Orcrist Sting was hauled at great speed over The Great Sea by heavy helicopters - bulky, powerful machines that were capable of carrying its considerable weight. The choppy sea flew by in a haze of blue below, causing Bilbo's head to spin if he looked down for too long. To their left, Bilbo could see Alpha Rayade, the bomb strapped to its back, and beyond it was the grey bulk of Whitegull, ready to protect Rayade's other flank as soon as they were dropped.

That was the mission: protect Rayade. At whatever cost.

Bilbo sensed the thought relaying to Thorin, looping back again to his own mind but with the full weight of Thorin's conviction behind it. Bilbo could admit that he was scared – terrified, even, but being connected to Thorin was helping to ease some of his fears. He felt like there were three things going on his head at once: his worries for the mission beating like drum, underlining all of his other thoughts, then on top of that he was checking Orcrist's instruments, running through what they knew of the area surrounding the Breach in his head, and above that, Bilbo's mind had wandered a little. Bilbo wasn't quite sure why Thorin hadn't told him to shut up yet, or at least ask him to try and quieten his thoughts.

It's soothing, said Thorin, answering the unvoiced question.

Bilbo conveyed his disbelief at this through the Drift.

No, it is, Thorin insisted, and Bilbo considered this. While Bilbo's mind was practically whirling with thoughts and worries, Thorin was, as ever, quiet and calm. He exuded a sense of certainty, and his thoughts were orderly and straightforward, not overlapping each other and shouting for attention like Bilbo's were. Bilbo found Thorin's quietness comforting – there was no eagerness there for what was ahead, but there was instead a sense of resigned determination running through the core of Thorin's mind. Bilbo had always thought that Thorin's presence in the Drift was like molten mithril, ready to solidify and snap into unyielding strength at a moment's notice.

I think we need to have a chat about smelting and smithing sometime, said Thorin dryly, you seem to missing out on one or two core principles.

Oh you know what I mean,said Bilbo, the metaphor works well enough.

It does for you. It's a little lacking in logic for me,said Thorin.

Bilbo's curiosity got the better of him, and he half-formed a question in his mind before he could get a hold of himself.

You feel like sunlight, said Thorin, catching onto it before Bilbo could hide away the question in some distant part of his mind.

Oh,said Bilbo. He wasn't quite sure what to say to that, but he was sure he was blushing. Thorin didn't seem to mind his lack of response – in fact, Bilbo could sense just a hint of satisfaction, buried under the rest of Thorin's emotions.

The part of Bilbo that was still floating around, thinking of anything and everything except for their mission, steered his thoughts in another direction.

What's your favourite book?asked this part of Bilbo's brain.

Bilbo wouldn't have needed the Drift to sense the incredulity coming off of Thorin in waves in response to that question.

You want to ask me that now? said Thorin. Their monitors were showing that they were approaching the site of the mission. They would be at the drop site in less than two minutes.

Just a thought. If we die on this mission, then I'd like to go to my death knowing that I knew what my...what your favourite book was.

That thought had ended a lot more bleakly than Bilbo had intended it to. Thorin was silent for a long stretch, broadcasting very little of what he was thinking into the Drift. Bilbo waited patiently for his response.

That's dinner conversation, wouldn't you say?Thorin said at long last, if we get out of this, then I'll tell you what it is over dinner.

This was followed by the same thought springing up in their respective minds, the two of them coming together at the same time to think,

That's something worth fighting for.

I think your sense of humour is rubbing off on me,Bilbo said around the weight of reality that was suddenly pushing down on his shoulders and heart.

Tauriel's voice began to filter through their Comms.

'Rangers, you are close to the drop,' she informed them. 'We still have two confirmed hostiles, codenamed Glaurung and Carcharoth. They are still hovering near the Breach. No sign of the third, yet.'

'Let's keep it that way,' chimed in Kíli from Rayade. Gimli added his agreement.

'You are clear for the drop,' said Dís, 'cut your anchors, Rangers.'

Thorin hit the control, severing the anchor lines that secured them to the helicopters. Bilbo's stomach swooped as Orcrist fell towards the ocean. His harness took most of the impact when Orcrist's feet hit the surface of the water, but they still hit it with enough force to jerk them both back in the motion rig.

'Seal up,' came the command from Dís, 'prepare to dive. It's seven thousand metres to the seabed, so sit tight. This might take a few minutes.'

Bilbo and Thorin worked to seal up Orcrist's ports, making them air tight. Orcrist's core was nuclear, and so sealing up their vents might lead to them overheating. Bilbo was of the opinion, though, that they would have more pressing dangers to worry about than overloading their core.

The sea swirled up and over their visor. The sunlight slowly began to dwindle and fade as they made their descent. Orcrist automatically adjusted the pressure in their cockpit, but Thorin and Bilbo helped the process along, making minor adjustments to equalise the pressure that was steadily increasing with every passing second. It also helped to take Bilbo's mind off of the slow drag of time. If there was one thing he hated, it was waiting for the inevitable.

Bilbo saw Rayade and Whitegull throw on their floodlights. Orcrist followed suit.

'Visibility is down to zero,' said Thorin, 'switching to instruments.' His words were echoed by Fíli and Legolas a moment later.

Orcrist's feet hit the seabed, stirring up silt, which caused the absolute darkness to swirl with a grey, eerie wind.

Being able to see would be really helpful right now,griped Bilbo, and Thorin murmured his agreement. The dark probably unnerved him more than it did Thorin. Bilbo belatedly realised that Thorin must be used to the deep dark – he was a dwarf, after all, and such a setting would not be as strange for him as it was for Bilbo.

