A/N - This will be the last time we are allowed to reply to reviewers in our chapters. They have added a feature that allows the authors to reply via review email alerts, so if you aren't registered, then I won't be able to reply to your review unless you enter your email address in the space provided when you review. But please continue to review our stories. It's so important for us to get feedback. Thanks for all your support everyone!

Frodo01228 – Thanks. More on "her" later.

Jess – You are very, very clever. But are you right? Hm, I can't tell you. These are my two all time favorite movies, too. I just HAD to put them together!

BooBoo – (chapter 1) Thanks for the nice compliments. You'll see Leggy's kids more throughout the story. And by the way, I sent "No Control" to you. Let me know what you think of it. (chapter 2) Yeah, I just had to get The Company involved and I can guarantee that bad things will happen. As for the kids getting into some alien trouble, well, you'll just have to wait and see. Hehehe, I know, I'm just terrible!

Laebeth – So kind, so kind. Please don't kill me after you read this chapter. But I swear good things will come from it.

Chapter 7 – Test Subjects
Valinor

Five of the Valar gathered in Ilmarin, home of Manwë, high up on the mountain of Taniquetil. They discussed further options to save those in Valinor. Thousands of Elves had already been brought to the mountain over the last two weeks and many more within the walls of Valmar. But so many had been taken by the aliens in an effort to increase their numbers. And so many Elves had yet to reach safety. Even though word had spread throughout the villages, the random appearance of the aliens scattered those that tried to reach sanctity.

Mandos, the Doomsman, paced in agitation. "The spirits of the deceased do not come to my halls. They continue to wander lost, incapable of finding their way. Galadriel was able to speak to some, but there are too many for her to reach."

Manwë nodded solemnly. "I will send Varda down to aid her. What we must do first and foremost is find a way to stop these creatures from taking the Elves. If they cannot take them, then they cannot kill them."

"But how do we stop them?" asked Ulmo. "Their numbers grow and they seem to fear nothing except perhaps the light."

"Aye," confirmed Manwë. "The lights that surround the walls of Ilmarin and Valmar keep them away."

"Then we must use light to herd them away from the people. I will call upon the other Istari to aid us in this effort."

"Very well, Ulmo, you may take on this task." After Ulmo departed, Manwë turned next to Irmo. "What of the visions that continue to plague young Legolas?"

"He randomly sees Elves being attacked and killed, or taken to be used as hosts."

"Where is he now?"

"He travels south to Gondor with his father and the king of Rohan. Their families travel with them."

"Is Legolas aware of what is happening in Valinor?"

"He believes his visions are real and has discussed them with his wife and the Elven king. They plan to speak to the king of Gondor when they arrive. But Legolas is uncertain whether we would allow any but Elves to come to our aid."

"We will accept the aid of any who are willing to risk their lives. Man, Dwarf, Elf, whomever. But that does not mean we will allow them to remain in Valinor after the creatures are destroyed."

Nienna sighed heavily. "Your stubbornness in this matter is deplorable, Manwë. You want mortal Men to risk their lives for Valinor, yet you will not allow them to dwell in these lands."

"Many times have we tried to bend the rules for the sake of Men," defended Manwë. "They have proved over and over again that they cannot be trusted. I blindly trusted once," he added bitterly, thinking of his brother Melkor and the destruction he caused in both Middle Earth and Valinor. "I will not make the same mistake again."

Nienna did not falter. As the Lady of Pity, she often challenged the other Valar and defended the mortals of Middle Earth. "But there are trustworthy Men in Middle Earth. Aragorn, son of Arathorn, was guardian to Frodo. He risked his life and those of his people to give Frodo the time he needed to destroy Sauron's ring. I guarantee that he will take those same risks again to aid those here in Valinor. Tis not fair of you to disallow them a place here in Valinor after such sacrifices."

Manwë pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nienna, we will have this discussion at another time. What I would like you to do, with the help of Irmo, is to seek out Legolas. Enter his dreams or his visions and explain my wishes to him. Tell him that they must come quickly for there are many who have yet to find sanctity within the walls of Valmar or atop Mount Taniquetil. Tell him that they must bring weapons." He briefly paused and then added, "And inform him of the intruders from the stars. I am almost certain that he can sense something else that is amiss."

Nienna nodded in understanding and she quickly departed with Irmo, leaving Manwë alone with Mandos.

