Disclaimer: I have no creative rights over the characters and places you can identify in this story and have no way profited from this work.
04/05/2014
Happy Mother's Day in advance to all such readers.
Bernard Karp: As always, it depends if Sauron has the One Ring.
Lord Edric: One should always beware of villains bearing gifts.
Chapter 10 – Taken By Surprise
While battle raged in Osgiliath, Stark was conducting his last investigation in Near Harad. He was at an oasis where a trading post had been established. According to Hyaquet's information, this was the site of a more recent attack. The site wasn't just the last of Stark's mission but also the grimmest.
Nearly all the oasis's greenery had been burned away. Tents, pavilions and the goods they housed had been reduced to ash. But worse were the burnt corpses littering the scene. The victims' contorted expressions and positions gave silent witness to the horror they failed to escape from. Stark kept his visor down to filter out the stench.
Stark had subjected himself to a number of self-imposed penances when he left the international arms trade. One was compiling a photo dossier of civilians killed by weapons manufactured by Stark Industries. It was a very large dossier. The oasis reminded him of one photo in particular. It was of an African village a local warlord had attacked with napalm. The charred remains of a mother clutching her infant still gave Stark nightmares. Stark could empathise with Hyaquet's anger about these attacks and now wished to have shown more sensitivity at the time. Whatever the prejudices of the Free Peoples, Iron Man resolved to avenge the Haradrim for these attacks.
"Pick up anything new, Jarvis?" Stark asked returning his thoughts to the present.
"Unfortunately I haven't, sir." JARVIS replied before apologising, "I'm sorry to raise this. But I need to remind you of our mission parameters."
"You're right, Jarvis," Stark sighed having assumed what JARVIS was alluding to. "We should start heading back before anyone sees us."
"That's not what I was implying, sir," JARVIS clarified. "Thirty miles south-east of us is the city of Ahrakan. It's where the Harad Road intersects with the road to Umbar. I'm detecting several fires have just broken out there. What's more, five airborne objects are currently circling the city."
"What sort of objects?" Stark asked somewhat shocked. According to the reports he read, even the Free Peoples now considered fire-breathing dragons to be a myth.
"Unknown, sir," JARVIS answered. "The objects emit a strange energy pattern that prevents me from getting an accurate reading. We can learn more visually. I think I know your answer. But do you wish to investigate even though we'd certainly be creating a diplomatic incident?"
"I'm sure Cap's told Aragorn that following's not my style," Stark remarked before immediately flying towards Ahrakan.
Stark began slowing down as soon as Ahrakan was in sight. He halted, hovering mid-air to assess the situation a few miles away.
A stone wall much smaller in size than the Othram encircled Ahrakan. Its buildings looked to be constructed out of pale limestone. Like JARVIS reported, several columns of smoke were rising from the city. Red flames were spreading everywhere. The smoke made it difficult to spot what else JARVIS had detected.
"You've spotted our first UFO in Middle-earth yet?" Stark asked JARVIS.
"Enhancing on your display," JARVIS advised.
The said object was revealed to be a creature. It seemed dragons hadn't completely fallen into myth after all. The creature and the other four of its ilk were dark grey in colour and about one hundred feet in length. They possessed an even greater wingspan. The same style armour worn by the orcs in the Shire and at Osgiliath protected each creature's chest and upper head. Each creature also had a row of venomous-looking spines running down the back protruding from the armour. Stark had recently read reports describing such creatures.
"Captain Rogers and Doctor Banner referred to them as 'Fell-Beasts' in their reports," JARVIS stated as if he'd read Stark's mind. "Unlike the ones in their reports, these beasts carry no rider. But I can't detect them carrying any incendiary weapons either."
Stark considered this for a moment. Others should be made aware of the danger that had returned to Middle-earth.
"Patch me through to Cap," Stark ordered.
"I'm unable to, sir," Jarvis reported. "There seems to be some sort interference in Osgiliath blocking all communication."
"Is someone jamming them?!" Stark incredulously asked.
"Unknown and I similarly can't contact the Avengers sent to the Shire," JARVIS compounded the bad news.
A resigned Stark observed, "We'll have to look into it after dealing with these things."
