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.
23/12/2014
This is the last chapter before Christmas. Compliments of the season to all readers.
FireheartNinja & johncorn: I think Malekith & Saruman would agree with W.C. Fields about never giving a sucker an even break.
silmarlfan1: Enjoy the winter. Summer's just commenced where I live.
RakCetGirl: Thanks for all that. One of the reasons I've enjoyed writing these stories is including canonical elements the movies couldn't. Best wishes with your stated goal of becoming an author.
Chapter 25 – Hanging by a Thread
The fleet carrying the Army of Light had come to a standstill for the second time that day. An emergency war council was convened half an hour after Stark's report to Aragorn and Rogers. In the interests of time, council participants travelling with the fleet remained on their respective ships. Thor opted to take part in the council on the ship transporting Haldir and his warriors. Not surprisingly, the ship was the Galadriel. Many would have dearly liked the counsel of Lady of the Golden Wood right now.
After Mithlond had been secured, Stark headed straight to Annuminas. The Avengers' devices capable carried a live feed from the Suit's cameras. Aragorn felt as devastated as the images currently being streamed on Iron Man's very own tablet.
What had been one of Middle-earth's greatest cities was now little more than a smouldering ruin. Countless fires still blazed throughout Annuminas's charred remains. Dust and smoke from the blast still darkened the night skies overhead. What Aragorn found worst though was there was no sign of survivors. Elrond once told Gandalf the blood of Numenor was almost been spent. So much of that precious and noble blood had now been vaporised in an instant. It caused Aragorn to privately speculate about the true objective of the attack.
Thor and Sif had said Malekith was relentless. Was the destruction of Annuminas about breaking Aragorn's spirit given the assassination attempt on Arwen had tried and failed? Aragorn was heartbroken by the loss of so many of his kin. Privately, he wanted time to mourn for friends he'd known all his life. Aragorn also knew personal feelings had to be set aside if the Free Peoples were, in the words of the Avenger he was closest to, 'get this done'. The Fellowship's Co-leaders commenced proceedings.
"Have the transceivers been reset?" Aragorn checked an earlier order had been carried out.
"Yeah and the news isn't good," Rogers confirmed. "Stealthed warbands have begun raiding throughout Eriador."
The Grey Company was currently in the Meduseld with Eomer and his court. Eowyn was nursing a sleeping Steven. If Edoras suffered the same fate as Annuminas, she didn't want to be away from her son when it happened. Thoughts of family were prominent in someone else's mind.
"Including the Shire?" Sam anxiously enquired.
"I'm afraid so, Sam," Rogers regretfully answered. "They must've have been hiding for months, waiting on Malekith's signal."
Standing next to his father on the Celeborn, Legolas asked the question on the minds of those Eldar present. "Do we know why the Grey Havens was first attacked?"
Prior to departing for Annuminas, Iron Man briefly chatted with Mithlond's ruler.
"Still working on that," Stark admitted not knowing. "And Cirdan said no one's going to be sailing into the sunset for at least a year."
None of the Elves doubted Iron Man was paraphrasing the revered shipwright. Nor did they misunderstand the idiom Stark used to describe the damage done to Mithlond. Even if they wanted to, the Eldar couldn't escape Malekith's onslaught by taking the Straight Road. Privately, Aragorn and Boromir felt some guilt having unwittingly joked about this.
"The raids follow the same pattern," Rogers resumed his brief. "There's no opening artillery barrage. The raiders instead drop out of stealth for just a few minutes. After destroying everything they can, they quickly move on to their next target. Classic hit and run."
"A favourite tactic of Malekith's," Sif added. "It keeps his foes off-balance, never knowing when to expect his next attack."
Sif's observation was silently noted. However, the reference to unexpected attacks triggered debate about what everyone really wanted to discuss.
"I still can't figure out how the nuke got past us," Romanoff said what most troubled her about it. "We should've picked it up well before it was even fired."
The Avengers' transceivers contained radiological sensors designed to pick up nuclear weapons. One of Earth's finest minds on radiation answered. His explanation helped assuage the consciences of those who agreed to adjust the transceivers in the first place.
"This might've been a nuke, Nat," Banner began. "But it wasn't like any nuke found on Earth. There's not even a trace of radioactive fallout."
Banner was within Tharbad's main hall along with Barton and Damrod.
"Is that like gamma radiation?" Faramir asked.
Despite already being an admirer, Banner was again impressed by Faramir's perceptiveness.
