Sandra Collins stepped into Eve’s home a short time after the policewoman’s hasty departure with her companions with a tightening knot of tension in her stomach. She could tell just by the silence after her people kicked in the door that they were too late. Eve McCaughley was no fool. She would have guessed the forces rallied against her and ensured that when Malcolm Industries resumed their hunt for her and Doctor Stone, this was most likely the place they would begin. As Sandra left the foyer and followed the small annex emptying into the living room, she could tell by the disarray that they had not been gone very long. Unfortunately, where the woman might have fled was another thing entirely.
It appeared that Eve McCaughley and Aaron Stone had one thing in common; neither had any family to speak of and thus no leads to where they might seek sanctuary if they were driven from their homes. Sandra had not paid enough attention to McCaughely to know where the woman might go after leaving here and someone was already watching Stone’s apartment. Sandra did not think the doctor was foolish enough to back there anyway. The situation was getting worse by the minute and she did not relish the notion of returning to Malcolm and informing him that they had lost both parties.
Sandra moved through the house, studying the memorabilia from a lifetime beyond that of Officer McCaughley. Sandra had recalled reading the file on the woman revealing her family’s close association with the police force. Eve’s father and brother had been police officers; one had died in the line of duty and the other with grief. Her mother had passed away of cancer or something of the like when McCaughley was ten and so the young woman was raised with a predominantly masculine upbringing.
It was obviously a close family, Sandra determined by the apparent warmth in the photographs on the mantle piece. The house was very much a relic of Eve McCaughley’s connection to her past. Very little about it had changed according to the photographs and Sandra had the impression while little parts of it had been decorated to suit its present owner, McCaughley had left it untouched as a homage to the family that was now buried in the ground.
“Anything?” Sandra asked as she was approached by one of Malcolm Industries ‘security’ consultants, a bear of man named Barry who wore a dark suit and looked like a secret service agent instead of the hired goon that he was.
“No,” Barry shook his cropped blond head. “If they were here, they left in a hurry. They cleared out the kitchen, took supplies with them and left.”
“Supplies?” Sandra gave him a look. “What sort of supplies?”
“Well the kitchen’s empty,” Barry answered, remembering what the other members of his team had reported during their search of the house, “looks like they took food with them. Upstairs closet in the hallway looks like someone went through it. I think they took blankets and pillows with them.”
“How interesting,” Sandra said contemplatively. “It appears they have gone to ground.”
“What are your instructions?” Barry inquired since it looked as if they would find nothing here.
“I want to go back to Stone’s apartment,” Sandra answered as she paused in front of the mantle piece and examined a framed picture of McCaughley and her brother Darien. She stared at the picture for a long while before replacing it on the mantle piece.
“Yes ma’am,” Barry nodded. “I’ll get the others moving.”
“Not yet,” Sandra stopped him before he moved past her. “I’ll go to Stone’s apartment. I want you to meet me there after you finish up here.”
“Finish up?” Barry looked at her with puzzlement. “There’s nothing to find here. I don’t think McCaughley will be back.”
“I don’t either,” Sandra said icily, “but if she does, I want her homecoming to be memorable. So burn it down, Barry, burn it all down.”
************
Eve could not remember the last time she had been any place as pretty as this.
Being an officer of the NYPD, it was easy to forget that there was a world beyond homicides and vice, where there were no ghetto wars, no drive by shootings or liquor store robberies. Beyond the walls of the concrete jungle, there was a simpler world and half the time it was a pretty nice place to be. There was a time before she had followed the family profession when Eve considered escaping the boundaries of that world to see what lay beyond it. She had wanted to travel and experience a little of life’s beauty before she became bound to see its ugliness from the other side of the badge. However, it did not come to pass and Eve found herself enrolled at the Police Academy far sooner than she would have desired.
She regretted none the choices she had made. Yet as she stood on the porch of Aaron’s cabin, staring out into the hills where Bear Mountain held court over the landscape, Eve wondered if she had missed out by never taking that road to self-discovery. For so long, her life had been the job and it had become worse since her father had passed away. Until now, she had not considered how lonely her life was especially since she was all that was left of the family she knew as a child.
After Darien and her father had died within a year of each other, Eve knew that she had become a little insular. She devoted herself to the job because emotionally, it was less taxing than caring for people who would only leave you in the due course of time. Living this way served her well even if it was a subconscious desire and not any real effort to keep people at a distance.
Unfortunately, it appeared fate had other plans for her since her life in a space of 48 hours had suddenly become inundated with new faces. How she had come to risk everything, her life and her career on a trio of elves, an insane old man with the propensity to destroy hotel rooms and a psychiatrist who was apparently had more names than the artist formerly known as (insert named here).
Not that he was not intriguing in his own way, Eve mused as she stood on the porch, wrapped in the old flannel robe she did not have the heart to give to goodwill when her brother died, staring out in the resplendent beauty of Bear Mountain at dawn, nursing a steaming coffee.
There was something about Aaron that was familiar in a way that made her feel warm and predisposed towards him, though she would need to be at gunpoint before she admitted that to anyone, least of all him. Eve’s relationships in the past told her that it was difficult for most men to accept her lifestyle even though the idea of the uniform and handcuffs was often a point of titillation. However, for most part Eve found that it was easier to date men in the force because they were the ones who were more accepting of her manner.
Aaron was not what she expected of a psychiatrist. Her perception probably had to do with the elitist superiority they tended to project to those who were not of the profession. Of course, she was probably a little biased by the fact that they always seemed to be facilitating the criminal elements justification of horrific crimes by supporting their pleas of insanity. Still, she was impressed by how much Aaron had been willing to suffer for the sake of his patient, the strange old man called Moses or Gandalf as they know believed.
“Good morning,” she heard him step out onto the porch with her.
“Morning,” she glanced over her shoulder briefly before she returned her gaze to the rustic scenery before her.
“How did you sleep?” Aaron asked casually as he joined her.
“After the day we had?” She crooked a brow at him, “like a log.”
“Me too,” he confessed, following her gaze to the scenery before them.
They had arrived at the cabin in the small hours of the night. After buying supplies that they had not be able to scavenge from her house, they had sat on the highway all the way out of town, painfully aware that they could be followed. Fortunately, it appeared as if they had made good their escape though neither Eve nor Aaron believed for a moment that they were safe. With the resources at Malcolm’s disposal, it was possible that he could still find them, even here. Although there was nothing on paper anyway that indicated Aaron Stone frequented this lodge house at the foot of Bear Mountain, there was no reason to assume that they could remain hidden indefinitely.
“How long have you been coming here?” She asked, flicking a strand of dark hair from her face as she regarded him.
“A couple of years,” Aaron replied, trying not to look directly at her because now that things were not so chaotic, he was noticing her far more than he had before. He supposed, it might have something to do with the fact that even though she was clad in the most unflattering flannelette robe he had ever seen, she still managed to make it look good.
“It’s a great place,” she nodded with a little smile. “My grandparents used to have something like this when I was little. Its nice to have somewhere you can just leave the city behind you.”
“Yeah,” Aaron agreed, “Stuart were I going to….”
Aaron paused a moment when he realised that he and Stuart were never going to do anything again. It was only a few weeks ago that they talked about another trip out here. A surge of grief for his old friend lost came upon him so suddenly that Aaron was scarcely able to breathe. For a moment, just a brief instant of time, Aaron had forgotten that Stuart was dead. Remembering the truth hurt and it showed on Aaron’s face.
“Hey,” Eve said reaching for his hand and held it in hers for a moment. Eve knew what it was like to lose a loved one and while she could empathize with his pain, she was not about to let him face it alone, especially when she had every suspicion that he believed what happened to Stuart was his fault.
“Its okay to hurt Aaron,” she gave him a look of sympathy.
“I know,” he swallowed thickly, trying to restrain the grief he felt over the loss of his best friend. “I really miss him. He’s always been there and I haven’t got used to the idea that he’s gone.”
“It takes awhile,” she offered compassionately. “Losing him the way you did doesn’t make it any easier either.”
“No it doesn’t” Aaron had to concede and lifted his gaze to meet hers. Once again, the depths of her eyes momentarily soothed thoughts of Stuart and Aaron found that being with her made him feel a little better, “I thought I was supposed to be the shrink?”
“You are,” she looked at him with the same growing affection, “but we cops know more about dealing with people dying than you do during sessions. We live with the possibility every day because it could happen to us or to someone we know. The best way to deal with it is to just feel the pain and then move on. We can’t afford to let it eat us up inside. We let the grief get out of hand and it will reflect how we do the job.”
“You lose many people in your life?” Aaron asked quietly, sensing that she spoke from experience.
“My mother when I was little and after my brother was killed in the line of duty, my father just slipped away,” Eve replied with more feeling than she intended.
Aaron sensed that as bravely as she spoke, she was still suffering the lingering effects of such a devastating loss. “I’m sorry,” he offered.
“They’ve been gone awhile,” she shrugged. “I miss them but I’m over it.”
Aaron did not believe it but he was not about to be to contradict her.
“So how long do we stay here?” He asked, deciding that it was prudent to change the subject and he did not wish to dwell too much on his pain over Stuart’s death. He may be a psychiatrist but he was not ready to discuss the full extent of his grief in detail to anyone, not even to Eve despite how attractive she was. It was still too fresh. Perhaps when this was over, he would be ready to talk about it and if Eve was still in his life, he hoped he could talk to her. For the moment however, he just wanted to forget.
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “Malcolm’s a powerful man, it won’t take long to track us down. We can’t hide forever. The man has resources we don’t.”
“I’m sorry I got you into this,” Aaron apologised.
“I think I was on my way there anyway,” Eve declared. “Running into you just kicked things in to overdrive. Besides, it’s for the better. You and I both have different pieces of the same jigsaw.”
“Speaking of your pieces, where are the other two?” He asked referring to Elladan and Elrohir who were not in the lodge when he awoke. Legolas had taken the duty of keeping a vigil on Moses while Aaron caught up on his sleep.
“Communing with nature I think,” Eve retorted. “They were just itching to go out into the woods, I think they’ve had enough of the city.”
“You notice they don’t sleep,” Aaron remarked.
“Tell me about it,” Eve rolled her eyes remembering how she had found all three fixated on the television set the first night they had enjoyed her hospitality. “I don’t think they sleep the way that we do.”
“How do you know?” He looked at her.
"Just a feeling,” Eve sighed, not wishing to reveal to him that it was something she sensed more than anything she could explain.
”I can’t get much out of Legolas,” Aaron retorted, “but he kept watch on Moses all night so I could get some sleep. He doesn’t even look sleepy.”
“He looks very attached to you,” Eve pointed out.
“Yeah I noticed that,” Aaron nodded, recalling Legolas’ initial reaction to him. “I think Legolas and Strider were very close.”
It was not an idle supposition. Whoever he was to Legolas in the past, it was clear the elf cared deeply for him. In another life, Aaron suspected they might have been friends the way he and Stuart had been. Another disturbing aspect, which Aaron did not reveal to Eve, was his ability to guess what the elf was thinking even without words. Aaron would have put it down to his psychiatric training but the truth was, he just knew how Legolas was going to react about certain things. Legolas seemed to have the same insight into his personality. Once again, the whole notion of reincarnation left Aaron very off balance.
“When I was in high school,” Eve replied, “I had a philosophy class where the teacher claimed that reincarnation was not just coming back with the same soul but also to the same people. Your soul finds the people it knew in the past, maybe that’s why this is happening. Maybe this is some cosmic turntable and we’re just playing the same record with a different tune.”
Aaron looked at her before declaring with a smile, “you have too many thoughts.”
Eve laughed, “maybe but I’ve also decided that if we’re going to play highlights from the fugitive, then I’m going to have to teach you some new skills.”
Aaron did not like the sound of this, “new skills?”
Eve smiled at him, “trust me.”
*************
Legolas Greenleaf sat in the chair watching Mithrandir, unable to imagine that the most powerful Istar he knew and the Maia servant of Manwe was presently asleep in his bed, resembling little more than a frail and helpless old man. It was difficult for Legolas to accustom to himself with what he was seeing now when he remembered the feats the wizard had accomplished in his long life. Legolas remembered how Mithrandir had stood against the Balrog in the mines of Moria, how he had rallied the armies of light in the dark days during the War of the Ring and carried out countless other deeds of heroism that could not all be named.
That he was here before Legolas, helpless and forgotten after four centuries with his mind in tatters was such an affront to the elf that Legolas could barely restrain his outrage.
Vengeance was not an emotion elves preferred to harbour. However, seeing the once great wizard in such terrible condition, a wizard who had not only done a great service to the peoples of Middle earth and who was also his friend, compelled Legolas rethink the whole notion of retribution. He wondered if Aaron understood that any ailment with the power to undo the mind of an istar was most likely incapable of being cured by human hands. However, it was in Aaron’s nature to try in much the same way it had been Aragorn’s.
For so long Legolas had feared he was the last of the Fellowship. He had mired himself in grief at the loss of the mortal companions who meant so much to him, not just Melia. Of all those who had passed into the next life, it was Aragorn that Legolas missed the most, perhaps even more than Gimli who had been his constant companion until the dwarf’s passing. Valinor ensured a mortal’s life was long and without disease, it did not prolong it. When Mithrandir had been lost four centuries ago, Legolas had refused to believe that he could be dead. He did not want to be the last of the nine walkers.
The tragedy of being immortal was the continuous death of loved ones.
His fear of this had driven him to embark upon this quest although not in a million years did he conceive that he would find what he had. Not only was Mithrandir alive but so was Aragorn and Arwen. True, the duo had little memory of the people they had been but Legolas recognised them as surely as he had recognised Ariel wearing Melia’s soul the firs time had laid eyes upon the elf maid. Everything about Aaron was Aragorn. The way he looked, the stubborn desire to help no matter what the consequences to himself and even the same self-depreciating manner. Even though the inability to converse could not convey what danger they were faced with, Legolas could tell that it had everything to do with Mithrandir and Aaron was determined to protect him.
This was the Aragorn that Legolas knew and as if the last one hundred thousand years had simply melted away, Legolas was committed to stand by his side while he did just that.
The elf’s ruminations were interrupted when he heard a slight moan and looked up to see Mithrandir stirring in his bed. Legolas remained in his chair, sitting quietly as the old man came out of his slumber. He remembered what effect saying his name had upon Mithrandir and resolved himself not to speak the Istar’s name. Legolas had seen first hand what the wizard was capable of when his control of his powers were unleashed.
“Good morning old friend,” Legolas spoke in elvish, recalling Mithrandir had understood him when they last spoke.
“You are still here,” Moses muttered as he looked at Legolas through heavy eyelids. “I thought I had dreamed you.”
“I am here,” Legolas replied. “I have come a long way to find you.”
“From where?” Moses asked with a little more animation in his speech.
“It is not important that you know,” Legolas declared, deciding that he should not confront Mithrandir with too many facts about his past. In his fragile state of mind, the consequences could be another dangerous outburst of power. “Only that I have come to take you home.”
Moses sat up in his bed, “I have been lost for a very long time haven’t I?”
“Yes,” Legolas nodded sombrely. “We feared you were dead. I would not believe it until I saw your body for myself.”
“How is that I can understand you?” Moses retorted, his heavy grey bows raising slightly as he waited for an answer.
Legolas smiled faintly, “you know a number of languages. Elvish is but one the many tongues you speak.”
“Oh,” Moses looked confused because he remembered none of it. “I find it disconcerting that there is nothing about you that strikes me as odd even though you are as you say, elvish.”
“You are accustomed to being around many races,” Legolas offered helpfully. “There was a time when that was all you did, travelling around meeting new people.”
“Wonderful,” Moses rumbled. “I was always a vagrant.”
“Not quite,” Legolas laughed and paused when he heard footsteps approaching the room and knew that it was Aaron and Eve. Unfortunately, Aaron did not possess the stealth or the ability that Aragorn possessed to go about unnoticed. A moment later, the door swung open and Aaron stepped through the doorway first, his eyes fixed upon Mithrandir before resting on Legolas.
“You’re awake Moses,” Aaron declared with genuine relief. “How are you feeling?”
“A good deal better though I have an elf in my room and I am able to speak his language,” Moses replied.
“So you can understand him?” Eve asked, gazing at Legolas.
“Apparently so,” Moses shrugged, too weary to question why.
“Ask him why Aaron has so many names,” she quipped and secured a look from Aaron in quick succession.
“Moses, can you ask him who he thinks I am?” Aaron asked, turning back to Legolas.
“I can,” Moses nodded and turn to Legolas, relating the question and in turn receiving an answer. The old man rose both brows as the elf gave him a response for Aaron and his reaction made Aragorn nervous.
“He says,” Moses replied after a pause, “that you were once Aragorn Elessar, King of Gondor, ruler of House Telecontari, formerly a Ranger named Strider, also the Dunedain and for a time known in Rohan as Thorongil – the Eagle of the Star.”
“Jesus,” Eve looked at Aaron in astonishment.
“And you were his wife,” Moses concluded with a little smile.
“What?” Eve exclaimed and stared at Aaron whose initial shock was now giving way to a wide smirk across his face.
“You were Queen Arwen Evenstar or as it was pronounced in elvish, Undomiel,”
“Did you say wife?” Eve stammered, feeling a hot flush of embarrassment racing to her cheeks.
“He said wife,” Aaron replied with grin.
“Get that smile off your face,” Eve snapped, disliking the notion that cosmic turntable meant that she was karmically predisposed to falling for this man.
“Its fate,” he continued to smile, his hand lowering onto her shoulder and succeeded in getting himself elbowed in the stomach.
Legolas seemed to chuckle and spoke to Moses further.
“He says that you have not changed much Aaron,” Moses remarked with a little smile.
At that remark, Aaron regarded the elf and spoke to Moses, “how do we know each other?”
Moses relayed the question and was afforded an answer in good time. Legolas seemed to stare at Aaron and awaited his reaction as Moses responded.
“He says that he knew you for most of your life, that you were friends through many great adventures. You have saved his life many times and he has saved yours. When the elves were leaving this world, you were the reason he remained behind for as long as he did. When you passed into death, he could no longer bear to watch any more friends die, that is when he left. You were closer than brothers and more than friends.”
Aaron could feel it as the elf stared at him. He could feel the kinship that Legolas felt for him and wished he could remember something of the friendship the elf placed so much value upon. However, it did not matter if the memory did not remain, the emotions this elf engendered in him were not unlike the feelings he had for Stuart.
“Why did he come here?” Aaron asked after a moment, breaking away from Legolas’ gaze.
“I believe he came looking for me,” Moses replied, seeing no need to ask Legolas that question when he already knew the answer. “I appear to have been lost for quite some time.”
“Ask him if he knows why you came here,” Aaron inquired further, not wishing to tax Moses too much by making him act as translator. However, there were certain things that they needed to know and Moses was possibly the only person alive who could understand what Legolas was saying.
Moses turned towards Legolas and related the question. The elf met Aaron’s eyes and showed his trepidation at answering the question but Aaron nodded at him to continue because they needed to know something about what happened to Moses. Unfortunately, they needed to tread cautiously as well because Moses’ mind was still in a fragile state. Aaron did not wish to spark another violent episode by inadvertently causing man to delve too deeply into his identity. Legolas spoke shortly and Aaron saw Moses reacting slightly but not enough to cause him concern.
“I was sent to find the cause of the darkness,” Moses replied, staring uncertainly at Legolas as he translated the words. “They felt it from across the world, it penetrated the realms that separate the realm of elves.”
“And this evil is somehow John Malcolm?” Eve looked at Aaron sceptically. She could believe that the man had too much power but she had been a cop too long to accept that there could be evil in the world. Eve saw evil as a state of mind, not as a living, breathing entity. To think that real evil could exist, the kind so prolifically detailed in many religious texts made Eve’s skin crawl.
“Yes,” Moses nodded without even having to translate that question for Legolas. “It is Malcolm.”
Legolas reacted to Malcolm’s name and began speaking quickly as if he had an opinion in the matter. Moses absorbed what he said with growing apprehension and Aaron was about to put a stop to it when the old man began speaking again.
“He wants to know if we are speaking of a creature called Melkor?”
“Malcolm?” Aaron guessed, understanding why Legolas had brought it up earlier. Malcolm and Melkor, there were similarities in the sound of the name. Was it because they were one and the same? “It’s possible. Who is Melkor?”
“He was called the Dark Enemy,” Moses started speaking and Aaron had the feeling that his words were not from Legolas’ translation. “In his time, he laid waste to much of the world, long before all this was even conceived in the minds of men. The powers that sent me here banished him to the void and there he was thought to have been, until now.” Moses concluded raising his eyes to meet Aaron’s. “He is Malcolm,” Moses said softly. “I know it.”
“And now he wants to kill you because you know his secret,”
“No Aaron,” Eve said gravely, “he wants to kill all of us because now we know.”
Aaron met her gaze and remembered the chase that had led to them being here, “you’re right.”
“I think that its time you learn those new skills I was talking about,” she replied staring at Aaron and then at Legolas as well. “The both of you.”
************
Aaron looked dubiously at the gun in his hand and decided that nothing in his world had gone as completely mad as his agreeing to pick up the weapon. Unfortunately, despite his natural dislike for handling guns of any kind, he had begrudgingly admit that he could not rely on Eve to protect him as she had done when she saved his life in the parking lot of the Malcolm Building. As she pointed out and rather determinedly, there were dangerous people after them and he needed to be able to protect himself in her absence. While Aaron did not like the notion of anything happening to Eve, he had to admit that the possibility existed that harm might befall her in the course of this situation they found themselves in.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Aaron replied as he looked at the gun she was showing him how to load.
“Don’t be such a baby,” Eve retorted as she slid the magazine into place. “Now this is a 9 millimetre Barretta, the sidearm of choice for most police officers and military personnel. It has 22 rounds and is what you call a double action semi-automatic weapon.”
“As in twenty two bullets?” He looked at her.
“You have a lodge in the woods and you don’t know how to use a gun? Didn’t you even go hunting?”
“I don’t like guns,” he repeated himself. “If I want meat, that’s what the supermarket is for.”
“Look,” she sucked in a deep breath, indicating that she was starting to get annoyed. “I don’t much like the idea of giving civilians guns either. Personally, the deconstruction of society is the readiness to solve our problems with one of these but the men who are after us, don’t have that moral objection and will shoot us or worse if you do not know how to protect yourself.”
“Alright,” Aaron frowned and saw a similar look of displeasure on the faces of Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir, who had returned from their explorations to be drafted into this unpleasant exercise. “What do I have to do?”
“Now this thing is loaded,” she replied, carefully the weapon to him, butt first. “Keep your finger off the trigger unless you’re ready to fire. You’ve seen how I took the safety off. When you don’t plan on using it, make sure the safety is on all the time.”
Aaron took the weapon in his hand, disliking the feel of the cold steel against his skin. He had been in the emergency room enough times to know just how much damage these weapons could inflict upon a person. He had never desired to use one himself but Eve was correct, he had to learn.
”Do I just point and shoot?”
“Something like that,” Eve shook her head, realising she had an uphill battle.
Aaron swallowed and stared at the target in front of him that was in actuality a number of bottles spaced out across a wooden face. The elves were staring at him in sympathy for it appeared they had no wish to use the weapon themselves. Of course, Aaron kept silent the fact that they were in no position to take the moral high ground because their arsenal included archery weapons and swords that was almost as deadly as a gun, if not more.
“Just line up the target with the sight,” Eve instructed, having given him preliminaries before they reached this point.
Aaron held the weapon the way Eve had told him and took aim. He thought briefly that the Pepsi Cola bottle had done nothing to deserve a bullet and told himself he was starting to sound like Hawkeye Pierce from MASH. Taking a deep breath, he squeezed the trigger gently, bracing himself for the noise that would followed.
To the elves, the shot fired was like hearing the sudden crack of thunder. Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir reacted at once as the noise tore through their ears. All three jumped up startled by the thunderous explosion of sound and reached instinctively for their ears. However, the shock of the weapon’s loud bang was nothing in comparison to the effect the projectile ejected from the barrel, had upon the target. The plastic bottle flew through the air, spinning like a wheel before it landed on the ground smoking, its body split open.
“Elbereth!” Elladan exclaimed in astonishment as they saw for the first time, what those weapons were capable of. “I am glad we were not on the receiving end of that.”
“We almost were,” Elrohir reminded, recalling how they had engaged the two thieves that had accosted the shop where they had bought a meal during their first night in this strange land.
“Its range is considerable,” Legolas commented, paying attention the technical aspects of it rather than the weapon’s awesome abilities. “It travels almost as far as an arrow.”
“With greater speed,” Elrohir reminded. “You cannot chart its progress with the naked eye.”
“I suppose,” Legolas shrugged, unwilling to admit his bow was a less superior weapon. “I wonder what that small projectile would do once inside the body.”
“Judging by Aaron’s reluctance to use it, I would say the damage would be considerable,” Elladan pointed out.
***********
“Hey I got it!” Aaron said with more enthusiasm than he thought possible. He was certain that his novice handling of the gun would prevent him from getting a bullet even close to the target; however, his effort was far from disappointing.
“Yeah,” Eve stared at him a moment, rather surprised that he made the shot so well. Must be beginner’s luck, she thought silently. “Try another one,” she prompted.
“Okay,” Aaron cocked the weapon again, this time greatly encouraged by his success. “Here’s goes.”
The weapon fired again and this time with a less dramatic reaction from the elves although they still held their ears in reaction to the loud bang that followed the pulling of the trigger. The second target this time, was a can of Doctor Pepper and bounced off the fence swiftly and landed in the grass nearby.
“Again,” Eve ordered, just to see if the doctor could maintain his aim now that he had some momentum.
Aaron readjusted his aim and fired, following her prompt before each pull of the trigger. The air was alive with the sound of gunfire. Wildlife residing in trees close by took flight, their beating wings a distant sound as they soared across the sky away from the commotion. After a time, Aaron was not even pausing to taking aim. It was frightening how easy it was for him to be accustomed to handling the gun. Aaron did not know how many rounds he had squeezed off before there were no more targets to shoot but the weapon no longer felt so alien to him any more.
