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.
Thanks for the reviews. Please consider contining to leave reviews. Feedback is very much appreciated. Here are responses to individual reviews:
Ghostwriter: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Jennifer Baratta: Glad you're enjoying!
Grace5231673: Yeah, on one hand you feel bad for Greg, but then you can't for long, because he's taking it out on innocent people. And yep, Tamara is just a straight up cold hearted bitch. Yeah, this former lost boy is just as evil. I know you're not a fan of the Charming and Killian friendship, but I just ask you trust me, because it makes sense here. I do wish they would have developed the Charming and Rumple friendship more and I'll be doing that here as usual too. Glad you're enjoying!
Sexystarwarslover: Yes, there will be a nice Captain Charming friendship here. Yeah, no one is keen on Regina here. She is the reason they are in such a predicament. Yep, Henry came up with a cool name. We knew he would. Yep, it's like Chuck. Yeah, Casey and David are going to clash a bit. Yep, Greg and Tamara are really going to be trouble here. Glad you're enjoying!
Operation Castle
Chapter 3: First Mission
The vehicles pulled up behind Roni's bar and she led them inside the backway, after unlocking it and flipped on the lights.
"Wow…" Emma said.
"Mind your tongue, Miss Swan," she warned.
"No…it's nice. Just not what I pictured for you," Emma replied.
"This way," Casey said, as he led them into the backroom, where the liquor was stored. On what Regina thought was her security pad for the door, Casey entered a code and the wall slid open, showing a set of stairs that descended into the basement that Regina didn't know she had. They followed him down and saw a room with a large screen, with computers and control panels.
"This is the war room…I assume you're familiar with something like this?" Casey asked.
"Yeah…it looked a bit different, but Snow and I are no strangers to a good war room," David replied.
"These are containment cells, in case there's ever an intruder or we catch something alive that we need to hold until it can be transported," Casey said, as he showed them the glass prisons.
"And this is the armory," he said, as he led them into that room, where weapons lined the walls and rested on a table of open cases.
"Whoa…that's a hell of a piece," Emma said, as she picked up the gun.
"Think you can handle it?" he asked.
"Yeah…but David said bullets aren't going to work," she replied.
"That doesn't fire bullets," he said, as he pressed a button and the far wall slid back, revealing a target wall. He flipped the safety off and the weapon whined to life.
"An ionic laser blaster that will obliterate anything," Casey said, as he fired and burnt a hole in the target.
"Whoa…" Henry said, as he watched. It was comic book level stuff, so naturally, he was enthralled.
"This bow looks a bit different than what I'm used to," Snow said, as she picked it up.
"It's very durable and you have different kinds of arrows. The standard arrow, the exploding arrow, and the grappling arrow," he said.
"Think you can handle it, Princess?" he asked.
"Snow is the best archer you'll ever meet," David assured him.
"Can you shoot like your daughter?" Casey asked. David smirked and took the weapon and aimed at the target, firing three shots that hit the bullseye each time.
"What else have you got?" David asked. Casey smirked and led them to the sword table.
"Aye…now you're talking, mate," Killian said, as he immediately went for the cutlass.
"Compliments on craftsmanship. This world certainly can make attractive weapons," he mentioned, as David chose the broadsword and scabbard.
"We'll need daggers too," Snow said, as they both chose a couple of small daggers and holsters for them too.
"Where are you going to put that one?" Emma asked.
"One on the waist and probably another hiding on my ankle," Snow replied. Emma blanched, realizing this was kind of normal for them. Killian smirked.
"How about you, Swan? Sword for you?" he asked.
"Uh no…I think I'll stick to guns. It's in my wheelhouse," Emma replied.
"Everyone will be required to train regularly on all weapons," Casey said, as Regina picked a sword. She only hoped to figure out her magic in this world, because it was her
comfort zone. An alarm beeped and Agent Casey went to the main control panel, before bringing an image up on the screen.
"Looks like our first mission is here," he said.
"That's a bridge troll…" David replied.
"Bad?" Emma asked. He nodded.
"The worst. They hate humans…people will get hurt if we don't stop it," David replied, as they geared up.
"Follow me…there's an external exit down this hall," he called, as they followed him out and to the vehicles in back.
"What is that thing?" Tamara asked, as they watched from afar. Part of their new job was to surveil those from Storybrooke that had been chosen to fight the magical anomalies that were in the world now. Their new superior had informed them that the body had been dumped, with no shred of forensics, in the river. Apparently, when she was identified by the authorities, her name would be flagged in the system and General Shaw, who was in charge of their operation, would be alerted. Their new boss wanted them to soon learn that they were being hunted and he wanted his former employees to be baffled as well.
"I don't know…but whatever it is, it's ugly as hell," Greg answered, as he glared at them.
"I can't believe the Queen is still alive," Greg growled.
"Easy…we have to follow orders or we'll end up right back in prison," Tamara warned, as they watched.
David got out of the vehicle and he and Killian looked at the monstrosity that was wreaking havoc in a busy business district smack in the middle of downtown.
"How exactly does the government plan to explain this away, mate?" Killian questioned.
"They can't," David interjected.
