Written by Z-man 10-27-2002 01:33 AM
Z-man's opponent, a 27 year old man with a red and white baseball cap and an old but powerful Pikachu on his shoulder, shook his hand.
"That was our best battle yet," he said. "You actually beat me this time."
"It was a pleasure," Z-man responded. I'd love to stick around and have some of your wife's cooking, but I've got work to do. See you next time."
"Right," his opponent said. "And next time, we'll be ready for you."
"Pika-pi," his Pikachu agreed.
Z-man started walking back to the Pokeworld branch of PaDT's offices, when a psychic blast of talk filled his ears.
"Z-man," it said, "We've got a rogue D-traveler carrying powerful contraband about to show up in your area. We need you to stop him before we lose track. He's coming from a sword and sorcery world, so be prepared for a real fight."
"Got it," Z-man responded immediately, and began to monitor the entire area within a mile with his clairsentience as fast as he could. He spotted the guy the moment he showed up.
He didn't have any armor or weaponry to speak of, which made Z-man suspicious, but it wouldn't be the first time a clairsentient teleporter had taken a magical dagger while it's owner was bathing. He decided to go for the easy approach. Z-man aimed a punch at the air right in front of him, and swung his arm like a boxer. Before his fist had gone too far, Z-man teleported to the location where his fist would connect with the guy's head without any time to block or anticipate the attack. He was unconscious almost immediately.
Z-man began rifling through his pockets and backpack. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for a small golden ring. When Z-man's hand brushed over it, his clairsentience jerked oddly, immediately focusing on the ring, even though Z-man hadn't done anything to change it consciously. He brushed his hand over it again, and this time he saw the ring in a fire, surrounded with flame. It looked like some writing was appearing on it.
He grabbed the ring and pulled it out of the backpack. He opened his hand and looked at it. "Could this be..?" he wondered, not daring to finish that sentence.
"I think I know what this is," Z-man said to himself. "And I do know what to do with it. I should teleport this to Mt. Doom immediately."
Z-man didn't move. "Well, you know," he said to himself, "It's not like I have to take it now, I can put it there whenever I want, instantly. I could take it home, study it a bit first. What's the harm?"
Unfortunately, the irony of the last statement didn't occur to him. He was too far gone by then.
Written by Z-man 11-09-2002 11:24 AM
"If anyone else finds out about this," he told Kadabra, "They'll just take the ring away. I'm going to be the one to take this thing to Mt. Doom, and I'm gonna be the guy who destroys it. Not Tanith and her ship, not any of those HALST slackers, not any of those overpowered losers. They're going to see what I can do. But first, buddy, I need your help. This guy can blow all of it, and I need to make sure he doesn't wake up any time soon."
Kadabra concentrated. His master and friend had something new on him, an item of great power that could give Kadabra more power than any other Pokemon. More power than Z-woman could manipulate. But he was right about one thing, none of this would be possible if anyone else found out. He could feel a little bit of that power aiding him as he put the man on the ground into the deepest coma he could manage. Then the red energy of the pokeball called him back in.
Z-man slung the thief over his shoulder, and returned to PaDT headquarters. There was a security team waiting there for the criminal. Z-man tossed his lifelessbody at them.
"Did you get the object, too?" the psychic who had relayed the message in the first place asked.
Z-man tossed a small bag at him. "Here," he said. "It's some sort of god powered medicine, that can cure just about anything, I'd guess. Probably even lost limbs. It resonates similiar to Woundhealer. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some work to do.""
Z-man strode off towards his office. As soon as Tanith or anyone from the Asgard team saw what happened, any hope of secrecy was lost. He'd need to prepare for the journey to the LotRU quickly. He already had his most powerful pokemon team with him, so that wasn't a problem, but he could probably use a few minions.
Mg owed him, that Z-man knew. Maybe if he could play on whatever gratitude was left from Z-man saving his worthless life. Only he was on Andromeda right now. Could he get on, convince Mg to be grateful, and get off before anything happened?
He checked the files.
Written by Mg_knt 11-08-2002 10:37 PM
Mg:"Tanith I put myself into your custody. The file that Silverfox holds contains much evidence of murder, assasult, and torture. Enough evidence to put me on trial. I have lived with this past for far to long. I will accept any justice you wish to seek."
Written by Tanith 11-09-2002 12:21 PM
"The file? I haven't had the time to read it yet. But surely it couldn't be that bad, could it? Rommie did pretty thourough background checks on all the crewmembers..."
Mg shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "She might not have seen this. It was highly classified."
"Still, you've shown yourself to be more than trustworthy in your time on board. I don't see how this would change much," Tanith replied. She peered at Mg's stubborn expression, and sighed. "What would you have me do with this information, anyways?"
Written by Z-man 11-09-2002 12:28 PM
Z-man turned to the video screen to contact Rommie.
The AI herself was on the screen immediately.
"Hey, Rommie," Z-man said. "Can I talk to Mg?"
"He's talking with Tanith right now," Rommie answered. "Do you want me to patch you through to both of them?"
"No, thank you, Rommie," Z-man said. "Just tell him I had a little job he could do if he was free. He can meet me in my office in about 5 hours."
"I'll see that he gets it," Rommie answered.
Written by Tanith 11-09-2002 03:24 PM
Tsuzuku spoke up then. "I really need to return soon. Without me, my world would be out of balance. It would be catastrophe."
Tanith smiled reassuringly at him. "Don't worry, Ryudo-san. We'll get you back soon."
With that, she began to walk towards the bridge, with her guest following her. Mg listened as Rommie repeated Z-man's message to him.
Soon enough, the Andromeda was orbiting the Soryuuden Earth. After Tanith saw her guest returned to his world, she looked around in puzzlement.
"Where's Mg?" she asked of Rommie. "I thought he followed me back up."
"He decided to leave for a while," came the reply. "I believe he 'ported over to Z-man's office at PaDT HQ on Khazan." There was a short pause. "And it seems that Jaffa has just left too... though I do not think he has the same destination in mind."
Tanith sighed. "Is that it? Did any of them leave a message?"
"Not really. Though Z-man's invitation to Mg is on record."
"Right." Tanith picked up her piloting goggles again as she muttered under her breath. "Men."
Written by Mg_knt 11-11-2002 03:01 PM
Mg:You needed my services? Since you saved my life I guess I will do this one for free so what do you need?
Z: I am going to Middle Earth and I need a bodyguard.
Mg: Sounds fair enough.
Written by Z-man 11-11-2002 05:50 PM
"Where in Middle Earth are we going?" Mg asked. "I'll need to know if I'm to prepare."
"We'll be going all over," he snapped. "So be prepared for anything. We're leaving in three hours."
"I can do that," Mg said carefully. It was rather suspicious that he'd be leaving so soon, especially for an uncivilized dimension like Middle Earth. It seemed like something was affecting his thinking, and Mg knew there was something on Middle Earth that affected others. He'd have to keep an eye on Z-man now.
"Good," Z-man responded. "Now give me some time, so I can get ready myself."
Mg slowly walked out of the room. Z-man got on the phone, and called a friend in the 2.0 universe.
"Hello, Mr. Long," he greated. Mr. Long was a rich geek with insane luck powers he knew from constant meetings. He wanted to travel to the Middle Earth universe, but PaDT had decided long ago that it was too dangerous to take supers there. Either they'd get killed or they might get ahold of a magical artifact similiar to the one Z had on him right now. "I've finally decided to make a trip to Middle Earth. Be ready in exactly three hours. Perfect."
