More Alt-OUaT.

It's Already Here.

Chapter 3

Nevertheless, the next morning found them standing on the aft deck of the Summer Wind as the crew got her underway. They'd stowed their packs in the room they'd been provided below, with only a brief glare from the fourth mate, who'd now be sleeping with the rest of the crew in the hold. Rather than stay in a room smaller than Regina's closet, they'd come up on deck and were now out of the way at the very back of the ship.

Emma squinted up at the half -furled sails. She'd heard the mate at the wheel say high tide had just passed, and they'd pushed off the dock just minutes ago. So, the tide is carrying us out, and they've got the sails set for..."tacking" I think Hook called it? She sighed. Well, we're headed out to sea against the breeze, so I guess it's working.

"Having second thoughts?" Regina asked dryly.

"Little late if I was, since you already paid the guy. And no, this is still our best shot. You don't know where someone is, start by checking the last place she was."

Regina's voice grew even drier. "I don't think this is quite the same as tracking down a bail jumper, do you?"

"Mmmm...." Emma shaded her eyes and peered up at the seabirds wheeling over the docks behind them. "The principle's still the same. If they know someone they can go to for shelter, someone else might know where that is. If not, they'll be on their own, and more likely to leave a trail."

"I see." A pause. "You've ruled out abduction already, have you?"

"Well," Emma turned and looked at Regina, "I mean, maybe. But first, kidnapping a queen out of her own castle? And even if you do, what then? Captain Klaus said no one had any idea what had happened. If there'd been ransom demands or a rescue attempt...I've heard you talking about how servants gossip."

Regina looked thoughtful. "It does seem unlikely. So the question becomes, why?"

"We'll have to see what things are like in Arendelle." Emma peered over the side. The ship was settling into a steadier rocking as they left the shallows and headed out to sea. "No point in getting ourselves all wound up before then."

• **

By three days out they'd found a routine to settle into. The second mate, a thick-muscled, dark-skinned fellow named Boudain, ran sword drills for the off-duty crew in the morning, and he'd given his OK for Emma to join in. It gave her some much-needed exercise, and built up a bit of camaraderie with the crew. Regina usually slept in, after staying up late with a small ball of witchlight illuminating the book she was reading. Emma occasionally suspected she was learning for herself whatever she was planning on teaching Emma the next day.

The afternoons found the two of them shut in the cabin, each sitting on one of the cots that took up most of the room, trying to find a course of study for Emma's magic. There were a number of problems.

"It doesn't work!"

"Don't be absurd, this is how magic works. You have to drive it out of your body and into the desired-"

"I told you-" Emma took a breath, "If I try to force it like that, it just sprays out everywhere. How many different kinds of stuff have you gotten splattered with so far? I think if I just let it flow down and then-"

"Are you really trying to imply you can handle magic better than I can? Because I'm fairly sure-"

"That is not what I said! Would you listen to what I'm actually telling you and not what you think-"

"What I think- " Regina leaned forward, glaring into Emma's face, "is that you can't handle trying to learn something that doesn't come easy. You don't want to work for what isn't handed to you on a silver platter. Just like your mother."

Emma found herself on her feet with her fists clenched. Regina was glaring with a tight smile that said she was bracing for a fight. She took another breath, and barely had the self-control to yank the door open instead of taking a swing.

"Where do you think you're-"

Emma whipped back around (continued...)

( continues...) and snarled, "Class dismissed, teach, " slammed the door and hurled herself up the ladder to the deck.

• **

A few minutes pacing back and forth across the aft deck, with the ship surging against the waves under her feet, left Emma with a much clearer head. " 'What's the terms of your lease like? Oh wait, you don't have one,' " she muttered under her breath, then snapped her jaw shut as she realized what she looked like, walking up and down and mumbling to herself.

A quick glance around showed only the helmsman apparently ignoring her, and a couple crew in the rigging who'd hopefully been out of earshot. Emma sighed and leaned against the aft rail, scowling at the wave-tossed wake behind the ship. She still goes for the jugular, after all this time.

