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Chapter 12: Here There Be Tenth Walkers
"Is everyone here? Is everyone all right?"
The Fellowship of the Pen collapsed behind a rocky outcrop beyond the edge of the forest, shaken and disoriented. There had been no signs of pursuit from the cursed movie-verse clearing, but Hawk kept a hand on her loaded crossbow all the same. Her heart was pounding and her brain still felt like it was filled with sticky fog. She tried to shake it off as she looked around at the characters and counted them quickly off. All seven characters and herself and Porter were accounted for. She leaned back against the outcrop with a sigh, a wave of intense exhaustion hitting her.
"Everyone seems to be fine, but it looks like we lost Uglúk somewhere along the way," Porter huffed, leaning up against the rock next to Hawk. "I can't recall seeing him in the clearing; he must have slipped off beforehand."
Hawk's eyes automatically flickered over the group, confirming that the Uruk-Hai was nowhere to be seen. She cursed half-heartedly but didn't have the energy for anything more. "I knew there was something fishy about it all, Porter. I knew there was no way he showed up just in time to save the day by coincidence. It absolutely reeked of Sue-meddling."
Porter looked chagrined. "I'm sorry I convinced you to bring him along."
Hawk shrugged wearily. "He would have managed to cause trouble one way or another. It was probably for the best that we had him where we could keep an eye on him. And now who knows where he is."
"Probably not doing anything that will make our journey easier," Porter said. "Although hopefully-" His words cut off as he leaned over, groaning slightly.
"Porter, are you all right?" Hawk said, worry making her voice go sharp as she put a hand on her partner's shoulder.
Porter didn't answer, just rolled up his sleeve to reveal a shallow, bleeding gash running down his arm. He gritted his teeth. "Must have happened when I was trying to get to Merry and Pippin. Ooo, it stings."
"Just keep still," Hawk said, setting her crossbow down and reaching for the emergency medical kit that all Sue-Slayers kept on hand. She lifted his arm to inspect the wound more carefully. "It's long, but luckily it doesn't look deep." She rubbed some anti-septic salve over the length of it, then tied it off neatly with a cotton bandage. "There. But let me know if it starts stinging again or if it gets worse."
Porter rolled his sleeve back down, grimacing. "Will do. But I'm afraid we've probably got a more serious issue on our hands."
"Yes, it would seem that we do. Ah, if only someone had warned us against this very situation," a sardonic voice came from a few feet away.
"Will you stop eavesdropping?" Hawk snapped, turning to Sauron.
Sauron folded his arms. The edges of his cloak were still smoldering, but he was back in his humanoid form once again, the Giant Eye gone. "Really? 'Stop eavesdropping' is all you've got to say to me?" The Dark Lord took a step forward. "You're having a conversation in the middle of the group, and it seems to me to be a conversation that concerns all of us. But forget that. I warned you!" He jabbed a long, armored finger at the Sue-Slayers. "I told you that no servant of Saruman's could be trusted, and I told you that you were waltzing straight into the most obvious Sue-trap that could be devised. But no, no one listens to the Dark Lord who you brought along specifically to warn you about how the powers of Evil think, and I had to suffer that…that humiliation…as a result. If it wasn't for how much I want to see those Sues suffer and writhe for subjecting me to that horrid experience, I would leave you all right now to stumble into every blatant Sue-trap you came across."
Hawk held up a hand. "All right, all right." She sighed deeply, already tasting the bitterness of the words she was about to say. "All right…you were right, Sauron. You were right about Uglúk and you were right about the Sue-trap. I'm…I'm sorry we didn't listen."
The smug expression dominating Sauron's face was nearly unbearable, but there were far bigger problems at the moment. Hawk looked around at the other characters, who had gathered around during Sauron's rant.
"What are we going to do now?" Merry asked. He looked far more bleary-eyed and tired than any hobbit ever should.
"If Uglúk really was acting under Saruman's orders, then it would seem that Saruman has gone traitor," Hawk said slowly, wincing as her head throbbed. "And if Saruman has aligned with our enemies, it's likely that Middle-earth is in danger too."
Faramir stepped forward resolutely. "Then someone must return to Middle-earth to warn them. If one must go, I am willing."
Hawk acknowledged the ranger with a nod. "I appreciate it, Faramir, but my gut is telling me that the Fellowship needs to stick together. We don't know what is going on back in Middle-earth, and for all we know, it might be pretty bad. We're going to have to assume it is. In which case, the only way to save Middle-earth remains our current mission. If we split up, you will all be even easier targets for the Sues. We have to trust that the KANON agents and the characters back in Middle-earth are doing their job, just as we're doing ours. Our number one priority must remain getting the Pen to the Hearth of Doom. However-"
"Hawk," Porter said in a low, warning voice.