"You're going to attack the fell-beasts?" JARVIS verified.
Stark steely retorted, "After that oasis what do you think?"
The fell-beasts' surprise attack on Ahrakan sent its residents into panic. Despite having no riders, the fell-beasts' launched a deliberate and systemic attack. All the city's gates were first set ablaze to trap the residents within. The outer parts of the city were next attacked creating an ever-growing firestorm. The firestorm forced Ahrakan's residents towards the city's centre for safety. The safety it provided was shrinking by the moment.
The city's garrison valiantly kept trying to bring the attackers down with their bows. The few arrows that struck their fast moving targets harmlessly deflected off the fell-beast's armour. Many archers suffered a fiery death in retaliation.
One of the fell-beasts spotted Stark approaching from above and ascended to engage him.
"The creature has just come into range," JARVIS reported about their advancing foe.
"We're lucky for once," Stark answered. "Bruce and Cap said these things don't shoo-"
Stark was immediately cut-off when a powerful jet of red flame shot out at him from the fell-beast's mouth. Stark was caught completely off-guard and began spinning out of control to avoid the fire that engulfed the Suit. He rapidly crashed into the surface and bumped along several yards before coming to a stop. The fell-beast returned to attacking Ahrakan believing its enemy vanquished.
"Still sure there's no Extremis here, Jarvis?" Stark sarcastically asked.
According to Rogers's report, the leader of those 'Black Riders' launched ranged magical attacks from his fell-beast. But fell-beasts themselves only attacked by biting or by grappling with their talons.
"More than certain given we weren't hit by Extremis," JARVIS dryly countered. "But you'll be pleased to know that we only suffered surface damage. Your armour's improved energy conversion passed its first test."
"I'll send a 'thank you' note to Old Father Time for the heads-up," Stark similarly responded while getting back up.
Stark was now almost certain his dream must have come from Gandalf. Following Pepper's advice, Stark worked with Banner to develop a more heat resistant suit of armour. They did this by improving the Suit's capacity to absorb and convert energy compared to previous armour. The Mark VI armour dramatically demonstrated this feature when it absorbed Thor's lightning bolt before Stark discharged it back. The Suit could now deflect fire-based attacks (including from Extremis) in such manner. However, it wasn't an unlimited capability. Too great an absorption would cause the Suit to overheat and melt.
"Power at four-hundred per cent capacity," Jarvis reported.
Stark simply responded with a cold smile before launching himself back into the fray. He grabbed the fell-beasts' attention by having 'Shoot To Thrill' blare out through the Suit's external speakers.
Stark first confronted the one that had just attacked him. The fell-beast again made to breathe fire but Stark released an overpowered burst through both repulsors. The fell-beast's head violently exploded before its corpse crashed into the city below. The Haradrim in the crash's vicinity paused as the dust settled from it. All looked skywards to see what had caused this miracle.
"Now do you think Thor would be impressed by the Suit?" Stark dryly referred to JARVIS's jibe over the magnetic field.
The remaining fell-beasts moved to engage Iron Man. The commanders of Ahrakan's garrison used the unexpected respite to order all non-archers to extinguish the fires raging throughout the city.
Stark quickly evaded the fiery attacks of two fell-beasts before launching another attack. The armour covering his shoulders opened up and he released half its payload of mini-rockets at one of the fell-beasts. Multiple explosions consumed the targeted fell-beast.
While swinging around for a fresh attack, Stark noticed the Haradrims' arrows failing to penetrate the fell-beasts' armour. He took another opportunity to tease JARVIS.
"Tell me if we'll lose power before cutting through their armour," Stark reminded JARVIS about the Chitauri Leviathan.
"I can only work with the tools you give me, sir," JARVIS commented with restrained annoyance.
Stark flew between two fell-beasts coming directly at him. He pointed a gauntlet at each of them before firing lasers. As Stark sped down the length of the fell-beasts, the lasers cut through the middle of their chest armour. Stark's attack resulted in the bottom half of their chest armour dropping to the ground below.
The surviving companies of Haradrim archers grabbed the opportunity and shot their arrows at the fell-beasts' now exposed underbellies. One fell-beast avoided being hit but the other's skin was pierced by dozens of deadly shafts. It released a grating cry before becoming the second fell-beast to crash into Ahrakan.
