Frodo Baggins (theseabell) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2014-04-28 07:47:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, frodo baggins, kitty pryde (shadowcat), merrill, obi-wan kenobi, samwise gamgee |
Who: Merrill, Samwise, Kitty, Obi-Wan, and Frodo
When: Back in February, when the ring was destroyed
Where: Marcus Island, near Japan
What: Rescue mission
Rating/Warning: PG, for guns and endangerment
Status: Complete
The time between his final moments on the volcano and where he was now had varying degrees of haziness. No doubt Frodo had suffered some memory loss, marked by the gash and bruise on his head. He’d woken up on a fishing boat with days unaccounted for. And because he didn’t speak the language of the crew, more days passed with little to no understanding of what had happened after he slipped from Samwise’s grasp and the portal closed.
But the Ring was gone. And there were no missing fingers this time.
Unfortunately, more of his physical person, perhaps is life, seemed at stake when the fishermen dumped him on a small island off of mainland Japan. Frodo didn’t have to speak the language to understand that they wanted an explanation. What was he doing in the middle of the ocean? Why was his clothing scorched? Unfortunately, Frodo couldn’t very tell them about the Ring and Mount Doom and his fated mission. More unfortunately, that was exactly what he attempted to do. So now he was locked in some sort of holding cell at a commercial airport, awaiting… he had no idea what. He only knew that everyone made “cuckoo” hand motions whenever they looked at him.
Kitty had picked up everyone she could, decloaking the Blackbird over Frodo’s beach and lowering it down so that Merrill, Sam and Obi could board it. Then once they were strapped in, she’d taken off and made a beeline towards Japan. High enough that they could see the curve of the earth where the planet met space, and the glow of the atmosphere. It was beautiful and quiet up there.
“Should be another thirty minutes before we’re there,” she said, turning on the autopilot. Cross the Pacific in an hour? Why not!
Merrill was clutching the armrest on her seat. It would have been a beautiful and impressive scene if she weren't so stressed--not to mention vaguely nauseated. "I can't believe.." She was looking out the window, her color a bit green. "This really is fast," she said. She wasn't really sure what they would find when they got to Marcus Island. She hadn't been able to ask Frodo if he was all right, or if he needed her to bring anything specific.
When Sam had gotten the call from Frodo, part of him had still felt like it was a dream even afterwards. He’d been thinking about the man who, in the dreams, was his best friend and who he was supposed to have looked after, so much that it was entirely possible that he could have dreamt the whole phone conversation. But then Merrill had told him that she knew where he was and he doubted that they both would have dreamt a phone call from him on the same night. When Sam saw the message from Merrill, he was in his truck even before he’d messaged her back, determined to go with her to get him.
As they flew, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, having seen how tightly her fingers had held the arm rest, “The faster it is, the quicker we’ll be there. The sooner you’ll be able to see him.” Truthfully, he was feeling a little nauseous from the speed of the jet as well, but he wasn’t going to let it show.
With no attempt to be stealthy, Obi-Wan followed in his Interceptor. He hadn’t informed Merrill that he would be tailing them, but there was no chance he’d be able to hide his ship from Kitty’s technology. If she spilled the beans, so be it. He’d rather keep Frodo’s family safe now and be scolded later, if Merrill so chose.
She would have locked weapons, except she recognized the ship. Kitty swiveled in her seat and glanced back at the other two. There were first aid kits on board and she was prepared to call up Faiza if she had to, but she didn’t know what to expect either. “Did he say anything specific?”
Merrill shook her head, and immediately regretted the movement as her stomach rolled. "All he said was Marcus and island. The line was bad." There had been a few gaps. She was counting on him meaning Marcus Island, and not 'Met a guy named Marcus on Rhode Island'. "It's a very small island, if I remember my history correctly. It shouldn't be hard to find him."
Sam looked from Merrill to Kitty, “I hope not.” He just wanted to not have to worry anymore or feel like he’d failed Frodo and Merrill, “By the way, can anyone speak Japanese?” It was probably a good question, seeing as how they were going to Japan and all and there was every chance that the people they would be encountering may not speak English.
...If they did speak English, they refused to do so. Frodo assumed then they spoke in his presence, they were commenting on his size. ‘Look at the little British man!’ He felt very much like an animal on display. What Frodo wanted to understand more than anything were their reasons for keeping him like a prisoner. They fed him and treated him well, but showed no signs of letting him out of his cell...
“Wa kanari ryucho na n da.” Kitty said. I’m pretty fluent. She flashed a grin, because hey she was a bit of a show off when she got a chance to be. She cracked her knuckles and said in English. “If we’re lucky it won’t be an issue.”