Hawk turned around and saw her.
Instantly, her crossbow came back up.
It was a Sue, and not just any Sue, but the Sue from the movie-verse clearing. The one who had held off the other Sues while they escaped. Her dark red hair fell in curling ringlets all the way down to her thin waist, and her dress glimmered green and gold. This close, Hawk was struck by how young she appeared, not much more than fifteen or sixteen at the most. Her heart-shaped face looked soft and innocent, but Hawk wasn't fooled. She centered her crossbow in the middle of the Sue's chest. "Stop right there, turn around and go back, or I'll shoot," she grated.
The Sue held up her hands in response. "I don't want to hurt anyone," she said, her voice sweet and musical. "I just want to talk."
"Yeah right," Hawk said, voice like granite. She remembered the power that had poured off the Sue in the clearing and she glanced over to where Legolas was standing amongst the other Fellowship members.
"I can help you," the Sue continued. "I don't want the Pen."
There were surprised murmurs from the Fellowship, but Hawk's brow creased further. "How do you know about the Pen? And how do we know you aren't just saying that to get closer to the Pen?"
The Sue seemed to consider this, then shrugged. "Well, I guess you don't know and I don't have any way of proving it." She looked almost melancholy. "And I suppose you don't have any reason to trust…someone like me."
Hawk almost spit out a sarcastic rejoinder, but there was something in the Sue's face that held her back.
"I've been following you the last several days and I didn't harm any of you," the Sue said. "That's how I found out about the Pen. I was just curious, but I didn't want to hurt you."
Legolas startled a little at that and looked like he was about to say something, but at the last minute he closed his mouth.
"You're characters," the Sue went on. "Not our versions of the characters. Real characters. From the real Middle-earth." That melancholy spread across her beautiful face again. "I've never been to the real Middle-earth," she said quietly. "I've never seen real characters."
"Hawk?" Legolas had come up beside her while the Sue was speaking. "She's telling the truth about her following us. I've been pretty sure the last couple days that someone was trailing us."
Hawk nodded, still keeping her gaze fixed on the Sue. "I know. Porter and I noticed someone following us too. But that doesn't mean she's telling the truth about not wanting the Pen."
"Also," the Sue said, "I did just save you from the others. That shows you that I want to help, doesn't it?" She gave them a hopeful smile.
"Or it could mean that you wanted to keep the Pen out of the others hands so you could have it all to yourself," Hawk responded coldly.
The Sue's hopeful smile dropped. "Yes, I suppose it could also mean that. And I suppose you don't have any way of knowing which it really is."
"Hawk." Porter tugged Hawk's tunic lightly and she leaned down to him so he could murmur without the Sue or the characters hearing. "What do we have to lose by hearing her out?"
Hawk opened her mouth to protest on the very principle of the suggestion, but Porter's serious expression stopped her. He nodded slowly. "I know what you're thinking. The last time we were too trusting, it nearly got us destroyed. And I realize I'm the one who convinced you to let Uglúk join the company when you could smell a rat. But I don't know – I have a strange feeling about her. And think about this. We saw how powerful she was back in the clearing, and if she's already been following us since we arrived, there's nothing we can do to stop her. And if she's after the Pen, I'd rather have her in plain sight where we can keep an eye on her rather than sneaking around in the undergrowth waiting for the opportune time to strike. I'm not saying we welcome her with open arms, but I think our best option currently is to hear what she proposes."
Hawk's face turned dark. "Or we could shoot her now and make sure she doesn't cause trouble down the road."
Porter looked at her, a serious, contemplative expression on his face. "Yes, that's an option, but does that feel to you like the right thing to do?"
Hawk's lips tightened. No, it didn't feel right. The Sue wasn't acting aggressively, and killing an enemy – even a Sue – in cold blood didn't sit right with her. But neither did sitting down and talking with her. The entire situation was messing with her. Sues weren't supposed to be reasonable! They were supposed to be aggressive, pushy, single-minded. Never once had she felt an ounce of remorse at putting a quarrel through a Sue's paper heart, but looking at this girl standing and waiting patiently for a response at the edge of the forest, she instinctively knew it would be wrong to harm her until the Sue gave them a reason to. But if she was not to be a Sue-Slayer, what was she to be?
