Time: Disturbed Water
Disclaimer: I'm cheap…their not mine…DAMNIT!
Arriving at Moria two days later, the group was well acquainted with the exception of Rachel. Nobody could ever get her to say many words. Holly got her to smile once. She remembered when Rachel was in combat. She was always on watch; never loosing a step. Holly supposed that Rachel saw this as another mission. She just hoped that Rachel didn't think that if something happens to the group it's her fault. She was big on guilt.
"The walls of Moria!" Gimli cried out. Holly nearly fell backwards and Rachel, along with Legolas, glanced, but kept walking after Gandalf who had stopped briefly. Rachel watched her friend barely keep her balance as she stared at the walls and felt a twinge of guilt. Holly was happy and free of that horrible feeling. Guilt. Rachel knew her friend was sad about having to leave the service, but at least she was leaving on a clear conscience. Rachel hated to see Holly be dragged into something like this. If only she had told Holly that they should sleep inside despite the warm weather...
"Rachel?" Frodo called up to her. She looked down at the hobbit and then forward. She had stopped while thinking. Everyone else was looking back at her. Walking forward, she felt in her pack for her sunglasses. Holly had hers on already.
"What do you think's wrong with her?" Pippin whispered to Merry. He shrugged his shoulders and then both stared at Holly who did the same.
"If she wants you to know, she'll tell you herself. Last time I told someone, I got a scar on my arm," she told them, shaking her head. Lifting up her sleeve, Holly showed them her scar. It was nearly six inches long.
"I wouldn't want to make her mad!" Pippin yelled. Holly tilted her head slightly and sighed miserably.
"Well, she wasn't always like that and I don't blame her for what the job did to her. I mean, Bryan's death was bad enough, but when Jake an--"
Merry and Pippin looked at her and smiled slyly. She smacked them both on the head and sighed.
"I shouldn't have said that," she scolded herself, hitting her head with her fist repeatedly.
"We won't push the subject," Merry informed her. The three of them nodded at each other and watched as Gandalf failed miserably to open the gate to Moria. Holly kicked herself mentally for not paying closer attention to Tolkein's books. A moment passed by as she thought and Pippin leaned toward her.
"Who's Bryan and Jake?" he asked. Holly stared at him and Merry punched him in the side.
"What?" Pip yelled. Merry shook his head and both hobbits stood, throwing pebbles into the murky water. Aragorn ran over and stopped them almost immediately, warning them against making waves.
"It's a riddle! Speak friend and enter!" Frodo exclaimed some time later. With the help of Gandalf, the young hobbit opened the Gates to Moria. Holly ran up to Rachel, who the entire time had watched the water, pacing. She touched her shoulder and felt the younger tense up.
"Hey! Even I remember what happens next! Aren't you going to say something?" Holly yelled desperately. Rachel spun around and looked her friend square in the eyes.
"Our job is to help them to and through Mordor...not get in the way of certain events," Rachel reminded her. Holly knew all too well what the "briefing" was. Sighing heavily, she followed everyone through the doors, closing her eyes when Gandalf "turned on" his staff.
"Now, Master Elf! You will enjoy the hospitality of the Dwarves!" Gimli began. "Mult Beal! Roaring fires! Red meat off the bone!" He went on about his brother's home and as more light was shed on the great hall, many gasped in horror. Rachel set her pack on the ground, in a corner, and grabbed a few important supplies, making sure her flashlight had batteries.
"This isn't a mine. It's a tomb!" Boromir cried. The floors were littered with dwarven skeletons. Most raised their weapons and Rachel took Glamdring from Gandalf's grasp, stuck her flashlight in a cargo pocket on her dark green/black, GI camouflage pants, and stuck a small switch-blade in the side of her black army boot.
"Orcs!" Legolas cried with disdain. They backed toward the entrance.
"We should not have come here! We will make for the Gap of Rohan!" Boromir instructed. Rachel walked toward the entrance with Holly close behind, also carrying a switchblade of her own. Rachel held out Glamdring and knelt about a foot away from the hobbits, watching Frodo very closely.
"Ah!" Frodo cried as something wrapped around his leg. As if she had known it would happen, Rachel slashed at the tentacle attacking him and stood, ducked, and rolled to the side as more tentacles flew at the group. Holly, who had been standing right behind her ex-commander, threw her switchblade, doing some damage to the huge octopus-like creature. Aragorn and Boromir rushed forward trying to save the now dangling Frodo. Rachel rushed with them, but unlike them, she wanted to kill the son-of-a-bitch. Aragorn and Boromir wanted to save Frodo. Legolas let a few arrows fly.