Aaron was undecided if this was a good thing or not.
“You can have it back now,” Aaron replied returning the Barretta to her.
Eve saw the uneven trail of bottles lying across the ground, ruined completely by the marksmanship of the doctor and wondered if he was hustling her. She supposed it could be beginner’s luck but more accurately, he had a good eye for targeting. It was probably a skill his educated background had never exploited before now and it was clear that he was just as surprised by how well he did, as she was.
“You sure you haven’t fired a gun before?” Eve asked as Aaron sat down next to Legolas.
“No,” he shrugged uncomfortably. “I don’t like guns. I’m a doctor; I’ve seen first hand what they can do but I did do okay?”
“Yeah you weren’t bad,” Eve retorted, preparing to stack some old bottles she had found on the fence to resume their target practice.
“For a beginner,” she added.
“A beginner?” Aaron exclaimed rather offended by her assessment of his skill. “I shot every one of those things! Those cans and bottles will never threaten anyone again.”
“True,” she looked over her shoulder with a smirk. “If we’re at a Seven-Eleven, we’ll be completely protected.”
“Very funny,” he retorted, unaware that three sets of eyes were watching them closely with rising amusement.
***********
“Reincarnated or not, they are still the same,” Elladan remarked with a smile as he watched the playful banter between Eve and Aaron. While they understood nothing that was being said, the body language between the two was clear enough for even a blind man to interpret.
“They are destined for each other,” Elrohir agreed, remembering how it had been in the early days of Aragorn and Arwen’s great love for each other. It had amused the brothers to no end to watch their youthful friend yearn for their seemingly unattainable sister.
For an elf, Arwen had taken long time to choose someone worthy of her affections. Elves usually married in the first century of their lives, those who remained unmarried for so long, usually did not do so at all. Since the Eldar found the concept of arranged marriages offensive, the twins as well as their father, assumed that Arwen would find love in her own good time. There were occasions when they thought that it might be Legolas who would win the Evenstar’s hand. After all, she had remained at Lothlorien long enough to sometimes cross paths with the Prince of Mirkwood during visits between Celeborn and Thranduil’s kingdom. However, their relationship had never progressed beyond its platonic boundaries and was more akin to sibling affection than romantic love.
When she did chose, it was beyond anyone’s comprehension that she would pick a human. Aragorn had come to mean a great deal to House of Elrond, not simply because he was the son of Arathorn, but also because he was raised by the Lord of Imlardis in the years after his father’s death. There were many that compared the love of Arwen and Aragorn to that of Beren and Luthien. It was meant to be magnificent and beautiful; an expression of love that would ultimately culminate in tragedy but not even her family suspected that Arwen was willing to die a mortal death for Isildur’s heir.
It broke their hearts to know that she would not sail across the sea to Valinor but her love for her king was blinding and had a tendency to inspire even the most jaded soul to feel something of it. In the end they understood her choice but Elrond never recovered losing his precious daughter. Even in the years following their departure from Middle earth, Elrond and Celebrian mourned their missing child. More than anything Elrohir wished their father could be here now because knowing that the Evenstar was reborn, even if it was in human flesh would have been a source of great joy.
“It will be difficult for me to leave,” Legolas suddenly stated.
Elladan turned to him sharply, “you cannot stay here Legolas.”
Legolas did not answer and that made Elladan even more nervous. Elladan knew how deep Legolas’ friendship with Aragorn had been. He was the last elf to leave Middle earth because of this friendship and his loyalty to the king of Gondor.
“Legolas, this is an entirely different world than the one we left,” Elladan stared at the elf, perfectly aware how determined Legolas could be when the mood took him, “you cannot remain.”
“I know,” Legolas agreed begrudgingly. “It is just that I have always found it difficult to say goodbye to him.”
“He is not the Aragorn you knew Legolas,” Elrohir said gently, “he is a hundred thousand years away from the Elfstone.”
“Yes,” Legolas replied, “but it is still good to see him.”
“I cannot disagree with you there,” Elladan confessed as he stared at the woman who was once his sister and the man who was once his friend, “I will miss them when it is time to leave.”
************
Eve managed to convince the elves to try their hand at shooting the Barretta but soon came to the conclusion that while Legolas showed some ability, none of them were at all comfortable with firing a gun. In away she understood the reasoning since it was rather profane trying to imagine an elf carrying a 9 millimetre handgun. Instead, Elladan seemed determined that Aaron should learn how to use a sword, as he was supposedly very good at it once. Unfortunately, he did not pick up swordsmanship as quickly as he was able to shoot and Eve was very amused by Aaron’s attempts to play Errol Flynn. It was strange how fast the bond between the four men had developed, even though they could barely form the words to express themselves to each other.
Instead of progressing with another hypnosis session now that they were in more remote surroundings, Aaron had decided to allow Moses the opportunity to recover from his previous session and the violent episode the day after. Although Moses seemed less uncomfortable around the elves, the doctor still worried for the patient’s well being, particularly in light of what they were discovering about himself and about John Malcolm. Eve could not blame Aaron wanting to allow Moses a little recovery time. After seeing what he was capable of, she was not overly anxious to see the psychiatrist delving into the old man’s mind again when it was capable of manifesting itself in a physical attack.
Eve sat on the porch steps staring at the moon in the sky above the mountain. The quiet was allowing her to shift through her own thoughts regarding this situation, particularly the feelings she had around Aaron. A part of her was fighting her attraction to him and as much as she disliked it, she could not deny that she was attracted to him. Eve liked to think that she was in control of her own destiny that her life unfolded, as she willed not according to the whims of fate. The old man said that they were husband and wife in that distant life and Eve remembered her vision and how it had felt that one vital element was missing when she had been bombarded by those strange images.
She heard the creak of the door and knew instinctively that it would be Aaron behind her. While she fought the growing feelings for him, Eve’s own intuition was capable of telling her that Aaron cared for her almost as deeply. However, he did not seem to have any trouble with the notion that they were destined for each other. It was strange how men could sometimes be more romantic than women about such things.
“If you rather be alone, I’ll leave,” Aaron offered when Eve looked over her shoulder to see him emerging from the lodge with two mugs of steaming hot chocolate.
“Some psychiatrist,” Eve snorted, “don’t you know you’re not suppose to approach a woman with chocolate unless you mean to give to her?”
Aaron chuckled, “sorry I slept that day in class,” he replied handing the mug.
“You put marshmallow in it,” she noted with a raised brow.
“Well I didn’t say I was completely ignorant,” he grinned sitting down next to her on the step.
“Thanks,” she smiled at him as she nursed the warm cup in her hands.
“What are you doing out here?” Aaron asked, although he could venture a guess. She was a strong woman accustomed to being in control of her situation, however the events of late were enough to shake the foundations of even the most centred person and he could see that she was struggling to cope with everything that they had recently learnt about the world and each other.
“Just taking a breather,” she replied, “its not every day I teach a bunch of elves and a psychiatrist to shoot a gun.”
Aaron could sense it was more than that. He was certain her need for adjustment had to do more with learning that in their previous lives, they were husband and wife. As much amusement Aaron had drawn out of the revelation at the time, he was just as overwhelmed as she was about the whole notion. It was telling that neither of them had asked Moses or Legolas to relate the details of that past relationship. Aaron knew he was attracted to Eve but he did not know that he could love her. This news of their love in the past made it difficult to admit any feelings for each other in the present. If something was to happen between them, Aaron wished it to occur naturally, not because either of them believed it was some preordained destiny that they were meant to be.
“Want to talk about it?” He asked with genuine concern.
“Is that a professional inquiry?” Eve met his gaze with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“Well I can go find a couch if you like but I was just asking as a friend,” Aaron retorted.
“Okay,” Eve replied a little admonished by her acerbic behaviour, “I’ll withdraw to the 39th parallel. I’m sorry, I am just a feeling a little displaced at the moment.”
“I understand,” Aaron said in turn, making the statement as more than just a psychiatrist but as someone who was just as overwhelmed as she by all the things that had happened to them in the last two days. “I learn to shoot a gun today. Do you know how far away that is from what I am?”
“You learnt quickly,” she replied encouragingly, aware of how difficult it was for him to set aside his natural aversion to using weapons of any kind. “And you don’t have to use it just because you know how.”
It was one of the qualities about Aaron that Eve liked, the fact that he did not wish to hurt anyone really. In the police force, it was ultimate blunt force that got things done, even more than talking and Eve wished it were different. Since the destruction of the World Trade Centre, the notion of talking first and acting later had been forgotten in the post traumatic grief shared by the police and other law enforcement agencies. There was this underlying belief among all of them that they had failed the community when they were unable to prevent the tragedy.
“I know,” he said confidently, “just like I know we’ll get through this. You know why?”
“Why?” She asked smiling, encouraged by his confidence.
“Because I’m a brilliant psychiatrist and you got more guns in the trunk of yours than the men of Desert Storm."
Eve laughed and did not resist when she felt his arm drape over her shoulder in gesture of affection. It was meant to be purely innocent but the touch of him was electric and suddenly Eve found herself thinking how nice it was to feel him so close to her. She felt the shudder ripple slightly through him as if he had felt it just as potently as her. Eve raised her eyes to Aaron’s and saw the cocky expression on his face had given away to a more intense emotion.
She did not pull away when he lowered his lips to her, did not resist as he kissed her tentatively at first. Eve closed her eyes and felt her mouth opening beneath his, entering the strange limbo that existed between men and women when that first intimate hurdle had been breached. The pause when either were undecided upon whether or not this was where they wanted the relationship to go or was it possible to pull back and salvage what was by sacrificing what might be.
All that was washed away when Aaron reacted to the consent given by her parting lips by kissing her more intently. She tasted far sweeter than anything ever had in his life and he wanted to savour every bit of her. His kiss was exploratory for he was so lost in the scent and taste of her that he wanted to relish every moment of the experience. Anything more passionate could come later when they were both ready for it and the psychiatrist in the back of his mind, seemed to believe they were not. Instead, Aaron basked in the texture of her lips, the soft sigh in the back of her throat as she surrendered a little of herself to him and the slight hint of perfume that would brand itself into his mind as her scent.
She tasted like marshmallows, he thought absurdly.
Eve was afraid of becoming a slave to fate but it was hard to think when the touch of him was so dizzying. She was not the kind of female that fell easily under the spell of a man. In fact, the last six months of dates had been wholly unimpressive and even then, the intimacy had been more than this simple kiss. However, as she felt his lips tasting her as if she were something wonderful, Eve could not help but delight in how he was making her feel. Her pulse was quickening as she allowed him to explore her mouth, taking in everything that he was in a single breath of air.
When they pulled away from each other, there was no embarrassment or regret, just the warmth of knowing that they could feel deeply for each other and a willingness to let those emotions take them where it may, without the notions of destiny or any past connection. Eve rested her head against his shoulder while they took in the beauty of the night, neither said little and were perfectly contented with their unspoken understanding with Aaron deciding that cosmic turntables were not such bad things after all.
*************
It was a hope borne out of desperation that forced Sandra Collins to return to Aaron Stone’s apartment again.
They had left McCaughley’s house a flaming pyre of ash when they were finished with it and Sandra was feeling just enough vitriol to issue the same order for the doctor’s abode. So far, there had been no indication where the duo would have escaped to with the patient. Mr Malcolm was becoming more irate at the growing escalation of the problem. Sandra had no desire to face his wrath if his desire for a speedy resolution to this situation was not met soon. Unfortunately, Sandra was limited by how much interest she was able to show in the doctor’s disappearance. As it was, uncomfortable questions were being raised about why the respected head of psychiatric at major city hospital had stolen a patient and fled his home.
She came to his apartment, hoping to find something and found it almost as useful as McCaughley’s late home. Barry and his men were ransacking the place, trying to find some clue as to where the doctor might have gone and Sandra was starting to consider that there might be nothing here to find. As she walked through the doctor’s study while the rest of the apartment was alive with the sound of drawers and cupboards doors being pulled open, Sandra scanned the room for anything useful. She had almost given up when something caught her eye at the corner of the desk.
“Barry!” She called out sharply.
Within seconds, the tall man was at her side, puzzlement on his face. “Yes ma’am?”
Sandra did not answer immediately. Her gaze was too affixed upon a framed picture of Aaron Stone and the late Stuart Farmer standing in what appeared to be the country, proudly displaying their fishing rods, with the outline of a mountain in the backdrop.
She looked at him after a moment and ordered, “find out where this is.”
“No,” Elladan looked at Aaron critically, disliking how the human was holding the sword in his hand and strode towards him.
Aaron did not know why the elves were so insistent on teaching him how to use a sword. After all, the likelihood of his ever needing to use one in this day and age was remote when guns were available so freely. Not that Aaron felt that he would ever get accustomed to using them even if Eve had begrudgingly admitted that he seemed to have a knack for handling the weapons. Eve claimed he had a marksman’s eye, a compliment Aaron did not know if he ought to be grateful for or not. He was a doctor and the idea of taking life was reprehensible to him.
“I show,” Elladan muttered as he took Aaron’s hand and showed him the correct way to brandish the elegantly crafted sword.
“For a guy who never heard English until a few days ago, you’re pretty bossy.”
Inwardly, he was rather impressed by the learning capacity of these elves who had picked up enough words to be able to carry out limited conversation in so short a time. Although they relied heavily on Moses to translate more complex sentences, the elves had reached a point where they were able to communicate with some effectiveness. Through Moses’ translation, Aaron learnt that the elves were the first sentient beings created by their gods to be able to speak. In the beginning, they called themselves the Quendi “those who could speak with voices”. Their greatest gift to the world was the teaching of language to the other races, including the humans. Their ability to learn new languages quickly stemmed from this ancient predisposition towards speech.
“Elrohir, show him,” Elladan said to his brother in elvish before turning to Aaron and speaking in English, “you see.”
“Fine,” Aaron frowned as Elrohir showed him the proper way to swing the blade.
The elf managed it smoothly, as if it were the movement of an elaborate dance. Aaron could not imagine how anyone could look graceful with a sword especially when he felt so clumsy. Legolas gave him a sympathetic look and Aaron wondered how it was that Legolas did not feel inclined to show him some archery skills. He wished he could have asked the elf about it but unfortunately he would need Moses for that and Aaron had a sense that the elf’s answer would be somewhat personal.
“You do,” Elladan ordered once again as Elrohir held still and waited for Aaron to raise his sword.
No sooner than he had raised his weapon, the elf lunged and Aaron had to retreat a few steps before he was able to block the sword that swung at him. The lessons that had been drilled into his head the last two days returned to him with a vengeance and though he was not quite as proficient with it as he was with a gun, Aaron was able to hold his own with some measure of skill. Unfortunately, he had a feeling that Elrohir was taking it easy on him during this sparring session. However, Aaron believed that the purpose of the exercise was to make him comfortable with handling a sword.
Aaron felt like he was playing Luke Skywalker and tried to improvise. He soon learnt that movies did not have one iota of truth when his recreation of the fictional Jedi’s moves landed left him unable to defend himself against one of the simpler manoeuvres of swordplay. He was backtracking again, this time barely avoiding the thrusts of Elrohir’s sword. Deciding that Luke Skywalker did not know squat about handling a light sabre, Aaron employed some of the manoeuvres he had been taught and found that he was able to able to provide some form of challenge towards the elf who had faster and better reflexes than him. He managed his own but the deviation from what was taught left him open for an aggressive attack and he was driven to the ground.
“Idiot!” Elladan declared.
Aaron stared at him from the dirt, “idiot? Let me guess, Eve taught you that one?”
“Do I show, not this!” Elladan repeated one of Luke’s more fanciful moods that had allowed Elrohir to get the advantage.
“It worked with Darth Vader,” Aaron tried to defend himself but felt incredibly stupid nevertheless.
”Enough,” Legolas spoke up in elvish as he approached Aaron, extending a hand to the fallen doctor.
“He needs to learn how to fight,” Elladan reminded. “If we are to face Melkor then he must know how to defend himself. He is no good to us in the condition he is in.”
“He is a healer,” Legolas retorted, helping Aaron to his feet. “Can you not see how difficult it is for him to pick up a weapon? This is a different world then the one we knew. People do not need to defend themselves as they once did. They have people like Eve to do that for them. You yourself told me that he is not the Aragorn we knew, he is a hundred millennia from being that man.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Elladan sighed.
”Besides,” Elrohir added, “you’ve seen their weapons. I do not know how useful learning swordcraft will be to him. Melkor will use weapons that are effective to him and if those, what did Eve call them?”
“Guns,” Legolas said helpfully.
“If those guns are even half as dangerous as we’ve seen, then it is likely that those are the weapons he would employ,” the elf concluded.
“I know,” Elladan gazed at Aaron thoughtfully, “I am so accustomed to seeing Estel fight with the sword. He was one of the greatest swordsman in Middle earth.”
“The greatest,” Legolas corrected. “However, that time is past. This may be Aragorn’s soul but the memory of that man does not exist in him.”
“You know it’s not polite to speak in a different language in front of someone who can’t understand a word you’re saying?” Aaron replied, giving all three a look.
“Rest now,” Elladan came forward and took the blade from him. “Do later more.”
“Do more later,” Aaron corrected, feeling just snide enough to point out some of the elf’s deficiencies after the bruising his ego had taken during the lesson.
“Yes, yes,” Elladan said dismissively.
“Go drink,” Legolas replied, glancing in the direction of the house. “Coke.”
“No,” Aaron shook his head. “Bad for you.” He punctuated each word with translating finger.
Legolas was about to argue when suddenly, he turned sharply away from Aaron and stared at the lodge in the distance. Aaron had taken them to the river and shown around the woods surrounding Bear Mountain prior to their lesson and instead of returning to the lodge, they had chosen to continue his instruction on its banks. From the clearing near the embankment, they were given a good view of the lodge which allowed them to feel a little more secure about leaving Eve and Moses alone. However, Aaron could tell immediately by the reaction shown so abruptly by Legolas that something was wrong. It did not make Aaron feel any better to see Elladan and Elrohir react in almost the same manner.
“What is it?” Aaron asked, his eyes instinctively searching for the gun that Eve insisted he carry at all times. He had put it down earlier when his lesson began but the look on Legolas’ face had prompted him to find it.
“Danger,” Legolas replied softly. “Near.”
Aaron stared at him with growing alarm until he heard the gunfire and started running.
************
Not wishing to interrupt the whole male bonding session the boys and she was pretty certain that the term was correct even when applying it to hundred thousand year old elves, Eve had opted to remain with Moses while Aaron and the elves had left the lodge. Personally, she could not see the logic in fighting with a sword when it was so much easier to just shoot the enemy, however, she supposed the elves had their reasons for wishing him to master the skill. If anything, watching Aaron learn how to wield a sword was quite entertaining although she was certain her amusement at the learning process would hinder his progress somewhat.
Although Moses was drugged, he was still quite conversant and Eve found herself growing fond of the old man in their subsequent conversations. The Thorazine kept him from becoming violent and when given the adequate dosage was enough to kerb his hallucinations to a tolerable state. Eve wondered what John Malcolm or Melkor as she come to understand it now, had done to him. According the elves, Moses had been a hero who had saved them all on numerous occasions. Eve felt rather incensed that his service was repaid by having his mind tampered in such a manner.
She knew part of the reason she warmed so quickly to Moses was because he reminded her a little of her father. He had the senior McCaughley’s crusty manner and had a cynical opinion on everything which Eve confessed she shared. However, on occasion, she saw that he could be quite insightful and understood why it was Aaron had grown so fond of him and was determined to help Moses at all costs.
Of course Aaron was one subject that Eve tried not to think about too deeply.
The night before had seen them cross a line with each other and Eve knew instinctively that there was no going back. If she was not in love with him, she soon would be and that disturbed her a little, despite how right it felt to be in his arms or to feel his lips against hers. She wanted to love him but she wished it were not some preordained thing written in the stars long before they had ever met. The romantic in her should be rejoicing at this but she was a woman of her times and it was difficult to cope despite her feelings for him.
“You are quiet,” Moses remarked as they sat across each other at the stained wood dining table playing a hand of gin.
“I thought you would prefer someone who didn’t say much compared to someone whose always asking you questions,” she remarked discarding her unwanted cards.
“I’m afraid I’ve grown accustomed to his probing questions,” Moses declared with a little smile.
“Yeah,” Eve nodded contemplatively. “He does grow on you.”
“Apparently so,” the old man raised a bushy eyebrow and gave her a conspiratory wink.
“Have you been eavesdropping?” Eve stared at him hard.
“Well you were out there on the porch for quite some time,” Moses said innocently, “one could not help but notice.”
“Snoop,” she accused.
“I have no memories of myself, I must take an interest in the affairs of others,” he added playfully.
“Well there’s no affair,” Eve said firmly, “we were just talking.” Of course, her story would have sounded more believable if her cheeks had not flushed red with embarrassment.
“Elves have good hearing,” Moses added, “they did not hear much speech being conducted.”
“You are a malicious old man with too much time on your hands” Eve retorted, dropping her cards on the table and stared at him hard, her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of crimson.
“There is nothing to be ashamed of,” Moses said gently not at all perturbed by her remark, “I see how he looks at you.”
“He hardly knows me.”
“Does it matter? Souls know each other."
Eve did not know what to say to that and opted for a convenient silence as they continued with their game of cards. Eve was embarrassed that the others were aware of what had transpired between Aaron and her the night before. Even though their intimacy was no more than a few exploratory kisses, Eve was still a little uncertain of her feelings towards the doctor. Everything was moving at a faster pace that what she was accustomed to. However, she had no desire to discuss it with anyone until she herself was capable of making an informed decision about their growing relationship.
However, any further rumination on the subject was shattered when the glass of a window shattered quite spectacularly. The bullet responsible for the destruction moved soundlessly through the room before striking a wall.
“Moses, get down!” She ordered, grabbing his arm and dragging him to the floor.
More soundless bullets tore through the air, giving themselves away by the windows it broke upon invading the room. Objects shattered noisily throughout the living room space as the bullets tore through windows, picture frames, furniture and virtually anything that was in its path. Eve and Moses dropped to the floor, with the policewoman upending the table that they had been sitting at to its side so that they could take refuge behind its broad surface. She pulled out her Baretta while she and Moses remained trapped behind the table, unable to move because the onslaught of bullets left them pinned.
“You should leave me,” Moses spoke over the din of breaking objects, “this only came about because of me.”
“I would not be so sure about that,” Eve retorted and emerged over the table to start shooting herself.
She could not see their attackers as she let loose a hail of bullets but she could tell which direction they were coming from. Her efforts earned her an even deadlier barrage that forced Eve back behind the table once again unable to offer more than incidental fire to aid their situation. She knew their strategy and Even knew that if she did not find someway to leave the kill zone the lodge had become, they were going to be overwhelmed in a matter of minutes.
“We have to get out of here,” she cried out, her eyes moving to the door.
“That will not be easy considering our present circumstances,” Moses pointed out as a matter of factly.
“No kidding,” Eve said sarcastically. “Look, when I stand up to shoot, I want you to run like hell for the door.”
“At my age, that is easier said then done,” Moses retorted but his reluctance was due to a desire not to leave her.
“You’re going to try nevertheless,” she said abruptly. “On the count of three, you go! Understand me?”
“I do this under protest,” Moses returned unhappily.
“One,” Eve shot him a look that ordered him to get ready to run.
Moses swallowed thickly and braced himself for the speedy departure even though he was torn between obeying her and leaving her to languish alone. None of this would be happening if it was not for him. Aaron had already lost a friend because of the doctor’s fierce desire to protect him, Moses did not want anyone else to lose their lives because of him.
“Two,” Eve’s voice hissed in his ear.
“Maybe I should…..”
“THREE!” Eve shouted. “GO!”
Her words sent him running forward as Eve stood up from behind her hiding place and emptied and entire magazine through the windows where most of the bullets were coming. Glass that was already damaged exploded as Moses crouched low and raced across the debris-covered floor, towards the door. Eve continued to fire, her face turning away slightly as the erupting sound of gunfire filled the air almost as destructively as the bullets tearing apart everything.
Eve did not stop firing until she saw the old man escape out the door and as soon as he did vanish from sight, Eve scrambled back behind the table and released the spent magazine from the chamber of her gun. The shooting had stopped but Eve did not feel comforted by that fact since it was most likely due to the enemy knowing that she had to reload her gun. Emerging from her hiding place, Eve moved towards the chest where the rest of her ammunition was kept.
She did not make it any more than a few steps when smashing through the already fragmented glass of the window, were three men. The men were dressed in black and rolled across the floor as they made their dramatic entry. Eve paused long enough to be startled by their arrival but was racing towards the trunk for her spare ammunition less than a split second later. Unfortunately, they moved with surprising speed and one of them launched himself at her in a full body tackle. Eve let out a short cry as she hit the floor hard, pain flaring through her side as she was lacerated by debris of glass and wooden splinters. Her gun flew out of her hand and Eve made a frantic lunge to retrieve it when she felt herself being dragged back by her attacker.
She reacted swiftly, her foot kicking out and making contact with his jaw. She saw another approaching her fast and realised that she would have to deal with him first before she could even think about getting her gun. Getting quickly to her feet, she met his approach with a sharp kick to the sternum which sent him sprawling. He crashed into a chair that was not yet reduced to splinters and toppled both it and himself. Eve turned around and saw that the man with the bleeding mouth was on his feet and about to throw a punch. She ducked as his fist flew, sliding beneath the swerve of his arm to throw her elbow into his side and delivering a back kick.
The third man appeared and he had a gun, however, he was slow to target her and she kicked high, tearing the weapon from his hands before she threw a fist in his face. He clutched his bleeding nose in pain as Eve retreated from him, only to find a set of arms wrapping themselves firmly around her waste. The policewoman had still considerable fight in her and as she struggled to break free, she raised her legs off the force and pushed hard against a nearby wooden beam. The force of the sudden backward propulsion made her attacker stumble and her struggles only served to further unbalance him. They both fell to the floor in an unceremonious heap.