"Don't let your guard down, not even for a moment," Hawk murmured to Porter before turning back to the Sue. The characters followed her movement with evident interest.
"All right," Hawk called over to the Sue. "You can come over here. Slowly! We'll listen to what you have to say, but if we get any sense that you're going to use your powers or harm any of the characters, we won't hesitate to put a bolt through you." She lifted her crossbow meaningfully.
The Sue nodded cheerfully, apparently not at all perturbed at having a crossbow sighted on her. "I promise I won't use my powers."
Hawk nodded, her insides still warring over whether she was doing the right thing or making the stupidest move in KI history. "We'll set up camp on the other side of this outcrop. Merry, Pippin, get some dinner out for everyone, and you, Sue, you can join myself and Porter here to tell your story. And I warn you, it had better be good."
~o~o~o~
"My name is Amoriel Aura Gilthoniel," said the Sue. By now, Merry and Pippin had a meal going and the others were settling around the campsite and starting to look less haunted and dazed after their harrowing experience earlier. Hawk and Porter had each accepted a warmed vegetable pastie from the hobbits and were now seated at the outskirts of the camp with the Sue, or Amoriel Aura Gilthoniel apparently.
"I usually just go by Aura though," Aura continued. "I'm mostly human, but I think I'm also part…Vaylar? That's where I get my powers from."
Porter's face scrunched up at that, but then he made a little "ah" sound and nodded. "Oh, you mean 'Valar'. Yeah, I guess that makes sense with a name like 'Gilthoniel'. Apparently, your Suethor did just enough research to learn about the existence of the Valar, but nothing else."
Aura shrugged. "I don't know. I don't remember much about my Suethor, except that she was pretty young, a little younger than me, I think."
Hawk nodded impatiently, still on edge with the entire situation and thoroughly suspicious. "So, who's your character?" When Aura looked at her with a daintily confused expression, Hawk sighed and clarified. "Your character. The canon character you were supposed to be paired with. Who is it?"
A flicker of sadness passed over Aura's face and she was quiet for a moment. "I…I don't have one," she said finally in a quiet voice.
"What do you mean you don't have one?" Hawk snapped. "That's what Sues do. They all have a character."
Aura fiddled with the hem of her dress. "My Suethor never actually wrote me far enough for me to find out who I was supposed to be paired with. In fact, she never really wrote me at all, just a few paragraphs and sketches in a notebook. But I never had a story. That's why I've never been to the real Middle-earth or met any real characters. No story."
An old, old memory flickered through Hawk's mind, a memory she had nearly forgotten. It brought with it a strange twinge in her chest and a bitter taste in her mouth. She shook it off as quickly as it had come. Despite herself, she couldn't help but feel a little, teeny bit of sympathy for Aura creeping into the edge of her thoughts. She attempted to shake that away as well. Ugh, it was bad enough talking to a Sue, but sympathizing with one was definitely going too far.
Aura had continued talking, apparently not noticing any of Hawk's sudden discomfort. "For years, I hoped my Suethor would someday write me a story, so that I could see the worlds and the characters that the others here were always talking about. But eventually I stopped hoping. Instead, I explored this world as best as I could, every nook and cranny, hoping that one day I'd find a portal away from here."
"A portal?" Porter said, frowning. "Why a portal?"
"Well, you see, I never really fit in with the others," Aura said, "not when I didn't have a character. Oh, they were never mean to me or anything, not really, but I never really felt like I fit in when I was around them. So I'd go searching on my own for a portal, one that would take me somewhere else where I would finally feel like I belonged."
She drew her legs up and put her arms around her knees. "That's why I followed you at first, thinking you might lead me to a portal that would take me to your world. But then I heard you talking about the Pen."
"What do you know about the Pen?" Hawk asked sharply, all senses alert and prickling.
Aura scrunched up her button nose. "All of us have heard stories about the Pen. It was created a long time ago by a Suethor who came into this world herself, but it was lost long before I came here. It has the power to make anything happen, anything the writer wants. It would make one of us our own Suethor." She pursed her lips, thinking. "I suppose I can see why She wants it so much."
"She?" Porter frowned. "Who's 'She'?"
Something flashed through Aura's violet eyes, something akin to fear. "No one here knows what her real name is, so we all just call her the Queen. She lives in Isinguard, but there's a lot of us who think she might have been the one who overthrew the Suethor who made the Pen long ago. Everyone knows she wants the Pen more than anything else, and she's convinced a lot of the others to follow her to try to reclaim it. She has powers, special powers even for a Sue. I don't know for sure, but I think she can create portals to other worlds. Not the portals like the others go through when their Suethor is writing them into a world, but portals…like yours."
