Hi readers! Coming in early with this chapter! Hoping to have the next one up in a few days. If my luck holds I'm shooting for Sunday. Thank you for reading, following, and reviewing. As always I hope you enjoy the creative liberties I've taken here. Have fun! Xoxox

Eowyn hadn't questioned the requests she'd made. Instead she'd chosen to trust in whatever it was Nat was doing, even if to her it seemed insane. She had, as efficient as ever, sent people scurrying after supplies from every corner of the Keep. She'd managed to procure everything on Nat's list in a matter of minutes.

Gimli, looking highly concerned about the situation, had wandered off most likely to find Aragorn and Legolas. The look of Natalie's face had set him on edge, the hard glint of determination and the edgy flash of cleverness had told him clearly, she was up to something dangerous.

Nat insisted on moving everything into the great hall; far away from the women and children, where there was plenty of ventilation and light. She would have to move quickly if she was going to be able to plant these on the battlefield before the Orc and Uruks arrived. If what Gimli had told her was accurate there would be tens of thousands marching against them and they would need all the advantages they could get.

When her equipment was laid out over the tables Nat quickly tied a damp doubled over strip of cloth over her mouth and nose to help filter particulates from the air. If she were to inhale too much, it would make even her enhanced body very ill. What little dust particles were created would surely temporarily irritate her eyes but there was nothing to be done about it. No precautions she could take. She would simply have to endure. She caught Eowyn's eyes over her shoulder, "You should back up to the doors. Keep as many people out of here as you can."

"Natalia…"

"It'll be ok Eowyn...just...keep people out of here."

Eowyn hesitated. The concern in her features was comforting but not unwarranted. She nodded her assent and moved back to the doorway without further question. In her heart Eowyn wanted to trust Natalie, a woman she'd come to admire for many reasons in a very short time. She'd proven herself to be a fierce companion and friend. It seemed despite her profession, at her core, Nat was a better person than she realized.

Nat spread a small canvas out over the table. Carefully she scooped up the mineral deposits and loaded them into a large mortar. Using a large damp cloth, she covered the mortar and with a large granite pestle began to crush them. It crumbled easily under her strong and steady hands as she manipulated the pestle. A spark of satisfaction flared in her gut and hope along with it. She slowed, evened out her breathing and buckled down to work.

She filled one large jar after another with the crushed powder until all six were filled. She snatched her satchel from the other side of the table and unloaded the contents with care. She sorted through her belongings and found her window bites tucked into the lining of her satchel. She turned each one on. All six of them hummed successfully with energy. The blue glow of the mini reactor inside its core shined brightly in her hand. Ideally Nat would have simply set their timers for detonation, but without knowing how long it would be until their enemy arrived, she would have to be within range to detonate them. Sadly, she would have to set them for a complete melt down to produce the heat and chemical reaction she needed for an explosion of the magnitude required to vaporize the powder. Nat would never get them back. There would be no salvaging the tech. She rolled the widow bite over in her palm...just another piece of herself to sacrifice.

She grabbed the cooking tongs Eowyn had snatched from the kitchen. Slowly she inserted the window bite into the first jar, mid jar she released it. The tongs slid free easily. Pressing down firmly she sealed it as best she could. On the table behind her Eowyn they had lit dozens of candles. The melted wax pooled onto small trays below them. Taking the jar carefully in hand she poured the wax over the top, sealing it completely. One down.

Carefully she set it aside and wiped down the exterior. Cleaning it of any excess residue. She would need men to help her carry and plant them but step two would have to wait.

She examined the materials she had left on the table and grabbed the next widow bite.

Two down.

Three down.

Four down.

Five.

She heard raised voices outside but chose to ignore them as she continued to work. She was incredibly close to completing this successfully. Sweat poured from her brow, despite her best efforts, her nerves were on edge. Her eyes burned and itched terribly. They were watering constantly from the irritation which blurred her vision. One left, Natalie, one left. The chemical compounds found in these deposits could potentially kill everyone in this keep including herself if she slipped up. If her tech malfunctioned, if they sparked prematurely, if the explosion was bigger than she anticipated...these babies would be the doom of all of them.

She had the last widow bite in hand when she heard footsteps. Multiple pairs approached her from behind. One she knew to be Gimli. His heavy steps were easy to identify. Likely Aragorn and Legolas were with him, Aragorn was quiet but not nearly as silent as Legolas who moved with an inhuman silence. Whomever else was with them she didn't know and she didn't bother to check. She needed to concentrate.

