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 leaving reviews. It seems engagement has really dropped, so if you're reading and you like what you're reading, please review. Feedback is very much appreciated. Here are responses to individual reviews:
Sammii16: Glad you're enjoying it.
Ghostwriter: Yep, Neal is coming. No immediate plans for OQ, but maybe. Glad you're enjoying it.
cschallert: Well, Neal did survive his wounds in canon, thanks to Mulan and Robin, so that hasn't changed here. We'll see. It's going to be Snowing and Henry that help her most though.
Grace5231973: Yep, Neal is alive and well and Lake Nostros may very well be causing some of the havoc. Yeah, using it could be risky with no compass. Neal took a huge risk or you might be right. It just might be their way out. Glad you're enjoying!
Sexystarwarslover: Yep, Neal is alive and well. Yep, no matter what, Snowing always has that love and passion for each other. Yeah, they were buying toys for Emma's nursery. Yep, something is going on with Lake Nostros. Glad you're enjoying!
The Grey Jedi 2020: Yep, they will always find each other. Eh, I guess he was a kid and shouldn't have had that on him. But I don't really think Marco and he deserved the do-over. Maybe August. But Marco never had to take responsibility for his part. If you think the government actually cares about people's lives, then I have a bridge to sell you. At that top, I assure you, they absolutely see people as commodities. Yeah, Hook grew a bit during the curse. I can actually remember most of about the Prince from Snow White, but I have a scary memory and study details, so yeah. But yes, Charming is much more fleshed out into a three dimensional person. Yeah, I'm fine leaving Zelena out. She is not one of my favorites and just annoys me most of the time. Yeah, it might be portals, but I'm sure there will be more to it. But not even I know yet. Glad you're enjoying it. :)
Anne-Rose Sweetkins: Hi, welcome back. Glad you like the Captain Charming friendship. Yes, I think he has some Season 3 Ben Stone hair. Yeah, I like Bobby as a name. I don't have a problem with Neal as a name, but only when it makes sense. Yeah, Operation Castle is a great name and that General is pure evil. And the General that Greg and Tamara are working for is Aza. Same guy. Glad you're enjoying it!
Chapter 6: The Banshee's Cry
"What do you mean, ripped out? Cause this doesn't look like it was done with a knife. There's no knife wounds," Emma reasoned.
"Because it wasn't," Casey said.
"Wait…are you accusing someone of ripping a heart with magic?" David asked.
"It's possible…but we're not sure. The only two people we know about that can do something like that were accounted for at the time of death," Casey replied.
"Yes…they were with us at dinner last night," Killian agreed, referring to Gold and Regina.
"Which means we have someone that has either figured out magic or a way to use science to replicate a heart rip, as I understand it's called," Alivia said.
"That means it's someone from our land…or someone from your ranks and since you've assured us no one else is awake…that means it's the latter," Gold replied. There was a pregnant pause between them.
"We're aware that this could be the case, but the General isn't ruling out the possibility that this could be another magical creature that's popped up as another anomaly," Casey said. David raised an eyebrow.
"And they just got lucky and happened to choose someone from our land to kill?" he asked.
"Dave is right…what the bloody hell are you hiding? Is someone from your damn government hunting us?" Killian accused. Emma noticed the slight widening of Alivia's eyes, like she was surprised that he had made that conclusion so quickly. So they were hiding something.
"I'd watch your tone…Captain," Casey warned.
"I'm more than three hundred years old, mate. I've seen more bloody carnage and just pain bonkers stuff than you can imagine. The only thing I know about government or royals…" he said, as he paused for a moment.
"Save a few in my company…is that they can't be trusted," he growled.
"You have no power here…and you know it. We have told you what we're authorized to tell," Alivia said sternly.
"That wasn't a no," Emma said.
"Indeed," Gold agreed.
"Look…finding who did this is top priority. Regardless of who it was…someone has been killed with magic," Casey said.
"Or what looks like magic," Gold replied, as examined the autopsy photos.
"When I rip a heart…my hand passes cleanly into the chest. These are burn marks, if I'm not mistaken," he added.
"So someone did come up with a synthetic way to do it," David said.
