Maedhros

by Scribe

Seq to Triumvirate- Frank Miller become involved in an archaelogical project called Maedhros & inadvertently stumbles into a strange new world. As Frank uncovers the secret behind Maedhros, his existence is revealed to enemies he cannot fathom. COMPLETE.

11. Chapter Ten

Authors Note:

Once again time constraints mean that this has been hastily proofed by me. I intend to have it properly edited over the weekend so I beg your forgiveness for any glaring errors.

Chapter Ten

  The Malcolm Building

While Eric and Jason had been performing their play to the helpless Johan, Frank had been carefully studying the building directory, trying to discern where would be the best place to find the information they sought regarding the hierarchy of Malcolm Industries in the wake of David Saeran's absence.

It did not take him long to note the location of the branch director's office on the top floor of the building and upon sourcing that information, filed it away until such time they were able to pursue it.  Frank also took stock of how many security guards were on the lower floor and how well armed they were.  Their armaments ranged from handguns in holster to hand carried assault rifles. He noticed that Miranda was also making similar observations and was once again struck by the disconcerting sensation at how much he did not know about this wife. 

For so long, her past had been her secret to keep and he had seen no reason to intrude. He knew some of it was painful which was why he did not insist upon her telling him the truth.  However, the last day had made him realize that there was a phantom existing beneath the visage of wife, mother and lover who could emerge at a moment's notice when needed and take control of the woman he had come to love. He did not fear this new aspect of her but he did wonder what else she had hidden away from him. When this was all over, Frank resolved himself to tell Miranda that he loved her for everything that she was, even the parts that could be somewhat intimidating.

"Where are we going?" Eric asked as they hurried up the stairs, determined to put as much distance between themselves and Johan the security guard who would eventually come to his senses about their reason for being in the building.

"Top floor," Frank sand out further down the staircase.

"What's there?" Jason asked, not relishing the climb but seeing that they had no other choice with the lifts out of commission.

"The branch director's office," Frank declared, "if anyone knows about whose running this company now that Saeran is gone, it should be him."

"I hope you're right," Miranda retorted, "because once they find out we're not from Channel Nine News, they're going to be coming after us with guns blazing and I don't have the firepower to stop them."

"Your optimism is scary," Eric grumbled. "Was she like this back then too?" He asked the twins, panting slightly as they left the lower levels behind and he began to feel the strain of their ascent.

"I did not know the Lady Eowyn well," Elladan confessed sincerely and it was the truth. He had met Eowyn during the few times he had been at the court of Gondor, when his visits coincided with that of the lady and her husband, the Prince of Ithilien. She was a great friend to Arwen when his sister had become queen and then there was of course her fame as the warrior maiden who had vanquished the Witch King.  "However, I do recall hearing the gossip regarding her and Estel when he arrived in Rohan during the War of the Ring."

"Gossip?" Miranda's voice rose an octave.

"Yes," Elladan sniggered, wondering whether or not he should be making these revelations and then deciding that it could do no harm since the present incarnations of their friends felt only a fragmentary connection to the people they had once been, "apparently Eowyn had feelings for Estel."

"Legolas has a big mouth," Elrohir retorted aware of where that morsel of news had come and thinking that it was not prudent to make such comments when there was every possibility that Miranda could one day meet Aaron Stone.

"Who is Legolas?" Frank had to ask.

"A very pretty elf," Elladan replied, the darkness hiding the smirk on his face.

"So who was this Estel?" Miranda asked with some measure of curiosity regarding her former self's past infatuations.  Besides, talk of the past however, improbable it still felt to her, made her forget about the present and the children who were lost to her.

"Wasn't he one of the Fellowship guys?" Jason declared, remembering what the twins had told them earlier about Sauron, the Master Ring and the quest to destroy the thing. 

"Your memory serves you well," Elrohir answered back, "yes, we called him Estel for that was his name when he dwelt with us in Imladris but his true name was Aragorn."

Frank did not know that he liked the idea of Miranda having another love in her life, even if it was from a past life of a hundred thousand years ago.  However, he kept that bit of jealousy to himself and supposed he was being worried for nothing since this Aragorn person no longer existed.

"So what happened?" Miranda inquired, "She found out he was married or something?" She remarked offhandedly as romantic scandals often involved such complications.

"Engaged actually," Elladan answered, wondering if women had some insight that allowed them to make these leaps so accurately.

Miranda rolled her eyes, "typical."

*************

It took them another ten minutes before they arrived at the very last floor of the tall building. Considering the time taken and the number of floors they had to scale to reach their final destination, it could be said that their journey was made in good time. However, with the exceptions of the elves, the humans needed a moment to catch their breaths when they finally reached the top. The elves were rather bemused by the deterioration of human stamina, remembering how Aragorn used to travel most places on foot during the days of Middle earth and the hobbits were happily doing the same across the Shire barefoot.  The people of Arda had certainly grown soft these past one hundred millennia.

"I hope this is worth it," Eric grumbled as he took deep breaths as they emerged in the shadowy hallway.