Written by Tanith 11-12-2002 10:53 AM
Tanith looked up from where she had been getting ready to leave the Soryuuden Universe to see Rune bounce onto the bridge, with Meta at her heels.
"What is it Rune?"
The younger girl hopped over and leaned on the back of her seat. "You got any more stuff for me to do here?"
"No. Not really," replied Tanith. "Why?"
Rune shrugged. "Just getting kinda bored with everybody leavin'..."
"You could return to your lessons with Pug," Tanith suggested. "Tell him how our little adventure came out. Maybe he'll have some ideas regarding those shadow-beings that invaded Sunnydale."
"Mmmmkay..." Rune turned to leave before suddenly turning back. "And I gotta go renew the rifts in Valdemar again. I almost forgot! See ya sis! See ya Rommie!"
"Ditto, sis," Tanith returned with a smile.
"Goodbye Rune", came the disembodied voice of the Andromeda over the intercom. "I've lowered spatial shields for you."
"Kay. Bye all." And with that, Rune opened up a rift-gate to the familiar grounds of Pug's estate on Midkemia and walked through, followed by her guardian. She turned and waved to Tanith from the other side, before the rift sealed shut once again.
"The shields are back on full." Rommie informed Tanith as she stopped waving when the rift closed.
"Right. Then let's get going. I bet there's just a ton of more paperwork waiting for me back at Khazan HQ." Tanith sighed as she put on her pilot VR goggles. "And I'll have to look into sending someone back to Sunnydale to investigate that incident more closely. PaDT resources might have the time and patience to find something that we missed."
Slowly, the Andromeda Ascendant left orbit around the Soryuuden Earth. It glided out of the system and seemingly vanished into the blackness of space.
Written by Mg_knt 11-11-2002 08:32 PM
Mg:"I am ready to move out Z."
Written by Tanith 11-15-2002 12:58 AM
He had been a robot late from what others called the "Foundation Universe"; or, to be more specific, one of the versions of that particular universe. He'd joined PaDT readily enough, after relations had been established with his homeworlds. He found it quite amusing that he'd been chosen for the job simply for his prominence in certain fictional works that originated from the PaDT founders' homeworlds -- works that, of all things, bore much resemblance to himself and his own world.
He had worked the investigative branch of PaDT at first, but an... incident... involving a few dangerous otherdimensional interlopers who'd thought the fledgling corporation (at the time) to be a pushover... required that just about the entirety of his physical self be reconstructed.
It was then that he'd been offered a much better body for his diligent service, courtesy of the advanced technology that PaDT had garnered from advanced allies such as the Culture. With the new capacities of his android body, and the fact that he no longer was forced to obey the Three Laws of Robots due to programming constraints, he had been promoted to the position of security overseer of PaDT's headquarters on the nexus world of Khazan.
But back to the point. Daneel was concerned.
He'd made it a point of pride to keep up with all that occurs in his area of juristiction. The slight altercation with the two Immortals that had made off with some minor petty theivery had been a bit of an embarrassment for him; but it had been the only one for years. Or so it now seems.
He'd been personally reviewing the week's security logs, a leisure that he now had ample time and processing speed for with his upgrades, and he'd noticed a slight inconsistency therein. One that apparently the people who had logged in the reports had missed.
A thief who had stolen something from a restricted dimension... and who now was in a deep coma that showed no natural cause.
A bag of herbs that was supposedly the stolen item... and yet the dimension it was supposedly stolen from was not restricted under "meta/biological hazards", but rather under "religious instability".
Z-man, who had apparently apprehended the thief and returned the item... who was now nowhere to be found or contacted.
And now, the report from the analysts say that the herbs seemed to be of Marvel Universe origin.
Most curious indeed.
Daneel had been an observer and a detective, lifetimes ago on his homeworld. But it didn't take an intellect such as his to be able to tell that these seemingly facts, though innocuous and coincidental when seen apart, added up to a disturbing conclusion.
Someone had lied. It wasn't the analysts, as he had several labs check the results. It wasn't the reports, since the event had been witnessed by several other employees at the scene when Z-man turned the thief in. It wasn't some trickster type third party, not with the senors and wards that protected the facility...
So it must be Z-man.
But he had to be sure. It was still in his nature to be especially careful with humans, despite the fact that he was no longer forced to be subservient to them.
So he went back into the raw data archives of the security-sensor tapes that tirelessly kept watch throughout the facility. These were the data gathered by the many sensor-devices that were linked to the protections of the building, to be read and used by the building defenses themselves. A normal flesh-being could not have hoped to be able to process so much raw information without overloading their mind. But Daneel was neither normal nor a creature of flesh.
What he found there in the depths of the datareadings of the week, further disturbed him. Quickly, with the speed of his advanced mind, he extracted the relevant data bits and sent them off to the research department and for analysis.
And now the results were laid before him for his perusal.
To say that Daneel was "concerned" was actually an understatement.
He considered what to do with the information, and realized that there was only one thing he could do, at least right off. If the person who had taken the... item... had been just anyone, he would have had no qualms about sending an appropriate security detachment to retrieve it and the person; in this case either dead or alive, due to the severity of the item itself.
But the person who now had it was Z-man. One of the founders and owners of PaDT itself. This was not normal operating procedure. In fact, there was only one thing to do.
Daneel punched in an urgent communique to the Andromeda Ascendant.
This was beyond his scope.
Written by Tanith 11-15-2002 01:20 AM
And now this... Daneel's news had not been good. Although she had planned to find some version of Middle Earth to perhaps extend PaDT services to, she had never thought that she'd be doing so in chasing after her friend and colleague... who, it would seem, had more than likely turned to the darkness.
For a moment, she was just thankful that the One Ring had not taken advantage of Z-man's position to take control of one of the most powerful multiversal corporations there is.
Of course, given the kinds of people and being that PaDT tended to hire, she didn't think he would've been successful even with the Ring backing him even if he'd tried. Perhaps the Ring was smart not to try it; and thus to escape detection by the many beings in PaDT who might well have recognized the danger and acted on it despite the Ring's power.
But now, she had to find Z-man. If there was but the slightest chance that he had not fully turned...
Well, only time would tell.
Given what she knew of the Ring, Tanith was relieved that at least she wouldn't have to search the multiverse for him. Her next stop was obvious.
"Hold back on sending out the security teams," she told Daneel. "Have them try to track him from a distance, if they can... Just perhaps we'll have someone.. or something.. that can pierce the invisibility of the Ring."
"I have already sent communiques to The Watcher of Alternate Earth and his Earth Prime counterpart," came Daneel's reply as the android used his incredible mental speed to carry out the orders as soon as they were given.
"Good. I'll be heading for Middle Earth, the version that the Ring orginally came from. It will return there sooner or later." Suddenly, Tanith remembered something. "Also, have our clairsentients try to locate Mg as well. Even if the Ring is shielding itself and Z-man when he's wearing it, Mg is not cloaked by their influence, and thus might be easier to locate."
Daneel nodded. "Understood. Is there anything else, ma'am?"
"That's it for now," Tanith replied with a tired smile. "Just have the secretaries clear all of mine and Z's schedules for the foreseeable future. This might take a while. Tanith out."
With that, Tanith closed the connection and sat back into her seat. She pulled out her personal communicator and turned it on. "Rommie, prepare for departure. We've got a problem. Again."