"Enough," General Shaw bellowed, as he appeared on screen.
"Tell us the truth then. Are we being hunted?" Killian replied. There was another long pause.
"It appears so…we have another body, from your land," he revealed, as a picture of the body, post mortem, appeared on screen.
"Do you recognize him?" Emma asked.
"Not this one…which begs the question on how exactly you know he's from Storybrooke," David replied.
"That's classified," Shaw responded. He snorted in response.
"Of course it is," he replied, as there was an alert.
"Guess you're saved by the proverbial monster…for now," Emma said, as the image came in from the NSA main office, where they were monitoring all paranormal activity.
"What the hell is that thing?" Emma asked, as she watched an wispy, astral-like apparition float around what seemed to be a four block radius. Then they were all covering their ears, as it screeched an unholy sound.
"A Banshee…" Killian said.
"Yep, definitely, which is kind of new, but not all that surprising, considering our current situation," David replied.
"What do you mean?" Alivia asked.
"He means that a Banshee, at least in our land, heralds the death of someone. Usually it's a family member, but in the grand scheme of things, one of us is dead," Rumple reasoned.
"Wait…are you saying that the banshee has appeared, because someone from your land is dead?" Casey asked.
"There's no way to prove such…but it's a reasonable theory," Rumple replied.
"What kills a banshee? It looks like it's transparent," Alivia said, clearly freaking out a bit.
"It looks transparent…but she can be banished. They hate iron and steel. The reflections from our blades will eventually get her to flee, but the bright light of magic works even better," David said, as they armed themselves.
"Which we haven't figured out yet," Regina argued.
"No time like the present…" he said.
"It's not that easy!" Regina argued hotly.
"Then we'll have to figure it out…because right now, there's hundreds of cameras on this thing and this one won't be so easily explained away," Alivia said, as they hurried out to the cars.
Snow looked up from the papers she was grading. This was her free period, but she was covering a seventh grade study hall for an ill teacher that period. She noticed a couple boys on their phones, whispering about something, while occasionally casting looks at her.
"Is there something I can help you boys with?" she asked, calling them out. Others around them snickered and they clammed up pretty quickly.
"This is study hall and I'm sure you have homework to do," she said sternly. She was sure the boys would have needed further reprimanding, but fortunately for them, the period ended and she proceeded to the teacher's lounge to grab her lunch. She noticed a couple of the other teachers gathered at the table, watching something on one of their phones. Oddly, they looked up at her and back down at their phones, almost in disbelief. She didn't have time to ponder this though, as she turned when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"Mrs. Nolan…I'm Dana Bishop, your new student teacher," she said, introducing herself with a meaningful look.
"Of…of course, I'll show you to my classroom," she replied, as they stepped out into the hallway.
"What's going on? I assume you're really from the NSA?" Snow asked. The woman nodded.
"There's another attack…your husband and the others are enroute already. There is a car waiting out front for you," she said. Snow sighed. It's not that she didn't want to go, but she had a feeling that people were already noticing something was off with her.
"How exactly are my absences being explained?" Snow asked.
"The Principal was informed that you are an asset and nothing more. No questions will be asked," Dana replied. Somehow, Snow doubted that, but walked away toward the front entrance of the school. She wanted to be there to watch the backs of the people she loved, after all.
Neal and Robin arrived at Lake Nostros a few hours later, but whatever Neal was expecting to see when they got there…it was anything but this.
"I guess we now know why the locals think it's quick sand," Robin mentioned, as they saw the dried up lake was nothing but sand again. But in the center, the sand was moving continuously.
"Except quicksand doesn't actually look like that. Usually you don't know you're in quicksand until it happens. It certainly doesn't move like that," Neal replied, as he cautiously moved closer. He knelt down at the edge of the moving sand and touched it. He saw it turn green at his touch and then he moved more sand around, again seeing green, just like the portal he had fallen through.
"What is it?" Robin asked.
"Call me crazy…but I think this is a portal," Neal replied.
"But how can that be? Portals don't stay open," Robin reasoned.
"You're right…that we know of. I've never known of a continuous portal opening. If the wrong people knew there was an open portal to other realms…" Neal realized.