Except for the natural light coming through the tinted windows, the building was devoid of any other illumination. Stale air remained trapped in the spaces between walls, frozen in place by the lack of artificial air circulation and heightened the smell of carpet and dust.  Despite the cool temperatures outside, it felt balmy as they made their way down the corridor, following the instructions on the small directory plaque near the lift doors.  Frank took the lead since it was his idea to begin with, urgency dogging his steps as Miranda's warning about the security guards loomed heavily on his thoughts.  In truth, he had no idea whether or not this plan of finding the person in charge of Malcolm Industries would help them in their search for Sam and Pip but at the time, it was all he could think off. Miranda needed desperately to believe they had some plan to recover the boys and this was the best that he had been able to manage under such short notice.

Frank could not deny that he felt terribly out of depth with everything that was happening and worst yet, it seemed that everyone was looking to him for answers. Perhaps it was because he had wanted to project a brave front in order to comfort Miranda however it was not a role he relished. Nothing that was happening seemed remotely possible to him and yet a scientist had to rely on what could be proven. Unfortunately the Silmaril had erased any doubt in his mind as to what Elladan and Elrohir were claiming. It put everything he knew into question and through these murky waters, he was expected to navigate in order to find some way of helping Sam and Pip.

He could just kill Bryan for this.

He knew that he was being irrational, that his brother had tried to save him and that when he had time to think of it, his anger would fade. However, at the moment, he wanted to throttle his brother for bringing him into this mythic world, a world that he could never turn his back upon now that he knew of its existence. Frank did not reveal to the twins that there was a burning need for him to understand how the world had come about now that they had revealed the truth to him.  He wanted to see the books these elvish people must have accumulated over time; he wanted to understand their language and their culture because they were the living witnesses to the origins of man. Even if the human race did indeed spring from a place called Hildorien and not Africa, as he had always believed, Frank wanted to study this truth for himself.

"Here it is," Frank exclaimed when the corridor they reached emptied into a larger room where a desk obviously belonging to a secretary was positioned outside the door with a polished brass plaque. Frank was grateful that he could read some Norwegian. He had always had a gift for learning languages quickly and his time in Oslo had nurtured that talent further.

"Samuel Mueller," Frank announced reading the name. 

"Well let's see what Samuel has to tell us," Miranda asked moving past him to enter the room first.

The interior of the absent Mr. Mueller's office was quite spacious and large. The outer walls of his office were made of glass and provided them with a brilliant and spectacular view of the city.  The sun blazed through the thick glass since the blinds to shield the room from the glare were drawn back because Mr. Mueller obviously liked the view of the city.  An expensive desk containing an equally impressive Apple computer sat against the glass wall.  Other pieces of furniture including a small mini-bar, a leather sofa and an entertainment unit complete with television and audio equipment made up Mr. Mueller's very luxurious but corporate workspace.

"There's a filing cabinet over there," Eric remarked first. As someone who was used to scrounging for information, he was the most adept at finding what they needed.

"What are we searching for?" Elladan asked, uncertain how he could be of any assistance.

"We're trying to find any proof of who is running Malcolm Industries," Eric explained as he crossed the floor and reached the squat two-drawer cabinet.  "If we can find out who, we may be able to find out where."

"It's a pity there's no power," Frank frowned as he slid into Mr. Mueller's chair and stared at the blank computer screen, "I'll bet what we need to find will be in here."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Eric replied as he pulled the drawer open. "These corporate types like to keep hard copies of everything.  Billion dollar companies can get into a lot of strife if they lose documentation in cyberspace. I wouldn't be surprised if everything on this computer is backed up in paper somewhere."

"These devices," Elrohir stared at the computer that looked like a television but certainly not the same, "we have seen many of them since our arrival here. When Aaron and my sister returned to Valinor from their lands, they brought one of these.  It showed us a great deal of images from your world. Aaron tells us that it connects your world from one end of the globe to another. I would like to understand how."

"I'd be glad to explain it to you," Jason replied, having studied electronics during his time in the army. "When we have some time."

"Keep looking, I'm going to take a look around. If those security guards come looking for us, we'll need to find another way off this floor." Miranda declared as she started towards the door.

"We will accompany you," Elladan offered, "there is little we can contribute here."

Elrohir seemed to agree and the three left the room a moment later, leaving Frank, Eric and Jason to ransack the office for information. Eric seemed oblivious to their departure as he pulled out a stack of files and handed it to Jason who immediately began thumbing through the leaves of paper within the manila folders.   However once their footsteps faded into the distance, Eric turned to Frank.

"How are you two doing?" The newsman asked much to Frank's surprise.

"What do you mean?" Frank returned, somewhat taken back by the question.

"How are you holding up?" Eric repeated himself, certain that Frank would catch his meaning eventually.

The realization dawned on the archaeologist an instant later as he understood Eric was referring to the loss of Sam and Pip.  "We're okay," Frank swallowed thickly, feeling a fresh stab of pain at being forced to remember the point of their search.  "Keeping our minds on what we need to do is helping, Miranda especially."