Believe me, it's still unnerving,corrected Thorin, Dwarves are not equipped for this level of dark, nor for places this...wet. I'm as blind here as you are.

It was a sentiment that Kíli evidently shared. 'I can see about as much as a-' and he finished his sentence in Khuzdûl.

'Language,' admonished Dís over the Comms, reflexively. 'You have half a mile to the ocean cliff,' she continued, addressing all of them, 'then a long drop and a short walk to the Breach. Remember, this is a bomb run, not a battle.'

'Understood,' murmured Bilbo.

The three Jaegers began to move, and the pilots quickly found that they had to lean forwards in order to jog. It was hard going. Bilbo was panting within the first few minutes – Orcrist was doing the majority of the work for them, but it was still a struggle to even move, such was the drag on the Jaeger.

'Orcrist,' Tauriel broke in, 'Orcrist, you have movement on your right flank. One of the Kaiju has moved – it looks like Glaurung.'

They turned Orcrist's head left and right. Darkness stared back at them.

'We can't see anything - are you sure?' said Thorin quickly.

'Right flank, right flank,' said Tauriel again with more urgency, 'Orcrist, it's heading straight for you.'

'We don't see it!' said Bilbo.

'It's too late – Orcrist Sting, brace for impact!'

It appeared out of the dark at full charge, a nightmare of a creature heading straight for the cockpit. It was too late to dodge – the Kaiju was too quick, too near, and they were far too slow. Glaurung tore into them at top speed, ripping open their right shoulder, narrowly missing their cockpit, so close that Bilbo could see the full length of it as it passed. In shape it resembled a long, thin crocodile, every part of its armour sharp and protruding, designed to cause the most amount of damage possible when it hit. Half of Bilbo's console screen flashed up red, highlighting so many damaged areas that it almost covered up the torso of the onscreen representation of Orcrist.

The whip of its tail curled, and Bilbo thought, it's circling around for another attack. He and Thorin brought Orcrist around, following the Kaiju's tail, but they were moving far too slowly, and before they could complete the motion it was on them, it claws sinking deep into Orcrist's shoulders, the force of its second charge so great that Orcrist was shoved off its feet and to the seabed. A head that seemed to be made entirely out of fangs snapped at the cockpit, teeth scraping over the visor until Thorin and Bilbo twisted out of the way, ducking its next attack – but only just.

'Rayade, go for the Breach,' yelled Thorin between attacks, 'go!'

Rayade had hesitated, but only for a moment. With Glaurung engaged, Rayade continued forwards, Whitegull guarding its other side.

They barely made it three feet before Carcharoth came at them out of nowhere, aiming unerringly for Alpha Rayade.

The Kaiju never made it. Whitegull stepped into its path, blocking Carcharoth's attack with its body. Carcharoth ripped through Whitegull's armour as though it was nothing more than paper, causing major internal damage. Legolas and Gimli's response was to slam both fists down onto the creature's neck before it could withdraw and try again.

'Go! cried Legolas to Kíli and Fíli.

Rayade, now defenceless, started forwards towards the Breach once more. It was a move that went against everything Kíli and Fíli had been taught – everything they believed in – but they had no choice. They had to keep going, or else their friends and family might die in vain.

Fighting Glaurung was nigh-on impossible. Orcrist was outmatched in every regard – Jaegers were not designed for fighting under water. But the two Kaiju had clearly been created with this battleground specifically in mind. They moved like lightning, slipping through the water with an ease and speed Orcrist simply couldn't match. Bilbo and Thorin were adapting as best they could – they quickly found that they had to start each move a little earlier if they could hope to land a blow, but for every punch they landed, Glaurung claimed three more.

It's backing up for another attack, warned Thorin.

We can't dodge it, said Bilbo, plasma canon?

It might not work at these depths, but we can try, Thorin said, and Bilbo began the sequence to start-up the canon on the Jaeger's left arm. Water around the canon began to heat up and bubble – it was a good sign. Perhaps it would work after all.

Glaurung circled, whipping away into the dark with a burst of speed, and just as quickly, it came back at them.

Bilbo stretched out the left arm, moving it into the path of the Kaiju at the last moment. Glaurung closed its jaws around the canon, teeth digging down, past armour and to the electrics underneath. The plasma canon came to full charge, Bilbo pulled the trigger and...nothing happened.

Glaurung clamped its jaws down and twisted its whole body, wrenching the arm sideways. Bilbo screamed in pain as what felt like fire blazed down his left arm - the electrical connectors in his Drivesuit were overheating from the damage, the load too much for the old circuits. With a bitter curse Thorin hit the control for the sword on Orcrist's right arm, uncaring if it caused water to enter Orcrist's gauntlet, and plunged the sword into the Kaiju's side, Bilbo lending him his strength even as his left arm continued to burn, gritting his teeth against the searing pain. Together, they completed the motion, and scored their first proper hit on Glaurung.

Whitegull wasn't faring much better. The Jaeger was lighter than Orcrist because it had been equipped with less armour, but while Legolas and Gimli were afforded a boost in speed, it also came with a price – every single hit Carcharoth landed was devastating. But still they fought on, using everything they could think of to keep the Kaiju engaged. All they had to do was hold on long enough for Rayade to reach the Breach.