Eve recovered first, getting to her feet quickly as she found herself quickly being surrounded as more men filtered into the room. Despite the odds, she was prepared to fight them all because she was not going to be taken easily. She only hoped that she had distracted them long enough for Moses to escape their clutches. As they advanced upon her, Eve braced herself for a fight when suddenly, something sharp pierced the skin on her back. She let out a soft cry of irritation as her hands flew to the source of the pain and found that something was protruding from her flesh. Eve wrapped her hand around the cold metal object and tore it from her skin.
“Oh hell,” Eve swore as she saw the object for the first time.
It was a tranquilliser dart.
Even as the thought formed in her mind, she felt her legs become weak and her head beginning to swim. She threw the dart away, deciding quickly that the only thing to do in a situation like this was to run. However, she was capable of no more than a step before her legs gave out and she was driven to her knees. A wave of nausea overwhelmed her as the room began to spin, the faces closing in on her melted into a blur of colour until she could distinguish nothing. Even voices were disjointed and Eve’s last thought before the darkness claimed her was a silent pray that Aaron had escaped.
***********
Unfortunately, Moses did emerged from the encounter in any better condition than Eve.
After the old man had made good his escape through the door, thanks to Eve’s efforts to see him safely out of the lodge, he found his actions had already been pre-empted by those who were attempting to capture him. A group of men in dark clothes were awaiting him, led by a handsome blond woman who appeared familiar to him, though he did not know why. He was certain they had crossed paths before though he could not remember when that might have been. Moses soon decided that it was a question for another time as the enemy had him surrounded and he should take flight before they sealed of any more avenues for his escape, if it was not already too late.
Moses thought the men might try to rush him and was quickly thinking of a way to get past them when suddenly one of them raised a weapon at him and fired. At first, the old man thought it might be a gun but in the split second before the trigger was pulled, he realised that it was not that all. The dart struck him in the chest and Moses could only look at it in astonishment as he felt the pain of its penetration replaced by a spreading warmth across his body. His head felt heavy as Moses forced himself to move but the concoction weighted his limbs and he was unaware that he had fallen until the dirt scraped his cheek.
Through the haze of his perception, he heard a decidedly feminine voice speaking and her words were the last thing he knew before his world faded into the darkness.
“Take him.”
***********
“What about Doctor Stone?” Barry asked Sandra once they had returned to their limousine.
With Moses and officer McCaughley drugged and suitably restrained in the van behind them, Sandra wanted to return quickly to the Malcolm Building before anything else hampered their progress. If there was one thing she had learnt by now, it was never to take chances. Doctor Stone was a mere hindrance, a person who needed eliminating, nothing more and that could be done at any time. The real prize in her possession was Doctor Stone’s patient, Moses as he was called though Sandra was perfectly aware of what his real name was and had been for some time. She was especially proud that along with the capture of Moses, Eve McCaughley was also in their possession.
Sandra was aware that Malcolm was impressed by the woman when she had come to the Monolith to investigate Richard Falstaff’s death. She supposed that if Malcolm wanted another conquest, Detective McCaughley, who was not exactly unattractive, would suit his purposes. Malcolm had a taste for beautiful women and though he did not always use them to create his next body, Sandra had been more than accustomed over the years to clean up after him when he was finished with them. As one who had been on the receiving end of his sexual appetites, she was rather grateful she had grown too old to inspire his attention in that regard.
Sandra saw Bear Mountain falling further and further behind them in the window before she deigned to answer her junior associate. “He’ll be along shortly, I think.”
“You think so?” Barry looked at her with some measure of surprise as he ran his fingers along a long, wooden object in his hand.
“Yes,” Sandra smiled knowingly, “Doctor Stone sees himself as the protector of the innocent and his sense of outrage at Stuart Farmer’s death ensures that he will come to the Monolith in an ill advised effort to rescue his patient and Officer McCaughley.”
“He’s just a shrink,” Barry said dubiously. “What’s he going to do? Analyse us into letting them go?” The man smirked with derision.
“Let’s just say I have a feeling about Doctor Stone,” Sandra realised before she noticed what he was running his fingers over. “What is that you’re playing with?”
“I found one of this on the floor of the lodge,” Barry remarked, hoping she was not going to disapprove because he had helped himself to a little souvenir. “It’s an arrow. It looks old so I figured its must be one of them old Indian ones. There were a few of them on the floor and since we shot up the place I don’t think anyone is really going to miss it.”
There was just enough hint of defensiveness in his voice to indicate to Sandra that he felt just a little guilty about stealing but then the moral conundrum seemed out of place considering the man had just been in charge of kidnapping two people.
Sandra took the arrow away from him, examining the tapered shaft and the exquisitely forged arrowhead. There were intricate designs on both the wood and the metal, designs that looked familiar to something she had seen in Malcolm’s private study in his penthouse.
“I think Mr Malcolm needs to have a look at this,” she replied, troubled even if she did not know why. “I am sure you won’t mind sacrificing it will you Barry?” She stared at him.
Barry swallowed and nodded. “No, ma’am.”
***************
By the time Aaron reached the lodge, he knew it was too late.
The gunfire had ceased and there was only silence in its wake. Even though it was likely that they were waiting for him to arrive, Aaron could not bring himself to heed caution. After losing Stuart, the possibility that Eve and Moses might be taken from him in the same manner paralysed his reasoning. He heard Elladan calling after him but Aaron did not pause to answer the elf. He could not when his worst fears were being realised like bile forcing its way up his throat.
Legolas kept pace next to him, refusing to let Aaron out of his sight despite the foolishness of the human’s advance towards the lodge. Save of shooting him with an arrow, Legolas knew that the healer was going to let nothing stand in his way of reaching the people he cared about. Legolas marvelled at how easy it was for him to fall into old habits now that he once again found himself at Aragorn’s side. True, Aaron was a far different person than the King of Gondor but to Legolas, Aaron was still the friend with whom he had shared the best moments of his life.
Legolas was not blind to the growing affection between Aaron and Eve. He was really surprised that they had not found each other sooner than this. Seeing them together again was like seeing a vision of the past and though both had tried to keep their distance, there was no denying the fact that each had recognised the great love they had once felt for each other. Even if they were determined to approach each other cautiously, there was no denying the intensity of what they felt, even to the people around them.
Aaron’s heart was pounding as he crossed the distance between the woods and the lodge in record time. As it came closer into view, he could see the broken windows and the holes where gunfire had torn at the wood. His breath caught as he slowed his pace. However, Aaron refused to turn back even if it was a trap. He told himself that Eve was more than capable of protecting herself and Moses if need be but the shocking number of bullet holes across the walls of the lodge made that hope vanish into a deep well of despair.
Nothing was as disturbing however, as the sound of silence.
He could only hear his breathing as he approached the lodge and saw through the windows that the inside of the building was just as ravaged as its exterior. His instincts told him that they were alone, that Sandra Collins had taken what she wanted and had left. The door to the lodge was ajar and when Aaron pushed it open, he saw shafts of light crisscrossing the room through holes left by bullet. There was little that was not destroyed by the barrage of ammunition and Aaron treaded carefully as he avoided fragments of glass, ceramic, splintered wood and other ruined remains.
He did not see either Eve or Moses.
He searched the debris, his eyes moving across the destroyed sanctuary as he tried to find Eve and Moses in this mess and swiftly came to the conclusion that there was nothing to find. After all the trouble Sandra Collins had gone through to acquire Moses, she would not be foolish enough to risk killing him. Aaron’s stomach hollowed when he realised that he was not as sure whether or not that consideration would extend to Eve.
“They’re gone,” Aaron said softly, not caring or not whether Legolas understood him.
“Yes,” Legolas nodded, sensing the danger had passed even though their situation was still dire.
“Why did she take Eve?” Aaron asked out loud, not expecting an answer. It did not make sense that Sandra Collins should take Eve along with Moses. If anything, Aaron would think it was expedient to get rid of the policewoman, not leave her alive as a witness to what Malcolm Industries had been up to.
“They’ve been taken,” Legolas glanced over his shoulder and told Elladan and Elrohir when the brothers finally caught up to them.
“Taken? Both of them?” Elrohir said with some measure of confusion. “Why? It does not serve Melkor to take Eve since only Mithrandir is a danger to him.”
“I do not know,” Legolas shook his head, “it worries me nonetheless.”
Elladan saw the damage done to the room and had to admit that he did not like these guns that the human were so accustomed to calling their weapons of choice. It seemed like such an indiscriminate killer where it was easy for innocent bystanders to be hurt in the crossfire. Swords and arrows ensured that only the intended target was harmed, not anyone else who happened to be in the immediate vicinity.
“I hope she is still alive,” Elladan found himself saying. “I do not wish her harmed when we only just found her.”
“We do not know that she is dead,” Elrohir returned sharply, frightened by the possibility himself. Even though it was obvious Eve was not the Evenstar that they had known and love, to them she would always be family because she wore their sister’s soul.
Through all this discussion, Aaron had not spoken.
He took a step forward, staring around the wreckage of the room in something of a daze. Even though his blue green eyes appeared to be shifting through the damage, Aaron’s thoughts were far away from the destruction before him. If the truth were known, Aaron was on a journey. He was on a journey that had began with accepting a patient that should have been sent to another facility long before it ever became his personal responsibility. It was a journey that had shattered the oh so safe boundaries of not only his world but also his beliefs. Before all this, he had been a doctor, supremely confident in his ability, the way all doctors were, because they believed life and death was a matter for their control.
As a psychiatrist, he had been no different. It was all about control and he had believed that the way to healing a damaged mind was to control the fear that made it so, to drive it away like one would chase away disease with a vaccine. He wondered how many patients languished in their own private hells because doctor like him were so certain of everything that outlandish tales could not possibly construed as being true. It was easier to say that they were the result of a sick mind rather than to admit the possibility it might be true. When he had first sat across Moses, he had thought that way. He had thought Moses was delusional. Now he knew better.
If he were to bring his story to any of his colleagues, Aaron was certain they would be fitting him for his very own straightjacket.
He had walked into this like a complete novice, without having any clue as to what he was facing, assuming that Moses was insane, bringing Stuart into a world so dark that he had been killed for it. He had been stumbling through this thing like a child scratching away at the dark even though all the pieces were there in front of him, pieces he did not wish to see until he had unleashed the truth and had no other choice but to believe. Even then, he had still acted like a fool. Stuart was dead and Aaron still had no idea what he was facing. All he knew how to run and he was not even very good at that because it took Eve to save his life. He rewarded her by dragging her into this mess and now Malcolm Industries had both her and Moses in their clutches.
Moses had trusted Aaron. He had allowed the doctor access to his inner most demons despite the danger and Eve had been foolish enough to believe him when Aaron said he would protect her. He had protected nothing and he had lost them both.
No more.
Aaron was not going to let Malcolm, Melkor or whatever the hell he was called, have either of them. Aaron had been doing nothing but reacting to his situation since it began, running on defensive instead of offensive because there was a part of him that did not want to believe that Moses was not human, that elves could exist or in another life he had been a king. None of these things had seemed real to him, even after he had seen what Moses was capable of or when he met Legolas and the others. He had half expected to wake up from this dream and find everything back the way it was.
It had only become real to him the first time he kissed Eve.
When their lips touched for the first time, he knew without doubt or reservation that he had been waiting for her all his life.
There is a part of humanity that exists beneath the insecurities of modern day living, beneath decades of layered social and cultural doctrine that disconnects human beings from the ability to recognise what they truly needed instead of what they believe society expected of them. It is the curse of modern man to be saddled with neuroses that form because the repression of feeling creates walls inside the mind that are sometimes too complex to navigate and detract from real desires.
When Aaron kissed Eve for the first time, the impossibility of reincarnation and the fact that they had known each other in a previous life had simply bled away into nothingness because he knew, he knew absolutely and completely that he loved her, that he had always loved her. It screamed through the walls of his belief like a banshee’s wail and shattered the fixed notions that everything that made him love her was impossible or could not be.
For once in his life, he knew with more certainty than he had ever known anything that she was the woman he loved. Once he was able to believe that without doubt, it was easy to believe the rest as well.
And for the first time, Aaron knew what to do.
It had been so simple if only he had opened his mind enough to consider it. He was going to get Eve back and he was going to cure Moses. All of it was within his reach because he believed it was.
“We have to go,” Aaron stared at Legolas.
Legolas knew what ‘go’ meant but he was rather alarmed at where Aaron thought he was going. If he intended to pursue the Evenstar and Mithrandir, Legolas would accompany without hesitation however, one simply did not attempt to confront an evil like Melkor without some sort of strategy.
“Go?” Legolas looked at Aaron in question.
“We’re going to get Eve and Moses,” Aaron repeated.
“Danger,” Elladan reminded.
“Yes,” Aaron nodded, understanding the reason for their caution but they had run out of time. “Trust me,” he said.
“Trust?” Legolas did not understand.
Aaron wished he could speak their language but opted for the best that he could. He took Legolas’ hand within his while tapping his chest at the same time and spoke to the elf firmly; hoping the sentiment behind the word would explain its meaning, “trust me,” he repeated himself.
It took few seconds for Legolas to comprehend but when he did, the elf broke into a little smile and answered with a slight nod, “trust.”
Aaron looked at Elladan and Elrohir, asking the same question with the same gestures and receiving the same response. He needed their help. He could not do this without them. However, if they were going into the belly of the beast, he would need more than their trust if any of them to come out of this alive.
They were going to have fight fire with fire.
*************
One of the advantages of being a psychiatrist in a large city hospital with no paying clients as such and most of his patients coming to him by the way of the New York City Police was the occasional criminal element that he was forced to evaluate.
When a young Italian teenager named Luciano Dede claiming to hear voices was arrested for knifing a schoolteacher during class, the police was forced to bring him to the psychiatric for evaluation. Even though NYPD was sceptical about the boy’s allegations particularly since he came from a family with links to the Mob, the doctor had nevertheless conducted the examination with an open mind. Aaron had found that the boy was suffering symptoms of growing schizophrenia that could not be faked and had recommended he receive treatment.
While the police had been unhappy with his findings, Aaron had nonetheless stood by his report and the boy was sent to a private hospital to receive proper care. Within days of Luciano being removed from the hospital, Aaron had received a visit from a man called Vito Andretti. Andretti had been polite, thanking him for his fair evaluation of the boy and then remarked that should Aaron ever need a favour, to not hesitate calling.
Aaron had thought little of it until he learned through reading the Sunday paper some months later that Andretti was supposedly the consigliore of the Dede family. The doctor considered himself fortunate to walk away from the encounter unscathed and had resolved never to call in that favour.
Until now.
“So what’s a high price college boy like you want with stuff like this?” The rather overweight man with a balding head and a thick Jersey accent asked Aaron after he and Legolas entered the cavernous warehouse in the seamier part of town.
“Fishing,” Aaron said shortly, marvelling at the completely illegal merchandise in the store and wondering what kind of clientele this place usually had.
“Fishing?” He looked like Aaron.
“Yeah, I got tired of using flies to lure the fish. I figure a little C4 should bring them up to the surface a lot easier.”
The man uttered a laugh through his cigar and Aaron saw Legolas wince at the smells emanating through the place. Aaron was glad that he told Elladan and Elrohir to watch the car because he felt sorry for Legolas and his superior sense of smell. Aaron was certain that their esteemed host had no idea that showering was meant to be a daily experience. Legolas’ demeanour was not helped by the fact that the warehouse was sectioned by rows and rows of steel shelves housing all kinds of dangerous weapons and made one feel as if they were wandering a maze. Since the establishment was illegal, most of the lights were kept dim, promoting the illusion that the warehouse was abandoned.
“You’re real funny Doc,” the man remarked and then added, “seriously though, you gotta be careful wit this stuff. You remember when they blew up the towers? This could potentially do the same if you know what you’re doing.”
“I don’t,” Aaron replied sincerely, “I just want something that will go off without me being near it and when I want it to.”
”I don’t want to know what you want it for,” the man named Nicky retorted. “But I can help you. We got remote detonators here. You can set the charges off from a mile away. Watch the fireworks from your penthouse even.”
“If that means it will blow up if I press a button, that’s good,” Aaron replied.
Suddenly Legolas paused and reached for something on the shelf.
“Hey don’t be touching that,” Nicky retorted seeing what he was about to do. “That’s stuff’s dangerous.”
Legolas stopped what he was doing but he was looking at his discovery with interest as well as a determination to have a closer look at it.
Aaron stared at Nicky, “what are you kidding? Everything in here is dangerous.”
“Well that’s dangerous and expensive,” Nicky grumbled as he saw the tall blond man pick up the object and examined it closer.
Aaron could see why it had captured Legolas’ interest so. The arrow shaft was made from smooth aluminium-carbon with an arrowhead that did not appear to be either the broad or field type that was customary for these projectiles. If anything, it was almost conical in shape and was considerably heavier than the shaft itself. Legolas was thoroughly fascinated by the odd-looking arrow and Aaron who had seen a demonstration of his skills could appreciate his interest.
“It just looks like a regular arrow,” Aaron remarked, “except for the head.”
“That’s because they’re explosive tip,” Nicky retorted. “You shoot that in somebody’s ass and sitting down is going to be the least of their problems. You’re gonna be scraping them off the walls.”
“Explosive tips huh?” Aaron smiled deviously, his mind already envisioning how much damage the archer could do with those arrows in his arsenal. “You might as well put that on the shopping list.”
“Are you kidding? You know how much those things cost?” Nicky baulked, “I had to ship them all the way from Europe!”
”I thought Mr Andretti said you were going to help me,” Aaron stared at him with just enough of an edge to his voice to be intimidating. Vito Andretti had sent him to Nicky when the doctor had finally called in his favour. When Aaron had arrived, Vito had already given these illegal arms trader orders to provide him with everything Aaron would need.
”Alright,” Nicky frowned conceding defeat. “You and your girlfriend are going send me out of business.”
“He’s not my girlfriend,” Aaron bit back.
“With that hair,” Nicky retorted, “who could tell?”
*************
When she entered John Malcolm’s office, Sandra Collins did so with an immeasurable feeling of pride and vindication that she was able to accomplish the difficult task of recovering the greatest threat to her master’s existence with such resounding success. With the capture of Detective McCaughley and Moses alive, Doctor Stone was more or less an after thought she could deal with at her leisure. After all, his credibility had been destroyed the instant he had stolen a patient out of a psychiatric ward and with the exertion of Malcolm Industries formidable influence, Sandra was certain she could see to it that he never practised medicine again. That is if she did not decide to simply kill him first.
For the moment however, she was going to relish presenting news of her success to Malcolm who had grown considerably impatient with her lack of success. She knew from experience that he would not hesitate to remove her from her vaunted position as his trusted associate if it suited him and continued failure was not something he tolerated well. At the very least, he could kill her. At the very worst, he might have let live and for Sandra, who had endured the punishment for failure on numerous occasions during her tenure of service to him, rather preferred the former.
“I trust you have good news for me,” Malcolm said looking up from the papers on his desk.
“I have them,” she said proudly. “It was as I suspected. Doctor Stone was leasing the cabin in the area around Bear Mountain. It took a few calls to find out exactly where.”
“And did you eliminate the dear doctor?” Malcolm asked, not really concerned by one mortal with a story so outlandish that to repeat it would most likely see the man committed himself. It was one of the reasons Malcolm so loved the twentieth century. Humanity was terribly cynical of anything outlandish.
“He was not present but I have a feeling he will try and make some foolish attempt to rescue the old man and Detective McCaughley. I believe he will be along soon enough,” Sandra said confidently.
“I hope that Detective McCaughley was left unspoiled?” He gave her a look of menace daring her to say any differently.
“She put up quite a fight, took down two of our people before Barry subdued her with a tranquilliser dart. After that, she was no trouble at all.”
“You’ve moved her to my suite upstairs?” Malcolm asked casually, looking forward to seeing the young woman once he was done with Sandra.
“Yes,” Sandra answered, “she is heavily sedated though so it may be a few hours before she will be awake. If that is even important?”
Malcolm met her eyes with a gaze of dark flint, “it is to me. I like the difficult ones,” he said with a malicious smile, amused by the fact that Sandra was perfectly aware of what he was talking about. When she was younger, he had enjoyed her so. It was one of the reasons he kept her at his side, even when his interest in her as a sexual partner had dwindled.
“I do seem to recall,” Sandra replied, hiding the anger in her voice at his reminder that she had been passed over. However, she hid the emotion knowing that Malcolm would enjoy seeing her flinch.
“I did wish to call something else to your attention however,” she spoke up after a moment in an effort to change the subject. “Barry found this at Doctor Stone’s cabin. He thought it was some kind of Indian souvenir.”
“And you don’t think so?” Malcolm replied not really interested because his thoughts were more focussed on his plans for Detective McCaughley.
“No,” Sandra strode to his desk and placed the object Barry had found across Malcolm’s desk in front of him. “I’m sure I’ve seen the design before, on some of the items you have in your penthouse.”
Malcolm was no longer listening to her.
He was not listening because his eyes were fixed on the arrow in front of him and specifically the engravings etched across the wood and upon the arrowhead. For a few seconds, his human body almost stopped breathing from the astonishment he was feeling. It was a completely new experience for him to be taken so unawares and it was not one that he liked at all.
“Where did you get this?” He asked slowly, his voice taking on a manic edge that immediately forced Sandra to retreat from his desk.
“At Stone’s cabin. Barry found it among the debris,” she stammered.
“YOU’RE LYING!” He fairly roared.
Sandra felt herself being swept off her feet, her back slamming against the nearby wall with so much force that she thought for a moment that she had broken every bone in her body. She let out a groan of pain as she landed face first on the hard floor, her head spinning with pain as she heard his footsteps approaching her in forceful strides. She looked up at him and saw that he was enraged. His eyes becoming dark with fury until she could no longer see the whites, only black that seemed like infinity.
“Where did you find it?” He demanded again, holding the arrow in his hand in a tight fist. “Answer me or I’ll tear the skin from you right this minute!”
“I swear to you!” Sandra cried out. “We found it at Stone’s cabin! There was more than one!”
“Do you know what this is?” He shouted waving it in her face as she struggled to get to her feet.
“No,” she shook her head terrified of his rage. “It looked familiar but I didn’t know what it was! I thought you might be able to recognise it!”
“The writing on this is in Quenya!” Malcolm hissed.
“What is that?” She managed to ask through her fear.
“It is a language that has not existed for almost a hundred thousand years! It is the language of the Eldar! The First Born!” Malcolm declared.
“Who?” Sandra looked at him blankly.
”ELVES!” He shouted. “Elves!”
“Elves?” She tried to hide the disbelief from her voice but could not quite manage it. “How is that possible?”
“I do not know,” Malcolm said calming himself considerably, though his rage still burned white hot. “If this is here,” he glanced briefly at the arrow, “then there are elves here as well and our problem with the Maia becomes a good deal more complicated.”
“How could they hurt you?”
Malcolm turned on her sharply, “that is not for you to know. You will get out there and you will find Doctor Stone. It is time we met face to face. If you don’t find him, I’ll find you and believe me Sandra, you will regret it for every second of your last hours on earth. Do you understand me?”
Sandra nodded frantically, “yes, I understand.”
She had to find Aaron Stone. She had to find him or she would end up as dead as he was going to be.
Eve was dreaming.
Her dreams were not usually so vivid but on this occasion, it swirled around her head with such clarity that she felt almost like a participant instead of a mere spectator. She was walking along a bridge overlooking the most beautiful landscape she had ever seen. It was as if someone had taken a Monet and given it life. Pristine cascades of water flowed from mountains covered in lush shades of green. Colour filled her senses as she gazed at a sky that was vibrant with shades of blue and amber. Air that was cool and refreshing entered her lungs as she took a deep breath, so different from the dusty and chemically contaminated atmosphere of the modern world.
Once across the bridge, Eve found herself entering a wood inhabited by magnificent looking trees, shrubs that were seemed almost alive with their bright and colourful flowers and equally exotic wildlife oblivious to her trespass in their domain. Eve walked across the velvet like grass beneath her feet, thinking that she had wandered into a fairy tale. Every little girl who owned a Barbie had this fantasy, she thought with a hint of cynicism. She was still admiring the unreal beauty of the place when she heard a man’s voice singing. Strangely enough, she understood every word he was saying and sought out the voice to satisfy her curiosity.
What she found was Aaron.
At least she thought he was Aaron. He was younger, not long out of his adolescence. She estimated that he was twenty if that. However, it was difficult to tell because his hair was longer than what she was accustomed to seeing and he sported a beard. His clothes reminded her a little of what the elves were wearing and he carried a sword at his hip. He raised his eyes to her and stopped singing abruptly, his gaze locked on hers for the longest time. He appeared mesmerised.
“Tinúviel, Tinúviel?”
“No,” she shook her head, beginning to comprehend that he was not Aaron. He would not be Aaron for a hundred thousand years. “My name is Eve.”
“Eve,” he smiled and when he did, Eve saw the Aaron she knew.
“You are?”
“Estel I was called,” he answered, unable to move his eyes from her.
That boyish look of adoration in his eyes was one she was starting to recognise very well. She had seen Aaron look at her in the same way, though with not as much unabashed infatuation. She supposed he had good reason for being so damned cocky, Eve thought with a frown as she remembered how confident Aaron had been around her, he probably has it as bad as this kid and had fate on his side.
“Who is Luthien?”
He stared at her with surprise but then proceeded to relate the tale of Beren and Luthien, lovers who had endured all kinds of terrible trials to be together, even though she was an elf and he was human. As Eve listened, she realised that Undomiel, the Evenstar that Elladan kept referring to, was an elf and Aragorn who was her husband was human. Had this been where it began for the two of them? Would the odyssey that would see them finding each other a hundred thousand years in the future begin here? There was something about this moment that felt like a turning point. Her dreams had brought her to this place, like it was bringing her to the so many others of late, even in waking dreams. It was as if her subconscious mind was prompting her to remember the person she had been.
Had she loved him so much that she was willing to die for him? To give up the immortality that was the due of all elves, to live out a human existence that was savagely short in comparison? Eve looked at the young man staring at her, who would go on to be a king and a healer and knew instinctively, that what he would become in the future was because he loved the woman called Undomiel. Eve was glad that Undomiel had loved him just as much and she reached for him, her hand caressing his cheek as she felt another pang of need for Aaron. Even though this boy looked like him, Eve knew that this was not her Aaron.
