Return to the Magellan- daydream part three

Read Part One- Surrounded
Read Part Two- The deal

The three followed Mad Dog to the Dragon’s transporter room with the pirate’s security team hot on their heels the whole way. The Federation officers, expecting to be sent back promptly, were surprised when Mad Dog suddenly froze on the threshold and turned.

“Oh. There was one small matter I forgot to mention in the meeting. I’ll be keeping one of you here as a hostage. Just in case you’re tempted to go back on our deal.” The smug expression came over his face, but this time he did not smile.

Admiral Djurich, Captain Springer and the lieutenant commander all stiffened.

“I will not ‘go back on’ my word,” Djurich responded tartly. “You will allow all the members of my party to return to the Magellan. There is no need to take a hostage.”

Flatly ignoring her, Mad Dog made a show of looking the three of them over, as if to choose who to keep behind. “Admiral. I choose you. You will be my guest on the Dragon while the good captain and his security chief ready the shipment from the Magellan.”

“Absolutely not!” Captain Springer started to say, but Djurich cut him off.

“You already hold the lives of my entire crew in your hands, Captain. There is no need for anyone to stay here.”

Mad Dog took a half step closer, tantalizing them with his cold glare. “Maybe I want a closer hostage.”

A part of Djurich went cold, but she stared right at the pirate captain with a frosty look of her own. “That is not acceptable. If you insist on this extravagance, there will be no deal.” Djurich held Mad Dog’s gaze for a moment before going on. “Be reasonable. If you destroy the Magellan, you destroy the warp cores. Of course, you can just wait for another ship to happen along, but that could take hours. Even days. Considering the nature of the shipment you arranged for, one could assume you’re having engine trouble. You would be stuck.”

For a moment, Mad Dog was speechless with anger. Captain Springer and Lt. Cmdr. Springer, sensing trouble, immediately took steps to guard the admiral from the front and back. The captain took the front. K. Springer turned to keep an eye on the security men behind them.

“‘One could assume,’” Mad Dog repeated softly, mockingly. “You would be dead.”

“Yes,” Admiral Djurich agreed calmly. “But what use would we be to you then?”

A gleam lit Mad Dog’s eye. “It would guarantee other ships-”

“Would come here, to investigate our destruction,” Djurich parroted his words from the meeting. “Is that what you were going to say?” She moved on before he had a chance to answer. “Think about it. If Starfleet got word that an entire space station had been destroyed, they wouldn’t send just one ship to investigate- and they’ll be on their guard. It will be ten times harder to manipulate any investigating ships into a deal like I’ve got with you.”

Mad Dog’s eye narrowed. He wasn’t looking smug anymore. Djurich pressed her advantage.

“You will allow all members of my party to return to the Magellan, where we will ready the shipment of warp cores for transport. Once the goods are delivered, we will have a safe pass out of here. Are we agreed?”

The pirate scowled for almost a full minute before emitting his response in the form of a low rumble. “Agreed.” He stepped aside, allowing Admiral Djurich and her officers into the transporter room at last.

Captain Springer looked at Djurich. “Admiral?”

Knowing what he wanted, she gave him a curt nod and touched the comm badge on her chest. “Admiral Djurich to Magellan. Three to beam directly aboard the bridge... Energize.”

Djurich’s last image of Mad Dog was of him staring hungrily at them as they disappeared.

A favorite scene from X-Men 2

X-Men United (2003)

DISCLAIMER: The following is based on the specified movie. If you like what you read here, I highly recommend the movie.

**SPOILER ALERT**

“The helicopter was right here!” Wolverine shouted, inadvertently clutching the boy in his arms tighter in his panic. By avoiding the flooded spillway, they had made it out of the base alive- but time was running out. The dam couldn’t take much more. Soon the pressure would exceed its limit, and the water would break out of its confinement.

Curse you, Stryker, Wolverine thought, not for the first time. He looked around wildly, searching for something- anything- that might get them out of this mess. They were a sorry group. Cyclops had one arm around Jean, supporting part of her weight so she didn’t have to walk on her injured leg; Professor Xavier and the five other children whom Stryker had held captive at the base clustered around Nightcrawler and Storm.

Then he heard something. The dull roar of an engine. Collectively, the group stumbled back as the X-Men’s black jet appeared over the canopy of pine trees. Who was piloting? Logan had left Rogue, Pyro and Bobby to wait in the aircraft while he, Storm, Nightcrawler, Magneto and Mystique carried out the rescue.

Magneto. Wolverine bit back a curse. He took the helicopter.

It made sense. He hadn’t seen Magneto or Mystique since he split off from the others to chase down Stryker.

Magneto… A thought occurred to Logan and, still carrying the boy, temporarily left the others at a brisk walk to check out a ruined concrete wall several hundred yards away.

Inside the black jet, Rogue’s white-gloved hands gripped the vertical thrusters so tightly she felt them going numb. Calm down, you can do this, she thought to slow her pounding heart, but it only thumped harder as she struggled to ease down without allowing her muscles to shake. She made it most of the way down before she twitched. The jet descended the last few feet in free fall, landing on the ground with a sickening thump. Beside her, Bobby flicked the switch to extend the ramp. Rogue jumped at a loud whooshing noise, looking back to see Nightcrawler and Xavier in the craft. Her heartbeat sped up again as Storm swept her way aboard with five of the other kids from school and went straight to her.