"She's their mother," Jason added. "Mums feel it more I guess."

"Perhaps," Frank turned away and focussed on the papers in a tray at the corner of Mueller's desk. "But don't underestimate how hard it is for dads either. The only reason I can think at all is because my boys need me to hold myself together.  I feel just as gutted as my wife I assure you."

"I didn't mean..."Jason started to apologize, feeling a little embarrassed that he had thought Frank's pain would be any less.

"I know," Frank said quickly, halting his words before he could finish the sentence. "We're alright," he assured both Eric and Jason, "and we'll stay that way for as long as its needed. We're getting our children back."

"Bloody oath," Eric stated firmly, "we'll find them."

He had never met these children but his feelings for Miranda made him feel just as protective of them as he felt towards their mother. He did not understand why he could feel so deeply for her when all he had were the word of two elves regarding their relationship.  However, Eric could not deny he liked the idea of being a brother and an uncle. If being either had any power to help, he was more than happy to be there for Frank and Miranda.

"Any luck?" Frank asked, clearing his throat as he returned his mind to the business at hand.

"Not much," Eric frowned, "most of this stuff is written in Norwegian. What is in English are mostly memos and things, directives from the London or the Paris office. More Paris than London actually."

"True," Jason remarked looking up from the folder he was perusing, "most of the London documentation predate six months ago.  The newer correspondence comes from the Paris office."

"Yes," Frank sat up in his chair and paid closer attention to the papers in Mueller's in and out trays.  "It's the same here, the more recent paperwork has the Paris letterhead," he commented. "Where did Saeran work from, do you know?"  He looked up at them. "Paris or London?"

"London," Eric said automatically, "if I'm not mistaken he has an estate close to the city.  After the destruction of the corporate center in New York, all business was moved to the London office."

"And now its in Paris," Frank declared, their mutual train of thought arriving at the same destination. "Go through the Paris papers," he instructed quickly, "see if there's a name there."

"If we had  computer access we could find everything we need," Jason grumbled, staring at the machine that was useless as long as the city was entrenched in this power blackout.

"This will have to do," Frank retorted, understanding Jason's sentiments but they had to work for what was within their immediate reach.

"Frank," Eric said as he skimmed through the more recent documents from Paris, "do you keep coming across an Irina Sadko?"

"Yes," Frank turned to him sharply before reaching for the nearest pile of papers, where he had seen the name.  Leafing through the papers, it did not take him long to locate it. "Here it is," he sat up straighter in his chair as he read out the contents, "this is a memo from the Paris branch authorizing the purchase of some new property here in Oslo, its signed Irina Sadko. It doesn't give her title though but under her name is a notation that says; authorized on behalf of David Saeran."

"Same here," Eric returned as he looked at his own batch of papers and discovered the same, "doesn't say who she is but she's approving new acquisitions, requisition orders and is apparently dictating company policy.  She doesn't get to make these kinds of decisions unless she's pretty high up in the food chain."

"So let's find her," Jason declared. "If she's making policy, she might be close to who we're looking for or may actually be the one in charge."

"Sadko," Eric mused, sounding the name at the tip of his tongue. "Sounds Russian."

"Probably is," Frank agreed. "We need to get to a working computer with net access," he added. "These companies always have web sites with listings of their personnel. We might be able to find out where she is that way."

"We'll need to get out of the country, or at least beyond the radius of the wave," Eric declared to know one in particular. 

Frank was about to answer when his words were suddenly silenced by the inevitable eruption of gunfire.

***********

Like any office floor, the upper most level of the Malcolm Building in Oslo contained two fire exits and a lift that was presently disabled thanks to the power blackout that had engulfed the entire city.  As Miranda and the twins made their way through the corridors, seeking an alternate means if their ruse to enter the building was discovered before they could leave it, there was every indication that the building had been hastily evacuated following the energy wave created by the Simaril. For the moment at least, the way seemed clear for them to make a swift departure if necessary. However, Miranda could feel time pressing against her spine, certain that despite Johan's lest than academic manner, the security guard would pursue Eric's story of they being a news team with permission to enter the premises.   Malcolm Industries would not doubt correct that misrepresentation and they would need to get out of here quickly.

She tried to imagine, as they inspected the silent rooms, what it must have been for the workers in this part of the building to be confronted with blackening monitor screens, computers suddenly dying, telephone conversations cut short as the switchboard system lost all calls, the loss of lights and other small catastrophes. Papers were on the floor, filing cabinets left half open. Some had left their belongings behind as evidence by coats and briefcases perched on top of desks.  Miranda did not speak. She rarely did when her mind was set for this sort of action. When she was training in the SAS, she had learnt that silence was golden.  Unnecessary chatter even if seemingly benign surroundings could get you killed.  The twins seemed to understand this and she wondered in their times, how many wars had they fought, how many lives they had taken. They had hunter's eyes, she knew that from the instant she met them but now that there were more than houseguest but rather allies in a dark and sinister situation, she wondered what their true capabilities were.

