Greetings, all! A quick note on what you're about to read. This little Hobbit fic is set in a superhero AU. Keep in mind this will be very AU. I decided to split this up so it wouldn't be too long. The other two installments will include the Ring. My apologies for any mistakes. This has come together rather piecemeal and I hope it makes sense. Anyway, thanks for reading.
From where he sat, Bilbo could hear the distant thunder. It rolled over the city in great waves, echoing between buildings in a grand symphony of sound. They were echoing roars in rapid-fire succession and slow booms with vast silences between. There had been a lengthy hour where what sounded like a fireworks show was heard. Massive bursts and smaller cannonades steadily rattled Bilbo's apartment building. Years of hidden dust floated down from the ceiling and walls. The window rattled to the point where Bilbo feared it would break. It ended with a resounding boom that made every atom in Bilbo's body whimper.
There was one problem with this thunder. The sky was void of any cloud that promised a thunderstorm. Smiling over the city was a perfect dome of celestial blue warmed to a glimmering tone. The cause of the thunder was what had many of the city's residents hiding in their homes or running across the bridge to safety. Though he knew what was going on, it was not fear that kept Bilbo in his apartment. It was trying to decide whether to join the battle or to leave his former associates to their fates. Whether to put on the one thing that could stop the madness or hide while innocents perished.
The reason for the chaos actually commenced the day prior. Every television station preempted their broadcasts for live coverage of it. Bilbo had heard nothing of it. The crowd gathered in front of the Mirkwood Mobile store had not given him pause. The stunned expression of several people and the harried whispers he heard did not register. Bilbo had been more focused on making it to the spice shop before it closed. The proprietor had posted a sign declaring he would close early to prepare for a family engagement. Bilbo did not realize he was out of his favorite tea until he looked in his small pantry and realized he was completely out. Glancing at his watch, he decided to head to the shop to pick some up. It was not until he passed the mobile store that he remembered the early closure. He quickened his pace.
In hindsight, Bilbo marveled at how he could have missed the signs. Passing people looked worried and frazzled. Several ran past him. A sports pub was deadly silent. Glancing in, Bilbo saw large crowd staring wide-eyed at the wall of TVs. A father herded his puzzled daughters out of a restaurant and into their car. He spared Bilbo a frightened glance before he closed the doors. Several more people zoomed past him. He barely noticed that they carried some form of suitcase or backpack. Yet Bilbo pressed on, determined to reach the spice shop before it closed. It was when he neared the main intersection a block from the shop that he finally realized something was wrong.
The intersection was dominated by four structures. At one corner was the massive marble mansion that housed Erebor Banking. Its massive pillars were a local landmark. Across from Erebor Banking was the city's open-air market. It was situated within four walls of thick glass. Entry was through three spaces along one wall. The building across from Bilbo was the Arboretum. It was the strangest of the four. It had an ash-black cylindrical body with windows shaped like different leaves. Its roof was shaped like the crowns of several towering trees. The building on Bilbo's side was a four-story brick structure. It was notable for its mural. On the side facing the Arboretum was a multicolored dreamland best understood with hallucinogenic drugs. All four buildings boasted high volumes of traffic. The intersection itself was considered one of the most congested and dangerous in the city. What Bilbo beheld was anything but.
All four crosswalks were blocked by four wide-bodied police vehicles. Lines of fourteen, heavily armed men stood motionless beneath blinking traffic lights between each vehicle. They were evenly spaced apart, clad in black body armor and helmets. Their faces were hidden beneath full face masks with built-in goggles. Their armament made Bilbo gulp. Two high-grade rifles were strapped to each of their backs. Bulging waist packs hinted at ammunition. There were likely smaller handguns and knives hidden in secret spots. Each clutched large guns that resembled hand-held cannons. No cars approached the intersection. Curious, Bilbo turned left to see further down the street. He could see police vehicles blocking every side street within his sight and two larger vehicles blocking a smaller intersection further up.
A din behind him caught his attention. He spun around to see a steady stream of people emerging from the brick building's side entrance. He looked across to Arboretum and saw a similar sight. A flood of people emerged from the front entrance. Bilbo glimpsed another armed man, a young redhead, shouting instructions at the crowd. No one moved to their cars. They simply clutched loved ones and bags while entering the street. They moved towards the intersection, mingling with the growing flood from the brick building. Bilbo looked up again and found more heading their way. People of every age strode down the street. They were joined by growing others emerging from the side streets. They passed Bilbo in a calm, nervous rush. Some moved to the sidewalks to move faster. Each who passed Bilbo carried naught but the clothes on their backs. As Bilbo watched, the crowd grew steadily as more emerged from the side streets and fell in beside their peers.
"Sir! Excuse me, sir!"
It took a moment for Bilbo to realize he was being addressed. As the crowd was now thick all around him, he could not see who was calling him. His motionless state apparently caught someone's notice. The young redhead from the Arboretum slipped from a space in the crowd and stood before Bilbo.
"Sir, I need you to start moving," said the man.
Bilbo did not move. "What's going on?"
