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Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my own characters, everything belongs to Tolkien the genius and Roddenberry, the Great Bird of the Galaxy.

Chapter Ten: Escaping

"A terrible turn of events this has become," Gildor said as he looked around at the team sitting in the holding cell with him.

"We will find a way out of this," Rúmil countered. "The other team is still out there."

"Hopefully Odo has found them by now," Worf commented, not at all happy about being captured.

Worf had attempted to fight later on since Klingons did not believe in being taken prisoner, but had been knocked out and dragged to the cell unconscious.

"They'll figure out a way together," Dax concurred, then looked at Glorfindel who had a thoughtful expression on his face. "You have been quiet this last hour, what's wrong?"

"I sensed something, a flicker of a connection or power," he replied. "Something indeed is happening but I do not know what."

"Interesting," Dax said. "Let us know if you notice anything else."

"Of course," he smiled but his eyes quickly went to the door to the room. "Someone is coming, a being with a mental command."

Moment later, a man walked through the door. The Starfleet officers recognized him immediately as a Vorta.

"Now that you are all comfortable and not a thread to our security, I would like to talk with you," the Vorta said. "My name is Ilrun and I am the one giving orders around here. I would like to know where your little friend is hiding?"

"What little friend?" Worf said with a scoff.

A bored sigh came from Ilrun, "Do not try to lie to me Klingon. We have surveillance of the shuttle you brought here, there was another who left after you did."

They remained silent but knew now that Frodo had not stayed put but did not want to reveal much else to the Vorta.

"Are there any Changelings here?" Dax asked, avoiding Ilrun's question.

"Not that it matters to you but yes," he said. "You will all be meeting him shortly when we will set you up in the laboratory."

"What are you planning?" Worf said, noting that they would be dealt with in a matter that was not good.

"We already have your Istari and powerful elf," Ilrun said. "With more of you to use should prove our experiment much more powerful. And we did not have to go through the effort of attacking and taking you."

The whole team remained silent, not certain of what to make of Ilrun's words about using them for an experiment.

"Ah, I might as well tell you of what we want to do with you since you won't know after we dispose of you," Ilrun said with a smirk. "The Founders will glean much from what you offer. Our experiments shall take your knowledge, power, and fëa to make way for the Founders to strengthen our forces and army. Similar trials and research were used to make the Dominion what it is today. The Founders took the servants and creatures created by a fellow Founder who was much stronger and powerful than they, and created the Jem'Hadar and us, the Vorta. You shall make us that much stronger."

The others looked at him in disgust and fury, not wanting to believe such devilry had been crafted. However, at that moment, the door Ilrun had entered through opened again to reveal a white-haired, older man. The Vorta seemed startled at seeing him and walked backwards, away from him.

"Mithrandir!" Glorfindel exclaimed happily. "How did you break from your bondage?"

"A little help came from a friend," Gandalf said as Frodo came out from behind him.

"You will not leave from here," Ilrun said with anger. "You cannot stop us."

"I think otherwise," Gandalf replied as he raised his hand, sending Ilrun flying against the wall, knocking him unconscious.

"We must go quickly," Lady Galadriel said, coming forward. "They will be looking for us soon."

"Right," Frodo said as he went to a nearby console. "Odo said this should be easy..."

A moment later, the force fields shutdown from the holding cells and everyone exited. Their weapons and Gandalf's staff lay nearby on a table, which they collected gladly.

"You saw Odo?" Dax asked Frodo.

"Yes," the hobbit answered. "He is looking for the other Changeling."

"I hope he does not have any trouble," Dax said, remembering what happened the last time Odo fought with another shape shifter.

"Odo will catch up with us," Worf said. "We will not leave him."

"Our Lady here," Gandalf said, motioning to Galadriel. "Has taken care to bring help to lessen our discovery upon escape."

"How so?" Dax asked.

"You shall see," Gandalf said with a smile. "A certain Marchwarden nearby comes quite in handy."

They began to race along the corridors, trying to find a way out. Not long later an alarm sounded loudly above their heads.

"That should be our reinforcements," Gandalf said.

Finally the team reached an exit only to hear a nearby firefight. Looking toward the edge of the woods, they observed Haldir and Kira's team distracting the bulk of the Jem'Hadar guards. Several of the elves were using their own weapons of bows and swords while the Starfleet crewmembers used their phasers. Only when they were too close for phasers did the elves take to physical combat. Worf ordered several of the team to the shuttle to send the evacuated kidnap victims back to the Defiant. The rest stayed to help the other team draw back from the attack.