"That's good. I don't think Dalish would get us very far." Merrill spoke Russian, too, but she didn't think that would be useful in this part of the world.
“And I just speak English.” Sam was glad that someone would understand what was going on once they reached Japan and Frodo, “How much longer?” Sam was getting antsy the longer it took to get there.
Kitty swiveled and looked at the controls. “Two minutes, hold on to your asses.” She took the plane off of autopilot and started their descent. Steeper than she would have liked but it meant they’d spend less time visible than they would have otherwise. She wished Rachel her her powers, this would have been easier. “We need to figure out where Frodo is, sneak in, and sneak out.”
It was Merrill's lunch that she should have been holding onto. She'd brought snacks, and she quickly dumped them out of the sack and used it as a makeshift vomit bag. Kitty might find a few crackers on the floor, but it would be less mess than the alternative.
Sam’s stomach rolled as Kitty started the landing process, but luckily, he didn’t get sick like Merrill. That would have been embarrassing; especially since Sam didn’t have a makeshift vomit bag like Merrill did, “God you must have an iron stomach.” He said in Kitty’s direction.
“You kidding? I’m a founding member of the Dangerous Sports Club,” Kitty said. She started a scan, hoping that there’d be something different about Frodo that they could lock on to. He wasn’t a mutant, but maybe his biosignature was more alien than human.
Obi-Wan’s own stomach turned at the sight of Kitty’s flight technique. He flew the same way he drove, like an old man. Poor, Merrill, he thought, sensing her discomfort even from this distance.
Merrill tied off the bag, hoping the worst was over. She didn't feel much relief, but maybe if she closed her eyes she could make it until they landed. She wasn't much good for carrying on a conversation like this. And to think she used to love roller coasters.
As they descended, Sam’s fingers held onto the arms of the seat tighter than they had before and he closed his eyes, hoping that might make the sinking feeling lessen. He’d flown plenty of times and he was glad that Kitty had never been the pilot of any of those flights.
Obi-Wan closed the gap between them, trusting that Kitty was well-aware of his presence. Once they landed, he would reveal himself to Merrill...and whoever the other lifesign was onboard. Frodo’s own bio-signal was growing stronger, now that they were on the island.
Kitty winced. “Sorry guys. Okay, we’re over the island, but the computers aren’t seeing anything unusual. We’re probably going to have to search the hard way.” Unless their follower had better sensors, which was likely. She brought the plane into a hover, then landed it, still cloaked.
Merrill reminded herself how lucky she was that Kitty's plane could land without a large runway, since they didn't have access to one here. Even though she'd prepared to be dropped off at the nearest airport she hadn't known how she would've gotten to the island without Kitty. "It's fine," Merrill assured Kitty, still looking a little green.
As the plane landed, Sam sat there for a moment or two, using the time to compose himself before he finally stood up, “Still not picking anything up?” He asked, glancing from Merrill, wishing there was something he could do to make her feel better then to Kitty.
Obi-Wan ship didn’t need a runway, either, although it couldn’t pull off Kitty’s direct descent. It descended from the clouds at a sharp angle before pulling up by some trees. It landed neatly. The bubble rose and he climbed out, ready to force himself onto their team.
“Obi-wan Kenobi, you need to be sneakier than that for me to not notice,” Kitty said. She lowered the gangplank. “Okay, lets go meet our shadow and find ourselves a hobbit.”
Merrill blinked, her brow furrowed as she straightened up. "Obi?" She turned around, surprised.
Sam knew who Obi-Wan was, mostly because of Padme, but he’d never met the other man. He probably would have at some point since they both knew Padme, but now he didn’t have to wait until Padme had some sort of get together or something. Once the gangplank was lowered, Sam made his way down, happy to be on solid ground again.
Obi-Wan jogged over to them, testing his lightsaber along the way. The blue blade glowed for a second and was retracted. It had been a long time since he’d last used it for anything other than training. “Mind if I join your party?” he asked, quite serious.
“Never,” Kitty said, pulling on a pair of leather gloves. She didn’t bother with her mask, no one else had. “Tell me your sensors are better than mine?”
“I highly doubt that.” Obi-wan shook his head. “Maybe I can sense…”
Kitty nodded, and cracked her fingers. She sobered up a little, now wasn’t the time to make jokes about Jedi Bloodhounds.