"Die you bastard!" Rachel cried, jumping onto it's face. She glanced back and saw Boromir carry Frodo off, throwing Holly his sword as Aragorn joined them at the bank. Holly ran to Rachel's side. Deciding that swords wouldn't do enough damage fast enough, Rachel pulled out her gun and handed Glamdring to Holly who stared at her dumbstruck.
"Go!" she yelled at Holly.
"No!"
"That's an order, lieutenant!"
"God damn you!" Holly yelled, jumping off the creature and telling everyone to get into the mines. Rachel stood (she was holding onto the squid for support) and shot it square in the forehead six times. It began to collapse, but so did the Gates of Moria. Rachel dashed toward the mines. She barely jumped in before the rocks began fall, but she didn't jump far enough. Crawling, she saw Holly slide forward, jumping stones, trying to reach her friend.
"You're an idiot, Holly!" Rachel yelled over the falling stones. Holly, who was dragging her half-crawling-half-running friend to safety, shrugged.
"No different than dodging grenades!" was her response. When they reached safety, they both had bumps, bruises, and a few nasty scratches and were definitely out of breath.
"You two are either the most insane beings I've ever met or the smartest! Bless you both!" Gandalf said to the girls.
"Well, we're certainly not the smartest," Rachel said, reaching in her pocket. She prayed silently as she checked her flashlight and, sure enough, it worked.
"What is that?" Sam asked, huddled in a corner with the rest of his friends. Rachel searched for and found her pack and threw her gun inside, putting the safety lock on it first.
"A flashlight. It's like a fake sun," she tried to explain. They started moving as Gandalf warned them against the "deep places of the world."
"Magic?" Frodo asked, running to catch up with Holly and Rachel who were climbing a set of stairs two at a time. Holly and Rachel looked at him and replied at the same time.
"Nope," they said, then looked at each other. Holly smiled and Rachel looked back at Frodo.
"Only electricity and plastic," she said discretely.
Disclaimer: I'm cheap…their not mine…DAMNIT!
Arriving at Moria two days later, the group was well acquainted with the exception of Rachel. Nobody could ever get her to say many words. Holly got her to smile once. She remembered when Rachel was in combat. She was always on watch; never loosing a step. Holly supposed that Rachel saw this as another mission. She just hoped that Rachel didn't think that if something happens to the group it's her fault. She was big on guilt.
"The walls of Moria!" Gimli cried out. Holly nearly fell backwards and Rachel, along with Legolas, glanced, but kept walking after Gandalf who had stopped briefly. Rachel watched her friend barely keep her balance as she stared at the walls and felt a twinge of guilt. Holly was happy and free of that horrible feeling. Guilt. Rachel knew her friend was sad about having to leave the service, but at least she was leaving on a clear conscience. Rachel hated to see Holly be dragged into something like this. If only she had told Holly that they should sleep inside despite the warm weather...
"Rachel?" Frodo called up to her. She looked down at the hobbit and then forward. She had stopped while thinking. Everyone else was looking back at her. Walking forward, she felt in her pack for her sunglasses. Holly had hers on already.
"What do you think's wrong with her?" Pippin whispered to Merry. He shrugged his shoulders and then both stared at Holly who did the same.
"If she wants you to know, she'll tell you herself. Last time I told someone, I got a scar on my arm," she told them, shaking her head. Lifting up her sleeve, Holly showed them her scar. It was nearly six inches long.
"I wouldn't want to make her mad!" Pippin yelled. Holly tilted her head slightly and sighed miserably.
"Well, she wasn't always like that and I don't blame her for what the job did to her. I mean, Bryan's death was bad enough, but when Jake an--"
Merry and Pippin looked at her and smiled slyly. She smacked them both on the head and sighed.
"I shouldn't have said that," she scolded herself, hitting her head with her fist repeatedly.
"We won't push the subject," Merry informed her. The three of them nodded at each other and watched as Gandalf failed miserably to open the gate to Moria. Holly kicked herself mentally for not paying closer attention to Tolkein's books. A moment passed by as she thought and Pippin leaned toward her.