She could feel the tension leaving her shoulders, slowly. There's gotta be a better way to handle this, or we're not gonna be in any shape to handle whatever we find in Arendelle. It's been barely a week and we're ready to start swinging. The deck shuddered under her boots again. Trying to study cooped up like that doesn't seem to be working, but I can just imagine what she'd say to magic lessons out where the whole-

There was a SMACK of water loud enough to jolt Emma from her thoughts, and the ship lurched sharply. All of a sudden the captain's voice was shouting orders she couldn't follow, and the crew were scrambling through the rigging, furling some sails and loosing others. Emma grabbed the rail as the ship swung about. The heck? Why are we turning east-

There was a flash in the corner of her eye, and she twisted round to finally see what was causing the upset: Off to the west of their course, a huge storm had brewed up, with towering thunderheads, and lightning jumping from cloud to sea. It was still a long way off, she realized, the thunder reached them only as a faint rumble; the sky overhead was still clear.

She glanced at Captain Klaus as he joined her at the rail, peering at the storm as the new course put it square behind them. "Is that coming this way?"

"Nay, milady." He nodded towards the top of the mainmast. "The lookout's had his eye on it for a while now, by his reckoning it's headed straight south. But it's got winds-" He broke off and grabbed the rail as another huge wave slammed into the stern under their feet. "Winds that'll kick up these awful waves for miles and miles. We'll have to put it at our backs and hope the rudder holds til we're clear."

Emma braced herself as another wave rushed up behind them. It slammed into the ship, shoving it forward and causing what seemed like an alarming creaking and cracking noise under the deck. After a moment, they settled back into the water.

"I dunno, it seems like they're getting worse." Emma glanced at the Captain as he nodded.

"Aye, these seas can brew up dangerous storms year-round. We should be thankful it's summer now. Winter storms can be larger and-" He winced as another wave smacked the ship. "-fiercer by far." He hesitated as he eyed Emma consideringly. "I put no stock in rumors the crew pass around, but if the two of you can lend a hand...."

Emma squinted at the next wave in the distance. "I can try." She took a breath and tried to find the state of mind Regina had showed her. One of the few successes they'd had was Emma's ability to sense the natural magic around her. Abruptly, something shifted, and the world seemed to come alive around her. She could sense the fierce, gusting wind above, the straining endurance of the timbers around them, and the cold depths of the sea beneath.

And back there, she peered aftwards through the spray, I can sense that wave. There was a feeling of tremendous force, closing in. Emma extended her arms with the palms forward, trying to let the magic flow down and out through her hands. So a barrier was a pretty simple construct, let's see... She closed her eyes and pictured a web of lines arcing between her hands, then spreading out to form a wall between the (continued...)

( continues...) wave and the stern of the ship. The magic seemed to leap out from her, and she heard the Captain catch his breath. Somewhere, faintly, it seemed like she could also hear Regina shouting, but she had to concentrate, the wave was about to reach-

The barrier bowed on impact, then suddenly she felt the force slamming back up and into her body. It seemed to catch her across the midsection, hurling her off her feet and into the rail in front of the wheel, almost tumbling over onto the deck below. The magic disintegrated as she slumped against the rail, then fell to her knees on the deck, a bar of agony across her back.

For a second she could only crouch there, gasping in pain. With no warning Regina's voice was in her ear. " What did you think you were doing? Do you have any idea what it would do to Henry if I brought you back to him injured? Or broken? Or-" She broke off. After a breath, she went on, "Hold still."

Emma grunted as she felt Regina's hand on her back, then froze as the chill of magic rushed under her skin. For a panicky second only the pain kept her from bolting away, then she realized it was starting to fade. The dark energy suged through her muscles, repairing bruises and tears. In seconds, nothing was left but a dull ache.

After a moment, she sat up onto her heels, glancing sidelong at where Regina crouched next to her. She struggled for words for a moment, then settled for "Thanks."

Regina looked surprised for a moment, and opened her mouth, then snapped it shut and scowled like she'd almost been caught out. She stood and glared down at Emma for a moment, then went on in a milder tone, "I know you people understand this, I've seen it in Henry's textbooks."

Emma groaned and heaved herself back to her feet. "Give me the seventh-grade version of it then." The rest of the ship seemed to have fallen quiet; the only sounds were the flap of the sails and the rush of the waves.