After leaving the pair of fell-beasts in his wake, Stark immediately encountered the remaining one whose armour was still intact. He immediately launched his remaining payload of mini-rockets. The fell-beast shared the same fate as the previous one so attacked.
"One to go," Stark commented about the remaining fell-beast.
"Sir, I'm detecting a large group of civilians trapped by fire," JARVIS hinted that Stark change priority.
"Well, let's give this energy conversion a real work out." Stark grimly conceded before ordering, "Calculate a flight path that'll allow us to absorb as much as possible."
The said civilians were trapped in the open. They were caught between a series of tall buildings and a large wall of flames. Stark was at street level as he flew through the flames. The Suit significantly reduced the flames' intensity allowing the civilians to escape. Its redden display indicated the absorbed energy quickly needed to be released.
"Sir we're beginning to overheat," JARVIS advised.
"Oh boy!" Stark nervously exclaimed.
Stark shot out from the flames not a moment after. He spun around to release the flames and –
Crunch!
Stark found himself belly-up between the jaws of the remaining fell-beast. The fell-beast had flown in from Stark's left and caught him side-on. Fortunately, the Suit's arms and legs were still free. The fell-beast began a futile attempt to penetrate the Suit's armour with its fangs. After his initial shock had passed, Stark looked squarely into the fell-beast's eye.
"Like I said to Reindeer Games," Stark nonchalantly advised it. "Not a great plan."
Stark fired his repulsors at the fell-beast's head from point blank range. The fell-beast's head and neck instantly disintegrated into a mist of grey steel and black blood from the enhanced energy blast. JARVIS instantly took over piloting the Suit least it spin and fall out of control.
"Thanks, Jarvis," Stark acknowledged. "Now let's make Smokey Bear proud."
Stark quickly returned to fighting the fires that still blazed within Ahrakan. He used the Suit to repeatedly absorb the flames' energy before discharging it outside of city limits. The Haradrim were soon able to get the fires under control.
The fell-beast shot by the Haradrim archers lay in the city's market square. With the immediate danger over, a crowd cautiously began forming around it. Many were uncertain if the fell-beast was as dead as it appeared. They quickly found out the truth.
The crowd scattered when the fell-beast roared back from unconsciousness. Its multiple arrow wounds prevented it from retaking flight. But the fell-beast still possessed the strength to destroy its enemies while on the ground. It made to release a large jet of flame on the nearby Haradrim. The fell-beast's attack was prevented when its skull was punctured from above.
Stark had spotted the fell-beast reawakening and immediately descended to stop it. He delivered a powerful downward blow with his right gauntlet that instantly killed the fell-beast. Stark landed in a kneeling position due to his forward momentum. After steadying himself, he stood up and noticed the Haradrim had now crowded around him.
The whole crowd roared and shouted their appreciation to Iron Man. Stark raised hands in acknowledgment even if he didn't understand the Haradrim's language.
"Great teamwork, guys," Stark whimsically saluted their joint victory. "Go us!"
Stark took in the crowd's adulation a moment more.
"Winning makes me hungry," he continued through their cheers. "Is there a shawarma joint around here?"
Recovery operations had begun in battle's aftermath at Osgiliath. The most important was recovery of Men and Dwarves wounded during the battle. Hale defenders all helped bring Osgiliath's new infirmary its first ever patients.
Aragorn and Faramir joined the ranks of healers tending the wounded. Like any battlefield hospital, the infirmary was baptised by the blood and moans of the wounded and dying. Particularly distressing were the victims of the Uruk's flamethrowers. Several had been charred to the bone in one or more locations. Palliative care was the best that could be done for many such casualties.
Rogers found one tiny comfort from the scenes around the infirmary. Banner would be pleased to know the initiative of healers washing their hands before treating patients had spread beyond Edoras. Rogers, Thor and Boromir were currently gathered around the same patient.
Aragorn personally treated Sif despite her insisting there were more seriously wounded. Sif sat on a stretcher bed while Aragorn cleaned her wound. Sif felt an occasional sting of pain when he applied a salve to the red burns on her forearm.
