Solid Frodo: Hobbit Espionage Action

Chapter 9: The Shadow in a World of Lights

What they found on the other side of the door was absolutely horrifying. Slaughtered guards littered the floor; their blood spattered everywhere. They all appeared to have been slashed with a sword.

"Oh...this is almost worse than the field of Pelennor!" Pippin gasped, shrinking away from the sight.

Up ahead, a guard staggered around the corner and gasped, "It’s...it’s a ghost!" And then he too collapsed, adding one more body to the carnage.

The other three Hobbits said nothing, all uniformly disgusted. Sam covered his nose to keep out the smell.

Unfortunately, their goal was ahead, and they had to walk through this hallway of the dead. So they went forward, picking their way through the bodies as carefully as they could. For now, they wished Hobbits wore shoes; there was no way to avoid getting blood on their bare feet. Merry mindlessly picked up a box of FA-MAS bullets that sat nearby.

The turn in the hallway brought into view something even more terrible than the hallway. A guard looked to be floating in the air, twitching, as if he were impaled on a stake...but there was no stake to be seen. Suddenly the air below the guard flickered and the metal creature appeared. He flicked the Man off his blade, then slashed open the door to the next room and disappeared through it.

The Hobbits all shuddered; Sam and Pippin looked to be trying to keep their food down.

Frodo noticed that on the radar, the guard wasn’t dead. He looked down at him, and saw it was true; he was still breathing, still moving. But he wasn’t long for this world. Frodo was torn; he didn’t want the Big Person to suffer, but there was only one way to stop that, and that was something he didn’t want either. He wished he still had the Phial of Galadriel...it might have at least made the Man feel less pain.

"Frodo, come on!" Merry said, snapping Frodo out of his thoughts. He muttered an apology to the Big Person, then followed Merry through the broken doorway.

Inside, the metal creature was pointing his sword at one very very frightened Big Person, the one the Hobbits thought was Dr. Emmerich.

"Where is my friend?" the metal Big Person demanded.

Dr. Emmerich made frightened noises and backed into a wall. He was so scared he wet himself. "What...what are you talking about?" Then Dr. Emmerich looked beyond the metal Big Person and, upon seeing the Hobbits, cried, "What next!?" and hid himself in a locker that was right next to him.

The metal creature turned and almost said something, but stopped. "You aren’t Snake," he growled finally.

The Hobbits looked at him with not a little fear. "No," Frodo said, "we aren’t...but...you were the one that cut off Ocelot’s hand, right?"

The Big Person nodded. "And you were the one...you feel familiar somehow."

"What’s going on, Mister Frodo?" Sam whispered in Frodo’s ear.

Frodo looked over at Sam. "I don’t know, but he does feel familiar."

"He does," Merry agreed unexpectedly. "Like we’d met him or something like him before."

The metal person interrupted them. "Perhaps you can make me feel it, make me feel alive again!"

"Who are you?" Frodo asked.

"Neither enemy nor friend. I am back from a world where such words are meaningless. I came to do battle with Snake...but perhaps you will do instead."

"Me?!" Frodo asked, shocked.

"Yes...just you and me, to the death!"

Sam jumped in front of Frodo and unsheathed his sword. "Oh no you don’t! You’ll have to get through me first!"

But before Merry or Pippin could echo the sentiment, and even before Frodo could get his own blade out, the metal Big Person did a front flip over their heads and landed behind Frodo. He grabbed him and held his long blade to Frodo’s throat.

"Just this one and myself. No obstacles. Maybe in this my soul can find respite."

They heard Dr. Emmerich moan, "What...what’s with these guys? ...It’s like one of my Japanese animés...."

The metal person motioned with his head. "You three, in there with him!"

The three free Hobbits slowly backed away from Frodo and the Big Person. "Sir...!" Sam said, clearly not wanting to leave him. Frodo gulped and nodded ever so slightly, very aware of the sharp, cold steel on his neck. Sam flapped his arms in frustration, then the three Hobbits turned and ran, clambering into the locker and over the top of Dr. Emmerich.

Emmerich shouted something about not being a welcome mat and shut the door. Sam demanded, "Why’d you do that? What is that thing?"

He answered, "I don’t know...he’s like a ninja or something! And I closed the door so we wouldn’t get hurt!"

"But my master’s out there with that thing!"

Merry replied, "We did what we had to do, Sam! None of us want to be in here."

"Except for this guy," Pippin commented, holding his nose. "I hope you brought a change of clothes, Dr. Emmerich."

As soon as the locker was shut, the metal ninja released Frodo. Frodo jumped away, rubbing his throat. Then he looked up at the Big Person with the one glowing eye and said, "I can’t fight you!"

"You have no choice." The ninja pointed his long, curved blade at Frodo.

Not knowing what else to do, Frodo drew Sting and held it in front of him. The metal ninja slashed at Frodo once, and the Hobbit dodged nimbly back, managing to parry the blow with Sting. Both swords rang, and Sting almost seemed to glow.

Then the Man slashed again, downward, and Frodo barely managed to bring Sting overhead. Again the blades clashed, but the ninja was very strong and bore down on Frodo, forcing him to his knees. Again, Frodo shouted, "I can’t fight you!"

