NB: This is not your everyday LOTR fanfic. It takes place about 2000 years after the demise of Sauron, and Middle Earth has changed beyond recognition. At the place where the Argonath statues still stand lies now the metropolis of Sarmaltar housing 11 million of people. One of them is the historian and archeologist Narheda, working on her thesis...
Re-posting this at my new account because my old one got trolled and I had to delete it.
1.Nerve Centre
The rain was wetting the large train windows like so many rolling tears and distorting the sight of the city outside, turning all the lamps and lights into a multi coloured limbo of glittering confetti as the darkness of the dusk was falling and the maglev train made its way through the Burbs towards the Centrarea. Leaning slightly in the curves, the sleek vehicle was making almost 200 kph on the longest runs, however as closer it got to the Centrarea the more frequent the station stops became and the slower the train was running. The station stops also became lengthier as more and more people were embarking and disembarking.
That slowing down of the ride made Narheda feel as if the knot of tension was getting heavier in her belly, weighting down towards the back of her spine and making it harder for her to think more logically. She had no idea why the professor Sinadaris had called her to his office at this irregular time a day. Two hours after sunset, that was when most people were at home with their families, having dinner or watching the broadcast.
That was what she wanted to do as well, she was hungry and tired and had no desire at all to return to the University for another run, and just to see Sinadaris. Why couldn't that wait tomorrow? she thought as the train started to reverse for the Terpandur station, where she was getting off. It was another weekday tomorrow and neither she nor Sinadaris ought to have such a fully booked calendar that they couldn't squeeze in a meeting together, she thought as she stood from her seat, bracing herself for the force of the descending speed. Because she really wished she could be home with Darik now and just snuggle up and have a nice time. Besides, she was hungry.
The train braked into the station, the platform speeding by slower and slower until the train came to a halt and the doors wheezed open. By then Narheda was already standing just by the doors, and she slipped easily outside, while folding up the hood of her rubber cloak to protect herself from the rain. Then she hasted down the platform, smoothly avoiding running into other commuters and what they might bring with them when it came to bags, pets, prams, trolleyettes, quickpedes and other goods. Within seconds she was by the escalators and could begin her descent to ground level. At the same time she saw the train leave the platform, its merrily bright red and yellow colours contrasting to the gray-scale of most other object around save for the saturated add boards plastering the station walls.
Exiting through the automatic doors of the station, Narheda turned left and began heading towards the university campus, passing closed down warehouses covered in graffiti. Most people tended to ride one station more, getting off by the very station named University of Sarmaltar, but Narheda had found that it was actually a shortcut getting off already at Terpandur and then take one of the back entrances to the campus and that way walking up the low hill to the Institution of History and Archeology, where she did most of her work. That little maneuver generally saved her between five and ten minutes a day. Miniscule in the general swing of things, one might think, but five minutes a day meant 25 minutes a week, 1 hours and 20 minutes a month and about 21 hours a year, that was almost a day! A day to use for better things than commuting to and from work. Doing actual work perhaps.
When she reached the top of the hill and found herself outside the doomed building in pale-green sandstone which housed her institution, she usually stopped to admire the rolling hills of the campus area and all its institution buildings and other structures, displaying all the architectural styles of Grand Gondor, from the toppy tepas of Norindor to the low and airy abodes of Eff Taar. The greenery, the statues and fountains and most of all the people moving about, students, teachers, researchers, administrative personnel, janitors, visitors, security guards and all the rest there was. The sight of this Nerve Centre of Sarmaltar usually picked her up and made her happy to be a part of it, to drink in and partake in its bustling energies, being a part of this social body which was the University of Sarmaltar.
However today Narheda couldn't care less. Today the energies of this place were blocked by another nerve centre, the one within her body. A nerve centre jumpy by the worries created by the professor's sudden call, telling her to make it in to the university at the given time. What could be waiting her? Besides it was raining too much to really being able to enjoy the view. Darting in beneath the pillars, Narheda marched up to the great set of double doors and produced the key card, which she pulled through the slot while entering her personal five digit security code. Those things needed when wanting to enter any uni building after regular working hours.