She grabbed up her tongs and steadily settled the last bite into place. Releasing it, she pulled her tongs free and snapped the lid home.

Reacting on pure instinct she lurched out, a hand came forward to touch the minerals on the table. Her own hand gripped a firm male forearm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." It was the March Warden whose eyes she met when she faced her interloper, "Even in this state it's toxic when absorbed through the skin in high doses."

"What is it?" He asked, clearly suspicious and skeptical. Her bloodshot eyes watered and her lashes were heavy with moisture. They were clearly irritated.

She unwrapped the linen from around her mouth and nose, pleased to see little to no residue on it. She'd created very few particles in the air. If this worked like she thought it would, it could very well wipe out thousands.

She released his arm and turned to address the rest of the small group of males, jar in gloved hands, she began to seal that one as well.

"Do you want the long answer or the short one?" She asked back to him as well as Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and the King. They were all ready for battle, armed to the teeth with swords, bows, and daggers. . Her eyes were clearing and she needed to finish this.

At their collective hesitation Gimli spoke up, "Short, if it pleases ya lass."

She held up the last jar as the wax dried on the outside. The faint glow of the widow bite inside was only just visible. Its humming energy could be heard even outside the jar. They were fully weaponized and highly dangerous. She wiped off the powder from the last jar and covered what was left in the mortar to keep it contained. Nat removed her gloves.

"Eowyn!" She called out to the doorway where the woman waited exactly as Nat had asked. She rushed forward with clean water filled to the brim of a pitcher, it sloshed over her hands. Eowyn tossed her a small bar of soap. Nat quickly washed her hands and exposed skin before she set out to clean her face and eyes of any leftover sediment. Nat began to explain as she cleaned herself.

"There are red mineral deposits in the caves below us. In their solid form they're generally useless on their own but if it's absorbed through the skin it can make you ill. It's already irritated my skin and eyes." She splashed cool water over her face and momentarily cupped handfuls of it against her eyes to flush them out. "When crushed into a fine powder and ignited with an extraordinarily hot explosion from the devices I've planted inside the detonation will cause a chemical reaction with the power source of the devices; then it's not only extremely explosive but it also becomes a deadly nerve gas." clever really, she thought. If it worked, she could turn the battle in their favor or she might kill everyone. The chances of the latter were slim, but there was still a chance.

The March Warden exchanged a heavy look with the others before asking, "What is a nerve gas?" He knew the odds of this battle. Thousands of years of experience told him that they were completely and hilariously outnumbered. Rohan's army was broken and scattered. The men that remained here were farmers and country folk. They were not warriors and would easily be slaughtered. If there was a chance she could save them and his own people, who had followed him unquestionably at Lady Galadriel's request, he would help in whatever capacity he was able. He would fight for them with everything he had and give them any advantage he could conjure.

She smiled, drying her face and gathered her jars, "Basically, once this ionizes and turns to dust it will fog the air. Our enemy will have no choice but to breath it in and then it does the killing for us. Within seconds they'll be blinded from chemical burns and their eyes will begin to dissolve. Shortly after, those closest to it will suffer from chemical burns in their lungs. Their respiratory system will begin to shut down, within two minutes they'll be in complete respiratory failure." The company exchanged horrified looks but she didn't let it phase her. Nat continued on, "If they don't die from suffocation then within three minutes the chemicals will start to dissolve their soft organ tissues, primarily brain tissue. Complete liquefaction of soft tissue organs will occur within six minutes." This could work, it could save them.

"How do you know this will work?" King Theoden asked, he would take any advantage he could, even one as horrifying as this. What kind of person could create such things? Create poisons that could kill hundreds simultaneously.

"It isn't foolproof but I'm nearly positive I'll get the chemical reaction we need to blow these babies up." She pushed a jar to the March Warden. He caught it gently and held it warily. If she was holding the jars, he wagered it was safe enough. "It's called mercury sulfide, or Cinnabar, when it's oxidized it produces methyl mercury and dimethyl mercury. I'll need some men to bury them in the field and I'll detonate them when the time is right." She held the King's heavy stare, "We need to do this now."

At a loss for words Theoden could only answer with a slight nod. What devilry had he just agreed to?

Brightly Nat responded, "Excellent, I'll need a few men to assist me if you have any to spare."