"Pretty much," Banner acknowledged before adding some qualifications. "My accident was still different though. Radiation from a nuke can poison the environment for decades, even centuries after the blast." Banner paused before soberly adding, "Not to mention causing cancer and birth defects."
Eowyn held Steven closer upon hearing the latter sickness.
"This nuke's different," Stark quickly chimed in from ground zero. "It released the same energy Malekith's been using for everything else."
"An energy I'd been told we were able to detect?" Thranduil testily queried.
Thranduil now worried about the Woodland Realm suffering a similar attack as Annuminas. Had even the One Ring the power to destroy so much in an instant? Fortunately, the Avengers knew understanding was needed on their part if the Free Peoples were to be helped through this crisis. The weapon used on Annuminas had parallels with another for Banner and Stark. It reminded them of the warhead SHIELD had been planning to build with the Tesseract. The pair continued answering questions as a tag team.
"We can, King Thranduil," Banner respectfully answered. "But it's much harder detecting the energy's applications. The nuke got past us because we didn't have its signature, sorry, pattern."
"And we, um, still don't," Stark awkwardly advised.
Boromir and Imrahil had been hearing all this in the former's tent. What the Steward initially said took many by surprise.
"Does it matter?" Boromir calmly argued. "We can still detect enemy movement. Well enough to attack them right now."
"We can't engage in a search and destroy mission," Barton vetoed the idea. "Not without the jet."
Bard was among those most disturbed by the latest threat facing the Free Peoples. His ancestors had been caught up in infernos while defending Dale and Lake-town. But even Smaug's firestorms paled next to the one that had consumed Annuminas.
"What of Thor, Iron Man?" Bard strongly suggested.
"Unfortunately, Bard," Rogers answered. "They're our only means of intercepting any nuke fired at us."
"Cap's right," Barton supported his superior officer. "Tactical nukes are for taking out armies and fleets before they can react."
The penny dropped for Eowyn about something Rogers told her and Aragorn in the aftermath of Helm's Deep. Captain America mentioned Earth having much more powerful explosives than those that breached the Deeping Wall. Not even in her wildest imagination did Eowyn believe they could be as destructive as these 'nukes'. But Barton had just implied using nukes wasn't considered all that extraordinary by Earth military planners. Eowyn wasn't the only survivor of Helm's Deep struggling to come to terms with the seeming insanity of such warfare.
"Surely Malekith knows using this weapon means destroying his own forces?!" an incredulous Haldir pointed out.
The Avenger next to the Marchwarden answered what was also a silent question of Eowyn's.
"Malekith sacrificed his own people in an attempt to lay waste to Asgard's army," Thor referred to his grandfather's assault upon Svartalfheim. "I solemnly tell you, Haldir. He won't hesitate sacrificing every orc and troll under his command if it means defeating us."
One of the private investigators tried threading all the Avengers had said about the latest danger.
"So what you're saying, Steve," Merry addressed their leader. "There could still be hidden forces armed with these 'nukes'? And we'll have next to no warning if they fire one at us?"
Rogers was quietly impressed with the Brandybuck's succinct analysis. "That's pretty much it, Merry."
The Avengers' unofficial devil's advocate thought differently.
"Not quite, Cap," Stark argued.
"What do you mean, Tony?" Gimli asked with a sense of dread.
Romanoff later reflected Rogers and Stark were both very honest individuals. The difference was Captain America knew the truth sometimes needed to be broached sensitively.
"Well," Stark gathered his thoughts. "Its not just rockets we've got to worry about. They could drop a nuke on us from a fell-beast. Hide one in that mountain of yours before blowing it up."
Rulers were completely unnerved by the prospect of nuclear weapons having already been smuggled into their realms. The council rapidly dissolved into chaos.
Way to go, Stark! Rogers privately lamented.
Anxious participants demanded their homelands be warned somehow. Civility broke down as argument began over whose homeland should be warned as priority. The heated clashes Aragorn heard through his earpiece reminded him of those at the Council of Elrond. Just like Rivendell four years ago, order was suddenly and unexpectedly restored.
"QUIET!" Banner demanded in the Other Guy's voice.
Almost everyone was startled into silence. The one exception was Steven who woke at the frightening noise and began crying. Eowyn made a discreet exit to comfort him. Ignorant of this, Banner felt dark satisfied to finally have everyone's undivided attention. His polite attempts a few moments ago had been completely ignored or drowned out.
"As I was trying to say," Banner pointedly began. "I'm using Tony's data to create a tracking algorithm.'