Rayade was almost at the cliff. Kíli and Fíli could see the Breach ahead, their goal tantalisingly close. Kíli had clenched his jaw so tightly shut his teeth hurt, and Fíli was utterly cold and silent in the Drift. Over their Comms they could hear the sounds of both Whitegull and Orcrist, fighting for their lives.

They were just a few hundred metres from the cliff.

'You're almost there, Rayade,' said Tauriel, as much for her own reassurance as theirs. 'No sign of-'

Whatever she had been about to say was lost as the Comms Room descended into chaos.

Lobelia and Bofur burst through the Comms Room doors, both of them out of breath, their faces stark white with terror and sheer panic.

'It's not going to work,' shouted Lobelia, her usually confident voice all but shattered and tremulous, 'it's not going to work, the plan-'

'Marshall,' said Bofur as they skidded to a halt in front of Dís. Bofur seemed slightly more coherent than Lobelia, so Dís focused her attention on him. 'The plan, with the Breach, you can't go in!'

'Bofur, explain, what do you mean we can't-'

'It won't let them in, Marshall,' said Lobelia in a rush, 'it's programmed only to-'

'Let in Kaiju-'

'It scans you-'

'Like a barcode!'

'And you have to have the right DNA to get past!' finished Lobelia.

Dís looked back and forth between them. 'You have a solution,' she said, 'what is it?'

Lobelia and Bofur looked at each other, and Bofur looked back at Tauriel and Dís, eyes wide. 'They have to lock up with a Kaiju, Marshall,' he said, 'they have to go through the Breach with a Kaiju.'

Tauriel sucked in a breath. Dís' face drained of all colour, and she seemed, to Lobelia's eyes, to diminish, her very spirit dampened by Bofur's news.

Lobelia was a scientist - she loved her job because it uncovered cold, hard facts, brought them to light so that no one could deny their fundamental truths, but in that moment she wished she could lie for Dís' sake. For Kíli and Fíli.

Your sons or the world, thought Lobelia, trying to hold back the hot rush of tears threatening to spill over her cheeks.

Dís turned back to the monitors. 'Rayade, did you hear that? She said.

'We heard it,' said Kíli grimly.

'You're sure?' said Tauriel, searching their faces for any shred of doubt, half-hopeful that they would correct her.

'We're as sure as we can be,' said Bofur. Now that they had reached the base, the manic energy that had kept him going until that point suddenly left him, and he had to reach out to grip the nearest console for support.

'If you don't go into the Breach without a Kaiju, this mission will fail.'

In the cockpit of Alpha Rayade, Fíli and Kíli looked at each other. It was unnecessary, though – they had made up their minds as soon as Lobelia and Bofur had first asserted their theory.

There was never much hope for us coming out alive anyway, thought Kíli, speaking through the Drift. He didn't want his mother to hear how defeated he sounded.

We were just pretending for their sake's, agreed Fíli.

Fíli was terrified, and he didn't even bother trying to cover it up. So was Kíli – he could feel it like a background buzz, like static that was growing louder every second that passed, suffusing their senses. But over the top of it he let his conviction and his anger shine like sun chasing away stormclouds. He was a Durin. He knew what they had to do.

But don't look at it like that, little brother, Fíli continued. You're not in this alone. If we go, we go together.

Kíli grinned fiercely. And we'll take 'em all down with us.

His brother matched his grin, his blood thrumming, if you're going to go down-

May as well do some damage before you hit the ground, completed Kíli.

Their conversation had lasted no more than a handful of seconds. Moments after Bofur had given his bleak prediction, something pinged on Rayade's sensors.

'Third signature, emerging from the Breach,' said Tauriel. Kíli could hear the fear in her voice, and it unnerved him down to the very marrow of his bones. Tauriel was never afraid.

'I was right,' said Lobelia faintly, her face etched with horror. 'I was right.'

'How big?' Fíli demanded, 'Tauriel, how big?'

Kíli and FIli walked Rayade a few steps back from the edge of the cliff.

'It's Category V. Rayade, it's our first Category V.'

The Breach gave out a constant light, a stream of red that flowed from the unnatural rend in the earth. As Kíli and FIli watched, the light from the Breach was blocked entirely as something rose and rose and rose. It was easily three times the size of Rayade, a mass so large the mind couldn't comprehend it. It would have towered over Azog and Bolg.

It roared its challenge through the deeps, the force of it so great that it caused Rayade to stagger and take a step back.

Tauriel whispered something in Sindarin under her breath.

'Category V incoming,' said Dís tonelessly, 'codenamed...Ungoliant.'

Not far away, Thorin and Bilbo had registered the new enemy and the new information, but they were too busy fighting tooth and nail to stay alive to respond.

Category V, thought Bilbo dully in the space between moves, what hope is there now?

There's still hope, Thorin snapped back at him, shaking him out of his despair with a rush of feeling, while we're breathing, there's still hope. This isn't over yet!

But they couldn't get free from Glaurung, and since Thorin had stabbed the Kaiju in the side, they hadn't managed to cause any more damage to their opponent. It was now holding them down in a lock, twisting out of the way of the sword. They were barely keeping it away from the cockpit, which it kept trying to strike, time and time again, and if it couldn't land a direct blow it would go for Orcrist's shoulders or its damaged left arm, its claws easily ripping through the Jaeger's armour. No matter how hard they fought, they couldn't escape.

And Rayade desperately needed their help. Ungoliant slammed into Rayade with a tectonic blow, unstoppable in its force, knocking the Jaeger out of its stance and to the seabed, following with a speed a mountain of a creature shouldn't be able to achieve. Rayade brought its gauntlets up, unsheathing the blades that were usually stored inside the arms, but it couldn't ward off the second blow. Rayade's right arm was all but torn off when Ungoliant wrenched at it.