"I must confess, Sif," Aragorn remarked while wrapping a bandage over her wounds. "I'll never cease being amazed at the constitution displayed by many of you Avengers. If a mortal received such a wound as yours, it would certainly require amputation."
Middle-earth's medical knowledge was well behind that of Asgard's. But Sif couldn't deny Aragorn's treatment had significantly reduced the pain in her forearm.
"Thank you for insisting on healing me, Aragorn," Sif acknowledged his aid.
"I'm glad your injury has finally allowed you to address me just by name," Aragorn wryly pointed out.
Sif and the three onlookers all gave restrained smiles. Like in other realms, humour was sometimes the best medicine in Middle-earth.
"Treating your wound now is no less than what my people and I owe you," Aragorn continued more seriously. "Your actions today were nothing short of heroic and will inspire all the Free Peoples in the upcoming struggle."
Sif's heart swelled with pride from these words as well as the approving nods Rogers and Thor gave them. It wasn't everyday one received such praise from three great leaders all at once.
"Nonetheless your wound still needs time to fully heal," Aragorn cautioned her with an arched eyebrow. "My prognosis is at least fortnight even if you are an Asgardian. When he returns, you are welcome to get from Bruce what he calls a 'second opinion'."
Aragorn again generated smiles among the group. Thor decided to grab Aragorn's attention before he moved to treat other patients.
"I found in the Udun what I believe to have been the orcs' campsite," Thor revealed. "One object left there particularly grabbed my attention."
Thor pulled out the gold coin from his pocket and handed it to Aragorn who began examining it.
"Yours is a rare find Thor!" a startled Aragorn confirmed. "It was struck more than two millennia ago during the reign of the thirteenth King of Gondor. Gold coins from that period are exceedingly hard to find these days."
"I was going to tell after you finished treating the wounded." Boromir prefaced before telling Aragorn, "We've found such coins on every orc with the exception of the Uruks."
"Where could've they got them?" Rogers asked aloud.
"Legend has it Minas Ithil housed a vast treasury when captured by Sauron's forces…" Aragorn tentatively hypothesised.
"But I understood Sauron only allowed his orcs to keep a fraction of any gold or silver they plundered?" Thor countered. "It is highly doubtful the Dark Lord would've rewarded such coins to his lowly foot-soldiers. And I cannot believe it mere coincidence orcs with these coins also having quite advanced armour and weapons for this realm."
"I think that's what Boromir's alluding to," Rogers commented. "Apart from the Uruks – Osgiliath was attacked by a force of mercenaries. Not asking too many questions was probably one condition for getting paid so well. Questions like who had really hired them and the ultimate reason why. Maybe whoever paid them simply wanted to field-test the mortars and flamethrowers."
"I'd wager all the orcs' gold the Shire's current occupiers are mercenaries as well," Boromir added. "I daresay our enemy's strategy is similar to one Sauron often employed – attacking by proxy while building up one's own forces for a powerful strike elsewhere."
Rogers nodded before concluding; "We'll have to wait and see what Tony finds. But these attacks are just a hint of what's in store for us."
There was a momentary pause as the participants considered a number of uncomfortable possibilities about their potential enemy. The cries from within the infirmary halted any further conversation on the subject for now.
"I should get back to treating the wounded," Aragorn sighed. "We'll continue this conversation when we return to Minas Tirith later today." He exemplified this by advising his latest patient; "I intend to check on your injury a little while later, Sif. Please don't leave the infirmary until I do so."
Sif wouldn't disrespect Aragorn's earlier care and praise by arguing with him in front of his subjects.
"You have my word," she solemnly promised.
"I was going to check how Bofur's doing with assessing the damage," Rogers revealed to Thor. "He said he's keen to meet you."
"Of course I shall accompany you, my friend," Thor confirmed.
Boromir and Sif were quickly by themselves. The former wanted to privately raise something with the latter.
"I apologise if my order to retire from the field embarrassed you, Sif," Boromir referred to when he called for a stretcher. "Like Aragorn showed, no one believes your valour was tarnished by it."
Sif waved her hand to show to indicate no offence had been taken.
"The All-Father has always dismissed the notion we Asgardians are gods," Sif commented. "The fact we suffer death and injury is the ultimate reminder of his wisdom."