"Stay safe," Glorfindel said to Dax as he left her side, knowing she would get into the thick of the battle with him.

Dax watched as Glorfindel ran into the fight, sword shining as he took down foes with a fatal slash or stab. He had come from behind as the soldiers fired into the woods at the second team. Confusion soon followed as the second assault from the first team came upon the Jem'Hadar.

Taking up a protected position behind a structure column, Dax fired her phaser into the foray, felling her enemies with a few shots. She much rather preferred the phaser rifle instead of a bat'leth against the Jem'Hadar who were unmatched in their physical abilities except perhaps by Klingons. Though, these Jem'Hadar did not seem as well trained or organized as the usual soldiers Starfleet came across.

Suddenly disruptor blasts hit the walls and column behind Dax as a new set of soldiers descended upon her from behind. Dodging the energy shots, she found another protective nook that blocked her from both battle areas. Two Jem'Hadar were knocked down by her shots but three more still descended upon her. Glancing quickly back toward her former targets that were now behind her, Dax noticed most of the soldiers were busy fighting. She hesitated then vaulted over the ledge of the column she had been using to block her from the other shots. Two more volleys left her rifle as she tried to stop her pursuers but the third came upon her rapidly without halting.

To throw him off, Dax charged so that he would not be able to fire at her. She brought her rifle up for a blow, feeling the butt of the rifle hit his chin with a crack. He reacted quickly and tried to swipe her with his own gun but missed her as she ducked his attack; however, he came back again and caught her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Doubled over, Dax tried to pull energy from within to keep up with her opponent. A battle cry from behind her caught her attention and suddenly Glorfindel came running up, his sword high and ready to give a fatal blow. With a slice, the Jem'Hadar soldier's head was separated from his body by Glorfindel's blade and was no longer a threat to Dax.

"Are you all right?" Glorfindel asked as he took Dax into his arms, helping her to her feet.

"I am fine," she said, gulping air into her lungs. "I might have a few bruises but not much else."

All air was once again cut off from Dax as she found herself locked in an engrossing kiss as Glorfindel pressed his lips against her. She almost melted in his embrace until he suddenly let go and cupped her face.

"Come, we are escaping back to the second shuttle," he said as he took her hand in his, rushing into the forest at full speed.

The bodies of dead Jem'Hadar had littered the clearing and luckily none of the Starfleet-elf team were injured or killed. All who did not go on the first shuttle with Worf, Gandalf, Frodo, Lady Galadriel, and a couple crewmembers made it to the second one that Kira had been powering up in preparation once everyone started to head back into the jungle. It was not a retreat but simply a return to the ship after accomplishing their mission objective and wanting to set off before anything worse could happen.

Soon enough everyone, including Odo, was inside and the shuttle was speeding off out of the atmosphere toward the meeting point for the Defiant. The Dominion warship was still absent from the system thus giving the shuttle a clear way of escape. Into the Badlands they flew quickly and hid in a system of asteroids until the all clear was given and the Defiant would appear.

Dax watched in the powered-down and darkened shuttle as Glorfindel set out to help several of the crew who did have injuries. She watched as his hands expertly took to his task with the knowledge he had gleaned over his long life. Dax felt the adrenaline from the battle finally seep out of her veins and body, leaving her feeling a little exhausted but glad nonetheless they had accomplished their goal in saving Gandalf and Lady Galadriel. Taking a seat at the front of the shuttle where Kira waited, watching the sensors and activity outside the shuttle's window for any signs of approach from any ships, Dax quietly slid into the comfortable chair.

"That went better than we had planned," Kira said with a tired smile. "Though the Jem'Hadar seemed rather weak compared to the other soldiers we've come across before."

"I think so too," Dax agreed, then stared back at the team behind them in the hold of the shuttle. "But, I think there might be more we will find out when we get back to the Defiant."

Kira followed her gaze to find Odo in the back, behind the group of elves and Starfleet crewmembers, leaning against the bulkhead in what seemed to be deep thought.

"I wonder if he ever found the other Changeling," Dax speculated out loud.

"From the way he's acting, I think he did," Kira said before turning back to her controls.