Premise: Season 2 AU. Regina and Emma are unable to stop the trigger and it explodes, destroying Storybrooke. However, instead of perishing, most of the citizens of Storybrooke are scattered, ending up with new lives and memories in New York. Except Rumpelstiltskin, who is discovered by the NSA.
After three years in a government facility, the NSA makes a deal with him to help them combat the residual consequences of the trigger's explosion. The others are recruited and awakened. The deal is they form a taskforce and help fight the magical entities that have been unleashed on the world and keep their freedom as a reward.
Face Claims:
General Shaw: Idris Elba
Agent Alex Casey: Adam Baldwin
Agent Alivia Becker: Katee Sackhoff
Operation Castle
Prologue
"Mom…Dad…" Emma said, her eyes full of tears. They were stunned, as that was the first time she had ever called them that and now they were about to die. Snow and David hugged her between them and Henry too, as they prepared for the end.
"Nothing can stop this…" Regina said tearfully, as she looked at Henry.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, just before her magic failed and there was a blue flash. Storybrooke was incinerated and seemingly everyone else along with it. The shockwave didn't stop within the borders of Storybrooke, for there was no longer any barrier keeping any magical radiation inside. The shockwave reverberated far into the Land Without Magic and would have consequences yet to be discovered…
Three Years Later
Washington D.C.
Rumpelstiltskin heard his cell door open in the tiny cell that had been his home for the last three years. How he had survived the destruction wrought by the trigger that erased Storybrooke from existence, he had no idea. But as he had learned, he was not the only one, though he had no idea who else and it still baffled him. They had only told him bits and pieces of things, but from what he gathered, the NSA knew way more about them than he had ever imagined, but who he was apparently was being kept a very guarded government secret. Today though, something in the air and mood felt different and he wondered what it held.
"Mr. Gold…" a man said, as he sat down across from him. He was a black man in a military uniform and though he was firm, he was more humane than he would expect from such. He was fed three meals a day, provided a comfortable cot, allowed time outside, and given any book he wanted from the prison library. That meant one thing. They wanted something from him.
"General Shaw," Rumple answered curtly.
"It's time to make a deal, Mr. Gold. The ramifications of that little magical explosion have had consequences like none of us could imagine. We've been gathering intelligence and intel. Have you ever heard of someone called the Dragon?" Shaw asked.
"Can't say that I have and what…ramifications do you speak of?" Gold questioned. He smirked.
"All in good time. The Dragon is an old mage in Hong Kong. He's been allowed to operate without interference from us for a long time. Fleecing people of their hard earned money is shady, but his high end clients were mostly the people in power and they liked what he produced. At first, he was unwilling to cooperate and so was the Chinese government, but for the right price, we were able to make a deal for his information," Shaw explained.
"And what does this have to do with me?" Rumple asked. Shaw pulled out his phone and played a video for him. Rumple was stunned at what he saw. It was a troll, terrorizing people in the streets of some big city, from the looks of it.
"Do you know what that is?" Shaw asked.
"A bridge troll…a really nasty one," Rumple replied.
"Yes…since your little explosion in Maine, magical beings and supernatural occurrences have been happening all over the country, the highest concentration being in New York. It seems to have had quite the effect and I suspect if I removed that cuff from your wrist that you might be able to eventually figure out how to use magic," Shaw said.
"Are you saying this land has magic now?" Rumple questioned.
"Not like the place where you come from. The Dragon explained it all for a big fat check. He told us about the land you're from, the Dark Curse, and magic. He says it's here now…but it works very differently," Shaw said.
"And what deal is it that you want to make with me?" Rumple countered. He smirked.
"We want you to work for us. In exchange for your freedom and compensation to live on, you take care of these problems for the country," Shaw purported.
"That sounds like a lot of work for one man in a land where magic only works when it feels like it," Gold retorted.
"Oh, you won't be doing it alone…you'll have your own taskforce. Once they're awake," Shaw said. Gold paused and looked at him, as he placed several file folders on the table.
"You weren't the only one to survive the blast in Maine, but none of them remember anything. They were all given new lives and are living new lives, ignorant of any of this. A bi-product of the magical explosion, we believe," he said.
"You would have been too, had we not found you," he added, before he opened the first folder.
"David and Margaret Nolan. He's an NYPD rookie detective and she is an elementary school teacher. Married for several years, with a baby now, completely unaware of their adult daughter," he said, as he opened another folder.
"Emma Swan, bail bondsperson, formerly from Boston and now NYC," he added, as another folder opened and Rumple sneered.
"Detective Killian Rogers, Nolan's partner," he said, as another file opened and Rumple glared. This was her fault, after all.
"Roni Mills, a bar owner. Quite a step down from Queen, I'd say," he commented, as another file opened.
"Lacey French…a librarian," he said, as he stared at the picture with longing.
"Have…have others survived?" he asked.
"From what we can tell, most of the citizens of your town did, but we don't intend to wake them all. The Dragon assisted in helping us with the right concoction to do so, but we only have enough for this taskforce and we chose the strongest and most prominent people," he said, as he opened a metal case and showed him the potions.
"We'll need weapons, equipment, vehicles…" Rumple said.
"Then you agree?" Shaw asked.
"My options are this or more prison, correct?" Rumple asked.
"Yes…and the other prominent ones would be brought into custody and given the same choice as well, including her," Shaw replied.
"Then I accept the terms of your deal, with the stipulation that we get our lives back once we've dealt with all the anomalies," he said.
"You'll have them," Shaw replied.
"One more thing…" Rumple said, as Shaw listened.
"What became of the boy?" he asked. Henry was, of course, his last link to Baelfire.
"He's with his mother…his real mother," Shaw answered and Rumple was relieved at that. Henry was alive and with Emma.
"There is a serum for the boy as well. Having his mother awake and him asleep is too risky," he added. Rumple nodded curtly.
"Where do we start?" he asked.
"You get showered and changed. Then we board a plane to New York," Shaw replied.
"We?" Rumple asked.
"I am overseeing this operation…your taskforce answers to me ultimately, but you will have two handlers and field agents helping and leading," he replied, as he left the room. Gold was soon collected and allowed to get cleaned up, before putting on a black suit and gold tie, similar to something he would have worn to work in his shop. It was familiar and he breathed in the air of freedom, as he walked on the tarmac toward the private jet awaiting them.
"Welcome to Taskforce Magic," Shaw said. Rumple raised an eyebrow.
"Taskforce Magic?" he asked incredulously.
"The name needs work…I'm sure you and your colleagues will come up with something better.
"My grandson is the best with names…I'm sure he'll know what to call us," Gold said, as they boarded the jet…