Disclaimers: part 1

Author's Note: Just a quick thank you to everyone who has been reading and better than that reviewing. Neo thanks you, Elrond thanks you, Agent Smith hates you but I thank you anyway. ^^

***

Elrond, Gandalf and Switch spent the next few hours explaining the history of Middle Earth.

Trinity looked over at Neo. Sure he looked like he was paying attention but she saw the way he kept staring out the window. Oh well, she was paying enough attention for both of them.

Cypher looked bored and pretty pissed. And he was. He hadn't wanted to come in the first place. He didn't care about the history....though she saw his eyes glitter when the topic switched to the ring.

Of course, so did Neo's when Pippin finally found it in his pocket. Merry snatched it away from him and made a show of cleaning it. Elrond seemed to be trying to control his temper. Gandalf laughed but it didn't seem to be a chuckle of amusement.

Trinity smiled at the old...wizard, was it? She understood far too well what his situation was and now with those that these people trusted had vanished...well.... She looked at the ring, she had no need for it, but a part of her half-hoped that she'd have the chance to help these people save their world if it ended up she couldn't go back to save her own.

Switch seemed to be almost completely in her element, well, except for her clothing, of course.

A decision had been made to stop for the evening and continue where they left off in the morning when the decision of what to do with the ring was made.

But another dilemma still presented itself: What would be done with the ring in the meantime? Gandalf and Elrond made it clear they wouldn't touch it. Trinity rolled her eyes when the two hobbits, Neo and Cypher all eagerly volunteered to keep it safe. Switch didn't voice an opinion, probably because any interest she had in the ring came from an obsession with this world and that in of itself was could be potentially dangerous.

Finally, with a long sigh and a stare from Elrond that cut even oblivious Neo to the quick, he was presented with the ring.

"Dude, I'll be so very careful with this."

"Just...go rest for tomorrow, Neo," replied a very weary almost twitching Elrond.

Switch patted his shoulder and he sighed though he seemed slightly less tense. Trinity was willing to bet that if Elrond felt any of them worth the amount of time he had spent in their company, it would clearly be Switch.

She blinked, a bit surprised when she noticed that Arwen, Elrond's daughter was still there. She was even more surprised when she saw the way Arwen was looking at Switch. Right. Maybe it was time for bed after all.

***

Switch couldn't believe that she was really here. Here in Middle Earth. She remembered those books better than she did her childhood. She had always felt in someway responsible for the world after she read them and though she would never have admitted it, it was the biggest reason why she had decided to be unplugged. If Tolkien had meant for Middle Earth to represent the World the way it ought to be, she wanted to find a way to bring that world back.

And here it was, all because of a green jellybean.

"Might I speak to you."

Switch smiled and turned around. She wasn't sure why Arwen wanted to speak to her, but she wasn't about to object to company especially when the company was an Elf...a hot Elf.

"Of course."

"Tomorrow, I'm fairly certain you will leave and help out on this quest. Aragorn...I know he would have gone but he is not here....And I would like you to have this."

Switch blinked and blushed slightly as the Elf handed her a necklace....this hadn't happened in the book, but oh well. "I don't know that you should give this to me. He may come back to you, there is still hope...but...."

"But?"

"But, is this really what you want with your life? To waste away over some guy?"

"...."

When it was clear that the Elf was going to offer no reply... "Well, it just seems to me," Switch said, falling back on English, "that you're throwing away everything you have for some guy who's not even half your age."

"I hadn't...given that much thought."

Switch didn't say that she doubted the Elf had thought about it at all. "Well, you really ought to. I mean, don't throw away your life on a whim. Before you make any decisions you obviously need to think it over, consider your options--"

She was cut off by the Elf kissing her. "Thank you."

She blinked as the Elf rushed away. Obviously it hadn't taken much to change Arwen's mind. She glanced down at the necklace before slipping it on. Maybe it would bring her luck.