Manwë defensively faced Mandos. "Do you also feel that I am far too harsh toward mortals?"

Mandos smiled faintly. "You are far too harsh about many things, Manwë. But toward mortals, you are more than righteous. Far be it from me to say that not all mortals are like their ancestors. Yet some I have known to be much worse. Perhaps to some we can allow the same privilege as the two Hobbits that currently dwell in Valinor."

Manwë finally allowed himself to smile in return. "By allowing Men into Valinor, who then would fill your halls, my friend?"

Valinor

Elrond stood on the crest of a small hill, his long dark hair blowing in the gentle afternoon breeze. He diligently watched the large procession of Elves moving through the valley below. Some were on horseback, but most were on foot and the going was incredibly slow. He turned toward the sun and calculated the number of daylight hours left. At the rate they were moving, it would be dark before they reached Mount Taniquetil. The night before, more than fifty Elves were attacked and taken away. Elrond urged the rest to pick up their pace so they would not have to spend another evening in fear of being attacked again.

Haldir, Orophin and Rúmil approached Elrond from a place where he would be able to see them. Everyone was on edge lately because of the attacks. The aliens moved silently, even to Elven ears, so the people were cautious when approaching each other to alleviate the anxiety that it might be one of the aliens.

"What of my sons, Haldir?" asked Elrond, trying with no luck to disguise the worry in his voice. The look on Haldir's face was all Elrond needed in response. Elladan and Elrohir had vanished without a trace when Elrond had sent them to gather more people. They should have returned by now.

Haldir sighed heavily. "We traveled to the town where they were to have gone. No one has seen them."

Elrond nodded absently as he continued to look down upon the tide of people walking passed. "Have the people of that town joined us?"

"Aye." After a moment of silence, Haldir decided to leave Elrond alone with his thoughts and perhaps to grieve for his sons, if in fact they were gone. He motioned to his brothers and the three of them headed back down the hill.

Valinor
Weyland-Yutani Research Base

Elladan and Elrohir were seated on the cold floor of the chamber they had found themselves in the day before. Occasionally someone would appear on the other side of the transparent wall, but their pleas to be set free went unanswered.

Elrohir winced from a sharp pain at his chest. He rubbed the place over his clothing.

"What is wrong?" asked Elladan.

"I feel pain here," replied Elrohir.

Elladan frowned because he had a similar pain.

Together the two brothers parted the seams of their tunics and stared at their bare chests. Each had similar healing scars down the middle of their chests. Before either could comment, someone appeared on the other side of the transparent wall. This time it was an attractive woman. The twins stood up.

§

Jordan had avoided this sub-level for awhile, knowing that the twin Elves were there. But two days had passed since the blood had been drawn from the Elves and the alien embryos extracted. They should have been released by now. She placed her hands on the Plexiglas and stared at the identical Elves on the other side. Aside from the pointed ears, they had long dark hair and tall lean bodies. And they were beautiful. She couldn't remember ever referring to anyone as beautiful…well, except one guy she didn't want to think about. Although he hadn't exactly been beautiful…just rugged and beautiful in his own way.

The twins placed their hands on the transparent wall, in the exact place she had her hands as if they were trying to touch her. She glanced up and didn't know which one of them to look at. Their eyes pleaded with her. They wanted to be released and she had no idea why they were still being kept in the chambers and their memories not erased. "I wish you could understand me," she told them with a slight shake of her head.

The two Elves turned to each other briefly and then turned back to her. "Please help us," said the one on the left, in plain English. His voice had been muffled and barely audible through the thick Plexiglas.

Jordan was surprised that they actually spoke her language. In previous days they had only spoken a colorful language she didn't understand. She was suddenly angry that they were being treated like animals and stormed over to the com unit on the wall, slamming her palm roughly over the button. "Hey!" She waited a moment for a reply before slamming the button repeatedly, knowing with satisfaction that every com unit on the base was buzzing like crazy.

Train's calm voice finally reached her through the room's speaker. "Yes, Dr Messer?"

"Why haven't these Elves been released yet?"

"There's been a slight delay."

"Bullshit! I want them released at once. Is that clear, Lieutenant?"

"They haven't undergone a memory swipe yet."

"I don't care. You let them go or I'm going to do it myself."