Hawk and Porter exchanged an alarmed look. "Sues can't make portals," Hawk said. "They can go through the ones that their Suethors make for them, but they can't generate their own."
Aura shrugged. "Like I said, I don't know for sure. But we can all feel when a portal is opening, and I've felt portals opening often near Isinguard." She hugged her knees a little closer. "I've only met her once. She wanted me to join her in looking for the Pen, but there was something about her that made me nervous. I could tell that she didn't actually care about me or any of my sisters. She was just angry, so angry, and I knew she'd use the Pen to hurt people."
"And she lives in Isinguard, you say?" Hawk said. She glanced at Porter. "I think our job might have just gotten even harder."
Aura's face brightened a little. "I can help. Like I said, I've explored all over this world, and I've been in Isinguard before. I can help you avoid the others and show you the way into Isinguard."
Hawk's expression was still darkly guarded. "Why would you betray the other Sues to help us? If you're willing to betray them, how can we know you won't turn on us?"
Aura frowned. "Well, I guess I can see how you would think of it that way. But I don't see it as betraying them by helping you. I don't think it will be good for anyone if the Queen gets ahold of the Pen, not you and not us. I've heard some of the oldest Sues talk about what it was like before the Suethor and the Pen; they were happy to create their own worlds and follow the stories their Suethors wrote them, to exist just as they were. But I've seen some of the ones that the Queen has convinced to follow her. They're not happy to live in their own stories anymore and all they can think about is the Pen. She's filled them with the same anger that fills her."
She twirled one finger through an auburn ringlet. "If the Pen is destroyed, I think it will set all of us free. So even if it means going against all my sisters right now, I think in the end it will help them." She chewed her bottom lip gently. "At least I hope it will."
"And you? You don't want the Pen for yourself?" Hawk asked. "You said just a moment ago that what you wanted most was your own story. You would be able to get that with the Pen."
"I did think of that," Aura said. "And I even thought about sneaking into your camp the first night and taking the Pen to do just that. But I don't think I ever really wanted a portal to take me away from this world. I think what I've always wanted is a purpose for existing. I guess…I guess I want to feel like I was written for a reason, like I matter to someone. And the Pen won't give me that, or if it does it would only be superficial. But then I started thinking: maybe this is my Story and my Purpose: helping you destroy the Pen."
She shrugged again. "Anyway, that's my story and what I'm offering. Even though I've never seen it, I always imagined that Middle-earth must be such a beautiful place, if it inspired my Suethor enough to create me. I don't want the Queen to destroy it."
Hawk stood up. "My colleague and I will discuss your offer in private. Wait here."
The two Sue-Slayers walked to the far side of the outcrop, well out of earshot, even for a Sue with Valarin powers. "So, what's your impression?" Hawk asked. "Do you think she's telling the truth?"
"It's hard to say," Porter responded solemnly. "All the details of her story fit together, and she's definitely not like any Sue I've met before. But then again, I've never sat down and chatted with a Sue before, so I don't have much to compare her to."
Hawk nodded. "I was thinking the same thing, but I'm worried. We've seen how powerful she is and she admitted flat out that she's already been tempted by the Pen. What if, even if she's telling the truth, being this close to the Pen is too much for her?"
"Well unless we kill her, we can't stop her from following us," Porter said, "and she's just as likely to try to take the Pen in that situation as this one." He scratched his belly thoughtfully. "And if she can help us get into Isinguard and navigate through once we get there, and if she can fend off other Sues on the way, that could save us a significant amount of time and effort, even if she's just doing it all for her own ends. If she is a bad egg, we'll have to face her one way or another eventually from what I can see. So I say we give her the chance to make our journey a little easier."
"But one hint that she's after the Pen or attempting to betray us and she's done," Hawk finished. "I don't trust her, not as far as I could shoot, but as you say, we don't have much in the way of options. Especially with this information that there's a Super Sue who seems to want all of us dead and is Void-bent on claiming the Pen." She sighed heavily and shook her head. "I guess we have ourselves a new Tenth Walker."