Before the King could respond the March Warden did, "I'll give you five of my best." He casually set the jar back down on the nearby table and brushed his hands off on his trousers, just in case. "They will assist you in whatever you need. Make haste, our enemy approaches. They will be here by nightfall."

Looking out the high windows Nat followed the fading sun light. They didn't have long; they didn't have long at all.

It took only minutes for her to adorn her shield uniform. The skintight black suit felt oddly comforting, familiar. She hadn't felt that much lately. Nat quickly sheathed her knife to her thigh. She'd never been one to arm herself heavily, stealth and speed had always been more her forte. She was strapping her last gun into place when the March Warden returned with five of his own, as promised.

She looked deadly, Haldir thought as he and his soldiers entered the great hall. Sheathed in black her clothing clung to her body, so form fitting he could see the line of her hip bone. This time her features were sedate, gone was the woman who had intentionally tried to prod and provoke him. Her teasing smile, erased. The humorous glint in her eyes, gone. In its place was the stoic expression mirrored on every experienced soldier's face. In a very short time, she'd proven herself to be cunning and intelligent on a level he couldn't comprehend. How she'd recognized and known what to do with that mineral he couldn't begin the fathom. As for what she'd planted inside the powder, he didn't have the slightest idea as to what they were. How could something so small be so destructive? He had underestimated her upon first meeting her. He wouldn't do it again.

"Natasha." He addressed her with a small bow of acknowledgment.

"March Warden." She gave him the same curt nod and acknowledged the small group behind him, "Gentlemen, we need to move. Grab a jar, if you drop it you're dead. We make for the battlefield." The roll of command fit Natasha as smoothly as her uniform. "Eowyn has acquired shovels for us at the front gate. Grab one on your way." She tucked one jar under her own arm and stuck out her other to the March Warden. "Thank you." He hesitated before reaching out gripping her forearm. To him it was obvious now, she was a warrior through and through.

Her thanks was for more than bringing her able-bodied soldiers to help execute her heinous plan. It was for pulling her from the riverbank and bringing her back to her companions. It was for marching his army across a vast country to fight for people that were not his own. It was for his commitment to a hopeless cause that they were all wound up in. She wondered briefly if she would see him again, if she'd see any of them again. Nat had never been one for goodbyes.

He locked eyes with her briefly, "Haldir." he said, his voice strong and sure. "You may call me by my given name if it pleases you." He released her arm; the unusual smooth silky warmth of her garb quickened his fingertips.

Quick as lightning her grin was back, "My friends call me Nat…. I was introduced in Rohan once as Natalia and now it seems to have stuck." Smiling softly she patted his armored shoulder, her hand lingered, and looked at the somber faces of the elves that were coming with her. "I'll send them all back in one piece."

Haldir watched from atop the causeway as they exited the Keep. It wasn't until the gates were closed behind them that he realized she hadn't included herself in that statement. He swallowed hard as an unfamiliar feeling settled heavily over his chest. Surely she didn't mean to remain outside the walls. Perplexed by his concern for her, he gave into the urge and watched from afar as she and his brothers in arms buried her creations.

One by one she sent them back on their own. Each time the great gates creaked back open the worry gripping his heart lessened.

Only she and Haldir's own brother, Orophin, were left now. The pair was still visible to him as the sun sank below the horizon. They were cast in a dim greying light. Natasha's uniform was barely more than a moving shadow over their bleak surroundings. The pair spoke at length as they finished burying the last jar. She made a gesture behind where they stood to the sheer cliff face of the surrounding mountains. Their conversation grew rather animated. His brother's movements turned sharp and agitated. He was pleading with her, Haldir thought his hands gripped the stone wall at his hips. His thoughts fell back to their previous conversation and dread filled his gut. She had no intention of returning with him.

Resolutely he watched as his brother took her hands in his own and bowed his head over them. Surprised by the action Haldir watched closely as he drew them both to his forehead and reverently bestowed an elvish blessing on to her. A gift usually only given to family and loved ones, a blessing of Elbereth Githoniel the Lady of the Stars. A blessing for those who stand against the darkness. Orophin at long last kissed her hands. They spoke for but a moment more before they parted. Haldir knew his brother well, he had tried one last time to talk her out of her decision but to no avail. Orophin sprinted toward the keep gates and Nat toward the mountains. She disappeared in its shadows almost instantly.

Dread filled him suddenly.

A great horn sounded in the distance, clear to even human ears. Their enemy had come.