Merrill's face softened when she saw her friend. She knew better than to hug a battle-ready man with a weapon, so she held back the instinct. She also told herself that they were here on a serious mission, and it wasn't the time to start crying. She was a competent elven mage, dammit! So in the end, she stood there awkwardly.
Sam stood with Merrill, watching Kitty and Obi-Wan as he did. He wasn’t really sure what he was going to do now that they were there, but if he’d stayed behind then he would have been wondering what was happening the entire time and wouldn’t have gotten anything done until he heard from Merrill or Frodo or someone to be assured that he had been found. “So….does anyone sense anything?” He didn’t really know how this whole sensing thing worked, but Jedi were supposed to be good at it, weren’t they?
...What Obi-Wan must have sensed was a great deal of commotion, fear, and frustration, because Frodo was currently being pulled from his cell and shackled. And now he was being dragged down a hallway with a gun in his ribs. The uniformed men were tightlips, ignoring Frodo’s questions. Why this sudden interest in him? Where was he going now?...
Obi-Wan, whose eyes had been tightly closed, pointed into the trees. They were on the wrong side of the woods, but Frodo wasn’t far. But, more pressing, there were people coming toward them. Soldiers and weapons. He explained it all as quickly as he could and moved protectively to Merrill’s side. “You’re not armed, are you?”
Merrill picked up the twisted staff that had been leaning against a tree. "This isn't for walking," she told him. There was a joke about a song in there, but this wasn't the time. It occurred to her that Obi hadn't ever seen her use magic.
A claw popped out of a bracer on Kitty’s left wrist as she moved in front of Merril and Sam, between them and the trees. She scanned the tree line with her eyes and shifted her feet into a ready stance. “You guys go find Frodo, I’ll play distract-the-guards.”
Unlike everyone else, Sam was not armed. Yes, he’d gotten a sword from his dreams, but he hadn’t exactly used it, so it was the last thing he’d thought of when he’d left the house to join the rescue party, “I think that sounds like a good idea. I’m totally fine with going in the opposite direction from the guys with the guns.”
Obi-Wan looked over his shoulder at Sam, realizing that perhaps Merrill wasn’t the one in need of protecting after all. He tightened his grip on his saber and used his other hand to gesture to the ships. “Alright. Use the starcraft for cover while Kitty plays in her dangerous sports whatever-it-is.” He waved them on and began jogging. Kitty had this. “I’ll meet you up ahead.”
“Good luck.” Kitty nodded at them and took off at a run. She wasn’t going to hurt anyone, she promised. Much.
Merrill started after Obi, thankful that it was easier to run in these clothes than in her Dalish vestments. She kept her head low, glancing back to make sure Sam was with them. She hoped they wouldn't have to run very far.
Sam nodded then headed off with Merrill and Obi-Wan. He was anxious to get away from the men with the guns and to find Frodo.
Obi-Wan was also anxious to get away from the guns, because a Jedi does not a cloaking device make. His only hope was that Kitty could keep the security force distracted long enough to get them to the other side of the trees. A Jedi, however, is a serviceable guide in unfamiliar places. He was locked onto Frodo’s lifesign now and the Force guided him onward. And onward.
And onward. Until they came out on the other side. There they found themselves facing a small airstrip beside a seaport, where a large fishing vessel was docked. A siren wailed as more men with guns ran about. He held out his arm to bring Merrill and Samwise to a halt. Frodo was inside one of the buildings for certain, but getting to him was going to be difficult.
Merrill stopped, ducking behind a tree out of sight from whatever men were ahead. She was grateful for the chance to catch her breath. She wondered if Kitty was the one responsible for the sirens.
...With the tight pinch of a hand on the back of his neck, Frodo found himself forced to lean over a computer screen. He knew he was looking at grainy security footage and the camera was pointed somewhere outside. For the first time in days, he could see the sky, even if it was in black and white. One of the guards pointed again and again at the screen, shouting some very demanding-sounding Asian language, none of which Frodo could comprehend. But one of the figures standing outside was his wife…
Obi-Wan had pinned down which building Frodo was inside: a small, windowless security bunker. He also began to sense that the man was in some heightened distress, if not immediate danger.
There were three armed guards roaming the air strip.
Merrill didn't have the ability to sense her husband, but if Obi had led them here, she knew he was close. She was having difficulty being patient. It was time to move.
She couldn't do blood magic, but she knew other spells. She chanted a few words and waved her staff, and the armed guards fell into what appeared to be (but was likely not) a peaceful sleep. Merrill turned to Obi for the next move.
Obi-Wan pulled back his shoulders, looking quite astonished before he turned back to Merrill with a smile. "That'll do."