~o~o~o~
There were understandable concerns from the remainder of the Fellowship when Hawk and Porter introduced their new tenth walker, but everyone still seemed too drained from their experience earlier to offer more than a few mild protests and suspicious glances at Aura. And when Hawk and Porter explained their reasoning for bringing Aura along, that seemed to mostly settle the matter. The two KI agents did pull Legolas to the side and ask him how he felt about the situation, feeling that the Penbearer had a right to have a say in the decision, but the elf prince just shrugged uneasily. "Your reasons make sense to me. Obviously, I'm not overjoyed at the idea of a Sue tagging along, but if she turns on us after all, we would have to fight her one way or another. You've got us this far. I trust your judgment."
Shortly afterwards, everyone bedded down for the night, with Hawk taking first watch. From her place leaned up against the rocky outcrop, she watched Aura like her own namesake. Briefly, it looked like the Sue was going to find a spot amongst the others but after a few obvious cold shoulders, she made her way to the edge of the camp. A small bed of flowers and moss seemed to spring up at her feet and she curled up daintily, and from what Hawk could tell, she was soon fast asleep.
Hawk ran her finger down the shaft of her crossbow. The last thing she would have expected from this day would be joining forces with a Sue, but this world was full of surprises, many of them unpleasant. Hawk frowned. She didn't trust Aura and she had no plans of ever doing so, but if the Sue could get them one step closer to the Hearth of Doom, that was all that really mattered. And this time, she wasn't going to be blind-sided. When Aura made her move – as she eventually would – Hawk would be ready and do what she did best. She was a Sue-Slayer and Aura was a Sue. That was simply the way the world worked.
~o~o~o~
Saruman stood at the window of Orthanc, gazing imperiously out from his high chamber over the circle of Isengard and the lands beyond. It was strangely eerie and silent without the cranking and grinding of the great machines that filled Isengard, but there was a heavy air of anticipation hanging over the great fortress. A storm was brewing, and soon it would burst over all of Middle-earth. And Saruman planned to be on the right side of it when it did.
One of the crebain brethren landed on the window sill in front of the wizard, cawing hoarsely. Saruman listened to his spy's report, nodding with satisfaction, then watched as the crow took flight once again.
"Well done, Saruman."
Saruman suppressed the shiver that instinctively tried to make its way down his spine at the sound of that voice. Even if he had chosen his side, he was still a character and the Sue in white gave him the creeps. He turned to face her as she draped herself gracefully in his throne, a goblet in her long-fingered hands. She took a nonchalant sip. "It will take our good friends at KANON Institution a little time before they realize that their agents are compromised," she purred in satisfaction. "They will send more when they gather their wits about them, but by that time it will be too late." She smiled like a snake, crystal-blue eyes glinting. "What news from your spies, my dear little character?"
Saruman kept his face completely neutral, his dark eyes giving away no hint of annoyance at either the Sue's condescension nor her occupation of his throne. "Rohan has been cleared for the taking, with all the main characters in the dungeons for you to do with as you will," he replied in a smooth voice. "It appears that most of the humans are gathering in Minas Tirith, the dwarves in Erebor, the hobbits in Hobbiton, and the elves in Rivendell." He tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the window frame. "With Boromir and Aragorn, the two champions of Men, already in our care, and with Rohan already having fallen, I suggest pressing forward against the humans in Gondor first. I think you will find them the weakest, and from Gondor, Rohan, and Isengard combined, the rest of Middle-earth will be yours for the taking. Mordor and the villains will be easy pickings once Gondor falls, especially with Sauron out of the picture, and after that, I can't imagine the elves, dwarves, and hobbits will make much resistance."
The Sue nodded. "If we play our cards right, Saruman, all of Middle-earth will be under my command before the Agents of KI even realize the danger their most precious world is in. And once Middle-earth has fallen, the Hub will soon follow."
Saruman's eyebrows rose sharply at that. "The Hub? You didn't say that you intended to invade the Hub."
"Oh, Saruman." The Sue gave him a scathing look. "Do you think I want KI agents pestering me for all of eternity. They are the ones who have kept me from this world for so long. They are the ones that have no right to run about the universe with their self-righteous attitudes and canon drivvel. As soon as I have the Pen, I will crush them the way they should have been crushed millennia ago." Her beautiful face twisted into something almost grotesque, anger burning deep in her eyes. "KANON Institution will finally come crashing down and the agents will become part of my army, those I decide to spare anyway. They think they are so much better than the Sues that they strike down without a second thought, but they are OCs just as much as we are." Her voice went dangerously quiet. "They did not appreciate my power of their own accord, so they will appreciate it now by force."
"And what is the news of the Pen?" Saruman inquired. "Has my captain reported to you yet?"