"The area is secure," she said after long last. "We're alone up here," she added lowering her gun.

"That is for certain," Elladan nodded, wondering where she had been schooled in the arts of stealth and combat.  There was no doubt in his mind that she was a warrior in her own right, for she regarded her situation with the same intensity that Elladan had come to know from Bryan.

"Tell me," Elrohir looked at her, mirroring his brother's unspoken thoughts, "what were you before your marriage?"

Miranda looked up at him, her brows knotting at the question, "why do you ask?"

"You carry a weapon with exceeding familiarity and when we fought the Nazgul, you were able to hold your own against the enemy."

"I wasn't always a housewife," Miranda remarked as she began making her way back to Frank and the others. Hopefully the trio would have found what they needed to by now and they could all leave this place and make some definitive progress in finding Sam and Pip.  Although she understood the need for caution, the more time she spent away from her children, the more she was starting to become convince that she would not find them. It was a spirit crushing belief that she had no wish to indulge but was powerless to prevent thanks the predisposed maternal instinct that was ingrained in every creature capable of giving another life.

"I surmised as much," he remarked with a little smile. "From my sister I have learnt that women in this age are engaged in occupation in the same way as their men, what was yours?"

Miranda supposed that it was no big secret if she were to reveal the truth since it was more or less a given that she had military training, particularly since they had seen her fight. "I worked for the government," she answered after a moment, "in much the same way as Bryan."

Bryan had not been terribly forthcoming in his origins either, Elladan recalled but the explanation sufficed because it was clear from Haldir's accounting of Bryan's capabilities, the human was more than adept at defending himself and anyone against the enemies of Sauron.  Miranda had proven herself in the fashion and it reinforced Elladan's belief of her ability to retrieve her children and deal with the Nazgul who had stolen them.

Suddenly something encroached upon his psyche, like a sudden shadow falling over the warmth of a sunny day.  He raised his eyes but a fraction only to find connection in Elrohir's gaze as his brother felt the same sensation.  Elladan froze, his eyes shifted instantly to the source of the approaching danger, knew in his bones that it was closer than they knew.  In this world, were so much was an unknown, everything resonated with caution and only something powerfully dark like the Nazgul could be sensed immediately. This threat, though nowhere as dangerous, had taken time to weave its way through the noise of so many other concerns to give them its warning.

"They are coming," Elladan exclaimed, "now."

Miranda did not question his perception, not after how they had predicted so accurately that Frank needed her help in the campus a day before. If it were not for their unique senses, Frank would have been in the hands of the Nazgul and his companions left dead. 

"Can you tell where?" She asked immediately because both staircases were located on opposite ends of the building.

"From the passageway we took," Elrohir answered quickly.

"That didn't take long," Miranda cursed under her breath as she started jogging towards the staircase in question.

"Where are you going?" Elladan demanded since the prudent course would be to retrieve the others and exit the building using the other staircase.

"I need a better weapon than this," Miranda retorted as she drew further away, "get Frank and the others and head for the other staircase."

Elladan saw her disappearing around the corner and look to his brother.

"I shall go with her," Elrohir declared, already moving in the direction that Miranda was going.

"Please," Elladan shook his head in disapproval, deciding that Miranda and his sister had a great deal in common particularly when it came to acting impulsively.

**************

Miranda did not notice the elf as she took point by the doorway to the staircase until he was directly behind her.  Since entering their lives, Miranda found that the duo were the absolute masters of stealth and shuddered to think what mischief they were capable of if not for their high minded ideals.  Pressing her ear to the wall, she could confirm by hearing what Elladan and Elorhir had alerted her to a short time ago.  Heavy footsteps were making their way up the stairs and the excited voices that preceded them indicated that their deception had been discovered.

"There's at least a dozen of them," Miranda guessed.

"Seven to be exact," Elrohir replied after doing the same and acquiring a more precise numbering his superior elven hearing. "What do you intend?" He asked a moment later, noting the stance she was taking as she waited for their enemies to scale the steps within the staircase to reach them.

"I need a better weapon than this," Miranda replied, frowning at the handgun in her grip, which was almost running on empty. "If we're going to get out of here, I need something with kick."

"Kick?" He looked at her, not understanding the terminology.

"Something that fires more than twenty rounds," she said with a smile.

"We had weapons on our vessel," Elrohir remarked, "weapons which would be of great use to us against the Nazgul but we could not slip them past your customs officials."

"That's modern bureaucracy for you," she responded, "we'll deal with it once we're out of here. I know where we can get some decent weaponry, not just for you but me as well."

Elrohir was going to question her further on the subject when she bid him to be silent as their enemy closed the distance. Miranda maintained her position by the doorway, ensuring that she would see them first. He allowed her to dictate their plan of attack since she had some strategy in mind and he did not wish to hinder her by his presence. Both of them held their breaths simultaneously as the heavy door began to open, the barrel of a rifle making its appearance ahead of the security guards.  The guard emerging from the darkened doorway was acting cautiously as he slowly entered the hallway.