Bilbo could hear Fíli screaming over the Comms and let out a startled gasp as he was forcibly thrown back into a memory – for a split second he was in the past, in Thorin's place in Seventh Durin, his already damaged left arm flashing with white hot pain in echo of what Thorin had felt, all those years ago.

Thorin!Bilbo cried out to him, let it go!

And Thorin did, loosening his hold over the memory, snapping them back to the present, into the nightmare that wouldn't end.

'We've lost the right arm!' yelled Kíli over the Comms.

'Rayade,' said a panting Legolas a moment later, 'Rayade, Carcharoth has broken off, it's heading right for you!'

'No!' yelled Bilbo, and Thorin snarled beside him, striking out at Glaurung furiously.

We have to do something!he cried in the Drift.

'We're in pursuit, Rayade, hold on, we won't let it get to you,' said Gimli.

Whether or not Glaurung had managed, somehow, to hear the Comms, or if the Kaiju had sensed Whitegull moving away, Bilbo would never know. All he knew was that one moment Orcrist was being savaged and then, suddenly, Glaurung halted its attack and broke away from them.

'What the hell,' said Bilbo, uncomprehending. He and Thorin turned to watch the Kaiju swim away in great powerful strokes, and Bilbo's surprise soon gave way to fear.

'Whitegull, Glaurung's on your tail!' Thorin said.

They're trying to keep us apart,Bilbo said, until Ungoliant and Carcharoth finish the job. Whitegull had taken extensive damage. If Glaurung struck a direct hit now then it might be enough to disable them altogether, and kill Gimli and Legolas.

But Legolas and Gimli weren't going to let that happen. Even as Orcrist moved to help, Bilbo and Thorin watched in astonishment as Whitegullturned fluidly, and, in a move that was perfectly timed down to the last second, they brought their undamaged hand down on top of Glaurung's skull.

The Kaiju staggered, its own momentum adding to the force of the hit as it ploughed into the fist. Bilbo didn't have time to marvel – Whitegullhad stunned Glaurung, and now was their chance. They brought Orcrist's right sword around and up, slicing deep into the Kaiju's ribcage. Glaurung roared, twisted away and off of the blade, blue blood trailing in its wake. It tried to retreat, but Whitegull cut it off, bringing its fist down once more onto Glaurung's skull. Every last bit of power in Whitegull had gone into that move. Not even a Kaiju skull could withstand that kind of force, not when it had already been damaged. Glaurung's skull split, its jaws going wide and slack. Bilbo had no problem with stabbing it once more, just to make sure it was dead.

But in the time it had taken them to kill one Kaiju, Carcharoth had reached Rayade.

Carcharoth ploughed into Rayade's unprotected back, connecting just below the bomb. Rayade sliced open its side as it passed, but the move cost them – Ungoliant came from their left, closing its jaws around Rayade's already damaged arm. It let go before Rayde could mount a counter attack, clamping down on Rayade's torso. Rayade hit back with its good arm, the extended blade stabbing deep into the muscle of Ungoliant's jaw. Ungoliant let go with a snarl, mouth stained with blue blood. Rayade had no time to recover - Carcharoth came at them from the other direction, claws digging into Rayade's right shoulder joint, trying to disable their one remaining arm.

Whitegull and Orcrist were now heading for Rayade, desperate to help, but their victory had cost them dearly. Both Jaegers were limping, and their movements were slow and sluggish, no matter how much their respective pilots strained and struggled.

'Hull's been compromised!' shouted Kíli. Bilbo could hear the sound of the blows raining down on Rayade.

'We're coming for you!' Thorin shouted back, 'just hold on!'

'This isn't working,' said Fíli, and he sounded far calmer than his brother and Uncle, 'we know it isn't. The plan-'

Ungoliant struck a blow to Rayade's head, and the Comms descended into static for half a moment.

'Thorin, you have to go through the Breach. You can detonate Orcrist – your core's nuclear. You know it makes sense.'

Utter silence fell over all three Jaegers. Bilbo knew exactly what Fíli was suggesting, and his mind went blank in horror. Thorin, in contrast, was all but shouting in his head, twisting the idea around, trying to find some new angle that would help them. Bilbo knew it was hopeless. They bothknew it was hopeless. There was only one option left open to them, now, and Fíli had just put voice to it.

'Understood, Rayade,' said Bilbo hollowly, because Thorin couldn't say anything at all at that moment, 'we're heading for the Breach.'

'What are you doing?' Bilbo heard Lobelia say, 'you can't – Fíli, you can't-'

'We're finishing this,' said Kíli firmly, and his words were immediately followed by Fíli shouting, 'main power offline! If we're doing this, we better do it now!'

'Rayade,' said Thorin in a bare whisper, 'No-'

'We can clear a path for you,' said Fíli.

'Fíli,' cut in someone else, and with a jolt of dread Bilbo realised it was Dís. 'Fíli, the escape pods-'

'We'll use them,' cut in Kíli, 'time to see if they work.'

In the cockpit of Rayade, Kíli and his brother locked gazes. A phrase was flashing across both their screens. ESCAPE POD LAUNCH MALFUCNTION, it said.

'And if they don't,' said Fíli, not looking away from Kíli, 'we'll see you in the Drift.'