The Sue's eyes flashed. "It seems there has been a slight…delay in the acquiring of the Pen. The interference of a little gnat that has bothered me in the past. But there is only so far they can run, especially when they are running straight into the heart of my world. And I've prepared a little surprise for them, should their hearts grow faint and should they attempt to abandon their foolish quest. The Pen will still be mine. And in the meantime, we will begin the conquering of Middle-earth in Gondor."
She rose gracefully from the throne and waved a hand. "Go and summon those who serve you, Saruman, and I will do the same with those who follow me. We advance on Minas Tirith."
Saruman smiled thinly and bowed. "Of course, my lady."
As the wizard followed the Sue out of the room, he failed to notice the movement of a small, furry body scuttling up and over the window sill. Figlock flicked his tail and straightened his hat indignantly. "Not if I have anything at all to say about this…my lady."
The squirrel Slayer checked the strap of his miniature crossbow across his chest then leapt down to the floor, scurrying out of the throne room and down the spiraling stairs of Orthanc.
~o~o~o~
"Let us out o' here! Do ye hear me, ye Sue slimeball? Let us out o' here NOW!"
Dena Milo winced as Pixie slammed her small frame into the bars of the dungeons yet again. The bars did not budge, just as they had not done the last ten times Pixie had tried to ram them. The Sue-Slayer continued to bellow at the top of her lungs, barely winded by her violent bodily contact with the metal bars. "Let us out before I blast ye wi' every curse I know! How do ye like th' thought o' having never-ending papercuts on every single one o' your fingers, huh? Or…or how about havin' a nosebleed every time ye meet someone new? Or-"
"I don't think the Sue cares about your curses," Dena said mildly.
Pixie ignored her and continued to hurl abuse, both physical and verbal, at the cage bars.
"All you're going to do is wear yourself out," Dena said, "and I don't see how that does anyone any good."
Pixie whirled around towards the togruta. The petite witch's cheeks were bright red and there was a slightly wild look in her eyes. "Not doin' anyone any good? Ye know what doesn't do anyone a scrap o' good? Sittin' there, like a useless lump, while a crazy Sue is on th' loose, and th' characters we're supposed to be protectin' are in danger, and Thor is…Thor is…" Pixie turned away sharply, and Dena politely pretended not to hear the other Sue-Slayer attempting to stifle her sniffles.
"Thor was a good friend of mine too," Dena said after a minute. "He was one of the few friends I was able to make at the Academy."
"It's not th' same for you," Pixie spat, still turned away towards the bars.
"Why wouldn't it be the same?"
"Ye know why!" Pixie snarled. She started to pace back and forth like a caged panther, yanking violently at random bars as if one of them might somehow have magically loosened in the last five minutes.
"Look, I know you don't like me," Dena said with a sigh. "It isn't like you haven't made that abundantly clear. But we're going to have to work together if we're going to have any chance of figuring a way out of here. So if we can put our differences aside-"
"Our differences? Our differences?" Pixie turned back around, eyes all but spitting fire. "Differences are you bein' from a sci fi universe and me bein' from a fantasy world. Differences are one o' us preferrin' hot tea an' th' other likin' a glass o' whiskey. But you an' me, we're nothin' alike."
"Are we though?" Dena asked. "The president didn't believe I was so different when he accepted my application to the Academy, or when he awarded me my Sue-Slayer badge. I wear the same uniform you do, Pixie. I went to the same classes and learned the same things. I fight for the same cause you do every single day. I'm as much a KI agent as you are, and I want to stop that Sue and save Middle-earth and possibly all the other worlds along with it every bit as much as you do."
Pixie began to prowl again, refusing to look at Dena. "Come on, ye bloody Suescum! Come down here an' face me like a real OC, or are ye afraid I'll give ye a black eye an' a bloody nose t' mess up tha' perfect face o' yours? Ye coward! Ye sneakin', backstabbin', Void-cursed Sue!"
"Are we going to try to get out of here," Dena asked, "or is your entire plan screaming at someone who couldn't care less about you or your insults?"
Pixie exploded. "An' what in all the blazes are we supposed to do, huh? What's your grand scheme? We're stuck in th' bowels o' th' second strongest tower in all o' Middle-earth, surrounded by Sues wi' th' characters all hangin' on th' brink o' doom, an' th' Pen is very likely about t' get captured by th' enemy in which case nothin' we do will matter, an' Thor's been turned into a Stu, and I'm bein' lectured about gettin' along and how I'm not doin' anythin' right by a bloody former Sue!"