When enough of the weapon came into sight, Miranda reached out and grabbed it in a lightning fast movement, snatching it out of his grip at the same time she threw herself against the door and trapped his arm in the crack with a terrible crunch of bone.  An agonized scream was muffled by the closing door from the security guard whose weapon she had commandeered retracted his arm.  As he did so, Miranda kicked it close and open fire against the doorway. She aimed high at first, riddling the top of the door with bullets, giving those behind it ample margin for escape.

"Get me that waste paper bin!" She barked at Elrohir who looked back at her quizzically, uncertain of what he had asked.

"That thing!" She pointed impatiently and released another barrage of bullets to ensure that if any of the security guards were at the door, they wouldn't be now.  The fact that they were carrying assault rifles seemed to confirm the twin's allegation that Malcolm Industries was the façade for a former lord of Mordor. Security guards were not equipped with these kinds of weapons unless there was something they were determined to protect or acquire. In this case, it was most likely Frank.

Elrohir nodded mutely, retrieving the tall, cylindrical refuse bin and handed it to Miranda who was bracing the door with her foot. Once it was in her hand, she jammed it under the door handle, ensuring that anyone trying to enter the room that way would not have an easy time of it. It was a temporary measure at best but even a margin of a few seconds could mean the difference between escape and capture. Miranda wanted every advantage they could get.

"I do not think this will hold them," Elrohir declared as Miranda turned towards him.

"That's an understatement," she retorted. "Come on, we've got to make it to the other door before they seal up that exit too.  We're almost twenty stories up, we don't have another way out of here."

Elrohir followed her without question because her judgement was sound and he did not wish to be trapped upon this loft height any more than she did.  Even Orthanc had not been as tall as this and he knew that this particular structure in terms of height was nothing out of the ordinary. During his first visit to Arda, in the city where he had found Eve and Aaron, the buildings had been so high that it was enough to steal the breath from his lungs.  He wondered how it was possible to build something so beautiful to behold as well as terrifying all at the same time.

As they drew further away from the corridor, he heard the sound of the door being battered from the other side and turned long enough to see the security guards attempting to break through. Once again, his earlier assertion that the door would not hold for long returned to his memory and he knew that Miranda was right, they had to reach the second door before the enemy had them trap.  Following her lead, he kept her in sight as she navigated the maze like across the uppermost floor of the building.

Another explosion of sound told Elrohir that their pursuers had decided to use bullets in order to force the door open and the noise of discharging weapons filled the air.  The gunfire made Miranda pause but a second as her eyes met his and they understood without exchanging a word, how short their time had become. Their pause was but for an instant before she was running again and as they reached the juncture of intersecting corridor, were reunited with the others.

"Miranda!" Frank called out as he joined his wife, clearly relieved to see no harm had come to her.

"They're right behind us," Miranda informed the others hastily.

"Damn," Eric cursed under his breath. "That took a lot less time than I hoped. I guessed Johan wasn't as dumb as he looked."

"Did you find what we needed?" She paused long enough to ask.

"We found something," Frank said with a smile and saw a flood of relief in her eyes at this news. "It could be a long shot but it is the best that we could do."

"Here," Miranda turned to Jason and pulled out the handgun tucked in the front of her jeans. "You know how to use this?"  She asked recalling that he had been quite adept with a gun during their battle with the Nazgul in the university laboratory a day earlier.

"Yeah," Jason took hold of the weapon and answered, "I can get myself out of trouble with one of these."

"There are about six rounds at best," she explained. "Take it off the rapid fire and fire single shots only. We don't want to kill anyone, just make certain they keep their distance."

"I got you," the younger man nodded in understanding and was grateful that she did not expect him to kill anyone.  Being a soldier in peacetime had spared him that particular experience and Jason was in no hurry to be blooded, despite strongly suspecting their present situation was going to bring it about eventually.

"Good," Miranda nodded in approval before turning to the others in the hallway. "We have to get out of here. If those guards smart, they'll be sending someone up both fire stairs."

"Then we had best continue on," Elladan declared, prompting the group into movement once more.

Hurrying through the corridors, they made their way across the floor, passing empty offices in dim hallways.  The sound of pursuit grew louder in their ears as they heard the security guards breaking through the barricade of the fire stairs and shouting out orders to one another to find the intruders.  It did not take long for the enemy to discern their location and even as they approached the second fire stairs, Miranda suspected that their avenue of escape might already be severed.

"I'll go first," she said approaching the door.

"Miranda, are you sure about this?" Frank asked, not liking the fact that his wife was throwing herself head long into danger, ahead all of them.

"I'm the one with the gun," she replied, casting him a brief glance of affection to tell him that she would be all right. "Everyone stay back, just in case."

"Let me," Elladan stepped forward, "I can move with far swifter ability."

"You can't outrun a bullet," she said dismissively and gestured for him to join the others before he could offer further argument. The elf withdrew but reluctantly and Miranda knew that it offended his sense of chivalry that she was taking the lead.  Unfortunately, she had little patience with chauvinism, no matter how well intentioned and placed her hand on the doorknob to enter the staircase and ensure that the way was clear for the rest of them.