“It’s all right,” Storm said soothingly, trying to pry Rogue’s hands off the controls. “It’s all right. You can let go.”

Rogue allowed her to extract her from the pilot’s chair, still unable to speak as she stood on shaky legs and went to sit next to Bobby. Scott went to the copilot’s chair.

“Here, Bobby.” Logan appeared at the top of the ramp and handed off the boy, then went to hover as Storm and Cyclops worked the controls.

“Has anyone seen John?” someone asked.

Wolverine went on alert. “Pyro?”

“He’s with Magneto,” Jean said quietly.

Nobody had anything to say to that.

“Vertical thrusters are offline,” Storm reported, voice tight. Logan pushed down the panic he felt tearing at him again. Storm and Cyclops would figure it out. They couldn’t die after all they’d been through. They couldn’t!

Outside, the dam cracked. Water burst through the opening, sending a spiderweb of cracks all over the dam. Several pieces of concrete broke off, propelled by an entire lake’s worth of water.

“The power’s failing,” Storm said tensely.

Jean stood quietly behind them all, feeling strangely detached from the occurring events, as if she’d already been through it all before. The tension in the cockpit ate at the fringes of her mind, but the sensation had to be worse for the Professor than for her. There was a different kind of feeling picking at her – the knowledge that they all were going to die unless somebody did something, and only she had the power to save them.

Only me. Jean took a slow breath. Someone else might have wondered if they were overreacting, but she knew she wasn’t. The jet needed a lift, and no one else here could possibly accomplish it. But how could she leave Scott – and Logan? Jean looked at them, both so focused on activating the jet that they were oblivious to everything else. Both determined to survive and complete the rescue. There were tears in her eyes as she turned, activated and limped down the ramp.

Inside the jet, Xavier’s head snapped up. “Jean?”

Scott and Wolverine were instantly alert. “Where’s Jean?” Logan demanded.

The Professor hesitated for a fraction of a second before responding, “She’s outside.”

“What? No!” Cyclops leapt out of his seat and ran for the door. The ramp retracted seemingly of its own accord, closing just after Scott got a glimpse of Jean’s determined face.

“I’m sorry,” the Professor said. Scott turned and sprinted to Xavier, crouching down next to him, almost in tears.

“You’ve got Jean? Jean!”

“It’s the only way,” Xavier said, relaying the words directly from Jean’s mouth. “Goodbye.”

“Jean!”

The jet gave a jolt and then began to rise. Outside, the water was spilling to either side. The aircraft was temporarily protected as it gained altitude.

Underneath the craft, Jean felt the moment the engines finally engaged, relinquishing the need for her telekinetic push. Mentally and physically drained but triumphant, Jean lowered both hands, closed her eyes and let the cold, surging water of Alkali Lake wash over her.

Logan tried to swallow against the lump in his throat as Storm guided the jet away from the lake. He choked the words out: “She’s gone.”

“Don’t say that!” Scott grabbed at the front of his jacket.

“She’s gone,” Logan repeated, his chin trembling uncontrollably.

Scott sobbed.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,” Nightcrawler said quietly. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

The deal- daydream part two

“All right, people,” Badger said as soon as they were gone. “While we’re waiting, I would welcome any suggestions you may have in case we have to get out of here fast. Lieutenant S. Reed, keep an eye on those ships around us. Ensign Hills, prepare a coded message to Starfleet Command relaying our position and a request for assistance. We’ll send it if we end up having to fight. The USS Voyager should be in the Gamma Quadrant somewhere nearby.”

“Yes, Commander.” Hills immediately got to work.

“Lieutenant J. Reed,” Badger continued, giving orders as they occurred to her. “See what you can find out about the make of the pirate vessels. Look for weaknesses we can exploit. Lieutenant Duenas, load torpedoes and be ready to raise shields.”

Duenas and J. Reed set about their tasks.

Badger paced the bridge, too restless to sit. She noticed her nervousness spreading around the room and forced herself to sit in her chair, going over the controls for the USS Ranger, the Magellan’s remote-controlled starship. The Ranger was equipped with light weaponry only; it was intended for use more as a science vessel. But it could still be of some use in a fight.

“Commander, if the negotiations fail, how will we recover Captain Springer and Admiral Djurich?” Lieutenant J.G. Garner asked.

Badger hesitated. “If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to beam them back to the Magellan, or Mad Dog will do the honorable thing and return them to us.”

“And if the pirate keeps them prisoner and raises his shields to block the transporters?”

“Then we may have to leave them behind.”

There was a stir in the crew. Badger stood to address them.

“I don’t like that idea any more than you do,” she said firmly. “We’ll do our best to recover them from Mad Dog, but if all five of his ships attack at once, we can’t hang around hoping to rescue our people.”