Written by Tanith 11-15-2002 01:30 AM
Although the Observer could not have been able to spy aboard the Andromeda without setting off its layers of defenses, penetrating the lesser guarded school had been much easier. Especially for one backed by three major Powers.
The Observer had been quietly, and intermittently, following the Andromeda for a while now. For what reason, even the Observer had not been sure of. Her mind had long been in turmoil, and was not inclined to look to its own motives too closely.
No... The Observer wanted something. Something she was not sure how to get. But she knew where to start. Or, rather, with whom to start.
It was time to stop playing around with her little make-believe kingdom and do what she was born to do. In fact, to that end, she had enclosed her entire base, with just about all of her servants on it, within a single time-phase spell. She no longer needed them; indeed, had really never needed them. And now, it was time to put away the toys and get down to business.
There was someone she needed to see. To talk to. But on her own terms, which means away from the well-protected confines of that cursed starship. So she had followed the vessel, silently and secrety, hoping for a chance to strike at her prey away from the vessel or similar watchful "eyes".
And now, the Observer realized that the chance had come. All she needed to do was to reach this... Middle Earth... first.
Unseen and Unsensed, a black-crystalline ship faded from the fabric of reality of a certain SWU-Alterverse that it had been eavesdropping in. The race was on.
Written by The Watcher 11-15-2002 10:23 AM
Daneel: Sir, the Head Office has an urgent situation which requires your services. Tanith requests you rendezvous with her as soon as you are able to.
Watcher: I'm just finishing up here. I'll join her shortly.
Daneel: I'll relay the message.
The Watcher shutdown his computer and then reached out with his senses to locate Tanith. Finding her still at the school, he displaced himself though one of PD&T's authorized windows in Alternate Earth's dimensional barriers and appeared before her.
Watcher: I just got your message. What seems to be the problem?
Written by Tanith 11-16-2002 10:47 AM
She took out her communicator and activated the recall signal. "We'll need to move fast. With his clairsentience and teleportation, who knows how far he's gone ahead of us. I've already put out the word to all of PaDT to keep an eye out for him, but I doubt he'd be careless enough to let himself be found by us."
With a shimmer, they disappeared from Coruscant and rematerialized on board the Andromeda. Tanith motioned for The Watcher to follow her to the bridge. "Can you find him with your clairsentience."
Watcher paused for a moment. "No... it seems to be hidden from me."
"I thought that might happen," Tanith said unhappily. "The Ring must be hiding its new bearer from view. And barring Z making a mistake and getting sighted by one of our people, there's little we can do but stake out the one place that we can be sure that the Ring will eventually lead him to..."
"Mordor." Watcher answered for her.
"Middle Earth. Yes." Tanith slid into the pilot seat of the Andromeda. "Rommie, have you sent out the requisition order I made?"
"I have," came the ship's reply. "They should be ready as soon as we arrive in Middle Earth."
"Good. Then let's go." With that, Tanith's fingers flew across the panel in front of her. The Andromeda glided away from orbit around Coruscant and disappeared into the blackness of space.
Written by Yeoman 11-13-2002 11:54 PM
Bilbo: So, in this other world you are from, my book is famous?
CBY: Well, it's not written by you on my world, but yes, it's quite famous. All of Middle Earth is actually.
Bilbo: What about current events, do you know the future?
CBY: No. This timeline has diverged to much. The One Ring does not appear to be on Middle Earth right now. And other events have changed as well.
Bilbo: Still, I might like to see this world of yours.
CBY: Perhaps. Perha. . . They're here.
CBY stood and picked up his jacket.
CBY: I'm sorry to leave so suddenly Master Baggins, but my reason for coming has just arrived. I will look you up after my affairs here are concluded. Should I survive.
With that, the Chaos Bringer dissappeared.
Written by Z-man 11-14-2002 11:22 PM
"Mg, just let Mr. Long do what he wants and talk to who he wants, as long as he at least tries to keep a low profile," Z-man said. "You just need to keep him safe. I've got a place I need to be."
Z-man disappeared. If he was going to destroy the Ring, he needed to get rid of the other heroes. If there was no more Fellowship, he would have to be the one to take it.
The hobbits would be the easiest first mark. Sam was helping Frodo tear his house apart looking for the Ring, which had disappeared right after Gandalf had left. Merry and Pippin were no problem either, since they were completely unsuspecting. They had no intention of being heroes, but that didn't keep them from being them. They would have to be dealt with. Gandalf was on his way to Sarumon. He'd have to take him down while he was sleeping.
He teleported a live grenade into Bilbo's house. Even if he had found it in time, he wouldn't have known what it was. Merry and Pippin were slain using the Ring for invisibility. He removed it immediately afterwards, teleporting back to Bree to take care of Strider of Aragorn. But regardless, the Ringwraiths now knew the ring was back on Middle Earth, and it wasn't in the hands of a hobbit.
Written by Yeoman 11-14-2002 11:44 PM
Hmm. . .
Whoever has the ring, they seem to be intent on removing the fellowship. Killing Frodo was one thing, and Sam could easily have just been caught in the blast. But Pippin and Merry? No, at this point they were far too useless for it to be anything else.
The question was, who? They obviouly had access to technology far in advance of Middle-Earth. They also could teleport. At least it was likely they did. They re-appeared on Middle-Earth to quickly for it to be anything else.
Both were fairly common amognst net eventers. As was the practice of meddling in the affairs of other worlds. But who? There were far to many people with teleportation. PaDT would likely know. But this hardly seems the time to contact them.
If it was me, I'd save Gandalf till last. Gimli and Legolas would also not be so easy to kill. Boromir. He would be fairly easy for whoever is doing this to ambush. . .
After thinking, CBY disappeared.
Written by Tanith 11-15-2002 01:43 AM
Time: The fateful night when Frodo should have met Strider... but not anymore.
Fate could be a strange thing. Originally, it had decreed that a certain group of naiive adventurers would meet their friend and guardian in a seedy inn on the edge of the Shire, bearing an artifact of immension power and evil with unwitting innocence, and hounded by the Black Riders.
But through a simple twist of fate, a much different party approached that particular Inn in Bree. Or, rather, parties.
The first consisted of three men, instead of the four hobbits it should have been. One of them did indeed carry the Ring, but it was with willful knowledge of what the artifact is, and a willing intention to use it.
The second was not a party at all, but rather a single being. She had just come into this world for a wholly different purpose. But it's a law of synchronicity that like calls to like, and thus it was that the siren call of the One Ring found a keen listener in the absorbed darkness of a Black Crystal.
But the rest were the same. The Black Riders rode hard toward the small village, led by their connection with the Ring. And an exiled King awaited with increasing restlessness in the Prancing Pony, his powerful Numenorean blood calling out a warning and danger to his troubled mind.
Or perhaps not the same...
In the Forest-City at the center of Lothlorien, in a quiet and sheltered glade, a proud Elven-Queen looked to the portents that rippled through the waters of her mirror, and was troubled.
And somewhere through the Void, in the darkness that lies between dimensions, a powerful vessel hurtled toward Arda.
Written by Yeoman 11-15-2002 09:55 AM
It has been too long. He's not coming for him. Not right now at least.
CBY reached out with the Force, trying to sense not where those he was supposed to find were, the ring seemed to cloak them to well to do that reliably, but where fate needed him to be.
He saw a series of visions.
An inn.
Aragorn.
Old enemies.