"Like you…did with the Tesseract?" Romanoff cautiously asked for a variety of reasons.
"Exactly," Banner confirmed. "We'll be able to narrow down every nuke Malekith's got."
"When?" Rogers simply asked.
Banner sensed a mea culpa was required. "Look, I'm sorry for scaring anyone. And I'm not trying to be facetious. But unlike the wristbands and the flamethrowers, we don't have a nuke to play with. So I wouldn't bank on us detecting them tomorrow."
Arguments weren't resumed in spite of Banner's apology. It was the perfect conjuncture for Aragorn to announce his decision as the Army's Commander-in-Chief. Like Captain America said of attacking the Black Gate, Aragorn considered it the best of a number of bad options.
"Bruce," Aragorn addressed him. "I want you focused on nothing else than finding these nukes. In the meantime, Thor will remain with the fleet. And I want Iron Man protecting Edoras and Dunharrow."
Sif had an immediate strategic concern that also concealed a personal worry of hers.
"What of Boromir's force?" she asked. "Its still two days from Edoras and will be vulnerable throughout."
Aragorn was prevented from answering and was slightly surprised who it was.
"The King's right, Sif," Boromir calmly told her. "I've fifteen hundred riders under my command. Tony protecting us means exposing Eomer's four thousand as well as all of Edoras. We'll just have to keep moving."
Aragorn and Arwen quietly noted how Sif's eyes momentarily flickered before she conceded the argument with a regretful nod.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty," JARVIS politely sought Aragorn's attention.
"Yes, my friend," the King encouraged him.
As far as Aragorn was concerned, JARVIS was much an Avenger as those of flesh and blood. He only regretted the artificial intelligence was incapable of calling him by name.
"I've just detected enemy movement in Eregion," JARVIS reported.
Aragorn was puzzled to hear this. The former Noldor realm was largely uninhabited. Admittedly, it made a good location for enemy forces to hide in. But it wasn't exactly what Rogers would call a 'target rich environment'. The said Avenger had similar thoughts.
"Another warband?" Rogers first checked.
The answer shocked the council only slightly less than news of further nuclear attacks.
"No, Captain," JARVIS calmly replied. "It's an army of more than fifteen thousand. They'll be at Tharbad in less than five days."
Personal calm went out the door as Boromir exclaimed; "That's when we're supposed to get there!"
"Assuming we aren't delayed in Dunland, brother," Faramir reminded him and everyone else.
One directly in the line of attack described the consequences should Tharbad fall.
"Tharbad's our base of operations," Barton stated. "All our reinforcements and supplies are coming through here. Without it, our campaign's screwed from the start."
"Our campaign's what?" a confused Elladan asked.
Another of the Free Peoples had earlier been told the meaning of the Earth colloquialism.
"Finished," Pippin repeated Romanoff's answer.
Aragorn believed either description was apt. He suddenly wondered if the attacks on Mithlond and Tharbad were connected. If both locations were damaged enough, there would be no port into Eriador. The fleet certainly wasn't equipped to make an amphibious landing like the one called 'Overlord' that Rogers once described to him. The only choice would be turning back and disembarking at a Gondorian port. The infantry would then have to march for weeks before joining the cavalry. By the time the Army of Light concentrated, there wouldn't be much of Eriador left to defend.
It was paramount Tharbad be held. However, the current threat posed by nukes hamstrung what aid could be sent. It wasn't possible to reinforce it prior to the attack. Some Avengers had the power destroy the advancing horde on their own. But Thor and Iron Man were providing escort and Banner was needed to find the nukes in the first place. In other words, protecting Tharbad meant exposing something else. Aragorn remembered a request of Gandalf's before speaking.
"Captain Damrod," the King humbly addressed his vassal. "I know I'm asking a great deal of you and your men. But if Tharbad falls, so does Eriador. Your defences must hold until the rest of us get there."
All ranks in the Reunited Kingdom's military had an almost unwavering devotion to King Elessar. The main reason was they knew Aragorn wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice himself for each and every one of them.
"We'll fight to the end, milord," Damrod solemnly pledged.
Barton arched an eyebrow before reminding Damrod; "We've also got a Hulk."
"That's my line," Stark grumbled for all to hear.
Eomer was still far from satisfied. Tharbad could be lost even with Hulk defending it.
"And what if this army carries a nuke?" Eomer postulated.
Even in the darkest of moments, Pippin couldn't help but try and raise spirits. He remembered something Banner once told him and Merry.
"I wouldn't worry, Eomer," Pippin casually assured him. "The Other Guy will just swallow it."
