One That Got Away

Chapter 30

The train ride across Scotland was peaceful. It was soothing, actually. Watching everything roll by. Even if they had taken cheap tickets for a low profile, and they had to stay hidden and separate to avoid attention, Thorin much prefered the train to flying. It was a bit like riding a horse, but smoother and faster. He found himself falling asleep holding Mara's hand. When he awoke it was dark, the train lights were on, their car was almost empty except for their own party, and Mara was scribbling calculations furiously on a stack of napkins.

"Mara?" Thorin mumbled and she squeezed his hand.

"I'm working a theory," she said in explanation, but said no more. The train slowed and stopped not long after and Thorin helped her tuck her 'notes' into her bag. They all climbed out into the snow falling thick from the sky. Pythia shifted nervously.

"I don't like this. A blizzard is coming," she said as the train left the station.

"Why the hell are we in the highlands?" roared David over the wind.

"Just trust me, dammit," snapped Mara and tied a scarf around her neck. They all started off, leaving the road and heading over hills. Ben and Tom stuck close to their mother's side while Fili and Kili helped Andy wade through the snow. David who was carrying an extra bag, stomping a trail for them to move through in a snake like fashion, but Mara was in the lead, following a path only she could see. Pythia was right. As the snow started falling faster and heavier, the roar of wind loud in their ears, they all huddled closer together as Mara started looking in circles.

"This is bullshit, Mara! What are we looking for?" snarled David over the roar.

"A tree! A great huge beech tree!" shouted Mara in panic.

"Beech trees don't grow in the highlands!" shouted Andy in disarray.

"I know! That was the point of making it the marker!" snapped Mara.

"The what?" Pythia said.

"Is that it?" Ben said pointing. A shadow of a tree loomed through the heavy snow and Mara let out an explosive breath and made for it. She dropped and started digging in the snow. Kili started helping her at once, shoveling aside armfuls of the white, wet, drift. She started banging on the thin ice, cracking it and tugging it away. A metal door was soon uncovered. She pulled up a hatch and typed in a series of numbers and span a small disc. The door opened and everyone stared.

"Everyone in!" Mara shouted and the obeyed, Thorin last.

"What is this place?" he asked Mara as she tugged the door closed. Everyone sat in the metal hallway shivering and panting.

"Safe. It's safe," Mara breathed heavily and Thorin steadied her. She smiled up at him for half a moment, an absent thing, a smile she had given him over a hundred times when she didn't know she loved him. It hurt. But he gave her a smile anyway and she helped up Fili, who was holding his side and shaking. "There's someone who can help us down here. Come on." She led them down the hall. Their shoes were loud on the metal floor and their breathe echoed off the walls and it was cold. The frozen ground around the metal walls amplifying it all. Suddenly the hallway opened into a wide atrium made of glass. The sun was outside, shining in and filtering over the jungle like room, filled with tall palms, fern trees, and exotic plants. It was warm, it was huge. It had a giant pile of twisted metal sitting in the middle of the room.

"What-what is this place?" Andy said looking around.

"Okay, so remember in highschool, before I went to Arda, my friend moved away?" Mara asked stepping over plants towards the metal.

"No." Ben and Tom said as one.

"Shut up, Twins," she said.

"Yes," Andy replied helpfully.

"Well, she moved. Here," she said and knocked on the metal. It rang loudly and echoed around the room. The room was round, and on the other side of the entry tunnel was another tunnel, this one of paneled wood. The sound of skates on wood were followed by a small white form zipping into the room and crashing into a tree. Everyone flinched. A small woman, petite and wrapped in a lab coat drew back, slid two feet, and dropped on her butt on a fern. She looked up through thick chemical goggles and a crooked tinfoil hat.

"Whosa?" she said in a high pitched voice.

"Jessie," Mara said.

"Who-who are you-how do you know my name-how did you get in here-leave right now-no give me identification!" the woman said, rising and slipping and skating over to Mara. Mara rolled her eyes and yanked down the goggles so they sat around her neck and drew a pair of delicate glasses from the lab coat pocket.

"You fucking idiot, it's me," Mara said and the woman blinked. She looked to be a few years younger than Mara but has an almost juvenile look about her.

"Oh. Hey Mara. nice hair. I thought you hated green? Are we over the blue thing? I like it. Good tattoos.. You're getting some new growth though, looks a little weird. Might wanna shave. Wait, why are you here? In Scotland. I mean I know why you're here on Earth, well sort of. Hey is this about Arda? How did you get here? What's happening? Are you wearing some new scent? It smells like wood. And fire. And man. Are you wearing Old Spice?" All these questions poured out rapidly as Mara hugged Jessie. There was stunned silence from the family and Pythia was the first to speak.

"Is that that girl obsessed with science?" she asked.

"Mommy!" Jessie said and skated towards her. She missed completely and landed against Fili. "You're not my mom. Hi! I'm Jessie. Wow you're tall. Or am I short? HA! Short jokes! Hey you look just like Dean O'Gorman when he was playing that Dwarf in the Hobbit. His name is Fili. You know that though. You smell like girl. Did you kiss someone? I can tell. She left a chemical imprint on you. OOH!" She shoved Fili away and moved to Andy. "Andrew! God it's good to see you! Havn't seen you since forever and a half-wait are you a girl now? Oh wow, you're hot-I mean gorgeous. Nice hair, nice boobs-oh crap little Benny and Tommy! Hey you freakazoids! Good to see you. You couldn't be more different but the same. I was wondering when you would show up in my neck of the wood. I invented this thing, nevermind I'll tell you later."

Mara watched bemusedly as Jessie attacked them with questions and skated circles around them, never holding still as her arms waved wildly with explanations. Eventually she cleared her throat and Jessie slowly rolled to a stop.

"I have a hunch, a theory and some calculations. Can I get some help here?" Mara said, holding up the crystal pendant.

"OOH! Shiney," Jessie said wheeling over and taking it. "OH WOW!" She ripped off her glasses and pulled on the goggles, carefully adjusting her hat. "OH WOW!" she let out jubilantly. She rotated the crystal in her hand and held it up the the light, the rainbow spilling across a leaf. "O H W O W!!" she said. "Where the hell did you get a transdimensional bridge key? Wait did you make it? Did they bring it?" She gestured at Thorin, Fili, and Kili. "Was it in your soul? Wait have you even used this? This looks powerful. Wow, I could make a whole bunch of stuff! Can I break it up and use it to create wormholes?"

"No," Mara said.

"Oh snap? Wait is that what you want? Am I making a wormhole to Middle Earth?" Jessie said, finally slowing down.

"Yes. It's called the Lost Road, and we need to get there. Fast. American Government is looking for us." Mara said and Jessie tensed.

"Lokking? For you? And you came here? Did you take the train? It's the only safe way. I need to start on this. Come one, my bots will show them a place to sleep. TO THE BATMOBILE!" and she skidded off down a hallway. Mara ran after her, toting her bags with her. Pythia started wading through the foliage and Ben and Tom loped after the girls. Andy picked her way carefully after them while David gaped down the tunnel.

"What was she skating on? Everything is leaves!"