Occasional allies.
Riders in black.
The Inn of the Prancing Pony
Again, CBY disappeared.
Written by Tanith 11-16-2002 11:07 AM
So. I am not the only one who felt this call. Somehow, I doubt this power is native of Middle Earth.
She could have blocked the teleporter, but there was no reason to, really. And perhaps, whoever it was, would have answers for her. That along would be good reason to leave the person alone... for now.
With a flicker of shadow, she entered the village and made for the destination of the teleportation. The inn called "Prancing Pony".
***
Meanwhile, inside the inn, CBY frowned as he peered around the shadows. It was a stroke of luck that no one had seen him teleporting in. Otherwise, that would have raised unneccessary attention, which he did not need.
But two pairs of eyes did detect his unorthodox entrance.
One belonged to a heavily cloaked Ranger, who peered at the room from the window of the building right across the street from the inn. Aragorn's keen Numenorian senses had screamed danger at him since before dinner; and he was not one to ignore his instincts. So now, he was watching the place that he had been awaiting Gandalf's hobbits from a more hidden location.
The sudden appearance of the strange man took him by surprise. For a moment, it seemed as if the man had been... invisible... before. But then, he caught sight of the man's hands, and sighed in relief. There was no sign of a ring held there.
Curious... what manner of sorcery is this?
The other pair of eyes that had caught sight of CBY's entrance belonged to a man who recognized the teleportation power just for what it was. Even more, he also recognized CBY's features from the PaDT profiles.
Z-man cursed under his breath. He had just gotten to Bree, and had made straight for the Prancing Pony. He'd looked for the dark-cloaked stranger sitting in the corner of the room, as the movie said Strider would be, but had found nothing. Almost all of the men in the room looked alike to him: unwashed barbarians. He'd been just about to go ask the manager for the whereabouts of the Ranger named Strider when he noticed the sign of a teleportation effect in play.
Now it seemed that things were getting complicated. He didn't know why CBY was here. Or if he was here on behalf of PaDT. But he was fairly sure that he would not like the answer.
Meanwhile, unknown to the outworlders in the inn, Nine riders garbed in black drew nigh to the village of Bree.
Written by Tanith 11-16-2002 11:59 AM
Gandalf was pulled from the darkness of unconsciousness by the rough power of his former "wise" leader. Defiantly, he stared up at the white robed figure of Saruman. How could he have ever mistaken the sparkle of madness in those eyes for intelligence? But it was too late to blame himself; just as it was too late for him to do any more for the hobbits. All he could hope was that they had made it to Bree, where Aragorn would be there to take them under his protection.
But then Saruman's words dashed his hopes.
"The Ring is no longer in the hands of the Halflings. They were all found slain near the outskirts of the shire." There was a gleeful smile on Saruman's face, which made it all the more sinister.
Gandalf closed his eyes in pain... the hobbits were as his children to him. And now they were gone. Winging a prayer to Eru, he replied to Saruman's gloating with a steady voice. "The Nine have retrieved it?" There was a sick feeling in his stomach. But he had to know. Any information, even now that he was imprisoned, might be of use later on. After all, not even the Wise could see all ends... right?
Saruman's smug grin immediately disappeared. "Nay. Another bearer has found it. One who has so far eluded the Nine." He glared at Gandalf. "But whoever this new bearer is, he will be no match for the might of Sauron either. And in time, the Dark Lord will retrieve what is his."
Gandalf snorted at those words. "Who are you trying to convince, Saruman. Me? Or yourself." He didn't believe his own words; after all, only the hobbits had the innocence and inner strength not to fall under the spell of the ring. Whoever has it now... it would be a matter of time before he became a new servant to Sauron.
But still, it was rather gratifying to see livid rage flash across Saruman's face. Followed by a painful thump as the white wizard slammed him into the tower top once more. By the time he'd regained his bearings, Saruman had disappeared.
Wincing in pain, Gandalf pulled himself into a corner of the tower top. There, he closed his eyes in grief and weariness.
Just outside the edge of his senses, a light grey moth flittered toward the tower.
Written by Mg_knt 11-16-2002 12:02 PM
Mg:"Better safe then sorry. Mr. Long go into that inn across the road, we have some bad company."
*Mr. Long gulped and quickly did as he was told. Mg set his vest to turn off any teleportation attempts in a thirty foot radius. 'No reason to break the genre' he thought. Drawing and turning on the Dragon's Tooth, he smiled as the nanite blade formed and hummed to life emiting a soft blue glow. Opening the door to the Prancing Pony he stepped inside.*
Mg:"CBY I knew you couldn't stay straight forever. What are you up to?"
Written by Z-man 11-16-2002 02:24 PM
His clairsentience started up, to show him Strider of Aragorn. He was slightly shocked to see that Strider was in the same exact place. This would be much easier with the Ring on, but he didn't want to run the risk of seeing that red eye again, so he instead drew his sword. It was enchanted with a spell to make him at least a decent swordsman, as well as some protective measures to prevent him from harm. That and his teleportation should give him the advantage. For extra help, he pulled out Houndour's pokeball and slipped it into a harness on his side. Any sign of trouble, and he could recall Houndour at a moment's notice to help him.
He began to approach Strider, more cautious than he had been with the Hobbits.
Written by WriterBoy 11-16-2002 06:13 PM
The portal opened, spewing WriterBoy out onto the muddy ground. Where the hell am I now? he thought.
For months, he'd been using the dimensional map to leap between dimensions, searching for the "other self" mentioned in his dreams. Unfortunately, Genma hadn't provided an instruction manual, and he'd been forced to pick dimensions at random and hope for the best.
He looked around. This seemed to be some sort of medieval world, if the village in the distance was any indication. He set off for it.
At the gate, he was met by a foul-tempered old coot who muttered "more of you buggers" while letting him in. He ignored the creep and proceeded to the village proper, looking for a place to spend the night. That was when he spied the sign. "The Prancing Pony." Well, that tells me where I am, he thought. It had been a while since he'd read LotR, but he remembered enough. He absently wondered if he'd run into any of the Fellowship while he was here.
He pushed the door back and saw a very unlikely sight: Mg and Yeoman, whom he recognized from the Terra-Mars party, facing off against one another. His hand unconsciously dropped to his belt. It looked like a fight was in the near future..
Written by Yeoman, Mg_knt, and WriterBoy
WriterBoy raised his hand. "Excuse me, I hate to break up a good grudge match, but what the hell is going on?"
CBY: Considering I've found a blown out hobbit hole and Captain Soldier of Fortune on the same world. . . I'd say quite a bit.
WriterBoy fished a PokeBall out of his belt. "Blown-up Hobbit hole? If it was Bag End, somebody has some explaining to do..."
CBY: Which is why I'm questioning our little potential suspect.
Mg:"Someone blew up some hobbits? Well, if I were doing it I would use piano wire as explosives make to much noise. I am here with Z-man as a favor and who the heck is the guy with the pokeball? Friend of yours?"
WriterBoy: I was at the party, but I don't think we've met. Name's WriterBoy. If you guys don't mind, one psi-link will answer whatever questions we may have.
CBY: No one goes into my mind. J'onn and Imra perhaps, but they are the sort that can be trusted.
WriterBoy: Understood. But if Mr. Guerilla Warfare here didn't kill the hobbits, who did? And where's the Ring?
Mg: I don't know. Like I said, I am just here as a bodyguard for Z-man and his non-powered friend.