Sif and the rest of the meeting wondered why this caused the other Avengers to burst out laughing.
Banner's eyes blinked open as the early morning light penetrated the hall's darkened interior. He'd fallen asleep in his chair after working throughout the night. After last night's council, Stark briefly stopped for some personal effects and equipment. The billionaire promised he and JARVIS would help with the algorithm any way they could from Edoras. But Banner's first thoughts that day weren't on matters scientific.
After putting on his glasses, Banner went over to the screen Stark had been using. It displayed the real-time strategic situation in Middle-earth. Various icons showed the movement of friendly and hostile forces. Banner looked at the one for Malekith's army and shook his head.
Banner didn't dispute what Aragorn had prioritised him to research. But the strange cloud had to be more than cover against daylight for orcs and trolls. The data that had been collected was inconclusive what its main purpose was. And even after the algorithm was formulated, the risk of focusing the transceivers on the cloud again had to be weighed. Banner reflected the suggestion was likely to attract more than a few 'Nay' votes this time. His thoughts ended after smelling an appetising aroma from behind.
Barton held a tray as he walked towards Banner. The tray had a coffeepot and two empty cups. There were also two plates. One had a vegetarian omelette and the other a serve of bacon and scrambled eggs.
A bemused Banner nodded at the tray's contents. "You cooked breakfast?"
Barton smirked as he placed the tray down on a table. "It's compliments of a local innkeeper. He insists any Avenger defending this place eats free of charge."
Banner took a delightful whiff of the black coffee Barton starting pouring.
"Lucky for him it's us and not Thor and Sif," Banner ruefully remarked.
The pair shared a chuckle over Asgardian appetites as Barton passed Banner a cup. The business of the day now commenced.
"What's the situation?" Barton asked looking at the map.
"The good news is no more nukes have been fired," Banner began. "The bad news is other raids keep mounting up."
Banner changed the overlay. A series of yellow and red dots stretched across the length of Eriador. Yellow indicated a conventional attack, red was nuclear. As of now, the only red dot was on Annuminas.
"They're hitting small villages, isolated farms, lumber yards," Banner provided some context.
"No major centres?" Barton checked.
Banner shook his head before cautioning; "Not yet."
Even the normally phlegmatic Barton felt surprised at this. He couldn't see any discernible pattern to the raids. Places like Bree and Hobbiton were even less capable of withstanding an assault like the one on Mithlond. So why were they being left alone? Even more puzzling was no further nukes having been fired. Barton sincerely hoped this remained the case. But the Free Peoples still needed to know why. His thoughts turned to related matters.
"How's everyone else?" Hawkeye wanted to know the status of mutual friends and acquaintances.
"The fleet and Boromir's force are still moving ok," Banner answered with faint relief. "And everything seems quiet around Edoras."
Barton knew Banner's next answer wouldn't be so reassuring.
"What about us?" Barton referred to the imminent attack on Tharbad.
The information on screen changed once again. Displayed was a map of Tharbad and its surrounds. The invader's projected line of advance was animated.
"They're still getting here when Jarvis said they would," Banner confirmed the estimated time of attack. "It's a combined force of Uruks, goblins, trolls, half-trolls."
Hawkeye hadn't heard of the latter. "Half what?"
"Taller than a man, shorter than a troll," Banner summed up what he'd read about them. "Whatever's coming, it looks like they'll be hitting the southern gatehouse."
Barton considered this a moment before concluding, "Good."
Banner responded with a confused frown. He'd forgotten just how dry a wit Hawkeye possessed.
"I was worried about us being surrounded." Barton explained.
Tharbad's garrison was now being concentrated where the impending attack was projected to fall. The southern gatehouse was a stone structure some thirty-foot high with both a length and width of twenty feet. The outer entrance was behind two large wooden doors while an iron portcullis covered the inner. Beneath the upper battlements were three storeys of arrow loops, machicolations and murder-holes ready to rain death on any would-be attacker. The gatehouse had been rebuilt to keep Tharbad safe from brigands and small warbands. Being heavily assaulted by a fifteen thousand strong army was another matter entirely. Something Damrod and Barton were currently discussing atop the battlements.
"There's no other way they can access the bridge from this side?" Barton checked.
Damrod pointed north at the Greyflood. "They might try coming downriver by boat. But there's a chain boom we can raise, Clint."