“Suggestion, Commander!” Lieutenant J. Reed called from the counterintelligence station. “I could program a sensor probe to follow the Dragon. Then we’ll be able to track the flagship and hopefully rescue them later.”

“Good idea, but I doubt Mad Dog would miss something as large as a probe following him,” Badger said. “However, the Ranger has small trackers for keeping tabs on interesting phenomenon. Lieutenant A. Springer, would it be possible to boost the tracker’s transmitting range?”

Springer looked up from the duty engineer station. “Probably.”

“Go to the hangar on Deck 3 and do what you can with a tracker. If you are able to boost more than one, do so and let me know the final count.”

“On my way, Commander.” Springer saluted and left his station for the turbolift. Lieutenant W. Springer, the Magellan’s structural damage control officer, moved to fill in at his station, monitoring and adjusting the ship’s power.

Badger turned her attention to the other damage control officer. “Lieutenant Henrie, is warp drive back online yet?” The pirates had damaged the Magellan’s engines prior to surrounding the station with ships.

“We’re working on it, Commander,” Henrie said calmly. “It should come online in a few more minutes.”

“And the shields?”

“Second priority after warp. Right now they’re at 40 percent, but we’ll work on them next.”

“Good,” Badger said. “Let me know when both systems are operational.”

“Of course, sir.”
--
Mad Dog greeted the negotiation team personally, accompanied by three burly humanoid guards. He was less intimidating in person, partly because he stood barely five feet, seven inches tall. His appearance was balanced by his worn leather eye patch and the two gun holsters strapped across his chest. Lieutenant Commander Springer stiffened, but Admiral Djurich merely held out her hand to the pirate captain.

“I am Admiral Djurich. Thank you for welcoming us aboard your ship, Captain.”
He ignored her hand, turning to walk away instead. “We’ll talk in the conference room.”

Captain Springer and Djurich exchanged an uneasy glance before following. Mad Dog’s guards went too, surrounding the group. The lieutenant commander walked a pace behind the admiral and captain, keeping an eye on the guards even as they eyed her.

They walked a short way down one of the hallways. Mad Dog stopped short outside one of the doors and turned to face Djurich.

“We will speak alone.”

“She requires a guard,” Captain Springer said instantly. “Both of us.” He indicated himself and K. Springer.

Mad Dog glanced at the insignia on his collar and then looked him in the eye.

“Because you are captain of the DSS Magellan, I will allow you to accompany the admiral. But your chief of security is neither needed nor welcome.”

“Will you guarantee her safety if we leave her here?” Djurich demanded.

“She is your chief of security. I doubt she needs my guarantee of safety.”

“I need it.”

Mad Dog’s calm exterior faltered to reveal his irritation. “As you wish. She may remain outside the door, and I guarantee none of my people will attempt her harm.”

Djurich relaxed a little. “Then lead on.”

Captain Springer briefly squeezed his cousin’s shoulder before following Djurich and Mad Dog into the conference room. Lieutenant Commander Springer changed her position so her back was to the wall and stood at attention as the door closed. Mad Dog’s guards stayed with her. They remained silent.

Inside the room, Mad Dog and Admiral Djurich sat across from each other at a heavy oak table. Captain Springer took up a standing position just behind Djurich.

“I’m glad we ran into one another, Admiral,” Mad Dog said without preamble. His casual manner was back. “You have something I want.”

The dilithium, Djurich thought. But how can he possibly know we have it? “And what is that?” she asked aloud, keeping her tone light.

Mad Dog leaned across the table. “Don’t play the fool with me. I want your warp cores. All of them.”

Djurich had to bite the inside of her cheek to hold in her surprise. “Warp cores?” she repeated.

“This ship runs warp drive, same as yours,” Mad Dog said impatiently. “Yes. Warp cores. A deep space station must carry such cargo.”

“What would you do with them if we gave them to you?” Djurich asked, curious.

“That is not your concern.”

“What would you trade for them?”

“The lives of your crew and the safety of your vessel.” Mad Dog sat back with a smug expression on his disfigured face.

“And if we refuse?”

“I will take them by force.”

There was a pointed silence. Then the admiral said, “Why?”

Mad Dog almost choked on his own smile. “What?”

“Why do you want our warp cores?”

The pirate glared at her. “That’s my business. All you need to know is, if we don’t get them, your entire station will be destroyed.”

Admiral Djurich wished she could turn to exchange a glance with Captain Springer, but her eyes held the other captain’s as she leaned forward. “I’m sorry, Captain, but we can’t deliver the cores without some kind of assurance that you won’t use them to harm the Federation.”

Mad Dog laughed. “Then I’ll track down some other ship that will give me what I want after I’ve destroyed you. Surely the Federation would send vessels to investigate the Magellan’s destruction. Even your deaths would serve my purpose.”

Djurich studied him, gauging his sincerity, and then heaved a deep sigh. “Fine,” she said, putting some reluctance into the word. “My party and I will now return to the Magellan and give the order to prepare the cores for transport.” She stood up.

Captain Springer stepped beside her, giving her a sidelong glance that said, I hope you know what you’re doing, before refocusing on Mad Dog.