"Who's Bryan and Jake?" he asked. Holly stared at him and Merry punched him in the side.
"What?" Pip yelled. Merry shook his head and both hobbits stood, throwing pebbles into the murky water. Aragorn ran over and stopped them almost immediately, warning them against making waves.
"It's a riddle! Speak friend and enter!" Frodo exclaimed some time later. With the help of Gandalf, the young hobbit opened the Gates to Moria. Holly ran up to Rachel, who the entire time had watched the water, pacing. She touched her shoulder and felt the younger tense up.
"Hey! Even I remember what happens next! Aren't you going to say something?" Holly yelled desperately. Rachel spun around and looked her friend square in the eyes.
"Our job is to help them to and through Mordor...not get in the way of certain events," Rachel reminded her. Holly knew all too well what the "briefing" was. Sighing heavily, she followed everyone through the doors, closing her eyes when Gandalf "turned on" his staff.
"Now, Master Elf! You will enjoy the hospitality of the Dwarves!" Gimli began. "Mult Beal! Roaring fires! Red meat off the bone!" He went on about his brother's home and as more light was shed on the great hall, many gasped in horror. Rachel set her pack on the ground, in a corner, and grabbed a few important supplies, making sure her flashlight had batteries.
"This isn't a mine. It's a tomb!" Boromir cried. The floors were littered with dwarven skeletons. Most raised their weapons and Rachel took Glamdring from Gandalf's grasp, stuck her flashlight in a cargo pocket on her dark green/black, GI camouflage pants, and stuck a small switch-blade in the side of her black army boot.
"Orcs!" Legolas cried with disdain. They backed toward the entrance.
"We should not have come here! We will make for the Gap of Rohan!" Boromir instructed. Rachel walked toward the entrance with Holly close behind, also carrying a switchblade of her own. Rachel held out Glamdring and knelt about a foot away from the hobbits, watching Frodo very closely.
"Ah!" Frodo cried as something wrapped around his leg. As if she had known it would happen, Rachel slashed at the tentacle attacking him and stood, ducked, and rolled to the side as more tentacles flew at the group. Holly, who had been standing right behind her ex-commander, threw her switchblade, doing some damage to the huge octopus-like creature. Aragorn and Boromir rushed forward trying to save the now dangling Frodo. Rachel rushed with them, but unlike them, she wanted to kill the son-of-a-bitch. Aragorn and Boromir wanted to save Frodo. Legolas let a few arrows fly.
"Die you bastard!" Rachel cried, jumping onto it's face. She glanced back and saw Boromir carry Frodo off, throwing Holly his sword as Aragorn joined them at the bank. Holly ran to Rachel's side. Deciding that swords wouldn't do enough damage fast enough, Rachel pulled out her gun and handed Glamdring to Holly who stared at her dumbstruck.
"Go!" she yelled at Holly.
"No!"
"That's an order, lieutenant!"
"God damn you!" Holly yelled, jumping off the creature and telling everyone to get into the mines. Rachel stood (she was holding onto the squid for support) and shot it square in the forehead six times. It began to collapse, but so did the Gates of Moria. Rachel dashed toward the mines. She barely jumped in before the rocks began fall, but she didn't jump far enough. Crawling, she saw Holly slide forward, jumping stones, trying to reach her friend.
"You're an idiot, Holly!" Rachel yelled over the falling stones. Holly, who was dragging her half-crawling-half-running friend to safety, shrugged.
"No different than dodging grenades!" was her response. When they reached safety, they both had bumps, bruises, and a few nasty scratches and were definitely out of breath.
"You two are either the most insane beings I've ever met or the smartest! Bless you both!" Gandalf said to the girls.
"Well, we're certainly not the smartest," Rachel said, reaching in her pocket. She prayed silently as she checked her flashlight and, sure enough, it worked.
"What is that?" Sam asked, huddled in a corner with the rest of his friends. Rachel searched for and found her pack and threw her gun inside, putting the safety lock on it first.
"A flashlight. It's like a fake sun," she tried to explain. They started moving as Gandalf warned them against the "deep places of the world."
"Magic?" Frodo asked, running to catch up with Holly and Rachel who were climbing a set of stairs two at a time. Holly and Rachel looked at him and replied at the same time.
"Nope," they said, then looked at each other. Holly smiled and Rachel looked back at Frodo.
"Only electricity and plastic," she said discretely.