"I advise you not to do that, doctor. The test subjects are extremely dangerous as you saw when we first brought them in."

"Yeah, that's because you and your goons plucked them from their homes without their consent! Release them at once or I'm sending a transmission to headquarters and telling them how these people are being mistreated." She had emphasized the word people to make a point. Train had called them test subjects.

"I advise you not to do that either, doctor," replied Train in a suddenly icy tone which made Jordan shiver.

"Yeah? Watch me!" Jordan exited the chamber and proceeded down the corridor to the lift. She hit the button and the lift began to ascend. When it reached the Communications level, the gate slid open. She jumped when she realized Lieutenant Thomas Train and three of his men were standing in her path. "Get out of my way," she said with as much authority as she could muster.

Train gave her a sincere smile. "Take it easy, Dr Messer. I'll release the two test subjects as soon as Dr Leland has a chance to filter their memory."

Jordan raised her chin and tried to look down her nose at him, even though he was a good head taller than her. "I'm going to check on them again in a few hours. They better not still be in that chamber."

Train continued to smile. "I promise you won't find them in there."

Jordan hit the lift button again and the door closed.

Train's smile slowly faded and he turned to one of his men. "Keep a close watch on her. And I want to know about every transmission before it leaves this base." He didn't trust that the good doctor wouldn't call headquarters anyway.

The man who had received the orders nodded and was about to walk away when he stopped and turned back to Train. "What about the test subjects?"

Train sighed heavily, his eyes glaring around but not focused on anything. "Leave that task to me." He knew what had to be done. The aliens would just have to take care of matters for him.

§

Jordan took the lift to the level that contained the staff quarters and quickly headed to her room. Her adrenaline was on overload after her confrontation with the intimidating Lieutenant. She hated feeling inferior to him and kicked at the cot to release her frustration of not being in control of things. Then she began pacing. "Something's not right, Jordan. Come on, what the hell can it be? The asshole is obviously not going to listen to you." She stopped pacing and glanced at her computer.

A minute later she was seated in front of her computer looking for the profile on Lieutenant Thomas Train. She accessed a military file and quickly scanned through the contents of it, reading about Train's family history and his exemplary service in the United Systems Colonial Marines. Train was retired from the military and was specifically hired by The Company to safeguard those on the base. But what Jordan found strange was that he was listed as currently under the direct command of Defense Secretary Frederick Rohlwing. She frowned, wondering what the President's Defense Secretary had to do with The Company.

Ithilien
(Legolas's POV)

…long black hair whipped around as razor-sharp teeth tore into flesh and bone-chilling screams filled the small chamber…

I heard myself cry out as I realized I had been sleeping. Gasping for air, I felt as if my lungs could not find any. Nay…not my friends. It could not happen to my friends…A hand on my shoulder made me jump and I retreated away from the touch.

"Legolas, what's the matter!"

I recognized Ariedel's voice in the darkness but could not bring myself to relax. I could not get air into my lungs. I could not breathe! A sudden light flashed in my eyes and I covered them before I realized that Ariedel had lit a candle. When she came toward me, I felt the need to move away. But as I did so I suddenly found myself trapped in powerful arms. I struggled to free myself. It was an alien. It was going to pull me out of the tent!

"Legolas, daro! Daro maetho!" (Stop. Stop struggling)

The resonant sound of my father's voice filled the small space of the tent, but it did little to ease the panic within me. "Nay!" I cried out.

My father shook me violently. "Legolas, echui!" (awaken)

I slowly opened my eyes and stared at my father. He was holding me at arm's length, a terrified look upon his face. I glanced to the right and noted the similar look upon Ariedel's face. "Ell…Elladan and Elrohir." I turned back to my father. "They are gone."

"What do you mean they are gone?" asked Thranduil.

My lungs continued to ache from lack of air and I forced myself to inhale deeply, which brought on a fit of coughing. I pulled away from my father's grip and collapsed on my hands and knees, gasping for air and coughing whatever managed to sneak in. Ariedel moved toward me with a flask of water and I drank it. Most of it ended up on the bedrolls as I coughed it up as well. The glances exchanged between my father and my wife did not escape me. They were concerned and I planned to explain as soon as I could get some air. But then things started to get dark again and a loud ringing filled my ears.