"Most people will buy whatever we come up with and tell the news to push," Casey said.
"So that's how it works, eh? Just come up with a narrative and push it to the sheep? People are just cattle to you?" the former pirate asked.
"Bingo," David replied, with disdain.
"Look…the normies can't handle this stuff. Right now, we're calling it unexplained phenomena. Hologram and CGI tech is getting really good. Those watching on television will
buy that someone is causing these hoaxes and we're investigating to find who is behind it," Casey explained.
"And for those up close and personal?" Snow asked.
"They don't know what they're looking at. Let's just handle it and make it go away," he replied, as they moved in.
"Bloody hell…I can smell it from here," Killian said.
"Yeah…bridge trolls smell like death," David replied.
"Since when are you two friends?" Emma questioned.
"We weren't…but then we worked together for three years and he often joined us for evening meals and holidays. Guess we are now," David said, just as surprised as her.
"Aye…you're not so bad either, Dave," Killian quipped and Emma rolled her eyes.
"I need a good bird's nest," Snow said, as they looked around and saw a fire escape on a nearby building.
"Give me a boost?" she asked. He smiled.
"Always," he replied, as he lifted her up so she could grab the ladder and then she proceeded to climb up it. Snow positioned herself at the top of the building, readying her bow to fire at the first opportune moment.
"Doesn't seem too concerned with us," Emma mentioned.
"You're right…" David said, as he unsheathed his sword and shouted at the ugly, rampaging troll.
"HEY!" he called, as he thrust his sword toward the monster, hitting it in the belly. It roared angrily and pulled the sword out, before tossing it away.
"Thanks for pissing it off," Casey said, as his blaster whined to life.
"It's a troll…it's perpetually pissed," David retorted, as he rolled away from the creature's hand and grabbed his sword in the process.
"That's right ugly…come get me," he called, as Casey and Emma fired their blasters and it cried out in pain, as the blaster fire burned its flesh.
"HEY!" David called again, drawing his attention toward the building where Snow was perched. Killian made a slash with his cutlass while David was distracted and lopped off his left hand. The creature roared in agony and looked up at the sky, howling in pain. Snow took her shot and got him dead in the eye. The creature dropped dead to the ground, as Snow climbed down and David helped her down.
"That was an amazing shot," David said, with a smile.
"Guess I still got it," she mused, as they shared a kiss.
"Impressive," Casey said.
"Thank you Major," Snow replied.
"How are you going to contain all this? Dozens of people saw this," Emma said, as several black vans pulled up around them.
"Clean up crew…which is our cue to return to Castle. As for the spectators, most will be encouraged to keep their mouths shut and most will comply," he said.
"Out of fear, I presume," Gold stated.
"You know how powerful fear can be, Mr. Gold," Casey retorted.
"You're lucky I don't have a hang of the magic here yet, Major," he hissed.
"Rumple…" Belle chided.
"As for the ones that decide to shoot their mouths off on the Internet, they'll be labeled crazy and conspiracy theorists. Our media is very good at spinning a narrative," Casey stated.
"So the media does the government's bidding…guess I'm not surprised," Emma said.
"I don't make the rules…I just follow them and I expect the same from my team," Casey stated. There was an uncomfortable silence. None of them were quite comfortable with the rules outside Storybrooke and as far as they knew, there was no getting back what they once had.
"Well…that's one dead troll. Who knew that Snow White could do that," Greg mentioned.
"Nevermind that…" their new boss snapped.
"We've planted the body and they'll soon know of her death," he added.
"How? The body will go to the morgue and city Police will investigate," Greg said.
"Very true…but all people from that place are marked in the system by the government. She'll be flagged immediately and the case will be handed over to General Shaw's little taskforce he's created. Then they'll soon know that someone is ripping hearts," he replied.
"But one body…they might think it's a coincidence," Tamara reasoned. He smirked.
"So true…it's time to seek another victim. Let's go," he snapped, as they followed him.
"That was good work, team," General Shaw said from the video screen. They were back in Castle and debriefing was fairly quick. His image blinked out and Casey pushed
back from the console.
"Does that computer look up anything?" Snow asked.
"Yes…but it's only to be used for missions," Casey replied. She sighed.
"I just want to know what became of Red and Granny," she said.
"You don't need the computer for that…just google Ruby's diner," he replied, as Henry took out his phone and did so.
"Ruby's Diner in Brooklyn," Henry said, as he showed them.
"Anyone up for dinner?" David asked.
"I could eat," Killian replied
"Can we, Mom?" Henry asked excitedly. She smiled.
"Sure," she agreed, as they started to leave.
"Are you coming?" Emma asked Regina, who looked surprised by the invitation.
"Sure," she answered, eager for any time spent with Henry.
"You two should come too," Snow said to Belle and Gold. She smiled and he relented, as they followed as well.
The elderly man walked as fast as he could with a cane, as he looked behind him and tried to escape the two people that had been stalking him since his trip to the drugstore. He rounded the corner and was just moments away from his apartment when he was shoved against the brick wall of the building. He looked at the two young people in fear.
"W…what do you want? Take my money…just don't hurt me," he pleaded.