Ungoliant hit the cockpit full across the visor, causing the metal to buck and rend. Seawater began to stream in through the breach. Carcharoth came at them a moment later, tearing at their side. The cockpit went dark for half a moment.

'Finish it for us, Uncle,' said Kíli through teeth gritted against the pain.

'Goodbye, mum,' said Fíli, gasping for breath.

'Boys,' said Dís through the Comms. She sounded close to breaking. Her voice was overlaid with Thorin saying their names desperately, hopelessly.

'My boys-'

Half a second later, Rayade's Comms went dead as Kíli and Fíli detonated the bomb.

Half a world away, in the Comms Room of Base Zero, Rayade's marker vanished from the map.

They watched the resulting explosion on the feed from one of the choppers, and were afforded five seconds worth of visuals. It was enough to burn the image of the earth and sky tearing apart into their memories forever more, before the chopper turned away from the blast, retreating to a safer distance.

Numbness suffused every inch of Lobelia's body. It was so quiet in the Comms Room she could hear people gasping back their grief with perfect clarity. Lobelia turned away from the feed to look at Dís, her eye drawn inexorably back to the Marshall. Dís was facing away from her, from everyone, with eyes only for the monitor, as she usually would for such a mission. Lobelia watched in stark, distant horror as Dís' shoulders shook once, her hand reaching out to grip the edge of the console, her head bowed.

The ocean churned and roared, a hurricane made of water, and the gathering rain-clouds were shunted back by the resulting mushroom cloud. Bits of Kaiju flesh swirled in the violent waters, and through it all, Bilbo and Thorin held on for their lives, Orcrist's sword driven deep into the seabed.

Seawater, displaced by the force of the blast, rushed back in, and Orcrist was rocked by another force, this time in the other direction.

Darkness fell over them once more. On their screens there was an empty spot where Rayade had been just moments ago. There was no sign of either escape pod.

Thorin was not broadcasting anything at all. Bilbo could not even sense a drop of emotion from him, and the dwarf moved with robotic efficiency when they straightened Orcrist from its crouch. In contrast, Bilbo was almost overwhelmed by his shock and grief. He struggled to keep both contained in his own mind, and buried the tiny spark of hope that Kíli and Fíli had survived deep down in his consciousness. Whatever had happened to his friends, they still had a job to do.

The explosion had displaced a massive amount of silt from the ocean floor, and it swirled around them in the gloom, further hampering their already limited vision. Orcrist started forwards slowly through the dust-storm, limping, hefting the torn body of Glaurung under one arm.

Legolas' voice filtered through their Comms unit.

'Damage...does not...have to go alone...'

'It's alright,' said Bilbo, catching the gist of the message. He was surprised Whitegull had lasted this long, and he was glad to hear they had survived the blast.

'We'll take it from here.' Bilbo glanced at Thorin beside him, hardened his heart and let the ferocity of his determination shout down everything else he was feeling.

'We've got this.'

Whitegull disappeared from their scanners, but not before two dots registered as being jettisoned from the Jaeger. At least some of them would make it out alive.

With excruciating slowness, Bilbo and Thorin dragged the body of Glaurung to the cliff. Bilbo could see the Breach below, spewing out what looked like red flares, an impossible phenomena that hurt his eyes, even from this far away. He had no idea if Tauriel could still hear him, but he stated their actions, just in case she could.

'Going for the jump now,' he relayed, though it could hardly be called a jump at all – Orcrist tilted forwards, enough to give them some forward momentum, which they then used to propel themselves over the edge of the cliff.

'Copy that,' came Tauriel's muted voice. 'We're watching you, Orcrist. You have a clean run for the Breach.'

They were halfway down when something huge registered on their scanners. Huge, and heading straight for them, and whatever it was hadn't come from the Breach. Tauriel was yelling at them through the Comms, but they didn't need her warning to confirm what they could see with their own eyes. Ungoliant.

A stream of blue blood trailed out behind the beast like vapours from an airplane, one of its front legs attached only by a handful of tendons, and yet still it came for them, a force of fury ready to tear them limb from limb. Bilbo had a split second to experience the bleakest, blackest despair he had ever known before it was upon them. They dropped Glaurung, brought up Orcrist's one good arm to deflect the power of Ungoliant's charge, but it was too much, and they staggered backwards, Bilbo and Thorin nearly thrown to the floor of Orcrist's cockpit with the blow. They twisted and parried the next snap of its jaws, but even mortally wounded, Ungoliant would tear them apart in seconds.

Let's use her for the Breach, said Thorin, bursting forwards into movement, mind lighting up with the plan. Bilbo agreed in an instant, mirroring Thorin's movements, adding strength to his blows with aching arms, trying to find some way of manoeuvring Orcrist and the Kaiju towards the Breach, which was so tantalisingly close Bilbo could almost feel its heat. But Ungoliant, driven berserk by battle and injury, screamed and tore indiscriminately, striking Orcrist's cockpit, and Bilbo tried to draw a breath and found there was no air in his helmet.

'Bilbo's oxygen line has been cut,' snapped Tauriel, 'Thorin, his oxygen-'

Thorin didn't need telling twice. He could feel Bilbo's panic, sharp and bright, could sense him fading. He slammed Orcrist's sword up and into the underside of Ungoliant's jaw, took three long breaths and disconnected his oxygen, reaching over to snap the line into Bilbo's suit. With a burst of breath, Bilbo brought what was left of Orcrist's left arm up and around Ungoliant's neck in a choke hold, shoving himself forwards in his harness at the same time as Thorin.