Regina sighed. "Everything that moves has energy; you can use magic to change that energy, but you can't make it disappear. Those waves are large and-" she staggered as another wave slapped the stern, "fast, and you have to-"

"I got it, I got it," Emma waved a hand to dispel the incoming lecture. "So...." she peered at the next wave coming towards them, "if I anchor the barrier....no, that'd just tear the ship up." She reached out with her mind again; there was a ridge of tension rolling over the water's suface towards them. "If I can move the energy, can I-" she gestured like parting a curtain- "make it separate?"

There was a pause. "I...don't see why not ..." Regina sounded thoughtful, almost surprised. Then, "Well? Try it!"

Emma sighed and streched out her hands again. This time she reached out and touched the wave directly, feeling for the jolt of energy that kept it in motion. As her magic tangled with the power in the water, she pulled her hands apart, trying to draw it off to the sides, away from the ship.

Behind the ship, the wave rippled, crumpling in the middle but building higher at the sides. She closed her eyes and concentrated, pulling with the magic as hard as she could, but her grip on the power started to slip, then failed completely as the ship shuddered under the impact of the water.

Emma winced. "Well, that didn't help much."

"Actually..." Regina was peering over the aft rail, "It was rather effective for a first attempt. I don't think the rudder was touched at all, it just struck the edges of the hull." She stepped back and nodded at the next wave, already visible in the distance. "Again."

Emma stepped on the urge to complain this wasn't a classroom, and focussed on reaching out. This time, she kept a steady pull on the energy rushing towards them, and the middle of the wave dropped to a bare ripple. The sides mounted higher and higher, spilling away to either side, but by the time they reached the ship, the gap was wide enough that they slid past to either side with barely a bump to mark the (continued...)

( continues...) passage.

Emma sighed as she let her magic fall away, and heard a short, "Hah!" from the Captain. She glanced over and saw him still peering astern, but with a smile now. She turned back and reached out again.

The next wave parted smoothly, and passed with barely a ripple under the keel. Emma squinted, but the sea had seemingly smoothed out all the way to the storm, a gentle gray-green slope. She sighed again and let the magic subside completely.

Captain Klaus was stroking his beard consideringly. He caught her glance, smiled briefly, and said " Well, now." in a voice that sounded both thoughtful and relieved.

"Well, now," Regina echoed, in a very different tone, "it would seem-" She broke off as the lookout's vice called out from above.

"Cap'n! Trough coming!"

Emma jerked around and stared aft again, trying to see what had him in such a panic. For a second, all she could see was a sloping expanse of water; then with a jolt she realized it was sloping down, and down, and down, and then suddenly a wall grew out of the sea. A wall of water, rushing towards them.

For a second she stared with a rushing in her ears, dimly hearing the Captain shouting orders again. Then she shook herself, looking to the side. "Regina?"

"Yes, I think..." Regina's voice trailed off, not able to keep up the light tone. She streched out a hand and glanced over, briefly meeting Emma's gaze. "This will likely be....unnerving."

You talking to me or yourself? Emma thought as she braced herself and reached for Regina's hand. As their fingers locked, she could feel her power flow down her arm into Regina's, and feel Regina's magic curl into her system. There was a dizzying, almost hallucinatory moment as the energy merged - Emma had a brief flash of dark mist streaming through a cloud of fireworks - then there was a sense of pulses synchronizing and her vision cleared, even as she felt herself simmer, like the force inside was about to boil over. The wall of water was closer now, a faint ripple of sea-magic driven forward by a mass of movement-energy like a seething ribbon.

We'll each take a side, Regina's voice came to her, and they reached out together, touching the wave in the center, grasping the power and drawing it to either side. Time seemed to slow as the water closed in, sinking in the center and spilling over at the side, and Emma pulled with her power and Regina's, and the wave was roaring in her ears, and-

The ship dipped hard, then surged up against them. The magic flailed, its connection lost, then faded completely. The deck lurched under them, then steadied. Emma stared around wildly, then spun towards the bow as she heard a huge crash of surf. In front of the ship, mountains loomed out of the sea, with the remains of the huge wave crashing against their base.