She was still thinking this when, the world around started to collapse around her.
“Eve…” she heard him cry out with alarm but he and his voice became distant as she was ripped away from his world forever.
*************
“Aaron!”
Eve shouted as she woke up with a start.
For a moment, she could only lay there breathing hard as her mind acclimated her to the fact that she was very much in the waking world again and not some fairy tale world of the past. However, once this realisation settled upon Eve, her memories of this reality returned with a vengeance and everything that occurred prior to her falling into darkness swept through her mind with the force of a tidal wave. Everything that had happened to her, the attack on the lodge, the dart she felt in her back and the blackness that overwhelmed her flashed through her mind in a split second and drove the hard edge of fear into her being.
Her first impulse was to jump out off the bed but that thought was soon quashed when she took stock how she felt. She also noticed that she was no longer wearing her own clothes and was wearing a thin silk nightgown that sent a blush of colour to her cheeks when she realised that someone would have had to undress her to put the thing on. The effects of the tranquilliser dart had yet to wear off and she could feel the heaviness in her limbs and the slight dizziness as she attempted to ease off the bed. Realising that she would get only worsen her situation by making an ill advised attempt to escape, Eve chose instead to take stock of her surroundings and regain her faculties before considering her next move.
Her eyes swept around the room and she tried to remember when she had seen a place furnished in the same way. The floor was polished black marble and the décor was very much in the spirit of Dali or Sartor, with its surrealistic paintings and its bizarre looking sculptures. The furniture was little of it there was, came in dark colours that added a nihilist slant to the place. While some would consider it stylish, Eve found it to be clinical and sterile. The thought sparked Eve’s memory of John Malcolm’s office and with that recollection, told her without doubt where she was.
Almost in anticipation of her realisation, she heard his voice breaking the silence and startling her at the same time.
“Detective McCaughley,” John Malcolm announced his presence in the room.
If it was not for the drug, there was no way he could have entered the room without her being unaware but then Malcolm was not exactly what he appeared to be. She turned sharply to the direction of his voice and saw that he was crossing the floor towards her. Despite the fact that he looked like a man, Eve knew that he was more than that. While she was unsure exactly what he was, Eve did not doubt the danger she was in being so close to the man. She wished she had a gun because he was regarding her with a decidedly predatory gleam in his eyes, a look she had seen within the eyes of too many murderers and rapists. Eve struggled to maintain her composure even though she felt even more helpless than ever. It was a feeling she was not accustomed to and she did not like it very much.
“Mr Malcolm,” Eve said coolly, noticing that he was carrying an arrow in his hand. She hid this observation as well as her recognition that the arrow was the same as the one she had seen Legolas carrying. Her heart sank at the thought that he was in possession of such an item. Did that mean he had captured Aaron and the elves as well?
“How did you sleep?” He asked smoothly, lowering himself next to her on the bed, an action that immediately told Eve that she was right to compare him with a rapist. Eve had been around men long enough to know that he wanted her and that realisation scared her more than anything else about her situation.
“Considering I was shot by a tranquilliser dart? Not well,” she said abruptly, hiding her anxiety with sarcasm. “Where is Moses?”
“Moses?” He stared at her and then chuckled slightly as if enjoying some private joke, “is that what you’re calling Olorin?”
“I thought his name was Gandalf?” Eve exclaimed involuntarily and saw his brow arch in surprise. She knew immediately she had made a grievous error by volunteering that name.
“Now how could you know that?” Malcolm asked, his eyes narrowing in calculation as his gaze pierced her skin with such intensity, it might have drawn blood.
Eve cursed under her breath at her own stupidity for letting that slip, “he must have mentioned it while we were playing gin. You know how it is.”
“I seriously doubt that,” he said with so much confidence that Eve no longer held any doubt that Aaron was right, that John Malcolm was responsible for Moses’ condition.
“Perhaps you learned his name from whomever own this,” Malcolm retorted smoothly, holding the arrow up for her to see.
“An arrow?” She looked at him with indifference.
“Its an arrow inscribed in the language of the elves,” he stated firmly, his gaze boring holes into her skin with its intensity. “You do know what elves are don’t you?”
”Those little guys working for the shoemaker?”
Malcolm reached out and grabbed her by the hair with such speed that Eve was barely able to register the movement until he was holding her face inches away from his, with the point of the arrow pressing hard against her cheek. She could feel it on the verge of breaking skin. His eyes were almost black with menace and as Eve was forced to stare into them, she could very well believe that Malcolm was some dark creature born of an ancient world.
“This was made by the First Born and I will know how it came to be here in this day and age. I can make this pleasant Eve or I can make it agonising. The choice is yours,” he hissed, lowering his hand enough to brush his knuckles against her bare thigh.
Something inside Eve snapped at his touch. The tranquilliser might have dulled her reflexes but the rush of adrenaline and her fear compensated nicely. Eve slammed her palm into his face and grabbed the hand holding the arrow, forcing it away from her as she used the momentum to jump off the bed. Her limbs still felt heavy but she had recovered enough to sprint for the door. Eve did not look back at Malcolm as she raced towards freedom when suddenly she felt a great force slam into her body. The power of it was violent enough to send her sprawling towards the hard floor.
Through the pain flaring through her as she hit the marble floor, Eve saw Malcolm climbing off the bed, wiping a smear of blood from his lips.
“When this is done Eve,” he spoke to with a chilling tone as he approached her, “we will have plenty of time to get to know each other and then I will show you how much pleasure there is to be gained from pain.”
As he said those words, Eve prayed that she could escape before she was forced to experience what he meant by that, first hand.
**********
The moment it appeared through the broken window of Eve’s horseless carriage, the elves knew precisely what they were seeing before them. Aaron was oblivious to it and so did most of the inhabitants of this city but for Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir, the sight of it made them shudder inwardly. They had heard tales of it from the more ancient members of their race and were grateful that they were not born during the time when the Dark Enemy had ruled the world. Middle Earth had not seen its like since the destruction of Beleriand and even though Baradur held its own sinister presence, it had never quite compared to the sheer terrifying nature of Angband or Morgoth’s Iron Fortress.
As they approached the structure that Aaron had been calling the Monolith, the elves knew without doubt that this was the seat of Melkor’s power in this world. They could feel its darkness emanating through the air, filling their lungs like thick dark smoke. The building was a tower made of stone and glass but its construction was the personification of the Iron Fortress. For the first time since arriving in this strange new world, the elves felt real fear because they had not counted that the enemy they would be facing would be Morgoth. It had taken the might of the Valar to depose the tyrant aeons ago. What chance did they have?
Aaron had no idea the thoughts running through the minds of his companions as he drove Eve’s battered T-Bird towards the Monolith because he was too busy running through the insane plan he had in his head to retrieve the woman that he loved and his patient. His plan, such as it was, had been borne partly out of desperation and the belief that it was just insane enough to work. Also, he was certain that Sandra Collins was expecting him to make some foolhardy attempt at a rescue. While she was not far from the truth, Aaron was certain that she had no concept of just how much destruction he was willing to cause in order to get Eve and Moses back.
“Are your seat belts on?” Aaron turned to the elves, trying to ignore the fact that they were staring at the Monolith like it was the gateway to hell. Considering what he knew about Melkor, Aaron supposed that it was completely understandable. After all, they probably knew better than he did, was Malcolm truly was and of what he was capable.
Legolas looked at him after a moment, tearing his eyes away from the structure before him. Aaron had brought the car to a halt at the kerb before the tower of dark glass. The elf reached for the strap across his body, feeling somewhat anxious that Aaron had requested that they be bound to the inside of the carriage so firmly. However, he was certain that his concern had more to do with the fact that they would soon be facing the dark enemy, not any experience within this mechanical carriage.
“Danger,” Legolas stated, casting another glance at the Monolith when his eyes met Aaron’s again.
“No kidding,” Aaron nodded in agreement before leaning over the elf to ensure his seat belts was on firmly.
Once the healer was content that they were all firmly strapped into their seats, Aaron reached for Legolas’ hands and placed it on the dashboard.
“Brace yourself,” he explained, trying to clarify his request with some gestures but he was confident that when the time came, the urgency of the situation and the elves’ dislike of cars would cross the language barrier.
“You too,” he looked at Elladan and Elrohir, expecting them to do the same.
“Aaron, what?” Elrohir asked, unable to endure the suspense any longer. Elrohir had a terrible premonition that Melkor was not the only danger they were facing. Aaron’s insistence on their need to wear these uncomfortable straps had provoked Elrohir’s suspicion as well as concern.
“Trust me,” Aaron retorted under his breath as he faced the wheel again, “you don’t know want to know.”
His expression alone was enough to induce more worried concern on their face as he sat forward in his seat and placed his hands on the wheel. Once he started the T Bird’s engines, there would be no going back, for any of them. Aaron wondered how he had gone from respected psychiatrist to a lunatic about to wages seven kinds of hell on a corporate giant with three elves and a T Bird loaded with a lot of optional extras. He supposed it did not really matter how he had come to this, only that he was here and he was going to rescue Eve and Moses or die trying.
The rumble of the car caused his passengers to instinctively grab something as the vehicle prepared itself to surge forward. Aaron took a deep breath, waiting in anticipation as the dial on his speedometer made its steady ascent. The car’s engines were roaring so loud that he could feel its vibrations through the seat. Legolas was staring at him worriedly, trying to discern what he was doing. As it was, the elves had no love for cars and this was not alleviating their fears any.
“This is why we wear seat belts,” Aaron replied as he jammed his foot on the accelerator and sent the car flying across the sidewalk onto the kerb.
The T Bird sped through the sidewalk, causing pedestrians to jump out of the way with shouts and curses at his reckless driving. Most simply scurried out of the vehicle’s path, particularly when it was coming at them with the speed of a juggernaut. The car jolted dangerously when it reached the first in a small series of steps. While making the bumpy climb up some steps, Aaron was treated to a wide range of words he was certain elves did not use in polite company. The T Bird groaned as metal scraped against concrete and something disengaged from the underside of the car, which Aaron was certain, was Eve’s muffler. Fortunately, the car crossed the uneven terrain quickly and relatively unscathed, though the same could not be said for his passengers.
Once the T Bird reached the concrete walk in front of the building where workers gathered to have lunch on benches or feed the birds, Aaron shifted the vehicle into a higher gear and forced the accelerator all the way to the floor. The T Bird raced forward, a tonne of unstoppable metal with a lunatic behind the wheel. By now, people were sensible enough to stay clear of the car as Aaron tore through the walk towards the main doors of the building.
“Keep your head down!” Aaron ordered instinctively and as the elves saw the building rushing towards them, needed no understanding of his words to obey.
Aaron turned his head away as the car smashed through the revolving doors, demolishing it in a spectacular explosion of glass and metal. The front of the T Bird suffered considerably but there was enough steel in its frame to ensure that it was still capable of being very formidable. Aaron vaguely heard people screaming as he forced his way into the lobby of the building. He paid them little attention as he swung the wheel around and aimed the nose of the car at the security desk and the guards who were staring at the unfolding scene with nothing less than shock.
Aaron shifted the car to a lower gear and slammed his foot on the pedal again, racing towards the men who were in the process of unsheathing their guns from its respective holsters. The T Bird continued its onslaught and sped towards them, crushing glass and debris under its wheels as it closed the distance between the armed men. For an instance, Aaron had this terrible fear that they would not leave, that they would instead attempt to gun him down. Fortunately, the sight of the car bearing down on them at great speed ended that question and Aaron released a sigh of relief when he saw them running for cover.
“What in Elbereth’s name is he doing?” Elladan swore as the carriage continued its destructive course throughout the front lobby of the Malcolm Building.
“I think he was trying to surprise them,” Elrohir replied, deciding that if he were not free of this accursed vehicle soon, he would not be responsible for his actions.
“He surprised me!” Elladan retorted.
“He has a plan!” Legolas declared, refusing to think that Aaron had completely lost his mind. Of course he was also accustomed to Aragorn’s thinking and part of what made the King of Gondor such a formidable warrior was the fact that he was never predictable. Legolas was not sure that he was happy that Aaron still possessed this trait.
Aaron did have a plan. Once he had sent the security guards running, he took the car to the elevators at the far end of the lobby. Pulling the T Bird to an abrupt halt outside one of the doors, he unbuckled his seat belt and turned to the others.
“Let’s go!” He shouted as he jumped out of the front seat.
The elves were more than happy to comply as they unfastened themselves from the carriage and quickly exited without further protest. Aaron grabbed the knapsack he had secreted in the back seat of the car and searched the debris covered lobby for a safe place to put it. The doctor saw a pot plant that had been upended at the far end of the room and immediately raced towards it as his companions collected themselves after their automotive ordeal. It took no more than minute before he returned to them and pressed the elevator button.
“Legolas,” he called to the elf that was already arming his bow with one of Nicky’s arrows.
Legolas nodded in acknowledge and took aim as the first elevator door slid open. The blond elf stepped into the small space with Elladan, Elrohir and Aaron, his eyes still trained on the target even as Aaron pressed the buttons to close the doors.
“NOW!” Aaron shouted as the doors started to slide towards each other.
Prior to their arrival here, Aaron had told Legolas what he needed to do with the explosive tipped arrow. While Legolas still appeared unclear on how one arrow was going to aid them in their effort to create enough chaos to enter the building unnoticed, he nonetheless trusted Aaron’s judgement and was more than ready to act, now that it was time for him to play his part. Releasing the bowstring, the arrow flew past the elevator doors and struck the rear section of the wounded T Bird, in the exact place where Aaron had showed him.
The last thing they saw before the elevators closed the lobby to them was the arrow striking its mark and turning Eve’s beloved T Bird into a fireball. A wall of flame rushed towards them as the doors slid to a close and the elevator began its journey upwards. The floor shuddered a little from the shockwave but nevertheless continued without hindrance. Aaron could only imagine what damage the exploding car had caused, however, he had a good reason for his actions. He had wanted to clear the building quickly, without giving away the rest of his plan. His dramatic entry through the lobby of the building had ensured that everyone in the area would leave while he was carrying out his onslaught with the T Bird.
“Well that went alright,” Aaron looked at his elven companions and saw that Elrohir was still rather shaken, while Legolas and Elladan were frowning at him.
“What?” The doctor declared innocently. “I told you it was going to be rough.”
“You danger, driving! Idiot!” Elladan snorted.
“Oh that,” Aaron grinned. “That’s why I told you to wear seat belts.” He replied making a slashing gesture across his body from shoulder to hip.
Legolas’ answer was to repeat the same gesture across his neck, “no more driving.”
“Fine,” Aaron replied, deciding he was not about to deal with sarcastic elves considering their present situation.
However, the elves were no longer listening to him. Aaron’s eyes widened as he saw something settle shadow like over their faces. Legolas was pressed against the wall, his hand clutching his bow so tight his knuckles were almost white. Elladan and Elrohir were in no better condition as they wore expression of real anxiety on their faces, even more so then when he was ramming the T Bird through the lobby of the building. All three were taut with fear, as if something terrible had gripped their hearts with a black fist and would not let go.
“What is it?” Aaron demanded with grave concern.
“Danger,” Legolas managed to say, his gaze sweeping briefly across the space within the elevator.
“Where?” Aaron asked puzzled, confused because he could sense nothing.
Elrohir’s eyes dropped to the floor of the elevator floor at the same time they all felt the sudden shift in the motion of the car. Instead of going up, the elevator was suddenly going down and fast.
“Hell!” Aaron cursed and immediately began jabbing at buttons to keep the elevator from continuing its downward journey. However to no avail. He had lit up almost every button the on panel, however the elevator was stubbornly refusing to stop at any of the floors. Aaron watch the digitised screen on the panel showing them the floors they were passing and felt his stomach hollow as they approached the ground floor where they had began. Security must have some kind of override control, he thought with dismay. He pulled out the gun he had tucked away in the knapsack and prepared himself for a fight. The elves that were still affected by the danger they were sensing in the elevator had recovered enough to follow suit by brandishing their weapons in readiness.
The panel was no longer registering what floor they were on but Aaron sensed they were going down much farther than the basement parking lot. The seconds stretched into minutes and the elves seemed even more anxious as the time stretched. Aaron could not blame them. He had not foreseen this happening and wondered if it was necessary to play his trump card a little sooner than expected. However, the question became moot when the elevator came to a jolting halt and sent everyone tumbling to the floor.
“This contraption is going to kill us far sooner than Melkor!” Elladan hissed as he picked himself up from the floor and brushed his hair out of his face.
“Calm down,” Legolas barked since he was more concerned with getting out of their confinement rather than the mechanics of this box they were trapped in. “I do not think this…device is customarily so unsafe. If not, Aaron would not have led us here.”
“You have too much faith in him Legolas,” Elrohir snorted as he picked himself up from the floor.
“I seemed to recall that you both had a great deal of faith in him one time,” Legolas’ tone turned hard as stone.
“That was he was the Dunedain,” Elrohir returned, angry enough to rise to Legolas’ challenge. “He is not that man any more.”
“Hey!” Aaron’s voice interrupted their ‘discussion’ before it became any more heated, “some help here?”
The healer was attempting to pry the door open but was not having much success since he was using his fingers. Legolas immediately stepped forward, producing his dagger and sliding it between the crack of the door to pull it apart.
“Thank you,” Aaron added softly as he helped Legolas widen the gap the elf had managed to produce thanks to the dagger. By the tone of the argument the elves were having a few seconds ago, Aaron assumed that Elrohir had not been impressed by the turn their plan had taken. Aaron could not blame his vitriol and guessed by the manner in which Legolas tried not to glance Aaron’s way as they argued, that Elrohir was questioning his ability to lead them in this rescue mission.
“Friend,” he said just as quietly. “Always. Even idiot.”
Aaron let out a short laugh but he was hiding the effect the sentiment were having upon him especially when he felt Elrohir coming forward and patting him on the back, in a conciliatory gesture. The elf looked somewhat guilty for doubting him and Elladan offered Aaron a small smile, indicating solidarity to whatever Aaron planned to do next. Forcing away the emotions churning through him at their renewed confidence, Aaron turned back to the door.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” he said firmly and meant it.
It was time to find Eve and Moses.
*************
The sprinklers activated while Eve was attempting to discern what had been the cause of the sudden tremor that rocked through the building.
She pressed her face against the glass window, trying to see what was happening on the lower floors and could only see smoke rising from below. People were running from the base of the structure like ants after a rock had been thrown at their anthill. Even though she could not hear anything from her prison, she could see the pandemonium erupting in the courtyard below. There was a fire in one of the lower levels, Eve guessed, because she could see the smoke billowing past the window. It was inevitable that the building fire protection systems would kick in shortly after. Since the destruction of the World Trade Centre, city engineers had become almost fanatical to ensure that every precaution was taken against any kind of calamity.
As the water sprayed throughout the room, Eve soon realised that it was her one chance to escape. Hurrying towards the door she knew was almost certainly locked and guarded by one of Malcolm’s thugs, Eve watched her step to keep from slipping on the smooth marble floor. She had not been able to find her clothes and had this terrible feeling that Malcolm believed she would not be needing anything but what she was wearing during her stay in his company. The thought of what he had planned for her made the usually unflappable policewoman shudder in disgust and fired her determination to escape at all costs.
She reached the door just as the knob started to turn and took up a flanking position just as it swung open. Eve held her ground, knowing that she would have only one chance at this. A tall man in a dark suit slipped past her, trying to find her through the hiss of water spraying through out the room. The visual and auditory distraction gave Eve a small advantage and she took it with both hands as she brought her hand down on the back of his neck in what could only be called a classic ‘karate chop’. While the strike did not have the power to render him unconscious, it knocked him off balance and Eve threw a flying kick into the small of his back, propelling him forward.
The slippery floor finished the rest off the job when he lost his footing and landed face first on the smooth marble. Through the low hiss of the sprinkler system, Eve heard the terrible crush of bone as his nose shattered, sending bone fragments in all directions. His body was slapped so hard against the floor that Eve was unsurprised that he did not move again. She did not even waste time checking to see if he was alive. All she wanted was the 45 in his hand.
By now she was soaking wet, with hair plastered to her face and the nightgown plastered to her skin. She thought absurdly as she stepped out of Malcolm’s private suite into the corridor leading to the elevator that she would be the first woman to fight off a dark lord looking like a contestant in a wet t-shirt contest. She prayed they did not find her like his if she was killed. The indignity of it was too much for her feministic mentality.
There was no one in the corridor and Eve strongly suspected that everyone was too busy trying to deal with fire in the floors below. Hopefully she could get lost in the evacuation process before Malcolm and his people knew that she was gone. In any case, Eve was going to avoid coming into direct contact with the man when she knew what he was capable of. The only thing that had saved her from his wrath after her attempt to escape was his desire to find the elves. Eve could not fathom why he was concerned about the trio when Moses had the same telekinetic ability as him and was a more formidable threat. The elves, with their ability to sense danger and possess hair that would put Vidal Sassoon out of business, were more or less normal. Despite their immortality, they could still be killed.
Why would Malcolm be so concerned about them?
A question for later, Eve decided as she ran past the elevator and made her way to the fire stairs. Right now, she had to find out where they were keeping Moses and if possible, rescue him without being caught herself.
**************
When they finally opened the doors of the elevator, Aaron almost wished they had not.
A wave of hot, humid air rushed into the cool confines of the elevator car, carrying a fetid stench that immediately made the elves wince in disgust. For once Aaron pitied their superior sense of smell because if he could barely control his own gag reflex, he had no idea how they managed it. Beyond the bright, fluorescent lights near the elevator, was a dimly lit world where there were shadows everywhere. The immediate area outside the elevated was paved but as Aaron took a few more steps, the concrete paving discontinued and he found himself on dirt.
Gazing upwards, he could see the ceiling of the place and it was not reassuring concrete but rather a composite of rock and dirt. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like serrated teeth and as Aaron delved deeper into the cavernous enclosure they had suddenly entered, he heard what sounded like the swirl of water.
“Aaron,” Legolas called out softly.
Aaron looked over his shoulder and saw that the elves were even tenser than he was. Legolas had armed his bow, while Elladan and Elrohir were holding their swords in striking pose. Their eyes were hard and set as if they expected to go into battle at any second and their grim visage only prompted him to reach for his gun and feel the security of its steel within his grip.
“Stay,” Legolas spoke further and the tone of his voice indicated that it was not a request.
“What is it?” Aaron looked around and found it was difficult to see. They were in a very large cave, that much was certain because its boundaries were so big and the light which was coming from the service lamps around the elevator area was not quite enough to illuminate all of it.
“Danger,” Legolas said flatly.
Aaron heard the swirling once again. He looked towards the direction it had come and took another step forward without thinking.
“Aaron!” Legolas snapped sharply. “STAY!”
“We can’t stay here,” Aaron protested, wanting to get out of this place so they could resume their search. “We have to find the others.”
Legolas did not answer because like Elladan and Elrohir, he knew there was something in the darkness and it was coming for them. It was alive and drawing closer, Legolas could feel its warm breath being carried on the waves of hot air that filled this cavern. The stench that was so unbearable to them was without doubt the rancid smell of rotting flesh. This cave was home to something terribly vile, something that needed to feed.
The elves’ palpable fear made Aaron nervous and he gazed into the dimly lit cavern, trying to see what was out there but could hear nothing except for that damnable swirling of fluid that was gnawing at him to be explained. The smell alone was stomach turning and Aaron who had been in surgery, who had seen dissections and body parts being emersed in formaldehyde could not help but feel sickened to the pit of it as he tried to recognise what could produce such a rank odour. The humidity in the cavern left a fine sheen of moisture on their skin and Aaron puzzled at the hot house temperatures, considering this was New York in early spring and while it was not exactly freezing at this time of the year, it was not meant to be this warm either.
“Legolas, can you feel it?” Elladan asked.
“Yes,” the former Prince of Mirkwood nodded. “It draws nearer.”
“We should go,” Elrohir advised.
“Where?” Legolas turned to him. “That contraption brought us here, I highly doubt that it will take us away from it.”
Scrape.
All four turned to the new sound as they heard its scratch across the dirt surface. The shadows seemed to move and Aaron decided that perhaps Legolas was not so wrong after all, that there was danger here and it was closer than then he could possibly believe. The doctor took a step back, retreating to join the others when suddenly; something lashed out of the darkness and wrapped itself around his waist. Aaron had barely time to register what had happened before he felt the air beneath his feet as he was lifted off the ground.
“AARON!” Legolas shouted as he saw the beast for the first time.
It was dripping with water and glistened under the dim light of the cavern but there was no mistaking what it was. Legolas had not seen it’s like in almost a hundred thousand years, not since the Fellowship was forced to flee into the Mines of Moria to escape the fearsome beast. Its tentacles moved like lashes and flayed through the air as it waved the limb coiled around Aaron about, intending to disorientate its prey enough for the eating.
“Is that what I think it is?” Elladan asked as they ran towards the beast.
“Yes, yes!” Legolas nodded arming his bow. “It is a watcher!”
The watchers had been created at the same time that Melkor had established his kingdom in Angband. Within his Iron fortress, the dark lord had given life to some of the most terrifying creatures to ever walk the earth. Among these were the great spiders of whom Ungoliant was the first, the balrogs, the dragons and a host of other monsters that would continue to terrify the Eldar and the other races for centuries to come. It should have been no surprise to any of the elves that Melkor would have created more of these beasts to safeguard his new kingdom in this world.
Meanwhile, Aaron was coming to grips with his situation, that is being readied to be swallowed by a creature that looked a good deal like a giant octopus except this one had the musculature for terrestrial movement and was presently widening its jaws full of enormous teeth. The doctor was fighting the urge to scream, determined to calm himself despite his terrifying situation. However it was difficult to do so when faced with the fact that all it would take for this thing to kill him was one snap of its jaws while it was gulping him down. Remembering he had a gun, Aaron pointed the weapon at the creature’s open mouth and emptied a full round into its gullet. The beast roared in pain as the bullets tore through its flesh but while it registered the pain, its bulk was such that bullets did very little damage to it.