Written by Yeoman 11-16-2002 06:58 PM
With that CBY Force threw Mg across the common room of the Prancing Pony. Sending him through several tables.
Written by Mg_knt 11-16-2002 07:04 PM
*Mg says as he picks himself up. Mg summons up mana and Yeo's insides begin to heat up.*
Mg: Now, if you would please stop being an implusive prick we can figure this out.
Written by WriterBoy 11-16-2002 06:56 PM
WriterBoy closed his eyes and did a rudimentary psi-scan of the village. He didn't have to look far.
"Crap. He's in the inn across the street. And I think he's about to kill Aragorn."
Written by Yeoman and Mg_knt
CBY *Begins force choking Mg*: And if you'd care to stop your spell maybe I won't have to leave your thoat a mangled mess.
Mg: I only kill when I have too. It is rather messy. How do we know that you weren't doing anything? Since you're so quick to accuse others.
CBY: Because I'm not the sort that tosses a grenade into a hobbit hole. I like to be more efficient, and make sure tha job gets done, when it needs to be. Besides, it would be just like you to attempt to frame me for your messy work.
Mg: I am not either. Tossing a grenade is just lazy. Unless the person in question was dead before that. You know I have more style then that. Of course this seems to be the work of an amateur. Thus I didn't do it. You have a history of doing evil CBY and thus just seems like another one of your schemes.
CBY: Correction I have a history of being evil. Going back and forth is the mark of an amatuer. And I haven't played the role of the villain in quite some time. As you'd know if you paid attention. Now you can either produce some proof of your whereabouts or this can get nasty. Your choice.
Written by WriterBoy 11-16-2002 07:08 PM 11-16-2002 09:08 PM
He ran into the inn across the street to find Z-Man sneaking up on Aragorn with some subtle help from Kadabra. He barely threw up a TK shield in time.
"Alakazam, go! Teleport me and that guy," he pointed to Aragorn, "out of here now!"
"Alakazam!"
Nothing happened. "Alakazam!" Still nothing. Great, WriterBoy thought, just what I needed. "Alakazam, return!"
WriterBoy hit Z and Kadabra with a powerful TK burst, grabbed Aragorn, and ran outside.
"Who are you?" Aragorn demanded.
"Gandalf sent me. The Ringbearer is dead, and the Ring has been stolen."
"How can I trust you?"
"How's this: 'All that is gold does not glitter/Not all those who wander are lost/The old that is strong does not wither/Deep roots are not touched by the frost/From the ashes a fire shall be woken/A light from the shadows shall spring/Renewed shall be blade that was broken/The Crownless again shall be King.'"
"How did you learn that poem?"
"The same way you did, Your Majesty: From its author. Now let's run; Z-Man won't be far behind."
Written by Z-man 11-16-2002 09:20 PM
Houndour's flamethrower got as far as Writerboy's TK field. Understanding the problem, Houndour switched tactics.
Writerboy and Aragorn gasped as, all of a sudden, Houndour burst through the field and clamped his mouth down on Writerboy's arm, breaking the bone with a sickening crunch which, not so coincidentally, was also the name of the attack. He had to drop Strider, and try to fend off the wild dog's attack as best he could with one arm.
Strider almost got his own sword out to protect his saviour, when Z-man himself plowed into his side, taking advantage of Writerboy's momentary shock to cut through his TK shield. Strider fell to the ground, and his sword skid a bit further, landing a few feet in front of him. Kadabra quickly pushed the sword telekinetically half a block away.
Z-man put his foot down on Strider's neck, preventing him from rising. Z-man rose his own sword, ready to strike at his heart, and cried out "Only I shall destroy it, I'll make sure of that!"
Written by WriterBoy 11-16-2002 09:28 PM
Blastoise squared off against his opponent as WriterBoy turned to face Z. He saw the sword about to plunge towards Aragorn's breast. He knew he wouldn't have time to stop it.
Written by Tanith 11-16-2002 09:30 PM
But they were not her concern, only the dark call of Power mattered to her. She followed its siren song, and found herself peering down at the tangle of outworlders and pokemon below.
But which one is it?
Even as she mused over the situation, and as one of the men raised his sword to strike, a new element entered the scene. With all the destruction and fighting in the town, none of the outworlders had noticed the nine silent wraiths wending their way into Bree. Not until they suddenly burst from the darkness, surrounding the small group on the ground with their morgul blades held aloft.
The humans who were still conscious gasped as the Black Breath hit them full force. The pokemon wavered before the aura of fear, which was not all psionic, and thus not fully blocked out by the powers of the psychic type pokemon.
Slowly, the Ringwraiths closed in on the humans... on Z-man.
In the Shadows, Arcadia's eyes narrowed. The undead wraiths did not matter to her; for she held far more powerful forces of good and evil within her small frame. Rather, her limited precognitive abilities told her that the thing that she sought would be revealed to her soon. All she needed to do was wait...
Coiled like a deadly cobra, she prepared to spring.
Written by Mg_knt and Yeoman
Mg: Forget that, we got company. Black Riders, I obviously don't have the ring as they aren't coming for me.
CBY: Unless they don't know you have it. And that hardly proves you're not the one that's killing the Fellowship.
Mg: Why would I kill the Fellowship if I don't have the ring? I am not getting paid for this. Hell, my job on the Andromeda pays better and is less dangerous. You're not thinking this through are you?
CBY: Right. You're not being paid for this. You're just here with your boss. Escorting some mysterious client around. And I'm not supposed to think you're involved enough to do a little hobbit-cide. . . why again?
Mg: The client is in the inn across the road, lets go and talk to him. Of course you being the impulsive prick that you are, you would rather have a shouting match.
CBY: Language now. And actually he appears to be fighting the Nazgul. You want to save him, go ahead.
CBY gestures towards the door.
CBY: You first.
Mg: Hold on one second.
*Mg looks out the window.*
Mg: No that isn't him. It was the guy with the pokeballs but the Black Riders are attacking Z-man. So I am guessing that he has the ring. Shall we go see or continue to bicker?
Written by WriterBoy 11-16-2002 09:39 PM
Written by Z-man 11-16-2002 09:41 PM
He started to put the One Ring on the ring finger of his left hand.
Written by Tanith 11-16-2002 10:05 PM
There!
Dimly, in the back of her mind, a voice told her that she was not thinking correctly. But all she could see was the sparkling golden band in Z-man's hand... and the thrumming of black power in her veins as the Black Crystal answered the Ring's seductive song.
In a flash, she had launched herself out of the shadows and at the man weilding the ring, absently using her powers to knock aside the undead wraiths that stood between her and her prize.
But even as she moved, Z-man caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and whirled around. Instead of latching onto the Ring, Arcadia slammed into Z-man instead, sending the two sprawling.
*plink* ...
*plink* ...
*plink*
A dozen pairs of eyes followed that sound. A sound that roared as loud as thunder into the sudden silence that followed. The sound that was of the thin golden band bouncing on the ground.
For a moment, all was still, as everyone stared at the One Ring.
The first to move was Arcadia, the only one of the humans totally unaffected by the Black Breath. With superhuman speed, she surged forward and closed her hands upon the Ring.
But the leader of the Nazgul was but a mere step behind her, moving with surprising speed for a dessiccated corpse. His blade was quicker still.
Arcadia gasped in pain and surprise as the morgul blade drew itself across her arm. Only her superhuman reflexes allowed her to throw herself back, floating in the night sky, with the Ring held in her hands and her hand held close to her body.
