FUTURE IMPERFECT
By

Passionate-Muse

Copyright 2003

All rights Reserved

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from both The Lord of the Rings novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. Or the Lord of the Rings films, by Peter Jackson. I make no profit from this story and use it only for entertainment purposes only.

The characters of Scion/Bethany, Tanith, Memnon and Elf and the corporation AlexTech are created by my own warped imagination.

Chapter 3

Last Stand

How did it come to this? Scion stared out at the large black tunnel, were stooped shapes stalked towards the last few of the Furies. Clenching her sweating hands round the rifle tighter, her finger pressing more on the trigger, she tried to fathom how the situation had become so bad.

Six weeks of non-stop attacks, every sanctuary they knew raided within hours of their fleeing there. How did they know? Who told them?

Scion glanced over at the remaining Furies. All Thirty-Four of them, out of how many? Their numbers had been dwindled forcefully, both through ground attacks by the howlers and air attacks from the searchers. Until eventually they'd been pinned down in a small forgotten station, with one exit blocked by tons of rubble and the other swarming with howlers.

Memnon had realised too late what their plans were, they had been herded to this place. Here, where they would make their final stand. And here's where they'll bury us. She looked to her left at her small sister who was barely able to hold the rifle up. It grieved her, that despite all her good intentions of protecting Tan, the girl had to make her first kill here at their final battle.

Scion already knew what to do if their lines should fall. Dropping a trembling hand to her waist she slid her fingers over the hilt of the knife. She recalled Memnon's words as he'd handed her the gilded knife. A gift of mercy, my friend, for those you love. She knew the meaning of his words, and she would carry them out. In a way she felt pitiful that this last hope was given to her, that she was the one considered strong enough to kill those she cared too much about. Yet she would do it, she would skim the sharp blade across her sister's throat. Though she knew one thing, the moment after the light from her sister's eyes had gone out, she would follow.

Her eyes refocused on the shadows, their gait sluggish as they approached. Memnon's voice quietly filtered around them. "They do not send howlers, they are walkers!"

Scion watched the barrel of her rifle tremble slightly. She lowered her head, pressing her cheek against the gun. Don't think, just shoot. Their not human, their not human, their just lobotomised guinea pigs. She kept chanting the mantra in her mind. Sweat beaded up, sliding in to her eyes forcing her to close them for a brief moment.

Her foot on his head, his face pressed in to the gravel. "Turn away Tan, NOW!" The bang of the gun, the expelled casing falling to the floor with a small clack, his body still trying to free itself. Kicking him over on to his back, she was sure she'd hit it, looking in to his blue eyes. The trigger being pressed, then depressed as one more casing fell and his eyes stilled their frantic movements. What had she expected? The least the bullet could've done was destroy his beautiful features. Instead of just leaving a small smoking hole in his forehead.

Her eyelids flew up, hearing the soft noises of the walkers moving through the tunnel. No sounds, the least she hoped for was for them to sound like zombies. Not to still resemble loved ones, not to still resemble Martin. My beautiful brother, my beautiful wonderful brother!

They emerged from the tunnel, at least a hundred remote controlled walkers. Cries spewed from those who recognised a missing family member, now just a mindless entity here to wipe them from the face of the earth.

"Release them from their pain, my Furies." Memnon's battle cry sunk deep in to them all as they began shooting at each of them. A few walkers were taken down, though many bullets missed their targets. Bullets, scion knew, they couldn't afford to waste. Yet, who among them truly had the heart to shoot their own kind?

Scion started plucking them off one by one, her sight taking in one head, Bang, then another, Bang. She quickly glanced over at Tan, the girl had yet to let off a single shot. "Fin, hold your shots. Let them get closer." She gave her sister the best order she could, to buy her a little time before she experienced the harrowing effect that killing had on a person's soul.

A scream shook Bethany to the core; she glanced away from her sister to see the Fury next to her. He was sprawled on the floor, a trickle of red seeping from beneath him. His bright eyes dimming as his life deserted him; her vision shifted towards the small wooden benches they had placed in front of them as barricades of sort. A large black arrow impaled in to the back of it, red blood dripping from its steel tip.

Swiftly turning, Scion glanced all around her. Finally turning her eyes upwards, she spied a medium sized hole in the roof. There was no sky above it, but she thought she could make out the shapes of metal girders. "Memnon, Howlers! They're above us!"

She quickly took up her position again firing at the Walkers. She didn't dare glance over to Memnon, knowing that the same grim finality he showed would be mirrored on her face as well.

Another cry told her that their numbers were dwindling. The howlers weren't even bothering to attack; they were leisurely picking them off one by one. She wondered when the arrow meant for her would strike, was she next, or was her Sister. Clicks began to echo around as the bullets ran out. A few of the Furies took their chances, running out towards the Walkers, swinging their rifles like clubs.

"Fin, how many?"

"Thirty, its all Memnon gave me."

"Ok, is it fully loaded?"

Tan nodded as Scion lowered her rifle, shoving it in Tan's left hand whilst snatching Tan's rifle from her right. The gun was aimed without hesitation, and again she started shooting them one by one. "Load it up, be quick."

Scion jumped as something skimmed behind her, coming around on her left. "Christ Memnon, I though you were a walker then, can't you make any noise?"

She saw a part smile from his profile, something echoed down the tunnel. "Reinforcements," Scion nodded at Memnon's low tone. She used her last bullet, before swapping the rifle's again.

"Get behind me, stay behind me." She pushed Tan, as she spoke. Feeling her sister's small hands clinging to her waist. Before her, more walkers, about fifty more. In front of them were the dead bodies of Furies and Walkers. Beside her, stood Memnon and no one else. It was just themselves, now.

"See you in the next life, Memnon."

"My heart shall weep, until I see thee again. Young Scion, Infinity."

Scion gasped as her vision blurred, too long had it been since she'd last cried. "Right back at ya, Memnon." Scion chuckled, hearing the raspy laugh of Memnon next to her. Sometimes Tanith, you're just too damn cute for words.

Scion fired, then fired again. The clicking sound bringing her fear to reality. No bullets. She dropped the rifle, stepping backwards whilst Memnon continued with his well-aimed shots. She turned around, staring at her sister. Her hand crept down towards the knife. Quickly pulling her sister in to a tight hug, she gently placed the knife at the back of Tan's neck. Between skull and spine. A quick push Beth, just sever her spine and she won't know anything.

Something whispered past her ear, it's wake ruffling her loose strands of hair and cooling her skin. A grunting sounded behind her, and she knew Memnon was now fighting hand to hand with the walkers. She didn't turn when she heard something hit the ground with a thud, Memnon! Goodbye my friend.

Kissing her sister on the forehead, she steadied her hand. Her mind narrowing in on to this one moment, drowning everything else out.

"Legolas!"