CHAPTER FIVE: that still, small voice

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ASHLEY JENKINS HAD GOTTEN AN EARLY SHIFT. And had been able to before it got too dark.

"What the hell happened?" Ashley questioned,

A black car pulled up, the mayor exiting it. "Everyone step back, please."

"Is that a crater?" Ruby asked.

"No, there were tunnels – old mines. Something collapsed," Marco answered.

"Sheriff set up a police perimeter. Marco, why don't you help with the fire department?" Regina ordered. "Miss Swan, this is now official town business. You're free to go."

"Well, actually, I work for the town now," Emma replied.

"She's my new deputy," Graham explained.

"They say the Mayor's always last to know."

"It's in my budget."

"Indeed. Deputy, why don't you make yourself useful and help with crowd control?"

"I can't tell if this is really good or bad," Ashley whispered to Ruby.

Regina steps away and stands in front of the crowd of people. "People of Storybrooke, don't be alarmed. We've always known this area was honeycombed with old mining tunnels. But fear not. I'm going to undertake a project to make this area safe – to rehabilitate it for city use. We will bulldoze it, collapse it, pave it."

"Pave it?" Henry questioned, walking to the front of the crowd. "What if there's something down there?"

Regina leaned down, voice low. The two say quick words.

"In fact, everyone! Please, please step back. Thank you." Regina ordered.

"Henry, enough!" Regina scolded before she moved to pull the young boy aside.
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"The kid went in there?" Ashley asked.

The dog that Ruby held on a leash, continued to bark. Pongo, the therapist: Archie's dog.

"We need to find some way to punch through the ground," Regina speaks. "We need something big."

"Like what?" Emma asked.

"Explosives," Marco spoke up.
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After having gathered the explosives, everyone hid behind the construction truck.

"Okay, we're all clear," Emma speaks.

"Blow it," Regina speaks.

Everyone crouched down, Pongo whimpering. One of the construction workers had pressed the button, causing the doorway to the mine to explode. The smoke was still in the air when Emma rushed forward, only to come back a small handful of seconds.

"Did it work?" Regina questioned.

"It didn't open," Emma revealed.

"Then what did it do?" Graham asked.
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"What was that?" Regain stomped over to the construction worker. "What the hell was that? You said you could do this."

"Madam Mayor," Emma called out.

"They could've killed my son!"

"I know. But this isn't helping."

Pongo started to bark.

"Shh," Ashley hushed the dog. "I'm trying to eavesdrop."

When Emma ran up to her, pulling open the door and letting Pongo out.

"Hey! Pongo could get hurt," Ashley quickly went after the dog.

Emma grabbed her arm. "No. We need him to find Archie and Henry."

The dog began to whine at a spot.

"Look, this is where they must be," Emma speaks again. "Good boy."

Everyone began to push asides the dirt, revealing a metal door. Ashley helped Graham move it so that Marco wouldn't have to.

"What is that?" Emma asked.

"An air shaft," Graham answered.
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They had moved a truck in front of that air shaft, and Graham and Marco attached a hook to the grate.

"All right. Gun it!" Emma ordered the driver.

Ruby slowly moved the truck forward, Graham had put a crowbar under it to lift the shaft.

"All right, stop. We got it." Emma says.

They moved the grays to the side, looking down. It was a long metal way down.

"So, what's next?" Regina asked.

"Someone goes down?" Ashley questioned, looking around.
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"You need to lower someone straight down," Marco says. "Or the line will collapse the sides of the shaft."

"I've got a harness," Graham says.

"Lower me down," Regina speaks.

"Oh, no way. I'm going," Emma stopped her.

"He's my son."

Emma paused, tilting her head. "He's my son, too. You've been sitting behind a desk for ten years. I can do this."

Regina took a step forward. "Just bring him to me."
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"Oh, thank god," Ashley breathed out as Emma was lifted up, arms wrapped around Henry. A second later, Archie climbed out, as he dropped his umbrella to the dirt. Marco pulled the therapist into a hug.

Regain had pulled Henry off to the side, gently caressing the boy's face. Emma had tried to check on the boy, but Regina lifted a hand to gesture her away.

Ashley turned away from the scene, stepping to check on Archie when the man walked up to Regina.
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Ashley was speaking with Graham, bored as Ruby spoke to Billy.
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