A silent buzz was heard, followed by a clicking sound, then a small led turned from orange to blue, indicating that the lock had switched open. Narheda pushed the door open and entered a hallway where the automatic light had switched on when she had unlocked the door. The tubes were still flickering slightly as if they were newly awakened beings. Another night time feature. During regular hours the lights weres always on, however often dimmed to match the amount of light streaming in trough the high windows on each side of the entrance.
In front of her the large two story lobby opened up, with the reception desk to her left, unmanned this time of day. There were corridors running off to the left and to the right, slightly shaggy-looking sofa lounges groped about, separated by man-high plants in large pots and in front of her a set of double staircases were arching themselves upwards, and between those, another set of double doors, this one leading into the auditorium. One of them was slightly open and Narheda could hear the faint, humming sound of a cleaning vaacumer at work. The cleaning personnel were always at work when no one else was. Nobody but her – and apparently professor Sinadaris, up in his office on the first floor. Taking the staircase to her left, Narheda bit back her anxiety as she started up towards the professor's office.
Damn, she hoped it wasn't too bad news. That it wasn't one of her students having misbehaved in one way or another, like falsifying test results or cheating during an exam. Or if Elrada... No, she couldn't think like that. Nothing could have happened to Elrada. Because then the professor would have come home to her, wouldn't he? And brought a Soulhealer as well. Someone to talk to in case of distress. But who said there wouldn't be a Soulheaker at... What was now the university policy in case of an event when a relative was involved in...? Narheda couldn't recall, when she thought of it.
No, no, no, she scolded herself. Narheda, don't think like that! Your sister is fine! All is fine, and when you leave here later tonight, you're going to laugh at your earlier worries! Perhaps the old man just wants a friendly chat, some advices.
As she entered the second floor, the movement detectors switched on the light in this hall as well and Narheda turned left, gazing down the corridor towards the small slit of brighter light she saw emitting from a slightly open door. Professor Sinadaris' office was that. She stopped however before heading off towards it, and wormed out of her jacket, hanging it on one of the many pegs lining the wall just opposite of the staircase. Now all of the pegs save two were empty, and she wondered who else, beside her superior might be working late tonight. Shrugging it off she started off towards the professor's office.
While nearing the open door, Narheda checked her necklace-watch, it showed two minutes to the full hour. Perfect timing. Stopping just outside the door, she tapped gently on the door frame with two of her fingers and was rewarded with a gentle, however slightly hesitant reply.
"Come in!" professor Sinadaris' somewhat graveled tenor greeted her and she pulled the door open, slipping inside before closing it silently behind her.
While doing that, she faced her superior. The professor Sinadaris was sitting behind his desk, slightly leant back in his high-backed office chair, hands folded in front of himself upon the immaculate desk, where not a single paper wasn't aligned exactly horizontally or vertically with the edges of the furniture. Pens were color-coordinated in a set in front of him and the desk infomate was switched off, its keyboard folded up against the darkened monitor. And the professor himself, he looked the way he always had, from the day Narheda first had met him more than a decade ago as a young student. Same kind of ochre coloured jacket over a dark blue tunic with a moderate decoration of silver details around the edges and down the front.
Al right, he might have become a bit plumper and balder over the years, but it went so slowly that you failed to notice it if you tended to run into him on a more or less day to day basis. Sinadaris was pale skinned like all of Northern origin, his eyes were so light blue they were almost gray beneath the bushy brows and he had thin lips beneath a prominently hooked nose, and like most scholars he shaved his beard completely. Most of the time his mouth were pulled upwards in a gentle and jovial smile, however today his expression appeared more serious, confirming Narheda's suspicion that something was not exactly right.
"Good evening, Narheda, Have a seat," he held out a hand, and complyingly she slipped down on the only visitors' chair, crossing her legs and straightening out her tunic a bit. As she did, she noted that the gilded colouring on her nails was a bit shafed. Not good!
"Good evening, professor," she replied, keeping her small purse in her lap, like some kind of mascot to protect her from the presumed bad news.
"I have some things I need to inform you about," professor Sinadaris went on. "Things, which may, at first come as a surprise to you. But when you think about it, you'll see the reason behind it," he went on and she felt herself cringe in the chair. Now what? Sinadaris wasn't usually the one to talk in riddles. And this confirmed her misgiving, that his news was bad.