"Sorry…your paltry earnings aren't of any use to us," Greg said, as a third figure approached and was shaded by the darkness. The man suddenly gasped for air and tried to scream in excruciating pain, but his breath was stifled. His last image of his life was watching the figure pull his own heart out of his chest. It glowed and that was the last thing he saw, as it was crushed. The three left the body to be found and soon, they would know they were being hunted. The old man was just a villager in the Enchanted Forest and a simple, retired senior in Storybrooke. But the message would be received, nonetheless…
The bell rang on the door of the diner, as it opened, giving them all instant Deja Vu, as they painfully remembered Granny's. Their town was gone and their people were scattered throughout a city of millions.
"Hi…welcome to Ruby's," Ruby herself said and Snow tried not to tear up.
"Hi…I'm not sure if you have a big enough table for this brood," Snow replied.
"We can push some tables together and it looks like we'll need a highchair. Hello, you little cutie," she cooed at the toddler in her husband's arms. David smiled.
"This is Bobby," Snow said to the woman who should be her son's Godmother.
"Well…that's a cute little name to go with such a cutie," she cooed, as he smiled shyly.
"We can push these tables together back here," she said, as she ushered them to the back of the diner and they sat down.
"This isn't fair…" Snow said, as she watched her best friend go behind the counter with Granny to get drinks for them.
"I know, my love…" David said, as he squeezed her hand.
"Rumple…do you really think they'll let us go if we complete this mission?" Belle asked.
"If magic is here in any capacity…then I'm not sure this mission is ever complete," Rumple answered.
"That's what I don't understand…I can't summon it and I haven't seen you do it yet either, so how do we have magical creatures running amuck?" Regina asked quietly.
"Oh magic is here, dearie…we just haven't found a pocket of it yet, but I can feel it at every point one of these things pops up," Rumple replied.
"But it's different from Storybrooke…it's muted somehow," he added.
"Maybe we can track the locations. A detailed map with all that equipment back at Castle wouldn't be hard to create," Snow suggested.
"That's a good idea," David said.
"Aye…perhaps there are similarities in the location," Killian agreed.
"A common denominator…maybe that's how we figure the magic out," Emma said.
"And how these creatures are even being created," David said.
"If we can answer some of those questions, perhaps we can figure out a way to diminish magic's presence here and there'll be no need for this task force then," Belle replied. They nodded.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they're never letting any of us go. He said they would, but his superiors will never let it happen. Right now, we have a job and if that changes, we'll likely end up in a government facility somewhere," Rumple said, alarming them all.
"We can't let that be our fate…we have to figure out exactly what happened with that trigger," David said, as he looked at the former Queen.
"And here comes the blame game again," she deadpanned.
"No…no blame, because like it or not, we're all in this together and we have to stay together if we're going to survive. I just want to know everything about that thing," David said, as he paused as their food was delivered.
"That's just the thing…it was supposed to just destroy the town and everything in it. It would be as if the town never existed. How most of us even survived…I have no idea," Regina said.
"What about Greg and Tamara?" Henry asked.
"What about them?" Emma asked.
"Well…they had a bean. They were trying to open a portal. My…my dad fell through a portal," Henry replied sadly. Emma put her hand on his shoulder. It was the first time any of them had spoken about Neal…but he was remembered by all of them.
"Is that it?" Killian asked curiously.
"What do you mean?" David asked.
"Those lunatics opened a portal while the trigger was activated. What if…" he replied.
"What if the magical creatures are coming through portals and just not appearing with magic?" Belle asked, finishing his thought. He nodded.
"Essentially…yes," he agreed, as they continued to eat.
"If it is portals that are causing all this…then maybe escaping isn't impossible, after all," Snow said.
"Wait…you mean escape back to the Enchanted Forest?" Emma asked.
"Yes…at least we'd be free again," David replied.
"But if they find out there are portals…they could follow us. Can you imagine if people like this had access to other realms and what they could do?" Regina asked.
"As much as I hate to admit it…they have proven that technology is a match against magic…and sometimes supersedes it," Rumple added, clearly uncomfortable in admitting such a thing.
"They're right…" Snow realized.
"Or they already know it's portals. Ten bucks says they're not telling us everything," Emma said and no one seemed eager to take that bet.
"Where is my book?" Henry asked.
"I'm afraid they have it, my boy…and it's under lock and key. I don't think we'll be getting it back," Rumple replied regrettably.
"The clean up crew…they're using us to dispatch the creatures so they can examine the scene," David realized.
"Then we need to get back to that site…without getting caught somehow," Emma said.
"Perhaps that is a conversation best had elsewhere," Rumple suggested.
"We can go back to our house. I can make coffee and we can discuss this more," Snow offered. They nodded, as Ruby came back.
"How was everything?" she asked. Snow smiled.
"It was delicious, but this little one is sleepy…can we please get the check?" she asked.
"Sure thing," Ruby replied, as she promptly returned and they paid for their meal.
"I hope you come back soon," she called.
"Oh, I think we'll be back. We really liked it," Snow assured her, as they left and headed for the small house that Snow and David had made their home in for the last three years…