Lifting a hand and narrowing his eyes, he used the Force to loosen one of the fallen men's grasp on his weapon. It floated toward them, to Samwise, specifically. " I'd feel better if you were at least holding this. You can go in or stay here. I don't know what we'll find."
Sam was out of breath by the time they reached the clearing where the buildings were and he watched as Merrill put the guards to sleep. When the gun floated towards him, he took hold of it, testing the weight of it in his hands. He’d never held a gun before, but then again, before the sword had arrived from his dreams, he’d never held one of those either, “I’m not staying out here. I need to make sure he’s okay.”
Kitty’s voice crackled over Obi-wan’s comms. “One group down. I’m going to set up an alarm and that should draw everyone to me.”
Merrill approached the building with the small band of heroes. She didn't have any way to work locks, and the bunker certainly looked secure. "I miss Varric," she said.
Obi-Wan held his saber ready, just in case any of the guards was only taking a catnap. He knelt down beside the door and closed his eyes; he would have looked peaceful except for his tightly knit brow. His fingers moved gently in the air, as if he was rewiring a circuit but not touching anything. Suddenly, the lock clicked and the door slid open.
Sam stood aside with Merrill, gun at the ready just in case he needed to use it, all the while he watched Obi-Wan as the Jedi worked to unlock the door. As the doors slid open, he held up the gun in case any other guards were on the other side. “You know where he is?” He asked the older man when it was obvious that the coast was clear. For now.
Just then, alarms blared throughout the compound, and machinegun fire was heard several hundred yards away. Spotlights all pointed in that direction and boots pounded on the ground to respond!
Obi-Wan wasn’t sure if he should be grateful to Kitty or worry about her. He looked heavenward, hoped she had a few more lives left, and decided to take advantage of the distraction. “This way,” he said, gesturing as he started down the corridor.
Everyone had a role to play. Merrill didn't know Kitty, but second-guessing the abilities of her companions would only hinder their efforts. She followed behind Obi, her staff at the ready. Every muscle in her body was tense, knowing how close they were to the end of their quest. Her husband could be behind any corner!
As he followed Obi-Wan and Merrill, Sam wanted to ask the older man if he had any idea where in this building Frodo was, but he knew that the best thing he could do was stay quiet. Their footsteps were already making enough noise, they didn’t need to add their voices to the mix and give themselves away completely even if he was pretty sure that they’d have soldiers on them eventually anyway. He simply followed, keeping his gun at the ready in case he needed to use it.
“Guys.” Kitty’s voice crackled over the comms once more. “You’ve got maybe three minutes tops to find him and get him to the Blackbird. They’ve figured out something’s up and I’m running out of ways to keep them busy without hurting anybody.” Much.
...Frodo didn’t need to understand any foreign languages to know that his captors were growing impatient. It was pretty easy to translate a smack across the jaw. He bit his cheek by accident, drawing blood. Or perhaps he was tightening his lips on purpose, now that he had seen his wife among his would-be rescuers…
Obi-Wan began to run down the hall, taking the lead as he concentrated on each door they passed. The base was a small one--and there was decidedly more going on here than merely fishing. Most of the rooms were empty. He imagined Kitty had drawn the soldiers to herself like venom from a wound.
At last, the Jedi skidded to a stop in front of a particular door. “In here!”
Merrill grabbed the door handle, shaking it to find it locked. The handle turned to stone without her really meaning to. Another shake and the brittle rock crumbled.
Sam watched as Merrill grabbed the handle and in the moment that it took him to feel distress at the door being locked with Frodo on the other side, he watched as the handle crumbled in her hand, “Woah. That’s...pretty handy.”
There were about a dozen men surrounding Kitty. She weaved through them like a leaf on the wind, dropping half of them before she sprinted for cover. When they rounded the corner after her, it was a dead end and she was no where to be found.
On the other side of the wall, Kitty continued to run, making her way to the Blackbird to power it up and get it ready to leave. “Two minutes!”
Obi-Wan chose not to engage his lightsaber as he burst into the room. This was strictly a rescue mission and this was a small space. They didn’t need to complicate things for whoever might one day view the security tapes. Actually, for good measure, a gentle twist of the wires with the Force and the cameras sparked before darkening.
Frodo was short enough to duck beneath the ensuing, old-fashioned fisticuffs.
Perhaps not so old-fashioned. When she saw Frodo’s distress, Merrill’s eyes darkened. A cloud of smoke began to fill the room, and her husband’s captives began to cough. One of them lunged at Obi-Wan, but he was moving much slower than normal. The other looked confused, and suddenly quite tired as he reached for his gun. The smoke didn’t seem to be affecting Merrill’s friends at all.