Already, she could feel the dark magics of the blade course through her. The death magics that powered it was exceedingly strong... no wonder it had pierced her own magical protections. And now, she could feel the dark poison invading her body... and her mind.
Even worse, she could feel the answering evil of the Black Crystal bursting from within her. The frail balance she had maintained between the Silver Imperium Crystal and its black counterpart had been rudely disrupted.
She had no choice. To drag herself back to balance, and to heal herself, she had to use the power of the Ginzuishou. Even as the realization crossed her mind, a silver glow enveloped her from within.
Bright, purifying Power coursed through her veins; painfully eradicating all traces of the dark morgul poison. The silver fire clashed with the foul golden ring still clasped in her hand, heating it with a magical fire as the purifying force warred with the instrument of evil.
Unable to abide by the burning in her hand, Arcadia dropped the ring. But she didn't notice. Nor care. All of her attention, all of her anger, was focused on the undead upstart that had DARED to wound her.
With her righteous rage, the glow around her intensified. Soon, the streets of Bree was illuminated as if by the noonday sun. And yet, the Power still gathered, until the humans had to shield their eyes from the blinding silver light.
There was a roar. Then an explosion. Then abrupt darkness descended.
Arcadia still hovered there in midair, the silver glow of the Ginzuishou warred with the blackness of the Black Crystal across her aura. The Witch King, the Lord of the Nazgul, was but a pile of ashes before her.
*FLASH*
A tendril of energy smashed into the ground before CBY and Mg, sending the two flying backwards with the shockwave.
*FLASH*
Aragorn was knocked into the air, to land painfully on the ground near the stables of Bree.
*FLASH*
The inn next to Writerboy exploded inwards, raining debris upon him. Desperately, he threw himself out of the way using his TK. It was then that he noticed that Z-man and his pokemon were nowhere to be seen... along with the One Ring.
*FLASH*
The remaining eight Nazgul were collectively thrown back by the arc of pure Power. Seeing the fate of their leader, they backed away in retreat.
*FLASH*
Another building exploded, raining debris on the streets, and cutting off Aragorn's view of the battle. Deciding that there was nothing else he could do here, and that the Council must be told of these events, he painfully pulled himself to his feet and grabbed the nearest horse in the stables. Swinging himself onto the creature's back, he rode for the rear entrance of Bree.
Behind him, he could still hear the explosions as Arcadia lost control of the warring powers within her. With a final scream of pain, she rocketed headlong into the Shadows of a nearby building, disappearing along with her runaway power, and leaving behind an obliterated village and several heavily injured otherworldly travelers.
Written by WriterBoy 11-16-2002 10:12 PM
He flew down to the riding Ranger, matching the horse's stride.
"Going my way?"
"What was that?" Aragorn asked.
"I'm not sure, but I think you've got one less Nazgul to worry about. Z-Man got away, and I'm pretty sure he's got the Ring with him."
"This is bad news. I must get to Elrond."
"Say no more. I've got your back. Until I'm sure of Z's next move, my best bet is to stick with what's left of the Fellowship. I only hope Gandalf will make it to Rivendell in time."
It was about then that the extent of his injuries caught up with WriterBoy, and he passed out.
Written by Yeoman 11-16-2002 10:25 PM
Concentrating CBY felt events move. Aragron rides forth to Rivendell, and the Council of Elrond. The others of the Fellowship as well. Gandalf the Grey, still trapped at Isengard.
CBY: Hmm. . . The Istari might be able to shed some light on this. And the idea of fighting Saruman does has some ironic fun to it. Well to Isengard. Coming, Mg, or are you just going to continue to lay there?
Written by Mg_knt 11-16-2002 10:29 PM
*The vest made some funny sounds not unlike a modem.*
Mg: Tanith, we have big trouble on Middle Earth. I believe Z-man has the One Ring and killed some of the Fellowship. Me and CBY are heading towards Isengard to rescue Gandalf and interrogate Saruman.
Written by Yeoman 11-16-2002 10:35 PM
Written by Mg_knt 11-16-2002 10:38 PM
Written by WriterBoy 11-16-2002 10:31 PM
When he was certain they were not being pursued, either by the Nazgul or the other strangers, Aragorn laid the man on the road to assess his wounds. It was bad; even if he had some athelas on him, he never would be able to heal the damage. He scrounged through the man's strange belt, looking for something that might aid him. All he found was a befuddling parchment, several strange potions, and six red-and-white balls. Curiosity got the better of him, and he pressed the strange button on one of them.
The ball flew from his hands, opened, and shot out a beam of light that coalesced into a bizarre creature. Aragorn remembered it from the inn; the man had tried to use it to flee the place. The creature looked at Aragorn, then at its master. It jumped in shock and yelled, "Alakazam!" Aragorn remembered this as the creature's name. As he watched, entranced, the odd beast bent to its master, touched the arm, and said its name once more. Miraculously, power flowed from the creature, healing the man's arm. Bone and sinew reknit, blood coagulated, and the wound closed. The man's shallow breathing became regular. The creature sagged, worn out from the effort. For a reason he could not quite understand, Aragorn picked up the ball and pressed the button again. The creature vanished.
As the man slept, Aragorn rested and thought. Things were not turning out as Gandalf had planned. These new beings (and what were they? Surely nothing in the great lore of the Elves spoke of beings like this!) had changed the balance of power in Middle-Earth. The War was now even more uncertain.
After awhile, Aragorn hoisted the man back on his horse and continued to ride.
Written by Tanith 11-16-2002 10:42 PM
"We are aware of Z-man's current... condition, Mg. All of PaDT is on the lookout for him now, and I'd suspected the Ring would make him come back here."
Her hands flew across the panel before her as she looked over the sensor readings.
"That's... CBY with you? And what happened to Bree?"
Mg sighed as he looked around at the devastation. With terse words, he recounted the earlier events that had taken place. "I think Writerboy went after Aragorn. And I have no idea where the Nazgul or the strange girl went."
"I see." Tanith thought for a moment, before making a decision. "I can beam you two into the vicinity of Isengard. But the magical protections there prevent me from getting you any further than say... a day's trip out on foot. I'll beam down a hovercar for you though."
Written by Yeoman 11-16-2002 10:46 PM
With that, CBY brought out one of Terra-mars Modified VF1J Veritech's.
CBY: Shall we, Mg?
Written by Tanith 11-16-2002 10:56 PM
"Very well then. Watcher and I will make for Rivendell and speak with the council there. We'll be waiting for you there when you retrieve Gandalf."
With that, she closed the comm channel and turned to Watcher.
"Can you see where Aragorn and the Nazgul are? Is he in any danger?"
Using his clairsentience, Watcher peered down towards Middle Earth and shook his head. "Aragorn is injured, but the Nazgul aren't around. I think we should help them."
Tanith nodded in agreement. "Rommie? Do you have their position?"
"Affirmative," came the reply.
Tapping out the sequence of buttons to requisition the items she wanted into her pocketspace, Tanith made one final adjustment and gave the order. "Beam us down there, then."
With a shimmer, she and Watcher disappeared from the bridge of the Andromeda and into the wilderness of Middle Earth. They materialized to find themselves faced with the cold steel of Aragorn's sword.
"Who are you? Speak!"
Written by WriterBoy 11-16-2002 11:00 PM
"What's going... whoa!"
