Heaven's in Here

Part Three: Dead Man's Party

I think I may have a screamed the entire drive from the station to Braddock Academy, a “posh” boarding school in Westminster. I should have been thinking about the case or how to get home, but it was everything I could do to hang on for dear life as DCI Hunt propelled his “Starsky & Hutch”-colored 1985 BMW M5 through the streets of London, going far, far out of his way so he could find roads to “open 'er up on.”

My face was greener than the Martian Manhunter with too many Oreos in him.

“Ah, c'mon, Nancy,” shouted Hunt. “I thought you Yanks loved your fast cars and your big guns. Show me a little Clint Eastwood, why don't ya? GO AHEAD PUNK, MAKE MY DAY!”

And that's when it occurred to me that “The Dead Pool” had only been out for a couple years, and he was still re-enacting the movie as he swerved in and out of traffic and flew around blind corners. On the other hand, we beat everyone from the station there.

“The boy's name is Brian Braddock III,” said a uniformed officer, handing Hunt a photograph of the handsome blonde teenager.

“I'm guessing it's not just a coincidence the place is named after him, then,” said Hunt, snarling.

“No, guv,” said the officer. “His family founded the place, and his father's on the Board of Trustees.”

“Of course he is,” said Hunt. “All right, Nancy, let's go talk to the headmaster.

“You really need to stop calling me Nancy, DCI Hunt,” I said, trying to sound somewhat professional. “My name is Kord. Ted Kord.”

“Right,” said Hunt, not even looking at him. “All right, DI Yankee Doodle Dandy, this is the second kidnapping at this school, following one suspicious death.”

He handed me a small stack of folders he had stuffed in his trenchcoat.

“The boy who died was named Aiden Walker. Found a few blocks away. It looks like he was running, fell and hit his head. Then, when the girl Nara McKenzie went missing, we began to see a pattern, and figured the first death was a kidnapping attempt gone wrong.”

“And now another kid,” I said, thinking out loud. “Ransom demands?”

“None yet,” said Hunt, as we came to the Headmaster's office. “But the day is young.”

We took statements from the headmaster and other staff members, and then fanned out to search the campus. I took the main building, alongside some uniformed officers whose names I never caught. We'd been given a list of young Brian's friends, but it was pretty much every kid on campus. The list of his enemies was virtually identical.

The uniforms had begun searching dorms. I was amazed that parents hadn't called their kids home after the first kidnapping. Must be a stiff upper lip thing. The police went through the rooms with clockwork efficiency, while I tried to look for something out of place. I feel a few rooms behind them, looking around one that had just been searched. A radio had been left on, playing Michael Jackson's “Bad.” I sighed, and extended my hand to turn it off, when there was a squelch of static, and suddenly, a familiar voice was talking.

“Blue Beetle's dead,” said a voice that was unmistakably Bruce's. No one sounded like Bruce when he was in Batman mode. And trust me, I've tried to imitate him a few times.

Then it hit me: “Wait, did he say I was dead?”

'Gaea's mercy,” said a voice that I recognized as Diana's.

“No ...” gasped Booster. I knew all of these voices. I wanted to scream at them, tell them I wasn't dead, but instead I just listened, in shock.

“I believe Ted discovered who stole Brother I,” said Bruce. See, that's what a detective sounds like! “and I believe that's why he was murdered.”

“It was Max,” I said to the radio. “Max killed me. Max ...”

I wanted to throw up.

“YOU SON OF A BITCH,” shouted Booster. “Ted went to you at the start! He went to you and you knew what he was getting into and you refused to tell him!”

Angry Booster had a very good point.

“Booster,” says Diana. Trying to be the voice of reason.

“I didn't ...” starts (continued...)

( continues...) Bruce, although it's clear even he doesn't know what to say.

“YOU GOT HIM KILLED,” shouts Booster and there's a crackle of static and then …

“DI Kord,” says one of the policemen, and suddenly it's just Michael Jackson's voice coming out of the radio. “Are you all right, sir?”

“Yeah,” I said, catching my breath. “Still … still a little beat up from this morning.” I laughed. “Dead tired.”

"Sir,” said the cop, who obviously didn't know what else to say. What could he say. Even if he believed me.

We were a team I thought. How could they ...

And then, out of the corner of my eye, I spied a photo of the school soccer … err, football … team. Braddock was on that team. It was in the file. But Aiden was a little out of shape, and there were no girls on the team, which discounted Nara. But still …

“Find something interesting?” said a gruff voice from the doorway. I turned, and it was DC Black.

“Maybe,” I said. Just a hunch, but … we need someone to go through all three of these kids' classes and activities again. Any clubs they belonged to. Social groups. There's a connection here. I can feel it.

"Right,” said Black, and there was sort of a sulk in his voice, like he was about to argue, but knew he was outranked. I can make people do things I realized!!!!!