Ungoliant roared. The world titled sideways, and they fell towards the Breach.

A crackle of lightning passed over Kaiju and Jaeger, frying some of their remaining sensors. Thorin gathered the remainder of their power, pushing it through broken and breaking relays towards their core. With vicious satisfaction, he hit the switch, unloading the scorching heat through their torso, directly into Ungoliant's chest.

Bilbo was slowly slumping into his harness, fighting to stay awake, to keep their hold on Ungoliant as the Kaiju thrashed in its death throes, but the damage was too much. He was slipping into unconsciousness.

Without a shred of hesitation, Thorin activated the Crisis Protocols, shifting Orcrist from a two-pilot system to a single pilot.

His console flashed red. WARNING: NEURAL DAMAGE MAY OCCUR.

'Acknowledged,' said Thorin grimly, and transferred control.

Orcrist tore into his mind. Agony beyond imagining bore down on him, until it was all he could think about. Until it was all he knew. It burnt through neural pathways in an inferno of fire, sent him spiralling into the recesses of himself and back again. For a moment he couldn't even remember his name.

The two-pilot system regulated pilot's heartbeats and breathing so that the pilot's higher processes were freed up to think. The beat of his heart, the intake of his breath – all of it would now require a conscious effort, as if steering a broken Jaeger into the depths of hell wasn't enough of a challenge.

Thorin shut Orcrist's vents, trapping heat in the core of the Jaeger. Through the blinding torture of neural overload, he began the self-destruct sequence.

Kaiju and Jaeger fell into the breach.

'They're in,' said Bofur, too loud and too close to Lobelia's ear. He reached out and shook her shoulder, his face momentarily lit by bright joy. Lobelia was too tired, too drained to shake him off, but through her grief she could feel a spark of triumph for this small victory, at least.

The map had disappeared from the monitors, to be replaced by a glowing diagram of the Breach. Lobelia watched as Orcrist's marker fell into the Breach, making steady progress. She began to run calculations in her head.

Static began to filter through the Comms, layered with strange, distorted sounds that sent a shiver down Lobelia's spine. Thorin was still trying to update them on their progress, but the Comms were breaking up, and after a few broken words, the sound cut out altogether.

'They're on their own now,' said Tauriel quietly. 'They're beyond our help.'

Lobelia had completed her mental calculations. 'They need to detonate soon,' she muttered, knowing it was pointless – they had no way of relaying the information back to Bilbo and Thorin. 'They're running out of time.'

Bofur moved closer to her, stepping inside her personal space. Lobelia didn't notice; her eyes were glued to the screen, as though if she looked away even for a second Orcrist would disappear. She was at war with herself inside. She didn't want her friends to die, and yet, unless they did something soon, every sacrifice they had made would be in vain.

Their oxygen tanks were all but empty. Orcrist was buckling under the pressures of the Breach, disintegrating even as Thorin fought to keep them together long enough to come apart. He had to keep going. It was hard to see, black creeping into the edges of his vision. The self-destruct protocol had begun, pushing heat and energy into their core, and once it was complete he would merely need to hit the button. Not long now. But there was still one last thing to do.

His life had been a litany of failures, one after another. He had not been able to save his homeland, nor his little brother, or his nephews, or Dís from her grief, but here, at the end of his life, he would not fail in this. He would not fail Bilbo.

Thorin reached across the cockpit, and took Bilbo's hand in his own.

'It's done,' said Thorin into the unnerving silence of the Breach, 'you're going to live, Bilbo,' he told his co-pilot fiercely. 'If it's the last thing I do, it's this. Go, and feel grass between your toes. I had thought...I had thought...but no matter. You'll have to do it for the both of us.'

Bilbo's eyes fluttered, still struggling to keep awake in spite of the damage wrecked on his body. Thorin felt the brush of Bilbo's mind against his own, as faint as the flutter of a butterfly's wing, and in spite of it all, Thorin smiled.

'I know,' he said, 'but it's alright. I can do this last part alone. All I have to do is fall.' His smile turned rueful. 'I'm good at that.'

Thorin hit the control for Bilbo's escape pod, stepping back to watch as Bilbo was gently tilted backwards until his spine was straight, and, cradled in the arm of his harness, he rose up towards the roof of the cockpit. His escape pod enclosed around him, bearing him away to the airlock set into the top of Orcrist's cockpit.

Thorin heard the snap of the airlock as the pod was released. All he could do was hope the laws of physics still applied to the Breach, and that the pod's buoyancy would carry Bilbo up and out to safety. There was still a chance he could survive, and the hope soothed Thorin's aching heart.

Thorin reconnected his oxygen line and took a deep, deep breath. He hit the self-destruct icon on his console.

MALFUNCTION DETECTED, said the console. MANUAL ACTIVATION REQUIRED.

'Tauriel. Report,' demanded Dís.

Tauriel was shaking her head, looking over the data on her screen. 'Orcrist sustained too much damage,' she said, 'almost everything's dead – including the trigger for the self-destruct.' She looked up, but not as Dís – her eyes instead alighted on Lobelia and Bofur. 'He's going to have to do it by hand.'

Lobelia felt like her heart was shrivelling up in her chest. She was standing so close to Bofur that it didn't take much for her to reach out and take a hold of his hand.

On the screens, the last streams of data being fed back from Orcrist faded to a trickle, and then stopped altogether.

