Once Upon A Time - Ocean Of Darkness

III

The underground facility was lit with harsh, blinding light, trying to stand in for the natural rays of the sun that couldn't reach the darkness.

Belle carefully walked through the space, the claustrophobic concrete walls tightened and made the place unsettling, uncomfortable. Ms Mills, with her bright red blazer radiating and her walk structured so carefully, lead Belle for what seemed like miles. And hearing no longer the sirens, the traffic, and the soaring of airplanes always managed to signal her just how far down she was.

Already judging from the look on Mill's face, Belle could tell the meeting was about Gold. She couldn't begin to think of what he'd done now, it was merely unthinkable, the dark hatred inside of him was unpredictable and merciless. And yet like a dense black fog he restricted them, all of their sense's corrupted, unable to comprehend the situation. She was sick and tired of his tricks, his abilities and his strengths. All of which outsmarted her every move.

Finally seeing Regina make a left turn initiated the end of the hallway at long last. As Belle turned the plain concrete faded into walls which hardly presented any colour, due to being covered in technology. Each screen on the walls seemed to be playing something different, cameras all over the country, invading privacy and stalking criminals.

The canopy of thick concrete restricted the light from entering even the smallest crack, and any source of brightness came from the dull lights that hung from the ceiling. Everyone sat down at the desks, observing and reporting anything suspicious, were all dressed in sophisticated black clothing, making the place even darker. Belle's vibrant eyes continued to catch a glimpse at Regina's quick movements, leading her through the never ending maze of rooms. And when the sound of Regina's high heels came to a halt, and the sound of human voices grew closer, she knew they'd arrived.

The long table stretched down the length of the room, each space around it filled with a person, with lifeless eyes, exhausted from the case. These were supposedly the top employees of the agency, organized by Regina to handle the top mission, capturing Gold. Belle carefully took her place, a uncomfortable chair wedged between two others.

"I think you all know why you're here." Regina began boldly, scanning her eyes through ever soul in the room.
"All of you have been unsuccessful, and I don't want another life's blood to be on your hands. It is our job to ensure the darkness that floods this world is eliminated, no matter what the cost. So I don't want to see another plane crash, a murder or a shooting, I want Gold safely behind bars, pleading for mercy. Mercy that he oh so doesn't deserve."
Regina began to walk down the sides of the table, observing and judging every person with her threatening eyes.
"And I realize I've possibly been too hard on you, but that is besides the cost. You are some of the finest people America has to offer, and surely you can beat the darkest. And that's why I think you need to be organized, sufficient and driven."
Walking towards Belle she placed her hand on her shoulder, taking a deep breath.
"I have chosen Miss French here to lead all of you, she actually thinks before acting."

Belle almost jumped with shock, of course this would make sense, the reason why everyone was here waiting for her. She needed to step up and ensure Gold's capture, and yet everyone was relying on her. The vividly focused eyes of Agent Blanchard and the determined face of Agent Lucas pressured her leadership, she had a group of smart people here, but she wasn't sure they could beat Gold.
"Yes, I'm here to ensure the capture of him is done as soon as possible." Belle said boldly, subtlety glaring at Mrs Mills, furious that she didn't tell her sooner.

"So what's your plan?" Asked when of the women so far down the table Belle was unable to identify them.
"The only way to document his exact location is to draw him to something, we need a pull factor that makes him come to the city."
"So you're implying we get Gold to come here? What good will that do for the people?"
"I promise you that if we get him to come here, approximating his location will become far easier." Belle replied.

She pretended she knew what she was doing, but every pupil in the room focused on her every movement, and every ear hearing her every word pressured her.
"What we need here is strategy, we have a strong group of people in this room, if we all just work together we will surely be able to overcome him."
"But what about his accomplices? We don't know how many people he has supporting him." Asked a fiery red haired agent.

"Listen, all of you!" Shouted Belle. "I know this won't be easy, I know it's risky and I know it might not be successful. But it's better then standing around and doing nothing, we need to do our best to protect everyone in America, because we can assume everywhere is in danger. What we need is a clever plan, we need to focus everyone on achieving the capture of this disgusting criminal. We need to get the best agents in their best skills working as hard as they can."

She stared at every face in the room which was shocked by her angered speech. She couldn't help it, she was passionate about his capture and couldn't bear the questions from them. Not to mention Ms. Mills, who was the whole reason why she was in this situation.
"Merida, Mary, Mulan, I want you to take some people to the training centre, we surely need a defensive team against Gold's forces." Belle began.
"Anna, Ruby, Katherine, I need you to round up a research team, search through forums, tweets, phone calls, whatever you need to do to find anything on Gold."

As the leaders of the specialties rounded up agents, Belle was faced with the little amount of people that remained. "I need you to plan something stealthy, something to draw Gold here, and ensure his capture. I'll be helping you all, because it won't be easy to work against his clever mind."
"Should we discuss some pull factors?" Asked Agent Swan.
"Yes. Neal, Elsa, and August will help you. I need to have a word with Ms Mills." Belle said angrily.

She quickly spun her body around and grabbed Regina by the arm, dragging her out of room and into the hallway.
"Why the hell am I doing this" she asked.
"Because you clearly demonstrated just there that you are able to lead these people." Regina said confidently.
"I don't want to be leading a mission to capture a man who has the power to kill me in the blink of an eye."
"Oh but deep down you do Miss French. You can't hide the fact that you're excited. You are obsessive over his capture and are determined to be the hero of this agency, and if you want to achieve that, show me."