Nat climbed and she climbed high. As quickly as her fingers found purchase in the darkness she reached for her next hold. She heard the horns almost as soon as she'd started. They drove her harder. She could feel the vibrations from their marching through the stones, so great were their numbers. Their grunts and growls grew closer and closer, the rattle of their armor now clear. She could smell them, even from two hundred feet up, she could smell their great reeking stench. Rotten beasts.

She found her perch, shadowed by large jutting stones. The moon couldn't find her here. No light would. Nat was at safe distance and just a leap away from a clear path, on a small rocky ledge, to make a mad dash once she initiated detonation. Ninety seconds was all she'd have to get clear. Ninety heart pounding seconds in which she would pray this worked.

Silently she watched as they marched right beneath her, oblivious to the horrors that awaited them just below their feet. Thousands marched forward, tens of thousands, lined up in columns. There was one, a huge Uruk Hai who had climbed up on a large boulder jutting up from the ground. She could see his massive muscular shoulders and the crude sword that hung at his hip. Made for one purpose, these monsters were bred for war. With a great roar he stilled the host. Their spears raised high, iron clad feet stomping, they began to chant. The collective roar of thousands of Orc and Uruk Hai was deafening. Nat could feel the beating rhythm of their feet and spears through the stones. They had come for blood and she planned on giving them exactly that.

The host was well positioned over her bombs, there was at least sixty percent of the army behind the line of fire. She could take out a massive swatch of them and if she were lucky, as the remaining army charged forward they would suffer from chemical burns and compromised breathing from what remained of Cinnabar.

A chill ran up her spine as a cool wind came down the mountain at her back, a fresh crisp smell followed in its wake. Rain. She cursed as a wet drop of it hit her nose, wiping the drop away she turned over the sleeve of her uniform and engaged the controls for the widow bites. The power controls winked at her as she engaged them into a core meltdown. The tiny reactors set to explode. With bated breath she confirmed her command. The controls sputtered and went red in warning. A message scrolled across the panel, "self-destruct enabled." and the countdown began.

She sprang from her hiding spot and launched herself to the narrow ledge. She landed softly and managed to get a steady foot hold. She used a single hand to guide her against the wall. The wind picked up and she risked a look straight up where the moon was now overcast with dense clouds. The heavy rains they promised wouldn't help her dangerous journey on the cliff side. She pushed herself harder as more and more rain drops began to fall, fat and heavy on her hair.

She leapt down to a lower ledge and checked the time on the control panel. Sixty seconds. Beside her the Orcs and Uruks chanting continued and she briefly wondered what the women and children in the caves far below them were experiencing.

Nat had covered good ground when she heard the cry from the wall. She recognized Aragorn's voice even above the cacophony of the army below. She could see the elves high upon the wall, their bows drawn and held at the ready. The men closest to her on the battlements over the gates had drawn their bows as well. Her feet continued on, the ledge growing steadily thinner. She would be forced to scale further down soon. She pulled her eyes away from the scene she needed to concentrate on her footing.

Thirty seconds.

Slower going now, she was forced to only her toes, both hands outstretched gripping the sheer rock face. She was nearly to where the great stone bridge lifted from the valley below. Once there she could drop down to a much easier section of stone, flat topped and relatively even, then Nat would be forced to either call for a rope or scale the cliffs beside the gates and make a difficult leap across to the battlements.

Twenty seconds.

Silence fell, suddenly and unexpectedly, the Orcs stopped chanting. She looked over her shoulder in search of the cause. The rain was falling steady now. It inhibited her vision and blurred the front lines of the army that were a good distance from her now. Then she saw it, an arrow protruding from a single Orc. He fell forward face down in the wet earth. The silence held until a single Uruk let loose a strong brutal cry.

Ten seconds.

The army lurched forward as one, charging forward in a solid wave of blackness. Their spears and ladders glinting in the flickering torch light. Their end was near. She heard Aragorn's cry from the wall to hold fire. The control panel began beeping and flashing red with a reading of 00:00.

She braced herself as best she could against the rock face.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

A series of explosions rocked the battlefield one immediately after the other. The mountain side shook with violent tremors and she clung to its rocky face. She heard the grunts and cries of their enemy as they found themselves blown apart. When the shaking settled, she continued moving, the shock of the explosion would soon wear off and she had valuable ground to cover before those beasts found their feet again. She prayed the toxins would buy her more time.