Turning it slowly, she scolded herself inwardly because it would make no difference whether or not she made a sound if there was someone there. Peering through the widening crack of door as she pushed it, Miranda had no more managed to peer into the staircase when suddenly she heard the very audible click of a gun hammer a fraction of a second before the weapon discharge.  The bullets exploded past her ear, forcing her to recoil back into the hallway. The projectiles impacted against the concrete wall, spraying her with stone fragment as well as splinters of wood where the bullets had made contact with the door.

"Come on!" Frank hurried to her, forgetting his safety as he assured himself of hers.

Grabbing her arm, he pulled her away from the door as the hail of bullets drove her further into the corridor.  The eruption of gunfire had given away their position to the security guards closing in on them from the other side and the voices that had been distant now became urgent with approach.  Frank was aware of their grim predicament as the group retreated further away from the doorway, effectively caught between the narrowing gap of Malcolm Industries' security forces.

"Maybe we can trying going through the lift doors," Eric suggested.  "I'm sure those shafts have maintenance ladders of some kind."

"We'd never make it," Frank shouted in turn as they ran down the corridor without any clear understanding of what was to be done.

Miranda's mind was whirling, trying to find an avenue of escape but finding all their options effectively curtailed with the advent of both fire stairs being cordoned off by the security guards.  The notion of capture created such a feeling of despair inside of her that she could hardly think. Capture would mean losing the only advantage they had, Frank's ability to move about freely.  They had so little room to maneuver as it was. If the Nazgul were to capture Frank and hold them hostage in the same manner that Sam and Pip were now being held, her husband would have no choice but to capitulate to the Nazgul's demands.

No!

She thought frantically, she was not afraid to die but if Frank was right about these Valar and she did not doubt that he was, then they would all be sacrificed to prevent the lord of Mordor from returning to the modern world.  She could endure her own death but her children's demise was something she could not begin to fathom in any shape or form.  There had to be a way out of here! There simply had to be! She searched her brain for any way to deliver them from their present predicament when suddenly a memory surfaced in her mind that was almost a fleeting thought.

"This way!" She shouted turning into a corridor that lead away from both the fire stairs and emptied towards one of the abandoned offices.

"Why?" Elladan questioned even though the others were already following the golden haired woman as she darted through one of the doorways they had passed earlier. "There are only rooms there."

Miranda did not answer, trying to remember exactly where she had seen it. She knew that it was one of these offices but during their exploration of the level, she had only made note of it in passing because she had not thought it significant at the time.

The office she finally entered looked no different than the others except that this one was a corner office and would have been quite the status symbol for the person occupying it. While nowhere as grandiose as the branch director's office, this one had a spectacular view of the city as well.  Miranda hurried to the glass wall and looked through it meaningfully, her gaze sweeping across their only way of escaping this building.

"You're fucking joking," Jason blurted out first.

"It's the only way," Miranda ignored him and raised her rifle to fire. "Everyone look away!"

"Oh hell!" The young Kiwi turned around as she pulled the trigger.

Gunfire exploded in her ears as the bullets strafed the glass surface and shattered it spectacularly. Sharp fragments flew in all directions as larger pieces of glass exploded outwards and began its long descent to the ground.  The open ruptures in the glass wall immediately forced the powerful winds to sweep through the room.  Wind increased in speed the higher the altitude and at the heights they were presently occupying, the wind shear was considerable indeed. Miranda turned away as the room became a mild vortex of glass. Her hair whipped against her face as she lowered her weapon and stepped forward.

"Come on!" She called out as she approached the edge of the damaged wall and began to smash a larger opening with the butt of her rifle.

The window cleaner's scaffold was covered in glass and swayed slightly beneath the ministrations of the wind. Held in place by thick cables and pulleys, it did not at all look like an adequate manner of escape but unfortunately, it was all they had. 

"Jesus is that even going to hold our weight?" Frank asked as he saw his wife stepping through the opening.

Miranda swallowed and reminded herself not to look down as she stepped onto the aluminum platform.  It was not as stable as she would have liked and she was certain it was not made to accommodate the weight of six people but at this moment they had no choice. If they did not escape the building this way, then they would be led out of it as prisoners. Miranda preferred to take her chances with the platform. Grabbing onto the railings, she stepped onto metal floor before turning to Frank.

"It's the only way love," she said extending her hand to his.

"I trust you," Frank answered her without hesitation before taking her outstretched hand and making the journey from the safety of the building floor to the possible peril of the window cleaner's scaffold.  Like her, he did not look down as he made the crossing, aware that he would only become queasy by doing so.

"Is this safe?" Elladan asked with unhidden anxiety but since he could hear better than anyone the voices of the security guard closing in on them, supposed that safety was a relative issue and stepped onto the platform with as much bravery as could be mustered at a time like this.  The elf grabbed the handrail immediately and moved further along the scaffold so that the others could join in. 