"What are you going to do?" Robin asked. He grabbed his pack and shouldered it.
"I'm going to take a really big chance…and jump through it," Neal said.
"Are you crazy? You have no idea where that thing goes," Robin replied. Neal looked at him.
"I know…but this might be my only chance to find Henry and Emma," he said, as their eyes met and Robin understood. Neal would do anything for his son, just as Robin would for his.
"This…this isn't normal and it means something. If there is even a chance that Henry and my family are in danger of some kind…I have to take it," Neal said.
"You think Storybrooke is in trouble?" Robin asked. Neal snorted.
"Wouldn't be the first time. Who knows what Tamara and Greg did after I fell through the portal," he said. Robin nodded. He was familiar with them from the story that Neal told.
"I'll travel back and tell Mulan about this. It is likely that Phillip will want to send a rotation of guards here now to keep watch on this portal," Robin said. Neal nodded.
"It's a good idea. Trust me, Storybrooke doesn't need anymore crazies," he replied, as he took a deep breath.
"Good luck, my friend," he said, as they shook hands.
"Thanks…something tells me I'm going to need it," Neal said, as he took another deep breath and jumped into the moving sand. It flashed green briefly as he did and then returned to the moving sand. Robin sighed and took Roland's hand.
"Come along Roland…we need to go visit Mulan," he said.
They arrived at the scene where people ran screaming through the two block radius that the Banshee was terrorizing.
"Level with me…is this about where the body was found?" David asked.
"Yes…this is the neighborhood that the victim lived in," Casey confirmed.
"Mate…in my three-hundred years, I've never seen a Banshee act like this. It wails and shrieks, but flees once the victim is either properly buried or avenged or both," Killian mentioned. David clenched his jaw.
"But the body is probably in a morgue right now, being dissected. She's angry," Rumple said.
"That's standard procedure," Alivia said.
"Your procedure created this one!" David snapped.
"No…we didn't create this! This doesn't happen in our world!" Alivia shot back.
"Well, it does now…so how do we get rid of her?" Emma asked.
"Not sure…we've never seen one that wasn't able to go away on their own or one that turned violent," David replied.
"But it's an apparition…it can't really hurt anyone," Casey said. As he said that, an electrical box exploded above one apartment building, sending downed electrical phone lines into the streets and people scurrying to keep from being electrocuted.
"No…but she can cause a lot of damage that could," David said, as they rushed into the street to confront the being. A car arrived moments later and Snow and Belle got out, rushing to join them.
"A Banshee…" Snow realized.
"Yeah…I'll fill you in later, but we could use a magical solution right now," David said.
"I'm trying…I can almost feel it in the air, but it's not answering my call," Regina replied, as she held her hands up.
"She's right…it does not flow in the air like it did back home," Rumple agreed, as they saw his hand spark red momentarily, before fizzling out.
"There may be another way…" Snow said.
"Really?" David asked. She nodded.
"I saw the villagers deal with them a lot…you know, after many people were slaughtered by…" Snow said, as she looked at Regina, who shook her head in annoyance. Emma ignored the Queen though.
"How'd they do it without magic?" the blonde asked.
"A bonfire…which the Banshee's hated and would flee from, except they weren't able to, because of the rattling," Snow said.
"Rattling?" Killian asked.
"The villagers would rattle tin cups or whatever metal they could against another metal object to create a rattling noise. The Banshees can't stand it and they plunge themselves right into the fire," Snow recalled from her memories.
"This is absurd! You want us to build a bonfire in the middle of Brooklyn?" she asked. David spotted some trash cans in an alleyway.
"We don't need a bonfire for one," he said, as he dragged one that was only half full into the street. Casey rummaged through the glove box in the SUV and tossed a pack of matches to the Prince. David tossed a lit one in the can and a fire was soon roaring.
"Now for the rattling," Killian said, as he pulled something from his belt, revealing his old hook and grabbed a trash can lid. He started banging the metal hook on the tin trash lid and the Banshee shrieked and covered her ears in agony.
"That's it…more!" he called.