Rain pelted down on her in large heavy drops, icy cold from the frigged air over the mountains. It soaked her hair and face. The ledge became slippery but she forced herself on, it wasn't far now. The ramparts blazed with the flames of dozens of torches. She could make out their faces now. She could see Theoden standing tall, braced against the stones in front of him. His armor gleaming in the torch light. His face awash in absolute horror as he overlooked the battlefield. Nat could hear their screams, more animal than human as their tissues began to burn and the toxins spread through their bodies. There was no longer any chanting or intimidating roars sounding from their ranks.

Satisfied with her success she looked up at the rain and let it wash over her face for a moment, cooling her hot brow. Her anxieties nearly gone. She'd given them a massive advantage if without turning to look, the growing number of excruciating cries of pain were any indication. The rain would actually be a help to them, it kept the gas low over the Uruk Hai and kept it from spreading too far over the wall and into their own ranks. She had no way of predicting exactly how large the explosion would be or how far her nerve gas would travel. The range of her estimate was large and subject to too many variables; wind speed, ground conditions, and given unknown purity of the deposits it was an all or nothing situation. It would seem someone upstairs had been looking out for them.

Transfixed on the scene playing out before them, no one seemed to notice her as she approached the ramparts above the gates. She gave a warning call as she shoved off the cliff face and dropped the twenty feet to the stone fortress below. Landing with a twist she rolled and absorbed the momentum of her fall as she rolled up onto her feet. The King's guard had closed in around him, swords at the ready.

"Easy boys, just came to join the party." Their faces, she couldn't get over their faces. The way they looked at her. They were frightened, terrified of her even, acting as if they had drawn their swords on a rabid unpredictable animal. Hesitantly they sheathed their swords and she took the opportunity to look at her handy work.

Her enhanced vision focused in, the moon and torches providing just enough light through the rain that she could make out the scene. A great trench had been blown into the field and end to end was covered in a low hanging red cloud of nerve gas. Body parts were strewn far and wide from the explosion, smoldering from the immense heat of the blast, the stench of their burnt flesh was worse than their horrid rotting body odor. Those that had made it past the trench, only some twenty or thirty yards were now crawling on all fours. Choking and sputtering, some rolled and screamed as they succumbed to the effects of the gas. They clawed at their faces and eyes, the chemical burns blistering and peeling the flesh of those who had been closest. Those in the front cried out to go back, the Orcs and Uruk Hai in the back screamed to continue their charge, and wave after wave became engulfed in the gases. She was impressed with its hang time, the heavy particles had blown into a fine powder, the rain was only now starting to suppress.

"Got ya." She said softly, the King looked down at her, brows drawn in deep thought as he searched her features. Rain dripped from his hair in small droplets. The display had affected him, horrified him even. How easily life could be taken, he imagined such tactics being used against his own people. If she were able, perhaps others one day would be.

He studied the battlefield as more and more fell dead. "Is this the nature of war where you are from?"

"No." Nat replied, gathering herself to find her companions. "It's much, much worse."

She left him then, with what little time she had left she wanted to make her way to Gimli and Legolas. She could see them further down on the main wall, amidst the elven army. They were now positioned at ease, their bows relaxed, arrows grasped softly in their hands as they watched the scene unfold before them. Waiting for Aragorn or the March Warden to command them to action again. She jogged down the battlement toward the pair that were unmistakably Gimli and Legolas. Along the way the men and elves gave her the space to walk in front of them. Neatly rolling back one after the other as she passed.

They acknowledged her with subtle head nods along the way many recognized that she may very well have saved their lives this night. Nat paid them little mind, she only had eyes for her companions.

Gimli caught sight of her and gestured to the battlefield which he could barely see over the height of the knee wall, "Were you planning on leaving any for the rest of us lass?"

They were beginning to regroup now; the back lines were pushing forward. The gas had nearly cleared, and the rain was coming down all the harder. Thousands already lay dead or dying without the loss of a single man on their side.

She couldn't have hoped for better.

She settled in alongside them, "I couldn't let you boys have all the fun." Gimli gave her a sidelong glance and Legolas one as well.

"I won't be out done by a woman the size of a half-grown boy or, for that matter, this pointy eared princeling." He grumbled although affectionately.

"Are you proposing a competition between us?" Legolas asked. His elegant eyebrows raised eagerly.

"You're on, both of you." Nat replied.

"That." Gimli said pointing out over the field, "doesn't count."

She smiled slyly, "Agreed."