"Does it matter?" Elrohir retorted following him, deciding that he would never again take the ground for granted. While these structures may appear splendid indeed, Elrohir came to the conclusion that he would prefer to view them from afar and most preferably from the ground.

Eric followed him and though the scaffold seemed to groan in protest at the weight, maintained its sturdiness despite swaying precariously in the wind and driving them to their wits end. Predictably, Jason was the last one to step onto the platform and as the voices of their pursuers grew loud enough to make them flinch, the younger man hesitated as he summed the courage to make join his companions.

"Come on Jason!" Eric insisted.

"Oh Jesus," Jason exclaimed, sweat breaking out over his skin. "What is it with you people and bloody heights?"

"Will you just get on!" Eric snapped. "This isn't the time to wrestle with acrophobia!"

"Wrestle!" Jason shouted back, "I'm on the bloody mat and the referee's counting to ten!"

"JASON!" Eric shouted in exasperation.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" The younger man said clearly fearful but forcing himself to move as he put a foot on the platform.   No sooner than he had made the effort, both Eric and Elladan leaned over and dragged him the rest of the way.

"Oh shit!" Jason swore again as he opened his eyes as they pulled him across and found himself looking at the miniature street below.

"Don't look down!" Frank instructed.

"Its too late!" Jason hissed and clamped his eyes shut, promising himself that it would remain that way until they were on the ground again.

"Miranda!" Frank turned to his wife as they saw the security guards appearing at the door of the room. "Get this bloody thing moving!"

Miranda found the large control box attached to the electronics of the scaffold with a thick and flexible rubber conduit. Pushing one of the two buttons on the panel, the scaffold jerked into movement as the pulleys began the work and with an uneasy start, the entire platform began to lower somewhat steadily. She released the box and looked up to the open window, waiting for the eminent arrival of the security guards who would deduce quickly enough where they had gone. 

"We made it," Eric exclaimed, "we actually made it."

"We haven't made anything until we're on the ground!" Jason declared hotly, with one arm wrapped around a railing with the other covering his eyes, quite an impressive feat since he had the only other gun among them.

"Stand back," Miranda ordered as she saw the first appearance of the guards at the broken window. Not given them the chance to discern where she and her companions had gone or how they had made their escape, she raise the assault rifle in her hands and released a hail of bullets along the glass walls of the building.  The noise was more than enough to drive them back into the building's innards for safety and more glass window shattered under the ministrations of the projectiles. The scaffolding managed to maintain its steady descent despite this barrage but it did not improve the wits of anyone who was force to travel on the platform.

"Miranda!" Frank immediately reached for the gun and pushed it down to stop her from firing further. Below them, the debris of glass and the sound of gunfire had caused minor chaos as eyes were immediately drawn to them from the onlookers below. Other people were fleeing in fear the glass shards raining down on them and those who were not, were pointing at them and calling for help.

"Frank!" Miranda turned to him in protest, "I've got to stop them from following us!"

"They want me alive!" He insisted, "I seriously doubt they're going to open fire while I'm suspended twenty floors up. Take it easy!"

"Fine," Miranda lowered her weapon, conceding defeat in this one point because it seemed as she was bringing too much attention to them. It was more than likely that the security guards were already making their way down the building in an effort to intercept them below, they did not need the added complication of the authorities' involvement as well.

"Were you able to learn anything?" Elladan asked Eric in an effort to dispel the tension between husband and wife.  With the scaffolding making its way to the ground, there was little else to do and under such circumstances, tempers could become frayed very quickly.

Catching the elf's meaning, Eric answered quickly, "yeah, we found out that some woman called Irina Sadko has been issuing a lot of company memos from the Paris office.  If I didn't know better, I would say she was in charge."

The mention of a woman sparked a memory within Elrohir who had spent a good deal of time with Bryan Miller since the human had come to Valinor.  He searched his thoughts for the relevant information, focusing after a moment on the events relating to David Saeran's defeat in his stronghold in Mordor or the modern world's equivalent of the place, Romania.

"There was a woman present when they captured Sauron," Elrohir declared looking up at them both. "She was believed to have been Sauron's lover however, Bryan was certain that she was killed when his domain was destroyed."

"Believed but not certain?" Eric stared at the elf in return.

"There was no time to be sure of it as a fact," Elrohir explained, "she had almost killed your brother. If it were not for Aaron, it would have been likely that Bryan would have died in Mordor…I mean Romania."

Frank did not answer because the ground was approaching fast to greet them. He swept his gaze towards the main entrance of the building and saw the security guards had yet to make their appearance. Frank did not anticipate that this state of affairs would remain indefinitely and moved towards the small gate through the railing of the scaffold. The concrete was only a few feet below him and Frank too the initiative to jump the rest of the way. 