A host of unearthly colours swirled outside Orcrist's visor. Thorin unsnapped himself from his harness, ignoring the warnings that flashed up on the screen as he did so. The manual self-destruct switch was located on the other side of the cockpit, in reality not much more than a few strides away, but Thorin was fighting both his mind and his body, and gravity was dissipating the further Orcrist fell into the Breach. The distance to the hatch was akin to walking the length of Arda in that moment.

Thorin willed his heart to beat, his lungs to draw breath. The silence was overwhelming, the loss of Bilbo from his mind an unending scream. He felt like he had been torn in two. But the half that was left was fighting body and soul, dragging him forwards, fighting against the ever-changing tides of gravity. He lunged for the other side of the cockpit, straining against the forces being exerted on him, but then Orcrist tipped sideways, righting herself suddenly. Thorin overbalanced, his momentum taking him too far. He reached out desperately, and grabbed a hold of the railing running around the rim of Orcrist's cockpit, slamming into the floor. He had landed nowhere near the self-destruct switch, and he was now being pressed into the floor with such a force that he could barely raise his head. He fixed his eyes on the hatch, and began to drag himself forwards, inch by inch.

His hand brushed against the handle.

Orcrist fell, winding her way down to the end of the Breach. Something retracted, opening up to let the Jaeger pass, and at once the cockpit was filled with blood-red light. There was no end to it. It streamed into every inch of the cockpit. The light seemed to have a weight of its own, pushing through the visor, nearly robbing Thorin of his remaining sight.

Thorin, blind in one eye, wrenched open the hatch. Something was scratching at the back of his mind, trying to catch his attention. He ignored it. All that was left to do was flip the switch, return to the console, and hit the trigger, and maybe – just maybe – there would be enough time left to activate his escape pod.

The manual override switch clunked heavily into place with a satisfying noise, and Thorin was afforded some measure of release – the pressure let up on his back, and he could stand again. He stumbled towards the console, narrowing his eyes against the red light, steeling his mind against the wrongness of it. Whatever was outside Orcrist, it made Thorin's head want to turn inside out every time he so much as glanced in the direction ofOcrist's visor.

One hand hovered over the self-destruct button, the other over the button for his escape pod. He remembered to breathe, sucking in a lungful of air.

The scratching at the back of his mind increased, resolved into a rattle like spider's legs over his consciousness, slid smoothly into a voice, speaking to Thorin through the too-quiet, half-empty Drift.

I could bring them back...it whispered.

There was a flash of an image across his mind, burning through already burnt synapses, so vivid and clear it was as though he was seeing it with his own eyes: his mother, his father, his grandfather and grandmother, his cousin, Dís' husband, Frerin...Kíli and Fíli. His family, before him once more, smiling and laughing, just as they had been that perfect Durin's Day, all those years ago. His mother and brother turned to him, beckoning him into their fold, faces alight with laughter and love. His dying mind could barely comprehend it.

I could give it all to you, Thorin of Durin's Line, murmured the presence, I have created life. Do you not think I can do this, too?

Thorin's hand hovered over the trigger, an inch away.

I could give you Erebor. I could restore to you all that you love. Think, think of your sister's face when she sees her sons and husband and her brother healthy and whole once more. Think of your people.

Think of the one you love,said the voice with endless, aching kindness. The Halfling...do you really think he will escape?

Thorin reeled back. The voice spoke the truth, and he knew it in his heart. Bilbo would not escape the Breach - the escape pod had been a fool's hope.

The mirage faded for half a moment, and returned with one stark difference - Bilbo, at his side, a deep well of affection in the hobbit's eyes, that ready smile just for him.

You could have everything, Thorin. Everything. All you have to do is reach out. Reach for the light!

Thorin's right hand began to rise from the console, fingers outstretched, palm open, reaching for that image of contentment. His heart ached, a black hole of longing in his chest, and there were tears running in streams down his cheeks. No breath issued from his lips.

It was so close. The red light was pouring steadily through the cockpit, drowning out the fading blue light of the consoles.

You will be a king, said the voice, you will be crowned as your forefathers were. A crown of mithril for your brow, and a crown of pure gold for your Consort. Erebor for the both of you, restored and resplendent, shining like a star in the night sky.

Thorin blinked away the tears. What was left of his vision cleared.

No, he thought. No. From the depths of his mind, beyond the gentle whisper of the voice, he mined a memory, drawing it out from the darkness: Bilbo, utterly lost, and Thorin, reaching out to him. I swear to you, we will destroy them all.

Thorin's hand faltered, and the sunlit image of his family faded away.

'No,' he said aloud, the single word startling in the silence. A fierce grin curled up the edges of his lips, baring his teeth. The blood-red light shrank back by half an inch.

'Fuck you,' he said with his last breath.

And he slammed his hand down on the trigger.

Bilbo's first breath tasted of sea salt. After the dark of the deeps, the sun was stunning; the sky was so calm and peaceful that Bilbo might have believed that all that had passed was nothing more than a dream, had it not been for the weakness of his body and the numbness in his left arm.

Someone was trying to get his attention through the Comms unit on his pod, but Bilbo ignored it. He heaved himself upright to sit on the rim of the pod, looking out at the endless sea, turning this way and that. The sea was calm, the wind tousling his curls and stinging his cheeks. There was no sign of any other escape pod.

Heart in his throat, Bilbo turned and turned again, as much as he was able with his aching body, wracking the horizon for any sign of survivors. A few minutes passed with nothing more than the lapping of the waves against the hull of the pod to mark the passage of time. Aside from the distant thrum of helicopters, Bilbo was utterly alone.