The ninja flicked his blade away, allowing Frodo to stand. "And why not?" the metal creature demanded.

Frodo backed up several steps, and sheathed Sting. He wondered why this person was so bent on fighting with him that he couldn’t see the obvious mismatch. There wasn’t much he could do against this ninja, he felt; he was bigger, stronger, by far faster, and he already knew he could turn invisible. He blinked. Turn invisible...

"Maybe I can fight you," Frodo answered, quickly pulling the fine silver chain and the Ring with it over his head. The ninja paused, and Frodo could feel a wary curiosity from him. Then, steeling himself, Frodo set the One Ring on his finger.

As it had every time before, the world turned misty, with little shape. He heard the ninja gasp, and Frodo took the opportunity to run away from him, to gather his wits. Looking around, he saw white fire flowing through walls and the strange boxes on vague desks. He drew Sting, glad there were no Orcs about to give the blade away. Then he caught sight of his hand. There was the Ring, blazing like a flame, but his hand...it didn’t look the way he had expected it to, not the way it had the last time he had worn the Ring. It glowed, like the light of an Elf who had seen the Two Trees, but much much paler, as a candle might be to an enormous bonfire. He looked down at himself and realized all of him was glowing like that. "What is this?! How did this happen?" Gandalf had never told him about this one of the far less obvious permanent effects of his brush with becoming a wraith that he had observed in Rivendell; neither had Sam, when he had noticed it once or twice.

"Where are you!" the ninja called, apparently hearing Frodo but unable to see him. Frodo looked up at the metal creature and staggered in shock, almost dropping Sting.

He saw the white fire streaking around the ninja’s body, like in the walls and on the desks, but inside the white fire...was a wraith. "You’re a wraith!" Frodo shouted, unable to contain the exclamation. The Man—or rather, the once-Man—heard him and ran toward him.

Frodo ran away again, and the ninja didn’t follow. The Hobbit was surprised; a wraith should have been able to see him easily in the shadow world, since he not only wore the Ring but even his pale glow was bright enough to be a near-beacon in the dark, misty vagueness.

But he couldn’t.

Frodo ran to the locker and said into it, "He’s a wraith! That’s why he felt so familiar!"

Merry’s muffled voice cried out, "A WRAITH?! Not a Ringwraith! He couldn’t be a Ringwraith!"

"No...not a Ringwraith...we would have felt that right off. It’s something else...whoa! We’ll have to discuss it later...!" Frodo trailed off as he felt the not-Man come up behind him. He just made it away in time to escape a sword-slash.

"Come out!" the ninja shouted.

Instead of answering, Frodo swung Sting, and the blow connected with the metal wraith’s arm. He howled, swinging his sword in the direction Frodo had attacked from, but Frodo fell on his back, knowing that was the only way to avoid the strike.

"So...you have camouflage too." Frodo saw the ninja adjust something on his steel face, and he also saw the white streaking change shape. "Now let’s see if you can find me."

Frodo got up and moved behind a desk. The ninja was still perfectly visible to him. He must have attempted to become invisible—but he didn’t realize that nothing could hide him from Frodo’s sight as long as he wore the Ring. The ninja was turning his head from side to side, as if he expected to see Frodo.

He strode purposefully around, seeming to feel confident that the Hobbit couldn’t see him, and apparently certain he would find Frodo eventually.

Frodo came around behind the ninja, and then, as hard as he could, he slashed at his back with Sting, cutting a deep gouge in his metal skin. The ninja cried out, but then said with a bizarre glee as he swung the blade behind him, "I felt that!" Frodo had been prepared, ducking; but it didn’t matter, the not-Man’s instincts were for combat with Big People and his sword cleared Frodo’s head by a long way.

The ninja spun around with the blade, expecting to see the Hobbit, but there was nothing. "What?!" he growled, "Where are you?"

Frodo ran as far away as he could, and hid behind a tall box with white fire in it. He called out, "I don’t know why you can’t see me. You should be able to, I can see you...I know why you felt I was like you...." Frodo moved away when he saw the ninja getting too close. "It’s because you’re a shadow...and I was, almost. I’m not now...actually...I’m rather surprised to see what I am now...." He moved again. "But I don’t want to hurt you!"

"You don’t have a choice! We will fight to the death...I will feel the pain! You were foolish to bring your friends with you...it is always a hindrance on the battlefield."

"Not always!" Frodo called out, "Not in every situation!" But he knew what the metal ninja meant. He could see the not-Man making his way to the locker where Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Dr. Emmerich were holed up. So Frodo ran up to the side of the ninja, and crouching low, he hacked at his leg, cutting another deep gash in his metal skin, then he turned and ran.

The steel ninja staggered, and shouted, "Yes! Make me feel it!" At the same time he retaliated in Frodo’s direction, catching him in the back with the tip of his sword, cutting through his Elven cloak and the Sneaking Suit. Frodo fell down from the force, but his mithril coat turned the blade.

"Ah...you have thick skin," the ninja commented, aware that his blade had been deflected. He stumbled in the direction Frodo lay. "Thicker than this metal cage. What sort of sword is that?"