Seeing Frodo, for the first time in weeks, Sam felt as if a weight had lifted, but not completely. They still had to get Frodo and get out of there, so there wasn’t cause for celebration just yet. Watching the men as they started coughing, Sam’s eyes scanned each one, knowing he shouldn’t let his guard down just yet. As one guard went for his gun, Sam lifted his own and fired. The bullet hit the wall behind the man, but it was clear that he hadn’t expected that and Sam used it to his advantage and rushed forward, hitting the man in the face with the butt of his gun.
Obi-Wan watched the anemic swing past before his face before the aggressor fell to the ground. He was somewhat bemused and looked it as he reached down to pull Frodo back to his feet. "Your wife's got some arm."
"Don't I know it, " said Frodo, moving toward her with open arms of his own. "And Sam, you are here, too!"
Merrill hugged Frodo, poised to support his weight if needed. "We should go," she told him, not ready to celebrate yet. They couldn't be sure what was waiting for them just outside.
“There was never a question of whether or not I’d come,” Sam smiled, happy to see his friend. He’d been so worried about Frodo for the last couple of weeks. When Merrill spoke, he nodded, “That’s probably a good idea. We can celebrate on the way back.” If they didn’t get air sick again, that is.
Without word, Obi-Wan herded them from the little room. If Kitty was right about those two minutes, they had to get moving. Frodo stole a second to throw his arms around Sam, as well, but he knew better when it came to his Jedi friend.
From a seemingly empty space in the air, a pair of red beams shot out, briefly illuminating the nose of the jet as Kitty blew a hole in a wall. The entire jet shimmered into view as she hovered it over where Obi-wan and company were waiting.
"So much for not leaving a footprint, " muttered Obi-Wan, a little annoyed, but it was cancelled out by relief that Kitty was okay. He turned to Merrill and the others, his red hair whipping around wildly under the airstream of the jets. "Everyone up and on." He still had to make it back to his own ship.
With one arm around Frodo, Merrill moved toward the plane. As the hatch opened, she glanced around for any other waves of enemies. "Do you need help up?" she called over the sound of the engine.
Sam followed Merrill and Frodo, glancing around as well, gun held at the ready just in case. Truthfully, Sam couldn’t wait to put the gun down and put this whole experience behind him. He didn’t regret coming along and wouldn’t have changed that, but he also had never thought he’d ever fire a gun.
Taking a step back, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and lifted his hands. Master Yoda had taught him that lifting an object of great size, such as a ship, or in this case, at trio of people, was no different than lifting an apple. It was time to put that training to good use.
As her feet left the ground, Merrill glanced sharply down. It was a smooth, gentle lift, but she found herself wobbling from being taken off guard. The trip up to the plane was short, and she was relieved she didn't fall over when she 'landed' in the jet
Sam had never experienced anything like the lift up to the plane and at first he was taken off guard, but he tried not to panic too much as his feet left the ground and he was lifted up into the plane, “Well, I guess I can check that off of the list of things I never, in a million years, thought would ever happen to me.” Whether he was talking about the whole experience on the island or being lifted up into the plane, the others could make their own guess.
Frodo had always known his friend Obi had supernatural powers, but he had rarely seen them put to use, let alone on himself. He landed softly on the firm floor of the jet and made it to the window just in time to see the man disappear back into the trees. “Will he be alright on his own?” he shouted in the direction of Kitty at the helm.
“He took his own ride,” Kitty called back, the hatch closing as she lifted the jet higher into the air. It rippled and disappeared from view. This time she shot straight out over the ocean, fast, but without the sudden shot up like before.
Merrill hugged her husband, relief finally washing over her. They were safe and away. Her stomach lurched with the jet's movement, but that was a small price to pay. "We're going home. And Sam, Kitty, you're staying for dinner."
Sam smiled as he watched Merrill and Frodo hug, moving to take his seat from earlier as the jet moved then turned towards them, “Tell me that after all of this you’re not gonna make dinner for everyone.” Merrill and Frodo deserved some time alone after the rescue, but at the same time, he wasn’t going to argue with Merrill. She was obviously ecstatic about having Frodo back and if she wanted to have them over for dinner to celebrate then who was he to decline?
*I'm sure Carson will be more than happy to put together dinner for us." Frodo knew his butler would appreciate the opportunity to do it for once. He himself had no intention of standing between anyone and dinner. He was absolutely starving.