Chapter Eight: Rescues and Runaways
Len paused, fingers pressed against the transluscent glass of the box. She had to get a way in. Her sensitive fingers probed every inch of the box- it was solidly sealed. No door. No window. She didn't want to think about how they got air inside. If they even did. She went to her belt, and her fingers found themselves on a black rod, a small button on the end, with a tiny squeeze-tube attatched. She gently applied the glue-like substance from the tube onto the glass, outlining a large portal shape. She checked to make sure that there were no gaps in the line, then pressed the button and stepped back as the line burst into flame suddenly, then went out just as quickly. She hesitantly put a hand on the inside of the shape. It was still slightly warm to the touch. She put a bit of pressure on it, and the glass gave. Len pushed, and the circle popped out, leaving a doorway in. She stepped inside. In the corner of the box, a small huddled figure was curled up into a ball. Her throat constricted as she knelt before the broken elf. Slowly, the face that was familiar, yet subtly but undeniably changed, lifted, and she was caught by the eyes. The eyes. Eyes that had seen too much. Been through too much. Hollow pools of pain and confusion that, though they were looking right at her, instead, looked through her. Her mind suddenly flooded with a rush of memories. Recent memories, not her own. She fainted. Her dreams were haunted with a first-hand experience of what the elf had gone through.
~*~
Legolas blinked, then shook his head. It felt as if a hazy curtain had been lifted from his mind. He looked down to see Len lying on the floor. He shook her shoulder.
"Len? Len, are you alright?" No reply. He shook her again, harder. "Len? Len?!"
A shudder went through her, then her eyes slowly opened as she brough herself into a kneeling position. Her dark eyes were blank, as if somene had erased all emotion and will from them.
"Len. Are you alright?"
".Fine. Just fine." she said in a hollow voice. Her words should have reassured them, but somehow they only sent chills down his spine. She blinked slowly, and, eyes staring off into nothingness, began to speak.
"I think I'll draw a picture A picture with a twist I'll draw it with a razor I'll draw it on my wrist And as this picture starts to form A fountain will appear And as this fountain flows, All my problems dissappear."
Legolas backed away until he found himself against the glass wall, now thoroughly freaked out.
".Len?." he whispered. She collapsed on the floor again, unconscious.
~*~
Len groaned and rubbed her forehead, sitting up. Legolas, noticing that she was awake again, hesitantly spoke.
".Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Just fine." He jumped. That was what she had said last time. She cocked an eyebrow at his high-strung-edness.
"You okay?"
".me? I'm fine."
"Good. 'Cuz we need to get out of here." She yanked him out of the door of the box. He sighed in relief, ignoring the fact that his arm was probably dislocated. The old Len was back. Len and Legolas peered around the corner. Len crept out, then waved for the elf to follow. They walked in the dark shadows of the hallway. Suddenly, the hall was flooded with light. Len checked her comp/watch.
"Shit, they're opening up again!" she looked around wildly for an air duct. No luck.
"Put your hands up!" A voice said from behind them.
"Screw you!" Len retorted, spun around, and gave a quick puff on her dartgun. The man collapsed instantly, a tiny dart sticking out of his neck.
"Thank you, Mel!" she said, grinning, then pulled the elf into a run. "We've gotta get out before they find him. Hopefully, there weren't any cameras near us." she trailed off, voice ragged from running.
~*~
Mel was sitting in the tall branches of an oak, ears perked for any more messages from Len. It had gotten light with the dawn, and they would have seen her on the edge of the forest. But up here, she was invisible. She watched as two figures burst out of the building. She grinned. They had made it. But. they were going in weird directions. she held the binoculars up. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
~*~
"Len, come on, this way!"
"No, this way! Back the way I came!"
"This way's better!"
"No it isn't! Besides, how would you know? You were drugged when you came here!"
"That way's dangerous!"
"Why the hey is that dangerous?!"