Ithilien
(Ariedel's POV)

I watched helplessly as Legolas's eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out. Probably from lack of oxygen. Where was an oxygen tank when you needed one? But passing out was probably the best thing that could have happened because he stopped hyperventilating. Even though his breathing was a bit shallow, at least he wasn't gasping for air any longer. I cradled his head in my lap and gently pushed several strands of hair from his face. "Elladan and Elrohir sailed to Valinor several years ago with Elrond, their father."

Thranduil sighed heavily. "I know."

I frowned. "So he thinks they're dead?"

"I believe that is what he meant when he said they are gone."

"Something strange is taking control of him, adar, and I have no idea how to stop it."

The Elf king reached for my hand and held it between both of his. "Tell me what happened to Legolas after you both vanished over eleven years ago."

I took a deep breath, knowing that this subject would eventually come up sooner or later. Although I had hoped that after almost twelve years, Thranduil would have just accepted that Legolas was alive and well, that he wouldn't question how we had survived the destruction of the alien infested mountain. How could I explain to Legolas's father that I had transported Legolas off the planet? "Adar, if I'm to explain, then I'm going to ask that you not question how such things could be and not ask for specific details because there are some things I just can't explain."

Thranduil gave a tilt of his head in agreement.

"When I found Legolas, he was injured. His injuries were severe and needed immediate attention. Aside from those injuries, he also had one of the aliens inside him. I took him to a place where they were able to remove the creature and his injuries were healed."

"Tis not such an unusual thing, sell nin," said Thranduil evenly. (my daughter)

I had purposely left out the part about leaving the planet. But I had a feeling Thranduil had some idea that Legolas and I weren't anywhere in Middle Earth at the time. "The creature they removed was a queen, which usually needs more time than a drone to incubate in the host. I'm guessing it was inside him for several hours before I found him."

"Did they kill the creature after it was removed?"

I sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, no."

"Why would such a creature be kept alive?"

"Because the person in charge was a goddamned moron who had no clue what he was dealing with. And that's why the fool is dead." Then I remembered who I was speaking to and took another deep breath before continuing. "Legolas came to discover that he was able to understand the queen's thoughts and she could sense him as well."

"Is this a usual occurrence among those impregnated with the creatures?"

"The mental connection? Well, for those that survive…that is, those that had creatures extracted, they suddenly develop some kind of bond with the creature that was taken from them. At least until the creature is destroyed. But it's just an illusionary bond, more like a sense of each other's presence. I had never heard of a human ever actually understanding an alien's thoughts. This was something new."

"You do realize that Legolas is not human."

I gave him a look. "Of course I know that. He's an Elf."

"Not only is he Elf-kind, but he also has superior abilities that were passed on to him by his mother. He senses more, sees further, hears clearer than any Elf. Tis my belief that he senses these creatures now, even if they were never a part of him. Perhaps the queen that was extracted from him left him with some part of her that was capable of this special type of communication."

"Maybe."

"What became of the alien queen if she was never destroyed?" asked Thranduil.

"Well, it grew and then escaped…killing everyone. Legolas and I had gone away for a short while and when we returned we discovered the place crawling with aliens."

"Was that also the place where Aragorn and Gimli vanished to?"

I paused for a minute, wondering if maybe Aragorn had filled him in on what had happened. "Yes. Their arrival was actually perfect timing because they helped Legolas and I eliminate many of the aliens before we were all able to leave and return to SR-682." Then I noticed the frown on his face. "I mean…" I tried to recall where we had ended up when we translocated off Gateway Station. "Mirkwood. That's right, it was Mirkwood." I wondered about this sudden connection between Legolas and the aliens. "Telepathic," I said absently as I looked down at Legolas.

"Pardon?"

I shook my head. "Telepathy. That's what it's called. The link Legolas has with these aliens." Legolas's behavior was proof enough. The way he stared at nothing in particular for long periods of time as if he was listening to something, the way his anger escalated whenever the aliens were the topic of conversation…and especially the way he spoke in despair over those in Valinor he believed had been killed. He knew because in his dreams he probably saw it happening through an alien's point of view. "I don't know what to do to help him."

Thranduil squeezed my hand tightly. "We will see him through this."

Sorry about the twins, for all you Elladan and Elrohir fans… (runs out of the room to avoid all the bricks being thrown, then pokes head back in to say one more thing)… But I have a surprise in the next chapter, so stay tuned…Please review and tell me what you think.