"Do you know these people?" Aragorn said, his sword held in front of him.
"Not personally, but I recognize the woman. She's cool. Tanith, right?"
"That's correct. And this is The Watcher, although probably not he version you're familiar with."
"Alternate reality?"
"Yes."
"I hate those. OK, Aragorn, they're all right. At least, in comparison to Z-Man. I take it you're our ride to Rivendell?"
Written by Tanith 11-16-2002 11:06 PM
Grudgingly, Aragorn put his sword away and let the strange woman tend to his wounds. Knowing that a medieval age man such as he would be suspicous of hi-tech devices, Tanith opted for the magical healing balms she had instead. Once she was sure all of Aragorn's wounds had all but disappeared, she took out her communicator.
"Beam us as close and you can to Rivendell without hitting its protections, Rommie."
With that, the world around them disappeared into the bright shimmer of the transporter beam.
Written by Yeoman 11-16-2002 10:54 PM
CBY: Okay, we're approaching. Launch the missles.
Mg: got it.
Launching the trademarked Macross Missle Masaacre the orc pits sourrounding the tower were decimated. The tower itsef was unharmed.
CBY: Hmmmm... must be magic. Oh well. Time to get you to Gandalf.
Mg: Okay, how are you going to get me down there?
CBY smiles and presses the eject button for the rear cockpit of the modified 1J.
CBY: Bye. heh.
With that done he switched to the fighters humanoid mode and blaseted down the tower's gates. Then charged in.
CBY: Oh Count Doooookuuuu. . . I'm heeeerrrreee!
Written by Mg_knt 11-16-2002 10:57 PM
*Mg turned to Gandalf and Mg request was beamed down to him.*
Gandalf:Who are you?
Mg:Just a soldier. Put the harness on, we are getting down from here.
Gandalf: I have already called the Windlord and how can I trust you?
Mg:I can get you to Rivendale faster and if I really wanted to kill you, you would be dead already.
Gandalf: That doesn't incur my trust.
Mg: Fine, I was sent here by Aragorn to get you out. He trusts me.
Gandalf: I know Aragorn wouldn't betray me and I sense the power of magic within you. I will trust you for now.
Mg: Then its settled.
*Mg kicked the harness to Gandalf. Gandalf hurridly put it on and Mg had to keep from laughing from the sight. Turning back to his work Mg secured a line to one of the towers prongs. Throwing the rope down, then Mg planted the explosives around the towers roof. Mg hooked his harness up to the line and then hooked Gandalf up. Drawing a gun in his left hand and gripping the rope in his right. Mg walked over to the edge of the tower. Suddenly a great eagle flew over the tower. Gandalf seemed to talk to the eagle for a bit and the eagle flew off. Mg returned to the towers edge and slowly got himself so that he was standing on the side of the tower looking straight down it. With a shout Mg ran down the tower shooting Orcs on his way down.*
Written by Yeoman 11-16-2002 11:05 PM 11-16-2002 11:09 PM
As CBY entered Saruman pushed him aside into the wall, sending him through the heavy stone.
S: You dare invade my Sanctum? Assault my tower?
CBY: Oh yeah, that hurt. Listen Dumbledore how about we just talk about... sucker!
CBY Sent the Istar flying back as well.
CBY: Oh, and how about some Force lightning scarecrow.
As CBY sent wave after wave of dark electricity at Saruman, the wizard rose to his feet.
CBY: That can't be good.
Drawing and igniting his lightsaber CBY rushed Saruman, only to have his swing blocked by his opponents staff.
CBY: I'm starting to think this was a bad idea.
CBY found himself being manhandled by Saruman as he was thrown around the tower by his magic. Finally being flung out the doors, he used his power to locate and bring something to him.
As Saruman followed the Chaos Bringer outside he found no sight of him. There was only a slightly damp, strangly marked black and white bear.
Panda: Growf.
Saruman: Where did he go? NO one could have gotten away so quicky.
Panda *holding a sign*: I'm just a Panda.
Written by Mg_knt 11-16-2002 11:37 PM
Written by Tanith 11-16-2002 11:36 PM
Aragorn spoke to his foster father first. "I bring ill news this day. I fear both the Ring and the ringbearer are lost to us. And much that was not foreseen now cloud the destiny of the One."
Elrond frowned, concerned. "The matter is dire indeed if you would speak so openly before these strangers. But before you speak further of this, tell me. Who are these strangely garbed folk that come with you? Folk that bear power that is beyond that of even Numenor at its height?"
"They are travelers, or so they say," replied Aragorn. "I know not *what* they are, only that their fates seem to be as closely twined with the One as ours are. To them also I owe my life, and 'tis with that trust did I deign to bring them here." He then gestured to each member of the group in turn. "This young man is know as Sir Writerboy. This is Lady Tanith and her compatriot, known as The Watcher."
Tanith took that to be her cue to speak. "It's true that it was the One Ring that brought us here, Lord Elrond. Sadly, it was one of my friends who had fallen under its corruptive influence. We would like to get our friend back, if possible, but we realize also the danger posed by the Ring and are prepared to help any way we can to destroy it. Already, two more of our allies are hopefully on their way here as well, along with Gandalf the Grey."
Elrond looked deeply into her eyes, then nodded. "My heart tells me that you are sincere, Lady Tanith. We will wait then, for the arrival of your friends and Mithrandir and for the Council of the Wise. But even before then, I would hear of this news that you bear, for your presences are strange indeed, and brings forth stranger tidings."
With a sweep of his arm, Elrond bade them to follow him deeper into Rivendel, where the full story of the Ring was pieced together once more by the four travelers.
Written by Z-man 11-16-2002 11:33 PM
A massive beam of pure cold managed to overwhelm the eagle's body and went on to strike Gandalf, pushing at the edge of his protections. Ice had already completely surrounded the king of the eagles, and Gandalf's shield was not far behind. Snowflakes covered the air in the area, keeping Mg from seeing what was going on.
The block of ice containing the lifeless body of the windlord began to plummet towards the ground, and Gandalf was able to, for the first time, almost make out his attacker. It was some kind of orange dragon, shooting ice out of his mouth in a blizzard attack. Its small wings beat at the air around it. And then everything disappeared, and Gandalf was falling. He was in the air above an endless expanse of water, and didn't know where he was.
Only one person knew where Gandalf was now. It wasn't Middle Earth, that Z-man knew. If he had killed Gandalf, it wouldn't be long before he returned.
But he could bet that not even Gandalf could return from another dimension, especially one where he was nowhere near the only island in that world. Dragonite and him teleported out.
Written by Yeoman 11-16-2002 11:42 PM
Written by Mg_knt 11-16-2002 11:45 PM
Mg: Vest detonate explosives.
*The top of Isengard exploded in a rain of debris.*
Written by Yeoman 11-16-2002 11:48 PM
Rommie: Yes.
CBYPanda: Growf.
Rommie: What's that?
CBYPanda: Growf.
Rommie: You're headed for Rivendell?
CBYPanda: Groooowf. Growf.
Rommie: You've destoryed the Orc Pits, but you lost Gandalf and need me to recover him, possibly from some other dimension?
CBYPanda: Growf.
Rommie: Who is this Timmy and what was he doing near a well?
Written by Tanith 11-16-2002 11:56 PM
While the blizzard summoned by Z-man's dragonite might have blinded a human observer, Rommie's sensors had no problem piercing it. With perfect clarity, she detected the minor dimensional shift that transported the falling wizard to another dimension.