There was an awkward, painful silence. Dena pressed her lips together tightly. "I can't help what I was in my past, or that I was created by a Suethor. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me at the Academy, being what I am, my past being what it is? It's not like you are the only KI agent who despises me."
She leaned against the back wall, then slid down until she was sitting, one leg bent, her arms limp at her side. "Thor was one of the very few who welcomed me, who saw me as I am, not as what I was. He was one of the only ones who believed that I wasn't trying to infiltrate the Hub somehow, or that I was going through the training as some elaborate plot to get to one of the characters or into one of the worlds. He always saw me as a person, not a plot devise…not a Sue."
She looked over at Pixie's turned back. "I can't make you trust me, Pixie. I definitely can't make you like me. But right now, this situation is bigger than both of us, and we might be all that's left between here and the destruction of Middle-earth as we know it. I don't know if my partner is all right either, and I don't know if we can save Thor, but whether you believe it or not, I want to save him just as much as you do. We both swore the oath to protect the canon worlds. And right now, that's going to have to be good enough for both of us."
She sighed deeply. "So, are we going to help each other or not?"
There was a long silence, as Pixie continued to stare out the bars, her back still to Dena. Then slowly, she turned around, her face stony. "So, do ye have somethin' in mind?"
Dena rose gracefully and gave Pixie a grim smile. "Something other than bashing ourselves against the bars? Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. But it's going to require both of us to work." She held out her hand in a conciliatory gesture. "So, Pixie, can you trust me?"
Pixie stared hard at the outstretched hand, then impulsively grasped it back. She gave a short, crazy laugh. "Doesn't look like I have any other choice. Fine, let's hear this plan o' yours."
~o~o~o~
Hawk awoke the next morning feeling strangely refreshed. Upon sitting up, her eyes snapped immediately over to the small bed of flowers where Aura had been right before she fell asleep. Panic surged through her when she saw that it was empty. Her gaze quickly darted across the small outcrop, every muscle in her body tensing, until she caught sight of a flash of red hair on the far side of the camp.
Aura was sitting in the grass, her dress spread out in a perfect pool of green around her, with Porter sitting in front of her. They were leaned in close to each other, and Aura had a hand out, touching Porter's arm. They were clearly talking, but Hawk couldn't hear anything that either one of them was saying. A hard knot formed in her chest, and she rose quickly, striding over towards the two of them, the brief good feeling of refreshment fading.
They both looked up as she approached, and she noted that Porter looked more grim than usual as he slowly rolled his sleeve back down. She glance back and forth between the two of them. "What is it, Porter? What's wrong?"
To Hawk's annoyance, Porter nodded to Aura who answered. "The wound he received yesterday was irritating him, so I took a look at it. I fear he may be infected."
The knot in Hawk's chest tightened. "Infected? Infected by what?" she asked, although she already knew the answer.
Aura pursed her lips, her eyebrows drawing daintily together. "Sue weapons – our weapons – can affect other OCs, make them more like us. We can turn others into Sues or Stus like us."
"Then maybe he shouldn't have a literal Sue poking and prodding at him," Hawk said tersely.
Aura didn't seem to take offense, merely continuing in her soft, matter-of-fact voice. "Once the poison has set in, it will continue to affect him unless he receives help. I believe it will work more quickly as long as he is in our world. If he doesn't receive help in the next few days, he'll begin to fade."
Hawk rose, her expression turning dark. Porter saw the expression and shook his head. "No, Hawk. I know what you're thinking, and no."
"Aura, Porter and I need to talk," Hawk said pointedly. "Privately."
Once the Sue had moved away towards the edge of the forest, Hawk turned back to Porter, eyebrows knit together. "You have to go back to the Hub, Porter. They'll be able to cure you properly there."
Porter continued shaking his head. "I'm not abandoning the Fellowship, the Quest, or you. I'm fine for now."
"But we don't know how long that will last. I've heard of Slayers succumbing to wounds like this in less than twenty-four hours. The closer we get to Isinguard, the more dangerous it will be for us to open a portal without something else getting through with you or alerting every Sue in the area where we are. We can send you back now in relative safety, so we should do it while we still have the chance."
Porter pushed himself to his feet, wincing slightly as he put weight on his injured arm. "We both knew there were risks when we agreed to this mission. I'm not leaving my partner to face the rest of this journey alone. You need me. After all, who's going to wrangle the characters for you when they start getting on your nerves again?" he ended with a lopsided smile.
Hawk didn't return his smile. "Porter," she said seriously, "if you start to change, you could jeopardize the entire Quest. Lance put me in charge of the Fellowship, and I have to do what's best for the mission. Porter, you have to go back to the Hub."