"I certainly haven't forgotten why you sustained injury in the first place." Boromir acknowledged how Sif saved his life before humbly offering her; "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Sif similarly responded.
Sif and Boromir's professionalism momentarily gave way as they exchanged furtive smiles.
It was an overcast morning at the Quarry. The day shift began just after sunrise. The conscripted hobbits would be forced to work until sunset when the night shift took over. Some orc overseers would've liked the conscripts to keep working until they died on the spot. But the orcs had been paid to extract as much mithril as possible from the Shire over the next few months. Needlessly killing the workforce wouldn't help achieve this and would certainly earn the wrath of their paymaster.
Mornaakh approached the one hundred-strong company of Gundabad warg-riders more than a year ago. Just like with Tarbam's orcs, the warg-riders were hired with a generous payment of gold. They were also given the Dark Lord's new type of armour. But the Dark Lord didn't have the resources to supply them with any advanced weapons. Several such weapons couldn't be mass-produced without a large supply of mithril. This was why the dark lord chose the Shire to be his first conquest in Middle-earth.
The warg-riders established their base of operations at the Quarry. Mining of building materials had ceased since the orcs' arrival. The warg-riders billeted themselves in Scary after enslaving its residents. Half the pit floor had been turned into a warg-pen. Any disobedience by the conscripts would result in them being thrown to the wargs.
The orcs conscripted hundreds of Hobbit men, women and children from across the Shire to work in the mine. Conscripts were forced to reside in a large camp of tents just outside the Quarry's entrance. Sam's wife Rose and their two children were among them.
Sam had been unable to see or talk with his family since being captured. Along with Gimli and Whitfoot, he was detained underground within the mine itself. Rose and the children were confined to the camp. The anguish the Gamgee family displayed over their separation was a source of sadistic amusement for the orcs.
A conversation was currently taking place just inside the Quarry entrance. The conversation was between the two most-hated individuals in the Shire. Lotho Sackville-Baggins was arguing with the warg-rider's leader whose name was 'Zorrgrat'. Zorrgrat was a tall and muscular brown-skinned Gundabad orc.
Pippin was partly correct Lotho was the reason for evil learning about the Shire's mithril. The Dark Lord first caught hints of it through his palantir. His crebain and agents identified Lotho as a hobbit that could prove useful on the matter – at least for the right price.
Mornaakh had supplied the silver the orcs paid to Lotho as a 'reward'. Making Lotho Chief Shirriff would further gratify his petty ego. But Lotho failed to grasp this title didn't mean he'd been made the Shire's absolute ruler. Zorrgrat was fed-up from having to tolerate Lotho's delusions of grandeur over the last few weeks.
"My Shirriffs and I wish to know why we haven't been paid again!" Lotho petulantly demanded.
"Shut up, twerp!" Zorrgrat bluntly responded. "Our master doesn't pay you to sit on yer backsides. For one thing, you Shirriffs are s'posed to be securing supplies for my boys."
"Your boys keep pillaging our supplies," Lotho continued as if this was an argument of equals. "Just last week they stole all of my mother's silverware. I demand they return it to her!"
An interruption immediately saved Lotho from having his throat ripped out. An orc sentry from the Quarry entrance had walked up to Zorrgrat to report something.
"What is it?" Zorrgrat asked the sentry, completely ignoring Lotho.
"A Gondorian Baron's just walked up to the entrance," the sentry advised barely concealing his scepticism about the visitor's identity. "He claims to 'ave a message from King Elessar."
This momentarily threw Zorrgrat. No Man had entered the Shire since its occupation including Mornaakh. Baron or not, no spy would openly reveal themselves like this. And how did he get to the Quarry unnoticed? Questions needed to be asked.
"Bring 'im here," Zorrgrat coolly commanded.
While the orc went to collect the baron, Zorrgrat used a long-established hobbit tradition to mock Lotho.
"You'd better start thinking a good reason 'ow this man got passed your Shirriffs," Zorrgrat warned Lotho. "Or I'll 'ave a good reason to feed you to the wargs for second breakfast."