With effortless speed and precision, Rommie transfered the full powers of her effector system into her transporter system and punched through the metaphysical protections around Isengard. It helped her efforts immensely that Saruman was distracted from effectively holding up his defenses around the tower, and that Orthanc itself had been partially damaged by the attack. She deftly caught the giant eagle that Z-man had downed, and beamed its broken body into one of her hangar bays. Although the bird was severely wounded, she could detect that it was still alive. Immediately, she informed Serra of her new patient.
At the same time, she also traced the teleportation signal, cutting across dimensions with her more powerful sensors until she located the wizard on an out-of-the-way dimension. Keeping a sensor and transporter lock on him, she contacted Mg and CBY on their communicators.
"I do believe you gentlemen have lost a wizard. Fortunately, I was able to maintain a lock on him. Where should I beam him to?"
A low growl came over the comm, which she interpreted easily enough.
"Very well. I shall beam him directly over to your vessel."
A scant moment later, Gandalf found himself suddenly transported mid-fall once more next to the strange young man from before. He looked around cautiously, noting the strange flying contraption they were in. But they seemed to be headed toward Rivendel, and that was good enough for him.
Meanwhile, Rommie made a call to Tanith, who immediately asked Lord Elrond for permission to allow CBY's vessel to land. Although puzzled by her request, Elrond acquiesced.
Written by Yeoman 11-16-2002 11:59 PM
Panda: Growf.
Sign: Got any hot water?
Written by WriterBoy 11-17-2002 12:01 AM
WriterBoy had seen enough movies to know how to respond.
"Well, there's something you don't see every day."
Written by Mg_knt 11-17-2002 12:02 AM
*Mg rummaged around for his pack of cigerettes. He finally found it and lit up.*
Written by Tanith 11-17-2002 12:06 AM
CBY, still in panda form, looked at her quizzically. "Growf?"
"I'd rather not have to explain the Jusenkyo curses to them," she told him. "We have enough things to explain as it is. There's no reason to add unneccessary complexity to things."
With that, the she left the craft, soon followed by a still wet CBY, who had changed into a new set of clothes in record time. They followed Gandalf and Elrond into the latter's sanctums again. They waited politely for Gandalf to finish recounting the treachery of Saruman and his unorthodox rescue, before Tanith turned to the two men. Or rather, Mg. With a thought, she turned his cigarrette into smoke.
"Report."
Written by Mg_knt and Yeoman
CBY: We also took out the Uruk-Hai pits for the most part. And I think Saruman is mad.
Mg: Oh yeah, I sorta blew the roof on Isengard and I have orc blood on my clothes. Do you understand how much orc blood reeks? I really hate Middle Earth.
CBY: They might have been Goblins. Weren't there goblins at Isengard?
Mg: I don't know. I was shooting them too quickly to do any identfication. Maybe we should go back and look?
CBY: We could always have Andromeda to a DNA test from the blood on your clothes.
Mg: That isn't any fun. I think we should go back and capture a live one. Then we can run program Mew on it in the Andromeda's holo-deck.
CBY: Okay, you go back and get in range of the demi-god we ticked off. I'll stay here.
Mg: How about we capture the demi-god and put him in the holo-deck while program Mew is running. I think that would be a much more fun experiment....
CBY: Riiiight. You do that. So Elrond, where's the grub at?
Written by Tanith 11-17-2002 12:47 AM
"You speak of that strange tale of Arda from your land?" Elrond asked.
Tanith nodded. "Yes, it all fits. So far, the only ones who've been attack are those who were of the Fellowship. Z-man has not even tried to harm anyone else, even though they might have posed a bigger danger to Z-man." She paused and looked at Writerboy. "Well, not directly, at any rate."
Elrond sighed and stood. "Your words do strike true, Lady Tanith. Fortunately, if it be true, the remaining walkers that you speak of in this... 'fellowship'... are now all within the sheltered borders of Rivendell. And here, my power shall protect them."
"For now, perhaps," Tanith replied. "But if the One Ring is not destroyed soon, Sauron will march against the rest of Middle-earth. If that happens, Rivendell might not remain safe."
"Which is why we must find this Z-man and destroy the Ring," Gandalf said firmly.
Elrond held up a hand. "That seems to be the wisest course. But yet, I cannot speak for a decision that shall become the doom of all the free races of Arda. Let us wait until the Council that I have called upon the morrow. The decision must be made there."
Tanith frowned. "We will not have to repeat the whole tale, would we? For one thing, it would take far too long. For another, I don't think most of the people there would fully grasp what we and Z-man represent."
"Indeed. Even a wizard as I do not fully understand the design that Eru has wrought in bringing you forth." Gandalf smiled wryly. "I think that a shorter version of your tale would be more suited for the Council's ears."
Tanith inclined her head to the wizard. "Of course."
Elrond stood. "Then it is decided. We shall speak more at the Council. For now, you may rest here in the sanctuary of Imladris. I am sure your warriors would prefer to clean themselves of the taint of their battle."
With that, the impromptu meeting dispersed, as various servants led the people to their rooms for the night.
Written by Metaphysician 11-17-2002 07:28 AM
Elf: "There is a man requesting entry to Rivendell outside. He looks somewhat like you, and claims to be an associate. Shall we let him in?"
Written by Tanith 11-17-2002 10:08 AM
"In garb and manner of speech," clarified the elf. "Lord Elrond has spoken to the stranger, and he has asked for your presence, milady."
"Ah. I see." Tanith got to her feet from where she had been sitting on the balcony overlooking the Brunein. She also put away the communicator that she had been using to discuss the current situation and make future plans with Rommie. "Lead the way then, Master...?"
"I am called Erestor, Lady."
In silence, the two walked to the gates of Imladris, where Elrond stood in conversation with another man. Tanith immediately recognized him.
"Meta? What are you doing here?"
A quick look around told her that her sister was nowhere around. So this must be the Metaphysician from her own world.
Elrond, in the meanwhile, raised a dignified eyebrow. "I take it you know this man?"
"Ah, yes. He's a friend, milord," Tanith replied. "I will vouch for his presence here."
"Very well. I shall have the servants prepare quarters for him also." As Elrond turned to leave, he shot Tanith one last wry look. "Perhaps it would be wise to tell me now, Lady Tanith, just how many more of these strangers from your homeland have yet to grace the gates of Imladris."
Tanith flushed. "Ah... I don't think that any more will be arriving." Inwardly, she winced. I hope.
As Elrond left, Meta fell into step alongside Tanith. She looked at him curiously. "So....?"
Written by Metaphysician 11-17-2002 11:47 AM
"I received the transmission regarding Z-Mage, and decided I'd take a look into the matter. I could sense the teleportation screen present around Bree, and figured that was the best place to check out. Unfortunately, I tried to 'port in outside the barrier right when this mysterious girl with incredible powers blew up. The massive energy release threw my teleport off course."
*Looks over somewhat ragged appearance*
"Lets just say I confirmed that there are still a couple dragons in the far north of Middle Earth. . . albeit one less than before."
Written by Tanith 11-17-2002 05:03 PM
"Damn straight," said Meta. "What's our next step?"
"The Council, actually," Tanith told him. "This is their world after all. The people here should have a say in things." She paused and looked at her timepiece. "I do believe it will start soon. Shall we?"
With Meta following after her, Tanith led the way toward the place were the Council of Elrond would take place.