In earlier years, Damrod had served as one of Gondor's Rangers. He suspected it was a reason he'd developed a good rapport with the Avenger known as 'Hawkeye'. Barton had all the characteristics and more of those elite scouts – a superb archer; excellent powers of observation; a master tactician; well versed in stealth; and being of few words. If only Barton could've been part of the ambushes the Rangers often launched in Ithilien against Sauron's forces. Damrod grimly consoled himself with having the said Avenger part of Tharbad's defence.
"I'd still bet their main attack being here," Barton said after weighing probabilities. "It'll come down to how quick we can take out their artillery."
"Because they might have a nuke?" Damrod guessed.
"They mightn't even need to fire one," Barton advised before directing Damrod's attention to the ruins surrounding the gatehouse. "They'll be attacking at night. If they're smart, they could use the ruins to screen their movement. Their mortars could be placed to hit us at point-blank range."
"'Point blank'?" Damrod asked having never heard the term.
"Any closer and its a contact shot," Barton clarified.
After giving a nod of understanding, Damrod raised the obvious solution for the enemy's artillery.
"I don't dispute what you said about Hulk," Damrod started. "If only from what I saw at the Morannon. But I still worry our defence being so dependent upon him."
"Same here," Barton agreed before looking at Damrod. "So we'll need some volunteers…"
Aragorn had many hopes with the Reunited Kingdom. One was it becoming a reflection of all that was good of Numenor. The greatest good possessed by that ancient realm was the pride and dignity its inhabitants. Aragorn then would have felt more than satisfied by the current scenes around Tharbad's docks.
An evacuation of Tharbad had been ordered in light of the imminent attack. The handful of ships currently at dock freely offered their assistance. They would take evacuees to Dol Amroth for safety or at least seek the protection of Aragorn's inbound fleet. Crews even unloaded their stores of expensive merchandise to allow space for more evacuees.
The merchant ships still had no room to evacuate Tharbad's whole civilian population though. So just like at sea, the principle of 'Women and children first' also applied on land. Male volunteers ensured boarding went smoothly and without incident. After farewelling their families, men began wondering how they could help with the defence. They received an answer well before the first ship departed.
The crowds on the dock were startled upon hearing a sentry's horn blowing directly behind them. They turned around and saw the sentry was on the upper balcony of the customs house. Left of the sentry was Damrod and Barton. Tharbad's Commander began speaking now he had the crowd's attention.
"Master Hawkeye has a request to make of all men staying behind," Damrod announced. "It's on behalf of the King and all the Avengers."
Damrod's white lie was to help get what Barton was after. The Avenger himself would admit not being much of a 'people person'. Barton's style was to motivate others by his actions rather than through inspiring speeches. He decided on a compromise between the two by coming straight to the point.
"Hi," Barton simply addressed the crowd. "Who'd like to learn how to use some of our weapons?"
There was a torrential downpour on Bree that night. The town hadn't changed all that much from the War of the Ring. One exception was a new gate to replace the one broken down by the Nazgul. Two large wooden doors stood flanked by a watchtower on either side. As always, all of Bree's gates were shut at night.
Bree was feeling the affects of Malekith's raids even if it hadn't been directly attacked. The surrounding villages of Archet, Combe and Staddle had all been hit. Surviving residents fled to Bree for refuge but found its gates barred to them. The town wasn't equipped to take such a large influx of people. Apart from its surrounding wall, Bree's only defence was a town constabulary. The refugees opted to set up a large camp outside town while its officials decided what to do with them. An increasingly tense argument about the subject was currently taking place atop one the watchtowers. It was between Bree's mayor, Tenderlach, and one of the town's leading identities.
"It ain't right leaving those poor folk out there," Barliman Butterbur pointed at the refugee camp.
"I know, Butterbur," Tenderlach testily agreed. "But the town will be swamped if we let them in. Do you think your inn can accommodate them all?"
The Prancing Pony's proprietor didn't care for this. Butterbur was driven to a large extent by personal demons. He remembered being paralysed in terror as the Nazgul searched for Frodo and his three friends. His conscience still hadn't been fully assured after the four hobbits caught up with him on their return journey to the Shire ("Black Riders weren't the sort to politely leave if asked, Mr Butterbur," Sam wryly told him). Butterbur was now trying to follow the example of the guest who did aid the hobbits that night.
"I remember when King Elessar was a patron of mine," Butterbur recalled. "Aye, I didn't trust him. But I never saw Strider turn away anyone needing his help. He wouldn't want us to either!"
Tenderlach bristled at the suggestion he was disrespecting the King.