Porter's face fell and his shoulders slumped. "Yes…yes, I guess that's a fair point," he answered in a dejected voice. He looked up and managed a small smile. "Get that Pen to the Hearth of Doom for me, won't you?"
Hawk reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'll even kill a few Sues in your name."
Porter reached up and patted Hawk's hand. He nodded. "Best send me back now while we have a bit of a respite."
Hawk nodded and took out her Sue medallion. She pressed the button in the middle and twisted it clockwise until it clicked into place.
Nothing happened.
Frowning, Hawk repeated the actions, and once again, they were met with a resounding nothing. "Try your medallion," Hawk said.
Porter pulled out his medallion and mirrored Hawk. Once again, there was no response. The two Sue-Slayers exchanged looks, a deep unease creeping over them both simultaneously. Hawk glanced suspiciously over at Aura, who was still hovering at the edge of the forest out of earshot from both of them. "Do you think this has something to do with her?"
Porter shrugged. "It's possible, I guess, but I really don't think it's her. I really think she's here to help us, Hawk. She seemed genuinely concerned about my arm, and she's actually pretty nice when you get to know her."
Hawk pursed her lips sharply. "We're not here to get to know Sues, Porter. She may be playing nice right now, but that doesn't change what she is or what we are. She's not our friend. And I find it awfully suspicious that you get infected and our medallions stop working right after she joins us."
Porter frowned in turn. "I would have been infected whether or not she was here, and she recognized the signs of it earlier than I would have. And we are getting deep into the heart of Middle Earth; Lance did say that no one was certain how our equipment would work this deep in. And we don't know what's going on in either the Hub or Middle-earth. For all we know, the Hub is locked down from their end, if something's going on that makes it too risky to open a portal between here and there right now."
He clapped a hand on Hawk's shoulder decisively. "In any case, it looks like the choice is out of our hands for now. Looks like I'm still a member of the Fellowship. Speaking of which, we'd better decide on our next move and get going while the going's good."
Hawk nodded. "Right. But, Porter, let's not mention to the characters just yet about the medallion or your arm. They've got enough to worry about."
Porter nodded in response. "Understood."
As Porter started to move off towards the characters, Hawk caught him firmly by his uninjured arm. "You're going to be all right, Porter," she said fiercely. "You're not turning into a Stu on my watch."
Porter gave her a sad smile. "I know. But remember, the Quest is more important than any one of us. Boromir had to die for the Fellowship in the Story. If someone has to die for our Fellowship, I'm all right with it being me."
Hawk watched her partner head towards the characters, his usual bright smile back in place. She grimly pulled her crossbow strap tight. "You might be, Porter, but I'm not."
~o~o~o~
"Uglúk traveled with us for the better part of a day, and we don't know how much of our plans he overheard," Hawk said. The Fellowship was gathered around Porter's map of Middle Earth, minus their tenth walker whom Hawk had asked to remain on the far side of the camp while they discussed plans. Porter still seemed to believe in Aura's good intentions, but Hawk wasn't about to be burned twice, especially with the new knowledge that the medallions were no longer working. The less Aura knew about the specifics of their plan, the better in Hawk's opinion.
Hawk pointed to the route they had intended to take on the east side of the mountains south to Isinguard. "We have to assume that our original plans are compromised and that the Sues are going to be expecting us to follow this route south. We need a new plan."
Gimli had been inspecting the map closely, one hand thoughtfully stroking his beard. He pointed to a spot on the map. "We're right about here, correct?" After Hawk nodded the affirmative, Gimli moved his hand to point out a nearby mark on the map. "This is about where the Mines of Moria would be in our world. Do you think this might be this world's equivalent? If so, we could cut through the Mines to the opposite side of the mountains and come at Isinguard from the west. They probably wouldn't be expecting that."
Porter leaned close in to the map. "It's not labeled, but it's not too far out of our way. If it is the Mines, Gimli might be right about it being our best shot. The only other option would be circling all the way around to the south, and that will take us days out of our way."
He and Hawk exchanged a glance. The meaning was clear: both of them knew Porter didn't have days.
"Any objections?" Hawk said, looking around the Fellowship. For once, she was met with no arguments.
She gave a sharp nod. "The Mines it is then." She gave curt instructions to the Fellowship to get their gear together and be ready to move, then jerked her head towards Porter. "Let's go collect our resident Sue. And let's hope by the name of every single Valar that we don't have to fight off any Balrog!Sues."