The pirate captain also got to his feet and swept his arm toward the door, inviting them to exit the conference room. Admiral Djurich swept past him with dignity. The atmosphere outside seemed tense. Lieutenant Commander K. Springer, surrounded by Mad Dog’s guards on either side, was unharmed but relieved to see them exit the negotiations.

“We’re going back to the Magellan,” Djurich told her as they stepped into the hallway. “We need to prepare some warp cores for transport to the Dragon.”

“Warp cores?” Springer echoed, but she didn’t voice the question that was in her eyes.

“On to the transporter room,” Mad Dog said impatiently. “Security, come with us.” He pushed ahead, leaving his guests and guards to follow.

Captain Springer touched his comm badge. “Magellan, this is Captain Springer. We are returning to the station shortly.”

Commander Badger responded immediately. “Copy, Captain. We look forward to having you back.”

Daydream

“I won’t talk over intercom. We will talk in person or not at all!” Mad Dog snapped.

Admiral Djurich frowned at the pirate warlord. The DSS Magellan was in a dangerous position. Mad Dog had five warships surrounding the station, including his flagship, the Dragon. It was an imperial-class Romulan warbird, and Romulans didn’t skimp on their weapons.

“Admiral,” Captain Springer said, a warning note in his tone.

“Ensign Hills, turn off the audio feed for a moment,” Djurich ordered.

“Yes, Admiral.”

She turned to Captain Springer, who looked intense and serious in his red captain’s uniform. “Admiral, you can’t go over there,” he said immediately.

“I agree.” Lieutenant Badger, the executive officer, took a step forward to join the conversation. “Mad Dog will only use you to get the dilithium shipment.”

“Mad Dog shouldn’t know about the dilithium.”

“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t,” Springer said. “Lieutenant Badger is right. If Mad Dog wants to talk, he’ll have to come to us.”

“That will give him an opportunity to discover what we’re carrying,” Djurich argued. “Captain, those crystals have to make it to Earth. You have standing orders to fight your way out of here and leave me if the negotiations fail.”

Captain Springer was silent for a moment. “Lieutenant Commander K. Springer and I will accompany you if you insist on going over to the Dragon.”

“I will not allow-”

“I am the captain of this station, and I have a duty to protect you,” the captain interrupted smoothly. “That is final.”

Djurich was quiet for a moment. “We are surrounded by five ships. The only way out of this is to negotiate.”

“Agreed,” Captain Springer said. He raised his voice. “Ensign Hills, restore audio!”

“Wait-” Djurich broke off as Mad Dog’s impatient voice resounded through the ship’s speakers.

“Enough stalling, Admiral. Are you prepared to negotiate?”

Djurich opened her mouth to reply.

“We are,” said Captain Springer. “But the negotiations must take place on our vessel.”

“Impossible,” Mad Dog growled. “The admiral will come over here or I will order my ships to attack."

Djurich shot Springer a dirty look before addressing the pirate. “I require an honor guard to accompany me to your ship.”

“Naturally,” Mad Dog said. “You may bring one guard.”

“Two."

The pirate blew out a long-suffering sigh. “Fine. Two. Prepare to beam aboard. Dragon out.”

Djurich took a deep breath as Mad Dog’s face was replaced by an array of stars and two enemy ships. “Let’s go."

“Commander Badger, you have the bridge,” Captain Springer said. “Lieutenant Commander Springer! Let’s go.”

“Stay on your toes, Junior Grade Lieutenant Garner,” the deep space station’s chief of security warned her deputy. Then she fell into step behind the admiral and captain.

“Three to beam to the Dragon, Lieutenant Colledge,” Djurich said when they were in the transporters. She gave the next order quickly, before she lost her nerve and jumped out. “Energize.”

Explaining "Clash of the Titans" (2010) to Genevieve

Disclaimer: For my creative writing class we’re supposed to be looking at the world with “poetic eyes.” We’re also taught that writing helps your creativity flow. So, FYI, the following poem is not really intended to be good. It’s just practice. Be kind.

Side note: Don’t let my opinion of Clash of the Titans (2010 version) mess with yours.

I watched Clash of the Titans over the weekend with my roommates.

Oh, yeah? How’d you like it?

The effects were cool, but I didn’t follow the storyline very well.

Really? My sister saw it and loved it! I haven’t seen it though.

Well, it’s about this guy

Who washes up to a boat as a baby

in a trunk

with a dead woman.

His mother?

Yeah. But you don’t find that out until later.

Oh.

So a fisherman finds this baby

And brings him up as his own son.

Then a bunch of years later,

The boy’s whole family drowns

When Hades

Comes up from the underworld

And creates a massive wave that sinks their boat.

He did this

by order of Zeus (who loves mankind)

because some crazy people

decided they were tired of the gods ruling their lives

and destroyed a statue of Zeus.

The boy, Perseus, is so mad

That he wants to kill Hades right then and there.

(But it’s probably good he didn’t try

Because he would have been toast.)

He can’t try

Because Hades disappears

And then some soldiers find Perseus

And take him back to the kingdom

With the crazy king

And even crazier queen

Who are making war on the gods

And somehow expect to win

And Hades comes again, directly to the royal court

And you find out Perseus is actually a demigod,

Son of Zeus.