She glanced behind again, but the sea had gone calm, the distant storm now well off to the south. The noise of the waves subsided, leaving only a faint creaking of ropes and timbers. As she looked around, she realized every sailor she could see was staring at her and Regina. The moment stretched, and Emma started to wonder-

"Let's hear it for our ladies!"

The Captain strode forward, waving his hat imperiously. "Let's hear it for the ones who saved us from having to recaulk every seam on this tub!"

After a moment, a ragged cheer went up. The Captain let it go on a moment, then waved his hat again. "So let's get caulking the half of the seams that did spring! Helmsman, bring us about before we crash into the shore! Get us heading north again!"

Boudain shouted "Aye sir!" and began spinning the wheel. The first mate began calling orders to the crew in the rigging, sails being furled and opened again. Emma slumped against the rail, tension draining out of her. She heard Regina let out a slow breath next to her.

The Captain watched the hubbub for a moment, then clapped his hat back on. He turned and considered them for a moment, then smiled and simply said, "Thank you," (continued...)

( continues...) before heading off down the deck.

"Well," said Regina briskly. "I suppose that can count as today's lesson." Emma briefly considered dumping her over the side.

TBC

Heaven's in Here

Part Five: Disintegration

I remember it vividly, Max sitting casually in the Justice League headquarters, waiting for us to return. We had no idea he had been pulling strings behind the scenes to bring us all together.

The name is Lord, Batman, he said. Maxwell Lord. And I just thought I'd drop into your secret headquarters and introduce you to your newest member … Booster Gold!

The brass on that man! Is it any wonder we eventually gave into him, let him steer the League into new territory. But at the time, I didn't realize how important that moment was … how it introduced me to two of the most important in my life … the friend who stayed true to the end, and the one who betrayed me. The one who killed me.

I'm already moving toward the crowd, away from the other cops, before I realize what's happening. Few in the crowd notice me. I'm in plain clothes, after all. Just a man walking. But Max can see me. It takes him a moment, but our gazes meet, and he seems to realize I'm coming for him. He begins to back away, begins to run.

This man killed me. HIM. Not Doomsday, D'espero or The Gray Man. Not the Madmen or Carapax or Catalyst. HIM. Max Lord. He murdered ...

I am running now, and so is he. He darts into the crowd, hoping to lose me, but I'm leaping now, bounding over the crowd and bouncing off the walls of buildings. I'm the Blue freaking Beetle! I'm the Blue Beetle and everyone is staring at me. I can hear shouts from the other cops behind me. I ignore them as I leap, flip and land on the other side of the crowd, right in front of my fleeing quarry.

“Howdy, Max!” I say, chipper as I can fake. “Not leaving yet, are we? The party's just starting.”

“Who are you?!?!?” shouts mini-Max, and it's suddenly clear to me that whether his presence here is a coincidence or not, he really is just a teenager here. “Why are you chasing me!?!?”

I brace myself for his mind-control powers, and then remember he didn't have them yet. Got those during the Dominator invasion. Still, he's dangerous. I grab him and pull his arms behind his back, forcing him on his knees to cuff him. I'm hearing shouting. I look up, and Sarah Jane is shouting at me.

“DI KORD!” she's shouting. “What happened? Why are you chasing this boy? Who is he?”

She must have ran after me when I bolted … she's just caught up and is mildly out of breath. But looking at her in the face, I realize how crazy this must look.

“This is Max Lord,” I say, as confidently as I can. I knew him back in the States.” The boy looks visibly confused at that statement. “I need to bring him in for questioning. I'm pretty sure his being here is no coincidence.”

“I go to school here!” shouts the boy, but I don't relent.

“He has something to do with this, Sarah Jane,” I plead. “I'm sure of it.”

She looks into my eyes, and seems to be searching for something. Her lips purse and a stiffness comes over her manner, that small needle of distrust again. Finally, though, she relents.

“All right, Detective Inspector,” she says, bowing to rank if nothing else. “we'll bring the boy in for questioning. In the meantime, they've found the Bashir twins. DCI Hunt is going to be questioning them. You might want to accompany him.”

“I'm sure DCI Hunt can question two teenagers by himself,” I say.