Lotho swallowed a nervous lump now realising how little real power he had as Chief Shirriff. Zorrgrat noted this with vindictive satisfaction before facing the baron whom now stood before him. The 'Gondorian Baron' certainly didn't dress like one.
"Who're you?" a suspicious Zorrgrat challenged him.
Banner gave a huge inner sigh of relief. Neither Lotho nor the orcs knew whom they were really speaking to.
So far everything had gone flawlessly for Merry's company. Just after sunset, the Dunedain quickly overpowered the Shirriffs watching the Brandywine Bridge. The company then made its way to the nearby village of Stock. Stock had a historically close relationship with Buckland. Not surprisingly, Lotho and his cronies were the only hobbits supporting the warg-riders' occupation. The residents of Stock welcomed the opportunity to help rid the Shire of its oppressors. Their greatest assistance was information about warg-rider patrols. Patrols kept to the road meaning the company could reach Scary undetected by travelling cross-country.
Merry's company cautiously rode throughout the night on pony and horseback. All its members, with the exception of Banner, now lay in wait among the conscripts' camp. The opportunity existed to completely take their foes by surprise.
"Which one of you is in charge?" Banner asked in mock innocence.
"I am!" Zorrgrat growled.
"Well in that case," Banner calmly continued. "Like I told your guard, I'm here to give you a writ on behalf of King Elessar."
Banner then passed the second of Aragorn's scroll-cases to Zorrgrat who snatched it from his hand. After opening the case, Zorrgrat gave the writ a cursory examination. It certainly had the King's official seal and was written in the Common Tongue. But like every orc, Zorrgrat had no patience for legal niceties.
"What is this rot?" he sneered while roughly shoving the writ into Lotho's possession.
Lotho thought he might avoid being feed to the wargs by quietly reading the writ on Zorrgrat's behalf.
"The King's received reliable reports about illegal practices taking place at this mine." Banner said before explaining with faint anger; "Practices like theft, forced labour, torture and murder. He's ordered an inspection be carried out to stop any such practices."
A furious Zorrgrat drew his sword at this. King Elessar would learn even he was impotent against the will of the Dark Lord.
"The only inspecting you'll be doing, 'Baron'," Zorrgrat sarcastically responded, "is from inside a cage like our other prisoners!"
"You should've read the writ more closely," Banner replied with a cold smile. "I'm not who the King's appointed Inspector…"
Lotho read from the writ; "It says the Inspector's name is 'The Other Guy'."
Banner then immediately unleashed Hulk who gave a mighty roar. Hulk gave a horrified Zorrgrat a powerful backhanded slap. Zorrgrat lay still after crashlanding on the pit floor. Lotho immediately bolted for the entrance, joining its two sentries in fleeing through the camp. Hulk paid the three escapees no mind. The rest of Merry's company would take care of them.
Hulk began a merciless assault on the mounted warg-riders posted around the Quarry's perimeter. Orcs and wargs suffered the full extent of the mutual rage he and Banner felt over the Shire's enslavement. Hulk effortlessly leapt from one side of the Quarry to the other engaging his enemies.
After destroying such enemies, Hulk leapt down from the top of the Quarry into the warg pen. He landed with a loud thud, the ground shaking on impact. All the penned wargs snarled and bared their fangs at him. Hulk noticed a few small bones scattered around the pen. He correctly deduced they were the remains of hobbits that had been fed to the wargs. Hulk glared in seething anger at the wargs. The pen erupted into cacophony of whimpers as Hulk brutally destroyed the beasts it contained.
Lotho and the two sentries didn't even look behind as they fled through the camp. Their terrified focus was on getting to Scary to find mounts to rapidly leave the Shire on. Their focus caused them to be ambushed totally unaware. The sentries were killed after being shot by Dunedain and hobbit arrows. Halbarad discreetly raised his boot in Lotho's path. A blindsided Lotho fell flat on his face. Lotho turned over to get up but found Halbarad's blade pressed against his throat. Merry stood over Lotho a moment later.
"Hello Lotho," Merry coldly greeted him. "I'd hate you to miss the surprise we've got planned for you…"
The remaining orcs at the Quarry received their surprise first. As planned, Hulk's attack drew the attention of the orc overseers currently underground. The bulk of them had rushed outside to the surface to see what was going on.