It was just as well because no sooner than they were back on terra firma did the guards in question emerge and in greater numbers.  Wasting no time in a further confrontation or engaging in a gunfight in the middle of a busy street in broad daylight, the collection of humans and elves ran towards the car Miranda had stolen earlier in order to make their getaway.  For most part, Frank was right about the guard's desire to take him alive because they too were being restrained in their use of firearms. Miranda reached the vehicle first, jumping into the driver's seat and bringing the engines promptly to life as those with hers followed suit, piling into the car hastily as the security guards closed in on them.

"Go! Go! Go!" Frank shouted as he saw them reach the sidewalk where the station wagon was parked. In a matter of seconds, the vehicle would be surrounded and unable to move unless Miranda was willing to plow through the enemy in full view of everyone.

Fortunately, the dilemma never reared its head as the vehicle pulled out of its parked space just as the guards were within reach of it.  Still reluctant to open fire in the middle of the day, the employees of Malcolm Industries could do little but watch helplessly as their quarry sped away in a stolen car.

They were some distance away before anyone deigned to speak. Everyone was becoming accustomed to the fact that they had survived yet another harrowing incident and wondered how many more lay before them before this nightmare was ready to draw to a close. Frank thought about everything that had happened as they drove through the street with no particular destination in mind. Miranda seemed to be concentrating on putting as much distance between them and the Malcolm Building as her eyes remained fixed on the road ahead.

"This woman Irina," Frank finally broke the silence, "you said that she was Saeran's lover?"

"Yes," Elladan nodded, "at least that is how Bryan described it. She try to kill him after Sauron was defeated."

"Alright then," Frank nodded processing the information in his head. "It makes a good deal of sense then."

"Yeah," Eric nodded in agreement. "She's the one whose been clearing the way for the Nazgul. I wouldn't be surprised if she's the one who's been tracking us. When Petra Tebben sent word to Malcolm Industries about what her archaeology team found, this Sadko woman must have realized what the artifact was and decided it was the only way to get David Saeran back. With you making the offer, she probably thinks the Valar will have no choice but to agree."

"That's how the Nazgul were able to find out about Sam and Pip so quickly," Frank continued, "no doubt the instant they found out I was at the university, she accessed the university faculty list to find out my personal details."

"So you're telling me this woman Irina Sadko," Miranda spoke up finally, "has been in charge of Malcolm Industries since Saeran was taken to Valinor?"

"It fits," Eric retorted. "All the paperwork we saw made no mention of her title but says it was signed with authorization from David Saeran. She's been running things while the rest of the world thinks that Saeran is somewhere in Germany convalescing."

"Okay, we know who she is," Jason said grateful that they had something concrete to work with after long last. "The question is what do we do about it?"

"Where is this woman?" Elladan asked.

"The files we saw indicates she's based out of Paris," Eric answered, "but I doubt that she'd keep two kidnapped children there but it's a place to start."

"I find it difficult to believe that the Nazgul would ally themselves with any human," Elrohir retorted somewhat astonished by this possibility. The Nazgul had little patience for any living thing that was not their master but supposed that a great deal had changed in a hundred thousand years, perhaps need had given them little choice but to cooperate with Sauron's lover.

"Well like you said," Frank met his gaze, "they are not as strong as they used to be. Without Saeran, they're vulnerable and moving through the modern world is difficult without help.  Politics make strange bedfellows I'm afraid. Still I'm not sure if Paris is where we should be headed."

"What do you mean?" Jason asked, "where else could they go?"

"The Nazgul would want to keep a close eye on Sam and Pip," Miranda said sourly. "For the moment, he needs them and I doubt he'd risk losing them when it's the only way to get their Master back. However, once their usefulness ends, I know the bastard will kill them."

Frank bristled at the thought of his boys coming to harm because of a Nazgul's vengeance but crushed the fear ruthlessly because he needed to think. "You say their Romanian base was destroyed?"

"Thoroughly from what I understand," Elrohir replied, recalling Bryan's accounting of events.

"They couldn't take the boys out of Europe," Miranda spoke starting to see where Frank was headed with his ruminations. "They'll need passports to get through customs. The Nazgul wouldn't take the risk."

"What about the Paris branch?" Jason suggested.

"As the corporate center, that's tactically unwise," Frank answered, "they need to be hidden somewhere remote, somewhere Sam and Pip won't find help if they try to escape and knowing our kids, they'll try."

"Wait a minute," Jason exclaimed as the realization dawned upon him, "what about this place that Saeran is supposed to be recuperating at?"

"The one in Germany," Eric stated.

"What about there?" Jason looked at the others in question. "I mean the trip by road isn't long. They could make it to Germany in less than a day and they don't need to pass through customs."

"Germany is a big place," Miranda said tautly but the seeds of hope were definitely glittering in her eyes, Frank noticed. "We need to know exactly where."

"I think I can find out," Eric returned with a smile and turned to Jason, "who's the best researcher we know?"

Jason caught his meaning and let out a visible groan, "not her."

"Who?" Frank stared at the younger man puzzled.

"We got sent to Iceland the last time," Jason glared at Eric, "you call her again and we're going to get fired!"

"Who is he talking about?" Elladan asked similarly baffled.

"My boss's wife," Eric answered. "Dominque."

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