Huh?

I know.

So Perseus is actually the son of a god;

His mother was a queen

Of a distant kingdom.

Her husband, the king,

Was making Zeus mad

So he disguised himself

As the mortal king

And tricked his wife

Into having a child with him.

When the king finds out

The boy isn’t his,

He’s so mad he locks his wife

And the baby

Into a trunk

And throws them off a cliff into the sea.

The woman dies,

But Perseus, son of a god, does not.

He’s the only one

Who can defeat the kraken

Which is Hades’s child

And can only be killed

With the head of Medusa.

So Perseus decides to kill the kraken

But first they have to kill Medusa

And before that

They have to talk to the (three? four?) Fates

To find out how to kill Medusa

But on the way to do that

Hades starts getting worried

And turns Perseus’s mother’s husband,

The mean and criminally insane king,

Into a monster with incredible power

And sends him to kill Perseus and his companions.

They end up fighting

A bunch of giant scorpions

Created by drops of the monster king’s blood

As well as the monster king himself.

A few people die,

They defeat the scorpions,

The monster king runs off,

Perseus talks to the Fates (creeps!)

And they’re off to kill Medusa.

All the while

There’s this girl following them

Who was cursed by Zeus not to age;

So she’s been around for many years

Watching Perseus grow up

And she just so happens to know

Where Medusa’s lair is,

And leads the company there.

Women cannot enter in,

So she waits outside

While everyone else (all men)

Go in and die.

Only Perseus makes it out,

Carrying the head of Medusa

In a travel-worn sack,

Triumphant but shaken.

As he nears the girl

She is stabbed through the back

By the monster king,

Whom Perseus immediately kills,

But too late

to save the old-yet-young beautiful woman

who led him there.

Perseus had made an oath

To kill the kraken without

Any help from the gods

But to kill the monster king,

He used a sword given him from Zeus,

And to kill the kraken,

He flew on a black pegasus

Sent from Zeus

Holding the head

Of a terrible myth

He could only have defeated

With the help of the Fates

And the guidance

Of a woman

Made almost immortal

By Zeus.

So he finally swallows his pride

And flies to where the kraken

Was due to appear,

Kills it,

And Zeus appears in person

To thank him,

Because Hades had tricked him

Into giving him strength

And if Perseus hadn’t killed the kraken

Hades would have usurped Zeus

And claimed rule

Of the universe.

Zeus offers Perseus

A place in Olympus,

Among the gods,

But Perseus refuses.

And then proud-but-bummed Zeus proclaims,

“No son of mine shall ever be alone!”

And he brings back to life

The woman

The monster king killed

Right after the Medusa battle.

And as heroic music plays

The screen fades to black

And the credits start rolling in.

That’s it?

That’s it.

So… How’d you like it?

Cool effects. Weird story.

Another Favorite Scene from Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

DISCLAIMER: The following posts are based on the scenes in the movies listed, not on the book (if applicable) the movie is based on. I also added my own twists and take on certain characters. It's more like fan fiction than anything else. You can laugh all you want!

Where was Merry? Eowyn hadn't seen him since her horse threw them and the elephaunt nearly fell on her.

Everywhere she looked, it was chaos. The battlefield was noisy and gory. She felt a cold hand clutch at her heart. Merry wouldn't last a moment out here without her to protect him. She looked around for him again, calling his name. Her voice was slightly higher than usual. Useless girl, she berated herself.

Before she could make any progress with her search, something else caught her attention. A black shadow passed overhead, and a fearsome Nazgul, bearing the Witch King himself, grabbed for Theoden, Eowyn's beloved uncle and Rohan's king.

As she watched, both horse and rider were thrown into the air. The horse died quickly, with a deep gash from the dragonlike Nazgul.

Theoden's horse landed on top of him. Eowyn's throat constricted with horror. Uncle!

"Feast on his flesh," the Witch King ordered in his gravelly, chilling voice.

He's going to kill him!

Eowyn moved. It wasn't an act of conscious thought as much as her loyalty and devotion placing her between her uncle and the beast.

I will not fail my king as I did Merry, Eowyn vowed ferociously. She hefted her sword, swallowing against her fear, trying to stare down the Witch King and his Nazgul.

"Do not come between a Nazgul and its prey," the Witch King warned almost calmly.

"I will kill you if you touch him," Eowyn snarled, her own courage surprising her. She stayed where she was, between the king of Rohan and the Nazgul.

The beast stretched out its long neck, flashed its many sharp teeth, and lunged for her.

Her reflexes saved her life. Eowyn twisted away, somehow getting her sword up to hack at the creature's neck.

The Nazgul let out a scream that made Eowyn's skin crawl, but she hit it again, putting all her strength behind the blow, and its head flew off in another direction. The beast's decapitated body wobbled, then fell to the side. Eowyn watched, heart pounding, as the Witch King slowly picked himself up in the midst of the carnage. When he got up, he carried a mace in one hand and a sword in the other.