He took a deep breath. "Don't get scared, but there's another government person watching us from that big oak-" to his surprise and confusement, Len doubled over laughing. "Len, we have to get out of here before they're alerted by the spy in the tree!" She fell on the ground, cracking up, until she began to wheeze.
"I can't breathe- I can't breathe!" she said, between laughs.
"What's so funny?!"
"That's Mel!" The elf's face was blank. "Mel got me all this equipment so I could come and get you! She helped me get you out of there!"
The elf turned red. "oh."
"Now let's go- she's waiting for us."
~*~
(a/n: this part will be very mary-sueish. you have been warned.)
Once again, they stood at the edge of the docks, watching the glowing line of light coming out of the water. Legolas faced the light. "Say hi to everyone in Middle Earth for me, will you?"
He nodded. "I should go."
"You should." He made no move towards the portal.
"What are you waiting for?" Len's eyes burned with unshed tears. "This is what you've been trying to find the whole time you were here, right? Besides, the new moon- and therefore the portal- will officially be gone for another month in," she checked her watch, "11 minutes. You've got leave now, if ever!" He took a hesitant step towards the edge of the dock, then turned back to face her.
"Len, I." he paused, and before she knew what had happened, he had kissed her. "I can't go." She searched his face for a moment and gave a weak smile, then buried her head in his shoulder.
".don't cry," he said, awkwardness setting in.
"I'm not crying." Her muffled voice answered.
"Then why is my shirt getting wet?"
"It must be raining."
He sighed in frustration, but made himself content with the fact that she was holding him, never mind that his shoulder was soaked and getting wetter by the moment. Suddenly, a shrill voice interrupted his thoughts.
"They're going to jump off and commit suicide! Call the police!"
"Save their poor, ignorant souls!"
The crying abruptly stopped, and they both looked up to see a tiny crowd forming about twenty feet away, many of them on the suicide hotline from their cell phones.
"You can't stay here." Len managed to get out before her throat allowed her to say no more.
"You can't either," he said softly, and they walked through the portal hand in hand.
~end~
Len paused, fingers pressed against the transluscent glass of the box. She had to get a way in. Her sensitive fingers probed every inch of the box- it was solidly sealed. No door. No window. She didn't want to think about how they got air inside. If they even did. She went to her belt, and her fingers found themselves on a black rod, a small button on the end, with a tiny squeeze-tube attatched. She gently applied the glue-like substance from the tube onto the glass, outlining a large portal shape. She checked to make sure that there were no gaps in the line, then pressed the button and stepped back as the line burst into flame suddenly, then went out just as quickly. She hesitantly put a hand on the inside of the shape. It was still slightly warm to the touch. She put a bit of pressure on it, and the glass gave. Len pushed, and the circle popped out, leaving a doorway in. She stepped inside. In the corner of the box, a small huddled figure was curled up into a ball. Her throat constricted as she knelt before the broken elf. Slowly, the face that was familiar, yet subtly but undeniably changed, lifted, and she was caught by the eyes. The eyes. Eyes that had seen too much. Been through too much. Hollow pools of pain and confusion that, though they were looking right at her, instead, looked through her. Her mind suddenly flooded with a rush of memories. Recent memories, not her own. She fainted. Her dreams were haunted with a first-hand experience of what the elf had gone through.
~*~
Legolas blinked, then shook his head. It felt as if a hazy curtain had been lifted from his mind. He looked down to see Len lying on the floor. He shook her shoulder.
"Len? Len, are you alright?" No reply. He shook her again, harder. "Len? Len?!"
A shudder went through her, then her eyes slowly opened as she brough herself into a kneeling position. Her dark eyes were blank, as if somene had erased all emotion and will from them.
"Len. Are you alright?"
".Fine. Just fine." she said in a hollow voice. Her words should have reassured them, but somehow they only sent chills down his spine. She blinked slowly, and, eyes staring off into nothingness, began to speak.