***

The next morning, the Council was called as planned. Switch sat between Trinity and Neo pointing out who was who. Neo kept looking at her like she was from Planet Nerd until Trinity smacked him upside the head.

She seemed a little bit cranky, Neo reasoned.  The hobbits and dwarves had been hitting on her the night before.

He wasn't too crazy about the dorky outfits they were wearing either. He was chafing in all the wrong places. He didn't understand why 'Elrond' thought he was a moron and seemed to like Switch the best out of all of them.

Cypher was sitting next to Gimli. They had spent most of the night getting drunk together.

He fingered the stupid One Ring. It was really shiny. Neo guessed that must be why so many people wanted it. If only last night hadn't been so boring. Even Pippin had paid more attention than he had.

Oh well. He set the ring on the stump in the middle of the circle. You'd think that with all the money these people must have had to live in places like this that they'd at least dress nicer or make the council area...well, less than a bunch of stumps around a stump. It seemed pretty tacky to him. He was willing to bet it had been 'Elrond's' idea.

No one seemed particularly happy to be there either. They all glared at the ring and glared at each other. It was rather annoying.

Elrond began rambling on about uniting and taking care of some guy named Sauron and how he had a minion named Sarumon. Sounded like that kid show Pokemon to him. Oh well.

Neo waved his hand wildly until 'Elrond' had no other choice but to acknowledge him. "Yes, Mr. Neo?"

Ugh...well, it was better than Mr. Anderson.

"Their names are so similar. How are we going to be able to tell them apart? Ow!"

He glared at Switch who had elbowed him in the ribs. Being the One, he would have thought he could have been entitled to more respect...

"The difference is that Sauron is a big evil red eye, Sarumon is a wizard who wears white and works for him. Do you even pay attention?"

"They still have silly names. That's really all I was saying," Neo whined ducking behind Trinity.

"Just let Elrond continue, Neo or we'll be here for a month!"

Trinity held her arms out between the two of them. "Both of you knock it off!"

Legolas and the other elves shook their heads while Gandalf smiled.

"As I was saying, we must take the ring to Mordor and --"

"Wait, you guys."

Switch shot Cypher a withering look.

"No, no, hear me out, Switch. You guys want to save this place from an evil red eye, so why no just use the ring? It makes more sense than throwing it in a volcano. That's just asking for trouble."

The other men sitting across from them all seemed to agree except for one who was busy glaring at Trinity, Switch, Neo and Cypher...well, mostly Neo and Cypher.  Everyone here was so unfriendly.

"See? They agree with me so why--Ow!"

Trinity smirked after she finished smacking Cypher upside the head. "They have to destroy it, you moron. It's evil, it's of no use to them. Try paying attention sometimes."

She nodded to Elrond who offered her a thin perplexed smile before continuing his speech. Neo decided to remain quiet. He didn't want to get punched again.

Elrond continued to babble: "Ring this that blah blah Sauron blah blah blah blah blah listen blah blah blah this is important blah blah blah"

" Neo?"

"Blah blah you must always remember blah blah blah"

"Neo?"

"Blah blah it is imperative that blah blah blah" 

"NEO!!"

He realized Trinity was screaming in his ear. "What? Where? He blinked. Whoa, everyone was fighting and ah! He watched as Gimli's axe broke into pieces on top of the ring. That was one cool ring, all right. Was that why everyone wanted it?

Trinity sighed miserably and muttered something to the effect of "He's an idiot." Neo nodded, Elrond was indeed an idiot.

"They're fighting over who's going to take the ring, Neo," Switch pointed out.

"That's cool..."

".....don't you think we should help?"

"Why do we always have to...okay, okay! Don't hit me..." Neo shook his head at Switch and got up. He stared at everyone fighting...all right, if it meant she wouldn't hit him and hey, it would make Trinity think he was pretty cool. "I'll take the ring."

".....Why? Why me?"

"Switch, why does Elrond keep making those funny noises?"

***

tbc