They reeled when a warg's broken corpse was flung into them from the pen. The thrower's identity was revealed a second later when Hulk effortlessly broke through the pen's wooden enclosure. The orcs clearly saw their mounts were now nothing more than a mess of bloody fur.
Many realised they would soon be joining the wargs in death. These Gundabad orcs knew the story of what happened to their kind who confronted this 'Avenger' on Pelennor Fields. Their only chance of escape was to head back underground and escape through the eastward tunnel. Hulk wasn't going to allow them this luxury. He leapt towards them while releasing the signal Pippin's company had been waiting on.
"HULK SMASH!"
The commotion from Hulk's initial attack loudly echoed in the large cavern where the mithril was being mined. All work immediately ceased because of it. The chained conscripts feared it even more than any punishment of the orcs. Their overseers were similarly paralysed. So much so they didn't even whip their charges to commence work again. Four overseers remained behind while the others went to the surface to investigate. Only two individuals in the cavern had overcome their initial fright.
Gimli and Sam were kept closely together along with Whitfoot. The three were held along the cavern face opposite to where the mithril was being mined. Each of them was kept in a rectangular floor cage that an average human could just sit in. Gimli's axes had been placed only a few yards away from his cage. Gimli found it one of the worst aspects of his imprisonment. He lost count of how many times he would've like to have buried them into the orcs for their cruelty to the hobbits.
Gimli and Sam exchanged incredulous but hopefully glances upon hearing the initial commotion. Any uncertainty they had about its source was dissipated when Hulk's signal resounded throughout the cavern.
"Blimey, I don't believe it!" Sam exclaimed, the happiest he'd felt in months.
None of the orcs got the chance to silence him as the four-member rescue team sprung into action. Legolas and Barton each killed one with an arrow. A bullet to the forehead from Romanoff simultaneously killed the remaining orcs. The whole team then collected the keys each orc had in their possession. Pippin ran straight to try and open Sam's cage.
"Hello, Sam," Pippin friendlily renewed their acquaintance after removing his goggles.
Pippin quickly found the right key to open the cages. Gimli was quickly freed after Sam.
"I'll gladly recommend Brandybuck and Took for the rest of my days," Gimli warmly thanked Pippin.
The three prisoners were more than a bit wobbly having been unable to stand for so long. But Gimli's resolve was stronger than ever. After giving sharing a relieved hug with Sam, Gimli went to collect his axes.
Meanwhile, Legolas stood guard as Barton and Romanoff quickly went about unlocking the conscripts leg chains. Legolas soon noted Gimli had come up to him.
"By my beard you truly are a friend," Gimli softly recalled their exchange before the Battle of the Morannon.
Legolas smiled before saying, "Because I know my friend would do no less for me."
Sam and the other members of the rescue team then joined the pair.
"Sam and Gimli," Pippin began "I'm pleased to introduce Clint and Natasha. Two of Bruce's friends and fellow Avengers."
"I've heard much about the both of you," Gimli greeted them. "Thanks to your rescue, the great esteem I had for Black Widow and Hawkeye is now even greater."
Sam tentatively queried, "Have Steve and Thor also..."
"They arrived yesterday morn at Minas Tirith," Legolas happily confirmed. "Along with two other Avengers."
Sam did a quick mental count before saying; "Oh, I thought there was only six Avengers."
Barton noted the other hobbits had crowded around. The rescue mission wasn't over yet.
"We'll explain later." Barton curtailed discussion before suggesting, "We need to get everyone out before any orcs come back."
The rescue group had planned to take those they freed back outside through the eastern tunnel. Pippin and Romanoff would stay and protect the prisoners and conscripts. Barton and Legolas though would re-enter the tunnel to scout how the battle around the Quarry was faring. One of the prisoners soon threw that plan into disarray.
Gimli tightly gripped his axes and defiantly declared, "I'll be exiting through the front - hopefully over the bodies of many orcs!"
Gimli made for the western tunnel that led to the Quarry.
"Wait, Gimli!" Legolas halted him.
Barton and Romanoff were inwardly grateful to Legolas for averting potential disaster. Their relief was short lived.