Eowyn felt a wave of fear as she stared at the mace. It was long and heavy, with many spikes and metal bits that looked to be as sharp as needles. She looked around wildly, then grabbed up a nearby wooden shield and slid it onto her left arm.

Theoden looked up weakly at the brave soldier who still stood between him and the Witch King. He marveled at the soldier's courage but wasn't encouraged by the odds. It was said no man could destroy the evil creature. The courageous soldier was doomed to failure whether he knew it or not.

The Witch King swung the mace. Eowyn barely evaded the weapon. Her heart was beating so violently she felt as if she ought to be able to see it breaking through her chest.

He swung the mace again. Eowyn dodged. The third time he swung, she threw up her shield, having no time to move.

The wooden shield splintered and fell off her arm in pieces. Pain clouded Eowyn's vision for a moment as she clutched her left arm to her chest, certain the bones had fractured, if not broken.

A wave of dizziness accompanied the pain, and Eowyn fell, pressing up against the body of the horse and dropping her sword.

"Fool," the Witch King whispered, his voice like nails on a chalkboard. "No man can kill me. Now, die." He leaned over her and latched onto her throat with his right hand--his sword hand.

Eowyn forgot the pain in her arm as the Witch King began to choke the life out of her. She gasped, but was unable to bring in air. Her eyes widened, and the world turned black around the edges.

"Death!"

The battle cry came from somewhere near, from someone familiar.

Merry slashed at the Witch King with his sword, but immediately his blade was rebounded and the arm that had been wielding it burned with painful intensity.

The move made a difference, however. With her right hand, Eowyn was able to pry open the creature's metal-gloved fingers and gasp in a breath.

She pushed the Witch King away, grabbed her sword, and started to stand up. The Witch King began to reach for his sword, but she was too fast for him. Eowyn ripped off her helmet and allowed her long blonde hair to spill out.

"I am no man," she revealed with a touch of self-importance and triumph before delivering a solid blow with her sword through the mouth-hole of the Witch King's helmet.

His dying scream was ten times worse than the Nazgul's. Eowyn hollered, her ears ringing. On the ground, Merry writhed.

The Witch King seemed to fold in on himself. In seconds, all that was left of him were his two weapons and a bundle of black fabric.

Adrenaline high, Eowyn stared at the remains of the Witch King and Nazgul for half a second before instantly turning to her uncle Theoden.

She lowered herself to the ground and painfully made her way right next to Theoden and the dead horse.

Her uncle had a dazed look on his face. Weakly, he raised one gloved hand and touched her cheek.

"I know your face," he whispered, and Eowyn smiled, remembering a time when he'd said those exact words, shortly after the White Wizard expelled the spirit of Saruman from him. "Eowyn."

Then he said something else--something Eowyn had dreaded.

"My eyes darken."

Her smile disappeared. She felt tears threatening to come on, but she pushed them away with an effort. "No," she told Theoden tenderly. "I'm going to save you."

Theoden smiled. "You already did," he replied. "Eowyn... Do not grieve for those whose time has come."

She lay next to him, staring at his face, her heart frozen in her chest.

"Eowyn..." Theoden caressed her cheek again, speaking with visible effort. "My body is broken. You have to let me go." As if sensing her reluctance, he added, "I go to my fathers, in whose mighty company I will not be ashamed."

Tears spilled down Eowyn's cheeks. The light in Theoden's eyes was fading. He attempted to say one last word: "Eowyn." Then his hand fell and the light left his eyes. Eowyn knew the life had left him.

She began to sob, resting her head on her uncle's chest. His great legacy would remain, and she vowed to take up the throne with valor and honor equal to that of Theoden's. Then perhaps, when she died in later years to come, she, too, would not be ashamed to be in the mighty company of her fathers--and her uncle.

A Favorite Scene from Aida*

Aida

DISCLAIMER: The following scenes are based on the movies listed, not on the book (if there is one) the movie is based on. I also added my own twists and take on certain characters. It's more like fan fiction than anything else. --You can laugh all you want!

"Sir, we found these women along the Nile," Lieutenant Jares** reported. A string on ten soldiers, each holding a Nubian maiden in chains, followed smartly behind him.

Captain Radames looked them over. "Good. They'll make excellent slaves." He frowned and gestured to the woman Jares was holding. "Remove that necklace. It belongs to me now."

Jares did as he was told, taking the jewelry and tossing it to Radames.

"That belongs to me, and you have no right to take it!" the girl snapped immediately, twisting in Jares' grasp. Before the lieutenant could do anything about it, the woman had drawn his sword and was holding it to his throat, despite her shackles. "Let us go."

Radames hid his shock at the girl's obvious skill and snapped his fingers. Instantly, the fingers of every guard of Jares were wrapped around the throats of their captives. "Drop the sword, girl."

It only took one look for the woman to give in. She dropped Jares' sword with a clatter, and all the guards lowered their hands except Jares. Radames' lieutenant acted quickly, scooping up his blade and preparing to execute the outspoken Nubian. "Captain, let me kill her!" His voice was furious and barely controlled.