Bilbo could no longer hear the voice speaking to him through the Comms. For how long he sat there, feet dipping in and out of the water with the rocking of the pod, he did not know.

Something broke the surface of the ocean.

Life rushed back into Bilbo's limbs, a gasp expanding his lungs, causing pain to flare over his damaged ribs. Unsteadily, he stood up to dive into the ocean, relying heavily on his good arm to swim the short distance between the pods. He heaved himself out of the water with a great effort, noting that the hatch hadn't opened automatically – this was not a good sign. Bilbo flicked open the latches on the side of the hatch, noticing how the metal was scorched and scarred. Bilbo hauled open the hatch, the muscles of his back screaming in protest.

Thorin lay inside, too pale and too still. Bilbo leant over him, his wet hair hanging around his face, his vision blurred with tears. Please, Eru, no.

Bilbo's hands found Thorin's shoulders.

'Thorin. Thorin.'

And Bilbo watched as Thorin blinked his eyes open, the dwarf's chest moving as he took a huge breath. Thorin's blue eyes focused, alighting on Bilbo's face. Recognition dawned.

Someone was sobbing. It might have been Bilbo, though he didn't care.

Bilbo, hands fumbling, eased Thorin's helmet off to help him breathe, and, with a strength he didn't know he possessed, he hauled the dwarf upright, pulling him into a hug that was surely not comfortable for either of them.

'Never again,' said Bilbo into Thorin's neck, 'never again, you stupid, foolish-'

Thorin slid a hand up and into Bilbo's wet curls, and smiled.

The Comms Room had disintegrated into cheering. It had begun when their sensors had shown the collapse of the Breach, and the officers of the last Jaeger Stronghold on Middle Earth had not stopped since.

But there were two members of staff that were not joining in on the celebrations.

Tauriel still had a job to do, one that was not as easily abandoned as the others in the Comms Room. Dís had not moved from her spot in front of the monitors. Tauriel didn't want to look at her friend's face at that moment; if she looked, she knew she would no longer be able to fulfil her role.

One dot appeared on the screen, followed by another. One of the officers, who was still valiantly trying to pay attention, spotted it and shouted the good news to the others. That brought the count up to four. Four pilots that had survived what everyone had assumed was a suicide mission.

For Tauriel, it was not enough of a miracle. Their choppers had been circling the site of the mission for the last half an hour and they had so far picked up Legolas and Gimli, and another helicopter would soon sweep around to pick up Bilbo and Thorin.

'Bilbo?' said Tauriel into the radio for the fifth time, 'Bilbo, do you read? What is your status?'

No answer. Tauriel assumed he was too busy manually opening Thorin's pod. The data relaying back from the pod was showing that there was no longer any power left in its battery to open the door by electrical means. Bilbo was going to have to exert one last bit of energy.

Lobelia had come to stand by Tauriel's right shoulder. Tauriel didn't need to look at the hobbit to know she wasn't alone in her grief. Kíli and Fíli had been Lobelia's friends, too.

They remained silent. There was no need for words, and besides, how on earth could they hope to express what they were feeling? The world had been saved, but for Tauriel, it had been saved with too high a cost.

She remembered, with her perfect, Elven-recall, Kíli and Fíli on the day she had first been introduced to them. Kíli and FIli's young, smiling faces, lit up by mischief hidden under a veil of politeness, flashed to the forefront of her mind. They'd asked her endless questions, she remembered, and had had to crane their necks right back to look at her. When she'd made to leave, Kíli had pressed a handful of sweets into her hands with a shy, sweet smile. Dís had later laughed uproariously when Tauriel had shown her the sweets. Someone has a little crush, she had laughed, and proceeded to tease Tauriel about it for the rest of her visit. Tauriel closed her eyes, putting the memory to the back of her mind.

'What's that?' said Lobelia suddenly, snapping Tauriel out of her reminiscence.

A few moments later, the riotous Comms Room stilled when Tauriel abruptly stood up.

'Marshall,' said Tauriel into the ensuing quiet. 'Dís.'

Dís turned to look at her, and there was the reason why Tauriel had been unable to even glance in Dís' direction: Dís' face was devoid of all emotion, and there was nothing to indicate there was a glimmer of life behind her dark eyes - just emptiness.

Tauriel's voice trembled. Her hands were shaking. 'Dís, we have them. Kíli and Fíli - they're alive.'

The officers of the Comms Room held their breath. The information didn't appear to register with Dís at first – she shook her head ever so slightly, a mildly puzzled frown pulling her brows down. Tauriel tried again.

'Their Comms were knocked out. They've been communicating in Morse code, through the static. Over and over again, the same message,' Tauriel nearly choked on a sob. She forced herself to keep going. She had to get it out. 'The message is: could someone please come and pick us up. We're freezing out arses off over here.'

Slowly, ever-so slowly, Dís' face crumpled. One hand came up to cover her mouth. Tauriel lunged forwards in time to catch her by her elbow as her knees gave way, and Lobelia quickly grabbed a nearby chair. Tauriel gently guided Dís down onto it.

If there had been cheering before, it was nothing compared to the noise of the Room now. Bofur hauled Lobelia in for a bear hug, Lobelia surprising even herself when she returned the hug with all her strength, sobbing unashamedly into his shoulder. In the background, the officers were shouting and hugging and crying in relief.

But Tauriel had eyes only for Dís. She smiled thorough her tears, reached out with one hand to take a hold of Dís' shoulder, urging her friend forwards and into a hug.

On the monitor, the clock ticked over into another hour. And kept ticking.