Aaron saw Legolas firing an arrow into the limb that was coiled around him. The projectile dug deep into the creature’s flesh and had more effect on it than Aaron’s bullets. It reacted to the pain by shaking Aaron even more violently than before and the healer was certain that if he did not get eaten, he was going to break every bone in his body from the shuddering he was being subjected to. His gun was empty and even if he had another magazine, there was no way he was going to be able to load the weapon anyway. Elladan ran forward bravely and swung his sword in a wide arc across the tentacle holding Aaron. The beast roared with agony and Aaron suddenly found the ground rushing up to meet him.
Black blood flowed from the severed tentacles, spurt of it creating a spray as the watcher slammed another tentacle at Elladan and sent the elf flying. Elrohir was quick to move to his brother side as the behemoth surged forward towards him. Aaron scrambled free of the limb that had held him, searching the dark for the backpack he had dropped when the thing had snatched him off the ground. It did not take long to find it and Aaron raced towards it as Elrohir slashed wildly at the tentacle reaching for Elladan who had struggling to recover from his impact against the cave wall.
Aaron was about to lend his bullets to the fight when he noticed what Legolas was doing. The archer was calmly arming his bow with one of the explosive tipped arrows, despite the fact that barely metres away from him as a very enraged monster about to kill them all.
“Help Elladan!” Legolas glanced at Aaron long enough to say and the doctor was not about to argue with him. Aaron hurried to Elladan who was bleeding profusely from a gash across his face as Elrohir battled to keep the tentacles from snatching them both. The elf showed just how effective he was with a sword as his strikes tore through flesh and caused the beast to flay its severed limb in agony. Elrohir was trying to avoid being swatted aside as he defended his brother and there was more than one occasion when he was almost taken himself.
“Elladan,” Aaron wrapped his hand around the elf’s arm and helped him to his feet. Half of Elladan’s face was smeared with blood but the wound looked a good deal worse than it actually was. “Go!” Aaron gestured to the elevator. “Now!”
Elladan nodded and stumbled away as Aaron took position next to Elrohir and fired at the beast repeatedly. The creature seemed to flinch away from the bullets and was now turning his attention towards Legolas who was alone and was so far doing nothing to harm it. Aaron who knew what Legolas was planning grabbed Elrohir’s arm and pulled the elf towards the elevator, hoping that it was suitably far enough away from the creature to keep them safe.
“Legolas!” Aaron called out as he saw the lone archer standing face to face with the creature. “Come on!”
Legolas paid little heed to Aaron’s call for help because he was too busy taking aim at the watcher’s most vulnerable spot, its mouth. The thing was snapping its jaws wildly, anticipating a meal and Legolas had every intention of feeding it, though the beast would not find it at all palatable. He released the arrow and saw it fly through the darkness. No sooner than the arrow had left his bow, Legolas turned on his heels and sprinted toward his companions.
The explosion was not as fiery as the one that had encompassed Eve’s car but it was more than sufficient to tear apart what passed for the watcher’s skull. Blood and charred flesh splattered the walls of the cavern as the creature stopped moving in a dead heap. Its huge tentacles slapped against the ground as it met its fiery end, its head alive with flame and flooded the chamber with much needed illumination. As the light filled the cave, they were able to see the large pool in the centre of it that had been the watcher’s home for who knew how long. However, none of it was as chilling as the mound of bones had been collecting through the years, no doubt the remains of the victims Malcolm had send down here to meet a grisly end.
Legolas was still marvelling at the power of these arrows, even if they were more destructive than he liked. While he was rather awed hat he had managed to put down such a deadly beast so easily, he was more grateful that his friends had come out of the affair relatively unscathed. Glancing over his shoulder briefly, he saw Aaron tending to the wound on Elladan’s forehead while Elrohir hovered nearby, reluctant to leave his brother’s side.
The fiery remains of the beast had allowed Legolas the opportunity to examine their surroundings closer. He would prefer avoiding the metal contraption that had brought them here and find a more conventional means of leaving this place since they would have more control over where they were going. One thing Legolas had observed since arriving in the new world, the more labour saving devices man created for himself, the more opportunities there were for things to go completely awry.
Skirting the edge of the beast’s flaming body, Legolas moved deeper into the cavern and deduced that it had been a fully contained subterranean chamber that Melkor had linked to the surface by means of the metal contraption that had brought them here. However, the watcher like most beasts needed air to breathe and Legolas searched for another opening that might act as an air passage. The fire was starting to die and if it were not for his superior eyesight, he might have missed completely a small aperture at the far end of cave.
“Aaron!” Legolas called out.
Aaron dressed the wound on Elladan’s head as best he could and joined Legolas when the elf called after him. Legolas was staring hard at something in the distance.
“What is it?” Aaron asked.
“That,” Legolas pointed at it and Aaron followed his gaze to see what he was staring at.
“That my friend,” Aaron said with a smile as he saw the access way for some undoubtedly ancient and forgotten civil works project, “is our way out of here.”
*************
Eve stayed out of sight, as best as a woman dressed in a sheer nightgown could during an emergency situation with people tripping over themselves to leave the premises. She made her way down the fire stairs and was grateful when the only people she saw were Malcolm Industry employees filing out of their offices further down the staircase. Eve was certain that if Moses was being kept anywhere, it was in the floor where John Malcolm’s office was located. The bastard would want to keep his prize close to him.
Eve knew how dangerous this was and if she had any sense, she would be making her way out of here. Malcolm’s questions to her indicated that he did not know where the elves were which meant Sandra Collins had not captured them when she and Moses were taken. If the elves were safe then chances were good that Aaron was as well. That thought alone filled her with a deep sense of relief. The idea that he was hurt had the potential to harm her as badly as she had been when she lost both her father and her brother.
It was a sad but undeniable fact, Even thought as she emerged into the corridor where Malcolm’s office was located, that she was in love with Aaron Stone. Why else would she be risking more than just her life to recover the patient he was so determined to protect? She supposed that she had been fighting it ever since she learnt that he was her husband in a past life, but in truth it had not been that much of a fight. It had only been less than two days ago that they had kissed for the first time and almost every waking moment since then had been filled with thoughts of him and how she was not about to play into the hands of fate by falling in love with him.
Talk about denial.
For a few minutes, Eve remained hidden in corner of the corridor, waiting for the opportunity to act so she could be assured of a reasonable amount of success. Despite her desire to free Moses, Eve could not deny that Malcolm frightened her, more than she had ever been in her whole life. Fear was not something she was accustomed to. In her line of work, she resigned herself to the fact that death could be a consequence of the job and she had accepted it as most police officers did. However, this was different. Malcolm would not just kill her. He would hurt her in ways she dared not even imagine and after seeing humanity at its worst, Eve could imagine quite a lot.
Footsteps against the wet floor made her shrink further into her hiding place. She remained out of sight when suddenly she saw one of Malcolm’s dark suited thugs walking past her. Eve waited until he was a few steps ahead before she crept up behind him and jammed the barrel of her gun into the small of his back.
“Move and I’ll see to it you’re eligible for disabled carparking for the rest of your life,” Eve hissed and pushed him against the wall.
“What do you want?” he asked worriedly, all too aware of the barrel against his spine.
“You know who I am?” Eve ignored his question and asked one of her own.
“Yeah,” the man replied shortly.
“Good, then you know I came in with old man,” Eve retorted, her eyes cautiously aware of everything thing going on in the corridor. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know,” he answered swiftly, too much for it to be the truth.
“Listen,” Eve said very slowly. “I am having a really bad day. Aside from the fact that I’ve been drugged, kidnapped, told that I’m going to be love slave of some kind of dark lord and I mean the Darth Vader kind, I’ve also had to run around this place in completely inappropriate clothing, so don’t misunderstand me when I say that if you don’t tell me where he is, I am going to blow your fucking head off!”
Her words were sharp enough to penetrate and she could see the shudder rippling through him following her words.
“Alright, alright,” he submitted unhappily. “I’ll take you to him.”
“Thank you,” Eve replied, prompting him into movement by jabbing him forward with the gun barrel. “I’m glad you decided to see things my way.”
************
It felt as if they had been climbing forever and Aaron was starting to think that they would never reach the surface again. The access hatch took them through the systems of underground water mains, electrical lines and other utilities required for a structure the size of the Monolith. All through their exhausting climb, Aaron was coming to grips with the fact that he had almost been eaten by a creature that could not possibly exist, living for who knows how long beneath New York City and feeding on the helpless victims Malcolm delivered to it.
His limbs were aching by the time they emerged from the long shaft into the basement carpark. Thankfully, emergency services were concentrated on the ground level of the structure where the fire had either been put out or was still raging, Aaron honestly did not know. He led the elves to the service elevator which he was certain would not be scrutinized as the elevators in the main lobby. In any case, they had no choice. Their detour to the bowels of the earth had cost them greatly and the margin of time left for them to utilise their earlier distraction was dwindling.
The elves did not appear happy to enter the elevator again but Aaron did not give them much of a choice as he stepped into the car and waited for them to join him. Legolas followed without question but Aaron could see the concern on his face.
“We have to find Moses,” Aaron said to them, knowing that they understood English a good deal better than he spoke it. “We have to take the fastest way there.”
“Gandalf,” Legolas reminded.
“Yeah, Gandalf,” Aaron nodded, supposing it was time to remember that Moses had a name.
“Aaron, Melkor danger. We must stop,” Elladan replied, struggling to make himself understood.
“I know,” Aaron answered and said nothing more as he pushed the button on the elevator and hoped this journey toward the upper levels of the Monolith would not be as eventful as their last attempt.
In truth, Aaron was not looking forward to finding Gandalf because he knew that none of them would be able to stop Melkor, not if even half of what the old man had told him was true. There was only one way for this to end and it was a course Aaron did not wish to take nor could he confide to the others until moment was upon them. He could not even confide in Legolas because Aaron was not entirely sure that Legolas would understand and Aaron did not have the words to explain it as well.
Aaron just prayed that he was right because if he were wrong, then he would doom them all to death.
In the year 1630, Gandalf arrived in the fledgling colony of New Amsterdam.
Two years before, the Dutch West India Company had established the colony after purchasing the isle of Manhattan from the natives who lived here. With the discovery of the New World, the colonists from Europe were sailing across the Atlantic at a rapidly growing pace. For those insightful enough to see it, the new continent spoke of opportunities and untold riches. It was a virgin land untouched and unspoiled, with resources that the Europeans could not even begin to imagine and unlike the rest of the world which had already been divided into so many pieces by the great powers, it was there for anyone who dared to claim it.
It was also the perfect place for those with something to hide.
For twenty years, he had searched. He had crossed the cold, imperialistic lands of Europe and entered the dry parched deserts of Arabia and touched the roof of the world when he followed the Silk Road. He had seen what the race of men had done with the world since the days when it was called Middle Earth and though he marvelled at their accomplishments, he could not help but think that they had become colder and more ruthless with age. It was a perfect breeding ground for the dark powers he had been searching.
He had travelled so many roads and made many acquaintances but he was always burdened by the understanding that he could not form attachments as he had when he was one of Nine Walkers. The men of this new world were not ready to believe that there were great kingdoms long before their most ancient memories of civilisation. He guessed accurately that they would not receive such information well and chose not to complicate his time in the new world by volunteering it. Instead, he learnt their languages and customs while pursuing the darkness that remained maddeningly beyond his reach.
It was sheer stroke of luck that his search brought him to New Amsterdam, where he heard through sources too dark and unconventional to name that a secret order of devil worshippers had fled England twenty years ago to escape the Inquisition. Since arriving in the new world, Gandalf had been confronted by the precepts of organised religion and found the whole thing rather confusing. There were so many different religions despite preaching virtually the same thing and yet the race of men would commit untold attraocities to ensure their interpretation was the one who stood in dominance over the others. It was utter foolishness.
The New World was an ideal place for the secret cult who wished not only to escape the ruthless grip of the Inquisition but also practise their religion without raising suspicion. The colonies were barely governed unless one lived in the townships and the new frontiers provided ample anonymity for those who wished to remain hidden. What the order needed to do required secrecy and their entire number undertook the journey across the Atlantic to see its ultimate aim carried out.
This Gandalf learnt from those who had returned from the colonies and were so frightened of being affiliated with it that they were grateful to tell him only to be rid of him forever and from these poor, misguided fools, Gandalf learned the truth. The cult had desired to give the devil human shape and had found a ritual in an ancient spell book that would allow them to do just that. To Gandalf, these texts sounded uncomfortably like the ancient magic that Sauron might have had in his keeping, in Baradur, presumed lost by the time he and the elves had departed Middle earth forever.
The spell involved the birth of a child and Gandalf felt a cold chill listening to the narration by the poor, ignorant soul who had foolishly aided in unleashing a monster from his ancient prison. A young woman, a devout believer in the order’s evil doctrine had allowed herself to be impregnated by one of its male members. The ritual was performed relatively early in her pregnancy and as the dark forces entered her body, it became as if they were trapped in the eye of a great storm as the skies came alive with lighting and great winds lashed at them.
It was as if the earth was screaming in agony as the ground trembled under their feet. A shadow fell over the young woman as the evil spirit entered her body, murdering the innocent soul of her unborn babe and taking possession of its body. When she awoke, it was said that the light of understanding filled her eyes, even if it was too late for her soul to be saved. She had thought to be the mother of a god but in truth she was the bringer of destruction upon her race. Her repentance had come too late because the babe slumbered in her womb was no longer a child but an evil force that had chosen her well.
It knew she was too weak to destroy it.
Distraught, she had disappeared beyond the reach of the others in her order but could run nowhere that would keep her safe from her unborn child.
*************
Through some miracle, Eve and her hostage had made it across the floor without being discovered. Although she was forced to keep a close eye on Malcolm’s hired thug, Eve was conscious of everything around her. As anticipated, only Malcolm and his inner circle occupied the level where his office was situated and she doubted that a fire would be cause enough for them to evacuate. Still, the outbreak of a fire in the building would bring fire services and police to investigate. Malcolm and Sandra Collins were most likely dealing with the inquiries of the city officials invading their premises. It was the only window of opportunity that Eve was likely to get and she hoped that it was enough.
She knew perfectly well how vulnerable she was and never more so then now, when the room where Moses was imprisoned finally came within reach. The cynic in her could not help think that it was usually when things were at their most likely that they usually fell to pieces. She was walking a tight rope with this action and she knew it. However, Eve refused to be intimidated and she would not be any less of the person she was because Malcolm frightened her. If she allowed herself to be swayed by fears for her own safety, then she was admitting defeat and Eve had too much pride for that.
“He’s in there,” the thug retorted with a grunt.
“Well then you had better open the door,” Eve declared, pushing him forward again. She had already liberated him of his gun earlier and had both of them in her hands, more than willing to use them if he did not obey her.
He looked over her shoulder long enough to throw her a scowl before putting approaching the door. Eve was certain that there would be guards inside the room with Moses since there were none outside. Considering all the difficulty Malcolm had gone to capturing Moses, it would be sheer negligence if he did not. The tall man opened the door reluctantly with Eve shadowing him close to ensure that he did not warn his comrades inside the room. As expected, there was a man inside and Eve vaguely remembering that Sandra had called him Barry, in the few seconds of consciousness that remained after Eve had been shot with the dart.
Like the rest of the building, the room had suffered the effects of the sprinkler system activating to combat the fire. Moses and Barry seemed just as waterlogged as herself and her hostage. The old man was seated on a wing chair next to the bed, obviously seething with annoyance at his incarceration. With his arms folded, he was glaring at Barry as if his gaze alone were capable of incinerating the behemoth of a man where he stood. However, that dark stormy expression on his wizened features faded away into one of relief and happiness when he saw Eve behind Malcolm’s employee.
“Eve!” He exclaimed with more than a little jubilation.
“Hey Moses,” Eve replied casually as if she were just dropping by for a visit instead of attempting to rescue him.
Barry however was not so agreeable. The big man took a step towards her and Eve knew that if she allowed him the advantage he could probably break her in half and give what’s left to Malcolm.
“I wouldn’t try anything Barry,” Eve retorted pointing the other gun in her hand at him. “I’m ambidextrous and I’m pretty sure I can take you both out before you even got to your gun. Now drop it on the floor,” she ordered, her tone filled with ice.
“Malcolm will have your head for this, Walters,” Barry hissed at his subordinate.
“I didn’t have much a choice,” Walters answered nervously as he was painfully aware of the untenable situation he was in. If he had not complied with Eve, she would have shot him and now that he had, Malcolm’s punishment would most likely be just as final.
“Hey,” Eve barked at them both. “I didn’t say you could have a conversation! Drop the damn gun!”
Barry cursed under his breath but dropped the weapon nonetheless. Eve kept her fixed on him as she spoke to Moses, “Moses get his gun.”
Moses did not hesitate at he hurried forward and retrieved the weapon, “I hope you do not expect me to discharge this thing?” Moses retorted as he looked distastefully at the weapon in his hands.
He could not help thinking that this was a crude device, not at all elegant like a sword or an arrow. So much destructive power in so compact a form was rather disquieting actually.
“No, I’ll handle that if he does anything stupid,” Eve replied before she promptly brought down the butt of the gun against the back of Walter’s neck. The man went down swiftly in a heap, having barely enough time to utter a cry of pain before he was knocked unconscious.
Barry took a step towards her, hoping to take advantage of her momentary distraction but Eve was too fast for him. “Stay where you are Barry,” Eve warned as she stepped over Walter’s unconscious form and approached him slowly. “I will shoot you to get out of here alive.”
“The only way you’re leaving here is if Mr. Malcolm lets you and I think he plans to get to know you better first,” Barry said with a sneer.
Eve felt her cheeks flush red with anger and she would have killed him there and then for just reminding her what Malcolm was planning for her but she and Moses needed to make good their escape An escape which would not come to pass if she alerted the entire level to her presence by firing a gun.
“That will never happen.” Moses rumbled angrily, understanding now why Eve was dressed the way she was and why she had been taken alive.
“I think it will,” Malcolm’s voice remarked startling them all.
Eve swung around and pulled the trigger of her gun without hesitation. Malcolm seemed to anticipate her reaction and jumped effortlessly out of the way as the bullet whizzed past him and impacted on a wall. She did not even stop to think about the second shot and was about to aim again when Barry lunged forward and grabbed her arm. The man’s grip was so strong as he wrapped a massive fist around her wrist and veered the gun away from his employer. A trail of bullet tore across the ceiling as Eve and Barry wrestled for the gun.
“Leave her alone!” Moses shouted as he watched helplessly as Eve lost her battle to keep the gun.
“Or what Olorin?” Malcolm stared at him with supreme confidence that he was in control of the situation.
”Stop it!” Moses cried out as the name impacted upon his psyche and brought with it pain. “You do not have to harm her! I will go with you and do what you wish but let her go!”
“Oh Olorin,” Malcolm shook his head in resignation. “You will do it anyway and I am keeping her.” The CEO of Malcolm Industries turned his head towards Eve who was struggling with Barry.
Suddenly Eve’s legs were swept off the floor. An unseen force swiped the weight from under her and the policewoman landed hard on the wet marble. She let out a soft cry of pain as her body impacted against the surface. The fall was all the advantage that Barry need to subdued her completely as he aimed the gun in her face, with every intention of shooting if his master gave the order.
“Thank you Barry,” Malcolm said coolly. “If you could escort Detective McCaughley back to my suite, I will deal with her later.”
He met Eve’s eyes and offered her a little smile that made Eve shudder with fear because she could see the cruelty in them. Being under this creature’s power frightened her more than dying and she suspected that if he was allowed to have his way, she was going to wish that over and over again. “You touch me and I’ll kill you,” she hissed.
“I have no doubt that you will try,” Malcolm retorted, “and I shall enjoy even more for it.”
Moses watched Eve’s terrible fate unfolding before his eyes and was suddenly visited by an image that he did not know was hallucination or not. It was the face of a woman who had taken her life when she found out what she had unleashed into the world. He remembered seeing her face, the absolute despair in her eyes that not even death could erase. He saw Eve who was willing to risk becoming the object of Malcolm’s sadistic desires by attempting to save him. He could not allow this to happen! He could not! People were suffering because of him.
He had to do something!
“You will not lay a hand on her you foul creature!” Moses shouted suddenly and startled them all by the fury in his voice. “I won’t let you hurt her like you hurt…” Moses struggled to remember. The name was there in his head he was certain, he could almost feel it at his fingertips. “Like you hurt Elizabeth!”
“I didn’t hurt Elizabeth, Olorin,” Malcolm stared at him evilly. “You did by telling her the truth.”
“NO!” Moses screamed in pain and with the despairing knowledge that Malcolm was right. His fury built up in a surge of pent up rage that finally exploded.
Suddenly, without warning, John Malcolm was flying through the air. He smashed into the wall before tumbling to the marble at the sudden stop. Something had opened up inside of Moses, something he did not quite recognise but he could feel its power surging through him. He glared at Barry and concentrated hard. He knew he could make things move and he was just angry enough to will this time.
Barry screamed as Moses flung him through a window. The huge man’s body shattered the glass and immediately left a gush of wind from their lofty heights into the room. Barry uttered a piercing scream as his body plunged downwards. Eve scrambled to her feet and stared at Moses in shock, unable to believe what he had just done what he had even though she had seen Moses manifest such abilities before.
“Moses…” she started to say.
“Eve, get out of here!” Moses ordered before she could finish her sentence. This was a great strain and already he could see Malcolm starting to recover.
“Not without you!” She cried out, refusing to leave him no matter how frightened she was of Malcolm.
“GO!” Moses shouted. “GO WHILE YOU STILL CAN!”
His words lashed at her and for once Eve realised that this was a fight she could not win. She came towards him and gave Moses a quick embrace. “I’m going to find Aaron and we’re coming back for you! No matter what Moses, we’ll find you!”
“I know,” he nodded with a sad smile. “Now hurry!”
Anguished at having to leave him, Eve knew Moses was right. She could not fight them like this, Moses needed more help than she could provide. She hurried out of the room, her eyes catching sight of Malcolm beginning to get stronger. Eve suddenly realised that Moses knew he could not beat the Malcolm, only give her enough time to escape. She would not squander his efforts because she was determined to come back for him. She did not care what it took.
She was not going to let him be forgotten for another four centuries.
***********
The sound was loud enough to be heard further throughout the entire level of the Monolith’s penultimate floor. Gunfire echoed down the corridor as Aaron and the elves drew closer to their prey. It had been a relatively easy matter to reach this floor with all the people that were still being evacuated from the building in light of the explosion the T-Bird had caused in the lobby. After 9/11 explosions in buildings were treated with extreme caution. Fire crews and police were moving throughout the lower levels of the building and while the service elevator had taken them up the structure to the point, the rest of the journey had to be completed by foot. Aaron did not want to risk taking the man elevators and be sent into the den of another one of Malcolm’s monsters.
The gunfire exploded through their ears, a whole series of shots that struck fear into Aaron’s heart as he heard them. He was running before he even knew what he was thinking.
“Aaron!” Legolas shouted after him. “Stop!”
“Keep him in sight!” Legolas ordered as he and the elves ran after their wayward companions. Legolas knew what Aaron feared and after seeing what guns were capable of doing, could not blame his anxiety that Eve and Mithrandir might be on the receiving end of those deadly shots.
“Melkor is close,” Elladan declared as he followed Legolas. “I can feel him.”
“So can we all,” Elrohir retorted. “His stink is all throughout this place. I still do not know how we are to defeat him. If he could overwhelm Mithrandir, we have no chance against the beast.”
“We have no choice but to try,” Legolas said shortly as he saw Aaron turn a corner and hastened his own pace so that he could catch up with the human before Aaron endangered himself further.
Aaron could hear voices of shouting and assumed that was where the gunshots had originated. He prayed that he was not too late. Even though he had been worried about how much further Malcolm might damage Moses’ mind, he was also gripped with the fear of why they wanted Eve alive. It made no sense to him and the possibilities terrified the psychiatrist to no end after what Moses had told him about Malcolm resurrecting himself in a new body every so often. Who were the mothers to these children who had their souls to be supplanted by a monster whilst still in the womb? The answer frightened him and he knew that if he did not find Eve soon, she would find out too.
“Aaron!”
Aaron stopped dead in his tracks because Eve was standing metres in front of him.
There was a moment of dead silence between the two of them as they faced each other in the corridor, each having travelled their own path to converge in this singular point in time. For a few seconds, neither reacted except to stare at each other in a rising wave of astonishment and soul crushing relief.
When they finally emerged from this stupor, Eve was running towards him and they met in a passionate embrace followed by an equally passionate kiss. Aaron almost had tears in his eyes from seeing that she was safe and as he held her in his arms, she could tell that she was similarly happy to see him. At that moment, Eve did not care whether or not they were meant to be, she only knew how she felt and at this immediate point in time, she knew without doubt that she loved him. Feeling his arms around her had the power to drive all the ugliness away and knowing that he had risked his life to storm the castle for her was just as equally satisfying. He said he would protect her no matter what, Eve was glad to say that she believed him.
“Are you alright?” He asked worriedly when they parted. “Did he hurt you?”
“No,” Eve shook her head, smiling in happiness to see Aaron. “Moses got me out of there. We have to go back for him.”
At that moment, Legolas and the elves appeared. Elladan and Elrohir immediately converged upon their sister, showing their affection with similarly warm embraces.
“Safe Eve,” Elladan smiled. “Very good.”
“Come on,” Eve prompted them into moving as she started hurrying up the way she came. “We have to go help Moses!”
The group started hurrying down the corridor when Aaron noticed the wet nightgown that was plastered to her body. “Eve, what are you wearing?”
“Don’t start on me,” Eve grumbled, noticing the appreciative looks she was receiving from Aaron over her form. “You have no idea what I’ve been through today.”
“Oh really?” Aaron countered, “you should see what he keeps in his basement.”
***********
The chair broke beneath Moses’ body when he was flung unto it.