Radames glanced at the slave. To his surprise, she met his gaze without flinching, and his pride rankled. "No," he told Jares, who lowered his weapon, fuming. "Take them all away- except this one. I have something special for her."

Jares' face cleared a little. Radames' threat inspired a knowing chuckle among his men as they obeyed. Soon he and the woman were alone. He stepped forward and grasped her arms. At last she flinched.

She's beautiful, he thought briefly. "May I take off your shackles?" he inquired dryly.

"Why?" the woman relaxed a little but her eyes were suspicious.

"They'll only get in the way." Radames' reply sounded a bit more ominous than he'd intended. He pulled up a stool next to a sponge and a bucket of water and pulled off his shirt. "You're going to wash the filth of battle from my skin." He sighed. "It's been a long time since I felt clean."

The woman recoiled and spat, "I'd rather die than touch your filthy Egyptian skin!"

That was insulting. Radames leaped up, nearly knocking over the stool. "I command it, and you will obey." He felt a surge of triumph when she scowled but grabbed the sponge. He sat down on the stool again, and she attacked his bare skin with a vengeance.

"You're as rough with a sponge as you are with a sword!" Radames grumbled.

"I wish I had one now," the woman muttered rebelliously.

Radames unbuckled his sword belt and let it drop. "There's mine. Want to use it?" he mocked, daring her to reply. She didn't, and he pressed on, pouring salt into the wound. "What were you doing strolling around the Nile, anyway? Don't you know there's a war on and it's dangerous?"

He must have struck a nerve, for she abruptly dropped the sponge and turned to go. Radames wheeled and caught her. "You're not finished yet."

"Yes, I am!" she snarled.

"Kneel before me," Radames snapped roughly, staring her down. She stared back, deliberately pulling out of his hold and moving stiffly away.

"Hey!" Radames grabbed her and held her in place. "You must obey me. You are now a slave; you'd best keep that in mind." She only glared at him. "What's your name?" Radames asked angrily.

"Aida."

*Not the movie (if there is one). The musical, adapted for Lehi High School's production.

**Couldn't remember their actual names, so I made up my own. Maybe some of you could help me out. Give me the correct names, and I will replace the made-up ones, promise.

A Favorite Scene from X-Men 1

X-Men (2000)

DISCLAIMER: The following scenes are based on the movies listed, not on the book (if there is one) the movie is based on. I also added my own twists and take on certain characters. It's more like fan fiction than anything else. --You can laugh all you want!

The tank...fluid enclosing...metal implanted...everything with a distinct greenish tinge...

Logan tossed and turned in bed, dreaming a nightmare. Trapped in the shadow of a memory.

The door to his bedroom opened. Marie, a.k.a. Rogue, had a determined look on her face as she entered the room. Her hands and arms were bare, missing the gloves she usually wore during the day. She wore a nightgown.

"Logan," she whispered urgently to Wolverine. "Logan, wake up. You're having a bad dream."

She moved to his bedside and reached out as if to shake him awake- but stopped before she could touch him. Rogue unconsciously stole other people's powers and life force through uninhibited physical contact, and she didn't want to touch him.

"Logan," she said again, sure she could wake him and release him from his nightmare.

Logan rolled on the bed again. He was muttering in his sleep and seemed to be waking up. Rogue remained fearlessly at his bedside.

"Logan," she said a fourth time, more forcefully.

His response was immediate and automatic. Rogue didn't even have time to scream before his claws shot out from his knuckles and connected with her chest. Her eyes wide, she fought back the looming darkness and gasped for air.

The open doorway began to fill up with other students- kids who'd heard something going on and come to investigate. They looked on in horror as Wolverine's claws stabbed clean through Rogue's chest, showing the tips at her back.

Logan opened his eyes to see a different kind of nightmare before him.

"Rogue," he breathed, looking anguished and sick. Quicky, he retracted his claws and withdrew from her flesh.

Rogue wavered. She could feel her strength waning with the blood pouring from her wounds. Almost as a reflex, she stretched out her shaking hands and gripped Wolverine's forearms, all the while gasping for breath. She could not speak.

Wolverine stiffened. The dots swimming before Rogue's eyes began to clear away. She drew on Logan's amazing recuperative ability. The students watching, transfixed, from the doorway, witnessed with their own eyes as the gashes in Rogue's body healed themselves.

Logan drooped and passed out. Quickly, Rogue withdrew her hands and took a deep, much-needed breath. It hurt her chest to breathe, and her heart was pounding like a drum, but the mortal injury Wolverine had inflicted upon her completely disappeared.

Rogue teetered, then turned and, feeling light-headed and dazed, waded through the crowd of students, down the hall, and to her room.

It was a full five seconds before Bobby said, "Somebody go find the Professor. Now."

A Favorite Scene from The Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer

DISCLAIMER: The following scenes are based on the movies listed, not on the book (if there is one) the movie is based on. I also added my own twists and take on certain characters. It's more like fan fiction than anything else. --You can laugh all you want!

Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer

"Let's go for a spin."

Doctor Doom, a.k.a. Victor, spoke mockingly to the three aircraft (and one Human Torch) around him. A spiral of air, at Victor's command, swept all four of them into a powerful whirlwind.