Black just nodded as he walked off, but I could feel it. There was something about these kids. Something no one else could see.

I moved on to the next room, but it was hard to concentrate. All I could hear was the rage and pain in Booster's voice.

Part Four: Criminal World

I've traveled in time before, of course. I know, that's a really ridiculous thing to say, but it's been … was … is that sort of life. When Dan Garret died and left me the Scarab, I sort of thought I'd become some sort of mystical crusader, like him. But it never really worked for me, so I ended up honoring him by swinging from rooftop to to rooftop in Hub City, and catching bad guys with nifty gadgets. I even built a flying ship that could maneuver in urban environments. Pretty cool, huh?

But yeah, it was all bank robbers and muggers until The Crisis. You know the one. Red Skies? The Anti-Monitor? Ringing a bell? Anyway, I hadn't been active for long, but The Monitor tapped me to help save the Universe. I know, right? The big time! I ended up in the future, when there were barely any people alive and animals talked. I became buds with a Gorilla King, at least until he died. I know how that sounds. But what I'm getting at here is, I've seen crazy.

Crazy doesn't send you back in time to a place where everyone thinks you're a police detective in England. And it certainly doesn't have you investigating the kidnapping and/or murder of a trio of teens. And yet, here I am. Which means I've not yet found the bottom of the crazy well, because if this is some supervillain plot, I'm totally lost.

Maybe there's something about the kids … some reason I'm supposed to be here …

“Good instincts,” says a pleasant voice, and I look up to see DS Smith smiling at me, carrying pieces of paper. It seems all three of them were involved in a … group activity.

She handed me the paper, and I'll admit, I was confused.

“The Socialist Students Union? I thought they were a bunch of rich kids.”

“Right,” came the belligerent chiding of DCI Hunt. “That's what most of these schoolyard Commies are. Working class stiffs, we know the value of a real job. Ain't that right, Sirius?” DC Black just glowered. “Don't mind him,” continued Hunt. I'm just winding him up. He comes off all rough, but he's from a family of toffs, ain't he?”

“I ain't anything like my family, guv,” said Black, simply. “I'm a copper.”

“That you are, my boy,” said Hunt. So let's go be coppers and find out what our junior Marxists are up to that would get them in trouble.”

I looked a the names on the list: Katy Bashir, Tim Bashir, Cullen Bloodstone …

“Bloodstone?” I said. “Now that's a suspicious name!”

“Yes,” said Smith, dryly. “Because villains are always appropriately titled.”

“Bring 'em all in,” said Hunt. I want to talk to all three of them. Down at the station. Away from this place.”

“Sure, but I'm still not seeing how it all links together,” I said, flipping through the papers. “Far as I can see, they're basically idealists. Do-gooders. Youth homelessness, caring for the poor ...”

“Load of bloody bullocks,” said Hunt. “Communism's dead and buried. The Berlin Wall's open, and Old Maggie and your Ronnie Reagan are serving it to the Soviets. Said so on the telly.”

And he was right. This was the time: Everything was happening fast. The Soviet Union was effectively gone already, and would be officially gone in … what? A year? I remember my dad wanting to take me on a trip to see the Berlin Wall come down, but it never happened. Work. Of course. And wow this is not the time to be processing my issues.

“Well,” I said, “just because it's all tied to this group, it doesn't mean that the group's activities are the reason they're being targeted. We'll find out soon enough.”

Hunt looked like he was going to say something, and then just grunted his assent, walking back toward the headmaster's office.

“Wow,” said DS Smith. “He must really like you. He's usually much more difficult to deal with than this.”

“Maybe,” I said. “Or maybe he's just got a problem with dead and missing kids. He's looked distracted ever since we got here.”

Smith nodded, as she watched him leave.

“I've got a son not much older than (continued...)

( continues...) these children myself,” she said, simply. I nodded seriously, but I'll admit, I was kind of glowing inside. For whatever reason, people were taking me seriously here. It wasn't something I was used to.

“Hey,” I said, trying to dig out of the awkward and unfamiliar sense of pride. “Is there anything I can call you besides 'DS Smith'?”

She smiled. “You can call me Sarah Jane,” she said.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Sarah Jane. We'll see what happens when we get some of these kids alone.

I turned, and that was when I saw him in the crowd of students watching the police work from a distance. He was younger – 18 maybe? – and skinnier, but there was no mistaking his face. It was the face of the man who would eventually kill me.

Max Lord.

Oh, lovely twist at the end. I'm also curious to see if there's a reason why we've got all these various other characters showing up in the background.

Oh, yeah. Everybody's there for a reason. Especially Max. Still, I think there's only one more major supporting character to be introduced, and then Ted has to go solve a bunch of mysteries.

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...)