"Nor would he expect us to do the impossible!" the Mayor remonstrated. "What if overcrowding leads to food shortages and riots? Not to mention the threat of disease should the town be besieged."
The pair's argument wasn't one of good against evil. It was a case of good people agreeing on the problem but being unsure what the solution was. This uncertainty now led to tragedy.
Raiders dropped out of stealth as they charged out of the forest surrounding Bree. These raiders weren't orcs but bands of human brigands. They wore Malekith's armour and were armed with falchions and crossbows like those used by Saruman's Uruk-hai.
The brigands immediately set upon the unprotected refugees without mercy. Any one who tried resisting was killed. The brigands plundered what meagre possessions the refugees had. Some refugees desperately sprinted towards Bree in the hope its gates would be open. They were shot down from behind in a volley of crossbow bolts before even getting close.
Tenderlach and Butterbur had been watching the massacre in silent horror from their location. The mayor's conscience demanded he open the gates. But his head told him it would also result in the constabulary being overwhelmed by the far more numerous and better equipped brigands. The screams of young women being taken captive were clearly heard through the pouring rain. The brigands' soon re-engaged stealth mode before heading back into the forest.
The raid had only lasted a few minutes. Scores of dead and wounded refugees were left in its wake. What was left of their camp had been scattered in all directions. A tear rolled down Butterbur's face at the devastation. Distant crow caws made Tenderlach presume the first scavengers weren't far off. The Mayor was wrong. It was actually the sound of a crebain flock that had finished surveying the scene.
The flock flew north-east for hours until they reached their destination. Malekith stood atop a cliff as his army passed beneath him. After the crebain delivered their report about Bree, the Svartalfr pulled out his palantir.
"I told you arming those brigands would prove to our advantage," Saruman haughtily gloated about the news. "Men can be crueler to each other than even the most savage orc."
"Humans are also wilful and cannot be fully trusted," Malekith repeated his reservations about the brigands.
Saruman arched an eyebrow. "Such as your lieutenant?"
Malekith narrowed his eyes at Saruman's unsubtle insult. He knew how the turn the tables on the ex-Istari.
"Our forces will soon be assaulting Tharbad," Malekith simply observed. "It'll be destroyed before the enemy's army even gets there."
Saruman hardened at this. He'd been closely watching Tharbad over the last couple of days.
"Remember," Saruman sternly intoned. "Tharbad contains something of great value to me."
Malekith washed his hands of the matter. "I delivered what you asked last night. Its now up to your Uruks to capture your prize."
"I've spent a great deal of time and resources on this," an increasingly raw Saruman reminded him.
"You've spent a great deal of my time and my resources," Malekith sharply corrected him. "Going after that arrow proved costly enough. Perhaps being trapped within this palantir has begun warping your senses, old fool?"
Malekith's head snapped sidewards from what felt like a violent slap. It was Saruman's response to his perceived impudence. Malekith had intended to goad such a reaction. The time had come to show who was the senior partner in this relationship.
Malekith's enchantment on the palantir worked somewhat like a high-voltage electric fence. Its energies were dangerous to anyone either side of it. Malekith now directed them at the consciousness contained within the seeing stone.
Saruman released a sharp cry of pain before violently falling on his back. It bought back memories of the duel in his throne room with Gandalf the Grey. Unlike then, Saruman restrained himself from retaliating. He'd more than even the score once the transference he'd secretly planned took place. For now, Saruman simply glared at the individual standing over him.
"All your plans are at my sufferance," Malekith coolly warned his ally. "Until Middle-earth is mine, I'm not indulging you any more."
Malekith abruptly terminated their conversation before shoving the palantir back into its pouch. He reflected on the war and his alliance with the former White Wizard.
"Soon," Malekith girded himself.
Some reviewers have asked about this story incorporating battle elements from BOTFA. Admittedly, the film isn't released in Australia until Boxing Day. Nonetheless, I think my answer can be indirectly found via Gandalf in earlier chapters. The Avengers returning to Middle-earth is to help the Free Peoples against a style of warfare they're completely unprepared for.
I had toyed with Annuminas being destroyed as if hit by a Dark Elven grenade. But I thought the non-Asgardian Avengers would find something like a nuclear blast more confronting. I also speculated a mystical energy bomb would be 'easier' for Malekith to create with his power source than a black hole singularity.
Tenderlach is taken from the Lord of the Rings Online character. References to cancer can be found in medieval medical texts.
The attack on the refugee camp wasn't a gratuitous addition. Sadly, such attacks are all too common on refugee camps throughout this world.