"This is insane…" Alivia growled, as she picked one up and started banging on it with a piece of discarded scaffolding from the alley. Emma grabbed a tire iron from the trunk and started banging on another trash can lid. This was enough to drive the one Banshee insane and it dove head first into the fire, burning up and dissipating. They all breathed a sigh of relief. And there was no way to hide this one, as they looked up at the dozens of apartment windows where people were filming with their camera phones.
"This is bad…" Emma said.
"The NSA will handle it," Alivia argued.
"There's no handling this! We're exposed like a vein! Believe me…I know what this world does to you when they think you're a freak!" Emma shouted.
"Enough…back to Castle," Casey ordered. Snow and David joined hands, as they walked toward the SUV.
"David…why was there a Banshee? They only occur under certain circumstances," Snow said. He looked over at her.
"I'll explain everything on the way back," he promised, as he kissed her cheek.
"Well…that wasn't inconspicuous at all," Tamara said, as they watched the spectacle taking place in Brooklyn now.
"Yes…there will be no keeping this under wraps now," General Aza replied.
"Guess it's time for our first broadcast, live from Brooklyn," Greg said, as his phone chimed. Tamara smirked.
"I'm going to enjoy this. Do you want us to reveal their identities?" she asked.
"Not yet…but dangle the reality that you will soon know who they are. They'll regret not masking their identities. Let the public do the rest," Aza said.
"Fine…as long as the Queen eventually pays," Greg said.
"She's already paying in a way…she doesn't have her son," Tamara reminded him.
"Not good enough…she killed my father and I want the whole world to know. I want her locked up at the very least," he said.
"And that time will come…if we do this right," Aza said, as he gave him a steely look.
"Do not think for a second about going rogue, Mr. Mendell. It will not end well for you if you do," he warned, as they were dismissed to do their first broadcast. They would be introduced as rookie beat reporters, but the subject of their reports would quickly see to it that they became very well known.
Unfortunately, on the way back to Castle, they discovered that there was a second Banshee and they had gone to deal with it too, much in the same way as the first one. Now it was clear. Two deaths of people from Storybrooke. The mood was somber, as they made their way into Castle for debriefing and General Shaw was waiting on the line.
"Who is hunting us?" David asked bluntly, as he stood at the head of the table, leaning against it with his hands firmly gripping the edges. Snow had seen this stance many times before, back in their land, in the castle war room.
"At ease, Agent Nolan," Shaw warned, but David didn't soften his stance or his glare.
"We don't know…but we fear we have a rogue operative. It is the only way someone could even know about your kind," Shaw said.
"Uh…our kind? We're human, just like you," Emma protested.
"You are…except your hearts are not like ours and it shows up as an extra marker in your DNA," he revealed.
"Bloody hell…" Killian said.
"So I was right…you've cataloged us all in your little database," Rumple said. Shaw gave them a stern gaze.
"As far as we know, your lot is the reason for all this insanity we're facing," he said.
"You can't know that…" Snow protested.
"I'm afraid we can and we do. The magical radiation from the trigger has so far had untold consequences for this country and possibly the entire world. The only reason you are walking free is we think you can help stop it," Shaw said.
"Then we need to know everything…but you're hiding half the picture from us," Emma replied.
"You'll know what you need to know. For now, you'll stand down," Shaw said, as his image blinked out.
"Stand down? He's got to be kidding! We're just supposed to stand by while one of our people could be the next victim?" David shouted.
"We've got more problems than that…" Casey said, as he unmuted the television, which was broadcasting a special report.
"Oh my God…" Regina uttered.
"Is that…" Snow also uttered.
"Bloody hell…these wankers," Killian said.
"They survived too…" David said.
"Greg and Tamara…" Emma said in shock.
Neal felt himself deposited unceremoniously on the hard ground.
"Oof…definitely need to work on my landings," he joked, though no one was around to hear him. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was, but he instantly saw something he recognized. He smiled and saw the well, before he hurried through the woods and when he emerged from the edge of the woods, expecting to see the familiar site of the clocktower, his smile quickly faded to a frown. He found there was a small clearing, but then more woods where Storybrooke should have been.
"What the hell happened?" he wondered, as fear gripped him. Storybrooke was gone…and so was his family.