Sarah Jane just sighs.

“That's because you've never seen him question a suspect, before,” she says, glancing then toward the handcuffed Max.

“Of course,” I'm sure you'll do much better,” she quips, before walking back toward the cars.

I follow her, dragging the protesting Max with me. I've caught the guy who killed me. So why the Hell do I suddenly feel guilty?

Oh yes, that's good, chris. I like the chemistry between Emma and Regina here.

I should probably mention, there's not going to be any more Swan Queen in this than in the actual show.

I should probably mention, there's not going to be any more Swan Queen in this than in the actual show.

That's really the best way to do it, for my money: Build from the framework and relationships as they're handed to you. If they're going to morph or change, those changes will present themselves as you write.

Heaven's in Here

Part Six: Dance With the Devil

Hunt having taken off already, I was left to ride back to the station with Smith and Black. I waited in Smith's car while they dealt with getting Max carted back in a patrol car. Which was fine. I needed a moment to catch my breath before heading back into the mess. I still had no idea what was going on. I didn't know if Max being here is a coincidence or not. And if I really did have a life here, I had no idea where I lived.

The crackle of the police radio was lulling me to sleep. Slowly, I drifted off, until I heard a familiar, acerbic voice cut through the static.

So it's true? said a voice that could only be Guy Gardner's. Somebody killed Beetle?

It's true says Diana. Who did it? Guy responds, his voice colder than I think I've heard. And why the Hell are you floating around here with HER … instead of getting the old crew together and kicking their asses?

The conversation goes back and forth, with Guy becoming increasingly belligerent and Diana somehow becoming even more sympathetic. There's a third person there, and I don't need to hear his voice to know who it is.

OK. Look. Shut up, all right says Guy. Yes, you've got a body to die for, and I'll admit, I could stare at that rack for hours. But you're not one of us, so keep out of this, OK?

Diana protests, but it's obvious that Booster's made up his mind.

Look, he says, finally finding his voice. I appreciate everything you've done … more than you can know. You believed Ted when no one else did. But Guy's right. You were never part of our League.

I wake with a start as Smith and Black get back into the car.

“Catching a cat nap?” asks Black. I can get you home If you want a little lie down ...”

“No, no,” I say. “I'm fine. Just been a long day, I reply, but thankfully, no one is in a talkative mood. I stare out the window as Sarah Jane drives, and watch London unfold. Why London? I think. Is it because Max is here?

Guy, Booster, Diana … they're trying to find out what happened. If only I could communicate with them. For a moment, I consider leaving some sort of time capsule or something, but I can't say for certain this is really my world. For one thing, I can't find any trace that the Justice Society ever existed. Even when I was a kid and they were nowhere to be found, you'd see a picture of them somewhere … some old magazine, somebody's framed keepsake in an office. Something. Here, it's like they never existed.

The station is in an uproar, with the three teenagers being brought in. Confusion abounds, as no one seems entirely sure why they were there – particularly Max. But there's something else in the air, too, and it comes to a head as Srgt. Jenkins. Stops me almost as soon as I walk in.

“DI Kord,” she says. “You need to be in interrogation room No. 3. DCI Hunt is interrogating those twins.

“I just need to check ...”

“You don't seem to understand,” she says. “DCI Hunt is interrogating them. That never goes well. Well, maybe once.”

When the seriousness on her face sinks in, I move hurriedly toward the interrogation room, where Hunt is waving his arms menacingly and shouting at the Arab teen.

“All right, Muammar Junior,” shouts Hunt, right in the boy's face. “You're going to tell me what you and your little comrades have been up to, or else I'm going see to it that you have a one way ticket back to wherever you came from ...”

“I'm from London,” says the boy, surprising clam. I'm British, of Egyptian descent, not Libyan.”

“I don't give a flying fuck if you're Ali-fucking Baba and your little Socialite Socialist are your fucking thieves, you ...”

I can't be sure if he was actually going to take the swing, but the machine-gun blasts of racism were enough to get me riled up, and I was in a bad mood already. But however it happened, I was suddenly standing between Hunt and the boy.

“What the Hell do you think you're doing?” I shouted at him. (continued...)