The man's eyes narrowed. Muttering curses, he seized Bilbo by his arm and dragged him along. "I don't have time for this. Just get in the crowd and keep moving."
Bilbo wrenched his arm away. He stopped and glared at the man. "I have a right to know what's going on. Why are all these people leaving? What's happening?"
The man sighed irritably. "You can't tell me you don't know about the battle the Company's been fighting near the Long Lake."
Bilbo frowned. He had no clue that his former companions were involved. "No, I had no idea. I was on my way to the spice shop. I haven't a clue what's going on. I don't appreciate being told to move when I have no idea why."
The man rolled his eyes. "Just ask an officer when you get the city's shelter. One of my colleagues can fill you in. Now, move!"
Bilbo stood his ground, arms folded over his chest. The officer looked at Bilbo, blue eyes studying him carefully. Realization dawned on him.
"You really have no idea what's going," said the officer in amazement.
Bilbo huffed in aggravation. "As I said, I was on my way to the spice shop. I haven't been near a television since I left home! Now, please tell me what's going on and why everyone's being herded off like cattle!"
The officer glanced around. The crowd continued passing by, ignoring the two. Sighing, he reached into his vest and pulled out a small green tablet. He flicked it on and began tapping the screen. Once he reached what he wanted, he passed it to Bilbo. Puzzled, Bilbo took the tablet and looked at the screen. The site was for Gondor's sole news station, the Minas Tirith News Network. He looked at the officer.
"Scroll down and you'll see your answer," was the reply.
Bilbo scrolled down and himself looking at a series of images. For a minute, his mind did not process what he was seeing. When it did, he grasped the tablet tighter and studied each. The officer watched as the hue from Bilbo's skin drained.
The images were of fiery carnage. Firefighters battled sneering crimson flames that danced from building to building. Bloodied men, turned ghostly by ash, aided rescue workers. Sooty mothers howled for their children. An aerial shot revealed whole blocks turned ruby, ebony, and silver by walls of flame. A family dashed between walls of swirling flame to reach screaming loved ones. A child, face dripping with bits of bone and entrails, begged for its mother. A pile of charred skeletons greeted firefighters as they raced down a smoldering street. An exhausted battalion of life trudged down an empty highway as tendrils of silver smoke waved a cheery goodbye.
"Where is this?" whispered Bilbo as he stared at the tablet.
"From what's known, the towns near Mount Erebor, Dale, and New Lake-town were hit," said the officer. "Everyone's saying it's the Great Drake."
Bilbo froze, praying he had heard wrong. Licking his lips, he rasped, "Th-that's not possible. The Great Drake is supposed to be imprisoned. Gondor and Rohan were supposed to be his jailers. This isn't possible."
The officer snorted. "Well, those idiots failed. We've gotten confirmed reports that the Angmari terrorist network initiated a prison riot at the facility he was in. The riot led to a massive prison break. Not only did the flaming lizard escape, but several other loons are now loose. That Azog monster and his pervert son have been seen near Mirkwood National Forest. The head of the Angmari terrorist network is out. He's killed two whole families before his acolytes picked him up. We found out that the inside man for the Angmaris was some low-level bureaucrat working in cahoots with Isengard. He hasn't been captured because he's already within Isengard's borders and the Chancellor's protecting the bastard's hide. That's not the worst of it, though"
What could be worse than Smaug, thought Bilbo just as he asked, "What could be worse?"
The officer's expression grew taut. "Sauron may have escaped."
Sauron. The crown prince of a powerful dynasty who turned to violence. The traveler who traversed the globe, seeking weapons that would fulfill his ends. The acolyte who submitted to a greater evil while in captivity in some Haradi prison. The student who defied his master and emerged lord of a vile empire. His right hand was the head of Angmar's terrorist network. He obeyed Sauron completely and ensured his own followers obeyed Sauron's commands. Sauron's shadowy lieutenant, Annatar, had been running the network while his master and cohort were imprisoned. He made sure the Confederation paid for their betrayal from decades earlier.
If Sauron was indeed loose, that meant only one thing to Bilbo. He would seek out his primary weapon. The weapon he had lost by sheer chance. It had been lost for decades, not seen since the battle that put him in prison.
The weapon had been in Bilbo's possession since the mission to rid Erebor of Smaug.
"I would advise getting home to pack, sir," said the officer. He noticed the dread on Bilbo's face. "There's a high chance the Great Drake is on his way."
That got Bilbo's attention. "You mean he's heading here?"
The officer nodded. "We've been briefed on the possibility. The Confederation's space agency has been tracking the Drake's progress with their satellites. They've informed our Governor that if projections remain the same, our region is going to get hit. Bree's already been warned, but they haven't even begun evacuations. We're taking no chances."
Bilbo tried to find a glimmer of hope. "Surely, the Company-"
"The Company may not be able to stop him," said the officer. Glimmers of fear were clear in his eyes. Bilbo knew something was not right with his old colleagues "You just get home and pack and leave. If we don't get as many people out of here…" He trailed off, watching as Bilbo understood his meaning. With a nod, Bilbo handed the tablet back to the officer, turned heel, and joined the stream of life now in the streets.