Authors' Note: Merry Christmas. Welcome to part two. Late comers will not be seated until a suitable break in the performance. We hope everyone had a good Christmas. We are starting on time as promised, so all of you who threatened to sic nasties on us can call them off now. This part may be a little slow starting off, but please bear with us. We have reached a compromise on the soundtrack issue. Soundtracks may appear in some chapters, but not all. We decided that if we find a song, we'll put it in, otherwise, we aren't going to loose any sleep over it. Updates may also be slow starting off, but we will try our best. Here's part two. Enjoy the show.
The Nightrunners
The II Files
The young man sat down at his computer with a sigh. His well-appointed office had been kept clean while he'd been gone; outside the large window, late snow was falling to cover the winter-brown lawns. He sighed again, and rubbed his tired eyes. He had only gotten married a few weeks ago, and he was already back to work. Of course, he did have to admit to himself that it was quite a perk to have the same job as your wife. He wouldn't have to worry about leaving her if they had to go out on assignment. He stifled a yawn; he'd been back from Tokyo for less than a week, and it was playing hell with his internal clock. Turning back to his computer, he noticed that a message had been sent to him in the last two days. Opening it, he watched as it text scrolled across the screen.
Message:
Here are the files. Please adhere to company security policies. Further instructions will follow.
II Files, Dublin Branch, Classified-Eyes Only
Name: Adam Gordon
Reincarnation of: Aragorn, Son of Arathorn, King of Gondor
Gender: male
Age: 31
Hair Colour: brown
Eye Colour: grey
Race: human
Occupation: Street Officer, New York City Police Force
Family: parents deceased, possible relatives in Paris, France
Home: New York City
Preferred Weapon(s): service automatic (accomplished marksman), some training in hand-to-hand combat
Vital Statistics: relocated to NYC from Paris, France in 2038
Name: Alice Starr
Reincarnation of: Lady Arwen Undómiel of Imladris, Queen of Gondor
Gender: female
Age: 29
Hair Colour: black
Eye Colour: dark blue
Race: human
Occupation: Street Officer, New York City Police Force
Family: orphaned, parents unknown, siblings unknown
Home: New York City
Preferred Weapon(s): magic, defensive and offensive, service automatic (accomplished markswoman)
Vital Statistics: Class II spellcaster, mage killer, history of depression
Name: Legolas Thranduillion
Reincarnation of: N/A
Gender: male
Age: unknown, 30000+
Hair Colour: pale blond
Eye Colour: blue
Race: Elf, Sindar-Sylvan mix
Occupation: none
Family: Thranduil Oropharion, father, Queen Charlotte Islands
Home: varies, currently New York City
Preferred Weapon(s): Elven longbow, knives, various guns (skilled marksman)
Vital Statistics: mage killer, relocated to NYC (2029), history of near-fatal accidents, was a member of Roman court (Octavius Caesar), was a member of the English court (Elizabeth I), served in British Navy under Admiral Nelson (Battle of Trafalgar)
Name: Gabriel Gleason
Reincarnation of: Gimli, son of Gloin
Gender: male
Age: 36
Hair Colour: brown
Eye Colour: brown
Race: human, formerly Ereborian Dwarf
Occupation: Professor of Geosciences, Princeton University.
Family: unknown
Home: West Windsor, New Jersey
Preferred Weapon(s): military trained, highly skilled marksman with various guns, trained in several forms of hand-to-hand combat
Vital Statistics: mage killer, served in Majic Wars as US government-trained special operative, files heavily classified, genetically-engineered for superior magic resistance
Name: Felix Baker
Reincarnation of: Frodo Baggins, Ringbearer
Gender: male
Age: 23
Hair Colour: dark brown
Eye Colour: pale blue
Race: human, former Hobbit
Occupation: rock musician
Known Family: parents deceased, no siblings
Home: New York City
Preferred Weapon(s): knife, gun
Vital Statistics: member of rock band (Green Dragon), street denizen since early age, advanced survival skills
Name: Sam Gardener
Reincarnation of: Samwise Gamgee
Gender: male
Age: 20
Hair Colour: blond
Eye Colour: brown
Race: human, former Hobbit
Occupation: rock musician
Known Family: parents unknown
Home: New York City
Preferred Weapon(s): knife
Vital Statistics: member of rock band (Green Dragon), street denizen since birth, advanced survival skills
Name: Peter Taylor
Reincarnation of: Peregrin (Pippin) Took
Gender: male
Age: 19
Hair Colour: light brown
Eye Colour: hazel
Race: human, former Hobbit
Occupation: rock musician
Known Family: mother deceased, father unknown, siblings unknown
Home: New York City
Preferred Weapon(s): knife
Vital Statistics: member of rock band (Green Dragon), orphaned to streets at age 11, advanced survival skills
Name: Mark Anderson Brand III
Reincarnation of: Meriadoc (Merry) Brandybuck
Gender: male
Age: 21
Hair Colour: brown
Eye Colour: grey
Race: human, former Hobbit
Occupation: rock musician
Known Family: parents deceased, siblings unknown
Home: New York City
Preferred Weapon(s): knife, gun
Vital Statistics: member of rock band (Green Dragon), orphaned at age 8, advanced survival skills
The young man considered calling his wife in to look at the information before him, but it was quite probable that she had received the same file. He saw no point in waking her for something she would learn soon enough. He looked to the bottom of his screen, and read the last of his instructions:
Watch them.
The game had started. He only hoped that the pawns were aware of this as well. He was looking forward to meeting them.