but there was good reason. Penny would often become so engaged with her computer work, video games and TV shows that she often forgot little things like bathing or even eating for days at a time. One quick sniff reminded her that time did not stand still. She had not bathed since the last time she was called out to do location work, more than a week prior.

After a thorough shower in which she lathered and rinsed twice, Penny quickly scarfed down some microwave macaroni and cheese and then loaded up her Vespa scooter. She made it to the hospital in good time. At the admissions desk were Hartley Winter and the young deputy that had been seen around town driving an old, beat up, yellow VW Beetle.

"Where's the patient?" Penny asked with a sly grin on her face. The nurses and staffers that were within earshot didn't appear all that amused by her bad pun. Her reaction indicated that she didn't care. Penny was happy amusing herself.

"This is your help?" Deputy Swan asked Hartley, looking both worried and incredulous.

"Trust me," the older gentleman assured, "Stephen Hawking himself would be impressed."

"The hospital computer isn't Stephen Hawking," Emma reminded him. "It's a dumb box of electronics."

"HEY! That dumb box of electronics has feelings, too," the girl chided. "If you don't want my help then just say so and I'll go back home."

The blonde deputy sighed. "Okay, come on." Emma led the way back to the server room. When the two turned the corner towards the elevator Penny spied a woman in her late forties or early fifties with honey brown hair and a worried look on her face. She recognized the woman from a newspaper article a few weeks ago regarding a lost iPad.

Her name, if Penny remembered correctly, was Kensington. The woman had also been featured in the news recently because her oldest daughter drove her motorcycle off the road. The girl, a dark haired beauty in her mid-twenties stood next her. The young woman, whose hand and forearm was in a cast, looked lost or confused as she talked to a nurse. Neither of them paid attention to her.

The younger girl who was with them, however, did notice Penny. The computer whiz stared in wide eyed wonder as she walked by girl. Unbelievably, it was as if Penny were staring at her own double. The petite blonde had a look on her face that conveyed the same emotion. Penny stopped cold in her tracks and stared back. The two girls, Penny and the other girl, circled each other as they each sized up one another.

Stunningly, their faces had a similar structure, they were the same height, and both had rather short hair. The other girl kept her hair in cute pigtails while Penny's was parted in the middle which then cascaded down to her shoulders. Their noses were slightly different and Penny's skin was rather pale. Lastly, Penny noticed that her look alike had more muscle development and tone. Something the computer whiz lacked due to spending so much time sitting in front of her computers.

"Who are you?" the other girl asked.

"I work on computers," Penny answered. "Who are you?"

"No. I meant, what is your name? And where did you come from?"

"Oh, I'm Penelope," she answered. "But everyone calls me Penny. Hartley asked me to help with the computer systems here."

"My name is Christina," the look alike said. "You can call me Tina."

"Nice to meet you, Tina," Penny said.

"You look familiar," Tina said to her. "Didn't I see you in high school?"

"Probably. I graduated last year."

"Graduate? Wait? How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

Tina looked shocked. "Sixteen? But I'm sixteen and I'm still in high school. How did you-?"

"I have a genius IQ," Penny told her.

"Wow! That must be so cool. I wish I had that kind of intelligence. Maybe I could get into M.I.T."

"You want to go to M.I.T.?"

"Yeah, for mechanical engineering," she said excitedly.

"I'm taking online courses from there in electrical engineering," Penny replied just as excitedly. "Do you need any help?"

"Yeah, I'm having some problems with math."

"Oh," Penny sounded deflated. "You do kind of need that to succeed in mechanical engineering."

"Yeah, I know, but I really want that degree. I can figure out how to fix almost anything just by looking at it. The car, the refrigerator, a dishwasher. I also like building things. Last year, I made a few lawn ornaments out of metal. One of them looked like Tinker Bell with wings that spun in the breeze. My first grade teacher Ms. Blanchard bought it during the Miner's Day celebration. She has it in her front lawn now. She said I was very talented, but teachers always say that."

This caught Penny's attention. This girl must be a great talent indeed. One that didn't need a formal education to flourish. Penny had the same attribute with computers and electronics. It came so naturally to her. Tina's mechanical and engineering abilities must be just as natural.

"Have you been tested? Your IQ, I mean?"

"Yeah, it was above average, but not by much."

"Let me guess, the school tested you just for general intelligence?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

"Our public schools suck, they are always behind the curve. Have you ever heard of Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences?"

"No."

"Look it up on Google. It's fascinating. He theorizes that what most of us call talent is actually a specialized kind of intelligence. I bet you score high both in spatial and logical realms. Maybe even fine motor skills. Do you see everything as if it were-?"

"-all right in front of me? Every pipe, every wire, as if it were a schematic? YES! I can look at something and picture it in my head."

"You took apart your dad's tools, didn't you?"

"Much to his chagrin."

"And then put them back together again?"

"Better than before to his surprise." Tina wore an easy smile, as if recalling fond memories.

Penny put her hands on Tina's shoulders and held her tightly. "You are not average. You are not above average. You are talented. Very talented."

"Penny, dear," Hartley called to her. She turned to look at him. "Emma is waiting."

"Oh, right. Sorry." She turned her attention back to her new friend. "Why don't you come by my house? I have a test that will find out just how talented you really are. And I can help with your math homework."

"You would do that?"

"Sure. We engineers have to stick together."

Tina laughed. "Yeah, I guess we do."

Penny scribbled down her phone number and address on a piece of paper and handed it to the little blonde. She bid her goodbyes and turned to follow Deputy Emma Swan to the server room. But her thoughts were still with the girl she had just left at the admissions counter. When she touched her, it was as if she could feel something between them. Like a faint snap of static electricity. It didn't really matter. Finally, someone her own age whom she could call a friend. Someone she thought who could understand her.

Penny was never so excited.

Hmm... I wonder why Penny felt that faint snap of static electricity? I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. Please leave a review, I would like to know your thoughts about this chapter.