Frodo crawled away until he was certain he was out of range, then got up and ran for a bit. "It’s Elvish...enchanted you might say. Otherwise it wouldn’t hurt you...." He turned down a path through the misty desks, and stopped short when he found himself standing directly in front of the metal creature. Frodo could see the white fire didn’t cover his face anymore; the single eye was gone. "You can see me," he whispered.

"Yes...you are a strange creature, a pale light in the world of shadows...." As he spoke, he swung his sword across Frodo’s chest; the blade still glanced off the mithril, but at such close quarters, the force alone was enough to send the Hobbit flying into a wall. Frodo cried out and grunted when he hit. The metal man continued, "...While I am a shadow in a world of lights."

Frodo struggled to get up, hearing loudly in his ears the shouts of his concerned friends all the way across the room. He saw the not-Man advance on him, and hoped he wouldn’t try to skewer him. But it seemed like that was exactly what the ninja intended; Frodo knew the blade wouldn’t kill him, but he also knew it would hurt him badly enough that it might knock him out. He rolled out of the way just in the nick of time, and using the momentum he swung Sting up and across the metal creature’s sword arm.

This time the ninja sounded as if he were distinctly enjoying this. "I’ve been waiting for this pain!" He loomed over Frodo, and his sword came up into a position that looked as though the next blow would be aimed at the Hobbit’s throat.

Frodo shifted his position, getting his legs under him. The sword-swipe came, but he was ready for it, and with a war cry laced with sadness, Frodo shoved Sting into the ninja’s stomach, right to the hilts. Sting was an exceedingly well honed blade.

The not-Man began to fall, and somehow Frodo managed to pull Sting free. Frodo stood back, breath heaving, and feeling very bad...Hobbits didn’t fight...they didn’t kill....

Electricity began spewing from the metal Big Person, and it looked like a ball of blazing white fire to Frodo’s Ring-sight. With a start, Frodo realized that he hadn’t killed the metal ninja—in fact, he was struggling to get up. "Hurt me more!" he shouted, voice low, almost pleading. There were strange noises coming from the once-Man’s metal skin shot with fire. Frodo’s eyes started welling up; he didn’t want to do it, but he couldn’t leave a Man...even a wraith, to die miserably. So he took what he thought would be one last shot at the ninja, slashing at the back of his metal neck.

It proved to be a near-deadly mistake. The white fire spouting from the metal creature ran through Sting and shocked Frodo so badly he went flying. He blinked sparkles out of his eyes, and when he sat up, he realized the strange noises were coming from a different direction, closer to the locker. Frodo stumbled up, dazed; he heard the ninja cry out, "More! More!" Frodo felt horrible, sorely pitying this wraith that was so dead to the world it thought the only way to feel alive was through pain.

With staggering steps, Frodo made his way to the locker, sheathing Sting. Clearly, he could no longer fight the creature with it unless he wanted to get himself killed. When he reached the locker, he opened it and said, "Pippin! I need the SOCOM!"

The vague form of his Hobbit friend appeared to blink out at an empty hallway. "Frodo?" he asked, "where’d you go?" He pulled out the SOCOM and held it, looking around.

"Oh, oh yes, I forgot," Frodo said, then pulled the Ring off his finger.

"Whaa! Dear me, you do shock when you do that!" Pippin gasped as Frodo suddenly became visible. Then he handed the pistol to Frodo. Dr. Emmerich, who apparently had managed to become a Hobbit couch on the bottom of the locker, made more scared noises.

Frodo took the pistol, and it was rather heavy for him. As he walked toward the ninja, who he could see now with normal vision; the white fire had turned into a much paler blue sparking, Frodo heard the locker snap shut.

Then, standing off at a good distance, Frodo lifted up the SOCOM and fired it at the ninja, hoping this time it would work, that he wouldn’t have to hurt the poor once-Man any more. The SOCOM bullet seemed to have done its job; the ninja finally collapsed, the blue lightening sparking around him almost gone. Frodo came a little closer, and he heard the ninja speak, "I felt that, ‘little light’...."

Frodo slumped his shoulders, dropping the SOCOM. "My name is Frodo," he said sadly.

"Frodo, the little light. Once upon a time I was Gray Fox." The ninja struggled to move.

The Hobbit wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "I’m sorry," he said.

"No," Gray Fox insisted, "don’t be.... Wait...no!" Suddenly the ninja got up, kneeling, and started banging his metal head into the ground. "The...the mediciiiiiine!!"

Frodo stepped back in shock. "What’s wrong?!" he asked.

"...I...I...I’m loosing myself...," Gray Fox cried, his voice tormented. Then suddenly he stood and did a back flip, turning invisible as he fled.

Frodo watched the ninja with wide eyes. He was glad he hadn’t killed him...but he wondered if it wouldn’t have been for the best. Gray Fox obviously wanted to die...or thought he was dead already, which wasn’t far from the truth since he was a wraith.... Frodo sat down heavily. After a long moment, he called out to the Hobbits, "It’s safe, he’s gone."

Go on to Chapter 10