Legolas arched an eyebrow at Gimli before wryly telling him; "Thor's not with us. That means we can have a contest both of us stand a chance of winning."
Gimli gave a knowing chuckling before he and Legolas made for the surface. Pippin, Sam and all the remaining hobbits let out defiant cry as they followed in the pair's wake. They would free the Shire even if they had to it with their bare hands. Soon Romanoff and Barton were the only ones left in the cavern.
"When I came here, I didn't plan on being killed this early," Barton dryly observed.
"You should consider any time after that 'Lady' remark to be an added bonus," Romanoff similarly countered before she and Barton followed in the hobbits' wake.
The battle was almost over by the time the rescue team and those they freed exited out onto the pit floor. Hulk had killed every orc and warg around the Quarry with one exception.
Lying flat on his back, Zorrgrat groggily came out of unconsciousness. The internal injuries he had sustained from Hulk's blow made it too painful to try and get up. If only because Zorrgrat felt his own life was slipping away. The last thing he saw was Gimli standing over him.
"In gratitude for your kind hospitality," Gimli 'thanked' him before swinging his axes through Zorrgrat's skull and neck.
"That only counts as one, Master Dwarf," Legolas teased Gimli about his kill.
"It's still one more than you, Elf," Gimli pointed out as their friendly rivalry resumed. "So that means I'm the victor!"
"It is only fair you won given your ordeal," Legolas continued. "It must've been especially traumatic given you're one of the shortest in the Fellowship."
Gimli gave an annoyed grunt before the pair joined the hobbits in walking towards the Quarry entrance. Romanoff and Hulk closely followed. But Barton halted upon noticing the strange items Zorrgrat wore on his arms.
Wrapped around the left wrist was an iron band about two inches wide. What look liked a small tuning dial was mounted on the band. On the right wrist was a thin iron chain with a round charm. Barton bent down to take a closer look at the charm. Each side was embossed with a three-spiked crown. Both items needed to be taken back to Minas Tirith for further investigation.
Barton soon joined the others outside the Quarry entrance. Scenes of jubilation and relief were everywhere. Merry and Pippin reunited, happy there weren't any friendly casualties from the rescue. Sam and his family hadn't yet broken from their first hug in months. Every hobbit was also ecstatic the nightmare of the occupation was over. With victory secured, Hulk released a triumphant roar.
Every hobbit, even those of the Fellowship, was startled by the noise. They all looked in Hulk's direction uncertain how to react. A hobbit child shattered the nervous silence.
"Hulk!" they loudly identified the said Avenger.
Cheers of excitement erupted as a mob of hobbit children ran towards Hulk. Parents were caught completely off guard to stop them. They couldn't even recall their children being this excited by Gandalf's fireworks.
Not long after the War of the Ring, Frodo and Sam authored memoir of the Fellowships' adventures through it. It would come to be known as the 'Red Book of Westmarch' also incorporating Bilbo's writings about the Quest for Erebor. The stories in the book soon become widespread throughout the Shire. The three Avengers that had been part of the Fellowship played a large role in many such stories. A particular Avenger was many a hobbit child's favourite.
The children, some no taller than his shin, happily embraced Hulk around his legs. A bewildered Hulk was at a loss how he should respond. Romanoff covered her mouth to prevent herself from laughing aloud. She quietly spoke to Barton after composing herself.
"Do you know what I think is one of the greatest mysteries?" Romanoff put to him. "The very thought of the Other Guy scares the daylights out of armies, supervillains and even his fellow Avengers. So why is he beloved by small children everywhere?"
This chapter provided some answers about the new enemy. But I recognise other mysteries have deepened in addition to new ones. Minas Ithil of course became Minas Morgul.
The energy conversion on the Suit I borrowed from Earth-616. I have a feeling Stark will need that feature a few times yet before story's end.
I thought it appropriate the Other Guy made his first return appearance in the Shire given Banner's friendship with Pippin and Merry.
Having worked in mining for nearly a decade, I still feel uncomfortable going underground. But at least it's not from the prospect of facing bloodthirsty monsters.
My own theory on Romanoff's mystery about the Other Guy? Hulk sometimes acts like a glorified toddler throwing a temper tantrum that adults are powerless to stop.