It collapsed with a loud crash as his body shattered the framework and crushed it beneath him as he landed. Sharp pieces tore at his flesh through his damp clothes and his body flared with pain. Moses took a deep breath and forced himself to his knees, knowing that Malcolm was not done with him. As Moses raised his eyes to Malcolm, he knew that he did not have the power to fight this dark lord who had stolen his memories and made his name a source of agony. Moses’ strength was dwindling and he did not know whether he was capable of sustaining a prolonged battle the Malcolm.
“Your delusions knows no boundaries Olorin,” Malcolm growled menacingly, using the name as weapon and relishing it when he saw his quarry flinch at the sound of it. “You think because you helped bring down Sauron that you can possibly pit yourself against me? Do you think I saw nothing while I was in the void? I was trapped in a prison where I could see all but do nothing. I was without form and shape in my prison but I was still aware!”
“I do not know what you are talking about! But if you were imprisoned than it was for good reason!” Moses shouted angrily.
A table flew at Malcolm but the he was ready for it. Just short of a few inches from him, Malcolm exerted a mere fraction of his power and smashed it spectacularly against a wall, sending its remnants to the floor in pieces.
“You know nothing of why I was imprisoned, “ Malcolm retorted as he dusted himself off and approached Moses. “My brethren and the rest of them chose to rule from their little island. What is the point of leaving the Timeless Halls if they choose to isolate themselves? The songs of the Ainur were stagnant with complacency. I gave them substance! I gave the world form! I made darkness something that will be remembered long after Valinor disappears into the mist forever. This new world is ripe for a second dark age. You have walked among them for four centuries, you know they are capable of destruction on a scale I never ever dreamed possible. Did you think that mankind would survive on its own once you and the elves abandoned it?”
His words made no sense to Moses but he did know one thing, there was still hope for man. “They have managed quite well without the elves.”
“You think so do you?” Malcolm glared at him. “They see suspicion in everything and they revel in decadence. Even when they are pious they twist the message of hope into restraints where those who do not conform must be made outcast or killed outright! They place their religions so highly that it is a joy to destroy and murder in the name. Not even my Orcs were so bloodthirsty! They have always been destructive and I truly love that about them. I will help them reduce this world to a graveyard and once it is done, I will built my kingdom on their broken bones!”
“No!” Moses screamed and hurled another piece of furniture at Malcolm that was put down as effectively as his earlier effort. Moses did not have the strength to keep fighting. He dropped to his knees, his body so weak and his strength almost gone. In anguish, Moses knew he was beaten.
“I give you the chance I should have offered you four centuries ago,” Malcolm approached Moses as the old man panted on the floor. “Join me and take your place by my side. You can show your true face Olorin, not the one that Manwe and the others have forced you to wear in order to walk among men. You are not an old man despite the shape of your flesh. If you wish order, at my side you will have it. We will put them under the same yoke and you can see just how glorious it can be to serve me.”
“I would have refused that offer just as I do so now,” Moses glared at him, “but my answer has not changed. To hell with you!”
“Hell?” Malcolm shook his head, unsurprised by the answer. “We both know there is no hell for us Olorin but I can make wish you for one.”
Suddenly Moses felt as if his bones were being crushed as Malcolm’s power enveloped him in a tightening grip. The pain was so intense that the old man could not help but scream. His cry pierced through the air as Malcolm watched the Maia’s face contort with agony. Moses could feel the air being forced out his lungs, his chest felt as if it was about to collapse and as he curled into a ball on the floor, writhing in excruciating pain.
With despair, Moses realised that Malcolm might finally be prepared to kill him.
************
“Is that Moses?” Aaron demanded as they reached the room where Moses was imprisoned. He had hoped they would be able to snatch the old man and get out of here before the entire building was alerted to their presence but that was no longer a valid hope. If Malcolm’s thugs had not converged upon them yet, they soon would.
Legolas nodded grimly, “Gandalf.”
Aaron was the first to enter the room and see John Malcolm for the first time. His first instinct upon seeing the man was to shoot. Moses was screaming in pain and even though Aaron was uncertain how, he knew that Malcolm was the cause of it. Just like Malcolm had caused everything else. He raised his gun to fire when Malcolm turn sharply to him and spun him around in mid air before bringing Aaron down hard on the floor. The gun clattered out of his reach as it slid across the floor.
“Aaron!” Eve cried out, hurrying to his side.
“Melkor!” Legolas shouted, having armed his bow already and releasing the arrow at the dark lord’s direction.
Malcolm caught it with one hand before the arrow could pierce the skin. Legolas reached for his dagger and flung it in swift retaliation but Malcolm caused it to fly harmless aside before it could reach him. Elladan threw his sword at Malcolm while he was dealing with Legolas’ attack but the dark lord was proving quite effectively why he could not be defeated. Behind them, the door slammed shut locking them inside the room with him. With a sinking feeling, the elves realised that they had played right into Melkor’s hands.
“How nice to finally meet you Doctor Stone,” Malcolm glanced at Aaron as Eve helped him to his feet.
“Stop what you’re doing!” Aaron ignored the attempt at pleasantries when Moses was screaming in pain. “You’re killing him!”
“You should be more concerned with your own well being,” Malcolm glared at him. “You have caused me a great deal of trouble Doctor. I am tempted to keep you alive to torture for the rest of your natural life but I suppose I should be grateful, you did bring me the elves and the lovely Detective McCaughley.”
With that, he ceased his torture of Moses who gasped in exhaustion when the pain left him abruptly. Eve went to his side, ignoring the threat that Malcolm had just made to her life.
“You’re never getting your hands on her,” Aaron retorted instinctively, wishing he had told Eve to leave the building instead of letting her come with them to be trapped like this.
“The arrogance of humankind never ceases to amaze me,” Malcolm smiled, “how do you propose to stop me? The elves would have told you by now who I am.”
“Actually no,” Aaron bit back, “I can’t understand a word they say but I don’t have to understand them to know that you’re on parole from wherever it is they locked you up.”
“Oh,” Malcolm said thoughtfully and gazed at Legolas. “Which one are you?”
“I am Legolas,” Legolas answered, trying to decide what to do. Melkor was making it abundantly clear that he was toying with them. He could hear the approach of others in the distance and knew that time for them had run out. “Your return to this world will not go unnoticed, the Valar knows that there is darkness in this world. It is only a matter of time before they come for you. If you kill us, you will only accomplish bringing about the inevitable far quicker.”
“Oh elf, you are a fool,” Malcolm replied in perfect Sindari. “If I wanted to kill any of you, you would not be here. I could have killed this worthless Maia long ago but I could not risk his spirit crawling back to his masters with news of my rebirth. Why do you think I have allowed him to live?”
“What are you saying?” Aaron asked, hating it that he could not understand a word they were saying.
“This is becoming tiresome,” Malcolm looked over his shoulder at Aaron.
A flare of white-hot pain ripped through both Aaron and Eve’s mind as if a dagger had pierced the walls of their skull. The agony of it was beyond comprehension and filled their world with waves and waves of unrelenting pain. Aaron was hardly aware of Eve’s pain because he was similarly screaming from his own.
“What are you doing to them?" Elladan demanded and took a step forward. However, Malcolm swatted him aside before he could take another. Elrohir was prompted into flinging his sword at the dark lord but Malcolm deflected the blade and sent it spinning. It struck its owner in the thigh.
“Elrohir!” Legolas cried out and went to the elf that was groaning in pain as his sword impaled his thigh. Legolas was seething in impotent fury, wanting to strike out at the dark enemy but restrained by reason because he knew he would never get close enough to inflict any blow.
Elrohir was bleeding onto the marble floor, his face etched in pain as he tried to remove the weapon from his leg. Legolas did not know whether or not he ought to remove the blade because the bleeding was nowhere as bad as it could be since the steel was keeping the severed veins sealed for the moment. Legolas realised he had to tie a tourniquet before he could even think of removing the blade from Elrohir’s leg. At least Aaron and Eve had stopped screaming. He glanced at the two humans and saw that they were breathing hard as they recovered from their ordeal.
“You foul beast!” Legolas swore angrily at Malcolm “You will be defeated I swear it!”
“That’s for sure,” Aaron muttered as he stood up shakily.
Legolas stared at the doctor, realising that Aaron had heard what he had said and more importantly, understood him whilst he was speaking in elvish.
“You understand me?” Legolas stared at Aaron.
Aaron looked at him mystified that he was able to comprehend Legolas’ words without any difficulty. “What did you do to me?”
“You need not sound so ungrateful. I merely found it tiresome to explain myself twice. You have an old soul Doctor Stone, you and Detective McCaughley. I recognised it the first time I met her. As easily as I was able to make Olorin forget who he was, I am capable of making both of you remember that you could once speak the language of the elves. Consider it a parting gift, like a last meal.”
“Son of a bitch,” Aaron swore and turned to Eve. “Are you alright?”
“Yes,” she nodded standing up. “I feel like I have a hangover but I am alright.”
“How touching,” Malcolm snorted in derision. “Eve, say goodbye to the doctor. I have no reason to keep him alive.”
“Of course you don’t,” Aaron went to his gun and reached for it. Malcolm was just arrogant enough to believe that he was no longer a threat to allow it. “I’m just a human and I don’t know anything. You can kill me and it won’t matter one bit of difference will it?”
“Aaron be quiet,” Legolas ordered, grateful that he could finally communicate with his old friend and also be capable of issuing this warning. “He will kill you, make no mistake on that.”
“I would listen to the advice of your elvish friend,” Malcolm stared at him hard. “Provoking me will only make your death more painful.”
“You know the funny thing is,” Aaron continued to speak confusing everyone around him with his insistence to be heard. He took the floor as if he was addressing them in a speech. “All this time, I couldn’t figure out why you just didn’t kill Moses. I mean he’s been wandering around for four centuries. You had plenty of time to end his life at a moment’s notice and no one would even care. Look at him,” Aaron gestured to Moses who was starting to sit up, having finally emerged from his unconscious state. “He’s just a waste.”
“So far you are not saying anything that would interest me enough to keep you alive,” Malcolm stared at him. However, in truth the CEO of Malcolm Industries was rather confused by the doctor’s sudden diatribe.
“Aaron,” Elladan spoke out. “Please be quiet. Do not provoke him any further. He does not lie when he claims he can make your death an agony.”
“Aaron what are you doing?” Eve hissed at him.
Aaron ignored them all and resumed addressing Malcolm. “All this time, I was using therapy and drugs to try and stop supernatural forces from addling this man’s mind any worse than it already was. I actually believed conventional therapy would work. Of course I had no idea what I was dealing with. You tampered with his brain so much that I’m never going to be able to fix it even if I had him in session for the next hundred years. As one of my interns put it, it’s the wiring that’s the problem. You messed up the part of the brain that allows him to remember.”
“Goodbye Doctor Stone,” Malcolm retorted and prepared to act.
Aaron was not about to be deterred and spoke again, “but then I remembered something Eve said.”
“And that is?” Malcolm was mildly curious enough to ask.
“That he came to our world in a body that allows him to fit in with the rest of us, so he didn’t stand out like the elves do. If he can enter a body to look like one of us, then he can leave it and the bad wiring just as easily.”
And without saying another word, Aaron turned to Moses and fired a bullet into his skull.
************
Elizabeth Malcolm’s son was already eighteen years old by the time Gandalf finally found her.
She had hidden herself well and Gandalf doubted that anyone other than those with his powers would have been able to discern her whereabouts. As far as he knew the cultists had given up after a decade of searching, certain by now if she had not chosen to drown the child, he would be old enough to seek them out. He had been born self-aware even if his body was that a child. As Gandalf travelled through New Amsterdam searching, he could only imagine what effect the infant must have had upon his mother.
Despite the dark deed she had committed by allowing her body to be used to bring forth such evil progeny, Gandalf held no malice towards her. Before even meeting Elizabeth Malcolm, he knew that she was the daughter with a nobleman and that her foolish devotion to the order had been sparked by rebellious need to escape the conformity that bound the women of this age. She had been young, naïve and full of spirit. It was easy for the order to trick her into believing their lies for she was only sixteen years of age when she gave birth to her child and resurrected Melkor in the world of men.
Realising too late what she had done, she had stolen her child and returned to her family whose only thought was to rid themselves of her and the scandal that she had brought upon them. They gave her enough to disappear and that she did quite effectively for almost two decades. When Gandalf entered the village where Elizabeth had raised her son, he found that the community had only good things to say about the woman whom they believed to be a widowed bride, left to raise a child alone. It was not her fault her son was a scoundrel.
When he finally met her, Gandalf found himself unusually touched by the woman called Elizabeth.
Even though he wore the skin of an old man, Gandalf knew how to appreciate beauty and Elizabeth was indeed a lovely creature. With sun gold hair and peach cream skin, she reminded him greatly of the Galadriel given human form. He could tell that she had paid dearly for her sins. The guilt of her deed burdened the pools of her blue eyes. She had worked for the past eighteen years as a seamstress, darning socks and mending clothes for a pittance after the money her family had provided her with was exhausted. She and her son lived in a small house with a leaky roof and though she had tried to instil in him a sense of morality, she had fought a losing battle from the day he was born.
Gandalf never actually met David until it was too late, until the blood was on his hands and he could not wash it away. He insinuated himself in Elizabeth’s life, pretending to be a friend while he questioned her about her absent son who was prone to wandering for weeks at a time. Some say that David went to other towns to form dalliances with maidens who were more than eager to entertain a handsome young man who was more intelligent than most and had the feel of prosperity about him. Gandalf would meet join her for breakfast and sometimes for supper, talking about the world and the way it was. She was a smart, intelligent woman who was strong enough to raise a demon but not quite strong enough to kill it.
Gandalf came to care about her more than he would have liked, the way he had grown attached to the hobbits and in particular Frodo Bagging, whose life he still felt responsible for ruining. If he taken the ring from the hobbit, Frodo would not have become as ravaged as he was by the quest that followed. Even though Gandalf knew there was no changing the manner in which fate unfolded, he still felt responsible for the hobbit’s burdened existence. Elizabeth was very much like Frodo, carrying this terrible weight upon her shoulders but being unable to cast if off as Frodo had. Instead, she lived with the knowledge that it was impossible for her to make amends for her terrible deed.
He did not tell her what she had sired until many weeks had passed and his impatience to find David forced him to act rashly. When she realised that he was aware of her past, her reaction had been fury at being deceived but he assured her that he was not representative of those who had tricked her into being the receptacle for Melkor’s birth. When he told her that she had brought to life a creature that was capable of turning the world into a hell far more terrible than anything she had ever imagined, she had accepted the news rather stoically.
Elizabeth explained how she had tried to raise David as a good Christian and while he played the part, she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was humouring her. Her efforts to teach her son the difference between right and wrong amused him and she knew that when she looked into his eyes, she did not see a child but something dark and terrible. What Gandalf had told her more or less confirmed her suspicions. There were many times she wanted to kill the child but she saw David through a mother’s eyes and in her heart there was a sliver of hope that she might be wrong, that her son was redeemable.
When Gandalf told her the truth, he had taken that hope away as well as Elizabeth Malcolm’s last reason for living.
He found her a day later, drowned in a river not far from the village.
Elizabeth had chosen to die in the manner she had never been able to inflict upon her son. Gandalf remembered watching her body floating in the murky water, her golden hair spread out like a crown, her face full of terrible despair, eyes staring into nothingness whilst still filled with the knowledge of her complicity in bringing about such evil into the world.
Gandalf did not know how long he stood by the embankment watching her body float; aware only that he had killed her as surely as the water that flooded her lungs. He had been alive for years than anyone could even begin to imagine but it was the first time, he had ever been struck with such overwhelming guilt that he wanted to die. It was the only time the wizard could remember wishing that he could be finished with the world because existence was burden he no longer wanted.
It was in this state that he had been confronted with David Malcolm who found his mother not long after the wizard had discovered her body. David knew exactly who Gandalf was and why his mother was dead. The spirit that was Melkor felt a slight twinge that could be called sadness at her demise; after all, she had been a mother to him for the past eighteen years. Perhaps it was why he attacked Gandalf with such ferocity that the wizard was incapable of defending himself on any level or perhaps Gandalf was so guilty, he simply refused to.
By the time David left the old man behind, the person who had been Gandalf was gone and in his place was a frail old man with no memory of who he had been or what he had done.
Ironically, David thought he was being merciful.
************
The back of Moses’s skull exploded outward, spraying Eve who was closest to him with blood and grey matter. She uttered a short cry of both horror and shock as she was bathed in red, astonished by what Aaron had done.
Aaron saw the surprise on Moses’ face a split second before his features disappeared in a bloody mess of ruined flesh. He knew that until the day he died, Aaron would never be able to rid himself of that terrible image. For Aaron, the entire scene slowed to a crawl and every second of the grisly vision before him was played out in vivid detail. The power behind the 45-calibre bullet caused Moses’s head to snap backwards sharply, snapping his neck so violently Aaron thought it might have broken. There was no time for Moses to express any sound before his whole body fell against the floor in heap. Blood immediately pooled around Moses’s skull as, a tide of crimson spreading outward.
“NO!”
Aaron heard Malcolm scream in nothing less than absolute fury at what he had done, a fraction of time before he was flung across the room like a ragged doll. Aaron landed against another wall, his body forcing a protest from his lips in reaction to the pain. Malcolm was seething in rage, his fists clenched and waving as he regarded the dead man before him. Aaron felt blood in his mouth as he landed on his stomach, a wave of dizziness rushing through his mind as he saw Eve standing over Moses’ dead body shaking.
Elladan and Elrohir were also staring at him in horror, doubt creeping into their eyes as they tried to understand what it was Aaron had tried to do. Only Legolas did not seem to look upon him with that terrible accusation. Instead, the elf’s brows were furrowed as if trying to work out a problem in his head that he had not previously anticipated. Aaron hoped that Legolas would grasp the truth and not condemn him for what he had done, any more than Aaron would condemn himself if he was wrong and had just committed cold bloody murder.
At that moment, the door swung open and Sandra Collins ran into the room with more of Malcolm’s men in tow. The woman surveyed the scene before barking orders at her subordinates to secure the room.
“What happened?” Sandra looked at Malcolm in confusion.
“KILL THEM!” Malcolm was so angry he barely able to enunciate the words. “KILL THEM ALL! STARTING WITH HIM!” He pointed at Aragorn.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Aaron found his voice to speak. “If you know what’s good for you Sandra, you’d start running now. They’ll be coming.”
“SILENCE!” Malcolm strode towards Aaron, picking up the sword that Elladan had thrown at him. “I am going to tear the heart out of you myself!”
“Whose they?” Eve demanded, wanting an explanation for what Aaron had just done. She had to believe there was a reason for what he had done.
“The Valar,” Legolas answered for Aaron. “Your intention was to send Gandalf to Mandos so hc could tell Manwe the truth? You knew that is what Melkor feared the most, that Gandalf could die and expose him!“
“Yeah,” Aaron nodded. “It’s the same reason why he couldn’t kill you three. You’d go to the same place wouldn’t you?”
“Yes,” Elladan replied, greatly relieved Aaron had killed Gandalf for good reason. “We would enter the halls of Mandos.”
“It was the same when Gandalf was killed fighting the Balrog at Moria,” Legolas replied, wondering if Aaron retained that memory or had this simply been a gamble he was desperate enough to take. “He was sent back because the Valar did not think he had completed his work.”
“What are you waiting for?" Malcolm glared at Sandra as he neared Aaron, preparing to swing his blade, “kill them!”
“NOW LEGOLAS!” Aaron cried out.
Legolas reached into the fold of his tunics and found the small box that Aaron had given him to hold. His clothes were more capable of hiding the device than Aaron’s own. Aaron had anticipated that after pulling the trigger on Gandalf, they would need to make a hasty exist because Malcolm would have nothing to lose by killing all of them. The elf slid his finger over the button and pushed it, uncertain of what was going to happen.
If the destruction of the T Bird had been calamitous, than the explosion caused by the C4 he had left hidden in a pot plant at the far end of the lobby blew out the entire floor and incinerated everything in sight. The shockwave that followed the detonation could be felt in the violent quake throughout the building. Wall fittings detached from the ceiling as anything attached to the wall came lose and shattered on the floor. Plaster from the walls and objects shattered on the ground as the floor beneath them trembled. The building seemed to heave in protest and Aaron hoped that Nicky had been right that the explosion was enough to make a lot of noise and not do the unthinkable, like actually bring down the structure.
Aaron saw Malcolm standing over him with a sword, so enraged that the man was prepared to kill him with his hand instead of his formidable powers. Aaron did not know whether or not his gamble had worked or would succeed in time to save his life but he was not about to wait and see. Kicking his foot out, he struck Malcolm on the knee, driving the dark lord to his knee. While Malcolm reeled in surprise at the physical combat, Aaron turned his gun on the man and pulled the trigger. For the second time that day, Aaron emptied a full round into Malcolm’s chest.
It appeared that while the entity called Melkor could use his telekinesis to prevent swords and arrows from reaching him, bullets at point blank rage took a little more effort than his furious mind was capable. Despite his powers, Melkor inhabited a human body and if one could slip past his formidable powers, he could die a mortal death like any man. Whether or not he went to Mandos was another thing entirely.
“You bastard!” Sandra screamed like a woman possessed and race towards Aaron when Malcolm staggered backwards, somewhat surprised that he had been shot.
Eve tackled her to the floor before Sandra could reach Aaron. Both women tumbled to the floor as Sandra shrieked like a woman possessed, half insane from fury. Eve straddled her quickly and grabbed her hair with both hands before slamming the woman’s head against the hard floor. Sandra went limp immediately without further protest.
Malcolm’s men reluctant to open fire when their employer and his associate were in the room rushed the elves. This time Legolas switched to his more conventional weapons while Elladan retrieved his sword to battle the human agents of Melkor. The archer immediately proved why he was so deadly with the weapon and promptly shot three of the men with arrows while Elladan managed to injure the others enough for them to consider leaving for help or reinforcements.
Aaron approached Moses slowly, his gun hanging limply at his side as he saw Eve tying Sandra up with the electrical cord she had detached from a damaged lamp. Eve, who was a cop on the force with experience in dealing with everything from coke addicts to serial killers, was more than capable of handling one insane corporate executive. If Aaron were not so sick of killing, he would have gratefully ended her life for what she had done to Stuart. Certainly, she was just as guilty as Malcolm for the death of his old friend.
In truth, Aaron was fighting the nausea in his stomach at what he had been forced to do. He had taken a life and even if it was two beings that were far from human, Aaron could not forget the look on Moses face when he pulled the trigger. He had never wanted to be driven to this. Apart of him wished he could resolve the matter some other way but Moses’ body was what was a trap far more effective than any made of steel or stone. Aaron had promised to free his mind and he had kept that promise even though it meant killing the body.
Moses’ features were barely recognisable. The man who had been his patient, who had opened a world he never imagined, was dead and by his hand. Aaron knew he did what was necessary but that did not excuse the fact that he had violated his Hippocratic oath to do no harm. He was a doctor, he prided himself in being able to preserve life not destroy it.
“Aaron,” Legolas appeared at his side, recognising the dismayed expression across his face. “You did what had to be done. If Gandalf were here, he would be the first to agree.”
“I’ve never taken a life before Legolas,” Aaron met the elf’s gaze, grateful that he was capable of talking to Legolas. It was strange how when he opened his mouth to answer, it did not even feel he was speaking another language. It seemed almost second nature to him. “I wish there had been some other way and I don’t even know if I’m right.”
“You were…” Legolas started to say and then corrected himself; “Aragorn was with me when Gandalf told us that he was sent back because his work was unfinished. We had seen him die and we had mourned him accordingly. He is a Maia and that they do not live and breathe as we do. You did not condemn him die Aaron, you freed him from the prison of his body. He will do what is necessary and return to us as he did once before, I know this.”
“Its good to be able to talk to you Legolas,” Aaron smiled grateful for Legolas’ words. “Thank you.”
Legolas opened his mouth to answer but the desire to do so melted away as something else speared through his consciousness with even more urgency. The elf’s gaze swung away from Aaron just as a terrible feeling of dread swept through him. Aaron noticed the change in Legolas’ disposition and followed his eyes as Legolas turned around. Even though he lacked the senses of the elf, he could feel the room becoming colder and saw shadows forming around them. Aaron was struck with the memory of how Moses was able to project such ominous foreboding during their sessions. In those brief instances, Aaron had almost been able to see the power spirit that he was, even if he could not explain how.
“Aaron, Legolas!” Elladan who was tending to the wound on his brother’s leg, shouted at them in warning.
John Malcolm’s body had been lying motionless since Aaron emptied a full clip into the man’s body. He should be dead but as Legolas and Aaron turned around, with Elladan’s shout in their ears, they saw something was rising from Malcolm’s body. It emerged from Malcolm like smoke rising from flame, in wispy tendrils that quickly swirled into a shape. Something that was not quite a man materialised before them. It was as if the air had suddenly strangled all the light out of itself and was becoming a dark void of infinity in front of their eyes.
”What is it?” Eve demanded, horror quickly overcoming her senses.
Neither Aaron nor Legolas answered her but they knew it was not Malcolm. Malcolm was the empty shell lying on the floor lifeless before them. The silhouette taking shape before them with its wraithlike substance was more than capable of harming them. Undoubtedly this was the essence of what had been inhabiting the bodies of Elizabeth’ Malcolm’s progeny for the past 400 years. This was Melkor in his true state even though he was devoid of the body that had allowed him to rule Middle earth from Angband. His spirit could not be vanquished and it was this same malignant force that that had been unleashed from its receptacle of flesh with the death of John Malcolm.
Once his mind was capable of releasing itself from the stupor of horror and shock at seeing Melkor before him, Legolas fumbled to load his bow, his hands trembling in fright as he struggled to arm his weapon. He was never afforded the opportunity. A great arm, like a curtain of black lashed out at him, swatting the elf as if he were nothing. Legolas sailed across the air, landing on a table and crushing it with his weight at the hard impact.
“Legolas!” Aaron shouted, forgetting that he was in as much dire need as the elf was no longer capable of hearing him. Legolas was sprawled across the broken remains of the table, unmoving and unconscious.