Susan Storm (Invisible Woman) fought for control but Victor's attack was too strong. Her hovercraft went into a tailspin, throwing her back and forth between the seat and seat belt. There was no time to react and even less time to think as her craft spiraled down to the street several yards below, narrowly missing a few flashing neon signs and billboards.

Crash! For a moment, the whiplash left Sue stunned. She was barely conscious of the Silver Surfer (who had been sitting beside her) being thrown from the vehicle headlong into a crowd of frightened observers.

She blinked to clear her vision and painfully turned her head to see the Surfer, Noran, picking himself up and standing uncomfortably under the scrutiny of hundreds of staring eyes.

Then she saw something else- a flash at the edge of her vision that soon came around and revealed itself.

Dr. Doom had seen the Silver Surfer too. And he was coming in for another pass.

"Noran!" Sue screamed in warning, her instincts taking over. She unclipped the seat belt and leaped to her feet, scrambling over the side of the crashed hovercraft to get to the Surfer.

Victor brought something up to his shoulder- a crossbow of sorts, Sue realized, made entirely of the dark energy sourced in the surfboard Doom rode.

Sue threw up a force field around her and Noran as she jumped to shield him with her body.

Perhaps she forgot the surfboard's energy could pass through her field- a fact she had learned just prior to helping the U.S. Army capture the Silver Surfer. Perhaps she didn't- and that was why she took the extra step of placing herself between Noran and Doom. In any case, the crossbow bolt, made of the surfboard's power and fired from Victor's crossbow, hit Sue full on in the stomach.

"Uhh," she groaned, staggering. The force of the impact sent her reeling, and the force field between her and Doom disappeared.

"Sue!" Reed Richards screamed from ten feet away.

The Silver Surfer felt something squeeze his heart as the human who had just saved his life slowly sank down to the asphalt, muscles spasming and eyes unfocused. His mind whirred. He didn't know what to do.

Reed crossed the distance from him to Sue in seconds. Eyes filling with tears that refused to fall, he gently lifted Sue into his arms. The Thing, Ben, saw what was going on and made his way towards them. A little later, Johnny Storm, the Human Torch and Sue's brother, landed nearby.

"No..." the Torch whispered, his bottom lip quivering despite himself.

Sue stared up at Reed. She was only just aware of him holding her in his arms. She couldn't feel anything anymore, couldn't move her arms or twitch her legs. Slowly, her eyes traveled down the length of her body until they came to rest on the ugly black bolt sticking out of her belly right around the navel.

Seeing the display of people below him and sensing the heart-wrenching sadness of the Fantastic Four, up above Victor snapped his fingers and released the bolt of energy. As he did, the physical sight of the black weapon dissipated, but the wound in Sue's body remained.

Dr. Doom raised his arms in triumph and laughed- a cold, wicked, eerie sort of laugh that chilled the blood of all who heard it.

"Reed," Ben said gently, realizing this fight wasn't over. "Reed!"

Reed started. Sue moved her gaze from the gaping hole in her stomach to look at him. She saw his lips move as he spoke a reply, but the darkness was closing in and she didn't understand what he was saying.

"...take all of us..." Reed said a heartbeat later, possibly in response to something Ben or Johnny had said. Sue's eyes slid again, this time from Reed's stricken face to the impassive expression of the Surfer, still standing silently behind.

Then Reed took her hand gently in his own and lifted it, raising it to touch Ben's and Johnny's.

Sue's body shuddered, and she felt both her power and her life slipping away. She wasn't aware of Johnny, now possessing all four powers, soaring away into the sky. Nor did she register it when Ben left, or when Reed slowly lowered her hand and laced his fingers with hers. Her eyelids slid shut- it was just too much of an effort to keep them open anymore. Her heart stopped beating. Sue stopped breathing.

She lay, limp as a rag doll, in Reed's trembling arms.

And then there was darkness, and she knew nothing more.

Sue squinted. There was a light in her eyes- bright and painful to look at. For a moment she wasn't sure where she was- and then she saw Reed and everything came back to her.

"Hi," she said, her voice weak but unfaltering. Beyond Reed, she could see Johnny and Ben- a fact that seemed to be significant. Sue racked her brains. What was she missing?

"Hi," Reed replied, his voice breaking as he pulled her into a tight hug. Sue suddenly realized that Noran, the Silver Surfer, had disappeared from over Reed's shoulder and the city- the whole world, in fact- looked a whole lot brighter and cleaner and...safer than it had before.

"What did I miss?" she asked, and Reed choked on a laugh. He had nearly lost her, he thought as he hugged her again. The words of the Surfer came back to him, the words Noran had spoken just after he'd used some of the power from the surfboard (the same power that had come close to killing Sue in the first place) to heal her wound and bring her back to life.

"Cherish every moment with her. And tell her... She was right. We do have a choice," he had said before he turned away and soared away into the sky, away from the city, away from Earth.

Looking tenderly upon the love of his life, his fiance and the bravest and most beautiful girl he'd ever met, Reed vowed that he would.