"I think I'll draw a picture A picture with a twist I'll draw it with a razor I'll draw it on my wrist And as this picture starts to form A fountain will appear And as this fountain flows, All my problems dissappear."
Legolas backed away until he found himself against the glass wall, now thoroughly freaked out.
".Len?." he whispered. She collapsed on the floor again, unconscious.
~*~
Len groaned and rubbed her forehead, sitting up. Legolas, noticing that she was awake again, hesitantly spoke.
".Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Just fine." He jumped. That was what she had said last time. She cocked an eyebrow at his high-strung-edness.
"You okay?"
".me? I'm fine."
"Good. 'Cuz we need to get out of here." She yanked him out of the door of the box. He sighed in relief, ignoring the fact that his arm was probably dislocated. The old Len was back. Len and Legolas peered around the corner. Len crept out, then waved for the elf to follow. They walked in the dark shadows of the hallway. Suddenly, the hall was flooded with light. Len checked her comp/watch.
"Shit, they're opening up again!" she looked around wildly for an air duct. No luck.
"Put your hands up!" A voice said from behind them.
"Screw you!" Len retorted, spun around, and gave a quick puff on her dartgun. The man collapsed instantly, a tiny dart sticking out of his neck.
"Thank you, Mel!" she said, grinning, then pulled the elf into a run. "We've gotta get out before they find him. Hopefully, there weren't any cameras near us." she trailed off, voice ragged from running.
~*~
Mel was sitting in the tall branches of an oak, ears perked for any more messages from Len. It had gotten light with the dawn, and they would have seen her on the edge of the forest. But up here, she was invisible. She watched as two figures burst out of the building. She grinned. They had made it. But. they were going in weird directions. she held the binoculars up. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
~*~
"Len, come on, this way!"
"No, this way! Back the way I came!"
"This way's better!"
"No it isn't! Besides, how would you know? You were drugged when you came here!"
"That way's dangerous!"
"Why the hey is that dangerous?!"
He took a deep breath. "Don't get scared, but there's another government person watching us from that big oak-" to his surprise and confusement, Len doubled over laughing. "Len, we have to get out of here before they're alerted by the spy in the tree!" She fell on the ground, cracking up, until she began to wheeze.
"I can't breathe- I can't breathe!" she said, between laughs.
"What's so funny?!"
"That's Mel!" The elf's face was blank. "Mel got me all this equipment so I could come and get you! She helped me get you out of there!"
The elf turned red. "oh."
"Now let's go- she's waiting for us."
~*~
(a/n: this part will be very mary-sueish. you have been warned.)
Once again, they stood at the edge of the docks, watching the glowing line of light coming out of the water. Legolas faced the light. "Say hi to everyone in Middle Earth for me, will you?"
He nodded. "I should go."
"You should." He made no move towards the portal.
"What are you waiting for?" Len's eyes burned with unshed tears. "This is what you've been trying to find the whole time you were here, right? Besides, the new moon- and therefore the portal- will officially be gone for another month in," she checked her watch, "11 minutes. You've got leave now, if ever!" He took a hesitant step towards the edge of the dock, then turned back to face her.
"Len, I." he paused, and before she knew what had happened, he had kissed her. "I can't go." She searched his face for a moment and gave a weak smile, then buried her head in his shoulder.
".don't cry," he said, awkwardness setting in.
"I'm not crying." Her muffled voice answered.
"Then why is my shirt getting wet?"
"It must be raining."
He sighed in frustration, but made himself content with the fact that she was holding him, never mind that his shoulder was soaked and getting wetter by the moment. Suddenly, a shrill voice interrupted his thoughts.
"They're going to jump off and commit suicide! Call the police!"
"Save their poor, ignorant souls!"
The crying abruptly stopped, and they both looked up to see a tiny crowd forming about twenty feet away, many of them on the suicide hotline from their cell phones.
"You can't stay here." Len managed to get out before her throat allowed her to say no more.
"You can't either," he said softly, and they walked through the portal hand in hand.
~end~