Suddenly, he felt himself lifted of the ground. Something ice cold was wrapping thick fingers around his neck and squeezing hard. Aaron choked as he dangled over the floor, staring at the beast’s yellowed eyes, narrowed with calculation and hatred. He could feel his windpipe crushed against his spine as the air was forced out of his lungs and his vision started to blur. Melkor’s evil soaked into his skin. It made his heart clench in fear and as Aaron struggled helplessly within the dark lord’s grip, he came to the despairing realization that he may have ultimately doomed Melkor but Aaron was never going to see his defeat.
“Doom me to the Void will you, human?” Melkor’s voice escaped him like the low rumble of an earthquake about to wreak untold disaster upon the world. “I will not go alone. You will pay for my destruction with your own death. Perhaps I will not kill you but pull you apart, like the wings off a fly! How would you like that doctor? Do you think that you will be able to heal anything ever again if I tore your arms and legs from your body and left you a limbless cripple?”
Aaron could not speak. The invisible talons around his throat allowed nothing to escape his lips. He could hear Eve screaming his name but the lack of oxygen was making it difficult to focus. The only thing he could see clearly was the black hatred in Melkor’s eyes. Aaron struggled valiantly but he knew he would not break the vise like grip around his throat. With a wail of anguish that could not be spoken, Aaron despaired in silence as his vision started to blacken.
Eve watched Melkor strangling Aaron with horror, determined to help the man she loved even though she had no idea how. She grabbed Sandra’s gun and ran towards Aaron and the beast, not even certain that bullets were going to help.
“Let him go you bastard!” She screamed in desperation, firing into the darkness of the beast’s body. The explosions of gunfire ripped through the air but Eve felt her heart sink in despair when she realised that the bullets were passing straight through Melkor and had little affect upon him. She looked around desperately and saw the dagger that Legolas had thrown. Retrieving it, she slashed at his dark form, frantically trying to hurt him. She could see Aaron’s struggles weakening. If he was not released from Melkor’s grip, he was going to die.
“Let him go!” She kept screaming at him but her anger was dissolving quickly into despair. She couldn’t lose him! Not now, not after she had finally found him!
“Watch him die,” Melkor looked at her evilly. “Watch me crush his body and devour his soul. I will not go alone into the Void! I will make him share my prison!”
Elladan had retrieved his sword and rushed to aid Eve who was bravely trying to save Aaron from death. Elrohir was crawling towards Legolas despite his own injury and Elladan knew that he was capable of taking care of himself. Elladan did not know if he would be any more effective than Eve had been in her attack against Melkor but he was determined to try nonetheless. As horrified as he had been over what Aaron had done to the body of Mithrandir, Elladan could not help but admire the acumen that had allowed Aaron to deduce that Mithrandir’s death was the only way to free the Maia and send word to Valinor regarding the nature of the evil they had feared for so long.
He should not have to die for his courage.
The former prince of Imladris was almost near Eve as she slashed wildly away at Melkor’s shadowy form, desperate to free Aaron from the dark lord’s grip. He could see the tears running down her face, tears of anguish because she knew she was not succeeding and that her failure would mean the death of her love. Elladan ached in pain, knowing what effect losing him would have upon her. He remembered all too well how as Undomiel, she had simply pined away and died when Estel had left this world. They had been together for a 120 years and without him, she ceased to be. They were the two halves of the same soul, connected forever and incomplete without each other.
Suddenly, there was a flash of bright white light in the centre of the room. It was like a bolt of lightning had suddenly struck the floor and the waves of brilliance blinded them all. The ceiling above them were suddenly ripped away with a tremendous shudder, stone and steel torn away from the framework like a child tearing down a tower of bricks. Debris rained down around their ears, some in such large chunks that Elladan was forced to take cover as the fragments of brick and dirt crumbled around him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Elrohir trying hard to pull Legolas out of harm’s way. Realising that Elrohir could not manage on his own, Elladan returned to his brother.
“What is happening?” Elrohir demanded as a rush of wind flowed through the room. Overhead there was nothing left, just the gathering of dark clouds and the flashing of lightning as if the heavens were about to pass some terrible judgement upon them.
“I do not know,” Elladan truly mystified as he dragged Legolas to the far end of the room with Elrohir limping painfully to keep up with him. There was no real place for shelter as the top of the building was now open like a gaping wound, exposed to the elements. Winds blew at them with fierce intensity, causing them to squint in order to shield their eyes.
Something was happening, something Elladan suspected was not Melkor’s doing.
**************
Aaron had stopped struggling when the roof of the Monolith was ripped away from the rest of the building. Eve could see his eyes had closed and knew that if he was not dead yet, he soon would be. However, Melkor’s grip upon him slackened at the sudden destruction, as if he were surprised at what was happening. Sinister eyes of yellow stared at the rumbling skies above. Thick, grey cumulous clouds about to give birth to a storm of disastrous proportions came alive with lightning. For the first time since he had taken on his true form, Eve saw real fear in the demon’s eyes. He let out an angry wail, like a banshees cry that ripped through their ears and forced Eve to cover her own to protect herself from the terrible sound of fury.
“NO!” Melkor screamed angry as he released his grip on Aaron.
Eve bolted the moment Aaron was free, running so fast that she did not even notice that her bare feet was being cut painfully by the shards of glass on the floor. She skidded next to him and saw that he was very much unconscious, red welts discoloured his neck.
“Aaron!” She dragged him into her lap. “Aaron, wake up!”
The doctor did not answer and Eve was beset with panic as she realised that his breathing was shallow. It was a miracle he was not dead yet.
“Come on Doc,” she rolled him flat on to his back and cleared his breathing passages in order to incite his breathing. Aaron did not react to her touch and Eve found herself performing CPR on him for the lack of knowing what else to do.
She was not supposed to be in this position!
She was the cop. She was the one that handled the guns and the bad guys and he was the one who was supposed to heal the sick! Why was he always so maddening! Tears were running down her face in frustration as she pressed her lips to his, refusing to let him go. She could not lose him! They had shared nothing together except this terrible ordeal! She refused to believe that fate would only allow them three days together.
“Please Aaron,” she begged softly as she took a deep breath and resumed the resusitation procedure, “don’t do to this me! You can’t leave me now!”
Aaron still remained motionless.
************
“Legolas,” Elladan tried to revive the elf as Elrohir secured the makeshift bandage around his thigh to staunch the bleeding caused by being impaled through the leg by his own weapon. “Legolas wake up!”
The side of Legolas’ face was turning a deep shade of purple, a stark contrast against such pale skin. Elladan feared he had sustained an injury to his skull, which would require more sophisticated healing than neither he nor Elrohir was capable of. Despite living as long as they both had, neither Elladan nor Elrohir had developed Elrond’s superior healing skills during their years at Valinor. The healing arts were unnecessary in a place where death only came during old age and it had been close to a hundred thousand years since anyone had died in Valinor.
Fortunately, Legolas was made of studier stuff than most elves and Elladan let out a soft sigh of relief when he saw the Prince of Mirkwood’s eyes fluttering open. This sign of consciousness was followed by a loud groan of pain. A completely understandable reaction since Melkor had flung him aside as if he was nothing. The air was filled with Melkor’s screams of outrage and anger. The cracks of lightening tearing across the grey sky in spidery tendrils of blue brought with it equally deafening bursts of thunder.
Upon regaining consciousness, Legolas’ mind was filled with the din he could hear around him and it hastened his mind quickly to a more alert state. His last memories rushed back to him in a flood.
“Where is Aaron?” Legolas demanded. “What is happening?”
“I do not know,” Elladan shook his head. “I think that Aaron’s plan to send Mithrandir to Mandos might have succeeded.”
Suddenly, Melkor’s voice was silenced by voices.
His screams dissolved into nothingness and with it went the roar of thunder and the lashing winds. The world seemed to drain of every sound except the voice. Soon there was more than one voice, many in fact, all blending together despite their differences, each inspiring their own emotive response at the hearing. The elves felt it seep into their bones and take possession of the soul living within their hearts. The voices distinguishable at first in their individuality soon merged into a symphony of sound, the likes of which the world had never heard before or would ever hear again. Their harmony could not be described in words because not even modern musicians with their vast knowledge of musical appreciation had ever heard anything resembling it.
It was new and yet very, very old.
The elves knew what it was. It was ingrained into their history as well as into the fabric of their creation. The same being that had made the voices had given them life and though they could not compare in their songs to the grandeur of what they were hearing now, they recognised the beauty of what they were listening. None of them spoke because they could bear to interrupt the strange, powerful voices that were sweeping from the sky above them. The elves had heard the voices before but never like this, unrestrained, beautiful and with specific purpose.
The voices became the Great Music.
In a time ancient beyond the elves’ earliest days in the world, the Great Music had gone into the Void and it was not void. The music created with each voice giving life to its own purpose until the harmony of voices became the creation of all. The Great Music had never been sung again with such power because of its ability to shape so much. In Valinor, the elves heard the singing but it was slight and it gave to their existence but they had never heard it like this. It spread beyond the walls of the Monolith. It swept across the city like a great wind. People paused in the streets, captured by music, frozen in place as the beauty made everything hard disappear.
There was no one who did not stop to listen, no one who did not feel tears in their eyes as their heart were lifted to a place beyond the flesh, to see things that were greater than their mundane existence. For a brief instant, the more enlightened felt the harmony with all things that elves had known since their emergence from the Mere of Cuineven. Starlight sparkled in their eyes for just a glimmer of the moment. Tears came, smiles stretched across faces that were jaded and worn from too much ugliness. Hope came alive with the Great Music and there was none who heard that was not unchanged by it even if a little. Later on, it could be argued that it was a mere aberration but there would not be one person who did not secretly long to hear it again.
The elves were similarly effected as they heard the Great Music of the Ainur in all its glory. Aaron was right; bringing to an end Mithrandir’s life had been the only way to end the threat of Melkor. He had sent Mithrandir to Mandos and in doing so, allowed the Maia to bring news of Melkor’s existence in the world to the Valar who acted accordingly. They were here, formless and unseen but their presence was undeniable in their song and their song had only one purpose now. It was to bring an end to their wayward sibling.
The Great Music became louder until it filled the ears of everyone present with its power. It radiated like a force unseen and shuddered through their bones. They could hear nothing else. However, a voice spoke quietly in Legolas’ head, a voice that speared through the music and was one he recognised. It was Mithrandir and his words were clear.
You must leave now.
**************
Through the fog of his unconscious state, Aaron Stone heard music.
It was the most beautiful music he had ever heard, making the great symphonies of Mozart and Beethoven sound like noise in comparison. In the dark place he was struggling to escape, its power was enough to pierce through the shadows with such brilliance that Aaron could not completely look at it for fear of blindness. Yet when it chased away the darkness, when all he could hear was this music that he would dream of until the day he died, he also heard something else, something with as much power though it was made only for him.
“Please Aaron, don’t do to this me! You can’t leave me now!”
Eve.
He could hear Eve! He walked through the light and heard her voice becoming louder and louder. The desperation in it made him hasten his pace. He did not even notice when he started running. He wanted to answer her but his throat hurt and making words was hard. His lungs felt heavy for some reason as if he could not breathe well. However, the closer he neared Eve’s voice, the easier it became to draw breath. Aaron forced himself to answer her. He had to. He could not bear the anguish he was hearing in her voice.
“Eve!”
He opened his eyes and saw her kneeling before him, his word having been drowned by the music that was all around them. He thought it had been only in his mind but it was everywhere, like the air. Aaron found himself cradled in Eve’s arms and when he moved, she let go of him and he saw that there were tears of joy on her face. She embraced him hard, planting soft kisses over his face as she expressed her relief with more emotion than he was accustomed from her. When their lips met, it was the sweetest kiss he had ever had in his life because the Great Music seemed to make everything more beautiful than he could possibly imagine.
The tender moment was broken when he felt Legolas’ arm on his shoulder. Both Aaron and Eve looked up at the elf who appeared almost as worn and exhausted as they did but with a note of urgency in his eyes. Legolas glanced briefly as Melkor, who was standing at the room, screaming insanely even though nothing of it could be heard against the power of the Great Music. The malignant creature was no longer screaming in fury and defiance but rather in pain. Aaron surmised that whatever he had set in motion by killing Moses had well and truly taken effect. The shuddering the music was having upon the walls and the structure told him that it was a good idea to leave the Monolith now.
Shakily, Aaron allowed Legolas and Eve to help him to his feet as they started to find a way out of the beleaguered building. Elladan was already doing the same with Elrohir. They made their way across the debris-covered floor when they noticed Sandra Collin’s unconscious form on the floor, where Eve had left her. Eve looked at Aaron in question at whether or not they should take her with them. Aaron thought of Stuart who had died so needlessly because of this woman and made his decision.
Let her face judgement with her master.
Aaron turned away without saying a word and resumed forward. Neither Legolas nor Eve questioned the decision because they knew the depths of Sandra’s devotion to her master and a fanatic might attempt to resurrect her master like those poor misguided fools of 400 years ago. If the powers that be wanted her to live, Aaron was certain that they would find a way to see it happen. For the moment, he only cared about getting Eve and his friends out of here.
**************
With the structural integrity of the building failing, it was not wise to take the elevators and so the journey to the ground was long and arduous with Elrohir having the worst of it because of his injury. Aaron had recovered well enough to support himself as they hurried down the stairwell. The tremors to the building were becoming more violent with each floor they descended and Aaron supposed that if there was any consolation to be had in what was about to happen to the Monolith, was the fact that the disturbance would have seen the building evacuated.
Not all of Malcolm’s employees were aware that their master was a dark lord from beyond. Most of them were probably just innocent workers, going about their day-to-day lives without any notion that Malcolm was a dark lord whose ambitions had been to create a second hell on earth. The Great Music had not abated as it chased them all they way to the lobby of the building. When Aaron emerged, the charred remains of the room where he and the elves had first begun their mission of rescue confronted him. Both the explosion from the T Bird and the C4 had turned all the walls and floors black with ash. Marble was split, concrete was fractured, steel columns looked dangerously compromised. There was not one window of the glass façade remaining and what furniture there had been were now piles of ashes and cinders.
They emerged through the front of the building and saw that people were gathered in the street, standing still where they were on the sidewalks, in the shop fronts and even cars had come a halt as they heard the Great Music and was mesmerized by it. Some were weeping with joy at its harmony, some were smiling happily and others merely listened with deep appreciation. Aaron tried not to be moved by the united expressions of hope on everyone’s faces as he, Eve, Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir left the Monolith behind, aware that judgement was about to be passed on Melkor and his Iron Fortress.
************
What the elves had been unable to perceive but Melkor could, was that he could not only hear the voices but also see them. He could see them all. Manwe, Ulmo Aule and the others who had been his brethren when he was counted among their number and when they were all children of Illuvutar. They had emerged for the first since the War of the Wrath. In anguish, he knew he was lost. He had tried to keep the Maia alive in order to prevent this very thing from happening. As long as they were ignorant of him, he could be assured of survival but now it was over.
They had come for him.
When the song reached its climax. Melkor’s form if anyone had been present to see it, erupted outward like a rolling cloud of black smoke following a violent explosion. His final scream was drowned in the Great Music as his spirit was dissolved into nothingness forever.
*************
From a distance, Aaron and the others watched as the Malcolm Building exploded almost as dramatically as the destruction of the towers. Glass flew in all directions as the dark structure began its disintegration, starting from the remains of the top floor and working its way down to the ground. People seemed to regain their senses at that point, all too familiar with what was coming after the tragedy of 9/11. They scattered quickly beyond the reach of the blast radius, moving as fast as they could to a minimum safe distance as the Monolith continued in its destruction. Aaron, Eve and the elves became lost in the crowds hurrying away from the building.
There was a tremendous roar as the building’s destruction ripped through the air and Aaron was reminded absurdly of the fabled destruction of the Empire State Building in Independence Day. The destruction was spectacular as well heart stopping. Despite the danger, almost everyone was compelled to look. The Monolith disappeared before their very eyes, replaced by fire and smoke that billowed into the sky. The clouds above where the building once stood parted, allowing the smoke to rise into the sky. The thunder and lightening had ceased and the sky despite the fire and receding clouds was clear and peaceful again
The Great Music was no more.
Those who had heard and remembered it appeared somewhat sedate in their reactions considering the destruction they had just witnessed. New Yorkers were resilient people and if September 11th had taught them anything, it was how to endure in the face of catastrophe. However, for once, they were given something precious to make that burden a little easier to bear.
“Where they…?” Eve asked softly, looking at Elladan for an answer.
Elladan knew who she meant by ‘they’.
“They are the Valar but when they sang like this, they were called the Ainur.”
“It was so beautiful,” Eve, replied, moisture in her eyes. “I could feel everything when I heard them sing.”
“As we do,” Elrohir nodded. “In Valinor, we hear them sing often but not like this, never like this.”
Eve could see that her brothers from her former life were just as deeply affected by this as she. She felt a wave of affection for both of them and knew that it did not matter that she did not remember being Undomiel. Malcolm in his efforts to save himself the bother of translation had opened her mind to their language and for that much she was grateful to the dark lord whom she had no doubt was destroyed along with his building. Eve hugged them both warmly and felt for the first time in too long, that perhaps she was not alone as she thought. She still had family.
Aaron was staring at the burning debris of the Monolith in deep thought. This nightmare was finally over but Moses was not here. Aaron had to kill Moses to save him and a part of the doctor could not be comforted by that thought, even with the destruction of John Malcolm.
“Aaron,” Legolas placed a hand on his shoulder, taking note of the sadness on Aaron’s face. “Are you well?”
“Moses…Gandalf should be here,” Aaron replied softly, his gaze still fixed on the destroyed building.
“He should be,” Legolas nodded in agreement. “But this errand had to be undertaken by the Valar themselves, they could not send him to accomplish it in their stead.”
”I killed him,” Aaron met Legolas’ gaze. “I know I did it to save him but I still ended his life.”
“Aaron, do you know how I knew that we had to leave?” Legolas posed the question to him.
Aaron blinked, “well I thought you figured the whole thing was going to blow because you know these Valar.”
“No,” Legolas shook his head. “I was as captured by the music as you. I only knew to leave because I heard Gandalf’s voice in my head. It told me that we had to leave immediately.”
“You heard…” Aaron started to speak.
“You were right,” Legolas cut him off. “Gandalf is not human. He is what we call Maia. They are spirits who aid the Valar; they have no flesh, as we know it. They exist in whatever form is convenient for them at the time. Moses was only a body and you killed a body, you did not kill Gandalf himself. At this minute, I know that he is Valinor because his task here was done. He was sent to find the darkness and he has done that. All you did by killing the body was send him on his way much faster.”
“So he is really alive?” Aaron declared, being able to see that Legolas was not lying to him in order to assuage his own guilt. “Back in Valinor?”
“Yes,” Legolas nodded. “No doubt when we return, he will be full of stories.”
Aaron started to smile, “I’m glad. You can take him my bill.”
Legolas rolled his eyes, “I will never understand the humour of men.”
THREE WEEKS LATER.
Aaron stared across the pier where the boat was docked and saw Eve waving at him.
He offered her a smile and returned the gesture before resuming his journey across the wooden deck towards the motor yacht that he and Eve had bought almost a week ago. The Anemone was a trawler-style motor yacht, 75 feet in length with a 20-foot beam with a top speed of 12 knots. It came complete with spacious living areas and had cost Eve and Aaron virtually every cent they possessed to buy. In less than a day it would be ready to sail from its dock at Point Pleasant Boro where it had been berthed for the last week.
Eve had received a hefty settlement on the insurance for her house, spitefully destroyed by Sandra Collins during the woman’s rabid pursuit of them. While the house had been a family heirloom, it also had the good fortune of being situated on prime real estate. Aaron had sold his apartment, choosing to leave New York while he still could. The destruction of the Malcolm Building had unfortunately left him in a rather serious predicament. Too many people had seen him drive into the lobby of the structure prior to its destruction on T Bird rampage. While they had yet to place a name to his description, Aaron knew it was only a matter of time before a warrant was issued for his arrest. Thus he had wanted to be well away from New York before that happened.
Unfortunately, Sandra had ensured that he would have nothing to leave behind either. He discovered the day after the Monolith’s destruction that he was out of a job. The hospital board, no doubt pressured days earlier by John Malcolm, had fired him for his unauthorised removal of Moses from the premises. Since Aaron was unable to tell them what had become of the old man, they saw no reason to rescind that decision. Eve had taken a leave of absence from the force and since she and Aaron had no connection to each other that anyone was aware, remained unscathed by the fallout following the death of John Malcolm.
Aaron had converted almost everything he owned into cash and departed New York for Point Pleasant, where Eve had joined him and the elves to decide their next move. The elves had aided in the financial aspect of his flight as well, contributing the gold they had intended to use as currency in the new world. Pooling their resources, he and Eve had bought the boat and still retained enough money to ensure they could remain at large for quite some time without financial difficulties. The vessel had been a first priority because the elves would need to return to Valinor now that their quest was complete. Although Legolas wanted to stay, it was becoming increasingly clear that this age was impossible for elves to remain unnoticed. They were too different and the modern was too alien a place of them to acclimate. In truth, Aaron wished them gone because he and Eve were unable to offer the elves sanctuary when they themselves, were fugitives.
Recovering the grey ship they had arrived in was an impossibility since it was still sitting in impound somewhere in Bay Shore. Although the elves had not liked it much, they were forced to rely on the modern equivalent make the journey home. Aaron’s plan was to see the elves safely from these shores before he and Eve would make for Canada. He wished she did not have to give up her life in New York but Eve was determined to be with him and a part of Aaron could not help feeling wonderfully happy for that. Whatever happened in the future, they would face it together.
“Hey Doc,” Eve greeted as he made his way across the gangplank into the Anemone’s main deck. “Bring me my Oreos?”
“How do you keep that great body with the junk you eat?” Aaron teased as he reached into the box of supplies he had been sent out to get and handed Eve her favourite snack.
“I shoot a lot of people,” Eve deadpanned. “Its great exercise.”
“Then I think I better get you a thigh master instead,” Aaron retorted giving her a look, never being able to tell whether or not she was kidding about things like that.
“That better be because of some medical need to save lives and not because I need it,” she stared at him through narrowed eyes as she tore open the Oreos. “Besides, its not my fault I’ve run out. We have elves who have never had chocolate in their hundred thousand year existence and they’re making up for lost time.”
Aaron decided not to ask her to elaborate as he followed Eve into the main cabin where the elves were presently staring at the television set that was inbuilt into the Anemone’s recreation area, complete with a small video library. Aaron, who knew something about boats, having chartered one on occasion to go fishing with Stuart, ensured that the Anemone was extremely well equipped. There were GPS units and solar panels attached to rechargeable batteries capable of generating sufficient power to run the electrical appliances on board for an indeterminate point of time. Of course, none of these were as important as the ten cases of Coke in the galley.
Aaron wondered if Coca Cola knew what a potential market they could have in Valinor.
The elves would be spending months on the ocean and Aaron was determined that they did so with some creature comforts. He had shown them over the past two weeks how to handle the vessel and was reasonably certain that they were capable of sailing the craft on their own once it came time for them to part company. He was astonished at how quickly they learnt and supposed that if proper studies were ever conducted, it would be discovered that elves had a higher learning capability than humans.
“Any word on whether there’s a warrant out for me yet?” Aaron asked Eve quietly in English because it was virtually impossible to keep anything out of the elves hearing.
“I’m not sure,” Eve confessed sadly. “I can’t make too many inquiries without someone wondering why I’m so interested. At the moment it makes things simpler if people think I don’t know you. They won’t look to me as a lead to finding you.”
“I know,” Aaron frowned with annoyance. “I never thought it was going to end like this.”
“Its not going to end at all,” Eve said leaning over and giving him a comforting kiss, trying to make him feel better. “Once we get out of here, everything will be alright.”
“In Canada,” Aaron shrugged unhappily not at all looking forward to the idea. “You think that bastard could have fixed it so I could speak French as well elvish.”
“Well your average dark lord is very near sighted,” Eve pointed out, wishing there was more she could do for him than offer him unconditional support.
Eve could not believe that he was being punished in this way. If only people knew that John Malcolm was a monster in the literal sense that could have brought about the destruction of the world then Aaron would have nothing to fear. He had saved them all because of what he had done but instead of being hailed as a hero; Aaron was quickly becoming the prime suspect in the destruction of the Malcolm Building. Eve knew that the net was closing, far more than she made Aaron aware. It was a matter of time before the identification on him was complete and she dreaded to think what would happen then.
Suffice to say, they had to leave for Canada soon.
“Hey guys,” Aaron greeted the elves and noted that their eyes were fixed firmly on the television set and found it very disturbing that it was a certain warrior princess that was holding their interest so.
“Hello Aaron,” Elrohir greeted from the sofa, his eyes not moving from the screen. “ We were watching the tales of Xena. She is indeed a great warrior in battle, though they do not reveal of what kingdom she is a princess of.”
Aaron gave Eve an accusing stare and asked with sarcasm, “you let them watch that?”
“It was either Xena or Baywatch,” Eve retorted as she liberated the box of groceries from him and took them into what passed for the yacht’s galley.
For the sake of his continued existence, Aaron refrained from saying he would have opted for the other choice. Instead he turned back to Elrohir, “you do know that it isn’t real right? I explained it to you.”
“But the tales of her adventures cannot be lies,” Elladan replied. “Even if they are as you explained earlier, recreations.”
“Yes they’re recreations of stories,” Aaron answered, wondering if he had lost something in the translation when he had tried to explain the concept of television to the elves. “However, those stories are no more real than the rest of it.”
“Then what about the beasts?” Legolas asked. “Would you have us believe that the creatures the lady is battling are falsehoods as well? I do not think this enormous worm is a creation.”
Aaron decided at this point that explaining that the mythical creatures they were seeing were in actual fact CGI creations was far more trouble than it was worth and let the matter go. Besides, he was not getting into a philosophical debate about Xena with a bunch of elves. The whole thing sounded absurd enough as it was.
“Never mind,” he conceded defeat.
“Have you preparations to leave been completed as well?” Legolas asked Aaron, aware that the healer was facing severe consequences of his actions against Melkor. While Legolas did not fully understand how Aaron could be held responsible for the death of the dark lord by the rest of his people, he it pained him to know that Aaron was made fugitive because of it.
“More or less,” Aaron nodded slowly. “When you are ready to leave tomorrow, Eve and I will be heading up north.”
“You did a great service to your people,” Elladan remarked unhappily. “You should not be punished for it.”
“I’ll be fine,” Aaron replied and knew that he would be because Eve was with him and because he had done what was right, even if he were a little melancholy about the outcome of those convictions.
Suddenly, Legolas’ eyes hardened and he met Aaron’s gaze sharply. “Something draws near.”
“What?” Aaron stared at him blankly. “What do you mean something draws near?”
There should be nothing drawing near! Melkor was destroyed, Sandra Collins was dead, her body recovered within the debris of the Monolith and Malcolm Industries had fallen into receivership when stocks plummeted at the death of its CEO. Yet there was no denying the danger that had suddenly risen because Elladan and Elrohir were also exhibiting the same perception. He heard Eve’s footsteps running up the galley and joining them, her expression filled with worry.
“Aaron, I just saw at least three suits asking questions across the wharf. They look like FBI.” Eve said out of breath as she hurried up the steps from the galley.
Aaron let out a deep sigh uncertain of what to do. He wanted to run but to do so would endanger the others, especially the elves once the Feds took a closer look at them. However, remaining behind was not an option either because he did not want to spend the rest of his life branded as a terrorist responsible for the destruction of the Malcolm building. Considering the post 9/11 climate, his life expectancy would be measured in the months once he was in custody.
Legolas could see Aaron’s worry and decided that for once, he was going to take charge of the situation. What had been an idle thought had now become the only solution as far as the prince was concerned.
“Eve,” Legolas turned to the woman. “We have everything we need to depart do we not?”
“Yes?” Eve nodded, her gazed fixed on Aaron’s, her eyes showing her anguish at what was about to happen to him. She did not know what to do any more than he did. “We have everything we need, she replied somewhat dazed.”
“Good,” Legolas nodded promptly. “Elrohir start the vessel. Elladan cast us off, we are leaving.”
The light of understanding filled Elladan’s face as he stared at Legolas and nodded in agreement with his decision. He glanced briefly at Aaron and Eve before hurrying out of the room without saying another word, to raise the anchor and unmoor them from the dock. His brother, similarly aware of Legolas’ intentions, hurried to the bow of the ship to take charge of the controls. Legolas turned his attention to Aaron and Eve who were staring at the elf prince in question, wondering what could Legolas possibly be thinking. However the elf gave them no opportunity to speak deciding that for once they would listen.
Since their arrival in this realm, Eve and Aaron had aided them immeasurably in their quest to find Mithrandir, by providing both sanctuary and destroying the dark lord Melkor. Aaron had ensured that Mithrandir had been kept safe from the clutches of Melkor and his agents and when it mattered most, was the only person who had courage and fortitude enough to do what needed to be done. It was time that bravery was repaid with more than just incarceration by his own people. Restitution needed to be made and Legolas was determined to be the one to do it.
“You are returning with us,” Legolas stated firmly, expecting no argument from either on this point.
“What?” Aaron exclaimed in astonishment. “Returning with you where?”
“Valinor,” Legolas retorted, meeting both Aaron’s and Eve’s eyes in quick succession to show his determination in this manner.
“Valinor?” Eve gasped in similar shock. “Legolas, you can’t be serious.”
“Why not?” Legolas returned pointedly. “You are both forced to flee because of us. At Valinor, we can offer you shelter as long as you live without any fear of being pursued. Let us offer you sanctuary for a time. Your stay need not be permanent. As possible as it was for us to journey here, you can return when your people no longer hunt you. In Valinor, you would unreachable. Can you say this is solution is any less promising than your decision to live as fugitives?”
Aaron knew he would have to go to ground because of his involvement in the destruction of the Malcolm Building but this, this was hardly what he was expecting. A part of him was terrified by the notion of leaving everything that he knew for a world that was nothing less than straight out of a fantasy. Yet another part of him, a secret part, was thrilled by the possibility. The more Aaron thought about it, about seeing Valinor the place where the Great Music was still heard, the more he became enthused by the idea. As if prompting him towards decision, he felt the engines of the yacht come alive and knew that once again he was going to have to trust him instincts.
“What do you say Eve?” Aaron looked at her, seeing the confused emotions on her face as she wrestled with the same questions as he. “Want to sail away with me?”
Eve swallowed thickly, feeling as if this decision was coming upon her too fast. She was a woman who liked to be in control of her destiny with a rational mind. Except lately, she had done so much on impulse alone and Eve was starting to think someone else inhabited her skin. She was afraid of the unknown, of what lay ahead in this inordinately beautiful world that Legolas and her brothers had so fondly described to her. She thought of how she had lost her family and had found them again. She thought of how it would be to say goodbye to the brothers she had come to cherish as much as Darien.
Then her thoughts turned to Aaron and how much she loved him and she did love him so. Eve could not bear to stand by and let him be held accountable for something he should be lauded for, not punished, not when there was a chance at something so much better. Aaron he deserved better than living the life of a fugitive. They both did. What did it matter where they went? After what they had been through together, Eve knew that she could follow him anywhere.
And she would.
“Yes,” she nodded after what seemed like an eternity of time as Aaron waited for her answer. “I think I could. I love you Aaron.” She admitted, her sapphire coloured eyes glistening with emotion. “How can I let you anywhere without me when I love you?”
Aaron felt a swell of happiness at hearing her say those words. He knew that as long as he lived, he would never tire of hearing it. Aaron took her face in his hands and kissed her lips with a lingering kiss before responding in kind, I love you Eve,” he said softly. “I’ve always loved you and we don’t have to stay there forever,” Aaron replied smiling, grateful that she had agreed to come with him because he could never imagine going without her.
“We can come back right?” He glanced at Legolas. “This isn’t a one way deal?”
Legolas had no idea what a one-way deal was but he understood the spirit of Aaron’s question. “Yes, you can return whenever you wish.”
Aaron stared at Eve again and knew that this was right. As surely as he had known that he had been awaiting her all his life, he knew that they were meant to embark upon this odyssey together.
“Then I guess we’re going with you,” Aaron replied still holding her gaze.
“As if there was every any doubt of that,” Legolas snorted. “I knew you would.”
The boat had started moving, slowly at first but Aaron could feel the motion beneath the deck. Looking through the porthole, he saw Point Pleasant Buro starting to disappear from view as the craft sailed further away from the docks. The three men that had Eve had described were still making their inquiries and did not notice their departure. Hopefully, it would take some time before they made the connection between the Anemone and Aaron Stone.
“It will take them a while to realise that you’re on the Anemone,” Eve stated once they were underway.
“Good,” Aaron nodded. “If we can get to international waters as quickly as possible, they won’t be able to come after us.”
“What then?” Eve asked, having never sailed anywhere in her life. She was both excited and a little apprehensive at the same time, especially considering their destination. She had been prepared to walk away from her life but a journey to a mystical land inhabited by elves and strange gods with great singing voices was more than she had bargained for. Still, she was as enthusiastic by the idea as Aaron even if she knew how to hide it better.
“We sail towards the western sea,” Legolas answered.
“The western sea?” Eve asked confused.
“The North Atlantic,” Aaron replied, “with a few stops in between. Canada, Newfoundland and then Valinor.”
As Eve gazed out of the porthole and saw Point Pleasant Buro becoming more distant in the horizon, she wondered how she would cope journeying in this strange new land. However, the faces around her filled Eve with the realisation that she would be just fine.
********
The journey had been strange even Aaron who was an experienced sailor. Once leaving Point Pleasant Buro behind, they made swiftly for international waters to ensure they would remain out of the Coast Guard’s reach. Once there, the Anemone sailed up the coast of the continent, making stops in Halifax, Canada, as Eve wanted a few supplies before they disappeared off the face of the civilised world. As she explained it, there were some things the modern woman required which Valinor was certain not to have and that she was unprepared to do without. Aaron did not press her too much on this since this would most likely earn him a lecture on feminine hygiene and the purpose of birth control pills. As a doctor, he somewhat knew the text by heart and simply signed the prescriptions she needed without further debate.
They stopped at Glace Bay and then at St Johns in Newfoundland to get resupplied with food and fuel since Aaron had no idea how far they would need to go to reach Valinor and the elves were somewhat tight lipped on the subject. Aaron had the feeling that while it was not secret, the way to west was something only for elves and without them, no one would ever find their way there. After leaving St Johns behind, Aaron let the elves take complete mastery over the navigation and then things started becoming very, very strange.
While the stars were the same, they were also different.
Even though for all purposes, they were sailing the North Atlantic Ocean, Aaron knew they were passing into something else. The waters seemed to become extremely turbulent the more and more they travelled. Eve who had only just discovered her sea legs did not take the experience well. Fortunately being a physician ensured that Aaron was always prepared and his doctor’s bag contained a good dose of Dramamine.
There came a point when the weather was so terrible that Aaron could not even begin to discern where they actually were. Thick rain clouds had blotted out the sky as sheets of moisture lashed at the Anemone with such violence that Aaron had serious fears that they might capsize or worse. However, the yacht managed to stay afloat and after almost a week of such calamitous weather, the storm it appeared they had sailed into, vanished suddenly.
Aaron was certain that the storm was a barrier between Valinor and the rest of the world because once they left it behind; the sky became gloriously alive again. It was like sailing into a perfect summer’s day with crystalline blue waters and diamonds sparking off the unbroken surface. The air seemed to smell sweeter, tinged with more than just salt. It was very strange, it smelled cleaner somehow, so much purer than what it was a few days ago. Breathing it in infused Aaron with a sense of exhilaration.
Sunshine and good weather followed them for the rest of the journey. Aaron noticed that the elves were exceedingly happy that they were bringing home Aaron and Eve. Legolas in particular no longer seemed as sad as he did before. When Aaron had first met him, the human sensed that the elf had been mourning for a very long time and seeing him had changed all that. He knew that if it had been all possible, Legolas would have stayed behind in New York to remain at Aaron’s side as his loyal friend. The doctor did not say it but it was good to know that although he had lost Stuart, he had found a friend who meant almost as much to him.
Eve’s presence was also as cherished by Elladan and Elrohir who spent the voyage telling her all the things that awaited her in Valinor. Aaron also knew that she was becoming a little overwhelmed with what she was hearing and had assured her that everything would be all right because he would be there with her. After losing an entire family, Eve was overwhelmed by the notion that her former self had parents waiting for her in Valinor. Elladan had spoken of how pained Celebrian had been when news had reached her at the end of the Third Age that Arwen had chosen to stay behind in Middle earth.
They reached the Enchanted isle, a series of small islands Legolas explained, was the main fortifications that protected Valinor from Melkor when the beast still walked the earth. Since Valinor was now separate from the rest of the world and could not be breached unless one was an elf who knew the way, those fortifications were seldom tested although the purpose still remained. Once past the Enchanted Isles, they reached the coast of Tol Eressea and sailed into the Bay of Eldamar.
What awaited Aaron and Eve was the singularly most breathtaking landscape either had ever seen with a city that was not merely an expression of architecture but a work of art. Tall white spires that stretched into the sky from buildings that seemed to be constructed around the land not on top of it. There was nothing hard about this place, nothing that wore a person down after a few years with jaded cynicism. It was idyllic and more of a paradise than either of them had possibly imagined. Even from a distance, it was magnificent to look at. They never felt so far away from home as the moment when they came into view of this beauty.
New York really was a world away.
When the Aenome finally sailed into the harbour, Aaron was more than anxious at how they would be received. Despite Legolas’ assurance, Aaron still felt nervous about this. He knew that in a distant past he had been a king of men but these people were elves and seemed beyond the concerns of title. Aaron thought that it might be presumptuous to assume that simply because he had been Aragorn Elessar, he should be welcomed with open arms.
Eve was even more anxious about meeting the people who Elladan and Elrohir claimed would see her as their daughter. She thought of her own parents and knew that nothing would supplant the love she had for them but Eve’s nights during the voyage here had been filled with dreams and in many of them, she could almost remember Undomiel’s father and mother. As much as she was trying to maintain her own identity, Eve could not help but feel a little more of herself slipping away the closer she came to stepping on the shores of Valinor.
*************
Legolas searched the dock expectantly when they were finally ready to leave the deck of the Anemone. Aaron noted the elf’s eagerness to disembark and supposed that after being away from home for such a long time, he was naturally pleased to be home. It was just that the elf’s manner was so different from the usual mercurial demeanour he had come to know of Legolas since meeting him. More than Elladan and Elrohir, Legolas always seemed to keep his emotions behind a carefully erected façade of control and while there was no doubt that his heart was full of warmth, it was not always easy to see behind his aloof mask. However, on this occasion, his emotions were exposed for all to see with anticipation being the most discernible of them all.
“Are you always this excited when you get home?” Aaron teased Legolas a little when they descended the gangplank leading towards the dock.
“As if that is the reason,” Elladan snorted with amusement before glancing at Elrohir who sniggered in similar fashion.
Legolas threw the twins a venomous look and bit back promptly. “At least I have a reason. You two still have only each other for company.”
“We prefer to remain free of entanglement,” Elladan said defensively. “We are simple waiting for the right lady to offer our affections.”
“You two have been waiting for a hundred thousand years for that,” Legolas retorted. “I think you may be a little too selective for your own good.”
Aaron quickly deduced what was at the heart of this conversation and he stared at Legolas with a little hint of annoyance. “Are you telling that after three months on the high seas with you, you haven’t even told me you have a girlfriend waiting for you back here?”
“Ariel is not my girl friend,” Legolas declared haughtily, finding the word ‘girlfriend’ utterly undignified. “She is my wife.”
“Wife?” Eve exclaimed with even more amazement. “That’s even worse Legolas. Now I’m dying to know what she’s like.”
“She is no different from most elven ladies?” Legolas answered but quickly shifted his gaze from Eve when his sense told him that the object of his affection was finally here. As he did so, a voice sailed across the dock bearing his name.
“Legolas!”
The prince burst into a smile as he hastened his pace. A dazzlingly beautiful woman, whose dark, sheeny hair captured the sunlight as it swayed behind her as she ran, met him halfway across the dock. Her skin was slightly bronzed, indicating that she liked the sun and the smile across her face revealed the depths of her happiness to see him. She was as beautiful as Legolas was handsome and when they met there was no doubt in Aaron’s mind at the deep intensity of the affection between the two. They met in a warm embrace, with Legolas lifting her off the ground and spinning her around as their lips met in a passionate kiss. Seeing his friend so happy to be reunited with the woman he loved was a good feeling and Aaron instinctively wrapped his hand around Eve’s and squeezed it tight.
It did not take long for them to join the happy couple who only broke off their passionate exchange when they reached them. “Aaron, Eve,” Legolas turned to his friends once they had arrived, “this is Ariel, my wife.”
“You are the ones who defeated Melkor,” Ariel regarded Aaron and Eve while her arm was still wrapped around Legolas’ waist. “We are in your debt and I thank you especially for bringing home my prince.” She glanced lovingly at Legolas who smiled back in return.
“Well he was no trouble,” Eve remarked casually, “except for his addiction to soft drink.”
Ariel’s brow knotted in confusion but could see that Eve was having a joke at her husband’s expense, “I see that we will have a good deal to discuss regarding my husband’s exploits in your realm.”
Legolas did not know whether or not this was a good thing but noted that both women warmed to each other immediately. Why should they not? In their past lives, both had been fast friends.
Aaron was uncertain how to accept gratitude for what he had done at the Malcolm Building because home, what he had done was considered tantamount to terrorism, a word that had almost as much stigma as murder these days. It was different to be applauded for the choices he had made instead of being branded a criminal and he wondered if this would be the reaction of everyone he met in Valinor. Secretly, Aaron hoped not. However, his thought were soon interrupted by the appearance of more faces coming to greet them.
“Father, mother!” Elladan and Elrohir brushed past them and hurried the man and woman who was staring at them with a good deal of emotion.
Eve found her attention torn immediately from her conversation with Ariel and fixed upon the couple who were smothering the twins with hugs and kisses worthy of parents delighted to see their sons home, alive and well.
This was Elrond and Celebrian, Eve though silently.
As she studied them from a short distance away, Eve suddenly became rooted to the spot, too frightened to move. Her heart was pounding in her chest because the realisation that she knew these people was so strong she could hardly breathe. If she looked as identical to Undomiel as Elladan and Elrohir claimed, then Eve could understand why because she did resemble Celebrian. The lady looked very much like her own mother, Alicia McCaughley. In fact there were such striking similarities that it was rather unnerving, even more so because it just happened to be coincidental since Alicia could not have been a reincarnation of Celebrian in the same manner that Eve was of Undomiel. Somehow, Eve knew she would be debating that question for a long time to come.
Celebrian broke away from her family and approached Eve first which she entirely expected because she had the look of a woman who was expecting to see her daughter after a long absence.
“You are as beautiful as I always thought you would be,” Celebrian greeted her with that remark as she neared Eve.
“I’m not Arwen,” Eve wanted to establish because in the last few minutes she felt like her persona was being stripped away and she could lose herself in this place, “I was her once but now I’m Eve.”
“I know,” Celebrian smiled taking Eve’s hand in her own. “I can feel her soul in you and that is the same as if she were here in the flesh. I may not have given birth to you but you are my daughter still.”
When Eve was drawn into her warm embrace, she was suddenly struck with the memory of Alicia who had passed away when Eve was but a child. While the images of Alicia had faded with time, Eve held some rather strong memories of her nonetheless. When Celebrian held Eve in her arms, Eve was suddenly ten years old again. It had been so long that Eve had forgotten how it felt to know that there was someone who would always try to make the bad things go away for no other reason other than the fact that they loved you and you were their child. As Eve was held like a little girl that had been lost for a long time, she felt tears rolling down her cheeks in a burst of emotion that culminated when she finally returned the elven lady’s embrace.
“Husband,” Celebrian said emotionally when she pulled away from Eve after a brief pause and gazed at her husband who had yet to approach either. “We are finally together.”
Elrond approached and Eve noted the serious looking man in the dark robes who had her cheekbones and resembled her in more subtle ways than Celebrian. She could not imagine what he was thinking where Celebrian’s emotions were an open book of happiness. Eve remembered how Elladan and Elrohir had told her about his ritual of lighting a candle for the Evenstar to mourn her passing. She supposed it must have been unfathomable for him to lose a child especially when elves were immortal. Even with all his experiences, there was no preparing for a loss like that.
He said nothing for a long time as he stared at her, studying her with great scrutiny. Eve thought for a moment that he was not going to accept her as his child the way his wife had so readily done. Eve could not blame him even though she felt their connection far more potently that she felt it with Celebrian. Her own father had shown early on in Eve’s life that it was Darien who held his hopes and dreams. When Eve joined the force, her father had disagreed, believing that she should do something else with her life instead of supporting her like he had supported Darien’s choice. It did not surprise Eve that he died soon after Darien because her father could not bring himself to stay alive for her when his bellowed son was dead.
Yet it felt different as she looked at the elf called Elrond because she could almost remember lengthy debates and lessons where he tried to teach the things he knew. Eve knew without doubt that Elrond had been involved in his daughter’s life, that she was as important to him as his sons, perhaps more so because she was the youngest. He had wanted to protect her, even when she had chose a mortal as her love, knowing the consequences of what that would mean eventually, having seen it all before somewhere.
Almost as potently as Eve had reacted to Celebrian, she could feel that he was her once her father.
Then with a soft sigh, the hard flint in his eyes cracked and when it did, he stepped forward and took his daughter in his arms and held her without close speaking a word. He held her for a long time and those who stood discreetly by and watched the exchange, saw tears in his eyes as he embraced the child he had not stopped mourning for the past hundred thousand years. Seeing her now gave him hope because he knew her soul would have life beyond her death and there was always the hope that it would find its way back to them as it had now.
“Welcome home,” Elrond finally broke his silence, his voice full of emotion, “welcome home.”
*************
Aaron left Eve alone for a time as she was reunited with the family that had been waiting forever for her to return. Eve looked understandably awed by the affection being showed to her and Aaron could tell that it was breaking through her jaded exterior despite her efforts not to be affected.
“Aaron,” Legolas called out and as Aaron turned to Legolas and his lady, he suddenly realised that he had a greeting of his own to make.
“Moses!” Aaron exclaimed as he saw the old man standing next to Legolas, clad in white. His hair and beard was white and he bore none of the injuries that had been the cause of his death back in New York. Seeing him alive and well was more than Aaron was able to express in words because he finally had more than Legolas’ assurance, that Moses had survived the gun shot wound that had extinguished his physical life in New York.
“Mithrandir has told us much about you since he returned to us,” Ariel added as doctor and patient greeted each other warmly with a hug.
“I am pleased to say that I do not need further therapy doctor,” Gandalf smiled broadly once they had parted.
“I’m glad,” Aaron grinned, “because I do have a bill,”
“You deserve full payment and more but I hope the Valar allowing you to come here will do,” Gandalf said warmly. “You freed me Aaron and I am most grateful for that.”
Aaron’s smile faded a little as he allowed Gandalf to see the extreme relief he felt in knowing that he had not killed anyone in cold blood. “I was praying I wasn’t wrong. Even at the moment I pulled the trigger, I was terrified that I was mistaken.”
“It was difficult for you I know,” Gandalf met his eyes in understanding. “You are many things but I am happy to say a murderer you are not. You undertook what you did at great expense to your conscience and I grieve at the pain you were caused by it, however, you saved me Aaron. In fact, you saved us all.”
Aaron felt the emotion churning inside him and managed a rather controlled response despite it, “I promised you that we were going to find your past together, no matter what. I couldn’t do anything less, you were my patient.”
“You freed me from more than my inability to remember,” Gandalf confessed. “You took away the hiding place for my guilt. I was partially responsible for my own fate in Melkor’s hands, I allowed him to defeat me.”
“Because of Elizabeth?” Aaron stared at him. Eve had told him of Gandalf’s battle with Malcolm and how at one point in the hostilities, Gandalf had spoken that name with great anguish.
Gandalf’s eyes blinked in surprise. “You know about Elizabeth?”
“Who is Elizabeth?” Legolas who had been silent until this point asked.
“She was the woman who sired Melkor’s first vessel,” Gandalf answered after a long moment. “She was but a child when a misguided band of worshippers, thinking they were raising some equally mythical dark lord, convinced her to bear the vessel in which he would be reborn. She had been young and innocent, swayed by their words and foolish enough to believe their promises. She allowed herself to be with child and furthermore permitted the infant to be imbued with Melkor’s spirit. She realised too late the full magnitude of what she had done and in fear, fled into obscurity with her unborn infant inside her.”
“Gandalf, you do not have to speak of this now,” Legolas said gently, able to see the pain in his old friend’s eyes.
“Yes he does,” Aaron said firmly, knowing this was the great trauma that he had never been able to coax out of the man during their sessions. Whatever Melkor had done to him, it had all stemmed with this one incident. “You need to tell us Moses, you need to tell someone.”
“I am afraid that he is right Legolas,” Gandalf sighed. “I found her after many years of searching and learnt that she had tried to instil her child with a sense of decency. It was impossible of course but she had no idea how beyond her that was. When I explained what she had sired, I took away the last shred of hope she had left for redemption. I told her because I was impatient and because I wanted to learn the whereabouts of her son. By then, he was a man and no longer living with his mother. I was tired of searching; I only wanted to return to Valinor once more. However, in doing so, I drove that poor woman to hear death. I burdened her with even more guilt so she drowned herself.”
Aaron saw Gandalf’s shoulders slackened as he concluded his tale and knew just how horrified Gandalf must have been to be confronted with Elizabeth’s body, to know that he was responsible. For a person like Gandalf, who was used to saving the world from evil beyond description, the loss of one life because of its impulsiveness must have been terrible to bear. With this guilt inside him, Aaron doubted that Gandalf even put up a struggle when Melkor took away his mind.
‘Oh Gandalf,” Ariel reached for his hand and squeezed it in sympathy. “I am so sorry.”
“Thank you my dear,” Gandalf said gratefully, “however I am responsible for my actions.”
“Its not your fault Moses,” Aaron returned automatically. “We all make choices and sometimes the hardest thing to do is to live with them but that’s how you learn and the lessons don’t stop no matter how old you are. Elizabeth also made her choice, you have to remember that.”
“I do,” Gandalf nodded. “Since my return, I have thought of nothing but that. However, I cannot deny my part in her death and guilt is the penance I can no longer hide from.”
“I liked to help you in any way I can,” Aaron offered, still unable to shake the feeling that Gandalf was his responsibility.
“I should like that Aaron,” Gandalf replied.
“Now if we can only have you call him Gandalf,” Legolas spoke, trying to aid some levity to the moment.
“I’m sorry,” Aaron laughed. “I got accustomed to calling him that. Besides, you seem to have enough names already. I don’t think one more is going to hurt.”
“You are the last one to be talk,” Gandalf remarked, “Aragorn, Elessar, Thorongil, Elfstone, Strider….”
“Who is Moses, might I inquire?” Legolas interrupted the recital much to Aaron’s relief.
“Apparently an old man with a bad sense of direction,” Aaron turned to Gandalf and they both burst out laughing, leaving Legolas shaking his head in confusion.
“I shall never understand men.”
“That makes two of us,” Eve added joining them. “Hello Moses.”
“I am glad to see you Eve,” Gandalf flashed her with a warm smile. “Though Valinor may seem rather tame after New York.”
“Oh I am certain that I’ll find something to do,” Eve glanced at Ariel who had been silently listening to the banter of friends. “After all, I think this place could use a 21st century woman to shake things up a little.”
“It sounds intriguing,” Ariel remarked before asking, “what do you mean?”
“It means,” Aaron, grinned as he looked at the people of Valinor and felt a twinge of pity, “say goodbye to paradise.”